Many years ago, when I first started this blog, I wrote a popular post about tax refunds. Since I posted about taxes earlier this week (and since most of you probably didn’t see it because the blog was young) I thought it would be worth pointing out again.

So if you’re expecting a tax refund, it turns out you can calculate exactly how much of a refund you’re going to get. For free.

There are several calculators that will do it all for you online. Just answer a series of questions, and have some recent pay stubs handy. Hopefully you’ll see some money coming your way:

efile 2012 Tax Calculator

Here’s one from H&R Block.

Here’s one from 1040.com.

And finally, here’s the offical IRS withholding calculator. If you don’t get your withholding right, you’re not going to get any refund! So use this tool to make sure you’ve got your W-4 set up properly!

Related posts:

1. Calculate Your Tax Refund Today
2. The Quickest Way To Get A Tax Refund
3. Keep Your Tax Refund For Yourself

It’s that time of year again, if you can believe it.

I just started working on my taxes this weekend, so I thought I’d do a bit of research for a nice worker/job-seeker friendly tax post.

It occurred to me that we’re all pining away for refunds aren’t we?

Did you know that 3/4ths of Americans get tax refunds every year? And the average refund is around $3000? That’s not chump change!

If you think you could do something useful with an extra few grand in your pocket, then you’re probably also wondering what might be the the fastest way to make that happen.

Well, once again, the IRS is pointing out that the quickest way to get your tax refund money is to choose direct deposit when you file. The IRS has been on this direct deposit kick for many years now. It saves them money. It saves trees.

But it also saves you time and gets your refund into your hot little hands much faster. My accountant told me that if I filed my return today (Jan. 30th) and requested a check by mail, I’d be fortunate to see that check by the end of February. But: according to the IRS, if you enter your direct deposit information when you file your 2011 taxes, you can see the money in your bank account in as little as ten days.

In addition, the IRS is quite flexible:

You can deposit your refund into multiple accounts. With the split refund option, taxpayers can divide their refunds among as many as three checking or savings accounts and up to three different U.S. financial institutions. Use IRS Form 8888, Allocation of Refund (Including Savings Bond Purchases), to divide your refund.

So if you’re getting ready to file your return, make sure to sign up for direct deposit.

Bonus tip: why turn around and spend your tax return? Why not invest in yourself? Put the money into your IRA! It’s bonus money, right? Let it work for you.

Related posts:

1. Calculate Your Tax Refund Today
2. Keep Your Tax Refund For Yourself
3. This Year’s Tax Code Changes

Here’s something that seems like a very plain vanilla job search trick, but it’s pretty useful if you don’t know how to do it.

When we print resumes on heavy resume paper for our clients, we will very often print on both sides of the paper. Thus, a 2-page resume can sit on one sheet of paper, front and back.

This weekend, I had a client ask if we used any sort of fancy printer to do it. She wanted to know if she could do this herself going forward. I said no. In fact, we use a very basic HP laser printer to do our printing, and I figure that a lot of modern printers can do what we do. So, if your printer is, say, less than 5 years old, you can print your resume on both sides of the paper as well.

Here’s how to do it:

How To Print Your Resume On Both Sides Of The Paper

Check and see if your printer handles “duplex printing.”

What is duplex printing? It’s the fancy term for… you guessed it… printing on both sides of the paper. If you have this feature, then the process is pretty straight forward and automated.

First, go to print. I’ll be assuming you’re using Microsoft Word.

Select print, but not “quick print.”

Next, you’re going to want to hit the Properties button.

Finally, you’re going to hit the Printing Shortcuts tab, and select Eco-print (Two-sided Printing)

And that’s it. Now when you hit OK to print, it will automatically print first on one side of the paper… then suck it back in and print on the other side.

By the way, you can click on any of the pictures above to enlarge them.

But What If My Printer Doesn’t Have Duplex Printing?

