Archive for August, 2009
Follow up business contacts
Here are some tips on following up on your contacts if you are already in business:
* Send thank you notes to current and future customers. This
rule does not just apply to people applying for a job. This is
much more helpful for those who are already in business, as a
simple thank you note would remind customers of which
company they are dealing with and your brand name will be
imprinted on their minds. This practice should send more
business your way.
* Send follow up messages. If you are in sales, it is good to
follow up on existing buyers who are most likely to purchase
your products again.
You might also want to personalize any correspondence that you
send out as this leaves the customers feeling as if they know you
personally. This should lead you to earning their trust, which in
turn leaves the customer feeling secure that you are handling
efficiently whatever business it is that they throw your way.
* Make sure that you follow up swiftly and promptly. The rule of
thumb is to reply fast, fast, fast. Whether it is a solution to a
problem or sending out an order or replying to a letter,
responding quickly to a customer is the easiest way for them to
think of you and your company in a positive way.
Some Tips On How Not To Lose A Job
Nowadays, finding a job can be very tedious. However, some people contend that trying to keep a job to avoid the risk of losing it is in even harder. This is because they are trying whatever viable means there is, in order not to lose their jobs.
Unemployment is a devastating condition in the society. It wrecks dreams and ambitions, and the goal to have a happy and decent life. In fact, unemployment had such an effect in the United States in 1990, where it only recorded 45% of its population working and from here; only 24% are working full time. That is why it is extremely important for a person to find a job and try harder not to lose it.
Today, the percentage of people who are employed gradually increases and the wage that they earn escalates as well, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The families that only earn from 10,000 to 50,000 in a year are already less common because the others are earning a lot more.
For people who already have a job and desire not to be jobless again, here are some tips that they must follow in order to stay on track:
1. Employees should always try their best to improve their performance
This entails a chain reaction within the work force in the company. The employee should, by all means try harder to do their job well as well as improve their performance in order to increase productivity.
Once productivity has been improved, the income of the company will grow, meaning there will be more funds for remuneration and more probabilities that the company will adhere to its employees’ cultivation and motivation.
2. Avoid procrastination
If a person does not want to lose his or her job, procrastination should be avoided. Making up lame excuses, even if there is the slightest truth in it, will never justify the work undone.
3. It is better for a person to find a job that he or she truly likes.
It would be harder to keep a job that a person does not like. This will only result to poor performance and everything. It is better for a person to find a job that would bring meaning to his or her life.
The main point here is that people should know how to turn failures into success in order to focus on one common goal: never to lose a job again.
Focus on the Interviewer and Interview
If you want to increase your chances of getting your perfect job, you want to make
sure you do well at the interview. One of the most important things to remember is
to remain focused on the interviewer and the interview. There is no quicker way to
fail at an interview than to allow the interviewer to see you looking out the window
or daydreaming rather than focusing on him or her and the interview. It is not only
rude but it makes the interviewer feel you are not interested in the interview itself.
Some people just feel as long as they are listening to what the interviewer has to
say there is no need to maintain eye contact. Unfortunately this is an incorrect line
of thinking and in fact makes the interviewer feel you are not really interested in
anything he or she has to say. Keep in mind that the interviewer is sizing you to
see if you are a good fit for the company, so if he cannot read your eyes because
you are staring into space you may as well leave the room because you have
already lost any chance of getting that perfect job.
Even if you find interviews boring, and most of us do, you still have to maintain an
aura of interest if you expect to be hired for that perfect job. Its not difficult to
pretend to be interested for the few minutes you will be talking to the interviewer.
Remember, if you fail at the interview you will have to continue the process but if
you present a good image and are hired you do not have to go to any more
interviews.
If you have trouble focusing when you go to an interview, try practicing at home so
that you can get into the habit of maintaining eye contact with your interviewer in
order to increase your chances of getting that perfect job. Learn to look at the
interviewer instead of out the window, into space or down at the floorworse yet,
looking at messages on your cell phone. Your focus and attention need to be on the
person who is interviewing you and not on anything else in the room. Remember
the interviewer has other things to do and has taken time out of his or her busy
schedule to interview you for the job.
