'Kids Summer Recycling Projects' new to The Speckled Umbrella.
 

Do you like WORMS? Well, maybe not, but your kids do! How do you think they would feel if you came home with a great big bucket of worms just for them? And then showed them HOW worms recycle!

Find out more great Environmentally Friendly ways to teach your kids while really freaking them out!

6 Tips To Prove You Are The Strongest Candidate has been added to Unemployment Effect Series 2010.

One thing I know you all are concerned with is 'Making Money Online' versus a 'Real Job' and spotting scams. I've heard too many people claim they were afraid of even signing up for Unemployment Benefits because EVERYONE wants your email address and other confidential information. There is a valid concern here.

Recently while browsing on Careerbuilder's home page, I noticed a banner that claimed working on the internet can make you $4,000.00 a month and you can do this from home. I also noticed that you had to pay (on the internet) a $9.99 fee for 'shipping'. Most internet scams would ask for this kind of money.

Unfortunately, no matter what you intend to do for your next job, you will undoubtedly have to venture out onto the web. For most, this is an unknown territory with the fear of clicking on some banner or ad that will ask you to fill out TONS of info only to find that you have signed yourself up for another 'newsletter' or similar correspondence which claims to be 'FREE' but ends up costing you either money or something much more precious: Time.

Internet Marketers sell their 'EBooks' online for various amounts of cash in exchange for you to have access to download a copy of their 'EBook'. This can be a fair trade if the content of the book is of any value to you.

A few months ago, I was introduced to a site that was all about showing you how to spot scams. They did a lot of research on who were scam artists and who weren't, then posted it for the world to see.

There ARE scams out there. Learn how to spot a scam, and how to spot a genuine advertisement for work. We are going to be taking a look at how to spot a scam on the internet over the next few days. Stop back and see how you can avoid such scams!

Wishing you the best,
Cass

Pic above is one of a few of Jeff's Art projects. This was when he started college and I really thought he'd get into Graphic Design like the rest of the kids his age. Now he is into Economics- what a jump! But typical of youth, he WILL make a difference in our world.
Finding this was great!
I was a little frantic this morning when I realized that I had missed Time Eternal's Birthday this year and here it is already March!
Time Eternal is a forum that Sean and I set up almost 7 years ago.
I think I forget just how long I have been at this, ranting and raving.

When I fell in love with Peace, was a time that I had few struggles, well, maybe more than a few, but I don't easily forget who I am, where I have come from and know where I am going.
Here's a sweet tune that delivered me into Peace:

I was browsing through Linked In and came across a great question in one of the groups. As a recruiter, would I revise, rewrite or reformat a candidate's resume to present to a hiring manager.
Honestly, I couldn't understand why this question was asked. Here is my response to the group below:
' I hand it back to the applicant.
True Story-
I was applying for a higher level position in the company that I am working for now. A little cocky at thinking I would get it or not- my then manager gave me back my resume and said to me that she thought I could do better and that I needed a cover letter!
Needless to say, I was mortified by her laissez faire attitude with my resume. Even though I was hot in the face, I realized she was teaching me a valuable lesson in professionalism. I count her as esteemed as any one of my teachers in the past that have touched my life.

Moral:
Cultivate Professionalism. When you show that you won't settle for anything but your people's best work, you show them that they have someone to rely on to keep them out of future fires.'

 I like to give credit where credit is due so it seems congratulations are in order as The Denver Post shared this news today:

'Developers Charlie Woolley and Greg Glade are teaming up to build 50 affordable apartments at 5100 W. Alameda Ave. in Lakewood's Westwood neighborhood.

The apartments will be made available to people earning 40 percent to 50 percent of the area's median income, or about $22,000 to $35,000 a year. Lease rates will range from $400 to $800 a month.

"This neighborhood is very underserved in terms of quality affordable housing," said Woolley, president of St. Charles Town Co. "The low-income housing stock here is not that great."

Woolley also has the liquor store next to the project under contract. If all goes as planned, he expects to develop a day-care center on the site.'

Read the rest of this article

This article is rightly mentioned as Denver's #1 most-clicked article among business articles today. With the current economical situation in Denver finally evening out, this is great news for investers as there is still a strong market for affordable housing. I also wonder something:

Will the day care center be located near the liquor store?

