Knoll 2006

You would think the tough part would be over now since you have successfully passed the interview stage and have in your hands a signed contract for your new job.  This may not be the case as the final step, while not difficult in the same sense as the others, can often be the most emotional.  We are talking about the resignation.

If you’ve enjoyed working at the company you are about to leave, resigning can be a nerve-wracking and heart-wrenching process. But if you keep in mind the reasons you decided to leave in the first place, and realise that looking after yourself and your career is very important, then resigning doesn’t have to be such a difficult process.  In contrast to a disgruntled employee, you have the opportunity to turn this into something which may benefit you in the future by making the execution of your resignation a highly professional undertaking which holds you up as an example of a desirable employee or business partner.

If you haven’t been enjoying your job or workplace, the best advice is to leave on the best possible terms. You never know when your path may cross with your current colleagues in future jobs and burning bridges is generally not a smart move.  While you may not directly work with your current colleagues again you may collaborate on the same client (provided you stay in your current industry) or perhaps even work a few steps removed.  In any case, there is little to be achieved short of a quick burst of satisfaction in storming out on your last day.

Have a simple resignation letter prepared, and then meet with your direct manager. Talk about the positives you’ve experienced working with your manager, in your role, and at the company, and indicate that your reasons for leaving are a positive step for you, rather than a negative reaction to your current employment. Leaving on a good note is a far more pleasant way to move on than going down in a blaze of glory - as tempting as that may be sometimes – and you are going to seriously compromise your chances of a send of drink!

If your employer makes a counter-offer, you should consider the reasons why you wanted to leave in the first place.  While the best option in the majority of cases is to stick to your decision, there may be times where your direct manager may not have adequately communicated your dissatisfaction and senior management may be shocked to hear you are leaving.  The choice to stay should be a firm one but do not cast it in stone, particularly is your reasons for leaving are overcompensated in the counter offer.

David James Brewster, is a writer for Classifind.com.au.
Classifind.com.au is Australia’s largest search engine specialising in jobs. Hundreds of thousands of job listings from major Australian job boards are brought together in one place, reducing search time.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/essential-job-tips-resignation-954766.html

As Chicken Littles had warned, the stock market collapsed and many are rendered job less. Not only the realtors and home builders are facing this problem but workers across the board the feeling the pinch.
‘Laid off’ severely impacts on your finance, future and career. It is a traumatic experience to deal with. Finding a new job and getting back into workforce becomes heavily confusing and frustrating.
Here are few effective ways to get back in gear and stay afloat in economic tempest.

Stay Calm

First of all, even in the face of adversity do not lose hope and start panic. Be positive no matter how much ever hopeless the situation looks like. Though losing a job is devastating yet it has certain benefits. Now you have plenty of time to do all the things you wished to do but could not due limited time. You can go for a vacation, get some exercise, call your family and friends who had always complained that you don’t call and use the time to reevaluate your life and your career. Take your time and plan out your next moves.

Severance Package and/or Unemployment Benefits

Though not compulsory yet many employers offer severance packages to laid-off employees. These packages are paid for a limited amount of time and are based on the length of service. Sometimes unused leaves can also be encashed. So, ensure that you know your employer’s policy well before you leave.
Even though you are receiving a severance package from your employer, you’re still entitled to unemployment benefits. File for them immediately as the approval takes a lot of time.

Sharpen your Skills

Now you have enough time to update your skills to keep you get going with the fast-paced IT world. This updating is also required to generate job interviews, also ensure that your resume reflects recently learned skills, projects you have worked on, or certifications you have earned.

Hunt for Job

Sooner or later, you need a job to pay off your bills. Once you have recovered yourself from the trauma of being severed from the job get ready to give your career a fresh start and start job hunting. Spend time over the internet to search for new job prospects and then visit them the next morning. There are jobs still available but it is better to hit the iron when it is hot. Don’t apply for a job until and unless you have your updated resume with you.

