With the uptick in the job market, we're happy to offer our employees more opportunities. We want you to make the best possible decision in taking assignments. One critical factor to consider for an assignment or any new job is the cost of getting there. Knowing your commute costs upfront will not only help you decide, it will prevent an unpleasant surprise in the future.
We put together a simple calculator to help you evaluate your commute costs. Click here to see what you need to earn each day to cover your commute costs. We think you'll be surprised.
Once you have a clearer picture of your real driving costs you'll be in a much better position to evaluate your employment choices.

Note: You'll need Microsoft Excel '97 or later to use the calculator.

Recently BOLT's President Joanne Sanders attended an event where SolTrans General Manager Mona Babauta and other dignitaries broke

BOLT's Joanne Sanders and Mona Babauta, SolTrans General Manager

ground for improvements to SolTrans' Curtola Park & Ride Hub in Vallejo.
The improvements include expanding parking to 590 spaces, a new terminal, electrical vehicle charging stations and a host of other goodies to increase the appeal of mass transit for commuters,students and others traveling in the area.
"As the cost of operating personal cars continues to spiral upward, the alternatives that organizations like SolTrans offer commuters will become increasingly important." Sanders says. "These improvements offer commuters the ability to increase their effective income by reducing the cost of getting back and forth to work."

The employment see-saw is moving the other way. The volume of resumes flooding in response to help wanted ads is slowing to a trickle. With an improving economy and hordes of retiring baby boomers, employers are finding it increasingly difficult to fill openings. Proactive recruiters are looking for creative ways to stand out in the eyes of prospective employees. Recently we posted an idea how HR departments can create a positive buzz about their company by offering a good experience for all candidates.
Other ideas include:

• Offer flex-schedules
• Offer telecommuting
• Include career-enhancing training
• Offer take-home computers and I-Pads

The greatest asset in any company are the people who make it successful. This might be a good time to ask your employees what incentives might excite their interest and loyalty.

Along with offering a positive experience, it's also a good idea to review your job postings to see how your company looks to the world outside. There is always a temptation to include the kitchen sink in our postings. Remember for every extraneous job requirement, you filter out a certain percentage of potential applicants. That's fine if that's what you intend, however it's counter productive if you're eliminating people who would succeed in your position.

We recently found an amazing website to help anyone from a student deciding on a college major to seasoned professionals looking for the next career step. O*Net gives people the opportunity to look at the details of practically any occupation, from the typical daily tasks, to personality characteristics and education suitable to the job. O*Net also tells the current wages you can expect to earn and the future prospects of those in the field.
Whether you're looking to spruce up your resume, or figure out what you want to do in life, don't miss this exceptional tool. Best of all there is no cost to use it!
We tried it out on a hypothetical career just to see what it's like to use. You can see that here.

As we've said before, your resume is your advertising flyer. Its purpose is to attract the attention and interest of the person reading it.
Like any good ad it needs to be brief, but still contain all the information necessary to grab attention and interest.
Format is critical to achieving that. Generally you want to:

• State your career objective
• Organize your relevant experience chronologically
• Generally show only the last 5 years of experience.

The only exception to the 5 year rule is if your experience before that is job critical.
Remember you are trying to match yourself to the job. Don't be afraid to use a few terms from the job posting, just don't go overboard.
Aside from tailoring your resume to each job you apply for, remember to keep it brief: if in doubt, take it out!