What Would You Call a Business Woman?

Here I am, a Las Vegas author and I ask the question "Are women Alpha Babes or Savvy Power Women? Are we men bashers or classy and sexy while being a force in Corporate America?"

The really big question: What are we?

I was facing this dilemma while working to create a new web site. Seems like an easy task. You buy a domain name and off you go. But which domain name? I have bought so many I could open my own store! Well, I have learned from the marketing guru's "Ask others". So I did. Some marketing advisors said use a web site name that will attract women by the shock factor. Some said no, women need respect so stop calling them babes!

One website for women is called pinkmagazine after the new magazine PINK; a very well respected group of women have put this together with support from some popular names like Ann Curry of NBC. The magazine describes itself as "Forbes meets Oprah".

What are we to think? Is this a good thing? Should we be represented by the color pink? When I think of pink, I see the fuzzy slippers I had at age seven! So, my dilemma continued, outrageous to get women's attention or promote respect with what I call the Savvy Power Woman. So, what is a savvy power woman? I believe it's a woman who hits hard on the issues but looks great, composed, and articulate and can go toe to toe with any man in any situation.

Recently, on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, White House Homeland Security advisor Fran Townsend spoke about the current conditions regarding the war on terror and homeland security. I was so impressed by her presence and style. I was able to listen carefully to her answers. She is articulate and never flustered by those questions, well, in today's political climate anyone representing the White House is usually on the defensive. Not Ms. Townsend. She was cool, calm and to the point. She, to me, represents the essence of a savvy power woman.

With this knowledge in hand I looked further and found other examples of savvy power women. This research still did not help me with a website name. After all, who can remember how to spell savvy? Is it savvy or savvy or savy. Well, enough confusion I need to find the right words to get women to my website.

The next step was to work with my coach. Of course, don't we all have coaches now? Well mine is really intuitive and you can find her at http://www.thesecretin10minutes.com , ok there s the plug part. My coach and I mind stormed to focus on what I am trying to accomplish with this website.

I said to her "I want women to be heard (ok, one of my really good advisors wanted me to go with "hear her roar" after the song "I am woman, hear me roar", but that didn't feel right either). I want women to use their talent and confidence to go beyond the 'gender curtain, stripping away all the barriers that stand in front of them as they try to find career success. If we start with the look, the wardrobe, the physical presence, the way they hold themselves and manage each interaction with their male counterparts in life; once these barriers are gone, a woman's voice can be heard. I want to give women a real voice in Corporate America, let's have Business Women Speak!" Well, you can guess the rest. This is the final answer, lock it in and I created the website Business Women Speak. They speak with everything that they wear, how they look, how they act, what actions they take and what actions they don't take. Then, they give you all their talent and skill which Corporate America can now utilize to its fullest.

With 35% of today's MBAs female, it's still rather sad that only 11 women are CEOs of the Fortune 500. The media covers all the controversial ones, but I am waiting for the female Le e Iacocca to emerge. She is hiding inside one of our top 50 great companies waiting patiently for her voice to be heard. If you know who she is, please let me know.

PINK Magazine reports on women breaking through. Currently, they discuss Susan Decker, former head of Yahoo's Advertising and Publisher Group. She has now been named President of Yahoo, the stepping stone to CEO. Decker joined as CFO in 2000 so I am pleased to see a financial executive move to a role outside the traditional treasury function. Another exciting move is at PepsiCo, Inc. where CFO, yes another financial type, Indra K. Neoyi replaced the male CEO in the fall of 2006 and today sits as CEO and Chairman of the Board. These moves are significant for two reasons; 1. The move for a woman to CEO or President is still so unusual that we are still cheering when it happens and 2. The CFO is finally being looked at as more than just the accounting and treasury manager. The vast array of knowledge and talent of our CFOs, many new and up and coming women, helps them to reach far beyond the field of accounting into the realm of operations and marketing, making them ideal candidates for CEO.

So, as I settle in on a website called Business Women Speak. I am encouraged by the big players finally recognizing talent. For me, sitting in Southern Nevada of all places, I continue to look for ways to bridge the gap between the world's perception of the business woman and business women in general. From Wall Street to Main Street women are still conflicted with the "babes image" and the "be like the guys" image.

At least I have solved my web site name problem. Well at least for now. I am thinking about working on something for financial executives. What do you think about "The Enlightened Corporate Controller"? Well, that's for another story and another web site. Until then I will just listen to business women as they speak!

Diane Dutton, CPA, 

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Job Search Tip - Set Up a Professional Profile on LinkedIn

LinkedIn continues to grow like wildfire. If anything, the economic downturn caused folks to place even more emphasis on building their career networks. There is no better way than LinkedIn. And when you join LinkedIn, there is no more important activity than building a great profile!

