Job Archives - Page 3 of 3

Is Network Marketing the New J-O-B?

First, let me say that I LOVE network marketing and am involved in several companies myself. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that network marketing is fully endorsed by the financial powerhouses Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki in their book “Why We Want You to Be Rich.” This article is meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit serious, and hopefully, a “lot” insightful for those wanting to seriously pursue a network marketing business.

My personal recommendation is that a person can have up to three network marketing involvements. One strictly for fun or because it is something you are passionate about. If that’s the case, then you are simply enjoying the discount and that’s perfectly OK. The second one can be for the residual income. Once a person signs up for your product or service, whether it’s a $1, $10 or $100, the money keeps rolling in. Nothing wrong with that, either. The third one is where you’re not just getting residual income, you’re also building a team. It’s the “sink your teeth into” company where your objective is “unlimited income.”

It is this third one that I will focus on because I think it is the one that as Christian entrepreneurs we need to be the most thoughtful about because of potential spiritual “land mines.”

In Business For Yourself but not By Yourself?

So often in network marketing we hear that “you are in business for yourself but not by yourself.” Much is made out of replacing your current J-O-B with your particular networking marketing venture. In addition, much is made out of how you are merely “trading time for dollars” in your current position versus the “unlimited income” you could obtain from such and such company.

For sure, networking marketing has evolved considerably from back in the day when people would chase you down to come to meetings to sign up for something that you really didn’t need or want but felt obligated to join because your sponsor was a relative, friend or suddenly “new friend.”

With modern technology, there are fancily titled meetings, conference calls, flash presentations, webinars and of course, the almighty DVD (how did we live without those things?). Nowadays, you don’t even need to meet or personally know someone to sign them up. Just buy some Internet leads and you’re set to expand into Antarctica, by golly!

Networking marketing today is slick and sophisticated. Even Magic Johnson and Warren Buffet have major stakes in network marketing.

Your upline is likely to call himself or herself a coach (hey, you’re likely to call your own self a coach). Information packets after sign up ask for your goals, how much you want to make, how much time you’re willing to put into your business and other roadmap type questions. Then, there is an endless slew of meetings and conference calls. There are even accountability partners, weekly and monthly check-ins. What’s next? Performance reviews? 360-Degree assessments? Myers-Briggs?

Still Trading Time for Dollars

As a result of all this, it occurred to me that the being in business for yourself but not by yourself, suddenly seems like the ole J-O-B except now, you have NO steady income, NO benefits and NO vacation. On top of that, you’re probably involved in some type of autoship or monthly subscription. Nevertheless, it is a known fact that most people in network marketing don’t even earn enough to cover their monthly expenses associated with the company. These days, if you’re not serious about working your tail off, then you’re probably better off not even signing up for a network marketing company no matter how dazzling the opportunity may seem.

From my own experience and observations, the people who are the MOST successful in network marketing are those who virtually eat, drink, sleep, dream and WEAR network marketing, just like someone who is climbing the proverbial corporate ladder. I meet people who may be making plenty of money in network marketing, but when are they really relaxing and enjoying the fruit of their labor when there is call after call, training after training, and meeting after meeting, including on Sundays, presumably a day of rest.

Simple brochures and easels have been replaced with LCD projectors and DVD players so now there is equipment to lug around and get tangled up with. Are these network marketing diamonds and bionic-diamonds REALLY enjoying a better life outside of the brick and mortar workplace when they seem to be consumed by their network marketing advancement? Still sounds like trading “time for dollars” to me.

Business Meeting or Revival?

As Christians, we are reminded to keep our focus on God and not to be distracted by other gods. Go to some network marketing meetings and you might wonder if you’re at a business meeting or at church. In my opinion, just as “The Secret” for all intents and purposes took “religion” out of the equation, just because religion is placed “into the equation” doesn’t necessarily make it “holy” either. “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” (2 Cor. 2:17)

As you look at various network marketing opportunities, especially the one in which you will be “sinking your teeth into” remember to apply the same rules that you would to any other major investment.

1. Pray about it. There is no need to jump into anything, no matter how groundfloor it may be. It has to be the right opportunity for YOU. Of course, you can’t beat a GOOD groundfloor opportunity, either, so don’t be the perpetual “hem and hawer,” either. People DO make lots of money in network marketing, but it was to be the right company and at the proper position in the product life cycle.

2. Use your discernment about the people involved. Remember, actions speak louder words, no matter WHAT is being “preached.” Observe the leaders and others in the organization and make sure their actions are congruent with what they say. It will be hard to stay enthusiastic if you have an unresponsive or uninspiring sponsor. Network marketing is about building relationships and they have to be good all around.

