Have You Considered Sporting Events?

From time to time I too enjoy seeking out job opportunities that fit my schedule in the Find Touch world! I feel so fortunate I was able to recently take on the Ironman Triathlon in Lake Stevens with Century Sports Massage Team!

This event was such a pleasant surprise! As a matter of fact I had no idea I was in for such a treat...I was able to have fun, make money, work outside (in a tent) with a wonderful group of massage therapists and relax during down time! I contribute this to the incredibly organized operation and the team atmosphere!

If you are into an environment full of good energy (and a little bit of sweat:) while offering sports massage to those hard working athletes, I would definitely recommend opportunities with Century Sports Massage Team!

If you have had a nice experience with any employer in the Seattle area, please share by sending an e-mail to: service@findtouch.com or calling: 206-419-9889

Thanks for tuning in...enjoy the sunshine!

Find Touch now has a "Community Forum"

A while back I asked everyone what they would like to read about in the blog and whether or not you had any questions I could research for you. Well, in response to this, I received some excellent feedback! Why not create a way for everyone in the Find Touch community to share their knowledge?!

We have taken this feedback into consideration and created the Find Touch "Community Forum". This is an excellent way to connect with others in the massage community and ask questions, share knowledge, opinions, or whatever you feel like sharing with everyone.

We would love your help in getting it started, you may do so by visiting: http://findtouch.fogbugz.com/?community

Thanks again for the wonderful feedback! Enjoy getting connected, and yes, if you have any questions about the massage community, please post on the community forum.

Great Information from the AMTA convention!

So...our first time making an appearance at the AMTA convention, and boy was it a neat experience! It was really great to meet some of you in person, thanks to those of you who dropped by to say hello.

I thought it would be nice to share some of the great information we learned from the convention this year~ please see the new links available on the right side of the screen.

Did you know that the AMTA is all volunteer based? They are always seeking new volunteers too! What a great way to spend some time in the community getting to know other LMPs out there doing what they love...helping others. For more information, you may visit their link: www.amta-wa.org.

You know, interesting things happen at a 3 day convention with down time here and there. You actually have the time to hold a conversation or 2. It was so much fun to meet some of the staff from the following companies striving to make a positive difference in the massage community: Massage Envy, The Massage Team, InSpa, Waking Life Massage and Supply, Cortiva Institute, Ask Us!, Juice Plus, Kerala Ayurveda Academy, Melaleuca, Topricin, and Body Cushion (have you tried one of these, talk about comfort).

I am currently in the process of researching some licensure information, stay tuned for the next posting with some rather useful information!

Find Touch Announces an Even More Recent Release!!

Hello, I hope everyone has been enjoying the website, especially with the magnificent changes we made back in February thanks to your input!

As it turns out, there were a couple of requests that didn’t quite make it to the previous upgrade, so yes, we have released once again with a few adjustments you will hopefully find quite useful!

For the previous release, we added the opportunity to “View Details” before applying to a position, which has helped tremendously for the accidental applications, but what if you apply for a job, then realize the it doesn’t fit into your schedule? You now have the option to “E-mail” the Employer with any last minute adjustments or questions directly from the Job Details screen.

Speaking of E-mails, we have also added the option to “Refer a Friend”. When you come across an opportunity that seems perfect for a friend of yours, you can invite them to apply with the click of a button. This feature is also available from the Job Details screen.

Another fantastic option we have added is the opportunity to view the job details directly from the Log-in screen prior to logging in! This way, you can see if anything catches your eye before logging in. You will only be prompted to log in if you decide to apply.

You may have noticed you’ve been receiving the Job Digest automatically. We hope you are enjoying viewing the jobs that match the information in your profile. If, for some reason you would like to stop receiving the Job Digest, you can do so by logging in, updating your profile, then un-checking the box in Personal Information.

Thank you for all the positive feedback we've been receiving. Enjoy the new features and have a wonderful day!


Michelle B, LMP
Business Specialist
206-419-9889
service@findtouch.com

New Features with Latest Version of Find Touch!

