Times Square Ink

MCC Plays a Pivotal Role in Transforming a Life

2011-01-28T16:03:00.019-05:00

Mr. Darwin Norwood has come through the “back door” of MCC since the court’s inception on non-theft, quality of life offenses. With no source of income and little hope, Mr. Norwood found himself opening the car doors at Port Authority for an extra buck. Through the years, MCC staff “planted seeds” in Mr. Norwood’s mind to strongly consider our on-site Times Square Ink job training program.

Finally, something clicked for Mr. Norwood the last time he appeared in Court before Judge Weinberg. After completing the one day Project Earn court mandate, Mr. Norwood decided to voluntarily enroll in Times Square Ink. As one of the only voluntary participants in TSI, Mr. Norwood was always the first one here and the last one to leave. He devoted every ounce of energy, poise and drive to take advantage of this worthwhile program that he had contemplated doing for some time.

The computer exercises and interviewing practice didn’t come easy to Mr. Norwood, but he worked to his highest potential and his determination paid off. He completed TSI in late November and two weeks later TSI placed him in a sanitation job with Times Square Alliance! This same man who just 6 months ago was breaking the law in our neighborhood, is now helping the neighborhood and helping himself! Mr. Norwood’s story is a true MCC success. It took everyone from the Court Officers, to Judge, to Resource Coordinator, Alternative Sanctions staff, Social Workers, and lastly TSI staff, to help him evolve into a law abiding, working NYC resident!

TSI at Work: Grad Celebrates a Year on the Job

2010-10-22T09:52:00.005-04:00

A floor below the bustle of the 86th St and Broadway corner, a Times Square Ink Grad goes about the business of keeping one of the Upper West Side's largest grocery stores clean. On a recent afternoon, this writer stopped by and was fortunate enough to catch Biron (pictured above left) in action. Continuing with his work as we spoke, Biron expressed satisfaction at having reached a significant milestone: a full year on the job.

Biron's ability to maintain employment over the past year has provided him with financial stability, allowing him to stay in an apartment that he was close to losing when he began attending TSI: "Nothing was going right.....I was losing my apartment....everything, but now things are working out." Beyond the monetary benefits that this alum has experienced, he states that he simply feels better about himself after proving that he is capable of not just holding down a job, but excelling, for over a year.

His contribution to our program as an alumnus has extended beyond his employment. While many TSI Alumni have an understandably difficult time making it back for events on a regular basis, Biron can be counted on to appear at any TSI gathering. He participates in these events with the same quiet poise with which he attends to his duties at the grocery: with a smile on his face, a hand extended to his colleagues, and a brief report on his ongoing work, he lets the spotlight shine on others, despite his great success.

Congratulations on a great year, Biron!

TSI at Work: Participant Uses Career Gear Internship to Sharpen Up Wardrobe and Resume

2010-09-02T16:01:00.012-04:00

At Times Square Ink, we strive to connect with community partners who can provide our job seekers with supplemental resources they need as they work towards re-entering the workforce. Career Gear is one of our most valued partners. They help men "suit-up" for job interviews by providing them with free designer suits and ties.

In addition to providing our job seekers with suits, Career Gear is now providing our graduates with meaningful internships. After being referred for suiting earlier in the year, Times Square Ink graduate Jason inquired with TSI staff about the possibility of working with Career Gear on a voluntary basis to gain real work experience. Jason remarked that the process of being outfitted with a designer suit made him feel more confident than he had in years and wanted to help others feel the same way. Putting the networking skills that he acquired in TSI to use, he persisted in his efforts until he was given an opportunity to make good on his willingness to help.

Through his time as an intern at Career Gear, Jason has learned that the organization has much more to offer than clothing. After proving himself as an intern, he was invited to join program staff and other volunteers for Career Gear's Professional Development Series, in which he has been able to work with other professionals to refine his skills. Jason has also been paired with a mentor, who will provide him with personalized assistance. Career Gear's partnership with TSI has provided Jason with another source of professional training and resources. Building on the momentum that he created with his work at TSI and Career Gear, Jason recently found full-time employment with a TSI employer partner. If he continues to work hard and utilize his resources, Jason will be moving up the corporate ladder in no time!

TSI at Work: Keeping the Spectators and Players Safe at Historic Rucker Park

2010-07-30T13:17:00.010-04:00

Basketball fans around the country lament the end of the N.B.A. Finals each June: the crowning of a new champion represents the beginning of a long stretch without any hoops action. For New York City afficionados of the game, however, the end of the N.B.A. and college seasons means that the best in the world are free to come to the city and shine. Legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Dr. J, as well as current stars like Baron Davis and Brandon Jennings, have faced off against hungry players looking to make their mark.

No venue attracts star power and raw talent like Holcombe L. Rucker Park in Upper Manhattan. Named for the Harlem teacher who first organized the games in 1950 and now known simply as "The Rucker," the park plays host to a rotating cast of celebrities, athletes, locals and tourists throughout the summer. They come to participate in or serve as spectators for the annual Entertainer's Classic Basketball Tournament, for which famous athletes and entertainers, such as Fat Joe and Angie Martinez, field teams that "wow" all in attendance.

