The View From Home

Ever wonder how much money employees at the University of Oregon get paid?  I certainly have. I have known for years that this information is public, I just haven’t known where to look and this morning I finally found it.

So if you have ever asked yourself what your professor gets paid or are curious about what researchers make the following website will help you find those answers and will direct you to all of quarterly and annual reports on what UO employees are paid.

• http://ir.uoregon.edu/alpha

In my last post I mentioned that I was once again unemployed.  In fact, this is the third time collecting unemployment from the state of Oregon. Having to file unemployment again isn’t so bad.  Over the last four to five years,I have learned a lot about this process and the process of finding the next opportunity.  My chosen field (programming for early stage businesses) technically carries a higher risk of getting laid off due to financial difficulties.

If a company is unable to manage its finances, if their customers are unable to make timely payments, or if your project gets cut due to corporate reorganization the result is often getting shifted to another position, but in all likelihood the result is getting laid off.

I am once again about to collect unemployment benefits. This will be my third time filing for unemployment. I will be setting up my profile on iMatchSkills, Oregon’s job matching tool, later today.

Fortunately, I am not stressed out. I know the ropes so to say and am in an industry that will likely lay me off in the future. I my have higher risks working with startups, but to me, the rewards are worth it!

Each year the concept of achieving a degree through online education is gaining more and more traction.  In many ways its the future.  Certainly the online education industry needs to continue to improve its credibility,  but that said, it is gaining market share as more and more students opt to study online instead of in class.

According to The Best Degrees, it would appear that the most popular online degrees being chosen by students are those with the biggest market share.

The top 10 most popular online programs:

1. Business administration and MBA programs
2. Psychology
3. Nursing programs
4. Engineering
5. Liberal Arts/Humanities
6. K-12 Education
7. Information Systems and Technology
8. Criminal Justice
9. Early Childhood Education
10. Health Administration

Source: The 10 Most Popular Online Degrees

As the economy recovers, employment is often the last thing to recover. The key to lowering the unemployment rate at this point is to encourage entrepreneurship at all levels of the economy.

Of course, that doesn’t provide immediate solutions for those who are still unemployed. My best advise for those individuals is to consider further education, other fields of employment, as well as relocation.

Hopefully the economy will continue to improve and these issues will be a problem of the past. But when all things are considered it sometimes comes down to being willing to change fields or relocate. Doing whatever needs to be done in order to survive is an important consideration. One can live off of unemployment benefits, but for how long.

I have personally gone on unemployment twice, each time for about a two month stretch. In all honesty I wasn’t super gone ho a out finding work. I still tried and got lucky but each time needed to recover psychologically from the blow of losing my job. I feel I got to use some of the benefits I pay for each year through taxes.

A friend of mine had a different situation. He was in a highly specialized field. One that is very difficult to get work in. Unfortunately this friend had to use all of his benefits and eventually ran out. In the end he had to change fields, but was willing to self teach himself the knowledge necessary to enter a new field. I look forward to seeing him succeed.

Working from home can be a wonderful experience. If you think you have what it takes to work from home you might stand a chance at landing the notoriously difficult to find work from home job.

The jobs are out there, but are rarely listed. Most companies avoid listing these positions due to the sheer quantity of unqualified applicants they receive. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean they aren’t interested, just that they are may not know how to acquire the right talent.

One place to start out is to see if your current employer would be willing to let you work from home on a full time or even part time basis.

If you don’t think your current employer will go for a work from home situation or if your current job just won’t convert well, consider taking your external search to sites like about.com and dice.com. Your chances of landing a telecommuting job go way up if you are in a technical computer based industry. Many companies don’t allow telecommuting immediately. This is usually to ensure that you are familiar with company protocol and to ensure that you can do the work while being managed.

As a side note, watch out for scams. Transcription jobs do exist, but are a popular scam area. Never take a job that makes you send them money or that send you a check that you get to keep part of after sending the rest on.

2work-at-home.com/telecommute.shtml offers a list of telecommuting friendly companies. You may also want to check out gilgordon.com as it is a great resource for telecommuting research.

In the end, remember to treat the job search seriously, putting in the same type of effort that you would for a traditional job. Anything less and you may be left day dreaming.

iMatchSkills is the job search tool of choice by Oregonians. During these times of declining economics, the ability to find and stay employed is more important then ever. What this means is that knowing your options is important.

The Oregon Department of Employment is a valuable tool in aiding you find your next position. Of course if you don’t go, you will they can’t help you. I definitely suggest dropping in. Their staff is friendly and available to help your job search. It is a well known fact that job seekers have walked in the door and on occasion walk out with a job.

Employers, like Edward Jones, a neighborhood-based investment firm have had so much success with iMatchSkills that they are increasing their use of the program statewide. The efficiencies and no-cost nature of iMatchSkills makes it the place to go for companies such as AppleBees when they are opening a new resturant.

It is no wonder why employees all over the state rely on iMatchSkills. Whether you are seeking work in a blue or white collar industry, the tools that iMatchSkills provides will help match you up with an employer who needs someone with your background.They are so successful at this because iMatchSkills uses a skill based approach to job placement.

iMatchSkills: https://empportal.emp.state.or.us/imp_imscod_dad/!pkg_startup.proc_home

If you have a specialty skill, the world of freelancing can be a great place to pick up some extra work or even make a professional career. If you are a solo artist or part of a full blown team, making a business online is a very real option.

