How to Calculate Unemployment

Once you know how to calculate unemployment, you will have a better idea of how much you could receive per week or per benefit period if you were to lose your job. This is important when you consider taking unemployment or finding another job. If you will make less money working a lower-paying job, unemployment may be the way to go to keep up with your bills and other obligations.

1
Figure out your base period for calculating unemployment. For instance, if you started your claim in November 2008, you would use a base period of July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008. The highest quarter during this base period is used to calculate how much you have earned. The earnings are only for work preformed for an employer that pays unemployment insurance.
2
Look at the base period where you received the highest pay. This is the base period that is used to calculate your potential unemployment benefits.
3
Calculate the highest quarter earnings with a calculator. You will receive 4 percent of the total wages in the highest quarter. The maximum weekly benefit rate requires earnings of $8,875 for a weekly check of $355. The minimum weekly benefit rate requires $1,325 for a weekly check of $53.
4
Calculate what your weekly benefits would be if you have another job. Take your weekly gross income and subtract $30. Multiply the balance by 67 percent. Take the total WBR and subtract that total to get the amount you will receive for partial unemployment benefits for that week. Example: Weekly Benefit Rate is $335 Gross income is $275. Gross income $275 - $30 = $245; $245 X .67 = $164.15; $335 WBR - $164.15 = $170.85; round $170.85 down to $170.
5
Calculate your unemployment benefits for every week if the partial gross income is different. The amounts will vary if the gross income varies.

How to Write a Follow-Up Email for a Job Application

You have recently submitted a job application for a position you would love to have. But how do you help your application float to the top of the pile to get an interview? You can do this with a follow-up email after a job application. The follow-up email will place your name in front of the interviewer and help them find your application faster.

1
Address the follow-up email to a specific person. This might be the head of human resources or the recruiter who posted the ad you answered.
2
Introduce yourself to the person using your full name. Tell the person when you sent in your application and how you sent it to the company.
3
Tell the interviewer that you would like to follow up on the status of your application and mention the specific title of the position.
4
End the follow-up email telling to job interviewer that you look forward to hearing from her concerning the position. Give time frames and a number where you can be contacted to set up an interview.

How to Address a Cover Letter When the Name Is Unknown

The cover letter is very crucial because it represents you professionally. Some problems may get in the way of writing a perfect cover letter, though. Despite all of your research, you may not be able to find the name of who should be addressed. Sometimes companies don't have enough information in the public realm and there are no direct numbers available to you. If this happens, there are still ways to address a letter to an unknown individual.
1
Name them by title. You can write out your salutation with a, "Dear Hiring Manager," for hiring personnel or "Dear Manager," for purposes that are not hiring related. Another greeting could be, "Dear Customer Service Representative" for someone in customer service, or "Dear Acquisitions Editor," if you're writing to an book publishing editor. Naming someone by title is appropriate and acceptable in this situation.
2
Greet them with a polite salutation. A classic approach is by showing efforts in good manners and etiquette. A proper greeting that is deemed acceptable is, "Dear Sir/Madam." It is a quick and purposeful salutation that addresses an unknown recipient in a traditional way. This also shows you aren't assuming you are not assuming a specific gender.
3
Begin with a general inquiry. Writing a greeting, such as "To whom it may concern," if you don't want to be too formal or explicit in your cover letter. This saves you from making any references to gender or naming people by title placements. A salutation like this is a proper greeting, typically done when you have little or no information about the hiring individual.
4
Add a small formal gesture. You can add a "Dear Mr."or a "Dear Ms. " and combine it with the title of the person. Only begin the greeting this way if you are certain the person is either a woman or a man. Address the woman with, "Mrs," only if you know the lady you're trying to contact is in fact, married. But if you don't know then always write "Ms," just to be on the safe side. The final greeting would look something like this: "Dear Ms. Hiring Manager."

How to Take Minutes at a Business Meeting

Business meetings may be conducted formally or informally, depending on the company and the circumstances. Taking good minutes during a business meeting can be a crucial time and headache saver and it's a skill that is greatly appreciated by employers. The following guidelines are based on Robert's Rules of Order.



Instructions
Things You'll Need:

* Portable Tape Recorders
* Blank Tapes
* Notebook Papers
* Computers

Taking Minutes
1.Obtain the meeting agenda, minutes from the last meeting, and any background documents to be discussed. Consider using a tape recorder to ensure accuracy.

2.Sit beside the chairperson for convenient clarification or help as the meeting proceeds.

