Encouraging

I subscribe to a newsletter published by walkthetalk.com and I recently received this interesting outline of a book I will probably read.
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Mary Blochowiak said, “You are always only one choice away from changing your life.” Just imagine. One choice. What would that choice be for you? Mac Anderson’s new book Charging the Human Battery: 50 Ways to Motivate Yourself encourages us to get energized and make those choices that will change our lives. Read the excerpt below and choose to make those important choices…today!

Charging the Human Battery: 50 Ways to Motivate Yourself By Mac Anderson

Excerpted from Charging the Human Battery: 50 Ways to Motivate Yourself. One choice, just one, can change your life forever. Simply put, your life today is what your choices have made it, but with new choices, you can change directions this very moment. For me, that idea alone is highly motivational because it offers tremendous hope, regardless of circumstances, for a better tomorrow. Your life-changing choice may be to switch careers, to leave an abusive relationship, to go back to school, to stop drinking, to adopt a child, to start a business, to lose weight, to start a charity…to name a few. If you have the courage to do so, you could make any one of those choices, or others, today. And you would change your life. Sometimes it’s a different kind of choice. It can be to not quit, to not give up in the face of adversity. We’ve all been there.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen received 77 rejections for their idea Chicken Soup for the Soul. They had to make a decision each time…should they throw in the towel and say enough is enough, or should they keep trying to pursue their dreams? You know the rest of the story. The 78th publisher said “Yes” and they went on to sell over 100 million books. So never forget that you are only one choice away from changing your life. Do you have the courage to make it?

Every day there is more and more news about layoffs, well I stumbled upon this list on CNN Money, which details companies that are hiring... not firing.

There are jobs out there!



http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0901/gallery.bestcos_mosthiring.fortune/index.html

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Other Blogs

I am always reading and researching career management topics and materials. I recently found a couple of MUST READ blogs.

They contain much useful and practical advice, check them out.
http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/get_a_life_blog/ http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/

What Color is Your Parachute?

I am currently reading an outstanding book titled What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles. If you are looking for work or thinking about changing careers, I URGE you to read this book. It has so much valuable information I haven't been able to put it down.

You can find it at your local library (which is where I got my copy) or visit the author's website for more information, http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/index.php

Looking for a Job or managing your career

One of my favorite career management sites is http://www.monster.com/, whether you are looking for a job or advice on a particular issue, the monster site is well organized and extremely informative. I would highly recommend it above some of the others out there.

Thank you Letters

The holidays are over and many people may be interviewing at this time. Some people fail to realize how important thank you letters really are, this could be the one thing that sets you apart from your competition. After a job interview you should always send your potential employer a thank you letter. I found a few good sample letters on http://www.quintcareers.com/sample_thank-you_letters.html. There are general thank you letters and more specific types for different situations. Check it out.

Questions Not to Ask

Here is a list of the top 10 questions you should never ask during a job interview:

1. What does your company do?
2. When can I take vacation time?
3. When do I get a raise?
4. Does your company perform random drug tests?
5. Do I have to work overtime?
6. Can I use your phone to call a taxi?
7. What did you have to do to get this job?
8. How do you guys define sexual harassment?
9. Do you check criminal backgrounds?
10. Does your Internet have a firewall that doesn't allow certain websites?

What are the worst questions someone has asked you as the interviewee?

Good Job Hunting Site

I found a very good site for job searching; www.indeed.com, although is simple and doesn't have a lot of the 'bells and whistles' of some other job sites, it has all you need (search options, salary info etc.).

Sample cover Letter

Below is a sample (basic) cover letter that can be used when answering job ads online. Hope is helpful to someone.

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Date

Ms. Smith

123 anywhere street, suite 100

Anywhere, NY 12256


Dear Ms. Smith, (or To Whom It May Concern, if name and address was not provided in the post) Attached please find my resume, which is in response to your posting on Craigslist.org looking for an Engineer. I believe I have a unique and diverse background that would be an excellent fit for such a position. I worked in semiconductor research and development at IBM for 9 years and have worked directly with customers in semiconductor field service for 5 years.

I am currently working in a semiconductor manufacturing environment in the Hudson Valley Research Park.

I am looking for a challenging and exciting opportunity that will combine my past experience with my keen ability to streamline and maximize the efficiency of everything I work with. I think the Quality Engineer position you have open is a perfect fit for my background and career aspirations.

Please feel free to contact me to set up an interview, or if you need additional information. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Your name
your email address
your phone number

2009 Resolutions

Happy New Year!!!

I personally don’t make new year 'resolutions'; I have discovered based on past experience that I feel stressed out during the year when I think back at my 'resolutions' and how far I may be from achieving them. Rather, I like to focus on 'planning'. I ask myself, what are those things I did this year that were not effective? in my professional and personal life, and then look for ways to improve in the areas I may be lacking.

I love the quote by Socrates "An unexamined life is not worth living.” I have found the most interesting people to be those that consistently embark on a journey of self-examination, reviewing and analyzing their own behaviors and decisions, rather than other people's behaviors and decisions.

Therefore, in 2009 I am planning on doing a few things differently that I believe need fine tuning in my life. If you like to have a plan (or even if you don’t), focus on 5 things you are planning on doing more or less of in 2009. Write them down, as this will help you to focus and commit to achieving your goals. Even if you don’t reach 100% of the items on your list; you are ahead of many people by at least trying to live an 'examined' fruitful life.