The Tutor.com Blog

After years of uniformed service, transitioning to a civilian career can be daunting.  Employers appreciate the integrity and experience that veterans bring to the table, but everything works differently in the civilian world, from writing your resume to landing a job interview.

There’s even a new vocabulary to master—”positions” instead of MOCs, “salary” instead of base pay, and “vacation” instead of leave.

Fortunately, you’re not alone.  Tutor.com’s Career Specialists are available 24/7 to help you through your transition.  They can proofread your resume, brainstorm ideas for a cover letter, or find local job opportunities near you, all in our easy-to-use online classroom.

With Tutor.com for Military Families, eligible service members can work with a Career Specialist anytime.  (We also have free online tutoring for military dependents.)  For instructions to create your Tutor.com military account, just visit www.tutor.com/military and choose your service branch.

Even if your transition is years away, it pays to start your job search now.  Not only will you have access to tools like Tutor.com for Military Families while you’re still active-duty, you may also find your new career before your current term of duty ends—allowing you to pay for relocation to your new job with your military move.  That can save your family money and give you a leg up on civilian applicants, who may require moving expenses from prospective employers.

No matter where your transition takes you, Tutor.com for Military Families can help you get there.  Sign up for a free military account today, or contact us at help@tutor.com if you have more questions.

NASA recently released a new “Fly By Math” simulator as part of their Smart Skies program. They are calling it “a fresh look at traditional distance-rate-time problems.” This is a great way for students to see a practical application of linear equations.

The other day I was flying my favorite plane 8,000 feet above the ground, slicing across the sky at about 200 miles an hour, when I realized that I needed to whip out the old slope formula from algebra:  Y = MX + B.

Flying a plane isn’t like driving a car.   When you’re up high, going fast, your plane is loaded with “potential energy” that needs to be dissipated during the approach to landing.    Part of being a good pilot is about managing that energy wisely by descending at a rate that is efficient in terms of lift/drag ratio, fuel usage, passenger comfort, and of course safety.   (Flying along at 8,000 feet until you get to your airport and then spiraling down to a landing would be inefficient, wasteful, and weird for the passengers, who prefer smooth descents.)

As I did my math I realized that I wanted to stay up relatively high that day because the winds were in my favor and also because the temperature at 8,000 feet was about 20 degrees cooler than on the ground on a hot day. I settled on a 500 foot-per-minute descent rate (slope) and then got out my pencil to do the math to figure out how far away I should begin my decent.

I calculated that flying at a speed of three miles per minute, while descending 500 feet per minute would mean that I would get six miles closer to the airport for every 1,000 feet of altitude that I descended.    Being 8,000 feet above the ground therefore meant that I would need to start my descent forty two miles before my destination for a nice glide right to my home runway.

Lucky for me, the air traffic controller that day was able to give me the exact descent rate (slope) that I wanted.   But it doesn’t always work out that way, usually because there are lots of other planes up there, and the air traffic controllers must make sure we all land safely.   It’s times like these that I am glad I paid attention in algebra class.

Bart Epstein is the Senior VP, Corporate Development and General Counsel at Tutor.com. He has previously written about his love of flying and volunteer Angel Flights.

Finding a new job can be tricky, whether you’re looking for a part-time gig between semesters or the next step in your career.  And in a tough economy, it can be twice as hard.  Fortunately, Tutor.com’s SkillsCenter has hundreds of resources to help you with every step in your job search, including:

• exploring new career paths
• putting together your resume
• writing a cover letter
• finding job listings near you
• preparing for interviews

The SkillsCenter is built into our Learning Suite, so you can access this information anytime if your school or local public library has Tutor.com.  It’s easy—just log into the Adult Education and Career Center and click any of the categories under “Adult Services.”  You can also search the SkillsCenter for career resources in your city.  We have open job listings for the 40 largest metro areas in the U.S. and Canada, which makes it easy to narrow your search:

Once you’ve found a career opportunity near you, you can also download sample resumes, resume templates, and writing guidelines to draft a cover letter, or interview tips to help you help you ace your first meeting with your future boss.

If you need more coaching (or some pointers and advice), our Career Help Specialists are available and ready to help.  They can review your resume or proofread a cover letter to make sure it’s just right before you send it in, or help you find open jobs in your neighborhood.

With a little assistance from Tutor.com, your new career could be a few clicks away.

Need a little extra cash? Want to get a jump on a career? It’s summer job time, and what you do over your break matters. But it can be tough to figure out what kind of job to look for, much less how to land one that pays well and gives you a leg up. Luckily, we’ve done the dirty work and uncovered tips to get you well on your way to the perfect gig.