Hello fellow Massage Therapists. Most of you have had the chance to log on since we updated our website early February, which is great! Have you noticed the bonus features we have added thanks to the input from our early-bird users? For those who haven’t spent much time on Find Touch yet I would like to summarize what’s new:

1. New “Availability” settings
It’s become pretty clear that some want to be very prominent with Employers while others prefer to remain behind the scenes, checking out opportunities occasionally. So the new Availability tab allows you to set your status to either:

• Active - allows your profile to be searchable by employers and keeps you in the loop of jobs available.


• Selective - set up your availability on a calendar, you will only find out about jobs within the days you’ve selected.


• Unavailable - your profile will not be viewed by employers, yet you can still apply to jobs you find appealing and stay in the loop of jobs available.

2. Daily Job Matches Email
This is a very exciting addition to the site which we’ve already received great response! An e-mail fitting the modalities and travel preference on your profile will be sent to you to notify you of opportunities that may be of interest. You may want to update your profile to expand the listings that are sent your way. Also, if you do not wish to receive a daily email, you can uncheck the box in your personal information when you update your profile.

3. Enhanced Therapist Profile
New information to your Profile includes *Licensing and Credentialing* which gives you an edge when Employers are considering different candidates. If you are actively looking for extra income and applying for jobs, you’ll definitely want to add this information to your profile.

4. Viewing Job Details
Since many of you commented that it was too easy to apply for jobs accidentally, we have made some changes. By clicking on a job title you can now view details of the job before applying to it, what a concept huh?

5. Logging in to your Account
I have received questions from some LMPs about how to log in. Please note that if you are receiving emails from Find Touch this means that you already have an account set up with us and you can log in using the email at which we are contacting you. If you don’t know your password or can’t find your temporary password, just get in touch with us at "service [AT] findtouch [DOT] com"

Please keep the feedback flowing, pass along word about Find Touch to your friends and enjoy the spring!!

Michelle B, LMP.
Business Specialist
http://www.findtouch.com/
206-419-9889

Tax Season Is Upon Us, Therapists, Are You Ready?

This topic can be rather overwhelming for massage therapists including myself. Where do you go to have your taxes prepared? What can you claim as a sole proprietor? Must you file quarterly or annually? How do you know if you have the proper licensing? Yikes!!

In the spirit of helping other therapists in the state of Washington here are a couple of simple suggestions:

If you are practicing independently and picking up work here and there you’ll want to have a city business license/ UBI number. The website containing the information including the master business application is: (www.dol.wa.gov/business/startbusiness.html).

Now, onto the subject of taxes, of course I cannot offer advice, however, I can direct you to a website and a book that can break things down for you in Layman’s terms so to speak. The IRS site directly is at http://www.irs.gov/faqs/faq12-2.html. The book I am referring to is Surprisingly Simple: Independent Contractor, Sole Proprietor, and LLC Taxes Explained in 100 Pages or Less. I have skimmed sections and find it an easy read. It includes information about a schedule C which you will want to look at if you plan to start claiming business expenses.

If you have any other useful information and suggestions, please, feel free to share!

Michelle B,
Find Touch Inc.,
LMP

Getting Visibility on FindTouch as an LMP

First off,

thanks to all the wonderful massage therapists around Seattle that have already started using Find Touch for extra work opportunities. It's so exciting to see this service taking off and to be learning from you.

While it's still early on, we have also heard back from Employers on what they look for in considering who to hire for their temp jobs. So I am sharing this feedback below

1. A photo. Hiring managers say they are 'more comfortable' with candidates where they can put a face together with the background info.
2. Work History. This is a must. If you leave this information out, intended or not, it may be perceived by employers that you are hiding information. So take a minute to list your relevant work experience.
3. Educational History. CEUs give employers confidence in where your bodywork interest or expertise really lie - spa work, energy work, working with athletes, or treatment/medical massage, etc... Make sure to highlight your CEUs. Also, list your collegiate or advanced degrees. These make you stand out.

So there you go. These are the top 3 things Employers look at when deciding who to work with. Hope this is helpful!

- Lara