How to Get a Great Job

by Sherry Obenauer, M.A., M.Ed.

Recent statistics suggest an employment rate of over 60% for high school students and this number is increasing. With way too many things that need to be bought and fun things to do, the weekly parental allowance just doesn't cut it anymore. So, in order to keep up with the yearly changing fashions, musical genre, and movie tickets, teens have to get a job.

Unfortunately, because of work inexperience and lack of self-marketing knowledge, most teens end up working at any number of retail outlets or fast food restaurants. Some even have paper routes or babysit. A rare few students get a decent job working in Mom's or Dad's company, but the majority of teens work hard for minimum wages and often on weekends or evenings. This really sucks for dating.

You can get a great job! All you have to do is learn how to market yourself. This means making a resume employers will actually want to read, knowing how to answer interview questions and present yourself, and where to look for employment.

The majority of adults don't have any clue how to market themselves and so do work they don't enjoy or bounce from job to job. After reading this article, you'll be able to teach your parents something for a change! Plus, you'll be able to use these skills now and after you complete post-secondary education if you choose to do so later on.

Resume

1. always use high quality white 8.5 x 11 paper with typed black 12-point lettering. avoid using colored paper or type and pictures or drawings. type on one side only and no longer than 3 pages.
2. place your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the first page. make you name several fonts larger and bold so it stands out.
3. use headers in bold to separate resume sections (e.g., education, accomplishments, work history, etc.).
4. if you have more education than experience, list your education first and vice versa.
5. given your lack of work experience, list your accomplishments. accomplishments can be personal, educational, physical, or occupational. state such accomplishments in terms of the skill used (developed, wrote, created), the audience (students, agency, clients), and the result (improved learning, increased sales, enhanced team performance). for example, "wrote and edited articles for high school newsletter which informed students of upcoming events." "counseled adolescents which improved their emotional health." "promoted to captain on community basketball team and enhanced team cohesion."
6. list any awards, certificates, trophies, and medals received in a separate section (e.g., award for english excellence, trophy for best player, certificate for highest grade in gr. 11).
7. list any volunteer experience as well as work experience in terms of position held, agency name, and time period you were there.
8. ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors.
9. hand deliver your resume to the employer if possible.

Cover letter

1. Enclose a cover letter with each resume.
2. Your name, address, and phone number; the employer's name, address, and phone number; and the current date should be on it. Never address cover letters, "to whom it may concern". If you don't know the addressee's name, phone and find out or don't address it to anyone. Use the term, "dear" when addressing the employer (e.g., Dear Mr. Simmons,).
3. In the opening paragraph, state where you found out about the job opening, the job title, and your eagerness to secure the position.
4. List 3-4 of your accomplishments in point form beginning with an asterisk. Double space between accomplishments.
5. In the final paragraph, restate your interest in the position, your confidence that you can do the job, and your availability for an interview along with your phone number.
6. End the letter with, "Yours truly", "Sincerely", or something to that effect. Leave about five spaces for you to sign your name and the type your name underneath your signature.

Interview

1. Dress professionally! Men should wear a suit and tie with dress shoes or, at the very least, a dress shirt and slacks and be clean-shaven. Women should wear a dress, blouse and skirt, or pants suit. Dresses and skirts should fall below the knees. Wear mild colors (black, gray, brown, white). Keep the amount of make-up worn and jewelry to minimum and don't wear perfume or cologne.
2. Shake hands with the interviewer and introduce yourself and why you are there.
3. Maintain eye contact at all times when the interviewer is speaking, but only occasionally when you are speaking.
4. Sit up straight with hands folded on your lap and try to keep fidgeting to a minimum.
5. Come prepared with 3-4 questions to ask of the interviewer (e.g., what methods are in place for measuring job performance, what might my first project be).
6. Be honest and take your time answering.
7. If you don't understand what is being asked, ask for clarification.
8. State your willingness to learn, your interest in the position, and the skills you can bring to the job (list your accomplishments).
9. Thank the interviewer for the interview, shake hands, and ask when you can expect to get an answer.
10. . Send a thank-you letter immediately following the interview. Indicate your name, address, and phone number; the employer's name, address, and phone number; and the current date. Thank the person for the interview, list the job, list the date of the interview, and reiterate your interest and ability to do the job. If you have any concerns about how you answered a question, restate it here.

Where to Find Jobs

Most people tend to restrict their job search to newspapers, the internet, and facility job postings; however, only about ten percent of jobs are actually advertised. So as to include this ten percent in your job search, the following is a list of various internet sites that list job vacancies.

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4 Ways to Work from Home Now: Ditch Your 9-to-5 Gig

By Kristina Cowan, Senior Writer for PayScale.com

Are you tired of the 9-to-5 shuffle? It doesn't take much to build a case for working from home. Maybe your daily commute time is hours long, you can't find enough time to spend with your family, or you're fed up with your boss's 24-7 work schedule.

The good news is that there's help for people who find their 9-5 boring. And, the possibilities to work from home now are as interesting as they are diverse.

If you want to work from home now, you might consider exploring one of the following work from home paths-flexible work from home gigs that don't require a bachelor's degree and, sources say, generally pay between $10-$50/hour, some more, depending on experience, skills and location.

1. Virtual assistant. These jobs run the gamut, from work from home typing jobs, bookkeeping, transcription, proofing, editing, writing and distributing press releases, to Web design. Diana Ennen, author of Virtual Assistant, The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and president of Virtual Word Publishing, said the industry is exploding thanks to technology and the Internet, enabling VAs to not only work from home now, but work from anywhere. "More VAs are coming along, but even more important, the businesses are seeing how vital we are and how we can grow their business. We take over so many aspects of things they don't want to do. Our expertise helps them make more money because we offer specialties and things they need," Ennen said.

2. Virtual concierge. As a work from home virtual concierge, you help people with their to-do lists. "It could be anything from finding someone a movie time and buying them movie tickets to planning family vacations anywhere in the world to making appointments. Really just about anything that's legal," explained Lindsay Gibson, director of training for VIPdesk, which offers virtual concierge and customer service.

3. Pet-care franchisee. The business of caring for Fido and Fluffy is booming. The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association estimates that America in 2007 will spend $41 billion on pets, including $2.9 billion on pet services. So if you love animals and have an entrepreneurial spirit, this work from home job might be for you. Franchisees for FETCH! Pet Care serve as general managers for local pet-care operations, hiring staff, handling clients, overseeing billing, payroll and marketing, and sometimes taking care of animals.

FETCH! CEO Paul Mann says work from home franchisees must meet certain requirements: "They need business acumen, to be passionate and dedicated to the business. If we see they have those skills, we are less concerned about their education. If someone has been working in sales, marketing, staffing-those are much stronger attributes than whether or not they got a doctorate in psychology. We look for practical experience."

4. Medical transcriptionist. Work from home medical transcriptionists (MT) transcribe dictation from doctors and healthcare professionals, creating medical reports, correspondence and other administrative materials for patients' files. They must understand medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and how to translate medical jargon, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read the full details of a medical transcriptionist job.