Career Planning. Before you answer that “lifeguards wanted” ad, consider whether you want just a paycheck or experience toward your dream job. If you think you want to be a journalist, find out if your local newspaper or radio station needs an assistant. You might even get to write a story or two by summer’s end. Internships and volunteer positions also can be a great way to get experience. Volunteer in a hospital or senior home if you think a career in healthcare is in your future. Even though you won’t be in on the ER action, an internship in a relevant field will give you a glimpse of what it’s really like to work in a given profession. Plus, if you do good work as a summer intern, you might even be able to score a paying job next summer.

Life Skills. So you don’t know what you want to do next weekend let alone for the rest of your life. No worries. You’ll get something out of nearly any job you choose, and you may even figure out a career plan. For instance, if you take that lifeguard job, you’ll learn how to be responsible for public safety and how to stay focused while on duty. You might also find out that you like working with kids. A job at a clothing store, especially if you work on commission, will teach you how to interact with others and sell a product and might put you toward a business career. If you want to get leadership or public speaking skills, a job as a camp counselor might be just the thing—and who knows, it could be the training ground for becoming a company CEO.

Apply Yourself. Once you settle on where you want to work, the next step is to apply. When you pick up job applications, dress appropriately (think a skirt and blouse or khakis and a collared shirt) and ask to see the manager. As you fill out the application (neatly), describe your past job experience in a way that really sells. Don’t just write down “sales clerk” and the name of the store, list what you actually did. For example, “responsible for closing store and tallying the day’s sales” would showcase your responsibilities. For some jobs, you may have to put together a résumé, and often you’ll have to go through an interview. If you’re not sure how, ask for help from an older sibling or friend who has experience with résumés and interviews. Before you arrive at the interview, do a little research first so you can impress your prospective employer with your knowledge of their business or industry.

Looking to land the perfect summer gig? These websites will help with everything from finding a job to mastering the interview.

Jobs: http://www.quintcareers.com/summer_job_sites.html
http://www.adventuresineducation.org/HighSchool/Jobs/jobhuntingtechniques.cfm

Internships: http://www.fastweb.com/fastweb/resources/articles/index/104225

Resumes: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/36957.html

Interviews: http://www.groovejob.com/resources/interview/tips/

Some of your favorite stars will be walking down the red carpet soon during the Emmy Awards. Do you dream of one day entering the homes of millions of Americans in high-definition glory? Many of us fantasize about being actors or reality stars, but only a fraction of the awards handed out at the show will be given to onscreen talent. Here are some fun behind-the-scenes jobs in TV that one day could be yours:

Cameraperson
If you have a computer with a camera and a YouTube account, you’ve likely already experimented with the most exciting part of being a cameraperson. Knowing where to point the lens in order to tell the most compelling tale is a big part of the job. But you’ll also need to know about lighting and how to create interesting visuals that tell a compelling story. Photography and art classes can help you learn about composition, but writing classes will really hone your skills on how to build a story, which is key to becoming a good cameraperson.

Casting Director and Talent Booker
Casting directors work with agents to scout and audition actors. They spend endless days auditioning hopeful men and women in order to try to find the next Zach Efron or Blake Lively. A talent booker, meanwhile, tries to convince Ellen Page that she should appear on The Late Show, finds the family with five sets of triplets to go on Tyra and sorts through thousands of emails from people around the world who think their story is Oprah-worthy. If either of these piques your interest, communication classes can certainly help, as can film history classes, which provide a foundation of knowledge about the performing arts in the twentieth century. Lastly, drama classes can give you an understanding of what the mechanics of acting are all about.

Editor
In the age of reality television, editors are more important than ever. Often, they need to take hundreds of hours of unscripted footage and figure out how to distill it down to a coherent and interesting 30-minute story. It’s a position of power since deciding what gets left out and what stays in can ultimately make or break or a show. But if you don’t like having alone time, this isn’t a career for you. This job often involves spending hours alone in a dark room staring at a screen. To study for a potential career in TV editing, it’s important to be computer savvy, most editing is done using programs like Avid and Final Cut Pro.

Screenwriter
The screenwriter has the daunting job of starting with a black sheet of paper and turning it into a blockbuster epic with only a pen as a tool—not a job for the faint of heart. Screenwriters enter into the field from all walks of life: teaching, advertising and even acting. The skills you need are both written and visual but what you really need is a point of view. Careers in screenwriting require strong story telling skills, so work your way into that Honors English program and read everything in sight.

Everyone has to start somewhere, even a genius like Albert Einstein—he was a patent clerk, evaluating other people’s inventions, when he published his Annus Mirabilis papers and helped bring physics into the 20th Century. Your local patent office probably isn’t hiring, but if you’re ready to break free from the babysitting grind, there are lots of great opportunities for first-time job seekers.

One of the most popular jobs for teenagers is food service. In fact, flipping burgers at your neighborhood fast-food emporium is practically a rite of passage for high-school students. But if you’re not interested in sizzling beef, sugary sodas, and gooey cheese (or cheese-like substances), there are other ways to make an honest buck.

