Job Searching Tips

The Staffing View
On business, the workplace and employee relations
October, 2011


Micro Tech's Featured Job Openings for October
Quality Assurance Software Engineer, Waltham, MA
Salary: $90,000
This software company seeks a quality assurance engineer Ideal candidate will have some experience coding in either Java, PHP, Ruby or similar languages and offers an excellent work environment and benefits along with the salary

Mechanical Assembler, Nashua, NH
Salary: $14 to $16 per hour
Qualifications include the ability to use hand and pneumatic tools, read prints and schematics, work on prototype builds and perform in-process inspection on subassemblies

Quality Engineer, Sturbridge, MA
Salary: $100,000
Employer seeks candidates with a Bachelor of Science or BS Mechanical Engineering degree who can utilize a strong working knowledge of ISO9001 and 13485 regulations to assist with compliance within manufacturing and engineering Candidate should also be able to lead manufacturing quality improvement projects throughout the life cycle of company products Additional requirements include evaluating manufacturing quality performance and developing criteria to monitor and improve existing processes; utilizing quality engineering tools and techniques to establish sampling plans, developing quality plans, conducting and participating in FMEA activities, and conducting process and systems audit Should also be able to investigate instances of nonconforming material, and facilitate the determination of root causes while participating in the corrective action and preventive action process Candidate should be capable of developing validation plans and assisting in process or product validations

Manufacturing Engineer, Mansfield, MA
Salary: Based on experience
Employer seeks a manufacturing engineer to work with the R&D engineering team confirming DFM and integrating new product development into manufacturing processes Candidate must have a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering Opening is a 10-month contract with a possibility of being extended or possibly going permanent


Some Job Search Expenses are Tax Deductible
If you've spent much of 2011 looking for a job, it is small consolation that Uncle Sam will allow you to deduct some of the expenses related to your job search from your income taxes But every little bit helps when your income is down and money is tight With the final quarter of 2011 upon us, it's not too early to start thinking about tax deductions

An effective job search involves more than sending emails and resumes from your home computer You might pay counseling fees, gas mileage or travel expenses The deadline for filing income tax forms is months away, but it's a good idea to keep records of your deductible expenses during the year For job hunters, whether you are seeking temporary or permanent employment, the government's rule of thumb is that the expenses be associated with your search within the same profession So if you're a financial analyst and you land a job with a new company as a financial analyst, your costs may be deductible But if that company hires you for a sales position, that's different That's not very helpful for people laid off from shrinking sectors such as autos who are trying to make a career switch But for others who are trying to find work in the fields they've always practiced, relief is available

Some expenses that you incur might seem deductible, but actually are not A cell phone, computer, and Internet access are all useful and perhaps necessary in some cases to find a job today But the Internal Revenue Service considers those personal expenses and cannot be applied against your income

Here are five guidelines the IRS provides when trying to determine if you can deduct a cost related to your job search

1 If you're looking for a job in your current occupation, you can deduct employment and outplacement agency fees that you've paid If your employer reimburses you in a later year for those fees, you're required to include the reimbursement in your gross income up to the amount of your tax benefit in the earlier year
2 Do you have a polished resume and related materials for employers? You can deduct the amount you spend making copies and mailing packages to prospective employers as long as you are looking for a new job in your present occupation
3 If you travel to look for a new job in your present occupation, you may be able to deduct travel expenses to and from the area But don't try to combine it with a vacation You can only deduct your expenses if the trip is primarily to look for a new job The amount of time you actually spend seeking employment while in the new area, compared with any personal activity, is what determines whether or not you can deduct the expenses for the trip One common deductible expense: meals You can deduct up to 50 percent of that cost
4 You cannot deduct job search expenses if there was a "substantial break" between the end of your last job and the time you begin looking for a new one In the past, the IRS has considered about a year between jobs to be a "substantial break" However, considering the severity of the recession and the fact that many people have been unemployed well beyond a year, this is a deduction where there may be more flexibility Check with your tax preparer
5 You cannot deduct job search expenses if you are looking for a job for the first time Sorry recent high school and college grads You may be unemployed coming out of school, but you weren't working in an occupation previously You were a student

