Careers in Indian Real Estate

With booming Indian real estate, the sector has opened a plethora of career opportunities and offers one of the widest career choices in business world today.

The interested individual can think about taking the jobs like real estate adviser, real estate broker, development and construction, property manager, real estate entrepreneur, and many more.

There are a number of advantages to pursue a career in real estate. Apart from providing flexibility real estate career lets you to set your own pace as well as space, with no limits. The person just requires having clear goals in mind and should be self motivated. The job brings excellent rewards as status in community, time liberty, high earnings, and intellectual challenge.

Many in the field of real estate especially Indian property market have set their own businesses as real estate agent or broker. Brokers can own their business and employ other salesperson. The property markets in India are in frenzy, driven by the large expansion of its information technology sector.

With each day, thousands of commercial, residential, and retail projects spring across the country. Around 50 million sq ft of new space is likely to come up in India by 2009. The development in retail and residential sector is at its peak. This clearly indicates good business and career opportunities in Indian property market.

It's raining jobs in India real estate, a trend similar to the current job scenario prevailing in IT and BPO's long back. Nowadays, there are a number of good institutes which provide certified real estate courses. Such learning centers are attracting large interests from the real estate enthusiasts who are eager to make a career in the particular stream.

Jobs in real estate sector are more entrepreneurial and open the ways for opportunities. The person requires having strong analytical skills and entrepreneurial drive to become successful.

Facebook and Google in Reference Checks - What Employers Use to Research You

Increasingly employers admit to using social networking sites and search engines as tools in conducting reference checks in the employment process. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and search engines like Yahoo and Google have become very popular for employers to search and screen applicants.

Business Justification.

Why would employers bother using Google and Facebook to research potential applicants? Is it simply curiosity or is there real business justification? Many studies confirm the costs associated with the bad hiring decision. The cost of a turnover is estimated at twice the annual salary for particular position. The cost of a bad hire that stays with a company is even greater.

Companies also have an interest to limit "potential liability" associated with a poor hire. For example, hiring someone who runs a website espousing racist views or illegal activities can represent a huge potential liability to any company. So there are many reasons why a company may choose these avenues to research a potential candidate or conduct a reference check.

Applicants

With the ever increasing popularity of social networking sites and the omnipotent search engines like Google, personal information has never been easier to obtain. Recently, Facebook has opened up it's site to search engines like Yahoo and Google. Despite the legal or moral concerns job seekers may have with employers using Google or Facebook to view their personal information and conduct employment reference checks, it would probably be wise for job seekers to be careful of what they post on the web.

Employers

Regardless of technology, established employment law still applies. In many countries, there is specific legislation against discriminatory hiring practices. In Canada, the Human Rights Act protects individuals from discriminatory hiring practices on the basis of religion, race, gender, marital status, disability, and the so on. It is advisable for employers to be familiar with legislation and concepts like BFOR's etc. For example, a company should not bypass an applicant, because the search engine results reveal that this applicant has a religious website. If employers are considering incorporating the use of search engines and social network sites in their screening and selection process, then be consistent in application while abiding by all established employment law. Consistency means that all applicants go through the same hiring process, that your policies should be applied consistently. For example if your company conducts criminal background checks as a condition of employment, then it should complete this step for all applicants not select ones because they look like a criminal. If employers have any concerns regarding their hiring policy it would be prudent to contact their Human Resources professional or labour lawyer.

Lastly, as mentioned above, the business decision to employ search engines and networking sites to research potential employees is driven primarily by cost avoidance. That is employers are motivated to avoid the potential cost and liabilities of a poor hire. In this same logic, it would then also be important for employers to consider the impact on public perception and employee engagement in employing such policies. Since if employees and job seekers view using search engines and networking sites to research applicants as distasteful, then by doing so the employer would have defeated the purpose of the exercise.

Information provided by, HRinmotion.com, your complete employment center.

For business, we provide online education that can be branded to help you prepare your candidates for job interviews and write better resumes. Since our employment center can be branded with your logo, it will not only strengthen relationships, but increase your placements. If you are looking to hire, post your jobs online and receive top applicants from Canada, USA and UK.

For job seekers, our online education and services will help you get more job interviews and more job offers. Use our employment preparation services to give yourself a stand out resume and sharp interview skills. We have made job search easier than ever by providing you one of the largest job boards in Canada, US and UK. We have over 1.5 million jobs online, apply today and find the right job!

Ten Quick Steps to a Great Resume

Depending on how your resume looks, hiring managers will either be turned off or want to meet you. A resume is usually their first contact with you, so a great resume will give a strong first impression.

1. Having a three to five sentence summary at the top of your resume is much more effective than having an objective. You can use the career summary to sum up your skills and experiences. For example: "Supply chain manager with global experience in leadership, implementation, and project management." Let them know up front who you are and what position you're seeking.

2. Do you have several years of work experience? Move the Education section to the end (after the Experience section) so that you can showcase your work experience. (If you are preparing a resume for academia or research, then follow the resume formatting rules for your profession.)

3. Create a text version of your resume for posting online. That way if you post your MS Word resume and the formatting is lost, you won't have to waste time reformatting your resume.

4. Check job ads for the types of jobs you're applying for. See what keywords they use in their job descriptions and include those keywords in your resume. If the company uses software to scan resumes for keywords, you'll ensure your resume won't be screened out before it gets to a hiring manager. This is where the summary really comes in handy. You can add those keywords to the summary and increase your chances of having your resume selected.

5. When preparing your resume, use action words such as "leveraged," "led," "coordinated," "managed," etc. Words like, "participated" give the impression that you were on the sidelines and not actively involved in the project. Don't just say you were responsible, show the results. Were there any cost savings for the company? Mention them. Was your project completed ahead of schedule? Say so. Did your project lead to increased efficiency? Show the percentages.

6. When describing your current and past positions, only list the strongest accomplishments - the ones that will make a prospective employer contact you for an interview. Don't include every function you performed on the job. Consider what accomplishments you would be looking for if you were the hiring manager, and what responsibilities show that you can handle the duties of the position you're seeking.

7. Your resume should not include positions you held more than 10 years ago, unless they are relevant to the position you're looking for now.

8. Keep it simple. Three pages maximum for management or executive resumes; two pages for all other resumes for corporate positions.

9. Don't forget to check spelling and grammar. Saying you were the "lead" on a project is different than saying that you "led" the project. For grammar and word choices, do a search to find sites on the web that will answer your questions about grammar and punctuation.

10. Create different versions of your resume if you're searching for more than one type of position. For example, you may want to apply for Business Analyst and Technical Writer positions. In one version of your resume you can include accomplishments and skills that relate more to being a B.A. In another version you can include accomplishments (and publications) relating to your experiences as a Technical Writer.

How to Find a High Paying Job

This article is to explain to people the best and easiest way to find a high paying job online. Simple online searches reveal the fact that there are now many many thousands of opportunities to work from home on the internet. But which of these opportunities are real, and which are fakes?

Many people each year are scammed by such programmes, usually promoting get rich quick schemes, work from home, network marketing or MLM opportunities. So how do we sort the bad from the good?

The answer is online reviews.

Using a search engine, you can search for millions of articles (just like this one) which review these opportunities. This is the most effective way of finding such articles, and the best way to find information about online job opportunities. Basically if one of these programmes are a waste of time and money, people will be talking about it.

There is one problem however, many of these "scammers" are very clever, and pay people to write "testimonials" or articles promoting their scheme. Therefore the most effective way is to find a site devoted to reviewing online job opportunities, allowing you to find an online job for you without having to worry about being scammed.

One site in particular I came across was BestJobz. Bestjobz had a good selection of opportunities and had reviewed them all.

BestJobz can be found by doing a search of Google for "bestjobz" or by following the link at the bottom of this page.

I checked out this site personally and discovered that it is indeed one of the best on the internet in terms of global jobs. Jobs which are available in any area, usually working from your home computer. This gives people the freedom to work from home and enjoy a lifestyle that they could only dream of.

I have joined some of the programmes offered by BestJobz and can say that they all now earn me an income. I just pick which one I want to do each day and go for it. They always pay out on time and are far higher paying than any other job I've ever had.

Are Flight Attendant Courses Worth the Money?

There are so many courses for people aspiring to be Flight Attendants. Why should you do a Cabin Crew Course? Are Cabin Crew courses worth it?

Firstly there are hundreds of people that get Cabin Crew positions without doing Cabin Crew courses. Your goal is to should try to maximise you chances of success without wasting your money.

For example

There is a page of testimonies from students on a popular Cabin Crew course website. One young lady had apparently studied really hard and got over 90% in her exam.

She must be super prepared for her interview, right?

