Originally Published April 08, 2011

Reuters

Finding a new job can be expensive — particularly for professionals who spend money on pricey career coaches, resume experts and, increasingly, travel to interviews. But some 73% of professionals say they plan to ramp up their job hunt as the economy gains steam, a recent survey from job-and-career website Glassdoor.com survey found.

The good news for those itching to make a move or for cash-strapped layoff victims looking for work: If you’re hunting for a job in your current profession and you itemize on your tax return, you can deduct a whole host of job search expenses, even if you didn’t end up in a new job.

The IRS spells out a few deductions like employment agency services and the costs associated with printing and mailing your resume. But you can deduct a lot more than the basics. What, you ask? How about that $250-per-hour career coach who helped hone your interview and presentation skills or the $500 you paid to have your resume revised and polished? They’re both deductible job-search expenses, according to tax experts.

To take the deduction, your overall miscellaneous deductions (including job search expenses) must add up to more than 2% of your Adjusted Gross Income — and you can only deduct the amount that exceeds that 2%, says Jackie Perlman, a CPA and principal tax analyst at H&R Block’s Tax Institute. Professional association dues and subscriptions to professional journals are just a few of the miscellaneous, non-search-related expenses that can help reach the 2% floor.

If your AGI is $100,000, for example, your miscellaneous deductions must total more than $2,000; if they add up to $2,500, you can deduct $500. (One less-pleasant bit of fine print: Miscellaneous deductions could lower your tax burden to the point that you fall into Alternative Minimum Tax territory, which negates the benefit of claiming such expenses.)

Tax experts say diligent record-keeping to keep track of expenses and pre-planning your job-hunt activities when you travel are key since you’ll need to prove your expenses were primarily job-search related if you — yikes — happen to be selected for an audit. Here’s a look at what you can deduct and how to keep track:

Career coaching: If you use a coach primarily to bolster your efforts to find a job in your field, the fees are deductible. That session you used to work on achieving balance in your life or to decide whether to switch careers, is not. Keep records and notes about each meeting and claim costs associated with sessions directly related to improving the outcome of your job search.

Travel and transportation: Did you drive to a job interview 50 miles away? Fly three states away and spend two nights in a hotel — on your own dime — for informational interviews? Deductible. For mileage (reimbursed at a rate of 50 cents per mile), write down the date, miles driven and job search-related purpose on the day you travel, advises Perlman. Guessing later can prove problematic.

Airfare, hotel bills, and rental car costs associated with traveling for your search are deductible. So are meals on those trips. Log the date and purpose and save the receipts for those expenses. Do the same for tolls, parking and taxi trips related to your hunt. They’re deductible, too.

A word of caution: If you travel to Orlando with the primary purpose of two days worth of informational interviews, but your family flies joins you for two extra days at Disney, deductions are murky. Your roundtrip airfare is usually deductible, says Eva Rosenberg, an enrolled agent and the brains behind tax advice website TaxMama.com. Keep a log of your time and the expenses devoted to job-hunting; if the job search was the primary reason for the trip and not an afterthought, those are deductible.

Conferences: “Finding a job has to be your primary intent” to deduct expenses, says Perlman. If the main reason you attend a professional conference or trade show is to further your job search –maybe you know the networking events are famous for yielding job interviews later–your associated expenses (from conference fees to travel) are deductible, says Rosenberg. Keep a log of costs and how you spend your time in case you’re asked to prove your intent.

Networking events: Deductibility depends on why you attend. “It’s right on the borderline,” says Perlman. “There has to be some proximate connection between what you are doing and getting a job.” Rosenberg says that’s not as hard to prove as it might sound; there’s plenty of research about the importance of networking to a job search. Translation: The deduction survives an audit, if you keep a log and detail how attending relates to your search — or to a business purpose, which counts as a miscellaneous deduction.

Childcare expenses: Experts disagree on this one. But Rosenberg says if you keep clear records — a calendar that designates which hours you used a sitter for job-search related activities, like an interview or job fair — it’s a legitimate deductible expense.

Phone bills. You’ll need to show you incurred an extra expense, says Perlman. If you have a plan that allots you a certain number of minutes and charges you for extra time, those 30-minute calls to a recruiter or hour-long phone interviews might push you over the limit. Add up job-search related calls on statements where you incurred extra charges. You can deduct the overage related to the search, says Rosenberg.

