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The Sierra Group Foundation accepts unsolicitied White Papers on a variety of topics. Please review our submission guidelines for details on our requirements.

 
 

All in a Day's Work: Job Seeker Tools The worst aspect of being a job seeker is that you’re actually working – you’re just not getting paid. The tasks associated with an aggressive job search are no less rigorous than the tasks associated with a full time job. The responsibilities of a dedicated job seeker include all of the standard steps that we think of when looking for work (e.g. resume, application, interview, etc.). However, there is much more involved when a truly determined individual decides to track down and acquire the job for which they were made. PDF - 133 K

 
 

Understanding Job Satisfaction: What motivates an employee? One does not have to reach too far to understand that satisfied employees tend to be more productive workers. Satisfaction, according to Herzberg, is derived from two main features - hygiene issues and motivating factors. The following will examine these terms and discuss how they apply to contemporary business. Hygiene issues are the forces that lessen the plane of dissatisfaction an employee has with his or her job. These issues do not serve to motivate an employee, but they can decrease the level of job satisfaction if not given their proper due. Hygiene issues relate to an employees environment, and they include company policies, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations and working conditions. PDF - 78 K

 
 

TSA’s and Nonprofits: The story of the “sector-switcher”. Michael Fiore notes that many career counselors advise job seekers—especially sector switchers and recent graduates—to identify and market their transferable skills. Do nonprofit organizations really consider these candidates without feeling as if they are taking too great a risk? How open-minded are nonprofits when it comes to looking at candidates that offer skills and experiences gained in other environments?

In a sector of close to 2 million organizations, the answer is: it depends. Organizations that consider themselves entrepreneurial are generally open to hiring talent from other sectors or nontraditional backgrounds. For many organizations, candidates with transferable skills are welcomed in some job functions, such as operations, management, and finance, but not in others, such as fundraising and program management. PDF - 77 K

 
 

Learn more about Dice.Com.Whether you're an IT or an Engineering professional - or a recruiter searching for IT or Engineering talent, Dice.com offers a number of invaluable tools that can help you achieve your employment needs. Dice.com is highly rated by users as a decidedly effective site on which to place your resume in order to have it seen by industry leaders including eBay, Merck, and Sun Microsystems. PDF - 59 K

 
 

The Traditional Resume is Dead:  The Technology Behind Recruiting. Developed by Michael Fiore, this white paper offers an insight into the recruiting trends that are occurring because of technology enhancements. Resume writing styles and tips haven’t changed in a generation. While electronic job boards and technology have made it possible for an applicant to apply for a single job in less than 30 seconds – the art behind resume writing has not kept pace with the innovation occurring at the recruiting level. Fuzzy logic and Boolean search systems have rendered the old fashioned resume silent as it is often lost in a sea of applicants. New trends to address the needs of the technical sorting and screen processes are needed to produce logical employment profiles that directly and clearly speak to the electronic gatekeepers for the middle skill employment candidate. PDF - 71 K

 
 

Part 1 of this Series - How to address time gaps when creating a resume. Developed by Seth Acosta, Sierra's 3-part white-paper series has been developed that will examine the methods by which candidates can place themselves in a more competitive job search position. By strategically implementing individual approaches to the three major components of the employment acquisition process (resume, cover letter, and interview), candidates will improve their professional standing and increase their chances for vocational success.

A job candidate has three key opportunities to demonstrate the quality of their character to an employer/organization. These include the resume, the cover letter, and of course, the interview. When one considers how long it takes (in the real world) to truly discern another person, it is easy to see that the above three elements are as abbreviated as they are critical. Job seekers are charged with the task of knowing exactly what an employer is looking for; and furthermore, they must know how to effectively demonstrate that they do in fact meet the employer’s criterion…oh yeah, and they have to be better than everyone else trying to do the same thing. PDF - 78 K

 
 

Entry-Level Employment and the Role of Technology in the Vocational Rehabilitation Process. Rehabilitation Engineer Michael Fiore offers this paper in response to the growing trend that technology plays in entry level employment.

"Entry-level employment opportunities in sales and stock clerk occupations for people with disabilities require technology competencies to meet competitive marketplace expectations. A series of labor market surveys concludes that the business imperative for competitiveness has added a technology competency overlay to the traditional skills associated with these positions. This reality combined with the trend towards greater levels of electronic recruitment though one-stop web portals, private job web portals, and electronic job application kiosks has added a technology barrier to the very start of the employment process. As the line between accommodation and business innovation blurs, the need for application software fluency is quickly becoming an absolute competitive necessity for all applicants." PDF - 103 K

 
 

A Return on Investment Analysis of Functional Reading Skills Training: Using the formula for Internal Rate of Return (IRR), this paper demonstrates the financial benefit to providing core reading skills to people with disabilities. Released by the Sierra Group's Workplace Foundation - April 2003. Contributor: Michael G. Fiore (The Sierra Group, Inc.) PDF - 101 K

 
 

A Preliminary Review of Vestibular Impacts on Upper Extremty Abilities of People with Disabilities: An overview that explores how the brain receives messages from the eyes and vestibular system and looks at the effects on upper extremity deficits that impair coordination in arms and hands. Released by the Sierra Group's Workplace Foundation - February 2003. Contributor: Maria Dewan PDF - 266 K

 
 

Ergonomics, Accessible Technology and Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders (UEMSDs): Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders (UEMSDs) often accompany office work and are part of the U.S. Occupational Illness and Injury landscape in general - and the call center environment in specific. Ergonomics interventions, including the access to accessible (accommodating) technology, can have a significant impact on this industry. Released by the Sierra Group's Workplace Foundation - July 2003. Contributors: Joseph McGettigan (PHSWORKS) and Janet D. Fiore (The Sierra Group, Inc.) PDF - 200 K

 
 

Overlapping Constituencies: A Survey of Disability and the Representative Members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus: Demographic shifts based on the aging population and race distribution continue to expand the opportunities to include the consideration of issues relating to disability, accessibility, and economic development into all facets of our public policy and public initiatives - as part of a congressional special interest group. Released by the Sierra Group's Workplace Foundation - July 2003. Contributor: Michael G. Fiore (The Sierra Group, Inc.) PDF - 112 K

 
 

Transferable Reading Skills Using Accessible Technology and Accommodation Strategy: Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) reading software increases reading speed and comprehension of adults with disabilities. Released by the Sierra Group's Workplace Foundation - June 2003. Contributor: Michael G. Fiore (The Sierra Group, Inc.) PDF - 101 K

 
 

Attendant Care and its affect on Consumer's Lifestyle Choices: A survey of responses from consumers of an urban attending care program receiving services both through the consumer's options model and the agency model. June 2004. Contributor, Maria Dewan (The Sierra Group's Workplace Foundation). PDF - 51 K

 
 

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