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.

Debt consolidation services; do you really need their help?

Open any newspaper, magazine or web page and you will find plenty of bad/depressing news about today’s economy: unemployment is higher than 10%, foreclosures are rising, healthcare and education are becoming more and more expensive and as a result many people are drowning in debt.

In order to solve there financial problems and save whatever is left of their credit rating people turn to debt consolidation services, but do you really need their help? Can they do something for you that you can’t do yourself? Is it worth paying someone else to do what you can do on your own?

What is debt consolidation and what can debt consolidation companies can do for you?

Debt consolidation is combining your debts into one large long term debt you repay over long period of time. What debt consolidation company will do for you: combine your debt, try to negotiate a lower rate, try to settle you accounts. They usually charge 10% fees for their services. After all said and done you could actually be worse off than before. It would be smarter to pay these 10% fees toward your debt.

Here is what you can do on your own:

1. Make a list of all your credit cards and personal loans; write down amounts that you owe and phone numbers for customer service.

2. Start calling them: ask for interest rate reduction, payment reduction or settlement options.

3. Explain your personal situation (loss of job, medical emergency, divorce, whatever it may be (It may be embarrassing, it may hurt your pride, but...).

4. Ask for everything in writing (new interest rate, settlement option etc…)

5. Make arrangements and stick with them.

If you can not do it on your own it is a better idea to turn to a non profit debt consolidation and credit counseling companies for help. They can also help you with money management and budgeting.

And of course, the most important thing is no new debt, change you spending habits, and live within your means.
Know your rights as an American; you are protected by Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm  answers commonly asked questions about your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. It prohibits debt collectors from using unfair or deceptive practices to collect overdue bills that your creditor has forwarded for collection

How to eliminate all consumer debt including mortgage and reach financial freedom

(How to create a budget and stick with it)

It seems like an impossible task to accomplish for many people living from paycheck to paycheck, but it is not if you are willing to put in the effort. It is more common sense than anything else, spend less than you earn and save and invest the rest.

The first step in eliminating consumer debt is creating a monthly budget. The second step be disciplined and patient.

In order to create a budget you need to calculate all of your income and expenses. For one month, write them down and that will give a visual and more accurate picture of your financial situation and will show where you can cut corners and save money.

Your monthly income may include:
Salary
Pension
Alimony
Child support


Your monthly expenses may consist of:

Saving account or IRA (remember always pay yourself first)
Mortgage /rent
Car payment
Homeowners/renters insurance
Health Insurance
Pet care expenses
Auto Insurance
Utility bills, such as: electricity, gas, water, phone, cell phone, cable etc.
Other financial obligations such as: students loan, credit card, personal loan etc.
Education
Food
Clothing /Shoes
Emergency fund
Entertainment
Other
You may want to add or delete items from this list if they don’t apply to your personal situation.

The majority of expenses are fixed and recurrent from month to month for a long period of time (month, years and even longer). There is not much you can do to save money there, but it is a good idea to use automatic withdrawal from a checking account to pay those bills,

There are a number of expenses such as utilities and grocery bills where you can save money. When grocery shopping always:

1. make a list beforehand (no impulse buying)
2. shop in more than one store , compare choices and prices
3. join one of the clubs such as Costco, Sam’s Club and buy bigger quantities for a better per unit price
4. while in the store check the manager's specials sections (many grocery stores now offer manager's specials with substantial savings)
5. buy store brand instead of name brand
6. use coupons

If your personal financial situation is very serious and you really need to cut corners, cancel all non-essential services such as cable, cell phones, and newspaper/magazine subscriptions.

Do not buy anything unless it is absolutely necessary until your financial house is in order.

When it comes to credit cards, try to pay extra every month, and make sure you don’t use them unless you can pay them back at the end of that month.

Don’t be afraid to give up small pleasures (eating out, going to coffee shops, buying clothes when you don’t need it etc.) because this will ultimately lead to big savings, which will bring you to your overall goal of financial freedom.

For best budget planner visit:  https://money.strands.com/

For free budget spreadsheets visit: http://docs.google.com/

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Payday loan-how to find a reputable payday loan company on the internet.

Payday loans are short-term emergency loans with extremely high interest rates and fees and they must be paid at your next pay day. (Payday loan companies have appropriate dates listed on there websites for your convenience… )

Indeed, interest rates for these loans are so high that they should only be considered in extreme situations or if no other sources (bank loans, credit union loans, peer-to-peer loans, 0% or low interest rate credit cards, loan from family or friends) are available.

Requirements for applying for these loans are very simple, very basic information is required (18 years of age, not a military member, US citizen, current address, home or mobile phone number, employment, work phone number, direct deposit of your paycheck, checking account, and a driver’s license) and no credit check is necessary.

You can find a list of payday companies on the web.
There are literally 100’s of payday companies listed on the internet.

When choosing a payday loan company on the web one should consider following:

Are fees and interest rates disclosed/ listed on their web page?

Are terms and conditions posted?

Is a phone number for customer service listed? (If there is a phone number listed, call and check if it is actually a real phone number and someone answers it)

Remember: Payday emergency loans are for emergencies only, don’t make them a habit.

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