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Career Advice On Freelance Writing JobsArticle Category : Careers Explained, Others Sometimes the freelance writing jobs available are those that no one wants. Or, they are those that new businesses are looking to fill. You will not find postings for the best jobs and employment because many of those jobs go to individuals who already have an established career or a good working relationship with those businesses. For those looking for career advice to find the best freelance writing jobs available, they can find a few things here that will help them get the experience they need or at least get a foot in the door.
In any case, there can be be many freelance writing jobs available to you once you are in the know. When you learn how to write to your clients needs and meet those needs properly with each and every assignment that you do, employment will be available to you. To find the assignments to start with, you may have to present yourself outright. Simply always do so in a positive, professional manner. Visit http://www.FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Advice about Freelance Writing Jobs. Copyright ?FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.
Article Category : Others Most of the time, competition stimulates us, gets our juices flowing, generates creativity, a sense of excitement, and motivates us to perform at our best. Looking for work is another matter! When it comes to financial survival, to regaining independence and self-worth, competition can be crippling. We apply for a job in the fervent hope that hundreds of others are not also applying. Finding work is too serious an issue to be considered a game or a sport. We need to find that position that will make everything all right, make us believe in ourselves again, and help rebuild the self-esteem and self-confidence shattered by unemployment. Unless we are very lucky, there will be competition for every position we identify. Our remaining option is to set ourselves apart from other hungry applicants. How? Take a global view and emerge from the dank and slimy job search swamp by utilizing a number of techniques I call knock-out P-U-N-C-H-E-S, guaranteed to leave your competitors crying “Uncle” and throwing in the towel. 1. P is for Persistence. We all hate failure. We don’t like being rejected, judged, or found inadequate in any way. Trudging on, day after disappointing day, requires all of our reserves of energy, reserves that are rapidly becoming depleted. From having to constantly present ourselves as enthusiastic and creative, we become blue, bummed, and bone-deep exhausted. We wonder how much longer we can keep up the fa鏰de of self-confidence that we secretly admit has long ago evaporated. How can we present ourselves as competent, successful, and eager when in our heart-of-hearts we have accepted that we are a despised failure in a success-oriented culture? The secret is to keep plugging away. No matter the number of disappointments we have experienced; no matter the number of rejections we have encountered; no matter the times when our age, our experience, our skills have been found wanting - we have to KEEP GOING. We never know if “this time” is “the one.” We have to continue to act, no matter how difficult or painful it may be, as if this were the one position we have been seeking. Ask any newly hired worker and they will tell you that just as they were about to give up, along came the gold at the end of the rainbow. Not giving up, no matter how discouraged you internally feel, is the secret weapon in finding a position, no matter how long it takes for the right opportunity to appear. 2. U means Unswerving Focus. There is so much going on in your life: family stresses, financial pressures, multiple demands on your time and your energy. The search for work, although prioritized for a long time, has moved down the “to do” list somewhere below Timmy’s first tee-ball game and the in-laws’ anniversary party. If you have mastered the art of multi-tasking (juggling activities around as changing deadlines demand), you will have realized that finding work is your overwhelming priority and that nothing can, or will, interrupt your focus on that, no matter what else may be happening in your life. Ignoring peripherals and always keeping your eye on the immediate objective, obtaining a job, ensures that opportunities are not missed and that every possible avenue is explored. While there may be time for other things to maintain your balance, the time allotted for job search must remain intact and sacred, no interruptions allowed. 3. N stands for Networking. The often-touted “hidden job market” is merely a term to cover the multiple job openings that always exist but are never publicized. Literally, millions of positions are filled without classified advertising, internet postings, or agency listings. Such positions are identified, and obtained, through personal referral: a job seeker knows someone who knows someone else who has a need for the job seeker’s skills and abilities. Networking is merely a fancy term for using friends and acquaintances to help locate employment. The process requires that when you are in need of work, you make sure that everyone you know is aware of your situation and that you ask them for information and assistance. Beyond exploring job leads with your contacts, it requires the harvesting of names and additional contacts through personal referrals from your first line friends. Like the ripples of a pebble cast into a lake, your access to unadvertised positions multiples exponentially as your network of contacts, and their contacts, expand your chances of being in the right place at the right time when that long-sought employer connection occurs. Many workers draw back from the process after a few attempts, fearful of exploiting family and friends. At its best, this is a mutually beneficial relationship as their self-esteem is increased by having the opportunity to help you. At some future juncture, you may be able to return the favor. 