Article Category : Others

“Roger, you must get those contracts completed for this month’s sales and don’t forget, we have a meeting tomorrow at 9:00. Don’t be late again!”

Roger was a super salesman, but he risked losing his job because he was too busy rushing from client to client to get his paper work completed. He missed meetings and was disruptive when he did come. His boss saw how his energy and enthusiasm brought in clients, but considered him childishly irresponsible with him and his colleagues.

What Roger wouldn’t admit and his boss didn’t know was that Roger had Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD). The hyperactive part gives him lots of energy and enthusiasm to go go when doing what he loves doing: talking about his products, socializing with clients or meeting new people. The attention deficit causes his brain to disconnect when doing boring stuff like completing forms, attending meetings or dealing with colleagues.

AD/HD is a neurological difference in the brain. The ADHD brain can be very effective when following a passion but shuts down when doing the daily grind. Medication is helpful for some but often not sufficient. Coaching provides positive support and guidance for anyone with ADHD but especially for those who don’t want to take medication.

The difficulty for Roger was that he often forgot to get information or would lose the paper he had written it on, and he found the contract forms confusing. Through several coaching sessions and much prodding, Roger designed a form that was logical to him for collecting and recording all the data he needed and fixed a time in his agenda to complete each contract. He first resisted but with repeated support and encouragement he became adept at completing contracts.

Once he understood that he was not just a “naughty boy”, as he had been told so often, but that he had been struggling with a brain that was superbly creative when working with clients but just not designed for administrative work. To his surprise and joy, he was able to relax at home. He had never realized how unfinished business drained his energy and made him irritable.

While he found clients stimulating, with colleagues and family he had relational problems which are typical of those with ADHD. At first Roger was huffy; “People should take me as I am!” But once he mastered his contracts, he felt more relaxed and saw that it could be helpful to have a fresh look at his colleagues. Roger reviewed his social skills and decided that he needed to work on listening skills. Soon he was on a roll. Appreciation from his colleagues at work for the “NEW Roger” made all the difference.

To most people the tasks Roger had difficulty with seem trivial and obvious, but they are typical of what makes life so difficult for people with ADHD.

If you feel your career might be in jeopardy due to problems like Roger’s, here are three steps for you.

1. Acknowledge the problem. Admitting to yourself that things aren’t working is often difficult for people with ADHD. Listen to your friends and family.

2. Get help. If you could do it yourself, you wouldn’t be where you are today.

3. Prepare to change. You need to rethink your world view and your way of doing things.

Start today.

Sarah Jane Keyser worked for many years with computers as programmer, analyst, and user trainer, but her struggle with inattentive ADD kept getting in the way of her plans and dreams. Once ADD was identified and the great need that coaching filled, she added ADD Coach training (ADDCoach Academy) to complete her preparation for a new career as ADD Coach.

Learn more about ADHD at http://www.CoachingKeytoADD.com or sign up for Zebra Stripes, a free E-zine for ADHD at http://www.coachingkeytoadd.com/newsletter/newsarchive.html

21st Century Career Success

Article Category : Others

When it comes to modern career development, one thing we can all count on is change. With the advent of technology, telecommuting, and E-commerce, how work is performed is in a state of reinvention. Self-employment and small business development will become more the norm than big business. And career changes will be more frequent due to rapidly changing organizations and industries. Finally, the line between one’s personal and professional life will become even more blurred. Since the modern world of work is rapidly changing to keep up with the demands of our fast-paced lives and lifestyles, here are some characteristics of what the new work contract will look like:

• Seeking more meaning from work.
• Equating “career success” with personal satisfaction over paycheck or status.
• Everyone will need their own “name-brand.”
• Increased use of technology.
• Finding work that needs doing.
• Changing in the way management and leadership is conducted (less arrogance at the top level, more power on lower levels).
• Increased need for networking and self-marketing.
• Lifelong “trying on” of various roles, jobs, and industries.
• Creating a plan that is flexible, and continually assessing the “fit” of the work.
• Increased representation of women and minorities in the workforce.
• Changing career fields numerous times in a lifetime.
• Self-responsibility: Everyone knowing they have to chart their own career direction.