What makes a great profile?

To a large extent, that depends on your personal career goals. Today, we are focusing on the profile as a way to build the excellent career you seek or to find a job. Focusing on this the right way is a synergistic process that will help you find and land the job you are after and to later make that job an important stepping stone on the way to a great career.

So let's get started? Have you signed up for LinkedIn. I hope so! If not, do so now and come right back. If you have, sign in now. You'll see "Profile" on the menu bar. Click on this and let's get going! Next choose "Edit Profile". Now we are on our way!

Carefully step through your profile. Provide detailed information just as you would include in your resume. Provide job titles, companies worked for, specific assignment responsibilities, measured achievements, and so forth. Tell it like it is and do not exagerate. Remember on LinkedIn folks can quickly identify past colleagues and associates to verify the facts.

Include education, training, interests, other background and so forth. Go all the way to the beginning of your career. Leave nothing out. The objective is to provide as complete as information as your resume. Next, reach out to past associates and ask them to give you a clear thorough recommendation. If they'd like you could even draft it for them.

Sit down and carefully and in detail reviewing your initial input. See if you can't identify other points to enhance in the experience section. The more measurable facts you can identify the better. Next, switch to view profile and see what others are going to see. Perhaps consider having someone else do a quick review of your profile. Take their insights and make another round of revisions. This is an effort worth 2 or 3 reviews and editing sessions.

Make sure the settings are as you'd like with your groups showing, websites, and so many other feature properly displayed. Once your profile is optimized, you are ready to begin your Internet Age job search. Good luck and good hunting.

Peggy McKee 

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Interview Tips - Interviews Are a Two-Way Street

I recently looked up the definition of "job interview" online and here's what I found:

Dictionary.com said "an interview to determine whether an applicant is suitable for a position of employment";

Wikipedia defined it as "a process in which a potential employee is evaluated by an employer for prospective employment in their company, organization, or firm. During this process, the employer hopes to determine whether or not the applicant is suitable for the job."

Various other sources reaffirmed the notion that interviews are to assess candidates, suggesting the control of the process lay solely with the hiring company. This isn't really the case though, as it's as much an opportunity for candidates to assess the suitability of the position on offer. When job-seekers enter each interview with the mentality that their only responsibility is to prove their worth to the employer, they set themselves up for failure.

If you're interviewing this summer for internships or graduate positions, ensure you are forthright in your questions so the interview flows more like a natural conversation rather than an examination. If you get to the end of an interview and you're asked "So do you have any questions for me?", then you've left your run too late to ascertain the intricacies of the position. Most people would use this as an opportunity to find out more about the qualities the successful candidate should possess, and other necessary details of the position. However if you were to discover the answers to such questions earlier in the interview, you can tailor your responses to suit the requirements. Why wait until the end?

An interview should be a two-way street and thrive on engagement. In fact any meeting of people in any context succeeds only when all parties are actively communicating. Have you ever been on a date where the other person is just nodding and listening to what you say with nothing interesting to contribute to the conversation? Perhaps you might have taught a creative writing course to primary school students that never contributed to the discussion. An interview is a similar situation and asking questions throughout not only shows a keen interest in the role but demonstrates your interpersonal skills.

Here are a list of some questions you might want to consider asking in your interview. Try and segue into them also; avoid randomly dropping them in when it's inappropriate:

* What are some of the challenges associated with this position?

* How would you describe the ideal candidate for this position? What qualities should they possess?

* How do you assess if I'm doing a good job? Are there any specific appraisal metrics?

* What is the likely career progression for this position within your company?

* How would you describe the organisational culture?

I think it's of benefit to ask suitable questions that arouse a personal response from the hiring manager also. It shows you're interested in not only the job on offer but the people behind the company and their bigger picture. Here's an example:

* What do you enjoy most about working for this company? (In my previous company everyone on the interview panel was taken aback when asked this by one of the candidates. I recall us going around the room and answering it one by one, and it seemed obvious that we were all in tune with each other. We later offered the said candidate a position and he was swayed not by the job itself, but rather the people he was going to work with.)

* If you could change anything about the company, what would it be? (Some might think this is controversial [perhaps more so in Asia], but I think it's relevant and shows you have the cojones to ask what most others are afraid to. After all there are aspects of any job you aren't going to like - The Pope would probably hate responding to criticism against the Catholic Church in the media, Michael Phelps probably wishes he was in bed sleeping rather than doing laps on many an occasion, and I as a start-up founder hate doing administrative duties. These things just have to be done though!

If the interview has progressed successfully based on a healthy dialogue, then it should culminate to the interviewer asking you "So do you have any OTHER questions for me?". This is a timely opportunity to pose some wrap-up questions if they haven't been answered previously:

* Based on the screening process so far, do I possess the competencies required to excel in this role?