Networking

Local classified ads and internet job sites are not enough to get you a job. Never underestimate the power of networking. Send a quick e-mail to all your contacts as they can catalyze your job hunting. Briefly let them know that you were unfortunately laid off from your previous job and now looking for a new opportunity. Send them your resume and ask them to put a word for you wherever it is possible.
Never doubt your ability and lose self-confidence due to lay-off. Remember that losing the job was not your fault. You are not the only one to be sacked. Talk to others in the same condition and find out how they are coping up with it. Focus on your skills, brush up your resume and start job search with a positive frame of mind.
Apart from all the Do’s mentioned above there are certain Don’ts which you should keep in mind.

• Never tap into your 401(k) or other retirement plans. That should be your last resource as retirement plans are your backup plans.
• Never take loan against your home. When you do not have a job it will be bad idea to jeopardize your home.
• Do not overuse your credit card.

Only the person who goes through a lay-off truly knows the pain. But it’s no time to panic. Gather yourself and channel that anxiety towards doing things that are more productive.

Jobsbridge is a fast growing I.T Job & Career Portal. Thousands of jobs are posted by technology staffing companies, recruiters and direct employers on a regular basis. Employers & Jobseekers will find this site very uncluttered and has some great feature set.

Jobseekers, give this site a spin! May be your next job is on us. Visit us at http://www.jobsbridge.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/laidoff-whats-next-958711.html

So…How Much Are You Offering?

Salary – Let’s Talk About It  - The How To during An Interview

Talking about salary and compensation with potential employer can be one of the toughest tasks a job seeker faces. When and how you approach the topic is extremely important.

Tawana Wood, Chief Resume Writer for the CountrysBestResumes.com says “job seekers must view interviews as sales calls.” According to Ms. Wood, salary and benefit negotiations are a part closing a deal. “Job seekers are selling their skills and abilities to potential employers who are investing/purchasing their expertise.”

Ms. Wood recommends job seekers do the following:

1. Research the Market

Research how much professionals are being compensated for the same or similar functions.  Review salary surveys, review industry related publications - http://tcbsolutions.net/Career_Publications.html and associations for resources http://tcbsolutions.net/Professional_Association.html, job advertisements and consult with those in your network. Job seekers must also keep in mind that their geographic area plays a significant role in determining pay levels, salaries in NY will differ from those in FL.

2. Know About The Company

Like a Sales Professional, know your prospect. Research the company’s financial situation; do they have the resources and market position to support the salary you are seeking?  It is critical that you find out this information before attempting any salary negotiation.

3. Are there Perks?

Are there things other than financial rewards that will attract you to a company? Consider what the full compensation package will look like. Does the company offer a good work/life balance? Do you receive healthcare benefits? Do they offer specialized training or tuition re-imbursement? “I accepted my job because it was close to my home and offered telecommunicating options” say Jerrod Stalls, Field Technician in Maryland.  “I  accepted the position because they offered me four weeks vacation the first year and six weeks for the year following” says Darrien Jones, IT Director in California.

Determine which factors are critical to you. Look at your whole picture…compensation today and retirement for tomorrow.

4. Distill Value

In order to close the deal you must distill value. A successful sales professional overcomes objections by distilling value.  Highlight your achievements in a quantitative and qualitative manner. Your resume should focus on what you do well and be used as a guide to help you demonstrate your stuff to a potential employer. Employers are looking for solutions. Show how your experience and expertise will help them save money, make money, change, or do something new. The better you are at showing your worth, the more likely you are to negotiate a better deal.

5. Be prepared to Answer the Question

When the time is right the employer may ask you what your salary requirements are. Based on your thorough research you will be ready to respond. Never just say “I’m Flexible” if asked the question, give them a range mid XX’s to upper XX’s. If an employer doesn’t ask, then ask them. “How much has been budgeted for this position?”

