Responsibilities of UPS package handlers, drivers, and mechanics:

UPS has several types of positions that do not require a college education, including Package Handlers, drivers and mechanics. As a driver, you would drive a commercial or deliver truck to pick up and transport packages and positively interact with customers while making deliveries that require signatures. Drivers must also undergo extensive training to understand how every aspect of the UPS system works from collecting signatures to keeping track of packages.

As a package handler, you would be responsible for unloading tractor trailers and loading delivery trucks, and as a mechanic, you would be expected to maintain and repair tractor trailers and delivery trucks.

How much would you earn?

A UPS worker’s income is variable based on location and how long an employee has been with the company, but UPS pays about $10 per hour to package handlers and related positions, and a driver can make between $15 and $30 per hour depending on location and experience within the company.

Requirements of package handlers, drivers, and mechanics:

No college education is required, but UPS often hire from within the company, meaning you will most likely need to get a job as a package handler and work your way up to becoming a mechanic or driver. For both a package handler and a driver position, you will be required to take a drug and physical test to prove that you are drug-free and physically able to lift 70 lbs. regularly.

If you’re pursuing a job as a driver, you may need a special commercial drivers’ license, and you will be required to pass a Department of Transportation exam and be able to drive a manual transmission vehicle, according to the UPS Driver job description.

Mechanics must be at least 18 years old, and it is preferable that they have experience working with fleet and diesel engines. They must also have their own set of tools, pass a drug test and be able to speak and write English well. Look for more information about UPS jobs and their descriptions here.

Opportunities for growth:

There are training programs available for employees interested in advancing their careers, including training for corporate positions or specific skill sets that can help you grow in and outside of the company. UPS spent $565 million on training programs last year to train its employees and support its “promote-from-within culture.”

Work conditions:

All package handlers start out as part-time employees, who usually work 3-5 hours per day Monday through Friday. While some package handlers work from about 3-8 a.m., most begin their day at 4 or 5 a.m. As a driver, you would work about 8-10 hour days per day every day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 or 6 p.m. During the holidays, most employees, especially including package handlers and drivers, work overtime, but UPS tries to limit overtime by hiring seasonal workers.

Benefits:

UPS offers benefits to its full- and part-time employees, and although these health insurance plans vary, benefits offered can include:
Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Program, Life Insurance, Business Travel Accident Insurance, Healthcare Spending Accounts and more. For a complete list, see the UPS benefits page.

UPS offers an Education Assistance Program, which provides employees with up to $25,000, or $5,250 per year, to pay for college tuition. Full- and part-time employees are eligible to participate at any of the available locations in which a UPS partner school is located, including in Springfield Gardens, NY. Employees can begin using their tuition aid as soon as they begin working for UPS. In 2014, UPS provided about 14,000 students with $16 million in tuition aid, and the company has invested more than $200 million in the assistance program since 1999.


Keep an eye out for next week's article, which will include more alternative career options that don't necessarily require more than a high school education. 

-Hope Swedeen

What are some things that interest you about this career path? Are there aspects of this career that you’d like to learn more about? 

If you're like most students, the moment you leave school marks the beginning of your free time. It's your time to relax and forget about school until tomorrow, and nothing can stand between you and your daily reward for making it through the day. Except, maybe, school work. 
After spending hours doing nothing else, school work is probably the last thing that you want to think about, but if you want to be as successful as you can, your work won't end with last period. You'll need to make time for homework for sure, and when that's said and done, there's usually a quiz or test to study for.

It's easy to put off studying and just do your homework (or not do your homework). However, if you create a study system that works for you, you just might find that it's not as time-consuming as you might have thought, and your grades might become achievements rather than just numbers or letters on a paper. 
Here are ten tips to get you started on your studying path: 

1.     Focus on one task at a time

If you’re worrying about your math homework while studying for a science test, you’re never going to be able to fully concentrate on science. Try putting away all of your school work that you’re not working on in the moment.

