The Center for Career Growth and Advancement

Interview Questions

2009-01-30T03:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Nawaz Shahzad

The job interviews are the twisting point in a job search where job seekers can do well in winning confidence of potential employers, make them believe that you are the model candidate for the position you are looking for. Most likely job seekers stagger through interviews as if the recruiter asks jumpy questions. But generally interview questions are to be expected. Prepare your interview answers and rehearse your role before the show, so you'll be ready to face employers/recruiters with self belief.

To answer interview questions precisely takes ability, exercise, and strength of mind. Some of the most likely interview questions for you to practice before appearing!

1. Introduce yourself? 2. What are your career preferences? 3. How much salary you are expecting? 4. What is your plan regarding continuing your education? 5. Tell us about your hobbies? 6. What are your strengths & weaknesses? 7. Are you ready to work in a team? 8. Can you work in stress? 9. What good things you liked in your ex boss? 10. How do you feel working on weekend? 11. Define success? 12. How good your communication is? 13. Where do you see yourself in next 2 years? 14. You like trying new things or stay with old ones? 15. Why you have applied for this position? 16. Tell us about your family? 17. Areas where you can revamp your skills? 18. What if you are not selected for this position? 19. What makes you feel that you are the best candidate for this position? 20. What you preferred, money or work? 21. Tell us about your subjects?

Candidates can raise their chances of success if they get ready for them in advance. Find the balanced answers to the most common interview questions. Hiring people (recruiters) hope that you are the matched candidate for the job. They are desperate to wrap up interviewing and want to fill up the position. Focus on what you have to say in regards to your skills & experience instead of sensing fear.

Job seekers can practice and perfect their answers ahead of interview date.

About the author: Nawaz is an author for this article. Article Source: http://www.e-cvs.net/cv_articles.html

Get Paid To Take Online Surveys

2009-01-29T03:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Sebastian Foss

You'd be tempted with countless of seemingly very attractive offers and promises from the Web to ""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys"". Do not fall into the trap of some of these promises. Just stay with a handful of honest membership sites that really gives you all the information to work and earn from home and stick with them. For example, ""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys""

are a way for you to earn multiple streams of income just filling online forms

""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys"" is still one of the best income opportunities one could venture into especially when there is no demand for big capital outlay, all you need is a computer with internet connection and you can choose your time and paste for taking any Online Surveys.

Successful companies need to know what their customers prefer and what they are thinking. They fund surveys to find out, and part of that money ends up in the hands of those who fill out the survey questionnaires and they ""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys"" To get in on this multiple streams of income plan you really need a Good ""Membership company"" to show you the way. The challenge is to pick a good one. There are all types and sizes. Big and small, bad and good. but the membership sites does all the legwork for you and they compile a database of honest companies that will actually pay you to take online survey. The one thing that separates winners from losers is, winners take action Wake up! To the reality of ""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys"".

If you are really dedicated you can make $35 per hour. After joining any of the membership sites, Generally you can expect to receive quite a few ""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys"" invitations. You may receive as many as 20 per week that pay 10-$25 each that typically take 4-12 minutes. You will also receive surveys every once in a while to take surveys that pay up to $75. ""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys"" will give you endless income opportunities. For those that pay so well you will really need to put efforts and time as some of them take up to thirty minutes or an hour to complete.

In Conclusion, you will certainly ""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys"". Sit-at-home-Moms, Students, Jobless citizens, retirees and those who really want to quit 9-5 jobs in America and around the world are happy with the tremendous results they get. A good Paid Survey Membership Company can help you to do the same. Keep the above points in mind and you will very likely select a good company. Though most of this legitimate membership sites will cost you some money to join and the good part is that you easily get a refund of your membership fee if you are not satisfied with their services, but i guarantee you will make back your membership fee with ""Get Paid To Take Online Surveys"" and make more money with the first few paid online surveys you take.

About the author: Sebastian Foss writes on a variety of subjects and recommends http://paidsu rveyshonestreview.blogspot.com for more information on

Get Paid To Take Online Surveys .

FIND A JOB AND KEEP IT - (Part One)

2009-01-28T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Barbara Thorp

The most excellent way to find a job is through online. You can do all the necessary research to understand the position that you're looking for and comprehend with it. Employer will be watching his trainee in the first few months, and that was the time to show your skills and that you're fit into the company. You must know your responsibilities fully and demonstrate that you are worth having as an employee. Of course, a profession, manual labor, hospitality and office work are obviously extremely different; however, the issues below will help you. You should also know who you will be working with and learn to get along with people without becoming too arrogant and annoying. There is no reason to stay in a job where you do not 'fit in' and will feel uncomfortable and where the people around you are unpleasant either. Even if you do search online in depth, remember that you will not always meet understanding people, so be prepared for that if it's happened. If you have an innate fear because of a new job or project assigned to you, You must realise that it is natural for everyone to experiences it until settling in. Immerse yourself in your work for your first several months, and you will find yourself growing in self-confidence. While on the internet check out two sites that I really think are great. At jobsniffa.com.au and OzFreeOnline.com, you will find thousands of jobs listed in their job classifieds. Just register free, post a resume and find a good job. Job opportunities are definitely 'out there' and you can search for your job Australia wide. Don't be afraid to ask others questions. Maintain confidentially by not gossiping. Do not socialize in the office or cultivate an office romance, these are two of the worst mistakes employees make. Find your friends and love interest away from your daily work - you will be glad you did! ----- to be continue.... :D

About the author: Employer job posting, job posting online or job posting sites are just one of the internet's best services to provide.Seeking for a job opportunity to be able to survive the demands of living is very stressful, both to the mind and body.

Get Paid To Take Survey - Are there companies that pays money to take Online Surveys?

2009-01-27T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Sebastian Foss

""Get Paid To Take Survey"" is no doubt a growing trend amongst top fortune 500 companies. when I decided to leave paid employment I started by doing research for my business plan towards earning multiple streams of income and one of my starting point was a research on

""Get Paid To Take Survey"". . I was amazed at the income opportunities and I wished I had access to this information earlier than I did, but thank God it was never ever too late starting any venture towards making money online.More over ""Get Paid To Take Survey"" was one of the best investment I ever made in my life

Thousands of Companies in the United States spend millions of dollars a year on advertising . Before spending this much money, they start by finding out what products and services are the most likely to be successful in the market. ""Get Paid To Take Survey"" ordinary people earn up to $75-$120/hour taking paid online survey and participate in focus groups, these companies are researching consumer habits that will help them make more money. With ""Get Paid To Take Survey"" some people make up to $3500 weekly taking paid online survey from their homes

There are Thousands of Paid online Survey database websites on the internet. To select the best can be a challenging task. Some so-called ""Get Paid To Take Survey"" sites are just posing as market research companies trying to sell you their products and services. Others spam you with advertisements and sales pitches from their partners, and some don't pay you as much as promised. I am sure you will not want anything to do with these kind of companies. To succeed with ""Get Paid To Take Survey"" you have to follow the principle of the ""Winning Edge"" concepts which says, "" small difference in ability can lead to enormous differences in results."" Small difference in your own personal repertoire of Knowledge and skills can lead to major differences in your income achievements (Quotes from The Absolutely Unbreakable Laws Of Business Success By Brian Tracy)

For you to really make a meaningful income with ""Get Paid To Take Survey"" i advice you to register with at least 150-200 companies. Grab this opportunity and start making money today just by filling in few online Surveys. All you need is a computer with internet connection

Warning/Advice - Please ""Get Paid To Take Survey"" is not a get rich quick scheme and as such you really need to put in some efforts by hard work and determination for you to earn multiple streams of income leading to passive financial freedom Working from home.Consider the survey companies that have higher-quality websites and charge a one-time fee. Remember this gives you access to the very best in online surveys. Please Visit ""PaidSurveyshonestreview"" For Some review of the best survey companies to enable you make your choice.

About the author: Sebastian Foss writes on a variety of subjects and recommends http://paidsu rveyshonestreview.blogspot.com For Some review of the best survey companies to enable you make your choice.

Paid Surveys | Get Paid To Do Online Surveys

2009-01-26T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Sebastian Foss

Paid Surveys are really a way to Get cash, points that you can later convert to cash, gift certificates, & sweepstake entries doing paid surveys online.

Paid surveys are sent to your email box and all you do is click on the link provided and take simple surveys and earn extra money

What is paid surveys about and why will survey companies pay you to do easy online surveys?

Fortune 500 Companies like obtaining feedbacks from customers and potential customers. This information will help them re-brand and increase the quality of their products, marketing strategies, Paid Surveys is the method they use to get reliable information's and feedbacks.

With Paid surveys you can take Online Surveys from any where in the world

Citizens in America and outside America are needed, but the requirement is that you must be 18 years and above, Thousands of people have left their 9-5 jobs and are doing Paid Surveys as a full time work at home job enabling them to earn multiple streams of income all you need is a computer and internet connection, join about 100-150 of these companies. After you join, the companies will email you survey invitations thereafter you get paid for taking Online Paid Surveys.

Why do companies pay me for taking Online Paid surveys?

Online Survey companies pay individuals to complete surveys because they want statistics of what their targeted audience thinks about their services, product etc. This helps them to develop their unique selling proposition. Moreover, a fast way to get what customers feel about their products is to send out short Online Surveys with paid surveys you can earn an average of about $35-$50/hour from my experience i personally earn about $3500-$5000 every two weeks. But this was achieved after i joined honest membership sites that have a database lists of about 500-600 Online Paid Surveys companies that actually pay, all you need is to register with at least 100 of such companies and you will get a minimum of about 20-30 surveys every week. But like every good thing you really need to be committed and hardworking.

About the author: Sebastian Foss writes on a variety of subjects and recommends http://paidsu rveyshonestreview.blogspot.com for more information on

Paid surveys .

FIND A JOB AND KEEP IT - (Part Three)

2009-01-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Barbara Thorp

TIPS ON FINDING A JOB If you are too lazy or careless to do these things, you deserve to be unemployed... seriously. Before showing up to a job interview, make sure you study the company so you are able to impress the owner or manager of your obvious interest in the company. You can also find jobs through online employment agency or recruitment office near your home that will actually get in touch with you when a business is hiring. Two sites are seek.com.au and OzFreeOnline.com where you can search for jobs by location, work type, and classification or just browse job ads at your leisure. Remember if you want to sign with an agency who does not offer online searching, then you may have to study for a math test, spelling test, a typing test, and even a personality test because many 'exclusive' agencies will give you a test before they accept you on their agency books. In addition, make sure you have work experience or 'stretch a point' as much as possible in your resume. But, not so much that you are found out. Agencies like people with a lot of work experience and people who have many different skills. Try to find out as much as you can about the agency, so that when you show up, you will know what they want from you. It is essential to find a job you like and sincerely want to do. Finding work you enjoy should be at the top of your list. Even if you make a few dollars less, you will save yourself a lot of pressure that may lead to other problems and anxiety in your job. Do a lot of research and enhance your work skills. Take evening courses if you must. Learn all the peculiarities of the company for whom you are working. Find out the names of the Directors right down to the person who does the office cleaning. You must be a sincere and good person who gets along with co-workers, supervisors and anyone else who is working within the company. More than anything, be yourself, and don't try to fool anyone into believing you are something that you are not.

About the author: First and foremost, you are not entitled to a profession, career, or job unless someone is willing to employ you.

8 Tips on How to Excel In Job Interviews

2009-01-24T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Duncan Brodie

You have done the hard work of completing the application form or CV and you find out that you have the interview for a job you are keen to land. Often when it comes to the interview stage people perform well below their best. Yes nerves are a factor and everyone has them.

So how can you excel in interviews? Here are my 8 top tips.

1. Be prepared. So often candidates turn up for interviews ill prepared. They have not found out about the company, its issues and challenges and plans for the future. Take the time to do this and you will be off to a flying start

2. Think about possible questions that might be asked. Strange as it may seem, by spending a couple of hours jotting down possible questions and answers you can probably be prepared for about 50% of the questions that are asked. You might not get the exact question but most likely will get a variation on the theme

3. Listen effectively. If you are going to give a good answer you need to listen to the question being asked. Doing so will enable you to give a powerful and structured answer to the question

4. Be succinct. When you are answering questions, what you are aiming to do is give the interviewer confidence that you know what you are talking about- not to give a verbal thesis. For example, imagine the interviewer asks you what are the greatest challenges in managing a team? You could talk for ever. Instead try delegating effectively, keeping people motivated and balancing time spent managing and doing. If the interviewer wants more they will ask

5. Be honest. A typical question is what are your weaknesses? Don't under any circumstances say you don't have any. At the same time don't shoot yourself in the foot. Try something like I see weaknesses as opportunities for development. Some of the areas I am working on right now are....

6. Remember it is a two way process. Candidates often forget that the interview is as much about them finding out if this is a company and people they could work with as it is the interviewer finding out if you could do the job and fit in

7. Have 2 or 3 good questions to ask them. Good interviewers will always give candidates the chance to ask questions. Poorly prepared candidates will ask about pay, holidays, benefits. Candidates who excel will ask about what it is like to work there, how the company will contribute to their development, future plans for the business and individuals over the next few years

8. Ask for feedback. Whether you get the job or not ask for feedback on what they liked about you and what was missing. Good employers will take the time to give feedback

At the end of the day, what makes you stand out are the small but important things. So pay attention to them and go forth and excel in your next interview.

About the author: Duncan Brodie is a Leadership Development Coach and Management Trainer at Goals and Achievements www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

He specialises in helping accountants and other professionals to make the transition from technical expert to manager and leader

FIND A JOB AND KEEP IT - (Part Two)

2009-01-23T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Barbara Thorp

First and foremost, you are not entitled to a profession, career, or job unless someone is willing to employ you. Job seekers must practice the art of having excellent work and people skills in any field of employment. You may know someone who just shows up to work, does as little as possible and somehow gets away with it. This way of working may be successful for them. However, be very aware, that no employer expects to just give you a pay packet, just because you are relying on it and need it to survive. Many employers browse the online job search pages to find out just what sort of employees are looking for work. At careerone.com.au and OzFreeOnline.com, you can register free in their Jobs Sections. Search online through thousands of job opportunities and then if you post a great resume, you may just sit back and have the offers pour in to you. Applicants must know that it is much easier for employers to fire their employees, and they are taking full advantage since the new regulations came into being. It's not a better idea especially nowadays. Many employers were able to manipulate employees and nobody can do about it. The point is, people must have vast work skills and enhance their capabilities on a regular basis so they will not suffer the loss of their job to a more experienced newcomer. Being a good employee means being a good person. You should be patient, attentive, courteous, and reliable. Good companies and employers know that these values cannot be learned in any high school, college, or university, or on the job training. These qualities must be within you before you work for anybody. They are the most valued characteristics to find in an employee, they are also the rarest. Unfortunately, many people seem to have cause to believe that employers are obligated to offer them work stability. Think again. This narrow-mindedness will keep you unemployed for a long time and while you are at home feeling sorry for yourself, you can keep living in your fantasy world. If you are only able to do one or two different jobs, you are looking for permanent unemployment. It is your responsibility to have acquired many different skills, so you will have real confidence, which will shine through while you are being interviewed, and land you the job you seek. Moreover, you know that even if you are fired you can easily find another job without a worry.

About the author: First and foremost, you are not entitled to a profession, career, or job unless someone is willing to employ you.

Make Money Online with Data Entry - A Complete Review

2009-01-22T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Sebastian Foss

Are you familiar with the words Make Money Online? What if i told you that you can quit your current job, work from home entering simple data online, and then make money online than you ever could - would you believe?

When i joined a social network called ""Ryze"", i discovered a lot of earning potentials having made friends with some netpreneurs on that network who were already making good money from home, i eventually cracked the code and i was determined to make money online and had a positive mindset to make money online. At first i was really not sure on how to get started untill i eventually came across a system called

"" Data Entry Bank"".. .

Do you know any one including stay-at-home-mom, students, home maker, retiree or any one with a computer and an internet connection can now make money online? Let me quickly give you a brief review of what i discovered with Data Entry Bank below.

- Data entry work involves entering data by typing simple online pay per click forms for online companies and once you become a member they set up a free clickbank account for you, as you make money online clickbank then pays you by check every two weeks. You can choose to have them mail you a check or make a direct deposit into your bank account. If you are in the U.S. it takes 3 - 5 business days for checks to arrive; if you are outside the U.S.,

it could take up to 1 week. Direct deposit is generally quicker. I have found ClickBank to be extremely reliable; I have always received my checks on time.

- These companies are willing to give an amazing share of their profits with you, as you are helping them generate sales in which they would never have made without your help. By recruiting associates like you, they are able to keep their marketing costs low and spend more time improving on their products and services instead, which is why they are interested in recruiting as many associates as possible to enter data online.

- Their unique make money online program involves turning on your computer, accessing the Web, and typing basic data into simple online forms and then submitting them. How simple is that. Simply follow their step-by-step instructions and that's all there is to it.

- After you join and set up your free ClickBank account, you will be set-up with your own personal online Adwords account. Step-by-step instructions will be provided from here again. Then you will be able to access the online ppc forms that the companies want you to fill out, and they will provide all the data you need to make money online.

- The forms contain 3-5 lines that need to be filled out with 1-3 short sentences - it takes 5 minutes at the most. The members' area has a library of data versions that you can use to complete the forms to ensure you make money online - they will show you exactly what to select and enter, you even can copy and paste if you would like, and this is perfectly acceptable. You can access these online forms whenever you want and there are an unlimited amount of forms available to be filled in.

What kinds of companies are these?

To Make Money Online!. The companies that need you to enter data online are in a wide range of businesses. All these 10,000+ Internet companies belong to various categories like: Business to Business, Computing & Internet, Fun & Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Money & Employment, Sports & Recreation, Home & Family, Marketing & Ads, and Society & Culture..

You can be as selective as you like in partnering with these companies to work with and make money online. For example, some of their customers want the satisfaction of knowing that a company's products are helping people or the environment - so they choose companies that do this. It is up to you - you can pick from the various types of categories and also the number of companies that you wish to partner up with.

These companies sell ebooks, membership's sites, software, and hundreds of other useful products and services that help people solve problems. These companies welcome your participation and they will never reject you as long as you genuinely want to make money online. The companies that you select from their catalog will always welcome you as an associate. These companies would like people to complete as many of these forms as possible, so there is no limit to the number of forms you can complete.

Your Simple ad Submissions will effectively help companies generate more sales, earning them profits they never would have received otherwise. That is why the're willing to split an amazing share of their profits with you to ensure you also make money online with this opportunity i earn an average of about $3500 weekly you can be off doing anything you want and this system will still continously earn you steady amounts of money each and everyday from your home, on vacation, or literally anywhere - Even while you sleep!

I didn't think it was possible to have so much control and flexibility in my work life - and make a good living at the same time. But the Internet changed everything. When I figured out this unique way to make money online from home entering data online, I joined the new club of people who use this phenomenal medium - the Internet - to earn more and work less. Now, instead of sitting in rush hour traffic, I get out of bed when I feel like it - and the only rushing I do is to turn on the computer to check my program stats: those glorious numbers that tell me how much money I made while I was asleep! Then I spend 15 minutes on account maintenance and I'm off for the day!

Once you become a member, just follow the simple steps they've outlined and you'll be able to have the kind of free time and extra money I now have. You can do things on your own schedule, spend more time with friends and family, maybe take up a new hobby or sport - it's all up to you! You hear a lot about the power of the Internet to do amazing things - and I'm here to tell you it's true. This is one of the most effective ways for making money online from home - risk free - that you'll ever see. It just doesn't get any better than this.

About the author: Sebastian Foss writes on a variety of subjects and recommends http://dataentr yincomesource.blogspot.com for more information on

Make Money Online with Data Entry .

10 Step Approach to Career and Personal Development Planning

2009-01-21T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Duncan Brodie

Step 1: Set a vision

Get a clear vision of what you want. Ask yourself at the pinnacle of your career:

What role do I want?

How much do I want to earn?

What type of organisation you want to be working for?

When do you want to achieve it by?

What impact do you want to leave behind at the end of your career?

Step 2: Identify what you are willing to do to achieve your vision

Life is all about choices. By saying yes to career you are saying no to another area. Make a list now of:

What you are willing to to achieve your vision

What you are not willing to do

Step 3: Identify what it is worth to you to achieve your vision

Get connected to

What it will give you

What values your will be honouring

How it will feel to achieve it

What will be the cost to you if you don't achieve

Step 4: Identify the help and support you will need along the way

Start to make a list of all of the people and resources that you will need along the way to achieving your vision.

Step 5: Assess your skills

In assessing your skills you need to identify:

Skills that you currently have

Skills that need to be developed

Step 6: Assess your knowledge

Similar to skills consider areas where you have specific knowledge such as Finance, Marketing, IT and also the knowledge you will need to develop to be a leader.

Step 7: Assess your personal qualities

Read any research or speak to anyone who has reached a leadership role and they will probably tell you that softer skills were the most important attribute. Rigorously assess and review this area.

Step 8: Prepare a personal development plan

Use the results of the steps 5 to 7 to set out your personal development plan for each of the next 5 years. Be specific about what you want to do, the outcome you are seeking, how you will do it and when you will do it by. Consider the accountability you need to say on track.

Step 9: Prepare your career plan

In developing your career plan consider the experience you need to acquire, type of roles you need to do, specific industry experience you want, time in each role, support and help you need.

Step 10: Monitor, evaluate and adapt

If you don't monitor you are likely to go off track. Set up accountability. Set review dates. Be honest about what is working and what is not. Be ready to adapt to reach your final destination.

Remember that many people have the potential but fail to realise it. Use this 10 step approach to get you off to a flying start.

About the author: Duncan Brodie is a Leadership Development Coach and Management Trainer at Goals and Achievements http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

He specialises in helping accountants and other professionals to make the transition from technical expert to manager and leader

Picking a Career in Biotechnology

2009-01-20T03:06:00.000-08:00

Author: Fei Lim

If you find yourself drawn to the science field and you enjoy technology as well, you may be interested in a career in the biotechnology field. This field is amazingly diverse, and there are a variety of different career opportunities that you can choose from. Before you decide that you really do want a career in the biotechnology field, you may want to learn more about the field and what it has to offer you and what the requirements are, as well as the financial outlook as well. Various Career Options

Within the biotechnology field there are a myriad of career options for you to consider. You may want a career as a biological scientist that explores and discovers new things in the biotechnology field, there are also researchers as well within the field who do experiments and in depth research. Another career you may want to consider within this field is a career as a medical scientist. You will use biotechnology to make new medical discoveries and learn more about the body, disease, and even possible cures for known diseases as well. Food scientists and agricultural scientists are also careers that are available in the biotechnology field, if you enjoy working with food or agriculture.

Becoming a chemist is another option in this field as well. Pharmacists are also considered to be a part of the biotechnology field, and in this field you will deal with medications, controlling them, filling prescription requests, and in some cases you may even work in the development of new drugs as well. Some other types of careers within this field include biotechnology engineers, science technicians, management analysts, and textile industry jobs as well.

Education Required

While the education in the biotechnology field is quite varied depending on the actual job, most of these fields will require that you have a Ph.D. in your field. Some basic jobs that include teaching or more simple research may only require that you have a Master's degree in your field. For those who are not participating in any amount of research, some companies will hire those who only have a bachelor's degree in their field. If you are considering getting involved in a field in biotechnology, you will want to make sure that you take classes in mathematics, biology, and chemistry as well, since each of these types of classes will be very important. Some of these careers may also require that you past certain state certification tests as well.

Biotechnology Salaries

Just as the education required is quite diverse, the amount of money that can be made in this field is diverse and dependent upon your specific career within the field. As a general rule, pharmacists can earn between $60,000 and $100,000 each year, depending on their experience and where they work as well. Biological scientists usually will make between $40,000 and $110,000, with most of them making around $65,000 a year. If you decide to become a medical scientist you will probably start out making about $35,000, but with more experience you can expect to make between $45,000 and $75,000. Those who are employed as chemists will generally make between $40,000 and $90,00 annually.

Great Employment Opportunities

After you get the needed education for your field, you will no doubt be looking for quality employers. When you are looking for a job, you want to make sure that you find companies that will offer you competitive wages as well as great benefits when you work for them. There are a variety of companies to choose from, but your choice of company can have a great deal of impact on your career. If you are looking for a biotechnology job in the United States, some of the best companies to work for include the Federal Government, Merck, ICON Clinical Research, and PharmAscent. For those who live in Canada or want to work in Canada, some great companies to consider working for include Patheon Inc., Ventana Clinical Research Corporation, Labopharm Inc., and Axela Biosensors Inc. Once you find a great company to work for, you can focus on advancing in your chosen career in the biotechnology field.

About the author: Seek4Jobs.net is a jobs database of informations all about jobs, careers,

resume , cover letters, and everything about all kinds of jobs .

Writing A Cover Letter That Has Everything You Need To Rise Above The Rest

2009-01-19T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Mario C Churchill

Your cover letter should not just be seen as an introduction to your resume. You mustn't rely too much on the content of your resume to get you the job you need. Sure you have all the qualifications that the job requires, but so does tens or maybe hundreds of others.

What you need is a good cover letter that attracts the attention of the reader right away and guides his or her attention properly to your resume. Before even having the chance to read your resume, your cover letter should already create a mindset. The reader or the hiring manager should already be thinking about you as a good candidate.

But basically a cover letter should accomplish a lot of things, here are some of them:

* Your cover letter should explain the reason why you are sending them your resume. It should specify the position that you are applying for. Sending a resume without a cover letter is a big no-no. Your cover letter will specify what it is that you indeed want, what you look forward to and what your intentions are. And also, it will show why you are the best person for the position.

* Your cover letter should be able to communicate well with the reader. It should be well organized, well written and error free. This will show that you are a professional and you have the goods that they need and want.

* Your cover letter should inform them where you learned about the vacant position or where you have learned about them. If someone recommended the job to you, then it is appropriate that you mention the name. Companies spend money on marketing and advertising, they want to know which reached you.

* Your cover letter should entice its reader to move on to your resume after reading your cover letter. Since your cover letter will come first, it will shape the impression of the reader about you. If you seem interesting and you have what they need, they would be more serious in looking and reading at your resume.

* Your cover letter should showcase your personality. It should show what kind of a person you are. Of course you will want to put your best foot forward. So tell them about your strengths and your weaknesses, and how they will be able to help the company.

* Your cover letter should highlight your abilities and skills. This will give the reader the chance to weigh you. If you indeed is the right person that the position needs. Be specific, showcase your background that fits the bill of the position.

* Most importantly, your cover letter should indicate how serious you are about the job. It should show that you want the job and you are willing to take it.

Making a cover letter that connotes professionalism and the ability to do what is needed is your edge among the others. You may all be qualified but writing a cover letter that will make you shine will make you rise above the rest.

Take the time to write and rewrite your cover letter until perfection. Evaluate yourself and see what needs to be included. Remember to keep your cover letter short and specific, your resume should just be able to explain the rest.

About the author: Mario Churchill is the President of CareerJimmy and author of ""Amazing Cover Letter Creator."" Visit him at: http://www.amazing-cover-letters.com for your ""instant"" cover letters today.

Feng Shui Your Office and Get Ahead at Your Job

2009-01-18T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Sarah Carrillo, SavvyMiss.com

If you work in an office, you probably spend eight hours a day (at least) cooped up in a tiny, drab cubicle. While you may feel resigned to your fate, there is hope for this dreary existence. We've laid out five steps to feng shui your office that will make it a more productive environment, so you can get ahead at your job--and enjoy your surroundings in the mean time.

1. Color--Color can play a huge role in your office environment. Colors like blues and greens are calming, which can be helpful when the boss is driving your blood pressure through the roof. Red can be an empowering color and is great for those in business or sales, but can also increase stress, so use it sparingly. Yellow is good for people who need discipline in their space. Feng Shui expert Angi Ma Wong recommends a red or purple focal point on your desk (opposite your chair). Ways to incorporate color include photos and picture frames, rugs, furniture, mouse pads, any small items on your desk--try to work in color wherever you can and you'll get ahead at your job.

2. Plants--Not only do plants increase the oxygen in a room, they'll boost your energy as well. Put fresh flowers or a leafy plant on the left side of your desk to create good chi (energy). Or put a money tree or jade or prosperity plant in the Southeast corner of your desk or cubicle. Horticulturist Jessie Mack Burns from the DIY Network suggests Chinese Evergreen, Rubber Plant, Pothos, Wheat Grass and Peace Lily plants for the office. Avoid cactuses, which create difficult work relationships and bonsai trees, which will stunt career growth.