Times Square Ink is proud to be represented at the Rucker this summer by Marcellus Fairley III, a recent grad. Marcellus, a security professional, has been working since early June to maintain a safe environment at the park for fans and players alike, working with a team of security personnel to make sure that the energy and excitement of this world class action does not lead to unnecessary injury for any of those in attendance. While bumps, bruises and occasional serious ailments are par for the course when athletes spend this much time above the rim, Marcellus and his team ensure that folks are otherwise kept out of harm's way.

Marcellus, who attended Times Square Ink throughout April and May, commented on the program's positive effect on his work in security: "Now, I think of myself more as a professional than hired 'muscle' or something like that. Situations come up where maybe I would have rushed somebody out, but this summer at the Rucker, I've been talking through more stuff." If you find yourself near 155th and Frederick Douglas Boulevard or are willing to travel for some of the flashiest hoops action on the planet, make sure to say "hello" to our friend Marcellus!

TSI at Work: Grad Finds a Hot Job in a Cool Place

2010-04-27T11:03:00.011-04:00

"I've never seen so much ice cream!," was this writer's first response to the scene at TSI graduate Paul's new warehouse employer in Brooklyn. "We've got everything," Paul quickly responded, smiling as he gestured at row upon row of ice cream. The TSI graduate went on to describe what he does at the cold storage facility: he receives orders from manufacturers, assembles products for city-wide distribution, and does just about anything else that needs to be taken care of at the facility. "There's only 3 of us working here, so anything that needs to be done is our job to take care of."

Paul spoke with pride as he detailed the operations of the Brooklyn ice cream distributor. As this writer shivered in the below-freezing temperatures, the TSI grad continually returned to mentioning how thankful he was for the experience at Times Square Ink that gave him the confidence in himself to take advantage of this opportunity: "It just feels so good to be working again. They gave me a chance and now I'm showing them that I deserved it."

When asked what he does when he's not at work, Paul paused for a moment before sharing that he generally relaxed at home. He shared that he lives a short walk from his job and usually finds that he's pretty worn out after a long, chilly shift at the warehouse. If he feels restless, he might take a brief walk around the quiet stretch of East New York where he makes both his home and his living. "Hey, I spent years and years doing all of that craziness, man. Now, I just do my work, then go home, relax and get to bed early; I take care of my business."

Times Square Ink and Dads United for Parenting Hit a Home Run: Alumni Working this Season for Yankees and Mets!

2010-04-09T10:09:00.009-04:00

Times Square Ink/Dads United for Parenting participants Luis and Robert were able to secure sought-after slots in the ballparks of New York's teams. These alumni were selected from thousands of applicants in a well-publicized and highly competitive hiring process.

Luis, a long-time Yankee fan and Yankee Stadium neighborhoood resident, will be putting his years of food service experience to work in the stadium's main kitchen. As anyone who has been there can tell you, the cuisine at the new stadium goes far beyond hot dogs and Cracker Jacks. Luis will have a hand in the preparation of everything from sushi to cheesesteaks. Make your way up to the Bronx as the Yankees pursue their 28th World Series title. If you see a someone smiling wider and working harder than the rest, it's probably Luis!

Robert will be working behind the scenes at Citi Field as a Porter. As you might expect, it takes the heavy lifting of hundreds of stadium staffers to ensure that fans have a relaxing day at the ballpark. Robert's efforts to excell at Times Square Ink and in the Dads United for Parenting program have prepared him for the hard work that he'll be putting in over the course of the Met's 81-game home schedule.

Let's all hope for a Subway Series powered by Luis and Robert!

NY TIMES: In Hard Times, Lured Into Trade School and Debt

2010-03-16T11:16:00.002-04:00

Times Square Ink and Times Square Youth strive not only to connect our participants with employment, but also to position them for lifelong personal and professional growth. We feel that a key component in facilitating growth is providing guidance relative to educational opportunities. The following Times article issues a cautionary note to Workforce Professionals: not all educational institutions recruit prospective students honestly and due dilligence is essential when assisting participants with program selection.

By PETER S. GOODMAN
Published: March 13, 2010

One fast-growing American industry has become a conspicuous beneficiary of the recession: for-profit colleges and trade schools.

At institutions that train students for careers in areas like health care, computers and food service, enrollments are soaring as people anxious about weak job prospects borrow aggressively to pay tuition that can exceed $30,000 a year.

But the profits have come at substantial taxpayer expense while often delivering dubious benefits to students, according to academics and advocates for greater oversight of financial aid. Critics say many schools exaggerate the value of their degree programs, selling young people on dreams of middle-class wages while setting them up for default on untenable debts, low-wage work and a struggle to avoid poverty. And the schools are harvesting growing federal student aid dollars, including Pell grants awarded to low-income students.

