Illinois GAIN Plan Workshop November 17, Chicago

Transcription

1 Illinois GAIN Plan Workshop November 17, Chicago

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3 The Unemployment Safety Net Yes, it can be scary. But, it s not the end of the world!

4 Unemployment Insurance Unemployment compensation (or unemployment insurance - UI) is a way of receiving monetary income even after losing your job. All states have a UI program. Taking advantage of UI is a great way to stay on your feet while searching for a job. You won t have as much income as you did while working, but it will help you get by in the interim.

5 How Much Does Unemployment Insurance Pay? The amount you will receive is usually based on how much you earned while most recently employed. You will typically receive a weekly payment for half a year (26 weeks) as long as you remain eligible. Your weekly benefit amount is determinant upon your average weekly pay among other factors. Once you file, you will learn more about what you are eligible to receive.

6 Who Can File An Unemployment Claim? Many states have restrictions on the kinds of job loss that unemployment insurance protects against. Workers who quit voluntarily without showing cause, or who are fired from their job for misconduct, for example, may not be eligible for full benefits (or, in some cases, any benefits at all). In addition, some states require that you register in a state job-search database in order to receive your compensation. In Illinois, generally to be eligible for UI benefits you must: have lost your job through no fault of your own have earned wages in insured employment be available for new work be actively seeking new work

7 Unemployment Insurance Resources to Get You Back in the Game. State's department of labor website for: information on training events, job search advice, & online UI filing Democratic GAIN for Tips on surviving unemployment & State-by-state UI links and info unemploymentcompensation

8 What About Your Health Insurance? Continuing some kind of health coverage is a must! A lapse in coverage can result in higher premiums and difficulty finding coverage later. As a newly unemployed person, you ll have up to THREE options for health insurance before you find your next job: COBRA Individual Health Insurance Your Parent s Plan*

9 Option 1: COBRA COBRA provides temporary continuation of group health coverage at group rates to certain former employees, retirees, spouses, former spouses, and dependent children. This coverage is only available when coverage is lost due to certain specific events like termination of employment.

10 How Much Does COBRA Cost? Group health coverage for COBRA participants is usually more expensive than health coverage for active employees, since usually the employer pays a part of the premium for active employees while COBRA participants generally pay the entire premium themselves. Depending on the size of your group, employer contribution, and covered benefits, COBRA coverage can be more expensive than individual health coverage. COBRA is normally paid one month at a time so you can sign up for COBRA while you figure out all of your options.

11 How Do You Become Eligible for COBRA? To be eligible for COBRA coverage, you must have been enrolled in your employer's health plan when you worked and the health plan must continue to be in effect for active employees. COBRA continuation coverage is available upon the occurrence of a qualifying event that would, except for the COBRA continuation coverage, cause an individual to lose his or her health care coverage.

12 How Do You Elect COBRA Coverage? 1. Your employer must notify plan administrators of your termination/reduced hours of employment within 30 days. 2. You generally must be sent an election notice not later than 14 days after the plan administrator receives this notice. 3. You then have 60 days to decide whether to elect COBRA continuation coverage. The person has 45 days after electing coverage to pay the initial premium.

13 Option 2: Individual Health Insurance Depending on your circumstances, individual health insurance can be less expensive than COBRA. The best way to determine your costs and compare benefits available is by working with an insurance broker. Democratic GAIN offers members access to individual health insurance support. Compare rates and benefits, determine if individual vs. COBRA is right for you, and find the best plan to suit your needs!

14 Navigating the Individual Health Insurance Market Getting your insurance quotes through Democratic GAIN s member portal is a quick & easy process: Open an inquiry through our member portal at You ll receive a response in 24 hours with follow up questions You ll have quotes from 3-5 different plans within 3-5 days (often sooner) Our insurance broker will help you navigate these options and choose the plan that best meets your needs

15 Option 3: Your Parent s Plan* Thanks to Obamacare, if you are under 26 you are still eligible for coverage as a dependent on your parent s health insurance plan Same Benefits/Same Price. If you are under 26, you are eligible for ALL of the dependent benefits the plan offers. You cannot be required to pay more than other dependents! The catch: the new policy applies only to health insurance plans that offer dependent coverage in the first place, there is no requirement to do so.

16 How Do You Get On Your Parent s Plan? You can join or remain on your parent s plan even if you are: married not living with your parents attending school not financially dependent on your parents eligible to enroll in their employer s plan There is one temporary exception: Until 2014, grandfathered group plans do not have to offer dependent coverage up to age 26 if you are eligible for group coverage outside your parent s plan.

17 Resources to Protect Your Health Coverage. US Department of Labor website for: FAQ to answer all of your questions! A full Guide to Health Benefits Under COBRA Healthcare.gov (where Obamacare is explained online!) All of these resources and more can be found on Democratic GAIN s GAIN Plan Resource Page: GAINPlanResources

18 The Job Search Resumes, Interviews, Networking, & more!

19 Before You Start Your Search ü Evaluate: What did I enjoy about my last job? What did I hate? What do I need in my next job? Financial requirements Schedule Location Benefits What do I want in my next job? More money? Additional job responsibilities? A promotion? Where do I want to be in 5 years?

20 Basic Resume Content 1. CONTACT INFORMATION Name, Address, Phone Number, Professional Address 2. EXPERIENCE Highlights Professional Experience Education (Post High School only) 3. SKILLS Additional Qualifications: Computer Skills, Language Skills, Research/Writing Experiences, Training/Public Speaking Skills Trainings: GAIN, DFA, Wellstone Action!, etc.

