Marijuana Can Recruiters Screen Candidates for a Now Legal Drug

Marijuana Can Recruiters Screen Candidates for a Now Legal Drug Another year has come and gone. It’s 2014, and the world is changing. Some changes are good, and some are bad, and some are just dependent upon whom you ask. I can tell you one change that’s been making front-page news in the U.S. lately: legalized marijuana in Colorado. As of January 1st 2014, Colorado residents 21 years of age or older can legally purchase and consume limited amounts of cannabis. This poses a unique and troubling problem for recruiters and employers â€" how do you drug screen prospective employees for a substance that is now legal? Despite the passage of Amendment 64 legalizing marijuana, employers still have full authority to impose any drug prohibitions they wish. While the drug’s proponents may be enjoying its new-found legality, they may also be enjoying a false sense of security in thinking the legality will protect their employment. On the contrary, buried in the fine print of the amendment is the verbiage stating that the law does not “affect the ability of employers to have policies restricting the use of marijuana by employees.” It comes as no surprise that employers can fire an employee for using the drug at work, or working while under the influence â€" this is no different than alcohol. The confusion lies in the fact that employers can fire employees for legally using in the privacy of their own homes, even if they have a prescription for medical use. Traces of marijuana can remain in the body for over 30 days. For those employers who have adopted a zero tolerance policy in the workplace, they have every right to continue drug screening and firing users. Cigarettes: So what about the correlation to cigarette smoking? Many employers offer a smoke-free work environment to protect the safety and health of their employees and customers. Employees who violate a smoking ban by smoking in restricted areas can be fired â€" that’s a given. However, employees who smoke away from the office make up a gray area. In some states, employers are allowed to test employees and job applicants for nicotine, just as they might for drugs, and terminate or deny employment to those who test positive. Federal law allows this, as smokers are not considered a protected class. In some states, however, smokers’ rights are protected by the state, even if they’re not protected by the federal government. In those states, employers are not allowed to take into account whether or not a person smokes in the privacy of his or her own home. Using this information as hiring criteria is forbidden, as is terminating an employee for smoking on his or her own time. Interestingly enough, Colorado is one of these states. So why wouldn’t this protection extend to the now-legal practice of marijuana use? Its still illegal: The answer is fairly simple â€" despite the amendment legalizing its use in certain individual states, marijuana is still illegal under U.S. federal law. This gives employers the right to maintain a drug-free workplace, regardless of where or for what reason the employee uses. In 2011, a quadriplegic employee of DISH Network sued the company after being terminated for testing positive for marijuana. The employee admitted to using the drug legally by prescription to control muscle spasms, but stated he was never under the influence while at work. The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the firing, stating that because of the drug’s illegal status under federal law, employers are not bound by Colorado’s Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute, which otherwise prevents employers from interfering in employees’ activities outside of work. According to Curtis Graves, an attorney for the Mountain States Employers Council, if a company has a drug policy in place and an employee fails a drug te st, “employers can take whatever action they deem to be prudent.” Conclusions: While the law is clear, confusion and frustration still exist. Contradicting state and federal laws can result in employees losing their jobs for doing something in the privacy of their own homes that the state deems perfectly legal. According to Mason Tvert, co-director of the Amendment 64 campaign, a double-standard exists in that employers would almost never sanction a worker for off-duty alcohol use unless it affects his or her job performance, yet this is not the case with marijuana use. Tvert adds, “It’s really irrational to punish employees for engaging in lawful activities outside of the workplace.” The legalization of recreational drugs is a new area for most employers. Just like the repeal of prohibition in the U.S. in 1933, legalization brings new questions to light, and there is much territory to be covered before smooth waters can be navigated in the journey to employers’ and recreational drug users’ coexistence. While most of these challenges have yet to emerge, they could cause an additional hurdle in the recruiting process. I’d be interested to know how many veteran recruiters have already encountered such hurdles… READ MORE:  10 Reasons Why You Need to Screen Applicants When Recruiting