3. Where you sit--Where you sit and the arrangement of your office and furniture can have a huge impact on your workplace energy. While you may not have too much choice in the matter, try to adapt as best you can. If you want to get ahead at your job don't sit directly in line with the door or you could be in the path of negative energy. And never have your back to a door, as that's where business and opportunity enters. Try to sit in the corner farthest from the entrance to the room to have a ""command"" position and keep your back toward a corner or wall for support. If your back is to a window, sit with a tall building behind you to provide support. If the IT guys don't mind, put your computer in the North or West area of your office to enhance your creativity or in the Southeast to generate income.

4. Wealth Producing Objects--There are also different objects or symbols that will produce wealth for your office (and you). Put a fountain (or a photo/poster of a waterfall or river, if fountains are an office no-go) by the entrance to your cubicle or office to facilitate a raise and to diffuse the negative energy flowing in from stressed out co-workers. A metal safe in the West or Northwest corner of your office will also help with prosperity and financial security. And if you want to be the boss someday, a dragon figurine on the right side of your desk facing a window or door can help. Waiting for that client to return your message? A crystal ball near your phone will encourage more business calls.

5. Energy Producing Objects--Other objects can help with your energy levels at work and maybe decrease the number of coffee runs you take every day. A hanging crystal in your window will activate your chi, but avoid mirrors in your office as they reflect negative energy from others onto you. And put a picture or figurine of a rooster on your desk to make the office gossip stop dropping by your cube. The most important way to improve your chi is to get rid of any office clutter, which blocks energy and leaves you feeling stressed.

If you work a few of these feng shui principles into your office, who knows? All the extra energy flowing in may do more than help you get ahead at your job--it might just get you that promotion you've been angling for!

About the author: This article was originally published on http://www.savvymiss.com, a free website community dedicated to connecting, empowering and informing women everywhere. SavvyMiss.com features articles on dating, love, careers, fashion, health, beauty and important societal issues. Members also use message boards and blogs to build relationships with other members.

A Vacation With Useful Jobs

2009-01-17T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Ken Morris

You have been there, seen this, done that... What next? You have plenty of both money and vacation time; Then, there are still some things that you can do, which would make for an interesting vacation while at the same time enable you to give something back to society. Whether a medical professional or a person with building skills, there are plenty of avenues where your skill and expertise can be utilized to help community. There are also programs which need you to work by the side of the members of the local community.

All over the world there are a lot of openings in orphanages, homes for the aged, in schools and to work with the disabled, for you to take up what suits your interests while volunteering your services. Such useful jobs will be an inspiration in themselves while also instilling gratitude in you for what you have got in life.

Natural disasters like the tsunami have wreaked a lot of damage and no amount of help both physical and financial seems enough. There are still large expanses of beaches which need to be cleared, and many of the displaced people still need to be habilitated. People with building skills can be of much help in such situations.

For those of you who would rather work in projects which involve ecology, there are many opportunities too. These range from planting more than two thousand saplings towards reforestation in Kenya, to clearing beaches in Sri Lanka, and fencing to protect wildlife in Australia and working towards preserving the Croatian Griffon vultures. There are also other projects like the one undertaken by a voluntary group for the past one year to rehabilitate sick penguins in order to re-introduce them to the wild, in South America, or in Costa Rica where turtle hatchlings are let out.

Holiday work by way of teaching English to those for whom it is not a local language is another option. Organizations are there which offer training in sports and basic education to children in countries which are under developed. There are also rehabilitation centers for children who are drug addicts.

Having a good time, while also helping others is a great way to spend one's vacation. This is a definite way to spread goodwill and show the world that Americans do care.

Opting for this sort of a vacation could often take you to a place which you may have never had a chance of visiting otherwise. You would have a great time, and go back with the satisfaction that you have helped to make things better for the people of that community, and done your bit to spread peace and harmony.

About the author: Ken Morris frequently edits publications on news relating to Costa Dorada and Spain. His writings on Costa Blanca are found on http://www .alicante-spain.com/costa-blanca.html .

The Importance Of Employment Screening And Continued Vigilance.

2009-01-16T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Kevin O'rourke

Most of the screening agencies offer a multi level service, for example financial checks can be made to see what sort of credit history a candidate might have, confirmation of a full driving license, criminal record check, sex offender history, tenant suitability and so on.

But even if you have had your employees screened prior to them joining your work force you should still remain vigilant. Research has shown that certain behaviour patterns can indicate that an employee is no longer competent or may even have ulterior motives.

Look for changes in;

Personal Circumstances For example has an employee had any major or unexplained changes in lifestyle or expenditure?

Attitude To Colleagues Have relationships with their co-workers changed at all, particularly when someone gets promotion, do they appear to be getting stressed or short tempered?

Performance Have they been under performing recently, are they continually being late or having unrealistic excuses for persistent absenteeism, does their behaviour suggest problems with alcohol or drugs?

Extreme Viewpoints Are they expressing racist, religious or other prejudicial comments, are they becoming unpopular with their colleagues, do they appear to be bullying or threatening to others?

Unusual Interests Do they have hobbies or engage in activities that appear extreme or unusual, or express interests that are distasteful to the rest of the workforce?

Extended Working Hours Do they seem to be working long hours and reluctant to accept help from their co-workers, are they becoming secretive about their particular tasks, do they appear reluctant to take holidays or other breaks?

Attitude To Security Have they changed their procedures or processes without any obvious reason for doing so, has their level of friendliness to security staff changed, do they avoid getting to know other members of staff?

Colleague Relationships Have there been noticeable changes in social habits, have they begun to withdraw from any particular individuals or groups of people?

It is important for all organisations to be aware of the dangers from outsiders, but the real damage is so often caused by the people who are actually working within them. Your company may have excellent physical security and ultra modern access control systems, however professional criminals and extremists wishing to infiltrate and harm your business (known as 'insider threats') are utilising methods to circumvent existing security procedures including;

Recruiting and implanting a 'sleeper' into your organisation, and then activating them only when a specific task is required.

Targeting an existing member of staff, particularly if they spot any vulnerability or weakness, by offering cash for sensitive information, or by threats of physical violence if they don't comply.

Gangs have often compromised company employees through drugs, sexual favours and other unsavoury inducements. It is only through consistent and organised vigilance that these threats can be countered by company security officers, and only if they are kept up to date with actions and reactions of company employees.

About the author: are a professional and dedicated team that offer high quality employment screening and criminal record checks to all businesses. Our dedicated team will advise and tailor our services to suit your company.

A Career As A Semi Driver

2009-01-15T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Tony Jacowski

Requirements for becoming a Semi Driver

A person could pursue a career as a semi driver if he is considered, according to the U.S standards, to be an expert driver. To qualify as an expert driver, one needs to master vehicle control, brake-control and speed limitations. People applying for semi driver licenses need to have prior knowledge of the highways and road routes in America. They also need to maintain records of mileage, deliveries and make sure that all the paperwork is completed with each loading. They are expected to act in accordance with the various regulations with regard to speed and road limits and driving hours that differ from state to state.

It is also important that the person should be able to work alone and concentrate for long periods. They should be self-reliant and security conscious, as the load is sometimes valuable or dangerous. Reasonable physical fitness and stamina are also required for carrying and lifting loads. Payment And Opportunities

The salary rates for Semi drivers differ, depending on the company and type of load. A qualified and experienced semi driver earns in the range of $25,000 to $40,000 a year. The work timing of semi drivers involves late hours and nights away from home. The law has limited, for safety reasons, the total hours worked in a day and in a week. U.S. regulations govern the amount of hours a person can work, the distance he can travel and the amount of load the vehicle can carry. The distance depends on whether it is a local delivery or a nation-wide goods transport. Employers of semi drivers are either hauling firms or distribution departments.

Some experienced drivers become self-employed, owning and driving their own vehicle. Career progression to a supervisor position is possible.

Entry Tests And Training

Applicants are required to pass a test to acquire a semi driver license. The test requires applicants to maneuver within limited space 25 miles of road driving and answer questions on the Highway Code. They are also tested on Truck Drivers Regulations and vehicle safety. To apply for a Semi driver license, an applicant should be above 18 years of age, with a clean driving history. Applicants must also pass a medical test and additional training, in the case of driving hazardous chemical vehicles.

A semi driver is never confined to a puny office and is able to enjoy the travel involved. Another advantage of being employed as a semi driver is that the person can work on a temporary or permanent basis. Furthermore, they can set their own hours of work, either nights or days. The job could involve traveling for days on end - and a person on the move or in constant search for activity and with the necessary driving skill usually does well as a semi driver.

About the author: Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Online Programs in Early Childhood Education

2009-01-13T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Kevin Pederson

A career in early childhood education can be extremely rewarding and fulfilling for anyone. Early childhood education is the approach of teaching children between birth and the age of six or seven. The focus of education during this period is holistic, focusing on physical development, cognitive skills, emotional growth, and social developments.

In order to teach children professionally, a degree in early childhood education is required. Potential early childhood educators can get their degrees from accredited colleges or universities, or even through distance education or Internet education. An early childhood education online degree is just as valid as that received through a non-virtual educational institute.

If someone is thinking about becoming an early childhood educator, he or she can learn more about what the job involves by reading about early childhood education online. If this career choice appeals to the individual, the next step is to choose an educational institute from which to receive a degree. Depending on the individual, going to an actual college or university may be a better choice than pursuing an online education.

The Internet serves as a wonderful resource for communication, entertainment, and education. Because it is so widely used, it only makes sense that the Internet would eventually become a common venue for receiving educational degrees. However, because elearning is so convenient and economical, there is room for fraud, as with many Internet based endeavors.

When thinking about pursuing an online college degree, one should always confirm the legitimacy, accreditation, and validity of the Internet educational institute. Many online degree programs are offered through accredited universities and colleges, however there are many others that are not valid at all. More and more online Bachelor degree programs are being ousted as diploma mills.

Once the student confirms that the online educational institute is valid, the student can safely pursue his or her education online without worry. E-learning is a very economical and convenient way of receiving a college degree. Students save money on dormitory and travel expenses when they engage in online education.

Earning a degree in early childhood education online is the first step to obtaining a long and fulfilling career in childhood education. Educators touch the lives of many people. When it starts as soon as early childhood, the rewards to the teacher could never be better. Starting this journey with an online college degree one could be influencing young students in just a few years.

About the author: Kevin Pederson has contributed many articles on Learningpulse which is online guide to making wise career choices and various educational programs.

Resume Writing Services for Students, Experienced Professionals, Executives of all Professionals

2009-01-12T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Resume Apple

Resume Apple is the premier resume and cover letter service for people looking to get ahead in their careers. Our professional resume writers specialize in writing resumes for people from every profession. We do one thing, and we do it well. Because we know more about the marketplace than any other resume-writing firm in the country, our resumes and cover letters stand out from the pack, giving our clients an enormous competitive advantage. We have a passion for writing masterful resumes and it shows. We're masters at making good candidates look great!

Whether you're a student, a recent graduate, or a seasoned pro, Resume Apple is the best investment you can make in your career. A resume is a valuable marketing tool for any job-seeker and Resume Apple hones it for you to get you your dream job! Today, it has thousands of successful job-seekers to its credit! Resume Apple transforms good candidates into exceptional ones, thereby getting them their dream jobs! Resume Apple is the expert in creating powerful resumes and cover letters. It has a thorough knowledge of a wide breadth of industries that works well for its clients. Thousands of people vouch for Resume Apple as a trustworthy source for building their careers! Visit www.resumeapple.com now!

we ensure that you climb up the career ladder with our excellent resume writing and cover letter drafting services. Unlike many resume writing companies, we hire full-time staff with considerable experience and skill in this field. Our finished products stand out of the mundane, thus ensuring that you receive the attention you rightly deserve. Put your career into top gear with resume apple. Sign up with us today at : http://www.resumeapple.com/raservices.php

About the author: For assistant Contact Person: Resume Apple Contact Number: (800) 680-7214 Compnay Website: www.ResumeApple.com Email ID: ResumeApple.ResumeWriting@gmail.com

FIND A JOB AND KEEP IT - (Part Four)

2009-01-10T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Barbara Thorp

Minimize the stress in your life and stay sane. Here is something that very few people take into consideration, employers like 'sane' and reliable employees. You must work on staying calm no matter how stressful the situations get (while at work and at home). If you allow stress and crazy people into your life to mess with you, you will become so harassed and your employers will believe you are incapable with your job. They won't want you in the job even if you have impeccable skills.

It is better to break up friendships with people who create tension and anxiety in your life. Having toxic friends is dangerous and this can cause a great number of hidden stresses, which employers can see. Employers are trained to notice unstable people, so if they get a bad feeling about you, you will not be favored for long and because of this, you will be fired as soon as another person is found to fill your space.

If you can communicate clearly and are able to deal with work pressure, you will demonstrate that misunderstandings will not be happening on your shift. This is very serious and important. You need to talk and communicate with your colleagues and supervisors, and at all levels, in your work place without being rude to anyone, even if by accident. You have to find a way to get along with other employees, even if you really dislike them. If anyone is offensive just stay cool; they may be testing you. However, if your employers are actually rude towards you, then it may be in your best interest to resign. If this ever happens to you then don't despair because OzFreeOnline.com and the tradingpost.com.au have so many new positions online each day and you may not be unemployed for long with help from these great online sites.

Be realistic about the stress of making long trips to and from work, because it can become very depressing. Think about the nervous tension that a long journey will create in your daily life. We are talking early morning and late afternoon traffic, bottlenecks, and bad weather, high fuel costs and time you could be spending with your family and precious leisure time. It is more logical and plausible to find work closer to your home, so that you will not end up feeling resentment towards your job and regretting your working conditions.

Want To Become A Lawyer? Earn It Online

2009-01-09T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Kevin Pederson

For many Americans, becoming a lawyer is the dream career. Based on what many Americans see in the movies and on television, criminal justice law is glamorous, exciting, and a way to make an impressive income. However, the road to becoming a criminal lawyer is a long and arduous one. Any lawyer must go through years of schooling and finally pass the bar exam to become a licensed attorney. To get into any law school, a student interested in becoming an attorney must have already received an undergraduate, or Bachelors degree, from an accredited university. Today, more and more students are obtaining an online Bachelor degree before moving onto law school.

The Internet is a huge resource for communication as well as education. In recent years, Internet education has become a popular way for many people to increase their education level and obtain a variety of degrees. E-learning is very appealing because it is so convenient and often less expensive than a traditional college education. The basics of distance education have been made virtual through online education. Though elearning appears to be so convenient, there is risk involved if the student does not properly research the institute. If a student wishes to go on to law school and become a successful attorney, it is essential that the online degree program be a valid one. One of the greatest dangers of receiving an education online is that the so-called university could be a diploma mill instead. A diploma mill gives out diplomas that are virtually useless in exchange for cash.

In order to take advantage of an online college degree the student should always receive his or her online education from an accredited university. Many accredited colleges and universities such as Duke and Stanford are now offering online degree programs that students may use to receive a Bachelors degree. In turn, these degrees can help these students get into a law school.

To ensure that the online degree program is a valid and legitimate one, students should research the institute more carefully than just reading its website. For example, students may check the accreditation of any online degree program through the US Department of Education. Students may also check the legitimacy of an Internet University through the Council for Higher Education Accreditations website. A third way students can check the validity of such a program is to write to the Diploma Mill Police. The Diploma Mill Police authenticates Internet institutes of education.

About the author: Kevin Pederson writes content for learning pulse . The website makes one aware that law and criminal justice degree can be earned via the Internet

Making the Most of a Job Fair

2009-01-08T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Denise Taylor

Before the Job Fair:

Find out what businesses will be there. The more information you can gather beforehand, the more successful the job fair is going to be for you. Find out what businesses are going to be at the job fair, and spend some time doing some research about them. What types of jobs do they have? What kind of people are they looking for? What kinds of skills do these people need to have? Shortlist the organisations you want to talk with.

Decide on your objective. Are you going with a specific aim or just to mooch around? Once you are clear on why you are going it will help with preparation, both mentally and how you present yourself. Develop some questions you'd like to ask employers. Narrow down your list of businesses to include those who have jobs you are interested in, or are businesses you think you might like to work for. Then list some questions you would like to ask the company representative at the job fair.

Proofread your CV - at least twice. If you don't already have one, it is a good idea to put a CV together for a job fair. It gives employers a blueprint of your skills and something tangible to remember you by. Be sure to proof read your CV before the job fair to find any spelling or grammatical mistakes. Even if you think there are no errors, have someone else look it over too. Don't let errors overshadow your qualifications for a job! Take several professional quality copies with you.

Be sure your CV contains your updated contact information. You'll want employers to be able to reach you if necessary. Double check that your address, phone number, and e-mail address is current.

At the Job Fair:

Dress the part. As with a job interview, first impressions at a job fair are important. How you represent yourself sends an immediate message to employers about how serious you are in your job search. It isn't always necessary to wear a suit to a job fair - unless you are looking for a job that would require you to dress professionally at work. However, you should leave the jeans and t-shirts at home. ""Business Casual"" is usually the most appropriate at a job fair such as nice trousers and a collared shirt for men and nice trousers or a skirt and a blouse for women are appropriate. Make sure your clothes are clean and pressed. Avoid wearing excessive jewellery or clothing that is too short or revealing. Take a briefcase or folder. This will contain a pen and paper to take notes, and copies of your CV to hand over to employers.

Take time to talk to employers. Don't just drop off a CV and move to the next booth. Take time to get additional information and make an impression. The point is not to see how many CVs you can give to employers in the least amount of time - it is to establish some solid job prospects. Also, try to avoid approaching employers when they are crowded by a large group of jobseekers. Approaching a crowded stand makes it difficult for employers to answer your individual questions, and they are less likely to remember you when they return to their offices.

Use your research to appear confident and knowledgeable. If you have done research before the job fair, you won't have to ask the question, ""What does your company do?"" If you have to ask, you are wasting valuable time. Instead, you could be asking questions about the job or department you are interested in. It works to your advantage if you can tell employers how your skills match what they are looking for. Employers want to hire people who are genuinely interested in their company. Do your homework!

Have a firm handshake and maintain eye contact. Let employers know how serious you are. Greet the employer with a firm dry handshake, and maintain eye contact throughout your conversation. Showing interest and good manners is important, regardless of the type of job you are looking for. Every employer appreciates someone who is dedicated, conscientious, and attentive.

Do not monopolize an employers time. Make contact and offer to follow up after the event. Make sure to get a business card so you have contact details.

After the Job Fair:

Follow up with a thank you note. Experts agree that follow-up is an important part of attending a job fair. If you picked up a business card, or the name of the company's job fair representative, send a thank you note a day or two after the job fair. This is not only polite, but will also let the representative know you paid attention, are serious about the job, and that you are the right person for it.

Enjoy being proactive in your job search!

About the author: Brought to you by Denise Taylor, Chartered Occupational Psychologist. Denise is a careers expert who specialises in helping individuals achieve career satisfaction and to take a systematic approach to job search. Do you need help with job search? Whether it's CV preparation, interview practice, increasing your profile or self marketing, let Denise guide you though the maze so you get a job quicker, make more money & have fun while you do it.

Why Do People Choose Car Donation?

2009-01-07T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Charley Hwang

So many people have to let go of their old vehicle when they decide to update, regardless of whether you drive a Volvo, Toyota, Chevrolet or Honda. SUV's, sedans, mini vans and even convertibles all become obsolete in style, features and performance and eventually you will be ready to move onwards and upwards. In wear and tear, minor repairs and breakdowns, an average vehicle owner can spend over three thousand a year. With the latest models you will be covered by warranty and have a very minimal chance of ever breaking down.

So you decide to make the change, but you still have no idea what you should do with your other car. Selling it can be a hassle, since you would definitely need to give it a detail clean, fix some minor problems with the interior and organize advertising. Some older cars, depending on the brand, simply have no buyers in the market anymore, so all the trouble trying to sell can be a wasted effort.

An alternative option many Americans are choosing is to donate their vehicle: Of course it has benefits to the charity, but there are also personal reasons to do it too. You may have previously thought it to be a lazy thing for people with too much money to do with their extra vehicles, but you will soon see how crafty it is for the average tax payer. Everyone loves tax deductions, and when you donate the old vehicle that is what you will get. This means at tax time you can expect to receive a larger refund. There are some rules you should be aware of upfront before you rush out and organize your new car:

* To receive a tax deduction equivalent to the market value of your donated car, it must be donated to charity and they must use it for allowable ""charity purposes"".

* If the charity you donate your vehicle to sells your vehicle, your tax deduction will be equivalent to the amount they sold it for.

Your choice to donate your old car will be a huge help to a charitable organization who no doubt desperately needs it. The tax rebates are purely an added bonus and extra encouragement for those who are concerned about losing the money. Many old cars wouldn't sell for market value privately, but by donating it you will receive that amount. If you can't be bothered selling it and you know that old car could sit there forever and never be used, take some time out of your day to drive it to your nearest and favorite charity and arrange the donation. Saves the messy yard and means your tax refund check will be larger than you are used to!

About the author: For more information on Car Donation or visit http://www.card onationcharityprograms.com/ , a popular website that offers information on Car Donation Programs and Car Donation Charities. Please leave the links intact if you wish to reprint this article. Thanks

Before You Resign - Make Sure to Take Note of These 10 Key Points (Job Search Support)

2009-01-06T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Denise Taylor

1: Know why you are leaving

Have you outgrown your job, decided you want to specialise in a new area or have you had a fall out with a colleague or feel miffed because you have been passed over for promotion. It can help to talk through the reasons for this with an objective outsider to make sure the same things don't go wrong again.

2: Don't quit on a whim

Think it through. Make sure you find out everything you can about the new company and location. The grass is not always greener, and once you have gone it's unlikely you will be able to go back. People can then feel worse when the new job doesn't live up to their unrealistic expectations.

3: Don't resign without a job to go to

Many people resign with no job to go to as they feel unfulfilled and think that this will change with a new job. It may, but it is much harder to get a job when you are not working, and companies may view you suspiciously and think you could also resign on a whim from them.

4: Think about what you do want

Go beyond the job to think about your ideal work and personal environment, and how much money you need for your chosen life style. Some professionals will take on a low level job thinking they will be happier without the pressure of the previous job. However, not enough job responsibility, or working in a menial role with little autonomy creates a different type of stress.

5: Don't threaten to leave unless you mean it.

You may be offered more money, or the offer of a company car, but you may just be wished well for the future.

6: Don't assume.

Don't assume you will easily get a job in a new area. The situation may be more difficult, there could already be a glut of accountants, marketing managers etc in the new city, and employers hate people who have just quit a job. They think you could do the same with them.

7: Get the job offer in writing

Too many people act on the strength of a conversation and the paperwork never comes through. Wait till you get a contract.

8: Know your financial situation

Have you worked out how much you need to live on? If you are not going to another job, will you have enough money to survive for maybe 6 months?

9: Stop! before you decide to move to the beach or the country

The area may not be the same in winter as when you are on holiday. Take a holiday in the off season; see what you think of it then. If, e.g., you have decided to be a surfing instructor in Cornwall, find out what sort of work is available in the winter.

10: Could you have a sabbatical?

The number of companies offering unpaid leave is growing. Could you take 3 months off to try out a new life style/ career? After a few months you may realise that the old job has a lot of positive aspects.

Increase Your Income - Don't Miss Out!

2009-01-05T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Bruce

Make extra money through the internet and increase your income - bigtime! Avoid being taken by the ""quick get rich"" scams and join those who are on their way to making money through the internet. You just might decide to work from home. Don't take my word for it, just click here: http://digitaldevelopment.directtrack.com/z/2/CD3378/

About the author: This part-time occasional photographer also works evenings and has his own website.

Have you lost control of your career?

2009-01-04T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Chris Makell MS, CPC

What are you doing today to manage your career? What does it mean to manage your career and not have it managed for you? How can you take the reins and direct your career?

These are great questions that successful people ask themselves every day. Because you see, managing your career is part of your day to day activities. Each meeting you attend, each conference call you lead or participate in, each one-on-one interaction are all steps to managing your career.

Where you spend your time and who you spend your time with will either position you to stay put or move forward. This gets to some of the more tactical ways in which you manage your career.

From a strategic perspective, are you on the path that brings you the greatest amount of energy and satisfaction? Are you moving toward your vision of success in your chosen field or profession? Or someone else's?

To begin to regain control, it starts with your vision for success in your life. Every professional has a strategy for what their next 1, 3 and 5 year plan will be for their career. But is this vision leading towards your definition of success for your life or towards what is expected? If they are one in the same, congratulations! If they are not, that's ok too! The mere awareness of it enables you to look at it with different eyes and to take inspired action to bring it more in line with who you are and what you want.

Talking with someone you know and trust or journaling can help to capture your thoughts. You could also consider meditation or visualization techniques. Clarity in this area can have a profound affect on your actions and sense of accomplishment. So give it the time and focus it deserves.

Remember how exciting is it with each new position or promotion to start something new? You get to bring all that you are to this new adventure - creativity, innovation and growth. What would it be like to have that same excitement and challenge in creating and driving your career? Are there new people in your circle as a result of the new job? Does this bring you closer to an area of interest that you'd like to explore? Are you being sure to keep site of the who, what and where of your next career move? Are you doing the things necessary to prepare for the next position? This doesn't always mean a move up - but it does mean a broadening of your skills, expertise and career choice.

Take control and create that new job excitement and drive your career to success!

Here's my two part challenge to get you started...

Part one, I challenge you to within the next 7 days, to spend quiet time with yourself and using whatever tools or resources that inspire you (e.g. journal, visualization, meditation, etc.) and see and feel what it would be like to fully and deeply be at the helm of your career.

Part two of the challenge; communicate that vision, feeling to a close, trusted and supportive friend with all of the passion that accompanies it By giving voice to it, you will make it your own! I want you to experience the joy and freedom of taking care of your own - your own life, your own career and your own self-satisfaction! You deserve it!

About the author: Chris Makell is a career development coach and consultant who works with mid career professionals and women executives to achieve extraordinary success! Clients achieve quality results with less energy, accomplish goals more effectively and take control of their careers. The Career Anchors Program will bring you control! To learn more visit www.aspirecareerservices.com/careeranchorsfreecd.htm today!

Teaching in International Schools - Frequently Asked Questions

2009-01-03T03:05:00.001-08:00

Author: Kelly Blackwell

Ever since I wrote my book The Complete Guide to Securing a Job at an International School I've been inundated with questions about teaching overseas. I've selected the most frequently asked ones to answer for you here...

Where can I teach in an international school? How can I find out?

There are over 4000 international schools of varying sizes worldwide and all of them need teachers. So the answer to the first question is... just about anywhere!

One way you can find out whether there's an international school where you'd like to work is to 'Google it'. I simply typed in 'international school Bangkok"" and up popped a whole page of listings.

Of course this isn't the way to go about landing your new teaching job abroad, but you can certainly check out how many schools are available in the destinations you're interested in.

I've got kids, will an international school employ me?

Yes they will! You may have some trouble if you've got 7 kids and you're a single parent, or something similar, simply because the recruiters know you probably won't be able to manage on a single teacher's salary and allowances.

Contracts for overseas hired teachers often include such perks as free tuition for your children (often limited to two, but not always), so you'll get a private education for your children too.

Do I need a TEFL certificate to get a job teaching abroad?

This all depends on what kind of credentials and experience you already have.

If you don't have a teaching qualification, then you probably don't have any other option. With a TEFL certificate you can teach the English as a Second Language classes that are offered at most international schools.

Based on my experience doing both, teaching EFL or ESL at an international school is preferable to teaching at a private language school. So plan your job-hunt accordingly.

Also, if your experience is all in mono-lingual and mono-cultural situations, then getting a TEFL qualification to add to your current credentials will only improve your chances. It will show recruiters that you are prepared for the issues you'll encounter in your multi-cultural classes abroad.

Will I make enough money?

Exactly how much is enough? This is a hard one to answer because we all have different opinions on how much is enough, don't we?

However, my answer is this... do your homework! It is possible to make loads and loads and put your investment portfolio on the map (or cover the map with your travels! Or both?), but it really depends where you go. Western Europe doesn't have the same potential for earning that the Middle East or South East Asia has, but you'll still make enough to live reasonably. Even in Western Europe, some schools pay better than others, and Eastern Europe is different again because of the low cost of living.

Teaching Abroad - the best decision you'll ever make

Teaching overseas is an opportunity to put your qualifications to good use. You'll be able to support yourself, and often have more left over at the end of the month than you would at home, and travel extensively to exotic destinations you've only ever dreamed about.

And guess what? Internationals school principals have been discussing the looming shortage of international teachers!