Nursing Employment Game Plan, How to Find the Best Job
Nursing Employment Game Plan, How to Find the Best Job and Salary in Your New Career
Considering the current the shortage of nurses, it would seem that finding your dream nursing job would be relatively simple. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Because of the competitive atmosphere in the health care industry, it takes time, energy and planning to find your perfect job. Taking a proactive stance in your career development is the best way to find your ideal position. Whether you are a recent graduate from nursing school or an established nurse, there are a variety of steps that you can take to build your perfect career.
Know exactly what you want. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will get it, but knowing what your dream job is, including the specialty, the shift and the pay, makes it much easier to decide if a posted job opening is the right one for you. You cannot expect the perfect job to fall into your lap, and by knowing what your goals are, you can make an educated choice when applying for a position.
Be ready to compromise. It is rare that one job that has everything an individual prefers. Even people that love their job have days when they do not want to put on their scrubs or dread heading to work. Your goal is to minimize those days, while still having a job that pays well and allows you to have a life outside your work. To effectively compromise, you have to know what is most important to you, and realize that this can change several times over your career. When you are fresh out of school, single, and ready to repay your student loans, money may be the most important factor. If so, working less desirable shifts that offer a shift differential can be very attractive and a smart decision. Ten years later, married and with children to shuttle to soccer practice or piano lessons, you may prefer less money but straight days and no overtime, again, a smart decision at the time. You cannot make these decisions, though, without having a clear set of priorities and the ability to compromise.
Develop a long term career path. While your long term plans may change over time, it is important to consider what you want out of life, and where you want nursing to take you. For some people, nursing is a stepping stone to a hospital management or supervisory role. For others, the hands-on nursing work is where their passions lie. Some individuals want to leave nursing and enter the nurse educator field, which is a fine career goal as well. Regardless of what your choice is, it will not happen overnight. Planning ahead is the best way to achieve your goal.
Continue your education. If you received your RN through a community college, and have an associate degree, you may want to consider taking courses to receive your B.S.N., if you have your B.S.N., you may want to take graduate level courses. With so many courses available over the internet and with limited class time, as well as the fact that many hospitals provide tuition reimbursement, it makes sense to continue your education.
Join local professional associations. The best way to stay up to date with what is happening in your industry is thorough local professional groups. They provide insider knowledge about what is going on at each hospital, and you will often find out about job openings before they are advertised. The benefit of networking with other professionals is understood in many industries, although the nursing industry has been slower to catch on. Networking provides you with the opportunity to make connections with many people that can later provide you with references, job leads or even emotional support.
Don’t burn any bridges. No matter how much you hate your job, your coworkers or your boss, make sure to act professionally at all times. It doesn’t matter if you promise yourself that you will never work for them again or even if you are sure that you will never see them again, it is important not to burn any bridges. The health care industry is a small world. People move around, to different floors, different hospitals, and what feels like righteous indignation to you may sound like bad behavior to others.
A career in nursing can provide a lucrative and secure future. By taking the time to formulate a game plan, negotiate the things that are important to you, and continue your education, you will find that you are in a position to take advantage of your ideal career opportunity when it presents itself. If you do not know what you want, or think that you will recognize the perfect job when you find it, you will be disappointed. People that take this approach to their career often find themselves moving from job to job with no clear progression.
Five Ways to Guarantee Landing the Perfect Job
There are ways to win and ways to lose when it comes to landing the perfect job.
Before you begin looking you want to make sure you know things you should do in
order to at least increase your chances of landing that perfect job you want.
Nothing is a guarantee but failure to do the right thing is certainly a guarantee to
failure.
1. Dress appropriately for the interview
Even if you are going to a factory or warehouse for the interview, dress in
business attire unless you are told otherwise by the interviewer. Do not assume
it is appropriate to wear jeans or other casual attire because of the location of
the interview.
