The Riley Guide: Before You Search

Preparing for The World of Work

Entering or Returning to the Workforce
Support and Services for Former Prisoners
Coping with Others in the Office
Blogging and Your Job
Budgeting & Personal Financial Planning

These are a few resources intended to help you not only work effectively but to also manage the money you are earning, for now and for your future.

We also have resources for locating Child or Elder Care. Please review our information on Scams & Schemes in Work and Employment Services.

Entering or Returning to the Workforce

Employment First Educational Materials

...developed by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension and the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, these are wonderful guides to help those preparing to enter the workforce for the first time, or persons who are re-entering after a significant absence. Curriculum 1 includes topics like Financial Management (how to balance a checkbook), Child Care Issues, Interpersonal Relationships, and Keeping a Job. Curriculum 2 goes into Managing Daily Stress, Handling Emergencies (particularly those at home), Determining Needs vs Wants, and a discussion of Entrepreneurship. Many lessons have questionnaires you can print out and fill out to keep a record of what you've gone through and what you've considered.

Publications from the Wisconsin Job Center

This collection of guides prepared by the job search professionals with the state of Wisconsin covers everything you really need to know about job searching and always wanted to find in an easy-to- read document. They cover Job Readiness (are you ready to search and are you ready to work), Job Search (networking, what employers look for, what if you are turned down), Resume and Applications (avoiding errors, transferable skills, resumes), and Interviewing (hidden elements, informational interviewing, telephone techniques). Many of these guides are available in Spanish, and all can be viewed online in HTML or viewed and printed in PDF format (requires Adobe's free reader.)

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Support and Services for Former Prisoners

The Ex-Offender's Job Hunting Guide: 10 Steps to a New Life in the World of Work (Impact Publications, 2005)

...written by Ron and Caryl Krannich, this is a marvelous guide for those who have served time in prison and are now coming back into society. (They have other helpful guides listed on their website.) As many of us know, these people have a very difficult time finding employment, but steady employment is exactly what is needed to avoid a backslide. It is not only a guide to finding work, writing the resume, and preparing for interviews and salary negotiations, but it also lists resources and support services for the ex-offender. I heartily recommend this book to job counselors, employment service centers, and anyone who is, who knows, or who works with former felons. And you can utilize the companion website for even more information and resources.

Center for Employment Opportunities

...provides job readiness and placement services to former inmates, probationers and others under community supervision in New York City.

Family and Corrections Network

...providing ways for those concerned with families of prisoners to share information and experiences in an atmosphere of mutual respect. The website includes links to numerous local groups offering services and support to the incarcerated and their families during and after their separation.

National H.I.R.E. Network

..."Helping Individuals with Criminal Records Reenter Through Employment." Established by the Legal Action Center, the National HIRE Network is a national clearinghouse for information as well as an advocate for policy change. "The goal of the National H.I.R.E. Network is to increase the number and quality of job opportunities available to people with criminal records by changing public policies, employment practices and public opinion. The National H.I.R.E. Network also provides training and technical assistance to agencies working to improve the employment prospects for people with criminal records." Use the Resources list to find state agencies and local organizations to assist you.

The Osborne Association

...Based in the greater New York City area, "The Osborne Association operates a broad range of treatment, educational, and vocational services for people involved in the adult criminal and juvenile justice systems, including prisoners and former prisoners, their children, and other family members." Among their many other counseling and treatment services, The Osborne Association offers employment and training services to persons while incarcerated as well as after release.

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Coping with Others in the Office

Ask the Workplace Doctors

...a free question and answer forum from communication consultants Dr. William Gorden and Dan West. Submit questions about any aspect of working with others in your office and, if selected, your question and the answer will be posted to the site (anonymously) plus you will receive a personal response via e-mail. Popular topics here include Verbal Abuse, Gossip & Rumors, Music/Noise At Work. Perfumes & Odors, Motivating Employees, Asking For A Raise, and Sexual Harassment. Lots of links to additional resources for workplace issues, and the archive of past questions and answers is searchable.