However, the 21st century career also offers many advantages:

• More career opportunities for everyone.
• Freedom to choose from a variety of jobs, tasks, and assignments.
• More flexibility in how and where work is performed, i.e. working from home or telecommuting.
• More control over your own time.
• Greater opportunity to express yourself through your work.
• Ability to shape and reshape your life’s work in accordance with your values and interests.
• Increased opportunity to develop other skills by working in various industries and environments.
• Self-empowerment mindset.
• Allows you to create situations or positions where you can fill a need in the world that is not being filled.
• Opportunity to present yourself as an independent contractor or vendor with services to offer.

How can you successfully navigate through the turbulent times of change and career uncertainty? By developing resiliency, exercising proactivity, creating excellent self-marketing tools, keeping your skills up-to-date, and finding your unique life balance.

1. Develop resiliency (the ability to bounce back).

Having the right attitude about career change is imperative to your ability to bounce back from setbacks, sudden changes, and twists and turns along your career path. You will experience a lot of career change and transitions, so you may as well get comfortable feeling uncomfortable.

2. Take a proactive approach to your career development

You must constantly be on the lookout for new ways to apply your gifts and talents in the new economy. This requires thinking creatively, actively promoting yourself/business, and being actively involved in how your career progresses. Staying involved in professional associations, and continuous networking are excellent ways to connect with other like-minded professionals.

3. Create first-rate marketing materials

Always keep your resume current. You never know when you are going to want to share it with someone or pass it along. If you are in business for yourself, develop classy business cards and letterhead. Harness the power of the internet by developing an interactive website.

4. Commit to lifelong learning

To keep earning, keep learning. Do not wait until you lose your job or want to look for another position to gain new skills or training. Recognize the need to be open to learning and attend classes related to your area of expertise to keep your skills sharp and marketable. Keep in mind the top skills needed for career success include:Communication, Computer-knowledge, Creativity, Customer Care

5. Find your unique life balance

There are four dimensions to life: love, labor, leisure, learning. Remember that work is just one aspect of your life pie. Be sure to indulge in all of your areas. Because having an overall balanced life is what leads to the most fulfillment.

About The Author

Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed. is a Whole Life Coach, Speaker, and Author of the Get Smart! LearningBook Series: Get Smart! About Modern Romantic Relationships and Get Smart! About Modern Career Development. She can be reached at coach@getsmartseries.com (361) 816-0685. Visit virtually: www.getsmartseries.com and www.brightlightcoach.com

Tips on Finding Employment as a Corporate Flight Attendant

Article Category : Others

I will not pretend that this is the easiest topic to write about. In fact, my knowledge of how one finds work as a private flight attendant is based chiefly on what others have shared with me. You can find some useful tips within the many threads written on the Corporate Flight Attendant Community message boards at http://www.cabinmanagers.com, but to save you from culling through hundreds of threads I will highlight various standout points and include others that have been shared with me over the past several years by industry insiders:

* Cold calling. Time honored and time tested this is an important method for finding work and it is also one of the hardest for the majority of people to do. If you do not have the skills to contact strangers you will find an important avenue for securing work omitted. Even the unskilled can accomplish much by attempting this step…practice, practice, practice and you will get the hang of it. You many never feel comfortable doing it, but you accomplish much by trying. Always keep this in mind: every person that you meet is a potential contact for helping you find work; conversely, you may also be able to help someone out too.

* Attend conferences/meetings. Attending NBAA related conferences and events will get your name and face out there. Preferably, you would also attend events where a lot of pilots hang out, especially pilots of cabin class jets which include the Global Express, G-V and Falcon Jet 2000. The NBAA’s annual conference is a very important venue for networking as well as are their one-day regional conferences.

If you are an NBAA member you get a copy of their directory which lists many companies that fly these very same jets. In addition, membership will give you access to their message boards and other important information on events that they host.

How about attending the annual NBAA Flight Attendant Conference? Yes, it can be an important place to learn more about the industry, attend seminars, and network. Many of the newer folks find it helps them gain a better understanding of private flying, while some veterans will tell you to save your money for the big conferences. Your call: conference fees, hotel and transportation charges can add up significantly. Not many people have the luxury of attending every event.