2. Learn something about the company where you are going
Nothing will kill your chances of a job quicker than your lack of knowledge about
the company where you are going. The interviewer may not ask you about your
knowledge but you want to be prepared in case he or she does ask. There are
often occasions where an interviewer will ask how you feel you can be an asset
to the company, and you can only answer that if you have some knowledge
about what the company does and more importantly, the types of goods or
services they provide.
3. Do not discuss personal issues with the interviewer
As tempting as it may be to become friends with your interviewer, that is an
easy way to lose the job. Keep the conversation focused on things that are
related to the job for which you are applying. If the interviewer asks questions
that relate to your family keep your answers focused on only the question he or
she asks. There is no need to provide any information beyond that asked.
4. Never talk negatively about a former employer
This is one of the worst mistakes you can make when you are applying for a new
position. If the interviewer asks why you left your previous employer, be brief
and do not elaborate and most of all, do not blame the company.
5. Make eye contact with the interviewer
You want to make sure the interviewer knows you are focusing on him or her.
Do not look around the room or make notes unless they are related to the
interview or the company with which you are interviewing. Pay attention to the
interviewer and not other things in the room.
Jobs in Cambodia
Cambodia is becoming a popular destination with Western travellers because it has a stunning and diverse natural landscape, it has friendly people, it has enjoyed a rich and varied history and offers up a whole host of exciting and fantastic experiences to enjoy.
Many of those who visit Cambodia for an extended period of time fall in love with the country and its people and are determined to work to help the nation and either settle down or later return to work in Cambodia.
For people with a dream of helping the country and its citizens to progress there are various vacancies available annually for aid and charity workers as well as extensive job openings for teachers. An alternative to these industries for employment for expats is the tourism industry which is growing rapidly and bolstering the economy this fact means that tourism is now helping to stabilise Cambodia and therefore jobs in Cambodia for Westerners can be found mainly in tourism, education or charity fields.
Anyone thinking about moving to live for a while in this fascinating and stunning country and who would like to know more specifics about the types of jobs available in Cambodia that expatriates usually take should find useful tips and insider advice in this article.
As stated tourism, charity work and education are the main employment sectors for expatriates but in recent months a significant amount of exploration has revealed extensive oil and natural gas reserves in the territorial waters of Cambodia meaning that this is an alternative field of employment that will likely open up to external Western contractors in the future.
In the meantime anyone determined to find employment in Cambodia will find it difficult to source anything remotely unless the individual in questions approaches a recruitment company specialist in either the field in which they wish to work or in the country of Cambodia itself an alternative is to directly make contact with the aid agencies who work in Cambodia for example or international agencies which employ teaching staff for the country’s schools.
In terms of teaching jobs there’s one big complaint that you will hear from all those working in the education industry and that is that the level of pay is very low and consequently the standard of living that teachers can aspire to in Cambodia is correspondingly lowhowever you have to stop and ask yourself why you would want to teach in Cambodia in the first place surely those who commit to teaching in schools in Phnom Penh or even in smaller towns such as Battambang aren’t in it for the money!
The whole thing about working in a country like Cambodia is gaining invaluable life experience at the same time as enjoying the travel and adventure that goes hand in hand with working abroad temporarily in a country where Western expats all band together!
Teachers often find employment in one of the international schools located in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh or in one of the language schools dotted across the country, other’s work alongside Khmer teachers in provincial schools mainly teaching English or teaching other key subjects through the medium of English.
For jobs in all other employment sectors there is a Khmer Website Directory which lists jobs in many diverse fields. When it comes to the better paying end of the scale of jobs available in Cambodia the charities and aid agency employees are relatively well remunerated which means that the standard of living they can enjoy is also correspondingly good. Having said that no job in Cambodia is going to make an employee particularly wealthy, in fact the main criteria that anyone who is committed to working in Cambodia should have is a desire to assist rather than to take and to facilitate development and improvement.