“If these programs keep growing, you’re going to wind up with more and more students who are graduating and can’t find meaningful employment,” said Rafael I. Pardo, a professor at Seattle University School of Law and an expert on educational finance. “They can’t generate income needed to pay back their loans, and they’re going to end up in financial distress.”
For-profit trade schools have long drawn accusations that they overpromise and underdeliver, but the woeful economy has added to the industry’s opportunities along with the risks to students, according to education experts. They say these schools have exploited the recession as a lucrative recruiting device while tapping a larger pool of federal student aid.

“They tell people, ‘If you don’t have a college degree, you won’t be able to get a job,’ ” said Amanda Wallace, who worked in the financial aid and admissions offices at the Knoxville, Tenn., branch of ITT Technical Institute, a chain of schools that charge roughly $40,000 for two-year associate degrees in computers and electronics. “They tell them, ‘You’ll be making beaucoup dollars afterward, and you’ll get all your financial aid covered.’ ”

Ms. Wallace left her job at ITT in 2008 after five years because she was uncomfortable with what she considered deceptive recruiting, which she said masked the likelihood that graduates would earn too little to repay their loans.

As a financial aid officer, Ms. Wallace was supposed to counsel students. But candid talk about job prospects and debt obligations risked the wrath of management, she said.
“If you said anything that went against what the recruiter said, they would threaten to fire you,” Ms. Wallace said. “The representatives would have already conned them into doing it, and you had to just keep your mouth shut.”

A spokeswoman for the school’s owner, ITT Educational Services, Lauren Littlefield, said the company had no comment.

The average annual tuition for for-profit schools this year is about $14,000, according to the College Board. The for-profit educational industry says it is fulfilling a vital social function, supplying job training that provides a way up the economic ladder.

“When the economy is rough and people are threatened with unemployment, they look to education as the way out,” said Harris N. Miller, president of the Career College Association, which represents approximately 1,400 such institutions. “We’re preparing people for careers.”
Concerned about aggressive marketing practices, the Obama administration is toughening rules that restrict institutions that receive federal student aid from paying their admissions recruiters on the basis of enrollment numbers.

The administration is also tightening regulations to ensure that vocational schools that receive aid dollars prepare students for “gainful employment.” Under a proposal being floated by the Department of Education, programs would be barred from loading students with more debt than justified by the likely salaries of the jobs they would pursue.

“During a recession, with increased demand for education and more anxiety about the ability to get a job, there is a heightened level of hazard,” said Robert Shireman, a deputy under secretary of education. “There is a lot of Pell grant money out there, and we need to make sure it’s being used effectively.”

The administration’s push has provoked fierce lobbying from the for-profit educational industry, which is seeking to maintain flexibility in the rules.

A Lucrative Business
The stakes are enormous: For-profit schools have long derived the bulk of their revenue from federal loans and grants, and the percentages have been climbing sharply.

The Career Education Corporation, a publicly traded global giant, last year reported revenue of $1.84 billion. Roughly 80 percent came from federal loans and grants, according to BMO Capital Markets, a research and trading firm. That was up from 63 percent in 2007.

The Apollo Group — which owns the for-profit University of Phoenix — derived 86 percent of its revenue from federal student aid last fiscal year, according to BMO. Two years earlier, it was 69 percent.

For-profit schools have proved adept at capturing Pell grants, which are a centerpiece of the Obama administration’s efforts to make higher education more affordable. The administration increased financing for Pell grants by $17 billion for 2009 and 2010 as part of its $787 billion stimulus package.

Two years ago, students at for-profit trade schools received $3.2 billion in Pell grants, according to the Department of Education, less than went to students at two-year public institutions. By the 2011-12 school year, the administration now estimates, students at for-profit schools should receive more than $10 billion in Pell grants, more than their public counterparts. (Those anticipated increases may shrink, depending on the outcome of wrangling in Congress over health care and student lending.)

Enrollment at for-profit trade schools expanded about 20 percent a year the last two years, more than double the pace from 2001-7, according to the Career College Association.
Mr. Miller, the association’s president, said for-profit schools were securing large numbers of Pell grants because their financial aid offices were diligent and because the schools served many low-income students.

But financial aid experts say the surge of federal money reaching such institutions reflects something else: their aggressive, sometimes deceitful recruiting practices.
Jeffrey West was working at a pet store near Philadelphia, earning about $8 an hour, when he saw advertisements for training programs offered by WyoTech, a chain of trade schools owned by Corinthian Colleges Inc., a publicly traded company that last year reported revenue of $1.3 billion.

After Mr. West called the school, an admissions representative drove to his house to sell him on classes in auto body refinishing and upholstering technology, a nine-month program that cost about $30,000.

Mr. West blanched at the tuition, he recalled, but the representative assured him the program amounted to an antidote to hard economic times.
“They said they had a very high placement rate, somewhere around 90 percent,” he said. “That was one of the key factors that caused me to go there. They said I would be earning $50,000 to $70,000 a year.”
Some 14 months after he completed the program, Mr. West, 21, has failed to find an automotive job. He is working for $12 an hour weatherizing foreclosed houses.
With loan payments reaching $600 a month, he is working six and seven days a week to keep up.

