Job Searches Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-02-2023

Getting ready for that all-important job interview? Don’t go into the lion's den unprepared. Check out the tips and techniques listed below to find out which questions to ask your interviewers and how to handle the negotiation process once that job offer comes your way. Successful interviewing is an important lifelong skill, and it can be learned! This Cheat Sheet offers a start.

Article / Updated 10-19-2023

Personal branding — the art of communicating what makes you unique — has been around for a long time and can be used in your job search. Everyone has a personal brand, even you, because everyone is unique. But not everyone is good at expressing this differentiation. Those people who are seemingly irreplaceable prosper in any economic situation. To figure out your personal brand, you need to take a serious look at your core existence. Really strive to understand your values, passions, and strengths. In other words, figure out what makes you you. After you’re able to articulate what makes you unique, you can transform that knowledge into a value statement that expresses your worth and fit to prospective employers. By expertly communicating your value statement across several different mediums, you can grow your credibility and your brand influence. Blogs make an excellent medium for communicating your value statement because they also allow you to share your knowledge and opinions about topics that matter to your particular field of interest. An added bonus of blogging? Employers who see you passionately turning out articles, videos, or slides in the area of your expertise will see that you’re truly passionate about your work and have a depth of knowledge that may help their organization. Also, not many other candidates are brave enough to put themselves out there and share their voice. Monitoring your online reputation A huge part of branding is making sure your brand is represented accurately and consistently at all times. You therefore need to manage your online reputation by taking charge of the results that come back when someone does an Internet search for your name. Here are the basic steps for managing your online reputation: Assess your online appearance from the perspective of a hiring manager. Try Googling yourself or searching for your name in a free background check website like pipl.com. Build up enough content over time so Google’s search results fill up with more relevant content. Publish old slideshows or articles you’ve written to social sharing sites so that Google has more relevant content to display for your name. Monitor your reputation monthly. If someone says something bad about you, you need to know about it right away. The only way to do that is by periodically searching for your name and seeing what pops up.

Article / Updated 10-19-2023

A personal brand is the culmination of your actions; it’s an image that is useful during a job search that marks you as a specific, well-defined package of abilities, talents, and experiences. It is you, outside and inside, in the sense that you’re unique. Personal branding has a lot to do with the emotion people feel when they think about you but is rooted in self-reflection and integrity. Although obvious differences between you, as a brand, and a tube of Crest toothpaste exist, considering yourself as a brand can help bring objectivity to your job search and continuity to your career. In other words, building a personal brand gives you the ability to make career choices easily and consistently. Every serious professional must consider his or her personal brand for the following reasons: When you proactively define and communicate your brand, you’re in control of it. Most people have their brand handed to them by other people’s perceptions and reactions alone. By defining your brand, you take back some control over this process. Crafting your personal brand helps you figure out what makes you unique. The process of finding and communicating your brand can therefore be a pretty powerful tool for boosting your confidence and convincing interviewers of your value. A personal brand helps you appear more consistent online and avoid raising any red flags with recruiters. Inconsistencies in how you appear online can put your career in jeopardy because hiring managers and HR professionals may view them as signs you aren’t being completely honest about who you are. When you have a personal brand, you can more easily make decisions during your career. When you’re presented with options that go against your brand — against who you are — then letting them go is easier, even if they’re more lucrative. A personal brand can even out the troughs between employment by being the one thing that doesn’t change about you. When you consider that the average time at a job in the U.S. is about two years, you may appreciate that your personal brand lets you look at your career as a whole instead of a series of jobs. Brand yourself before someone else does Branding is all about trying your best to manage other people’s perceptions of you. Because you can’t reach into someone else’s head and tweak how that person sees you, all you can do is change your image, your messaging, your look, and so forth to better align with who you really are. Instead of waiting for others to form random opinions about you that may or may not be accurate, help them out by sharing your well-crafted personal brand. Set yourself apart from other job candidates Differentiating yourself from all the other potential candidates for a job means being yourself, as in your authentic, true self. Personal branding allows you to let yourself shine by encouraging you to look inward and evaluate what makes you different from everyone else. Only after you complete this inner evaluation will you have enough information to say, “I’m better than anyone else going for this position because…” Granted, looking inside and figuring out who you are can be very uncomfortable. But self-knowledge really is the key to building the confidence that helps you stand out and be unique. Maintain a consistent online presence Your online identity should be consistent no matter where someone looks for you. If you do your personal branding right, you become a single thought in the mind of a potential hiring manager. When you’re done with the branding process, your LinkedIn profile will match your other online profiles. And if you get a chance to send a résumé, your brand will be visible there, too. When recruiters start looking for talent, they typically start with LinkedIn. If they find you on LinkedIn and your profile appeals to them, they keep digging. They do background checks and Internet searches to find out more about you. If your online image has any inconsistency, you may find yourself in the maybe pile pretty quickly. From another point of view, your friends and family on Facebook get to know you from your daily or weekly Timeline posts. The more consistent you are with them, the easier it will be for them to articulate who you are should they decide to refer you to their professional contacts. Why is it dangerous to have inconsistencies online? When someone’s image is incongruent with what you expect, it can make you feel uneasy. Simplify your decision-making process Having a clearly defined personal brand can help make your career decisions easier. When career opportunities arise that you’re unsure of, you can look at your brand for guidance. For example, if you’ve determined that you prefer small companies and don’t want to travel, then you know that turning down a job at a large, bureaucratic organization that sends its employees all over the place will contribute to your happiness. Managing your career versus finding a job To have an effective personal brand, think of yourself as the CEO of your own company. Any job you have is just a short-term contract. In the United States, where the average length of time at a job is two years, this viewpoint makes it possible for you to manage your career. Maintaining a strong personal brand helps you minimize the gaps between jobs because you’re doing the following: Continually networking, both on- and offline Maintaining your résumé and online profiles Setting short- and long-term goals by asking yourself where you want to be in three to five years and with what company, position, and level of responsibility Viewing your professional life beyond the confines of any single organization, which means you’re reflecting on the personal and/or professional skills you need to further your career

