Great Life Tips

Obama vs. GOP: Who Has the Better Job Policy?

2011-01-26T00:29:00.000-08:00

State of the Union speeches provide a chance for the President to look forward. Given the great recession of the last two years, President Obama had more-than-average reasons to focus his speech squarely on the future, particularly in the area of jobs creation.

With unemployment still stubbornly above 9 percent, the big question for most Americans is, "Where are the jobs? Does President Obama or the Republicans have the best plan for getting America back to work?"
Listening to the State of the Union speech and the Republican response, you couldn't have asked for a more clear difference in policy, at least when it comes to jobs.
President Obama's key program for growing well-paid jobs is based on federal investments in biomedical research, information technology, and clean energy research. The plan seems to be, "if we invent it, the jobs will come." Obama said he believes this is "an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people."
How good are biotech, IT, and green jobs? The first two sectors generally pay above average wages, and clean energy is likely to be similar. Jobs like, biotech quality control analyst (53,000/year), IT project manager ($81,800/year), and solar energy system installer ($39,300) are typical and pay solidly middle class wages.

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However, the reason these industries pay well is that they demand above-average skills: most of the jobs require strong analytical thinking and math skills, and often a college degree or higher.
And, that leads us to Obama's second prong in his plan for more jobs: improve our education system. This can be seen as an investment in the people. This is clearly a longer term plan than the industry investments, but is intended to make sure America has the workers to take these better jobs.
Finally, Obama proposed investments in rebuilding infrastructure like road, rails, and communications. The idea here is that, just as the railroad 100 years ago allowed steel to be made in Pittsburgh and delivered anywhere in the country, by improving transportation and communication, new businesses can be created anywhere and yet sell to the world.
All of these investments can also be called what they are: federal spending programs which have to be paid for with either taxes, borrowing, or cuts in other programs. This was the crux of US Representative Paul Ryan's Republican response to the State of the Union.
The Republican plan is simpler: shrink government, reduce taxes, and the people of the United States, through private enterprise, will figure out where it is best to spend money to grow the economy and create jobs.
Ryan's key point is that private enterprise is responsible for the vast majority of the US economic activity. Of the roughly $14 trillion in production that happens in the US annually (about $45,000/year for every man, woman and child), all discretionary federal spending outside defense represents only a little over 2 percent of that number.
The Republicans would rather see all efforts go to reigning in the whole federal budget, which totals more than 20 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP.) The Republicans fear that continued deficit spending will cause either inflation, drive up the cost of borrowing, or require much higher taxes, all of which will stifle the growth of the economy and the creation of jobs. President Obama also talked about getting spending under control, but it is telling that it was his last, not first item.
Obama's plan of targeted investments aligns with a common business rule of thumb of $1 investment for research and $10 for development leads to $100 in sales. The Republicans are also right: if the debt gets too large, simply paying the interest will become a burden on the economy.
Which is the better plan for jobs? If we could predict that with certainty, we wouldn't need politicians.

Filed under: Employment News & Trends, Employing America 2011

Tags: state of the union 2011

jobs.aol.com
By Al Lee

Make $40K-$60K With An Associate's Degree

2011-01-25T00:48:00.000-08:00

Conventional wisdom holds that you need a four-year degree to maximize your earning potential.
Reality, however, tells a different tale: If you make wise choices, you can enjoy great dividends on a much smaller investment of both time and money.
The truth is that there are many jobs that you can land with only a two-year associate's degree.
If you're interested in high-paying jobs that don't require four years at school, read on...

1. Nurses

If the idea of providing health care services to people in need appeals to you, look into nursing. Nurses offer expertise and emotional support to patients.
The Pay Off: Registered nurses (RNs) make a mean annual wage of $62,450.
The Degree: You can join the ranks of these essential heroes with a two-year associate's degree in nursing. From there, get licensed to work in your state.
Explore Nursing associate's degree programs now.

2. Computer Support Specialists

Computer support specialists are trained experts who can troubleshoot and keep computers and computer systems working. As computers have become a larger part of both the home and the workplace, keeping them operational has become a bigger priority.
The Pay Off: Because these unique skill sets are in such demand, the payoff can be very attractive. Computer support specialists can enjoy a mean annual wage of up to $43,450.
The Degree: All you need to qualify for some well-paying IT jobs is a two-year associate's degree in a computer-related field.
Find Technology training programs now.

3. Paralegals

Paralegals assist lawyers in a large variety of ways, preparing depositions, coaching witnesses for trial, drafting contracts, and more. As law firms and businesses continue to shift more legal duties from the hands of high-priced lawyers to paralegals, the need continues to grow.
The Pay Off: The median annual wage for paralegals is $46,120.
The Degree: Unlike lawyers, who must make a hefty education commitment, paralegals can enjoy a great job after earning just a two-year associate's degree in paralegal studies.
Find Paralegal Studies associate's degree programs.