Finding Training Resources for Your Perfect Job
When you dont have all of the training and education you need to perform your
perfect job, you want to find out where you can go in order to get the training you
need. If you already have a degree but need some additional courses, you might
want to think about taking some online courses. Depending on the field in which
you are interested, you may have to combine online and local courses or training in
order to obtain everything you need. Medical fields, for example, still require clinical
time, so you will need to arrange that in your local area.
If you are not interested in online classes, you will need to check in your local area
to discover where you can obtain the training you need for the type of job you wish
to find. For some people the perfect job is not based as much on the type of work
as on other factors such as salary and benefits. If you are one of those people it will
be easier for you to obtain the training you need than for someone who is more
interested in the position itself. Of course, if you have been working in a factor and
concluding, you want something working in an office, you will have to obtain some
training in order to do that.
If you are just beginning your career finding out the where you need to go to learn
to perform your job of choice is easier than it is for someone who has been in the
workforce and is now looking to change careers. Although career changes are not
usually that difficult, the transition is more difficult for those who have been
working for many years doing the same job. It is not impossible by any means, and
there are resources for those who are making a career change later in life.
Sometimes career changes are necessary not because you no longer feel you have
the perfect job but because of changes within your company.
If you find your job is being downsized and you must begin a new career, most
companies offer outsource training. If this does not fit into your scope of the perfect
job, you can certainly ask for more information about obtaining the training you
need to move into a new field in order to obtain the job that is perfect for you.
Inspirational Thoughts On How To Find You Dream Career
Are you still waiting for your dream career to come? How do you find it in the first place? Do you believe that if you wait long enough, sooner or later your dreams of success will come true?
When it comes to your dream career, you are better off spending your time working toward being successful than losing precious moments thinking of ways to find it. Maybe just even waiting for it to happen.
What are the traits of successful people? They have drive and a belief in themselves. They are confident. They seem to have the touch of gold.
Instead of trying to emulate the qualities that made them successful, people sometimes assume that “they must know someone.” or, “they were lucky.” They forget that these people worked hard to get where they are today.
We did not see they struggle to find that dream career. We just saw the result. But we want what they have, quickly.
Dream careers are not just for the lucky. It is for those who want it and are striving hard to get it. There is no mystery or magic in the process. Follow certain steps and you will be successful.
So how do you find your dream career? Follow these steps.
1. Believe that you will succeed.
Self-belief is such a crucial and sometimes overlooked element. You have to believe that success is within your reach.
If you do not believe it, who will? The persons who make their career dreams come true are those who believe in their goals.
How can you become a believer? Sit down with a piece of paper in front of you. Write your ideal career and life. Create a picture you can look at every day. Does it inspire you? Belief comes from within. You just have to dig it out every once in awhile.
2. Get the facts.
Once you are a believer, back up your beliefs with facts. Find out specifically what steps you need to take to make that picture real. This way, you will be comfortable taking action.
Do you need more training? Do you care about money, or are you more interested in a better quality of life? Write down your questions and get your answers. Then you will be ready to act.
3. Commit to your success.
Successful people say “I will”. There is something powerful about making a commitment. First of all, the decision to be successful is made, and the back and forth is done.
Second, you have focus and direction that transforms your outlook and gives you purpose. As human beings we do not always like to make commitments. We feel that we need to keep ourselves open to all opportunities because we are afraid that we may walk away from something better.
Commitment gives you something greater; a reason to get out of bed every day and look for ways to find your dream career.
4. Put a plan in place.
Once you are committed, map out how you will succeed. Use the facts you gathered. Break down your success plan into smaller pieces. Put these smaller pieces into your calendar. Make to-do lists.
Manage your priorities and say yes only to those things that will bring you closer to success. Delegate and eliminate those tasks that take up your time.
Career success comes to those who keep moving. Take small steps every day. These small steps now lead you to finding that dream career in the future.