How to Organize and Format Your Resume

How to Organize and Format Your ResumeEvery writer will agree that the most important step in resume writing is to organize your information. Before writing, read a resume sample and identify all the skills and experiences you have for the job. Your resume writing will come later when you're ready to develop your own ideas about what you want to say. Here are some quick and easy ways to make sure you organize your information effectively.First, use headers to organize your resume information. It's best to add an introduction at the top of your resume, and then continue on down with the rest of the information. You can also add a summary section at the bottom. Make sure each section is clearly identifiable so you can easily read it without reading over the page. This is a good way to ensure that your resume is organized and your knowledge is focused.Write your heading in a logical order, starting with the most important information first and then moving to the least important informat ion. This will allow you to quickly scan your resume and determine what information is more important to you. To be effective, be sure to use the order of presentation throughout your resume.Another common mistake that writers make is to forget to format their resume properly. Formatted resumes often look messy and unfocused. Most applicants know how to structure a resume, but make sure to follow the directions in the appropriate sections of the guide. Remember that there are several different types of resumes out there; use the style that best suits your situation.Keep your formatting simple. You don't want to turn your resume into a long novel. Use standard fonts, only put in one or two bullet points and include a few general ideas about yourself along with the details. You'll want to be able to skim your resume quickly and easily, so keep it to one page. Avoid using bulleted lists unless you absolutely have to. Most people think that the power of a list is in the fact that they f ill up the page with a lot of information, but that is rarely the case. Instead, try to emphasize the positive things you can do for the company instead of writing a long list of accomplishments.Format your resume the way you would format a letter to get a response. You will want to include a cover letter that is professionally written, but the format of your resume should be the same as how you would submit a resume to a company. An applicant needs to be able to send it back to you in just a few days, so make sure to include instructions on how to send back your resume.Lastly, be sure to tailor your resume for the specific job you are applying for. Most hiring managers have very specific requirements when it comes to resumes, so make sure that your skills and experience match up. With this in mind, make sure to highlight your strengths and try to include some of your weaknesses.

Business schools shift to accommodate the biological clock

Business schools shift to accommodate the biological clock Harvard just announced that it will change the timeline of business school enrollment as a way to attract a wider range of applicants Read: Women. Right now women start businesses at two times the rate of men and women do better in school than men do, but women make up less than one-third of the enrollment at top business schools. There has been wide acknowledgement in a hush-hush way that the lag in business school is because the value of an MBA is different for each gender. Some of this difference has to do with personality, but a lot of it has to do with the biological clock. Millennials have watched Generation X be the most fertility-stressed bunch of women ever. (I, for one, found myself scheduling my pregnancy around TV auditions. Absurd.) We now know that waiting until age 35 to begin having kids is not a good bet to make. If women want to have kids, they should put having a family ahead of having a career because there is no negotiating with the biological clock. Millennials know this. They make getting married and having babies by age thirty a priority, and one of the first things to go is business school. Typically, business schools required a few years of work, then an application process, then two years out of the work force for school. At that point, women are in their mid to late twenties and they need to be focusing on finding a husband. Todays generation is not stupid. They know that if they want to have kids, it makes no sense to play roulette with ovaries in order to get a few more years of work under their belt before trying to have kids. So business schools are not seeing enough female applicants. People have been talking in hushed voices of creating faster ways to get through school in order to attract women. And people have been talking off the record about how top schools accept women at an earlier age than they accept men. But Harvard has made it official. In order to attract women into business school they are allowing women in after just two years of work. And theyre encouraging liberal arts students, as well. Sure, Harvard is saying anyone can take the school up on this offer. But surely Harvard does not have trouble getting highly qualified male applicants these changes are not for those people. This is a big moment because its the convergence of two big ideas in the workplace: 1. Women no longer put their career ahead of their biological clock. We tried it for a generation and it was a massive failure. 2. Business schools acknowledge that they have to change to accommodate women -women are sick of changing themselves to accommodate the old corporate life that is geared toward men. This second point gives me a lot of hope. There is a movement going on right now to demand that work accommodate life. In general, work does not respond to this movement. Social responsibility does not push through institutional change. After all, you could argue that in business, the people at the top are the worst parents and least likely to accommodate parenting for other people. But finally, there is change: The impending and massive talent shortage that is going to push through a lot of accommodations, and I think Harvards shift in admissions is a harbinger of big things to come.