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Mengelola Kemarahan di Tempat Kerja

by RO

Banyak alasan pekerjaan yang bisa membuat Anda kehilangan kontrol akan emosi Anda dan �meledak� di tempat kerja. Tekanan pekerjaan, stress yang berkepanjangan, rekan kerja yang tidak kooperatif adalah sedikit dari banyak sebab yang bisa memicu kemarahan Anda.

Marah mungkin adalah reaksi awal yang paling mungkin timbul ketika Anda menemukan hal yang tidak sesuai dengan standar atau harapan Anda terhadap hasil kerja tim atau rekan kerja bahkan atasan Anda sendiri. Gejala yang muncul ketika Anda marah adalah detak jantung yang meningkat naik, wajah terasa panas dan rahang menjadi tegang. Beberapa orang melampiaskan kemarahan dengan memukul meja, membanting pintu. Ada juga yang menuliskan angry email yang isinya unek-unek kepada yang bersangkutan atau bahkan sangat mungkin mengkonfrontasi langsung kemarahan kepada orang tersebut.

Apapun trigger dan bentuk pelampiasan kemarahan Anda, hal pertama yang harus Anda sadari adalah bahwa kemarahan tidak akan menyelesaikan masalah yang sudah ada. Malah cenderung menciptakan masalah yang baru karena tanpa disadari Anda bisa saja mengeluarkan kata-kata tidak sepatutnya.

Marah, sama dengan bentuk emosi lainnya bisa dan sebaiknya dikontrol. Apalagi bila emosi ini yang berkaitan dengan lingkungan dan rekan kerja. Selain timbulnya masalah baru yang muncul, marah juga menimbulkan stress yang pada akhirnya berdampak pada produktifitas dan performa kerja Anda.

Tips apa yang bisa membantu mengelola kemarahan Anda?

1. Breathing technique

Ketika Anda merasa dorongan untuk marah, jangan segera bereaksi atau defensif terhadap pemicu kemarahan. Cobalah untuk diam dan bernafaslah perlahan-lahan. Rasakan setiap tarikan nafas Anda dan hitung perlahan-lahan. Cobalah untuk merilekskan tubuh dan pikiran Anda sebelum menganalisa masalah yang ada. Tekhnik ini memberikan kesempatan untuk meminimalisir dampak dari kemarahan yang mungkin timbul nantinya.

2. Dalam pikiran cobalah visualisasikan tempat yang bisa menenangkan.

Seperti tepi pantai yang tenang, padang rumput yang luas. Setiap orang umumnya mempunyai visualisasi yang berbeda tentang tempat dan situasi yang menenangkan.

3. Analisa pemicu kemarahan Anda dengan mengajukan pertanyaan ini; apakah kesalahan ini memang disengaja untuk membuat saya marah? Kemungkinan besar jawabannya adalah tidak. Masalah yang ditimbulkan biasanya karena ketidaksengajaan atau kecerobohan. Daripada menghabiskan energi untuk melampiaskan amarah, lebih baik Anda menggunakan energi Anda untuk memperbaiki dampak dari kesalahan tersebut.

4. Bayangkan jika Anda yang berada di posisi orang yang telah membuat Anda marah.

Apakah Anda akan marah kepada diri Anda sebesar kemarahan Anda pada orang tersebut?

5. Pikirkan konsekuensi terburuk yang Anda terima jika Anda melampiaskan kemarahan Anda sekarang.

Jika ternyata membahayakan posisi dan kredibilitas Anda, maka pikir masak-masak sebelum Anda �memuntahkan� amarah Anda.

Marah adalah hal yang manusiawi, tapi kalau Anda selalu marah, atau gampang marah bahkan selalu marah dan seringkali tips diatas gagal untuk mengendalikan kemarahan Anda, maka sudah saatnya Anda melihat ke dalam diri Anda sendiri dan mempertimbangkan untuk berkonsultasi dengan ahlinya.

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Blueprinting the Future: Using Job Loss as an Opportunity for Change

by Phil Rich, Ed.D., MSW.

Sometimes things happen that can change our lives, if we let them. A life "shattering" event can also be a life "changing" event.
For some people losing a job is an inconvenience or an interruption. For others, it's a disaster that starts a downward spiral. For still others, however, it's a transforming experience that leads to the most positive changes in their lives. The best possible outcome of job loss is that it can be turned into a positive and transforming experience.

The "Future"

The future isn't a pre-determined "thing." Instead, it's a container of possibilities. Trying to understand and plan for the future is always difficult, but essential. It means making informed guesses about different industries and job sectors, and looking at changes in society as we move from the industrial age into the information age.
Although predictions about the future are often wrong, thinking about the future is crucial because a future orientation helps people move from the past and present into the future.

Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats

As people plan for their future, it's useful to conduct a SWOT analysis -- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. But each element of the SWOT is not to be treated independently. Instead, each is tied together in an evaluation of self and market place, and as a means for setting direction. The SWOT analysis is often thought of a "strategic" tool, because it helps people (and organizations) to see themselves and their work environment clearly in order to plan specific ways (strategies) to get where they want to be. The SWOT analysis asks:

• What are your Strengths? How do these match with the field? Where do you want to be, and how will your strengths help you to get there?
• What are your Weaknesses and limitations? Where do you fall short in the current, changing, and developing job market? What personal or professional limitations must you overcome?
• What Opportunities are there out there? What does the field have to offer, and where is the market going? What allies and advantages exist out there that can help you to meet opportunities and accomplish goals?
• What are the Threats to your career and your decisions? What sort of competition exists, and where do you fall short of being able to meet those challenges? What might disrupt or interfere with your ability to recognize, seize and build upon opportunities?

The message here is clear: people who want to take more control of their career must get to know themselves and their field, and know the environment and climate in which they and their profession meet. This simple model offers important direction and guidelines to help people blueprint their own future:

• Take personal charge of your career. Don't wait for someone else to change the course of your life, either by firing you or creating new opportunities for you.
• Recognize your weaknesses and limitations. Understand the sort of skills that your field needs, and clearly spot where your current skills, attitudes, and knowledge fall short, not only with respect to your own profession but neighboring professions as well.
• Build new skills and expand your capacity. Identify the range of specific and general skills that fit both your own profession and extend to other relevant professions as well.
• Sharpen your people skills and your communication skills. These are those interpersonal skills that help you to understand and be understood, and will always help you because virtually every endeavor involves interpersonal communication.
• Look at what's out there, and train yourself to spot opportunities. Research your field or others that interest you, and keep a close eye on other market place and social changes that might affect your field.
• Recognize change. Some people don't see change coming, until they trip over it. Recognizing change is one of the keys that allows you to make the changes in yourself that will keep you in the game.
• Be Flexible. You can't stay in a changing game without being flexible and having the ability to adapt to change. This is a simple, but often difficult, task, requiring the ability to roll with the punches.
• Understand and befriend new technologies. Although people think of technology as electronic "high tech," technology extends to virtually anything that helps you to do your job. A pencil was once a technological breakthrough. Find ways to understand the technologies that affect your work, and not be intimidated, frustrated, or fearful of them.
• Don't Limit Yourself. Don't limit yourself to what you do now. Spread in new directions, stretching yourself further, or even going entirely outside of your current profession. Expand your horizon, and become a "futurist." Think about where this is all going, and how you can fit into and take advantage of it. Enlarge yourself. 