* Are there any qualities you feel I need to improve on in order to be successful in this role?

* Is there anything further you would like to know about me to assess my suitability for this role?

* What is the process going forward? When will candidates be notified of the outcome?

There are so many other intelligent questions that candidates can pose in interviews, that creating a definitive list would be impossible. The crux of the questioning should be to respond in a manner that illustrates you're the best person for the job.

If you found these tips useful then feel free to share them with friends and others in your network that are seeking work.

Andrew is Founder

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How to Handle Being a New Hire

by Caroline Levchuck, Yahoo! HotJobs


Starting a new job can be exciting -- and a bit nerve-wracking. In addition to having to master new tasks and understand new procedures, you'll have to navigate an often complex social network that exists at the company.

Use these 10 tips to make your transition from new hire to trusted colleague.

The Do's:

* Act friendly at all times, even if you're feeling frazzled from all the new information you're trying to process.

* Be inquisitive with your coworkers. Make small talk about popular television shows ("Did anyone watch 'The Office' last night?") or sporting events to spark conversations that are cordial without being too personal.

* Ask your new coworkers for recommendations on the best places to grab a good cup of coffee, buy breakfast, eat lunch, and shop. This will help you gain common social ground with colleagues and may also spark an invitation to one of the venues.

* Give colleagues time to warm up to you gradually.

* Bring in a tasty treat from home to leave in the lunchroom for all to enjoy. Cupcakes, cookies, or fresh fruit are always crowd pleasers.

The Don'ts:

* Don't insinuate yourself into other people's personal conversations. If you're perceived as being invasive, it will be hard to win your coworkers' trust.

* Don't expect to immediately hear all the strange-but-true tales that involve your colleagues. You'll learn all about the infamous holiday party of 2005 soon enough.

* Don't constantly reference your former place of employment ("At my last job, we did things this way."). You'll only cause coworkers to wonder why you don't go back to work there.

* Don't start inviting people to come see your band play or watch your off-off-off-Broadway debut. Wait for others to express an interest in your extracurricular pursuits before assuming they want to be in the audience.

* Don't immediately ask people to join your online network (MySpace, LinkedIn, or Plaxo). Your network should consist of people with whom you have a relationship rather than just someone who happens to have the same employer as you.

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Resisting the Telecommuter's Temptations

by Caroline Levchuck, Yahoo! HotJobs


Most employees relish the opportunity to work remotely on occasion. The commute becomes a matter of steps, not miles. And you might get to enjoy an extra hour of sleep before starting the workday.

But telecommuting is not without troubles. Temptation and distraction lurk at every turn. Use the tips below to stay focused on your responsibilities while you're working from home.

1. Find a productive place.

Even if you live in a studio apartment, you can create a space in your home that will be dedicated to work for the day. If you don't have a proper desk, use your kitchen table. And, even though it worked for Winston Churchill, avoid working from your bed unless you're sick. It's tough to be professional when you're propped up by pillows.

2. No surfing, please.

If you're working from home, your boss isn't likely to be looking over your shoulder. You may, then, feel the urge to do more Web surfing than you normally might at the office. Don't! If it's too tough, grab an egg timer and allot a reasonable amount of time (10 to 15 minutes) to get your fill and move on. The same goes for surfing the shelves of your refrigerator. Decide what you'll have for breakfast, lunch, and snacks early in the day so you don't waste work time wondering what you'll eat.

3. Make a to-do list to get things done.

Create a work-related to-do list at the start of your day and keep it at your side. Having a list of tasks at the ready will help you remain focused and help ensure that nothing slips through the cracks.

4. Start the day like you would any other work day.

It's fine to catch a few extra winks if you don't have to make your regular commute. However, don't stray too far from your usual morning routine. If you go to the gym each morning, do so. Don't skip your morning shower or work in your bathrobe. Rather, dress in business casual attire. It's okay to be comfortable, but if you're dressed in your PJs, you may find yourself feeling more inclined to take a nap than make a deal.

5. Do not disturb.

If you live with friends or family members, let them know that you need a reasonable amount of peace and quiet when telecommuting. Ask not to be disturbed during certain hours or only for very important matters -- and define what those matters are. If you have particularly disruptive pets, consider taking them to doggie daycare. If all else fails, set up shop in your local Starbucks, where you can enjoy great coffee and food and wireless access while you work remotely.

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Writing Your First Resume

by Robert McCauley, Robert Half International


College graduation is right around the corner. For students, this milestone marks not only the culmination of years of study but also the start of their professional careers. But many face a challenge: How to convince a prospective employer to hire them despite their lack of work experience.

A carefully crafted resume can do the trick. Below are some things to keep in mind when you write yours.