Coping with the Bully on Your Job
Anti-bullying campaigns in the nation's schools have become more intense in recent years to combat the problem of children and teenagers being physically and emotionally abused by other students But what about bullying in the workplace? Workers who are abused by their boss because of race, nationality or religion are protected by civil rights laws But protection from someone who regularly demeans or humiliates a subordinate because they're a bully is another story

Workers' rights advocates have been campaigning for years at the state level for passage of laws that would address workplace bullying According to the Healthy Workplace Campaign, a grassroots group backing anti-bullying legislation, 11 states are considering measures to address the problem The Healthy Workplace Bill forbids a health-harming "abusive work environment" The employee must show medical documentation to support a violation But employers could be liable unless they have taken steps to correct and prevent abuse when reported

Bullying - intimidation, harassment, mobbing - is an ancient problem in the schools and among children But in the workplace it has been less understood In a 2010 survey by Zogby International 34 percent of American adults said they had been bullied at work Workplace bullying was defined as "repeated mistreatment: sabotage by others that prevented work from getting done, verbal abuse, threatening conduct, intimidation or humiliation"

Maltreatment can come from your boss or another worker and take on many forms It includes verbal abuse, name-calling, alienating other workers, withholding information necessary to complete an assignment and spreading rumors Not only can that treatment erode self-confidence and affect your work performance, studies have shown it can lead to higher anxiety, depression and insomnia

Unfortunately in today's economy many bullied employees feel they can't quit their jobs because other companies aren't hiring They also fear retribution if they speak out against the bully, particularly if that person is their boss

But there are steps that can be taken The Project for Wellness and Work-Life at Arizona State University conducted a two-year study on workplace bullying that resulted in the report "How to Bust the Office Bully" Its suggestions for those who are being bullied include:

Be rational When presenting your situation to a human resources manager or company superior, it's important to be credible To be credible you need to appear rational Researchers found that a linear story that included concrete reasons for why the situation occurred was viewed as more rational People who tell credible stories are able to explain the background of their relationships with the bully and why the relationships unfolded in a destructive way

Express emotions appropriately Tell about the emotional devastation of the bullying, yet maintain a calm voice and demeanor If the goal is to enlist the help of a supervisor or human resource personnel, a calm demeanor will better enable the listener to respond by focusing on the bully's behavior, rather than being overwhelmed by the emotions you feel

Provide consistent details Credible narratives are detailed and consistent An abundance of detail typically is considered a sign of authenticity Consistently retelling those details over time will be seen as evidence of a truthful story

Show consideration for others' perspectives Recognize that you might be perceived as a "whiner" or that others might think the situation you describe sounds "crazy" Believable targets also demonstrated that they had attempted to understand the bully's behavior and even tried to have sympathy for their abuser

Of course don't allow the bully to make you feel bad about yourself Remind yourself of your abilities and speak regularly with others who can offer support


Psych 101 for Job Seekers
All kinds of psychological factors can determine if you do well in a job interview Sure skills and experience are important, but does the person across the table feel good about you? Here are a few interviewing tips, courtesy of Psyblog, which can help you send out a good "vibe"

Schmooze lightly
Schmoozing is good A study of 116 students just out of college trying to get their first job found that the students who interviewed the best were the most ingratiating They praised the organization, complimented the interviewer and showed enthusiasm, among other positives But beware - blatant self-promotion was surprisingly ineffective

Be cool
A common question is how you were able to deal with difficult situation in the past Research suggests you should emphasize how you controlled your difficult situations rather than letting it control you Employers want to see you are taking the initiative yourself

Use mental imagery
Top athletes imagine a situation and seeing themselves succeed So why not imagine the same for your interview In one study half the participants were instructed to visualize themselves feeling confident and relaxed at an upcoming job interview Then they imagined the interview went well and were offered the job
Those who used mental imagery performed better at a simulated job interview than those who didn't

Be up front about weaknesses
One interview goal is to be liked But is that possible to do that while also revealing weak spots in your work history? On study found that when someone discussed a weakness early in the interview those listening liked that person more than if the bad news came out in the end Honesty is refreshing

Think different
Perhaps you've practiced the standard answers to typical questions But will that help you stand out from the competition? Researchers have learned that interviewees who answer standard questions in novel ways gain an advantage It could be that novel answers are easier to recall and being memorable for the right reasons is a good thing