Dont give your boss a gift

Dont give your boss a gift Its the time of year when there are a bazillion articles about what gift you should give your boss. The implication is that of course youll give a gift. But I think youre better off skipping it. Heres why: 1. Gift recommendations are not really recommendations. When a journalist or blogger (is there a difference?) writes about gift items, they get to review the gift items. Which means each gift was already a gift to the writer. I know about this because Im terrible at it. For example, I would like Bose noise canceling headphones. They are too extravagant for me to buy for myself, so I should ask Bose for a trial pair and then tell you to buy them for your boss. 2. Christmas at work is bad for your boss. Really. First of all, its bad for your company to have everyone give end-of-the-year gifts, or holiday gifts, or whatever companies are calling Christmas gifts lately. Its bad because Christmas in the office is bad for diversity. I write about this every year, and every year it is the most controversial post. So you dont need to write to me about how I am a Grinch and a cultural moron and Jews should move back to Israel, okay? Because I get those commentsabout 300 of themeach year. So all Im going to tell you now is that you are not helping your boss reach his or her performance goals for your team by undermining diversity by celebrating Christmas at work. 3. Thanksgiving is a better holiday to give your boss a gift. You missed it this year. But for next year, remember to give a Thanksgiving gift to your boss because its a non-religious holiday and its about giving thanks instead of honoring Jesuss birthday, and giving thanks, after all, is what is appropriate for you to do with a boss. (Note: Please do not tell me Christmas is secular. Only Christians feel enough authority over the holiday to say it is not Christian, which is proof that the holiday belongs to Christians.) 4. The best gift for a boss is handmade. I know your mom has been telling you this ever since you could write your name on construction paper. But its not just your mom. Its true for everyone because everyone wants a gift that tells them they are special. For your boss, a handwritten note does the trick. Tell your boss that you appreciate what your boss has done for you over the past year, and that you feel lucky to be working for him or her. Give very specific examples. (Here are tips on how to write that note.) 5. If you want good cheer give good cheer. You know what? Im not a Grinch. Im just pointing out that you are going to be happier if you write a note than if you give a gift, because gratitude is what makes people feel good. Giving it. Giving some material thing does not give you the same jolt of happiness that verbalizing and expressing gratitude does.And receiving material objects is not as gratifying as a thank you note filled with specific examples of how you added meaning to someones workday.

Resume Writing For House Cleaner - Simple, Easy Tips To Help

Resume Writing For House Cleaner - Simple, Easy Tips To HelpYour resume writing for house cleaner is the first step in landing that job. You may not have a perfect resume, but what you do have is an excellent resume writing for house cleaner. Let's talk about the tricks to a great one.As a house cleaner, you are going to need some sort of professional resume. In order to write one, you need to know what makes a good one. Sure, it can be anything you want it to be. But if you are looking for the tips below, you'll be better off if you take your own career and your personality into account.First, write a resume that will stand out from the rest. A professional resume must focus on your strengths and weaknesses, rather than just a generic job description. If you can, add in some personality traits you have that will really help to make you stand out.Second, do not write a resume writing for house cleaner based entirely on what you want to do with your life. Be realistic, if you do not w ant to work in the service industry, include it in your resume. However, if you do wish to, be sure to state what you wish to do with your career path. This will put you in a better position when you are giving your interview.Keep your resume short and sweet. Showcase your accomplishments and duties. Do not overwhelm your readers with a load of things you wish to accomplish. Your employer will understand that you need to get to know them, rather than wanting to make a quick buck.Finally, make sure your resume is concise. Do not place too many details, but keep it simple. Avoid superfluous words or phrases. Inaddition, do not forget to include contact information, including your e-mail address.Resume writing for house cleaner does not need to be hard work. However, you will need to dedicate some time and effort to it. Using these tips can help you jump start your resume writing for house cleaner.Now you can finally enjoy the benefits of having the amazing home care career. The right resume writing for house cleaner can help you land that dream job. So don't stop striving for the perfect one.

