Thursday, November 28, 2019

Can You Apply for a Job When You Are 3 Months Pregnant

Can You Apply for a Job When You Are 3 Months PregnantCan You Apply for a Job When You Are 3 Months PregnantEvery three seconds somewhere in the world a baby is born, with an average of over 130 million live births annually. Given that in the United States, nearly half of the workforce is female, it is inevitable that there are bound to be a lot of pregnant job seekers So what is a woman to do?The current law in the U.S. does elendlage require a pregnant job seeker to disclose this information. Employers canleid legally discriminate against a woman for being pregnant and once an offer is extended, they are also not allowed to rescind that offer based on pregnancy. A pregnant woman has every right to apply for a new job without revealing her situation. While there are ethical and trust issues to consider, lets first look at the why it makes sense to keep your pregnancy to yourself when interviewing.1) Lets face it. While it is not legal to discriminate, there is still tremendous discr imination against pregnant women. From the perspective of an employer, it is certainly understandable they would not want to knowingly hire someone who is going to be out for several months within a relatively short time period after their start date.2) Nobody has a crystal ball. While women hope their pregnancies will go smoothly, the sad truth is that women miscarry all the time. Typically women dont even tell some of their family members about being pregnant prior to the three-month mark for this very reason.3) While it may seem dishonest to withhold this information during an interview, telling an employer you are pregnant should be done on a need to know basis. You may, in fact, be the best person for the job. Why risk being turned down unnecessarily?Be aware that if you start a new job while pregnant you may not be entitled to paid leave or medical benefits covering your pregnancy. While you do not have to tell your prospective employer that you are pregnant during the intervi ew process, it may be wise to tell them before you start your new job. You are likely going to be showing within a few months and it will seem dishonest if you dont say anything.It is likely they wont be totally thrilled to find out, but they will be more understanding if you come clean early in the process. Also, if you do not like the way they react, it may be an indication that you should not accept the position after all. If the company is not family friendly, it may not be the place for you. By telling your new employer about your pregnancy once an offer has been extended, you can have an open discussion about flex hours and possible opportunities to work from home. You will be in a better position to negotiate.While you may be pregnant, it does not mean that you are not going to be a tremendous asset to the organization. Husbands who are job seeking and have pregnant wives at home dont need to disclose their status during the interview process and neither should you. Having ba bies is an average occurrence. While it may pose a brief inconvenience for an employer, it should not become a deterrent to seeking the best job possible. You deserve to do a thorough job search and give yourself as many possible career options as possible, pregnant or notOur thanks toGlassdoor for the guest blog post. Glassdoor is your free inside look at jobs and companies. Salary details, company reviews, and interview questions - all posted anonymously by employees and job seekers.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How to Create a Copywriting Portfolio of Spec Ads

How to Create a Copywriting Portfolio of Spec AdsHow to Create a Copywriting Portfolio of Spec AdsPreparing an advertising portfolio of spec ads- ones youve created to show off your skills, not for an actual client- may make you feel like an amateur. But creative directors at advertising agencies have hired their fair share of budding copywriters based on spec work alone. If youre fresh out of college or want to make a career change to advertising copywriter, here are some suggestions for creating an impressive spec ad portfolio. Diverse Mediums If you want to break into advertising, youll need to show you can work in several different mediums. Maybe youre most comfortable with print ads. Even so, you should include copy for TV and radio commercials, websites, and emails in your spec portfolio. Otherwise, youll start out at an immediate disadvantage against other newbies who have a diversified portfolio. Dealing With Visuals Copywriters arent responsible for the visual compon ents of advertisements, but that shouldnt stop you from indicating in your copy-only portfolio what images you picture going with your words. Doing that will show youre a wordsmith who can appreciate how your work merges with that of the design professionals in an agency. Similarly, you shouldnt try incorporating images into your portfolio whether or not youve paid for their use. You should let your copy speak for itself. And if you used copyrighted images you didnt pay for- and that would be obvious if the photo sites name is visible- it would be an ethics red flag in a creative directors eyes. Creative directors would much rather see a portfolio of outstanding pieces of copy on plain white paper than dressed-up ads with someone elses stolen images. Going Small or Big When youre just starting out, it makes sense to begin your career at a smaller agency that might be more likely to take a chance on someone with only a spec portfolio. Small shops are a great training ground where you can work closely with and learn from the minimal staff. However, dont discount the bigger agencies. They, too, might give you an opportunity if you make a great initial impression on them. Wow Factor Just because your portfolio consists of spec ads doesnt mean it shouldnt be amazing. Make your book more than just good. It should impress the creative director with solid, clever, salable copy that showcases your talent. If your book is mediocre, the CD is going to think so-so is the best you can do and theyll look elsewhere for someone to wow them. Think of it this way, too Stand a copywriter with some experience against a recent college stufe with no prior experience. If the copywriter with some experience has a lackluster portfolio and the college grad has an outstanding portfolio, that college grad has leveled the playing field and may even have the advantage in hiring. Persistence and Patience Its hard when you want an ad career not to stress over every detail. Theres nothing wrong with wanting everything to be absolutely perfect just dont let that desire for perfection psych you out. Be persistent and patient, do your best work, and you will find your way into a job.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Earn a Higher Salary in 2018 by Moving to This City

Earn a Higher Salary in 2018 by Moving to This CityEarn a Higher Salary in 2018 by Moving to This City If one of your New Years resolutions is to take home a bigger paycheck, you might want to head west. According to Glassdoors latest Local Pay Reports , San Francisco had the fastest year-over-year rise in median base pay of all major metropolitan areas studied.Amidst a year of sluggish wage growth, median base pay in San Francisco rose by 2.0 percent compared to 1.1 percent nationwide. Beyond that, San Francisco also has the highest median base pay of all the major metropolitan areas studied. At $68,078, the median base pay in San Francisco is nearly $17,000 mora than the national average.And if youre in healthcare, you may see an even more dramatic rise in pay.Jobs in healthcare are bucking the national trend toward slow wage growth, said Dr. Andrew Chamberlain , Chief Economist at Glassdoor. The fastest pay growth in our December report was medical technologist with a scorching 6.2 percent year-over-year rise in median base pay. Similarly, emergency medical technician, certified nursing assistant, licensed practical nurse, pharmacist, and pharmacy technician all experienced year-over-year pay growth of 2.0 percent or above in December - well above the overall 1.1 percent pace nationally.And of course, San Francisco is home to many jobs and companies in tech - one of the three fields that dominated the highest paying jobs in December, along with healthcare and professional services, Chamberlain said.A word of caution - San Francisco does have a notoriously high cost of living. And although some (like yours truly) would argue that you get what you pay for in terms of incredible food, culture and natural beauty, its probably wise to make sure that an increase in salary would outweigh the increased expenses. But with many high-paying tech companies, fast-growing wages and nearly 73,000 open jobs , you might just strike proverbial gold.Wan t to learn more? Check out theLocal Pay Reports infull here .