“I’ve got $30,000 in student loans, and I really don’t have much to show for it,” he said. “It’s really frustrating when you’re trying to better yourself and you wind up back at Square One.”
Corinthian says it bars its recruiters from making promises about pay.
“The majority of our students graduate,” said a spokeswoman, Anna Marie Dunlap, in a written statement. “Most see a significant earnings increase.”

The increase in market opportunities for the for-profit education industry comes as governments spend less on education. In states like California, community colleges have been forced to cut classes just when demand is greatest.
“This is creating a very ripe environment for the for-profit schools to pick off more students,” said Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access & Success, a nonprofit research group based in California that seeks to make higher education more affordable. “The risks of exploitation are higher, and the potential rewards of those practices are higher.”
For-profit culinary schools have long drawn criticism for leading students to rack up large debts. Now, they are enjoying striking growth. Enrollment at the 17 culinary schools of the Career Education Corporation — most of them operated under the name Le Cordon Bleu — swelled by 31 percent in the final months of last year from a year earlier.

When Andrew Newburg called the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, Ore., to seek information, he was feeling pressure to start a new career. It was 2008, and his Florida mortgage business was a casualty of the housing bust. An associate degree in culinary arts from a school in the food-obsessed Pacific Northwest seemed like a portal to a new career.
The tuition was daunting — $41,000 for a 15-month or 21-month program — but he said the admissions recruiter portrayed it as the entrance price to a stable life.

“The recruiter said, ‘The way the economy is, with the recession, you need to have a safe way to be sure you will always have income,’ ” Mr. Newburg said. “ ‘In today’s market, chefs will always have a job, because people will always have to eat.’ ”
According to Mr. Newburg, the recruiter promised the school would help him find a good job, most likely as a line cook, paying as much as $38,000 a year.

Last summer, halfway through his program and already carrying debts of about $10,000, Mr. Newburg was alarmed to see many graduates taking jobs paying as little as $8 an hour washing dishes and busing tables, he said. He dropped out to avoid more debt.

“They have a basic money-making machine,” Mr. Newburg said.

More Bills Than Paychecks
Career Education says admissions staff are barred from making promises about jobs or salaries. The school requires students to sign disclosures stating that they understand that its programs afford no guarantees.
But promotional materials convey a sense of promise.
“Our students are given the tools needed to become the future leaders in the industry,” proclaims the Le Cordon Bleu Web site. “Many graduates have attained positions of responsibility, visibility, and entrepreneurship soon after completing their studies.”

The job placement results that the school files with accrediting agencies suggest a different outcome. From July 2007 to June 2008, students who graduated from the culinary arts associate degree program landed jobs that paid an average of $21,000 a year, or about $10 an hour. Oregon’s minimum wage is $8.40 an hour.

The job placement list is cited in a class-action lawsuit filed against the Portland school — previously known as Western Culinary Institute — by graduates who allege fraud, breach of contract and unlawful trade practices. Executives at Career Education denied the allegations while asserting it would be wrong to judge the school on the basis of its graduates’ first jobs.
“You go out in the industry and work your way up,” said Brian R. Williams, the company’s senior vice president for culinary arts.

On a recent morning at the campus in Portland, hundreds of students donning chef’s whites labored in demonstration kitchens stocked with stainless steel countertops and commercial gas ranges. A chef inspected plates of boeuf Bourgogne and risotto Milanese. Students melted and pulled sugar into multicolored ribbons. Others used a chainsaw to sculpture blocks of ice into decorative centerpieces.

“It’s employable skills; that’s what we teach people here,” said the school president, Jon Alberts. “We try to give them as much of an industry experience in the classroom as possible.”
But several local chefs said the program merely simulated what students could learn in entry-level jobs.

“When they graduate and come in the kitchen, I tell them, ‘I’m going to treat you like you don’t know anything,’ ” said Kenneth Giambalvo, executive chef at Bluehour, an upscale restaurant in Portland’s Pearl District. “It doesn’t really give them any edge.”
What the school does give many students is debt, often at double-digit interest rates — debt that even bankruptcy cannot erase without a lengthy, low-odds legal proceeding.

When TJ Williams arrived in Portland from his home in Utah to enroll at Le Cordon Bleu in 2007, he was shocked by the terms of the aid package the school had arranged for him: One loan, for nearly $14,000, carried a $7,327 “finance charge” and a 13 percent interest rate.
“They told me that halfway through the program, I could probably refinance to a lower rate,” he said.

When he tried to refinance, the school turned him down, he says.
Career Education declined to discuss Mr. Williams’s case, citing privacy restrictions and saying he had not signed a waiver.
Mr. Williams has been jobless since last fall and recently returned to Utah, where he moved in with his mother.

