Posts Tagged ‘career’
Light Up Your Life With Feng Shui
Feng Shui (pronounced Foong Shway or Fung Shoy) is the ancient Chinese art of luck management, which works by maximising the flow of energy (known as ‘Chi’) in your environment. Every object, inanimate or living, possesses its own energy field and also has an affect on the flow of Chi in your environment.
The orientation and layout of your home, garden or business and its contents can impact your career, personal relationships, health and wealth. Whilst observing the basic rules of Feng Shui can greatly enhance your lifestyle, ignoring its principles can similarly bring misfortune and sorrow.
The most familiar method of Feng Shui is the compass method works on the principle of each sector of your house falling into a different area of your life, depending on its orientation. These sectors are identified by placing an octagonal, nine-sectioned diagram over a plan of your home. This diagram is known as the Ba Gua and is always aligned with the wall containing the front door or main entrance to the premises, with the compass points corresponding to those of the house directions. For example, if your front door faces North, then you should place the Ba Gua diagram on a plan of your property with the North sector (relating to career) aligned with the front door.
In the business environment, Feng Shui increases productivity and profitability, improves the health of its employees, enhances the company’s reputation, protects from insolvency and helps you to recognise and exploit opportunities as they arise.
Clearly, not all houses are uniformly square and the front door is not always centrally placed. In these situations, you will find that some of the sectors of the Ba Gua may be missing, indicating trouble in that particular area of a person’s life. However, steps can be taken to redress the imbalance like placing a bright light on the wall close to the missing sector to counteract the negative effects caused by areas that are lacking.
Feng Shui is a complex art, but there are simple rules that everyone can observe to help bring harmony into their lives by increasing the flow of positive energy in their environment and using effective lighting is one of the best ways of achieving this. Light is a very powerful tool in Feng Shui and the way in which you illuminate your home or office influences the impression that you create, including the shape, size and style of lighting that you choose.
There are many different types of lighting including decorative, accent, ambient, task and functional, with the most effective lighting schemes being a combination of all these. Accent light can be used to highlight a picture or display cabinet, ambient light can highlight dark corners and task light is used to throw a spotlight onto focused areas, such as a work desk.
A chandelier is one of the few all-round excellent Feng Shui energisers. The crystals in the chandelier reflect light beautifully, bringing in added glow and warmth. Hanging chandeliers in the southern corner of any room is beneficial and a chandelier in the Southwest corner of your home is wonderful if you wish to invite romance into your life or stimulate a current relationship! The Southwest sector relates to marriage and using pastel coloured lampshades with subdued lighting in this area can achieve the same effect.
You can invite excellent energy into your home by installing bright lights just inside and outside the front door are excellent, which for maximum benefit should be left on during the hours of darkness. Good lighting also helps stimulate the general flow of energy and is one of the best accessories for promoting balance and harmony within the home.
Lighting is one of the most cost-effective ways to enhance your environment. The right lighting can make small or uninviting areas feel alive, welcoming and tranquil. Lighting is a simple way of adding colour to a scheme, whether it is through choice of lamp base, shade or bulb. Investing in good quality lighting can also be a more economical alternative to major redecoration or the purchasing of expensive new furnishings.
Invest in a variety of stylish lighting and watch your health, prosperity and wellbeing flourish.
For a wide range of sophisticated and auspicious lighting for your home or office, visit www.thelightcompanydirect.co.uk
About The Author
Jan Andersen is a British Freelance Writer and Copywriter, with 21 years’ marketing and PR experience. In addition to writing commercial copy for a broad spectrum of audiences, Jan specialises in compelling articles and features on diverse lifestyle topics and social issues. She has also participated in many TV and radio programmes. Jan owns and runs five websites; World Writer, Mothers Over 40, Child Suicide, SACS (Surviving After Child Suicide) and Jan Andersen Writing Services. Until recently, Jan had four children aged 20, 17, 16 and 4. Her eldest son, Kristian, tragically took his own life on 1 November 2002. Whilst campaigning for depression, suicide and drugs’ awareness, Jan is in the process of completing a book on child suicide entitled, “Chasing Death”
Conflicts With Your Boss Are Inevitable, But Can Be Healthy
If you are a pro-active, get-things-done type, sooner or later you will come in conflict with your boss. The same sort of assertiveness and confidence that leads you to have a mind of your own has helped him to earn his position.
Another reality is that if you do not have some periodic disagreements with your supervisors you are probably not being as assertive as you should be in moving your career ahead.
These conflicts can prove to be hazardous to the health of your career if they are not handled with common sense, says Ramon Greenwood, senior career counselor, www.CommonSenseAtWork.com>
No one enjoys conflict, especially with the boss. But when you have an honest difference of opinion, it is better to pay the price of discomfort and take the risk of some penalty than to bottle up the frustration and nagging conscience that results from not meeting what you see as your responsibilities.