Article / Updated 09-28-2023

Once you get that job you are seeking after 50, you need to negotiate the terms. Negotiations are best when both parties work toward an arrangement that’s mutually beneficial. Don’t approach negotiations with a hiring manager as an adversarial relationship. Follow these suggestions instead: Wait. Let the hiring manager offer you an amount, and then take a day or two to consider. You may be able to renegotiate for more if you don’t think the first offer was fair, but you will need to have your reasons down pat. Know your value. The more you learn, the more you earn. Research salaries for the position you’re applying for in that area of the country. Three good places to start are Glassdoor PayScale Salary.com Be prepared to tell them what you want. If you get a lowball offer, simply say something along the lines of, “I was expecting an offer more in the $_____ to $_____ range. How did you arrive at the offer?” Speak in “I” statements. “I” statements are difficult to argue against, because all you’re saying is what you think and feel. Ask questions. It’s okay to ask the interviewers how they came up with a specific dollar amount. Inquiring minds want to know. Don’t refuse an offer outright. Don’t fall for the trap of thinking you need to answer yes or no. Keep the conversation going until you hear an offer that sounds fair. Speak in terms of value. You may say something like, “If I were an average employee, I would be happy with your first offer, but I don’t think you’re looking for someone who’s just average.” Then go on to explain why you’re better than average. Don’t back down. Give the conversation more time to percolate instead of reluctantly accepting an offer or turning it down. Take your time. There’s really no hurry. Don’t issue an ultimatum. An ultimatum traps you and the interviewer, providing neither of you with a graceful, face-saving exit. Keep the conversation going until you’ve succeeded in meeting the needs of both sides. Be sensitive to the employer’s needs and current circumstances. If the company is hurting, be open to making concessions that meet the company’s current needs but that solidify your future position. Negotiate all financial aspects of employment in person or over the phone. Be sure all details of your employee benefits package — including any special adjustments you’ve been granted — are clearly stated in writing in your contract or offer letter. Copyright © 2015 AARP. All rights reserved.

