Who do you know?

Posted on May 26, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

Sometimes having strong references can be a key asset when your looking to change careers.

The quality and strength of your professional references can be a true asset to any job search. Job references are most effective when they are active and updated on a regular basis. To be clear, we’re not talking about having your potential employer call the HR manager at your past employer. Most human resources managers are trained to only verify that you worked there. Not very helpful to you.

The best reference is a strong, positive one. “He’s OK” or, “He’s a good guy” is not a strong positive reference in this context. Contact you’re references and be sure the person you’re asking will give a great response, or don’t use them. Always have a small but concentrated group of professional references ready. Keep in touch with them on a regular basis and keep track of their contact information.

Call your references in advance to let them know they may get a call. It’s very helpful to give them some background regarding the position you’re applying to. In the case of a bad employment experience – where you know you would not normally get a good reference from your manager – you have an alternative. There are times when you just had a bad experience with your boss. In this case, see if you can enlist another manager or someone else who didn’t report to you for a reference.

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Looking for a Rehab?

Posted on May 25, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

This is a cash deal!! Light rehab deal. Cosmetic work needed and foundation as well to get this one ready to rent out or flip!!

Helping Investors everyday!!

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Talk to me about your MoJo!

Posted on May 24, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

1) Surround yourself with people who are full of mojo. It’s likely that their feelings will inadvertently affect you. Surround yourself with uplifting people who appreciate you and only want to build you up. Don’t get stuck in a negative cycle with people that drain your happiness.

2) Work & play. To have a balanced life, have equal measures of work and play. Work hard, when you’re at work, and equally, play hard when you’re not. This will mean a boosted working life as you’ll be happier and more motivated when working. 3) Train your brain to do what you want it to do. When negativity strikes, recognize it and work towards pushing it out. Negative thoughts alter your mojo and can push your passions away. Get it back by identifying negative thoughts – and remove them!

4) Boost your knowledge! Learning new things can boost mojos all around. Feeling like your brain is being stimulated and getting a good work out is good for your mental health in general, as well as being good for future prospects and job goals. 5) Sell yourself your own job. Remind yourself why you applied for your job in the first place. What are the good things about what you do, and why do you enjoy them? Look back at the original job spec too, as this can often bring you back to basics with why you actually like the job you’re in.

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Disability claims and overweight people

Posted on May 23, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

Photo: Getty Images

Aging and overweight baby boomers are creating a new health insurance challenge: How to successfully manage disability claims when claims based on joint and musculoskeletal disorders are beginning to rival cancer as a top disabilities driver?

This information comes from Unum, a leading provider of disability insurance. Unum reviewed claims data generated during the past decade, and spotted the trend toward weight and age-related claims.

Cancer continues to be the leading claims generator, the company said. But here’s what’s happening due to boomer’s continued presence in the workforce:

  • Over the decade, Unum found a 33 percent increase in long-term disability claims and 14 percent increase in short-term disability claims for musculoskeletal issues.

    Morbidly obese workers cost employers more than $4,000 a year more than normal-weight employees, according to a study published in…

  • It also noted a 22 percent increase in long-term disability claims and 26 increase increase in short-term disability claims for joint disorders.

“Two particular trends are driving this experience,” said Greg Breter, senior vice president of benefits at Unum. “Aging baby boomers are staying in the workforce longer, and more than a third of U.S. adults are classified as overweight or obese. Research is showing that obesity is contributing to a dramatic increase in knee replacement surgery and exacerbates other conditions like arthritis, back injuries and joint pain. In addition, we also see obesity contributing to other issues, like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and certain types of cancer.”

Unum said these trends are likely to continue as an increasing number of workers are expected to decide to keep working past the traditional retirement age of 65.

Based on its research, Unum released the following lists of top five causes of claims for 2015:

Long-term disability:

  1. Cancer: 16.5 percent
  2. Back disorders: 14 percent
  3. Injury: 10.4 percent
  4. Cardiovascular: 9.6 percent
  5. Joint disorders: 9.2 percent

Short-term disability:

  1. Pregnancy: 27.4 percent
  2. Injury (non back): 11.3 percent
  3. Joint disorders: 7.2 percent
  4. Back disorders: 6.7 percent
  5. Digestive system: 6.6 percent
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You are competing against 250 other applicants

Posted on May 22, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

Dust off your resume and land more interviews. Did you know that the average job opening has 250 applicants competing for it? What’s worse is 70% of those applicants will be eliminated from the candidate pool by an applicant tracking system. That means that only 30% of applicants make it to the desk of hiring managers. But, wait. It gets even worse!

Hiring managers use the 30 second test to eliminate 80% of the remaining candidates. That means, that on your first pass in front of the eyes of a hiring manager, you have less than 30 seconds to impress them. Career professionals like to call this the “applicant black hole.” What many people don’t realize is that they aren’t even getting their resume into the hands of hiring managers for reading! What can you do to avoid the black hole?

Well, for starters, you need to realize that it isn’t your skill-set or your accomplishments that are ruling you out, it’s your resume! A self-written resume has a 6% chance of being read. A professionally written resume has a 60% chance of being read and generates 2-3x as many interviews as a self-written resume. The Career News has arranged a special deal with TopResume and is offering free resume evaluations. Their resume experts will read your resume and give you actionable tips that will instantly make your resume more professional.