Look for 'Hidden' Skills

Entry-level professionals frequently worry about their lack of real-world experience. But you don't have to have held a full-time position -- or even a paid job, for that matter -- to have skills and experience that employers seek. Did you hold a part-time job or internship? Volunteer for a charitable organization or campus group? Serve as an assistant to a professor or tutor other students? Chances are, you've developed communication skills by writing memos or reports, leadership skills by supervising or training others, or project management skills by helping with the organization of a fundraiser or event. So, when compiling your resume, examine previous roles and highlight the abilities you obtained in each.

Showcase Your Education

If you received a degree from a prestigious university, maintained a high grade point average or earned an academic award, use it to your advantage by placing this information near the top of your resume. As you gain experience, academic accomplishments will carry less weight, but right now they can serve as a key selling point.

If, however, a certification or degree you hold is irrelevant to the career you seek -- you have a science-related degree but would like to work in real estate, for example -- feature your experience over your education.

Go Old School

The vast majority of professionals today submit resumes electronically. But don't limit yourself to this approach; also consider mailing a hard-copy version of your resume to prospective employers. Printed on heavy white- or cream-colored paper, your resume could make a bold impression and distinguish you from other candidates.

If the job posting to which you responded does not list the hiring manager's name or contact information, you can usually find this information by calling the company. Just be sure to carefully review your resume before sealing the envelope; you may need to adjust the formatting of your document to ensure it prints correctly.

Follow Up

One easy way to stand out from the crowd of applicants: Follow up with the hiring manager after submitting your resume. It sounds simple, but it's effective. According to a survey by Robert Half International, 86 percent of executives said job seekers should contact a hiring manager within two weeks of sending a resume and cover letter. Yet few candidates do. Often, a brief phone call or e-mail reasserting your interest in the position and strong qualifications is enough to prompt a potential employer to revisit your resume.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies plan to hire 17.4 percent more new college graduates this year than last. Increase your chances of landing the job you seek by focusing on your resume and creating a document that prospective employers can't resist.

Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. For more information about our professional services, please visit rhi.com.

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Nobody's Perfect: Rebounding From Mistakes

by Doug White, Robert Half International


Even the most talented and polished professionals make mistakes. From minor mishaps to colossal blunders, to err is human. Consider these examples from a Robert Half International survey that asked executives to recount their biggest workplace blunders:

* "I pretended to throw water on a colleague only to discover my cup wasn't empty."
* "I left the boss behind and went to a meeting without him."
* "While speaking at a business event, I fell off the stage."
* "While interviewing a job candidate, I fell asleep."
* "A personal voice mail from my spouse went to someone else instead."

No matter your mishap, the important thing is how you recover. The following tips can help:

* Take corrective action quickly. After making a cringe-inducing error, your first reaction might be to dart for the door. But avoiding the situation or hoping it resolves itself will only compound the problem. For instance, let's say you inadvertently delete a key document your boss needs for a client presentation the next morning. Instead of thinking up an excuse, swiftly go into damage-control mode and contact your information technology department to see if there's any way to retrieve the file. If it's gone for good, inform your manager immediately and offer to stay late to reconstruct the document or help retool the speech. While your boss will be upset with the news, his or her reaction will be even worse if you wait until the last minute to drop the bombshell.

* Accept responsibility and apologize. A sincere "I'm sorry" can go a long way. If you stick your foot in your mouth with an insensitive or ill-timed comment, for instance, your best bet is to show remorse and express genuine concern for any colleague you offended. A heartfelt mea culpa will soothe, while attempts to rationalize or justify your behavior will only further damage your reputation. For example, saying, "I was only kidding" or accusing the insulted parties of "not having a sense or humor" invalidates their hurt feelings and adds insult to injury. You're much better off acknowledging the seriousness of the slip-up and making amends.

* Let it go. If poor planning causes you to miss a deadline, it's not uncommon to dwell on the error for a day or two. But move on once you've identified where things went awry and modify your work habits to avoid similar issues in the future. There's no benefit to obsessively analyzing the mistake. Remember that one error does not trump all of your successes, so don't let the slip-up define you.

While on-the-job blunders can be unpleasant, they don't have to be career-killing. In fact, demonstrating that you can own up to a mistake and bounce back with professionalism and integrity may even help you over the long term.

Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. For more information about our professional services, please visit rhi.com.

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Hey College Students! Check Out These Best Future Careers

Not surprisingly many websites nowadays will try to say which the best careers offer the best prediction in the years to come. They based statistically on growth percentage in the recent years. However, other people never reflected this concerns base on which careers get the payout, which job are easier to acquire and so on. As long as they have a proper and organized career management though sometimes they need to have career transition inevitably. Despite of all of this, there are some general trends proven true.