Article / Updated 09-28-2023

The biggest factor in your transition from one career to the next is money. Although you'd love to just quit your current job and dive headlong into your new career, financial realities keep you from acting rashly. The truth is that you need to continue to make a certain amount of money to survive as you make your move. To transition as gracefully and effectively as possible, think through the best way to choreograph your entry into a new job, your own business, or back to school. Using your current income wisely If you know that a career change is in your future, be proactive in getting your financial house in order. An honest assessment of your financial situation, while you're still employed if possible, gives you far more options in the long run than assuming you know where you stand. Before you initiate your move to change careers, make as much progress as you can toward the following four initiatives: Increasing your savings: Sign up for an automatic transfer to your savings account. Create a monthly or weekly savings goal and do everything in your power to reach it. Reducing your monthly expenses: Look at every monthly expense you have. Does the value it provides match what you pay for it? Is it an essential expense? Eliminate bills where you can; downgrade others if possible. Don't focus only on your small expenses; take this opportunity to evaluate your biggest expenses as well to see whether you can find a creative way to restructure them. Eliminating, or at least significantly reducing, your debt: Whether you make payments toward student loans, a car loan, or a credit card balance, your income requirement is likely to decrease rather dramatically as you eliminate each source of debt. Practicing living within your means: When you launch your new career, you don't want to rack up new debts to replace the ones you've just paid off. Instead, you need to get in the habit of living within your means — without the use of plastic. When you begin acting on these initiatives, your discretionary income, the money you get to use for whatever you wish, decreases dramatically because most of it is going into savings or to pay down your debt. Supplementing your full-time position with part-time work Taking on a part- time job on top of your regular job can be a viable strategy if you want to do any of the following: Build your cash reserves Gain some experience in your new field Develop a particular skill Strengthen your network of contacts within a new field Add new breadth to your resume If you're going to invest your time and effort in a second job, get some extra bang for your buck by finding a part-time job that's in alignment with your target career in some way. Think about what you want this job to do for you. Do you want to use the job to get a look at your target industry, to strengthen one key skill you need to move forward, or to check out the competition of your target company? Doing contract work Although you may think that your only option is to seek out a full-time job, your chances of landing a job improve if you open your mind to include the possibility of taking on project or contract work. Although a series of short-term gigs may not fit your ideal picture, having some money coming in while you gain some relevant experience isn't anything to sneeze at. More and more companies are turning to a project-based philosophy that allows them to hire just the talent they need to complete a particular project. As soon as a project is finished, the company releases those they no longer need. Although there's always a chance that your contract will be extended or converted to full-time, you can't know that for sure. Given the fluid nature of the economic climate, you may move from contract work to a full-time position, and back to freelance work over the course of a couple years. Living with this level of unfolding security takes a certain level of confidence and trust. Strengthening your position through consulting If you decide to use your key strengths in a consulting role as you build toward your dream career, use your consulting gigs to get to know your ultimate target customer. Consciously take projects that allow you to use your talents to get into your target market's world. When you're inside, make good use of the opportunity to observe, ask questions, and get a feel for your target market. As your knowledge increases and deepens, you have a great opportunity to fine-tune your plan. You might refocus your approach based on new information. You might identify a need that no one is filling, or you might see that your competition in the market is losing its edge or missing the point. The insider perspective gives you the background you need to make a big splash when you open the doors to your business or go after your dream job. This strategy increases your chances of success because you're building your venture on real-life observations and knowledge rather than assumptions and theory. Knowing what your clients or employer need and are willing to pay for is what takes you to the bank. Working full time while attending school part time Face it: Returning to school while working full time is no easy feat! You need a fair amount of motivation and stamina to work all day, attend classes at night, and spend time with your studies. Although you must put some aspects of your personal life on hold while you enhance your training, taking on this lifestyle is well worth the effort if you need a degree to go for your dream! If you truly want to enter your target field, look beyond the short-term costs to see the long-term benefits. In the end, you'll be more fulfilled having trained in your field of choice. Attending school with a part-time job on the side Another education option is to attend school full time with a part-time job to cover at least some of your expenses. This option may take some creative financing and require that you change your living situation to lower your rent, but the big benefit of this option is that you get through the education phase more quickly. Look for funding at Free Scholarship Search (www.freschinfo.com). Perhaps you can find a way to go to school full time and not work at all during certain key semesters. Although this idea may seem far-fetched, do yourself a favor and at least check it out, especially if you're more productive when you devote all your time and energy to a single goal.

