MSCCN Blog

Happy Halloween from Our Offices to Yours

10/31/2019

Here at CASY and MSCCN, we sure do love our holidays! Every Halloween, we have a contest for who decorates their workspace the most festively.

This connects our team as we are 100% remote nationwide and, with Starbucks on the line, stakes are high and it brings out the friendly competition.

The submissions

Do you have a favorite?

We polled facebook, and this is the general consensus.

2nd Runner-Up

Misty Ferguson, Employment Specialist Program Manager

1st Runner-Up

Melissa Hein, CASY Reserve Component Division Career Specialist Lead

And now, for the moment you've been waiting for. *Queue drumroll*

The Winner

Amanda Whetzel, Employment Specialist

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LinkedIn Scaring Employers Away?

10/28/2019

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Knocks on opportunity’s door… Trick or Treat? And, no one answers.
Did you know networking is still the number one way to get a job? And that 92% of recruiters sourcing for positions for employers check you out online? The majority of research is done on… Linkedin.
If you are using LinkedIn in your job search to open opportunity’s door…. And feel like you are being tricked… more than treated…it’s time to take a hard look at your online networking game to see if you are scaring potential employers away.
Here are a few things to check… if you are not getting the response that you want:

SCARY PROFILE PICTURE. Your picture is the FIRST item in your LinkedIn profile that a recruiter notices. Make sure that you are not scaring them away with unprofessional looks, inappropriate gestures, and casual settings. So you went out with your buddies and they snapped a picture of you in a political shirt, with a beer in your hand, flipping the bird… maybe it was the first photo on your camera roll that was of you… not the best profile picture. Pick a headshot in regular business attire.
MASKED SKILLS. Does the content in your profile match the career skills needed for the positions you are currently applying for? Too much information, or the wrong information, could be keeping potential employers away. If you are looking for a job in logistics, LinkedIn might not be the place that you list out the non-profit that you started to save the whales or that you are looking for singing jobs in a Jazz band. Make sure your profile is focused on the career you are pursuing… if you have other interests, either create another profile or make a profile on another platform to seek opportunities.
GHOSTING. Please don’t POST and GHOST. One of the biggest complaints with recruiters is a lack of response. If you are using social media or a job search platform to find opportunities and applying, make sure you are checking your messages. You might have gotten a response, but it went to an email you don’t check, or spam, or the phone call got screened. I get it, you have several emails, phone numbers, and multiple accounts to check… and all kinds of spam and telemarketers to avoid. Maybe that job wasn’t the first on your list, so you don’t respond… that same recruiter might have your dream job, too. They are often hiring for multiple positions... make sure that you at least are responsive to the recruiter to say, that you got another position or that you are looking for a different type of position.

One of the benefits of searching for a job this time of year is that most companies are hiring seasonal employees to handle the increase in work. And that a lot of job seekers take a break so that they don’t have to start a new job during the holiday. Make sure you are making the right impression by avoiding the pitfalls of a bad profile, and job search etiquette.

Written by: Amy Rossi, Director of Training

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Veterans Day

10/24/2019

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Here at CASY & MSCCN, we're all about honoring our Veterans. This Veterans Day, we've compiled a list for you of places that that are doing something extra to honor our veterans and thank them for their service.

Free or discount offers available Veterans Day 2019

Restaurants

Buffalo Wild Wings
Chicken Salad Chick
Chili's
The Chop House (50% off)
Denny's
Dunkin Donuts
Famous Dave's
Firebirds Wood Fire Grill
Hooters
Menchie's Frozen Yoghurt
O’Charley's
Primanti Bros
Red Robin
Shoney's
Texas Roadhouse
Tijuana Flats

Free Car Washes through Grace for Vets. Go to http://graceforvets.org/veterans/find-a-wash to locate a participating car wash near you.

Free hair cut on 11/11 through Great Clips, can be used that day or another date, all non-military customers who come in on that day get a free haircut to gift to a veteran they know.

Here are a few retailers from last year that gave out veterans day discounts, but haven't released if they will this year as well. Be sure to keep an eye out for these, too!

