You Can Have What You Speak

When you operate in faith you need a vocabulary to support your mindset.
Here are some words to ponder over and some words you can speak into your life.

Abundant
Bless/Blessing/Blessed
Change, Confident, Creative
Determination
Expectation, Excited
Faithful, Fruitful, Fellowship
Grace, Growth
Hopeful
Increase
Joy
Kindness
Love
Mercy
New
Overcome
Purpose
Quality
Respect
Strength
Triumph
Unique
Victorious
Wisdom
Yearn
Zeal

Is Going Back To School An Option For You?

The decision of whether you should go back to school can be tough. The mere thought could spark important questions like:

1. Where do I find the time?

2. How would I pay for school?

3. Would it improve my chances of landing a better job?

4. Am I too old to consider going back to school?

In Part I of this blog series we will review time.

Time is precious because once it is gone you can never get it back. In determining if you will have the necessary time to go back to school I am going to use three components to help analyze your time. Those three components are commitment, time management, and support.

Commitment

Commitment means that you are in union with something or someone. If you are considering going back to school you will have to be committed to school. The commitment you may need could be for several weeks or several years. In fact, that means that you will have to plan everything in your life around school. This may mean that you will miss some parties, vacations, or even some of your sleep time. If this sounds like something you are ready to do then let's look at time management.

Time Management

In addition, to having commitment you will need excellent time management if you want to be successful in going back to school. I am recommending that you start to use a calendar or planner to help you with your time management. This will help you planning your school life and life away from school. Furthermore, you will have to discover which times you study best. Some of us study best when our minds are fresh early in the morning. While some study best when they are burning the midnight oil studying into the late hours of the night. It is key that you to find out what works for you. If you think that you have the necessary commitment and you can effectively manage your time then we will examine your support system.

Support

Finally, you will need support so you can stay committed to school and properly manage your time. Communicate to your family and friends and let them know your intentions and what you will need from them. You may need your family to step up and take on duties you were previously responsible for. Let them know that there sacrifice will enable you to allocate additional time to school. You may want to call on friends to help keep you encouraged when you want to give up and to give you space so you that you can give school your best effort.

Conclusion
In conclusion, careful thought about time will give you insight on whether going back to school is the right option for you.

The Question Behind the Question

How comfortable are you in having a conversation about your career history and career goals? The answer to this question will go along way in determining how well you will do in your next interview. Remember that an interview is an elimination competition held by employers to find the best people. Therefore, you must be prepared to answer many questions and have stories ready as an example of what you are stating. Every question you are asked is designed to give the interviewer a better understanding of you. Let's review some questions now.

Question 1: Tell me about yourself?
You may be wondering why you are being asked this when the employer more than likely has your resume or job application.

Purpose of Question:
The interviewer is asking this to see how you communicate and which career highlights are important to you. You should stick to professional information only when responding to this question. I would not discuss age, marital status, religious beliefs, or hobbies.

Question 2: Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker and how you handled it?

Purpose of Question:
This a behavioral based interview question that seeks to discover how you would handle a future situation based on how you have handled similar situations in your career previously. I would use the STAR approach in answering this question. The word STAR is an acronym for situation, task, action, and result. Using the star formula you breakdown your answer into three segments of: description of task, the action you took, and the final measurable result. By using the star approach you allow the interviewer to visualize and record your behavioral responses to specific events and make a better conclusion of your future performance.

Question 3: Are you competitive?

Purpose of Question:
This question is asked to determine how important it is to you to be as successful or more successful than your peers. Being competitive is an important trait for anyone managing a sales goal.

Question 4: Tell me why you left your previous employer?

Purpose of Question:
This question is designed to determine if you are a job hopper or to simply understand the logic you use regarding decisions effecting your career. If you have a job listed on your resume be ready to explain why you left the company.

Conclusion:
Lastly, continue to practice answering interview questions so you can further develop your confidence when you are on an interview. Mastering this task will demonstrate to interviewers who you are and why you are the best candidate for hire.

Great Tips for Graduates Entering the Workforce

As a newbie to the workforce there are some important strategies to execute to insure your success. I am presenting 5 things you can do to help jump start your career.

1. Observe the Chain of Command - The chain of command is the order you should follow to get a problem solved. Going over your bosses head will not help you. Moreover, it will probably lead you to being labeled as a troublemaker.

2. Learn to Ride the Wave - The waves or challenges within any organization can change by the minute or by the day. There are few perfect jobs and even fewer perfect companies. This is a lesson that many seasoned workers haven't fully grasped. Show your adaptability and flexibility by handling the changes that may accompany your job. A good boss will appreciate your attitude.