4. Fashion Designers

If you have a passion for clothing, you may want to consider a career as a fashion designer. Fashion designers, who are highly concentrated in Los Angeles and New York City, are responsible for the clothing, accessories, and footwear you see at the mall and in stores around the world.
The Pay Off: In addition to the thrill of seeing their creativity take shape in clothing, fashion designers can be well-compensated. In May 2008, the mean annual wage for salaried fashion designers was $61,160. Remember: starting salaries in fashion can be low, so you'll need to be committed to this career!
The Degree: Fashion designers are hired on the strength of an innovative, creative portfolio and the education that comes with an associate's degree in fashion design. So if you have a strong fashion sense, that two year investment might really pay off handsomely for you.
Search for Fashion Design programs near you.

5. Food Service Managers

If you want a fast-paced career, consider becoming a restaurant manager. Restaurant managers work with kitchen staff, wait staff...they even interact with customers to ensure that the service and food is up to par. Food ordering, employee recruiting, and preparing payroll are some other common duties.
The Pay Off: Food service managers earned an average of $46,320 yearly in May 2008. Top earners averaged at more than $76,940 per year.
The Degree: Experience in the food services industry is a common entry path into food service management, however, a two-year associate's degree in hospitality or food service management can also give you the real-world experience needed for the job.
By Jason Latshaw

est Medical Careers for the Future

2011-01-24T02:29:00.000-08:00

The medical field is fast becoming a steady career option for many professional workers who want an occupation that challenges them and keeps them on their feet. But with the economy the way it is, many people are not sure which career is right for them. Some people may be afraid to spend years in college just to find out that their field is not in demand and they cannot find a job doing what they love. In order to have a steady occupation, it's vital to understand what the best medical careers for the future would be. There has never been a better time to go back to school in order to expand your knowledge and start working in a career field that will enable you to make a very good living.
Anesthesiologists are definitely in demand, and this particular branch of medicine is included within the best medical careers for the future. The schooling is extensive, usually taking about eleven years, but you will have a career that is rewarding and makes you a steady and amazing income. Anesthesiologists, on average, earn about US$325,000 a year. You will need a four-year master's degree, an additional four years of medical training which will make you a medical doctor, and then another four years of specialized training.
Nurses are also another in demand occupation. With the aging population, many more people are becoming ill and in need of good, solid health care. It is the nurses' job to cater to their patients health needs and treat them well. To become a licensed practical nurse, you will only have to go to school for a year or two. To become a registered nurse, you will go to college for about three or four years. Nursing schools are very competitive, and sometimes it is very hard to enroll into one. The classrooms are usually very limited because of a shortage of nursing teachers. As a nurse, you can work virtually anywhere.
Pharmacists are also on the list of the best medical careers for the future. In fact, there is a large shortage of pharmacists and they are needed almost desperately. After you have completed a two-year college program, you can then go on to receive your doctorate in pharmacology. This will enable you to work in a pharmacy as a professional pharmacist. This particular field is great because it is steady work, good working hours, and it has a very good salary income. The choice to go back to school for any one of these medical careers may be the best decision you've ever made.
ezinearticles.com

By Aileen L. Gardner

America’s Worst and Deadliest Jobs in 2011

2011-01-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

If you are fed up with your job now and you think that your job is so bad, you should think again. Because there are some jobs that are much more terrible than yours. Lumberjacks, iron worker, roustabout, garbage collector and so on are considered as the worst and deadliest jobs in America. These workers have to do their tasks in poor working conditions and poor weather as well as have to face dangerous situations. Although they have to work in difficult conditions, they are still underpaid with an annual salary below $40,000 per year. Let’s have a look at the photos below to find out more about the worst jobs in America this year.

Lumberjacks have to work mostly outdoors, in poor weather and in isolated regions. It is the worst job in America with a fatality rate of 82.1 per 100,000 jobs per year.

Iron Worker

Iron Worker is a job that can be irregular at times due to bad weather as well as economic downturns. The job category has the fourth-highest fatality rate in America at 61.0 deaths per 100,000 workers.

Roustabout

Roustabouts do the tasks of maintenance on oil rigs and pipelines by using hand and power tools. This job is considered as the worst job in America because it is very dangerous and roustabouts are also underpaid

Welder

The job of a welder relates to melting metal joints together. Welders have to use a protective mask and visor to avoid serious injury. It is said that only 10 percent of them can earn above $22.50 an hour.

Garbage Collector

Garbage collectors are paid basing upon experience and responsibilities. This job is regarded as the sixth worst job in America with a fatality rate of 41.8 per 100,000 jobs

Roofer

Leland Mason

2011/01/17 |205 views|0

America’s Worst and Deadliest Jobs in 2011

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Lumberjacks

Lumberjacks are underpaid with an hourly wage of only $13.80.

Lumberjacks have to work mostly outdoors, in poor weather and in isolated regions. It is the worst job in America with a fatality rate of 82.1 per 100,000 jobs per year.

