“Mass. OK’s advance on home buyer tax credit” boston.com

if you live in MA, you might be interested: 

“Hundreds of first-time home buyers in Massachusetts will be able to get an advance on an $8,000 federal tax credit, allowing them to apply the money to down payments and closing costs, under a new program unveiled by Governor Deval Patrick yesterday. 

Under the plan, the state will loan $8,000 to eligible borrowers who buy a home before Dec. 1 and finance it through the state’s affordable housing bank, MassHousing. The loans will be interest free if repaid by June 1, 2010. By that time, buyers will be able to claim the $8,000 federal tax credit included in the federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2009….”

article at http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/07/15/mass_oks_advance_on_home_buyer_tax_credit/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed3

“The Online Essentials for Your Job Search” yahoo.com

“Job search was the fastest growing U.S. online content-site category in 2008, according to digital ratings authority comScore. The growth coincides with the loss of over 2 million jobs last year and a rising unemployment rate, but it also underscores how easy and effective the Web can be for finding a job.

“Online job search resources provide a vital service to those in need of new job prospects and opportunities, and Americans are turning online for this assistance now more than ever,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore.

But are job-seekers using Web tools to their best advantage? Here are several essential tips for making the Internet work you:

Diversify your search. You want to case a wide net when looking for a job, so don’t limit yourself to one site or one type of site. In addition to job boards like Yahoo! HotJobs, try sites associated with your relevant industry or professional…”

article @ http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-the_online_essentials_for_your_job_search-674

Entrepreneurs: “Baby food biz takes off ” by cnn.com

Thanks Amina!!!

check this out:

She left her six-fig. corporate job to start her organic baby food business. Inspiring!!

the founder says:

 

1. “do it for the passion, not the money,
2. start small think big!
3. connect with your audience”

 

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/living/2009/07/03/nr.harris.baby.food.business.cnn

“When silence greets the resumé – Job seekers get creative” by Boston.com

“At a time when one job posting can attract hundreds of applicants, the unemployed are doing everything they can to stand out. There’s the man who walked the streets of Manhattan wearing a sandwich board that read: “MIT Grad for Hire.’’ A Connecticut woman rented a billboard along Interstate 95 to advertise her eagerness to land a job. A Hopkinton software engineer took out an ad for himself on a classical radio station after 10 months of looking for work.

The traditional job search – sending out resumes, crowding into jam-packed career fairs – often ends up going nowhere when there are 13.7 million unemployed people nationwide and only 2.5 million jobs to fill, as is now the case according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. So people are advertising themselves everywhere from the back of car windows to Facebook in the hopes of catching the eye of a potential employer….”

 

More at:

http://www.boston.com/business/gallery/creativejobseekers/

http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2009/07/07/tight_market_makes_job_seekers_ever_more_creative/

 

[pic: boston.com]

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! – HAPPY FATHER’S DAY FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

White House: Fatherhood Barbeque

 

“U.S. job-seekers try new tricks to get employers’ eye” boston.com

 

Tough times call for creative measures!!

“Almost a fifth of hiring managers report seeing more unconventional tactics this year, compared with 12 percent who said so last year, according to the study by CareerBuilder.com, an online jobs site.

Faced with the highest unemployment in 25 years, candidates are trying a variety of tricks, including:

* handing out resumes at stoplights

* washing cars in a company parking lot

* staging a sit-in in a company lobby to demand a meeting with a director

* sending a cake designed as a business card with the candidate’s picture

* handing out personalized coffee cups

* going to the same barber as the company chairman to have the barber speak on his behalf

One job-seeker attached a shoe to a resume as “a way to get my foot in the door,” a respondent told the survey.

“The search for employment is taking longer and is more competitive than it has been in past years,” said Jason Ferrara, senior career adviser at CareerBuilder, in a statement. “To compensate, some candidates have turned to extreme tactics.”

But he cautioned: “While unusual job search antics may attract the attention of hiring managers, they need to be done with care and professionalism so that…”

 

Article @: http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2009/06/10/us_job_seekers_try_new_tricks_to_get_employers_eye/ 

 

[pic-boston.com]

“These shoes help others get a step up” by CNN

Inspiring!!

“Step into Blake Mycoskie’s shoes for a day, and you might wind up feeling enlightened. Not just because the shoes he wears are incredibly lightweight, but because they transport him to regions of the globe where footwear is a rare, precious commodity.

So what are these magical slippers? They’re called TOMS, and they’re the foundation of Mycoskie’s one-for-one business principle: for every pair of TOMS sold, the 32-year-old gives a pair to a child in need.

The idea came to Mycoskie — who calls himself a “serial entrepreneur” whose first company was a laundry business he started in college — while he was vacationing in Argentina. He says he was overwhelmed by the sight of children living without shoes. But instead of simply starting a charity, he decided he could better serve by launching a for-profit business.

In the 2½ years since its inception, TOMS Shoes has distributed 150,000 pairs of shoes toimpoverished children in Argentina, Ethiopia, South Africa and the U.S. via a series of “shoe drops.”…”

article @

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/homestyle/03/26/blake.mycoskie.toms.shoes/

His Web site: http://www.tomsshoes.com/

[pic: http://www.fashiontime.hu/content_files/toms%20shoes.jpg]

“Human anatomy for everyone!” Boston.com

Good resources!

“You don’t have to leave home to take an interesting class. You don’t even have to pay…. Here’s a sampling of some of the more intriguing offerings out there (others can be explored atocwconsortium.org). You get neither course credit nor feedback, and following along can require some patience. But the pluses are …”

Article @ http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/05/31/human_anatomy_for_everyone/?s_campaign=8315

“Jobs: Is Working Online At Home The Next Gold Rush?” by LA Tribune

Abstract:

“Are online jobs the next big thing? For Mary Steadman it sure is. Mary, a mother from San Jose, CA is thriving, in the middle of an economic recession working in the comfort of her own home.

From her website: ”I get paid about $25 for every link I post on Google and I get paid every week… I make around $5500 a month right now”

Mary’s story is a very familiar one in these tough times. She lost her job as an account rep for …”

Artcile @ http://www.losangeles-tribune.com/finance/indexb.php

“31 Ways To Get Inspired” TPE.com

Really cool Blog!! “1. Go Hit Some Balls Where Entrepreneurs Get Inspired: I get inspiration from going to the driving range and hitting golf balls. It is something I can do and just relax and think about business, life, everything – all while being outdoors and enjoying the scenery. Thanks To: Wendi Forrest of Time For Nine

2. Read Entrepreneur, Read Where Entrepreneurs Get Inspired: I seek guidance and get great inspiration from Entrepreneur Magazine. It is for CERTAIN the most helpful magazine and then Inc. Magazine is a close second. Thanks To: Karin Telegadis of Ah Goo Baby

3. A Good Whack On The Head Where Entrepreneurs Get Inspired: Check out Life Hacker at http://lifehacker.com for the productive geek in all of us. Thanks To: Dan Kershaw of Netfirms, Inc.

4. One Small Step  Where Entrepreneurs Get Inspired: One Small…” More @ http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/31-ways-to-get-inspired