6. Ask for an official offer letter with your compensation included

To officially close the deal, request the employer send you an offer in writing outlining the specifics of the offer including your key responsibilities, start date, salary and special arrangements.

Tawana Wood is a recruiter and Chief Resume Writer for The CountrysBestResumes.com, she has personally written more than 7,000 resumes for today’s top executives worldwide.

CountrysBestResumes.com • New York, NY • 800.409.8979

Tawana Wood is a recruiter and Chief Resume Writer for The CountrysBestResumes.com, she has personally written more than 7,000 resumes for today’s top executives worldwide.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/salary-lets-talk-about-it-the-how-to-during-an-interview-959443.html

Dear Graduating Students, 

The time has finally come for you to move ahead and transition from your college, vocational, and/or technical education environments into the world of business.  You may have already chosen a specific industry to “make your mark” and are facing the reality that the marketplace today is very competitive.  Therefore, to accelerate your new career and differentiate yourself, it is a critical time for you to look inside and “unlock the leader” within you. 

Often when we paint a picture of a leader we may not immediately visualize ourselves in that role.  We may think of the owner of a company, the coach of a professional sports team, our religious leader or even the President of the United States.  Leadership is neither solely “position-focused” nor about doing.  It comes from the ability to have a “Big Picture” mind-set; to see a whole situation or organization and all of its needs.  It is a discipline; it is the willingness to do what is required regardless of neither personal mood nor negative, outside influences. Leadership is not about oneself! 

There are certain traits that studies have shown are common in most leaders; some innate (we are born with them) and some learned (we develop them).  If any of these statements describe you in any way, then there is a great leader in you waiting to realize full potential… 

I am a problem solver and decision maker; I motivate others; I plan my time well; I ask many questions; I take time to get to know people; I have the ability to handle stress; I take initiative; I inspire trust and confidence; I listen to others when they have suggestions. 

Self-awareness and self-discovery are critical to the process of unlocking the leader within you. Many of you have had different careers, some in different industries and now you are exploring other opportunities.  For others, this is just the beginning; your first official job! The situations may be different, but one thing is the same and can be applied to all new leaders.  Julie Fuimano describes it well in her book The Journey Called You, “through self discovery and acceptance you open the door to achieving greater potential. This potential exists inside you waiting for you to let it out. You begin to know yourself, to express confidence in being who you are. You give yourself permission to be you. You learn to have respect for yourself and express yourself more clearly and make decisions and solve problems with more confidence.  You will begin to delegate in order to manage your time better and to focus on higher-level and longer-term thinking and planning.” 

Ultimately, leadership is about getting things done through other people in a positive way. It is the ability to bring out an individual’s full potential and create an environment where someone is willing to “go the extra mile” and step out of their own comfort zone.  

In order to be a great leader you need to be able to actively listen to others.  You must have faith in others and truly believe they have something of value to contribute.  

Leadership is multi-directional.  Those being led need to know as much about their leader’s values, motivations, communication and behavioral styles as the leaders need to know about those who follow them.  Great leaders understand that success is a shared responsibility; each party needs to hold the other accountable to an established high standard.  

When you unlock that leader inside you, you will need to consider what type of leader YOU want to be. Many of our greatest leaders are “Principle-Centered”.  The well-known business author Stephen Covey perfectly described a Principle-Centered Leader as “men and women of character who work on the basis of natural principles and build those principles into the center of their lives, into the center of their relationships with others, into the center of their agreements and contracts, into their management processes, and into their mission statements.”  They maintain complete alignment between who they are and how they operate (and treat others.) 

The esteemed business author John Maxwell was quoted as saying “A great leader’s courage to fulfill their vision comes from passion, not position.” Having a vision is critical for leaders; it is what allows you to see where you want to 1, 3, or 5 years out, professionally and personally! If you have no vision, where are you leading towards? Your vision may change often throughout your career as you grow and learn which is why great leaders embrace a life time of learning. 