After Graduation
The Career Education Corporation e-mailed The New York Times names and contact information for four graduates “with whom we hope you’ll touch base for important perspective.” One came with a wrong number. A second had graduated 15 years ago.
A third, Cherie Thompson, called the program “a really positive experience” but declined to discuss her debts or earnings. The fourth, Ericsel Tan, graduated in 2003 and later earned $42,000 a year overseeing catering at a convention center near Seattle. He said his success reflected his seven years of kitchen experience prior to culinary school.

areer Education notes that only 5.9 percent of the federal loans to students at the Western Culinary Institute that began to come due in 2007 — the latest available data — are listed in default by the Department of Education.

But default rates have traditionally reflected only those borrowers who fail to pay in the first two years payments are due.

The Department of Education has begun calculating default rates for three years. By that yardstick, Western Culinary’s default rate more than doubles, to 12.5 percent.
For-profit schools have ramped up their own lending to students to replace loans formerly extended by Sallie Mae, the student lending giant.

These loans are risky: Career Education and Corinthian recently told investors they had set aside roughly half the money allocated this year for private lending to cover anticipated bad debts.
Financial aid experts say such high rates of expected default prove that graduates will not earn enough to make their payments, yet the loans make sense for the for-profit school industry by enabling the flow of taxpayer funds to their coffers: they satisfy federal requirements that at least 10 percent of tuition money come from students directly or from private sources.
“They’re making so much money off their federal student loans and grants that they can afford to write off their own loans,” said Ms. Asher of the Institute for College Access & Success.

Busy Theater Looks to Times Square Youth for Employees

2010-03-15T13:13:00.004-04:00

The past few years have seen many industries struggle to stay afloat in a challenging economy. Movie theaters, however, have seen steady revenue growth over that period with the global box office taking in $29.9 billion internationally in 2009, an increase of $12.1 billion over the total for 2008.

Times Square Youth’s Midtown location positions its participants to gain from the health of this industry; one of America’s busiest theaters is located within walking distance of our program. Even more valuable than this proximity to the theater, however, is the success of a Times Square Youth graduate at this business. During an initial meeting with theater management, the impact of this participant's efforts were clear. “If all of my employees were like [Ms. B], I would be set!” the location’s Senior Manager, Dominique Patterson, stated enthusiastically.

We excitedly informed Mr. Patterson that we were currently working with many youth ready to follow Ms. B's example of success! With his organization looking to hire dozens of new employees in anticipation of heavier theater traffic in the Spring and Summer, Times Square Youth invited Mr. Patterson down to the Midtown Community Court last week to speak with candidates directly.

The event ran for over an hour, as participants eagerly sought information from Mr. Patterson and his associates. Excitement grew as Dominique and his team spoke about the flexible hours, opportunities for advancement, and benefits associated with the job. In addition to providing Dominique and our participants an opportunity to get to know each other, the event also gave youth valuable practice in interacting with an employer. After the event, the Court’s Youth Coordinator, Kate Barrow, spoke with attendees about ways in which candidates succeeded in making a good impression with Dominique and also touched upon areas that could be improved. “It’s crucial for youth to be able to reflect upon the experience of meeting with an employer in order to minimize naturally-occurring interview anxiety and continually improve their interview performance.”

Times Square Youth: coming soon to a theater near you!

A Youth Becomes a Mentor as Two Participants Find Success in Food Service

2010-03-09T15:48:00.002-05:00

This week marked a breakthrough for two graduates of the Midtown Community Court’s Workforce Development Programs. Both of these individuals, one a graduate of Times Square Youth (TSY) and the other a graduate of Times Square Ink (TSI), are making positive strides after years of gang involvement. The TSY graduate was given an opportunity by an employer partner at a local pizzeria two weeks ago. This young man hit the ground running, quickly learning the ropes and reinforcing the employer partner’s confidence in our candidates!

Earlier this week, a TSI graduate earned an opportunity at the same pizzeria. The employer, having full faith in the skills obtained by the TSY graduate in his short time at the restaurant, placed him in charge of training the new employee/TSI alumnus! This is what Times Square Youth and Times Square Ink are all about: helping motivated individuals connect with opportunities that can truly transform their lives! The newly hired participant said it best when he stopped by to share the good news: “The first step was coming to Times Square Ink, now I have a chance to work and make more positive things happen!”

Coach Did Odd Jobs on Way to a Top Job

2010-03-08T16:25:00.002-05:00

RICHMOND, Va. — When the Richmond men’s basketball team gathered at midcourt during a recent practice, it was difficult to discern the head coach from his players.

Wearing a T-shirt and shorts, Chris Mooney, 37, stood with his team without standing out. He has a trim build, thick brown hair and a face that could make a bartender think twice. But his youthful appearance belies a winding basketball journey.

After Mooney graduated from Princeton in 1994, where he was an all-Ivy League forward for Coach Pete Carril, he worked as a law clerk, a high school English teacher and a kind of wedding planner. Coaching basketball, financially speaking, was a side job.
But Mooney was grinding toward an opportunity like this one.

