The VA is a great resource that is ready to provide health care and other important services to the Veteran community that is returning from the armed services. Below are some of their programs and resources that you need to know about upon returning back to civilian life.


The Returning Service Blog
This site is a great resource for veteran's to check out on a consistent basis with news, tips and stories on the impact of the VA on the lives of veterans.

Recent articles include:
A Journey We Must Take Together
What Should We Call Our Newest Vets

Health Care Eligibility
You can enroll for health care at any VA Medical Center or clinic for 5 years following your military separation date. When you enroll, you may start receiving your health care at the VA right away or defer till a later time, the choice is yours. You need to enroll within 5 years from your separation.

Dental Benefits
Unlike the health care, which you have 5 years with which to enroll, the dental program requires a dental exam within the first 180 days of your separation. Check out this link for more information on the dental program.

Federal Recovery Coordination Program
This program assists severely wounded, ill or injured returning service members, veterans and their families in accessing the care, services and benefits provided through the various programs in the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs and other private sector agencies. Check out this link for more info.

VA Mobile Site
Get your information on the go with the VA's new mobile site. Check out news, videos and find the closest VA facility from your mobile phone by going to m.va.gov today!
Important Numbers
Benefits...................................1-800-827-1000
Education and Training...........1-888-442-4551
Life Insurance.........................1-800-669-8477
Special Issues..........................1-800-749-8387
Health Care..............................1-877-222-8387
Headstones / Markers.............1-800-697-6947
VA Insp. General.....................1-800-488-8244

Are you a Vet looking for a Job in Orlando? Check out all the jobs in Orlando here.

I found an interesting resource this morning that I wanted to share with you guys. It's a site called Van-Pools and features ways to, you guessed it, van pool to work. From their site:

Van-Pools.com is a blog and online resource portal for commuters who want to learn more about the financial and environmental benefits of sharing rides. Van-Pools.com provides a forum for vanpoolers and other ride-sharers to access commute-related information, national trends and expert insights, share stories and gain access to unique and useful commute-related tools.

With time and money being your two strongest assets, you can save both by teaming up and riding with friends and co-workers. We have some people in our office doing this and it saves miles on the car, money in gas and allows them to switch off from driving - which gets them refreshed for the day.

Do any of you car pool to work? Let's share some stories in the comments.

-Greg

HealthCare Job Fair!
When: Tuesday November 17th, 2008
Where: Anne Arundel Community College
101 College Parkway
Arnold, MD 21012
Time: 10am-3pm

The following healthcare companies are seeking their next qualified candidate:
Bello Machre
Dimensions Healthcare Systems
Genesis Healthcare
Mary Kay
Maryland National Guard
PB Health
Parexel
Regent Healthcare
Rehab Management
Saint Agnes Hospital

There will be many opportunities in the healthcare industry available.
The healthcare job fair is sponsored by The Employment Guide and Anne Arundel Community College. Just remember to dress for success and bring plenty of resumes.

Health Career Web is a great resource for nurses, allied health professionals, doctors and really anyone looking to expand their career in the health care industry. Over the past 2 years the team at HCW have been talking to aspiring health care professionals, hospitals, small practices and nursing homes to get a better idea of what these skilled professionals are looking for when they network with each other.

Last week we saw the relaunch of Health Career Web as a professional networking site for these health care professionals, as well as recruiters and facilities to meet, talk and grow together. Here at the JobSpot, we wanted to give you a bird's eye view of all the cool things you can now do on the site to boost your visibility and your credibility.

Below is the first in this series of videos and is an overview of the new Health Career Web. Check it out...



If you are a nurse, doctor, physical therapist or aspiring to tackle another career opportunity in the Health Care niche, sign up for a profile today and be sure to check back with us over the next few days as we release new videos on how to search for jobs, how to create and optimize your profile, write compelling blog posts and other great tips to get the most of this medical resource.

Happy hunting Orlando.

