Going Back to School

By Robert, Ticket Counselor

What can I do to increase my income and improve my job prospects?  Will going back to school give me the extra edge I need in today’s job market?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?  I have.  Personally, I decided that I need to go back to school part time to expand my career opportunities while still working to support myself.

In doing my own research I came across this chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Click image to open large version.

According to their study, education affects:

• The amount you earn, and

• Decreases the likelihood of you being unemployed.  (Data is from 2010 annual averages for persons age 25 and over. Earnings are for full-time wage and salary workers.)

On average working full time without a High School diploma or GED you may earn roughly $444 a week.  Getting your High School Diploma or GED can help increase this to $626 a week.  This puts an extra $182 a week on your paycheck!

Here at EmployReward Solutions one of the great FREE services available to you is our Education Planning Assistance.  If you are thinking about going back to school, call us and let us know and we will be excited to help you find the schools that offer the classes you are looking for!  Whether you want to go to an online school or take classes in a traditional classroom setting, we will point you in the right direction.

The cost of school is a huge factor in deciding if you are going to go back to school.  There are a number of options when it comes to paying for school.  With Education Planning Assistance, we can help you explore your financial aid options.

A great place to start applying for financial aid would be by completing a FAFSA application at  http://www.fafsa.ed.gov (Free Application for Student Aid) to determine if you are eligible for Grants and or Loans.

Grants are government money that is awarded to you to help pay the cost of School.  These are income based and do not have to be repaid.

You also have the option of taking out student loans to cover the cost of school if grants are not available or don’t cover the whole cost of tuition.  These are generally low interest rate loans that only have to be repaid once you are out of school.

The financial aid office at your school is a great resource to guide you through this process.  I was intimidated and confused by the process until I was able to talk to the staff and they really helped me to understand what I needed to do and guided me through the steps I needed to take to get set up.   

Don’t forget that being in school counts towards your “Timely Progress” as well.  Not sure what I am talking about, take a look at our previous article on the subject:  Timely Progress.

So if you are a Ticket Holder and like me have been thinking about your future, consider going back to school it may make the difference between living from paycheck to paycheck and having enough money to do more.  Contact us we want to hear from you!

10 useless résumé words – and 10 eye-catching ones

By Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder

"Generic hyperbole belongs on cereal boxes, not on résumés," says Duncan Mathison, a career consultant and co-author of "Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times Are Tough." "If it does not pass the 'So what, anybody can make that claim' test, leave it off."
Instead of being another candidate professing to be a "hard worker," revitalize your application with a little seek-and-replace exercise. Scan your résumé for empty, overused words such as the following:

1.  Outstanding
2.  Effective
3.  Strong
4.  Exceptional
5.  Good
6.  Excellent
7.  Driven
8.  Motivated
9.  Seasoned
10. Energetic

"Watch out for words that are unsupported claims of greatness," Mathison says. Adds David Couper, a career coach and author of "Outsiders on the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career ... Even When You Don't Fit In," "If you call yourself an 'excellent manager,' how do we know?"
The nouns following those subjective adjectives can be equally meaningless. Anyone who has ever had a co-worker can claim to be a "team player."

A better route to take is describing accomplishments and letting the hirer make his own judgment. Give specific, and preferably quantifiable, accounts of what you've done that makes you an "outstanding salesperson." Likewise, peruse your performance reviews for quotable material from supervisors that demonstrates why they consider you a "strong leader." Listing awards or other forms of recognition also can be used as support.

Some words should be avoided because they convey traits that employers consider standard for anybody who wants to be hired. "You're motivated? Hope so. A good worker? So happy to hear that; I didn't want to hire a bad worker," Couper says. Don't take up precious résumé space with unnecessary items.
Also on the "don't" side: words that seek to overcome what you might think are your shortcomings. "Using 'seasoned' for 'over 50' or 'energetic' for 'inexperienced' looks like spin and smells like spin," Mathison says. Keep the focus on what makes you right for the job.

On the  flip side, certain words can make hiring managers do a  double take. Light up their eyes with these 10 words and phrases:

1.  Created
2.  Increased
3.  Reduced
4.  Improved
5.  Developed
6.  Researched
7.  Accomplished
8.  Won
9.   on time
10.  Under budget

"We suggest that résumé writers include action words to describe their jobs," says Susan Ach, a career counselor at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. Verbs project the image of someone who has the background and initiative to get things done. Employers can clearly comprehend what you've accomplished and can use that as a basis for envisioning future success with their company. Think about it: If you were hiring, would you rather take on someone who calls himself a "productive manager" or somebody who states that at his last job he "increased company profit by 3 percent," "reduced employee turnover in his department to the best level in five years" and "improved brand awareness by implementing a new social media strategy"?

Lastly, it can be beneficial to use verbs and nouns that are common to your specific industry. This shows your familiarity with the language of your field and optimizes the chances of getting past an automatic scan for keywords. But remember, too, that all companies tend to speak a universal language: money.

"Terms such as 'on time' and 'under budget' are often good. Hiring managers want to know you can get things done with minimum fuss," Mathison says. Tell them what makes you the most profitable choice for the job and employers will tell you the best word of all: "hired."

Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.