Future career fashion

One of the fastest progressing areas of business, employment and communication in recent years are all because of our computer technology. Continued assimilation of IT and digital communication into one package throughout different sectors ensures that this fashion will go on longer.

We

b developers, systems analysts, computer programmers, designers and developers, consultants and information managers show something of these career spot.

Included also in the career spot are engineers including fiber, cable, satellites and more.

Healthcare career

Health care job also guaranteed in demand due to increasing population - particularly those people belongs to older age groups in which health care services and treatments available extended to farther places. Number of administrative jobs expanded and support roles needed.

Other potential "hot" career in the future includes the spot of scientific advance particularly in "biotechnology". Highlighted on this area are tissue engineers and gene programmers - but all skills on this area are included. Another new technology added is nanotechnology and energy technology.

Due to population changes lots of career arises in addition to healthcare. To name the few are:

Teaching and Tourism, Training and Development and care of the elderly or Care-giving these careers are predicted to be in demand and would increase more as also with Financial Advisors.

Current services would increase as population grows older. Legal sector, Military career, Educators, tutors and a lot more. Consider also the massive return of income sectors of paying for domestic support like house helpers, maids, cleaners and drivers etc. This could not be avoided due to higher level of divorce yield mostly on single-parent families.

New services are developing recognize to another career spot. Many of these services are directly serve to the end users or the consumers itself. Few of those are Counseling, different Complementary Therapies also includes Coaches and Physical Training Instructors.

Fresh Graduates: What is the best career for the future?

One of the biggest problems of the society is the high percentage of unemployed sector.

Obviously this includes the fresh graduates who are still looking where to land a good job.

Lucky are those who properly organized their career management program before graduating because obviously they are first one to succeed in the pool of job searching.

Although some of demand careers already mentioned above, here are some that offer most new job as opposed to future career fashion.

* Accountants and auditors.

* Applications software engineers.

* Computer systems analysts.

* Secondary school teachers.

* Systems engineers.

* Systems analysts.

* Network administrators.

* Employment and recruitment specialists.

Finally, your choice of career may vary on your skills, capacity in whatever field you are confident of delivering it. Create a career management program to let you organize what you must do in your career choice.

You will be confident if you have to assess first yourself knowing your weakness and strength, tolerance level and limitations. If you surely are the master of yourself, no doubt you would be successful in your career.

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Career Counselling - Finding a Career Suited to Your Personality

The most important aspect of finding your dream job is to look for the job or career that is matched and compatible with your personality. This may sound relatively simple, however often we often don't have a clue about what different careers really involve and too often people find themselves "ending up" in a career without ever having made a conscious choice to do so. Resources for career counseling, including career tests, can be a great help in giving people the power to make a career decisions. So what are some of the resources available to people and how can they be most effectively used to achieve outcomes?

Job Search Websites and Databases

The Internet is an exhaustive information source that allows us to select from an ever growing list of options. Most online resources help job seekers find a job based on their personal preference and skill. Unfortunately, as often happens candidates are forced to search for and take jobs that meet their requirements at that point in time based on factors such as salary, location, and often simply what jobs are on offer at the time. If not careful however, once a job seeker takes a job or role based on such factors however, they have often unknowingly move further from achieving their true career goal. Job seekers using this methods to decide on a career may eventually feel they have found themselves ultimately unhappy and in a job or career that is not suited to their personality or to them.

Identifying What Is "Really" Important To You

A critical aspect of finding a career well matched to your personality is to understand what is important to you. It sounds simple but surprisingly few job seekers actually do this. There are a few ways one can do this. You could make a list of all the things you think are important to you in a job and then place them in order from most important to least important. You could then access a jobs database and review the many thousands of jobs and careers in order to locate those that suitably match your list of priorities. While this process could potentially be successful, it would be extremely time consuming and fortunately there are more effective and time efficient ways of going about this process. One such method is for job seekers to take a career test, which when completed will review all their job preferences and personality traits before providing them with a list of all the jobs suited to their personality. Most quality tests, such as the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) also go a step further and provide a good list of detailed action steps to guide the person in taking the necessary steps to move toward achieving their desired career.

Ensure you use a quality Career Test only

Career tests aren't career tests, just as "oils ain't oils". What is meant by this is that there are many career tests or "Quizzes" on the internet today which, while fun to play around with, are along way from quality career advice and are often very unreliable. In order to use a career test to help you find a job suited to your personality you need to find a test you can rely on. This is easier said than done but the only reliable or trusted way of doing this is to select a career test or questionnaire which is backed by solid research data and one which hasn't just been created by the webmaster of the site you are visiting. For example, as mentioned above the Strong Interest Inventory is a career test which has been used by professional career counselors around the world for many years, and has had many revisions and updates. It is based on years of research and its developers publish its reliability and validity data which is publically available. Free career tests and quizzes on the internet may make many claims, but when was the last time you saw one that actually provided you with concrete reliability and validity figures and measures?