Her photo is on the site, it showed her hair, that looked like it hadn't been brushed. This is their testimony page, of a "graduated" student.

I wouldn't let any of my team represent our airline like this or a client present this picture for an on-line application.

It's a little thing, but it would cost you an interview.

The advice "Hey girl you need to be neat and tidy at the interview" is probably more valuable than anything you would learn on a course. Seems like if you pay hundreds of dollars this is the least you can expect.

Being prepared for the interview is ALL that REALLY matters (did I emphasise that enough?).

What do Cabin Crew Courses teach you?

Good question. The following is on the syllabus of a particular online course: "counting Passengers"

I'm going to actually give you this valuable skill for nothing!!...ready....

When you see 1 passenger, click the counter once. There you go - Free lesson one!

Maybe this is representative of Cabin Crew courses in general, they need fillers , and give you weeks of information that is simply obvious or irrelevant to your first main hurdle which is getting a job as a Flight Attendant.

Why you shouldn't do a Cabin Crew Courses

Why do a Cabin Crew Course when:

• If you get a job the Airlines will train you properly
• Some of these courses are WAY over priced
• A lot of the material is just plain filler , stuff that's obvious or barely relevant. Just check out the syllabus before you commit.
• All you really need to do is get your head (with brushed hair) in front of the airlines. The rest will follow.
• The airlines will teach you meal codes and Airport codes don't worry. Want to remember anything try this :Tony Buzan Memory Book

Alternatives to doing a Cabin Crew Course

So what would I suggest as a replacement?

Well first look at where you're strengths and weakness. Don't know, consider these?

Do I fit the minimum requirements for an airline

Do I require any First Aid experience? There are many free or cheap first aid courses that will serve you well and look good on your resume.

Do I require any service industry experience? Look at getting some, it's as close as your local restaurant!

Do I require a second language? If English isn't your first language are you brushing up on your English skills?

Am I confident in the water? This is a must - go throw yourself in a pool! Or maybe get a swimming instructor to help build your confidence.

Learn some basic or advanced grooming / makeup skills.

Do I require any experience with interviews? Go take a practice interview for a non-cabin crew job.

There are plenty of free resources like my own www.newflightcrew.com which will give you much of this information without the hefty price tag.

There are some very good books written about all aspects of being a Cabin Crew. I have created a short list of recommendations

Am I prepared for a Cabin Crew Interview?

Well I think this is the most important question, so let someone appraise you.

Go through the interview process and let someone judge where you can improve, simple as that.

Make Your Application Stand Out From The Crowd!

When you are competing with so many people for jobs, just getting your application noticed can be a challenge - the trick is to find a way that makes your application stand out and then be so compelling that they will want to interview you first. How about making your application a talking application with your own voice and your own photos?

With digital photography possible on all sorts of devices that we carry around now, it is pretty easy to put together a small collection of shots that reflect the key messages you want an employer to know about. What you look like, something really great you have done, someone giving you a prize or an award or the prize or award itself - you get the picture?

Then you gather these pictures together, put in some clever transitions and movements and tell the story you want the employer to hear. "I won this prize for brilliant customer service - I would like to bring these skills to your business"... or whatever you think is going to present you in the best light. Or take a photo of the place you want to work with you standing there: "imagine me in your business, I can".

How impressed do you think the prospective employer might be? Not just because you are standing out from the crowd but because you have bothered to go the extra mile with your application.

Too hard? not at all - after all, you know how to take the pictures, so you are half way there. All you need now is to learn a little more about digital story telling. Using the software I suggest and following my tutorials you can be making your won digi-application within an hour of download!

Before I go much further let me tell you why I am telling you about this. Over the last two or three years I have worked with hundreds of teachers and their students to help them find ways to express themselves using new and emerging technology. The best tool we came to work with was digital story telling because it is easy to learn, fun to do and the end product is always unique. I get such a buzz out of seeing people get over the surprise of hearing their own voices and putting together their first story - just to see their faces makes it so rewarding. And because I got so much out of it I just wanted to share it with as many people as possible.

So I created a digital story about making a digital story! I also created a printable version so that people can follow it on paper as well and then I drew together all the software elements that you might need and created a single digital story telling starter kit. I am so confident of what I have put together that I promise everyone they will have produced their first movie within an hour of getting themselves set up! Don't you be the first one to prove me wrong, please!

Using digital story telling for a job application is just one way, once you get into digital story telling you will think of so many ways in which you can use it - check out my movie star dog on the website! Once you have won the job you can then use the same technique to make presentations to colleagues, report on trips and activities or share stories with friends.

It is hard to describe digital story telling until you have a go and realize how easy and fun it can be. People will be so impressed at the effort you have taken - better not tell them just how easy it was!

Your Dream Job - Go For It! (Even if You Currently Have a Good Job)

Do you have a good job but wonder if you can have your dream job? The difference between a good job and the right job may seem small, but it can make a huge difference for your long-term career satisfaction and for your health and happiness.

It's important to recognize the difference between a good job and an ideal job to become the driver of your own future. To be able to take full charge of your career, you need to know the difference between a ho-hum good job and a great job that offers a rewarding career.

So, what's a good job?

If you have a good job, given your skill level and the going rate in the marketplace, you enjoy your work on most days and it pays well. A good job uses some of your key talents and some of your best skills.

What's a dream job?

If you have a dream job, you absolutely love your job. You'd do this work for no pay. OK, let's be realistic: You'd do this work for a low to medium salary.

Dream jobs incorporate at least 75% of the following vital factors to ensure long-term career satisfaction:

# you get to use talents and skills that you enjoy mastering,
# you get to tap into your interests and passions,
# your dream job aligns with your personal values.

Keep in mind that a dream job isn't a fantasy job. For example, you might dream of being a doctor, but if you don't have the basic skills for the job or the temperament (you faint at the sight of blood), then pursuing a career as a doctor isn't practical. Don't focus on an unrealistic ambition where you have a few of the skills needed if it would be nearly impossible to achieve that dream. For example, even if you excel in baseball, it might be highly unlikely that you could immediately sign a contract with the New York Yankees.

Don't give up on your dream job!

If you really want your dream job, you need to do some serious reflecting and planning. You need to be willing to put in some concentrated effort over months or even years. Since it can be difficult to identify your dream job and stay motivated, consider hiring a career coach to help you get on the right track and stay focused and energized.

Remember, time will pass whether you start now or later. Why not start now? When you make a plan, get the right training or education and build the right network, it's 100% possible to land your dream job.

Why hang onto a good job when you could experience - and love - your dream job?

Ready to get started?

A great way to begin your quest for your dream job is by answering these questions to identify your three Ms:

# Mission: What do I stand for? What is my purpose in life at this time?
# Model: Whom do I admire? Who lives the kind of life I most want to live?
# Mirror: Am I the kind of person I want to be?

These three Ms can help you define your character - who you want to become - while you are defining your career ambitions.

As you look for your dream job, keep your three Ms in mind. They'll help you stay grounded and centered. After all, we can't create a dream job and fulfill our destiny if we lose sight of who we are in the process.

Top Ten Career Trends - Looking Forward to 2008!

The changes shaping your career for the next few years are already in motion. Peek into my crystal ball for the top career trends that may soon affect your job. Take note, and get prepared!

1. Specialization is key - As more and more companies look for specialized help, experts will be in high demand and will earn higher paychecks. From a practical standpoint, it's simply not possible to excel in an entire discipline anymore. For example, yesterday's human resources professional might become today's workforce planning expert, compensation specialist, labor relations expert, facilitator, trainer, leadership coach, or employee specialist. Specialized degrees or certifications will play a key role. Without these, you may struggle to find the right job for you.

2. In search of meaning - More people are choosing to define their career in their own terms. In other words, they are establishing their personal career identity. They want to feel good about themselves and express who they are, whether they're at work, the gym, or home. These people have tuned into their values and belief systems and look for work that speaks to them at an emotional, physical, and intellectual level. They define their job as one component of their life - a component that is synergistic with their life plan.

3. Computer literacy is a must - There is no room for the computer illiterate. Computers have found their way into every part of the corporate world, including the production line. Developing and nurturing your computer knowledge is essential for any career you choose.

4. Being skilled in the trades is a goldmine - There is a growing demand for people skilled in traditional trades. Auto mechanics, carpenters, construction contractors, electricians, hair stylists, plumbers, and welders are guaranteed to find great jobs at great wages. If you're interested in pursuing a trade, be sure to choose one that fits your natural skills and abilities.

5. Conceptual work continues to be in demand - The first wave of automation changed or eliminated jobs involving highly repetitive tasks, leading to "off shoring" and fewer traditional unskilled jobs available "onshore." To find available work, choose a career that requires face-to-face interaction, creativity, needs quick completion, or requires levels of complexity that simply can't be sent out of the country.