Iron Worker

Roustabout

Welder

Garbage Collector

Garbage collectors are paid basing upon experience and responsibilities. This job is regarded as the sixth worst job in America with a fatality rate of 41.8 per 100,000 jobs

Roofer

This is a hot, strenuous, and dirty job, therefore many people have to change to jobs in other construction trades. A roofer is underpaid with an hourly wage of only $15.51.

Emergency Medical Technician

Emergency medical technicians are on-call 24 hours a day. Although their wages vary in different regions, annual pay is $27,070.

Seaman

This is among the deadliest job in America with a fatality rate of 141.7 per 100,000 jobs. Boat workers and fishermen have to face cramped circumstances and poor weather conditions at sea and most of them earn $34,000 per year.

Taxi Driver

Taxi driver is still considered as one of bad jobs in America. Taxi drivers’ salaries vary based on their location as well as their company with a median hourly wage of $10.62.

Dairy Farmer

Dairy farmers have to work in long hours and poor working conditions. Even though, they can earn only $15,000 a year.
jobs.ezinemark.com

How Can 10 Simple Articles Change Your Life?

2011-01-22T01:02:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine recently quit his day job and began selling baseball cards on Ebay to pay the bills. He’s done a lot more than just pay the bills, though, as he’s become his own boss and now works about 70% less than he did when he was “employed.” And his income? Oh, maybe quadrupled.
Although he’s only been at it for about four months now, he’s really improved his quality of life substantially — it’s the kind of success that makes you half-jealous but also inspires you to go out and do something similar for yourself.
But despite his initial success, my buddy realizes that he can accomplish more. Problem is, he’s not quite sure how to go about it.
Earlier this week, I was over at his house, and he wanted to know if I thought his baseball card business could benefit in any way from having a Web site. For instance, could he build an online storefront that would help him reach customers outside of Ebay?
In theory, owning a Web site provides a nice platform from which to build an audience and raise the profile of your business.
In practice, however, most Web sites end up becoming useless chunks of digital real estate, barely worth the price tag that accompanied the original domain.
As I was formulating a response to my friend’s question, I began to realize that a majority of people out there simply don’t understand how to approach business on the Web. Of course, this is precisely why so many sites become “useless chunks of real estate.”

It’s not about technology — it’s about equity

So, where do most people go wrong?
Innovation happens so fast on the Web that it’s easy to become blinded by feature-rich technology and software. We are constantly hit with messages of “the next big thing,” and so we naturally assign value to what we perceive to be breakthrough innovations.
As a result, we begin to think that in order to conduct a successful online venture, we must include all this new and excellent functionality that has become available thanks to new technologies.
God help you if someone thinks you’re so 2005, right?
The problem here is that our perception of equity on the Web has been skewed unnaturally.
Yes, it’s true that there is value in new technology. For a company like YouTube, there was unbelievable equity in their product.
But here’s the real mind blower:
The real equity on the Web lies in the content, not in the technology that helps us produce it.
Think for a second here. Do you really care how that Weird Al video was delivered to you on YouTube, or do you just care about the video itself?

The equity lies in what your content is, not how it got there.

So what does this mean for my buddy’s Web site and his baseball card business?
It means that a bunch of fancy-pants technology driving a state-of-the-art, online storefront would be a terrible investment.
Thanks to the incredible rate of innovation, even your everyday Joe can go out and get a remarkably functional online storefront. This fact alone drives the potential equity of a Web-based store into the toilet.
Let’s look at this in real-world terms everyone can understand. If you want to go buy 500 acres out in the boonies, you might expect to see a cost of about $3000 per acre. If, however, you wanted to buy 500 acres within the metropolitan area of a major US city, you might expect to pay $150,000 per acre, if not more!
The bottom line is that there’s not a whole lot of equity in things that:

are not scarce
are not unique

It’s true that some companies and programmers actually need to focus on technology, because that’s where their equity is.
But your equity lies in your content, because it’s the one thing you can bring to the marketplace that is both scarce and unique.

It all starts with 10 simple articles.

So, how can 10 simple articles change your life?
These articles will serve as the foundation for your Web site — not to mention the future of your business. Savvy marketers certainly know the value of 10 articles on a niche topic, and I truly believe that there is absolutely nothing better you can do for your business.
By writing 10 simple articles on a topic that you love, you’ll effectively:

Create equity in your site.
Add equity to your business.