3. Is the venture in line with your own spiritual gifts? If it doesn’t align with what you’re good at or what have a passion for, then it’s probably not a good fit in the first place. And remember, just because it’s someone else’s passion doesn’t mean it has to be yours. It doesn’t matter WHAT status Sally has obtained in XYZ company, if you’re not excited about “thing-a-ma-jigs,” then you’re probably not going to do very well. Donald Trump, Martha Stewart and Barbara Corcoran are just some of the many people who advise on how important it is to have a passion for your business.

4. Will the time commitment allow you adequate down time for Bible study, prayer and meditation or will you be consumed with meetings five to seven days a week? What is your threshold? Will you still be able to go to church and do meetings on Sundays? Remember, God wants us to keep him first. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33)

5. If you are a business owner, will the time commitment of network marketing allow you to fully maintain, develop and nourish your own business? It’s so easy to find yourself shifting over to the network marketing side and spending less time on your own business if you are not careful. If that happens, then you’re not even business FOR yourself.

6. There are only 24 hours in a day and at least eight of them should be spent on sleep. The body truly does need time to rejuvenate itself and it does this when we are sleeping. Make sure you’re getting the proper rest so that you can be a HEALTHY entrepreneur!

7. Have fun! Remember the Lord said he came so that we “may have life … more abundantly,” (John 10:10) and not be stressed out, tired and overworked.

In conclusion, using the above guidelines, I wish you the very best of luck and may your network marketing business turn out to be all you hope for and much, much more. See you down the road apiece in our new Cadillac or Benz or Mustang!

©2007 by Paula Quick. This article may be forwarded, copied or distributed to others only if it contains the title and author as shown above, along with the websites of reference: The Faithpreneur and The Lemonade Coach.

Ten Ways to Sweeten the Job Or Job Offer

One aspect of meaningful work is being compensated adequately for the work that you do. Whether you are currently in a practice having survived a lay off or negotiating for a new job, you are probably finding that raises are small or nonexistent and offers are lower than what you were used to. Even if you did not get all the money that you wanted, there are other perks that can be negotiated.

Don’t give up what is critical to you but find other ways to make the job more attractive. Now may be the time you actually negotiate work/life balance into your job! A firm needs people who are happy, energetic and enthusiastic to develop the business and do the work. Here are 10 ideas to help you to negotiate a really great offer.

1. Use your strengths. If the job description includes pieces that do not play to your strengths and you can see a way to show that the piece that you do want is important enough to be your primary responsibility, negotiate dropping the less attractive pieces. (You will need to show them that focusing on this piece is important to the company.)

2. New to the firm? Ask for an introduction from the firm leader or someone high enough up in the organization that can transmit power to you. This will make managing a team easier and will help you get the kinds of work you want.

3. Improve your performance through better resources. Ask for more people, more budget for your department/group, or other resources for you and your department/group to help you perform better, faster and more thoroughly.

4. Get customized hours for your situation. Ask for different hours than are normal for the organization. For example: Come in earlier and leave earlier. (This can help with work/life balance)

5. Increase the vacation time or get vacation when you need it. Ask for specific vacation dates (vacation during school vacations) or extra vacation time (4 weeks instead of 3). (This can help with work/life balance)

6. Set an objective that is important to the firm. Determine a time frame in which you could accomplish a key goal and ask for a bonus upon completion.

7. Telecommute from home full time or part time. Ask for the ability to telecommute a certain number of times during the week or month. (This can help with work/life balance)

8. Improve your skills. Think about becoming a “Thought Leader” or “Subject Matter Expert”. Look for possible training in skills where you want to develop expertise or ask for a tuition reimbursement plan if you want to pursue an advanced degree. Get the company to cover memberships to professional associations and subscriptions to professional and business magazines and newspapers.

9. Ask for a specific job title. If your firm puts value on a particular title, ask for that title.

10. If this is a new job for you, ask for a signing bonus. Add a signing bonus to a bonus on completion of the key goal may get you close to the salary you were asking for. Of course next year you’ll drop back to the salary but by then you can be looking for other ways to increase your salary.

Brand: You, Creating and Self-Marketing Yourself to Find a Job During Tough Times

A career brand is an image that portrays you as an expert in your field, attracts your ideal employer, and reveals how you can help their business. How can you promote your career brand effectively, to stand out among increasing competition in the workforce? Self-marketing!

Before you begin self-marketing, you need to understand:

1. What you are going to market about yourself

2. Who you are going to market yourself to

3. Why you are going to market yourself to them

This article offers some important tools to develop your career brand and understand your self-marketing plan.