That's right, with the sudden explosion in the number of schools opening for business in the last couple of years there's been an equal explosion in the number of positions recruiters need to fill... but as yet there hasn't been the required increase in teachers applying.

You do the math on that one and it all comes out to be a positive move in your favour.

About the author: Good luck in your job hunt, Get the No. 1 Guide to Getting a Teaching Position at an International School here!

Not sure teaching overseas is for you? Get all the answers from experienced international teachers here.

Hiring from Overseas - A proven way to keep staff turnover low

2009-01-02T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Tony Hayes

Staff turnover maybe a more expensive cost than you realize, it can be costly in terms staff morale, training costs and recruitment related expenses. If your company experiences 20 percent or greater staff turnover per year this may already a threat to your bottom line. By taking advantage of hiring immigrant specialists you can keep your personnel turnover low.

The report on job openings and labor turnover prepared by United States Department of Labor states that in July 2006, there were 3.8 million job openings in the United States, mostly in the services sector, as well as manufacturing, education, healthcare, warehousing, utilities, etc.

According to Jelger Kalmijn, the President of University Professional and Technical Employees affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, Clerical staff turnover is approaching an annual rate of 50%.

Despite some opinions that employing of immigrant people is viewed as a threat to this socially-economic phenomena, some economically developed countries as Canada, the USA, and Australia are only three welcoming traditional destinations of immigrants. Right now there is a rise in economic immigrants and competition for skilled workers is increasing.

Sensitive choice of foreign employees may become key solutions to boost small businesses or to promote already developed larger firms. If you look closer, you will see that hiring immigrants presents many more cost cutting opportunities.

In general, immigrants promote economic development, help diversifying workforce, and bring life and work experiences from abroad. Moreover, they pay taxes, like everybody else.

By hiring immigrants, you are facilitating their desire to be self-sufficient, helping them achieve their dreams, and contributing to the stability of immigrant neighborhoods. And the most important point - they are qualified and productive workers.

To calculate the rate of staff turnover in practice, divide the number of employee departures your practice has experienced in the last five years by the number of staff members you have employed over the same time period. Then, multiply that number by 100. If the result is 20 percent or more, think about the new perspective in employing.

Keeping labor turnover low is significant. It requires awareness of the current state of the work environment and choosing appropriate new employees. There are advantages to hiring non-specialists and training them, however employing already experienced and highly motivated specialists from overseas can save time and money and they will have the skills to train the next generation apprentices or junior staff.

There are observers who consider employing already experienced personnel as a ready made solution to prevent stuff turnover. It is a fact, that workers, which are more satisfied with the balance of their work and life, are company-loyal and desirable. You can save money on training and hire people from abroad who are eager to work and are motivated Focus on your core business rather than ongoing recruitment process because every its sources, as well as time and attention are limited. Outsourcing can help shifting focus to customer organization activities.

Countries like the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia are making it easier for skilled workers to come to migrate.

They contribute to the economy the same way as local inhabitants, facilitating values to products or services, which can later be sold locally or exported and in the process contributing to the country's GDP.

Moreover, immigrants save and invest; they bring capital with them, particularly economic migrants. For example, in 1996, there were 120,000 economic immigrants out of 225,000 immigrants and refugees in Canada. Boosting the economy and helping to keep interest rates low. About the Author: Osrec - Overseas Recruitment Specialist for all your seasonal & permanent needs. 10 years experience of recruiting overseas workers for UK, USA, Canada & Australia. A guaranteed quality service through skills testing advanced screening and delivery of what we say we can. We don't do disappointment!

Summary : Examining the positive effects of recruiting skilled and low skilled workers from abroad, for jobs that cannot be filled locally due to the skills gap or lack of local applicants.

About the author: Article written by Tony Hayes, Managing Director of the Overseas Recruitment Association. Osrec have sent more than 6000 workers in the past 3 years under H-2B program for America , 457 visa for Australia and WP1 work permits for UK. More info about the author can be found on the Overseas Recruitment Association web site www.Osrec.com .

A Career In Architecture

2008-12-31T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Tony Jacowski

Just like a writer has to identify strongly with a fundamental theme around which to create a story, similarly, an architect has to formulate an idea, the sketches and blueprints to create a building.

Every building is rich in character and essence. Every door and wall is believed to have a different story to tell. It takes a lot of visualization, imagination and persistence to witness your ideas taking shape. If you have these qualities, then you are definitely an architect in the making. For anyone who is good at drawing, talented at designing and imaginative, architecture might prove to be a highly rewarding career to pursue.

An architect is responsible for planning and designing the foundation and interiors of a building or a home. Architects also design the blueprints and plans for skyscrapers, buildings, homes and even mansions. Every successful architect is required to be imaginative and versatile and at the same time, he should be able to respect the customer's preferences.

In the world of architecture, jobs are plenty and interior designing of homes is a whole new career in itself. An experienced architect is expected to be able to draw a blueprint, of the interior as well as the exterior elevations, floor plans, the foundation, electrical layouts, roof details and the cross sections.

Career Requirements

For an individual to pursue a career in architecture, they must first get licensed through an accredited agency. Over the course of years, every architect becomes familiar with the different building codes, laws and regulations and becomes more proficient in the craft. To excel in this, aspiring architects must first pursue a college degree, where they learn the procedures and labor involved.

In addition to planning and designing a building or a home, architects are also responsible for making required adjustments in fully developed plans. This involves changing blueprints for a business or a home to suit the customer's need. Most people hire architects to design their homes or buildings, while others prefer to take on the task themselves. If any problems should arise during the construction process, most companies and individuals turn towards architects for professional appraisal and restoration.

In recent years, there have been new concerns regarding the cost of energy and safety. This concern has made it mandatory for an architect's seal to be stamped on a blueprint, before construction. Besides the basic designing process, most architects have begun reviewing plans and offering consultation services.

While most architects opt to work within a firm or directly with specific homebuilders, some find great satisfaction working as consultants or freelancing. This means that they have to work directly with the concerned individual or company, operate their own businesses and handle all the decisions of the company by themselves.

For a talented and design-focused individual, an architect career can be very lucrative and rewarding.

Finding A Nursing Position Will Not Be A Hassle

2008-12-29T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Westernschools

Introduction

Have you devoted your time in becoming a nurse? If so, a lot of hard work must have been devoted to the process. You deserve a great job in return for time invested. The search for a nursing job can be a time-consuming and hassling endeavor.

I am happy to say the pursuit, though most important, does not have to be so stressful. The following article will address methods to implement in finding a job as a nurse.

Visit

Go to recruiting departments at hospitals, medical centers, and doctor's offices. This is a proactive method and it is not necessary for an opening to be immediately available or advertised. Going in person provides a face with the name, will grant you an opportunity to inquire about current or incipient job openings, and will create the impression that you are professional and dedicated in your job search.

Contact

Get in touch with recruitment and employment agencies. Recruiters are there to be your legs, eyes, and ears. If you are still attending nursing school and do not have the time to devote to finding a job for when you are finished, a recruiter will make it their responsibility to find job openings and opportunities for you. Instead of submitting multiple resumes to various locations, you need only to submit one resume to the recruiter and they will do the rest of the work for you.

Internet

The Internet is a very powerful resource in finding a nursing job. Monster.com and Hotjobs.com are just two sites that will provide you with multiple leads to job opportunities. NursingJobs.org and NurseOptions.com are two more good sites to check out. The downside to taking this angle is just as you are privy to job openings, so is everyone else who has Internet access. Competition will be heavy.

Baby steps

Depending on your location and nursing courses studied, some nursing jobs may be more difficult to get than others. Do not be discouraged. There may be contract or training position available. It may not be an ideal situation or long-term position, but it will provide you with experience. The more experience you have the better your chances of getting a full-time job will become. It also will give you a chance to evaluate a place of work and the career itself before pledging yourself to a full-time position.

Who do you know?

Yell from the mountain tops, publish in the papers, and create your own commercial about how you are looking for a job. These are extreme means, but in all seriousness, let everyone know that you are looking for a job. You never know who knows who or when an opportunity may arise. Anyone who has ever looked for a job will tell you that becomes a matter of not ""what you know"" but ""who you know."" Do not miss an opportunity in alerting people of your current situation; people hiring are much willing to hire someone based on a reference from someone they know.

Overlooked avenues

The following aren't the most likely places for leads, but can be beneficial:

- School nursing jobs - Health Department jobs - Assisted living and nursing home jobs - Mentor programs - Traveling nurses

Conclusion

Be thorough, consistent, and positive. It may take some time to get a job, but if you use the aforementioned means, it should make the search easier for you. Interviews are equally as stressful, so it is recommended to buy a book or peruse Web sites that will provide you with interviewing tips. Good luck!

About the author: Western Schools is the leader in Continuing Education for Nurses. We have developed this site to be a Nursing Resource center.

A Quick Dropshipping Tip

2008-12-28T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: A. Bradley

The first thing to do is get yourself a safe wholesaler list. I would recommend paying for a list rather than taking a chance on wholesalers you know nothing about also avoid any what pay by western union.

Now this is a very simple technique you can use before you purchase any wholesaler list. All the wholesaler list will claim each product has a huge profit margin take their word for it as this is very easy for you to check yourself. Here is a simple step by step way of checking how profitable the products on there list really are.

1.Make a list of the products, just the ones you are interested in to begin with, and there prices. As an example I'm going to use salehoo and the palm treo 680 cell phone. Salehoo says its members price is $399 and it sells for $525 on ebay. Thats a massive $126 profit.

2.Go to eBay and type in your first product in the search bar. I will type palm treo 680 cell phone.

3.Make a small list of various prices mainly the ones that say buy me now as these are usually new products as opposed to used.

4.Compare the prices from the list you just made to the list from the wholesaler you made in step 1. Using the palm treo 680 salehoo claimed it was sold on eBay for over $500 however the most expensive I found was $420 that is a mere $20 profit. If I check my price list in full though I soon notice over half the eBay list are selling the palm treo 680 for LESS than the $399 wholesale price that salehoo has quoted. I now know this product isn't as good as it was made out to be for making me a profit.

Using this technique takes about 10 minutes per product and will give you a great insight into how good the rest of the list will be. Don't forget this is there sales page so they will be using there best items as examples so if there not profitable then the chances are the rest of them won't be brilliant either.

About the author: If you want more work from home news and reviews http://work-at-home-options.blogspot.com can help you.

Your First Graduate Job - Things You Should Know Now!

2008-12-26T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Denise Taylor

1. It does help if you have undertaken some work placements as an undergraduate. This can be a formal part of your degree, e.g. a sandwich course. You can also apply for summer placements with companies.

2. If there are some career paths you are interested in see if you can shadow a key member of staff for a day or a week. You will learn far more about your particular possible career through this than you would if you were doing lower level temping.

3. Temping whether it be in an office or factory can give you experience in many key areas. When you compete the assignment make a note of what you have learnt from it ready for when you apply for jobs.

4. Employers want to recruit people who are team players, so look to demonstrate these skills in your work placement. Be helpful and look for ways to get involved.

5. What skills and abilities would be helpful in your ideal job? Look for ways to develop some of these skills in your undergraduate life. Could you take on a leadership role in a club or society? What about fundraising for developing certain skills?

6. Think about the impression you will give if you can add only limited details on your time at university. If you can only list socialising what does this tell a future employer? Then think about what employers will think if you are an officer of a society, or have been involved in some voluntary occupation. Whatever you do, it doesn't have to be a 3 year commitment, and does not have to cover many different societies, so choose a couple of societies that interest you and that you want to be involved with.

7. Don't feel that you have to fill all your spare time with work and activities, being a student is a wonderful time so make sure that you allow some time to build friendships and to make times for your friends.

8. After a work placement make a note about what you enjoyed and would like more of, and what you didn't get a chance to do. See if you can get these needs met next time.

9. Placements can lead on to permanent job offers or graduate training schemes, so make sure you demonstrate good personal qualities while you are there. Even when asked to do what you consider to be menial tasks, do so with good grace. Be helpful.

10. Do you know what your abilities are? You could choice to have these assessed via a qualified psychologist. See http://www.personalassessments.co.uk/Highlands.htm

Why Single People Have to Work Harder

2008-12-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Jennifer Sommersby Young, SavvyMiss.com

Single? You're not alone. More than a quarter of American adults are living in a ""nonfamily household,"" according to the US Census Bureau. This can be loosely translated as no spouse, no kids, further translated in the workplace to mean: You have all the free time in the world to do extra work. Whether it's ""voluntary"" overtime or the business trip far from home, many bosses find it easier to ask their single employees to pick up the slack--they figure with no families to go home to, you won't mind a few extra hours at the office. But is that really fair? We looked into this practice and show how you can stop your single status from hurting your work and home life.

""If you're going to be away on a business trip, you're more likely to be sent [if you're single] because you don't have a spouse or children,"" says Joy Gugeler, editor-in-chief of Suite 101.com.

Jenn Willhite, a single design assistant in California, has lived this experience. ""I was working as an event planner assistant and we were planning a banquet at the Hyatt in San Diego. I had to stay overnight at the hotel, work tons of overtime, and be there really early to set up. It was easier [for my boss] to ask me because I didn't have kids or a husband to go home to,"" she says.

Beyond overtime and the need to be available for planning special functions outside of work, a double-standard exists for single employees.

""I have a team of about five people who work under me,"" explains 36-year-old Marni Wedin, a producer with CityTV in Vancouver and a voluntarily single person. Wedin says she doesn't ask people to work overtime because she knows they're single, but when situations arise where she does ask for overtime help from an unentangled staffer and they turn her down, it can make her blood boil. ""If I ask a single person with no kids to do overtime and they say no or that they can't, I'm fine with that...but deep down inside, I'm seething. I don't mean to do it, but I do,"" Wedin says.

Another problem that plagues single workers occurs during office parties and events. Since you're unmarried, many offices will assume that you'll be coming to these fetes alone. But that doesn't mean you have to put up with it.

""I had a situation once with a Christmas party where everyone was invited to bring a 'significant other.' The assumption was that I wouldn't bring someone, so it wasn't included in the final head count,"" Gugeler says.

According to Gugeler, there are very simple ways to preserve your singlehood sanity in a coupled workplace:

1. ""Be clear about monitoring your work hours. If you have a tendency to stay late, and therefore the assumption is that you can/will, look at your activities so you can have a place to be after work.

2. ""Take full advantage of vacations, book them in advance, give your dates, and don't go into detail about where you're going, with whom or why.

3. ""When you're signing up for a company-sponsored event, make sure to always mark it '+1.' Whether you bring someone, romantic or otherwise, is not the point. The point is that there are different kinds of arrangements and 1+1=2, no matter its romantic hierarchy.""

Or, if all else fails, ""lie,"" jests Nazanin, a 20-something executive assistant. ""Tell your boss that you have a partner or that you have a lot of family obligations,"" Nazanin says. ""My boss started giving me more work and hours for the same pay when he realized I didn't have a family or partner, but I work with someone who is married and she does indeed get preferential treatment--he's not as demanding of her time.""

Being single does not give an employer any right to ask you to put in more time than your partnered coworkers.

Career Advice: You've Been Passed Over; Now What?

2008-12-24T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Ramon Greenwood

You sincerely believe you are the best qualified among the candidates for the promotion to manager of your department. You believe you deserve it. Your friends agree.

But, wham! The rug has been pulled out from under you. The position you would have given an eyetooth for goes to someone else. Your ego is trampled. You are mad and disappointed. You want to march in, tell the boss where to go and leave the place.

But hold on. Apply a little common sense before you go off the deep end. You've still got your job and this is a good time to consider where you want to go with your career. Force your chin up. Congratulate the winner right away. This will be painful, but it actually will help you regain your balance. Moreover, it will strengthen your position as a team player.

This is a dangerous time for you. Simmer awhile before you act. Brood and grieve a little in private if it makes you feel better. Reject bitterness; it's poison. Look beyond your ego. Sure, your feelings have been bruised. No need to be ashamed of that. But really has all of this been damaging to your long-term career goals?

Time To Be Objective Your greatest need at this is to understand the ""why"" behind the situation. Start with a discussion with your boss. Remember, you are there to gain information, not to argue your case. Don't beat around the bush. Admit you are sorely disappointed. Assure your boss you are not bitter or resentful. Pledge 100 percent allegiance to the team. Admit, however, that you are concerned about what has happened and what it may mean for your future.

Focus on the critical questions about what happened and why. Has your past performance and your preparation for the next step been at least up to par? Are you as qualified or better than the competitors? What might you have done to improve your chances to win a promotion?

Did you miss some signals from your boss, telling you to improve you performance? Were there any bonafide indicators saying you were a candidate for promotion? Or have you been engaged in wishful thinking?

What qualification did you not have? Will there be other chances to win promotions? What can you do to improve your qualifications for advancement?

You must listen as you have never listened before to both what is said as well as what is implied between the lines. Be aware that you will be strongly inclined to hear the best side of the story. And don't forget, it is the most natural thing in the world for the boss to try to soften the message. Besides, if you have been doing an adequate job in your present slot he will want to keep you around. Or he simply may be testing you for a bigger assignment.

Now you are ready to get to the bottom-line. Review all of the facts. Do you agree with what you learned from your review with the boss? Have you been treated fairly? Were there legitimate reasons you were passed over? Do you care enough to take the necessary action to win the next time? Do you have a reasonably secure future in the organization? Can you be happy where you are? What are the acceptable alternatives? Do you want to find a more rewarding situation elsewhere?

Being passed over may be a blessing, although if it is, it appears to be quite will disguised. You have an opportunity to gain a more realistic view of where you are, where you want to go and what you have to do to get there. Or you may conclude you are satisfied with your present position, so you can relax with more time to smell the roses.

About the author: To subscribe to Ramon Greenwood's f*ee semi-monthly newsletter, The Career Accelerator, please go to http://www.commonsenseatwork.com/getitnow

A former Senior Vice President of American Express, Ramon is Senior Career Counselor at Common Sense At Work,

When You Hate Your Job and Can't Leave

2008-12-23T03:06:00.000-08:00

Author: Denise Taylor

You hate your job, but what specifically? Take this structured approach to get some clarity, and identify some action to take. It's unlikely you hate everything, there must be something that is good, and other elements that are ok.

Step 1: Take some time (perhaps over the weekend) and put down in detail what you dislike about your job. You really must be specific, it is not just that you dislike your boss, but e.g. the way he never gives you feedback or flies off the handle without reason, or never shares business information with you and your colleagues.

Step 2: Next, list down what you like about your job. There must be something that you like, perhaps not your boss, but your colleagues, or your free healthcare.

Step 3: Identify what you can resolve. Can you be proactive in some areas? Can you approach the person you are having problems with? Perhaps it's a colleague who doesn't do their fair share of work so everything gets loaded onto you. Be careful though. Don't charge right in, wait and think things through from their perspective.

Step 4: Address the areas you may need some help with. Has the volume of work increased so much that you have to work late each night, or are you taking work home? Do you need to discuss this with your manager if it is becoming far too much?

Step 5: Should you look for more responsibility? Are you bored by what you do? Let your boss know that you could handle more and get involved in some projects? If you get turned down, then persevere. Perhaps you need to convince him or her more. Are they aware of your out of work achievements?

Step 6: Do you need more variety? Look to do more of what you like and less of what you don't. Think about how you can position this to your manager to make it a win-win for both of you. If you get on well with your boss she or he is likely to want to keep a valued member of staff and so be more willing to help.

Step 7: you can take a wider view and see what else you can do to make your time there more tolerable - sign up for an evening class and do some study in your lunch break? You might even get some support from the company.

So, a few suggestions to help you make the most of a job you don't like. You are likely to learn something about yourself, and the way you handle work situations and people relationships. Any other ideas? Do let Denise know.

How To Make A Resume That Stands Out

2008-12-18T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Jane Calhoun

How to make a resume that gets results is a challenge. It can be hard to know whether you are getting all the elements right. You can't always tell by the number of calls you get from employers, because whether or not you are a good ""fit"" is as important as the content of your resume. But there are things you can do when deciding how to make a resume stand out, and how you can highlight your personal work history in the best possible light.

The main things you will need to put into your resume are your objective; your employment history; your educational history; and other relevant activities, memberships and other accomplishments. You may include references, but it is recommended that instead you indicate that references will be provided on request; that way, you know whether an employer is calling the people you've asked to provide references for you.

The objective is difficult to write; you want to sound as though you have a serious career path in mind, but you don't want to overdo it. Make sure your objective states what you really want from your job, with conviction. Saying ""to find a full time job"" is clearly not acceptable! But instead stating something like ""To achieve a position with growth potential, in a supportive team environment but where independence is valued"" is much better

Be honest when describing your employment history. Use active verbs (verbs that show you taking action, such as ""Managed"", or ""Developed budget for new division"", not language that sounds passive: ""Was involved in developing budget"". Take credit for your contributions in your previous jobs too; if you volunteered in community ctivities sponsored by your employer, include that. It's good to show that you got involved with making your workplace a better environment.

In your education history, be sure to list everything you did of any consequence. If you played sports, wrote for a newspaper, achieved academic awards, graduated with honors, it should all be included in your resume. Membership in hobby clubs though, unless they are relevant (political clubs when applying for a staff position with a politician for example) are better inserted into a section entitled ""Interests"".

How to make a resume that stands out takes some time and thought. Think through all of the things that make you unique, and how those qualities and actions have made you a success in your previous job and make you an asset to your community. Don't rush through and don't copy someone else's, but make it your own.

About the author: Jane Calhoun writes on business topics for a variety of online and offline publications. Get a complete kit showing how to write a professional resume, including resume and cover letter samples and more at http://www.best-online-resume.com/resume-kit.html

Do You Need Help Writing Your Resume?

2008-12-17T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Deon Du Plessis

Why on earth would someone want to hire you? I mean it, because the answer to this question will make the difference between you getting the job or not. Resumes are not 'sales letters' as many people will teach you. Just put yourself in the shoes of the person reading hundreds of resumes and you will know what I mean. Your resume is more of a marketing tool than anything else. You want to provoke an interest in 'you' and the main objective of your resume is to get invited for an interview. If you are going to try and land a job with your resume, you will probably fail miserably. All you want is the interview. If you are looking for help writing your resume , let me offer you the following tips.

- Keep It Short And To The Point... Rambling on and on about things of little value to anyone will only annoy the person reading it. You have to cut through the 'fluff' and get to the facts - that is what everybody wants to see in the end. Don't be afraid to use bullet points and abbreviations.

- Choose Your Words Carefully... Language is a very interesting thing. Certain words just seem to have a greater impact on us and tends to effects us and motivate us more or less. When writing your resume, you want to use action words - these are words that invoke a greater reaction within the reader. It's the difference between saying you 'came up' with a great idea versus you 'master-minded' a great new idea. Same thing, communicated in different ways with vastly different effects on the reader.

- Appeal To The Reader... It's been proven in advertising that numbers and figures sell. If you are told that a washing powder will improve the brightness of your washing by 121% it has a far better sales result than merely saying it will leave your washing brighter than ever before. Use as many percentages, numbers and figures as possible. It's factual, to the point and easy to read. Most people are automatically draws to these as they read resumes.

- Meet The Needs... Writing and structuring your resume around a specific job is essential. You have to write your resume to appeal to what is required and what the job demands. Before you even start writing your resume, you should note down the 5 most important things that is wanted for the job you are applying for and keep this in mind as you are writing your resume. You want to place the emphasis on this and structure your skills around these needs. The best help writing your resume can be found in the job advertisement and the company's website.

- Make It Look Good... The very first impression of you will be the way your resume looks. Even before someone starts reading it they will form an opinion of you - they cannot help but form an opinion based on the presentation of your resume. Keep it 'nice and clean' and don't stuff pages and pages with clogged up text and funny fonts. Make it look professional and if you haven't got the sills, then get someone who can help.

- Get A Qualified Opinion(s)... It's critically important that you get at least two people to read your resume before it leaves your front door. Spelling mistakes are a major 'no-no' and are simply unacceptable. Apart from that, you want to ensure that it reads well and that it makes sense. If you can get a qualified opinion it is even better - someone in the same industry will be able to give you invaluable advice.

Getting help writing your resume is incredibly important because there is a science to it. Often the best candidates for a job never even get invited for an interview simply because they failed to write an effective resume. You need to do yourself justice with your resume and in the end it is your ticket to getting that dream job?

About the author: Article by Deon Du Plessis If you found this information useful and you would like more advice on writing highly persuasive resumés, visit http://www.sincer e-advice.com/resume.php for more information and example resumes.

What to Know Before Giving an Interview

2008-12-16T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Sonia Suri

Interview, the word itself sounds very scary for most of the people. But for some it is merely a conversation between two people. And it's always easy for them to join a new job without any inquisition and hesitation. But, did they really know what to follow before giving an interview. If not, then, I am sure, their career gets shattered after a certain points. Because, it is the company's structure and strategy that bring ones career to the point of success. And if the company is not well planned then it is only the employees who are the sufferers.

Hence, in this piece of article I am going to deal with some of the important points that should need to be followed before giving an interview and obviously that is going to enhance your career profile too.

Company Profile Review

This is the first and foremost step that every candidate should follow before going for an interview. It is only the company's profile that helps in the career development. Hence, it is always advisable to review the company's plans and strategies perfectly. See how is its annual growth, and infrastructure is. Also review how far the company stands in its sector. These factors somehow affect your career growth to a certain level.

Analyze Company Management

Company management is other most important point that should be considered before giving an interview. Because, it is the company's management, which provide comfort and reassurance of job to its employees. It is always advisable to look after the company's strategies including annual growth, increment, appraisal, and timings etc before giving an interview.

Is the company debt free or not?

Always try to find out that the company is under debt or not. If you find so and the answer is yes then it is always advisable for you to quit from the interview because this will not be a right place for you as your career get shattered here. Even though the company is offering good salary, you will not receive a job security.

Salary Structure

Money is the most important factor for doing a job. Hence, it is always necessary to take a perfect review of company's salary structure. Put perfect eye on the basics and house rents structure of your salary. Also, view cast on medical and other perks under your salary structure. Be frank in asking annual increment and appraisal structure on the salary.

Know other employees view

Employees working in the office are the main source for getting full information about the company. Try to know the views of other employees of the company about the company structure and management. This will also help you a lot in finding the right company for you and your growing career.

REPRINT RIGHTS statement: This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the Author Bio box is retained as usual so that all links are Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

About the author: Sonia Suri is associated with Vjobs. If you are looking for a Job Search , read these tips seriously and then

post resume here for free, so that you can get the interview call.

How To Work Online From Home And Make Money Using The Internet

2008-12-15T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Matthew Tutt

There are many different and varied ways of earning money whilst online , and if all used suitably and correctly you could easily make a living just working at home using the Internet. With some of the online jobs, perseverance will be the key: don't just give up after a few days of answering paid surveys when you get frustrated seeing your account balance still sitting empty. Simply put, these methods of earning money online are guaranteed to work, but you must be a patient person. Don't expect instant results, and don't simply expect to sit back and watch the money roll in; nothing in life is this simple, you have to put a lot of work into things before you start to see any positive developments.

One of the first things you should do is to join a free paid survey website . There are several well known paid survey sites that are completely free to join and use, and upon entering some simple questions on their website you should start getting emailed surveys, usually around 3 or 4 times a week. Complete these surveys and eventually your account balance will get updated (this isn't instant, so don't panic when you appear to have earned no money as usually it takes a week or so to be included in your earnings). A paid survey completed will earn you around £4 from about 30 minutes work. If you complete around 4 in a week, then this is £16 a week from paid surveys . Obviously not a large amount, but if you were to join a second, or a third paid survey site , then you could be doubling or tripling your earnings. Potentially you could be earning £48 a week from about 4 or 5 hours work. This is a payout rate of about £9 an hour which isn't too bad. Any of the surveys completed are usually multiple choice, and are very simple to complete. Sometimes they are even enjoyable, involving watching clips from the latest movie trailers and giving relevant feedback.

Another simple but effective little earner is writing product reviews online. There are a few sites that pay people to write online product reviews , and I really recommend that you join each of these paid to review sites . They are completely free to join and use and you can usually earn around 3 or £4 per review written. If the review is of a very good quality you might also receive part of a prize fund at the end of the month, which is usually around £10 extra per review written. After joining a free paid review website , you should decide on a product to review. There are thousands of products listed on the website, including various items such as foodstuffs, toiletries, computer games, DVD players, websites, restaurants, etc. When you have decided and located a product to review, write the review and post it on the website. You earn money every time another user reads and then rates one of your reviews - so make sure you read and rate lots of other members' reviews in the hope that they return the favour. I've estimated that you can earn around £4 per hour on a paid to review website, you could spend around 30-40minutes writing a top review and then 25 minutes or so reading and rating other members' reviews. The best thing about the paid review websites are that they are very similar, and they allow reviews posted on one website to be posted on the next. So if you write a review on one site, you can copy and paste it on to the next, doubling your earnings. Therefore I think you could probably earn on average around £6 per hour at a paid review website.