Let’s say you stick with writing articles on that topic for a year, and by the end of that time, you’ve accrued 100 articles. When all is said and done, you’ll own a Web site that is chock-full of detailed, current, and pertinent articles on your subject, and you’ll likely have a very targeted (and interested) audience who have all opted to come along for the ride.
And if you never believe anything else I say, make damn sure you believe this:
Google loves Web sites like this.
In my buddy’s case, if all he had were an online storefront and a slick AJAX interface, anyone could step into his market and compete against him with their own storefront. In essence, there would be no equity in his site because anyone could replicate what he already had with their own products…
But they’d have one hell of a time trying to compete with his content.
If he had 100 articles and they had none, it would be a joke. The bottom line is that in any topic, whoever controls the information flow around that subject holds all the power.
By writing articles on baseball cards, my buddy could establish himself as the preeminent source of information on that topic. He could build a valuable Web site and a targeted, interested audience at almost no cost. In as little as 9 or 10 months, he could create so many channels through which to make money that it would be utterly ridiculous.
At that point, his only problem would be figuring out how to further capitalize on all the opportunities that he’d created for himself.
.pearsonified.com

Seven Top Tips for Business

2011-01-21T02:29:00.000-08:00

Business tips are needed as the way to help you improve your business for a brighter future so that you will never worry anymore about your life. Of course those can be the keys for you to enhance your business and you cannot avoided those tips because those will support you to make your business grows well than before. If you want to start your business and want to make it better, you need to read this information because it can be the helpful way for you. Do not afraid about your business and get it better in seven ways. You will get the differences after doing this business tips.
The first tip is you need to make sure yourself that you have a big desire to start your business because a great willing is the most important that you need as the basic reason why you do a business in your life. Without it, however you will lack of your own belief about creating your business.
The second tip is you should have a high self-confident. Self-confident is the main point that make you feel better when you got terrible in your business way. Moreover, without it, you cannot believe about your ability. So that is why self-confident has an important role as the way to increase your spirit and defend yourself from any problems.
The third tip is it is better for you to start your business in agree with your interest. When you have a business related to your interest, it will make you enjoy doing it and there is no heavy think around yourself.
The next tip is never stop trying. Do not give up although there are so many problems in your business can be the great power in yourself so you will think clearly about how to solve those problems.
The fifth tip is please keeping your honesty. All of your business part is need it as a habit so that your customers and your business partner will not regret about the transparency system around your business and when you get a belief in their heart, they will not leave your business and be the true customers or business partners. Of course if it happens, you will not easily to get bankrupt.
The next tips are you need to improve your networking. When you have a lot of networking, you will get a better business because you get the networking.
The seventh tip is make a different business than the other companies so that many people have a curiosity because you have a new products for them which is needed and it can be the fresh air for them to get it because your product is more interesting than others. If you want to improve your business, just try this business tips.
ezinearticles.com

By Eko Capts

15 Jobs that pay well, no degree required

2011-01-20T00:49:00.000-08:00

Conventional wisdom states that college-educated workers earn higher salaries because the their jobs require more education and advanced skills. In addition, fewer workers have college degrees, so they are harder to find in relation to workers without degrees. Indeed, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, 19 percent of Americans hold a bachelor's degree, while approximately 31 percent have a high school diploma.
Census data also shows that the mean income for a college graduate is $58,613, a significant difference from the $31,283 mean income for a high school graduate. You might reason, then, that to bring home a sizeable paycheck, you need to go to college. Although that's often true, there are exceptions. Many jobs pay workers well because their daily tasks are dangerous, difficult or extremely specialized. Experience also factors into the equation because many employers value years of experience more than their years of education. These jobs not requiring a degree aren't necessarily easy to perform nor they easy to land.
That's not to say you shouldn't earn a college or graduate degree if you want. However, if college isn't the right option for you or if it's not a plausible option in the short-term, consider these 15 professions that don't require a college degree but pay well:
1. Aides supervisor $63,231*
Aides supervisors supervise home-health aides, which involves setting their work schedules and monitoring their performance to ensure quality care for patients.
2. Air traffic controller$139,314
In order to ensure the safety of all flights, air traffic controllers monitor planes coming to and leave from an airport so that there are no collisions. They also monitor conditions to keep flights free of delays.
3. Assembly Supervisor $66,034
In assembling and manufacturing plants, these supervisors oversee the flow of production work. Depending on the industry, assembly workers can produce anything from large mechanical and aviation components to small, technology devices.
4. Cable supervisor $76,739
Cable supervisors monitor workers who install, maintain and repair cables. Because these cables can be buried underground or overhead on telephone poles the process can be dangerous for workers and difficult to perform.
5. Chemical supervisor $73,955
Chemical supervisors oversee workers who make chemical products, a careful process that involves handling dangerous substances and following strict safety guidelines.
6. Construction equipment operator $53,543
Construction equipment operators are charge of the large-scale tools and equipment used on construction sites. They are also responsible for inspecting the equipment for safety and performance issues when necessary.
7 Credit and collection supervisor $66,847
Credit and collection workers calculate credit risks and collections information for consumers who apply for loans. Their supervisors monitor their performance and sometimes review client credit history to grant or deny extensions of credit.
8. Data control supervisor $66,554
Data control supervisors oversee the daily operations of data entry workers and are responsible for the completion and accuracy of their work.
9. Electrical repairer $58,960
Electrical repairers disassemble and fix problematic electrical equipment and any related components. Depending on the particular job, the equipment can range from small mechanisms to large technological systems.
10. Elevator repair worker $67,538
Elevator repair workers performance routine maintenance on elevators and escalators and also respond to any reported problems.
11. Home care aide supervisor $69,061
Home care aides visit homebound patients in order to assist with daily activities and some rehabilitation exercises. The supervisor ensures that all patients are being taken care of properly by their aides according to legal regulations and quality standards.
12. Illustrator $60,060
Illustrators work in advertisement agencies or as freelancers to design fonts and images for a variety of media, from websites to print campaigns and video.
13. Lead carpenter $73,055
Lead carpenters act as the head for carpentry workers on a specific task in order to keep the project on time and meet quality standards.
14. Payroll supervisor $72,951
Payroll supervisors oversee the process of calculating compensation based on workers' hours, reviewing timecards, distributing pay and adhering to government regulations for payroll.
15. Real estate broker $79,494
Real estate brokers maintain their own real estate businesses that help home buyers look for houses or condominiums. They research neighborhoods, find available homes, and assist buyers through the financial and legal aspects of the purchase process.
*Salary data based on figures from CBSalary.com.
Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
careerbuilder.com
By Anthony Balderrama