Knowing you will have conflicts, you can be prepared to handle them so there are no individual losers.
TURN CONFLICTS TO ADVANTAGES
Greenwood says there are nine steps you can take to lessen the damage that can result from conflicts with your boss. In fact, you can turn these conflicts to your advantage.
1. The first step is to concisely define the issue– preferably in writing– so that you have a clear understanding as to what the controversy is all about. Determine how important it is to the parties involved and to the organization.
If it is not truly important beyond your personal feelings, forget it. Save your energies for another time when the stakes are significant.
2. Give full consideration to the points of view of all parties concerned, especially the boss. His responsibilities are different than yours. He may have a legitimate reason for his opinion, which you are not aware of at the moment. The conflict you see may disappear with an explanation.
3. Weigh your reasons and objectives against the good of the organization. Before you “go to the mat” on an issue, be sure you are motivated by what you believe to be the larger interest and not just your own narrowly defined agenda.
4. Ask for a face-to-face discussion with your boss if, after due consideration, you still feel the difference is worth pursuing. If the matter is not resolved with a meeting, ask permission to leave a written explanation with your boss for his further consideration.
5. Never push your boss into a corner where he has no room for compromise. Do not air the conflict with your boss in the presence of others.
6. Avoid letting the matter be positioned on a personal basis. Emotions and personalities have no place in a confrontation with the boss.
7. Be tactful. Show respect for the boss’s position and responsibilities. Whatever the outcome of your differences with him, he is still your boss.
8. Keep the matter in perspective. It is good to remember that win, lose or draw, it is a rare situation when the resolution of an issue results in a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or the world coming to an end.
9. Don’t pin a medal on your chest if you prevail or wear the black of mourning if the decision goes the other way. Get on with the job. If you have been heard and the boss still doesn’t agree, be a good trooper, support his decision, openly and aggressively. If the outlook is contrary to your basic values look for another job.
If you can’t discuss the inevitable conflicts with your boss in a free and open manner so as to arrive at acceptable resolutions, or if such disagreements are so frequent and painful that your life and career are being disrupted, recognize you have a problem larger than any single issue. It may be that you are at odds with the standards and objectives of the boss or the organization. Or the personal chemistry between you and your boss may be out of balance.
If you can’t resolve the conflicts or live with them, locate another opportunity. Life is too short to exist in a world of turmoil and confrontations, in the opinion of Greenwood.
Senior career counselor for http://www.CommonSenseAtWork.com, Ramon Greenwood is a former senior vice president of American Express; a professional director for various businesses; a consultant; a published author of career related books and a syndicated column
Theres No Need to Pad Your Resume
It seems like a good idea, harmless in fact. Your friends assure you that everybody does it and that employers rarely check resume facts. Going on blind faith and convinced the truth hasn’t been helpful so far, you seriously consider fabricating information on your resume. You adapt the school of thought that a little white lie never hurt anyone and lying on a resume is just that, a little white lie.
Cheating on a resume can be tempting, especially when one has been searching for a job for months or even years. However, we all know that fibbing is never a good idea, and the likelihood that you’ll be caught is extremely high. Even if your “creativity” slips through the cracks, karma has a way of catching up with you. So either way, lying gets messy.
That said, many job seekers have major hiccups in their professional life-employment gaps, lack of education and/or experience-and it is becoming increasingly difficult for most to write their own resumes without exaggerating or flat-out lying. Since resume fraud is on the rise, employers are taking much more care in verifying information, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to mislead them. The good news, however, is that lying isn’t necessary if the resume is well-written and strategically organized.
The education and experience sections of a resume are the ones most job seekers are fixed on fabricating. They are under the impression that if they lack the educational requirements or the experience described in the job description they won’t be considered a serious candidate. That, however, is a myth.
Education doesn’t top an employer’s list
Many people incorrectly believe hiring decisions are made based on the candidate’s education, and they feel compelled to stretch the truth in order to compete with their degreed counterparts. The reality is that education, though important, isn’t the driving force behind hiring decisions unless, of course, your profession requires a degree (e.g. doctors, lawyers, CPAs, etc.).
When a candidate lacks a college degree but has a solid work history, education quickly falls down the ladder of necessary requirements. Let’s take a look at this point from an employer’s perspective.
The situation: The job description reads, “Seeking an accounts payable specialist with comprehensive experience in processing expense reports, reconciling vendor accounts, and performing bank reconciliations. Successful candidate holds an associate’s degree in accounting.”
Candidate #1: Jose has worked in accounts payable for the last five years. During his career, he has set up new policies, cross-referenced purchase orders with invoices, and interacted with vendors to resolve invoice discrepancies. His experience comes from the school of hard knocks and he doesn’t have a college education.
Candidate #2: Maria recently received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. While earning her degree she worked as a front desk clerk for a Fortune 500 company where she was in charge of filing and answering a multi-line phone system.