Goals of Self-Marketing

1. Provide direction to help eliminate trial and error. As a result, save time and money.

2. Network with key industry players.

3. Identify your transferable skills. Marketing these skills, not just job history and accomplishments, puts you in higher demand (i.e., more interviews).

4. Determine what other industries your transferable skills fit into. The industry you are in affects the success of your career. Market yourself in growing industries (green-collar, biotechnology, nutrition, IT). Steer away from dying 5. industries (textile, printing, newspapers, steel manufacturing, etc.).

6. Resolve any setbacks that hurt your career and prevent you from getting interviews. Fix your resume so it does not portray you as “a job hopper”, “lacking education”, or “unable to advance at a company”.

Create Your Own Mission Statement

Just as mission statements provide direction and purpose for companies, individuals can benefit from having their own personal mission statement too.

Your mission statement says what is important to you. Write yours before starting a career to get on the right path and connect with companies that have similar values and beliefs. You can revise it or write a new one at a career crossroads. Its sense of purpose is great motivation!

What to include:

1. Goals – Aspirations in life (short-term and long-term)

2. Core values – Who you are and what your priorities are

3. Successes – Professional, personal, etc.

4. Offerings – How you can make a difference for the world, your family, employer or future employers, friends and community

Integrate Assessments into Your Career Branding

Career and personality assessments reveal consistent patterns in your traits, characteristics, strengths, preferences, and skills. The assessment results may lead you in a new career direction. If you have an established career, they tell you how well your traits and branding messages align with your career path.

Present your distinctive and noteworthy traits to your targeted employers. Remember that not all recurring patterns contribute to good branding (e.g., introversion). Disregard any pattern you feel is not really you.

Incorporate the assessment results into your career branding materials: resume, cover letter, elevator speech, interview responses, portfolio, business card, etc. Convey a consistent branding message throughout all of these materials. But you can use different branding statements for different industries.

Tag! You Are “It”!

Self-marketing is not just about selling your specific skills. Everyone has skills. They get you in the door, but not necessarily get you the job. There can be 100 or more applicants per job posting, and they all have the same or better skills as you. How can you stand out as “the one”?

Develop a tag-line. A great tag-line tells people exactly what a product is and how they will benefit from using it. This is what employers want to know about you! Specifically, how you will help them make and save money. Tell them how much money you helped a previous or current employer make or save on a given project, sale, or time period.

Dear Career Journal…

Did you have a diary or journal when you were young? It helped you express feelings when no one else would listen, or when you did not want anyone else to listen! Similarly, a journal can help and guide us in our professional adult life too.

Writing in a career journal allows you to set aside time to think and learn more about yourself and your career. Just as when you were younger, using a journal allows you to express emotions (good and bad) about career progress. When you read past entries, see how far you have come!

Use your career journal to:

1. Write your personal mission statement

2. React to self-assessment tests

3. Do a SWOT (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) analysis

4. Evaluate your current situation

5. Reflect on your successes and failures

6. Devise career goal ideas (breaking into a new career, as a volunteer or consultant)

7. Think about career alternatives

8. Establish daily or weekly career-related objectives or tasks

9. Develop action plans to achieve your objectives and tasks

10. Make checklists

11. Record network contacts, job interview results, etc.

12. Develop job correspondence material (cover letters, resumes, thank you letters, etc.)

13. Practice job interview questions and answers

14. Gather salary information

15. Jot down ideas and information you like and want to use in the future

16. Record things you want or need to learn, skills to improve upon

17. Discover and explore your workplace values

18. Record your job-related likes and dislikes (and employers’ likes and dislikes)

19. Note lessons learned

20. Develop ways to improve the workplace

21. Review job-search trends

22. Develop plans for achieving promotions

23. Document the career paths of your peers that you want to emulate

24. Prepare for job performance reviews

Do not keep your career journal at your workplace. Keep it at home on your computer or in a notebook. Try to set a regular time of day to work on your journal, maybe right after work. Maybe before work to get yourself motivated and focused on what you can achieve that day!

Your journal is always ready, and no matter where your career path leads you, you can continue to use it throughout your professional life.

Key Marketing Tools:

Strategic Marketing Plan

Your plan answers these questions:

1. What have I accomplished, where am I now, and where will my career be if I do not take action?

2. Where do I want to go with my career?

3. How do I get to where I want to go?

4. How do I put my plan into action?

5. What do I need to change if I am not getting success?

Market Research

Understand trends in your career field. Consult resources such as the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook. Interview industry professionals. Study the companies you would like to work for. Use this information for your cover letter, resume and job interview.

Marketing Mix

You are probably already familiar with the 4 P’s of marketing, or the “marketing mix”. The 4 P’s are product, promotion, place, and price. Translate these in terms of you and your career for job search success.

