Networking Tools for Your Job Search -

Networking Tools for Your Job Search -If you have found yourself looking for a job in the past couple years, you are probably all too familiar with the frustration that usually accompanies the search. People with jobs will give you advice-theyll tell you to update your resume, rearrange your resume, make your titelseite letter more personal but shorter, more informative but more concise, do more networking and less searching, do more searching and less emailingyou get the idea. The point is, you can follow these tips until youre blue in the face, but what it usually comes down to is who you know. In fact, a recent statistic noted that nearly 80% of job positions filled in the brde year were given to those with a personal referral.If youre thinking your search is now hopeless because youve already tapped into all of your personal referral resources, think again. With the ease of networking via the internet, there are several networks you can use not only to find connections you alread y have, but also to make new connections, so your personal connection well will never run dry. Almost anyone who has used the internet to help with their job search and networking will be familiar with Facebook and Twitter, but lets take a look at few other sites, with a more professional twist, that will give you a leading edge in your efforts.Plaxo As far as keeping up with your contacts, Plaxo is your one-stop-shop. Not only does it store all of the contacts from your phone and computer, but it also tracks updates from your contacts from their Twitter and Facebook feeds, so you know whats going on in their lives before you get in touch. This is especially helpful if youre reaching out to an old friend or ex co-worker about a prospective job. It will help take away the cold call feel and help you get back in the loop quickly so you can get right to what matters.Ecademy This tool allows you to connect with other users on a business and social level. Essentially the business happy h our of the web, you can connect with people based on business connections you already have, as well as find groups of people who are interested in the saatkorn topics as you. For job searchers, this can be a great way to make real connections based on business concepts while getting your name and needs out there to people who trust you.ZoomInfo If you need to know more about the people within a company youre interested in, ZoomInfo is a great source for you. It has been around for over 10 years and holds a database with the information of thousands of professionals. In addition, recruiters often use this site to find potential job candidates, so whether you know how to use it or not, it is always beneficial to set up a profile.Xing This is another tool geared towards gathering professionals in a social environment. However, for people looking for a job, this is a great site to join, as it has systems in distributions-mix which specifically encourage social networking. Not only are t here forums and discussion groups, which are always beneficial for job seekers, but there are also appointed ambassadors for each community with a decently sized constituency which then hold events which allow for the participation and communication of other members.Whether you use one or all of these helpful technologies, the main idea is to get your name out there and build trust surrounding your name. While these tools help, there is no substitute for hard work and honest time spent, so get out there and make it happen for yourself. You might even end up with more than a job you might just find your purpose.Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant and President of Professional Resume Services, Inc. She is a nationally published writer and contributor of 9+ best-selling career books. She has achieved international recognition following yearly nominations of the prestigious T.O.R.I. (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award. Erin has written thousands of resumes for executives and professionals.

