Short Term Jobs Make My Resume Look Bad

Short Term Jobs Make My Resume Look BadShort Term Jobs Make My Resume Look BadPresenting a string of short-term jobs on your resume is a common problem. You separate from your most recent significant role, and, typically while job searching, you take on a gig to fill your time and pad your wallet. The pro in this scenario is that you were active and productive. The cons, however, can be several the job is outside your traditional career path the job welches at a much lower level than your experience warrants, or the job welches for a friend who has a company or consulting firm. Lets talk about how to position a short-term or multiple short-term roles on your resume.If the short-term role was in your industry and at your levelThats good news The best option is likely to present this time as a consulting engagement. Consulting is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate to the audience reading your resume that your expertise is still useful and valuable in the marketplace.The key with co nsulting is detailing the actual projects or engagements. There is nothing worse than a resume by Jane Doe that starts off with JD Consulting, 2016 to Present Participated in a series of technology projects for small and mid-sized businesses. When that is followed up with zero detail, it falls absolutely flat.Instead, treat every project like a bulleted achievement. Specificity is important, so that you position your consulting time as bona fide work. Present a description of the client, what they called on you to do, what you actually did, and the quantified results.If the short-term role was outside your traditional career pathThis scenario requires evaluating a couple time factors a) how long you were in the role and b) how long it has been since your prior, regular position ended. If the short-term position was less than 3 months ago, and your regular position ended 4 months ago, it may be best to simply omit the short term role, then bury the dates indicating your regular posit ion.Whats also important here is not distracting your audience from your primary message. If youre an IT Director who happens to have a love and natural talent for the arts, and your short-term role was assisting curating a museum exhibit, that would be too distracting from your IT achievements and expertise.The best way to present your time spent would be to showcase it as additional employment or a professional endeavor in a separate section towards the end of your resume.If the short-term role was at a lower level than your experience warrantsWorking at all, even if its at a lower level, is typically a positive point to present on your resume. Just as you can bury the dates for when your last regular position ended, you can also bury your job titles. Both simply require formatting the resume so that the material you want to bury is neither in bold, nor separated out along the right or left margin we dont want it to attract the eye too easily.When presenting a role lower than wha t youre used to, make sure to concentrate on specific achievements, particularly if you were able to contribute ideas, processes or tools that were new to the organization. Emphasize any numbers you can that indicate the impact you were able to deliver.If the short-term role was at a friends company or consulting firmToo often, the tendency is to downplay this because it was just work for a friend. However, reconsider that stance. No one in your audience knows that this is your friends company, only you do. Youre not hiding anything or holding back information in some unethical manner. Simply treat the short-term employment like it was with any other employer.Present what you were called in to do in the first place. Friend or not, the owner of the organization needed your particular brand of expertise for a specific reason. Discuss your scope of responsibility, and, as always, present your specific, quantified achievements.In many cases, short-term work can be showcased to your bene fit. Bottom-line temporary work beats having no work every day of the week. Additionally, there may be a point at which you can leverage the contacts you made during that assignment in order to land your next permanent role.

