Tucson Citizen from Tucson, Arizona • 9

Tucson Citizen 3B I Tuesday October 16 2001 Document skills in job portfolio for interview success 'ItlW If you had to stand up right this minute and cite chapter and verse of your accomplishments at work for the past couple of years could you do it? If not prepared to interview for a job you desire let alone be thrust into the job market by a layoff or a downsizing Rick Nelles a recruitment professional for 25 years says too many people seeking jobs have not done their homework -the kind that starts the first day on a job day you start work anywhere you need to begin documenting what you do You need to decide what goals you want to accomplish and what documentation you will need to prove you did he says Nelles says that if a college student or an experienced manager being able to document and present your applicant more confidence dur-- ing the hiring process because they are completely in time with their skills and abilities might go in with examples of their work with their portfolio completely organized to show off their he says people who have used this method said the difference between night and day in interviewing They make a much more successful Nelles author of of (Impact Publications $1795) says there a number of ways a job seeker can document skills to be presented to employers including: Written documentatioa The most impressive of course is material that has been published in a newsletter magazine book eta Still if you been published you can always present writing examples from college papers advertising copy research reports or business letters Only use writing samples of the highest quality that means no spelling or grammatical errors and copy that is well-organized thoughtful and original Organizational skills This would include documentation of career highlights such as an ini- tial project plan that you were in charge of and what you accomplished Get letters from team members or a supervisor stating what you did and how your contribution was important Further you also can show your ability to self manage through notes in your day organizer and by presenting a neat appearance complete with an organized briefcase and a follow-up thank you note to the interviewer Nelles recommends using past job evaluations if they doc ument your organizational skills Platform skills Public speaking presentation and the ability to lead meetings are important to employers so you need to be able to show items such as a program listing you as a presenter a videotape of a presentation or evaluations from those attending a sessioa Training skills Look at documentation of training courses you were involved in such as a Course syllabus or outline a statement of the goals of a course samples of materials used in a training class or location of where a class was held Conflict resolutioa Identify a specific time that you were involved in handling a conflict then provide a written account of the story Include the source of the conflict who was involved and their positions what the problems were how you DATEBOOK Grant of $671K to give KUAT digital capability resolved the conflict and the positive results of your involvement Budget planning Prove your ability to manage money by showing your initial budget and then a year-end accounting of the results use proprietary information from a former employer) Nelles says other areas that should be documented include sales marketing management team participation punctuality helping co-workers and reorganization For more information contact Nelles president of Career Directions Inc at cdicareer directionscom or write him at 7525 Mitchell Road Suite 201 Eden Prairie Minn 55344 Write to Anita Bruzzese do: Business Editor Gannett News Service 1000 Wilson Blvd Arlington Va 22229-0001 monthly breakfast meeting at 7 am at the Arizona Inn 2200 Elm SI Cost is $1 5 for members $20 others Call 770-2052 The Marana Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly luncheon at noon at Casa Molina 6781 Thomydale Road Cost is $10 Call 682-4314 The American Society for Training Development presents Training at 8 am at the University of Phoenix 5099 Grant Road Cost is $50 Call 61 7-0429 answer questions not addressed in Notice 2001-61 and Notice 2001-63 which explain extensions and other tax reUef available to affected businesses Both are available at wwwirsgov Canyon Ranch offers discount to Arizonans Canyon Ranch Health Resort is offering a 20 percent discount to Arizona residents through Dea 21 on stays of three nights or longer The resort offers fitness activities including classes hiking biking racquetball and swimming as weU as food planning and weight management Call 749-9000 Continued from IB converting the transmitter on Tumamoc Hill that beams the KUAS-TV Channel 27 signal which serves the Northwest Side with the same program on Channel 6 should be digital by spring KUAT spokeswoman Pamela Dickens said Work on KUATs main transmitter on Mount Bigelow should start next summer with digital Tomorrow The Information Technology Association of Southern Teleservices HR Professionals Special Interest Group will meet at 7:30 am at SAIAT 3000 Valencia Road Call 731-5824 The Greater Tucson Economic Council will hold its annual meeting at 7 am at the Sheraton Tucson Hotel Suites 5151 Grant Road Members are free $25 others Call 882-6079 or e-mail futurewestcom The Greater Tucson American Marketing Association will hold its skills to interviewers is key in competitive job market years ago a hiring manager told me that he has seen so many frauds on resumes that he really wanted more proof of the work people claimed