Article / Updated 09-28-2023

Despite the craziness of Craigslist, it’s still a marvelous place to find up-to-the-minute job postings. In fact, if you were to walk into a business and ask the hiring manager about the first place he would post an ad for a new job, without much thought he’d likely say, “Oh, I’ll just drop it on Craigslist to get some résumés in the door.” Craigslist is a great resource for part-time jobs, temp jobs, and entry-level jobs. Typically, jobs posted on Craigslist are filled at a fast pace and can be a real solution for someone not interested in spending (or not in a position to spend) a lot of time on strategy or networking. Although you should spend time researching a company before applying for a job, listings on Craigslist don’t always allow for that. You want to apply when you can and as soon as you can, before someone else snatches the job right from under you. Follow these steps to guarantee you’re the first person to know about any new job postings in your area of interest without camping out on Craigslist all day: Visit Craigslist and go to the Jobs section you’re interested in. Type in all the necessary filters in the search field so you see specific jobs that interest you. For example, if you’re an educator, click on the Education link in the Jobs section and filter with the keyword “ESL.” The results should be a list of jobs you could do pretty well at. Copy the URL from the search result that you want instant updates from. Find the URL in the address bar of your browser. It will look something like this: http://nh.Craigslist.org/search/sss?query=training+wheels+%28newfields|newmarket|Epping|stratham|greenland|hampton|seacoast|exeter%29&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=> Open a new browser tab or window, head to the IFTTT website, and set up a free account. IFTTT is a free website that lets you build logical statements that connect several different actions online. For instance, you can build a recipe that sends you an e-mail every time you are tagged in a Facebook photo. You’ll soon receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your e-mail address. Find the recipe called Craigslist Search and paste in the URL you copied from Craigslist. The faster you respond to a Craigslist posting, the more likely it is that someone will read your résumé. So if you think you’ll respond better by getting an alert via text message, Gmail, or chat, feel free to use any of the 900+ recipes for Craigslist on IFTTT. As you find job opportunities on Craigslist, remember to jot down the names of the companies. You need these names later when you search out people on LinkedIn to talk to.