* Local airport events. Is your airport hosting a seminar? Is an important industry leader speaking? Well, why not attend? Sure, aircraft de-icing/anti-icing may not be the most exciting topic, but it is to pilots. Guess what? Some of the same people you want to fly with will be attending. Guess what? There is usually a social time afterwards. After the recent crashes involving corporate jets you certainly do want to be knowledgeable about industry best practices involving ice. Oh, by the way, have several copies of your r閟um?with you and copies of your business card to hand out. Yes, get business cards made up and be prepared to share them liberally.

Consider joining your local airport’s advisory board, helping out with special community outreach programs, organizing an airport wide event, etc. Anything that you like to do and that helps get your face and name out there is a plus. In this business your name is golden. Promote it and protect it for all that it is worth! Become an expert self marketer/promoter.

* The internet. Do Google searches and start reading and bookmarking every page that interests you pertaining to business aviation. The internet has more information then any library and it is updated frequently.

* The Corporate Flight Attendant Community [http://www.corporateflyer.net]. This website was created by me to be a resource center for private flight attendants, for those who aspire to become one, and their supporters. I draw upon industry leaders as well as the private flight attendants themselves to communicate what is going on in the industry, particularly from the cabin crewmember’s point of view. Helpful articles, relevant links, catering information, r閟um?posting, and message boards are some of the more important features of the community. This is truly a niche community one that has gained the attention and respect of many in the industry.

Of particular importance for learning/growing/networking are the message boards. Mostly everyone who participates is already working in the field as a crewmember either full time or on a contract basis. Others are working on the skills they need to enter the industry, while still others offer important help or guidance to the industry. Let me say this: your screen name is your business and I do not reveal who you are if I happen to make the connection between your screen name and true identity. Many business relationships and friendships have been made between our members because of the message boards. By participating in our Open Chat time or via p.m. [private message] contact you can “meet” our members.

* Job sites. There are many sites on the internet listing aviation related jobs. They include: Skyjobs, Plane Jobs, AviaNation, Climb to 350, AEPS, and the Aviation Employment Board. This last community, the Aviation Employment Board [http://www.aviationemploymentboard.net] is run by me and is a companion to the Corporate Flight Attendant Community. Naturally, it is my preferred method but some of the other sites are helpful too. Unlike the Aviation Employment Board, most will charge you a monthly fee to register. A big hint: if you do sign up check out the jobs listed on the “pay sites” with the free sites. See if you notice any difference in jobs listed. If you are a corporate flight attendant, do not expect many jobs to be listed publicly in any case. There just aren’t all that many available at any given time and most companies do not want to publicly advertise their openings.

* Agencies. AirCareCrews; Integrity Flight Crews, LLC; Jet Professionals, Inc.; J.S. Firm; Turner Services are all some of the names out there associated with providing hiring services. Expect to pay a fee in most cases; do not expect many opportunities. Your call.

As one of our message board members has advised: build your own sources. You may find that something works better for you than another person. Much depends on your own initiative; I find that those individuals who do the most exploring have an easier time finding work. If flying corporate is something that you want, be persistent. Another good trait: be flexible. This includes having a willingness to relocate and being available to work 24/7/365.

Matt writes extensively for websites he manages as well as designing and managing websites for others. You can find his popular message board for business flight attendants at http://www.cabinmanagers.com

Why Bachelors Make Bad Decisions: Five Tips to Move from Reality Television to Your Career Change

Article Category : Others

The Bachelor is one of the many reality shows that have gripped the US television viewing audience.

Premise: A very eligible Bachelor (last season featured an NFL quarterback) stays in a mansion with several eligible young women. They seem to spend their days swimming, tanning, and speculating about the Bachelor’s intentions. They meet the Bachelor in one-to-one and group activities. Each week the Bachelor gives a rose to the women who will continue to compete, and two who do not receive a rose go home. (If you’re a more faithful viewer than I am, please email me with corrections!)

So what can we learn about career reality from this reality show?

1. Walk out the front door of your comfort zone.

From the women’s perspective, The Bachelor is a metaphor for the wrong kind of job hunting. Whenever you’re one of a group chasing the same dream, it’s difficult to create a realistic game plan and use energy efficiently. But they’re chosen to compete and it’s so easy to get caught up in the game.

Career changers, of course, aren’t stuck in a mansion with a single prize, however dazzling. Like the contestants, though, they can get awfully comfortable. Better to walk out the front door and keep looking until you recognize your true goal and the ink is dry on the offer letter.