-Greg

Setting up a new internet account, creating a user name or picking out your new email address can be a lot of fun. We debate on silly names like sunflower10, baseballboy or maybe even adhesivemonkies. We like to pick out something that says something about ourselves. It's a nice idea but when it comes to important letters even resumes it can be a big NO NO!

Your resume reflects everything about you. The recruiter sees you have a good job history and education. You are everything the recruiter has been looking for. They look at your contact information and there's your email or user name purplehaze93 or partygirl2000. They are turned off within seconds. These names can give recruiters the wrong impression or the right one. "Is this person a drug user?" or maybe "Does this person have a drinking problem or problems showing up late for work?"

Here are a few ways to avoid this situation.

1. If you already have an email with an unacceptable name, create a new one with a free email service like Gmail or Hotmail. This is also a good way to keep track of all your outgoing and incoming emails just for job searching.

2. When you create the email or user name use your name like bobsmith@blahblah.com.

3. If you don't want to use your full name you can use your first or last initial. bsmith@blahblah.com or bobs@blahblah.com.

4. If you don't want to use your name at all try to use something relating to your job search like jobseeker101@blahblah.com.

The point is using these types of user names or email addresses is the safer way to go. You don't want them to question if you are a vampire or if you dance with wild animals with names like truebloodlover or reggaemountaingoat.

As we near Veteran's Day, the Orlando Employment Guide is gearing to release its fall version of the Veteran's Transition Guide. We distribute this resource twice a year to bases, veteran outlets and other places throughout the state of Florida to help transitioning soldiers get back on their feet and working in our communities. Over the next few days we will be providing some further resources and information to accompany the Vet's Guide here on the JobSpot.

If you are a veteran and have a transitioning story you wish to tell, please email us at greg.rollett@employmentguide.com to be featured in the JobSpot.

Did you know there are services and places for your to learn and grow into a new life after service?

It's our hope that with the articles in our archives, our job fairs and jobs in the Orlando area that we can help make the transition as smooth as possible. Below is a list of resources to use as a starting point n your search for life after military service.

Community of Veterans


This is a place to swap stories and learn from people like you. The Community of Veterans is designed for people who have served, want to talk about their experience and meet new people.

National Veteran's Foundation

A resource tool built to serve veterans in crisis management, information and referral needs. It's their hope that public awareness programs shine a consistent spotlight on the needs of American Veterans.

Camp Patriot Program


Camp Patriot Program takes disabled U.S. Veterans on outdoor adventures. The can provide a range of outdoor activities, and will be equipped to accommodate veterans with an array of disabilities. There's no cost to the veteran.

Military.com/Careers


Use this resource to find companies that are looking for veterans

The American Veteran Online Video Magazine


This is a monthly video magazine featuring important veteran issues and tells the stories of service and sacrifice made by America's men and women in uniform and discusses some of the benefits they have earned.

Benefits Fact Sheets
This program, which allows service members to apply for disability compensation benefits from VA before retiring or separating, has a goal of providing benefits within 60 days after release or discharge from active duty.

Military.com/Education-Home


After you have finished serving your country, find your new place in life with a degree.

Enable America


Enable America’s objective is to increase employment among people with disabilities in the United States. To accomplish this goal, we are taking a two-pronged approach that reaches out to all members of the disability community and the business community.

Vet Friends


This site helps you reunite with friends and family who are veterans of or are currently serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard.

Relief for Military Homeowners in the Stimulus Package


The stimulus — signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17 — features a provision titled the Military Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP). HAP benefits (normally payable only at BRAC locations) will be extended to certain military homeowners who bought homes before July 1, 2006 and who sell the homes before Sept. 30, 2012, according to MOAA.com.

Vocational Educational Counseling
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service provides vocational-educational counseling to veterans and certain dependents.