You can take the Strong Interest Inventory online at at CareerSense.com.au for a very affordable price. They will provide you with a comprehensive report reviewed by a registered psychologist and careers counselor. You can also have a one on one phone interview with a psychologist or careers counselor to discuss your results. Benefits - By taking a quality career test such as the at The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) you will be taking the first step on the path to finding your dream job. The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) report will give you a clear list of action step you can follow to move you towards being able to get your dream job. It will also give you some great insight into your personality and what is important to you in a job. Nathan Jones is the Director of CareerSense.com.au. He is a registered psychologist with extensive experience working in the field of career counselling and support. In 2009 he founded CareerSense.com.au which provides quality and affordable online career and personality testing. CareerSense use only the most respected and scientifically validated testing instruments and professional career counselling services. Visit CareerSense today for a career or personality test at CareerSense.com.au.

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The Brilliant Career

Any time people talk about their careers, familiar expressions like:

"My career goals", "Career path", "Career development", "Career direction" etc usually come to mind. These expressions have one reasoning in common "the concept that a career is something that has an entity or existence of its own, that it's something out there, a place or a destination or a means to reach a better place".

If we think of a career in these terms, there are a number of hazards and influences that can throw a career off course. Career goals may conflict or be frustrated by other kinds of goals such as the demands of a busy family, academic pursuit or social life. The career path may have to wind its way through other tempting highways and byways. Career development may be stunted by a particular work environment that is hostile to its growth. A career direction may turn into a dead end if a new technology emerges.

Any one of these events can turn into a career threatening influence. And when they do, we can absolve ourselves of blame. 'The organization didn't support my career goals'. 'I was poorly advised and took the wrong career path'. 'My career development was blocked by a lack of funding for training and development'. 'My career direction was influenced by circumstances beyond my control'. 'The boss didn't appreciate me, he hates me and never encouraged me to grow in my chosen career.'

If we think of our career as something out there, over there, at the end of the rainbow or whatever, there will always be something or someone else we can blame for its demise.

Here's something for you to consider. If you must excel, "Take Control of Your Career."

How do you do this?

o Consider that you are your career. Your career is who you are, here and now in this place. Everything about you; your competencies, your habits, your appearance, your education, your communication style, your relationships, your lifestyle, habits etc. All of these are attributes of you and comprise your career. Your career is who you are, what makes you unique as a person and as a worker.

Take a moment to reflect on this. How is your career going? Does it want to leap out of bed in the morning and rush itself off to the workplace to engage in something passionate and rewarding? Or is it somewhat self-conscious and inclined to waste of time and daydream of a safer or more interesting place along the way? How do others respond to its presence in the workplace? Do they look up to it, seek its advice and applaud its successes or do they seem a bit dissatisfied with its performance?

o Another way to look at this is to imagine your career as your brand. How would you market your brand? What are its best attributes? What can it do better than any competing brands? In what kind of environment will your brand add the most value to an organization? Do you need to enhance any features of your brand to improve its visibility and appeal in the marketplace? How do you better position your brand to attract customers? Do people around you know that the brand (you) exists? How do you price your brand? How do you distribute your brand?

You can take control of your career. Your future is not 'out there'. Your destiny is embedded in who you are, who you choose to be today and on each and every day to come. Take care of your brand. It's your most valuable asset. Remember, What ever name you call your dog, that is what it will answer.

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Five Myth Busters of Changing Careers - Breaking Free to Reach Your Dreams

Aside from the statistics about the sheer number of careers across our lifetimes in 2009, there are a multitude of new perspectives on career planning, and career options. Was it an option to be a network engineer in a small office when you were a youngster? How about a nanotechnology researcher? Had you ever heard of international micro-loans? These are a few illustrations of newer trends in occupations and career path options.

Even if you are not changing careers this month or this year, you will still need to adapt to changing job demands and responsibilities. Moreover, you likely know someone who will be helped by this informative and freeing approach. Let's break down the threats of the Changing Career Myths together. Read, consider strategies and options for your future, and share this timely information with your friends and family.

1. Career Bondage: You have to pick one career and stick with it. I did not realize anyone still believed this until I started polling high school seniors and college students. Sure enough, these young adults are convinced that their career choice is an irreversible decision. What pressure they experience in Career Bondage. When people look at the statistics and realize they will likely have several careers across their lifetime, it is a liberating experience. Suddenly they are free to step into the first opportunity. Phew! I have seen this excruciatingly long awaited step happen to 17 year olds and 55 year olds. They have similar issues despite being at very different life stages of course. The freedom to step into your future is always a good thing.