You should also try to do your work or study without trying to multitask by listening to music, watching TV, etc. Studies have shown that multitasking, as we imagine it, is actually impossible. Instead of being able to focus on multiple things at once as you might believe, we are actually only able to quickly switch back and forth between multiple tasks, thereby drastically decreasing the amount of time you focus on each task.

2.     Create a schedule

Set aside specific times to study and do homework. For harder classes or classes that require more work, set aside more time. When you create your study and homework schedule, though, make sure that you also include plenty of time to relax or else you’ll burn out and start putting aside school responsibilities, social experiences, or both.

3.     Find a routine place to study

When you’re studying in the same place consistently, your ability to concentrate will improve, as there will be nothing new or novel about the space to distract you. Memorization of information is likely to be better as well. I’ve found that when trying to remember a certain phrase that a teacher uses, I can remember it better when I also remember how she said it or what she was doing at the time. In the same way, if you’re trying to memorize a vocabulary word while looking at, or doing, something in particular, you might be able to remember that moment during your test. The more specifically you can remember that moment, the more you’ll remember the vocab word.

4.     Reward yourself

If you accomplish a difficult task or finish studying a section of information that was particularly time-consuming, give yourself a break and do something that you enjoy or may have put off to do your work. This way, you’ll be more likely to put just as much effort into studying next time knowing that there can be a payoff (other than good grades).

5.     Study slow and steady

There’s no doubt that cramming for a test can work in a pinch, but it’s unlikely that you’ll retain any of that information beyond the time of the test, and you probably won’t remember everything that you need to for the test anyway. Instead of cramming, try studying a little bit at a time. Break notes or readings down into sections or chapters and go over one section a few times before moving onto the next. When you feel like you’re reading and not comprehending, or you’re thinking about other things, stop. Take a break and try again in a few minutes when you’re able to focus again.

6.     Study alone

It’s tempting to study with friends, and you might think that your friends will help motivate you to concentrate. This might be true for some, but, often times, your friends will just provide another distraction regardless of whether they’re making any sound. It’s difficult to stay focused when you have proof that you could be doing something else sitting right in front of you.

7.     Narrow your focus

If you try to remember every tiny detail that you’ve written down or that you see in a textbook, you’ll never remember what you’ll actually need to know. Try to identify the crucial information so that you don’t spend time studying for a test you aren’t taking. This might be the larger concepts of a chapter, usually found in the form of subheadings of a textbook, and the pertinent information related to them. It could even be vocab words or just topics that the teacher went over in class. Ask your teacher to make a study guide or give you some information about what type of information might be on the test. If you don’t have any luck there, start asking your classmates what they think is the most important information.

8.     Test yourself

Once you finish reading over your study materials, make sure that you remember what you’ve read. Try testing yourself, looking at concepts or questions to study and trying to remember their answers without looking. You should do this multiple times for each section or chapter that you’ve broken your notes, book, or other materials into.

9.     Study frequently

If you have weekly or biweekly quizzes for a class, it’s a must to study consistently, but if you only have one or two big tests all year for a class, it’s even more imperative that you don’t wait until the last minute to get ready. If you do, all of the material from the entire year or semester will be waiting for you to try to tackle, and you probably won’t be able to hack it. To avoid facing a wall of information that you can’t possibly learn in a day, or even a week, make sure that you study every few days to get a refresher on older topics.

10.  Skip grammatical correctness

When you’re writing your notes to study later, don’t worry about transcribing information word for word or getting every bit of punctuation where it should be. Paraphrasing, or writing notes in your own words, will help you retain information better than if you’re studying textbook definitions and answers, and using short-hand will work even better. Think of your notes as bullet points rather than sentences, and you’ll be much better off when it comes time to memorize.

-Hope Swedeen

What techniques do you use to stay focused while studying?

You may want to consider using bluetooth headphones to for help in concentration as well as to block out the noise. For help in deciding which ones to choose refer to reviews for quality headphones.

When your youth get home from school, it’s difficult to draw conversation out of them. Often times, if they answer your questions at all, they give monosyllabic, yes or no answers. It seems that most parents are curious about what their youth are doing at school, but they don’t know how to draw out the answers that they’re looking for. Usually, this means that the ever-irksome “what did you do (or learn) at school today?” will crop up whenever there’s a doubt of how to begin the ritualistic after-school Q and A.