Academy Sports
Dollar General
Food Lion
Publix
Target
TOMS Shoes
Tractor Supply
Walgreens

Everyday Discounts for Veterans

Restaurants

Applebee's
Eat n Park

Attractions

Entrance into some National Parks
Free admission to Sea World (one time per year) through waves of honor program
Free admission for Active-duty Military and Veterans at LegoLand Florida and discounts for family members
Steep discounts on Disney World tickets and hotel stay through shades of green in Orlando Florida
Vet Tix- where you can find free or discounted tickets to an array of shows or attractions.
Movie theaters including Cinemark, Regal Theaters, and Imax offer discounted tickets for AD and Veteran Military
Ripley's Attractions 30% off for AD or Veteran Military
Six Flags and Universal Studios offer discounted tickets through BaseOps
Discounted tickets to sporting events, travel and much much more through GovX

Retail

Home Depot
Lowe's
O'Reilly's
Under Armor
Colombia

Travel

Armed Forces Vacation Club
Campgrounds through KOA offer discounts or free stays at certain locations
Cruises
Resorts
Delta Airline offers free baggage and discount for military (on orders and personal travel)
Jet Blue offers a 5% airfare discount for military and a baggage waiver
Car rental companies like Avis and Budget offer 25% off rental time and mileage

Quick Reminder

-Review the official site for information and rules. For example: must bring a valid ID, be in uniform, available only on a specific date/time or only subject to specific items and/or locations
- Prepare to dine in, as most only offer this discount for dine-in meals
- Plan to tip your server despite the free or discounted meal.
- If you cannot locate site-specific data, call ahead before you plan to leave your home/work.

Compiled by: Phylicia Vallier, Training Specialist

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The Best Job In America

10/22/2019

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What is more important-- Happiness or Money? That's a hard choice sometimes isn't it? We all want to be happy throughout our lives, but happiness doesn’t pay the bills and, on the other hand, money is a necessity but having it doesn’t always mean that you will feel fulfilled or content in life. Well, what if you could pick a career that gives you both of those things? According to MSN the ‘Best Job in America’ can do just that, and even more!

Recently, Glassdoor released its list of top ten jobs and, among those top ten jobs, were positions that you would expect -- dentist, physician assistant, doctor -- but there were also a plethora of jobs in the IT industry that made that list. And, that includes the number one job: Data Scientist.

I know what you’re thinking, “what is a data scientist and how do I become one?” Well, a data scientist is someone who extracts, analyzes, and interprets data. To get started in this field you need at least a bachelor's degree in a related field (most often computer sciences) and you need industry-relevant experience. To stand out among your peers, industry certifications are also a huge perk!

CASY & MSCCN have partnered with companies like IBM, St. Michaels Learning Academy, and Fortinet to bring IT-related industry training and certifications to our military veterans and spouses at no cost! If you are interested in learning more about how these certifications could impact your career, where they are offered, and how to enroll, check out this quick video on the process.

Being a data scientist isn't just a lucrative job, bringing in on average over $100k a year, it’s also a job that is highly sought out, has room for growth and career development, and can be done in a remote capacity! You’ve been dreaming of a position that isn't just a job and that offers all these things, haven't you? Let CASY & MSCCN help you find the "Best Job in America."

Written by: Phylicia Vallier, Training Specialist

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It's Time To Be Self-Care Aware

10/17/2019

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I’d like to start by stating that I am by no means an expert on self-care. However, I am fully aware of its utter and complete importance. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and October 10th is World Mental Health Day, it’s only fitting to discuss how self-care can affect our daily lives.

Self-care is an activity that we do deliberately to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Even though it’s a simple concept, it’s one that often gets overlooked, put on the back burner, or skipped altogether.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month reminds both women and men that monthly breast cancer exams should be a regular part of one's self-care. If you have never performed a self-exam, ask your doctor or nurse practitioner to guide you through.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation reports that a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes. Due to innovations in research, surgical options, and clinical studies, women have options. With early detection, a woman’s survival rate goes up. That’s why breast self-exams are so important.

This ties in with World Mental Health Day. The goal is to help raise mental health awareness. Each of us can contribute to ensuring that our friends and family who are dealing with mental health concerns can live better lives through dignity, respect, and support. Every year one in four adults, along with one in ten children, will be diagnosed with a mental health concern. These conditions can profoundly affect millions of lives, affecting the capability of these individuals to sustain relationships, maintain work, and even make it through the day.