Another of the ways to earn money online is by using a cashbac k website . Usually with a cashback website the only way to earn money is by spending money: you get cash back every time you make a transaction online. However you can earn money just joining free websites, all you have to do is complete some forms online to sign up to the free sites. I recommend creating a new free email account, as you will receive quite a lot of junk emails from joining these sites. There is around £30 to earn from free to join websites, and although this wont take you long to get through there are easily another 5 or 6 cashback websites you can use, and can do exactly the same thing with. This could earn you around £15 per hour, although it won't last forever. Cashback websites also have another section, usually called the ""recurring points"" part of the site. This is where you can click links and advertisements to other websites and earn money for doing so. You usually earn around 8pence per link clicked, and in a few minutes you can click all the links (usually around 10 links). Some links can be clicked more than once per day, so usually you can earn around £1.50 at each cashback website in about 5 minutes. Say you join 5 cashbac k websites ; this could earn you £7.50 in half an hour, every day. Not bad for simply clicking a few website links every day.

Paid forum posting is another way of earning money online . Some website owners are willing to pay people to post messages in specific online forums; this is because it allows them to advertise their own personal website in the signature part of your username. Every time you make a post on a forum (if allowed) your signature usually follows you. This is a free piece of space that you can use to write something or advertise a website link. It is a very valuable piece of space that can be used for free advertising, and so the more posts that you can submit then the more free advertising is available. It can also help the website owner when it comes to the search engine rankings, giving that website hundreds more backlinks.

Paid forum posting usually pays around 10pence per post submitted, and so with 100 posts you can earn £10. This can easily be achieved in 1 or 2 hours, thus earning a rate of £5 per hour spent doing

paid forum posting .

Worki ng online doing data entry jobs is another way to earn money online , though it is often very hard finding legitimate data input jobs on the Internet . Most of them are scams, and will try and charge you just for joining, or the information about joining. Never pay for any kind of job seen online. Usually you can find simple data entry jobs at webmaster forums, as some people don't have the time or can't be bothered to do simple but boring data entry. You should expect to earn around £6 per hour spent entering data, but this really depends on the job that you find as it really depends on the employer. Usually most of the data entry jobs found on web forums will only last an hour or two, so they aren't the most reliable form of income though you can normally find several data input jobs advertised on website-owner forums.

Mystery shopping isn't strictly a job which you can do directly from your computer, though you will need to find and apply for a

mystery shopping position using the Internet.

Mystery shopping will involve going to a shop or premise with a view of purchasing an item or service, and then going away and reviewing the whole experience. You need to report back to your employer with your findings, and on doing so you can expect to earn around £15 for your troubles. This works out at around £7 an hour, although with

Mystery Shopping it is hard to do it constantly and regularly. Don't expect regular

mystery shopping opportunities , you might be lucky enough to be invited once a week or less.

Online betting is another method of making money online , but this way doesn't involve any risks or gambles. Arbitrage is a way of betting so that you back all possible outcomes of an event, and will always end up with a profit from doing so. It involves scanning through odds at online bookmakers, and when you find odds that are higher at the bookmaker than at an exchange, then you have found yourself an arb. This is the most time consuming part of the job, and thankfully there are free forums that can be used where by people will post arbs for others to use. Arbing also involves betting large amount of money; the more you can afford to bet, the more profit you can expect. To earn any kind of decent money from arbing then you need a few thousand pounds spare which you are free to invest for the period that you are arbing. An example of an arb could be odds on Man Utd to win at 2.5 at Ladbrokes, and odds to lay Man Utd to win at 2.3 at Betfair (an exchange). If you place £1000 on Man Utd to win at Ladbrokes and you lay this at Betfair with £1000, if Man Utd win you have £1500 profit at Ladbrokes and a loss of £1300 at Betfair. This is an overall profit of £200 just from one arb found, which is very good going from just a few minutes work. Unfortunately arbs like this don't come along very often, and when they do they don't last long. You can expect to earn around £5 per hour spent arbing, but this depends on the amount of arbs you are able to discover.

The final method of making money online that we will discuss here is by advertising on free webspace. Anyone can join the Blogger website for free, and can post information on to their own blog. Then they can apply for the Google Adsense program directly on the website, and so they can start earning money just from adverts placed on their free blog site. If you are able to upload interesting, unique web content and manage to get regular traffic to your website then you can expect to earn around £5 or £10 a day from your free website, which isn't bad going for minimal effort. Obviously the hardest part of this is managing to get people to come to your website, and tempting them into clicking the Google adverts. However if you do manage all of this, you can expect to be earning at least £5 a day from adverts placed on your website.

Overall there is a lot of free money available to earn using the Internet. Even from the paid review website you could be earning around £5 an hour and this is just one way to earn money online . You can also be earning around £50 a week from paid survey sites , and then around £40 a week from cashbac k websites recurring clicks. Then you could be earning about £50 a week from

paid forum posting , and then about £30 a week from onli ne data entry jobs. Then there's the online arbing, which can earn you an endless amount of money. Anyone can easily be earning £150 a week from arbing. Then on top of this you can be earning money from your free webspace, which could be around £70 a week. This is a grand total of around £400 a week, which is an excellent amount of money considering the little effort required

worki ng online from home .

About the author: Earn money online from paid reviews , free paid surveys and cashbac k websites at http://www.paid2review.co.uk .

4 Things To Consider When Applying To College

2008-12-14T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: IAMP

When applying for college, do you only think about what you're going to do when you get there? Or do you think about what the college is going to do for you? Applying for college isn't just about fun and games, it's about picking the right college; the college that will help you succeed. So the next time you sit down to fill out those college applications, keep these four tips in mind:

1. Goals. How often have you heard friends wish they'd gone to a different college? A college that was more suited to their interests and dreams and not their checkbook? A big mistake is to assume that every college has what you're looking for. Take the time to research the colleges you're interested in and rank them by academics: courses, degrees, accreditations, and the ability to transfer and further your education.

2. Interests. As much you want an education, if it's not fun and exciting, you're sure to stop attending classes. So the next thing on your list to rank is interests: what are the teachers like? Do they make class fun and interesting or do they simply read from a list of notes in a monotone voice?

3. Extra-curricular Activities. Let's face it, no college would be complete without fraternities, sporting events, clubs, and so forth. But what you need to keep in mind is how these events and clubs will benefit you in the future. Will they look good on your resume? Will they provide additional skills? Or are they simply a fun way to get distracted?

4. Financing. No matter what your list says, the final ranking truly does come down to finances. If you don't have the funds to attend college, you'll need scholarships, grants, and student loans. Make sure your college admissions officer understands how these programs work so that you get the best deal possible.

About the author: The Institute of Allied Medical Professions, also known as IAMP, has an established record for turning out some of the best medical students in the country. To learn more about IAMP's medical schools, our courses, or our students visit our blog at http://iampedu.blogspot.com/ or our main website at http://iamp.edu

Joslin Rowe reports candidate shortage heats up as jobs in investment management increase

2008-12-13T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Belinda Martin

London's investment management sector is suffering from a dearth of candidates and salaries are rocketing as a consequence, reports City recruitment agency Joslin Rowe.

""In previous years just one particular product area was in demand at any one time"", explains Joslin Rowe manager, Jalpa Chandarana. ""For example four years ago there was a huge shortage of fixed income specialists. Nowadays these hot spots have spread and candidates with experience of any product area are highly sought after for investment management jobs .""

This candidate shortage is having a profound effect on investment management recruitment . Counter offers may be common in the investment banking world but they have never been a very distinct feature of the investment management sector, as Chandarana explains, ""Traditionally the unwritten rule was investment managers rarely produced counter offers whilst custodians never did. But those old ways of conducting the recruitment process have needed to change because everyone is fishing from the same talent pool. Investment banks are now looking at candidates with an investment management background to plug their own skills shortages, whilst investment managers are also desperately trying to recruit from other investment managers. The end result is counter offers have increased in both their frequency and their amount. For example, I recently had one candidate, who despite securing a performance analyst job with a much higher salary was then counter offered by a further £8,000 by their existing employer. In turn the prospective employer increased their offer again.""

According to Joslin Rowe's investment management salary survey the average investment management candidate can increase their salary by as much as £5,000 if they move to another investment manager. This is testimony to the strength of current market conditions as two years ago the average increase was much lower, at £3,000. In addition candidates with an investment management background moving into banking will see their salary rise still further. Again this is very different to two years ago when banks rarely considered CVs from a non banking background and candidates often had to take a slight pay cut in order to make the move.

""The sheer volume of current recruitment requirements means clients need to think flexibly. We are seeing a rise in clients recruiting excellent graduates or junior hires for roles that have been open for a while. There is also some evidence of cross training. For example, actuaries have been targeted for performance roles"", advises Chandarana. ""But ultimately, if clients want to get the right people on board they will need to speed up their recruitment processes in order to match the investment banks and beat them to the best candidate.""

Ends

Notes to Editors

Established in 1982 Joslin Rowe provides the financial services sector with comprehensive investment management recruitment across the UK and Ireland. On 7 April 2006, international staffing services company Vedior (headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands) raised its stake in Joslin Rowe's parent company, The Blomfield Group, from 18% to 70%. The Joslin Rowe investment management team recruits for some of the top financial institutions in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dublin across junior and senior positions for both long-term contracts, temporary and permanent roles.

About the author: For further information/interviews, contact:

Belinda Martin

The Blomfield Group

Bell Court House

11 Blomfield Street

London

EC2M 7AY

Tel: +44 7789 682 754

Email: press@joslinrowe.com

http://www.joslinrowe.com/

Want JOB just use these tips

2008-12-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Mohd. Faisal

Struggling for a good JOB? Deserve but not getting JOB? Got JOB but not satisfied? I know these and much more similar kind of confusing question comes in every student's mind after completing their education. Don't panic friends; I will share with you some important and easy tips on,"" How to get a good JOB?"" Here are 3 easy steps to get a good JOB?

1. Search interest:- This is the most important step. Now search your interest, decide in which field you can give your best, you can use your hundred percent, you can achieve success and of course with lots of enjoy. Do you know why most of us don't enjoy in job? not because we are not capable enough, because we work against our wish, against our interest and what happened finally we don't concentrate on our job because we don't have interest and you know very well friends without interest we can do work but cant get success. Just think about that guy who was willing to do an official job and now he is doing typical marketing job. Will he get success in this field? Of course not. He will do job but cant get success because he can't work with dedication, he will not love his job and you know without love we can't do anything. Love generates passion and passion achieve............ SUCCESS. So spend some time to find your interest, it is very easy and if you are not sure about your interest then you can take help of others also like your parents, friends and your ideal teacher. I suggest you to find your interest do some paper work. Write down your interests on paper. Do you know only 3% people are successful? Why? Because they write down their goals and planning on paper. Now decide where you want to go in 3% segment or in 97% segment. I wish you in 3% segment. All the best! Now take pen & paper and write down your interests, spend some time here friends and believe me you will find drastic changes in your career.

2. Don't compromise:- Don't compromise with your interest. Keep patience this time guys, take your time. Never accept that job which you don't like to do or which is against your wish. Definitely you will get some bucks in your pocket every month, but after some time you will get depressed because you will not enjoy this job now you will take this job as a burden and believe me this is my personal experience, that situation would be more dangerous and will affect your career. I think an unemployed is better than underemployed, now most of the guys were thinking that I have gone mad, no, of course not. If you are an unemployed means chances are there in fact 100% chances that you will get a good job but once you get a job which is not according to your talent, interest and ability, then your exploitation will start and you can't do anything. You will be mentally disturbed in this type of job, because every person has his own dream and when dreams don't come true, it really hurts, very painstaking. And you know the worst situation in this type of job means to be an underemployed, is that you will try to leave the job but you cant because when we don't get job there is only one problem to find a good job. But once we get job then we want to fulfill our parents expectation, friends expectation and mostly our expectation and when every months salary fulfill these expectations or needs then mostly people don't dare to leave the job because now you have become used to all these needs and for these needs you want money. But there is great difference between fulfill the basic needs and dreams.

3. Take action:- The last and important steps, because you have searched your interest, you have decided that you will not compromise with your dream job, now you have to take action. This is very important and confusing step. So keep patience, I will explain you below, how can you get your dream job easily? As far as my knowledge is concerned there are four main ways by which we try to get the job. 1. Walk-in interview 2. Through contacts 3. Online searching 4. Post resume Do you know the success rate of these four categories? I also did not know and you know I was shocked, when I came to know that Walk-in interview is the best in success rate that is 40-50% success rate. Means there are 40-50% chances to get the job if you attend the interview with your resume at company office. Second is Through contacts, surprised but it is true that is 30-35%, means there are 30-35% chances that you get job through contacts, friends, relatives etc. Third is Online searching, which you would be thinking the highest in success rate as I thought but this is only 5-10% and we waste our most of the time in online searching. And the last category to post resume is having only 3% success rate. Now assume what should you do? Although online searching is in the third place but I assure you that online searching can be very useful, if we search systematically. Means when you search job then search only job nothing else, it happens a lot when we surf we open lots of windows and forget our main objects. So search only and only jobs even don't check your e-mails during searching the job. Decide that you will search one hour daily, weekly or whatever you decide and after one hour you can do other things like chatting or anything else you want. Ok Guys. Now check some nice and useful websites which can give you lots of addresses, you may check websites containing placement consultancies.

I hope this information has been helpful to you. I hope you will put this information to work for you. I tried a lot here to explain all the useful tips but you can read more useful articles on my blog

www.123job.blogspot.com.

Keep in mind guys that every thing in this world can get but keep patience and remember there is no shortcut of success. I would be very happy to clear your all doubts online if you want just drop me an e-mail: farashisre@gmail.com

All the Best Friends! Mohd. Faisal

About the author: I am just sharing with you easy and simple steps by which you can get JOB easily.

Advertising Course

2008-12-11T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Seth Willis Jr.

A career in advertising requires an individual to be equally adroit in the art of creativity as well as communication. An advertising course does just that. It helps interested students to hone their creative skills and to focus on blending the right image with the right message. This helps them create an ideal advertising campaign that is sure to evoke the response they are looking for.

Online Education

Online courses are becoming increasingly popular in this fast-paced age where everyone is constantly trying to achieve as much as they can in the shortest time possible. There are online courses being offered in every subject imaginable. While students can enroll for regular degree courses from recognized universities, they can also choose to enroll in degree courses in any specialized subject. Anyone who is looking to start a career in advertising can enroll in an advertising course from any one of many online institutes.

Advertising Course Content

There are a lot of aspects behind any advertising campaign and an advertising course would encompass all of these to help students put together a successful advertising campaign. Any advertising campaign would involve different people who would be adept at handling the completely different aspects of the same campaign. An advertising course makes students aware of each person's role an how to work together as a team.

Some of the content that any student doing an advertising course will cover includes:

Skillful Copywriting Cutting Edge Design Effective Communication Consumer Psychology Bold Artwork Effective Marketing Concept Creation Art Direction Market Research How to Choose the Right Medium for that particular Product

Advantages of an Online Advertising Course

Students who choose to do an online advertising course have the advantage of gaining these special skills without having to put the rest of their life on hold. They do not have to wait to enroll at a particular time of the year, attend a pre-determined number of classes or spend a lot of time and money traveling to college and back.

You can enroll for an online advertising course at any time of the year and from anywhere in the world. You could also do it simultaneously while completing a degree course in another related or unrelated subject or even while working at a steady job. All online courses are self-paced and you can go as fast or as slow as you like depending on your requirements and convenience.

How Online Advertising Courses Work

Besides teaching to write good copy for newspapers and magazines, an online advertising course also teaches management skills and gives sound business advice. Online advertising courses teach planning, budgeting and directing and can also be available through media programs, marketing programs as well as business programs.

Before obtaining an online advertising degree, most online institutes require students to spend some time in an internship program. This would allow them to get invaluable practical experience in the field of marketing and advertising. Students enrolling in an online advertising course from a reputed online institute benefit from instructors who have had practical experience in advertising

About the author: Seth Willis Jr. is the webmaster for http://www.blackboardarts.com a distance learning web portal.Our goal is to bring learning products to the public via the internet so that people all over the world can enjoy the benefits of our online courses.

Owner Operator: More Loss than Profit

2008-12-10T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Allen Smith

In the world of truck driving , many newcomers are lured into the realm of becoming an owner operator . Given the choice of earning .34¢ per mile or $1.15 per mile, it is not difficult to understand why someone would choose the route of higher earnings. At 2500 miles per week, the difference of $2025.00 extra per week deserves attention. However, when dealing with professional truck driving jobs , you must deal with reality.

In an industry where the driver averages 100,000 miles per year, an owner operator compensated at $1.15 per mile is looking at grossing $115,000.00 annually. Compared to the average company driver at .34¢ per mile, their annual gross is a mere $34,000. Why would anyone choose a $34,000 yearly income more than $115,000 while performing the same duties?

Although owner operators are declining, there are still those companies that advertise proudly that they are a 100% owner operator fleet. Some have even raised the compensation to an enormous $1.50 per mile. At 100,000 miles per year, you are now facing a gross income of $150,000 per year! As a newcomer searching for a new career and a company willing to place you in ""your own truck,"" the excitement of earning that kind of money is hard to turn down. You want the freedom . . . you want your own business . . . you want $100,000 plus per year. It all sounds great. Now, let me take you to reality.

Owner operator lease programs are a way for new drivers to ""own"" a truck. The driver is responsible for all expenses, including fuel and repairs. Although there are some who do well with it, the majority of these owner operators will fail. To me, a lease owner operator is nothing more than a glorified company driver . Let's take a look at a profit and loss analysis sheet for an owner operator and a company driver , and you be the judge:

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Company Driver : Profit and Loss - Based on 100,000 miles per year

Compensation : .34¢ per mile = Driver's Gross income - $34,000 Misc. Expenses, including meals @ $125.00 per week = Total Cost - $6500 *Tax withholdings @ 15% = Annual deductions - $5100 Company Driver NET annual income = $22,400.00 Company Driver NET weekly income = $430.77

*Tax withholding is estimate only at 15% average

And now . . . the "" owner operator "":

Owner Operator : Profit and Loss - Based on 100,000 miles per year

Compensation : $1.15 per mile = Driver's Gross income - $115,000 Truck Payment @ 1,333.35/month = Annual Cost - $16,000.20 Collision/Comp. Insurance = Annual Cost - $6300 Bobtail Insurance = Annual Cost - $804 Licenses = Annual Cost - $1,835 Permits = Annual Cost - $525 Accounting Services = Annual Cost - $725 Tractor Fuel = Annual Cost - $39,397.06 Truck Wash = Annual Cost - $701 Telephone = Annual Cost - $1,624 Meals = Annual Cost - $6500 Tolls = Annual Estimated Cost - $1,275 Taxes (Road, Use, Fuel) - $1,755 Taxes (Personal @ 15%) - Annual Cost - $17,250 Misc. Expenses - Annual Cost - $500 Maintenance @ .06¢ per mile = Annual Cost - $6000

Total Income to Owner Operator = $115,000 Total Cost of Operation = $101,191.26

Owner Operator NET annual income = $13,808.74 Owner Operator NET weekly income = $265.55

_________________________________________________________________ _______

The figures speak more loudly than words. This analysis is also based on the fact that everything goes just as is. A few tires blow out . . . a blown engine . . . and you are now in the red. It is not difficult to understand why the trucking companies love the lease owner operator . 100,000 miles per year at 60 MPH will take you 1666.66 hours to drive in a perfect world. This owner operator's net annual income shows that they performed this hard, difficult life for $8.28 per hour.

The ""freedom"" of being an owner operator is a myth. Turn down a load or ""head home"" whenever you want, and see how long the company will make you sit afterwards. As a company driver just drive . . . without the headaches and expenses associated with the owner operator program. If over the road truck driving is in your plans, think hard about the possibilities that await you. Like everything in life . . . learn all you can BEFORE you begin the journey. It is imperative that you know the truth about trucking .

About the author: Aubrey Allen Smith is an expert in transportation and the author of the Truth About Trucking. Exposing the scams of the trucking companies, he has helped hundreds of new drivers avoid the pitfalls of the trucking industry. To learn the truth, please visit http://www.truthabouttrucking.com today.

Better Business opportunities

2008-12-09T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: LDS

www.mintjobs.com http://digitaldevelopment.directtrack.com/z/2/CD3643/

I was tired of working to jobs for the past 10 years of my life, just to make my mortage payments each month. So, I was online on a late night, just surfing the web. And I deceided to take a chance. And I'm glad that I did. I went to the site www.mintjobs.com and found everything that I was looking for. A great job opportunity that actually works.

I was told by several co-workers of mine that its impossible to make over $35,000 in a month by working from home. BUT obviously they don't have the same motivation as me to get out of debt, because that was actually what I did. Within 3 months I was able to pay off my $150,000 mortage, buy a summer home in Palm Springs Florida and have traveled to several countries.

My first month I was able to make $42,154, working from home, my second, 175,460.64 and the checks get higher and higher. Now, me and my husband are in partnership together making a fortune and I want to help you do the same.

I know that you are curious so just visit my site

www.mintjobs.com http://digitaldevelopment.directtrack.com/z/2/CD3643/

And I know that you are tired of moving on others people time, and being told what to do.... so, this just may be your lucky day. There are bigger and better opportunities TODAY than there were yesterday.

Want to make up $35,000 a month while you stay home?? Then this is exactly what you've been looking for. I found my dream job, working from home, spending a litte less than 6 hours a day and was still able to make ends meet and shop until I dropped. Want to know how I did it.... just visit my personal webpage. Everything you need to know is right there waiting for you.

www.mintjobs.com http://digitaldevelopment.directtrack.com/z/2/CD3643/

About the author: I recently came across a great job opportunity surfing the web on a late night, and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. So, i deceided to write an article about. I hope you get the same satisifaction from this site that I have received.

How To Improve Self Confidence At Work?

2008-12-08T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: CD Mohatta

Coworker problems, problems with the boss, less job satisfaction, no chance of promotion, insufficient salary, damaged self-esteem and so many other problems create work a pain for many of us. Some of us are very frustrated with our jobs and are always looking for a change in job. But this change in job may not always help. The other company may have different set of problems. What are the issues that trouble us at work? Let us talk more.

Skill- Skill at whatever we do is the most important factor in any job. If you have lesser skill, you cannot compensate that with anything else. You will have to get more skill by joining some programs or changing your work profile. Get yourself tested again for your aptitude and decide if you wish to continue doing same work or change to any other. For example, you may be working as a content writer in a website company. If you think that you can do better with website design, shift to that. Find out your true skill and improve that everyday. This is the first key.

Co-workers- Working with people is the toughest job. A person may be very happy working alone. Put them with a team and you may find that the team is going in different directions. The team members may not be working best with each other. Difference in temperament, working style, skill ego issues, communication gaps and many other such factors make a team a bad place to work. You will have to therefore look at all the problems you are having with your co-workers. Then decide about who is creating the problems. For some of them, you may be responsible. Change that immediately. Join some course in communication and conflicts. Understand how to avoid any conflict and work as a team. This will pay you very big dividends.

Employer or senior- Unless you are sure that you cannot work with your employer/senior, you have no choice but to work under them. You may have to forget some differences and fall in line to create a smooth working partnership. You may have many issues with your boss. But so does he/she.

Try to improve yourself in the above three key areas and you will find your confidence increasing at your work.

About the author: CD Mohatta writes text for myspace graphics and myspace comments . The site offers layouts, codes, surveys, etc. for myspace users. Do try quizzes at funquizcards.

Career Job Opportunity, how to get it?

2008-12-07T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Nawaz

To have a versatile staff (employee) is always been a first choice of hiring managers (employers / recruitment agency). In today's fast moving recruiting needs there are many ways & channels to have a long & competitive list of global job seekers to choose from. Out of many other channels, social networking emerges as a robust form of candidates seeking channel, equally beneficial for career success seekers. Establishing solid and equally helpful associations is the top objective of a social networking. Plan your career and thus succeed in finding your career targets. A well sketched career building action plan will direct you through the career searching route.

Job opportunity + career plan = Career Job!

Simple but basic steps to reach successfully to your career job!

1. Explore Career Options 2. Get career based experience 3. Measure your strength, weakness & interests 4. Get trained in targeted job search skills. 5. How to stay organized & ready 6. How to deal with your boss & colleagues 7. Improve your communications skills 8. How to make best use of your time and potentials 9. Clearly set your targets 10. Always updated your CV 11. Monitor industry trend 12. Rehearse your job interview posture

Sometimes finding alone is hard to accomplish your objectives. But once involved other social factors to assist you in reaching skies with the support of successful people consistently surrounding you and support efforts. Job seekers can go unaccompanied or gain support of a people who understand your career targets. Once found a career job you craved for is well value the time exhausted searching for it. Sometimes job seekers come across obstacles pulling them for not moving out of existing job, if this is a situation then outline a tactic to beat them. Always keep in mind that it is a quest for your dream career and you are striving to make it happen.

About the author: Nawaz is an author for this article. Article Source: http://www.e-cvs.net/cv_articles.html

Why GoFreelance? Ten Super Cool Jobs You Can Do from Home

2008-12-06T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Eden Paul

Who says that you have to go to work to have a cool job? Do you think you need years of school and training to have an interesting job? New freelance sites, like GoFreelance, offer cool jobs that anyone can do. Here are ten super cool jobs that people currently do right from their own homes with little or no training.

1. Write Greeting Card Copy. If they are poetic, romantic, sentimental, sappy or just have a flair for writing verses that pull on the heart, they may have a gift for writing greeting cards. Some companies pay per card and some even pay royalties.

2. Video Game Writer. Video gaming websites will pay people to write about video games.

3. Online Blogging. Writers and bloggers can earn a reputation and make good money to make daily or weekly entries on websites. Many have been able to quit a full-time job.

4. Internet Surfing. One company pays individuals to surf the internet for 5 hours per day. They even increase compensation if you spend more time browsing.

5. Write Reviews of Magazines You Read. Some magazine subscription companies pay magazine readers to write reviews of the magazines they've read.

6. Posting in Forums. One site offers hundreds of opportunities to be paid weekly by forum posting firms who seek writers able to discuss multiple topics in online forums.

7. Internet research. Companies pay to research the internet for competitive products or services and report it to them.

8. Shoe testers. Company that manufactures shoes will pay you to test their new styles. They send you shoes and you wear them for a week and let them know what you thought. They send you a check and you even keep the shoes.

9. Baby food testing. This one is especially cool for a new mom. You test new kinds of baby food, keep the samples and get paid.

10. Sending emails. One company pays $25 for each email people send for them. That is not too tough for those who love to write!

With jobs like this available, anyone can have a fun, enjoyable and cool new job!

About the author: Eden Paul is a CPA and small business owner who enjoys helping others follow their dreams by using resources like

Freelance Work Exchange . For more information and ideas on how to start working for yourself, visit http://www.freelancewor kreview.com

Those Promotion Blues

2008-12-05T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Dr. Noelle Nelson

You've had your eye on that promotion for some time now. You're bound and determined to get out of your office worker status into a supervisory position you're certain you're well suited for-- but apparently no one else is convinced. You watch others from your work group move on, out and up, and you're getting seriously depressed. ""What's wrong with me?"" you wonder. All your supervisor says is ""There's a lot of competition for those jobs,"" as if you didn't know that already. You know the work you do in your current position is good, your reviews are proof of that, but how do you qualify yourself for work you're not doing yet? You can't very well start supervising your peers--they would resent it!

True enough, they would, so that's not where to begin, although you have the right idea. If you want something, you have to in a sense become it, so others can recognize you as a viable candidate. No, you can't supervise your peers, but you can, in many other ways, demonstrate supervisor capabilities.

Observe the supervisors at your work: how do they dress? Talk? Interact with others? Is there an attitude or manner you'd feel comfortable adopting? You are not trying to imitate or clone the supervisors, you are figuring out which of your attributes and traits come closest to what your company values in supervisors so that you can emphasize those traits. This isn't any different from what you learned to do in school: if you wanted to be a good student, you emphasized your traits of self-discipline, concentration and focus, leaving your day-dreaming and kick-back traits for your out-of-school time.

Once you learn what supervisor traits are valuable and make sense to what is comfortable for you, practice those whenever appropriate. Perhaps it means speaking up more often in team meetings, taking the initiative in finding ways to get a project done more efficiently than usual or offering to help others.