2. Prepare for irrational rejection.

If you choose to stay and compete, remember that the decision-maker is looking for reasons to eliminate options because there are just too many choices to evaluate rationally. Interviewers overwhelmed by hundreds of resumes often can find an adequate choice from the first fifty ?or from any fifty chosen at random. You can’t read anything into rejection except the laws of probability and randomness.

3. Look through the windows: there’s a world outside!

When you’re caught up in an intense contest, it’s easy to forget there’s more than one race in the world and certainly more than one prize. And I believe everyone should pursue multiple goals at the same time. It sounds time-consuming, but usually you can achieve synergies by creative planning. You learn how to pursue one goal by striving after another. And most important, you’re likely to come out a winner.

4. Recognize that choices look different when you’re on deadline.

From the Bachelor’s perspective, there are pluses and minuses to this series of forced decisions. First, it’s easy to procrastinate when you face a tough decision. A deadline often clarifies options and actually makes the choice easier. But when you’re facing a complex decision with consequences that last for years, where a mistake can be costly, it’s best to take more time.

5. Don’t anticipate the final decision until the ink is dry on the contract.

Nothing happens until you get the offer in writing. In one episode, the Bachelor took two different finalists to the same jewelry store to look at engagement rings! Even after you’ve looked at rings together, the show seems to say, you’re not even engaged to be engaged. (We won’t go into the ethical dimensions of these actions in the context of romance. But would you want to accept a rose ?or a ring ?from someone who just went through the same process with a different potential partner?)

I’ve heard first-hand accounts of verbal offers that were withdrawn or materially changed by the time they were translated to writing. And even written offers can be withdrawn for sufficient reason. During times of stress, people make promises they don’t intend to keep, and others hear promises that were never intended to go beyond light banter.

Bottom Line: It’s no accident that Bachelor match-ups seem to fall apart when the season ends. And it’s no accident that great decisions lead to empowering, satisfying, meaningful lives.

I offer one-to-one consultations on career and business strategy.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

“Ten secrets of mastering a major life change” mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294

Get Off Your Butt and Out of the Rut

Article Category : Others

It’s amazing to see so many people who are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their careers.

I’m sure you know of someone like that. They get up at the crack of dawn, drag their weary bodies out of the house and head off for another exciting day at work. Ten or twelve hours later they head home totally exhausted with all their energy sapped from their body.

They might make the effort to find out how the rest of their family’s day has been, even read their children a bed-time story. Finally after having something to eat, taking a hot shower or bath, they then veg out on the couch. They immerse themselves in the newspaper (again) or watch the news or some mindless television show (if they don’t fall asleep beforehand).

And this is a common scenario for many people who work for someone else! I can understand it if you own your own business where there’s so much extra pressure riding on you, yet to sacrifice so much for someone else???

The Solicitor

I met Jerry at the gym. He was telling me that for the past two years he has been working at a legal firm in the city. An average day commenced at 8.00 a.m. and finished at 7.00 p.m. Working weekends was common. Lunch breaks and time off were unheard of. This was the culture instilled at his company! No wonder staff turnover was high!

Here was a young man, only 25 years old, absolutely stressed to the max.

He felt he was on a rollercoaster and couldn’t get off.

Clearing the Clutter

Jerry was so entrenched in his situation he couldn’t clearly see what he could do. He felt powerless so did nothing.

I suggested to Jerry he write a list of all the options open to him.
Some of these were:

Speak to his boss and work out a compromise.

*Plan his working day and be strict about the time he would leave each day.
Take charge himself by starting later if he had to stay back. Or finish earlier if he had to commence work earlier.
Learn to say ‘no’.

Look for another job where they put their people first. (According to Jerry most legal firms treated their people the same way).
See our newsletter Look After Your People and They Will Look After You
Jerry really did know his options and just needed to have someone to confirm what he already knew (and ask a few hard questions).

So what did Jerry do?

He spoke with his boss who agreed to a compromise. Unfortunately that only lasted two weeks and Jerry found himself in the same situation.

He did what he knew deep down he should have done months ago but couldn’t be bothered doing as it was more pressure in his life. He allowed time to go job-hunting. I suggested he use our weekly planner so he could plan his week effectively with the key focus on finding a new position.