It is possible that you already have a great leader whom you wish to aspire to, or not.  You may just know that you aspire to be a great leader. Whatever the case, now it is a critical time to “unlock” that leader in you and start to learn to be that Great Leader!

Richard Magid is a certified facilitator, business coach and president of Boonton, NJ-based SoundBoard Consulting Group, LLC. Robin Adwar is a partner, business coach and certified facilitator at SoundBoard. SoundBoard works with the leaders and managers of small to mid-size companies to support them in their desire to achieve superior financial results, more effective leadership, greater team and staff productivity, healthier work environments, continued professional growth, and a culture that supports, motivates and retains key individuals. To learn more about becoming a Superior Leader, please contact Richard at 973-334-6222 or send an email to Richard@soundboardconsulting.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/it-is-a-critical-time-to-unlock-the-leader-within-you-what-every-new-leader-needs-to-know-959917.html

Losing your job is tough. Even those who for whom redundancy comes as no surprise, and who receive a good package, tend to feel a sense of loss and at least a small hit to their self-esteem. For those who are laid off at short notice and have little to fall back on it can be much harder. Aside from the self-doubt this situation can bring, there is the obvious pressure of money.

While nothing can magically make things better, there are some things you can do to make the situation more manageable.

Acknowledge the frustration

Psychologists tell us that denying our feelings and emotions has a negative effect and is more likely to lead to those feelings lasting longer. It is quite normal to feel angry, negative, disheartened, undervalued and generally rotten after losing your job. Given time, these feelings will usually diminish as you turn your attention to the future.

If you are feeling worse than you expected, or you’re looking back with regret continues to stop you looking forward, get some help. Seek out a counselor or psychologist who can help you: your doctor should be able to refer you to someone. There is no shame in seeking this sort of help as the feelings you are experiencing are quite normal.

Plan your finances

Even if you have received a good pay-out, and especially if you haven’t, it is worth thinking about your financial situation early on. Adjusting your standard of living can be hard to do: we condition ourselves to spending at a certain level. At the very least this usually means creating some sort of budget.

In my years as a recruitment consultant I met a number of people who had been made redundant on good packages, but who had allowed those packages to be completely spent before they started looking for a new job. It is for this reason that I often suggest that people in this situation look for some financial advice early on in order to make best use of their pay-out.

Reassess your goals

When I was made redundant for the first time (it has happened to me twice), I found myself being surprisingly upbeat. I realised later that I had been wanting to reassess the direction of my career but being ‘stuck’ in my job was holding that reassessment back.

Being ‘between jobs’ is one of the best times - usually one of the few times you will get - to rethink where your career is heading. Is it time to work towards a change? Do you want more balance in the next job, or less travel? What are your family, spiritual, learning, social, financial and physical goals and how can your next job help you meet them better?

Plan your time off

Similarly, being between jobs can be a valuable time to do some of the things you’ve long wanted to do, money-permitting of course. I’ve met people who have travelled, renovated their house and taken up a new sport during a period of unemployment. Take advantage of the fact that you don’t need to worry about how things are going at work while you’re away. You won’t get that chance very often.

If you are actively job hunting, it’s a good idea to balance the ‘job’ of job hunting with some other activities. I don’t agree with the common saying that ‘finding a job is a full time job’. The reality is that there are only so many jobs you can apply for and in between there is a lot of waiting time as well. At best, finding a job is a part time job. Better to dedicate, say, your mornings to the task and then take the afternoons for yourself - or whatever combination suits you and your circumstances.

Stay in touch with others

Finally, don’t lock yourself away after losing your job. It is important to keep talking to people, whether recruitment consultants, fellow unemployed people, your friends and family.

There is no denying that losing a job and the subsequent job search often tests the mettle of even the strongest personality. But you aren’t the only one: in fact in the current climate you are far from being the only one. Stay as positive as you can but don’t fail to seek help if you need it.