Freelance Jobs : The Best Tips To Make Money Online

2011-01-17T23:49:00.000-08:00

From the past decade, the technology which we are seeing now has changed the entire world as a globe of opportunities. Even you can earn money from your home by converting you as a freelance writer. There are lots of website in internet, are offering these freelance jobs, all that you need to do is a small search on these site. With the help of these making money online is so easy. Every organization around the world has established for a core activity, besides, they are having lots of non core activities.This is called out sourcing, which one is the popular business from the past decade. Every company needs this outsourcing do business competitively. If you need a free lance project, there are lots of freelance online and several good web sites to match buyers and provides for these projects. Creative or descriptive article writing and complete web site design and many more categories are comes under these freelance jobs.

You must be able to work independently and meet project deadlines to successful at freelancing and to actually make money online from it. You are the boss in this job and show your skills and qualifications that you have. For doing these jobs, all that you need to have a little bit knowledge about computer and Internet. And for some jobs it is a little bit high like operating systems and software skills. This computer literacy will decide what freelance job categories you are qualified for. You can join to number of job sites to bid for freelance jobs to make money online. Lots of web sites are offering these services for free of cost, once you win a bid and accept the project; you need to pay few dollars that you can pay for monthly or yearly basis. The best suggestion is to pay a flat fee, it is better to join in monthly basis. Depends upon which category you are selected, the fees can be added up to hundreds of dollars for each month. Some categories like web design project, you will get thousands of dollars or more for one or two weeks.

Finding a freelance job is very easy, but there is no guarantee that you will make good money as a freelance writer. You must have a good attitude and right mind set in order to make money online that you desire. You are working from home that means you tend to lost motivation and concentration. As most freelance projects required a time frame for you to complete the jobs, so not completing the jobs in time or doing a poor job will ruin your opportunities of getting more projects from an employer.

articlesbase.com
by: thomcherish

How To Get America's "Best" Jobs

2011-01-16T23:18:00.000-08:00

If you're in the market for a new career - and willing to do a little training to get there - you might want to look to Money and PayScale's 2010 "Best Jobs in America" list.
The annual list features 100 top careers that score high in areas such as earning potential, employment outlook, and flexibility.
[Search for colleges and universities now]
But what does it take to actually qualify for one of these jobs?
We took a look at the top 100 and spotlighted seven jobs that almost anyone can work toward. To help you figure out which - if any - of these "Best Jobs" is right for you, check out the list below...

SALES DIRECTOR
Best Jobs Rank: No. 8
Average Salary: $142,000

Sales Directors scored their jobs high for flexibility and personal satisfaction in the "Best Jobs" survey. While Sales Directors are at the top of the heap, starting out in sales is a great way to work toward this top job.
[Find Business degree programs near you or online]
The Job: Good sales skills can be used in almost any industry - from tech to manufacturing to biomedical to consumer products. Many sales jobs are paid partially on commission, so your performance directly affects your pay. This can mean pressure, but also big rewards in a relatively short period of time.
Education and Training: A bachelor's degree in business administration is a great way to get a firm grounding in business principles. Studying marketing can also give you the tools you need to understand customers and how to talk to them.
Related Degrees:
Associate's degree in business
Master's degree in business administration (MBA)
[Find Business degree programs near you]

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT (CPA)
Best Jobs Rank: No. 9
Average Salary: $73,000

