1. Lesson Two: Making Money!

2. Phase 1: Assess your personal interest, abilities, and career goals.
Whether you are seeking your first job, or considering changing to a different field, you must take various actions to obtain a job.
Phase 1: Assess your personal interest, abilities, and career goals.
Phase 2: Evaluate the current employment market.
Phase 3: Identify specific job opportunities.
Phase 4: Apply for employment positions with the use of a résumé or application letter.
Phase 5: Interview for available positions.
Phase 6: Obtain additional career training.

3. Phase 1: Assess your personal interests abilities skills career goals.

4. www.careercrusing.com Log into your EDP Click on the Tab
Click on Tab at the bottom of the page

5. have all 116 questions answered.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU…
have all 116 questions answered.
have all 45 questions answered.

6. Click on Printer-friendly Version at the top
Print one copy for me and one for you.
Now it’s time to explore:
Your list of career suggestions is ordered in terms of your interests. The boxes to the right of your Career Suggestions indicate how well your skills match the requirements of a particular career.
  Very Good Match
  Good Match
 Fair Match
 Questionable Match
 Poor Match
Note: Your list of career suggestions will not change as a result of having completed the skills assessment. Instead, the skills assessment determines your skills rating for careers that match your interests. A B C D E

7. Look at your Michigan Career Pathway Recommendations and click on #1 to see which of the careers listed fall within that pathway.

8. Explore one of the suggested careers to see if it may be something you are interested in doing.

18. Click this tab to go back to your list of suggestions to continue investigating your career choices.

21. A Monty Python Job Interview
Thank God job interviews are not like this…or are they?

22. Preparing for a Job Interview

23. Before the Interview 1. Research the organization.
2. Practice your interviewing skills.
3. Prepare questions that you plan to ask.
4. Prepare proper dress and grooming.
5. Plan to arrive early at the interview.

24. During the Interview 1. Relax. Be yourself.
2. Answer questions completely and calmly.
3. Ask questions to help you better know the organization.
4. Ask when you might hear from the organization.

25. After the Interview
1. Write down notes on how you can improve for your next interview.
2. Promptly send a thank-you letter to the person with whom you interviewed to express your appreciation for the opportunity to meet with them.

26. Can you tell me about yourself?
This is the most hated and most common question in interview history. Typically asked at the beginning of the job interview, this question gives the interviewer an opportunity to gain knowledge about you and your capabilities. When you answer, offer a summary of your personality, skills, experience, and work history. Do not mention your knitting hobby or your pet iguana. Try to stick with facts that will demonstrate why you are the person for the job.

27. Why do you want to work here?
Even if it is true, do not answer with: Because I really need a job and you were hiring. If you did any research prior to the interview, you can answer this question. Utilize what you know about the company. Tell the interviewer why you admire the company, their practices, or their product. If all else fails, make a connection between the job description and your abilities. Tell the interviewer why you are compatible with their company.

28. Why should we hire you?
This is one of the most important questions that you will be asked, and you need to make sure that you have a very good answer. Try to be as specific as possible. Explain in detail: why you would make a good employee, why you are the right fit for the job, and what sets you apart from other applicants. Point out your achievements, accomplishments, and applicable experience.

29. Why did you leave your last job?
This is actually more of a test than a question. The interviewer wants to see what pushes your buttons. Your answer should be as honest as possible, but whatever you do, try not to sound bitter, angry, or violent. And most importantly, do not badmouth your former company, boss, or co-workers.

30. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Why do interviewers continue to ask this question? Because- it shows them how motivated you are and it offers insight into your professional intentions. Instead of telling the interviewer that you would like to be sailing in the Bahamas, try offering information about your professional goals as the relate to your job or industry.

31. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.

32. Tell me about your dream job.
Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can’t wait to get to work.

33. What have you learned from mistakes on the job?
Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and thus throwing coordination off.

34. Do you have any questions for me?
Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good.
How soon will I be able to be productive?
What type of projects will I be able to assist on?