6. Soft skills are becoming a premium - Regardless of your career goal, organizations are looking for performers who have "emotional intelligence." These companies actively recruit workers with strong communication, leadership, and relationship skills. Companies want workers who can connect with people from diverse generations and cultures. If you fine-tune your high-touch skills, you will have a strong career advantage.

7. Working from home has its rewards - Technology has granted flexibility and more for telecommuters. Workers are trading in commuting time for productive work time and family time. This has led to millions of home-based offices and businesses. A bonus: Telecommuters and home-based entrepreneurs have created a demand for home construction, renovation, and home-based computer support services.

8. Be the CEO of your own career - You can no longer count on a certain skill set to be successful in your chosen career. There are no longer clear-cut paths that define the road to success or to the corner office. Companies will no longer guarantee your job or help you step up the career ladder. Therefore, it's a good idea to start thinking in terms of being the CEO of your own career. Build a portfolio of your experience and expertise, keep your resume up to date, network with colleagues in other companies, and be alert if opportunity knocks.

9. Develop your own brand - To distinguish yourself in the marketplace, you must turn your attention inward and discover fresh, creative ways to articulate your differentiating factor. How do you determine your professional brand? Think in terms of your values, strengths, skills, experience, and inherent talents. In addition, think about what you wear, the pen you use, or the briefcase you carry. Everyone is unique. It's a matter of knowing how to define and communicate the unique qualities that you bring to your current job - and will benefit your future employer.

10. End of career retirement - Companies have ended mandatory retirement and many people choose to continue to work past typical retirement age for a variety of reasons: they find work enjoyable and fulfilling, appreciate the social aspects, or have a financial need. So stop thinking about what kind of work you will do until you retire, and start thinking about what kind of work energizes you - work you may continue to do into your "retirement" years. Look for this sweet spot and capitalize on it. Start building a future where you earn more than a paycheck; you build a career that fills your bankbook and feeds your soul.

Time to Quit Your Job - Or Your Career?

Are you feeling tired? Are you dreading Monday morning? Are you short-tempered and impatient with coworkers and family members?

Everyone, even people who love their jobs, sometimes experience Sunday night blues or irritability from time to time. However, if you feel blue every Sunday night, pay attention, you may be suffering from work inertia.

Here are the symptoms:

# You often feel tired and lack energy
# You are last to arrive and have difficulty getting into your work.
# Your work doesn't motivate you - you just go through the motions.
# You dread going into work, especially after weekends and holidays.
# Things that you used to care about no longer elicit the same strong emotions.
# You are impatient and short tempered with coworkers as well as family members.
# You are indifferent about things you once felt strongly about and don't stand up for your beliefs or situations you'd like to see changed.
# You lack interest or pride in your work.
# You complain - a lot.
# You think about quitting but don't for one of these reasons: "It'll take too much effort to look for a new job." "I'm too tired to even think about a change." "Better the devil you know than the one you don't."

If you have these feelings often, you know you're not happy at work. How do you change your situation? Do you need a job change - or a career makeover to put that spark back in your days?

To figure out whether clients need a job change or a career change, I often ask them to reflect on the following questions:

# What is really getting in the way of being happy at work?
# Is it the actual work you're doing?
# Is it the people you work with?
# Is it because your employer doesn't recognize your strengths and value?
# Do you even know what your top strengths and values are?

Take Susan, for example. When I asked her these questions, she discovered that she loved her current pay and benefits, but she felt bored and frustrated at work. She had no passion for her profession. She worked alone with numbers all day, but she craved a team environment where she could use her innate creativity and apply her wealth of ideas. In short, Susan needed a career change that encompassed her interests and ignited her passions.

Ask yourself what makes you unhappy at work. Armed with honest answers, you'll be in a position to determine if you're bored and have reached a plateau; if you enjoy what you do, but not where you're doing it; or if you need to find a better career fit.

Don't stay in a career rut. Be open to new ideas and explore new professional goals. Shake things up a bit! Confront your job lethargy with change, and then make a commitment. Find a friend, mentor, or coach to help you. Above all, don't settle. You deserve much more than that.

"Get Juiced" for Work - Ten Simple Tips to Energize for Your Work Day

Do you hit the snooze button every morning and drag yourself to work? Have you wondered if you need a new job to energize your life? The answer may be simple: Give yourself a lift in the morning to feel great about yourself - and your job!

Here are a few ways to get juiced in the mornings before you head for work. Try at least three of these tips - you'll move from sluggish to sizzling!

1. Eat a nourishing breakfast before you go to work - Breakfast will increase your energy and productivity. Be sure to stop for a lunch break as well. Researchers agree that performance decreases when people haven't given themselves enough nourishment.

2. Listen to music that makes your feet tap - Music is a powerful energy source. The next time you feel tired, turn up the volume and see what happens to your frame of mind.

3. Take a walk in the morning to get a bounce in your step - Fresh air and a moderate pace can clear your mind. Plus, the endorphins will give you a natural lift, which can help you cut back on caffeine.

4. Get some sleep! - An alarming number of people are sleep deprived, which invites accidents, illness, and negative interactions with family, friends, and colleagues. Your body and mind need to refuel with a full night's rest. Naps are good, but they aren't enough.

5. Take time to fully stretch in bed in the morning - Stretching burns calories, helps to relax your mind, and helps your body get ready for the day.

6. Before getting out of bed, think of three things that will define how you will "be" for the day - For example, "Today I will be open, joyful, and productive." Other great goals are: "energized, connected, and smart" or "playful, easy going, and inspired." Whatever you choose, make a conscious effort to integrate your three goals into your entire day including your conversations, emails you write, phone calls you make, the work you do, and even unexpected events.

7. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people - Positive people will make you smile and leave you feeling good. Those who drain us, drain our energy and spirit.

8. Schedule one special thing for yourself every day - It can be as simple as reading a chapter of your book, watching a movie, or taking a walk. Or it can be as elaborate as going to a spa or enjoying an amazing dinner. Plan something different every day but make it something that matters to you.

9. Exercise at least 30 minutes each day - Exercise gets the blood flowing through your veins and reminds you to make healthy choices for the remainder of the day.

10. Read an inspirational quote every day or make up your own! - Write down your quote and keep it in your pocket. Look at it whenever you find yourself dragging during the day.

If you have a favorite tip to get juiced in the morning, I'd love to hear from you. Just visit my website at http://peoplecoach.com and use the form on the Contact page to send your tip. Here's to being juiced and energized every day!

The Assessment Center Interview Is Back By Popular Demand

The Assessment Center interview methodology, popular in the 80's, is making a comeback. Now that HR Departments are more capable of adequately measuring the cost of a bad hire, the Assessment Center interview approach could be money well spent, especially since the so called "traditional interview" continues to be an inferior approach to determine a candidate's real potential for on-the-job success.

The Assessment Center interview does not refer to a specific location, but instead to a process of selection. Hr-Guide.com defines an Assessment Center Interview as a variety of testing techniques designed to allow candidates to demonstrate, under standardized conditions, the skills and abilities that are most essential for success in a given job.

Although it adds more stress for some recruits, others, who do not perform well in the traditional interview settings, see this as an opportunity to shine. The Assessment Center interview can last anywhere from a few hours to days and all types of positions from skilled to unskilled, management to non-management can use this approach as part of the selection process.

Since the Assessment Center phase of the interview is costly due to personnel needs for group sessions, travel or material preparation, companies might choose to do them much later in the selection process or in conjunction with a more structured phone interview. Once you get to this point it means the company is seriously considering your candidacy. Knowing that should immediately give you a boost in confidence.

Generally speaking, most of the exercises or "tests" you do in an Assessment Center interview are designed to measure specific job skills. These "tests" can take the form of any or a combination of the following:

1. Case Studies - Consider a candidate applying for the job of Marketing Manager; one evaluation component of the Assessment Center could be the creation of a marketing plan for a new product. The solution could require components from budgeting, promotion, and media selection. This type of assessment allows a potential employer to see how candidates analyze data and issues, identify solutions, create project plans and present findings.

2. In-Tray Exercises - This exercise might have candidates actually role-play in a particular scenario to see how they prioritize tasks, handle interruptions and think on their feet when a crisis situation arises. Recruiters might also be gauging how job seekers manage operational conflicts. 3. Group Exercises -- These Assessment Center exercises give candidates an opportunity to work with a group to complete specified assignments. Job seekers get to demonstrate team work skills and interpersonal interactions in a group environment.

4. Role Plays - These exercises allow candidates to demonstrate communication skills and customer service skills. Scenarios could even be developed to gauge a candidate's listening skills or empathy and the ability to influence others.