Who would you rather hire, Jose or Maria? Chances are that you named Jose as the clear winner because his experience supercedes Maria’s education. Jose will be able to jump into the position with little or no training because he has hands-on knowledge of best accounting practices. Maria, on the other hand, is green. The hiring organization would have to spend time, money, and resources to train her, which they most likely won’t have an interest in doing.
Show ‘em what you’ve got
Employers spend most of their time scrutinizing the experience section of the resume, and unfortunately, the homespun resume rarely tells the whole story. Most resume do-it-yourselfers fear their accomplishments won’t fare well against the competition and they decide to embellish facts in an effort to attract an employer’s attention.
Again, fabricating information isn’t necessary. Most likely the experience you have garnered throughout your work history is impressive. The challenge, however, is expressing your accomplishments in a way that entices the hiring organization to give you a call.
When dealing with hiring organizations you have to connect all the dots. For each position that you are applying for, there is an average of 500 applicants so you have to make it very easy for the reader to distinguish between you and every other qualified candidate. The only way to achieve that is by writing strong resume copy.
As a job seeker you are intimately involved in your own search, so much so that it is hard to take a step back and write a resume that is marketable. You are probably your own worst critic. If you have attempted to write your own resume you know how difficult it is to write about yourself objectively.
To make the resume-writing process easier, answer the following questions:
The point here is to start thinking about your career as a portrait of who you are professionally, and not just as a job. When you make that mind shift, it will be easier to put words to paper. Lying isn’t a necessary evil. The trick to obtaining the job you desire is making the most of what you have to offer.
About The Author
Recognized as a career expert, Linda Matias brings a wealth of experience to the career services field. She has been sought out for her knowledge of the employment market, outplacement, job search strategies, interview preparation, and resume writing, quoted a number of times in The Wall Street Journal, New York Newsday, Newsweek, and HR-esource.com. She is President of CareerStrides and the National Resume Writers’ Association. Visit her website at www.careerstrides.com or email her at linda@careerstrides.com.
Resume Formats … The Hidden Pitfalls
Deciding on a resume format is the first major decision to be made when creating your resume. The overall look of your resume depends on the resume format, font and outline you choose.
The two main types of format in use are the chronological and functional formats.
When to Use the Chronological Resume Format
A Chronological resume is the easiest to create and it is also the most widely used format.
Chronological resume format allows you to list your job experiences starting with the most recent and moving back in time.
This allows employers to see your progression in the career field If you are staying in your career field, this format will allow employers to see if you are qualified for the job you are applying for. It may not be beneficial for people changing career fields.
When to Use the Functional Resume Format
Functional resume formats are more difficult to create and are not widely used. However, they are suitable in situations where people are changing career fields.
The functional resume format is based more on skill development. The format is non-linear and the emphasis is on development and achievements.
You can list experiences other than paid jobs.
Employers will be able to see your progressive skill developments that qualify you for the job
Some people choose to combine the two resume formats to gain the benefits of each and avoid their shortcomings.
Scannable Resume Format
Another type of resume format you may have to use is the scannable resume. Many employers store resumes in electronic databases nowadays. Resumes are scanned into these databases.
This can lead to some problems, as old scanners can sometimes dramatically change the look of your resume.
It is beneficial to build both a scannable resume and a printed resume which you can bring to your interviews
To overcome this you can create a scannable resume. A scannable resume is a traditional resume, stored preferably as a plain text file and with little formatting.
How Long Should a Resume Be?
Another important decision you have to make about your resume format is the length of your resume. There are no specific rules on how long your resume should be.
Resume length can vary depending on your situation.
The length of your resume will depend on how much space you need to compactly and precisely list your relevant skills and accomplishments.
If you an entry-level candidate, you can have a one page, neatly typed, compact resume. For professionals with a lot of experience, a two or three page resume can greatly impress employers.
Choice of Fonts
Keep the font of your resume simple. Classic fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial are recognized by nearly all computers. If you use other font styles, there will be a risk that the employerâ??s computer does not support the particular font. Also if it is too fancy, it might turn off the employer.
Remember that …
The most important information will be listed on the top of the resume as it is the first to catch the employerâ??s eye. In the middle is the part which will get briefly scanned. The bottom part of the resume will not get much attention, unless you get the interview.
Your resume structure should take this into account.
If you are having trouble deciding on a resume format, you can consult free resume format sites on the internet. They can provide you with samples so that you can pick out a format that is best for your situation.
Resume format, font, length, etc, collectively will form the overall presentation of the document. The purpose of your resume is to market your services to employers. Resume format and resume style can tell the employer a lot about your communication and organization skills. Therefore the format is very important in preparing a proper presentation of your resume.