21 You Should ü Tailor your resume to the position/organization ü Keep it short 1 page (10 years work experience or less) 2 pages (10-20 years work experience) 3 pages (20+ years work experience) ü List job title, employer, dates worked & location ü Fact check yourself ü Keep it clean, concise and reflective of your experience

22 Best Practices ü Highlight accomplishments vs. tasks you performed ü Use action verbs to describe responsibilities & experience Wrote, managed, researched, directed, oversaw, coordinated, produced, increased, implemented ü Use numbers to quantify experience Managed a team of 3 interns and more than 20 volunteers over a three week period. Directed GOTV effort and increased turnout by 15% over previous election year

23 Writing A Cover Letter Begin by addressing to someone specific. Find out who will read your letter. If you don t know, use To Whom It May Concern. Then, three Sections: 1. Express interest, specify the job you re applying for and describe how you heard about the job. 2. Provide professional highlights that are relevant to the specific job. Don t repeat your resume! 3. Explain why you re interested in this specific job and why you re the best fit.

24 Getting it Out There ü Send as a PDF ü Address to a specific person at the organization, if possible ü Include a cover letter ü Make sure all of your documents match ü Name the files appropriately! Good Examples: Bad Examples: Smith_John Resume.pdf My resume.doc John Smith Resume.pdf Political resume.pdf Resume12.doc

25 Application Package Be consistent across all your documents. Read the requirements before submitting application package. Make sure you follow all instructions carefully. Double check your files on more than one system to catch any formatting errors.

26 The Value of Networking YOUR RESUME

27 Build Your Network ü Make a list of who is in your network and begin connecting Former supervisors, coworkers, employees, people you ve met at events/meetings, friends ü Keep building Go to events that are relevant to your career interests Always collect business cards (make your own if need be) Connect! ü Update your LinkedIn account Make sure it matches your resume Add skills, ask for endorsements

28 Work the Network The Meet Up ü Coffees, meetings, happy hours ü Learn about the landscape, meet more people ü GAIN Office Hours here in Chicago sign up! Informational Interviews ü PREPARE! The Check-In ü Stay on the radar

29 Preparing for Interviews Learn about the Organization Mission statement, programs, activities, public image, etc. Learn about the People Management, your network Learn about the Job Job description, your network, similar positions elsewhere Know your questions Substantive questions Don t ask about benefits, salary, hours, etc. on first interview Treat Informational Interviews like REAL Interviews. Because they are.

30 Finding a Job The professional association for progressives providing training & support for individuals & organizations. Join to GAIN access to all the benefits we offer, including: Job Board & Career Counseling Talent Bank & Hiring Assistance Training & Certifications Networking Opportunities Join the free JobsThatAreLEFT listserv for daily job updates!

31 Additional Resources LISTSERVS: EMILY s List Tom Manatos (DC Only) Grassroots Solutions Progressive Alliance (Chicago only) NETWORKS: LinkedIn Facebook Twitter JOB BOARDS: Neworganizing.com Idealist.org Unionjobs.com WorkForCongress.com feminist.org HillZoo.com The Hill Roll Call Politico DSCC DCCC DLCC

32 The Lay of the Land Progressive Professional Opportunities in Illinois, nationally, and DC

33 Some of Your Options The Hill & State Legislature The Administration & State, Local Government Campaigns & Elections Issue Research & Advocacy All of the Above: Internationally

34 Opportunities in Illinois Democratic GAIN: NOI: Idealist.org: Unionjobs.com: What else?

35 Opportunities Nationally & In DC

36 Campaigns & Elections Candidate Campaigns Party Committees Consulting Firms Labor Organizations Progressive Ally Organizations

37 Candidate Kitchen Cabinet/ Donors Campaign Manager Finance Director Field Director Administrative Staff/ Scheduler Communications Director Research Director Consultants Finance Assistants Regional Field Directors Administrative Assistants Press Secretary Research Staff Field Organizers Volunteer Coordinator New Media Trackers Volunteers Communications Staff

38 Consulting Firms

39 Labor Organizations

40 Progressive Allies

41 The Hill & State Leg Senator / Representative Chief of Staff / Admin Asst. Legislative Director District Office(s) Legislative Assistant Legislative Assistant Press Secretary Legislative Correspondent Legislative Correspondent Scheduler Staff Assistant Intern Intern Intern

42 The Administration Career Political Appointment

43 Issue Research & Advocacy Think Tanks Public Advocacy Issue Advocacy

44 Think Tanks

45 Public Advocacy

46 Issue Specific Groups Human Rights Women Issues LGBTQ Development & Education Environmental

47 International Work

48 Now Hiring!

49 Democratic GAIN is the professional association for progressives. Offering: Premier Job & Talent Banks Individualized Career Counseling Annual Career Fair Trainings & Certifications Member Benefits health insurance support, discounts, & more!

50 The Atlas Project is the central hub for real-time data and analysis for progressives. Offering: An Institutional Memory platform Data Tools (100 sets to map, graph, chart) State-by-State Dashboards & Reports Online Activity Reports & Media Monitoring In-depth Research Best Practices & Resources

51 Questions? Learn more about what you can GAIN by joining us!

52 Heather Reid Matt Blizek

53 Coming in January Running for office? Thinking of running or know someone who is? Come learn from 2012 candidates about what you need to know and prepare for before running.

54 Let s go drink beer & network! Join us for the post training happy hour at Jak s Tap 9001 W. Jackson