He contacted everyone he knew and told them about his situation. Jerry scoured the internet for vacancies and the weekend papers. He invested time and energy into his own life. Within three weeks he had a new position handling legal matters in a medium sized business (not a legal practice).

By taking action Jerry moved forward. He got himself organised and focussed and took control of his life. He realised he had the power to make the change.

Are you holding yourself back? Is it time for you to stop drowning and start swimming?

5 Ways to Get Off Your Butt and Out of the Rut

#1 Make a list of what you’d like to change.
(eg. Change job, lose weight, find a partner)

#2 Prioritise which item on that list is the most important and write no. 1 next to it. Continue numbering the rest of the items.

#3 Look at the first item and prepare a list of the possible solutions.
(e.g. Change job - contact everyone I know and see if they know of any openings. Contact companies I’d like to work for. Start my own business - attend a small business course)

#4 Decide which of those solutions is the first one to take action on.
(e.g. Change job - contact everyone I know and see if they know of any openings)

#5 Act!
(e.g. Phone or email everyone you know and make sure you follow up)

The Final Word

Whatever is happening in your life it is all down to you. If you’re happy and content with both your work and home life that’s fantastic.

If you’re not, then maybe it’s time you got off your butt and out of your rut. You can either do nothing or take action. The choice is yours.

Lorraine Pirihi, principal of The Office Organiser is Australia’s Personal Productivity Coach. She specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life.

Using Freelance Websites to Telecommute

Article Category : Others

How is your job hunting going? Have you had problems finding legitimate jobs? I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about using freelance websites to obtain work at home, but this should be something you look into. It might not be for you, but you never know until you try.

So what would the benefit be to using a freelance website to obtain per project work at home? The first and most obvious benefit is that you would be earning money to help pay your bills, but the less obvious benefit would be that you are gaining valuable work at home experience to put on your resume! There are many employers out there that would rather hire a telecommuter that has worked at home before and if you have no work at home experience on your resume, they may go with someone who does.

However, using a freelance website is a bit different. Many times the people posting the projects just want to use your services for a short time and for a specific project. They don’t necessarily care if you’ve worked at home before. Therefore, it could be easier to get a couple projects like this under your belt and then you can place that job on your resume! It will look good to other potential long term employers to see that you have experience working for someone at home.

You might also be able to get projects that you don’t have a lot of experience in, but want to do more of to build your resume up. If you want a full time job at home with a company, let’s say transcribing, but they all want you to have experience transcribing, it could possibly be easier to get projects off a freelance websites and that way you can build your experience for the jobs you really want.

So this sounds great, right? What is the downside? I would have to say that the downside if two-fold. One, there are going to be others bidding on the same project, more then likely, so you still have competition and many times the winning bid seems to go to the person who is willing to work the cheapest. Not always the case, but it does happen. So you might not necessarily make what you’d like to.

The only other downside I personally see is that if you want the security of a full time paycheck, this might not be the way to get it. You are usually working on a project basis and then when that project is over you’re done, but you need to remember all the positive reasons for trying this type of work?I choose to look on the bright side and I would rather have one project that paid me enough to cover a bill for the month then no projects and no money. Plus, you never know when you may end up with someone who wants to use you on a more part time to full time and/or exclusive basis. I have a client/friend who uses one of these freelance websites to post projects often, and she would be a great person to work for! I’m sure there are many more people like her posting projects that would be great people to work for.

There are many freelance websites out there. You can go to www.google.com and type in freelance websites or freelance job websites and I’m sure you will pull them up. The only two I’ve heard much about are www.elance.com and www.guru.com. Now as with anything, you need to make sure that the freelance website is legitimate and fully research how you will get paid and if there are any fees. Here is just some very basic information about elance and guru to help you get started:

eLance

Subscription fee’s (in order to bid on projects)

There are different packages ranging from free to $30.00 per month

Transaction Fee

There is a fee of 8.75% commission on the invoiced project if you win the bid and the fee is called a “finders fee”.

Payment

You can either be paid through eLances online billing and payment system or your regular client billing and payment process. A $10.00 fee applies for wire transfer withdrawals above one per month through their system.