My hope with this page is to provide resources that will help individuals expand their entrepreneurial ventures into freelancing and contract work.

I have been aware of the following for some time, but was reminded about the last three by Clark Howard during one of his radio shows [see article]

• eLance.com
• oDesk.com
• Guru.com
• crowdSPRING.com

When you lose your job, find yourself out of work, are fired or laid off it is important to know your resources. It is important to be on top of things and to file for benefits quickly. The state of Oregon offers several services and resources to help get you back on your feet quickly.

How do I file for Unemployment Benefits?

Here are three ways to file for unemployment benefits which include going to your local unemployment office in person, calling them over the phone, or online.

Submitting your application online is by far the easiest method. Calling direct is great if you don’t mind really long hold times. I don’t imagine this applies to all offices, however my local office was extremely busy and their policy is to work with one client at a time. Which means that you get their undivided attention once you get a hold of them.

The Online Claims System is your starting point for everything related to filing for unemployment benefits. Before you file your first claim, you must first establish your account.

Be sure to have everything you need to start your claim before you actually enter the system. If you take longer then 30 minutes to complete your registration you will have to start over. Once your have the prerequisite data, you can file a new claim.Upon completing this you will need to go to the imatchskills.com website to set up an account to help you find new employment.

The very next Sunday and every Sunday following a week of unemployment you will need to return to the Online Claims System to claim a week. You won’t get paid for your first week, as it is your waiting week, but don’t delay on it.

In this day and age, it is not uncommon to be on the prowl when it comes to finding a job. Whether you are employed and

looking for the next big thing or are unemployed and looking for anything at all, there are many unknown tips and

tricks that will make the search more successful. My goal for this page is to summarize my research from when I was

between jobs and to add to it as my friends and family transition between careers.

What are my search options?

There are countless job board websites

out there. The trick is to find the one that your potential company is using. Some job boards are going to be industry

specific, while others will try to be generalists and all inclusive (which often means sorting through a lot of junk

job posts). Many companies are turning towards the trend of posting job listings directly on their website. All of

these methods can result in a qualified job lead.  Some of them will even send you email notification when new

jobs meeting your criteria are posted.  Just be sure to look around because all of these sites will offer

something different. For example, iMatchSkills,

Oregon’s job search tool is skill based. When you are done here, you should check out our page on Common Job Interview Questions

Finding work abroad

I know a small handful of people who gave up looking for work locally and decided to travel the world instead. They

did this by aquiring a TEFL certificate so that they could teach English as a second language throughout the world. So

far they have really been enjoying the experience. For further details on how my friends went about it, check out the

following on how to Teach English overseas.

Paid placements available in China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam & Greece

General Job Search Websites

• CareeBuilder.com
• Craigslist.com
• Monster.com
• SnagAJob.com

State Sponsored Job Search Websites/Programs

• Cal JOBS – California
  Employment Development Department of California offers Cal JOBS as California’s Internet system for linking employer job listings and job seeker resumes.
• WorkforceFlorida.com – Florida
  Workforce Florida is a good starting place for work related research. EmployFlorida.com is the place to go to find jobs in florid as it offers a host of services for the job seeker.
• ILLINOIS WorkNet CENTER – Illinois
  IDES Offices and Illinois WorkNet Centers – This website allows you to create an indivual WorkNet account and provides information on unemployment insurance, employment and career service, as well as veterans assistance and training programs.
• Nebraska Job Link – Nebraska
  The Nebraska JobLink is also known as Nebraska Workforce Development and provides good functional job search tools. After creating an account you can store your resume online so that sending it to potential empoyers is only a few clicks away.
• Career Zone – New York
  The New York Department of Labor provides the Career Zone, a place to build and store resumes, explore occupations, search databases on education and training as well as identify your stregnths, skills, and talents.
• WorkForce 411 – Ohio
  Work Force 411, also known as Scoti, is Ohio’s Statewide Job Matching Program and offers a wide variety of support. Scoti can help you find jobs and apprenticeships and has plenty of information on job fairs, workshops, as well as unemployment compensation information
• Oklahoma Job Link – Oklahoma
  Once you create an account the Oklahoma Job Link gives you access to a vast amount of job searching tools. Upon creating an on-line resume, you can opt to have jobs emailed to you.
• iMatchSkills.com – Oregon
  Oregon provides iMatchSkills.com as a tool to help Job Seekers and Employers find each other.  The job posts are relavent, well organized, and timely. The skill and experience survey helps match qualified candidates with the jobs they are most interested in and qualified for and emails the user when a match has been made.
• WorkInTexas.com – Texas
  Texas’ most comprehensive job resource where texans can find a job, find an employee, and love being a Texan.
• Utah’s Job Connection – Utah
  The Department of Workforce Services offers Utah’s Job Connection as an online tool for those seeking work in Utah.
• Go2WorkSource.com – Washington
  WorkSource is the State of Washington’s official site for online employment services and is a great source to get local job search help.

Company Hosted Job Boards

• Starbucks
• Symantec
• Monaco Coach
• BikeFriday

Freelance, Telecommuting, and Contract Work related sites

• Agaveblue
• freelance.com
• Moms-home-work.com
• sologig.com
• Telecommuting Jobs – tjobs.com
• transcriptionhouse.com

City Specific Job Boards

Eugene, OR

• eugenejobs.net