4. C for Communication. A job seeker doesn’t necessarily have to possess the spiel of a professional salesman nor the creative presentation of a marketing specialist but clear, unambiguous communication is critical throughout the hunt for work. Your resume, cover letter, and completed application need to be clear in at least three areas. a) What position are you applying for? Even if you have become so desperate that you’ll take just about anything, an employer is looking for an applicant who specifically wants the job he has available. If your resume is purposefully hazy (because you are looking for several different types of work), make sure that your cover letter is focused on the specific position for which you are applying. b) What have you done in the past that is relevant to the position you are currently seeking? Again, if your resume shows a smattering of skills in seemingly unrelated areas, tie it all together in your cover letter so that it makes sense in the employer’s mind. c) What can you do, better than anyone else, to make the employer believe that he has to hire YOU? If you have operational skills that the company needs, highlight them and what they could do to help the employer’s business. If your skills are limited or you’re applying for unskilled or semi-skilled work, stress personal qualities that stand out: reliability, courtesy, an ability to work with a variety of coworkers and supervisors, flexibility, the desire to work hard to prove yourself, and a willingness to learn as much as possible to show your value. Networking contacts are helpful only if you can quickly and succinctly explain your predicament, what kind of work you are seeking, and ask directly for help whether for possible positions, information, advice, or merely additional names to contact. The need for clarity continues in the interview. Answer questions clearly and directly. Express your hopes and positive outlook without bashfulness or mumbling. Before you leave, get a clear agreement on what the next step will be and if you can call the employer at the end of the week to see if there are any lingering questions. After the interview, send a short, personal thank you note for the interviewer’s time and attention. 5. H represents Humility. This is a two-edged sword. Many of us are so humble that we find saying anything positive about ourselves almost excruciating. We start to mumble when expressing our qualities and achievements. Employers and interviewers are well aware of this. They know that an interview is an uncomfortable and unnatural interaction that makes both sides of the desk anxious and overly formal. Unless the position is in sales, which often demands a somewhat pushy self-presentation, you may make a more favorable impression if you are somewhat hesitant in rolling out your skills and abilities. The applicant who reports strength in all areas, knows everything, and answers every question with “I’ve done that before,” may be looked upon with some suspicion. The job seeker who keeps asking the office manager how much longer he will have to wait or taps his fingers impatiently on the desk, is not making points with the support staff who may have a significant effect on the eventual hiring decision. An employer may seek an applicant with initiative but he also fears a loose cannon who ignores direction and caution. While we admire the “take chances” attitude that propels a Donald Trump or Richard Branson to the self-made billionaire’s club, we don’t necessarily want that arrogant risk-taking at our company, especially when it is our company taking the risk! 6. E equates to Enthusiasm. This is what will wear you out more than anything else. It is one thing to be enthusiastic about our passions, our interests, even our jobs. It is something else to show enthusiasm over and over, rejection after rejection, and not crash and burn at some point. The sanest approach seems to be balance. While your search for work is top priority, make sure that you make time for rest and rejuvenation. Since enthusiasm is an absolute requirement in most job interviews, you would be better served to limit your actual job hunting personal and telephone contacts to 20 or 25 hours per week. Take time to relax: quiet time, exercise, watch a movie, and replenish your energy levels. You will be healthier, less stressed, and more effective when you do make contacts, than trying to spend 40 hours a week “pounding the pavement” and ending up presenting as tired, flat, and desperate when you reach the interview that could have been “the one.” 7. S reflects Self-Belief. Call it faith, call it self-confidence, call it a sense of trust, call it cock-eyed optimism, it is really, in psychological terms, self-efficacy. It does not directly concern what you think about yourself, positive or negative. It involves your belief in whether you are able to affect what happens to you. Do you believe that your actions and words can bring about the outcomes you seek? If I don’t believe that my efforts will have any effect on results, then the world is based on illogic, luck-of-the-draw, random chance. If you look back over your own life, you will be able to identify actions or decisions you took that had certain consequences, good or bad. Analyze and study your own history and you will start to clearly see that consequences follow every action. Move that into the present and future, and it will revitalize your belief in the eventual consequences of your actions now. If you follow the myriad job seeking strategies and techniques identified by experts, and repetitively supported by successful outcomes, you will reach your goal. It is that strong belief that you are “on the way” to success that will carry you through the long nights of worry, the wasted time of disappointing leads, and the pain of recurrent rejection. It will bring you back to the other six areas mentioned by allowing you to focus, reach out for support, communicate with humility and clarity, and maintain your job search campaign with unflaggingly enthusiastic persistence. Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for 20 years, developing innovative job search techniques for disabled workers, while serving as a respected Vocational Expert in Administrative, Civil and Workers’ Compensation Courts. Author of an interactive and emotionally supportive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker’s Edge, she can be reached at http://www.unemploymentblues.com
Article Category : Others Feeling that it never works is not a good excuse. You may even remember last year not getting past February. GOOD intentions. NO success. Don’t quit! Every year has a new beginning for each of us. Keep on working at it. NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS You knew that was coming. Wipe the slate clean for 2004. Most of us had a few UPS and some had more DOWNS. There is real power in your mind. Think positives even when it is most difficult. Negatives are destroyers that pull us down into the abyss. Actually, you can make resolutions EVERY day. Hop out of bed with a great attitude. Begin by saying, “Good morning, God, what are you and I going to do today?” It may surprise you. Negative folk say, “Good God, it’s morning!” You decide! DON’T QUIT I know! Last year just left you defeated. Every change you were going to make fell by the wayside. None of your resolutions got done. Maybe you OVER reached. Be more reasonable. Don’t expect big leaps. Bite off the challenges in small chunks rather than going for the boulder. Success is closer than you think. One step at a time. You can become the happier, healthier person that you envision. All of us like to improve. There’s a sincere desire to learn. To stick with our new diet. To work out at the gym or go to aerobics. Walk a mile each morning or night. Our goal is to eat right; live right; exercise and be our very best. OVER ZEALOUS Suddenly, I’m going to change my habits. Our resolutions fill a complete page. All the things we haven’t been doing. Beginning tomorrow. You have just programmed failure into your New Year’s resolutions. Too much at once. None of us can handle it. Put down one or two life changing challenges. Maybe you can take on another one or two in another month. Don’t overwhelm your psychic all at the beginning. Stretch your goals over time. First, write down your new passions. A full page of resolutions is too much. Select those with the greatest benefit. Leave the others for now. Don’t expect perfection. Good intentions pave the road but you need to allow for a detour along the way. BUILDING NEW HABITS Your real goal is to develop new habits. Replace the old ones. NO exercise turns into some exercise. Eating too much turns into pushing away from the table sooner. Drink more water, less cola. Putting your spouse before the children or grands. Doing fun things together. Go to the movies. Out to dinner. Long weekends to the mountains. Don’t expect “old habits” to suddenly disappear. They are still lurking. Trying to get back into first place. Wanting to mess up your plan. Few things are more rewarding than reaching your goal. Even if it takes longer than you expected. Moving in the right direction counts for success. Reach for incremental mile markers. Each step takes us closer to our destination. PAYDAY IS COMING – Keep that in mind. Not necessarily money. A much BIGGER benefit. You quit SMOKING because (you don’t want to increase cancer odds; your breathe is cleaner; clothes no longer smell stale; eat in nicer places; kicked a bad habit, etc.) Go on a DIET because (clothes look nicer; you look nicer; you feel better about yourself; cost less for food; and?..) Quit drinking because?. (Don’t want DWI risk; no more acting a fool; risky addiction and family loss; and?) Bad habits are hard to break. Only YOU can make the decision. No one can do it for you until you decide. Many times our “bad” habits are patterns of behavior. Smoking gives us a break and often it comes with dinner and a drink. Must be a social issue. Everyone else is doing it so we “do it” to be “accepted” within our social group. SUCCESS TEAM All of us need support when striving to reach goals. Find those with the same mindset and desire to change habits. Working out is always easier in a group. To quit drinking is easier with NON drinkers. Non smokers help us kick the nicotine habit. Cheerleaders are needed. Keep it up! Don’t quit. Hold on to your goals. Accountability keeps most of us on track. Do something nice for yourself when you reach incremental levels. Buy yourself a new suit or a new dress when you drop a full size. Make every step a recognizable achievement. Eat at a new restaurant. Go to the movies. Treat yourself to a massage. Relax and enjoy the NEW you. One last admonition. HAVE FUN! In the end (December 2005) you can look back with pride on the success you have enjoyed in the last 12 months. ACTION TIP: A better YOU and ME is worth the investment. Set reasonable goals. Bite off in small incremental pieces. Look for the BIG pay off. Get a support TEAM. Reward yourself for each success level. HAVE FUN in the process of changing your habits. Don Monteith spent 32 years in the Staffing Business. His firm placed thousands of job candidates in their dream job. Today, he shares his expertise. Learn more by visiting his website at: http://www.HowToGetYourDreamJob.com
