It’s the Doer of Deeds…
It's a cliché as old as, well, clichés. It's the battle between those can and do versus the critics. Well, when someone's been unemployed awhile, or looking to do something different, the last thing one needs is a critic. Tell someone, someone you love, that you are going to quit your job and start a business - what do you think is going to be the response? Those who love us are, sometimes, our worst naysayers. And they truly do mean well. Then there are those who would hold you back for negative reasons, like fear, jealousy, spite - you get the picture. As I, as you may, confronted times when everyone felt the need to tell it can't or shouldn't be done, I have always reflected on the words of a favorite President of mine, Theodore Roosevelt. He said, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man (or woman - my word) stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great ...
How To Recover If You Get Laid Off
How to Recover If You Get Laid Off, By Karan Smith - Chatelaine Magazine 1. Be prepared When your manager taps you on the shoulder, there often isn’t time to download that glowing performance review or print your latest project. Sometimes you’re barely given time to grab your coffee mug and say goodbye. Officially, what you do on company time belongs to the company. But career experts, such as Alan Kearns, founder of Toronto-based CareerJoy, suggest you should be at the ready for change all the time: Keep a professional contact list at home, and keep your resumé updated and your network active. This is especially true during layoffs, says Elizabeth Armstrong, 36, who was let go by a Toronto-based food company in December, after surviving two rounds of cutbacks last fall. “You have to try to prepare yourself,” says Armstrong, who saw the writing on the wall for her job. “If I were to walk into my job tomorrow and lose it, how would I behave? How would that affect me?” 2. Take a deep breath Getting a pink slip is an extremely emotional experience. Even in this economy, it can come as a shock. “We’re connected to our work for more than ...
Networking Is An Active Verb
In my last post, I offered some ideas on how and where to begin building your network. Let's continue to explore networking as a key component to your job hunt strategy. If you signed up for my newsletter, then you already know that a common thread that runs through the 5 best ways to find a job is networking, whereas a theme present in the 5 worst ways is really trying to do it all in a cocoon, by yourself. I should note that there’s nothing wrong with trying to do something yourself. After all, the high point of personal, self discipline is independence. But, I like Dr. Covey’s concept that “interdependence” is the next level beyond independence. “Interdependence” is synergy in action and application. This is networking. It is using and contributing to each other’s success. It’s the win-win scenario. Networking! And as discussed in the previous blog, it's all about knowing how to network properly. Because it means face to face networking. In today's environment of LinkedIn and Facebook, etc., sometimes we forget that the fundamental principle is face to face. Sure it might be more comfortable doing it online where our body language and tone of voice are not being ...
Wisdom is Ageless
© Petr Gnuskin - Fotolia.comWhether laid off, fired, or quit - being unemployed is never a picnic, to state the obvious. Its also time of doubt and frustration, I know. When the going gets tough, so what. Think of what Calvin Coolridge once said and understand that what's in your heart is far more important than what's in your head: “Press On. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius is not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Wise words from a wise man. It can solve your problems, too! And when self-pity begins to creep in, these words came from Helen Keller: "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Silver is purified in fire and so are we. It is in the most trying times that our real character is shaped and revealed." Success is ...
If You Were the Hiring Manager, Would You Hire You?
Great question posed by Rebecca Metschke Seriously. Take off your candidate's cap and put yourself in the role of hiring manager. Start with your submission materials - your cover letter and resume. Try to look at them objectively - as if you're seeing them for the first time. As if you are unfamiliar with the candidate. Is the person you're describing someone you'd want to interview? Do you sound interesting? Unique? Are your materials full of empty statements, or do you back up what you've written with quantifiable information? Do you tell a complete story, or are chunks of it missing? Does your resume read like something the human resources department might have published? Is it merely a string of job descriptions or does it illustrate what you've accomplished? Does it make a compelling case as to why you're a serious candidate for the job? Let's move on to the phone. What do you sound like (do you know for sure)? When hiring managers conduct phone screens with you, do they hear energy and enthusiasm in your voice? Can they hear you smile? Is your voice clear? Do you speak at a good tempo? Do you interrupt? Then there's the candidate people see when they interview you face to ...
Live simply, love generously, care deeply and speak kindly.
Hoping I am not violating anyone's copyrights but I recently received this email and I thought it was moving. I wanted to share it with you. Here a female mate is injured and the condition is soon fatal. She was hit by a car as she swooped low across the road. Here he brought her food and attended to her with love and compassion. He brought her food again but was shocked to find her dead. He tried to move her ... a rarely-seen effort for swallows! Aware that his sweetheart is dead and will never come back to him again, He cries with adoring love. He stood beside her, saddened of her death. Finally aware she would never return to him, he stood beside her body with sadness and sorrow. Millions of people cried after seeing these photos. The photographer sold these pictures for a nominal fee to the most famous newspaper in France . All copies of that edition were sold out on the day these pictures were published. And many people think animals don't have brains or feelings? You have just witnessed Love and Sorrow felt by God's creatures. The Bible says God knows when a sparrow falls. How much more God cares for us. Live simply, love generously, care deeply and speak ...
Life Is Difficult
© VBar - Fotolia.com"Life is difficult," so begins the one of the most powerful books I have read, The Road Less Travelled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth by M. Scott Peck. Life is difficult - so simple, so direct, and yet, so profound. When I first read this book, it was difficult, the reading was difficult. The excuses, the woulda's, the coulda's, shoulda's all become really irrelevant. All excuses and rationals become moot. Actually, the words were liberating. Once I accepted that life was difficult, I no longer needed to make excuses. Life is meant to be hard and hard things happen to good people and bad people alike. Once accepted, I - we no longer need to dwell on it. We can choose to develop the discipline, the self discipline to face and overcome those difficulties. What a great feeling. When I played football, all those many, many years ago, we used to have a saying, still popular today, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." Only problem used, what if you're not tough? Me, I was a wimp, a geek pretending to a jock, and not very good one. Once you accept that life ...