Guru.com

Subscription Fee

Basic profile/membership is free

“Guru Profile/membership” will range from $29.95 to $99.95 per quarter.

Transaction Fees

It depends on what subscription plan you choose. You will need to read each plan at the Guru website to view this information.

Payment

You have to invoice the employer through Guru’s billing systems. Guru will apparently be handling the funds and will send you payment via check, direct deposit, wire transfer, remit2india and paypal.

So as you can see, it can get a little confusing and there are plans in which you will have to pay a fee, but I would start out with the free subscription to get a feel for the website, for the projects posted and just to decide if this is something you would like to invest time and a little money into.

I want to be clear that you don’t have to use freelance websites in order to get work at home. There are many job lead websites out there and lots of jobs for the taking, but this is just yet another way to start getting work at home experience and some money to pay the bills. Freelancing is 100% legitimate and many people have been doing this type of work for years. I know you have been preached at to not pay for a job, so how is this any different? This is more like paying to access a job lead database. There is nothing wrong with that and it is not a scam. My good friend, Pamela, owns a job lead website that is loaded with company websites and she charges a fee for you to access this. Freelance websites are much like this in the fact that they charge (for the better subscription plans) to connect you with possible employers/projects.

I would recommend having a look around for yourself, maybe ask some friends if they have ever used these freelance websites and get their personal opinion, but just remember this as an option to getting work at home jobs.

Nell Taliercio is the publisher of a weekly telecommuting newsletter that helps moms and dads work at home. Read more about the newsletter and get your free listing of job links at http://www.telecommutinganswerlady.com - She is also the owner of http://www.mommysplace.net which is a website for work at home moms and dads.

Category : freelance

Thank-You Notes: Your Thoughtfulness will be Rewarded

Article Category : Others

I get asked these questions over and over: “Should I send separate thank-you notes to everyone who interviewed me? Can I just send one thank-you note to the hiring manager and ask him/her to thank others involved in the process?”

The answers are yes and no, respectively.

Send a separate thank-you note to everyone who interviewed you, whether it was an informal pre-interview phone call, an interview lunch meeting, or the final formal interview after a lengthy process.

Don’t be stingy with your thank yous!

It’s an easy thing to do, it will only take a few minutes–and it will make the recipients feel good about you!

Why wouldn’t you jump at the chance to do that?

You can make your thank-you notes relatively short. They can be sent via snail-mail or email.

(There are differing opinions on which is best. I prefer the now “special” touch of a real letter over the routine method of email; others think email is best because it’s faster. Just remember that what you say is more important than how you send it.)

Make each thank-you note slightly different by mentioning something in particular that you and the recipient discussed. This is a good reason to do your thank-you notes right away, while the interview is fresh in your mind. You might even want to take notes for this purpose.

Here’s a great tip that will really impress the hiring manager: add a P.S. that mentions how helpful someone was, by name. I’m not talking about people directly involved in the interviews; they should get their own thank-you notes. But if there was a receptionist, an administrative assistant, or someone else who was helpful during your interview process, say so. Those people are rarely recognized, but may have influence with the hiring manager. The boss will think of you as someone who appreciates his team, notices things most other people overlook, and goes the extra mile.

Why make this a P.S.? Studies show that most people read the P.S. before (or even instead of) reading the main body of a letter. This P.S. will get attention and impress the reader, which will get your entire letter read and your thoughtfulness remembered!

Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, “Career-Life Times.” Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com.

Category : interview

Professional Moms: How to Get Ready to Re-Enter the Workforce

Article Category : Others

Finally! Your youngest is in school and you are ready to hit the job market after an extended absence. As you scrape the last of the Fruit Loops from the kitchen table, you ponder a few unfortunate truths:

? Your network has gone stale

? Your industry contacts have moved on

? You are not in the loop anymore.

Face the facts: you are at a disadvantage compared to those who have been in the job market continuously. You need a winning job search methodology to jump-start your career. Most job seekers use only one or two methods to cover the marketplace, and miss 75% of available opportunities. In order to get maximum exposure you will need to use multiple job search methods simultaneously. Let’s get started!

First, assess what you have to offer. Take a personal inventory of your:

? Knowledge

? Skills

? Accomplishments

If you can’t think of many accomplishments, ask those around you to give you feedback on your talents and abilities. Often those close to us are more aware of what we have to offer than we ourselves are. When you have completed your skill and accomplishment review, use the results to write a compelling resume that clearly shows your value to a potential employer.

