Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Why Job Seekers Fail to Commit

Why Job Seekers Fail to CommitWhy Job Seekers Fail to CommitWHY JOB SEEKERS FAIL TO COMMITHave you ever backed out of a job after accepting an offer?28% Yes72% NoIf yes, why did you back out? Received a better offer from another company 44%Received a convincing counteroffer from current employer 27%Heard bad things about the company after accepting 19%Other 10%Cities where job seekers most commonly back out1 San Diego2 San Francisco3 Chicago and Houston (tied)4 Austin5 Miami

Saturday, November 23, 2019

4 Secrets To Turn Interview Rejection Into An Offer

4 Secrets To Turn Interview Rejection Into An Offer4 Secrets To Turn Interview Rejection Into An OfferIve had 37 interviews in 5 months. That sounds like it would be good, except that Im still interviewing. Time and again what Im hearing if I hear anything at all is either, we went with an internal candidate, or weve decided to go in another direction.When you fire up your email 1st thing in the morning, youre looking for something good. That good news can come in the form of an interview request from that company you had your eye on. Of course youre likely to have multiple interviews with multiple organizations before you land your ideal role.Right along with those highs of getting called in the 1st place, come the lows of the other (automated robot) emails that say, weve decided to go in another direction. But its not the end of the road if the hiring manager says, thanks, but no thanks. Heres what to doUse Courtesy As Your CurrencyThere is power in a handwritten thank you note. Everyone likes to receive them in all scenarios. There is just no down side here. So, if you really liked the organization, step up, differentiate yourself, and write one. I promise you that virtually no one else will do this.Why bother with a thank you note after they turned you down? First and foremost, to show yourself as gracious. You know you get more bees with honey than with vinegar.Graciously thank the relevant people (write to them all separately) for their time, say you enjoyed the conversation and learning some specific thing about the organization, and if they feel your expertise in areas X, Y, and Z may be a better fit for another role in their company, you would appreciate it if they would let you know.And you know what else?Gasp Hiring Managers Actually Talk To Each OtherYOU know other people in your industry, dont you? Perhaps they do the same thing you do. Perhaps they do something related. If you have those types of connections in your sphere, then it stands to rea son that other people do as well.Just think you interviewed, they probably liked you, but went in a different direction for whatever reason. But you were courteous, gracious, and followed up with a hand-written thank you note. Those moves make you the candidate who still stays top of mind when that particular interview process comes to an end. You could be the person the hiring manager recommends to someone else hiring in a different department or division.Let Your Fingers Do The FollowingI know emotionally its hard to hear a, no. But its not personal. So, feel your emotions for a defined period of time youre allowed to be a human being then snap out of the bad feeling and step into specific action.Use LinkedIn to follow the relevant people you spoke to. You dont have to be connected in buchen to do this. Following is 98% as good as connecting. When you follow people, they appear in your LinkedIn news feed. Especially if the relevant people include HR or recruiters, those folks po st job ads in their news feeds. By following, youll automatically see new positions at the organizations you like.Reach Back Out (The 60-Day Rule)This is about treating a, no, as just a, not yet. YOUve done it youve walked into a store, looked around, and left especially if it was a major purchase. But ultimately, hours, days, weeks, or months later you circle back and buy the item you looked at before. There are any number of reasons why, but they dont necessarily matter. The point is that you came back.So, boomerang yourself right back into the hiring managers sphere. These are warm leads, so re-heat them Do it 60 days later. Who knows whats going on in the organization at that moment? Perhaps the person they hired didnt work out. That happens more often than you would think. Perhaps the organization has a different need now that youd be perfect for.If you feel like ageism is holding you back because youre interviewing over and over, but not hitting that home run, let me show you how candidates ages 54, 56, and 57 got found, got interviewed, and got placed in the jobs they wanted in a reasonable time frame. Thats in 5 Secret Job Search Hacks For The Age 50+ Job-Hunter You can see the screenshots of what people are doing to move through the job search the way you need to. Register for the free online presentation today.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Tax Tips and Information for Book Authors

Tax Tips and Information for Book AuthorsTax Tips and Information for Book AuthorsBook authors face some unique situations when it comes time to file their tax returns. From keeping records to deciphering what it means to be an exception to a key tax rule, heres a round-up of tax-related issues that may affect those who write books. Book Writing Hobby or Profession? The hobbyist vs. for profit distinction for authors matter greatly for tax reporting. Because the job of a book author is not necessarily steady, there is an ebb and flow of income, some years might be more profitable than others - some years, not at all. In addition, with the proliferation of self-published authors - many of whom do see at least some income from their work - it becomes a bit confusing. Profitability is a key factor in how the Internal Revenue Service determines whether or not you can legitimately claim the costs of your writing as business expenses. If you dont already know for sure, its important to be aware of how the IRS makes the distinction between whether youre a hobbyist writer or professional author. Writers and Taxes An Important Exception The profession of freelance author is a bit different than most others in the eyes of the U.S. government - at least as far as capitalizing expenses on a tax return concerned. The uniform capitalization rules require that most taxpayers match expenses with the income related to the expense during a tax year. However, since 1988 writers (and other artists, such as photographers) are exempted from this rule. That means, if youre working on a long-lived book project (such as the biography of a U.S. President), you are allowed to deduct the expenses related to that book (say, travel for research) in the year the expense is incurred rather than in the year you receive the income. Typical Tax Deductions for Authors Bookmarks, launch parties, Book Expo America (BEA) trade show attendance, membership fees for the Authors Guild - those are just a few of the business expenses a book author might incur. While youre gathering and organizing your receipts - or setting up your new-author organization system for the coming tax year - learn about some author-specific, typically deductible expenses, so you can remember to plan or and/or keep the appropriate records for them. Sales Tax Payments for Self-Published Books Income taxes arent the only taxes self-published authors need to worry about. If youre a self-published author and sometimes sell your own books, youll likely need to be collecting and paying state sales tax. DisclaimerThis article is meant to give general insight into tax information that might apply to writers, and to give readers an entry point so they themselves can research further. While every effort welches made to ensure the information in this article was accurate at the time it was written, the Book Publishing site guide is a writer - not a tax expert. Therefore, anyone filing his or her taxes should consult a qualified tax preparer or tax expert for updated federal and state income tax and sales tax laws and further specifics on how these rules might apply to an individual tax situation.