Thursday, November 28, 2019

The 3 Most Important Things to Include on Your Resume

The 3 Most Important Things to Include on Your ResumeThe 3 Most Important Things to Include on Your ResumeWhen welches the last time you updated your resume? If too much time has passed since you gave your resume a once-over, it is probably time to revisit it. Many factors have changed the game in the world of job searching over the last few years, one of the most significant of which is the fact that so much of the process is now conducted zugnglich. If you dont rework your resume to match the current demands of recruiters and employers who seek candidates almost exclusively zugnglich now, then youll likely be trumped by other candidates who understand the new reality for job search.See 10 Ways Social Media Can Help You Land a Job.While retooling your resume may sound intimidating, it doesnt have to be as hard as you think. A smart strategy for your revision process is to stay focused on the three areas that matter most to hiring managers incorporating keywords, proving your value t hrough data and using specific language targeted at each job to which you applyKeywords. A recent Jobvite study showed that the vast majority (92 percent) of recruiters hunt for candidates online using social media. This means that anything you can do to make your resume stand out from the competition online will serve your job search well. Keywords are simply words or word combinations that people type into search engines to find matches for what they want on the internet. Employers and recruiters searching for candidates look for resumes that contain keywords that are relevant to the positions they need to fill. This means your keywords should include the commonly used job title for the position you want as well as your key skills and industry. When you include this information in your resume, it makes it easier for hiring managers to find you online. When youre resume is posted on a website, the site will also have better search engine optimization for your target audience if you include appropriate keywords.See The 8 Stages of a Winning Job Search.Numbers. Anyone can add a goal that they accomplished to their resume. But to really reveal impact and show the value you could potentially bring to an organization, you need to quantify your achievements. This simply means including data and metrics whenever possible on your resume. For example, if you spearheaded a project, dont just list the project describe the impact of the project using numbers. Did you oversee a team of eight people? Did it result in 100 additional sales? Did it increase your departments profits by 50 percent? If you have impressive numbers that can help hiring managers better understand how your successes impacted organizations where youve worked, add them to your resume. If possible, try not to use general terms like tripled or decreased spending unless you can back them up with solid figures. If there are confidentiality issues with including numbers in your resume, consider adding an overall range to avoid specifics yet still show employers the rough numerical impact you made.See 8 Things That Are More Productive Than Staring at a Job Board.A customized message. A decade ago, it was standard practice to have a single resume that youd send out to every employer when applying for jobs. That was then, this is now. With the increased competition from online job search comes greater need to tailor your message to each job opening you want to pursue. A sure way to instantly lose credibility with an employer is to send out a regurgitated resume and cover letter that clearly is generic rather than aimed at their organization. Instead, review the companys website and job description carefully before deciding which points and job experiences to highlight in your application materials for that one position. Use your resume and cover letter as a forum to respond to the exact needs that the hiring manager describes in the job ad explaining how your exact background and skil l set can help them reach their goals and youll stand out head and shoulders from those who take the lazier approach.It may not be easy to compete in todays online job search environment, but it can be simple if you stay focused on revising your resume to reflect whats most important to recruiters and employers today. When you know how to strategically use job-related keywords, include specific data and metrics to quantify your impact, and customize each resume you send out with language that responds to the hiring managers biggest needs, youll be well on your way to landing your next opportunity.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Why Employers Are Offering More Telemedicine Benefits