Article / Updated 09-07-2023

One of the advantages of being a first-time job seeker is that employers most likely won’t ask you for references. This is because they know you haven’t had any previous employment. Nonetheless, some employers may ask you for some references. To paraphrase a popular saying, it’s better to have the references and not need them than to need them and not have them. You’re also better off asking for references early on in your job-seeking quest to get this out of the way. This way, you’re not scrambling later on trying to get endorsements on short notice while an employer is waiting for them before it can give you an offer. Start making a list of past employers, teachers, and classmates whom you’ll ask to serve as references or to give you endorsements. Securing past employer recommendations You’ve most likely had internships or a part-time job in the past, or you’ve done some volunteer work. If so, start asking some of your past employers if they can act as references. You can also ask them for recommendations ahead of time, even if you’re not sure your prospective employer will need them. It’s up to you. Past bosses often move on to other organizations. If all your prospective employer needs is to verify past employers, give it the main number for the organization. If you or your employer needs a recommendation or reference, track down your former boss and reach out to her. Writing someone for a recommendation You may have a great relationship with your former boss where it’s easy for you to ask for a reference or recommendation. Either way, be polite and ask early enough. Also, be ready to thank the person for any reference or recommendation, whether or not you get the job. Here’s a simple note you can send to your former employer, via email or via LinkedIn, asking for a good word from him: Hello, _____. I hope you’re doing well. I’m in the process of looking for a job and I’d like to list you as a reference. I had a great experience working with you and learned a lot. I’d like to share your name and contact information with prospective employers. Please confirm this is okay and let me know what email or phone number I can provide as contact information. Thank you very much, and take care, Your Name If you need a reference letter, definitely ask for it early in the process. They take time to write, and you want to make sure you give the person enough time to write you a good letter. Here’s an example of how you can make the request. Fill in the blanks appropriately. Make sure you provide a deadline of when you need the letter, and most important, always be courteous. Also, add details on the job you’re pursuing and a link to the job description if you have one. This will help the person craft the letter. Hello, _____. I hope you’re doing well! I’m in the process of looking for a job, and I’d like to ask you for a letter of recommendation. I know you’re busy, and I appreciate your help. The deadline for the letter is _________ and you can send it to _________. The opportunity I’m considering is a ____________ role with ____________. My job would entail doing _________________. I’ve attached the job description to help you understand the role. A good word from you will definitely help my prospects in securing this job. Your letter can briefly describe the work I did for you, some of my best qualities, and how you think I can do well in this role. If you can do this, please let me know. I really appreciate it! Also, please let me know if I can do anything to make it easier for you to write the letter. Thank you in advance and best regards, Your Name Be ready to provide the writer of your letter with some bullet points of items to include in the letter. This can include some of your strengths and specific contributions. You may also need to write the letter for that person. Approaching teachers for recommendations Professors typically don’t do recommendations unless they know you well enough. If you have a professor you work with or an advisor, she should be willing to write you a letter. You can also approach a faculty advisor of a student group if you belonged to one, especially if you were in a leadership position. Here are some things to remember when asking a professor for a recommendation: Ask early. Do it prior to finals or midterms, when your professor will most likely be inundated with grading papers or exams. Consider teaching assistants. If your professor is unable to write a letter, ask the teaching assistant. A professor is more prestigious, but a teaching assistant’s recommendation is better than no recommendation at all. Write your own letter. In some cases, you may be asked to write the letter yourself, for the professor, and then hand it to him so he can add the finishing touches. If you get asked to write your own letter, don’t be bummed. It’s normal and it just means the individual is busy, but he wants to help you. Crafting your own recommendation letter If you’re asked to write your own letter, here’s a sample letter you can customize and use: To whom it may concern, It is with pleasure that I recommend YOUR NAME HERE for ___________ role at _________. As I understand, the opportunity entails doing ____________________ __________________________________________________________. YOUR NAME HERE is an ideal candidate for this position. While he/she was a student in my _______ class/group, he/she showed great aptitude in _______________ and performed well, obtaining one of the top scores in the class. The work involved working in a group, and YOUR NAME HERE was able to work well and collaboratively as part of a team. His/her fellow team members often went to YOUR NAME HERE for assistance and relied on him/her for feedback. YOUR NAME HERE showed mastery of the subject matter and was always willing to help others. I believe YOUR NAME HERE’s work style, ability to master difficult concepts, and willingness to help others provide him/her with the skills necessary to succeed in any endeavor he/she sets his/her mind to. I would, therefore, appreciate any consideration you can give YOUR NAME HERE for this position. Sincerely, When writing your own letter, provide the document to the person recommending you in a file format where she can easily make edits (such as Microsoft Word). Be sure to include the following components in the letter: Role and responsibilities: Include the job that you’re applying to and details about what the job entails. Organization: Include the organization that you’re applying to. Accomplishments: Include any of your specific accomplishments or results you achieved that the recommender can point to in his letter. Skill sets: Include any skills that are relevant to the job you’re applying to that the recommender will also be willing to write about.