A Look Ahead to 2012 Tax Changes for Small Business

A Look Ahead to 2012 Tax Changes for Small BusinessA Look Ahead to 2012 Tax Changes for Small BusinessA Look Ahead to 2012 Tax Changes for Small BusinessApril 2, 2012With the 2011 tax deadlinebehind us, and special Recovery Act incentives phasing out, small geschftslebenes need to reassess their strategies for upcoming 2012 tax changes.Equipment deductions, new reporting requirements and a whopper of a tax credit are all on the table.Here are five key 2012 tax changes of Federal tax law provisions for small businesses.What a Boon Small Business Health Care Tax leistungspunktWith unemploymentdown substantially from its peak, even very small businesses should consider offering at least partially paid health insurance, to retain high potential employees.The good news is that, if conditions are met, small employers can claim a tax credit of up to 35 percent of the employee premiums they pay in 2012.Add in a deduction for the remaining 65 percent of employer-paid premiums and your company could get back in tax savings more than half of what you invest in this coveted employee benefit.Even better news the maximum Small Business Health Care Tax Credit is scheduled to rise to 50 percent on Jan. 1, 2014.If you can clear all the hurdles on an ongoing basis and sustain paying for half or more of the premium, its a great credit, says Tim Gagnon, CPA, a hochschulprofessor at the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University.The Incredible Shrinking Section 179 DeductionThe Section 179 deduction for tax year 2012 should be filed under half full, half empty. For tax year 2011, business could immediately deduct up to $500,000 in certain business equipment purchases, rather than depreciate it over a period of years.For 2012, the ceiling on this deduction drops to $139,000 still a generous amount for a very small business. And its a brass ring to grab before the maximum deduction drops again, to $25,000 in 2013.New for 2012 real estate no longer qualifies for th e Section 179 deduction.A Smaller Bonus for Small BusinessThe bonus depreciation deduction is also taking a haircut in tax year 2012.This business deduction, which applies after youve maxed out your Section 179 deduction, enables you deduct up to 50 percent of certain equipment investments, up to a total of $2 million for both Section 179 and bonus deductions. Thats down from a 100 percent bonus deduction for tax year 2011.Keep in mind that a big current-year deduction, however enticing, isnt always superior to depreciation over the long haul. Consult with a tax professional.The government is providing ansicht generous incentives, says Mike DAvolio, a senior tax analyst at Intuitin Mountain View, Calif. You just want to know how generous they are for your particular situation.A New Reporting Requirement Form 1099-KDoes your small business accepts merchant credit or debit card payments or payments via online networks, such as PayPal?If so you may need to update your bookkeeping and a ccounting systems to keep on top of new IRS reporting requirements for these transactions, according to Gagnon.When youve gotten over your headache from trying to understand what the IRS has to say about the new 1099-K requirements, consult with your tax professional.Keep an Eye on Perennial Tax ExtendersBecause of Congresss annoying habit of repeatedly renewing dozens of tax incentives for just one year at a time, small business owners need to keep an eye on these so-called tax extenders.The largest of these tax savers, the research and development tax credit, has faced an up-or-down vote annually for about 30 years, creating economically destructive uncertainty among business owners.The RD tax credit seems likely to be extended, but who knows, says Valerie Colin, senior vice president with accounting firm Gumbiner Savettin Santa Monica, Calif.Tax extenders of particular interest to small business include a 15-year write-off period for restaurant and rental-property renovations and a $1,000 credit for new hires and the 100 percent exclusion of gains on small business stock.Keep up with legislative action on the tax extenders by subscribing to IRS newsletters or asking your tax professional. And dont forget to check on changes to state and local tax law.Disclaimer All tax laws are subject to change. None of the information provided herein constitutes legal or tax advice on behalf of the author or Monster.