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Successful Change Starts With a Shift in Perspective

Like so many in corporate America today, Susan needed more balance in her life - but she did not know how to get it. Faced with a 60-hour work week and a lengthy daily commute, Susan was left with little time for outside interests. Her job was literally draining her of energy, and her attitude at work was changing, especially within her business unit.

Who is Susan? Susan is a composite of thousands of executives who are pushed to the brink by trying to juggle demands on the job with demands at home. Susan could be you.

At work, Susan was accepting extra work and projects and was not able to say 'no' to her boss. She became frustrated and drained. By accepting everything and not speaking up for herself, Susan became increasingly frustrated and angry. She became more demanding and less flexible with her own team. Her usual encouragement to 'think outside the box' was replaced by a controlling 'do as I say' attitude.

Micromanagement became her style. As a result, her staff appeared less involved in their work. They began to distance themselves from her.

On the social front, Susan was also making unhealthy choices - spending time with friends and family that were draining and burdensome and then keeping silent and angry about it. She did not have anybody to talk with about her experiences and frustration, so there was no one who could help her develop the perspective necessary to propel her toward greater personal fulfillment.

Like so many other executives, Susan believed that if she increased her hours and worked harder, life at work would get better. Are you just like Susan? Do you think that if you become more demanding and micro-manage your employees, the job will get done? Do you think keeping silent makes the problems go away?

To anyone who still believes this way, this is your wake up call. It does not work. Change is the answer - change coupled with a shift in perspective.

But sustaining meaningful change is never easy. It takes desire, intention, a clear vision, a good plan . . . and commitment. Change also takes time. In our increasingly busy lives we often get overwhelmed with demands on our time. Complacency sets in, and we lose the ability to overcome inertia - the tendency of a body at rest to stay at rest or of a body in motion along a certain path to stay in motion along that path.

To change, we must create structure that encourages and supports change, and it begins with an all-important shift in perspective. Instead of living in silence and hiding - or being overly controlling in our work relationships-or feeling that we need to leave our job - we can start by considering a more fulfilling alternative.

In Susan's case, she looked at what energized her, what she was good at, and what gave her joy. She put limits on the amount of work she was willing to take on and began speaking up to make sure her needs were heard and met. She shifted from being a controlling team leader to one that encouraged risk-taking and 'thinking outside the box.'

The result? Greater group cohesion and less stress for everyone involved. Group members felt less restricted and more empowered. Susan added greater value to her company and the results were visible and rewarded. More opportunities-the kind of opportunities Susan wanted-started coming her way.

At the same time, Susan developed criteria for what she wanted in her relationships. She evaluated her current relationships and determined which ones needed to be addressed. She began to speak up to make her needs known, and in some cases she ended unfulfilling relationships. As she revised her standards and set limits, she gained more energy to try new activities outside of work-re-awakening areas of interest that she had long ago left behind.

Susan's success story can be your success story, too. And it starts with four simple steps.

You must . . .

1. Be clear about your intentions to make a change;

2. Be willing to experiment and to try new strategies to achieve the changes you want;

3. Be willing to learn what works and what does not, and to make adjustments;

4. Not let fear stop you from making these significant changes.

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Expect Success to Stay Self-Motivated and Get Great Results

By Caterina Rando, MA, MCC

If you called my office you will hear my voice mail message that ends with the words Expect Success.

Theres a important intent behind that. What if every time we made a phone call or personal request or met with a potential new customer, you expected you would be successful? Do you think your behavior would be different?

If we truly expected success we would make more phone calls, make more requests and schedule more appointments. And that would result in more business, more income, more ease in our workday, and more overall success.

When we call people or meet with them, we have to hold the attitude that we are offering them an opportunity. An important opportunity, and maybe even the perfect opportunity for them. If they do not go for it, thats fine. Our responsibility to ourselves is to make the offer. It doesnt matter what the thoughts and actions of the other person are; it doesnt matter whether they agree to what you are offering or not. What matters is that you go for what you want all the time, every time, and are as proactive and confident as you would be if you knew you could not miss.

As you well know success is not a destination we arrive at; it is an attitude we hold along the way. All the joy of our professional lives is not in the outcome, but in the process. Do not rob yourself of the satisfaction that lies on the path along the wayenjoy every call you place, every order you take, every presentation you make. Revel in the process of being a successtoday.

To expect more success, more of the time, follow these steps:

- Acknowledge all the small successes in the process. Count your wins daily. Wins are all those things that go your way in a given daythe letter you wrote, the VIP you finally got hold of, the parking ticket you eluded, the compliment you received.

- Smile. Both psychologically and physiologically, this simple, easy action improves our well-being, which improves our outlook, which prepares us for all the great things we are expecting to happen to us. To become fit and healthy from a success standpoint, give your smile muscles a workout just like the rest of your body.

- Hold your success attitude in your body. Stand up straight, raise your chin up, keep your shoulders back and feet firmly planted. Feel the power of personal success in every cell in your body.

- Create a compelling success image in your mind. Once you expect your success, see it. Imagine it vividly and in colorwhat are you doing, where are you, what are you wearing, how does it feel like in your body? Make your success as real as possible in your mind, so your expectancy is even stronger and, as a result, your actions even bigger.

- Use an affirmation or set an intentions. State to yourself over and over what you intend to create today. State your intentions verbally, out loud to yourself; state them silently, in your mind; and record them on a cassette tape so that you can listen to yourself stating what you expect to create in your life.

- Beyond Affirming, Feel It. Do not stop at the mental part of expecting success. Also feel it in your body. You have felt the good feeling of connecting, achieving, realizing what you want.

- Be bold. Do all those things today that you know you will do when you are more successful. That is how you will create the success you strive for in your business and life.

You will never be more successful than you expect you can be. Greet every day with the belief that good things are going to happen to you. Expect to be successful with your calls, appointments and projects. Your work life will be enriched; you will take more risks, make more requests, and seize more opportunities. That will result in a better life, and that is what success is all about. I say that people who expect success not only think they are more successful, they actually are more successful. I urge you to vigorously and fully prove this theory in your own life.

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Preparing for the future of work

Abridged: Guardian Careers

NEW YORK, NY -- Over the past 20 years the shape of the workforce has changed beyond recognition. It's obvious that technology is moving as fast as ever -- and the workplace must keep up. A recently produced list of future professions suggests that by 2030 workers might be training for careers as diverse as space pilots, tour guides and educational avatar moderators. Another recent survey suggests that, by 2017, there will also be an 883% rise in employment for other business services -- for instance accountancy, law, consultancy, advertising and public relations.

An example of a thriving, emergent sector is the digital economy, with many more people expected to work in areas such as IT and broadcasting in the coming years. For those already classed as digital workers, changing technology and expectations will mean an increased demand for people to work across a number of platforms.