Product

You are the product with unique characteristics, features, and skills. Expose your “product features” in your tag-line and resume. Let employers know your work experience, leadership experience, professional memberships, technical skills, education and training.

Make sure that your on-line marketing tools (i.e., Facebook or Myspace) are cleaned up and employer ready. You do not want a potential employer to see something on your personal networking sites that will land you in trouble.

Do not forget “packaging”, to properly present yourself and your credentials to potential employers.

Promotion

This is your cover letter, resume, phone calls, correspondence and interviewing. Promotion tools include anything that you can use to get a job interview and ultimately get a job offer.

Be memorable by utilizing multimedia marketing like email, follow-up phone calls, or try using regular priority mail envelopes to send resumes, cover letters and other “marketing materials”. This increases your career brand and distinctiveness.

Place

This includes everywhere employers can access you. How are you reaching employers or people who can connect you with employers?

1. Internet job-searching and applying to job postings

2. Cold calling

3. Networking with current and former coworkers, colleagues and alumni

4. Speaking with recruiters at staffing and employment agencies and company HR departments

5. Visiting your university career centers and alumni offices

6. Attending professional association meetings and seminars

Price

Price includes all aspects of the compensation you can receive from potential employers, as well as your strategies to get the price you want, and that the employer feels you deserve. Your price not only includes salary, but also insurance, benefits, paid time off and perks.

Call in the SWOT Team!

Performing a SWOT Analysis, used in marketing planning, is helpful to use in your career planning. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It answers:

1. What are your Strengths and Weaknesses (in your internal environment)?

2. What are Opportunities and Threats in your career field (external environment)?

Strengths

Internal, positive aspects which you can capitalize upon, such as:

1. Work experience

2. Education

3. Technical skills and knowledge (e.g., computer skills)

4. Personal characteristics (e.g., superior work ethic)

5. Strong network of contacts

6. Involvement with professional associations and organizations

7. Enjoying what you do

Weaknesses

Internal, negative aspects that you plan on improving, such as:

1. Lack of work experience

2. Inconsistent major with the job you are looking for

3. Lack of specific job knowledge

4. Weak technical knowledge

5. Weak skills (leadership, interpersonal, communication, teamwork)

6. Weak job-hunting skills

7. Negative personal characteristics (e.g., no motivation, indecisiveness, shyness)

8. Weaknesses identified in past performance appraisals

Opportunities

External, positive conditions out of your control, but you plan to leverage or add value:

1. Field trends* that create more jobs (e.g., globalization, technology)

2. Field needs your set of skills

3. Opportunities for advancement in your field

4. Location

5. Strong network

Threats

External, negative conditions out of your control, but you may be able to overcome:

1. Field trends* that diminish jobs (e.g., downsizing, obsolescence)

2. Companies are not hiring people with your major/degree

3. Competition from college graduates with your same degree

4. Competitors with superior skills, experience or knowledge

5. Competitors who attended better schools

6. Limited advancement in your field (too competitive)

7. Limited professional development in your field

8. Find hiring/employment trends in your field. Go on-line to ABI/INFORM, Business News Bank, and Lexis/Nexis.

After completing your SWOT Analysis, add the results to your Strategic Marketing Plan. Also, use your SWOT results to develop the following in your Plan:

1. Career goals

2. Marketing strategies

3. Action plan with deadlines

The Elevator Speech

The Elevator Speech is a clear, concise introduction that can be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator from the top to the bottom of a building. It can be as short as 15 seconds or as long as three minutes. Write down your Elevator Speech, and practice it so it comes naturally. Be ready to deliver it!

Use it at:

1. Networking events (including “unconventional” ones, like shopping)

2. Career fairs

3. Cold calls to employers

4. Voice-mails

5. Your current workplace, when you encounter the higher-ups

6. Job interviews when asked, “Why should I hire you?” and “Tell me about yourself”

Your Elevator Speech includes:

1. A greeting

2. Your name

3. Your industry or field

4. Accomplishments, background, qualifications and skills

5. If you are graduating soon, what school and what degree

6. What you want to do and why

7. Why you enjoy what you do or want to do

8. What interests you about the listener’s company/business

9. What sets you apart from others

10. Your tag-line that you developed!

11. Your mission statement that you developed!

Finally, capture their interest and request action.

1. At a career fair: “May I have your business card, and give you my card and resume? Can you add me to your company’s interview schedule?”

2. Networking: “What advice do you have for me? What employers do you suggest I contact?”

3. On a cold call: “When can we meet to discuss how I can help your company? May I send you my resume?”

Security Job Motivation

David Cameron has launched a task force to help businesses motivate their staff which, considering the unemployment figures, might translate as misguided energy. How about some inspiration for the millions of jobseekers David? Here are a few tips to keep your grey matter stimulated.