Article Category : Job Requirements, Others
Medical billers and coders know this and feel good about the support they provide to physicians, clinics, hospitals, and patients. They know they play an important role in the business office where they are employed. Their work consists of submitting the proper documentation to a number of insurance companies and federal agencies for reimbursement in order for their employer to financially succeed and avoid fraud charges. Their specialized training and expertise lets them find work any place, any time. Numerous opportunities for trained individuals exist in medical offices, clinics, hospitals, insurance companies, and in form of freelance home-based businesses. Advancement opportunities are unlimited! The U.S. Department of Labor states that continued employment growth for medical coders and billers is spurred by the increased medical needs of an aging population and the number of health practitioners. The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that earnings vary widely and pay levels are governed chiefly by experience and qualifications. Healthcare Careers Offer Job Security, Personal Satisfaction, Challenges, and Rewarding Experiences Many interested in a career in the healthcare field decide to specialize in the medical billing and coding profession. Medical billers and coders are no longer restricted to only the doctor’s or dentist’s office but are now working in hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes, mental healthcare facilities, rehabilitation centers, insurance companies, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), consulting firms, and health data organizations, or even from home. These highly skilled professionals are earning impressive wages everywhere they are. Typical duties of medical billers and coders include:
Other job opportunities for medical billers and coders include:
What is Medical Billing? Medical billing is better described as medical practice management and a doctor’s key to getting paid. Although most doctor’s offices request that payment be made at the time a medical service is provided in order to minimize billing, every medical office has a need to maintain patient financial accounts and for collecting money. In a small family practice or suburban clinic this task may be simple and assigned to the medical assistant or nurse but in bigger practices and clinics this is the medical biller’s job! Medical billers and coders usually work forty regular office hours from Monday through Friday on a desk in the billing office or billing department of the professional healthcare office. They must know the different methods of billing patients, understand various collection methods, ethical and legal implications, have a good working knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, medical billing and claims form completion, and coding. They also must understand database management, spreadsheets, electronic mail, and possess state-of-the-art word processing and accounting skills, be proficient in bookkeeping, and be able to type at a speed of at least 45 words-per-minute. The work area of medical billers and coders usually is in a separate area away from the patients and public eye. However, even though they are not involved in the actual process of doctors and healthcare professionals providing medical care they need to possess excellent customer service skills when it comes to making contact with clients, insurance companies, and often patients. Medical billers must know how to explain charges, deal with criticism, give and receive feedback, be assertive, and communicate effectively without becoming confused as the person is asking questions. Patients can quickly become frustrated when trying to deal with healthcare providers and bills over the phone. While an increasing amount of patient care is being funded through HMO related insurance, where the patient makes a small copayment at the time of service and the doctor bills the managed care company for the balance, a number of patients still need to make arrangements to pay for their medical services over a period of time. Part of the medical biller and coder’s job is to contact some of these patients from time to time regarding a past due bill. Incoming calls from patients who have questions regarding a bill are also directed to the medical biller’s office. The way s/he communicates over the phone can make or break business relationships. Other specialties closely related to the medical billing and coding profession are:
What is Medical Coding? Every healthcare provider that delivers a service receives money for these services by filing a claim with the patient’s health insurance provider or managed care organization. This is also referred to as an encounter. An encounter is defined as “a face-to-face contact between a healthcare professional and an eligible beneficiary.” Codes exist for all types of encounters, services, tests, treatments, and procedures provided in a medical office, clinic, or hospital. Even patient complaints such as headache, upset stomach, etc. have codes which consist of a set of numbers and combinations of sets of numbers. The combination of these codes tells the payer (health insurance companies or government entities) what was wrong with the patient and what services were performed. This makes it easier to handle these claims and to identify the provider on a predetermined basis. In addition, the services rendered (CPT) codes have to match the diagnosis (ICD) codes to justify medical necessity. To do this correctly for each third party payer choices have to be made from a combination of 3 coding systems totaling over 10000 codes, and which change annually. In