For example, consider applying for a job at your local library, community center, veterinary clinic, or day-care facility. All these businesses tend to hire teens, and a unique job will look great on your college application or resume. Don’t be shy about asking your parents for leads, either. Their offices might be looking for temporary clerical help, and it can’t hurt to have a letter of recommendation from an employee (even if that employee is your mom or dad).

If you like sports, you could also try out to be a youth baseball umpire or soccer referee. These jobs are fun and athletic, and they often pay better than you might think. If getting jeered by angry parents isn’t your thing, try your local golf course or swimming pool—just remember to bring sunscreen.

To cast an even wider net, take a look at your hometown newspaper’s classifieds section or job-search websites like Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com. You’d be surprised at how many positions are advertised as “entry-level” or “perfect for students,” and in some cases you can even apply online.

Finally, consider volunteering, particularly if your primary goal isn’t to put some cash into your pocket or save up for college. You’ll learn skills that will come in handy later in life, and the experience itself can be very rewarding. (It also looks great on a college application.) For help finding volunteer opportunities in your community, visit DoSomething.org, Volunteers of America, or local community centers and houses of worship.

No matter where you apply, make sure you read our helpful tips for writing a resume and interviewing. Good luck!

Applying for a job can be nerve-wracking, especially if it’s your first time, but it doesn’t have to be. With these helpful tips, you’ll land the position of your dreams—or at least a summer job—without breaking a sweat.

First of all, make sure you have a neat, well-organized and proofread resume. (For examples and advice on formatting, check out Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab.) Potential employers know you’re young and don’t have much work experience, but taking the time to present yourself and your accomplishments with professionalism can set you apart from the crowd.

Your resume should include your GPA, any academic awards you’ve won, and a list of sports teams and school clubs you belong to—especially if you’ve been elected to an office, like school treasurer or captain of the basketball team. Other great entries for your resume include organizations you’ve volunteered with and community events you’ve helped organize.

But that’s not all. Do you have any special skills or certifications? Mention them. Do you speak more than one language? Say so. Are you good with computers? Let your geek flag fly! Remember, your goal is to show potential employers that you’re a valuable member of your community, a fast learner, and a helpful addition to the workforce.

You should also make sure that your voicemail greeting and email address convey a grown-up, professional image. The same goes for ringback tones—your friends might get a kick out of Lil Wayne’s latest, but your future boss probably won’t.

Now, you’ve probably heard this next part before, but it bears repeating: When you go to a job interview, dress appropriately, stand up straight, and always be respectful. If you have a cell phone, turn the ringer off. Look your interviewer square in the eye and speak clearly. Potential employers appreciate job applicants who are confident in themselves and comfortable with people, so practice your interview skills with a parent, sibling or friend if you’re feeling nervous.

It also helps to prepare answers to a few common questions, like “why did you apply for this job?” or “tell me a little about yourself.” (Trust me, you’ll get those two a lot.) You don’t want to sound like you’re reading from a cue card, so don’t over-rehearse, but a little forethought can save you from awkward pauses and nervous stammering.

Finally, try to relax and be yourself. Sincerity and enthusiasm will take you a lot further than you might think—if your resume looks good, that is!

Last week Tutor.com hosted our first Resume Writing Webinar. Over 150 libraries and an estimated 1,000 library customers participated from around the country. Special thanks to our resume guru, Barbara Safani who runs Career Solvers. Barbara spent an hour sharing key tips to help all different types of job seekers. Read our press announcement for more information.

Perhaps the best part of the webinar for our staff was reading all of the wonderful comments that came in from the participating librarians. Here’s a few we wanted to share:

“Thanks, so much! I think you should all be giving each other high-fives for this debut webinar event—great job. And by the way, thank you, for all the pre-publicity materials: THAT really helped. We made posters, fliers, and little ½ sheets as well.” – California Librarian
“Today’s resume webinar proved beneficial for our participants. Positive feedback from Berlin patrons was related to the variety of age-related resume samples.” – Maryland Librarian

“The presenter was excellent. I want to re-do my resume. Her tips were concrete and thought-provoking. Everyone of our attendees took notes. We are going to order her book. The attendees seemed very excited about our library having Tutor.com.” – New Jersey Librarian

“This was an awesome program. The economy in our town is extremely depressed and this filled a huge need. I would love to be able to to host additional helpful programs for our patrons. Thanks a million.” – Kansas Librarian

Whether someone is unemployed, about to be laid off or just looking for greener pastures, every job seeker has the same difficult task ahead of them: updating the resume and cover letter.

There are a lot of ways to go about this, and whichever one your patrons choose, they are going to need help and another set of qualified eyes.