Pay attention to the nature of a supervisors' work, and ready yourself accordingly. Be proactive: take the classes or training that would give you supervisor skills, acquire the knowledge you need as a supervisor.

When the time comes to apply for the position, be ready, not just in attitude and skills, but also in how you present your effort. Put together a well-written, professional resume, if you will, of how you have prepared for the position, why you are interested in the position and how giving you that supervisory position would benefit the company. Writing all this out will clarify your own thinking, so that when the hiring executive asks you pointed questions, you'll be confident and secure in your answers.

In the event that you do not get the position, have the courage to ask the hiring person what you can do to assure your promotion the next time a similar position comes up. Since you have already demonstrated your willingness to work on yourself to better your skills, as well as enthusiasm for the job, the hiring individual will most probably respect your efforts by answering you honestly and giving you the information you need to succeed.

About the author: Noelle C. Nelson, Ph.D. is a respected psychologist, consultant, speaker and author. Her most recent book is ""The Power of Appreciation in Everyday Life (Insomniac Press, 2006). For more than a decade, she has helped people live happier, healthier lives--at work, at home and in relationships. E-mail: nnelson@dr.noellenelson.com, website: www.noellenelson.com

Changing Careers - Ultimate Tips For Success

2008-12-04T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Heather Eagar

Are you thinking about changing your career? Are you worried about how difficult the transition is going to be? Then you are not alone. Many people go through similar anticipation when thinking about attempting a career change. Your career is among the most important things in your life, and changing it is one of the most stressful decisions you will ever make.

Be Passionate

The reason why you would even consider a career change in the first place is probably because you feel passionate about something and want to pursue it. There is no sense in making a change if you are not going to be any happier than you already are. You may be earning a five-figure salary, but if it is not making you happy and if you are not content with what you are doing, then it might be a good time to switch. Changing careers should be about passion and personal fulfillment.

Do Your Research

Make sure that before you make the final decision you conduct a thorough research on available opportunities. You need to analyze what skills you have and what skills you may need to acquire for your new job. You should be confident about salary prospects and other relevant information. You may have lots of expectations about the career you want, but conducting the necessary research will help you look beyond this rosy picture. Work with a mentor, such as a career coach, before you make the final decision.

Career Exploration

Changing your career can be overwhelming. Explore your options before you decide to make a commitment. Start by categorizing the careers you are interested in. This helps in narrowing down your options. Then pick only those that interest you the most, putting the others aside. Ask yourself questions such as:

* Why am I exploring this career? * Will I need additional training or education? * What are the opportunities and risks in pursuing this career?

These questions will help give you some very important and necessary answers. You can't really begin on the path to career change until you know why you want to change and how you will go about it. The fact is that changing careers can be very time consuming and expensive, and you don't want to start the process flying blind.

Once you have all the information you need, you can focus on one career option and work toward achieving it. Listen to your heart and head and then make a balanced decision. Whatever you do, remember you need to be flexible and devote a lot of time and energy to jump start your efforts.

About the author: A leading expert in the employment search industry, Heather Eagar is passionate about providing working professionals with up-to-date, reliable and effective job search tools and a free job board. Heather has created the Ultimate Job Search Experience for job seekers at http://www.JobsCareersEtc.com

XBOX CASH

2008-12-03T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: biitra

Ok I admit it I am hooked on the damn things. I love video games, have played them since first time i saw pong. (for young people who don't know pong was first ever computer game little white line used to bounce a little white ball from one side of black and white screen to the other)Never have been very good at them though.

So I was at a friends home the other day and I asked his kid about moving the lawn for me for some cash. He said sorry but he had a better job. Now I usually pay the kid pretty good so I was curious So I asked him where he was working, He said he worked right here at home. Now I was really stumped what was the deal was dad running some kind of mail order biz, He says nope he just plays video games for money. My jaw hits the floor as the kid walks away. So I think to myself this kid is smoking something he should not be but after talking with the kids parents they say the same thing He plays XBOX for CASH and gets a check from game companys. Now this is to much I used to spend my lunch money on PAC MAN and now they are paying people to play the games. I had a hard time buying this one but it is true. To see for your self http://www.gameplayercash.info

About the author: biitra is a web designer and offers web hosting. Just ran across this hard to believe but here it goes paid to play video games. Http://www.gameplayercash.info

Research , Research , Research Before That Job Interview

2008-12-02T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Shaun Stevens

Complete Industry, employer and job research gives job career search applicants a competitive edge. The work you do before the interview will pay off in spades many times over and over.

Employers nationwide report soundly that applicants who research employers well increase their employability as much as 25- 40 %. Thus by doing a thorough job of research of the complete industry, employer and job you will have a big payoff. This is most important both for getting that job, increasing your salary requests and later promotion on the job. Remember that first impressions carry a tremendous amount of weight and that ""First Impressions are Lasting Impressions"".

The advantages of researching your career field and potential employers affect the success of your job search in many ways.

First you will have a good competitive edge. Employers view candidates who do not have solid knowledge of the employer's businesses or industry as weak and poor choices for hiring. If you are prepared to discuss products and industry facts, figures and industry trends it will demonstrate that you have made a sincere and solid effort to learn about their organization and the marketplace. Many if not most applicants do not invest energy of their so called ""valuable time"" in researching employers. If you do, you will Surely have the competitive edge for getting that job over your competitors.

Secondly you will be in a situation to determine better career decisions. Having current knowledge about employers, industries and job targets, allows you to make informed career decisions and assess your interest in and qualifications for specific jobs.

Next you will have improved ability to market your career skills and get hired. Researching employers improves your ability to discuss specifically how your qualifications match the employer's purposes, goals and needs. Employers are most willing to invest substantial training resources, time and costs to applicants who demonstrate initiative and commitment through their research of the employer and industry.

It is interesting to note that by conducting a thorough job of employer and industry research this will work towards compensating for lack of experience. Industry knowledge helps you compensate for lack of actual or extensive job experience. This is most of concern if you are a ""rookie"" in the industry or in the job force and your competition are seasoned veterans. That is seasoned veterans who may not have have complete 10 per cent of the level and completeness of the through and complete job of research that you have completed. Lastly you will have increased confidence. By being well informed you will feel more confident and communicate much more clearly, effectively and concisely. In effect you will project greater confidence, expertise and experience.

Complete and thorough industry, employer and job research pay off big time for employment job interviews. One last point if the interviewer takes offense at your research and questions this is a very good indication that this is not a good employer or at the least not a good boss to work for.

About the author: Shaun Stevens Job Interview Counsellor www.aceemploymentservices.net www.ace-training.net

Building A Community Of New Middle Aged People

2008-12-01T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Arthur Levine

Please feel free to use this article as long as credit is given to the resource box. Keywords: Building a Community, Work at Home, New Middle Aged Group, Fresh Start, © Copyright Arthur Levine 2007 Words: 476

Yesterday in response to another article I had written about working at home for people in their fifties and sixties, I got a number of comments that others felt the same way about starting new careers and were using the Internet to do so. They seemed to be very happy to see that someone else held opinions similar to theirs and was attempting to do the same thing.

Then it struck me that there must be a lot of people out their who are struggling with retirement and the wish to stay active, continue earning a living, and do something worthwhile and creative with their lives.

It can seem pretty lonely when suddenly the job you have been doing for many years is no longer there, when you no longer have an office to go to, and when your normal daily work routine suddenly stops.

It would be nice to know that many other people are going through the same type of lifestyle altering events. It would be nice to know what other people are doing to deal with this major change in their lives, how they are creating new careers, and what they are doing to stay active and do something constructive.

To today's active new middle-aged group retirement no longer means no longer working. It means changing the nature of the work that you do. It means finding a new direction. It means taking charge of your life.

Sometimes starting a new career can be the opportunity to follow your own special interests that you may not have had the ability to concentrate on before. Sometimes it means being able to work at your own pace from your own home. Sometimes it gives you the luxury to be free to do whatever you feel called upon to do.

No one can force you into retirement. No one make you do or not do something. You have reached a stage in your life where you can live life on your own terms.

Maybe what we need to do is to start a community of like-minded people who consider themselves part of the new middle-aged group and are ready to start a new career. Maybe we can help each other find the answers we are searching for together as we make a fresh start.

About the author: If you would like to help build a community for the new middle-aged group, and participate in a new beginning please share your comments with us at my blog at: http://searchfor-god.blogspot.com or To learn how to make a new beginning, work at home, and start over, access: http://www.YouCan-WorkAtHome.com.

Profit Lance System

2008-11-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Brandon

I have recently joined up with the Profit Lance System which is a very comprehensive way to promote and create a marketing strategy for the do-it-yourself intrepreneuer. I have turned a profit within a week of work and let me tell you, it was not as easy as 1-2-3. There are plenty of supposed fast cash sites out there that will take your money and fill you with a mind boggling amount of good information and I have given money to these sites and worked very hard all for a very small return. The Profit Lance System is all but that. It is truly comprehensive and cuts through the non-sense. First, go and find out all you can about these types of marketing strategies, then come back to Profit Lance.I can tell you from my experiences financially and physically - Profit Lance Will Work for You.

About the author: I started internet intrepreneuring early 2007 and have been diligently trying out as many marketing and advertising programs as I could get my hands on. Still learning but wiser and wealthier for the efforts.

Want to Become an Interior Designer? Start By Looking Inward

2008-11-29T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Vicki Salemi

Angelo Surmelis designs spaces and enjoys working every single day. ""I love what I do. I'm the luckiest guy in the world,"" he explains. Not bad for someone who wasn't exactly sure he would become an

interior designer .

Maybe that's because he's the star of design shows ""Merge"" (Lifetime) and ""Clean Sweep"" (TLC), and an art director for VH1. He also owns a successful interior design business (www.swellspace.com) that boasts tons of movie and TV celeb clients.

The College Years

Columbia College , Surmelis studied theater and fine art, and was initially interested in architecture design schools -- but discovered it was math-based, which wasn't his strength. After graduation, he worked as an actor in Chicago and New York, then moved to Los Angeles, all the while remaining fascinated with design.

""I dabbled in design and was in between gigs, so my friends suggested what I knew I should do,"" recalls Surmelis. ""I stopped freelancing and opened my own interior design firm.""

Talk, Talk, Talk. . .

While creativity is important if you want to become an interior designer, people skills are also key. ""I talk to clients and get a glimpse of who they are by asking about their favorite vacation, what colors inspire them, and their favorite childhood memories,"" says Surmelis. ""I play psychologist to figure out what they want.""

It's also good to take a non-traditional approach. ""My background in theater, fine art, and architecture brought other disciplines into the mix, so it wasn't just about design. The more you have to offer clients, the better off you'll be.""

The Trust Factor

Since Surmelis' projects range from one week to several months, it's important to build relationships. ""Clients really trust the person they're working with; it's an intimate process,"" he says. When he helps people see their space in a new light and look outside the realm of possibility, it's all worthwhile. ""No words can express the look of joy on the clients' faces at the end,"" Surmelis shares.

Interning Is a Must

So, how can you secure such satisfying client experience? Get an internship, paid or unpaid, encourages Surmelis. Big firms look great on a resume, but the bigger the firm, the more grunt work you'll do, he admits. At smaller agencies, you'll get more hands-on opportunities.

""The more experience you get, the better equipped youll be to make decisions when you [graduate] and become an interior designer,"" he says.

To find college and career schools near you, surf

http://www.CollegeSurfing.com.

The CollegeBound Network

NOTICE: Article(s) may be republished free of charge to relevant websites, as long as Copyright and Author Resource Box are included; and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN intact and active.

About the author: Vicki Salemi is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about

finding a school or career that's right for you!

Working With Numbers: Temporary Accounting Job

2008-11-28T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Wade Robins

If you have taken a college course in accounting then you may well be considering a career in that specific field. When you weigh up your options, you should take into consideration that everyone needs an accountant at some stage and so the demand for your services will often outweigh the supply! There are various ways to break into the accounting business, one of which is a good temping agency. There is much to be said for looking for a temporary accounting job and if you read on you will realise why!

Most jobs are actually now offered on a temporary basis and a temporary accounting job is no different. There are temping agencies specifically for those individuals that are looking for accounting jobs, whether they have just graduated or are looking for a change of career. There are many varied opportunities that can be taken advantage of any many of those will offer the right candidate a full time position at the end of their month's contract.

There is a temporary accounting job for you whether you are a licensed or non-licensed accountant. The former can deal with the auditing of any business and the latter can handle taxes so there is a job for you out there regardless of your qualifications. A temporary accounting job therefore may just provide you with that window of opportunity that you need. It can be hard to get an initial foot on the ladder via conventional means now as a result of the high demand for jobs, but this is definitely a good way to go.

Many companies now outsource their accountancy issues so that they have a specialist firm at their beck and call. As a result, there are many temporary accounting jobs out there. Outsourcing has increased the demands on the industry and so more firms are willing to take on people for a temporary accounting job during the busiest times of the year. If you get a job that way and do well then it may lead to a permanent position, which would be no bad thing if you are looking to break into the industry on a full time basis.

You can find a whole variety of

opportunities on the Internet as agencies tend to advertise temporary accounting jobs on there so it reaches a wider audience. If you are dedicated and talented then that will shine through on your application thus it may actually take very little time to secure your first temporary accounting job. It is actually a vital tool in learning the trade because you can take on several temporary accounting jobs to get a good idea of how different firms work. This experience will ultimately be invaluable to your career aspirations so take every opportunity that comes your way

About the author: You can also find more information on

Temporary Job Opportunities and

Temporary Summer Job Opportunities . Temporaryjobshelp.com is a comprehensive resource to get help in Temporary Jobs.

Got Digital Dirt?

2008-11-27T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Andy Gross

""Got Digital Dirt?""

Have you ever Googled yourself or a family member? It's interesting what can show up. The term is called narcisurfing or a vanity search - and for some people this can be a rude awakening. With today's growing popularity of blogs and networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, there is a lot of personal information available with a few simple clicks.

So what potential implications can this have on you? Well, if you are in today's competitive job market, it can cost you your dream job. Whether you are working with an executive search firm or with a corporate recruiter, everyone has access to the Internet and is capable of doing their own version of reference checks. If you think this isn't being done, think again! It is easier than ever to dig up some 'digital dirt' on candidates. Digital dirt is simply the information about you available on the Internet.

If you or someone you know is looking for new opportunities, then ensure the search isn't doomed from the beginning. This isn't just limited to people looking for new opportunities as employees at Google, Starbucks, Delta Airlines, Friendster and others have found out. The term dooced has been coined for people that have been fired because of information on their personal blogs.

Got your attention yet? It's important to know what your online profile says about you and make sure it is the image you want to portray. If you need to clean up your online profile there are steps you can take to have images or information taken off a website. If you utilize social networking sites, control who has access to your profile by keeping it private.

So go ahead, pull up a search engine and dig up some digital dirt!

About the author: The SearchLogix Group is pleased to announce that Andy Gross has joined its team. Andy grew up in Minneapolis and attended the University of St. Thomas where he earned a degree in Human Resources Management with a minor in Psychology. His background includes over five years of corporate recruiting and four years of sales positions. He has successfully placed high caliber candidates in: Andy can be reached at andygrosspr@searchlogixgroup.c

Scaling the Ladder of Interior Design

2008-11-26T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Robyn Tellefsen

For some, the furniture, wall hangings, and color scheme of our current digs haven't changed much in all the years we've occupied them (I'm guilty!). But you wouldn't dream of not rearranging your furniture every few months, instead purchasing new pieces to accentuate your space, and repainting your walls whenever and wherever necessary. Your home is a delight to behold, and there's even more good news -- you can earn accolades for interior design outside your own abode.

Taking the First Step

You already know that beauty lies within. Now, make your knowledge marketable to the outside world through

interior design schools . Just be sure the program you're pursuing is accredited. The National Association of Schools of Art and Design accredits approximately 250 schools with programs in art and design, and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation accredits about 137 bachelor's degree programs in interior design.

Finding Your Balance

You're in! Through

basic coursework -- including computer-aided design (CAD), drawing, perspective, spatial planning, color and fabrics, furniture design, architecture, ergonomics, ethics, and psychology -- interior design schools will teach you to develop a concept, write a brief, construct models and technical drawings, communicate a design proposal, and present your final plan to clients.

Beyond enhancing your artistic ability for an interior design career, you'll increase your interpersonal and managerial skill set. Though you may be accustomed to sketching solo, when it comes to the realization of your designs, you're going to need a little help from your friends. You'll be working with architects, engineers, and other consultants, and you'll be responsible for administering contract documents, bids, negotiations, progress reports, and evaluations.

Climbing On

Once you've earned your degree in interior design, you may enter a one- to three-year apprenticeship to gain experience before taking the licensing exam administered by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification or joining a professional association such as the American Society of Interior Designers. Licensure is not only recommended, it's required in many states. When you pass the exam, you'll proudly bear the title of certified, registered, or licensed interior designer.

Reaching the Top

Aside from doing what you love and seeing your ideas become completed projects, you can also make a decent living with an interior design career. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual earnings for interior designers were $40,670 in May 2004. The highest paying jobs, of course, will go to professionals who have gained experience through interior design education and internships.

Your knack for color, space, and aesthetics can be more than just a personal hobby. With an interior design education, you can turn your preliminary career sketches into workable future plans.

To find college and career schools near you, surf

http://www.CollegeSurfing.com.

The CollegeBound Network

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About the author: Robyn Tellefsen is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about

finding a school or career that's right for you!

Career- How A Personal Mission Statement Helps

2008-11-25T03:06:00.000-08:00

Author: CD Mohatta

Which career should I choose? How to know if my present career suits me? Whether I will be satisfied with my present career? Will my career give me enough money in future? There are many questions that hammer our mind when we join a career. Even after we join that, the questions do not leave us alone. We are always raising queries about our career. This is true about many other areas of life. But how to know if our career is fitting our needs? Let us see how a personal mission statement can help.

Personal mission statement- what is a personal mission statement? How does one write the statement? What are the factors one considers while making a mission statement? You must have seen mission statements by some companies. Some of them may say- total quality control is our ultimate mission or customer satisfaction is the goal of this company or we want to raise the returns to the shareholders every year. These are some examples of mission statement of companies. Personal mission statement is similar to that except that it involves only you. What is your ultimate goal in life?

Some of the personal mission statement may be-

1. I want to be known as a kind soul 2. I wish to earn more money everyday. 3. I want to excel in my profession 4. I want to be known as a great friend 5. My family will always be more important than my career.

And so on. Write down all that you desire in life. Then put them in the order of importance. The most important of the statements becomes your personal mission statement. Do not hold your imagination while writing. Give freedom to your mind to think. That will help bring out your latent desires. Once you know your personal mission statement, find out which career will be best in achieving that.

About the author: CD Mohatta writes text for myspace graphics and myspace comments . The site offers layouts, codes, surveys, etc. for myspace users. Do try quizzes at funquizcards.

The Art of the Cover Letter

2008-11-24T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Michael Fleischner

Hiring managers often receive hundreds, or even thousands, of applications for a given job. To avoid having your resume sink in a sea of paper or electronic files, it's essential to write a cover letter that stands out and makes a great first impression.

Here's how:

Rule #1: Keep Up Appearances Your resume and cover letter must be aesthetically pleasing and consistent in appearance. This includes formatting with the same heading and fonts in each and using a high-quality printer and paper, if documents are being ""snail mailed.""

Also, keep it tasteful and save the designer stationery and stylish fonts for writing letters to friends. A professional employment package never sets a casual tone.

Rule #2: Target Your Audience Always use the hiring manager's name in the salutation. If the contact's name isn't provided in the job posting, a bit of Internet research or a well-structured phone call can produce results. In using the contact's name, the cover letter is personalized, while also showing your interest in the company. Remember, a letter addressed ""Dear Sir or Madam"" or worse, ""To Whom It May Concern,"" has the same impact as one addressed ""Dear Occupant.""

Rule #3: Craft a Strong Opening Statement A dynamic opening paragraph is essential to capture and retain a hiring manager's interest. For a quick and effective read, it should include a reference to the position sought and a brief statement as to why you are qualified to fill the job. Emphasis should be placed on what you can do for the company, while also providing quantifiable proof.

Rule #4: Showcase Your Accomplishments Include a bulleted area to emphasize accomplishments pertinent to your targeted job. Not only does this break up large blocks of text that can be daunting to read, but it also draws the eye toward the most important part of the cover letter -- what you have to offer.

Rule #5: Create a Proactive Closing Always initiate further action at the end of a cover letter. A proactive closing indicates that you will call within a few days to see if a time might be scheduled to meet. To wait for a hiring manager to take that first step is to risk losing the opportunity to another candidate. If a job description asks that you not call, however, it's in your best interest to respect their wishes.

The goal of your cover letter is simple: to convince a hiring manager to read your resume. Follow these simple rules and you'll be sure to create a compelling letter that will leave a hiring manager wanting more.

Michael Fleischner is the Managing Director of ResumeEdge.com, one of the nations leading Resume Writing service providers, offering professional resume writing, editing, and guidance. For additional resume writing resources, including free sample resumes , visit http://www.resumeedge.com today!

About the author: Michael Fleischner is the Managing Director of ResumeEdge.com - providing Resume Writing , Resume Editing and Sample Resumes .

Even Lawyers Get the Blues

2008-11-23T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW

Even Lawyers Get the Blues

Let's face it; we are all born human first and take on our professions second. As lawyers you are subject to the same human frailties as anyone else, from any walk of life. However, as people who have spent a considerable number of years gaining your education and honing your craft, often problem solving for others, lawyers can be a particularly difficult breed to help when the personal problems are their own.

The first hurdle for the lawyer to overcome is ego. In this case it is the belief that you can solve everything or alternately, that you wouldn't dare have a personal problem as that would simply be too embarrassing to admit to oneself or others.

Assuming you do admit you cannot solve your own personal problem and are willing to seek help from outside resources, the next hurdle is finding an appropriate resource. Key to the search, two factors rise to the top: confidentiality and competency.

With regard to confidentially, some lawyers look for resources outside of their usual community. Some will travel several communities away to ensure not bumping into someone known or come up against a conflict of interest by using someone for a personal issue who also consults on professional matters. Further, the service setting may also be a consideration in the quest for confidentiality. Hence some lawyers will look for secluded offices with separate or single use waiting rooms and other lawyers will look for practitioners with home offices where confidentiality can often be better protected.

As for competency, most lawyers look for grey hair. In other words the service provider is a respected elder with years of practice wisdom. Not just practice wisdom and grey hair though, lawyers need to know that the service provider can withstand and manage the cross-examination that inevitably takes place when a lawyer is confronted with observations they may otherwise not prefer.

The service provider must be able to deliver and defend information in the counselling process and respect that the cross-examination isn't personal, just the most ingrained strategy for lawyers to test the input derived from their years of practice.

Be it individual, marital or family counselling, when stuck, professional counselling and guidance from people trained and well experienced can help overcome personal problems. Sadly far too many lawyers resist help for themselves, their marriages or families because of embarrassment or fear that they may lose credibility.

The real message here is, get help, don't suffer, and look to improve your situation.

Strategies to overcome perceived barriers include finding a respected service provider, often in a nearby community. To find one and maintain your privacy, you can pretend to be looking for a service provider from a particular community on behalf of a client. Ask around and see what names continue to float to the surface when you ask, ""Who's the best?"" Do so in a few neighbouring communities.

Finally, make some calls and test the service provider by phone. Describe the problem, the social context and need for confidentiality. See who responds best and make an appointment.

The life you improve will be your own. After all, even lawyers get the blues and have personal, marital and family problems. You don't need to have these problems forever though. Help is often just a phone call away.

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW (905) 628-4847 gary@yoursocialworker.com http://www.yoursocialworker.com Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert on child development, parent-child relations, marital and family therapy, custody and access recommendations, social work and an expert for the purpose of giving a critique on a Section 112 (social work) report. Call him for your next conference and for expert opinion on family matters. Services include counselling, mediation, assessment, assessment critiques and workshops.

About the author: Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert on child development, parent-child relations, marital and family therapy, custody and access recommendations, social work and an expert for the purpose of giving a critique on a Section 112 (social work) report. Call him for your next conference and for expert opinion on family matters.

Life Experience Degrees: What Are They?

2008-11-22T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Keith Carter

Life Experience Degrees: What Are They?

Life Experience degrees are offered by Almeda University, a deemed university incorporated in the United States of America. The professional courses are essentially what they should be, that means, the course content is the same as any other professional degree from any University would be. There has been some discussion on the acceptability of such courses. The discussion is really about the content and recognition, as it is the recognition that finally matters along with the marks secured.

To that what I found that the Life Experiences and similar courses at Almeda and elsewhere have as syllabi at par not only with that of any other University but also have a very wide recognition, and they are affiliated to all major bodies that matter. There are specific states in certain countries however, where these are not recognized. The best way out for potential students is thus to enquire about the recognition status of the degrees offered in their places of interest. If recognized, the students can look forward to a comprehensive study that includes all professional aspects as per current and perceived future requirements.

About the author: Dr. Keith Carter is an retired educational consultant and be contacted at drkeithcarter@yahoo.com.

You can get more information and post your comments and feedback at drkeithcarter@yahoo.com http://360.yahoo.com/drkeithcarter

Network Engineering Jobs

2008-11-21T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Tony Jacowski

Network sizes can range from a few hundred users to several thousand. Due to this growing need for networks, the field of network engineering is experiencing phenomenal growth.

Network Engineering

Network connectivity is vital for the emerging business world. Network engineering is essential in establishing and maintaining the network connectivity capability at universities, corporations and hospitals. It is a vast field that is a major part of the world of computers, telecommunication and radio technology.

Role Of Network Engineers

Network engineering in telecommunication includes the internetworking service components for switched networks and executing and developing software and hardware to meet the requirements. In the sphere of computers, network engineering deals with the development of software and hardware required to complete the computer design network purpose. In radio communication, network engineering is involved in the creation of network topologies. Its role in computing involves the building, maintenance and administration of computer networks.

This practice varies from company to company and frequently involves troubleshooting hardware and software and provides software support and system analysis and design. Generally, there are four types of computer networks: Wide Area Network or WAN, Local Area Network or LAN, Global Area Network or GAN and Metropolitan Area Network or MAN. Network engineers are expected to set up a network for the client. They work with the network manager to configure and design systems that manage and improve efficiency, to meet the business needs of the clients. The engineers are expected to be involved in daily administration of the installed system. The job activities that are involved in network engineering are:

- Setting up user accounts - Issue of passwords and permission - Maintenance of adequate security at the junction point of Internet and network - Monitoring the network usage - Installation and support for new software and hardware - Implementation of preventive maintenance schedules - Providing technical support to the end users - Providing training on new systems - Implementation and planning of future developments - Working in coordination with other IT professionals

Qualifications For Network Engineering

The network engineer should possess good analytical and IT skills, the ability to prioritize the tasks, capacity and knowledge to explain the technical issues clearly, good interpersonal skills, excellent knowledge about networking technologies and the ability to remain updated with the latest developments. Network engineers should know how to use the basic network devices and they should have the required knowledge about the configuration and set up. There are job opportunities for network engineers in retail, finance, national and local government utility companies and health services.

Your Job Search Resume Cover Letter Do You Send It To Human Resources Or Directly To The Hiring Person ?

2008-11-20T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: William Z. Piker

Your Job Employment Cover Letter: How do You Know Where to Send It

In submitting your job employment resume cover letter how do you know where to send this letter?

Some organizations do not accept unsolicited applications, resumes or cover letters.

Often applicants who address communications to the human resource (H.R.) department get a standard form letter stating that no applications are currently being accepted. So much for the successful job hunter. The task just got more challenging.

How do you know how and where to submit your employment search cover letter?

First of all find out who hires. You cannot go fishing if you do not what bait the fish like and where the fish are located. To boost your chances of getting an interview address your letter to the specific person or areas that have hiring authority for the position that you are applying for.

If possible address the letter to the supervisor / department head / manager who would directly supervise your work. It should be patently obvious that it is not wise to address your cover letter to ""Whom It May Concern"". This job seeking tactic will target your letter to the trash bin.

How do you get to know the right person's name? It all comes down to diligence and standard investigation and research tactics.

One method is to call the target employer and say that you are doing career research and want to address the letter of inquiry to the person who specializes in your career area. Get the person's full name and title. Verify and recheck the spelling and address to ensure that it is correct.

When you do call, introduce yourself, get the name of the person you talk with and thank that person by name for her or his help. Always say that you are a student or are doing research. The person that you speak to could possibly help you later, and using names establishes a friendly, courteous tone.