5. Job Skills Demonstration - Job seekers get the chance to actually perform as they would on the job. As an illustration, if you are being hired in a hourly/skilled profession as a seamstress, you may have to sew something. If applying for a position as an electrician, you may have to use a schematic diagram to complete a wiring assignment. Being considered for a Payroll Clerk? You could be asked to reconcile deposit slips or do general ledger entries.

Tips to succeed with the Assessment Center Interview:

1. All the same general rules for interview preparation apply. These include wearing appropriate attire and showing up on time, well rested and prepared to do well.

2. Take the sessions seriously. Your behavior is being monitored so try to behave as you would on the job.

3. Become very familiar with the job description and the expected success behaviors BEFORE the interview.

4. Do not try and "figure out" what they are trying to measure while you are in the interview. Focus on the tasks at hand.

5. If you are given pre-interview materials ahead of time - Read them!

6. Brush up on your industry technical skills before the interview.

7. Read instructions carefully.

8. Do an audit of your materials to make sure you have all you need to proceed successfully.

As with all interviews, if you remain focused on your goal of showing the employer that you are the best person to do the job; this type of interview should not be a barrier.

Avoid Wardrobe Malfunctions When Dressing For The Interview

Most of us in the career development profession, have watched, feeling helpless, as we see hopeful job seekers get disqualified for less than appropriate interview dress.

All of us at one point or another have made silly interview dress choices or have been caught unprepared in the interview. Many might be all too familiar with the convenience store pit stop to get anything from new stockings, to new deodorant or even mouthwash on the way to the interview. How many of us have had to run into the bathroom of a nearby fast food restaurant just before the interview? How many of us have gone into the interview, at the peak of allergy season, without tissues? I have.

My most embarrassing interview moment came as I glanced down to open my portfolio and realize that my blouse was inside out. I remember wishing that the ground would open up and just swallow me. Unfortunately, I wasn't savvy enough to comment on it myself and keep moving. Instead, I tried to close my jacket and hugged my portfolio to my chest. I lost my focus and the most important thing to me then, was not to do well in the interview, but just to get out of there as fast as I could.

The following list of things to watch for - speak more about often over-looked little details rather than general tips on grooming for interview dress. They are things that can cause a great deal of personal discomfort for candidates, once they realize they overlooked a detail they should have caught with a little bit of extra preparation.

Wear layered season-appropriate attire. This way you can remove pieces to make yourself more comfortable just in case the HVAC system might not be set to your comfort level. If you are already nervous, sweating profusely won't make you stand out for the right reason.

Don't overlook neighborhood consignment shops as a great place to find suitable bargains, but make sure to check garments thoroughly for holes, small rips, pulled hems, and lingering odors. Seam construction becomes awfully important here also.

Make sure accessories like shirts and blouses have the appropriate number of the all the same types of buttons. Be sure that ties, handkerchiefs (if still used) and scarves are not stained or unraveling.

Watch for ring-around-the collar from too much wear or too much make-up. Also watch for rings under the arms.

Practice walking, sitting and standing in new interview attire before the interviews. Collge students should also try to become comfortable going the whole day without a back back as a catch all.

Take your cue from the recruiters you see at a career fair - if they are dressed above business casual and you are not - avoid approaching them. Also avoid approaching them if you are dressed appropriately, but the friend that gave you a ride, who chose not to wait in the car is "hanging" out with you and is not.

Make sure you always have a suit that is dry cleaned and ready for interviews on short notice - If you do not, try very hard to reschedule in a professional manner. Do not just "throw something on" and come in to explain that your suit is at the cleaners.

Safe attire for men typically means button-down shirt, polished shoes and a blue, black or gray suit with a conservative tie. This is not the time for holiday ties or for the suit you wore to your eigth grade graduation.

Conservative dress for women typically include a skirt at least knee length, slacks or pantsuits and clean flats or moderate heels. Bulky jewelry, chipped nail polish and a peeling "pearl" necklace do not make a good first impression and by no means try-on a new hairdo before an interview.

A leather or leather look portfolio finishes off your look and keeps you organized with note paper, a pen, copy of your resume and a place to put business cards you collected in the interview. Recruiters always remember the candidate who pulled a folded resume from a coat pocket, in a less than positive way.

Avoid taking unnecessary items into the interview. For example, putting your resume inside of a Law School test prep guide, might indicate you are more interested in law school than you are in working for this company.

There are definite trends towards acceptance of some things once considered taboo in the interview. For example in a 2006 study published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (http://www.naceweb.org), 88% of the employers said that earrings on male candidates had none or only slight influence on their decisions. In the same survey, however, personal grooming continued to be an important factor as 73% of employers said it had strong influence on their view of applicants.

With a few well-selected pieces, job seekers need not break the bank to make the right impression from the first meeting with the potential employer at a career fair or networking event, through the interview to the first day on the job and well beyond.

The Life of a Private Nurse

In our day of big hospitals and privatization of organized resources, the idea of having a private nurse seems dated and something only the rich can have. Yet for many people in the nursing profession, being a private nurse brings them all the joys of owning their own business with all the responsibilities for care which led them into nursing in the first place. Private nursing is not only a thriving profession, but a growing part of the medical landscape as people with chronic diseases spend less hospital time and more time at home.

History Repeats Itself

Private nurses were actually the norm at one point in time. In the early days of America there were not many hospitals and most were kept fully staffed. Nurses who graduated would sign up with their college alumni association and be referred to people who needed a personal nurse. Sometimes there was a lot of medical care involved, and sometimes the person essentially became a nanny. Children still play a big role in private nursing. Families with chronically ill or developmentally disabled children often hire a private nurse to be available for round the clock health care or be a tutor and aid to their children.

Agencies

While school alumni organizations now do different things (like gather money for new football stadiums), there are agencies who place private nurses and send them to assignments. Similar to home health care, private nurses who work for agencies often get benefits, insurance coverage and are given all the tools and equipment they need to keep their patient well served.

Many families trying to care for someone with Alzheimer's disease rely on private nurses to provide adequate health care and administer medicines at the proper way and time. Agencies handle all the billing and cover the nurse if they get sick or need a vacation, although they do cut into a private nurse's profit margin.

Independent Businesses

Some nurses decide they don't want a middle man agency to channel and assign their business. These nurses go into business for themselves offering live-in or hourly coverage. They usually work with one family until the patient recovers or passes away, and rely on word of mouth for the next placement. While the joy of owning your own business and getting all the profit can be fun, the work can be exhausting and you will need to find resources available in case you get sick or have a family emergency. The other drawback is some insurance companies won't pay for independent nurses so the nurse has to find private pay patients willing to personally compensate them.

Home health care and private nursing can be an amazing employment experience. You get to work closely with a family and make life changing relationships while offering health care to someone. You won't have to do all the things a hospital nurse does, but you won't have the hours and the headaches either. For many, private nursing is a new option that is a blast from the past.

Making Your Work Environment Safe

Making Your Work Environment Safe

DESPITE laws on occupational health and safety, injury and death at work still constitute a major problem. Obviously, then, safety in the workplace cannot simply be legislated. Employers and employees must take a measure of responsibility for their own safety and that of others.

Therefore, all in a work force should wisely take a careful look at their work environment and their work habits. Have you, for example, noted whether your workplace is really safe? Are you working with any toxic substances? If so, are you adequately protected? Are you constantly under stress? Do you accept work schedules that breach legally established limits or hours?

Answers to questions such as these might reveal much about how safe you are at work.

Conscious of Dangers

Trying to maintain an unreasonable work schedule can be dangerous. After examining the results of a survey of 3.6 million workers and 37,200 workplaces, Professor Lawson Savery of Australia's Curtin University, along with a researcher, published a research paper entitled "Long Hours at Work: Are They Dangerous and Do People Consent to Them?" The answer to both parts of that question was, in effect, yes.

Indeed, tired workers are less efficient and make more mistakes. Professor Savery noted, as reported by Australia's newspaper The Sun-Herald: "Many companies fostered workaholism and actively sought out and rewarded workaholics." The consequences are potentially devastating. Perhaps nowhere is this problem as evident as in the transport industry, where drivers may be encouraged or even forced to drive for long hours without breaks-illegal in some lands.

Poor work habits, which may include lack of tidiness and cleanliness, pose another hazard. Leaving tools strewn on the floor or live electric wires exposed often leads to accidents, even fatalities. The same can be said of ignoring safety precautions when using power tools and machinery. Another cause of injury and death is failing to clean up spilled fluids-especially toxic ones. Many injuries have occurred when workers have slipped on oily or wet floors. So it might be said that the first law of good work is to be clean and orderly.