Video / Updated 08-15-2023

Several common job interview questions have been known to trip up even the most prepared job seekers. These job interview questions include: What is your greatest weakness? Why should I hire you? This article shows some ways to respond to these and other common questions. What is your most memorable accomplishment? Relate an accomplishment directly to the job for which you’re interviewing. Give details about the accomplishment, as if you’re telling a story. Describe results. Where do you see yourself five years from now? How does this position fit with your long-term career objectives? Say you hope your hard work has moved you appropriately forward on your career track. Describe short-term, achievable goals and discuss how they will help you reach your long-term goals. Explain how the position you want will help you to reach your goals. Strive to look ambitious, but not too much so that you threaten the hiring manager. What is your greatest strength? Anticipate and prepare to discuss up to five strengths, such as: Skill in managing your work schedule Willingness to do extra Ability to learn quickly Proactivity in solving problems Team-building Leadership Cool-headed temperament under pressure Discuss only strengths related to the position you want. Use specific examples to illustrate. Include statistics and testimonials. What is your greatest weakness? Because of the corrective action you took, you were able to transform a starting point of failure into a success story of strength. Two examples follow: I didn’t always know what I was doing — right or wrong — when I took my first managerial position. So I took online classes in managerial techniques, read management books, and paid attention to how managers whom I admired operated. As a result, I give careful thought to the quality of guidance that I give my direct reports before launching a project. I’m not yet perfect and may never be — I’m my own toughest critic — but, as the record shows, my leadership has improved dramatically in motivating the productivity achievements of my teams. Not being a natural techie, I was underperforming when I first worked with X word processing software. So I took a class in that software program at a community college on my own time and now I’m the best administrative assistant in my office. Balance a weakness with a compensating strength. Two examples follow: I’m not a global thinker. But, being detail-minded, I’m a topnotch staffer to an executive who is a big-picture guy. I don’t pretend to be a gifted trial lawyer. But I’ll stack my legal research and business structure skills up against any other lawyer in town. Would you rather work with others or alone? How about teams? Discuss your adaptability and flexibility in working with others or alone, as a leader or a follower. Give concrete examples. Mention the importance of every team member’s contribution. What is your definition of success? Of failure? Show that your success is balanced between your professional and personal lives. Relate success to the position you want. If you have to talk about failure, do so positively. Show how you turned a failure into a success or discuss how and what you learned from the failure. Demonstrate that you’re a happy person who thinks the world is more good than bad. How do you handle stressful situations? Give examples of how you’ve dealt with job stress. Discuss what you do to relax, refresh, and refill. Give positive illustrations of how job stress makes you work harder or more efficiently. Is there anything else I should know about you? Discuss any selling points the interview failed to uncover and relate those selling points to the job you want. Repeat the selling points you’ve already discussed and remind the interviewer why you’re the best candidate for the job. Why should I hire you? Your basic answer to this question should relate the work that you’ve done to the work you’re going to do. It covers your unique combination of specific skills, knowledge (including education and training), and experience. Prepare at least three key reasons that show how you’re better than the other candidates. Use specific examples to illustrate your reasons. Tell something unusual or unique about you that will make the interviewer remember you.