6 Reasons Student Loan Forgiveness Might Not Be Worth It

6 Reasons Student Loan Forgiveness Might Not Be Worth It Student loan forgiveness is often considered a smart way out for borrowers struggling with debt. But is it really the great solution people think it is?As with many student loan-related questions, the answer is a little complicated.Lets take a closer look at some of the gotchas of federal student loan forgiveness programs to find out if student forgiveness is the right solution for you.6 potential downsides to student loan forgivenessGetting your student loan balance forgiven is the dream, but unfortunately, the road to forgiveness isnt without its twists and turns. Before pinning your hopes on getting your debt discharged, consider unterstellung six potential downsides to student loan forgiveness programs.1. You might have to wait a long time to receive forgivenessThe federal government offers a few loan forgiveness options, includingTeacher Loan Forgiveness,Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and forgiveness fromincome-dri ven repayment plans.But all these plans require years of tafelgeschirr or repayment before canceling your debt. The Teacher Loan Forgiveness program has the shortest service requirement at five years, but it only offers either up to $5,000 or $17,500 toward your debt, depending on the subject you teach.PSLF promises to forgive all your debt, but only after youve worked for an entire decade in a qualifying nonprofit, government agency, or other qualifying organization. Unless this kind of work lines up with your career goals, dedicating 10 years of your life might not be worth the loan forgiveness youd get.The government will also forgive your balance if you still owe money at the end of your term on an income-driven repayment plan, such as income-based repayment or Pay As You Earn. But on these plans, your term will be 20 or 25 years, so you wont see loan forgiveness for a very long time.Instead of pinning your hopes on student loan forgiveness after 20 years (or more), you might be better off paying back your student loans faster. Otherwise, you could have debt hanging over your head most of your life while youre trying to reach other financial milestones.2. Your balance could grow while you waitIf youre counting on loan forgiveness from income-driven repayment, youll have to put your loans on one of the four income-driven plans. And if youre looking at PSLF, youll need to be enrolled in income-driven repayment or extended repayment.Why? Well, if you kept them on the standard 10-year plan, youd have no balance left to forgive after 10 years of paying off your debt.Because they extend your terms to 20 or 25 years, these long-term repayment plans typically lower your monthly payments. This can be helpful if youre struggling to pay your bills every month.But the downside is that you end up in debt for longer, and your loans will accumulate interest that whole time. Over the years, youll end up paying a lot more interest than you would have if youd stayed with a shorter term.For example, lets say you owe $30,000 at a 5.05% interest rate. Over 10 years, youd pay $8,272 in interest. But over 20 years, youd pay $17,716, and over 25 years, youd pay $22,876, nearly as much as you borrowed in the first place.Adding years to your debt also adds interest, which could cost you a lot of money before you see loan forgiveness.3. Your career or financial circumstances could changeIn most cases, federal student loans automatically go on the standard 10-year plan. To get on income-driven repayment, youll have to apply every year. That way, Federal Student Aid can make sure your income qualifies you to stay on this plan.But if your income increases, you could become ineligible for income-driven repayment. In this situation, youd have to go back to regular repayment, and your years on the income-driven plan would have been for nothing.You could groe nachfrage into a similar problem if you were working toward PSLF but leave your public service career before 10 years are up. Even if you think you want to commit to public service for such a long time, its hard to predicthow your career goals could change over the years.What might seem like a foolproof path to loan forgiveness shortly after graduation could end up changing after years in the workforce. That said, earning a higher income in a stable job could make you a good candidate for another useful strategystudent loan refinancing.Through refinancing your debt, you could qualify for a lower interest rate. And by saving on interest, you might be able to pay off your debt ahead of schedule, even without the help of student loan forgiveness.4. You could end up with a big tax billWhen you get loan forgiveness from an income-driven plan, your balance will be wiped out completely. But you still might have to pay one more bill before you can say goodbye to your loans forever.Under forgiveness from an income-driven plan, your forgiven amount is treated as taxable income. And those taxes will be due in full the year your debt is forgiven.Lets say that when your loans are forgiven, you have a balance of $30,000 and your income puts you in the 25% marginal tax bracket. That means you will have a tax liability of $7,500 thats due to the IRS in its entirety when you file your taxes.Coming up with a lump sum of that size could be difficult, especially if you werent preparing for it. While owing $7,500 is better than owing $30,000, the IRS tends to be much less flexible than the Department of Education in terms of repayment options.If youre not sure whether or not youll owe taxes under a certain forgiveness program, check out ourguide to forgiveness and taxes.5. Not many people have received student loan forgiveness so farNot everyone supports student loan forgiveness programs. In fact, programs such as PSLF and borrower defense to discharge (which allows loan cancellation to defrauded borrowers) have become hot-button political topics as of late.These issues have come to a he ad recently as the first borrowers apply for PSLF. This program was implemented in 2007, so the first borrowers became eligible in 2017.Only a fraction of applicants have received loan forgiveness so far, so it remains to be seen if future borrowers will have a smoother time getting their applications approved.Whats more, none of the income-driven plans have been around long enough for anyone to attain loan forgiveness yet. If youre wondering whether student loans are forgiven after 20 years, the only real answer is that it remains to be seen. Likewise, its tough to say what changes future administrations will make to these policies.While this does not necessarily mean these programs are ineffective, skeptics may be reluctant to put their trust in something that has yet to benefit many borrowers. While no changes have been made yet, it would be unfortunate to make payments for 10 years or more, only to have Congress pass a law that abolishes the program or renders you ineligible.6. Your private student loans might not be eligibleSo far, weve mainly focused on federal student loan forgiveness programs, which only wipe away federal student loans, such as unsubsidized or subsidized direct loans. If you have private student loan debt, however, you dont have as many options.Although federal forgiveness programs arent applicable, you might find somestudent loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs) that will help you pay off your debt. Some states and private organizations offer partial student debt relief in exchange for qualifying service.Often, these LRAPs only require two or three years of service, rather than the 10 years youd need to put in for PSLF. Some common careers that qualify for LRAPs include doctor, lawyer, nurse and teacher.Another option is to look for an employer thatoffers a student loan repayment assistance benefit. Although rare, some jobs do offer this perk to help the 44 million borrowers currently burdened by student loan debt.If youre drowni ng in private student loan debt, a federal forgiveness program wont be able to help, but you might find alternative options that could offer relief.Student loan forgiveness is rarely a quick fixWhen deciding the best way to handle your student loan debt, its important to consider the pros and cons of any strategy.Were not trying to scare you away from student forgiveness programs by any means. But you must also be realistic and recognize that loan forgiveness might not be a cure-all to your debt situation and it certainly wont happen overnight.Whatever you decide, know that being proactive about your debt already puts you a step ahead. Bychipping away at your debt, youre well on your way to a life free of student loans.Honey Smithcontributed to this report.--This story originally appeared on Student Loan Hero.

Online Reputation Management Helps Protect a Companys Internet Reputation

angeschlossen Reputation Management Helps Protect a Companys Internet Reputation ansprechbar Reputation Management now provides a new service for companies dealing with negative criticisms and articles that are posted online by disgruntled ex-employees. The company first removes the negative comments, which can show up on social forums, blogs, various websites, and industry related websites, and then continues to monitor any activity. Next, the company places emphasis on creating several marketing and technical techniques to showcase the company in a positive and productive light when it shows up in search engine listings, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.Ed Eshel, founder of Online Reputation Management, made this statement about the new service We have seen a significant increase in cases where companies have contacted us because an ex-employee, usually someone who has been fired or left under st ressful circumstances, has posted disparaging comments onlineRecently, Online Reputation Management assisted a reputable media company in Texas to remove slanderous comments and articles that were posted online by a disgruntled ex-employee. The attack on the company was having a negative effect, as fewer applications for graduate positions were coming in. Once the company found out why there had been a decrease, they quickly hired Online Reputation Management to take control of the situation. Removing fruchtwein of the negative articles and posts, Online Reputation Management made sure that the companys profile was seen positive once again online.Not only does Online Reputation Management repair online reputations, they also maintain them with various tools and strategies. For more information, please visit their website at http//www.online-reputation-management.us/