The rest: Keep receipts for stamps; envelopes; copying charges and paper costs for printing your resume, cover letter or other materials for your job search; faxing costs at your local Kinko’s; cost of attending a job fair (that includes any entry fee or transportation expenses); and any other items you think might be related to your job search. A tax pro can tell you what counts, if you have the receipts.

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/04/06/best-tax-deductions-job-seekers/#ixzz1lKUS8NOG

I’ve been dressing and preparing clients for professional interviews at Dress For Success for almost seven years. I have also prepared my paying clients for the job interview process. And of course, I have interviewed and been interviewed myself. So I thought I would try to distill a set of guidelines from my experience.

Your goal in a job interview is simple: you want the job. How does your outfit help or hurt your chances of being successful? In my opinion this all comes down to two things.
1.The impression you make on your interviewer. In the first few seconds of meeting them their brain will be trying to make the hiring decision on the only information they have: the way you look. Can they imagine you doing the job? Will you fit into the culture? This may not even be a conscious evaluation.
2.The impact that your outfit has on YOU. You must also be able to imagine yourself doing the job you are interviewing for. Above all, you need to feel confident and physically comfortable. It’s your time to shine and the outfit must complement your skills, not make you feel self conscious about them.

After the first few seconds, you want the interview to focus exclusively on your expertise and your ability to excel at the job. Your outfit should make the right first impression and then get out of the way. It is impossible to create a universal outfit to achieve this goal for positions in all professions, in all industries. But here is a checklist to get you started.
•Err on the formal side: It’s better to dress too formally than too casually for an interview. Interviewers will expect you to dress more formally than usual.
•Err on the conservative side: This is straightforward if you’re interviewing for a profession in a conservative environment, but the lines blur for more creative professions like design, art, literature, advertising and fashion. For creative professions, you can add trendy elements to the ensemble, but it’s a good rule of thumb to be more classic than the way you normally dress.
•Err on the modest side: Look tailored but don’t wear overly figure hugging clothes. Skirts and dresses should end on or around the knee and make sure you do the “sit-down-test” as skirts tend to creep up once you’ve sat down. No cleavage.
•Wear a jacket: A suit blazer or jacket adds bus loads of polish to your appearance. It really steps things up a notch so my suggestion is to wear a jacket no matter what the interview.
•Suit versus Separates: Conservative professional job interviews require a formal interview suit, whereas other job interviews are fine with the dressier side of business casual attire – which still means jacket in my book. A dressy dress like a sheath with a jacket is another good option for business casual.
•Skirts versus Slacks: You might perceive this differently, but I find skirt and dress suits more formal than pant suits. So if you want to make an even more formal impression, go with a skirt suit. But if you feel better in slacks than skirts, stick with the slacks suit.
•Blouse, shirt or item of knitwear: Wear one of these underneath your suit or separates jacket. Sometimes you’ll be able to wear a good quality knit top too, like a solid shell top. Wearing sleeveless blouses and tops underneath jackets is really comfortable so bear that in mind because your jacket does not need to come off during the interview.
•To tuck or not too tuck: Tucking is not essential, but you might feel neater if you tuck your top into your bottoms. When you tuck your top into slacks, finish off the look with a belt. Also do the sit-down-test for blouses and shirts as they can pull across the bust when you are seated.
•Neutrals versus Colour: Keep your suit and separates neutrally toned. Black is not your only option: grey, brown, caramel, olive and navy are great too, and so is a subtle pinstripe. What you wear under the jacket needn’t be neutral, but I’d stay away from anything too bold just because it might overpower you in the interview, and distract the interviewer.
•Wear good shoes: Keep them close-toed, heeled, polished and fairly neutral. Sling-backs, pumps, mary janes and oxfords are all fab.
•Limit the accessories: By all means wear accessories, but stay away from anything too flashy, noisy and oversized. Again, it’s distracting for the interviewer. A watch, wedding ring, specs and small earrings are flop proof, whereas chunky necklaces, bracelets and scarves are a little harder to get right. If in doubt, leave it off.
•Hose: I’m still not sure about this one. Should you wear hose with a skirt for an interview? I’m inclined to say yes, but you tell me.
•A hairstyle that stays in place: You don’t want to fuss with hair that you have to keep pushing out of the way during the interview, so make sure it’s secured.
•Light make-up and perfume: Wear just enough so that you smell sweet and look polished. Check for lipstick on your teeth just before you go into the interview.
•Neatly manicured hands: Your hands are quite visible in an interview, so if you can make them extra pretty beforehand, so much the better. Short nails and neutral nail polish (or no nail polish) is best.
•Handbag, brief case or portfolio bag: This will depend on you and what you need to bring to the interview. Keep the handbag fairly structured as opposed to overly slouchy, but there is no need to keep it neutral. Avoid neon colours, but a beautiful deep red or purple handbag can lift an interview outfit perfectly.