Staying positive when you’re searching for jobs we know is easier said than done, keep your eyes firmly focused on your SIA Licence, it’s one positive and one you worked hard to earn. The major problem with on-line job applications is the lack of one-to-one communication, if you’re not short listed you’re unlikely to be told, unfortunately that’s the way the job market works right now. There is one tactic you can employ here though. If there is a contact number, and you haven’t heard anything for a few days, call to check your application has been received; if nothing else it shows your enthusiasm and opens up a dialogue.

Be sure your CV and cover letters are up-to-date. This might sound obvious to you, but if you use a standard cover letter for all your applications in a PDF format, chances are it’s dated the day you wrote it; PDFs don’t auto correct dates and times Microsoft Word will. Whether you’re applying for a job as a SIA Licence Door Supervisor, Security Guard or a CCTV Operator the standard of your communications is important, use a spell checker; you’d be surprised at the number of spelling errors that crop up in job applications. A good tip here is to get someone to read your cover letter out loud to you. This might sound crazy, but it will give you a good idea how you sound to the recipient.

So now you’ve fired off ten CVs and had two calls for interviews. Celebrate! It doesn’t have to be a slap-up meal at the Ritz, have a coffee or a drink with a friend. If you’re really enthusiastic, who knows they might even pay! Rewarding yourself is really important; it stimulates bits of your brain called the lateral hypothalamus known as brain stimulation reward (BSR). Don’t have too much stimulation though especially if your interview is the next day.

Don’t become a job search slave; spending hours glued to your email inbox constantly tapping the refresh key can have a negative effect on your BSR. Treat your job searching as a routine task, create a manageable schedule of say three hours a day and stick to it. For the rest of the time do something positive, see friends, take a walk, but don’t head for the TV remote control, daytime television is just as depressing as newspaper headlines about the recession.

Now you might think this next comment is really off the wall, eat well, being unemployed doesn’t mean you have to eat junk. We’re back to the BSR here, reward yourself with brain food, okay so you might not be the best chef, but remember fruit is the fastest food you can get your hands on and it’s cheap too. It’s important that when you do turn up for your interview that you look healthy and are alert. Snacking in front of the TV is great on a rainy Sunday afternoon, but too much of it can lead to depression which isn’t going to help your motivation.

See interview knock-backs as positive practice not negative as a de-motivator. It would be great if you did, but it’s unlikely you’re going to get the first job you apply for. Every time you interview its practice for the next time, even great actors constantly revise their stage rolls that’s how they perfect their skills in front of an audience. Do any of these sound familiar: Why bother I won’t get it? It’s a waste of time there’ll be too many applicants? The competition is too stiff I give up. Erase any or rather all of these from your vocabulary right now! You will get there eventually persevere and remember to concentrate on your SIA Licence its proof you’re worthy.

On a positive note, if you need help with your CV, Get Licensed has launched a brilliant app to help you build a polished and professional CV in minutes. CViZ enables you to create exactly the kind of CV recruiters are looking for, and it’s really easy to use too without any word processing skills needed. The CViZ app will provide you with a fully formatted PDF to store anywhere you like – you can even store your CV on your android phone to enable you to respond to job ads on the move within seconds.

The security industry is the fastest growing employer in the UK and is possibly the one and only sector that isn’t affected by the recession right now. By staying motivated you’ll soon find yourself in a rewarding job and remember your expert training with Get licensed is the one thing that will single you out from all the other applicants our reputation relies on your success.

Win More Job Interviews by Using Stronger Keywords In Your Next Resume Cover Letter

It’s widely accepted by recruitment professionals that increasingly higher competition among today’s job seekers is making it harder for many applicants to successfully obtain interviews for positions in the organizations they wish to join.

In order to overcome this situation, the successful job seeker is learning more and more to use power words to help stand out from crowd in this increasingly competitive job market. Even a few years ago, you probably would not have heard of the term keywords in the context of cover letters for resumes.

But, given the increased use of technology in screening the thousands of applicants applying for positions in Fortune 500 organizations, they have started to impact individuals and related industries in a big way.

But keywords, those hot words that are associated with special industries or job positions, are an important way that a job seeker can differentiate him or herself from the competition of other job seekers. They are important because they can mean far more than the more two or three words convey by themselves.

Jay Block, an executive career coach in West Palm Beach, Fla., commented that if the ad says candidates need to have a bachelor’s degree, “bachelor’s degree” had better show up somewhere in your resume.