Choose whats right for you Graduate programmes vs. Apprenticeships

Choose what’s right for you Graduate programmes vs. Apprenticeships Choosing your path post-education isn’t always cut and dry. On the one-hand you may want to go down the ‘traditional’ route of studying at university and entering a grad programme; you’ll have a breadth of learning materials at your fingertips, and of course there’s the opportunity to partake in societies, charities and work experience all highlights of the overall university experience. On the other hand, apprenticeships offer both an education and salary hand-in-hand. You’ll learn tangible and practical skills to progress your career. In addition, apprenticeships now offer students the chance to gain qualification standards equal to an undergraduate or masters degree, meaning you’ll be on equal footing to graduates but without a hefty loan hanging over your head. Truthfully, there is no right choice. It all comes down to your preferences and what you’re looking for from your formal training. We took a sneak peek into the lives of several EY employees both apprentices and grads to learn about their own personal journeys and career routes. So hear from Jessica Tax Advisor, Marium Digital Apprentice, Luke Assistant Tax Advisor, Andrew Assistant Tax Advisor and Violina Transaction Diligence Executive to help you decide which route is best for you. Questions to ask yourself Being in the last few years of school or sixth form can involve a lot of outside pressure about your next steps. Your family, school and friends may all wish to steer you in one direction for some reason or another, but what you have to remember is that your decision is the one that matters. Start by thinking about what you want from your life for the next few years. Are you prepared to commit to training for a very specific career, or would you rather spend your time studying to help broaden your options? Is earning a salary as soon as possible vital, or equally are student loans a deal-breaker? Think about your social life; where do you think you’d thrive better? Andrew trained on the EY graduate programme in Tax, following several years working after leaving school, before studying Accountancy and Law at university. He has some reassuring advice for anyone who is currently at a crossroads in their early career choices: “I think the main thing to realise is that you are not stuck or confined by the choice and will gain something regardless of what you choose.” Jessica went down the apprenticeship route, and thinks that this type of training can actually offer the best of both worlds if you play your cards right: “Im a strong believer that I didnt miss out at all by not going to university, so research well and pick the route which is best for you as opposed to what your friends are doing.” The benefits of each Each method of learning comes with pros and cons. Apprenticeships obviously come with the huge caveat of being not only student loan-free, but earning a salary from day one and gaining the opportunity to start saving for the future. Not only that, but apprenticeships at EY amongst other companies can allow trainees to obtain a degree as part of an apprenticeship programme in a related field. For Marium, this was a huge selling point in choosing her role. She also believes that undertaking an apprenticeship hasn’t narrowed down her future options, stating: “the work Im doing involves a mixture of technology and consulting. This has allowed me to see different types of work and has opened my eyes to many different career options in the future.” On the other hand, studying at university allows you to develop your knowledge in a subject you love, whilst allowing you to build transferable skills that will come as vital in your future career. Youll have longer to research and discover what youd like to do post-education, and of course youll gain those classic student memories that will last a lifetime. Andrew felt like this more traditional route was the right move for him. “The graduate programme was the next natural stepping stone after university. It also provided a route to chartered accountancy.” What can you expect? EY offers trainees on both programmes a variety of opportunities across many different fields, alongside competitive salaries whichever route you chose. If you’re wondering what life at one of the Big Four is like, Luke dispels one of the biggest myths out there: “Most people think accountancy is boring and mundane, but a lot of what I do is interesting and forever changing.” The company values five ‘future skills’, one of which Violina uses a lot on her grad programme: “Despite the technical focus of my job, my everyday experience requires a high level of emotional intelligence both in the context of my EY team and in a client environment.” Both options will set you up for a successful future. As Jessica puts it, “When I decided I wanted to go into tax I had truly no real idea of how vast and how many sub-fields there are. There are always more qualifications that you can pursue should you want.” Your choice therefore could come down to the area you want to build your career in. Apprenticeships at EY consist of two types: business apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships. The former houses three areas for you to specialise in Assurance, Tax, Transactions whilst the latter consists of two types: Digital and Technology and Business Leadership and Management. To train on any of these programmes, you’ll need three A-levels or equivalent, and a thirst for knowledge in the role you’re applying for. Meanwhile, the grad programmes offer opportunities in six areas: Actuarial, Assurance, Consulting, Tax, Technology and Transactions. To train on a grad programme, you’ll need a degree but rest assured that if it’s not from a Russell Group university, you won’t be at a disadvantage. However, depending on the role you’ll be doing, you may need a degree in a particular subject, such as a STEM-based or technology one. Therefore, if this is the route you want to take, be sure to carefully consider what you want to study at university, and what doors this subject opens up for you. If you want to compare apprenticeships and graduate programmes at EY specifically, check out the comparison tool on their website. They also have a useful visual on weighing up your options between apprenticeships and university, check it out here! Ultimately, there are a number of factors at play when choosing between apprenticeships and grad programmes, but the main ones we suggest considering are: your preferred methods of learning, the experience you most want, your finances and your future career opportunities. Weigh up the pros and cons of each. Do your research and speak to people who are currently in the role you’re thinking about; first-hand accounts can be incredibly helpful when deciding. Whatever choice you make, you’ll be certain to set yourself up for a thriving career! You can find out more about EY’s future skills  here, and more about their opportunities for students  here.