Yet, many are tempted to ignore safety procedures. The journal Monthly Labor Review noted: "Work pressure may lead to perceptions that short cuts are necessary to meet demands." So some may reason regarding a safety regulation, 'It has never caused any problem when I ignored it.' Addressing this issue, one experienced factory manager noted: "One of the worst things that you can do at work is ignore safety procedures and get away with it!" Why? Because this fosters overconfidence and carelessness, leading to more accidents.

The explosion of the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine in 1986 is often described as "the world's worst nuclear accident." What went wrong? A report on the disaster speaks of a "catalogue of reckless operating procedures" and "the repeated flouting of safety precautions."

Both employer and employee can cooperate in foreseeing potential safety hazards. Yes, the wise one observes what could prove to be a dangerous situation and looks for ways to protect himself and others.

When employers do this, they benefit, and so do their employees. For example, a company that redesigned their office to avoid "sick building syndrome" found that before long, productivity was up and staff satisfaction levels had improved dramatically. It was also found that fewer people were out on sick leave. Such consideration for the health of others not only makes for a more pleasant atmosphere for employer and employee but, as seen in this case, can also make good sense economically.

As noted in the preceding article, violence has spilled over into the workplace. What can you do to protect yourself?

Steps That Can Be Taken

Even minor incidents of aggressive behavior at places of work have been found to develop into serious cases of harassment. Harvard Business Review gives this sobering advice: "To address workplace violence, be aware that people who commit small acts of aggression often go on to commit larger ones."

A woman may not intend to invite the attention of workmates, yet if her manner of dress, speech, and conduct is not modest, others may get the impression that she has loose morals. In recent times, behavior not intended to attract improper attention has sometimes resulted in serious problems, including stalking, rape, or even murder. So be conscious of how your dress and conduct are affecting others.

The Monthly Labor Review identified another potentially hazardous situation, noting: "Concerns arise regarding employees who are working alone at night in desolate areas." So consider: Is it wise to accept the potential dangers that often come with working alone, especially late at night? Are monetary rewards really worth such a risk?

It is also vital to consider how we react to irritating and hostile behavior of stressed fellow workers. What can be done to defuse a potentially dangerous situation? Yes, by being kind and respectful in your approach, you may do much to relieve tension and avoid conflict.

In today's pressure-cooker work environment, irritating and hostile behavior is commonplace. While it may appear to be directed against us, the person may simply be venting his own pent-up stress and frustration. We may simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time. So how we respond is important. It can either defuse or aggravate the situation.

Perhaps, though, there are genuine differences of viewpoint. The book Resolving Conflicts at Work makes the helpful observation: "When we are in conflict, . . . rarely do we communicate at a deep level what we really, honestly feel." What may be the reason? The book went on to note: "Our conflicts have the capacity to confuse and hypnotize us, and we come to believe there is no way out other than battle."

What is the answer? LISTEN! The book quoted above observes: "By genuinely listening to people with whom we disagree . . . , we can let go of our emotional investment in the continuation of the fighting and discover solutions." This is good advice for preventing disagreements or misunderstandings from developing into major conflicts.

Wisely, therefore, use a common-sense approach to safety. This would include being diligent in following local safety regulations. Doing this can go a long way toward making the workplace safer.

It can also be said that the attitude we have toward life, work, and leisure time can have an effect on what sort of work we choose and our attitude toward safety. The following article can help us make good choices in this regard.

Teaching - The Cost and the Risks

IT HAS to be admitted that this "most vital profession," as it has been called, presents many challenges-from inadequate pay to inferior classroom conditions; from excessive paperwork to oversize classes; from disrespect and violence to parental indifference. How do some teachers handle these challenges?

Lack of Respect

We asked four teachers from New York City what they consider to be major problems. Unanimously they answered: "Lack of respect."

According to William, of Kenya, things have changed in this regard in Africa too. He said: "Discipline among the children is on the decline. When I was growing up [he is now in his 40's], teachers ranked among the most respected people in African society. The teacher was always seen by young and old as a role model. This respect is on the decline. Western culture is slowly influencing young ones, even in rural Africa. Movies, videos, and literature depict lack of respect for authority as something heroic."

Giuliano, who teaches in Italy, laments: "Children are affected by the spirit of rebellion, insubordination, and disobedience that permeates the whole of society."

Drugs and Violence

Sad to say, drugs have become a problem in schools-so much so that U.S. teacher and author LouAnne Johnson writes: "Drug-abuse prevention is part of nearly every school curriculum, starting in kindergarten. Children know much more about drugs . . . than most adults do." She adds: "Students who feel lost, unloved, lonely, bored, or insecure are most likely to experiment with drugs."-Two Parts Textbook, One Part Love.

Ken, a teacher in Australia, asked: "How are our teachers to deal with the schooling of a nine-year-old introduced to drugs by his own parents, and now addicted?" Michael, in his 30's, teaches in a comprehensive school in Germany. He writes: "As to drug dealing, we are well aware that this happens; it is just far too seldom discovered." He also comments on the lack of discipline and says that it "shows in a general destructive mania," adding: "Tables and walls are smeared, and furniture is damaged. Some of my students have been involved with the police for shoplifting or things like that. No wonder thefts at school are also frequent!"

Amira teaches in Guanajuato State, Mexico. She admits: "We face problems of violence and drug addiction in the family that directly affect the children. They are immersed in an environment in which they learn foul language and other vices. Another big problem is poverty. Although schooling here is free, the parents have to buy the notebooks, pens, and other materials. But food must come first."

Guns in School?

In the United States, recent shooting incidents at schools have highlighted that gun-related violence is not a minor problem in that land. One report states: "It is estimated that 135,000 guns are brought to the nation's 87,125 public schools each day. To reduce the number of guns in schools, officials are using metal detectors, surveillance cameras, specially trained dogs to sniff out guns, locker sweeps, identification tags, and a prohibition against bringing book bags to school." (Teaching in America) Such security measures make one ask, Are we talking of schools or prisons? The report adds that more than 6,000 students have been expelled for taking guns to school!

Iris, a teacher in New York City said : "The students sneak weapons into the schools. The scanners do not keep the weapons out. Vandalism in the school is another major problem."

Against this anarchic background, conscientious teachers struggle to impart education and values. Little wonder that many teachers suffer from depression and burnout. Rolf Busch, president of the Teachers' Association in Thuringia, Germany, said: "Almost one third of the one million teachers in Germany get sick because of stress. They feel burned out on the job."

Children Having Babies

Another major problem is adolescent sexual activity. George S. Morrison, author of Teaching in America, says of that land: "About 1 million teenagers (11 percent of 15- to 19-year-old girls) become pregnant each year." The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of all the developed countries.

This situation is confirmed by Iris, who said: "All the adolescents talk about is sex and parties. It's an obsession. And now we have the Internet on the school computers! That means chat groups and pornography." Angel, from Madrid, Spain, reported: "Sexual promiscuity is a fact of life among the students. We've had cases of very young students getting pregnant."

"Glorified Babysitters"

Another complaint of some teachers is that many parents do not shoulder their own responsibility to educate their children in the home. Teachers feel that parents should be the very first educators of their children. Good manners and etiquette should start at home. Little wonder that Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers, says that "teachers . . . need to be treated more like other professionals and less like glorified babysitters."

Parents often fail to back up the discipline given at school. a teacher commented: "If you report delinquent kids to the principal, the next thing you know, you are being attacked by the parents!" Busch, quoted earlier, said about dealing with difficult students: "Family upbringing is on the way out. You can no longer assume that most children come from families with a good, reasonable upbringing." Estela, from Mendoza, Argentina, said: "We teachers are afraid of the students. If we give them low grades, they throw stones at us or attack us. If we have a car, they damage it."

Is it any wonder that in many countries there is a teacher shortage? Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, warned: "Our [U.S.] schools will need up to 2.5 million new teachers over the next decade." Major cities "are actively seeking teachers from India, the West Indies, South Africa, Europe and anywhere else where good teachers can be found." This, of course, means that those areas may well suffer a teacher shortage.

Why the Teacher Shortage?

Yoshinori, a Japanese schoolteacher with 32 years of experience, said that "teaching is a noble work with good incentive, and it is highly respected in Japanese society." Unfortunately, this is not true of every culture. Gregorian, quoted earlier, also stated that teachers "are not given professional respect, recognition and compensation. . . . Teaching in most [U.S.] states pays less than any other occupation requiring a bachelor's or master's degree."

Ken Eltis, quoted at the outset, wrote: "What happens when teachers discover that many jobs requiring much lesser qualifications pay substantially more than teaching? Or when students they have taught only twelve months ago . . . are earning more than they do now or are even likely to in five years time? Such a realisation must threaten a teacher's sense of self-worth."