Article courtesy of Top Career Resumes, where you can get the answers you need about writing winning resumes, cover letters and more. The author, Roger Clark (BSc) has over 25 years experience in career development & recruitment at a senior level through top management positions he has held with major international companies.
Career Articles – Advice on resumes, career planning, goal / objective setting & aptitude testing.
Find Passion for Your Work
Most people spend approximately 25% to over 67% of their waking hours working. Eventually, most everyone will want to work in a career that they enjoy and are paid well enough to live a prosperous life. Yet, far too many people end up being miserable in their job and find themselves stuck in a career that they did not choose. People then get discouraged, produce less, and become disgruntled. Unfortunately, people then blame themselves or those they work for, when in truth there is rarely anything wrong with them or the people they work for. Instead, maybe their job selection process is flawed which causes them to fall into the wrong positions.
You have considerable control over selecting your work conditions to get the position you are passionate about by following these 11 steps.
Step # 1 Avoid following the normal trial and error career selection process
You probably follow the trial and error path to select your job or career. You take jobs that appear to be the best opportunities and try them out. You adjust to what your bosses and the companies want in hopes of advancement. You eventually discover that you are stuck in jobs or careers that you really don’t like. You might switch to other jobs and try them out and eventually end up in the same unhappy position. You will want to avoid falling back into the trial and error selection process.
Step # 2 Avoid following a career path to please others
Many people feel obligated to follow a career to please others or that they feel they “should” pursue. Spousal influence, peer pressure, family tradition, parental pressure, societal pressure, and other outside influences are frequently allowed to dictate career paths. In these situations, you end up working to suit the needs, wants and expectations of someone other than yourself and deep conflicts arise. These conflicts cause you stress, unhappiness and income reduction. You end up working at a position you do not like and eventually disappoint the people you wanted to please in the first place.
Step # 3 Focus first on what you want and enjoy in your ideal career
You have your own inner wants, needs, and feelings. Many times it is easier to follow how others view you than to look for and accept the truth about yourself. The only way you will know which career is best for you is to focus first on YOU to discover what YOU want and what is important to YOU.
Step # 4 Discover your true passions
Most people are passionate about something, but have suppressed their feelings for a number of reasons. You will want to discover what you are passionate about so you can find the position that will allow you to feel fulfilled. Your passions are always with you and you probably do not recognize or understand them. You will know you are passionate about something when you become naturally excited just thinking about it and even more excited about doing it.
Step # 5 Discover your true desires and priorities
Most people do not take the time to discover what their desires and priorities are in life. They seem to just go with the flow and hope that they are heading in the right direction. Yet, the one big reason people feel so frustrated while working is that it conflicts with their true desires and priorities. An example of a desire is: wanting to work outdoors with people. An example of a priority is: placing your family first.
Step # 6 Discover your true values
Everyone has his or her own value system. Unfortunately, people rarely look into their own values and instead frequently accept the values imposed by the companies they work for. Just look at the damage caused to the many employees of Enron, World Com, Global Crossing and others whose beliefs did not agree with the misguided values of the CEO’s and higher executives. Were all of the employees misguided? Certainly not. Yet, most failed to discover their very honest values, and were penalized anyway, because they conflicted with the values of the leaders of the companies.
Step # 7 Discover your true talents
The most productive and enjoyable position for you is the one that comes naturally and is easier to do because it fits your talents and skill levels. You will enjoy working, be much more productive, and generate more quality results when you maximize the use of your talents at work. Your increased productivity and higher quality results will attract greater rewards to you.
Step # 8 Create or find the position the matches you
Unfortunately, many people who actually know what their ideal income positions really are choose not to pursue them. Either they feel guilty pursuing them, or they feel that they are unattainable, or more frequently they do not know how to get them. You want to find or create the position that will allow you to fulfill your passions, desires, values and talents. Now you can create the position to suit you, instead of taking a position and adjusting to it.
Step #9 Get help from the right person
People are led to believe that they can easily look within themselves and discover themselves on their own. Self-help books and assessment tests claim that reading the books or taking the tests will reveal all you need to get your ideal career. Yet, both methods fall very short of actually getting to the truth. Discovering what you really want, what your true talents or values are is not a self-help process.
We humans cannot see our face without using a mirror or a photographic image. Just as you must look into a mirror to see what you really look like, you must have another person act as your objective mirror to see what you really want to do and be in life.
Your other-person-mirror must be totally devoted to you and must be able to actively assist you in seeing within, where you may have been reluctant to look before. They must provide you an objective, non-critical mirror. Seek out and get someone to be your objective mirror to discover the truths about yourself, to find or create your ideal position. Career coaches are trained, motivated and focused on assisting you in becoming “The Worlds Leading Expert on You.”
