There's another $24 billion in economic stimulus money coming to the unemployed folks who need it most.
The new bill provides 14 additional weeks of benefits for people who have exhausted their unemployment bennies or are on schedule to. The length of unemployment pay varies from state to state, averaging around 33 weeks. If your state is in really bad shape, with an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent or above, you will be entitled to an additional six weeks.
Approximately 2 million people are expected to be aided via the new monies. It will now be possible to collect unemployment for up to 99 weeks if you (and your state) meet all of the criteria.
The Labor Department's Unemployment Report for October is due later today and should be quite telling.
Learn more about the bill via the Wall Street Journal video below.
I have always preached that too much is made about Gen X vs. Gen Y in the world of work. Generalizing an entire generation, regardless of when they were born, is totally unfair. One can easily sit back and accuse Gen X of being a bunch of anxiety-ridden control freaks who spend too much time sulking and complaining about work at Happy Hour. Or that Baby Boomers are technologically irrelevant and should be forced into early retirement (or at least coerced to take some social media classes!). It might not be right, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to write about.
Here are some annoying traits that many Millenials seem to share.
- "Did you get my e-mail?" - As a member of society who has grown up with computers and the Internet, you know damn well that there's a 99.9% that I received your e-mail. The question is, have I had time to read it yet? The answer is no. So cool your jets and go back to your desk and read TechCrunch until I'm ready for you.
If you are like me, you are asking yourself daily “Is the economy EVER going to get better?”. I'm beginning to feel there isn't a person in this world that has the answer. (IF you do, contact me. That valuable information could make us millions!!).
I wake up every morning wondering if this will be the day that I get called into “the room” where you are given your pink slip and then tossed out the door with nothing more than your small box of belongings, a false apology, and the strong urge to run into oncoming traffic.
I don’t often think of “creativity” and “business” in the same sentence. Of course there are businesses in the creative sector, but I’m talking about jobs in which most people toil day to day. These folks are rewarded for analytical thinking, decisive actions and level-headedness. Too much creativity might get you marginalized.
But as an artist, business owner and corporate-world survivor, I think there’s a place for being creative in business. My feeling is that thinking creatively can unblock those stuck points. You know what I’m talking about - you have a presentation to give, a report to write and you’re drawing a blank. Here’s where you summon up that “right brain” stuff.
The companies we work for are often so blinded by what we can do for them today, that they forget what we have done before. With the understanding that each of us is hired to help a company achieve their goals (not our own), I still believe that forgetting the past and only looking towards the future is a mistake.
The solution is simple. Re-read employees resumes every six months.
This exercise helps managers paint a more complete picture of the employees working for them. If organizations ignore the past, I propose that it creates several problems which can be detrimental to the employee-employer relationship.
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Lyrics to Job Song : [Consequence:] Excuse me I beg your pardon? Nah, wha-wait hold up hold up hold up hold up Bitch you don't I don't get paid enough for you to be talkin to me like that Straight up and down I don't feel like standin the by fuckin front door aight? You know what? Matter fact, a year from now When you at home on your only day off and you watchin UPN You see me come up there and get my motherfuckin award Tell yo' kids I said
How to get stuck in a dead-end job when I can rap When I call my bill collectors they ain't tryin to hear that Matter fact they askin Dexter when I plan the payback On that long line of credit that they lent me way back Way back, way back, at the turn of the century The notice they sent to me is sayin essentially If I don't pay that balance off along with a extra fee Penitentiary or criminal charges Probably soon to follow if you dare disregard this And that got me nauseous, and feelin precautious Cause the fruits of my labor, ain't barin no harvest At least as a artist cause AT LEAST as a artist You become whoever when your time get the hardest But who you 'sposed to call when they all think you garbage And figured that you washed up, damn they so heartless Cause when I called the office they act stiffer than starches
[Chorus:] And this just ain't where I'm 'sposed to be This just ain't where I'm 'sposed to be This just ain't where I'm 'sposed to be This just ain't where I'm 'sposed to be Cause this just ain't where I'm 'sposed to be This just ain't where I'm 'sposed to be This just ain't where I'm 'sposed to be This just ain't, this just ain't
[Consequence: over Chorus] Man... I gotta make my next move my best move Cause there ain't no food in the fridge SON WHAT YOU DOIN~? ! C'mon son, we can't be, son we can't be out there like that The hold ain't even tight no more, no more Son WHAT'S REALLY GOOD~! Ahh... man
[Consequence:] Now I'm in a situation that I can't pacify So I'm lookin through the papers skimmin through the classifieds When I see an opportunity that can't pass me by That I can get the job if I give this class a try Put my pride to the side, go get a 9 to 5 Cause livin check to check's the only way that I survive But yo they sorta lied cause the lead's certified It take more than shirts and ties for the course that they provide But the course they would provide, a means of employment Which is basically a job that I'll soon be annoyed with So this unemployment is now subject to change Cause I'm on these interviews and I'm runnin my game And I'm bein interviewed by my government name And I'm Ollie out the crew that we one and the same So for now I'm out the game and far away from recordin Cause they left a message sayin that I start Monday mornin
[phone message:] Hello, this is OCS callin for Dexter Mills Dexter, we have work for you on Monday mornin At our Banana Republic, on Broadway and Spring Street in Lower Manhattan You are to be there at ten o'clock in the mornin Please call us back and let us know your availability Have a good day
I recently visited a friend in Chicago who is at the point in growing her one-woman business that she needs help. Her biz is in a creative field and she’s fortunate to be in a city with multiple art/creative schools. Hiring an intern from one of these places seemed like an ideal solution; she gets a creative, enthusiastic “employee” and the student gets to learn the biz. Win, win, right? Well…until she placed the ad.
The ad stated very clear parameters - the experience preferred, general duties, hours/days, send a resume, etc. In a very short time, she had sixty responses. While she was able to cull some very favorable prospects from the group, there were some surprising clunkers. One person even forgot to put their name on the resume. Duh-oh.
I'm on the prowl for a part-time editorial assistant in the New York area at a major non-profit organization. The job was posted two weeks ago and has yielded over 450 resumes. What started out as an exciting task of expanding my skeleton staff has turned into a harsh reminder of how bleak things are out there in the (un)employment world - especially for people with a writing/communications/journalism background.
Dozens of applicants have Ivy League educations. Hundreds have advanced degrees. And almost every single person is over-qualified for the $16-an-hour gig. The biggest challenge, from a hiring perspective, is finding someone who will stick around for at least six months.
Wading through a sea of applicants is tough work. But three candidates made my life easy. They gave me the opportunity to reject them instantly. Why?
Join the Jobacle campaign to help restore linear communication at work! Who is hiring for the holiday season in 2009? Find out how much umpires make a year and hear a solution to Major League Baseball's major problem. Job Song.