- Times can be rough right now for some people and companies with bankruptcy. If you think that you or your company may have it bad with debt, take a look at this article and how people are punished for bankruptcy abroad:

Dubai: Yes, you can go to jail

In Dubai, if you don't have enough cash in your account to cover the check in any given month, watch out: The bank can get a warrant for your arrest, and you can be jailed, Rhode said. Those in default also can have their passports seized, preventing them from leaving the country.

Germany: Bankruptcy is a teachable moment

In Germany, as in most European countries, creditors could turn to specialized public debt collectors to try to get defaulters to pay. These collectors might hold public auctions of one of the debtor's few possessions -- a sofa, say -- which often brought in so little money that the auction costs weren't even covered, let alone any part of the debt, Kilborn said.

...Germany, however, views its six-year repayment plan as a chance to educate consumers about responsible money management, Kilborn said. If the debtor follows the rules of the plan, his or her debts are wiped out after six years even if not a single payment is made to a creditor -- and typically, none is.

India: Bands of thugs and public shaming

There is no system, formal or informal, for helping people resolve their consumer debts in India, Kilborn said.

A growing middle class and a rise in the availability of credit haven't led to any kind of mediation system for people who can't pay. Instead, even legitimate lenders may turn to bands of thugs to enforce debts or use public humiliation, such as demonstrations outside the defaulters' homes.

- Have you ever wondered how the US compares with other countries in retirement? Well the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index has ranked countries based on the adequacy, sustainability, and integrity of their public and private pension systems. It turns out that we are ranked 6th out of the 11 countries examined.

- Here is an article on the 5 stocks that you should buy as prices drop. It has great tips on long term investment that have great potential on being successful.

So in closing Portland, what are your thoughts on debt, retirement, and the stock market? And do these articles change your opinions on these subjects? Please leave your comments in the section below.

If you or someone you know is a veteran of the U.S. Military Service and are in search of employment make plans on attending this special job fair hosted by the Allegheny County Department of Veteran's Affairs.

About 70 employers will be represented at the event to be held at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland from 9:00AM to 3:30PM November 12th (the day after Veteran's Day).

Employer booth space is already sold out so bring plenty of resumes and dress for success. Click on the image to the right and save it to your computer for more information.

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 2, 2009 – HealthCareerWeb.com, a full service healthcare job site and a division of Dominion Enterprises, has been redesigned to seamlessly integrate its online job board with its medical professional network.

“We’ve redesigned HealthCareerWeb.com with the user in mind. Healthcare recruiters and job seekers can now more easily engage with one another through our professional networking environment. And the best part is—it’s all free!” said Denise Tanner, business development manager of HealthCareerWeb.com.

The redesigned site encourages visitors to create a user profile. Similar to other professional networking sites, once a user profile is created, the visitor can then add friends, create or join groups, post blogs, participate in forum discussions and post photos and videos. HealthCareerWeb.com’s forums offer an informal place where medical professionals can post questions and articles about careers in healthcare and work-related issues.

The new HealthCareerWeb.com also allows job seekers to apply for positions directly from their profile and to save jobs in one central location. The next time the user logins in, he or she can view uncompleted job applications. This new streamlined application process makes applying for a medical job even easier.

For healthcare companies, HealthCareerWeb.com provides the perfect setting to showcase the organization’s offerings. Free of charge, healthcare organizations may create their own user profiles to post videos and other useful information to the healthcare Web site. Companies may also apply to become a Certified Healthcare Recruiter which allows the organization to post a special emblem to its profile page.

The new HealthCareerWeb.com will be showcased at the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) 45th Annual Conference and Exposition, Nov. 1 – 3, in Chicago. Show attendees should visit Booth #129 for a live demonstration of the professional networking healthcare Web site and to register to win a Wii Fit.

“The ASHHRA conference is a great opportunity for HealthCareerWeb.com to unveil our new features and products. The 2008 event in Austin was pivotal in our conceptual redesign and we are now prepared to unveil the new site to our customers and to the industry,” said Chris Baker, director of business development.