The MicroTrain Blog

Job Searching During the Holidays

by Jeffrey Lareau on December 23rd, 2013

Many people put their job search on hold during December.  Doing so is understandable with the whirlwind of stress that the holiday season can potentially cause.  However, if your rationalization for putting your job search on hold is that "No one is hiring at this time", these two articles from US News and Business Insider have some good tips for you! 

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2010/12/01/10-reasons-to-step-up-your-job-search-over-the-holidays

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-rev-up-your-job-search-during-the-holidays-2013-11

Manage your Independent Contractor Career Like a Business

by Andrea Grabemeyer on December 18th, 2013

Nearly one in three working Americans is an independent worker. That’s 42 million people! Contract roles are also now the norm now in the IT field. In IT, 43% of jobs are outsourced contract jobs.

There are numerous benefits to being independent (vs. an employee) and just like any profession or career, Independents must devote time and resources to developing their business activities. You are a marketable consultant, your own business, and you should learn how to manage your career like a business.

First of all, you want to make sure you have marketing materials that are properly branded to make you stand out and look professional. You'll need business cards, a professional resume, and an online presence.

There are several ways to get inexpensive business cards printed that don't look cheap. Use the resume builder on TheProfessional.me to help with your resume. And for most contractors, LinkedIn is a great resource for your online presence because it is free and can serve as your online resume, references and business webpage. For others, you may want to start a simple website on WordPress or SquareSpace to host your portfolio and additional information.

However, there is a lot more to managing a business than marketing materials. You will need to learn how to read and negotiate a contract, withhold the correct amount of taxes for yourself, and track your finances like a business. Make sure to consider whether you need to purchase your own health insurance also. Do you need to keep track of mileage and meals? Maybe. Consult professionals and research software tools and applications that might be able to help you. There are a lot out there so choose wisely.

I've compiled some resources here for you to arm yourselves with some of the information you might need to be successful in this kind of career:

http://www.sba.gov/content/self-employed-independent-contractors

http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/laborlaws/l/aa121800.htm

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/06/21/you-need-to-know-before-you-sign-an-independent-contractor-agreement/

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Self-Employment-Taxes/Tax-Topics-for-Freelancers--Contractors--and-Consultants/INF12025.html

http://www.kdragonfly.com/gurus/get-set-up-contractor.php

As always, please consult a professional when you have questions about your taxes, any legal documents or rights, or financial planning.

This is the new world of work, so you have to be ready and take control.

Raves & Praise

David

A Cisco Success Story

I attended a resume writing seminar & conducted mock phone interviews with a Microtrain career counselor. These two activities gave me a leg up on distinguishing myself from all the other people looking for work. Since the career counselor's at Microtrain had a track record of getting people hired, their insight and positive past experiences helped me tremendously in getting hired with a Cisco Voice Systems Integrator in the Chicago area. I was hired as a Cisco Voice Tech Engineer with a starting salary of $65,000 / year with a Cisco voice systems reseller located in the Chicagoland area. Microtrain was very instramental in making this a reality. From expediting my WIA grant, to providing excellent hands-on training from knowledgable instructors I was able to achieve becoming certified with my CCNP. Microtrain's career services was the final catalyst in connecting me with this company by communicating with them on my behalf and with me in setting up the interview. One week later and I was hired. No joke. Thanks Microtrain!

Robert Graf

MCSA

Microtrain presents the course material in an interesting and concise manner. Microtrain gives the student all the resources necessary to pass the certification exams. Both the Chicago and Lombard facilities were excellent, and the staff goes to any length to accommodate any student changes.

Jean S.

PMP Certification Training, Lombard, 2008

I was laid off for many months and not really getting many callbacks for my resume and no job offers. After I put the letters PMP on it, not only did I see an increase in quantity, but also quality of interviews. I had been spinning my wheels for 5 months, and after the PMP went on, I had 2 job offers in 6 weeks. It really was the "golden ticket"

Jennie

Student Employment Success - Project/Process Manager

My Career Services Manager was very friendly and helpful and had excellent follow-up. She seemed to really care how things were going and kept me moving in the right direction. The resources available in job search were great and the visibility that there were jobs out there looking for my skillset was promising. Additionally, the training, as well as having an updated resume stating the Microtrain course work I had taken made me feel more confident and marketable as I looked for employment. It showed that I was dedicated and took project management and process management seriously.

Scott Wilson - Team Bradley

Employer Partner Feedback

Dawn has been a pleasure to work with. She is diligent in her efforts to give MicroTrain’s students the best opportunities to connect and network with various companies and players in the job market. The curriculums and certification programs are in line with today’s current IT needs. It’s good to see that they evolve with what employers are most seeking out there. I would recommend to any employer that hires skilled IT workers that they look into MicroTrain’s career services department as a potential source of candidates. The business of hiring can be quite costly, and Dawn and her staff provide a free service to outside companies. This value-add for MicroTrain’s students aligns with their mission in both training and job assistance to set up a win/win scenario for all involved.

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