I will be sure to find out..

Meantime, behind the scenes, many put effort here and deserve their fair share of recognition. Congratulations go to the staff of Parikh Stevens Architecture  firm in Denver for doing their part to help Denver and the economy. Parikh Stevens is a minority owned Architecture firm located in Denver with an impressive list of projects ranging from affordable housing to elite Boulder Ridge, Breckenridge residences.ridb rie, breckenridge, cooulder ridge, breckenridge, coge, breckenridge, cooulder ridge, breckenridge, coridge, breckenridge, coridge, breckenridge, co

Many of the folks from my call center in Golden being paid current wages of $22,000.- $35,000. or $11.00 - $17.00, fit that 'underserved' status will benefit from the housing.
I'm proud that we do what we do and hope that from my end, I can continue to contribute to the solutions rather than the problems.

Visit ParikhStevens.com for a complete list of clients and 'in progress' projects.

While 2008 marked the beginning of a rapid recession in the U.S., many are finding lay off's are still taking place. The world was changing while you were comfortably enjoying your last job. Now you find yourself unemployed and caught up in a new rat race, seeking decent employment to maintain the lifestyle you had to leave behind this or last year. Or maybe, like me, you are still waiting for your last day with baited breath wondering how you are going to get little Allie braces if need be.

My last day at my employer is April 1, 2010. I am a Recruiter in Human Resources and have known my current fate for over a year. I love my job, but it has been steadily changing with more and more responsibility taken from me daily. I work a traditional job Recruiting. Lots and lots of job fairs, face to face communication and paper resumes. I may have even seen your resume. I was the 'Green' girl thinking 'wasted trees!' Now as times are changing and even the last 'traditional' office is becoming more and more electronic, my position being sent to another city, I have seen the reality of the phrase: 'Phased Out'.

Now, don't get me wrong. That was before I was slowly being 'phased out' and was still on the payroll. My new boss at that time, insisted that I get into social networking and that I join social media sites such as Linked In, etc. Since my 'paper days' as I call them, I have had to learn the 'new way' of doing things to keep up with whole phase of transition and a 'speed hiring' technique. For a recruiter, that means thinking fast on your feet, 4 second resume reviews and other niceties. It meant that if I was reviewing YOUR resume, and I didn't see anything that grabbed my interest before the phone rang, again, you would be skipped over like last nights meatloaf in the fridge.

Social networking takes TIME. You may not be the boss' sister's friends golf buddy. So I'm not going to let you in on any secret that you didn't already know. I am going to tell you what I do know so you can prepare yourself for job hunting in today's highly competitive job market.

My hope is to engage you and show you just what employers are seeking in 2010, assist in opening your mind to more potential than 2008 and 2009 and show you that you are not expendable. Your skills are more than just useful in this changing environment, but critical to new businesses success.

 Unemployment Effect 2010

MSNBC Gave this quote by the Associated Press:

      "Even though the economy will likely keep growing, the pace is expected to be plodding. That will make employers reluctant to hire. Further contributing to high unemployment is the likelihood of more people competing for jobs, baby boomers delaying retirement and interest rates edging higher."

 This gave me a great idea to help me out of my own 'getting laid off' slump..

I am going to start offering "How Hiring Managers/ Recruiters Think". Part of the Unemployment Effect 2010 Series- Tips to help you get hired!
This series will be focused directly on what 'Who is going to hire you and why.'

As a recruiter myself, I have been fortunate these past few years (far too few years) to have worked for a great company, but an even better boss, who really showed my the ropes about recruiting.

Laura (my boss before she was laid off) was great at inspiring me to want to move ahead and do more than just what I felt my responsibilities were. To really 'own' a project. Laura taught me to be an effective communicator, about prioritization, and how sometimes you just need to be flexible. Things change, Minds change and so we must change too and go with the flow.

Be sure to take a look at what economists are saying about 2010 and beyond in this article. My son, Jeff, will be taking his Graduates Program next year, 2011. He is going to be an economist. :) I think some of these young people may have more of a feeling about where this recession is headed than we do.

A decade of high unemployment is looming

Have a great day, and do what you can to make tomorrow better!
Cass