Why are we sharing this? Well, it goes back to what I mentioned at the start of this article…
SELF-CARE. Self-care is an important aspect of each of our lives and can help us lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

Everyone deals with some amount of stress, but what a lot of people don’t know is how actually terrible for your mind, body, and physical well-being stress can be. Stress can make you age prematurely. It can give you back pains, headaches, blood pressure problems, hair loss, weakened immunity, weight gain, or weight loss and it can even cause depression.

Who wants any of that?

So, what can we do to combat stress? We can start by taking time for ourselves.

In my past, I leaned heavily on exercise and nature. To me, there’s nothing like getting outside and going for a run to clear my mind. I always feel so much better after working out. Try taking a walk, or sitting at a local park, breathing in the fresh air and letting the sunshine warm your face.

Maybe working out isn’t your thing. Try de-cluttering your life. Clean your house. It always makes me feel organized and well-put-together when I have organized my home.

Turn to your childhood comforts. For me, one of my many wonderful childhood memories would be food. I’m 100 percent Italian. (My maiden name is Vitale.) Food has always been a very big deal in our home. We celebrated with food, and we were comforted by food. We always made sure that we had great meals at the table. So, for me, cooking helps me relax and focus.

Maybe these aren’t things you would enjoy. That’s okay, the point is to find something productive and meaningful to you. Something that allows you to relax, or focus, something that brings you peace and strength.

Remember to take care of your mind, body, and soul. While we can’t control everything in life, we can make an effort to focus on controlling the things we can, and that starts with our personal self-care.
Written by: Alexandra O'Neil, Communications Manager

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Happy Birthday, USN!

10/8/2019

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On October 13th, we will celebrate the 244th birthday of the The United States Navy! Throughout the month of October there will be many Navy Balls taking place with great food, lots of dancing, and the wonderful tradition of having the youngest sailor present cut the cake with the oldest sailor present. This is always one of my most favorite moments of the night. (Also, I really love cake!).

My husband and I started the birthday celebration off by attending the Performance of the Navy Band at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. I have to say, when my husband told me we would be attending the performance, I wasn't overly thrilled.... the performance started at 8pm and you never know how long it will take to drive on the beltway. What I can tell you is that I was mesmerized by the performance. The talent of the Navy band and the performers was top notch. I was tapping my feet and enjoying every minute.

On October 12th I will be attending the Navy Ball here in DC. I am looking forward to honoring and celebrating all the sailors of the past and the more than 300,000 currently on active duty and around 100,000 in the Navy Reserve.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAVY!
Written by: Stacey Harris, Outreach Program Manager

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Welcome Fall

10/3/2019

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October is finally here, and all of my favorite things that come with it- crunchy leaves, sweaters and boots, crisp Fall mornings or, if you're in the South, the mugs are going away and we can cozy up to cool mid-80 degree weather.

Fall always brings on my favorite activities for an entire season. I always get overcome with nostalgia for all of the family activities of baking, trick-or-treating, and family gatherings. As an adult, all of these fun activities equal a season of busyness. This is when there are events almost weekly, and commitments left and right.

This is also the season where I have to really take care of myself, because this fun season can lead to burnout.

As this season fast approaches, make it a season to enjoy. Remember that it's OK to say "No," and don't feel obligated to participate in every Fall activity. Take moments to enjoy the changing of the seasons to relax, refresh, and rejuvenate yourself.

Written by: Zaneta Padilla

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MSCCN Blog

Happy Halloween from Our Offices to Yours

The submissions

2nd Runner-Up

1st Runner-Up

The Winner

LinkedIn Scaring Employers Away?

Veterans Day

Free or discount offers available Veterans Day 2019

Everyday Discounts for Veterans

Quick Reminder

The Best Job In America

It's Time To Be Self-Care Aware

Happy Birthday, USN!

Welcome Fall

Deb Kloeppel,
Founder & President MSCCN

Authors

Archives

Categories

MSCCN Blog

Happy Halloween from Our Offices to Yours

The submissions

2nd Runner-Up

1st Runner-Up

The Winner

LinkedIn Scaring Employers Away?

Veterans Day

Free or discount offers available Veterans Day 2019

Everyday Discounts for Veterans

Quick Reminder

The Best Job In America

It's Time To Be Self-Care Aware

Happy Birthday, USN!

Welcome Fall

Deb Kloeppel,Founder & President MSCCNAuthors

Archives

Categories

Deb Kloeppel,
Founder & President MSCCN

Authors