This season, he has already led Richmond (24-7) to the most regular-season wins in its 96-year history. The Spiders, who have defeated Florida, Missouri, Mississippi State and Temple, will probably reach the N.C.A.A. tournament for the first time since 2004.
“Chris always thought this group of kids could do something special,” said Mooney’s wife of 12 years, Lia. “It’s been amazing.”

Mooney was raised in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia. When he was in third grade and his older brother, Kevin, shot baskets on a Nerf hoop in the family’s home, Mooney would put on his Communion suit, scribble plays in a notebook and pretend to be a coach.

After sprouting to 6 feet 6 inches and starring for Archbishop Ryan High School, Mooney enrolled at Princeton, where he was a four-year starter. He studied Carril and his legendary offense closely, realizing the system was more a style than a rigid set of plays.
“Chris was always curious,” said Northwestern Coach Bill Carmody, who was an assistant at Princeton when Mooney played there. “Some guys, when they’re young, want to be doctors or engineers. He wanted to be a coach all along, and he picked up things from a lot of people.”
Mooney graduated with a degree in English, and opportunities to coach basketball were fleeting. He first worked as a law clerk, sorting files and moving boxes for a firm that was run by two Princeton fans.

Mooney applied for the head-coaching opening at Lansdale High School in Pennsylvania by faxing his handwritten résumé. Frank Giovonizzi, who was the athletic director and assistant principal, was put off by Mooney’s approach but intrigued by his pedigree.
“Then he came in for an interview and was horrible,” Giovonizzi said. “I told him to come back for a second interview wearing a sweatsuit and sneakers, because I thought he’d be more comfortable. He was, and he nailed it.”

Mooney was hired to coach basketball and teach English, sometimes slipping U2 lyrics into the poetry curriculum. He was demonstrative on the sideline — Giovonizzi sometimes sat on the bench to calm him — but he was also successful, guiding the Crusaders to the top of the Pioneer Athletic Conference.

In 1997, Mooney was hired to coach Division III Beaver College, which is in Glenside, Pa., and is now Arcadia University. The coaching position was part time, so Mooney also coordinated the use of campus facilities, including a castle that held wedding receptions.
He showed the space to newly engaged couples and helped them decide where the band should play and how tables should be arranged.
“I was 25 years old and I’d never even had people over for dinner,” Mooney said. “And here I am helping brides prepare for weddings.”

The basketball team did not have a manager, so Mooney washed uniforms, swept the court and filled water coolers. There were just six players on the roster during much of Mooney’s first season. When the two captains met with referees before games, the other players would stop warm-ups and wait.

In 2000, Mooney was hired as an assistant at Air Force, which was coached by the former Princeton assistant Joe Scott. Mooney became the Falcons’ coach in 2004. The next season, he was hired by Richmond, going just 21-39 in his first two seasons.
But this year the Spiders returned four starters from a 20-win team, along with center Dan Geriot, who missed last season with a knee injury after leading the team in scoring as a sophomore.

Within this close-knit group, the team’s managers and stars spend most of their free time together, and walk-ons are chided or praised as much as scholarship players.
“Coach says the only rule around here is: don’t be a jerk,” the senior guard David Gonzalvez said. “That pretty much covers everything.”
Richmond has used Mooney’s version of the Princeton offense as well as a pesky matchup zone defense to surge into the national spotlight. On Feb. 15, the team was ranked in the Associated Press poll for the first time since 1986.

The university’s athletic director, Jim Miller, said people now stopped him to talk about basketball when he wore a Spiders shirt in public. When some players recently ate at an Italian restaurant here, their meal was interrupted by several well-wishers.
Of course, this treatment is not unusual for an N.C.A.A tournament team. But the Spiders had recently operated more anonymously, overshadowed in their city by Virginia Commonwealth, which has reached two of the last three N.C.A.A. tournaments.
“I remember when we were 8-22, and things were bad,” Geriot said. “Like, some events were for frats, and we weren’t really allowed to go to them. Now, it’s like, ‘Come on over, fellas.’ This has been the time of our lives.”

Richmond was once an N.C.A.A. tournament darling; it was the first program to win first-round games as a 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th seed. This season, the Spiders are in line for a higher seeding. But if their story does turn a bit Cinderella, their coach knows how to find the castle — as long as it is not already booked for a wedding.

NY Times: Writing a Resume That Shouts "Hire Me"

2010-03-03T16:40:00.001-05:00

February 28, 2010

Writing a Résumé That Shouts ‘Hire Me’ By PHYLLIS KORKKI

IT’S tempting to think of a résumé as a low-maintenance aspect of your job search. Just list where you worked, what you did and where you went to school, attach that to each application and press the button.

In fact, though, you have considerable flexibility in how you structure your résumé. The decisions you make about what it says and how it looks can affect whether you get the job you really want, or get a job at all.