addition, a completely new coding system, ICD-10, is proposed for reimbursement purposes in the near future. Tools of the Trade CPT books provide all the procedural terminology and ICD-9-CM code books have the most up-to-date information on medical diagnosis coding. The medical coder must stay current on any new ICD-9 code changes that would impact code accuracy and claims submission. HCPCS books contain the complete lists of HCPCS Level II codes with descriptions. They will guide the medical coder through current modifiers, code changes, additions and deletions. HIPAA books help to develop an effective HIPAA compliance plan and DRG books are needed for Medicare’s classification of inpatient hospital services based on principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, surgical procedures, age, sex, and presence of complications. Training Training of the medical billers and coders can range from two to four years of college, a technical school diploma, certificates from correspondence courses, to simple home study programs. Upon completion of such training many coders may seek professional certification. Though not necessary, it is recommended and national associations are available for the certification processes. Vocational Training Professional medical billers and coders are in very high demand. Billing for services in healthcare is more complicated than in other industries. Government and private payers vary in payment for the same services and healthcare providers and organizations provide services to beneficiaries of several insurance companies at any one time. Therefore, to reach proficiency in this business, basic training, clinical supervision and continued professional development is essential! Typical Course Requirements are:
Professional Advancement Opportunities A recent American Hospital Association survey showed that about 18% of billing and coding positions remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. Most companies and practices are looking for schooling and experience mostly because of the legal ramifications of incorrect billing practices. However, medical billers and coders are also able to work independently out of their homes where they established a home based billing office. There are plenty of electronic billing programs available that can be set up through home office computers. Also, there is the possibility to become an independent insurance specialist or consultant who helps patients understand their insurance bills and what they should be paying. Opportunities also exist as patient account managers, physician office supervisors and management, various types of personnel managers in the healthcare industry, health claims examiners, and medial billing and coding instructors. The more education the individual has, the more employment options are available and advancement opportunities become virtually unlimited! Professional Certification As in so many healthcare professions certification in the medical billing and coding field is not required but highly recommended. The days of the single family practice medical assistant or nurse typing out an invoice after office hours are history. Even the smallest offices and clinics have changed to computer billing because it offers greater coding accuracy, saves time, and can be used by administrators and auditors to ensure that visits are being coded to the appropriate levels which increases revenues. Understandably, these offices and companies are looking for individuals who are certified in their field to ensure the employer that the individual whom they hire is competent and proficient. There are numerous well known and well respected organizations sponsoring these types of examinations. Intersted candidates should research each one and find the one that most suits your needs: American Association of Medical Billers (AAMB) offers Certified Medical Biller (CMB) and Certified Medical Billing Specialist (CMBS) examinations. The National Association of Claims Assistant Professionals (NACAP) offer Certified Claims Assistance Professional (CCAP) and Certified Electronic Claims Professional (CECP). The examinations for Certified Procedural Coder (CPC), Certified Coding Specialist (CPS), Accredited Record Technician (ART), and Registered Record Administrator (RRA), are administered through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). The National Healthcareer Assosciation (NHA) is offering their Medical Billing and Coding (CBCS) credential. If your objective is to work for a medical office, group practice, healthcare provision network, or hospital as the medical billing and coding specialist keep in mind that most private practices, organizations and hospitals throughout the country not only prefer but often require national certification as a competency standard. To learn more about this very rewarding career visit the Medical Billing and Coding Net web site at http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.net ?2003 Danni R. of the Medical Billing & Coding Net. Reprint permission available by request. Article must be complete and must include all contact information. About The Author Danni R. is a certified medical assistant through the AAMA and NHA, and MA Instructor at such well known vocational training institutions. Her background is a unique blend of healthcare sciences and freelance web design and graphic arts, which makes her the ideal author for medical assisting articles, web sites, and various online courses. It is this fusion of contrasting disciplines that makes her work so successful on the Internet! You may also visit her web sites at http://www.certmedassistant.com, http://www.medicalassistant.net, and http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.net to get better acquainted with her work!
