Where to look for and how to find a job

In the current economic crisis, when more than ten percent of the working population is unemployed and companies are downsizing or not hiring, it is not easy to find a job. For this reason, it is very important that you are well prepared to look for and find a job.

Where to start when looking for a job;

• Networking: Ask family and friends if there are any openings where they work
• Local Newspapers and Magazines
• Online Advertisements
• Job Fairs
• Governmental agencies/jobs

Your resume should be nearly flawless so take time to work on it.  It should include :

• your personal information,
• your work experiences (paid and unpaid)  
• your education (degrees and majors)

Additional information such as certificates, licenses, awards, training, performance appraisals/ratings/awards, etc… should also be included.

Currently, it may be most helpful to apply for governmental jobs.

If you are looking for a Government job,

1. you should search USAjobs.gov (or CPOl) This is the official jobsite of the U.S. federal government, and allows you to search jobs by :

• · agency
• · location
• · occupation
• · keywords

2. go to –MyUSAJOBS and create an account

3. post your resume on line

4. apply to federal government jobs

You can leave your resume in the Resumix database and you’ll simply have to fill out the self-nomination when you see a job you like. Your resume will be ready to go.

After you located a job announcement you would like to apply for make sure that you read the following sections very carefully:

Overview

Duties

Qualifications and Evaluations

 Benefits and other info

 How to apply section

 According to the USAjobs website:

"Once this announcement closes, candidates will be evaluated using an automated system, (Resumix) which compares your skills and experience as described in your resume with the requirements of the position. If you are found to be a highly qualified candidate, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. (In some cases, individuals with priority for special consideration must be considered and selected before other candidates.) Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. You can view the status of announcements that you applied for through our automated response system, ANSWER, accessed through our Civilian Personnel On-Line web page."

This is very important:

Since it is an automated system (Resumix) that compares your skills and experience with the requirements of the position make sure that you are using appropriate keywords in your resume (assuming that they apply to you).

Also, if you are required to send /provide additional documents such as:

Transcripts

Proof of citizenship

Essays

The questionnaire

Declaration for Federal Employment

Make sure that you mail it at least 1 week before deadline, and preferably before the first cut off date posted in the announcement.

How to get a persoal loan

Personal finance is one of my favorite topics to write about on hub pages. I do a lot of research before I write and I only write what I believe is true (pleasant or not for my readers, sorry). I think a lot of us got into a mess with our personal financial situations (aside from things that are beyond our control), for a very simple reasons – we did not educate ourselves before signing documents. This hub is going to be about personal loans. There are two types of personal loans: unsecured and secured.

Unsecured personal loan means that no homeownership or any other type of collateral is required. When looking for a unsecured loan you have to consider the following:
Loan amount (usually it is somewhere between $2000 to $15000)

Loan terms (1-5 years)

Interest rate (fixed)

Individual or joint loan

The amount you can borrow will depend on your income, your expenses, your credit score and, therefore, your ability to repay the loan.
Many borrowers prefer personal loans to credit cards because the interest rate is usually lower and the loan terms are set.
You can fill out the application on-line and usually you have to provide the following information about yourself or the co-borrower, if there is one:
Personal information (name, address, phone number, whether you rent or own your residence, Social Security Number, etc…)

Employment information (name of the company, position/title, number of years worked, salary/wages, etc…)

Desired loan amount

The lender will also ask you about you credit situation (excellent, good, fair, bad) and some companies ask for your FICO score (if you do not know your FICO score you can get it for free) Today many banks and credit unions will not offer unsecured personal loans, and if they do, the credit score requirement is usually 650 and above.

Although, there are many companies on the Internet that claim that they can assist you with obtaining an unsecured personal loan with a low FICO score, that is not usually an accurate statement, most of them offer debt consolidation or some other remedy to improve your credit score before they can help you get the personal loan (of course for a fee).
Also, absolutely stay away from the companies that offer you a personal loan with a security deposit (one/two some times six month payments in advance as a security or insurance, or whatever else they want to call it).
Personal loans are offered by banks, credit unions and peer-to-peer lenders. Shop around, check for the best rates, make sure that there is no prepayment penalty, and that you understand all of the terms and conditions of the loan. Then change your spending habits and create your budget before signing for the loan.