Step # 10 Go after the position that best suits YOU
Devise a program to attain your very distinct target positions. You will not be trying to “get a job” like so many others. You will be able to focus on getting a very specific income positions. You will not waste time, money, effort or emotional energy on pursuing unwanted position. You will want to recruit your ideal positions, even if they appear not to be available. Why? Because you have now become an extremely valuable and in essence, very marketable source of productivity. You will be very surprised how easy it is to actually get the position you love. Bosses prefer people who are enthusiastic about a job because they love it, and customers are easily attracted to professionals or business owners who love their work.
Step # 11 Recognize that your career wants and needs will change
Many people think that because they finally found the position they are passionate about, that they will want to stay in it forever. The position that is ideal today will probably not be ideal in a couple of years. Why? Because your passions, desires, priorities and needs will most likely change with time. Your values, or at least your understanding of your values might also change. As they change, your ideal career positions will also change. You will want to continually keep a pulse on yourself to determine your new priorities to reshape your career positions to what is important to you in each stage of your life.
Provided as an educational service by Bill Dueease of The Coach Connection, where “connecting great people with great coaches” is their goal. You may receive a free copy of the article “The Ten Paths to Human Improvement” by contacting The Coach Connection at 800-887-7214 or 239-415-1777 or coaches@findyourcoach.com, or http://www.findyourcoach.com/0o-career-coach.htm
Should You Join a Modeling School for Petite Modeling?
If you are thinking of breaking into the petite modeling industry and wondering if you should hundreds of doll ars on modeling school or classes you need to read this article. Here are few facts about modeling schools.
==>Modeling schools will not get you jobs. Clients who are hiring petite models do not care if you have been to modeling school or not. It does not quialify your for the job.
==>Modeling schools and classes teach mostly runway modeling techniques. This type of modeling is for the fashion industry, and if you are under 5 feet 9 inches there is a next to nothing chance that you will get work as a runway model.
==>Some modeling agencies or managers offer classes to boost their earnings. This is especially common in less populated areas where models are scarce and the agency does not earn much money. Be ware of agencies that offer these classes, they are doing so for their own financial gain. A reputable agency would never ask you to pay for classes.
==>You do not have to have a modeling to model for clients. You can get all the modeling practice you need by practicing poses in front of your mirror. A client is more interested in your looks and vibrant personality than they are in whether you’ve had modeling lessons or not.
Many times highschool and college students are approached by a “modleing scout” who offers them the opportunity to start their career as a model. Be ware of these people, jsut because they have a business card does not make them an agency who
can get you modeling jobs. These scouts are usually paid by modeling schools on a per student basis. For each student they convince to sign up for the modeling class they are paid a commission.
To get work from a reputable agent or modeling manager you need to find someone with a business license and who has connections with real life clients that are ready to pay models for work.
Many models in this industry end up doing tv or video modeling and you are considering this part of the industry you may need to look into acting classes.
Although modeling classes are not necissary for model work, if you plan to get speaking parts in the tv/video industry you may want to consider taking acting classes.
Acting classes are considered by many directors to be valid experience and they can make a difference in your modeling portfolio. Most of us are not born actors, so acting classes may be necissary to do the job the way a client wants it done if you have a speaking part.
So while modeling classes may be a waste of your time and money, some acting classes may be necissary if you choose to pursue this type of modeling. Many petite and average modles have an easire time in this industry becuse most of the time size is not a deciding factor. The ability to do the job well is more important. The industry is still competative, but if you have experience modeling in non speaking background parts it makes breaking into this sector much easier.
Find out how to break into the petite modeling industry, and get your face in front of hundreds of clients looking for petite and average models at http://www.petite-modeling.info
Know What You Want Out Of Life
At this point in time you have an opportunity to really analyze your life. Where you are right now and where you want to be in the future. Now is your chance to take a close look at what you would really like to do with your life. Perhaps you have never dared to choose a path based on your true desires, you have purely gone with the flow. This is now your chance.
Before you know how you are going to achieve your goals, you have to know what those goals are. You have to have specific goals. It’s no good saying I am going to be rich, you have to define “rich” in a monetary term.
I will earn $250,000 per year.
I will earn $500,000 per year.
When I retire I will be worth $1m.
The same goes if your goal is to run your own business. What business?
I want a new sports car. What make, model and colour will this sports car be?
You have to be specific. If you are not specific you haven’t got a clear goal.
Speaking personally I love Jaguar cars. My goal is to have a Jaguar car from each marque within the next 10 years. I set this Goal two years ago. Last year I bought a series 3 XJ6. I wanted a series 3 because it was what I consider to be the last real Jaguar to be built in Coventry. This year I purchased a 5.3 V12 1979 XJS. Again I wanted this specific model because it represented the first of the XJS`s before the HE, when they added chrome and made other various modifications. They are both rust free, low mileage examples with a full service history.
I have used a personal example to demonstrate that you have to be specific. I knew which series I wanted. It had to be rust free. It had to have a full service history. It had to be low mileage.