Job flexibility and job growth scored big with CPAs who responded to questions about the quality-of-life aspects of their job for the "Best Jobs in America" list. [Train for your Accounting career at a top school]
The Job: CPAs can work for accounting firms or branch out on their own and work independently. One of the hottest careers in this field is forensic accounting, which involves uncovering and tracking white-collar crimes in today's high-tech world. A very cool job if you're into number crunching.
Education and Training: Start by earning your bachelor's degree in accounting. From there, you will need to pass a national exam and meet the standards of the state where you practice in order to qualify as a full-fledged CPA. Others with two-year degrees and proven experience have opportunities to land junior accounting positions.
Related Degrees:
Associate's degree in accounting
Bachelor's degree in finance
[Find Accounting/Finance degree programs near you]

HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR
Best Jobs Rank: No. 36
Average Salary: $98,000

This job ranked high due to a combination of high pay, future job growth, and personal satisfaction. [Search for Health Care Administration schools]
The Job: Hospital administrators play a big role in directing health care and medical services. They can work in hospitals, nursing care facilities, managed care facilities, or other related organizations.
Education and Training: Running a health care facility requires you to have expertise in both the medical and business fields. To enter this worthwhile career as an entry-level or assistant administrator, consider earning a bachelor's degree in health administration. On-the-job experience and a master's degree in health administration can help you move up the ranks.
Related Degrees:
Bachelor's degree in business administration
Master's degree in business administration (MBA)
[Find the right Health Care Administration program for you]

HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT
Best Jobs Rank: No. 43
Average Salary: $92,000

Personal satisfaction topped the quality-of-life ratings among human resources (HR) consultants surveyed for the "Best Jobs in America."
The Job: HR consultants do everything from training employees to managing labor relations, making them extremely important to the financial success and well-being of their clients.
Education and Training: Plenty of educational options can prepare you for consulting work in this field, including a bachelor's degree in business. In this case, you can take courses covering human resources or get a concentration to augment your degree work.
Related Degrees:
Bachelor's degree in human resources
Master's in business administration (MBA)
[Find Business and Human Resources degree programs]

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT NURSE
Best Jobs Rank: No. 59
Average Salary: $77,000

Nurses polled for the "Best Jobs in America" list rated personal satisfaction as one of the more appealing aspects of this career.
The Job: Registered nurses (RNs) who work in the area of critical care provide crucial services for patients afflicted with serious or acute injuries. These services include the close monitoring of patients who require extensive medication and therapy.
Education and Training: An associate's degree in nursing takes two to three years to complete, and it sets you up for a career with many options. Most RNs start out as staff nurses before choosing to work in specialized areas such as intensive care.
Related Degrees:
Diploma in nursing
Bachelor's degree in nursing
[Search for Nursing schools near you]

WEB DEVELOPER
Best Jobs Rank: No. 67
Average Salary: $76,000

Our reliance on the Internet means web developers are likely to be in demand for the long haul. In fact, web developers rated job growth as one of the most attractive quality-of-life aspects of this job in the "Best Jobs" survey.
The Job: Skilled web developers fuse information and technology as they supply the code for Web sites. It's a demanding but rewarding occupation that also got good marks for personal satisfaction and job flexibility.
Education and Training: An associate's degree in computer science is a great way to prepare for entry level work as a web developer. Combined with practical experience, a degree can further elevate your chances of landing job opportunities.
Related Degrees:
Associate's degree in IT & information systems
Associate's degree in graphic design
Bachelor's degree in computer programming
[Look into Web Developer programs now]

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR
Best Jobs Rank: No. 84
Average Salary: $85,000

Are you a good communicator and leader with a creative side? Well, listen up. A supervisory job in public relations (PR) gives you a chance put your persona to work every day. That's the reason PR directors gave their job excellent marks for personal satisfaction in the "Best Jobs" survey.
The Job: PR directors - who are responsible for everything from press releases to full-blown campaigns - ultimately determine what kind of impression their employers project to the world.
Education and Training: Earning a bachelor's degree in communications puts you right in line for openings in this high-energy field. As marketing and promotions increasingly rely on online savvy, you'll be helped by an ability to work in an Internet environment.
Related Degrees:
Bachelor's degree in marketing
Bachelor's degree in business
Bachelor's degree in finance
By Tony Moton

Best approach to year 2011

2011-01-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

ust a year ago...........A story was told of a man who worked for years but had nothing to show for it. Worried and perplexed by what he could ever do on earth to break loose from shackles of poverty and obscurity, he consulted a rich, famous man of the land who gave him a word of wisdom. He held tenaciously to the word and become the richest man in the historic land! What a magic? You asked. Yes, so ‘magical' are the principles outlined in this great article.

Are you a visionary? Are you frustrated by lack of capital to start a project? Or faced with a challenge of how to grow your business. Do you long for an uncommon idea? Maybe you are lacking inspirational drive for furtherance in your most passionate field of interest? Congratulations! The page you are reading will help a lot. surely you can still make it in that scratch!
The reasons why many potential giants remain dwarfs is just because of their mentality and bad inclination to life and lack of vision. Reading, digesting and assimilating the contents of this page will lose you from hold of penury, impart you with divine vision, change your mentality and cause you to think, see and move in the right direction. In effect, you will gain momentum and accelerate unstoppably to your convenient realm of success.