Another tact is to go directly to the human resources officer, if one exists. Ask whether there is an organizational ""chart"" or organizational ""map"" which you could use for your career planning class or personal research. This chart of map should provide you with the name of the department head to which you can address your cover letter.

If this method seems inappropriate for your job career employment search, ask members of your job search employment network to help you devise and plan a more workable approach.

Always use your creative abilities to dare to different and innovative. To be on the cutting creative edge, however always be most courteous, polite and professional.

If possible contact the department head of your target job personally to get you in the door sooner. If you send your cover letter and resume only to the human resources department, it may well be that the person or persons who head that specific department you are interested in may never see these documents.

On the other hand, if you send a letter and resume directly to the person that you would work for, then your chances of getting an interview ill be greatly increased. It is true however that the human resources department may feel sidelined and resentful at being circumvented in the organizational structure.

How do you handle this situation? I the employer is accepting applications, send one letter and resume to the Human Resources department and one letter to the department head. Indicate in your letter that you have sent similar communications to each party. At the worst both letters will wind up in the human resources department. I the employer is not officially accepting applications, send your cover letter and resume to the department only. If your resume and cover letter are persuasive and well prepared then you may well still get that interview.

About the author: William Z. Piker Documention Counsellor

http://www.ace-training.net

http://www.aceemploymentservices.net

Military Career Jitters

2008-11-19T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Barbara Adams

By Barbara A. Adams, CPRW, CEIP, CFRWC CareerProPlus.com

21stCenturyResumes.com

Two thousand six (2006) is approaching rapidly and if this is the year you plan to retire or separate from the military, you are probably going through many different emotions ranging from anticipation to apprehension and fear.

You are not alone. And these feelings are nothing to be ashamed of. If you can step back for just a moment, take a deep breath and take a long hard look at your face in the mirror, I'd like you to realize the transition you are about to make isn't as intimidating as it initially seemed. You are on the brink of a new beginning and it is actually exciting and full of promise.

Transitioning Concerns: I speak with thousands of military personnel each year who are preparing to transition to the civilian job market. Many folks express their concerns and are worried about how they will be able to effectively translate their training, skills and experience into a career that civilian employers will understand. Or better yet, recognize the value of the entire package a member of our armed forces brings to the civilian job market. Through years of experience dealing with folk exiting the military, there are always a few things I have come to realize that everyone has in common. Simply put your personal characteristics and value your offer to an employer.

Personal Characteristics: I know what personal characteristics such as morals, values, commitment and honor the military teaches and instills in its people. As members of our armed forces you have received extensive professional training and gained expertise in multiple skill sets. Additionally, most of you have lived in cross-cultural environments and worked hand-in-hand with people from totally different mind-sets. These attributes, if properly addressed when applying for civilian positions, are critical exchanges that must be presented to potential employers. Most civilians do not fully comprehend the far-reaching effects of military training so it is your job to make it clear how valuable you are to their organization. These attributes are more important than ever in our global economy.

Your Value: The point I am trying to get across here is there's something special about our military men and women. Your value. Given the lives and times of today's world, many employers have an even greater appreciation for those who put their lives on the line for our country and it's citizens and are more aware than ever of the numerous personal characteristics and selfless measures each member from all branches of the military contribute. And I haven't even mentioned the skills you've learned while serving in the military which you can transfer to a post-military job - that's for another article.

The Point: I'm trying to make is anyone can train to become an accountant, educator, engineer or a lawyer. Anyone can work in construction or as a project manager. But not everyone can succeed at these professions if they lack the basic fundamental skills often acquired in the military. This again brings me back to your value.

- Employers know the most desirable candidate is going to exhibit much more than the functional strength to get a job done, such as: - Listening Skills. A large part of life in the military is about receiving instructions and acting upon them. Whether you realize it or not, you have some admirable listening capabilities because the success of your missions depend on your ability to take information both orally and written, process it quickly and act upon it in the best interests of all concerned. A lot of people do not know how to listen.

- Creativity and Persuasion Abilities. The military affords its personnel the chance to self-manage their own performance. This means once you receive an assignment, it's up to you to figure out the best and fastest way to accomplish the objective. And often, you will need to persuade your colleagues (and in a lot of cases, your immediate superiors) your plan is the way to go. So whether you realize it or not, you have not only learned how to think quickly, you've also learned how to persuade others to choose the most expedient way to proceed - and those are characteristics a lot of employers seek in their future leaders. - Mentoring & Motivation Skills. At some point in your military career you probably interacted with a new colleague either in a formal or informal setting to help acquaint them to a procedure or some aspect of your mission. The success of your mission depended on the team functioning cooperatively, so it was essential for you to train your colleagues as quickly and efficiently as possible. This translates into being a ""team player"" in civilian life, an enviable trait many employers look for.

- Adjusting: And what if someone you mentored had a problem with adjusting? Unlike the civilian world where you can easily terminate someone for not fitting in, in the military the tendency is to counsel the person until their anxieties disappear. This is because a mission's success depends on teamwork, and if one member of the team isn't functioning, it is often up to the rest of the team to help pick up the slack and aid that member into reaching his or her full potential.

- Administration & Time Management. Often military personnel are asked to develop from the ground up or improve upon an existing operation which requires a lot of attention to detail, a lot of administration and project management, and good time-management capabilities. I like to think of it as Project Management 101. Put another way, military personnel learn how to think and act efficiently, get the most out of their team and do so even under restrictive conditions such as low manpower or budget funds.

These are just a few of the many characteristics you've developed during your time in the military which can be transferred over to any civilian or government job out there. Once you realize the value you bring to the table as a person, figuring out the rest of your value as a professional is going to be easy. Before too long, you'll find yourself rising to the top of a very competitive job market. Many civilian challenges are not as difficult or as threatening as those you've already conquered in the military.

Barbara A. Adams is the President & CEO of www.CareerProPlus.com. Barbara has been a member of the careers community for 16 years and serves as an Industry Expert for Military Transition and Federal Government Resumes. She holds three certifications; Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW); Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP); and Certified Federal Resume Writer and Coach (CFRWC).

About the author: Contributing Editor, The Civilian Job News, MilitaryResumes.com (Bradley-Morris)

Contributing Writer, TAOnline.com (Lucas Group) - Transition Insight - 2005 - present

Contributing Writer, MilitaryHire.com - e-Newsletter- 2006 - present

The Decision Times, Career Expert Contributor, 2005 - 2006

The Military Times, Killer Resumes, 2004

Resume Maker Deluxe Software

Career Transition: You No Longer Have A Label, But You Do Have A Ticket

2008-11-18T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Tama J. Kieves

Excerpted from THIS TIME I DANCE! Creating the Work You Love (How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All!) (Tarcher/Penguin) by Tama J. Kieves by permission of the author.

When I first dropped out of my lawyer life, I sometimes walked downtown on weekdays like some wayward ghost haunting a former territory. I'd stare at the office high-rises with fountains gushing in plazas and geometric murals in cool lobbies. Then I'd gaze in the windows of trendy boutiques dangling smart black leather bags, silk shirts, tweed blazers, the fashion of validity. I found myself envious of the women, like the woman I used to be, who could sit at outdoor cafes sipping iced tea in the easy security of a crowd just like them. They ate Cobb salads, wore linen suits, and consulted their bulky daytimers just bulging with appointments. After lunch, they rushed back to meetings, matters, and materiality, smart black leather bags by their side.

Meanwhile, I walked, invisible, past sidewalk vendors and lawyers, accountants, and secretaries in line for automated bank machines. After lunch hour, the streets would begin to thin out, the remains of life still tingling in the air. I'd find myself missing what I hated, only because that bustle and busyness felt substantial and I did not. I didn't want to practice law. And I didn't want to return to the sleek oppression of an office on the thirtieth floor. Yet I longed for the coherence of a world. I wanted places to go and hats to wear and the easy well being of knowing just where you belonged. Dangling on the sidelines, I longed for a part in the play.

Just months before, I'd had a business card, letterhead, people who recognized me in the mirrored elevator, and a set of circumstances that met with immediate acceptability instead of eyebrows raised, throats cleared, and, usually, poor advice offered. In contrast, my new transition status attracted interrogations, opinions, advice, jealousy, distaste, and lots of face-scrunching, strained looks. I so wished I'd had a word or term that could have passed for an identity. ""I'm a creative entrepreneur, an explorer, a dabbler."" I would have given anything for a pigeonhole to hide in instead of parading my great, big, wide-open soul--or this silent, default characterization: ""I'm a screw up."" ""I'm a lost soul.""

For example, I remember standing around at a former colleague's baby shower, of course in her newly remodeled, gawk-worthy home with her happy, rich husband and all their well-appointed friends. Like always, the inevitable nightmare question came up, either as, ""So what are you doing now?"" or ""What do you do for a living?"" My face would turn plum and my fingers would strum my sweater, as I'd aim for some slick reply and end up sounding like a flower child gone to seed. There I'd go, babbling about Buddhism's theory of right livelihood, how Joseph Campbell trusted the universe, how this society just didn't get artists, and what my therapist thought of me and my relationship to my critical father figure this week. Just a little more than anyone at a baby shower ever wanted to know.

Conversations about careers often degenerated that way. The more I tried to convince someone how sane and evolved I was, or how safe and loving my journey, the more we both felt like I was flying in a balloon created from chicken feathers and finger paint. My free-flowing, see-what-happens career plan all made so much sense until I offered it in defense. Then the psychic glue came undone and so did my tongue. Everyone stared at the bean dip.

So I learned the hard way, the embarrassing, painful, sheepish way, to shut up, eat more olives, stop going to parties and stop trying to explain an inexplicable, soul-filled odyssey in an eat- some-peanuts-and-have-some-small-talk kind of way. At this amazing point in my life, I did not have an identity or role. I had a gap in my life that was just plain off the map, and it actually felt better when I didn't try to cover it up like a great big stain on the rug. It was there. I was there. And I was definitely out there, in process land, the territory between safe places.

Many of us don't seem to know what to do with ourselves when we're in process. It's almost like we see process as failure instead of promise. It will be like this for you perhaps. It's like everyone else out there is walking around like a finished product while meanwhile our Jell-O hasn't jelled, and we haven't even found one of those tinny molds of a dolphin or a rose to hold us. But that's okay because Jell-O without a mold is Jell-O genesis that can become absolutely any Jell-O creation it wants to be.

And gradually process became a good thing, a desirable thing, even an enviable position. Because I came to the realization that, while I no longer had a label, I did have a ticket, a ticket to anywhere I wanted to go with my life. I didn't just have a blank hole on my resume. I had a blank canvas. I could say yes to any desire, dance partner, sunbeam, hope, heartthrob, divine invitation, or adventure that crossed my path. Something would come. And meanwhile, I stood in an open field with all the stars above my head and my brazen arms wide open, unconditional, and I knew that I stood in exactly the right place where magic could find me. My vulnerability was the secret to my flexibility, and flexibility meant that I could move like tumbleweed on the wings of a heaven-sent wind. That wind would blow. And meanwhile, I stood stripped of former commitments, poised to flow.

So it's up to you how you see this time. You are either on the verge of an adventure that will lead to gleaming paths that materialize beneath your feet or you're lost and just too damn old for this kind of precariousness and uncertainty. You can tingle with anticipation or anxiety. Either way, you're probably in for some tingling, some reshaping of your energy. If you choose to embrace your process instead of fight it, it's less likely to throw you from one side of the room to the other.

Trade in that label for a ticket. One explains you properly and makes you a perfectly conventional guest at a cocktail party. The other is the price of admission to a dance of no regret and no turning back. Sure, the place between places is awkward and different and people may look at you funny. But freedom always enters ordinary rooms flaunting exotic robes.

These days, I'll take inspiration over definition any day of the week. And someday soon, I will find the nerve to answer, ""What do you do for a living?"" with the simple reply, ""I live.""

Maybe you will, too.

About the author: Tama J. Kieves is the best-selling author of THIS TIME I DANCE! Creating the Work You Love/How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All! She is also a sought-after speaker and career coach who has helped thousands world-wide to discover and live their creative dreams. Learn more about Tama's workshops and coaching or sign up to receive FREE monthly inspiration and tools for your creative life journey at http://www.AwakeningArtistry.com.

open a profitable restaurant

2008-11-17T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: biitra

I love to go out and eat. I have often thought that running a restaurant might be a great way to make a living. Just think you would get to eat out every night. I love to cook and have been told many times by friends and family that I am a pretty good cook. So recently I decided to look into opening my own restaurant. I found lots of good info on the internet about running a restaurant. I found all kinds of info about cooking and getting all the necessary goverment forms. But I did not find much about how to make a money with a restaurant. But then I found this

Click Here

About the author: Biitra is a web designer and offers web hosting. I love to eat so I thought I might open a restaurant.Found a great resource for restaurant people

Click Here

surveyincomesystems.com

2008-11-16T03:05:00.001-08:00

Author: Tania

My name is Tania, like so many others I am a stay at home mom. Let me guess, can't find a good reliable sitter for your kids, shift work just impossible to maintain a family life? Maybey like me you don't drive. This really limits your employment opportunites doesn't it? Especially when your just trying to pay the rent. That was me not long ago. Untill I found sureyicomesystems.com. Talk about life and family saver. You can have what your looking for, it does exist! Please go to the link above to see how.

Make your dreams that you always envisioned come true!!

About the author:

What Makes You Unique?

2008-11-15T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Duncan Brodie

What is it that makes you stand out from the crowd? You might be a wizard with technology. Perhaps you could be the expert source of knowledge that everyone flocks to for advice on sales. Alternatively you might have the personal qualities that inspire everyone around you.

So how might you discover your uniqueness?

1. Record your greatest achievements and ask yourself what skills, knowledge and personal attributes that helped you get results

2. Take some psychometric tests to get some objective assessment. In selecting tests, make sure they cover not just intelligence but also personality traits

3. Ask those that manage you, your peers and those that you manage for feedback

4. Ask your customers for feedback. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that if you don't work in customer services or sales you don't have customers. Anyone you provide something for is a customer

5. Ask your suppliers for feedback

6. Ask your family for feedback. Get them to consider where you really make a contribution

7. Ask your friends for feedback. What do they really like about you, what do they see in you that you maybe cannot see yourself

8. If you do voluntary or community work, ask those you interact with for feedback

9. Keep a success or highlights journal. Record in detail what happened and what enabled you to be at your best

10. Write a 30 second pitch for a brand new product called you

Go on, give it a go and start to be amazed as you discover the brilliant you.

About the author: Duncan Brodie is a Leadership Development Coach and Management Trainer at Goals and Achievements http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

He specialises in helping accountants, professionals and emerging leaders to make the transition from technical expert to manager and leader.

Do You Have What It Takes To Telecommute?

2008-11-14T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Leslie Truex

If you have wanted to be hired to work from home, the options for you are endless. Today nearly 23% of the workforce works from home at least part time. However, there are characteristics and work habits that you must have if you are going to be successful. Before you quit your regular job to take a work-at-home job, make sure you have what it takes to telecommute:

1) Do you have a skill or talent? Companies that use telecommuters are not looking home workers per se. Employers are more concerned with finding someone who has the skills and experience to do the job that needs to be done. So, how fast can you type? Are you accurate? Can you write? Do you have phone skills? Are you experienced using bookkeeping software? In essence, what skills do you have to give to a company?

2) Do you have the resources? While some companies will provide you with equipment and services, many won't. Do you have a computer with high-speed Internet access? Do you have landline phone service with flat-rate long distance? Do you have basic word processing and spreadsheet programs? Do you have the equipment, services and resources to do the job you want to?

3) Are you reliable? Are you able to deliver the work at the quality expected in the time frame needed? This means if your child is sick, you can't just slack off and work whenever. Instead you need to stay up late or get up early to meet the deadline. Work-at-home employees need to operate with the same professionalism as any other employees.

4) Are you self-motivated and able to work independently? There are hundreds of distractions when working at home. The laundry, Oprah, kids, neighbors, the couch for a nice nap, etc. There is no boss standing behind you to make sure you are getting the work done. Its up to you schedule time to work and to get it done in a timely manner.

5) Would you hire you? Before you answer that question, really think about it. If you were the owner of a business that needed to hire help, would you hire someone who had your work ethic or skills? If you are someone who chats a lot by the water cooler or does just enough to get by, you probably wouldn't want to hire someone like you. If that is the case, you need to change your ways. Working at home gives you a great deal of flexibility and freedom, but its still a job in which someone is paying you to provide quality work to your best ability.

Telecommuting has been the perfect solution to balancing work and family for me; however, it does have its challenges. Not everyone is suited to dealing with the lack of structure and routine that comes with working at home. Before you take the leap into telecommuting, make sure you have what it takes to succeed.

About the author: Leslie Truex is a work-at-home consultant and owner of Work-At-Home Success. Get her Jobs Online Toolkit free with a subscription to her work at home jobs and news newsletter, which is also free. Subscribe here http://www.workathomesuccess.com

Your Actions Today

2008-11-13T03:05:00.001-08:00

Author: Nan S. Russell

Exhausted from a six day business trip and facing a five hour flight on a packed, late departing evening plane, my desire was to block out noise from twenty-two high school students seated nearby. Favorites off my play list, and a just purchased mystery by a favorite author, seemed the perfect remedy to soothe my weariness.

So, when the chime sounded to alert passengers we'd reached a cruising altitude where electronic devices could be used, I turned on my iPod. The pull to procrastinate flirted with my longing to relax, tempting me with its rewards. But that novel, tucked in the seat pocket, remain unopened as I reluctantly booted my computer to write the first draft of this column.

In this case, my long-term goal of book authoring trumped my short-term desire of book reading. With the manuscript for my new book, Hitting Your Stride, due to the publisher in weeks, my writing schedule is a self-imposed, non-negotiable discipline. Column writing happens on certain days, manuscript writing and client work on others.

It's true that it's easier to procrastinate, to move today's work to tomorrow's to-do list, and to focus on short-term impulses instead of long-term goals. But people who are winning at working understand that easier doesn't build the habits and self-discipline needed to reach objectives, actualize dreams and live their life's potential.

This concept is crystallized in the words of a Chinese proverb: ""If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future, look into your present actions.""

Still, we rarely pause to consider that it's present day actions that may be hijacking our dreams. For example, credit card splurges on feel-good, non-essential items might give immediate pleasure. Yet those mounting financial obligations can preclude reaching the financial security, freedom, or work flexibility we desire.

Today's actions impact tomorrow's results at work, too. Procrastination and mediocre self-discipline keep people languishing with less than stellar results year after year. Turning on the TV before preparing for tomorrow's presentation may seem a good choice at the time, but it depends on whether you want to indulge yourself now, or increase your chances of winning that assignment later.

Are you content with your work results? Are you happy with your responsibilities, income, or goal achievement? Do you desire something different, or envy people with greater influence or success? If so, perhaps you're trading your short-term gratification for your long-term dream attainment.

Harry Truman summarized the bottom line when he said, ""In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves. Self-discipline with all of them came first.""

Olympic athletes dreaming of gold make it to practice even when they're tired, overworked or not in the mood, because their bigger passion drives their behavior. People who are winning at working understand the power in their every day actions, too. They manage themselves to do the work, acquire the skill, or obtain the knowledge. Understanding that the tomorrow they get is contained in their actions today, they select those actions wisely.

About the author: Sign up to receive Nan's free eColumn, Winning at Working, at www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. Currently working on her first book, Nan is a writer, columnist, small business owner, and instructor.

Find a job and keep it

2008-11-12T03:05:00.001-08:00

Author: Barbara Thorp

Applicants must know that it is much easier for employers to fire their employees, and they are taking full advantage since the new regulations came into being. It's not a better idea especially nowadays. Many employers were able to manipulate employees and nobody can do about it. The point is, people must have vast work skills and enhance their capabilities on a regular basis so they will not suffer the loss of their job to a more experienced newcomer.

Being a good employee means being a good person. You should be patient, attentive, courteous, and reliable. Good companies and employers know that these values cannot be learned in any high school, college, or university, or on the job training. These qualities must be within you before you work for anybody. They are the most valued characteristics to find in an employee, they are also the rarest.

Unfortunately, many people seem to have cause to believe that employers are obligated to offer them work stability. Think again. This narrow-mindedness will keep you unemployed for a long time and while you are at home feeling sorry for yourself, you can keep living in your fantasy world. If you are only able to do one or two different jobs, you are looking for permanent unemployment. It is your responsibility to have acquired many different skills, so you will have real confidence, which will shine through while you are being interviewed, and land you the job you seek. Moreover, you know that even if you are fired you can easily find another job without a worry.

About the author: Barbara Thorp recommends Job Application at OzFreeOnline for your Employment opportunity . She is the author of Jobs and Career .

5 Voice Over Roles that Will Make You Money

2008-11-11T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Stephanie Ciccarelli

While there are many ways to communicate a message, the art of voice over is tops for delivering the human touch.

Over the centuries, the art of communicating with other people about a given purpose and the transmission of the spoken word, the most powerful, persuasive, and distinctly human tool in any marketers arsenal, has evolved to the degree that you don't have to be in the same room to get a message across, even the same country for that matter.

Geographic locations and time zones afford little to no obstacle for communicating with others in a meaningful and cohesive way.

With all of the advantages this new world and new media bestows, it is very important that a message received is a message that is understood, believed and acted upon.

Much of this depends on the copy writing and voice over skills of the messengers, which brings us to five different character roles you can perform as a voice talent to get the message of your client across in a direct and effective way.

1. Instructor (formal, didactic voice over) 2. Real Person (informal voice over) 3. Spokesperson (advocate, authoritative voice over) 4. Narrator (omniscient storyteller) 5. Announcer (sets the stage and calls for action)

Let's explore these types of character roles in detail.

1. Instructor

When teaching someone on what to do, for example, a corporate training video or children's game, the voice over best suited for this kind of project is a straightforward, didactic and educated voice. The role of this particular voice talent is to instruct or provide information to fulfill a specific goal or purpose.

2. Real Person

Projects requiring a more casual approach often benefit from relatable, genuine voice overs. These voice overs are referred to as ""Real Person"" voice overs, commonly known as the ""regular guy"" or the ""girl next door"". The character is homegrown, sensible, and friendly with a touch of familiarity and provides a more intimate interpretation that instills trust.

3. Spokesperson

A Spokesperson can be on camera or off camera depending on the medium you are using. The role of a spokesperson is generally played by a confident, charismatic person able to promote a cause, product, or service with ease and authority. A voice over of this nature needs to be driven, optimistic and assured.

4. Narrator

Storytelling is where the Narrator is most at home. Omniscient, courteous and honest, a Narrator's job is to provide an audio landscape for a listener, briefing them on background information, posing questions, and providing solutions as they guide their audience through a program or documentary. Narrators can be male or female, and the most important factors are that they can communicate clearly and engagingly.

5. Announcer

The Announcer, often heard live at events, on commercials, promos or introducing segments for podcasts, is a product of the broadcast age, most celebrated at its height in the Golden Age of Radio and early television broadcasts. Announcers can introduce an idea and assertively make a call for action at the conclusion of a commercial advertisement or short video. One common misconception is that an announcer has to sound like an announcer from decades ago, however modern announcers act more like Narrators, and in many cases, adopt the Real Person approach.

Discovering which role suits your voice best is very important, because more often than not, you'll be hired again and again for the same kind of role.

Why is that? Your ""signature voice"" is at the heart of your business. It's what you sound like without pretending and is your greatest asset as a performer.

A professional voice over and branding coach can help you to develop your signature voice and maximize what it can do for you. Once you know where your strengths lie, you can do anything!

About the author: Stephanie Ciccarelli is the VP of Marketing with Voices.com, the voice over marketplace hosting more than 10,000 professional voice talents. Stephanie is also the author of The Definitive Guide To Voice-Over Success.

Career Coaching : Importance Of Work Values

2008-11-10T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Ebru Ulufer

It is crucial to know your work values if you want to find your ideal job. Your work values are those things in your work life that you consider to be important. When you design your career based on your values, your motivation will be greatly increased and your chances of success and fulfilment improve hugely. Otherwise you're faced with spending 1/3 of your life doing something that doesn't fulfill you.

Are you aware of your work values?

Taking the time to think about the things that really matter to you is a good starting point for finding your ideal job. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Relax your body and mind. Look at the values listed below. Make a note of the top ten values which are most like you and the five that are least like you. Take as much time as you need.

* Independence * Helping others * Risk taking * Change and variety * Stability * Making a difference * Prestige and the social status * Leadership * Teamwork * Advancement * Material benefits * Security * Artistic creativity * Work environment * Self expression * Adventure/excitement * Working outdoors * Recognition * Competing with others * Influencing others * Work-life balance * Sense of achievement * Intellectual stimulation * Challenge * Structure and predictability * Making decisions * Supervision * Public contact * Working with... (children/data/machines/numbers/ideas/hands/tools, etc) * Working alone * Working for a good cause * Physical work * Traveling often * Being an entrepreneur * Working in a fast-paced environment * Having regular work hours * Setting your own hours/having flexibility * Location * Having fun at work

Now that you've discovered your values you should be starting to get a sense of what is important to you in terms of your career plan.

Write a few sentences describing or summarizing how your values translate into your ideal job.

Consider how each is reflected in the work you currently do. Don't assume that to find your ideal job you have to change careers completely. If you like your job but you are not happy with long working hours, is there scope for you to negotiate fewer hours ? Maybe your job allows you to work from home a couple of days a week ? Be imaginative ! Changes don't always have to be drastic to be effective.

If you are happy with your career but find yourself working for a company whose values are totally different from yours, you are in the wrong place. In this case, you might consider applying for another company whose values align with yours.

If work-life balance is very important to you but you spend 4 hours commuting each day, this will take valuable time away from your family and the ability to pursue other activities that you would normally enjoy. Start looking for a job close to your home.

If you are sure that changing careers is the only way you will be happy, then start preparing yourself for the transition.

Remember : Confucius said, ""Find a job you enjoy, and you'll never work a day in your life.""

About the author: Ebru Ulufer is a career transition coach. She combines her 15 years of corporate career experience with her coaching training to help her clients create the career they were born to do. For more information, visit http://www.lifecoachingzon e.com

Ultimate Wealth Package Success Story

2008-11-09T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Daniel Whisenhunt

Have you ever needed just a little bit of extra money? A lot of extra money? Well I did too and I've finally found the answer...

I've been using the Ultimate Wealth Package for about 2 months now and I have already made an amazing $3000.00. I know this sounds too good to be true or just another get rich quick schemes, but this program has really saved my life.

Before this program I was just living paycheck-to-paycheck. I never really knew what it was like to have the extra money to pay off credit card bills, do home improvements, or even go on summer vacations..

Well now with using this program I can do all those things and much more.

It is really worth your time to check out this amazing offer and it is worth so much more than it costs...

So go check out this site today...

http://drw065.imarichkid.hop.clickbank.net

About the author: I'm from a small town in southern Arkansas. I don't have a regular 9-5 job anymore, as all my income comes from the Ultimate Wealth Package. I just want to spread the good word to as many as possible.

What You Need to Know About Dreams that Stalk You: How They Can Lead You to Your Best Career Change Yet.

2008-11-08T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Leanna Fredrich

Donna has been telling people for years that she wants to start her own business. She has dreamed about it since she was in high school but instead of taking steps towards following her dream, she has spent her days in the corporate world. When asked, Donna will say she doesn't know what she wants to do for a career. All she knows is that she is burned out with what she is doing. Yet, everyone around her knows the dream that has been following her - the dream of being her own boss.

Many of us have dreams that are following us around while we desperately try to ignore them! Think for a minute. Have you heard yourself saying things like...""I'd love to turn this hobby into a career but..."" or ""I've always wanted to be my own boss but..."" or ""What I really wanted to do was _______ but now it is too late."" ? If this sounds like you then it is time to turn around and look those dreams right in the face. They hold clues to what your passion-filled career change can be.

What keeps us running from our dreams? One of the most common reasons I have seen as a Life Coach is that we think it is too late to live a dream. Most of the time that is absolutely false! We give up on our dreams way too fast. I remember reading about a woman who always dreamed of being a doctor. She was 60 years old when she went back to college to pursue that dream. Many people asked her, ""Do you realize that you will be almost 70 years old by the time you get out of school and begin your career?"" Her answer was always, ""I can be 70 and a doctor or 70 and not a doctor. Either way I'll turn 70. I would much rather be 70 and a doctor!"" She went on to achieve her MD and is still enjoying her thriving career. Are you giving up too soon?