35. Illegal Interview Questions
Race
Birthplace
Color
Age
Sex/Gender
Disability
Religion
Marital/family status
National Origin
Have you ever been arrested?
Employers should not ask about any of the following, because to not hire a candidate because of any one of them is discriminatory:

36. Your Options Answer the question.
Answer the "intent" of the question. For example, if you are asked whether you are a United States citizen (not legal to ask), reply that you are authorized to work in the U.S., which is a question the employer can ask you and which is appropriate to answer.
2. Try to change the topic of conversation and avoid the question.
3. Refuse to answer the question which might cost you the job if you are very uncomfortable with the question. However, consider whether you really want to work somewhere where you are asked questions that are not appropriate.

37. Common Interview Questions
1. What activities have helped you expand your interests, abilities, and knowledge?
2. In what types of situations have you done your best work?
3. Describe the supervisors who motivated you the most.
4. Describe someone with whom you had difficulty working.

38. 5. What are your major strengths?
6. What are your weaknesses? What have you done to overcome your weaknesses?
7. What do you know about our organization?
8. Who is someone you admire? Why do you admire that person?

39. Adding up the Benefits Health, dental, and eye care insurance
Benefits cost your employer, on average, an extra 33% – 50% of your pay.
These may include:
Health, dental, and eye care insurance
Life insurance/disability insurance
Flexible spending account
Health savings account
Tax-deferred retirement plan
Paid vacation
Paid holidays
Parental leave
Stock purchase plan
Employee assistance plans
Employee fitness programs
Employee discounts
Tuition assistance or reimbursement

40. Job Interview Advice
Career consultant Maggie Mistal of Martha Stewart Living Radio has excellent advice

41. Examples of Paycheck Deductions
Federal Income Tax
Federal Income Tax is a progressive tax. A progressive tax is a type of tax where the effective tax rate (the tax amount expressed as a percentage) increases as the amount to which the rate is applied (a person’s adjusted income) increases. Every year, the U.S. Federal Government changes the tax rates and income brackets.

42. Federal Insurance Compensation Act (FICA), the official name for Social Security and Medicare taxes.
The Social Security tax rate is 6.2% on your gross income, but the amount is limited and you stop paying the tax after you reach a certain income. This limit, known as the Social Security Wage Base, changes each year as economic conditions change.
Currently, the Medicare tax rate is 1.45% on all wages earned with no limit.
Your employer must also pay a separate 6.2% Social Security tax on your behalf and the 1.45% Medicare tax.
State and local income taxes
The tax rate ranges from 0% to close to 10% depending on the state and town in which you live.

43. Tax-free and tax-deferred benefits
The U.S. federal government provides numerous plans that allow an employee to save for certain life events with pre-tax dollars. These savings plans allow a person to invest in their retirement, health care, childcare, and many other life events and receive a tax reduction or pay no tax at all on the money saved. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), 401(k) retirement plans, and many other “cafeteria plans” are examples of tax-advantaged benefits.
When you sign up for one of these plans, your savings contribution is automatically deducted from your paycheck before your taxes are calculated, which allows you substantial tax savings and will show up as a line item on your pay stub reflecting an adjustment to your taxable income.
Net pay
Your net pay—often called your “take home pay”—is the remaining amount you get to keep after all deductions are removed from your gross (or total) pay.

44. Year 2011 Federal income brackets and tax rates

46. Common Income Tax Deductions
Medical, dental, prescription drugs, and other health care costs,
State and local income taxes or state and local sales taxes,
Real estate (property) taxes,
Personal property taxes (such as motor vehicle registration fees),
Interest paid on a home mortgage,
Interest paid on investments (such as margin interest),
Cash contributions to charities and churches,
The fair market value of non-cash contributions to charities and churches,
Personal losses because of theft or casualty,
Job-related expenses that your employer did not reimburse you for,
Union dues,
Cost of purchasing or cleaning uniforms,
Job-related education and professional development,
Job-related travel,
Home office expenses,
Tax preparation fees,
Investment fees and expenses (such as IRA custodial fees and annual brokerage fees)
Safe deposit box fees,
Gambling losses (only to the extent of gambling winnings).

47. Ms. Mills’s Paystub
Okay…I’ve got nothing to hide. Let’s take a look at my last paystub of 2011, my W-2 from 2011 and my tax return to see how all of this income tax business works!