Video / Updated 08-14-2023

Your salary is only a part of your compensation. Many employers offer other ways for you to earn money or to save it. You also can avoid paying taxes on these savings, increasing the money you set aside. This is because when you save money to a pre-tax account, you aren’t paying taxes on that amount of money; instead, you’re using that money you would have paid in taxes for medical, commuter, or childcare expenses. Or you can save it for retirement. Knowing about these perks will help you get a better grasp of your compensation package and your full earning potential. 401(k), 403(b), and 457 These employer-sponsored plans allow you to save for retirement by setting aside “pre-tax” dollars from your paycheck. This is a big advantage because these savings are not taxed as you store them away. Only when you retire do these funds get taxed — but not before many years have passed, and the power of compounding interest has made your savings grow. Another advantage of having one of these retirement plans is that your employer may provide matching funds, up to a certain percentage of your salary. The types of matching include the following: Discretionary match: The employer is not obliged to do this but can match the funds you contribute to your plan at its own discretion. This is usually based on the organization meeting certain revenue, profit, or cash milestones. Safe harbor match: In this type of matching, the employer may be required to provide matching in a given year if certain tests are triggered. Specifically, if the organization has a lot of highly compensated employees (HCEs) contributing to their plans and not enough non-HCEs, the employer may need to match the contributions of non-HCEs. These matching contributions are typically 100 percent vested. Guaranteed match: In this type of matching, the employer guarantees a match up to a certain percent of your gross salary every year. For example, an employer may match 100 percent of your contribution up to 5 percent of your gross salary. So, if you make $60,000 a year and contribute 4 percent of your gross pay ($2,400 a year) to your 401(k), your employer will put in another $2,400. The percentages will vary by employer, but the idea is that they guarantee a match up to a certain percentage. If an employer provides matching, you should take this match into consideration as you evaluate a job offer. You typically become eligible for retirement benefits upon hire or three to six months after your start date; ask your prospective employer when you’ll be eligible. The 401(k) plan is for companies and for-profit businesses. The 403(b) is for public education organizations and nonprofits. Governmental and certain nongovernmental employers offer the 457 plan. Unlike a 401(k), the 457 plan can have independent contractors as participants. Another difference in the 457 plan is that, unlike with a 401(k), there is no penalty for withdrawing money before age 55. Health insurance Health insurance can be expensive, costing hundreds of dollars a month for an individual or even thousands a month for a family. Employers tend to offer health insurance, along with vision and dental insurance, at a reduced monthly cost, referred to as a premium. Some employers may cover the entire premium for you; others will make you pay a small part of it. Just as important as the monthly premium is your annual deductible, the amount you pay out of pocket each year before the insurance starts covering your medical expenses. If your deductible is zero, then your insurance starts covering expenses as soon as you’re insured. If you have a high deductible, such as $5,000 a year, then you need to pay for the first $5,000 of medical expenses before your insurance starts covering medical costs. Flexible spending and other accounts Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are similar to retirement accounts in that they allow you to set aside money before tax. But in this case, the money can be spent on qualified medical expenses such as prescription medicine and dependent-care expenses such as childcare. The advantage of these accounts is that the money you set aside is never taxed — not when you set it aside and not even when you spend it. The higher your tax rate, the more you save. For example, if you’re in a high tax bracket and pay 30 percent in taxes, $1,000 in income ends up being $700 after taxes, costing you $300 in tax. But if you save $1,000 in a pre-tax account, you get to keep that $300 and use it for medical-related expenses. Types of savings accounts include the following: Health FSAs: These are the most common and allow you to save pre-tax funds for medical expenses such as prescriptions, co-payments for doctor and dentist visits, and birth control. The annual limit of what you can contribute to your individual health FSA is $2,650. If you don’t use all your funds for the current year, you can carry forward up to $500 to the following one. The employer keeps any unused amount over this. When choosing how much to set aside for your health FSA, do your best to estimate how much you may spend on medical expenses in the coming year so that you have enough money to cover these, but at the same, you don’t end up leaving unused money. You can spend the money even before you’ve contributed it to your account. Health savings accounts (HSAs): HSAs are similar to health FSAs. They also allow you to take pre-tax money out of your paycheck for medical expenses. But unlike health FSAs, you don’t lose the funds if you don’t use them. The money carries over and accumulates, and it’s always available to you. HSAs are available to employees who are enrolled in high-deductible health plans, and you can have either an HSA or a health FSA, but not both. As with health FSAs, you can spend the money even before you’ve contributed it to your account. In 2018, you can contribute up to $3,450 into a personal HSA account or $6,900 into a family HSA. These limits change periodically, so be sure to check with the IRS at www.irs.gov for the latest information. Dependent care FSA: These accounts cover expenses for childcare if you have children under 13 years of age. They also cover elderly care if you have a senior citizen as a dependent. The annual household limit of what you can contribute is $5,000. Unlike FSA and HSA accounts, with dependent care FSAs, you can only spend what you have contributed so far in a given year. Commuter spending accounts: These accounts allow you to save up to $260 per month for parking at work and up to $260 per month for transit expenses to and from work. These accounts are also funded through pre-tax dollars. Save your receipts and ask for detailed receipts whenever possible. These accounts often require proof of your purchases before you get reimbursed. For medical