If you’re struggling to find questions to ask your youth or you’re tired of asking the same things constantly, maybe it’s time to try asking something new or asking old questions in a new way.

When you’re deciding what you want to ask your youth, be sure to always ask open-ended questions rather than questions with “yes” or “no” answers. This way, you can keep the conversation going without coming to a stand-still after every answer. For example, if you ask, “Did you enjoy school today?” Your youth is almost certain to say “yes,” “no,” “it was fine,” or something similar to any of these three. Youth aren’t typically prone to giving more information than they’re asked for, so try asking more specific questions to get more specific answers. Here are some questions you might consider asking the next time you’re racking your brain for a conversation-starter that won’t double as a conversation-ender:

1.      What were your favorite parts of school today? Least favorite?

2.      What made you laugh today?

3.      Tell me something weird that happened or that someone said or did.

4.      When were you bored today?

5.      What was something good that happened today?

6.      What was your favorite subject today? Least favorite?

7.      What was the hardest thing you did today?

8.      Did anyone get in trouble today?

9.      What are you looking forward to doing tomorrow?

10.   Did you get better at anything today?

11.   What would you change about your school?

12.   What was your easiest class today? Hardest class?

13.   If you had to go to only one class, what would it be? Why?

14.   If you could skip a class, what would it be? Why?

15.   If you could do today over again, what would you do differently?

-Hope Swedeen

What are some questions that you ask your youth when they get home from school? Which questions are they more likely to answer?

It’s become common-place for students and professionals to have and frequently use LinkedIn accounts. LinkedIn has become the mainstream form of professional communication and network-building, and it’s only gaining more traction as it grows and progresses. It’s now become almost a requirement for people to create and constantly update and check LinkedIn accounts, and that means that it’s probably something that will be necessary (or already is necessary) for you to embrace too. Below is a list of reasons why LinkedIn can be invaluable to you as well as some tips to help you create or improve your own profile.

Benefits of using LinkedIn

1.  Large network of professionals at your disposal

Having a large network of professionals to connect with will be beneficial when applying for new jobs. You can contact anyone at any time and build professional relationships that can carry you from one job to the next. Connections can also tip you off when they know of job openings or even offer recommendations to employers on your behalf. Make sure, though, that you send a personalized, rather than generic, connection request, as most people will not know why you want to connect with them if you do not. Once you’ve connected, you can send out emails to say that you’re looking for a job, ask questions, get advice, or request informational interviews to learn more about a company and maybe get one foot in the door.

2.  Groups offer connections among professionals of specific careers

Industry groups offer a wealth of information in addition to a more niche community of connections. If there is a certain career path that you’re interested in pursuing or that you would like to progress in, groups specific to that line of work allow you to contact other members of that profession for advice, information, professional contacts, and news within their own workplace regarding position openings, company or field practices, and more. You’ll not only have a great outlet for finding news, but you’ll also have the opportunity to comment on and discuss postings by other professionals to show off a little of what you can offer companies.

3.  Readily-available résumé

LinkedIn allows you to document everything that you’ve ever done in one place for anyone to see, so your profile is essentially an online, comprehensive résumé that you can look back on at any time. If you need to alter your paper résumé for a new job application, you can easily look through your profile and see what’s worth adding for a particular job. It also allows prospective employers to see everything that you can’t fit on your résumé but may have wanted to include, as your résumé grows with your work experience.

4.  Space to showcase examples of your work

When you send in a copy of a resume to companies, often times that’s all that they ask for and all that you can physically send. Unless they’re taking digital applications via email or some other medium that allows you to send work samples, there’s a chance that they may never get to see your actual work if it’s not something that can be printed and mailed. LinkedIn allows you to upload your work to showcase and market it to employers in a way that is easily accessible.