The Australian Womens Weekly - Jane Jackson Career

The Australian Womens Weekly - Jane Jackson Career Are you too old to be hired?Original article published in the Australian Womens Weekly 8th April 2015.http://www.aww.com.au/career/career-finance/when-are-you-too-old-to-be-hired-20071Career FinanceAre you too old to be hired?Many of us dream of retirement but when we get there it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The Weekly gets author and career coach Jane Jackson to give you some tips on getting back into the workforce.Many of us dream of retirement when we’re getting up at the crack of dawn, battling with other commuters to work, dealing with office politics, working long hours and carrying a heavy workload. When the time for retirement comes, it’s a welcome break after years of working, saving and planning for the future.However, for some of us retirement isn’t as enjoyable as it’s supposed to be. Perhaps we’re bored and miss the regularity and camaraderie of being in the workforce and the thrill of a challenge. Perhaps we miss the status of having a job title or t he opportunity to mentor younger team members. Or perhaps our financial situation has changed and due to economic necessity we have to go back to work.Change can be pretty scary. It can leave us feeling confused, anxious, fearful and stressed. We find ourselves on an emotional roller coaster and it’s erodes our self-confidence, we feel dizzy and confused about what to do next.Unfortunately, finding a new job can be a challenge when we are older with more degree-qualified youngsters entering the job market, other baby boomers taking longer and longer to retire and so many jobs being outsourced offshore and companies downsizing resulting in many redundancies and fewer opportunities.Coupled with a lack of confidence and clarity about what to do next, the situation can become very stressful.Nothing endures but change. Change is the only constant Greek philosopher HeraclitusYou are not the first to cope with change people have been coping with change for thousands of years but still, it doesnt make it any easier when it happens to us.So what can we do? As a career management coach who has coached over 2,000 clients through their career and life transitions, I’ve found that many feel the same anxiety. Here’s what two of my clients have felt when going through career change:“Suddenly I had no clear plan or identity, my networks outside {of my industry} were weak and I had no real idea of what I wanted to do next. I went at speed from being an ‘important person’ to an ‘unemployed person.’ I lost the things that I thought defined me â€" the status, the car, the income â€" and, like many people, I was wandering in ‘the mist’ a bit.”“Going through redundancy after 35 years in a stable government job and facing the incredible unknown for which I was ill prepared left me at a complete loss. The fact that I was unemployed at the age of 52, I felt like an ‘old woman’ in the eyes of younger employees. I felt panic.”The most important thing if y oure returning to the workforce after a period in retirement is to be clear about what you can and want to do.Here are 7 steps to follow before re-entering the job market:1   Build your confidence by sharing your concerns with trusted friends or family who are well connected in your areas of interest or by gaining an honest, informed perspective from a career coach.2   Identify what you can do and the skills you have that are transferrable into a new role. Think about what you’d like to do next and find out what skills you need to upgrade. Get up to speed with new technology required for the roles you want to target so you won’t be perceived as a ‘dinosaur.’3   Update your resumé with tangible accomplishments to prove that you are a professional who will add value to any organisation.For help with your resumé, How to Write a Resumé is an online course that takes you step-by-step to create a powerful resumé, cover letters and more!4   The way you look matters and unfortun ately, people will pass judgment on whether your age will affect your ability to do a good job. Update your ‘look’ and be aware that your posture is the key to making you look younger (or older). Keep physically fit so you have a spring in your step! Remember, your Personal Brand matters online AND offline.5   Learn about the new job search strategies. Many roles are advertised online and, according to a 2014 JobVite Survey, 93% of recruiters now use LinkedIn to source for candidates. Create a strong online profile on LinkedIn so you can be found.6   Practice your interview technique to answer confidently when asked, “Why should we hire you?” and prepare specific examples to demonstrate your capabilities.7   Be flexible and realistic with your salary expectations. Check current salary surveys such as the one on www.robertwalters.com.au to research the market rate for any role you target.If you have the financial resources, you could consider self-employment. Do you have ski lls that would make you a valued consultant or business owner?Self-employment could mean setting up a consultancy, buying a franchise, buying an existing business or setting up your own business. To be successful in self-employment, conduct a reality check, plan in advance and do your research before launching into anything new. An excellent website for ‘solo-preneurs’ is www.flyingsolo.com.au where you’ll find a wealth of useful information on how to set up and grow a business.There are many options for those thinking about going back into the workforce after retirement. It takes courage, a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. What will you do?Jane Jackson is a Career Management Coach, Author of #1 Amazon Australia (Careers) Bestseller, Navigating Career Crossroads and host of   Your Career Podcast. Join The Careers Academy for ongoing career transition and career management support its free to join and youll enjoy the support of a professional community of members.

