The Organized AssistantWritten by Janet Barclay
Many people, under financial or other pressures to find work quickly, feel they can’t afford to take time to get organized. On other hand, conducting your job search in an organized manner will reduce amount of time you spend looking for information, following inappropriate leads, or waiting for your dream job to fall into your lap. It generally takes at least a month to find an entry-level job, and as much as nine months for one requiring a high level of skill and experience. Getting organized before you begin your job search can ultimately save you a lot of time and frustration.You should take several preliminary steps before you even begin your active job search. You should start by identifying your skills, interests, target market, and any child care, transportation, or other issues that you will need to keep in mind. A career or employment counselor can be very helpful in this area, as well as with preparation of your resume, cover letters, and any other job search materials you will need. Once you’re ready to face job market, there are three areas where you’ll find it beneficial to be well organized: your schedule, your workspace, and your contacts. Your Schedule First, you must decide how much time you can realistically commit to your job search on a weekly basis, and then create a weekly schedule of activities. Keep in mind that looking for a full-time job is in itself a full-time job! Some of your time will be devoted to reading and applying for advertised positions, but be sure to allow plenty of time for other job search activities such as making telephone calls, generating and researching new leads, reviewing old leads for follow up, writing thank you notes or other correspondence, and visiting placement offices, employment agencies, or other service providers. The percentage of time you dedicate to each activity depends on what is most effective for your field of work or geographical area, so it may be worthwhile for you to ask others what has worked for them. Most people perform different activities more effectively at different times of day. Take your natural energy flow, as well as availability of quiet time for conducting research and telephone calls, into consideration when planning your schedule. If quiet time is not available at home during daytime or evening, an employment resource center can be an invaluable resource. Keep your personal preferences in mind when planning your activities. For example, if you dislike talking on telephone, it may be less stressful for you to get your calls out of way before beginning your other activities, or to intersperse your phone calls between other activities so you don’t become overwhelmed. If you’re planning to drop off unsolicited resumes, map out a route of targeted businesses that are in a particular area, and plan to cover entire area in one day. This will cut down on your travel time and expenses as well as number of times you need to dress up. Keeping a log of actual time you spend on each activity will allow you to see whether you are on track and to identify any problem areas. It’s not uncommon to become frustrated and depressed when you’re out of work, so be sure to schedule regular time for self-care and other personal activities like going to gym or hairstylist. Your Workspace At a minimum, you need a chair and a desk or table with plenty of space for you to work with your information, make and receive telephone calls, and plan your job search. All necessary supplies should be stored close by, including paper, pens, index cards, paperclips, staples, and your telephone directory. During your job search, you’ll likely accumulate various versions of your resume and cover letter, job postings, company profiles, advertisements, and business cards, but they will be of no value to you if you can’t find what you need. A binder or filing system, sorting information into topics, will allow you to refer quickly to both job posting and that specific application when you receive a telephone call from a prospective employer. It will also allow you to find easily any other information you may have gathered about organization before your interview.
| | What it Means to be the Executor of an EstateWritten by Martha Taylor
At one time or another, we will all experience loss of someone we love. Dealing with that death is difficult because we are not only dealing with our own emotions, but with those of family and friends whose sorrow may be even more painful than our own.You may also have responsibility to act as executor for decedent’s estate if you are a spouse, a son or daughter. While it may be practical to say that everyone needs to make a will, put their ‘final arrangements’ in writing and leave instructions for heirs, I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise us to learn that many people do not take this sensible approach. Consequently, after they die, their family members and friends proceed in a state of semi-confusion trying to wrap up decedent’s affairs. If you are an executor and find yourself in a similar situation, take heart. There are now more options available to you than running off to lawyer’s office. You have option to hire a lawyer to act as a coach and have him answer your legal questions, do some research and review legal paperwork before submitting them to court or mailing them. Other options include hiring a document preparation service, like DocuPrepUSA, to prepare probate paperwork and myriad of correspondence needed to wrap up decedent’s affairs. If you are do-it-yourself kind, you can also consult some books written for non-lawyers. The Executor's Handbook, by Theodore E. Hughes and David Klein (Facts On File) is a general but useful guide to an executor's duties. How to Settle an Estate, by Charles K. Plotnick and Stephan R. Leimberg (Plume) also has general coverage of executor's duties, but emphasis is on financial issues. So review your options carefully, and if you choose wisely, you will save yourself and your family a lot of unnecessary expense. There are many ways to establish your assets prior to death that would help your family avoid expense of probate. First and foremost, it will be executor’s task to decide whether probate court proceedings are needed. However, probate is an entirely different matter that needs to be address in another article. Let’s look at some of duties we may not be familiar with that are undertaken by an executor. Giving Notice Usually Funeral Director orders as many certified copies of death certificate as you request. Sometimes, they even notify Social Security Administration too. Here is a list of institutions that executor needs to contact in order to learn whether they want certified copies of death certificate: a.) Every insurance company that insured decedent (life, health, auto, home) b.) Decedent’s pension fund c.) Each credit card company used by decedent d.) Every financial institution (banks, brokers) e.) Government agencies (Social Security, IRS, Medicare, Veterans Affairs) f.) Title company that insured decedent’s real estate You can usually order extra copies of death certificate from bureau of vital statistics in your state. If decedent owned property in another state, then a death certificate may need to be recorded in county where that property is located. In many states, death certificate is recorded along with deed of transfer. Other Duties An executor has a number of duties, complexity of which depends upon deceased person’s estate. Typically, an executor must:
|