I have taken time to arrange the ideas carefully to make the reading easy & enjoyable. Best approach to year 2011 will be a great inspiration to businessmen, Pastors communicators, students, teachers, workers, etc.

So look beyond your present failure and see success look beyond the obstacles on your way and see victory, don't conclude yet, don't give up until you make your last attempt and don't quit, don't make your last attempt until you have succeeded, see you on top,
Do you want to make year 2011 as your year of achievement, attainment and your year of contentment? Is very easy just have a look at the following leans and see the consequences..................
"Champions are not those who do not fail, but they are those who do not quit". )

"No matter what you do in life, you will always have critics".

"Problems or obstacles can only delay you temporarily, but you can stop yourself permanently"

"The destiny which you are not truly committed can never be actualized".

"GOD never promised us an easy journey in life, but only safe arrival".

"Those who persevere are the one left standing when everyone else quits",

"If you reach the end of your hope, tie a knot in it and hang on".

"Champion force themselves to do what they don't like, to do what must be done in the heat of competition".

"Until you embark on a journey, you arrive at no destination".

"Any road without blocker does not lead to any important destination".

"No dream comes true until you wake up and go to work".

"No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big".

I've come to the conclusion that the best approach are to this beautiful year starting from your resolution preceding by your focus eventually if your perseverance is really strong eventually you will make it this year and your entire life. I'd like to see more of us make resolutions like "Treat everyone I meet with kindness," "Respond to anger with compassion," Make better use of my talents and abilities," or "Be a mindful caretaker of my financial assets.".....................
articlesbase.com

Aremu Abdullah

6 Steps for First-Time Job Hunters

2011-01-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, you've done it! You made it through college, have your degree in hand and are finally ready to make your mark. You are now in the real world and it's time to get your professional life started.
If you are in the middle of this crossroad, it can be scary, exciting, confusing, overwhelming or all of the above. Following are some steps to make a successful college-to-real world transition.
Step 1: Pinpoint Your Direction.
After four (or five, or six) years of college, you are completely certain about what you want to do, right? If not, now is the time to determine what your strengths are and identify what kind of careers suit you. Are you someone who loves to be around people? Or are you happier crunching numbers or creating computer programs? Consider all of your strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes and interests when thinking about your career plan. Read about fields that interest you and talk to others who are doing jobs that you find interesting. Focus your direction on positions and fields that match your interests and talents.
Step 2: Do Your Research.
It is vital to learn as much as you can about the companies that interest you and to consider all of your options, says Pam Webster, a recruiting manager for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. She should know: Enterprise is the nation's largest recruiter of college graduates.
"You should be open-minded about opportunities in companies and industries you might not have thought of before," she says. Once you have identified companies that you want to target, Webster suggests looking at their Web sites, reading news articles and talking to current employees to learn as much as you can. "You also need to look at a company's stability," she says. "Is the company going to be there for the long term?"
Step 3: Assemble Your Toolkit.
It is important to have the right tools for any task. The tools needed for a job search are a résumé, cover letter and a portfolio of your work. Take the time to develop a résumé and cover letter that clearly convey your strengths and experience. Here are a few tips to remember:

Think about the type of résumé you need. A functional résumé, which highlights your abilities rather than your work history, is a good choice for first-time job seekers.

Focus on accomplishments and results you have achieved, rather than simple descriptions of experiences.

Use action words in your résumé and cover letter to describe your experiences, such as "initiated," "produced" and "managed."

If you are low on practical work experience, look to your part-time work, school activities or volunteer positions. "Evaluate all of your experience and translate how it applies to any job you might apply to," Webster says.
Step 4: Network.
One of the most important tasks in any job search is networking. Take advantage of any resources you have, including your school's career placement office, friends who graduated before you and are already working, friends of your parents, former professors, and neighbors. Send e-mails to ask if your contacts know someone who can help you. Pass your résumé around and ask others to do the same. Call your contacts to see if they know someone who works for a firm you are interested in joining.
Step 5: Play the Part.
If you want to join the professional world, you need to act -- and look -- the part. Buy a business suit and wear it to all of your interviews. "Make sure your e-mail address and voice mail greeting are appropriate," Webster says. That means if your e-mail user name is "crazygirl2005," you might want to get a new account. Webster says you should also remember to be professional at home. "Be prepared for a phone call or a phone interview at any time," she says. The more you play the part of a well-trained professional, the more people will see you as a professional.
Step 6: Don't Give Up.
The real world can be a real challenge. Set realistic expectations and recognize that you will probably have to start at the bottom and work your way up. You will likely face rejection as you start looking for your first full-time job, but everyone goes through it. Just remember to be proactive, be persistent and remain confident that there is a great job out there for you!
.careerbuilder.com

5 Great Ideas To Change Your Boring Life

2011-01-13T01:28:00.000-08:00

1. Ride a bicycle to travel
It is costing to buy train tickets, or time- wasting on traffic jams for a car, so what is good way to have a comfortable travel. Bicycle is the most popular low carbon and healthy choices currently. If your family has a bicycle is abandoned in the corner, just "wake it up". If not, put a small part of the money prepared for tour to purchase one.
In the fall season, you can ask their families, or a few friends, along with the golden sun, the mountains all the way, having a picnic or listening to music. Your life will be very interesting.