If you have been out of work for a while, you many be wondering if your skills are still relevant. You can burnish your resume by taking on some volunteer work in your area of expertise. Here’s a great example. Is your niche public relations? There is bound to be a community group or local non-profit that would really benefit from having a professionally designed newsletter. Or, you could volunteer to serve as a media contact to publicize the organization’s events. Is marketing your area of interest? Approach a local school and volunteer to design some marketing materials to promote their programs. Local organizations are hungry for talent. Only your imagination will limit what you can accomplish. While you are volunteering your skills, you will also be gaining exposure in the community, and you are likely to make a few contacts that can help you with your search. Those contacts will make valuable additions to your network.

Think you don’t have a network? Think again! Start with any people you know. Here are a few places to start:

? Organizations to which you belong

? Church

? PTA

? Sports leagues

? Voluntary associations

Make a list of everybody you know. Ask those people whether they know anyone who has re-entered the workforce after a long absence. Talking to people who have done what you want to do will increase your confidence that you can do the same.

Now you’re moving! Next, you need to start thinking about where you would like to work. Mass mailing your resume is a waste of time and postage. What you need is exposure to the companies that can make the best use of your skills. Identify five of them and research them thoroughly. Decide where you could provide the most value in each company, and identify the decision maker who has the authority to hire you.

Focus on the needs of each company; identify the relevant decision maker; and you position yourself ahead of those who limit themselves to the want ads and the Internet. You may even have an opportunity to create a position around your skills! When you reach a decision maker before an ad is published, you have obtained exposure that most will miss.

Another method of increasing exposure is to search for spot opportunities. Follow the industry news, check company websites, and learn about new initiatives or changes that could affect the business climate. Armed with this knowledge you will appear well-informed to your potential employers.

Informational interviews are another way of targeting areas where your skills might fit! Try approaching someone who is working in a job you think you would like, and ask them how they got their position, and if they could give you some advice on your job search. People will be amazingly helpful, especially when they can identify with you and your situation.

When you have reached this point, your confidence will be increasing daily. By using multiple methods to approach the market, you are being exposed to opportunities that others can only wish for. You are making new contacts, learning more about the needs of companies, and identifying the individuals that have the power to hire you. You are ready to use your knowledge of the company’s needs and your inventory of skills, abilities, and accomplishments to demonstrate your value to the organization in an interview.

Sometimes all of this can seem overwhelming. If this is the case for you, you might want to consider hiring a professional to guide you in your search. But remember, you are not the first to be in this position. Others have successfully re-entered the job market after an extended absence, and you can too. Using multiple simultaneous methods to cover the entire market, and reaching decision-makers before an ad is published can be the key to your success no matter how long you have been out of work.

Lynn Green is a Senior Consultant for R.L. Stevens & Associates Inc. http://interviewing.com/ For over 24 years R.L. Stevens & Associates has been the Nation’s most successful privately-held firm, specializing in executive career searches generating quality interviews through both advertised and unadvertised channels.

Category : professional-moms

Resurgence of the Time Sheet: Why You Should Write Down Your Workday Activities

Article Category : Others

One day I walked into my boss’s office and said, ” I think all staff should do a time sheet, including you, from now on.” I definitely surprised her but the results of this request certainly got the attention of all of our staff.

I work for an email marketing software and services firm. I am currently wearing my third hat within this firm. We have been under a ‘massive spring cleaning’ for about six months. We have new staff, new websites and new tasks. I work in the Marketing/Send Service departments where I have specific tasks and responsibilities but often I take on various new tasks. I began to wonder if my productivity was affected by the quantity and variety of tasks I was working on within a single workday. This uncertainty, lead to my request of implementing the use of time sheets to my boss. In past careers, I had experienced the use of time sheets as well as time clocks and I was quick to remember how a sense of efficiency as well as commitment went with this practice.

I printed off a weekly calendar with time slots. Each time I switched between my tasks I documented it. Often I was multitasking ? deleting spam and updating paper work at same time. I was amazed how my little squares for each hour block could not hold my description of tasks being completed. Often lunches were consumed while updating a mailing list or proofreading new copy for our new website. In my job, I am expected to stay on top of market trends and ideas ? but in my Inbox I have a lonely folder of 180 unread newsletters and articles. Why? Our company found the answers in our timesheet and you will too.