A résumé is a marketing document that “can serve as a magnet to draw job opportunities to you,” said Susan Ireland, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Perfect Résumé.” That’s largely because more résumés are now on job boards and social media sites, and are included on company databases, she said.

Often, people place too much emphasis on the parts of past jobs that they hated — and get new jobs they end up hating, too, she said. “Your résumé is about your future,” she said, “it’s not about your past,” so stress experiences that are most relevant to the position you aspire to hold.

Let’s say you were in a data-entry position but want to move into project coordination. Give your true job title, she said, but you can highlight the parts of your job that involved projects.

You aren’t obliged to list every single job you have ever held. If a job is 15 or more years in the past, stop and consider how much it’s worth mentioning, or how much space to give it, said Wendy S. Enelow, a résumé writer for executives and co-author of “No-Nonsense Résumés.”

“Your résumé is not an autobiographical essay of your entire life,” she said. If the sales job you had 20 years ago does not relate to where you are headed, leave it out or summarize it very briefly, she said.

In listing your most relevant experience, quantify your achievements whenever possible, Ms. Enelow said. For example, you could write “automated internal record-keeping processes, resulting in a 27 percent reduction in annual operating costs,” she said.

People with gaps in their recent work history often balk at a résumé that lists their latest jobs first, thinking that a “functional” type, stressing skills rather than dates, will work in their favor. But in most cases, job seekers should go the reverse-chronological route.

Most hiring managers become suspicious when they see a résumé without prominent dates, Ms. Ireland said. Try to list things like your community service, your volunteer work or other activities to fill in gaps in your recent work history, she said.

Many companies use software to weed out unqualified applicants. Pay attention to key words, repeating some defining terms from the job description. For example, if you are applying to be a solar energy engineer, you could include the words “solar,” “installation” and “photovoltaic (PV),” Ms. Ireland said.

Be concise in the job-objective or summary part of the résumé, which comes after your name and contact information. If you are seeking a position similar to one you have held, simply state your professional title, Ms. Ireland said (for example, user interface architect). Otherwise, indicate the job you want next or emphasize the skills that the job involves.

Tweak your résumé when necessary. Be sensitive to wording differences among industries. For example, banks have customers, while libraries have patrons and hospitals have patients, Ms. Ireland said.

Generally, unless you are a very recent graduate, list education after work experience. The older you are, the less necessary it is to list the year you graduated, Ms. Enelow said.

Make sure your résumé is easy to read, both on the screen and on paper. Even though most résumés are sent via e-mail, many H.R. people still print out the attachments, Ms. Ireland said.

Résumés are shorter than they were even five years ago, Ms. Enelow said, perhaps as a result of social-media behavior like 140-character tweeting. Keep them “tight, lean and clean,” she said. Ms. Ireland warns against the “big cement block” effect, meaning the use of dense paragraphs. A paragraph should be no longer than three lines, she said.

Make good use of white space, point size, boldface and bullets. But if you start seeing a laundry list of bullets, group them into clusters under skills headings so they are more readable, Ms. Enelow said.

And if you are a mid- or late-career professional, don’t feel that you must keep your résumé to one page.

Many companies have older versions of Microsoft Word, so make sure that your résumé attachment is compatible with them, Ms. Ireland said. It’s also wise to have printed versions ready, to hand out at interviews.

Finally, have someone review your work. If you need a complete makeover, the services of professional résumé writers may cost from $100 up to thousands of dollars, Ms. Enelow said.

But even an extra set of eyes from a friend, family member or career center employee can be enough to set a wayward résumé on the right course.

E-mail: thesearch@nytimes.com.

It's Tax Time - Deadline is April 15, 2009

2009-02-17T12:29:00.001-05:00

Take advantage of quality, free services to help working New Yorkers with their income tax returns.
The VITA program run by Baruch College (CUNY) and the main base of its volunteers are undergraduate accounting students. All of volunteers undergo a thorough training and testing process and are certified by the IRS. The volunteers are protected by the Volunteer Act of 1997 and are not legally liable for any preparation errors. They do, however, have a multiple-step quality review process to ensure the quality of the returns prepared. They prepare basic individual income tax returns (both federal and state forms) for working families of NYC. They do not prepare itemized deductions or deal with capital gains, rental income, large self-employment expenses, or any income derived from sources outside the state of New York. They prepare all returns on paper and advise clients to make copies before mailing (i.e. they do not keep any confidential information after a client leaves). See for more information at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/vita/vol/sites.html

Volunteer Locations for 2009
Baruch College
151 East 25th Street (Library Building, 1st Floor) (Map) New York, NY 10010 Hours of Operation: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10AM – 8PM; Friday 12PM – 7PM No walk-ins accepted after 7PM (Tues - Thurs); 6PM (Fri) International Student tax preparation: Please email BaruchVITA@gmail.com to make an appointment for 5:30pm, 6:00pm or 7:00pm on Wednesday evenings only. Please use "International Student Appt." in your subject line.