If you’re still not sure what to wear, visit the organization and watch employees coming in and out of the office to see what they are wearing. It might help you make decisions like skirt or slacks, blouse or knit top, or how formally you should dress.

Finally, be sure to find out whether the hiring company has guidelines on what to wear to the interview. When Greg interviewed for a well known software company, he was actually told not to wear a suit and that he had to wear really comfortable clothes because his interview would be grueling and would take the entire day.

I would love to brainstorm together with you and come up with a killer list of flop proof guidelines for effective interview attire, perhaps even across different professions. Let’s hear about how you like to dress for an interview and what you have learned along the way. If you are a recruiting professional or a hiring manager (or have been one in the past), please share your thoughts on what makes a great interview outfit, your likes and dislikes and any tips in general.

Frustrated by unemployment?

Job hunting is tricky business in the healthcare world. Getting hired is a subtle mix of the right qualifications, enough experience, interview chemistry, and a dash of luck. Assuming you’re making all the right moves and avoiding the really obvious job seeker mistakes, there are a few points to consider that could be your ticket out of unemployment.

Get out of your job search rut and back in the game by fixing these mistakes you might be making:

1. Job Description
Read it. Do you meet every qualification listed? If you think you can get away by not having that extra few years of experience or make do without the requested higher degree, think again. Job descriptions are a baseline for hiring managers. With so many job applicants, recruiters are naturally going to pick the best of the best, and that means you’ve got to meet every single one of the job requirements, at the very least. But that doesn’t mean you should give up, either. If you find yourself not meeting a certain job requirement time after time, do something about it! Nothing shows dedication like taking action.

2. Word Play
It’s not enough to have a clean resume free of grammar and spelling errors; you’ve got to go that extra mile. No matter how amazing your resume looks, everything lies in the words. If the hiring manager has to decipher your resume jargon, don’t expect a call back. Phrase your resume with the right keywords. Use powerful words that imply action and sell your experiences by highlighting specific achievements and accomplishments in your healthcare career. The right keywords are your key to getting your resume on top of the pile.

3. Job Search Tactics
Browsing through the classifieds? Going through Human Resources? Looking at company websites for job leads? One reason your job search may have hit a dead end is because your methods are outdated. Get with the 21st century and go online! The right social network can connect you directly with the job you want. Use Monster to find jobs in your field, post a resume and find your calling with their new Career Mapping tool, and AllHealthcare to maintain your connections. Spread yourself out and try something new — you never know which method will work!

4. Not the Right Fit
There is no perfect recipe to getting hired. You could do everything right — dress your best, arrive on time, and come fully prepared — and still not get the job. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of personality or a clash with the unstated hospital culture. At this point, qualifications don’t matter. It’s the sad truth — and completely legal. One consolation: It’s not you, it’s them.

5. Lady Luck
You’d think if you did everything right you’d be guaranteed a job. But job hunting isn’t always like an equation where the right steps will guarantee you the right answer. Lady Luck can play her hand and leave you in the dust. The position might go to another, equally qualified, candidate, or the timing will simply be off. Family restrictions may prevent you from taking the job or the company simply can’t afford to hire you right now. The best thing you can do in a situation like this is thank your contact for their time and keep that relationship alive. You just may be the person they call for their next opening!