I'll admit (although reluctantly) that sometimes it might be too late to accomplish certain dreams. For example becoming a professional athlete in your 60's might not happen. Although I really hate to say that because of a man called Banana George. He begin barefooting at the age of 46. He now holds 4 world records and is a professional barefooter. To top that off when George turned 75 he learned how to snowboard! Be very careful before you decide your dream is ""impossible""! But if you really, really believe that the dream you have is impossible for you to reach then take a look at the essence of your dream. What is it that you wanted most from it? If you wanted to be a professional dancer then what attracted you to that career? Was it the movement? If so you can have a career around movement . Was it the music? Was it the thrill of performing on stage? The challenge of mastering something and being known for it? Whatever you loved about that dream you can have in many different careers. Take the essence of that dream and find a career to meet that essence.

The next time you hear yourself saying, ""I have no idea what I am passionate about or what I want to do for a career change."" take a quick peek behind you. Do you have a dream that is stalking you? If you do look it in the eye and start taking it seriously. I have been amazed over and over again at how well those clingy dreams lead people to exciting, passionate, and meaningful careers!

About the author: Leanna Fredrich works with professional and executive women in the 2nd half of their careers who are burned out and don't know what to do next. She helps them go from burned out to fired up by finding meaningful and passion-filled work. Are you serious about creating an amazing life? Take the FREE ""How to Discover Your Passion-filled Work"" email class. For more information go to http://www. LeannaFredrich.com

5 Steps to Creating and Achieving Your Personal Development Plan

2008-11-07T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Duncan Brodie

A personal development plan helps you to grow and achieve. So why do so few people take the time to create one? Two potential reasons are:

* Lack of know how

* Fear of limiting themselves

There are 5 key steps in creating a personal development plan

1. Do a personal stock-take of your strengths and development needs. As well as your own assessment get the input of others. They can often see talents that you don't

2. Think about what development will help you most in achieving your goals

3. Decide which methods of delivery will have greatest impact on your learning

4. Set out a calendar of development events for the next 12 months

5. Put an accountability structure in place to ensure you follow through

About the author: Duncan Brodie is a Leadership Development Coach at Goals and Achievements http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

His key area of interest is helping accountants, professionals and emerging leaders to make the transition from technical expert to leader.

3D Animators - Hollywood's Rising Stars

2008-11-06T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Bernadette Peters

Computer Graphics films are now definite players in the movie industry and their role is putting pressure on the traditional film industry, especially highly paid actors and actresses. Movie goers are finding that they get just as much enjoyment out of watching a big green ogre who moves and feels like we do, as they are from Pierce Brosnan or Jennifer Lopez.

In 1995, Toy Story was the first fully CG animated film to be produced and since then, CG movies have been coming thick and fast.

By 2005, 11 feature-length CG movies were released, and this figure was almost doubled in 2006 when the industry exploded, releasing 20 CG films.

But who are the real stars of CG films?

They are the 3D artists. Thanks to computer graphics, 3D animators are now the rising stars and major players in Hollywood.

The role of computer graphics in film has come a long way since Westworld in 1973 when 2D images were first used in a movie. This rapid industry growth means there is lots of opportunity for animators to get work. But the growth appears to depend on the amount of quality animators entering the industry.

The power of the 3D artist was made clear after the 2006 boom when a plateau was met. The number of CG films planned for this year is on a par with last year indicating that the supply of trained 3D animators is not meeting industry demand.

Training Animation Stars

Increased quality education could prove to be the key to growth in this industry. Educators have the job to keep the 3D star rising. If the industry requires educators who produce quality graduates in a short time frame, the trick for educators will be to cut out the theory and teach in an intense industry simulated environment.

Tips to the Potential Star

If you are looking to become a successful 3D Artist and want to work on CG movies, research your training organisation and select one that will help your career rise relatively quickly and with quality.

About the author: Bernadette Peters works for the Media Design School (www.mediadesignschool.co.nz), a tertiary institute specialising in high-end undergraduate and graduate qualifications, including

3D animation qualifications .

Simple Tip for Managing Office Politics

2008-11-05T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Don Goodman, President of About Jobs Resume Writing & Coaching Service

In the last couple of weeks, I have coached a few people who lost to ""office politics"". However these cases stand out because a few basic tips could have helped them avoid losing their jobs.

Another name for office politics is personalities. There are personalities in every company and everyone has to be aware of the wants, desires and goals of the key influencers and decision makers that affect your career. In the most glaring case I handled, a woman joined a company and was very excited about the opportunities there. In her first week, a fellow saw her at the copier and asked her if she would make copies for him. She turned around and said ""Why, can't you make your own copies?""

Now the fellow wasn't exactly a vice president or a decision maker, but he had been there for over 5 years and was well liked. So he started spreading the word that she was a ""bit--"". Whenever anyone asked about the new gal, they then got that description.

To top it off, our woman who had been described by the company president as a real ""go-getter"" was perceived as a threat by another woman who had been there 15 years and was normally the President's pet. Bottomline, after 1 week, the President let her go because he felt it ""wasn't a good fit"".

Now I have run into mean, nasty, purposely deceptive politics. This was not that. This was nothing more then the water cooler effect at work. So what should the client have done?

Simple: follow this rule. Your first month on the job, your primary task is to get people to like you. It's not to impress them with your talent (although that's good too), but rather to get people to want to collaborate and associate with you. It's time to build relationships that will help you on the job. My advice is to build relationships with EVERYONE, not just the ""important people"".

What do you think would have happened if the word had been spread that ""She's really nice and smart""! Remember this tip on your next job and your transition into the firm will be that much easier.

About the author: Don Goodman, President of About Jobs ( www.GotTheJob.com ) is a nationally recognized Career Coach and Resume Writer. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business and Stanford University's Executive Program, Don has helped thousands of people secure their next job. Contact him at 800-909-0109.

System Administrator And System Engineer Jobs

2008-11-04T03:07:00.001-08:00

Author: Tony Jacowski

Systems Administrators

Systems Administrators are expected to be efficient in diagnosing and fixing problems fast and with accuracy. It is essential for a system administrator to have a substantial understanding of various programming languages used for computing various tasks. In addition, they should be able to understand the nature of the software, to organize and use it for troubleshooting. A systems administrator needs to have intense knowledge about computer security. The job involves deployment of software patches and the deterrence of break-in and other security related issues, along with preventive measures.

Responsibilities

The basic responsibilities of a system administrator include security check of systems and software, documentation of the system configuration and troubleshooting of the reported complaints. He must be able to backup data, apply operating system updates and arrange specific changes, to develop a better system. He should be able to answer technical queries and solve several technical problems, thereby keeping the network up and running. System administrators are in demand in several organizations as Technical Support staff, Network Administrators, Application Analysts, Security Administrators, Database Administrators and Programmers. Moreover, they also have ample scope in financial industries, database and UNIX administration.

Systems Engineering

System engineering is one of the most lucrative careers in the field of computer technology and involves the realization and deployment of successful systems. It combines several disciplines and specialty groups and forms a well-organized development process, proceeding from the concept to the production and operation. The use of computers benefits both the business, as well as the technical needs of the customers and provides quality products that meet the specified needs of the user. While civil engineers design buildings and electrical engineers design circuits, a system engineer works with abstract systems and depends on other engineering disciplines to develop and deliver many tangible products.

Responsibilities

A system engineer is mainly responsible for handling specific customer needs, developing business operations, documenting specifications and finally, initiating design synthesis and system validation, to solve several systems related issues. Below are the different methods and tools that are often used by system engineers:

- Functional analysis - Communications protocol design and specification - Fault modeling - Simulation and modeling - Interface design and specification - System architecture and design - Verification and validation or acceptance testing

Over the years, the demand for system engineers has been increasing. The job of a system engineer is basically to authenticate assumptions and come up with workable theories. Even extremely complex systems like aircrafts are modeled and simulated by system engineers. In addition to having a promising career in various companies, organizations and aviation, systems engineers also have job opportunities in power plants, the medical machinery and spacecraft industry. Efficient system engineers are hired in these industries to assure normal functioning of the various complex systems and to avoid unnecessary complications. They also work towards cost efficiency and providing assurance for quality improvement and success of a project.

How To Become A Domestic Energy Assessor

2008-11-03T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: James Copper

There are two parts to qualifying as a domestic energy assessor in the UK. The first is assessment, the second is training. Both are provided by the NHER. Lets take a look at what is involved in the assessment of domestic energy assessor candidates.

Called the ABBE Level 3 domestic energy assessor diploma, the certification is a brand new part of qualifying. This requirement to become a domestic energy assessor became available at the end of 2006, as part of the about-to-be-implemented home sale regulations on energy performance compliance. Considered a vocational related qualification (VRQ), it is based on competence.

A would-be domestic energy assessor would achieve this diploma through not only assessment but examination as well. The UK government puts out a National Occupational Standards report, which spells out what a domestic energy assessor candidate would need to do to achieve this diploma.

There are 5 categories of compliance with domestic energy assessor National Occupational Standards. The first category is to work in a professional and effective manner, which would be both assessed and tested. The three parts to this category include the development and maintenance of effective work relationships with coworkers, consumers, vendors and other interested parties.

This category also includes proof that the candidate can manage her or his own resources and time well, that he or she is engaged in self-improvement in work areas, and conducts her or himself in an ethical and professional manner always.

The second category of compliance, for determination of domestic energy assessor qualification, is a look at whether the candidate is prepared for the energy assessment. She or he must agree with and confirm the instruction that must be undertaken for the assessment and must be prepared to conduct relevant inquiries about the property.

The actual performance of energy assessment practices and procedures falls into the third category. Here is where the candidates ability to adequately inspect property and determine the performance of its energy and to record the findings of her or his inspection are assessed.

The fourth and final category of compliance to the standards for domestic energy assessors is the ability of the candidate to produce and explain the required energy performance certificates (EPC.) Include in this category are the specifics of produce the EPC document, issuing it for the homeowner and explaining what is contained therein.

A government regulated UK assessment center is tasked with determining if a candidate qualifies as a domestic energy assessor. The center must ensure that the candidate has obtained the necessary level of energy-efficiency knowledge and skills.

This is determined by the training courses the candidate has completed, and the portfolio of evidence presented that the candidate has performed EPC assessments adequately. The candidate may be instructed to train further, or may be found ready to take the ABBE exam that will certify him or her as a domestic energy assessor.

About the author: James Copper is a Career Advisor from the UK. He helps people retrain as a Energy Assessor by taking a Energy Training Course.

A Personal Injury Case Is a Job Hunt Disadvantage

2008-11-02T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Ajeet Khurana

We can avoid doing a lot of things, but job hunting is not one of them. Perhaps you've just had a baby, or been downsized, or got fired because of the personal injury case you filed against the guy who practically ran you over in the parking garage. So what if the guy just happened to be the CEO. The fact is, you have lost a lot of time without a job, and now need one. When you are job hunting, there are a few do's and don'ts that act as general rules of thumb as far as things that you can do or avoid in order to nail the position. Check out websites that provide tips for job hunting and resume writing as these will get your foot in the door and a seat in front of an interviewer. The interview stage alone is a process that carries with it an entirely separate guidebook on things to say, things not to say and things to do, or things not to do. When you are job hunting and preparing for that next career move, keep some of these suggestions in mind.

1. DO have a professional resume and cover letter. Again, there are all sorts of online tools and templates that can help you achieve this.

2. DON' T put impertinent information on your resume. The name of your personal injury lawyer on your cover letter looks really bad. Also, your interviewer doesn't care about how you spend your spare time. UNLESS you are seeking employment at a kitten orphanage.

3. DO tell the truth to your interviewer. If you have lost a job, be honest about it. Chances are if you aren't, your prospective employer will find out anyway. You don't need to mention the parking garage, just be honest about the fact that you've been let go previously.

4. DON'T try to volunteer information that does not pertain to the job. For example, if you are there because your settlement hasn't come through yet, and you need to pay for your professional injury lawyer, you may want to leave that out. When it comes to the ""Why do you want to work here question?"" say something about seeking new challenges or something to that effect. They love that.

5. DO not lie about your minus points when you are asked. Don't say that your personal injury case has left you with a bad back and you can't sit still for long periods of time. Say something that will make the interviewer reflect your weakness back on the position. ""I'm a perfectionist!"" works very well in this situation. This would be a good time to become one.

6. DON'T mention the word lawyer at all; not unless you are applying to a LAW FIRM. Do not use the word lawyer. AT ALL.

7. DO some easy conversation topics to establish a rapport with the interviewer. Review #6 before you pick a topic however.

These are just a few general tips that can help you in the job market and pin down the position of your dreams. Don't worry, we've all been there. A good interviewer will not intentionally try to make things difficult for you. Good luck!

About the author: The author Ajeet Khurana is an Internet enthusiast and recommends that you visit Sample Resume and Personal Injury Lawyers and Legal Bugle .

Sample Cover Letter for an Office Furniture Job

2008-11-01T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Ajeet Khurana

When job hunting you need to be the best candidate possible, and so, you need to set yourself apart early. Yet, all that you have to make that killer first impression with is a piece of paper and some information. How you present that information is going to determine if you get that awaited for interview. Use some of the following tips to write some terrific resume cover letters. For the purpose of this article, we will use a generic job of ""Office Furniture Purchaser"" to illustrate the main ideas.

* Don't use up your first paragraph with a boring introduction. Write an introduction that will make them pay attention. Give them the reasons you are qualified right off the bat. E.g.: Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to apply for your advertised position as office furniture. am interested in discussing my the high points of my career from the past 15 years in the office furniture industry with you.

* Don't use old stand-bys like ""Attached please find my resume..."" Your prospective employer can SEE your resume; they don't need you to tell them it is there. Avoid writing sentences that provide no real value. If you need to refer to your resume in your cover letter, use statements like this: E.g.: My resume will show you that I am a qualified and skilled office furniture purchaser with a proven track record in budget saving techniques. There, you just told them that you have experience, and you know how to save them money, AND you have a resume.

* Avoid using complicated expressions or sentence structures in your resume cover letter. If you are educated, they will know that you can use big words in the interview. E.g.: I would love to work with you, and establish my record breaking office furniture purchasing experience with your company.

* See to it that you convey your expectations, and mention words used in the ad in your resume as things you can do. It may look blatant, but it does positively affect the subconscious mind of the employer. For example, if the ad says, ""seeking detail oriented and efficient time manager for Senior Office Furniture Buyer"", you want to say... E.g.: My skills include a flawless attention to detail, commitment to meeting deadlines, and multi-tasking experience as a Senior Officer in a National Furniture Division.

If you use these simple tips you will soon have a resume that will make prospective employers want to hire you. Good luck!

About the author: The author Ajeet Khurana is a web enthusiast and recommends that you visit Cover Letters and Office Furniture and Chairs for Employees .

make money online fast simple REAL! NO JOKE!

2008-10-31T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: tom

i'm basically computer challenged so when my friend told me he was making money by sitting at his computer for an hour a day i thought that i probably couldn't do it. i tried it and sure enough its so simple i was making money within about 2 days! now i just paid off my condo and leased a new car. i would recomend it to everybody who is sick of taking orders from their bosses at a dead end job like i was. It's real and simple! go to my website and see for your self. money back gaurentee if not satisfied!!! www.freewebs.com/paradisemillionaire

About the author: i was stuck at a dead end job working 9-5 for a measley $400 a week. i needed something new and an easy way to make money so i decided totry one of those online make money quick scams.... needless to say it's not such a scam. now i live comfortably, not excessive or like a rockstar but i am comfortable with the income that is now coming in.

IT and Telecoms Vacancy numbers on the increase

2008-10-30T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Tony Draper

Good news for a telecoms vacancy: According to the Graduate Market in 2007 the number of graduate jobs offered by the top 100 employers should increase by more than 10% this year. A survey by High Fliers Research - published yesterday, more than 80% of these firms plan to hire at least as many, or more, graduates in a telecoms vacancy than last year. Recruitment at the top accounting firms and investment banks remains buoyant, but the fastest growing sectors are in IT and telecoms, with vacancies up by 47.8%.

Telecoms Vacancy Top Salaries enjoyed within the City

The average starting salaries for the Class of 2007 will increase by £1,700 to £25,500, researchers also found. However, a quarter of the surveyed firms expect to offer graduate wages in a telecoms vacancy closer to £30,000. You know where the top earners are.....(law, consulting and oil and energy firms) and where the lowest ( retail and the public services) will be found. City investment banks will undoubtedly be the real high fliers. These firms may not publicise graduate packages, but employees could find themselves in the highest tax band.

Graduate demand outstrips supply

Of course, it can't all be good news. While the increase in It and telecoms vacancy numbers is clearly welcome, researchers have warned that the growth in graduate programmes has failed to keep pace with the huge rise in students going to university over the past 10 years. Some 265,000 (almost 10,000 more than in 2005) graduates are expected to leave university this summer, so competition for some of the most prestigious graduate programmes is likely to be fierce. Some employers said they expected to receive 50 applications for each IT and Telecoms vacancy. Not only that, more than 90% of the top 100 firms are recruiting graduates to work in London and the south-east of England this year, and less than half have vacancies in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

About the author: I am 32 years old and the CEO of a growing IT/Telecoms Company providing consultancy and recruitment services.

Will a Personality Test Help You Find a Career?

2008-10-29T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Brian Jones

The short answer is yes and no. Many people take personality tests such as the Myers-Briggs® to help them in their career searches. Here are some arguments for and against relying on such tests:

On the ""yes"" side, it's a well-known phenomenon in the world of work that birds of a feather flock together. That means certain personality types congregate in higher percentages in some careers more than in others. For example, there is a personality type that is quite common among accountants. This is one reason we have jokes based on professional stereotypes. There are often many similar people in each profession, so jokes tend to reflect that majority. The reason personality types are attracted to differing occupations is because of the nature of the work. In our example, people who are accurate, logical, detail-oriented, prefer working with numbers rather than people, and who follow rules are more likely to enjoy accounting than people who are not any of the above. Conversely, people who break rules, are emotional, focus on people and grand ideas are more likely be artists. If a personality test helps you understand what kind of person you are, it can help you pick a career that fits your style. That's much better than trying to change yourself.

On the ""no"" side, it's also true if you survey enough people in any profession, you'll find all personality types. Sure, there's a typical kind of accountant, but there are many others who do not fit the profile. Even if your personality type is uncommon for accountants, you still might be a happy, successful accountant. There are surely rule-breaking, emotional, and irrational accountants in the world. Not as many as other types, but there are surely some. Who can tell if you'd like the work or not? It's hard to say without trying it.

A second problem is no test can tell you specifically which career to pick. You might have a list of 100 careers that people of your type enjoy. At that point, knowing your personality type might not provide you with much guidance. For example, accountant types would likely enjoy banking, financial analysis, editing, and auditing as well. How do you pick from among many options?

In my experience, the greatest use of these tests comes from knowing yourself better. While it might not tell you which career to pick, such tests can often point you in the right direction, which can be a great help for those who are struggling. Personality tests are often great at explaining why you don't like your job. You might be like the Ugly Duckling: a swan trying to act like a duck. Far better to be a swan, but to do so, you have to look in the mirror and recognize who you are. A personality test can help do that.

About the author: Brian Jones has tested over 15,000 people at his web site http://www.DiscoverYourPersonality.com Many have changed careers as a result.

Data Entry Business - The #1 Money Making Program on the Internet!!

2008-10-28T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Michael Tumbarello

I truly believe that anyone can make incredible income using this system. All I had to do was enter data online, either full or part time. I was able to work only when I wanted to. I had no experience doing data entry before and yet the program was still was easy to follow. All I had to do was follow the easy step by step instructions and I made almost $800 in the first 5 days!! After using this system, I can honsetly say that this program is a proven money-maker. If you have more questions just see the faq's provided on the homepage. Just click on this link:

http://dataentrybusiness.com/?a_aid=9e4eefbe

About the author: President - The Net Job Zone

Boost your career with networking

2008-10-27T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Amy Tsui

Are you trying to increase your current sales figures? Are you unhappy at your current job and looking for a change? You may even be considering starting your own business! Whatever challenge you may be facing now, you are likely to need good connections with people willing to help you out. Know that the bases of such connections are trust and respect and can only be earned over time - so you need to build those connections as early as possible in your career.

A few years ago, before the emergence of networking sites, the best way to network and build valuable connections was rather random - either meeting people through existing contacts or attend networking events. Nowadays, networking sites are important tools that can help you expand your personal network. The purpose of this article is to provide you with tips on how to use these sites effectively.

1. Do not limit yourself to business networking sites

There are two types of networking sites: social networking sites, which are geared towards reuniting with old friends, keeping in touch with current friends, meeting new people or dating, and business networking sites, which are geared towards building the valuable business connections that you are looking for. Some examples are:

Social networking sites: Classmates.com Facebook.com

Friendster.com MySpace.com

Business networking sites: Daikana.com Jigsaw.com

LinkedIn.com Ryze.com

The purpose of registering on networking sites is to get to know people before meeting in person. Chances are, individuals who create profiles on business networking sites also have profiles on social networking sites. Being able to review both will give you a better understanding of who that person is and find topics of conversation or common interests.

2. Create accounts on as many sites as possible

Networking sites are built around similar concepts, but they usually offer different features. For example, Facebook is made up of separate networks based around schools, companies or regions. On the other hand, MySpace enables users to customize their profiles heavily with movies, music and other Medias. LinkedIn is great to help individuals find new jobs whereas Daikana is geared towards organization and offers a large variety of enterprise tools for project management, document processing, calendaring etc... Registering on multiple sites will help you meet more people or see different aspects of a same person. To be easily recognizable, make sure to use the same main picture on all your profiles.

3. Schedule an event

Once you know more about one or several individuals that you are interested in meeting you should schedule an event and ask your friends, coworkers or contacts to bring them along. Be sure to schedule an event they will be interested in joining, whatever it is from just a dinner to watching an opera, based on what you know about them. At this point, it is better to meet in person than be introduced online.

The individuals that you want to network with do not have to be aware that the purpose of the event is for you to meet them, so do not be too eager to ask for phone numbers or business cards. The goal of the event is for them to have a good time with you, to appreciate your qualities and to want to meet with you again.

4. Follow up and build actual relationships

The following day or couple of days you should send emails to the people you've met and add them as friends or contacts. You shouldn't be shy about doing this, usually people that you barely know, as long as you've actually met them, will add you to their network. You should keep on growing your personal network that way - by slowly meeting and adding new people. There is no easy way around it: you have to commit time and effort to building your network; networking sites are just a tool to help you meet new people - you should always remember that the bases of a good connection are trust and respect.

Good luck!

About the author: Amy Tsui, MBA works for a leading aircraft and aerospace manufacturer.

Job Finding Tips

2008-10-26T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Rick Derris

Finding a job is hard. It takes persistence, confidence and preparation. That being said, there are things one can do to make the transition from unemployed to office superstar faster and less frustrating. The number one thing that alleviates job-finding anxiety is preparation. It cannot be stressed enough. Proper preparation includes researching the best job sites for one's industry, having an updated resume always available, and even knowing what to wear.

JOB SITES

Whether we like it or not, job search sites are a major part of finding a job. Find the best job site for your industry. Below are some of the best job sites around, but there are a ton of job sites out there. Find one you like and visit it often. However, be sure not to limit yourself. It is a good idea to sign up for email alerts from multiple sites, that way you can be first to respond to jobs that are right for you.

MULTIPLE INDUSTRY JOB SITES

Free Agents Jobs

http://www.theFreeJobs.com

A great new site. It's like a 'visual' craigslist--a simple, intuitive search solution. Free Agents Jobs offers free email job alerts to keep you in the loop if your perfect job pops up.

Indeed.com

http://www.indeed.com

Indeed is a very powerful job search engine. It's like Google, for jobs. When you click on a job at Indeed.com you will be taken directly to the site where the job is posted.

Craigslist

http://www.craigslist.org

Find your city and start lookin'! Craigslist has tons of jobs in every industry and provides a nice local touch. However, conversion rates are pretty low, so don't count on an interview.

SPECIALTY JOB SITES

Krop

http://www.krop.com

For creative and tech professionals. Krop is a fast growing site with great design and interface.

Joel on Software

http://jobs.joelonsoftware.com

Jobs from a specialty software and programming blog. If you're on top of your game, this is the place to look!

37 Signals

http://jobs.37signals.com

Job board from 37 Signals, internet web application programmers. These guys produce great web apps! Another great job resource If you're on top of your game!

Creative Hotlist

http://creativehotlist.com

Great resource for creative positions (designers and such)!

RESUME FORMAT: Don't Get Cute!

Use a style similar to business letter formatting. Avoid using elaborate headers or multi-column layouts. These kinds of flare DO NOT make you look unique, they make you look unprofessional. If you want to show a bit of your personality, let it peek through in your cover letter. Your resume should serve to provide a structured outline of your qualifications, nothing more. Remember that consistency and simplicity are priorities with your resume. Treat each section the same. Make sure that you use reverse chronological order for all entries. DO NOT prioritize your employment history. Just because something was important to you, does not mean your potential employer will think so. Let them make the decision when reading with no surprises. For instance, you don't want to go from 1997 to 2006, back to 2000. You want to go from 2007 to 2006 to 2005, and so on. No surprises, nothing to hide.

Font: Times, Times New Roman or Georgia

Font Size: 10pt

Margins: 1"" on all sides

Tabs: 0.5""

SAMPLE FORMAT

------------------------------------

Jane Boogie

555 Some Street

Great City, US 20817

(212) 555-1212

jboogie@gmail.co

SUMMARY

Six years professional design studio experience. Four years freelance design experience. BA, Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design. Cum laude.

EDUCATION

2007 University of Southern California

BFA, Sculpture, Cum Laude

EXPERIENCE

2006 BCBG

Graphic Designer | May 2005 - Aug 2006

Responsible for xyz. Managed four employees.

AWARDS

2007 ABC Design Award

2006 XYZ Sweetness Award

------------------------------------

HOW TO DRESS FOR A JOB INTERVIEW: ALWAYS OVER DRESS! (Just a little bit)

Rule #1: Dress Nicely!

Set aside an outfit that you know you're comfortable in and makes you feel confident. If the employer does not specify what the dress code is, assume it's BUSINESS CASUAL and plan to dress a little nicer than that!

Women: Wear dark dress pants and either a sweater, blouse or button down dress shirt. NO JEANS! NOTHING REVEALING! Don't even risk it for a first impression. For shoes, knock yourself out. If you like heels, wear heels. If you like flats, wear flats. NO SNEAKERS, no matter how cool they are! Keep the makeup to a minimum, don't overdo it lady!

Men: Wear dark dress pants and a button down dress shirt or stylish, lightweight sweater. NO JEANS! NO POLO SHIRTS! For shoes, wear dress shoes, NOT sneakers OR sandals. Remember, if you wear dark grey or black pants, wear a black belt and black shoes. If you wear dark brown or dark green pants wear a brown belt and brown shoes. Chances are you could care less about this sort of thing, but it DOES MATTER (at least for a first impression)! Please remember to shave at least 3 HOURS BEFORE your interview, just in case you knick yourself or you have sensitive skin and are prone to 'raspberries.'

NOTE: If an employer specifies a very casual dress code, then certainly go with that. Remember to still dress a little bit nicer than you think you should. It always pays off!

Rule #2: Smell Nice!

Wear some deodorant for once! If you have a light cologne or perfume you like to wear, put on a little bit, but not too much. Having a nice smell is very underrated in social situations. Furthermore, if an employer turns up the heat, you don't have to worry about getting all hot and bothered. You will, naturally, smell like roses :)

CONCLUSION

These tips will help you get started in the right direction. Now go put yourself out there! Set up some interviews and even accept a few interviews you know you don't want. Practice makes perfect and the only way to practice is to be under the microscope in a small office with a peculiar HR person asking you questions and telling you the way it is. But, these situations will prepare you for the interview that goes perfectly, where you can't say the wrong thing and feel respected and wanted. In order for that to happen, you have to be prepared and stay persistent.

About the author: Rick Derris is the staff writer for Free Agents Jobs, http://www.theFreeJobs.com .

Looking For A Manual Job? The Basics Of A Temporary Assembly Workers Job

2008-10-25T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Wade Robins

Labour makes the world go round. It produces the products we use in our homes every day. Although there is less industry in the developed world than there was a hundred years ago, the factories of this country are still in need of workers, which results in a number of temporary assembly workers jobs being available at any given time. The Occupational and Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor guarantees the health and safety of individuals with a temporary assembly workers job and so there is nothing to hold you back when it comes to applying for one.