Don’t Forget to Say Thank You
[caption id="attachment_65" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="© iQoncept - Fotolia.com "][/caption] A timely reminder from Robin Galante. Not sending a thank you note immediately, if not sooner, after the interview is over is just the same as shooting yourself in the foot. Don't do the latter by doing the former. Thank-you notes are old-fashioned. Maybe you're like me and your parents made you write one for every family member who gave you a birthday present. And, like me, you often feel guilty for not sending them now. But in this age of 2-minute emails and 1-second texts, this quaint gesture is surprisingly powerful. What A Thank-You Note Says About You When you take the time to write a thoughtful note to the interviewer and all other potential coworkers you meet during an interview, it gives them insight into who you are. It also tells them: - You care. You aren't just running out and grabbing a beer after the interview - you're still thinking about it and it means something to you. - You are a good communicator. - You're detail-oriented. If you word it right (see below), you can show them that you remember everything about the interview. - You'll be pleasant to work with. A thank-you letter is ...
Mental Toughness
“If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.” “Teams do not go physically flat, they go mentally stale.” “Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It’s a state of mind – you could call it ‘character in action.’” “Mental toughness is essential to success.” © Yuri Arcurs - Fotolia.comI love Vince Lombardi. Okay, I’m a guy, I’m into football. But that aside, if you really look at his words, he speaks to timeless principles of discipline and sacrifice. It’s not about winning a game but winning at life. Theodore Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw and others all spoke of, “spending yourself” and leaving nothing behind. It’s not about having scored more points, it’s life, who really cares about points – It is about knowing, inside, that you gave your best shot. Sometimes, it’s good enough, sometimes not; but as Teddy Roosevelt said, “If he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…” Easier said than done. Unemployed, bills mounting, fighting with spouse, ...
Words of Wisdom
Self-Improvement Lessons From Ben FranklinBen Franklin was truly an amazing human being. He was a statesman, an inventor,...
Discipline
Vince Lombardi had a great understanding of how teach, coach, and motivate people...
Live simply, love generously, care deeply and speak kindly.
Hoping I am not violating anyone’s copyrights but I recently received this...
8 Essential Life Lessons for True Success
By Donald Latumahina (follow me on Twitter), January 23, 2009 If you wish to succeed...
Mark Twain’s Top 9 Tips for Living a Kick-Ass Life
by Henrik Edberg “It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction...
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Living
6 Good Health Habits Made BetterYou walk, you nap, you brush your teeth. Now get more out of all these smart everyday...
How to Buy the Healthiest Eggs
Hyo’s note: This timely, informative article from Rodale.com is an owner’s...
8 Tips for Managing Stress
Stress reduction is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, just like diet and...
5 Worst Exercising Gimmicks on TV
Fitness is straightforward. It’s even pretty simple. You take the 3 components...
Egg Recall 2010 Due to Salmonella!
One of the nation’s largest egg producers is recalling 380 million eggs after being...
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Tips and Thoughts
Escape the RutAre you in rut? Are you thinking of find new work? Are you concerned that you may lose your job? To coin a cliche, “in these uncertain times…,” nothing is secure. With our economy limping along, if at all, and the job market devastated, anxiety would not be too strong a word to describe how some are feeling right now. But in... [Read more of this review]
Don’t try this at Home!
By David Perry, Guest Blogger There’s a huge obvious benefit to engaging in creative out-of-the-box activities which will bring you to the attention of hiring managers. There’s also a real danger of crossing the line and doing something in poor taste or something that puts you or the potential employer at risk. Here’s an example pulled from... [Read more of this review]
Resume Writing Tips for a Recession
Here’s a monumental understatement – these are difficult times and finding employment is a near Herculean task. Still, when you’ve been unemployed for some time, the difficultness of the task is really irrelevant. You just have to get it done. But getting it done doesn’t mean continuing to beat your head against the wall... [Read more of this review]
4 Resume Tips From Career Pros
by Kevin Donlin, Guest Blogger What if you could talk to four hiring professionals and ask them what they REALLY wanted to see in your resume? Do you think that might give you an advantage in your job search? Well, that’s just what I did for this week’s column. I spoke to recruiters and career experts from across America... [Read more of this review]
For Those Who Don’t Know Where to Start When Writing a Resume
Sitting down to write your first resume can be a mind-baffling event. If only for the fact that this one (or two) sheet of paper can affect whether you get a job or not, writing a resume can be rough. But it doesn’t have to be necessarily that bad. There are tremendous resources available to help you. A great place to start is your local library. ... [Read more of this review]
Answering Tough (not to mention Illegal) Interview Questions
There’s nothing like being asked an illegal question during a job interview to raise the stress level up a few thousand notches. In theory, there is a laundry list of questions that you cannot be asked (see Laura Strachan’s great blog). Yet, you will be. You will be asked by interviewers who do not know any better, and unfortunately,... [Read more of this review]
10 Things You Can’t Be Asked at a Job Interview
By Laura Strachan Applying for a job can be a stressful pursuit as an applicant prepares answers to those predictable questions, and hopes that his research will help him stand out amongst the sea of eager applicants. Whether fresh out of college, or re-entering the workforce after a long hiatus from the nine to five grind, one way to prepare yourself... [Read more of this review]
8 things that can kill your job chances
by Kate Lorenz In her new book “What Your Body Says,” Sharon Saylor writes, “The most influential part of communication is your nonverbal. Your nonverbal can actually destroy or produce the results you want, such as inspiring employees to do better work, calming angry customers, creating fans in the marketplace and closing sales.” And according... [Read more of this review]
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