We're entering a new age of sustainability, meaning we will need to change our entire system of production and consumption, get more efficient with our use of resources and recognize that new sectors are going to emerge as a result. Finally, as the population ages, the number of people employed as care workers will increase. In turn, there will be a rise in informal care, with more employees caring for children or elderly relatives themselves, meaning employers offering flexible working will have the edge over competitors.

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Work and Heart

by Johannes Siegrist, Ph.D.

Work gives people opportunities to receive many rewards. Some rewards include job satisfaction, whereas others are outward societal rewards, i.e., money, esteem, and status. There is, or should be, reciprocity between the effort expended to accomplish work and all the gains realized.

It has long been recognized, however, that a discrepancy exists between work and reward. That discrepancy leads to psychological stress that frequently finds expression in somatic symptoms, including heart risk and cariac health.

In an exhaustive review discussing the links between psychosocial occupational stress and health, Johannes Siegrist, Ph.D., concludes that high-cost/low gain employment must be considered a risk factor for cardiovascular health.

In his review, Siegrist measures high cost by extrinsic forces such as the demands of the job and intrinsic sources such as the motivations of the worker in a demanding situation.

He measures low-gain conditions by salary, the workers perceived esteem of colleagues and supervisors as well as availability of help from those sources and degree of status control the worker perceives as having relative to the work, i.e., control over the type of work done, whether or not relocation was required, prospects for promotion.

The review addresses three relevant questions concerning the links between psychosocial occupational stress and health:

1) How to identify those components within the global psychosocial occupational environment that are of critical importance to health.

2) How chronically stressful experience is maintained in individuals who are exposed to the psychosocial stressors identified in theoretical models.

3) The relationship between adverse health effects of chronically stressful experience in terms of high effort and low reward.

Although Dr. Siegrist concludes that high cost/low gain conditions at work must be considered a risk constellation for cardiovascular health, he defines some of the numerous questions that still remain and should be addressed in future research.

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Want to Succed in your Career?

by Mark Goulston, M.D.

People who have addiction problem with drugs or alcohol have a much greater chance of success in beating the habit when they recognize, admit, accept, and correct their self-defeating behavior. You can't move forward or achieve your goals, if you become sidetracked by self-defeating behavior. Any repetitive behaviors that block your efforts to accomplish your long-term objectives are self-defeating. You also lose your competitive edge if you're always meeting your challenges in a self-defeating fashion, while your competition confronts and masters stressful situations head-on.

By definition, any repetitive behaviors that block your efforts to accomplish your long-term objectives are self-defeating. Here are other common behaviors that may not be as self-destructive as an addiction, but are every bit as self-defeating if you don't overcome them:

1. Procrastinating.
   A perfectionist graphic designer kept turning his work in late, not appreciating that his timeliness was every bit as important as the quality of his work product. One person's work sometimes cannot begin until someone else gets his or her job done first. If you're always late on completing things, people stop relying on you, start resenting you and begin to bypass you.
2. Not preparing well enough.
   The belief that what you want to sell is what people want to buy is a sure road to disaster unless you've thoroughly researched the market. A well-made buggy whip is a thing of beauty, and it sure is nice to hang in your den. Just don't hang your hat on it, if your customers don't share your love for a horse and carriage.
3. Not following through.
   A manager of a moderately successful fitness club told me he no longer goes to seminars on managing. He said that the information is always great, but implementing the suggestions and trying to convert his employees to the new approach seldom works. If something new is important enough to learn, it's important enough to schedule company time devoted to the purpose of planning how to implement it.
4. Not learning from your mistakes.
   Successful people don't make fewer mistakes than unsuccessful people -- they repeat fewer mistakes. Truth be told, we learn more from mistakes than our successes, and it's a shame to miss out on this valuable education by not owning up to your errors. Unfortunately, you need to admit you have made a mistake before you can learn from it.
5. Being competent, but uncharming.
   Know-it-alls who don't know what they're talking about are jerks, whereas know-it-alls who do know what they're talking about are merely asses. As people get older, they prefer to deal with capable but affable people, rather than brilliant but obnoxious people. One of the brightest management consultants I know was resentful that his poor interpersonal skills had cost him so much success. He kept ranting and raving, "Judge me by my results, not by my bedside manner. I'm not one of those brown-nosing game-players." He missed the point that charm is more about putting people at ease than it is about being phony and obsequious. He also missed the boat when it came to the success his competence and talent truly did deserve.
6. Saying yes when you want to say no.
   If you sacrifice respect in order to be liked by saying yes all the time, you won't be respected or liked. It's difficult to continue to like someone when you lose respect for him or her. At times, commanding respect starts with saying no to something that you disagree with, and then being flexible enough to work through the issue with the other person. I know a headhunter who says no to prospective job applicants, because finding out how they respond to "no" reveals so about their ability to cooperate and be a team player.
7. Having unrealistic expectations.
   When you confuse what is reasonable with what is realistic, you set yourself up to fail. It's reasonable to re-engineer your business; it's unrealistic to do it all at once. A stationary supply store in Los Angeles decided to revamp its sales, operations, and compensation policies (all of which were in need of modification) all at the same time. In six months, it filed for Chapter 11.
8. Getting involved with the wrong people.
   A "nice guy" chief executive of a hardware chain hired a chief operating officer he thought was strong and tough. His grave error was to confuse stubbornness and rigidity for strength. By the time the timid CEO galvanized enough courage to remove the difficult COO, it cost him several valued employees. Yes, there are bad people in the world. If you keep giving them the bene fit of the doubt, you'll be the one who has to clean up the mess.

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Bosses Behaving Badly

by Meghan Casserly 

"She threw her computer monitor at me."
"She said she wanted a mentee, but she really wanted a slave."
"I drove an hour across town to get her sushi. When I gave it to her, she threw it out and told me she'd changed her mind."
You don't have to watch "The Office" to know bad boss behavior when you see it. Sure, Steve Carrell's character is a textbook example of just about every boss "don't": passive-aggressive, micromanaging, insanely inane requests. But the premise of Michael Scott is real enough, and can be found in nearly every office.
No one has a better handle on bad bosses than their employees. Just ask them. We did, and we have nightmare boss scenarios from men and women who were eager to share their personal stories (provided we kept their names anonymous). We boiled down the most frequent offenses and asked executive coach Anna Marie Valerio, Ph.D., for her official stamp of (dis)approval and pointers for turning a bad work relationship around.

The Problem: Micromanaging
Our first case is a manager in the publishing industry who insisted upon being cc'd on every one of her employees' email correspondences. "She would routinely respond to our e-mails correcting wording or chastising us for the smallest grammatical mistakes," an employee shares.
Resistance to TMS (too much supervision) is normal. While you have a responsibility to your boss, there are times when people ask too much from you without cause.
"The problem may be that she is paying too much attention to small details because she either has blinders on to the bigger scope of the company, or is being kept in the dark by her own supervisors, which can create insecurity and bad behavior," says Valerio, author of "Developing Women Leaders."

