Evaluating Your Company's Health Insurance

Benefits are usually a big deciding factor when considering a job. However, unless you went through four years of medical school, it can be difficult to navigate the sea of forms, promotional materials, and charts. Never fear though, Monster has come up with a handy checklist to help evaluate your company’s health insurance options.

1. Put Quality First
2. Avoid Plans that Spurn Wellness and Prevention
3. Then, Tackle the Cost Beast

Five Steps to Creating and Licensing an Invention

Do you have a great idea and/or prototype that you believe could be thing that propels your business to the Fortune 500? A fresh invention – whether it be physical or web-based – is a great reason to launch a startup. However, you might not understand the complicated process of legally protecting your invention. Startup Nation has a great tutorial on the entire process. While I recommend reading the tutorial yourself, here are its five main points.

1. Idea Conception
2. Basic Invention Market Research
3. Prototype Design and Development
4. Protecting the Invention
5. Licensing and Going to Market

Should You Use a Resume Writing Service?

By now everybody knows that it is crucial to have a great resume to land a great job. For instance, according to a survey conducted by a major human resources association, a majority of recruiters spend less than three minutes reviewing a resume. That’s not a lot of time to convince someone that you’re worthy of being hired.

So does it make sense to bring in a professional to help button up your resume? HotJobs has a good article on the topic that presents both the pros and cons that is worth checking out.

Using Text Messaging to Reach Your Customers

Marketing your startup has never been easier or more cost efficient. With new technologies, reaching your customer base is only a touchpad away. Startup Nation has a great article on how to use text messaging (SMS) to reach your target audience. If you’re on the fence, here are some statistics to consider:

• 18-29 year old consumers use text messaging more often than voice to communicate.
• On average 94% of text messages are read.
• 80% of consumers keep their mobile with them all day.
• When given a choice 39% of US consumers — 76 million people — prefer text messages to radio or TV advertising.

Hot Cities with Cool Jobs

Eighty-five percent of recent college graduates, those labeled as Generation Y (which I admit to belong), said in a recent survey that they would pack up and move to a new city for a job.

Yahoo! has a long list of factors that inspire the moves – such as career opportunities, cost of living, and the city’s social scene. Here is the top five cities listed in the survey:

1: New York (12%)
2: Washington, D.C. (8%)
3: Chicago (8%)
4: San Francisco (7%)
5: (Tie) Seattle/Tacoma; Atlanta; Boston; Charlotte (5%)

Five Tech Jobs for Career Changes

Interested in moving to a challenging field that pays better, but think that with today’s economy you should just be happy to have a job? Well, Hotjobs has listed five stable tech jobs that are actually growing. And you don’t have to go back for four more years of school to get them.

They are:

• Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MSDST)
• Computer-Aided Drafting Specialist
• Geographic Information Systems Analyst
• Environmental Science and Protection Technicians
• IT and Computer Support Specialists

Career Lessons From President-Elect Obama

Whether or not your supported President-Elect Barack Obama, you have to admit that his story is inspiring and that he ran one of the best campaigns in recent elections. Monster.com has a great article that shows how you can take practical advice from the Obama campaign and apply it to helping you in your career:

• Anyone Can Grow Up to Be President: And you can do any job you want as well. Set a goal, make sure you are qualified and apply yourself.
• The Road to Success Is Long and Hard: Obama didn’t just decide to be president. First, he got an education. Then he worked in the community and was elected to the Senate. Then he ran for the Democratic nomination and then finally for president. While no one knows for sure where a path might lead, working hard each day pretty much guarantees progress.
• Networking Is Crucial: Obama didn't do it by himself -- by some accounts, he had more than 1 million others helping him reach his goal. How are you using -- and growing -- your network?
• The Internet Is an Important Tool: Beyond the basics of a Web site, Obama used blogs, videos, social networking, discussion groups, e-commerce and email. You too can use these media as ways to get the message out about what you can offer to employers.
• A Personal Brand Is Powerful: More than anything else, Obama’s message was singular and on track: Change and hope. This focus defined Obama to others and helped these others amplify his message even further. It also helped that his brand was consistent across the way he looked, acted and sounded, as well as his message and attitude. While this might not be your personal brand, especially during a job search, you can institute the same consistency in how you present yourself and your message.
• Maximize the Interview: Each time he was in front of the camera, Obama was poised, fluent and answered questions in an authentic manner. Most people don't enjoy interviews, so consider: Obama did five, 10 or more interviews each day. Practice makes perfect no matter what you’re interviewing for.
• Get Support from Family and Friends: Often, a politician's family is wrongfully seen as a prop, to appear when needed and put away when completed. In reality, a public figure is also a private figure, with relationships, personal responsibilities and interests. Families are often the keystone to this private life, providing the support that allows politicians to work successfully in the public eye. Many of us who work -- or are looking for work -- sometimes forget that our families and friends are there to support us, and that it is our responsibility to reach out and ask.
• Say Thank You: Obama's acceptance speech was both inspiring and humble. He didn't shirk from acknowledging the people who helped along the way. It isn't hard to say thank you, yet sometimes we easily forget.
• Take a Rest Before You Start: No doubt Obama will use the time between election and inauguration to pull together his team, but he may also take a few days’ break to recharge from his long campaign. Likewise, if you are changing jobs, take a few days -- or even a week -- before you start your new position. That short break will leave you reenergized.
• When You Step Up to the Plate, There Are No Losers: While John McCain and Sarah Palin lost the election, they also gained something from it. McCain earned 46 percent of the popular vote. He built a team and has become a greater influence within his party. Meanwhile, Palin put her name on the map, gaining valuable experience on a national stage. While neither won the prize they were seeking, both are further ahead than before, and this will help both McCain and Palin as they consider next steps.

What Does Your Inbox Say About You?

I came across something interesting on the Monster Blog today that I thought I’d share. The Center for Internet Behavior (yes, it exists) released a report on how your inbox reflects you.

I don’t know how much of this should be taken too seriously, but it is at least fun to consider.

First of all, according to the CIBC, “if you keep your inbox full rather than empty, it may mean you keep your life cluttered in other ways. Do you cling to the past? Do you have a lot of unfinished business in your life?”

Conversely, if you keep your inbox obsessively clean “you may be so quick to move on that you miss opportunities and ignore nuances. Or your compulsion for order may be sapping your energy from other endeavors.”

Managing Inventory Assets for an Online Retailer

A great way to get a startup rolling is by jumping into the world of online retail. However, there are challenges that need to be faced since by becoming a virtual retailer, you also become a very physical warehouse.

Startup Nation has a good article about how to efficiently manage your inventory, no matter the size. They suggest:

• Grow into the space you’ll need.
• Don’t just store it; organize it!
• Consider outsourcing
• Take the “perfect” option.