He also commented that job hunters need to look at ads for similar jobs from other companies. It’s important to recognize that each specific industry has its own inside “speak” or jargon, and knowing what specific words are important in the range of ads about certain job positions will help you spot the pattern of words that employers are continually using. Once you spot the pattern, a good tactic is to start using them yourself in you own resume cover letters and correspondence relating to getting an interview for a new position.

It’s important to understand that some keywords are the real ones that you need to take notice off. Although many keywords are industry specific, Mr. Block says, certain phrases are common among all organizations. These words continue to have favor today and they include “communication skills,” “problem-solving,” “team work,” “leadership,” “resource optimization,” and “image and reputation management.” The reason is that they relate to universal skills that are in hot demand by today’s employers.

“Business development” might be one of the most important of all, he says.

“I’ve interviewed many, many companies that will tell me, ‘Everybody from the floor sweeper to the national sales manager had better be involved in business development in some way,’ ” says Mr. Block.

Keywords are something that have been used by most people though their working lives – even if they don’t realize it at the time. They can be defined as simply the hot buzz words of a particular trade or profession. They clearly communicate something specific about the particular job function, qualification or specialist experience.

Some examples of these include increased market penetration for marketing personnel, shared vision for human resources personnel, customer development for sales staff and systems engineering for Computer IT Specialists.

As the market place has become increasingly competitive for job seekers , you will need to catch your potential employer’s attention by writing action driven statements that explain what value you can provide your prospective employer. Strong keywords are nouns that allow you to get the message across more successfully than most other means. They allow you to showcase your qualifications, capabilities and what you can offer the employer. Moreover, they are very hard to pass over so they tend not to be ignored.

It’s a well known fact in recruiting circles that keywords are a really effective way of enhancing your resume cover letters, broadcast letters and other styles of correspondence that you use to win job interviews. Strong keywords make a dramatic improvement to your presentation that should showcase achievements, qualifications and experiences that support your successes throughout your working career.

You might substitute, for example, revenue growth for bottom line improvement or efficiency and improvement for cost reduction and avoidance.

The potential list of keywords that can be used to create a professional image is very large and the more that you think of them, the easier it will be to incorporate them into your resume cover letters, resumes, thank you letters and other job search activities.

So, after you have worked thorough a listing of your “professional keywords”, you need to closely marry them to your background and simply drop the weaker terms. The most important part of the process is to make sure that these keywords are relevant to your profession. Use of in-appropriate keywords, or overuse of them, could also weaken your resume cover letter so it is important not to go overboard.

If you start researching the most powerful keywords for your profession, you will get the added advantage of educating yourself about the skills, qualifications and experience that is demanded by today’s employers in your particular field.

So, if you need to move away from your core area of experience and branch into a different job field one day, you will be well served by researching the right keywords to help you familiarize yourself with this new area and what is required by the candidate for the particular position.

The Real Difference Between Job Hunting and Job Search

Any active job seeker will find that these terms are used interchangeably in articles, blogs and other literature. There is in practice a fundamental and distinct difference.It is important to embark on both a structured and a more flexible approach to job hunting to secure a new role successfully.

In a recent study, a group of executives were studied prior to making a presentation. By observing these executives at an evening party, prior to making their presentations the following day, researchers were able to correctly predict the winning presentation, just by observing and listening to the way these executives. Their language, the way they talked and listened were all valuable clues about the level of the effective interaction and communication skills.

Job search can be defined as the systematic and structured process of searching for a new role, as a result of outplacement or the desire to change roles or careers. Common methods include job search engines, job boards, newspaper ads, recruiters and company web sites.

Job hunting is a more creative, unconventional and non-rational process by using a variety of effective methods to find new employment, but relying more on informal networks and unconventional approaches to find jobs in the hidden market.

Let me share with you one example in my own career of using job hunting effectively to secure good roles. Years ago I decided to immigrate to New Zealand and during my first holiday trip I was talking to my immigration agent. When I mentioned I had a strong interest in technology she suggested I meet with an IT company. After a couple of meetings the company created a new position and offered me this role, which I held for three years. It was never advertised and I was the only applicant. All it required from my side was effective sharing of my skills and connecting with the right company, using effective networking skills.

Since that role, I have also been appointed into two other roles that were never advertised:

(1) As part of my consulting practice I was doing a strategic assignment for a large recruitment company. After the assignment, they mentioned to me that one of their clients was looking for a new head of HR. After a meeting with the MD and another meeting with the Board, I was offered the role and worked seven years for this company.

(2) After being invited to complete a strategic consulting assignment with a listed company that took six months, they asked me to join their executive team. I was known the MD and Board, there was little due diligence required, and again the position was never advertised.