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Blogging and Your Job

FAQ: Blogging on the Job (CNET News.com)

...yes, what you say can hurt you, especially if you are saying something about your current employer, colleagues, or project. And blogging from home on your own time won't necessarily save you. CNET covers some of the truths and misunderstandings of blogging and how it may affect your job.

How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else), Electronic Frontier Foundation

...short article offering suggestions to protect yourself as a blogger. While the EFF supports freedom of speech online, it does suggest you should set some limits on yourself to keep legal problems at bay. It also offers ways to blog anonymously.

We also recommend you look at The Internet as a Job Reference.

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Budgeting & Financial Planning

California Reality Check

...this is a marvelous tool designed to introduce high school students in California to the reality of life and expenses after high school. Despite the fact that it uses labor market and economic data from this state, I believe it is a valuable tool which will get young people thinking about the many expenses they need to consider when it comes time to strike out on their own. It could also benefit folks who have never learned to budget expenses, making sure they consider all the variables and how they can actually reduce expenses. An excellent tool developed by the State of California's Career Resource Network.

Choose to Save

...a campaign by the American Savings Education Council and the Employee Benefit Research Institute to help you plan your retirement savings, figure out if you are ready for retirement, and even teach your children about saving. Try their Ballpark Estimate Retirement Planning Worksheet to get an idea of where you are and where you want to be immediately. They also have an interactive Retirement Personality Profile and a test to help you determine your R3 -- Retirement Readiness Rating. These are primarily saving and investment personality profiles, not monetary assessment tools.

Building Wealth: A Beginner's Guide to Securing Your Financial Future

...from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, this interactive workbook is an informative introduction to developing a plan to build your personal savings through a combination of budgeting, saving,and investing. It begins with a discussion on setting financial goals, and then explains strategies for keeping track of money, making sure you are saving, handling investing, and controlling debt. A top-notch resource for those just beginning to think about their financial futures. You can use this online guide or print out a PDF copy for yourself.

Disaster Recovery: A Guide to Financial Issues

...a guide to help you regain a sense of financial balance after a disaster, which may include a major illness or injury to the principle wage earner or a death in the family. It offers suggestions on what to do immediately (First Days) followed by suggestions on what to do in the next weeks and months (Next Weeks and Months), and finally how to begin planning again for the future (Moving On). Lists of resources and support organizations are also provided. This guide is a public service of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), AICPA Foundation, the American Red Cross, and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE).

Myvesta.org

...formerly the Debt Counselors of America, this nonprofit association offers special programs and counseling for those who are experiencing debt problems or just want to get ahead of their debt. Several free publications are available for download (require PDF reader).

National Foundation for Credit Counseling

...a national non-profit network of 1,450 member Neighborhood Financial Care Centers designed to provide assistance to people dealing with stressful financial situations. Their services include counseling, a Debt Solver Program, Money Management Education, and Homebuyer Education.

Work & Money from The Christian Science Monitor

...a wonderful and very international newspaper covering the world in a special way. Their Work& Money section has good articles on topics of interest to many, and the Work & Money Library of Links (bottom of the page) has several resources that you will find helpful.

Social Security e-news

...sign up now for one or all of a series of free electronic newsletters from the US Social Security Administration (SSA). The monthly newsletters will feature the latest Social Security news for workers and beneficiaries, and topics such as Disability, Law and Regulations, Retirement, Medicare, and others.

Social Security Benefit Planners

..."Social Security benefits can provide much needed support for you and your family when you retire, if you become disabled, and when you die. This web page is designed to help you better understand your Social Security protection as you plan for your financial future." It's a one-stop shop for information on the many benefits the SSA provides, who is eligible for each program, and how to apply. The Retirement section will even take you to several more sites and sources to help you plan for your life after work.

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