This is not a problem. Why? Because if you think about it, you can manually force any printer to print on both sides of the paper.

Simply print one page.

Then, take that page and manually feed it back into the printer, but being sure to turn it over. Now, print page 2. It should come out on the other side of the page you’ve just printed.

You might have to experiment a few times to get this right, as some printers feed upside down, head to foot, etc.

But if you just experiment a little with manually feeding the paper, absolutely any printer can print on both sides of the paper.

Simple tip, I know. But might be useful to some.

Related posts:

1. Resume Paper – What Paper Should I Print My Resume On?
2. Office Hack: Confidential Network Printing
3. How To Bind Paper Without Staples Or Clips

Most people look forward to job reviews about as much as they do a root canal. No matter how well you think you’re doing, there’s always the possibility that your supervisor will see things differently and call you on the carpet for your actions-or inactions. But there are steps you can take before, during, and after your evaluation to boost your career and actually help you look forward to reviews in the future.

Before the Review

Get on the boss’ calendar. While most people don’t enjoy a performance review, they are crucial to your career. So if your boss doesn’t conduct them on a regular basis (annually or semi-annually), the best thing you can do is ask for one. Why? First, you really do need to know what your supervisor thinks of your performance so that you can continue the good stuff and change the bad stuff. Unless you want to spend the rest of your career exactly where you are, that is. Second, reviews are typically when employers hand out raises and promotions. Not a bad incentive to schedule one today.

Come prepared. Sure, performance evaluations mostly consist of your manager telling you how she thinks you’re doing, but it should include some two-way communication. You should be prepared to share important information-such as your sales numbers, praise from satisfied clients, and projects you’ve spearheaded-so that you can lay out the positive contributions you’ve made.

During the Review

Stay calm. You may feel as jumpy as a kid in the principal’s office, but you need to force yourself to stay cool and professional at all times. And if the boss turns the conversation into a list of all the ways you’ve fallen short over the past year, don’t argue. It is okay, however, to respectfully point out the strengths you’ve brought to the organization. This is where your list of accomplishments comes in handy. And remember to never, ever take what your supervisor says personally. It’s business.

Iron out a plan for the next year. To avoid any surprises in future reviews, you need to know how your success will be measured. Ask your boss to work with you on a plan for the coming year (or six months) so that you both know how your progress will be measured. If there are markers in place-and you meet them-you’ll never fear a review again.

Ask for her input. You want to make sure your manager knows how committed you are to doing a good job for her. It may become crystal clear what skills she thinks you need to work on, but if not, ask her to share with you the areas in which she believes you need to improve. You’ll not only score major points for asking, but this may be the most valuable information you get out of your review.

Thank him. Especially if you feel like you’ve been raked over the coals, you may not want to express gratitude. But think about it this way: your boss has just given you very powerful information. He’s told you where he believes you have room for improvement, and, assuming you can make changes in those areas, you’re on your way to serious career growth. More money, more responsibility, a new title-it all starts with knowing where you stand with the head honcho.

After the Review

Determine a course of action. You should come out of your review with an action plan for the coming months, and there’s no time like the present to begin working on your goals. If your boss indicated that you need to acquire more skills to advance, begin looking into that computer or marketing class now.

Start looking around. If your review was more of a blood-letting than a constructive conversation between employer and employee, you may have to face the fact that your boss either doesn’t like you or doesn’t like the work you’re doing. If you think you can change one or both of those things, by all means, give it a try. If you don’t think that’s a possibility, start putting out discreet feelers for other opportunities.

This is a guest post. About the author:

Jason Kay recommends that you learn more job search strategies at JobGoRound.com

Related posts:

1. Don’t Sweat That Year End Performance Review
2. How To Handle The “What’s Your Greatest Weakness?” Question In A Job Interview
3. What To Do If You Survive Layoffs

For years people have asked me if there’s a “best” time to respond to a job ad? Should you watch the job boards like a hawk, obsessively refreshing so that you can get your resume in first? Or is there some other window of time when, statistically speaking, your resume is more likely to be seen?