Evaluating Your Qualifications for the Job
Looking for the perfect job sometimes means choosing something that is not
exactly what you were seeking because of your qualifications. Many people are
tempted to apply for positions for which they are not qualified because they happen
to meet their definition of the perfect job. The problem is you are setting yourself
up for disappointment and making yourself look foolish in front of the interviewer if
you even have an opportunity to reach that step. In most cases, lacking
qualifications will not allow you to reach the interview stage, so you are only
wasting your time and that of the person doing the screening for the position.
When you have found what you perceive to be your perfect job, make sure you
qualify before you go any farther. You dont want to set yourself up for
disappointment by applying for a position when you dont even meet the minimum
qualifications. Most companies have required qualifications and preferred
qualifications. If an advertisement says you must have a Bachelors degree, do not
apply if you only have an Associates degree because your resume will find its way
into the trash bin rather than in the hands of the hiring manager.
The key to getting the perfect job is spending as little time as possible interviewing,
and you accomplish that by only applying for positions that you can match to your
qualifications. That doesnt mean you should never attempt to make career
changes, but when you do choose something that matches to your qualifications
rather than attempting to break into a field in which you lack experience, education
and expertise. Nothing is more irritating to an interviewer than being approached
by someone who doesnt meet the minimum qualifications of the job.
Review every advertisement thoroughly before you submit your resume so that you
know whether you have a chance of obtaining that position. Dont think you will be
able to sweet talk the interviewer with claims of being a quick learner or being
willing to go to school to learn what is necessarythese are things you must
possess before you will be hired for the job. There are exceptions such as when the
advertisement says certain skills are preferred rather than required or says they
are willing to train the right person. When you fail to read minimum qualifications,
you make yourself look less than professional to the interviewer and may even
prevent yourself from consideration for future positions for which you may qualify.
How To Write A Winning Job Interview Letter
Whether employers spend time reading cover letters or not, it is always an excellent idea to include one since it can showcase additional information that is not included in your resume.
Your cover letter should be carefully polished in order to grab the attention of the employer and therefore improving your chance of getting an interview. In writing a job interview letter you can be assured that every word counts.
Experienced employers will carefully evaluate your writing as well as the content and readability to see if it holds up to what is needed in the corporate culture. It is important to remember that the higher the position applied for the more is expected from your job interview letter.
Remember that you are not the only one applying for the job so the possibility of your job interview letter not being read is there. Also, refrain from making lengthy job interview letters since employers just dont have the time to read such types of letters. Make your job interview letter as brief and as to the point as possible.
Important steps to follow in building noteworthy job interview letters:
Heading- this is where you should put your name, phone, fax number and email address. Always double-check the spelling and numbers to ensure that there are no mistakes. You dont want employers to discard your resume or cover letter because they werent able to reach you. An employer would usually contact during day time so if you are at work it would be best to add your work phone number. Likewise, beeper numbers as well as mobile phone numbers should also be included.
The First Paragraph- should contain information on how you learned about the job opening. Most companies use this information as their reference in searching for best ways of attracting qualified candidates. If it happens that you saw the job opening in a classified ad then dont forget to mention the newspaper as well as the date the ad appeared.
It is also important to state your objective and the specific position you desire. Employers just dont have the time to guess your motive for wanting to apply to their company. Be specific and refrain from vague words.
The Second Paragraph- should provide information beyond whats in your resume. Discuss some of your people-skills such as team building, being a self-starter and other organizational abilities. Provide the employer with a specific reason why you should be considered for the job. Dont forget to add your actual accomplishments since this is what usually interest employers. Make use of lists or bulleting your accomplishments is another way of highlighting your experience.
The Closing Paragraph- it is important to state in the closing paragraph that you will follow up to confirm receipt of your resume and then ask for an interview appointment in a nice and respectful way. Remember that employers are impressed by applicants who show initiative and perseverance. And while most employers consider the resume more than letters, writing a clear, concise and carefully tailored cover letter often can tip an employers scales in your favor and help you land an interview or at the very least ensure your resume is read.