5.  Ability to search for jobs

LinkedIn’s advanced search tool can be excessively helpful when you’re looking for a job near you or in any area that you choose. It also allows you to search for jobs within the field of work that you’re interested in pursuing at companies of various sizes depending on your preference. If you’ve just graduated and are therefore relatively inexperienced, you might consider using the student jobs portal, which helps you locate entry-level jobs.

6.  Endorsements of your skills

You can list as many skills as you’d like on your profile, and it is also possible for other LinkedIn users to endorse those skills, or to express to anyone who views your profile that they believe in your skills listed. The more endorsements you can get, the better, as these are proof for employers that you’re not the only one who believes in your skills.

7.  Get introduced through a 2nd-degree connection

It can be awkward to reach out to someone who doesn’t know you and has no idea why you’re interested in connecting with them, but LinkedIn makes it possible for you to ask a shared connection to “introduce” you to another member. This way, you can make contacts through someone whom you and the desired contact both know and who can vouch for your professional interest.

Tips for building a strong LinkedIn profile:

1.  Customize your URL

Initially, your profile URL will include numbers and letters at the end that signify nothing but your existence among many other LinkedIn users. By personalizing your URL, you will have an easier-to-remember, more professional-looking link to send employers and potential connections that’s easy for them to remember and also shows that you’ve put effort into crafting your profile for their benefit.

2.  Have a strong headline

Your headline should tell anyone looking at your profile who you are and what type of job you’re looking for. If you already have a job, then it may be a good idea to write your position here.

3.  Add a background and thumbnail photo

Keeping in mind that these should be professional photos, try adding something that corresponds to the company that you currently work for, a cause that you strongly believe in or work to promote, or anything that is professionally important to you as your background image. It can be anything you want, but it has to be professional. As for your thumbnail image, or your profile image, choose something professional-looking that will allow people to find you easily.

4.  Constantly update work samples and profile information

It’s crucial that your information be up-to-date if a prospective employer views your profile. If you have recent achievements or positions that you neglect to add, you’re displaying only part of your overall experience, and you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage because you may amass less employer interest than those who have all of their experience clearly stated and updated for easy viewing.

5.  Rearrange and customize sections

On LinkedIn, less is not more. This is your chance to tell people everything that you’ve ever done without the constraints of one piece of paper. It’s an opportunity for you to list everything you’ve accomplished, and you should fill out as many sections as you can: education, volunteer work, honors and awards, projects, languages spoken, skills, experience, organizations, recommendations, and so many more. Your profile will start out very basic with the same format as every other user’s. However, it’s possible, and encouraged, for you to create a relatively unique profile crafted to your own needs. There are several options of sections that can appear on your profile that you may not know about. If you’re a recent graduate, it’s extremely important to complete the student profile section of your profile. You’ve been in school for a while, and that means that you have to show that you’ve been working toward getting a job while you’ve been doing school work.

-Hope Swedeen

What can high school students with no work experience add to their LinkedIn? How can you market yourself and your experiences in school?

When applying for a job, the first step is typically to send in a résumé and cover letter, and employers have certain criteria that they use to evaluate candidates based solely on their résumés. One of these criteria is that prospective employees demonstrate an understanding of good grammar, and when slimming down a pool of candidates, it’s easy to separate those who use proper grammar from those who do not. As was mentioned in a previous post, “5 Tips on How to Build a Strong Résumé,” a résumé is the first impression an employer will have of an applicant, and, while it may not seem fair, many employers, regardless of the relationship of grammar to your applied-for position, will be more inclined to choose a candidate whose résumé has fewer grammatical errors.

Grammar Matters…

Kyle Wiens, the CEO of the online, global repair manual, iFixit, is one such employer who places grammar at the top of the list of must-have qualities in employees. In an article he wrote to validate the importance of grammar in the work place, he says, “Good grammar is credibility, especially on the internet. In blog posts, on Facebook statuses, in e-mails, and on company websites, your words are all you have. They are a projection of you in your physical absence. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re.”