Article Category : Recruiters Press, Others When there is an opening to fill, a company has four basic approaches at their disposal: ? Advertise the position on Internet job sites ? Network ? Probe the Internet for viable candidates ? Use recruiters When a company advertises an opening on an Internet job site, they receive hundreds of resumes. It simply is too long of a process and financially prohibitive to review every resume and move through each step of the interviewing and selection process to fill the opening. Since decision-makers know other decision-makers, a hiring manager’s network can be quite extensive. In time, good candidates can be located. The problem with this approach is that the hiring manager may simply be too busy to engage in the time and human interaction required to make this happen. Employers and recruiters utilizing keyword searches scour the job sites in search of candidates to fill job openings. A major segment of these openings are unadvertised. When you post your resumes to a job site, you gain visibility, indirectly, into the hidden job market, and have access to a greater number of jobs. On the downside, since most people searching will post their resume to a number of different sites, the number of potentially viable candidates for any one particular position is huge. Employers have also frequently found major discrepancies between candidates and their resumes. The fine line between reality and the realm of imagination becomes razor-thin for creative resume writers. Screening and reviewing hundreds of resumes for accuracy and position viability, is time-consuming. If the job also requires a certain type of personality which doesn’t materialize at the interview, more time is wasted. For this reason, more and more employers turn to recruiters for a more efficient hiring process. A recruiter will conduct exhaustive screening procedures as part of their candidate search process. They will charge a fee to the employer for this service, but it is worth it in terms of time and effort. One of the best ways to capitalize on a recruiter’s mission is to post your resume to the career sites. Using keyword searches, recruiters will find you as long as your resume comes up a match. While this may not seem like a very strong proactive approach, it is by far the most sensible. Recruiters do not work for you; they work for employers. They are in business to help companies find people, not the other way around. Attempting to contact a recruiter regarding a particular job will only lead to disappointment. Do not be surprised or put off if your calls and emails are not returned. Their allegiance is to their client, the employer who is paying their bill. Having said that, it may be advantageous for you to present yourself to recruiters as a potential fee-paying client once you have been converted from candidate status. If, for example, you are a middle manager or decision-maker, this point can be easily made. You can also name-drop a referral to meet with a recruiter. Recruiters strongly favor these types of candidates. In a letter to a recruiter specializing in your field, make a case for yourself in the strongest and most specific way possible. Recruiters play a tough game yet serve a valuable purpose. They do not work for you, yet you can formulate an approach for working with them. By utilizing recruiters in your overall job search efforts, you will find yourself a step or two ahead of the crowd. Copyright ?2005 TopDog Group All rights reserved. David Richter is a recognized authority in career coaching and job search support. He has spent many years in recruitment, staffing, outplacement, counseling psychology and career management spanning most industries and professions. David founded TopDog Group in response to the needs of job candidates to have a higher quality of career coaching and support available on the Internet. David understands the mechanisms for success. He has formulated specific strategies anyone can use to secure interviews and receive offers. His extensive knowledge and experience sets David apart in this field, allowing him to offer a wealth of information and a vast array of tools, resources and strategies not found anywhere else. He has shown countless job seekers how to differentiate themselves and leverage their potential to the highest possible level, making a real difference in their careers. David holds both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology. David’s website address is: http://www.procareercoach.com
Article Category : Others I have to admit that I’m starting to slow down a bit. I am definitely in my final career ? and quite comfortable working a 40 hour schedule. I even take a day off here and there to golf/ bike/ ski, although I’m thinking of selling my windsurfing equipment . For the past two years I have been looking for a spot in paradise to retire to in five years or so - and I think I found it! I have been traveling all over the Western US looking for the perfect spot to retire. But my idea of retiring is not the same as my Dad’s - and then again, maybe it is. Let me explain. My Dad had a pre-WWII high school education. He worked in government service for 30 years. He grumbled about his job the whole time ? that is until the last few years. In his last assignment, he finally found a role that made him happy. He was mentoring a group of programmers as they built a new system for the state of Pennsylvania. They were clueless about Health and Human Services. They really needed somebody that new how the system should work ? he loved it. Then he hit mandatory retirement age and they kicked him out. My Dad wasn’t a dummy. He knew that he had a good deal, but he really missed his