What I did this weekend...

What I did this weekend... No, its not career-related at all. Its something my husband and I do every Fall since moving out here to our little farm. We put in a big garden in the Spring and then wait for the plants to produce their fruit in the Fall. Bright red cherry tomatoes, Roma Big Boy tomatoes, zucchini, perfectly wonderful sweet onions, juicy green peppers, spicy hot jalapeno and serrano peppers, pumpkins, and squash (to name a few).   Since Ive always loved salsa and dabbled with making my own with different recipes, I knew that canning salsa was for me. Did you know that the process of canning dates back to the 1800s? Napolean Bonaparte was concerned about keeping his armies fed, so he offered a cash prize to whoever could come up with a preserving method to keep food fresh. After dabbling for 15 years, a fellow named Nicholas Appert came up with the idea of preserving the food in bottles, like wine. Later came experimentations with extreme heat, airtight containers, and tin containers until a process was cemented and perfected. That brings us back to this morning. My husband and I (hes my canning partner!) got everything ready and then began the process of blanching the tomatoes, the least pleasant part of the process. Peeling the skin off of scalding hot tomatoes is time consuming and HOT! Then the fun part begins! We take all of our ingredients that we had already chopped or processed in the food processor and mix them into the pans in equal parts. Then we keep adding hot peppers. Taste, then add more peppers. Taste, then add more. It seems like it is never hot enough. After a while of testing, our taste buds seem to go numb from all the Capsaicin. Finally, we have to call in THE EXPERTS to tell us if it is getting spicy or not. They usually tell us No. By the time we finished, we had gotten 30 jars out of the process. We usually put up about 80-100 jars a year, much of it given away to friends and family. I love doing it, regardless of the steamy kitchen, tomato-splattered appliances and clothes, and burning mouths. I love the way the house smells when all of the veggies are cooking together combined with that spicy smell of peppers, vinegar and salt. Later, my mom and sister stopped by and we opened up a jar, sat down with tortilla chips, talked and ate. See? That is the other thing about food, it brings together family and friends. If you are thinking about canning salsa and want some tips or have questions Im not a pro or anything, but will help if I can.