The Solution
If you think your boss is asking for more information than you think is necessary, there is no inherent harm in asking why. In a proactive and positive way, that is, because there may be a legitimate reason she needs, in the example of one real estate broker's boss, "every detail about every client meeting she doesn't feel like attending."
Before you talk to your supervisor, though, ask a trusted colleague on another team if this micromanaging behavior is endemic to the company. Also, strategize some open-ended questions for your boss, such as "I'd like to talk about all the information you need from me. I'm wondering how you see it fits into your vision and the big picture of the company."
"It is a gentle yet proactive way to alert the manager to back off and it can drive the manager to seek out the big picture, which will ultimately help them to be a better supervisor," says Valerio.

The Problem: Liar, Liar
Lying is hard to tolerate in any circumstance, but when your boss is a liar, it's sure to foul the workplace dynamic. One professional shares her tale of the time her boss's lies caught up with him: "He told me I could not take my approved vacation because his own supervisor had planned a retreat for the company during the same week. But my vacation had been approved months in advance and was paid for--and non-refundable." The worker was told the supervisor expected her to attend the retreat.
Not only was it infuriating, but it wasn't true. "He had never explicitly asked his supervisor," she says. In a show of boldness, she asked her boss's boss herself and was told, of course, that she could go on her vacation as planned.

The Solution
This lied-to employee did precisely the right thing, says Valerio. "Lying is a symptom of unfair treatment in the workplace," she says, pointing out other similar types of unfair behaviors, such as favoritism and ignoring certain employees, or rewarding the work of some and not others.
Her advice in tackling unfairness is to work around the supervisor, and create your own networks at work. As a result, you won't have to rely on any one person, precisely what the vacationing worker did by circumventing her manager and heading directly to his boss.
"It's very difficult to confront a boss directly about fairness since it can easily come across as combative or accusatory," says Valerio. "Instead, look around to coworkers. If you're not receiving truthful information from your manager, you may be able to get it elsewhere if you've built a good network of peers within the company."

The Problem: Aggression (Active and Passive)
"It was my first day on the job, and it was particularly stressful," shares a junior professional then based in Texas. "We were working hard to get a last-minute event ready, and by 6 p.m. I had finished the paperwork I was responsible for. I decided it would be best for me to get out of everyone's way and leave the office for the day. When I stopped by my boss's office to say goodnight, her response was to pick up her computer monitor and throw it at me. It hit the wall, but she threw a computer at me!"
Lucky for the crazed boss, no suits were filed, and the young employee reported for work the next morning. Tail between her legs, the supervisor apologized for "unprofessional behavior," but the relationship between the two was never completely mended.
Workplace aggression appears in more insidious and more frequent ways than flying computers, as evidenced by this story from an advertising sales coordinator. "I'd send my boss an e-mail in the morning with a question or pressing issue that I knew was time-sensitive, and then spend all day waiting for a response," she begins. "I'd go to lunch, and come back. Nothing."
Her boss, she says, was in the office, and the two would exchange small-talk, but the e-mail would go unresolved. "She'd even e-mail me about other things, like lunch reservations or orders tracked. But it wouldn't be until 4:59 that I'd get a response--too late for me to do anything about it but just early enough to catch me before I left the office. It really was infuriating."

The Solution
Here again, says Valerio, that's just plain bad form. "Bosses behaving badly would do well to remember that their reputation will get around," she says. Employees are quicker to gossip about bad bosses than good ones, and a reputation as a bad leader or a passive-aggressive supervisor could ultimately cost a manager top-notch employees who either leave or do B- or C-level work for them.
"A manager's ultimate responsibility is to manage talent within their team to better the company as a whole, a win-win," says Valerio. "When someone loses sight of that mission, that's most often when we see bad behavior. It's a losing situation for everyone involved--the employee, the manager, and most importantly, the entire organization."

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How to Behave at Your First Job

by Tara Weiss

You've landed your first job out of college. That wasn't easy, in this tough time. Now you've got to make sure you keep it and succeed at it.

How? You can start even before you arrive at work. Set up a Web news-alert account that emails you news stories relevant to your new employer, says Danielle Leyland, a recruiter in the information technology department at Sherwin-Williams, the paint company. That will help prepare you to engage your coworkers when you get there, especially if there's big news--and it's also a way to find out about potential opportunities. Even if it's bad news--a round of layoffs or company downsizing, for example--it will affect the entire company and will be important to know about.

To take it a step further, stay up-to-date on competitors and the industry as a whole, too. That will give you perspective on where your employer is heading and why certain decisions get made. Your colleagues will take you more seriously when they see how dedicated you are to the profession.

Good first impressions

When your first day on the job arrives, show up at least 10 minutes early, and don't leave as soon as the clock strikes 5 p.m. That could come off as doing the bare minimum, which is not the first impression any employer wants to receive.

Also, dress professionally, even if you're sure most people dress casually. Men should wear slacks and a button-down shirt; women, either slacks or a skirt with a top that covers their shoulders. "You can assess what everyone is wearing during the first few days and then tone it down," advises Kathryn Santers, a staffing manager for the higher-education division of the educational publishing firm Pearson.

The right questions

Once you settle in and are given projects to work on, be sure you've got a clear understanding of what's expected. If you're not completely sure about something, ask. "It's better to ask a question and be cautious than to do it wrong," says Santers. And when you ask, have pen and paper with you to write down the details so you don't have to ask more than once. If you don't agree with an assignment you're given, don't say so until after you've completed it. Even then, do so tactfully, suggesting alternatives or slight tweaks without antagonizing your manager.

Along the same lines, never behave as if some tasks are beneath you. At some point, everyone needs to file or make photocopies. Your goal is to make your boss's job easier. If doing clerical work accomplishes that, do it without complaining. "It may seem menial, but it's a part of a big picture," says Santers. "Not every day on your new job will be glamorous, but there's always a point to what you're doing."

Effective communication

Don't try to impress your manager by saying you'll finish a job quickly if it means you'll have to get too hasty. Be realistic in what you can accomplish, and keep your manager up-to-date on your progress. During your first week, discuss with your boss how he or she prefers to communicate. Not every question requires popping into her office, so ask if she prefers email or instant messages. As you work on your first assignment, check in to update her on your progress. Ask if you're approaching it right. When you've completed it, ask for feedback. Did you get it done successfully? Was there anything you could have done to improve your work?

Don't be shy about this. Your manager has a vested interest in your success, since it's much easier for her to help you as you go along than to retrain you.

This takes balance, though. Before you run to the boss with a problem, always try to find a solution on your own. You want to be solutions-oriented, says Diane Borhani, national director of campus recruiting at Deloitte & Touche, and bosses always prefer it if people who bring them questions also bring suggested answers. So try to come up with a fix, and discuss it with the boss.

When you're in a meeting, share your thoughts and opinions, albeit in a respectful way. That's why they hired you. When there's an opportunity to take on a new challenge or additional people are needed for a project, volunteer.

"The people who are happy to raise their hand and go above and beyond what they're doing are the people I want on my team," says John Campagnino, senior director for global recruitment at the consulting firm Accenture. "That's a differentiator for managers."