2. Closed Doors: Many careers are closed doors for me because I don't have the correct academic degree. You know I have to use the example of Thomas Edison here, correct? He did not have a college degree and look at the influence he had on our world! It is innovation, dedication and inspiration which make a significant difference in many situations. Today, USA culture expects not only a high school diploma, but also a college degree for professional careers. However, once you have tagged that base, you have a multitude of options available to you. Most careers have entry level positions; consider that as you gain more experience and work up further in the organization and industry it may become even better paid and more exciting.

3. FULL TILT, or not at all: If you are going to switch careers you have to go into it full tilt, or not at all. Indeed, a much more successful approach is to try out your new career as a part-time position while you maintain your current career. If you really enjoy it and find it profitable, determine the best strategy for additional training and career opportunities. Another strategy is that if you are thinking of starting your own business, use the same strategy and research the details, plan your ramp-up to test the waters while you continue your full-time work. This approach often works for consulting services, mail-order, web-based fulfillments, and other home based businesses which can fulfill the needs for products or services during nontraditional work hours. Just be sure your full-time work does not suffer at the feet of your new career exploration. The references and relationships you have now will allows follow you and it is much more advantageous if they are always positive.

4. The Lone Ranger Rides Again: Nobody can help you with your career; you have to go it alone. From the country of the ostensibly self-made person, this myth seems to have become a Golden Rule. Truth be told, it is a Golden Failure when followed.The most successful people realize that they cannot know or do everything themselves and instead surround themselves with sharp, supportive advisers, coaches, and assistants. Use recommendations from colleagues, friends or research people who can assist you. Whichever avenue, be sure to run, not walk, as you begin creating a crackerjack support team. Critical members for this network include a financial adviser, career coach/adviser, proofreader (for cover letters and correspondence), and a lawyer (to review employment contracts, agreements, etc).

5. It's a Matter of Luck. Successful careers are a matter of luck, you have to wait for the right door to open. Upon closer examination,it seems that many people who espouse this myth are not very successful. Successful people have shed too much sweat in their efforts and know better. Early in my 2nd career, I thought I was experiencing a lot of luck; however, when I said this to my supervisor, he said, "You create your luck, Kathy. I watch you do it." I am often reminded of this comment because I find it natural to scan the environment for trends, look for opportunities and seek ways to move ahead. Moreover, I take initiative: I love what I do; therefore, I keep wanting to learn more about it! To the outsider it might look like I am working really hard to create luck. I think it is much simpler. The key to creating successful career opportunities may be initiative.

Whatever your current situation, consider how you can destroy the myths which are holding you back. Reevaluate them, gather new information and slay them one, by one. Where are there opportunities to move ahead? What would you like to be doing for work and recreation in 5, 7 or 10 years? What do you need to do to reach those dreams? Gather your support team and ride on into the world of career change and freedom!

Written by

Dr. Kathleen P. King (EdD)

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Is There a Difference Between a Job and a Career?

So, you've decided that now is the right time to get a new career or pursue that new job. What language do you use to describe your work habits? How do you think and speak about what you get paid for? Do you use 'my career is'? Or 'my job is'?

Do you think of yourself as 'career orientated' or 'career minded'? Perhaps, do you see a career is something that comes with having a string of qualifications? Is 'having a career' something better than 'having a job'? Or are they same?

Generally, people assume the two are different. They are, by definition, however can they be separated in reality? One of the biggest differences between having a job and having a career could be that of attitude and thought. Please, before you jump and down and list your qualifications carry on reading... You see there is so much ambiguity, ideas and lies around careers and jobs for example:

* A job does not include a career but a career usually involves many jobs

* A job is a means to an end; a career is more personally fulfilling

* A job is lower paid than a career role

* A career is harder to achieve than getting a job

* A career obviously involves many qualifications, having a career is very specialised

So, can you have a well thought out career that pays well: full of advancement, progression and promotional opportunities. Yet you detest it. No, you loathe it. You cry going in and are depressed after your holidays.

Well, you are working a job. You are working to pay the bills. Your career does not fit your passion and purpose.

On the other hand. Say, you call what you get paid for a job. It may not have taken you years of qualifications to get there; it might not be well paid however it is lucrative in other ways. You love it. Everything about it. The tasks. The people. The day-to-day role. The customers. Even though you may not think about it this way yet, you have a career.

Do you need some definitions? Okay...

Career: A chosen pursuit, occupation or profession. Job: A task, or series of tasks you get paid for.

Please focus on the word CHOSEN. So, whatever you have chosen to do. That's a career.

The job element is the tasks you undertake within that career. People who have a career, also have a job, otherwise they would not have a career. They get paid for carrying out tasks (jobs) that fit the career choice. People who have jobs are still within a career choice.