6. High Expectations
It’s one thing to stay positive about your job outlook, and another to have false hopes about your prospects. Are you aiming at jobs out of your league? Expecting a certain salary range or health benefits? We’d all love to work at our dream job, but we take the job that’s good enough — because it is. Ask yourself what you’re willing to give up to get a job. Be honest with yourself. Changing your mindset can broaden your job search results drastically. You may find yourself on a regular payroll faster than you think!

I thought I was doing things right. I took my classes really seriously, got good grades and built relationships with my professors. I paid my own way through school, so I had to balance a full-time job with being a full-time student. Unfortunately, my crazy schedule left no time for internships (or sleep).

Now my younger sister is in college, and I’m determined to make sure she doesn’t go through the same post-college struggles that I did. College students, please heed the following advice. Your wallet and your sanity will thank me later.

1. Don’t wait until graduation to start your job search

It sounds obvious, but this is a common mistake. I told myself I was too busy, which was true. But I should have made the time.

Job-hunting is a long process that takes patience. In fact, when I finally got an interview for my current job, it was after months of checking the company’s website for an appropriate opening. I knew I wanted to work here, so I kept checking until a position opened up that I was qualified for. Start making your post-college career plans as soon as possible.

2. Show off your skills

A resume can only say so much, particularly when you don’t have a lot of experience yet. Consider starting a blog, creating a website or making a video to show off your specific talents. Listing “strong writing skills” on my resume isn’t nearly as effective as showcasing those skills with particular examples of my work.

To really capture a company’s attention, try making your site or blog tailored specifically to your dream job. This will give you an opportunity to show how much you’ve researched the company and the requirements of your desired position.

For example, if you want a technical writing position, put together a sample proposal as if you already had the job. This not only shows what you can do, but also gives the company examples of the ideas that you would bring to the position.

3. Be an active intern

The “go get me some coffee” internship stereotype exists for a reason. Just because you’re assigned menial tasks doesn’t give you an excuse to be passive. Ask for more difficult tasks. Offer your ideas. Find out about what the company’s hiring process is like. Talk to your superiors and seek out a mentor. Get descriptions of entry-level positions within the company and work towards gaining the necessary skills to land them.

One of my friends from college had a company create a position for her after graduation because they were so impressed with her as an intern. It isn’t enough to land an internship. Make yourself indispensible.

4. Apply high

One of my favorite college professors advised me not be afraid to “apply high.” She said this after I complained that every job I wanted required years of experience that I did not yet have. She told me just because a job has specific requirements didn’t mean I shouldn’t try for it if I believed I was capable of performing.

I admit, I thought my resume would get thrown away as soon as employers realized that I didn’t meet every requirement. Yet when I found out about the opening for my current position, I went for it despite my minimal experience. I wrote a strong cover letter that got my resume through the door. I came to the interview confident and well-prepared. And even though I didn’t meet each job requirement on paper, I still got the job.

As a newbie to the workforce, you have to be ready to prove that you can do it — but it’s well worth the fight.

5. Network here, there and everywhere

Though the job market isn’t ideal right now, new graduates have an incredible array of networking tools at their disposal. Use every single one of them. Maximize every possible resource. Streamline all of your social media pages to reflect your job search. Use your LinkedIn and Facebook contacts to connect to new people in your field or people that work at companies that you’re interested in.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that networking ends on the computer. Talk to any and everyone you can that might be able to help you. Use your internship, your job, your professors and friends of your mom. Job-hunting is not the time to be timid.

6. Be a realistic dreamer

People always advise “do what you love,” and students often apply this philosophy when deciding what to study. The truth is, certain majors are more likely to lead to a job. I believe that people should chase their dreams, but I’m also a realist. If you major in esoteric knowledge, your job options will be far more limited than someone who majors in accounting. You have to figure out a way to make your dream job work in the real world.

I majored in writing, so I’m no stranger to disdainful comments about my job prospects. If I had a dollar for every person who made a writing major joke to me, I wouldn’t even need a job; I could retire early and work on my novel.

Though fiction is my one true love, I took every possible writing class while I was in college. By graduation I had experience in fiction, nonfiction, technical writing, journalism, publication editing and design, writing for advertising, writing for public relations and writing for broadcast. I wanted to be as well-rounded as possible to increase my job options.