I actually never knew the answer to that question.

In fact, I had never seen a good answer to that question anywhere, since I don’t think anyone had ever bothered to research it.

So, I did it myself. It took me 6 months to get 200 job seekers to share their real world results with me, but I finally have some solid, anecdotal data. And that data says: YES. If you want to play the odds, there are some times when you are more likely to hear back after responding to a job opening. In fact, there are four distinct times when the odds seem to be more in your favor.

I have all the data, including the chart above, my methodology, and some conclusions, all posted over at our sister-blog:

When Is The Best Time To Apply For A Job – Some Data

Related posts:

1. How To Use Google Voice As A Job Search Tool
2. Interview Questions You Need To Know How to Answer
3. Best Job Search Tip In Months: Your Voicemail As A Supplementary Resume!

Last week, I told you what should be in a cover letter. That post was prompted by the realization that I had never really written much about cover letters on this blog. But it was also born out of some professional frustration I’ve been having lately. The long and short of it is, I’ve seen some terrible cover letters from clients lately.

The weird thing is, they’ve all been making the same fundamental cover letter error. So, I wanted to address the one mistake that everyone makes, leading to a plague of bad cover letters.

Don’t Try To Run The Interview In Your Cover Letter

The number one mistake people make when writing a cover letter is to make it way too long. Again, a cover letter should only be 3 paragraphs… 4 paragraphs tops. And it absolutely should be no more than one page.

A terrible cover letter is one that runs on and on and competes with the resume for attention.

I think people forget this because they try to use the cover letter to preemptively address issues that should really be left for the interview. I can understand the impulse. You feel like you can use the cover letter to better explain or buttress things that are in your resume. I mean, sure, you might use the cover letter to briefly address why there’s a gap in employment or why you’re switching careers. But do so briefly!

Don’t give in to the impulse to explain away everything in the cover letter. The resume should stand on it’s own. Any questions the employer might have should be left for the interview.

Don’t try to run the interview in your cover letter. It’s fine to use the cover letter to address a point or two in your resume for greater clarity. But if you go too far down this slippery slope, before you know it, you’re repeating things that are already in your resume to begin with. Soon you’ll find yourself just rehashing your resume in sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph and the hiring manager is left wondering which is the more important document to read, your resume or your cover letter.

Again, let the resume stand on it’s own. The cover letter supports and supplements your resume, but it’s just a formality, an introduction for your resume. It should never compete with your resume for attention.

Related posts:

1. What Should Be In A Cover Letter
2. Cover Letters – Turning Yours Into An Interview
3. Interview Thank You Letter

Someone tweeted me the other day that I had plenty of content on this blog relating to resumes, but not much regarding cover letters. So, I’d like to change that this week.

Let’s start with the basics: what should be in a cover letter?

To be really honest with you, cover letters aren’t complicated things. In fact, in my opinion, when it comes to cover letters, simplicity is key. If there’s one mistake I see time and time again, it’s that people try to write a novel in their cover letters. That is simply not necessary. A cover letter is a little bit formality and a little bit promotional tool. All you really need to do is say who you are, say what you want, thank the reader, and get out.

The 6 Things That Should Be In Every Cover Letter

A cover letter only needs 6 main components:

Header/Contact Info. You should simply put your name and contact info at the top of the cover letter. Trying to match the design, or look and feel of your resume is probably advisable. In fact, if you can match the look of your cover letter to the look of your resume, this helps “brand” and keeps your paperwork from being misplaced.

Greeting. This is a letter, so, make a formal introduction. “To Whom It May Concern” is good if you don’t know who the cover letter is going to. But it’s obviously far better if you know the name of the person who’s reading. “Dear Mr. Burns,”

Intro Paragraph. This is a short paragraph, 2-3 sentences at most, where you introduce yourself and say what position it is that you’re applying for. I’m serious. 2-3 sentences tops. I’m this sort of professional; I’m applying for this job; I believe I’m qualified because of these reasons.