After tracking our actions for three weeks within our company, we were beginning to see how unacknowledged work time, with simple documentation of the five minutes here and ten minutes there (in an eight-hour work day you only have 48 instances to have 10 mins) can add up and was affecting productivity as well as our bottom line. Below are the results we found from keeping time sheets.

1) We work too much overtime.

2) Committed staff took on various tasks to get the job done but an individuals’ main job was not always the largest percentage of their daily activity. The sub-tasks assigned consumed more than 40% of workday time on average.

3) Customer oriented activities are heavy time consumers in a workday. Good companies survive on their personal contact and relationships with customers but we were not accounting for the time it took to conduct basic courtesy emails and phone calls.

4) Sometimes when an issue occurs within the workplace it requires the abilities of other staff, which then was taking away from their current assigned tasks.

5) Holidays and days off for a staff member lead to responsibilities being spread amongst other staff. A common occurrence though is to put in overtime before time off and then once returned in order to make up for time away from the office to return to your regular pace.

This activity has allowed us to recommend as well as implement some changes within our company, some included: Undertaking a systemized process of reviewing individual tasks and actually reassigned some responsibilities to different staff members. We also recognized that we needed to review the fee structure in certain scenarios to warrant the specialized attention we can provide to our customers.

All employees and boss/owner would benefit from doing a time sheet of tasks, not only to learn more about how you spend your time at work but learn to be accountable to yourself for the variety of tasks and activities that you do in a day.

Julie MacLean is a marketing manager with MailWorkZ. MailWorkZ is an innovative company focused on developing effective emarketing tools. With products like Broadc@st’s Email Marketing Software and services like ezTrackZ online ad tracking, and the newest addition, Black List Monitor, thousands of MailWorkZ customers have a suite of products to help increase market share, revenue and profits, as well as improve their customer relationships.

For more information on products or services offered at MailWorkZ, please visit http://www.mailworkz.com

Category : timesheet

The 10 Second Window of Opportunity, Resume Hour Glass

Article Category : Others

Do you know that a hiring manager just spends 10 second with your resume before deciding to forward or junk it? Ten seconds is all you got, to impress that person to get to the next step of the hiring process - “interviews”. I have seen many folks who can easily market themselves in person but they are poor at condensing them in a piece of electronic paper. This article helps you focus on beating the “Resume Hour Glass”.

The first and foremost is pinpointing your career focus. What do you want to do with your career unless you are clear with this beating the resume hour glass is tough? Match your career goals with the opportunity you are applying for and find the killer “Qualification Summary”. You can get a lot of help from professional resume writers in this. Objectives are old fashion and may be something you give a placement company for finding a post for you. But a resume is a targeted sales copy of your skills for a particular position. The Qualification summary is usually a single paragraph of around 50 words. This is loaded with perfectly placed “keywords” punctuated with the skill set to requirement map.

Think of yourself as a designer of a billboard placed in a fast freeway. How many seconds do you have to grab the attention of the motorist. You are in a similar situation, remember the ten second window. The hiring manager is inundated with thousands of qualified professionals. They just go through your qualification summary before deciding whether to pursue further or send that one page regret letter. We need one full day to talk about creating that perfect summary; this is better left for the professionals. You can get many deals for just around 50$ upward. Please visit the resources at the bottom of the article to find agencies that specialize in resume writing.

Qualification summary is the composition, a condensed capsule of your years of experience and the years of education you had pursued. It starts with a brief qualities, then goes on to describe your skill set match. The next sentence is about your recent achievement and finally finishes up with your objective. If you could then you should employ the help of professional resume writing services at least one time in every 5 years. The 10 second window depends on additional qualities like formatting of the page. The white spaces and fonts play a significant role in beating the Resume Hour Glass. Now go get that dream job of yours, I hope this article would have driven a point or two about the “Ten second window of opportunity”.

You can find more relevant resources on how to write your resume at eresumes.com. Author is a freelance writer and can be contacted through the first true no fee free Freelance website - freelancefree.com. To create a personal website to Host your resume go to aplora.net.

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