Why Employers Are Offering More Telemedicine BenefitsWhy Employers Are Offering More Telemedicine BenefitsYears ago, it was a common practice for doctors to make house calls to ill or injured people in the community. But as large medical centers evolved as the population grew, patients were required to travel to where they could receive medical care. The emergency room and outpatient care were created to solve the need for on-demand care. However, in a mora modern age, technology has enabled more people the ability to receive health care and support from home- through telemedicine. The Emergence of Telemedicine Benefits Telemedicine has its origins in mandatory nurse care hotlines that HMO health care plans required to control costs by screening patients. Health care plan members now have the ability to skip the expensive trip to the ER by simply picking up the phone or engaging with a live doctor anytime via VOiP systems or some other live web-communication system. In just minut es, individuals can see and talk to a real physician who can (in many cases) diagnose and recommend a treatment plan, including calling in prescription drugs or ordering lab tests. According to the National Business Group on Health/Towers Watson - Annual Best Practices in Health Care Survey, by the year 2020 nearly all companies offering group health care plans will offer telemedicine as part of their offering. Currently (2017), 56%of the companies that work with this group offer telemedicine to employees, ranging the gamut from preventative care to mental health care. Telemedicine has become a critical component of employee benefit design, giving employees greater access to medical support from wherever they are connected via smartphones, laptops, and tablets. Employees often use their telemedicine benefits to deal with minor illnesses, or when treating common health conditions like rashes, burns, and cuts. For unterstellung reasons, more employers will offer telemedicine. Pros and Cons of Telemedicine Benefits The ability of human resources to refer employees to health care providers to support wellness and immediate care for illnesses or injury can be critical. But it also involves being more cost-effective in terms of managing benefit dollars. Most of the time, telemedicine has positive results for both employees and employers. There are also some potential negatives to using telemedicine as opposed to standard health care services. Some of the key benefits of telemedicine include Convenient access to careEmployees can simply log in to a web-based communication system from any device or call a toll free hotline to speak with a physician. Most telemedicine lines also include a live nurse who can answer questions and determine the nature of the health concern. A doctor then talks with the plan member, conducts a review of their health hintergrund and concerns, symptoms and can actually perform a visual exam of the person via video conferencing. If the h ealth need is emergent, the doctor can advise the patient were to receive immediate care. If not, such as in the case of a head cold, allergies, low-risk injuries or mental health worries, the doctor can call in a script for medication and provide instructions on care. The care is available any time of the day or night, and from where the plan member is- so they can even access care when on vacation or at work. Better access to health care servicesOne particular benefit of telemedicine is the ability for employees who live in remote regions or those where doctors offices are limited, to access the proper care. This is especially important if the group health plan doesnt have enough participation or if participation changes in a specific region. For those who live in rural areas, rough terrain, or during emergency situations when they cannot get to a nearby hospital for care, a telemedicine doctor can instruct the plan member on what to do to protect his or her health until they can get to a physical medical office. This is also great for those employees who work long hours or cannot take time off from work for doctors appointments, including those with chronic health conditions. Little to no wait time for medical attentionOutside of emergency care, most consumers of health insurance products must wait for weeks and even months to get in for care. This is often the case with specialists as well as even for routine medical care like physicals and immunizations. Many people just dont have the patience or the ability to wait that long to talk with a doctor about a pressing health concern. Telemedicine appointments can happen immediately with some plans, which can take place virtually. A doctor can go over a patients digital health record to coordinate care with their regular physician and recommend a course of action or arrange for follow up care sooner. This can be a matter of life and death in some cases, such as symptoms of cancer, heart and lung problems. Heal th care costs are reducedIn most cases, the use of telemedicine services helps to reduce the cost associated with using insurance benefits. The average cost of a virtual telemedicine visit is around $50, while a visit to a primary care physician can cost between $800, an ER visit is $650. This is according to UnitedHealthcare data from a 2016 study. Obviously, there is a huge difference in cost, but also the care level is a lot less involved. But for a consumer with frequent health care concerns, this can add up to major cost savings over time. Possible Negatives of Telemedicine On the flip side of telemedicine, there are some negatives to be aware of before utilizing them. Heres a rundown Delay of proper medical careDespite the warnings, sometimes people just dont seek medical care until its too late. The use of telemedicine is not an adequate substitute for seeing a doctor in person, getting the proper lab tests, and begin examined physically. A potential negative for telemed icine is that a plan member may not know how to describe his or her symptoms to the virtual doctor (who has no prior relationship or knowledge of the patient) and end up with a misdiagnosis.Not being utilized by plan membersThere are also many who argue that despite the benefits of telemedicine, the regular utilization of this service is low. The RAND Corporation published a study in the journal Health Affairs that shows 88% of the use of telemedicine is by new utilization. Only 12% of the use of telemedicine is by regular health care users who substitute virtual care for in-person care with their doctors. This also factors into the costs of telemedicine. If members dont use these benefits instead of emergent care and other costly visits, they dont benefit them cost-wise. Getting Plan Members to Take Advantage of Telemedicine Benefits While the positives of telemedicine far outweigh the negatives, the only way that employees and employers can realize any true benefits is by usi ng them for the right reasons. The mistake that many benefit administrators make is assuming that just because they offer telemedicine that plan members will excitedly participate. When rolling out telemedicine benefits, a great deal of education and instruction needs to be communicated to employees. For example, the HR team will want to share how to access the telemedicine application, where to find information about submitting claims, when is the best time to use this service, and what to do if immediate care is needed. Employees should be warned near to substitute telemedicine for proper emergency care or that provided by their regular primary care physician. As the study above indicated, the use of this benefit has been mostly through new utilization, that is people who otherwise would have put off a visit to their doctor or who may have just tried a home remedy. Those who still continue to use their regular benefits and are reluctant to use telemedicine can be encouraged to do so for minor health concerns. A great time to launch an educational campaign around the use of telemedicine can be during the cold and flu season. Employees with chronic health concerns, scubas diabetes or pain management may also benefit from telemedicine. In some cases, the telemedicine service can also augment other types of benefits such as mental health benefits, addiction recovery, and more. What the Future Brings for Telemedicine As more healthcare consumers turn to online resources to learn more about their health conditions and how to stay healthy, the use of telemedicine can only increase in popularity. It just makes sense from a convenience standpoint to be able to talk to a medical provider in minutes rather than wait for weeks for an appointment and then spend more time and money on expensive medical tests. There are even companies that offer low-cost telemedicine benefits in place of other high-cost health care plans. Since the Affordable Care Act, health care p remiums have jumped nearly 99%, which means healthcare consumers are looking for ways to afford their medical care. In the future, employees will likely have greater access to their personal health data which they can access anytime they wish to speak with a virtual physician. More self-pay and flexible plans will likely add telemedicine as a regular offering, to replace nurse hotlines and other directories of health information. Due to the advances in machine learning and data management, human telemedicine doctors will soon be replaced with computerized avatars that will react to the responses of patients, diagnosing and issuing treatment plans based on their directories of health data. This will essentially make telemedicine as handy as accessing a mobile app and inputting a digital fingerprint to initiate the process. Documentation will be automated to the health care center and insurance companies simultaneously to further streamline care.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