they did but it was difficult to do he said when I began coaching and mentoring people on using career Nelles says these portfolios provide a more complete picture to companies and give the job transmission on Channel 6 starting near the May 2003 deadline Both stations will broadcast in analog and digital for six years and then analog will be phased out Dickens said The Channel 27 digital transmission will be on Channel 28 Channel 6 will appear on digital Channel 30 The digital technology will offer crystal-clear high-definition television pictures and CD-quality sound The technology tions you normally take over several years Retirement Even if many years from retirement important to consider how a buyout will affect your retirement benefits With a traditional defined benefit pension plan companies use a formula based on your years of service and final salary to calculate your pension payments Taking a buyout will reduce your benefits in two ways: You have as many years of service and your pension will be based on a lower salary than you might have earned if you had stayed with the company If you take an early retirement package that lets you start taking your pension early your benefits may be reduced even more to AMEX (most Taxes pensions and health care can BUSINESS NOTES will also allow stations to multicast four different standard-definition programs in the same bandwidth $7 million project also includes digital production equipment such as cameras and master control boards The federal grant covers less than 10 percent of the project cost but the money amount is significant Dickens said important from a sheer dollar standpoint" she sail account for the longer lifetime payout says John Hotz deputy director of the Pension Rights Center you retire 10 years early not uncommon to see a 70 percent reduction in your he says You may be able to negotiate a better deal For example in exchange for taking early retirement at 55 your company may agree to calculate your pension as if already 65 Hotz says Health care When negotiating the terms of your departure always request that your health insurance be extended for as long as possible Otherwise accepting a buyout even a large one can expose you to unacceptable risks financial planners say who work for large corporations are rarely cognizant a federal grant It will help us leverage other KUAT has also received $25 million from the Arizona Legislature and nearly $1 million from individuals corporations and foundations The University of Arizona-based station has yet to launch a formal fund-raising campaign with viewers and members For more information about KUAT-TVMs digital conversion visit wwwkuatorgdtvdtvlhtni be affected of the relative value of a medical insurance Schatsky says all giving you is a few months insurance and then you have to shell out $5000 to $10000 a year for a family healthcare plan it takes a lot of the sparkle out of the Private health insurance is extremely expensive If you or someone in your family has a medical problem you may not be able to buy it at alL If you must take a buyout that include health coverage sign up to continue your former plan Under the federal law known as COBRA companies with 20 or more employees must allow departing workers to keep their group health coverage for 18 months as long as they pay the premiums Volunteers sought for tax preparation AARP is seeking volunteers to help provide free assistance with 2001 tax form preparatioa Volunteers receive training from the Internal Revenue Service and are asked to commit a minimum of four hours per week from Feb 1 to April 15 Call 885-0436 IRS offers e-mail help for businesses Businesses affected by the Sept 11 attacks may e-mail questions to the Internal Revenue Service at corpdisasterrebefirsgov ibe mailbox is designed to actively traded stocks yesterday) Continued from IB Benefit Protection Act requires companies to give employees 40 and older at least 21 days to consider a buyout offer Issues to consider Taxes What may seem like a generous buyout payment will look much less impressive once paid taxes on the money Typically employers withhold 28 percent of a buyout check for federal taxes says Barbara Raasch a personal finance specialist Your company may also withhold money for state taxes which will further reduce your net payout The automatic withholding end your tax woes If your tax bracket exceeds 28 percent you could owe even more in taxes when you file your tax return Your buyout is treated as ordinary incopie just like your regular salary so a bg buyout could push you into a higher tax bracket Some tax-smart strategies: Try to negotiate the timing of your buyout particularly if the offer comes toward the end of the year A year-end buyout coming on top of a salary can significantly boost your tax bill says Gary SchaLky a financial planner Ask your employer if possible to spread your buyout over several months to avoid the onetime bump in your yearly income Schatsky says If not possible try to reduce your tax bill in the year you receive your buyout For example pay your state taxes by Dec 31 so you can deduct them from your federal taxes when you file in April Raasch says Talk to a tax professional about bunching up other deduc Compare our Quality Wood Shutters at the Home Show Booth 417 Whitney Burns SHUTTERS INC Lie K5 138157 BBB wwwwhitneybumscom 2755 Ruthrauff Rd MtMMt OUTMtmw AMfOM FOREIGN EXCHANGE NFW YORK (API Foreign frcftange Hr York prices Rates lor tartos a Si Man mnmum fir two nurtei toragn ortncy Mrv Second two ve takers lowgn aroncy The Annuity Doctor- Author of 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