Though I now write in a corporate environment, I love my job. I might not be on the shelves of Barnes and Noble (yet), but I am getting paid to write. I am pursuing my dream and paying my bills at the same time. It might have taken a year after graduation to get here, but I’m here now.

The lesson: Don’t wait for the perfect job to land in your lap. Work hard, network and don’t give up on your dreams — just be smart about them.

Erin Palmer works as a writer and editor with Villanova University’s online programs. Villanova offers programs such as PHR certification prep courses, in addition to an HR masters online degree program. Erin can be reached on Twitter @Erin_E_Palmer.

http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/12/28/6-tough-love-tips-for-getting-hired-after-college/

A fellow employee and I were rushing to prep for fumigators to spray down the bar (yep, it was that kind of bar), and we had no idea what needed to be done; we’d received zero instruction from the owners and it was 2:30 a.m. I decided turning off the pilot lights on the stove would be a good idea, so I asked my fellow employee if he knew how to do that. His response? “No, but I’m sure I can figure it out.” We both went downstairs and followed the gas line from the stove until we found an on/off lever for the gas. We pulled the lever and off went the burners.

Hardly brain surgery, I know, but there’s a great lesson here. Rather than get frazzled like I did, my co-worker stayed totally calm and simply put on his problem-solving cap. He wasn’t even phased by the fact he didn’t know what to do (I actually don’t think it even occurred to him), he just knew he would look at the problem until he found a solution.

That’s what employers want. Hell, that’s what EVERYONE wants – someone who’s a doer, who finds a way and gets the job done.

In a world full of crappy co-workers and employees, your boss is dying for a can-do attitude. All bosses are – that’s why problem-solving ability regularly ranks as one of the most desirable traits in a prospective employee. Problem solvers are strategic and critical thinkers, people who bring ideas and solutions.

And guess what? Ideas and solutions make money.

Innate or obtainable?

“Your interpretation of the experience determines your perception,” Michael Michalko wrote in Psychology Today. Put another way: we decide how we react to a given situation. Some of us might be more predisposed to the can-do attitude, especially optimists, but how we react is up to us. Some situations may be out of our control, but how we react rarely is.

Like any other highly-valued skill set, a can-do attitude requires practice, practice, practice. When preparing for different government jobs, I knew I’d face a lot of problem-solving or puzzle questions, and my early attempts at these challenges did not go well. Whenever I heard a sample Google or Microsoft interview question, I’d respond with the mental equivalent of seizing up and falling into the fetal position.

I needed work. So I tried as many sample questions as I could and bought puzzle and mental exercise books like How Would You Move Mt. Fuji? Most of these questions deal more with how to react to and work through the problem at hand, so they’re great practice even if you don’t get many of the answers.

I also practiced a ton of analytical reasoning while studying for the LSAT, which really does ingrain a formulaic, methodical approach to a given problem. Some people are born with this skill set, but the rest of us have to work hard at it.

Luckily, it’s teachable – and learnable.

Valuable beyond your career

Being a problem-solver will take you far, regardless of your profession or industry, but it will also pay dividends in your personal life.

When faced with adversity, something as inevitable as death and taxes, those with a can-do attitude are well equipped to handle any situation. Struggling marriages, partnerships or businesses can often be righted by working through the challenges methodically and with perseverance.

In contrast, those who quickly or dismissively deem the problem unsolvable (often known as quitters) are just as quickly defeated.

Next time you’re asked about a problem you don’t know the answer to, be honest about it but volunteer to find a solution. It’s a way of taking ownership  and showing initiative, two things any boss loves. Adopting challenges with a can-do attitude is also arming you for interview time, when you’ll almost certainly be asked about a time you “worked through a difficult problem.”

“Whether you think that you can or can’t, you’re usually right,” Henry Ford famously said. That certainly applies to having a can-do attitude. It’s optional; it’s a choice.

What kind of attitude do you choose?

Tim Murphy is founder of ApplyMate.com, a free application tracking tool.

http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/12/20/what-every-employer-wants-a-problem-solver-with-a-can-do-attitude/?utm_source=Brazen+Careerist+Community+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a7a23a6358-Dec_14_Newsletter&utm_medium=email