David James Brewster, is a writer for Classifind.com.au.
Classifind.com.au is Australia’s largest search engine specialising in jobs. Hundreds of thousands of job listings from major Australian job boards are brought together in one place, reducing search time.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/job-loss-5-ways-to-cope-with-redundancy-961012.html

Several winters back, I had hired a strong group of performers. I worked hard at bringing out the best these folks had to offer both as individuals and as a team. I received a very positive review from my boss. He recognized my accomplishment as going beyond the call of duty when I had been taking for granted that I have a knack for running software projects on time and under budget.

At the time, I was also speaking monthly for a groups tending to the needs of job seekers.  One presentation I gave really got me thinking. I called it “Finding the Ideal Career for You” making use of great content from Richard Nelson Bolles’ book  “What Color is Your Parachute?” (You can check out my book review for more details.) The book contains a set of exercises great for helping people identify their transferable skills. So I put myself through these exercises as part of my prep work.

The exercise is simple. Write down several paragraphs about a problem you solved recently. The problem doesn’t have to be work related. It just has to be a problem you enjoyed addressing. The task is then to map the skills used to resolve the problem to the book’s transferable skills matrix.

I picked a challenge I faced organizing a kick off meeting and run for a marathon training team I coached. (Yes, I’m one of those overachieving weekend marathon runners who trains others to follow my insanity.) The kick off posed some unique challenges.

1. My fellow coach was out of town that weekend driving her daughter to college.
2. Few of the runners had ever run long distance races and many of them were out of shape.
3. The runners didn’t all fall into one neat running pack. We had runners with paces anywhere from 9 minutes to 15 minute per mile.
4. We had a wheelchair athlete that was cutting her teeth on a marathon for the very first time ever.

The first step was to find a substitute coach. I coaxed a buddy of mine who had coached with me on a previous season. He agreed to organize the slower paced runners. I made a bunch of phone calls looking to identify someone with experience coaching wheelchair athletes. My persistence led me to an expert that shared his smarts with me. I contacted each runner via phone or email to get them pumped about a 6am Saturday run (Ugh!) and reassure them I could coach them to the finish line. My work paid off. The kick off was a success for everyone.

The next step is picking out the transferable skills from your write up and matching them into three categories: things, information and people. I got a lot more for giving this presentation that I expected. When I started mapping, I made an interesting discovery. I saw that most of my transferable skills and the ones I most enjoy using are people skills. I had used my persuasion skills to recruit a substitute coach. I used people skills to find someone in my circle of contacts who could advise me on coaching a wheelchair athlete. At the kickoff I delivered a kick off speech to the runners inspiring them and convincing them to stick with the program.

I picked several other problems to write up and came to similar results. This is not what this computer science graduate degree holder expected after spending most of his career as a programmer, software architect, and technology leader. It caused me to spend some more time reviewing if I was on the right track in my career. I had not done so in a while mainly because I had been so busy “making a living” that I failed to stop, review and reflect. I’ll write another post soon to discuss where this all took me. Lot’s of fun.

I highly recommend this book for those of you struggling with the question, “What do I want to do with the rest of my life?” So many people have relied on this book for it’s job hunting advice which is excellent while failing to turn to the last section which is just as good or better for finding a career that fits you. It maps out a systematic approach with very clear steps defined for confirming your new chosen career. This process includes use of informational interviews as a way to confirm your findings and possibly even land that next position.

Consider leaving a comment at CareerJockey.org. I’d love to see if this worked out for you.

The Original Career Jockey writing at blog located at CareerJockey.org. Publishing job hunt, career discernment and proactive career management resources in order to help individuals maximize career success and achieve work life balance. I want to help you:“Ride your career hard so it doesn’t drive you.”

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/what-color-is-your-parachute-a-good-choice-for-finding-your-true-calling-973677.html

Working as a freelancers is a great IDEA for talented professionals who wants to be their own boss, have flexible working hours, have an option to chose which work they would like to do this week, have good earnings etc..etc….