William Ayers wrote: "Teachers are badly paid . . . We earn on average a quarter of what lawyers are paid, half of what accountants make, less than truck drivers and shipyard workers. . . . There is no other profession that demands so much and receives so little in financial compensation." (To Teach-The Journey of a Teacher) On the same subject, Janet Reno, former U.S. attorney general, said in November 2000: "We can send men to the moon. . . . We pay our athletes big salaries. Why can't we pay our teachers?"

"Teachers in general are underpaid," said Leemarys. "With all my years of study, I am still getting only a low annual salary here in New York City, with all the stress and hassle that big-city life implies." Valentina, a teacher in St. Petersburg, Russia, said: "A teacher's job is a thankless one as far as income is concerned. The pay has always been below the standard minimum." Marlene, from Chubut, Argentina, echoes this sentiment: "Low salaries force us to work in two or three locations, running from one place to another. This really reduces our effectiveness." Arthur, a teacher from Nairobi, Kenya, said : "With the declining economy, my life as a teacher has not been easy. As many of my colleagues would admit, poor remuneration has always discouraged people from moving into our profession."

Diana, a teacher from New York City, complained about the excessive paperwork that ties up teachers for hours. Another teacher wrote: "Most of the day is spent on the three R's of ritual, repetition, and routine." One common gripe was: "Forms to fill out, those crazy forms-all day long."

Not Enough Teachers, Too Many Pupils

Berthold, from Düren, Germany, expressed another regular complaint: "Classes are too large! Some here have up to 34 pupils. This means that we cannot pay attention to students with problems. They go unnoticed. Individual needs are neglected."

Leemarys, quoted earlier, explained: "Last year my biggest problem, aside from noncaring parents, was the fact that I had 35 children in my class. Imagine trying to work with 35 six-year-olds!"

Iris said: "Here in New York there is a shortage of teachers, especially for math and science. They can get better jobs elsewhere. So the city has hired many foreign teachers."

Obviously, teaching is a demanding profession. What, then, keeps teachers motivated? Why do they continue and persevere? Our final article will consider these questions.

It is estimated that 135,000 guns are brought to U.S. schools each day.

What Makes a Successful Teacher?

How do you define a good teacher? Is it a person who can develop a child's memory so that he can repeat facts and pass tests? Or is it a person who teaches one to question, to think, and to reason? Who helps a child to become a better citizen?

"When we as teachers recognize that we are partners with our students in life's long and complex journey, when we begin to treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve for simply being, then we are on the road to becoming worthy teachers. It is just that simple-and just that difficult."-To Teach-The Journey of a Teacher.

A good teacher recognizes each student's potential and knows how to make it blossom and flourish. William Ayers observed: "We must find a better way, a way that builds on strengths, experiences, skills, and abilities . . . I am reminded of the plea of a Native American parent whose five-year-old son had been labelled a 'slow learner': 'Wind-Wolf knows the names and migration patterns of more than forty birds. He knows there are thirteen tail feathers on a perfectly balanced eagle. What he needs is a teacher who knows his full measure.'"

To get the best out of each child, the teacher must discover what interests or motivates him or her and what makes the child tick. And a dedicated teacher must love children.

Career Advancement - Here's an "Instant" Solution

In society today we are bombarded by magic solutions to everyday life's problems. Every life problem is solved on TV in 30 minutes or in one hour chunks of time. Instant millionaires, instant weight loss, instant dating programs for that important someone. Instant solutions are touted for everything important in life.

How about instant career success? Just press the magic button and you're an instant leader or executive. Most careers are not built that way. They take hard work, study and dedication to your craft. Being a good teammate and working effectively with others also helps get you to the top of your career.

In looking around and examining the "instant" solutions, to make them really work all require study, dedication and time. All require plenty of time to develop and build the solutions into a daily routine and habit. However, there is one "instant" solution that works every time it's tried. You don't need any special education. You don't have to attend a high priced career advancement seminar. It really won't take a long time to learn and you don't need to buy any special equipment.

What is it? It's simple and straight forward. Show up and show up a lot. You ask how could something so simple produce an advance in my leadership skills and ultimately in my career?

If you only show up to report bad news, the people who work for you will only become self-protective when you appear. In that kind of environment communication is forced and difficult. On the other hand if you show up a lot your showing up is normal and communication can happen.

When you show up you learn more about your people. The real world is not formal reports or carefully rehearsed briefings. Dry reports and computer generated data will not get the job done. As you see people in action you will better understand their jobs, their frustrations and their successes. Show up and you'll see first hand about what is working and what is not. Moreover, show up a lot so your people can learn about you and your management style.

One of the best examples of great leadership was the principal of our local high school. He carefully crafted, over the summer, a series of messages from the 30 second sound bite, to the one hour lecture regarding the schools mission over the coming school year. He kept to his core beliefs in delivering a superior education but each year he added variations to enhance the educational experience. He was out and about all the time delivering his message. From talking to a small group of students in the library to giving a pep talk to the girls swim team. His leadership skills were apparent as demonstrated by the areas best known high school choir, to superior sports teams, to the number of merit scholars all benefited from him "showing up."

By showing up he never neglected to tell students and teachers and parents what's important. His carefully crafted messages to the staff and students were replete with examples on their important roles in achieving the superior educational experience. Show up a lot so you can tell people what's important. Show up a lot and you get more chances to share those important messages.

As you show up a lot you can make those daily small corrections. As a leader you life will be easier, you'll sooner get the results planned if you can make lots of small course corrections instead of a few big course corrections. Show up a lot and you'll have more chances to make things right.

Now you ask how much is "a lot?" Probably the best answer is more than you're doing now.

An executive in a large distribution center tried to walk through the building at least once a day and observe and talk to the employees. In checking his schedule, he found he was only "showing up" about 2 or 3 times a week. He made it a priority to do two random walk thrus every day. He set aside enough time to stay and watch and listen to the employees and to communicate. He made it a point to learn more about each employee, to coach, to encourage and to lead by example. He didn't expect instant trust, but in a very short time he started seeing the benefits of his leadership change. Moreover, the supervisors under him started emulating his style with additional beneficial results.

The concept of "showing up" is an easy one to grasp. However, to be effective you have to turn it into a habit. Habits take time, at least three weeks or longer. If you have a message to convey think it through and try it out. With effort and attention, like taking notes of promises made or questions asked and getting the answers back as promised will require effort and concentration. You may, in the beginning have to schedule your "show up" time. For example in a more than 8 hour operation when was the last time you showed up unannounced at 10pm or 4am?

This career enhancing tip won't help you lose weight or turn you into an overnight millionaire but it is an "instant" solution that will make you into a better leader and manager. Try it, it works.

Five Reasons To Send Thank You Letters To Employers After The Interview

Thank you letters are an excellent self-marketing tool and a critical component of your job search strategy. The time spent crafting a targeted thank you letter after an interview will be well spent and can contribute to a more credible and efficient search. Below are five reasons to incorporate thank you letters into your search strategy.

A thank you letter creates an opportunity to reconnect with employers.

Chances are you are one of many candidates being interviewed for an open position. Writing a follow up letter allows you to build a relationship with the interviewer and develop rapport. By expressing your gratitude for the interview and recapping the highlights of the meeting, you revisit the reasons you believe there is an appropriate fit between you and the organization.

Following up keeps your candidacy top of mind.

Often candidates make the mistake of putting too much control in the interviewer's hands. They believe that if they are the best candidate, the interviewer will remember them and keep them in the loop regarding the selection process. But this is often not the case. It's critical that candidates remind prospective employers of their interest in a position and the thank you letter is the perfect vehicle for communicating this.

Written correspondence allows you to sell your strengths again.

While part of the reason for the thank you letter is to express gratitude for the meeting, the document serves a much more strategic purpose. It provides an opportunity for the candidate to repackage their skills and accomplishments into another format and market their value added to the employer.

The document enables you to address points you neglected to discuss during the interview.

Many candidates report that after they leave the interview they think of all the other things they could have said during the meeting. Rather than labeling this a liability, turn it into an asset by discussing these points in the thank you letter and remind the reader of your ability to produce similar results for their organization.

A letter helps develop rapport and increases employer's comfort level with your candidacy.

A good strategy is to recap a part of the conversation where you and the interviewer shared similar views on a job-related topic. The thank you letter can also be a forum for demonstrating your consultative problem solving skills. By addressing current issues the employer is facing and proposing solutions, you are contributing to the company's success even before you are on board.