visits, the receipt should include your name, the date when the service was provided, and details of the service you received. Bonus plans Bonus plans vary from employer to employer and even within an organization. These plans tie bonus compensation to your individual performance, or your team’s goals or to the organization achieving certain milestones. You may be able to participate in one or more of these types of bonus plans at the same time. Bonuses may consist of cash, stock, or other incentives such as paid travel expenses and educational opportunities. The frequency of these plans also varies. You can have quarterly bonuses tied to a quarterly goal. Team performance may also be measured quarterly. Bonuses tied to an organization reaching certain goals, such as revenue or profit markers, tend to get paid quarterly or on an annual basis. Profit-sharing plans and profit-sharing retirement plans Employers can set up profit-sharing plans at their own discretion. Usually these plans allow employees to earn bonuses based on annual or quarterly profits. These profits are also commonly referred to as earnings and are calculated on the organization’s after-tax net income. If the company does not make a profit, then the employer does not have to give a bonus. Profit-sharing retirement plans are similar to profit-sharing plans, but the employer makes a discretionary contribution, based on profits to an employee’s retirement account, such as a 401(k). In essence, the employer makes a discretionary contribution to your 401(k), but the match is based on the organization’s earnings. Restricted stock units Restricted stock units (RSUs) are a way for publicly listed companies (companies that trade on public stock exchanges such as NASDAQ or the NYSE) or venture capital–backed companies to give stock to employees. These stock units are called restricted because they usually vest over a period of time before you get them. They may have other restrictions as well. RSUs are intended to give you ownership in the company and to provide you with an incentive to grow the value of your shares, and the company, through your hard work. Instead of getting RSUs outright when you start employment, they vest over a number of years. This is to encourage you to stay at the organization until your RSUs vest. After they vest, these RSUs are considered income and are taxed at your income level. The employer may withhold some of these RSUs in order to cover your tax liability. For example, if your RSUs end up being worth $10,000 and you owe $2,000 in taxes, your employer may keep $2,000 worth of RSUs to cover your tax liability and give you $8,000 in RSUs. At some point, you’ll most likely leave your first job to pursue another opportunity.  Take into account any vesting schedule for RSUs, retirement account matches, or stock options you have, and plan your departure date accordingly so you don’t leave money on the table. Stock option plans Stock options are similar to RSUs in that they’re also meant to provide you with an incentive to stay at the company and to help grow its value. Stock options are not stock. Instead, as the name implies, they’re an “option” to buy a certain number of shares at a specified low price. This price is often referred to as the exercise price or strike price. If you get a chance to sell your shares because the company goes public or gets bought, you make money on the difference between the share price and the exercise price at the time you sell your shares. With opportunity often comes risk. You could encounter a scenario where the company’s shares have a certain price, you exercise your options at a lower price, and you decide to keep your shares and not sell them for the moment. This may create a taxable event for you. Then the company’s share price may drop sharply, causing you to lose money. On top of that, you may have to pay taxes and not have the money to cover those taxes. Check with a professional tax accountant if you ever find yourself in such a situation. For example, if you have 1,000 options at an exercise price of $1 per share and the company ends up going public at a price of $10 per share, you make $9 per share. Your total gain is $9,000 because you have 1,000 options. Options tend to get taxed at the time of exercise. There are two types of stock options: incentive stock options (ISOs), which are available only to employees, and non-qualified stock options (NSOs), which can be granted to anyone, including employees, contractors, and advisors. The tax treatment varies for these types of options. Check with an accountant about your particular tax circumstances and how ISOs and NSOs affect you. You can also learn more about taxes from the IRS at www.irs.gov. Tuition reimbursement This benefit means what it sounds like. Some employers offer financial assistance to employees who take courses or who are working toward a degree. The amount reimbursed varies by employer, and sometimes the employer requires you to be employed with it for a certain period of time before this benefit kicks in. Employers may impose certain conditions for tuition reimbursement. You may be required to maintain a certain grade level. The course material should also apply to your work at hand, and often, your studies should contribute toward an advanced degree or certificate. Employers tend to offer this benefit as a way to attract talent and to grow the capabilities of their workforce.

Video / Updated 08-14-2023

A good interviewer will ask you, "What questions do you have for me?" before concluding the interview. Don't let it cause you to panic while searching for something to ask! You can prepare some questions ahead of time to ask the interviewer, and even have them written down in a notebook to bring with you to the interview. At this stage, your questions should focus on the job, the responsibilities, and the company. Questions regarding benefits, time off, or even salary can wait for the offer stage, unless the interviewer brings it up earlier. Still not sure what to ask? Here are some ideas: "What have you enjoyed most about working here?" The interviewer's positive response, or lack thereof, helps you determine if this is an environment in which you could thrive and enjoy being a part of every day. "How has this position changed since it was created?" If the interviewer tells you the responsibilities of the position have evolved and expanded over time that indicates an opportunity for growth within the company. "What are the qualities of successful employees in this company?" Use this opportunity to highlight achievements from your previous experience that directly aligns with qualities the company finds most important in their top employees. Watch this video for some questions to keep in your back pocket for your next job interview.