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Recovering from Job Loss

by Phil Rich, Ed.D., MSW, DCSW

The New Reality of Job Loss

We've seen many changes in the work environment over the past decade and beyond, with multiple layoffs as companies have "down sized" and "right sized." Jobs once secure for life now rarely exist, and people entering the work force today are likely to experience multiple job changes during their careers.

The Impact of Job Loss

Much of the material on job loss and getting back into the work force touches upon the need to "re-mount," instructing the reader to design a plan and get back into the action. Appropriately, they direct the reader to not fall into despair, self pity, or anger. Many friends and family members will also urge the reader to find a way to move on.

But all the pep talks in the world can't necessarily overcome the real and deep reaching impact of job loss. It's important for newly fired people to not feel that there's something wrong with them just because they can't follow the advice of family, friends, and books and simply move on.

The Consequences of Job Loss

There are at least two primary aspects to job loss: "practical" reality, and "emotional" reality. In the first case, job loss also means loss of income and benefits. In the second, there are equally real emotional consequences: effect upon self image, emotional difficulties, fears about the future, and perhaps concerns about how we may be seen by others.

The Work of Recovery and Rebuilding

The chances are that people will find a new job. It may not be their first choice, but it will resolve the practical realities. But a new job doesn't necessarily lead to a satisfactory outcome, financially or emotionally. Regardless of the new job, emotional issues may not be at all resolved.

Unresolved issues may significantly affect the way in which people see themselves. In turn, this will directly influence the way they approach finding a new job, what they will accept for employment, and how they settle into their new job and life style. Accordingly, part of the work in job loss recovery is dealing with the emotional consequences. Seeking and finding a job without recognizing, understanding, and addressing emotional consequences may undermine successful recovery.

Recovering and Rebuilding After Job Loss

"Recovery" describes the ability to work through a challenging time without becoming overcome by circumstances, swept away by emotions, or feeling defeated. It means coming through intact and solvent, and finding yourself, not just back in the saddle, but emotionally satisfied and perhaps stronger and wiser.

The Stages of Recovery and Rebuilding

Viewing recovery as a series of stages, each with a goal and tasks, is useful. It helps people understand their experience as a process that develops and changes over time, and can help them to maintain their composure even when they may feel anxious and insecure. It also helps to know that their experiences are probably quite "normal."

Stage One: Coping.

However it comes, job loss is often quite shocking. This stage begins with a sense of disorientation as people are thrown off balance by this turn of events. The broad goal of this stage is to survive this initial period without doing anything damaging to self, future options, or relationships. Tasks of the stages include:

• Adjusting to this new reality
• Handling immediate emotional responses
• Dealing with issues of self esteem and humiliation
• Coping with family issues

Stage Two: Surviving.

As people enter this second stage, disillusionment begins to fade. They begin to deal with issues of survival and emotional and financial stability. This stage involves laying the foundation upon which people will re-build their lives, and includes emotional, practical, and financial tasks.

• Stabilizing immediate life
• Building support
• Managing emotions and behaviors
• Maintaining perspective.

Stage Three: Assessment and Planning.

Building on the stable base created during stage two, the primary goal of this stage is the assessment of needs, skills, and dreams, and primary tasks include:

• Taking stock of life
• Assessing choices
• Developing plans
• Re-building self image.

Stage Four. Decision Making and Self Renewal.

The work of this stage represents the end of this journey; from basic recovery to self-renewal and self-determination, and involves the active implementation of plans.

• Implementing decisions
• Accepting personal responsibility
• Taking emotional risks
• Re-gaining self confidence.

Passage to Recovery

There's no "right" pace for this journey, no "correct" length of time spent in each stage. Some may quickly move from one stage to the next; others will have a more difficult time, and may get stuck. But rebuilding after job loss is a process that takes place only over time. How much time will depend on the personality of the individual, his or her approach to life, resilience, and support system.

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Online Mistakes That Can Jeopardize Your Career

Here are five common mistakes job seekers make when it comes to managing their digital footprint:

Not taking action

After your search, determine if any negative, controversial, or unprofessional content exists about you online. Then work quickly to reduce or eliminate it. Start with content in your control, such as information or images connected to your online profiles or personal website. Also untag yourself from other people's posted photos that you don't want hiring managers to see. Most photo-sharing sites and social networks like Facebook have features that allow you to do so. If you find unflattering content posted by another person, contact him or her and ask that it be removed.

Ignoring privacy settings

Social networking websites are a goldmine of information for hiring managers. That's why you need to control the message potential employers receive. Failing to properly use the privacy settings could mean that potential employers have access to your status updates or personal pictures--not all of which may be for public view.

Staying silent

Today's online world is all about interaction, and hiring managers expect job candidates to demonstrate their engagement in the conversation. As appropriate, consider contributing a guest post to an industry blog, adding a comment to an article or discussion post, or sending interesting links to your Twitter followers. You might even direct potential employers to your LinkedIn profile or an online article you wrote for a local professional association, for instance, by including links to these resources in your resume or cover letter.

Being indiscreet

Be aware that whatever you post may be seen by potential employers, and give careful consideration to how statements you make may be interpreted. While you want to show that you have a well-informed opinion, keep your comments constructive and avoid disparaging others.

Being out-of-date

In many ways, your online profiles--especially those on sites like LinkedIn--serve as digital versions of your resume. So it pays to keep them current. Revisit them regularly to ensure that they are up-to-date, and that they incorporate keywords that relate to your skills and expertise.

Keep in mind that, despite your best efforts, there may be unflattering information about you that persists online. In these instances, be prepared if a hiring manager finds the content and asks you about it during the hiring process. Have an explanation ready to address any potential concerns. Most employers will be understanding if you are honest about the information and can highlight the qualities and skills that make you ideal for the role.

Robert Half

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Holiday Shopping for a Job

by Caroline M.L. Potter,

While you're making your holiday shopping list (and checking it twice), make sure you start looking for what you really need: a new job.

Conventional wisdom may say that the fourth quarter isn't an ideal time to find work -- but conventional wisdom is wrong, according to job-market expert Janet White. She says, "In my opinion, there is no such thing as an ideal time to job hunt or not job hunt."

Companies are still hiring, and their decision-makers are still on the job in November and December. John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the nation's oldest outplacement consulting firm, says, "Big business doesn't slow down anymore. In kinder, gentler days, things may have eased up between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, but not today."

White can confirm this firsthand, "Last year, I was laid off one week before Christmas, and I had another job offer within 18 hours."

Forget the Economy

It's hard to ignore the news of a troubled economy, and it's easy to feel defeated before you even begin searching for work. But, she reveals, "At any given time, regardless of what the economy is doing, of the time of year it is, of what the Fed or the headlines say, there will be companies that are thriving and others that are not."

Avoid looking at the job market or a particular industry as a whole. White, author of "Secrets of the Hidden Job Market," advises, "You can't make generalizations. Instead, just look for the companies that are doing well -- the ones that are expanding and buying up the assets of failing companies."

Focus on Your Attitude

It sounds simple enough, but while looking for a job, you have to project a positive attitude, even if you've recently lost a job. "If you're mired in negativity, nobody will hire you," White points out. She cautions, "If you believe all the negative news and really take it to heart that it's tough out there, I guarantee you will have a hard time. Conversely, if you believe we live in an abundant universe with enough possibilities for everyone, you'll find opportunity."