Whatever you might be planning, bear this in mind:
Whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve. There are no limits!
Do you want to achieve your dreams and your goals? And I mean REALLY achieve them?
By the way, if you are reading this thinking ‘I just don’t know what goals to set’, then don’t worry. I’ve got a solution for you.
I want you to really figure out what it is you truly desire. I want you to commit and focus your energy on achieving these goals. Goal setting is good. Even in its simplest form goal setting can help you achieve the things you want from your career and your life. Goal setting can and will free you from your mundane life.
So sit down and write down everything you want from and out of life until the day you die. These are your ultimate goals. Now right down everything you want within the next 10 years. These are your intermediate goals. Now do the same for the next 5 years. These are your shorter term goals. Now do the same for the next year. These are your short term goals.
You will never achieve your ultimate goals as these are just dreams, without setting shorter term goals to make your dreams a reality. This is where so many people go wrong. You have to set goals on a daily, weekly and yearly basis to achieve your long term objectives.
The reason for goal setting is simple. Without goals, you simply drift. People drift into unsatisfactory relationships, unsatisfying and poorly paid jobs and spend their lives looking at successful people, wondering how they do it. On the most basic level, it’s possible to set goals just for one day and achieve more than you ever thought possible, in the form of a simple “To Do” list – where you list all of the things you need to get done and cross them off as you achieve them.
Goal setting is a very powerful technique that can improve all areas of your life. The process of setting goals and targets allows you to choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know what you have to concentrate on and improve, and what merely a distraction is. Goal setting gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It helps to focus your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organise your resources.
By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind.
So get into the habit of goal setting. Your long term prospects depend upon it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Claridge specializes in teaching motivational and self-development skills. In his new e-book “Mindset and Match” he covers amongst other subjects how having the correct mindset can bring you all you want out of life and is available at http://www.mindsetandmatch.com.
Waiting For the Official Job Offer
At the end of the third job interview, Helene was told by the hiring manager, “Congratulations, I am going to recommend you for the position. Expect a call from HR.” Helene breathed a sigh of relief because her job search of six months was finally over.
Helene went straight home and waited by the phone all day. The phone never rang.
As the week drew to a close, Helene began to get nervous. She hadn’t heard from HR. She wondered what had happened. She convinced herself that everything was fine, that the HR department must have been swamped. She wasn’t exactly sure what would be more important than calling and welcoming her onboard, but she knew the HR department had a good reason. After all, Helene was the most qualified candidate; the hiring manager told her so.
Days went by and still Helene heard nothing. Confused by the situation, she anxiously glanced through the Sunday morning classifieds wondering what had gone wrong.
Unfortunately, this happens to many jobseekers. They are offered the position by the interviewer and they never hear from HR or it takes months before a firm offer is made.
But there are steps that you can take as a jobseeker to minimize your risk of being strung along by an employer.
An easy and often neglected step is to find out what comes next after each interview. Establishing the next step gives you some control over the hiring process, and helps avoid the guessing game. Make it a point to leave each interview with a clear understanding of what you are supposed to do and what the hiring manager is supposed to do.
E-mail, fax, or snail mail a follow-up letter thanking the interviewer for the job offer and that you are looking forward to hearing from the HR department. Sending a note stresses to the interviewer what you heard and if there was any confusion on your part, compels the interviewer to contact you and address the misunderstanding.
If you haven’t heard from the employer in a timely fashion, call to reiterate your interest in the position. Here’s an example of an effective follow-up call: “Thank you for your time and for a very informative interview last week. Based on our last discussion, you are seeking an Executive Assistant who can effectively serve as a corporate liaison, manage administrative affairs, and support organizational goals. After a series of interviews, you were enthusiastically going to recommend me for the position but I have yet to hear from the Human Resources department. The Widget Corporation is my #1 choice and I am very interested in joining your team. Unfortunately, I will be forced to consider other options if I don’t receive an offer in writing by Friday at noon.”
By providing a timeline you create a sense of urgency and put the employer on notice that you are in demand. This may encourage them to move the process along. But only use this tactic if you really do have other options because setting a deadline that an employer is unable to meet could get you dropped from consideration.
Although I recommend that you follow-up with a phone call, don’t become a nuisance and call everyday. If you reach out to an employer several times without receiving a courtesy response, stop calling and move on.
As frustrating as it may be, you must always remain professional. Keep in mind that, until you are officially hired, every conversation you have with the employer is part of the interview process.
In conclusion, realize that a definite maybe does not qualify as a firm job offer. Therefore continue job searching until you receive an official offer. If an employer is interested in you, they will respect your time, return your phone calls, and make a concerted effort to keep you updated.
Don’t waste your time waiting by the phone. You deserve more than that.