Salaries Are Up for Mechanical Engineers

Salaries Are Up for Mechanical Engineers Salaries Are Up for Mechanical Engineers Salaries Are Up for Mechanical EngineersIt is a pretty good time to be a mechanical engineer.Salaries are rising, according to a new ASME survey that shows the zentralwert total primary compensation for mechanical engineers in 2016 is $124,000. This builds on information showing base salaries have risen between 3.5 percent and 5 percent per year from 2013 to 2016.Experience counts too. Those MEs with more than twenty years of experience have a zentralwert income of $144,644. But entry-level engineers should not complain. The survey shows those beginning their careers earned a median primary income of $73,079. More than nine in 10 full-time ME employees are offered health insurance by their employers.The 2017 Salary Survey of ASME members measured only salaries and compensation in the U.S. Responses were garnered from 1,661 members, or 3.4 percent of those queried. The results reflect changes from the 20 13 Salary Survey, which was the last such survey conducted.Income by length of experience, 2017 vs. 2013 (full-time salaried only).Compensation varies depending on multiple factors, including education, experience, disciplines, geography, and gender. The typical respondent is a white male in his late forties with at least a bachelors degree who has been employed in an engineering-related positon for 20 or more years, including senior-level responsibility with supervisory tasks.Those with a Ph.D earned the highest median income of $155,000, followed by those with either an MBA or Masters degree in mechanical or other engineering discipline, at $125,000 or more. The largest percentage of respondents said their highest degree is a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, earning a median income of $118,000.Mechanical engineers with a professional engineers license earned a median income of $133,000, nearly $16,000 more than those lacking the PE license.It is an exciting time to b e an engineer, says Charla K. Wise, president of ASME. The demand for engineers continues to grow, and many stimulating job opportunities are emerging.LucrativeThe most lucrative areas are in nuclear, petroleum, chemical, utilities, and consulting practices, according to the survey. Mechanical engineers with training in nuclear and petroleum/chemical disciplines earned the highest median income of $145,000 and $144,000, respectively. Conversely, those with academic training in computer science/engineering and mathematics earned the least, at $92,181 and $100,509, respectively.The results confirm strong demand for engineering services, especially in petroleum and offshore oil production. The authors also point to nuclear engineering, where the power industry wants engineers knowledgeable in in modular systems and other new and nontraditional technologies that could bring electric power to countries in need.Among ethnicity types, Asian or Pacific Islanders showed a median income of $1 30,000, while Hispanic respondents earned a median primary income of $119,750.Increasing demand for engineering services in overseas markets, especially in China where energy and transportation development continues at a fast pace, pushes higher salaries in those markets. But they do not reflect a labor shortage in the U.S., according to the survey.Male-Female Wage GapThe gender gap also is apparent as the median primary income for females responding to the survey trailed those of men, $103,500 to $125,000. The survey notes male respondents have been employed longer in an engineering-related position, a likely factor in the discrepancy in incomes. An overwhelming 92 percent of survey respondents were male. That reflects ASMEs membership worldwide, 6 percent of ASME members are female.Not surprisingly, compensation also correlates between job levels and functions. MEs in the role of executive, president, or owner had the highest median income, $227,500. Those at the next level of dir ector or vice presidents showed $175,000. Junior engineers earned $70,850.For those whose roles were identified as general and technical management, primary income is reported at $160,000 and $149,753, respectively.RegionallyRegionally, the survey follows the nine U.S. census divisions. Those in the West South Central, South Atlantic, New England, Pacific and Mountain regions reported income above the national level. Those is the East South Central, East North Central and West North Central reported primary income of $115,000 or less.New Mexico, New Hampshire and Florida reported the highest incomes, $157,400, $148,550 and $147,813, respectively. Mississippi, Nebraska and Tennessee have the lowest incomes, $91,615, $95,500 and $99,878, respectively.For metropolitan areas, the highest salaries reported are in Hartford, CT, $158,500 Los Angeles/Long Beach, $155,811 San Jose, CA, $155,000 and Albuquerque, NM, $153,783. The lowest median incomes are in Grand Rapids, MI, $99,000 Salt Lak e City, UT, $99,200 and Louisville, KY, $104,500. Many of the highest incomes were reported along the East and West coasts.The survey, designed to be interactive with individual engineers, is available online. Results are entered into two distinct interactive salary calculators. The Regression Salary Calculator uses regression analysis, allowing one to calculate individual results for thousands of possible employment situations. The Searchable Survey Data Tool allows the user to create customized aggregations of the survey results. These salary calculators will enable mechanical engineers to compute their salary based on their very specific, individual circumstances, location, experience, licensings, and others. The salary survey will be repeated annually to update the calculators with the most up to date data accordingly.For comparison, a 2017 survey of civil engineers by the American Society of Civil Engineers found the median pre-tax income in 2016 for civil engineers was $101,00 0. cousine salaries rose between 4 percent and 5 percent each year since 2014, according to the survey. Professional licensure increases the median salary to $108,000. Civil engineers with a bachelors degree have a median salary of $93,000 those with a Masters degree earn $101,100. The male-female pay gap also exists for civil engineers female civils earn $83,000 compared to $101,400 for male respondents.Despite discrepancies, mechanical engineering remains an attractive field where qualified engineers continue to be in demand and are rewarded for their work. For Further Discussion It is an exciting time to be an engineer. The demand for engineers continues to grow, and many stimulating job opportunities are emerging.Charla K. Wise, ASME President