If you're having a tough time accentuating the positive, try focusing on the good things in your life -- be it family, friends, unemployment benefits, or food on your table. White says, "It's hard to be negative when you're feeling grateful."

Look Beyond the Job Listings

There are thousands of advertisements for new jobs on Yahoo! HotJobs every day, and you should use these ads to search for work. But you should also feel empowered to approach potential employers independently -- especially if you think they're in need of your skills. "If you realize that the only reason someone hires you is because you can solve a problem, you'll realize there are countless opportunities for you."

In fact, White's 18-hour job search ended when she sought out a company that she believed needed someone with her skill set. Before clearing out her desk at her former job, White says, "I sent an email with the passing thought that, given their circumstances, if anyone could use me to help them build their business, it would be them." The next morning, the president of that organization was calling to begin creating a position for her.

As you search for work -- this holiday season or any time -- remember to remain positive. White adds, "Anything you focus on or believe to be true will become your experience, like it or not and whether you want it or not."

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Online Shopping on the Job

by Caroline M.L. Potter

Move over, Black Friday. Cyber Monday is aiming to usurp your position as America's biggest shopping day of the year!
A recent study by BDO Seidman, LLP, predicts that online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving will increase by 2.4 percent this year. According to the Purdue Retail Institute's 2008 retail holiday forecast, 35 million people will shop online that day, enticed by discounts on shipping and merchandise. Purdue University retail expert Richard Feinberg believes that noon to 4 p.m. will be the busiest time for shopping -- which means many folks will be shopping at work.

Should You Do It?
"Business is facing a dilemma," Feinberg says. "If they let shopping from work occur, they lose money and productivity. If business does not allow shopping from work, they may cause hostility and dissatisfaction in their work force, which also can lead to lost productivity, and other problems [such as absenteeism]. It may be that allowing workers to shop on the job actually increases productivity."
Online shopping expert Michelle Madhok agrees. "I think that today most people expect there to be a merger of personal and professional time, since most of us are basically on call for work 24/7 with our BlackBerries."
Nevertheless, workers should check their employers' policies regarding personal online activities during work. In many cases, you could be shopping at your own risk.
Deborah Brown-Volkman, a career coach and former human resources executive, admits, "It's a big day for shopping -- but find out what your company's policies are first. You don't necessarily need to go to HR for that. That information may be in a memo or you could just informally check with your coworkers."
She adds, "A company will almost never say that you can use their equipment on their time for your personal business, but you do get breaks and lunch hours, so if you're going to shop online, do it on your own time."

Online Buyers' Tips (at Work or Not)
Madhok, the founder of SheFinds.com, a popular online shopping blog, has some tips to help you make the most of your online holiday shopping without interfering with your job.

Keep It Personal
While she doesn't believe online shopping is verboten at the office, Madhok does recommend using your personal email address and personal phone number to track orders. "Even if your boss is OK with it, you don't want to start getting coupon codes and sample-sale invitations to your corporate email address."
If your employer frowns upon online shopping, you can try to use mobile sites on your iPhone or BlackBerry. And even if you are allowed to engage in the practice, make sure the sites you wish to shop on come up on your work computer. Certain sites could be blocked, which could foil your Cyber Monday plans.
Shop Early ... Before Work

"If afternoon is going to be the busiest period, you might want to shop in the morning -- also because a lot of sites restock first thing in the morning," says Madhok. "BlueFly.com, for example, puts out their new stock at 7 a.m. There are a lot of sample sale sites, such as Gilt.com, Ideeli.com, and Ruelala.com -- and most of their sales are timed." This will save you time as you'll know when the online sample sales are happening. Shopping in the morning hours before work will also ensure that you're not jeopardizing your job.

Use Alerts
Sales notification services can help you get the best prices in the least amount of time. Madhok recommends ShopIt2toMe.com and Shopstyle.com. "Depending on the site you're on, you can select brands and sizes and you'll be alerted by email when they go on sale." (Again, use your personal email address.)
You can also use alerts to help you minimize time winning auctions on eBay. "Alerts can do the search work for you," she says. SheFinds.com also has lists of must-have items that will be hard-to-get in 2009.

Bargain Shop
You can save time and money by shopping at sites such as Smartbargains.com and Overstock.com any day of the week. Says Madhok, "Those are two great sites. And if you want the deals, shop early in the season or know what the cutoff dates for the sites are so you know you'll get it when you need it."
The online shopping guru also recommends searching on Yahoo! for the phrase "coupon code" along with each online store's name to make sure you're getting the best deals available.

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A lifestyle job versus building a business

A lifestyle job versus a business
By Rana Jewell
So what is so wrong with creating a job versus creating a business? Everywhere I go today, these two scenarios are compared and contrasted with the former being given all bad press and publicity and no saving virtues. But a lifestyle job has lots of merits!

Do you understand the difference between them? Put simply, buying yourself a job means that your business returns to you no extra profit over and above a salary to yourself, including superannuation contributions. Of course, it may even give you less than this.

Whereas buying yourself a business means that there is excess profit over and above owners’ salary and superannuation contributions. This means that there is enough profit for you to choose between working in the business yourself, or to decide to employ a manager to run the business for you, and still receive a return on your investment (similar to earning interest on a bank account). With the latter scenario you could be removed from the day-to-day running, and have time to work on the business. This is not only ideal, but inordinately sensible and logical. Also, the hidden meaning in all this is that when it comes time to retire, or resign, from your business, these owners are more likely to have something valuable to sell, whereas the buying-yourself-a-job owners may not. Why? The investor may not want to invest in a business where there is insufficient profits to enable her/him to choose whether or not to work in the business.

But how many small businesses return a profit over and above owners’ salary and superannuation contributions? Some, but in my 20plus years in small business and public practice, I know that the majority do not. So does that mean that these owners are stupid and silly and wasting their time and efforts? Certainly the perception and press for buying yourself a job would suggest so.
I would like to propose a third option. What about buying yourself a lifestyle? How about accepting at the outset that you may not have something highly valuable to sell at the end of all your years of hard work? Is there then a way to work smarter, and are there any other redeeming features of this option? I believe there are many.

Let’s tackle the financial aspect first, as it receives the most publicity. Simply save 10 percent of your gross earnings each year and only invest this money in assets that increase in value.
Example
Tina is a landscape gardener and earns $20,000 gross per year for her labour, excluding reimbursement for client materials. If she saved 10 percent of $20,000 each year for five years, and lived on the balance, she would accumulate $10,000. 
If Tina was able to employ this strategy, it saves her the constant stress of always looking to expand, get bigger, employ more staff, and allows her to really focus in on her current profitability, and the lifestyle that she desires to go along with running her business. Also, it’s possible that Tina’s gross income may increase over the five year period, eg more profitable clientele, increase in her hourly rate, etc.

At this point, let me remind you that whilst this concept is simple, usually simple things are very hard to do. Some of you may be shuddering and thinking that “I could never live on $18,000 (before tax) per year, I need more.” Well this concept works just the same for large incomes too.