3. Write "Minutes of the meeting of (exact association name)."

4.Record the date, time and place of the meeting.

5. Circulate a sheet of paper for attendees to sign. (This sheet can also help identify speakers by seating arrangement later in the meeting.) If the meeting is an open one, write down only the names of the attendees who have voting rights.

6. Note who arrives late or leaves early so that these people can be briefed on what they missed.

7. Write down items in the order in which they are discussed. If item 8 on the agenda is discussed before item 2, keep the old item number but write item 8 in second place.

8. Record the motions made and the names of people who originate them.

9.Record whether motions are adopted or rejected, how the vote is taken (by show of hands, voice or other method) and whether the vote is unanimous. For small meetings, write the names of the attendees who approve, oppose and abstain from each motion.

10.Focus on recording actions taken by the group. Avoid writing down the details of each discussion.

Transcribing Minutes

1. Transcribe minutes soon after the meeting, when your memory of the event is still fresh.

2. Follow the format used in previous minutes.

3. Preface resolutions with "RESOLVED, THAT..."

4. Consider attaching long resolutions, reports or other supplementary material to the minutes as an appendix.

5. Write "Submitted by" and then sign your name and the date.

6. Place minutes chronologically in a record book.

How to Request a Pay Raise

So after weeks, months or (God forbid) years of toiling, you've finally come to the realization that you deserve a raise. Maybe you need the money to move out of your parents' basement before you turn 30. Or maybe you need to purchase a new kidney to compensate for your collegiate drinking. Or maybe you just want some recognition after saving the company's bacon time and time again. We don't care about your motivation; we just want to help you get a raise.

Chances are, your boss hasn't voluntarily showered you with six-figure bonuses or even offered you more than the annual cost-of-living raise. So it's up to you to make the first move. And no matter how good you are at hard-nosed negotiating, when it comes to asking for a raise, doing it right is definitely an art.

Make Sure You Deserve It
Before you can ask for a raise, you naturally have to have the goods. "Having the goods" means that you deserve your raise and you know it.

Be confident

Before you do anything else, you must overcome any reluctance you may have about asking for a raise. Employees sometimes just accept the measly 2 percent increase at their annual review because they are too afraid to stand up for themselves. You shouldn't be. If you know you deserve a raise, go after it. The worst thing that can happen is that your boss will say no. (Read on for strategies to foil that answer.)

Make a list of what you've done

There is a problem with being overly confident. Just because you think you're hot stuff does not mean that your coworkers agree--let alone your supervisor. Unless you are married to the big cheese, do not assume that your mere presence at work every day or your ability to make chit-chat at the water cooler will guarantee the green paper. Before you demand a pay raise that will catapult you into Bill Gates' tax bracket, make sure you can back your bravado with cold, hard facts. Make a mental account of your achievements in recent months. Write them down. Read them and think about what you did to create positive change, improve your employer's bottom line, manage unruly employees or avert disaster. If you can't think of any good examples, you probably shouldn't make a fool of yourself by requesting a raise. But if you have some major wins, you should focus on quantifying them as if you were writing a resume.

* If you're a sales representative, list the dollar figures you generated this year compared to last year. If you're a manager of a department, show exactly what percentage you saved the company by cutting costs and spurring your employees to better performance.

* If you're an architect, demonstrate how you took the lead in a project design and worked to deliver it on time, despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

* If you're a journalist, specify the stories you wrote that uncovered long-standing corruption, or those that generated the most response from readers.

* If you're a goat shaver, detail how many goats you have shaved in recent months, how many more goat sweaters were made because of your contribution, and how you have assumed a leadership role among the other goat shavers.

Regardless of your profession, you can always show how you contributed in a way that went beyond the call of duty. Just remember that bosses like to see results. Be specific and detailed so he can't argue your achievements. The more vague you are, the less likely it is that the boss will get excited about your involvement. Show that your special talent made it happen.

Run your list by someone

The third step is to run your list by a trusted colleague in the same field, but not someone who currently works with you. (Comparing salaries with co-workers is a major no-no that we will get to later on.) A spouse or family member could also help. The point is to bounce your achievements off someone else who knows you well and can help you put your tasks into perspective. She may also bring up some accomplishments you hadn't thought of. Once you have a list to work with, your next step is to figure out a successful strategy for delivery. Having the goods only gets you part of the way; timing and delivery will either seal the deal or send you back to your cubicle without passing "Go."