job. He never moved from Harrisburg, PA. For years, he made a monthly visit to his old department, to visit the folks he trained. Now - I never did anything the same way as my Dad. I went to Carnegie Mellon. I spent some time as an over educated ski bum and I traveled a lot before I settled down. As a management consultant, I worked all over the world. I moved from company to company and even started a few, but I made a mountain top on the coast of California my home base. But, guess what? My dad and I ended up in just about the same place after all. I now own my own business and I work with a solid network of business professional. I spend most of my time mentoring and consulting with entrepreneurs and business owners. My role is remarkably similar to my Dads ? but there is nobody that can kick me out. I just returned from two weeks in Kauai. My bride and I had a great time in one of the loveliest places in the world. But toward the end, I was really ready to get back to my office. Unlike my Dad ? I am looking forward to my working retirement in paradise ? doing more of the same that is. John Thomas is an author, mentor, and business consultant who works exclusively with entrepreneurs and owners of small and mid-size businesses. He also provides advice on web site promotion at TrafficistheKey.com/
Article Category : Others For those who are fluent in another language, foreign language (ie non-English) proof reading can be a great source of income. It is a difficult area for those who are not fluent to get into though. That is because, in order to be a proofreader, you must be able to do several things. It is not just spelling errors that the proofreader needs to fix. There are many other things that they need to do. It is important, then, that those who are seeking proof reading opportunities have the skills necessary to get the job done correctly. For those who can do this, they will be in demand and have repeated work. Proofreaders have to read copy and correct any errors in punctuation, grammatics, and also in the spelling. But, most of the time, they also have to ensure that the flow of the piece is correct and that it makes sense. If the author can not convey their message correctly, it is up to the proofreading experts do it for them. For those who do non-English proof reading, it is important that they also know the ins and outs of the language. Many languages have different dialects that are spoken in different areas. For those who speak Spanish in the United States, it is often a dialect of those who speak it in Spain. For the freelance proofreader, it is important to know which type of dialect, if any, should be used. For those looking to get into this field, they will find opportunities in translations readily available to them. From there, they will find those who need them to write in or edit pieces on their businesses. But by far the most important aspect that they need to have is a good foundation in the language. Visit http://www.FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Advice about Freelance Proofreading Jobs. Copyright ?FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.
Article Category : Others Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Career Opportunities for New Graduates This article relates to the Career Opportunities competency and explores issues such as internal growth opportunities, potential for advancement, career development importance, and the relationship between job performance and career advancement. Evaluating the Career Opportunities competency in your organization will determine whether your employees believe they have a chance to grow within the organization. Studies show that lack of career opportunity is one of the top reasons why employees leave an organization. Also, continually hiring open positions from outside the organization can be detrimental to morale when a qualified candidate is available internally. Topics covered in this competency are: perceived opportunity for advancement, existence of a career development plan, and organizational commitment to staff development. This article, Career Opportunities for New Graduates, is part of AlphaMeasure’s compilation, Tales From the Corporate Frontlines. It tells how a group of HR employees tried a new twist on an annual event and discovered ways to improve their company’s strategy for career development. Anonymous Submission I have spent the past 25 years working in the HR department of a large financial services company. Every spring, our department gets buried in a barrage of resumes and cover letters from fresh, talented graduates eager to begin their careers with our company. Every year, our hiring execs choose those that fit the company’s needs best at that particular moment in time. Obviously, businesses are eager to hire new, young, fresh workers. They are enthusiastic, intelligent, and eager to work hard and establish their careers. They are also relatively cheap, as any honest hiring exec will admit. But once these grads are hired, and begin their careers—then what? After noticing that after five years or so, very few of these graduation season new hires were still working with our company, we set out to find out why. We decided to try something different during this year’s interview process. As a little experiment, we added questions about what these new grads expected in terms of career development and advancement, and got some surprising answers. Following are a few of their biggest concerns— * Availability of career development programs. They consider training and mentoring to be a top priority. Realizing that college is only the beginning of their learning process, our interviewees want to know that the resources