Who I Am Paragraph. The 2nd paragraph of a cover letter should be 3-5 sentences, and should tell the reader something about you as a professional. What you’ve done in the past. What sort of qualifications you have. Why you’d be good for the position in question.

Thank You Paragraph. And the LAST paragraph of a cover letter should just say, thank you for considering me, here is how you can contact me (at your convenience, of course) and I look forward to hearing from you. 2-3 sentences tops.

Your Name And Signature.

That’s it. A cover letter should be short and sweet. It’s not meant to supplement your resume. In fact, it should repeat things that are in your resume (highlights of course). But it certainly shouldn’t compete with your resume for attention. Again, the cover letter is just an introduction for your resume.

I strongly recommend staying to the 3 paragraph template I outline above. Maybe 4-5 paragraphs in extreme situations. But I can’t stress enough, you really want your cover letter to be one page only. A resume can be more than one page, but a cover letter shouldn’t.

Related posts:

1. Cover Letters – Turning Yours Into An Interview
2. Ask Brian- Long Distance Job Search
3. Interview Thank You Letter

Quite simply, the answer is: absolutely yes!

I write one of these posts almost every year around this time. I don’t know why it is, but people just assume that the holidays aren’t a good time for job searching. I guess it’s human nature: you’re putting things off until the new year, so you assume employers are too. I guess we’ve all worked at jobs where things really slowed down in the month of December, and not much work got done.

But I assure you that the Holidays ARE a good time for job searching. In fact, I often tell clients that December is one of the best months for job search.

So, this year, I’ll give you my top 3 reasons why I think that is:

1. Less Competition. I’m telling you. We see it every year. The volume of clients dries up in December, only to more than triple a few weeks later in January. Simply put, January is the most popular month for people to look for a job. So, if you wait for January to start your job search, you’ll by facing twice, even triple the competition. Why not start now when other people are procrastinating.
2. If You Wait, You Could Miss Out Entirely. I won’t deny that a lot of hiring gets done in January. New projects, new start, all of that. But that doesn’t mean that the interviewing process starts in January. Think about it, if a company needs a bunch of new people to start January 2nd, they’re probably lining up those people now, aren’t they? That means they’re probably advertising the positions now and interviewing for the positions before Christmas so that they’ll have people ready to go when the holidays end. If you’re assuming that the hiring might not be starting until next month, you could be right. But if you’re assuming the interviewing won’t be starting until then, you could very well be wrong.
3. The Hiring May Be Seasonal, But The Foot In The Door Is Forever. If you think about it, there is quite a bit of hiring done FOR the holiday season. All those stores need extra hands. And there are numerous industries that have to ramp up with extra help to handle the holiday surge. But Brian, you say, those jobs are just temporary! That might be true. But even temporary jobs are an opportunity. If you get a temp job and show an employer how good you are, that’s the best “interview” there is for any full time work that might be coming up.

Related posts:

1. Ask Brian – Job Search During the Holidays?
2. Happy New Year! Welcome To Job Search January.
3. Job Search Hack- Organize Your Search Using The Rule Of Thirds

Step 1 – Detach Yourself from your Current Job

To move on and change jobs you need to detach yourself from your existing job. The more emotionally attached you are to your role, your environment and its traits the more difficult it is to move forward. This emotional baggage is like heavy weights on your shoulder which can paralyse you from making a decision.

The decision is either to remain in the job or to change jobs, a decision in between means you will continue to remain attached to the current job.

Before making the big decision to change jobs, it is recommended that you list the compelling reasons WHY you should change jobs (find the positive reasons) and why you should stay. If the reasons for the change outweighs the reasons against the change this should work as a tipping point to change jobs. HOW to change jobs will then miraculously follow.