3. Strive to Make An Early Positive Impact - There is nothing better than early success in your new job. Start everyday by breaking it down into smaller parts in which you will thrive. Take good notes so you can retain key information. After you master that strive to achieve success on a daily basis. Meanwhile monitor all the activities that lead to your success. Once you achieve success it is key that you realize what the formula is so that you can repeat it.

4. Keep Being a Student - Oftentimes after graduating from school people want to separate themselves from habits such as studying and learning. Being a good student in the workplace could allow you to learn product information. Product knowledge is key in a sales position. You may not get a formal test in the workplace but rest assured that your work progress is being measured. Instead of getting a report card you will receive a performance appraisal.

5. Don't Burn Any Bridges - As with life you want to be careful not to burn any bridges. You can burn bridges by bad mouthing your company on social networking websites. You could also burn bridges by quitting without giving adequate notice or by underachieving on the job. Remember that you may need your current employer to provide you with a reference in the future.

Money Matters So Know Your Worth

I spoke to a client recently that said that she needed a job so badly that she would accept a wage less than what she was worth just to be employed. I am not criticizing this logic, but I do want to discuss the impact of this decision making.

First of all, I do not advise such tactics and I will explain why. If you low ball yourself initially it may take years for you to regain the salary that you have sacrificed. Most jobs give either semi-annual or annual raises. The standard raise you should expect while staying in the same position is usually limited to 3 to 4 percent.

If you accept a wage of $9.00 per hour and feel that your experience would dictate that you earn $14.00 per hour, lets see how that will effect you financially after one year. A raise is not guaranteed considering the state of the economy. But in my example we are going say that you work for a generous employer that will give you two semi-annual raises during the course of the year. If you earn two 3 percent raises after accepting a wage of $9.00 during one year you will still be earning less than $10.00 per hour after one year.

Finally, I believe that accepting a job for less pay than you worth will haunt you whenever things go wrong at the job. You will start to think that you are only getting paid X dollars and for X dollars your company can only expect a certain effort. Your salary needs will not be your manager's focus. Your manager will be focused on getting the overall job done. If you don't figure in that equation your limited salary or wage may no longer be a concern for anyone. I suggest that you utilize a salary calculator to determine your worth if you are unsure. You can find a salary calculator on careerbuilder or by doing an online search. Do your homework so that you can get the wage or salary that you deserve.

For more career tips check out my website: www.resumesolutionsllc.com

Five Bad Habits to Avoid At Your New Job

Congratulations, you have found a new job and you want to do well. Here is my quick list of bad habits to avoid.

1. Making personal telephone calls
If you have to make telephone calls do it on your break. If you have a peculiar situation going on at home speak to your supervisor about your situation so they are aware of what is going on.

2. Failure to retain information
Take good notes so that you don't have to ask the same questions repeatedly. This will allow you to function independently of your supervisor or co-workers. You must remember they have a job to take care too.

3. Unauthorized internet use
Many companies have the capability of tracking your computer activity so stay off of MySpace, Facebook, your personal e-mail, and other non-work related websites that you may frequent. Remember you are at work to work not to be entertained.

4. Late or Tardy Arrivals
Don't start your new job with an attendance issue. Being late may suggest that you don't care or take your job seriously. Arriving early to your job gives you a chance to prepare for your work day. You can finish up previous assignments and make a to-do list for the current day. As a new employee you don't want to stand out to management as the person who can't make it to work on time.

5. Unwillingness to accept company policy and procedures
Even if you have industry experience be open to doing things the way that your new company wants them. Implement your ideas and creativity gradually. Your new company may not be receptive to you changing or altering established procedures.

For more career tips go to my website www.resumesolutionsllc.com.

The Aftermath of Being Fired Part III

In this final installment of "The Aftermath of Being Fired", I will explain the necessity of learning how to explain why you were fired.

In the first place, I would not volunteer telling an interviewer that you were fired. However, I would not lie about your reason for separation if asked. Honesty is always the best policy and telling a lie could be grounds for termination if it is discovered. You may not be asked about your reason for separation from an employer that you list on your resume or job application in an initial interview. To be sure in a second or third interview you should be prepared to answer a variety of questions relating to your employment history.

Secondly, if the conversation of you being fired comes up you must learn to effectively communicate what happened without blaming the employer. This can be especially difficult if the firing was recent or if you feel like you were wrongfully terminated. Additionally state what you learned from the situation and how you would handle similar situations in the future. Employers will appreciate the fact that you have learned from your past.

In conclusion remember that being fired is not uncommon. As a matter fact being fired is one of just a few ways that you will separate from an employer. The other common ways people leave employers include: retirement, voluntary termination (quitting), and permanent layoffs.