US Temporary Non-Agriculture Worker H-2B Visas

US Temporary Non-Agriculture Worker H-2B VisasUS Temporary Non-Agriculture Worker H-2B VisasThere are differenttypes of visasthat permit foreign nationals to work in the United States for a specific period of time. U.S.Temporary Non-Agricultural (H-2B) Visasare available for foreign workers in non-agricultural fields to work in the United States, given that there is an insufficient number of domestic laborers to fill a position. Employing workers under an H-2B visa must not affect wages or working conditions for U.S. workers in the same field. US Temporary Non-Agricultural (H-2B) Visas H-2B visas are generally used for jobs that are temporary but not agricultural for example, jobs at ski mountains, beach resorts, or amusement parks. For agricultural positions, anH-2A visa is required. Individuals cannot apply for a visa. An employer or employers agent mustapply for a visaon behalf of the partie they wish to hire. The petitioning employer must demonstrate that it has a seasonal n eed for additional employees, or that it must add workers temporarily due to increased demand. Temporary workers cannot become regular staff, nor can they replace full-time or permanent workers. Generally, H-2B visas are valid for one year but can be extended incrementally based on one-year periods, with a maximum of three years. Previous time spent in the U.S. under other H- or L-type visas also counts toward the total time limit. However, workers may sometimes recapture time spent outside the U.S. during an authorized stay. H-2B Requirements In order to obtain an H-2B visa, an employer must ensure that The specific job they are attempting to fill is temporary in nature, even if the type of work itself is not temporary. The petitioner must prove that the job is a one-time, short-term occurrence, a seasonal need tied to an annual event, season, or pattern, peak time for temporary workers during a busy season, or intermittent need.The usage of H-2B employees will not have a negat ive effect on the working conditions, including the wages, of domestic workers employed in similar fields.There are not a sufficient number of domestic workers to be employed or that are willing and able to complete the temporary work. The company is appropriately certified by the U.S. Department of Labor. The countries eligible for H-2B visas is updated yearly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State. The updates for H-2B visas are valid one year from publication. How to Apply for an H-2B Visa Applying for an H-2B visa is a three-step process The sponsoring employer must first submit the necessary temporary labor certification to the Department of Labor (U.S. or Guam, depending on their location).After receiving a temporary labor certification from the DOL, the employer can then submit an I-129 form to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).After USCIS approves Form I-129, prospective workers may apply for a visa and admission. Gene rally, this means applying for an H-2B visa at a US embassy or consulate and then seeking admission at a port of entry, via U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If a visa isnt required, workers can be admitted directly by U.S. Customs. musiknote The H-2B Returning Worker Program, which allowed workers who had come to the U.S. in previous years under an H-2B visa to return without counting against the cap, expired in September 2016 and has not been reauthorized by Congress. USCIS urges sponsoring employers not to identify returning workers on their visa applications, as they no longer have exempt status and will, therefore, be counted against the cap. H-2B Cap There is a statutory limitation, or a cap, placed on the number of workers allowed to enter the country with H-2B visas per each fiscal year. In a fiscal year, 66,000 H-2B cap visas are issued, but 33,000 of them must begin employment in the first half of the year and the other 33,000 in the second half. The Omnibus Spendin g Bill passed for Fiscal Year 2018 gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the discretion to expand that number to an estimated 100,000 if there is excess demand for workers. Any unused visas from the first half are rolled over into the second half, but any unused visas from one fiscal year cannot roll over into the next. H-2B Cap Exemptions Any workers who have otherwise been counted toward the cap in the same fiscal year are exempt from the cap limit. Additionally, any current H-2B workers either seeing a change of employer or an extension of stay are also exempt. Any workers employed in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and/or Guam are also exempt from the cap until December 2019. In addition, fish roe processors, fish roe technicians or supervisors of fish roe processing are exempt from the cap. Dependents of H-2B visa holders receive H-4 non-immigrant dependent visas under their beneficiary.