Is it a combination of boredom, lack of challenge, working environment, stress, remuneration, misaligned values, other? Take some time to assess your current situation.

Step 2 – The Destination as a Motivation

If you have made up your mind to change jobs, you will now need to know or have an idea of where you want to go that is, a destination, without a destination there is no clear action.

Do some research on where and what your next job could be. If you can find and narrow in on a job or industry that interest, challenges and excites you, this will motivate you further to make that change into your desired career.

Step 3 – Standout Resume and Cover Letter (First Impressions)

Given that a recruiter is likely to receive multiple resumes, your resume must stand out from the competition.

From a recruiter and employer’s perspective, the first thing that they see is your resume and cover letter therefore, you must polish off your writing skills and create a standout resume and cover letter.

A standout resume simply addresses what the employer is looking for. If the employer is looking for a checklist of 10 requirements then ensure that those key points are notably and clearly addressed n your resume.

Consider also the following:

Customise your resume for each new role. There should not be a one resume fits all approach. Make some changes to mirror what the employer is looking for even if it may be just some minor adjustments.

Use bullet points to address their requirements and your experiences.

Be concise and get straight to the point.

If you have a long working history, leave out any previous roles that are totally unrelated to the role that you will be applying for (from the employment history section of your resume). For example, if you’re applying for a Finance Analyst role, there is no reason to list your previous positions as a Teacher or a Personal Trainer. The exception would be if you are new to the industry then it helps to display your working history.

Other points to consider are preparations for the Interview and etiquette.

Step 4 – Three Key Personality Traits (Apart from Experience)

Apart from experience, employers will more likely be interested in you if you are naturally enthusiastic about the position. If you are going to the interview, ensure that you are 100% committed (leave any doubts at home, you can cast any doubts after the interview) and ensure you bring with you three essential qualities that they are seeking for from job candidates:

A) Aptitude – Your ability, readiness and intelligence or quickness in learning.

B) Motivation – Your drive and enthusiasm for the position

C) Optimism – Your confidence, ‘can do’ and positive attitude

For any given position it is likely that you will be up against competition for the role, so if you possess the above qualities more so than your competitor then you are in the lead.

Step 5 – Cast a Net

To accomplish your ideal job there is the fast way and the slower way. Using fishing as an analogy, to catch fish the fast way would be to cast a wide net into the ocean versus the slower way which involves using a single rod to cast a hook one at a time.

In relation to job hunting this mean to contact multiple recruiter’s and organisations that you have an interest in simultaneously and as many as you can. It is likely that you will be rejected several times depending on how far you are trying to reach however, your acceptances are likely to be the great catch. So expect rejections, the harder something is to catch the more satisfying it is once caught, the easier it is to catch the lower the satisfaction.

Step 6 – Timing

Timing is quite important based on the laws of supply and demand. Generally if you are looking to change jobs during tough economic conditions there will be fewer supply (jobs) with more demand (job seekers). In this case, as a job seeker you are more likely to be disadvantaged as your bargaining power is lower. For this reason, it is prudent to be aware of current economic conditions before making that move, weigh up the options in whether it is the right time to move for you.

This is a guest post. About the author:

Gordon Chen is a Motivational Speaker, Career Consultant and Business Analyst

He blogs at: http://www.sparklife.com.au/blog

Related posts:

1. Seven Reasons You Might Need a Career Change
2. Career Change After 50 – How to Market Your Experience
3. Should You Consider A Career Change?

In many ways, I think that Google Voice is the best job search tool to become available in the last several years. How can you use Google Voice to help find a job? I have 5 great ways over at my ResumeWriting.com blog!

Google Voice Is The Best New Job Search Tool In Years! (ResumeWriting.com)

Related posts:

1. The Google Jobs Experiment – Brilliant Job Search Idea
2. My New Resume Writing Book Free For 2 Weeks! Help Me Edit It!
3. Can Facebook Harm Your Job Search?