Health And Safety Guidelines

The OSHA guidelines should be taken very seriously because they ensure the health and safety of individuals performing in a temporary assembly workers job role. Individuals that do have a temporary assembly workers job are exposed to more health hazards than anyone sitting in an office. The equipment and machinery has to be of a certain standard to make sure that the possibility of an accident happening is extremely unlikely. Compliance to the guidelines is completely up to the company, although an employee, whether temporary or permanent, also has some responsibility to act sensibly in the workplace too. Any agency offering temporary assembly workers job positions should make a potential employee aware of their responsibilities before a contract is signed. The Availability Of Temporary Assembly Workers Jobs

Temporary assembly workers job positions are widely available all over the world. A number of agencies will be engaged by any given company in order to recruit suitable candidates to fill all available temporary assembly workers job roles. All agencies will be fully vetted to ensure that they will actually inform potential candidates of the health risks when they undertake a temporary assembly workers job. They will perform health checks, work history checks and fully educate the individual on the nature of the work before they even set foot inside the plant in which they will work.

Safety Requirements Of A Temporary Assembly Workers Job

A temporary assembly workers job role will be commenced only on the completion of any necessary onsite training. This training will fully inform a potential employee of the nature of the job, the risks involved, the procedures within the workplace and any other necessary information that is vital to the role that he or she will take on. This is all essential to an individual's ability to do well in any given temporary assembly workers job.

Temporary assembly workers jobs employees will have to wear the correct protective clothing. This usually includes goggle, protective clothing such as heat resistant overalls, the correct shoes and gloves. The combination of the clothing requirement will actually depend on the nature of the job role. You may not need goggles or gloves, for example. All of the necessary equipment will be provided for you though.

A temporary assembly workers job can provide you with a good source of income and the potential for a more higher paying role if you get taken on a permanent contract. However, assess the pay in line with the risks before you commit to anything because you have to feel secure in the workplace and confident in your ability to do the job.

About the author: You can also find more information on

Temporary Job Placement Agency and

Temporary Receptionist Job . Temporaryjobshelp.com is a comprehensive resource to get help in Temporary Jobs.

Private Eyes Have Astounding Careers

2008-10-24T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Ajeet Khurana

If you are interested in becoming a private detective, there is a series of steps that you will have to take so as to start off on your dream job. This is true for any professional career, so knowing what you have to do to pay your dues ahead of time will save you some grief down the road.

1. Find out what your state requires of private investigators. You might be required to take a course or a licensing exam, and you will definitely need a background check. You will need to look at a state agency for this such as secretary of state, department of justice, and so on. If you are not sure how you should go about this, call a general number and they will point you in the right direction.

2. Learn about standard law and legal practice. If you have no knowledge in this area, either reconsider career choices, or get some. Take some courses in Criminal Justice at your local community college. Some classes on Civil Procedures will be important as well. If you have taken an actual private investigators course, these subjects should not be unfamiliar to you.

3. Be prepared to work for someone at first. The reason for this is that clients look for private investigators that have acquired a good reputation. Establishing experience and a good track record are key to successful careers in this business, so working for someone else for a little while will go a long way in terms of getting your own clients down the road.

4. Set a budget. The reason for this step is early incomes are generally low, ensure you can survive on about $15.00/hr. In your budget include hours you will not be paid for. This is a career with a lot of empty overtime, so bank on that.

5. Establish a fantastic resume and cover letter play up all of your skills and put any extra reading you do on your ""hobbies"" section.

6. Look for some investigators in your area and send them your resume. You may find some directories on the Internet, or you can simply look in the Yellow Pages. Investigation might require you to relocate; be willing to do so.

7. Own or at least have access to the following equipment: camera with telephoto lens, video camera, car, computer, fax, and cell phone. These are all standard private investigator tools, and you will add to your marketability to be employed if you already own them. Since they will be work related, you can write them off on your taxes.

8. Try to find a job in a Federal Agency such as the FBI, Secret Service, CIA, etc. This is rather difficult, and applying is a job all in itself, but they are all very good career choices. After all this, your credibility would have risen considerably.

About the author: Ajeet Khurana writes about many esoteric topics. He recommends:

Skip Tracing Techniques , Official Spies and Skip Tracing .

What if you Don't have enough money saved for retirement.

2008-10-23T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Glen Walls

Easy Daily Casy, EDC Gold, and Perfect Wealth Formula are superb for generating immediate income; but their big downside is that they do not generate long-term, residual income.

Moreover, like all internet-marketing systems, they tend to have short lives compared to well-established MLM's.

Also, the average annual income of top internet marketers falls far short of that of top network marketers.

But it's equally true that even the most successful network marketers face formidable challenges that internet marketers don't have to deal with.

Two of the most important are: 1) A good source of highly qualified potential partners; and 2) getting new partners into positive cash-flow before they become discouraged and drop out.

Rick Jorgenson, founder and CEO of TycoonWealthBuilding LLC, in a brilliant flash of insight, recognized that these two wealth-building approaches, if carefully integrated, can complement each other elegantly. By offsetting each other's shortcomings, they can provide a highly accelerated way to achieve complete time and income freedom.

Acting quickly on this insight, Rick has now created the Total Wealth Solution--integrating Perfect Wealth Formula, the most outstanding internet marketing system on the planet, with Shaklee, the world's most venerable and rock-solid network marketing company.

Although they are opposites in many ways, each of these two business entities provides what the other is lacking. In combination, they comprise an ideal team--truly a Dynamic Duo. Rick and the excited members of his team happily refer to this union as ""a marriage made in heaven.""

In summary, this hybrid marketing system consists of two key components that are essential to optimal, long-range wealth generation: 1) A ""Get Instant Cash"" (GIC) program through Perfect Wealth Formula; and 2) a Residual Income Formula (RIF) through Shaklee.

With the advent of this revolutionary new hybrid marketing model, other internet marketing systems, such as EDC Gold, PassPortToWealth, Global Resorts Network, Coastal Vacations are at a serious disadvantage. The same is true for myriad other MLM's.

Glen Walls 701-541-7452 http://www.cash-goal.com http://wealthbuildingtycoon.com/TWS2

About the author: Glen Walls 701-541-7452 http://www.cash-goal.com http://wealthbuildingtycoon.com/TWS2

The Business Analyst Career

2008-10-22T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Tony Jacowski

Job Of A Business Analyst

A business analyst studies various business-related problems and works toward finding solution for them. The job also involves system and functional analysis. The business analyst is a common link between the department of information and the enterprise. They collate and document the necessary requirements for the business and make it available for the information technology department.

The analyst understands the specific needs of the organization and finds a sound technical solution for the same. They interpret the project terms and simplify relations between the IT department and the business as a whole. The business analyst gathers accurate data and information about the staff and users, in connection with the human resources department and the technology at hand. Thereafter, they develop an effective project communication system, keeping in mind the various business possibilities and predicted threats. In larger organizations, there are both Senior Business Analysts and Junior Business Analysts. The Functions Of A Business Analyst Are:

Strategist- A company should always focus on a winning strategy. Business analysts provide various business strategies that enable the business to survive the constant competition.

Architect- After strategically analyzing the business needs, the business analyst designs a work strategy to run the business efficiently. Afterwards, the business analyst provides the company with a design to achieve the company goals and objectives.

System Analyst- System analysts work towards getting the best returns from expensive IT investments. The business analyst has to make sure that the business does not face any threat in future. As a part of their job, a business analyst warns the company about the various profit and loss possibilities in the future. This helps management to be able to tackle any kind of situation efficiently.

Benefits Of A Business Analyst Career

An analyst can prove to be a savior for the business, if it is heading towards troubled waters on account of faulty business strategies. Hiring a business analyst not only improves the working of the company, but also simplifies client interaction. Therefore, if you take a job as a business analyst, keep in mind that you are expected to help the company save money.

A business analyst interprets the project terms and simplifies the business requirements of the stakeholder and sponsor. They formulate an effective project communication system. It is the analyst's job to gather accurate data and analyze information on clientele, staff and users, in relation to the technology used. Business analysts are needed in all industries, whether banking, telecommunication, software or pharmaceutical. They are employed in consultancies to offer business related solutions to client firms.

The Career Of A Domestic Energy Assessor

2008-10-21T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: James Copper

Every energy assessor in the UK must become familiar with the Domestic Energy Efficiency Advice Code of Practice - as must anyone who owns residential property.

No matter whether you live on the property or purchase it as rental property, an energy assessor will be calling on you to determine if your property is up to code should you put it up for sale.

The Domestic Energy Efficiency Advice Code of Practice provides a standard for energy efficiency standards by which an energy assessor can judge a home. The code is useful not only for the energy assessor and the owner but for organizations that advice and inform about energy efficiency as well as builders, retailers and installers.

The Code of Practice for providers of domestic energy efficiency advice is a part of the long term framework for energy efficiency in homes.

Energy assessors and others in the government and non-profit agencies, organizations and interested individuals in the UK have embraced the code of practice as a guide for giving domestic advice to consumers on energy efficient practices and products.

The code of practice is made up of several things that can guide an energy assessor or energy assessor-candidate, as well as homeowners and other interested parties. Not only does the code set up standards of energy efficiency but it also sets up standards for dispensing information about energy efficiency.

Any organization that wants to be recognized as one in compliance with the code of practice must meet code standards and at least one of more of its additional categories of qualification. Even energy assessor or other organizations that contract out their efficiency information services to another third party can sign up and show its support for this Domestic Energy Efficiency Code of Practice.

The five additional categories of the code are energy efficiency information and advice at the point of sale of the property, which is where the energy assessor comes in.

This category applies to organizations or persons who advise others on appliances and other products at the point of their being purchased or being considered for purchase. Generally manufacturers and retailers would fall into this category.

The second energy assessor code of practice category would be where energy efficiency advice is given during installations. This, naturally, would apply to installation specialists.

The third category is the act of giving face to face information and advice on energy efficiency from a place other than the residence being considered for energy assessor compliance.

This would be most applicable to associations, consultants and other organizations that dispense help and advice at their own locations, at trade shows, seminars and other public presentations.

The fourth category, which a certified energy assessor may or may not fall into it, is advice and information that is provided in other than a face to face meeting. This would be given by phone, by snail mail, by e-mail, online, or through any other electronic device.

A domestic energy assessor would fall into category five of the code of practice for energy efficiency. This category is for those who dispense information and advice on the premises of the home being considered for compliance.

About the author: James Copper is a part time writer for NCS, who offer energy training for those wishing to become a energy assessor .

Domestic Energy Assessor Training 101

2008-10-20T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: James Copper

NHER Energy courses help to train domestic energy assessor candidates in the UK abound. There are different training packages, each with its own energy courses.

These energy courses are based on four training elements, each two days in length. Once a DEA candidate signs up for the energy courses each category of course is delivered about two weeks apart.

Training is generally held in Milton Keynes, UK, at the NHERs suite dedicated to DEA training. Energy courses are held weekends or weekdays and candidates can choose the format and schedule that works best for them.

Two of the four elements of the total energy courses training are required of those who have already worked in the energy assessor field and are just seeking DEA certification and diploma. For those just starting out as energy assessors all energy courses are required.

Category one involves two days of courses, which involve energy-related lectures as well as practical workshops on energy-efficiency and assessment. During these energy courses students will be introduced to the first two units of the UKs National Occupational Standards.

They will get practical information on the way to upload evidence of energy compliance. Having assessed 1400 home inspectors as of this writing, those who designed the NHER energy courses determined that this information is an absolute must for DEA candidates.

Without practical guidance and workshops such as this, according to these DEA experts, candidates will have a difficult time progressing in their candidacy.

Details of the learning involved in these energy courses include the knowledge of what energy compliance really is, what is required of NOS units one and two, how they will find and generate the compliance evidence, how they will upload said evidence, and how to write a personal statement.

Energy courses will also look at the general health and safety of individuals, and the community as a whole as it pertains to and is influenced by the wise use of energy.

Students will learn and practice the steps of assessing energy risks and reporting them. They will see a live demonstration of the online EPC software, and will be given access to it.

The second category of DEA energy courses, optional for those who have energy assessor experience, includes two complete days of classroom lecture and practical energy assessment exercises.

Here candidates will get a broader understanding of the basic theory of home construction of thermal energy and of residential energy efficiency. They will learn how dwellings are constructed, the home construction terminology associated with residential building, and identification of property age with consideration of local geography. They will be taught about home construction regulations and will take part in exercises that teach them how to identify construction age.

These energy courses will also teach student to identify the basics of thermal properties, to include attics, cavity walls and insulation, among others. They learn about heating, cooling and hot water systems and controls, as well.

About the author: James Copper works with NCS, who offer energy training for those wishing to become a domestic energy assessor .

How To Ask Your Employer For A Raise

2008-10-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Jason West

Whether you're a relatively new employee to a company, or a stalwart that's been there almost as long as the first brick laid, asking for a pay raise can still be a fairly nerve-wracking experience. You don't want to come across as ungrateful, or pushy, but at the same time, if you're not getting paid what you feel you're worth, you need to do something about it. Thankfully, there are a few tips on how best to ask your employer for a raise.

- Be Prepared One of the biggest mistakes that people make when asking for a pay raise is that they generally don't think it through. You may feel you're worth the extra money in your wage, but you won't get very far if that's the only approach you're going to take. So, make a note of your strongest points:

·If you're in sales, collate all the new clients and profits you've brought to the company ·If you're in a service role, make a list of how you've given customers a more positive view of the company ·If you're in an administrative role, show how you help the office run smoother and more efficiently by your daily actions

These tips can be transferred to any industry - the key factor is to show your actual value to both your boss and the company, as opposed to what you feel you're worth.

- Be Realistic Although you may feel you deserve another couple of thousand pounds in the bank each year, the truth of the matter is that unless you've been especially successful and an asset to the company, any raise you do get will be more in line with inflation and what the company can afford. Stay small to medium and let yourself be (hopefully) pleasantly surprised.

- Be Responsible One of the best ways to initiate a raise is to take more responsibility in your current role. This doesn't mean you have to work all hours under the sun, or not have a life anymore. Simply state that you feel extremely comfortable in your position and that you'd like to take a more hands-on approach, if possible. Someone who is working for the good of the company is more likely to get a raise than someone just in for the monthly wage.

- Take The Personal Approach The worst thing you can do is to send an impersonal email asking for a meeting, or leave a letter on the boss's desk with your pay raise request in it. Bosses are human beings too, and just like anyone else, they'll appreciate you taking the time to speak to them face-to-face, as opposed to something impersonal like an email or letter, and be more open to the suggestion of a raise because of it. Therefore, just mention that you'd like a meeting to discuss your role in the company if possible.

- Listen As Well As Talk Finally, when you're in the meeting itself, although you're trying to get your points across as to why you deserve a raise, don't be the only one talking. Your boss will be far more receptive if you listen to their reasons why you should or shouldn't get a raise at this moment in time, and it will also allow you to discuss in an open and friendly way what happens next, and how you can help your boss decide if you deserve the raise.

About the author: Jason West is the marketing manager for www.jobnut.co.uk who offer free advise on all aspects of careers and employment in the UK .

The Uk Energy Experts And Energy Training

2008-10-18T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: James Copper

In the UK a domestic energy assessor plays a very prominent role. Due to new national legislation, effective June 1st 2007 each home for sale in England and Wales will be required to get a federal Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) as part of its Home Information Pack (HIP.)

In another two years all rental property will be required to have an EPC as well. 1. 5 million homes are put up for sale in the UK each year, not even taking into account the rental properties. What this says is that a trained energy assessor will be in high demand.

The National Home Energy Rating, the agency that regulates residential energy compliance, is made up of more than 200 local agencies, more than 130 residential associations, eight energy providers, 900 home builders and 250 architects, surveyors and energy consultants.

The objective of the NHER is to give business and technical support to organizations and persons who wish to improve their homes energy efficiency. These might be home owners, rental community owners, consultants, energy providers or home builders.

The UKs National Energy Services owns and operates the NHER. A subsidiary of the National Energy Foundation, it is a charitable group established in 1988 as fully independent and for the purpose of promoting the conservation of energy.

Its mission is to provide the kind of assistance that can improve the energy efficiency of all residential UK buildings. The National Energy Services also owns SAVA, the federal agency that trains and assesses every energy assessor.

The NHER, in conjunction with SAVA, has created an assessment and training program not only for each new energy assessor but also for those who are experienced energy assessors or evaluators and wish to advance to become a certified Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA.)

The training to become a domestic energy assessor is online and classroom based. The training and the assessment program that NHER has developed will qualify each energy assessor for a Level 3 ABBE diploma as a domestic energy assessor. This qualification is essential for someone who wants to advance even further.

This advanced would be the production of Experienced Practitioner Packages (EPCs.) These are courses that prepare the energy assessor to fully understand energy rating methodology.

Once the energy assessor is qualified as a DEA, the involvement of the NHER has not ended. The organization also offers an accreditation program as well as its SAVA business network where the energy assessor can find clients.

For the last 17 years the NHER has been one of the forerunners of the UKs energy efficiency program, and introduced its energy rating program way back in 1990. The training provided for each energy assessor is rigorous as is the assessment process. The certification as Domestic Energy Assessor instills confidence in the energy assessors experience and expertise.

About the author: James Copper is a writer for DEA Training who help people become an Energy Assessor by taking a Energy Training Course.

How To Get A Career In Energy

2008-10-17T03:05:00.000-07:00

Author: James Copper

Energy courses are part of the residential and government way of life in the UK, as domestic energy assessment is a must for construction, sale or rental of residential dwellings.

One of the best energy courses to start your understanding of energy efficiency in the UK is called Energy Efficiency from A to Z. The energy course came about with the UK government understanding that the energy used in the United Kingdoms residential dwellings now represents the greatest part of the countrys total use of energy.

Regulations in both the UK and all of Europe now demand improvement in energy standards and energy-efficiency reports.

The first in a series of energy courses, this introductory one day look at energy efficiency is designed to teach domestic energy assessor candidates, builders, home owners, home buyers, landlords, property managers and any other interested individuals and organizations the ins and outs of making residential dwellings energy efficient.

Included in the information of this and other energy courses will be a look at the UK legislation that regulates energy and the reasons behind the implementation. These courses will also study energy legislation throughout other parts of Europe. This energy course will provide a practical look at the factors involved in making a home energy efficient.

Those who attend this energy course should, at the end of the day, know and understand several key energy efficiency factors. They should understand why it is important to become as energy efficient as possible, both from the eyes of the home dweller and the government.

They should have a clear understanding of all new and old legislation. One important law that they will fully study is the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings. Included as well will be country-specific building and housing regulations that have energy-efficient elements.

This and subsequent energy courses will define and study fuel poverty as well as ways to combat the problem. The course will teach home energy rating systems and the regulations for compliance.

Those who attend this energy course will learn as well about the various choices of heating, cooling and hot water controls and systems. They will be trained in comparison of the costs of each. They will be apprised of grants and other funding help that is available for those who want to improve on their homes energy efficiency.

They will learn the meaning and the value of renewable energy, as opposed to non-renewable fossil fuel use. They will also learn about ways to conserve on heating costs, through things like ventilation, insulation and reduction of condensation.

This, as with all the government-provided energy courses, is open to many. Attendees at these energy courses include front line energy assessment teams such as domestic energy assessors, members and staff of local authority agencies, staff of pertinent housing associations, health and medical care professionals, staff and managers of utility and other energy firms, homeowners, landlords, property management staff and potential home buyers.

About the author: James Copper writes part time for PCS who offer energy assessor courses for career changers who want to become a energy assessor .

Furthering Chances at a Career in Film

2008-10-16T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Amanda Fornecker

If Jennifer Bertram had to credit her interest in film , she could definitely reference ""Josie and the Pussycats."" After all, her first film experience was in her garage, where she filmed a music video with her friends for one of the songs from the movie. And her latest experience was with ""Girls in the Director's Chair,"" where she got to be on a real movie set for a week and film a short movie that starred Rachael Leigh Cook, who coincidentally, played the title character in the film ""Josie and the Pussycats.""

The Program

""Girls in the Director's Chair"" is a film program, sponsored by Stayfree®, that gives 20 young women (ages 14-19) the opportunity to learn more about the film industry, while getting the chance to work on a movie set for a week with live actors and equipment. Why? According to the film program, only 17 percent of major jobs behind the camera are done by females, while just seven percent are women directors.

Melissa Solotruk, program spokesperson, says that ""Girls in the Director's Chair"" is great to give these young women resources to get real experience in film, especially since most high schools don't have film programs. ""It gives them the chance to speak up and not have to be self-conscious around boys,"" says Solotruk. ""By seeing each element, [the program] helps them decide which area they want to specialize in.""

Future Filmmakers

""'Girls in the Director's Chair' has given me the confidence I need to work on some of the greatest films,"" says Shauna Fleming, another student in the program who plans to attend

Chapman University (Orange, CA) in the fall for public relations and advertising for the entertainment industry. ""I got to work behind the camera, assistant direct, work with lighting and sound, and edit part of the film. It was great. I got to see what fits me and what I don't particularly care for.""

The program is a definite booster. ""I feel like I'm more confident in my abilities and skills,"" says Bertram, a double major in film and theater at Stephens College (Columbia, MO) who plans to move to Los Angeles after graduation to pursue her

career in film . She first learned about the program through a male friend who had stumbled upon it.

Bertram really enjoyed her experience. She got to see all aspects of filmmaking, from creation to finished product. ""I have a lot of experience in post-production, which I learned in my classes,"" she says. ""I hadn't gotten to work a lot as a producer prior to 'Girls in the Director's Chair.' It was new to me."" In addition, Bertram got to put the knowledge she's gained from her school's film program into practice. ""The best part of the experience was that I could share what I knew with the younger girls that were there."" This enabled her to put her skills into action, which is something students don't usually get to do until after they graduate and have begun their career in film.

Film Education

A film program is a great way to learn about something you're passionate about. Whether it's being a director, producer, or editor, you'll get to learn the basics and eventually specialize in what you are interested. Some classes one may take, depending on the school, include history, techniques, sound, and classes about various genres. The goal of the film programs is usually to give a student a good base and knowledge of film and the film industry. Bertram hadn't ever taken film classes before she got to college. Once there, she took basic film analysis, directing, and higher-level production classes. On the other hand, Fleming is currently taking a film/media class at her high school, where she watches and analyzes movies. This is certainly preparing her to fulfill her film dreams. ""My ultimate goal is to break through and do advertising for big budget films,"" she says.

The competition for directors is certainly high, as it is one of the more glamorous and sought-after jobs in the film industry. The actual function of the director entails the interpretation of the script and its representation on screen. They are extremely involved in most aspects of the filmmaking process. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that producers and directors made an hourly wage of about $36 for the film industry in May 2004. However, they also say that the salary of directors varies greatly, depending on the project and the industry. A film program at an accredited institution is certain to boost your career in film.

""Go For It!""

""Girls in the Director's Chair"" will post the two movies made by the young women on their website in May and America will vote for their favorite 10-minute short. The winning film will be entered into film festivals throughout the country. And even if they don't win, the girls will never forget what they've learned. For aspiring filmmakers, Fleming says, ""Go for it! Don't be afraid to let your ideas out. It's worth it if it inspires just one person."" Bertram agrees and encourages others to start any way they can. Perhaps they can do this by following Bertram's example of filming in a garage with friends. ""Put together your own film,"" she says. ""Nothing trumps experience in this business.""

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About the author: Amanda Fornecker is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about

finding a school or career that's right for you!

The Art Of Career Planning

2008-10-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Jason West

Do you plan your vacations? Do you plan your weekly activities? It would make perfect sense then, to create a plan for a successful career, right? The term ""career planning"" is foreign to most people, but it is a very important process by which we reach our goal of attaining the career we desire.

The definition of career is ""a person's progress or general course of action through life or through a phase of life, as in some profession or undertaking"" (striving for a goal). What is the definition of planning? Planning is ""a scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc., developed in advance"" or ""a specific project or definite purpose"" (such as preparing for the future). So, for our purposes, let's say that career planning is ""A goal that you desire to achieve in a selected field or occupation with a well thought out plan to get you there"".

Why is it important to decide on a career goal?

A career goal can:

Help you focus and make decisions on what it is you want to do for a living.

Function is a motivator and therefore helps you accomplish your goal.

Assist you in discovering hidden abilities or skills you might not have otherwise realized you possessed.

Keep you from wandering from job to job.

Once a specific job (such as a teacher) or area of expertise (such as business) has been chosen, steps need to be taken to reach that goal. A goal is ""the result or achievement toward which effort is directed"". We would like to see our efforts result in having the career of our dreams.

Now,"" why is career planning important?"" We must consider that the world around us is constantly changing. In order to meet new challenges as time goes by, one aspect of career planning is to look to the future to see what additional training or knowledge is necessary to continue to excel in a specific field. Most people today are constantly learning throughout their careers.

Six steps are taken in the career planning process:

1. Self-Assessment - evaluate and judge your abilities 2. Career Exploration - researching different careers 3. Targeting - deciding on what goals to set 4. Career Preparation - workshops, seminars, internships 5. Marketing Yourself - a professional resume, dress, and attitude 6. Career Management - ""rolling"" with the trends in your particular field and realizing when our own needs or interests change

It is possible that these steps will be taken several times throughout a lifetime.

Something else to consider is to find a mentor in your field who is willing to assist you as you achieve your goals. They can be invaluable to you!

Goal setting is a learned skill and crucial to success in a career. Just as with any sport or hobby, ""practice makes perfect"". Those who are successful in achieving their life's dream (career) set both short-term and long-term goals. If it is helpful to you, write them down. The long-term goals will need to be re-evaluated from time to time as interests or circumstances vary.

Why is career planning an 'art'? Because it is a skill that we obtain through study, practice and/or observation. Gather your information, set your goals and go after the career of your dreams!

About the author: Jason West is the marketing manager for www.jobnut.co.uk, one of the fastest growing online Job Websites in the UK .

How to get a marketing job after finishing university

2008-10-14T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Andrew Regan

Your final year at university can be a difficult time. Not only will you be sitting the final exams that will determine the outcome of your degree, you'll also be thinking about where the next few months will take you and how soon you'll be able to get a job. In today's crowded graduate market, it's important to make sure you stay one step ahead of the game - and this is even more relevant when applying for vacancies in a competitive job sector. Getting a job in marketing after finishing university, for instance, can be tough; but if you follow the right path, you're sure to find the marketing vacancy that suits you.

Marketing jobs appeal to a wide array of graduates as the role involves challenging, exciting and often varied work. A role in marketing will usually incorporate aspects of planning, advertising, brand promotion, public relations, product development, sponsorship and even research. What's more, many organisations have their own marketing departments, and marketing roles can be found in a variety of industries - from major banking firms to NGOs. As a result, marketing jobs can be courted by graduates with a range of qualifications - having a degree in marketing or business management, for instance, doesn't necessarily mean you have the edge over an applicant with an English diploma or a Physics degree.

If you're planning on entering the marketing field after you graduate from university, it's crucial that you use your time as a student to acquire as much experience as possible in order to help you develop the necessary skills to make a good marketing manager. For example, institutions as divergent as Red Bull energy drinks and The Times Educational Supplement (TES) look for students to be campus brand managers every year in order to help them push their brand into the limelight. These jobs are very valuable for students who want to enter into the world of marketing when they graduate - not only do they give you crucial experience, they also pay well and often involve working only a few hours a week.

It's also important to make use of your long university holiday periods if you want to stand out from the crowd when applying for graduate marketing jobs . Taking the opportunity to apply for vacation work, work placements, shadowing or volunteer work (if for an NGO or charity marketing department) can really help boost your job application, as well as show your prospective employer that you're willing to put in whatever it takes to do your job well.

And when it comes to actually applying for your graduate job in marketing, it's vital that you look in the right places to find the ideal marketing position for you. Make sure you scour job vacancies in the marketing trade press and request details about vacancies, so you have a broader understanding of the combination of skills and experience that employers look out for. As the field of graduate marketing jobs becomes more and more competitive, it might be necessary for you to gain a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) qualification, in order for you to be able to land the marketing job of your dreams.

Alternatively, make sure you capitalise on the skills you've acquired from non-marketing related work experience, and tailor your CV to those ends. Potential marketing assistants or marketing managers will often have to show a mixture of comprehensive analytical skills, the ability to use initiative, a flair for producing creative work, basic business awareness and IT literacy, among a range of other factors. These are all skills that you're likely to have learned from various aspects of your degree or from working within any societies or clubs you might have joined at university.

And lastly, don't be afraid to big yourself up! The nature of marketing jobs means that if you're not the first one to push yourself to the forefront of the job market, no one else is going to do it for you - and if you're going to secure that perfect marketing position, you can't afford to waste any chances that come your way.

About the author: Andrew Regan is an online, freelance journalist.