they need for professional growth are readily available. * Internal promotion vs. external hiring. Candidates are eager to follow a career path inside the company, and concerned that their path may be blocked by external hiring for desirable positions. They are willing to work their way up-as long as it’s possible. * A reasonable chance for upward mobility. As long as they feel that the opportunity for career advancement is possible, they will remain. But a huge fear is to be pigeonholed in a dead end situation. Once that happens, they would rather move on. These kids have invested time and money in their educations, and they are serious about getting the most from that investment. We performed this little experiment in conjunction with data obtained from a recent employee satisfaction survey showing how our current employees perceive opportunities for growth and advancement within the company. We took that data and compared it with what these young career candidates expected from a potential employer. We were able to zero in on problem areas and develop effective solutions. They weren’t aware of it at the time, but this year’s new recruits helped to shape the future of the company where they hope to build their careers. We hope they stay around to do just that. ?2005 AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active. Measure. Report. Improve your organization with an AlphaMeasure employee satisfaction survey. Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc. AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention. Launch your employee surveys with AlphaMeasure.
Article Category : Others Many professionals and managers are so involved in day-to-day crises and fighting fires that they forget about a key leadership characteristic: self-management. Effective leaders are first of all effective in managing themselves ? their time, their focus, their emotions and their careers. It’s too late to figure out what’s next for you once your company has merged, had lay offs, changed strategy or whatever. Here are the biggest mistakes leaders make in their careers. Burning bridges along the way. Not having big enough goals. Playing office politics. Having a bad attitude. Thinking that money is everything. Take control of your career! If you don’t, who else will? Marcia Zidle, the ‘people smarts’ coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ?to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report “61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers”. Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks ?resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs ?fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.
Article Category : Others Like all new innovations, technology in the work environment can either work for you or against you. What is good for the employer or is not always the same for the employee. Is Technology Working FOR You or AGAINST You When cellphones became available it seemed that they would fill a need for instant communication - any time, any place - that would help people be more efficient and thus save time. Then email became a mainstream method of business communication. Marvelous - now telephones wouldn’t ring off the hook, messages would not have to be stored and retrieved as verbal communications, which took time. Instead, information would be clear and concise and could be retrieved and answered any time, any where - again the promise of more freedom. With email, internet and cellphones, was it really necessary for workers to be restrained to the office? Maybe shorter work days would ensue. Perhaps parents could collect their children from school and be contacted at home via either of these methods. The work world was changing. This truth came about as more workers were able to take their jobs with them. The travel from home to work and back again was no longer a barrier for actually DOING the work. Telecommunication was making itself an integral part of conducting business. With cellphones and email, distance, time and travel were no longer barriers to conducting business effectively. For some, this meant that coming to the office every day was an option - not a requirement. Mothers and fathers found new freedom to take care of their children while still collecting the paycheck they needed to support them. Work could be done at home, at the park, at the grocery store, at night… Unfortunately, this ability to work anywhere has become a nuisance instead of a luxury for some individuals. The fact that they are ABLE to do business any time, any where, means that they actually ARE doing business all the time. Rather than free them, they found that they cannot get far enough away from work to really put it away for the day. Illness and emergencies do not stop the phone from ringing or the email from piling up - and because you can access it, there is no excuse for not dealing with it. So for some, the convenience has become a ball and chain - creating longer work hours and constant stress. For these individuals it is necessary to commit themselves and their work mates to guidelines such as turning the phone off. Not accessing email regularly. Sticking to these rules and telling other work mates your new practices should help. Remember that you were supposed to be ASSISTED by these devices. It is in the best interest of your health and the well-being of your family if these tools keep their proper place. Roger Clark is senior editor at Top Career Resumes who provide free information to job seekers on all aspects of finding a new job and Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on many medical, health and lifestyle topics.
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