Thank you letters continue to be an important component of a successful job search campaign. But the focus has shifted from a simple courtesy and show of appreciation to a targeted self-marketing tool. By creating letters that validate your candidacy, build rapport, and remind the reader of your value added, you can significantly influence potential employers and increase your chances for subsequent interviews.

Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers (http://www.careersolvers.com/) has over twelve years of experience in career management, recruiting, executive coaching, and organizational development. Ms. Safani partners with both Fortune 100 companies and individuals to deliver targeted programs focusing on resume development, job search strategies, networking, interviewing, and salary negotiation skills.

What You Need To Know About Careers in Health Records, IT, and Information

One of the fastest growing careers in the medical field includes careers that are in health records, information, and IT. There are a variety of great career opportunities that are available in this field and many of them are well paying as well. Of course before you make any final decision on whether or not you want to go into this field of medicine, you will probably want to know a bit more about it. No doubt you will want to know what type of education is required, the various jobs that are available in the field, the type of salary that you can expect, and some companies to consider when you are ready to finally get a job within the field.

Educational Requirements

Believe it or not, you won't need a doctorate degree to get a job in this field. Usually a community college or junior college degree will do the job for education. Of course you will need to have all the general education subjects, but you'll also need to have courses that include anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, managing databases, computer training, and even statistics. Most companies prefer to hire people who are Registered Health Information Technicians, which means they have to pass a special exam. They must pass a 2-year degree program that is accredited by the CAAHEP as well. However, if you want to advance in the field, you can go on to get a bachelor's degree if you want to be a director or administrator.

Types of Available Jobs

There are a variety of different jobs in the health records, IT, and information area of the medical field. You can find jobs in hospitals as well as doctors offices. Some of the records deal with medical history, and the results of tests and exams; and all of these records have to be evaluated to make sure that they are accurate and complete. Computer programs are also used to help control costs, for research, and to help improve the care of the patients as well. The duties that you would have would depend on the size of the facility you are working in. If you are working in a large facility, then you may specialize in one area of health information. However, in smaller facilities, you may have to deal with a variety of different specialties.

Expected Salary in the Field

Since jobs in this field are so popular, the salary range is fairly good, especially for people who only have a 2 year degree. Most people earn around $20,000 to $28,000 each year. However, on the low end, some people in the field make less than $20,000 each year. There are also some who make more than $30,000 a year, depending on their specialties. Those working in hospitals make about $23,000 a year, those in medical offices make about $21,000 a year, and those who work in personal care facilities usually make about $24,000 each year.

A Few Companies for Consideration

Once you are ready to start working in this field, more than likely you are going to be interested in finding a great company to start working for. Whether you live in Canada or the United States, there are a variety of companies that offer jobs to those in the health careers, IT, and information fields. You will want to get a job with a company that offers great benefits as well as a competitive salary. So, the following are a few companies to consider. In the United States, a few of the great companies that offer jobs in this field include Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Florida, Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio, San Jose State University in California, and North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in New York. There are a variety of good companies to consider in Canada as well. Just a few companies to consider include Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Ontario, Alberta Cancer Board in Alberta, and Vancouver Coastal Health in British Columbia.

So You Want to Be a Systems Administrator? Part 2 - What Course Should I Do?

So I got pretty well to the top of my field - without going overboard and becoming a super-specialist / cranky old 20 year veteran, before I got promoted out of the field a few weeks ago.

Before the memories fade too far I wanted to write down what led to my success - and mistakes I made that others could avoid - so that aspiring sysadmins could take advantage of my past few years work too. Especially aspiring sysadmins who have what it takes (See part 1 of this series to find out if you have what it takes) because in my new job, I need more of you guys around!

Part 2 - What course to do?

University? I'll admit I'm probably biased against university. I didn't go myself - when the time came to make that decision the courses open to me were near totally irrelevant to the business world outside. Old programming languages nobody used, acres of academic drivel, lecturers and tutors with little or no relevant industry experience... Maybe universities have changed since I last gave them a close look - but the feedback I'm getting from recent students says otherwise. As a rule, I think if graduates are still finding the real world bewilderingly unfamiliar after spending years supposedly learning about it, the mark has been missed.

Not only are universities struggling and largely failing to re-acquire relevance to the industry, but their archaic courses (computer science? what the hell is that? when did computer techs last wear lab coats?) are extremely generalist - they touch on Very Neat Programming For Robots, Unix Administration Strictly By The Book but they don't make you a sysadmin. True, only experience will do that, but for courses to get you started, there has to be a better option than university.

Depressed about until now I've said all that? Cheer up - completing a degree gives you a lot of points. Sooner or later, not having _any_ degree is probably going to hurt my career. I haven't hit that barrier yet, and when I do I might very well be faced with three years of uni, or more years 'part time' in my 30's or 40's - not so cool as going when you're 18. University is also a great social mecca for young people that I missed out on. It's got good points - if you're halfway through a degree, stick with it and finish it. An unfinished degree won't look so hot on your resume.

Again though - don't kill yourself if you've got a half finished degree. If you're young, you've probably heard a lot of bull from older people like that your life will end if you don't get the right qualifications. This is crap - the most valued thing in this industry at least is experience - and you can only get that by doing the job. Qualifications are there to help you break down the door and get your first job, or beef up your resume against the other candidates when you're looking to upgrade.

Cisco?

Cisco courses are the bees knees if you want to be a network engineer. If you want to spend the rest of your life messing around with routing, fire walling, load balancing and doing a hell of a lot of planning for not much work - this may be your career of choice. If you're obsessed with networking, it very probably IS your career of choice. But Cisco courses are not for systems administration. Cisco makes the world's best routers and arguably hardware firewalls - not the world's best servers or operating system.

Worse - Cisco courses are old-school. They include written / multiple choice exams, they include a load of old technology nobody uses anymore, and demand you memorize a lot of crap to pass the exams. Uh oh! Doesn't that mean someone who's good at memorizing stuff but barely understands networks could pass? Well frankly YES for the entry level CCNA - but beyond that maybe not. It gets complicated.

Still, you're on a better track here - industry certifications are far more valuable on your resume than a university degree, if systems administration is your thing. And don't get it into your head that sysadmins don't need networking. You need to understand net masks and firewalls, basic routing and stuff - and a lot of the problems you face will be network related - so understanding networks will help you a lot.

I'm not saying don't get a CCNA. I'm saying don't rely on it to get you job as an SA. I've interviewed a few guys who knew nothing about anything but had a CCNA. They did not get the job. Every git and his goat seems to have a CCNA nowadays.

Microsoft?

Warmer... Microsoft Certified Reboot Engineer isn't the 60-minute-cram-the-night-before-pass-the-exam-still-clueless joke it used to be - and if Windows is your thing (Windows Servers aren't the joke they used to be either) there is no other choice. Better yet, Windows is a perfectly valid back door into Unix administration - many positions involve a little of both so you can make the crossover. But it sure isn't my pick - I'm really not into shrugging my shoulders when the boss asks me why the servers are screwing up. I like to have real answers. Preferably before the servers screw up in the first place - but that's a rant for another day.

To me, looking at someone's Resume, an MCSE is meaningful but no cigar. They're still not that difficult to get, and they're still marred by the old stigma of the laughably-easy... we've all met an 'MCSE' long ago who couldn't figure out that DNS wasn't configured on a desktop... 'Why doesn't The Internet work?'

RedHat?

RedHat are my choice. If you take their pre-assessment exam, you will see they have a range of courses for everyone from the total noob to the hardenened Unix veteran. My personal experience of RedHat courses is that they're up to date, keenly relevant, completely practical, well taught, and the exams are right on the money - favoring practicality and "does it work?" above all else. Oh and I know how they got there too - there's an exit survey on your way out of the course. They've been asking the best people in this field about how to improve their courses for years. Smart - as usual.

The upper echelons of RedHat certification - RHCT, RHCE, RHCA are no joke to obtain. I found RHCE to be extremely challenging, for all the right reasons, after years of Linux administration. If I see RHCE on someone's resume - even if their experience isn't quite up to what we're asking - I'm likely to want to interview them. You just can't get that certification without knowing what you're doing - and that makes it valuable - and rare.

Other Linux?

Two problems spring to mind here. Firstly, RedHat dominate the field of commercial Linux. They do it better than anyone else, and both their product and their service kicks butt. Why do you want anyone else's name on your resume? Second: Who? There's a couple of really common Unix certs you can get, none of which are well known or understood. As a general rule, avoid all lesser-known certifications! What is the use of it, if nobody at the company you're applying to has any clue what it is, or what it means you know?

Whichever way you cut it, doing courses will cut into your time and money - if you're at the beginning of your career placing you in debt in some way. In my view, RedHat training is the best value for money, and the best value for time. Remember, your first 12 months on the job are more valuable than any qualification you'll ever get. If you're new, you want a qualification to GET you those first twelve months - if you want one at all.

