Office Ink BlogExpert advice on going green, getting organized, office design & tech from On Time Supplies.

You’ve heard all the bad news about the tough job market for new graduates. There’s nothing you can do but hit the pavement, and hit it hard. When you score an interview, you need to do your best to impress. Your education, skills & talent are the most important elements you bring to your hunt, but it’s a lot easier to sell your qualifications when your project a polished, professional image.

A little attention to these three areas of presentation can help you stand apart for the competition.

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Nothing’s cuter than a kid’s homemade card. So, here’s six of them to celebrate Mother’s Day (and the end of another work week.)

Happy Mother’s Day! Click to see all cards

Our number one tax saving tip is to know your tax credits. Generally speaking, small business tax credits fall into three categories: credits for going green, credits for hiring employees, and credits for non-wage forms of employee compensation, such as insurance and childcare assistance. Basically, the government wants to reward businesses that invest in their employees and communities.

Top 5 Small Business Tax Credits

1. New Hire Tax Credit

If you hired an employee between February 3, 2010, and January 1, 2011, and kept them on for at least a year, you probably qualify for the New Hire Retention Tax Credit.  Use form 5884-B to claim this small business tax credit.

2. Employee Health Insurance Tax Credit

Cover at least half of your employees’ health insurance costs? The government will offset up to 35% of your costs with a tax credit for small employer health insurance premiums. Fill out IRS Form 8491 to claim this small business tax credit.

3. Eco-Friendly Vehicle Tax Credit

The Alternative Motor Vehicle Tax Credit rewards business that add certain environmentally-friendly vehicles to their fleet. There’s are also small business tax credits for the fueling costs of such vehicles. Use IRS Forms 8910 8911 and 8864 to claim your green credits.

4. Active-Duty Employee Tax Credit

If you’ve got an employee on active duty in the military, Uncle Sam thanks you with the Credit for Employer Differential Wage Payments. Just fill out IRS form 8932 to claim this small business tax credit.

5. Community-Oriented Investment Tax Credit

The government also offers small business tax credits for community investments. The New Markets Tax Credit rewards equity investments made in qualified community development entities. Fill out IRS Form  8874 to see if your investment qualifies.

See all the small business tax credits you can use to cut your tax bill at the IRS website.

Now that the holidays are over, many of us experience winter as a long, hard slog to spring. Here are 3 tips on staying warm and healthy during the cold weather months.

Fight of cold & flu viruses with a super-charged immune system

With a flu shot, plenty of rest and lots of veggies, you’ll probably come through the cold and flu season unscathed. A little boost doesn’t hurt either. Emergen-C® Immune Defense Drink delivers a “powerful blend of vitamins, nutrients, antioxidant power and electrolytes.” It’s pretty tasty too.

Stock up on cold & flu remedies

Took a pass on the ounce of prevention and need a pound of cure? If you absolutely can’t stay home in bed, Tylenol® Extra-Strength Rapid Release Gels suppresses most cold and flu symptoms without leaving you drowsy. Make sure you keep your germs to yourself with Antiviral Kleenex and hand sanitizer.

Warm your office with an energy-efficient space heater

A space heater is the next best thing to going to work in a Snuggie. Plus, they are energy efficient and cut heating costs, as long as you use the right size and style. Check out OnTimeSupplies.com for tips on choosing the best electric space heater for your office.

First, thank you to everyone who tweeted and commented on Facebook. You help make the 2011 Pink Ribbon Giveaway a real success! We now have a winner. Congratulations to @msmorev! We’ve sent you a message on Twitter with instructions on how to claim your prize package.

Thanks again to everyone who entered! Keep watching OnTimeSupplies.com on Twitter & Facebook for more chances to win cool office supplies.

No one has a better eye for timeless design and performance than the folk’s at Real Simple Magazine. They’ve named the Paper Mate Flair the “Best Classic” Pen. If it’s good enough for Martha Stewart, it’s good enough for us all!

“With its soft tip, the pen relates to paper almost like a tiny brush and needs only a light hand,” the magazine notes. Paper Mate has barely changed the design since the pen’s 1960s debut. Why mess with perfection?