This is where our ProofPoint ™ Real Time Writing Center comes in. Here’s how it works:

A job seeker uploads a resume or cover letter draft using our new file-sharing tool in the Tutor.com Learning Suite.  Then, he or she is connected to a career specialist to review the resume on screen—in real time! The job-seeker can get help with objectives and phrasing, what to highlight and what information could help them land the job.

We know that other companies offer a service that allows the user to send a resume off, and have it reviewed and eventually sent back with suggested edits– but we can’t imagine anything more frustrating. What if the feedback is unclear? Or, listing technical qualifications is still hazy? With a job market this competitive, time waiting is time wasted.

What’s so great about all the tools that ProofPoint offers is that it happens in real time, while the job seeker is in session with a career specialist. Working together, the user can see any changes being made to the document—like grammar, style, format and word choice—and really feel confident he or she has a  professionally-written cover letter and resume that they can feel proud of using.

We are really excited about the positive feedback about this product, and are thrilled that your community can really take advantage of the convenience without even leaving the house!

by jojomelons

Last week Tutor.com sent a newsletter to students who use our consumer service and the most popular article was “Beyond Babysitting: Job Opportunties for Teens”. In fact, it was our most popular newsletter item ever. So I decided to do some Google searching to find out how hot an issue summer jobs for teens is right now. My search found over 1,000 recent articles about this very topic. While most of us are focused on the terrible economy and how it’s affecting adults, it’s easy to forget that thousands of teens are also job searching.

Back in the summer of 2000, 45% of teens held jobs according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last summer only 32.7% were collecting a summer paycheck and it seems that number will decrease this year. Teens are facing competition from older, better educated adults who are applying to the retail, fast food, amusement park, lifeguard jobs that are usually staffed almost completely by teens.

If your library is looking to help out teens in your community with their summer job search, here’s resources recommended by the experts who are making the rounds in local and national news.

SnagAJob.com – Listings of hourly part-time jobs, advice on how to land a job and a wage calculator.

Teens4Hire.org – Job listings, articles and information about work permits and labor laws specifically for teens. Jobing.com – Search by zip code to find job listings in the community, but not specifically focused on teens.

Teen Job Scene – Find a job by category or location and take a look at the articles and resume and cover letter templates just for teens.

Quintessential Careers – Comprehensive resource with articles, tips and links to teen-focused job sites.

Disadvantaged teens may also find help at a local One-Stop Career Center. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has allotted a whopping $1.2 billion to help 14-24 year olds find and even fund summer jobs.

by Here’s Kate

You know the stats. Library usage is up. Way up. According to a recent New York Times article libraries across the nation are seeing 10-30% more patrons over last year. The reason of course is the dismal economy. Libraries are answering this call with innovative and timely programs even as their own budgets are cut. Here’s a few that we think deserve special attention.

After surveying public library directors, the Washington State Library created a new website -Hard Times in Washington Libraries. This online destination includes Resources for Library Users and Resources for Library Staff. For users there are links for resume and job skills and help finding jobs as well as information for making ends meet, filing for unemployment and much more. For library staff, the resources focus on how to find funding during this difficult time.

The New Jersey State Library offers residents employment and career resources online, in print and from their catalog. Resources include everything from how to write a resume and conduct a job search to finding civil service positions and exploring new occupations.

Individual libraries are also creating new resources and tools for job seekers such as Benicia Public Library in California which prominently features it’s job resources right on the library’s home page. In the “Looking for a Job?” section the library has listed a variety of national and local online resources and they also have a in-library help including a new job binder at the customer service desk and one-to-one resume help.

Tutor.com is doing our part to help libraries and patrons too. As noted in a former post, Tutor.com is launching a new Learning Suite including an Adult Center which was covered recently in Library Journal and InfoToday. Our services will help adults write a resume or cover letter with real-time writing guidance, provide vetted job search resources in our new 24/7 SkillsCenter™ Resource Library and also support adults going back to school or preparing for the GED.

How is your library answering the needs of your community?

The  Associated Press reported today that more and more adults are turning to libraries for help to find jobs.  With a record national unemployment rate of  7.2%, libraries are expecting to serve even more adult job seekers in the coming months.

Most libraries know Tutor.com as a teen or kid service – helping K-12 students with homework help and tutoring, but Tutor.com has been helping libraries serve adult students for years now with everything from GED prep to brushing up on algebra when returning to school.

This year, Tutor.com is doing much more for adults.  Just last week we launched a one-click entry page for adults who want to connect with a tutor.  This summer we’ll introduce The Tutor.com Adult Learning Center - a suite of services designed specifically for adults with one-to-one tutoring, proofreading and writing help and 24/7 resources. After folks use a library database to get a list of relevant jobs, our tutors can help them write a resume or proofread a cover letter before an important interview.

So Tutor.com is not just for kids. We’re here to help serve the entire community.