 Example
Sandra and Tom run their business through a company and the company pays them a salary, plus the nine percent compulsory superannuation each month. Their gross fees are $850,000 per year. Their plan is to retire in seven years time. If they saved 10 percent of gross fees each year from now until they retire, they would accumulate $595,000.

It so happens that at present Sandra and Tom are at a cross-roads and trying to decide: “do we stay this manageable size with a staff of eight key people, and continue to specialise in providing the highest quality and personalised service to our clients?” or “do we grow the business, get larger, try to increase its value to a potential future investor, and at the same time hope that we can maintain our high quality and personalised service standards?”

Incidentally, $595,000 would be considered a healthy price if Sandra and Tom decided to sell their business today. If they proceed to build up the business, would they really sell it for more than this anyway? Perhaps the size becomes unmanageable… perhaps key staff don’t like the larger framework, and leave... perhaps standards drop…

Another option for Sandra and Tom is to employ the 10 percent savings plan, look within their business and fine-tune their client base to increase the number of the more profitable and more likeable clientele. At the same time, they could increase the number of weeks holiday they take each from two to four, and they could look to work half a day less each per week so that yoga, music, gardening, weekends away could be re-introduced to their lifestyle.

Are there any other redeeming features of buying yourself a lifestyle? I believe there are many:
• We have already mentioned increasing your annual holidays. Many small business owners’ take none! Some of my clients plan for 7 – 8 weeks per year. 
• What if this small business is something that you have always really wanted to do, but been too afraid? By all means you need to plan financially before giving up your day job – this is essential in any business venture. However, what if it unleashes untapped creativity in you and pushes and stretches you to grow on many levels – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? Surely this has a value, even though it cannot always be expressed in monetary terms.
• Perhaps this new venture requires you to utilise all of your skills, whereas some employed positions use only a small portion of what we are capable of.
• Maybe it would allow you to carve out the hours that suit your lifestyle. For example, some owners are night owls and enjoy sleeping in but working later into the evening. Others may want to reclaim their nights and weekends for leisure, and still others may want to work part-time, or some nights and have a couple of weekdays free.

Patricia’s Story
For Patricia, these concepts are not just theory. She has consistently saved not just 10 percent, but 40 percent of her gross fees from day one of her business. The balance of 60 percent is to cover her business and personal expenses. The 40 percent is roughly broken up as: 10 percent for investment, 10 percent for GST and 20 percent for income tax. This means that she always has the cash available for her GST and income tax liabilities.

In fact, in the early years, 20 percent was over and above her income needs. Consequently, in the three and half years since she commenced her business, she has accumulated not just the $15,200 (10 percent of gross fees), but also has a further $3,900 sitting in an asset replacement account for her business needs, eg computer upgrade, or replacement. Of course, in the beginning she had little left for personal items but this has continued to increase each year.

From the outset, Patricia set in place a template for a sustainable personal lifestyle, ie 40 hour working week (including one day for professional reading) and seven weeks holiday per year, and has rigorously stuck to a financial model that would lead to her having choices in life. The $15,200 is now available for investment either in herself, eg a three month sabbatical, or renovations to a residential property that she owns, or public company shares, or a combination of these options. 

By saving wealth as she goes, Patricia is able to lessen the pressure on herself and her staff to get big and to do it quick. She is building a valuable practice with high technical and personalised standards for her clients, and at the same time building a nourishing lifestyle for herself.

The possibilities for creativity are endless. The mix is personal and for each individual it will be different.

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So you want to start your own business?

So you have a business idea... you know it's brilliant... Or you yearn to be your own bosss... but where do you start?

What’s your motivation?The motives behind wanting to start your own business are important, while they might be optimistic and well intentioned - the reality can be quite different.

You may want to be your own boss yet the impact on your lifestyle and the commitment required from a business could leave you disheartened and scanning the job vacancy websites. Wanting to be financially independent through a profitable business has to be weighed up against the risk of losing everything you own. Perhaps you don’t want to work with others yet having your own business means working with more demanding people than ever - customers, suppliers and employees. Maybe you’re tired of paperwork and bureaucracy yet business ownership means a huge chunk of your time will be spent dealing with significant and unavoidable compliance. Maybe you hanker for creative freedom yet you’ll need to create a product or service that is wanted by a large enough market to make it viable.

Why you might fail

Venture into business with your eyes wide open and an awareness of the potential pitfalls. Ignorance is bliss – but only up to a point.

Many businesses fail because owners rely on advice from friends and family instead of the hard nosed, unbiased advice of experts that they really need.

Others simply get worn out. Starting a business from scratch takes an endless supply of energy, focus and determination. Owners usually work 60 hours a week, committing long hours and hard work to give their business a decent chance at survival. You have to be a self starter; you alone have to get your business off the ground as no one else will be checking up on you.

Others fold due to family pressure - their family and friends feel neglected, money is tight and stress levels rise.

Others haven’t done their research on their market and they over estimate potential customers and under estimate the competition.

Others don’t keep an eye on financial reports which are critical in the early stages as a scorecard to tell you how you’re doing against your initial forecasts.

Is your idea feasible?A great idea doesn’t ensure a successful business. There are lots of great ideas but it’s the business itself – the systems, the people, the structure - that deliver the idea that is the crucial factor.

Do your homework. Talk to people about your idea, ask what they think; would they use your product/service? How much would they pay? Carry out postal, phone or one to one surveys and interviews, or gather a focus group together for their feedback.

Most importantly, is your idea financially viable? New Zealand is a tiny marketplace; a business in the States can survive just selling golf ball shaped computer mice to the local market; we can’t.

Do your sums; calculate the return on your investment that you expect from your business, plus the income you need to cover your living expenses, plus tax and then calculate the profit you expect from your business. How many sales would you need to generate this level of income? Would you be able to find enough customers to generate these sales?

Create your business plan

There are heaps of business plan templates available from your bank, from your local biz Centre or from the internet to help you create a plan for your business.

A business plan usually covers an overview of your business, a marketing plan, an operations plan and a financial plan – and this plan becomes the ‘road map’ for your business, a reference to make sure you’re on track.

Getting assistanceAsking for help and advice is not a sign of weakness, but an important factor in the success of your business. The good news is there are lots of resources available. Important advisors include your accountant, solicitor and bank manager – many will offer a free first consultation so you can quiz them about their services.

Local business networks are invaluable sources of information and contacts eg. Her Business Networks, Chamber Networks, and BNI Chapters.

Create a picture Be very clear about what your business will look like; what hours will you work? How much money will you make? How many employees will you have? Where will your office be? How will you exit your business? What countries will you operate in? Have you got support from family and friends? What will a normal business day be like – how will you divide your time between people, information and things?

First steps

Although you may not be ready to open your business tomorrow you can be setting the scene today: read books about other entrepreneurs, support other small business owners, invest in your entrepreneurial self by attending courses, start putting money aside and get into the habit of doing something every day to further your dreams, like opening a business bank account or registering for GST.

If business ownership is your dream – then why not give it a go?

Fiona Powell

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