Because of this view, Wiens requires that each potential employee, regardless of his or her prospective department in the company, take a grammar test before being hired. He also states in his article, “If it takes someone more than 20 years to notice how to properly use ‘it’s,’ then that’s not a learning curve I’m comfortable with.” As this CEO points out, good grammar can be indicative of other beneficial attributes of job candidates. It shows that you have the ability to learn something that may be difficult for you. Everyone has a learning curve, and it’s important that employers have faith in yours. However, it does not necessarily follow that poor grammar indicates the lack of necessary or desired skill sets. For some, writing grammatically-correct sentences is simply challenging. It’s accepted in many lines of work that some people aren’t great at math, and it’s often a non-issue for those people; those who suffer through grammar lessons, however, typically aren’t extended the same amount of understanding.

… But it Might Not Matter to Everyone

A New York Times writer, John McWhorter, argues against Wiens’ idea that proper grammar is a necessary attribute in employees of all job descriptions. Though he recognizes the importance of good grammar when it is necessary to do a specific job well, he says in an article, “After we pat ourselves on the back for upholding grammar standards, how many of us can really justify barring someone from a decent job because he or she isn’t always clear on the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re?’”

If you’re on the fence about whether you should pay more attention to grammar, below are some examples of how grammar can help you succeed in the work place no matter what type of work you do:

Maintains Clarity

We aren’t always successful at saying what we’re trying to convey. When reading an email, note, or memo, it’s easy to get caught up on a sentence that isn’t structured properly or that has misused or misplaced words or punctuation. To be sure that the people we’re trying to reach understand what we’re saying, it’s necessary to pay attention to how we say it. If what we write is confusing and difficult to understand, then, often times, the people reading what we have to say will feel as if they’re translating text.

Saves Time

Proper grammar can help ensure messages are delivered and received promptly. Good grammar helps to lessen confusion when an employee decides to file a complaint, send a message to colleague, or voice his or her opinion in a presentation or meeting. Delivering a grammatically-correct message can also reduce time wasted on translation and follow-up, potentially leading to higher productivity.

However, the ability to send a brief, concise message can now be just as valuable as sending one that follows strict grammar rules. As long as a message is clear, the ability to quickly convey meaning using shorthand has become important in the workplace, especially as communication mediums such as Twitter become commonplace forms of professional communication.

Shows a sense of responsibility

Employees who are entrusted with the task of representing a company through any form of the written word are assumed to have a higher level of responsibility and therefore must be what you might call grammatically responsible. A company’s image is crucial to its operations, relationships, and success, and whoever is responsible for taking care of that image must be able to meet the standards required by other organizations in addition to his or her own employer.

Maintains professionalism

Those who utilize proper grammar may be more likely to succeed in the workplace, as the way that they communicate reflects a high level of professionalism that clients, employers and colleagues will notice. Demonstrating strong communication skills could be one of the main factors that leads to a promotion in title or pay in the future.

Attention to detail

Those who pay attention to the details of grammar are expected to pay close attention to and care about details of assigned tasks. While the misuse of grammar does not necessarily indicate that a person does not pay close attention to detail in other instances, using proper grammar is proof that a person is detail-oriented.

Grammar doesn’t always have the final say in whether you land a job or are passed over. It depends entirely on the views of each employer, and it’s up to you to decide whether or not you pay extensive heed to grammar. Though it’s nowhere near the only thing that matters when applying for jobs, it may be safest to take the time to improve or touch up grammar skills, as you can never be sure whether you’re applying at a company that cares about your use of apostrophes and commas or not.

Whether you decide to pay closer attention to grammar or not, I would recommend that everyone know how to correctly use the following, as they are some of the most frequently-made grammatical errors:

It’s = Contraction of “it is” / Its = Possessive

Example: “It’s raining today.” / “The company sold its product.”

Their = Possessive pronoun / There = A place or pronoun / They’re = Contraction of “they are”

Example: “Their phones had no service.” / “There is a coffee shop over there.” / “They’re professional.”

Your = Possessive pronoun / You’re = Contraction of “you are”

Example: “Your car broke down.” / “You’re working on your grammar.”

-Hope Swedeen

What do you think about the use of proper grammar in the workplace? Is it necessary for people in all fields of work to have good grammar?