If you're an aspiring SysAdmin, you need to look at courses as a stepping stone to get you in the door of your first sysadmin job. Once you're in that door, if you succeed, you're made - because the most valued thing on your resume is experience.

Breaking down the door is the subject of our next exciting episode.

How to Find a Job Online - 5 Top Tips for Jobseekers

1. Check the Main Recruiters

I think that before you even start your job search, you should have a look at who the big players in the recruitment business are. Have a look at their website, and get to grips with the terminology of recruiters: track record, cover letter... That way, you can start getting into the jobseeker frame of mind and talk to employers on their level. Remember that even though you are searching for a job on the internet, impressions are very important and the way you write/structure your emails and corespondance will reflect your personality.

2. Find your 'Niche' Website

Once you know the ins and outs, the dos and don'ts of applying for jobs online, you can start looking for the website that will offer the job you are looking for. In order to do so, the best thing to do is use search engines like Google and look for "[your dream job name] positions" (or jobs, vacancies). that way, you are sure you will find a website that bears many job offers and not just a few. Niche job websites usually have some information about the best things to do when applying or submitting a CV, so make sure you read them as they know what they are talking about!

3. Browse the Offers

When you are on the website, looking to send in your details to the employers, make sure you take your time. If you see a job you like, write down the reference, the URL, or simply the title; anything that y can use to find the web page later. Then, go on and look for more similar vacancies. If you have several, you will be able to save some time when you apply. Furthermore, two different employers will write different job specs for the same positions, so it can be very good to read several job descriptions before applying so you can get a real idea of what is required from you in that position. Last but not least, you can compare salary expectations...

4. Tailor your CV

Not enough people do this systematically, but it still is the first thing to do if you want the employer to keep reading your CV past the first 5 lines. First of all, you need to relate to the job on offer at the top of your page to get an employer's attention: In your Job title, replicate the exact job title mentioned in the a you are replying to. Then, make sure the rest of your CV actually promotes you as well: look at the keywords and 'required attributes' in the job description (attention to detail, knowledge of..., experience in..., good team-player...) and try and tweak the descriptions of your professional work experience to point in those directions. For example if you worked in a sports superstore when you were 16, you can put something like "in depth knowledge of sports equipment and the leisure industry". You need to tailor your CV for every single different job you apply for. You can simply type over the words that need replacement everytime, and then save your document.

5. Get a Proper Email address!

Recruiters get a lot of emails everyday. They send huge amounts too. If they cannot find your email in their inbox because you sent it from 'crazypartydude@universitylife.com', then it's your fault! It is good practice to have two email addresses: one for personal use, and one for professional functions like looking for a suitable vacancy. Ideally, the professional one should be Name.Surname@internet.com. Not only is it a way to present yourself well, but the recruiter will remember you because he clicked your name, and that's exactly what you want!

Your Career Plan - Be The CEO Of Your Own Career!

How can you identify a different job or career, find time to job hunt, and get back to enjoying the game of life? Thinking like a CEO will help you map out a successful career with work that's fulfilling and energizing.

As a Chief EXPLORATION Officer, your first step is to engage in self-exploration - This is key to career planning and decision-making. If you know yourself, your interests, and strengths, you'll make informed career decisions. A great way to hone in on your natural talents is to think about your childhood dreams and passions. What did you enjoy doing? Whom did you enjoy being with? What types of games did you like to play? What were your favorite sports, interests, or hobbies? What type of stories did you read? For what did you wish? The past holds significant clues and can help you select several career fields that may be a match for you.

As a Chief EXPERIENTIAL Officer, you must talk to the people who are actually in the career that you've identified - This step gives you a reality check. Seek out at least five people who are working in your selected career field. The more people you interview, the better. You'll find common themes and information that will be invaluable to your career planning process and your final decision. Please don't hesitate to contact these people. Most people love to talk about themselves and their expertise.

If possible, ask to meet with them in person. When you meet, be candid and curious. This is your opportunity to learn from people who are working in the career that you are considering. Plan some questions in advance:

# Do you enjoy your job?
# What kind of education and experience do you recommend I have?
# What do you dislike about your job?
# What does someone need in order to be successful in this career?

You might also invite one of these professionals to be your mentor as you move forward with your personal career goals.

As a Chief EDUCATIONAL Officer, you need to examine the competencies and skills required in your choice of work - Once you determine one or more career options, list the skills and competencies that you need to move forward with your career choice. What do you currently know? What do you need to learn? List the gaps, and then make a plan to fill the gaps. You can beef up competencies and skills in a variety of ways: classes, degree programs, and certification programs; internships or apprenticeships; reading; working with a career coach; and volunteer activities.

As a Chief ENGAGEMENT Officer, you will have to stay on top of your game - You must stay self-motivated, energized, and engaged in your career-planning process. It takes energy and commitment to explore career options and make career decisions. What feeds your energy level? Think about what nourishes and nurtures you, such as adequate sleep and daily exercise. Do you need to change your schedule to allow time for your career planning? Do you need to change anything in your environment, such as creating a home office? How can your friends and family help you stay engaged and moving forward?

As a Chief EMPLOYMENT Officer, you are your greatest resource for finding the right job - Your career planning process will help you find the right job for the right money. Without doubt, networks are the number one resource for finding your next job. Share your career plans and aspirations with friends, peers, and family members. You may be surprised whom presents you with a great lead that helps you land the perfect job. However, it's up to you to turn your career dreams into reality.

Are you ready for a career change? If so, remember to think like a CEO and give your life wings!

Australia Mining Jobs and Mine Job Employment

The best aspect of the Australia mining jobs is that people from all backgrounds and working professions can find a position suited to them. Typically, available mine job positions are best suited to those that like to challenge themselves physically. While there are still are number of positions suited to people who prefer hard labouring work, the industry also requires workers to fill positions in a number of areas and capacities.

Working conditions in the mining industry have improved greatly with a big emphasis on safety these days. You may need to undertake safety training before you work in the mining environment. This is due the physically challenging working conditions you will find yourself in, not to mention the 12 hour shifts.

An attractive aspect of the Australian mining industry is the rosters that are available. There are a number of different rosters available, depending on the company you work for. Some mining jobs rosters range from 3 weeks on and 1 week off to 9 days on and 5 days on.

Another great aspect of the Australia mining industry is the ability to secure a fly In, fly out (FIFO) position. As many mines are located in remote areas, mining companies will cover the costs for you to fly to the mine site during your rostered work period. Your employer will cover and provide all of your accommodation, food and laundry needs. FIFO positions also gives you the opportunity to save a lot of money. You employer will also generally cover the cost to fly you back home during your rostered time off.

Accommodation in the mining camps ensures that all of the workers are comfortable. Living quarters provided at camp sites range from 2 by 4 metre portable homes to permanent 6 by 8 metre rooms with ensuites. Fridges, single beds, television, electricity and water are also provided with rooms.

One of the most popular Australia mining jobs that people look to gain is that of a Dump Truck driver. Why is a Dump Truck position a great position to gain in the mining industry? - because of the income you can earn! You can expect to earn up to $100,000 in some states. Dump truck drivers come from all sorts of backgrounds and there are no age or gender restrictions. This position does require you to be in good physical shape and be able to pass a medical, to ensure you can safely operate these large trucks.

A common question from people who want to work in the mining industry is "are there entry level jobs for someone with no experience?". The answer to this is 'Yes!' For example, entry-level jobs include sample preparers, drillers assistants and labouring positions. These are available for people willing to work hard in return for a good income. In fact, the mining industry is looking for people from all backgrounds. Employers need to fill a number of Australia mining jobs from labourers, truck drivers, catering and cleaning staff to tradespeople, engineers and even office staff.

A concern for a number of people who would like obtain mining jobs is that they may be required to move to another state. Contrary to popular opinion, there are jobs the mining industry all across Australia, in all states. Also, for many people that are interested in making the change to an industry that offers them a great career and lifestyle opportunity, they will often question if they may be too old. Gaining employment is based more on your physical ability. As long as you are fit and capable of putting in a hard days work this is much more important than an arbitrary age limit.

Though the Australian mining industry is often portrayed as a male dominated industry, there are many career options for women in the industry. In fact, women are being hired not only on the basis that they are able to perform the job well but they have great safety records and work ethics. Gaining employment in the mining industry has become a great career option for couples as well.

If you are serious about wanting to work in the mining industry, there is a lot to know before you starting applying for mining jobs. Don't ruin your chances in the industry by applying for the wrong mine job, or the right jobs in the wrong places - as this can damage your future employment prospects.