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Recommended Website of the Day

Posted on May 21, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

insurancepricedrightfacebook

Here is our Recommended Website of the Day: http://www.InsurancePricedRight.com – check it out

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Get hired faster on your next interview

Posted on May 20, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

Did you know that when the job market was booming it took an average of 3 interviews to get 1 job offer? Now it takes 17! When you finally land the job interview of your dreams will you have what it takes to land the job offer? You must stand out during the job interview or you might as well be playing the lottery.

Most job seekers spend hours creating their resumes and cover letters, searching through job postings, reviewing classified ads and networking–all in order to land the job interview. Yet 99% of them don’t have a clue what to do when they get one.

There’s a little known “secret career document” you can quickly and easily customize for your next important job interview that literally forces the interviewer to picture you filling the position. This powerful technique was created by one of California’s top marketing professionals. His method guarantees you’ll automatically stand out from the crowd and shoot straight to the top of the “must hire” list for any position you seek.

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Republicans working on Healthcare alternative

Posted on May 19, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

Photo: Getty Images

As much as they’ve talked about repealing and replacing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) over the past six years, Republicans have seldom offered specifics about what exactly they would replace it with.

Even though House Republicans have voted scores of times to repeal the PPACA, they have never actually crafted and introduced a proposed law to implement in its stead.

But U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, the Texas Republican who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is telling voters to be patient. Republican members of Congress will have a viable alternative ready in less than two months, he promised Friday.

Speaker Paul Ryan has been vocal about the need for the GOP to be a party that proposes solutions, rather than simply opposes those offered by Democrats.

“The base of the party is furious because you didn’t repeal Obamacare. How are you going to repeal Obamacare when…

Ryan took a small step to that end last week, when he argued that insurers should not be forced to sell coverage to those with costly preexisting conditions, who he said should instead receive subsidized (but more expensive) coverage through state administered high-risk pools.

“You dramatically lower the price for everybody else,” he said. “You make health insurance so much more affordable, so much more competitive and open up competition.”

Although repealing Obamacare was the cause célébré of the GOP in the first three election cycles following the PPACA’s passage, the law has been largely overshadowed in the 2016 cycle because of the rise of Donald Trump, who despite insisting that he opposes the PPACA, has a history of expressing support for left leaning health care policy. Other issues, namely immigration and terrorism, have dominated the debate among Republican presidential candidates.

Republicans pondering an alternative to Obamacare are also confronting the reality that any dramatic change will likely involve disrupting the system that millions of Americans are currently benefiting from. The many who have gained free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid or subsidized coverage through the marketplace are likely to be far more committed to supporting pro-PPACA politicians than they were in the years before the law was implemented.

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What would be your dream job?

Posted on May 18, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

I have put together five ways to land your dream job – so here they are:

Remember you will be judged on appearance. It’s an ugly reality, but it’s true. Always dress to impress for a job interview – for both yourself as well as the interviewer. Prove you will go beyond what is asked. Actions speak louder than words when it comes to the workplace. Bring real life examples to your job interview about how you’ve made a difference in the past. Knowing you will take action instead of being reactive is likely a big plus for potential employers.

Showcase your skills outside your job to set you apart from other candidates. Prove to the hiring manager that you’re a valuable asset to the company above and beyond the current job. Relate your skills to the current position, and make sure it’s clear that you’re a valuable asset to the overall company with additional skills. Relate the money to your performance. Salary negotiations are part of any job interview process. Make sure your money and benefits expectations are clear from the get go and tell them why you’re worth the cost.

Be likable. Be friendly – and let the interview flow like a conversation. If you and other potential candidates have the same skill set and experience, ask yourself why the employer would choose you over the others. It’s probably because they liked you more. Be professional, but personable and build a relationship with the hiring manager.

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Agressive medical treatments

Posted on May 17, 2016 by robertjrussellcompanies

Doctors have a hard time backing off on some forms of treatment that are doing more harm than good.

According to Forbes, the too-aggressive treatment of blood pressure in diabetes patients, and of diabetes itself, has led to low blood pressure in the former and low blood sugar levels in the latter.

Doctors are having a difficult time in reducing the level of treatment in patients who experience negative side effects, even when those negative side effects can outweigh the other benefits of continuing the treatment causing them. A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that doctors weren’t backing off on hypertension treatments even when they caused a drop in blood pressure below recognized levels. There was also a lack of reduction in diabetes medications when patients’ blood sugar levels — their A1C results — fell too far.

Researchers found that, when patients’ blood pressure levels fell below 120/65, less than a quarter of the doctors studied reduced the dosage of patients’ blood pressure pills — even for patients who were so old or ill that they probably had fewer than five years to live.

A new report says elderly care may be doing more harm than good.

The researchers were concerned about the age and health of the patients being treated, since the benefits of aggressive treatment accrue over many years, compared with the benefits of more moderate treatment, particularly when the side effects induced by such aggressive treatment show up quickly.

For patients judged to have five years or less to live, based on age and other factors, doctors still didn’t back off from aggressive treatment regimens despite the real harm some of those regimens induced in their patients — such as an increased risk of hazardous falls from low blood pressure.

The doctors treating diabetes patients with low blood sugar levels did marginally better on backing off when the patients were actually suffering from aggressive treatment; they reduced treatment just a third of the time when patients’ A1C levels were lower than 6, even if those patients were expected to live fewer than five years more.

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