Let me close off with a good example of job hunting. If you have ever been to Africa, one of the things most people on a wildlife safari strive to do is to take pictures of the Big Five (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, and leopard). Finding these five animals on an African safari is no mean feat.

How would you go about making sure you get these five animals in your sights? Well, first of all you would want to go to a safari camp that have all these animals in their reserve. Then you would want to get a good tracker and game ranger to help you find these animals. You would need to bring with you a good camera and ensure you are in the right position to take your picture, so that months and years later you can still savour the memories of taking those perfect pictures.

As you embark on your job search, ensure you incorporate a bit of the primitive hunter in your job hunting, using your instinct and gut feel. In today’s competitive market, it is really survival of the fittest.

How To Get More Interviews In Your Job Search

Richard Bolles, job search guru and author of What Color Is Your Parachute? predicts that you can expect to search for work 1-2 months for every $10,000 you hope to earn. So, if you’re looking for a $40,000 a year position, you may search for 4-8 months to land it. Back when the economy sizzled, that job search length would have seemed outrageous, but now, many people would be thrilled to only search for 4-8 months.

Now the question is: How can you limit your job search length regardless of what’s happening with the local economy?

The answer to that question depends on the strength of your job search campaign. Take a look at these common job search problems. If your campaign is suffering from any of these symptoms, try one or more of the tips suggested for each.

If you’re mailing resumes but aren’t getting interviews:

o Your campaign may not be intense enough. Remember that searching for a job is a full-time job. Increase your employer contacts by phone, fax, mail and email to 10-20 per week. Gather job leads from a greater variety of sources than you have been using, such as networking, newspaper ads and Internet sites. But most important of all, tap the hidden job market.

Bottom line: Getting interviews from resumes is in part a numbers game. Contact more employers to increase the odds in your favor.

o Your resume may reveal that you do not possess the skills sets employers want. Get them! A tight economy means employers can command whatever skills, credentials and experience they want, so why argue with them? Volunteer, take a class or create a self-study program to learn what you need to learn. Or, take a lower-level position that will prepare you for advancement to the job you really want.

Bottom line: It’s up to you to qualify yourself for the job you want. Demonstrate your initiative and enroll in that class now, then be sure to claim your new skills on your resume.

o You may not be contacting the employers who are buying the skills you’re selling. First, identify the three skills you possess that you most want to market to employers. Second, match those skills to three different kinds of positions that commonly use your preferred skills. Next, tie each of the positions you identify to specific local industries and employers who hire people with the skills you’re marketing. Then create different resume versions for each of the types of positions you intend to seek. Make sure each version highlights and documents your ability to do what you claim you can do.

Bottom line: Different employers need different things from their employees. Know what you have to sell and sell it to the companies that want it. At all costs, avoid genericizing your resume with clichés and vague statements.

o Your resume may poorly communicate what you have to offer. If you have weaknesses in your employment chronology or if you are changing careers, you will need to take great care in structuring your résumé’s content to overcome any perceived deficiencies. Create a powerful career summary statement which emphasizes your primary skills, qualities, credentials, experience and goals. Group your most marketable skills into an achievements section and showcase those using numbers, concrete nouns and clear indications of the results you accomplished. Use company research and the employer’s job description to focus your revised resume on the company’s needs.

Bottom line: The person who decides whether or not to interview you will make that decision in a mere 15 to 25 seconds. Be clear, organized and achievement-focused to use those seconds to convince the employer to interview you. If you’re getting interviews but no job offers:

o You may have the basic skills the employer needs but not the advanced skills they prefer. Review the second bullet above and act on the suggestions presented. Once you have updated or expanded your skills through additional education, experience or self-study, begin building a career success portfolio to prove your success to prospective employers. This will also help you respond to those behavior-based interview questions that are the rage these days.

Bottom line: It is up to you to advance your career. Figure out what you lack, then learn the skill or develop the ability.

o You lack strong self-marketing skills and this is showing in your interviews. To improve the quality of your interpersonal communications and interview responses, take a class. Invite someone to role play an interview with you. Practice answering behavior-based interview questions. Arrange to participate in a videotaped mock interview. To project your personality positively: Select three to five about yourself that you want the employer to know about you by the end of your interview. Brainstorm ways to weave those things into your responses to common interview questions. Learn about personalities different from your own. Smile and relax! Make strong but not excessive eye contact. Go into the interview armed with 5-8 words or phrases that positively describe your workplace personality and use those words or phrases throughout the interview. Match your communication style to the interviewer’s questioning style. Know your resume and defend it. Keep your responses brief and always to the point.