About The Author
Recognized as a career expert, Linda Matias brings a wealth of experience to the career services field. She has been sought out for her knowledge of the employment market, outplacement, job search strategies, interview preparation, and resume writing, quoted a number of times in The Wall Street Journal, New York Newsday, Newsweek, and HR-esource.com. She is President of CareerStrides and the National Resume Writers’ Association. Visit her website at www.careerstrides.com or email her at careerstrides@bigfoot.com.
Quality Recovery and Rework – When It All Goes Wrong
When Quality is the Target, but not the Result, what do you do?
While Quality may be the overarching goal of all production, stuff happens, resulting in non-conforming parts. This results in failure verification, rework, recalls, sorting, kitting, retest, relabeling and pipeline management, which are facts of life in the manufacturing, assembly and production world we live in.
So, when it all goes wrong, what do you do?
In a previous article in this series, we discussed the process. Briefly, you must:
1. Assess exposure and manage risk at each stage of the fulfillment process;
2. Figure out what went wrong (root cause);
3. Fix it at the factory and get it back on line ASAP;
4. Figure out what you’re going to do about all the material in transit, at customer assembly and inventory locations, and already sold through to an end user.
Your people are the experts on your products and on your customers, so there is no way around these experts being intimately involved in root cause analysis and in figuring out what has to be done at the factory. You can hire consultants and/or facilitators to streamline the process to getting to root cause and solution, but the experts and management must take ultimate responsibility for parts 1, 2 and 3.
There is far more flexibility in the 4th part. This is the tedious, messy and time-consuming part of the job, and is generally not a core competency of the organization in trouble. Ultimate customer satisfaction depends on competent and rapid execution of failure verification, sorting, reworking, testing, labeling, packaging, pipeline management and crisis logistics.
Options and Alternatives: Most Project Managers and Quality Managers do not realize that there are companies that can take over the most tedious and frustrating parts of the recovery process. With that in mind, let’s examine your options and their consequences:
1. Keep it all in-house (subtle, but potentially far-reaching negative ramifications) – The Good News: The people who are most likely to be familiar with the problem, the product and its quirks are right there, concerned and capable. The Bad News: The engineers, technicians, logistics personnel, production personnel, management and facilities all generally have full-time jobs that keep them busy 10 to 16 hours a day, just to meet set schedules and deadlines to keep the company moving on its projected path. It is these same people who are going to be tasked to take on this additional, unexpected and often significant workload at the expense of their current assignments. This tends to mortgage the company’s future, but the urgency and necessity of getting though the crisis overshadows this concern for the moment. Everyone pitches in, does what it takes, and in the excitement, fails to look up long enough to consider, much less do, the sensible thing. The results of this approach are mistakes in the recovery and a hurried or unfinished release of the next project, each leading to additional crisis and continuing the spiral of missed product cycles, poor quality, low yields, and substandard product.
2. Write a check – Outsource parts of the crisis – This is almost universally unrecognized as an alternative, but from a business perspective, it is the only way to go. If you are in Quality Management or Project Management, your company expects you to make decisions that are best for the company and its bottom line. Often, you are so focused on getting the problem solved with resources you know and trust that you don’t stop to consider the alternatives ? especially the alternatives you are unaware of.
Early in my career, I was unaware that there were organizations that specialized in rework, or “Quality Recovery”. I suffered terribly through many miserable reworks, often supervising a bunch of random unskilled temps in hastily set up warehouses with processes that evolved as the rework progressed. I remember that a task as simple as keeping track of labeled boxes, matching serial numbers on the box labels to serial numbers on the unit labels was unmanageable. I remember starting one rework three separate times because the assembly instructions were being interpreted in unpredictable ways by the operators, and we couldn’t keep track of which units were done by which operator. I’m sure anyone with any time in the business can relate to these expensive frustrations.
Happily, there are companies who are really good at this tedious and high-risk stuff, and make it a high point of your relationship with your customer, in spite of the crisis situation. The customer memory of the pain is short, and the memory of the way it was handled scores big points because the rework was managed with the same level of competence and closure exhibited by your manufacturing process.
I was fortunate to stumble onto a couple of great Quality Recovery providers as I was confronted with a particularly bloody rework situation involving recurring firmware upgrades with confirming test, and with mandatory label tracking of the upgrades on pipeline inventory. I took a deep breath and decided I was going to take a half hour and look for help. I was lucky that day. While a crisis is never much fun, these people made it a lot less brutal, and as I analyzed the comparative burdened rates of my engineering and technical staffs, it was actually a less expensive route. Of course, I still had to pay the burdened rates at the same time I paid the recovery people, but then I was paying my burdened engineering rates for true engineering work that was making me a much higher return on the dollars (at least in theory) than working on unplanned rework lines.
Three very important questions as you approach parts 1 and 4 of the problem resolution process are:
1. Is this so small and straightforward that it won’t take much from our regular duties? If the answer to this is no or unknown, the next question is:
2. How much of this project can we write a check for so we can stay on target on our existing programs and at the same time get credit for competent management of our rework/recovery liabilities?