New York Chinese Community Center (Chinatown)
62 Mott Street (2nd floor) New York, NY 10013 (Map) Hours of Operation: Friday, Saturday 10AM – 5PM Languages available: Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese) By appointment only - Go to CCBA to make your appointment.

Chinatrust Bank (Chinatown)
208 Canal Street New York, NY 10013 (Map) Hours of Operation: Sunday 10AM – 4PM Languages available: Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese) By appointment (call 212-385-9898 to make a reservation) & walk-ins available before 3PM.

Hamilton Fish Park Library (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
415 East Houston Street New York, NY 10002 (Map) Hours of Operation: Saturday 10AM – 5PM Languages avalable: Spanish

Kingsbay YM-YWHA (Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn)
3495 Nostrand Ave, (btwn Ave. U & V) (Map) Brooklyn, NY 11229 Hours of Operation: Sunday 2PM – 6PM Additional Information: Please sign in at the front desk if you arrive earlier than 2pm. After 2pm, please sign in with Baruch VITA volunteers on the 2nd floor. Languages available: Russian

FOCUS Community Access Center (Flushing, Queens)
136-20 38th Avenue, Suite 10J (Map) Flushing, NY 11354 Hours of Operation: Saturday, Sunday 10AM – 5PM Lanaguages available: Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Korean

Wildcat Service Corporation (Downtown Manhattan)
2 Washington Street, 3rd floor (Map) New York, NY 10004 Open to Wildcat members ONLY Hours of Operation: Friday, Saturday 10AM – 5PM

An Opportunity for Employment

2009-01-30T17:02:00.004-05:00

When nearly 40 participants from the Midtown Community Court’s job training programs met to commemorate their successes in career development, one alumnus had some special, encouraging words for his peers. Former Times Square Ink client Russell Brown, also a graduate of the court’s Dads United for Parenting program, recalled his background, including criminal convictions, drug abuse and losing custody of his daughter. “Don’t give up, this program helped me tremendously,” Russell told them. “Before I was doing nothing, but now I’m working and I’ve got my daughter back.”

Amid this struggling economy, the Midtown Community Court continues to make strides in helping impoverished New Yorkers find jobs. On Thursday evening, the Court’s workforce development clients - both current participants and alumni - reported to the 3rd floor of the courthouse and were saluted for their achievements. In the same classroom where only months before many of them did not known how to use a computer, the honorees were recognized for not only finding jobs, but keeping them. As New York City’s unemployment rate reached a staggering 7.4 percent in December 2008 (up from 6.3 percent in November) and is expected to climb, it is increasingly difficult for the court to secure jobs for its ex-offenders. But despite these challenging times, the court has still found ways to celebrate success. So how does this happen?

Like Russell, adults in the Times Square Ink program present a myriad of social issues and criminal histories which clearly serve as barriers to employment. Beyond that, they also lack the job skills necessary to compete it today’s insecure job market. But after weeks of intensive computer skills training, resume writing, mock interviewing, clinical counseling and one-on-one job development, Times Square Ink clients begin a rigorous schedule of interviewing thanks to the network of nearly 50 employers working with the court. Such businesses as UPS, Barnes and Nobles, Food Emporium, Action Carting, and CBI Staffing come to the court for weekly employer panels where they speak to Times Square Ink clients about what they are looking for in an employee, conduct onsite interviews, and have their choice of newly qualified candidates to select from while receiving tax credits for providing work opportunities. Looking back, it’s hard to believe Russell would ever find a job in this economy. But he has, and he’s thriving in a maintenance position at the Bowery Residence Committee.

Graduates of Times Square Youth also had much to celebrate Thursday night as they were recognized for such achievements as passing the GED exam and finding a job. Participants in Times Square youth also undergo training on job searching, interviewing practices, positive work habits and computer training.

After getting arrested, Darren was referred to Times Square Youth in November 2008. “They helped me get into UPS,” he told the group. Remarkably, Darren was only hired for seasonal employment, but because of his etiquette and performance Darren has retained employment with UPS on a full-time basis.

As the evening came to a close, Ife Charles, the keynote speaker and deputy director of the Crown Heights Mediation Center, offered motivational advice to those that have yet to enter the workforce. “Time is precious, so use it wisely,” Ife told them. “To get a job you have to get the skills that you need, and then go out there and get it.”

Staff and Volunteers, please share your career advice and lessons learned through Times Square Ink

2008-11-14T16:59:00.001-05:00

Jobseekers, describe your dream job and vision of your future.

2008-11-13T22:54:00.002-05:00

Jobseekers, what are your biggest challenges in finding employment?

2008-11-13T22:52:00.001-05:00

Jobseekers, what's the best thing you've gained through TSI?

2008-11-13T22:51:00.002-05:00

Alumni, reflect and give back

2008-11-13T22:44:00.002-05:00

Each year, TSI helps roughly 200 people with barriers to employment to build new careers. We'd like to hear from alumni of the program. Share with us your advice for jobseekers in today's market.