You can pick up the Paper Mate Flair Pens for a bargain price at OnTimeSupplies.com.

Need a new hard drive? Now is the time to buy. Thanks to the recent floods in Thailand, there’s going to be a major hard drive shortage. Several tech companies have been forced to suspend manufacturing amid the worst flooding in 50 years, including Western Digital, one of the world’s leading hard drive suppliers.

“Given the severity of the situation and the extensive supply constraints caused by the disruption … the effects on our industry are likely to be substantial and will extend over multiple quarters,” said Western Digital CEO John Coyne.

Thailand is the world’s second largest exporter of hard drives, so Coyne isn’t the only one sounding the alarm. “I’m virtually certain there will be an overall industry shortage of disk drives as a result of the disaster,” said Apple CEO Time Cook. Industry experts expect hard drive production to drop by about 30%.

If you know you need a new computer hard drive, get it today. OnTimeSupplies.com still has computer hard drives in stock, and offers free shipping  and 1-2 day delivery.

via All Things D, The Wall Street Journal.

Every year, the Office of Personnel Management surveys federal employees to find out how they really feel about their jobs. More than 266,000 workers participated this year, rating their agencies for job satisfaction, as well as in three other categories. Apparently, the disgruntled beuracrat is a myth. No agency had less than 61% job satisfaction.  We were curious to see which agencies reported the highest levels of job satisfaction.

5. Federal Trade Commission

71% of workers at the FTC claim a high level of job satisfaction.

4. Social Security Administration.

All the talk of cutting Social Security hasn’t fazed the workers: 72% of SSA employees rate their agency high on job satisfaction.

3. State Department

Nice to know that 72% of the people responsible for diplomacy portion of national security are very happy with their jobs. The military personnel who wield our weapons a little less satisfied. 69% of Army, Navy & Marine employees report high job satisfaction.

2. NASA

It’s not so surprising that NASA ranks so high when you consider how hard it is to get a job in the Space Program. Of course, not everyone who works at NASA is an astronaut, and across the board, 74% of employees rate are happy working there.

1. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

This is the agency that ensures that we never have to deal with Godzilla, or that three-eyed fish from The Simpsoms. With those kind of weighty concerns, it’s a little surprising that the NRC is #1 for job satisfaction. 77% of the employees love working their.

Check out all the results of the survey at the Washington Post to see how your agency measures up.

Sure, designer Giha Woo’s Twisted Pencil Cups are pretty cool, but do they come with a digital clock? No, they do not. Victor Pink Ribbon Pencil Cups d0! They tell you what time it is and take your office’s temperature. Plus, they fight breast cancer. So, in the battle of cool office supplies, Victor beats Woo.

We’re giving this pencil cup away at the end of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as well as a great assortment of Pink Ribbon Merchandise, including desk supplies and fine writing instruments.

Enter the Pink Ribbon Giveaway today for your chance to win. Plus, OnTimeSupplies.com donates to Living Beyond Breast Cancer for every valid contest entry. Or if you don’t want to wait until the end of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, you can pick up all kinds of Pink Ribbon Merchandise for a great price at OnTimeSupplies.com. Your purchase will help fund some awesome breast cancer awareness and research organizations.

Download FREE Halloween Pumpkin Carving Templates at HP.com.

We got all excited about Halloween & government purchasing this week. Here’s a look at what we’ve been talking about on the blog & around the web.

- We found the Best. Halloween. Costume. Ever.

- The sweet deals on Halloween candy at OnTimeSupplies.com had us pretty stoked too.

- We had some ideas about how the government should spend its $200 million fraud settlement from Oracle.

- Check it out: the White House lit pink for National Breast Cancer Awarness Month; plus how less exalted Federal employees can show their Pink Ribbon pride.

- Speaking of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, don’t forget to enter the Pink Ribbon Giveaway. Register here at Office Ink and on Facebook & Twitter. You could win some cool office supplies, and OnTimeSupplies.com will make a donation to Living Beyond Breast Cancer for every valid entry.

Have a great weekend!