3. Who will make us look especially good to our customer in this time of crisis through their core competencies in rework management and recovery activities?
Note that often, several layers within steps 1-4 in the problem resolution outline are happening in parallel, and it would be best to get your recovery specialist involved as soon as you have answered the first question as a part of step 1.
Cautions: It is critical that steps 1-3 of the problem resolution outline are completed by your people in a very complete way, or you will pay more for your recovery efforts than you have to, whether you do it yourself or outsource. The recovery efforts can be no better than the instructions and materials provided. If inaccurate or incomplete information is provided to the recovery organization from your team, their recovery efforts will be wasted until they either figure it out for themselves or you intervene with the appropriate amount of finished staff work.
Similarly, due diligence must be applied to your selection of a production/quality recovery/rework service. Let’s face it, RESULTS are the name of the game. This is difficult to assess on your first trial, but there are indicators to look for: I look for the following attributes:
1. Response time ? I was usually in a big hurry by the time I got to step 3. Customer reps were breathing down my neck, demanding a schedule and daily reports. I needed help FAST! My best recovery providers were able to get people, facilities and equipment in place, ready to train in four to eight hours.
2. Location flexibility ? I often had material strung out across the US, and sometimes in pipelines in Singapore, Malaysia, Hungary, Scotland, Italy, Hong Kong, Korea, China and Thailand. Again, my favorite rework suppliers were able to accommodate me where I needed them to be in most cases, often within a day or two of my request.
3. A very lean corporate structure ? this will tell you that the emphasis is on recovery management, which is where you need the real expertise. My three favorite providers had only three permanent employees ? a President, Vice President and an administrative assistant.
4. Skilled Contract Labor ? I’ll again refer to my favorite folks – They have pools of previously tested skilled labor all over the US, Canada and Mexico. The real strength and core competency is in the ability to effectively set up, properly prep and manage these people.
5. Facilities ? informal and formal relationships with several facilities in many locations and the ability to travel all over the world to set up similar operations wherever I needed them.
6. A well-defined compensation structure ? While this might not seem important, I assure you that if your rework provider has to spend a lot of time recovering money from his clients, he is not going to be as focused on the actual core competencies that you really care about. Expect to pay in full upon completion. NOTE: Do not treat this like a normal supplier because this is not a normal supplier. This is the guy who can save you. If you treat him well, you will be treated well. Some providers require a deposit to get started, some set up an escrow account, some just need to be paid upon completion, and some work with combinations of these payment plans, depending on the nature and scope of work. Don’t trot out the 30-60-90 discount program. It’s really inappropriate, and you’ll risk rejection by the people most likely to make you a success.
How do I go about looking for a good quality recovery service?
Start with your favorite search engine and try the following keywords: Rework, Quality recovery, Quality Rework, Quality repair, Quality problems
There will be a high percentage of very specialized returns for this kind of search that will have nothing to do with what you’re looking for (ball grid array [bga], IR reflow, quality fender repair, etc.) but you’ll be able to spot the possibilities by the description. This can be a little tricky because these Quality Recovery guys are not the best marketers on the planet. When you find a likely prospect, give them a call and run down the elements above with them. When you find the right guy, it will be well worth the effort.
If you have a logistics or kitting provider, like Banta or CTI, they will often accommodate you in certain situations. I have found them to be generally less flexible and less influenced by my urgencies, and generally a little more expensive than their leaner counterparts that specialize in this kind of work, but they have the advantage of already having an arrangement with you (payment channels, contracts, etc.), and they may have some of your non-conforming material inventory already in their facilities.
If you are thinking that this might be a good idea for your next emergency, don’t wait for that next emergency to start. Find a rework provider and establish a relationship with him now. Get all of the payment arrangements worked out with your company so you are ready to focus on the emergency when it happens. Take some time today to make your life easier when that next inevitable critical situation rears its ugly head and stares you in the face.
Kent Walters is a former employee and manager for several major suppliers of complex electronic subassemblies to the big players in the computer industry (Compaq, Dell & HP). He was a technical and engineering manager for Conner Peripherals, Seagate Technology, IBM and Hitachi, following a long tenure at Hughes Aircraft in artificial intelligence and business systems analysis. Mr. Walters currently runs Technical Transfusion, a consulting service assisting many companies all over the United States on their technical support concerns, with a focus on hands-on technical support in the Houston, Texas area. See http://www.TechnicalTransfusion.com.
A Gift: One source the author will personally endorse (because they have saved his butt on numerous occasions for which he owes them big time) is MIH Management, Inc. – http://www.mihmgt.com. They follow the model outlined to the letter. If you can’t use them for whatever reason, look at their website and use them for an example – look for someone who is singing the same tune. Other resources can be found at http://www.reworkinfo.com