Bottom line: Your interviewing performance serves as a preview of your on-the-job performance, so project your best. Research, practice, and sell! To job search is to make mistakes. Question is, are you learning from the job search mistakes you’ve made?

Evaluate your search every two to three months so you can fine tune your campaign on a regular basis. You probably get your car tuned up regularly. Why not do the same for your job search? With the right knowledge and proper tools in place, there will be no stopping you!

Discover How to Start an Internet Business From Home While Keeping Your Day Job

With the world in financial chaos at the moment, many people are anxious about their chances of holding onto their jobs, while others are just looking for a way to start an internet based business from home as an added security measure to bring in some extra income.

In this article we will discuss the best way to start your own small business from home without having to quit your day job.

There are many people who are totally dependent on their day job as their sole means of support and if this is your situation then starting a small internet based business from home, part time, is probably the easiest and cheapest way to get into a business of your own.

A small internet business can be used to sell your products and services globally or locally. You could choose to sell either physical or digital products, just remember that if you sell physical products you will have to be able to ship them to your customers whereas digital products can be downloaded directly from your website.

You could also think about becoming an affiliate marketer. This entails selling other people’s products and earning a commission from your sales. How this works is that the products you sell will be coded with your “affiliate link” which you place on your own website. There are many extremely successful internet marketers who make all their money using only this method of internet marketing. Alternatively you could also use a combination of the two methods.

It is relatively cheap to start and run a small home based internet business and by working it on a part time basis you will be able to keep your day job until such time as you start to make money. Your business will then be able to provide you with an extra source of income or extra security for the future especially in these uncertain times.

There are hundreds of viable legitimate income opportunities available on the internet today, and there is absolutely no reason why anyone with average intelligence cannot start an internet business of their own.

One very important point to consider, however, is that you will need to focus your goals and work out a plan of action that is realistic. You will need to take into account the hours that you spend working on your day job, any family commitments and also allow some recreation time. Nobody can work day and night without a break and do a good job. So set your goals by taking all of these things into account.

You will need to make some sacrifices if you wish to be successful. It may entail giving up some TV time or some other activity that you enjoy but is not essential. If you cannot sacrifice some of your pleasures and make time to build a business, your business will remain nothing but a pipe dream.

If you find that you have very little time available to spend on building a business you may need to reconsider just how strong your desire is to have your own internet home business. If you are not prepared to sacrifice a few of the less important activities in the beginning, it is highly unlikely that you will see the project through to a successful end.

One great side effect of starting a small home business on the internet part time while still working in your day job, is that you will be forced to become more efficient in the limited time that you have available.

Don’t hate your job, rather try to see it as a means to help you in reaching your dreams and desires for your own business. As you work towards achieving your goals your business will start growing and become an asset rather than the liability you may initially find it to be. Once this happens you may then feel that you need to spend more time working on it and you will be able to give up your day job and work full time on your internet business from home.

Work From Home Job Or Start Your Own Online Business – Which One For You?

This is the definitive guide to understanding whether working at home for a company or owning your own online business is right for you.

Many people are on the search for real work from home businesses and the exact how to steps to get to work from home. It actually has two components. Some people want to work from home but work for someone else. Other people want to work from home but start their own company. Let’s explore both career paths to help you decide which one is right for you.

People who want to work at home but work for a company are looking more for an assured paycheck or set income. They find that they are not ready to take on the risk of starting their own company and feel better at knowing that once they start working they will instantly be making money. The opportunities range from working in customer service to light assembly or manufacturing work.

People who want to start their own work at home business are looking to break free from working for someone else. You would be striving to build a constant monthly income source where you call the shots and at the end of the day the company is your own. You would have to be comfortable with risk and understand that your positive cash flow from your business will not be overnight.

Take this quick quiz below to see which setting is right for you.

1. Can you wait to make money or do you need immediate cash flow?

2. What is your tolerance to business risk?

3. How much money do you have saved to start a company or can wait before it has to make money?

4. Do you prefer to work for someone else or do you want to start your own company?

5. What do you like to do?

6. Do you have any obligations that could prevent you from starting your company?

7. Are the people around you with you in starting a company or against it? Would they prefer you to work for someone else?

8. Do you need a steady paycheck or amount per hour that must count on?

Being honest with the quiz will let you know which work at home situation fits you best. There are many business opportunities and jobs that you can do that are home based. After you have decided which one works for you then you are on your way to uncovering the best suitable work at home career. Starting an online business is easier than one thinks. It is for anyone that has an internet connection and can write at least an email. It doesn’t take a technical background to make good residual income from a home based business.

Starting a company can be very stressful but then so is working for someone else. Just know that the pressures and stresses are different but very real. Be honest with your answers and you will know whether you should work for someone or start your own work from home business.