A career is a path, full of choices, using your full skills, talents and experiences. The path is not 'job' or 'tasks' yet it is made up of a lifelong journey that fully utilises your strengths and talents. It encompasses your leisure, family, relationships; it's made up of all the parts of you. The fact you get paid for this is the job element.

So is there a difference in career versus job? Yes, by definition. The jobs we carry out may be better to sit in alignment with our career journey: the roads we are choosing that sit well with us emotionally will ensure that we are working on tasks that are following our passion and purpose in our career planning, job hunting and career changes.

© 2009 Dawn Barclay - All rights reserved.

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5 More Job Tips - How to Find a Great New Job Part 2 of 2

In Part 1 "5 Job Tips - How to Find a GREAT New Job" You did some soul searching created some lists - ending up with a list of marketable skills. Got that in front of you now? Good. Here are 5 more job tips to turn that list of skills into a great new job.

1. Narrow your Search

Now you need to match those skills with the kinds of jobs that will pay for them. Keep in mind there are lots of skills that transfer well to other jobs. For example:

I once ran across someone who helped her husband build a Real Estate brokerage. After 5 years, he left her and filed for divorce. She was devastated and jobless. Her instinct was to limit herself to real estate work but her skills took her far beyond that....

* She was great at marketing and could use those skills for any small business.

* She could manage any office - especially personal service types like insurance and investment fields.

* She could set appointments. Do phone work, web design, handle advertising, bookkeeping and a host of other tasks.

The question she should have been asking is... which of those valuable skills does she want to offer and to whom?

Do a bit of brainstorming to come up with some kinds of jobs that may need the skills you have to offer.

2. Set Your Sights

By now, you should have a list of the kinds of jobs available. Next, make a list of potential employers. Again you want your list to be as broad as possible and include as many potential employers as you can.

After you've drawn up a list as extensive as possible - you should arrange them from most desirable to least. Don't worry - you need not write the list in stone so you can always change the order... or even cross some employers off entirely if you like.

3. Interview Prospective Employers

From the list of potential employers, you want to narrow down your search again to a short list of potential employers. Forget about job postings. You are going after the job you want - "job openings".

Decide what companies you want to work for and why. Make sure you know what you like about these companies. Keep your eyes wide open here. Not even the "Best Place to Work in America" is perfect.

Now order your list from the most desirable to the least. Start at the top and begin your research. You want to know as much about the position as you can.

Talk to people working in the department. What's it like working in this position. What do you like about this company? How does it compare to other companies?

Talk to the department head. Ask him/her about job duties, work environment, expectations. Your purpose is not to ask about a job but to research the kind of position you want to pursue.

If they are "not hiring" then find out if they anticipate an opening and if so when? Ask about the industry in general - is there a demand for skilled people? Is the demand expected to increase to decrease? Why?

Remain undaunted if they claim to have no openings right now. Most any decent company wants to grow. Growth means expansion and expansion means jobs.

If there is any interest in your skills at all, ask the department head they would like to see your resume and offer to submit it to their human resources department. (Or if they are small - right to the person you are talking too!) If they say "yes", submit the resume with a sticky note saying "Ms. X said she wanted to see this when you got it" or something so they are sure to forward it.

4. Tailor Your Cover Letter and Resume

When submitting your cover letter and resume - be sure to focus on the skills they are looking for. If they want someone to answer the phones - emphasize your phone skills! If they don't mention typing skills, it may not matter how great yours are.

For each job you decide to go after - you should have a resume and cover letter targeted for the requirements of that position. Make sure the employer sees up front that you have exactly what they are looking for!

At this point if you find yourself explaining why they should consider you in spite of your shortcomings - it may be time to reconsider your qualifications. Remember - the point here is to target jobs you are highly qualified for. If you find yourself lacking skills then you should either adjust your focus or improve your skill set.

5. Make the Wheel Squeak

Be sure to follow up with a thank you card and a phone call. While you don't want to become a pest, make it clear you want to work for this company and why.

If you know anyone who works for the company then they may be able to give the inside scoop on news. The more information you can get the better. Stay patient. The more desirable the company and the job, the willing you should be to bide your time.

Landing the exact job you want may not be easy but the payoff is worth some extra effort. As a bonus, this extra work may pay off with some surprising rewards you never thought possible.

You may find the company you were originally high on isn't all that. BUT there' a position open now at an even better firm. Plus once you can present a knowledgeable and enthusiastic prospect to a potential employer - you can suddenly find yourself as a "hot property".

The employer may be willing to go all out to bag a trophy employee - you!

Remember this ball started rolling because you decided to pursue something you would enjoy doing instead of settling for "whatever". In the end you will be happier and your new employer will be overjoyed to have an enthusiastic employee who really wants to be there.

Now take this 5 job tips along with the first set of tips and land that awesome job!

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