Whatever I have discussed above is definitely true for some of the most gifted professionals in the profession. As on date there are 5,00,000 freelancers registered on GAF. The number for Guru.com is more than 6,00,000 and other portals like scriptlance, Elance also enjoy a good subscription base on the internet.

How much an freelancer earns on these portals on an average is difficult to estimate. However, the earnings of these portals can always be estimated from their subscriber base. Have a look at their membership fees to get an idea of this. There are options of free membership on websites however, this will call for 10% payment of project cost in the beginning to the Portal, without any certainty that the payment will be made.

Moreover, becoming a premium member is a costly affair since the cost could be anything from $12 to $30 or even higher on different portals, with no certainty of getting any project.

Finally the biggest challenge is create by beginning process whereby every freelancer is forced to cut his price to meet that of the lowest bid to the extent possible. The entire process leaves Freelancer with inadequate funds, and even employer on most occasions is left with incomplete projects, because of choosing a cheap provider who failed to perform.

Find more freelance jobs on GetAFreelancer

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/earn-as-a-freelancer-967782.html

In a previous article I described how when preparing for a speaking engagement, I completed exercises from the book “What Color Is Your Parachute?” leading me to some personal discoveries. I was a software engineer, project manager and technical architect realizing I had stronger people skills than I had realized and I enjoyed using. My technical skills had been driving a successful career to date, but could this be a sign pulling me in another direction. I started thinking, “How should I respond? What should I do next?”

I chose to submit myself to a 360 degree assessment. The goal was to evaluate my delegation, leadership, communication, and vision setting skills as well as my abilities to lead others. These were the people skills I was making use of in my current job and ones I could evaluate objectively. Seemed like a worthwhile next step. The assessment required that my supervisor and several subordinates and peers anonymously fill out a questionnaire about me. I would also fill out the questionnaire myself so my responses could be compared to those of the others. This step helped to identify personal blind spots concerning my own performance.

When the results arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. The consultant told my boss, “Jorge is at the top of his game. I typically include recommendations for helping people address any shortcomings identified by the assessment. Jorge doesn’t have any.” So basically, those around me rated my performance high and my answers agreed with what the others said about me. I mention this here not to brag (although I was pretty happy with myself), but to illustrate the career crossroad I had reached. This had some far reaching implications. First of all, this confirmed that I was performing very well. I wasn’t deceiving myself thinking I was better than I was. (See my “Leadership and Self-Deception” book review for an interesting discussion this topic.) This also confirmed there was so much more I could contribute at my current job. However, I had a problem. There was no potential career path where I currently worked. At least there wasn’t one I liked. My boss and his boss were good performers and neither of them were leaving or retiring soon. On several occasions, executive management had rejected my supervisor’s recommendations that I attend strategic planning sessions. They believed my boss already represented I.T. and my presence was redundant. This delivered the message that I was to run I.T. and nothing more. I had discussed this concerns with my boss and neither of us had any ideas on how to change this. Short of a major initiative starting up within the firm, there were no clear options for me.

So here I was in the prime of my career, knowing by objective metrics that I was performing well, yet the company would not reward me (and definitely wouldn’t compensate me) for what I could contribute. I was reluctant to say it out loud, but I knew it was time to go.

My options were complicated and the next steps even more so. They’re probably a good topic for a future blog article. What I would like to do is open this up for discussion so we can all benefit from each others experiences.

So my questions are: Today or in the past, have you reached a similar career crossroad? Tell us about it. What action did you take? Did you struggle (or are still struggling) with your decision?

The Original Career Jockey writing at blog located at CareerJockey.org. Publishing job hunt, career discernment and proactive career management resources in order to help individuals maximize career success and achieve work life balance. I want to help you:“Ride your career hard so it doesn’t drive you.”Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/career-crossroad-let-me-show-you-what-one-looks-like-968549.html