2. Take a small party
You can take a spectacular party in your home. Imagine, you all wear beautiful and special clothes and sing classic songs, or recall your good memory, or play some games together with your friends. I believe your house will full of joy!

3. Participate in public welfare activities
Due to fast pace of life and psychological stress, people often neglect themselves and those around them. To participate in public welfare activities will make you feel that life is more meaningful, and you can obtain some happiness from it.
When you feel happy, you will be healthier. So you can get mental and physical pleasure;

4.Visit a strange city with a strange people
Some young people invite a strange people on line to visit a strange city together for a short time. Therefore, the "strangers" and "strange city" are full of excitement and challenge, but it is necessary to remind you: network unreal, please pay attention to personal safety.

5. Sell idle products "creative market,"
I believe every friend's house has large piles of idle objects, for example, the clothes or shoes your bought but never wear, books and so on…They are occupy the space of your house, but it is pity to throw off. In this case, you can sell them to others. Of course, you will disrupt public order if you sell them in the street. You can find some "creative market," like second-hand goods trading market, or some web store.

articlesbase.com
by

Ale

Make 2011 The Best Year Of Your Life

2011-01-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

Many people make a habit of setting up New Year Resolutions every single year, but when the year is over they often realize that those resolutions never really became a reality. So they set them up again the next New Year's Eve, hoping and expecting them to work this time -- This is kind of like a vicious circle.

I want to tell you that it doesn't have to be this way! And that in fact I know an effective way how to overcome that aforesaid vicious circle and how to really set your goals up correctly, becoming motivated and in the end turning your goals and New Year Resolutions into action, into reality.

The magic solution I am talking about is something called 'Mind Movies'.

When I first heard about 'Mind Movies' and saw how they worked, I thought: "Wow, this is just amazing and absolutely inspiring! Why didn't I think of that?" And I mean, this is not just only a way or a difficult one, but it's probably the way to easily turn literally everything into reality that you're dreaming of in your life, and it is both beautiful and exciting.

Maybe you're thinking: "Really? Seems to me like a scam, how could you ever easily make your dreams or goals become true? This is supposed to always include a ton of work!"

Well, yes and no… Oftentimes accomplishing goals and fulfilling one's ambitions -- depending on how big the ambition or the goal is -- in fact requires a lot of work. But it is a big difference if you're struggling with the sheer attempt at achieving, or if you're actually making it and this relaxedly, with an easy-going attitude.

The crazy thing about the 'Mind Movies' is that they are based on scientific findings and work with anything you want to use them for! Moreover, they literally work for everyone.
So, I hope you liked this short article, and if you're interested in learning more about fascinating tool and finally make all the things become true you're planning and intending to achieve for years now, just go to New Year Resolutions and make your New Year Resolutions become true. May you have the most beautiful and most wonderful year of your life in 2011!
articlesbase.com

Linus Schachten

Tips For Finding The Right Job

2011-01-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Finding the right job is no easy task, but with hard work it can be done. The first thing you need to ask yourself is what you hope to accomplish out of life. When a person has a sense of direction and knows what he or she wants to accomplish, then they will have taken the first steps that are essential in finding the right job. The next steps are harder. They include: getting the proper education, getting experience, and getting with the right people.
The first step in finding the right job is getting the education. Education opens many doors and is essential in landing a good job. If you want to know how to properly do a job, you must have the knowledge to do so. Being in the classroom also teaches skills that are pertinent to the job and will show you how you can be successful. Knowledge is power, and having that knowledge will give you the "power" to get a job that is perfect for you.
Once you have the education needed for the job, the next step is getting experience. Reading books and taking tests are important for you to get your dream job, but it is essential to know how to apply what is learned in the classroom. The adage "experience is the best teacher" is true. Getting experience will also allow you to get a feel for the job that you are trying to obtain. You will also learn where your strengths and weaknesses are and give you a chance to improve.
The last step in finding the right job is getting with the right people. Having the knowledge and experience for a job are the cake, but getting with the right people will be the icing. Another old saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know," is true to a certain extent. A lot of talented, intelligent, and experienced people miss out on the job of their dreams because they do not know anybody that could have helped them.
Getting to know people will allow you to know about where the job is that you are trying to land and they can also be used as references. References are an important part in the hiring process. It is also nice to have people to practice a mock interview with.
These days it is especially difficult to find a job, and even harder to get a job that is right for a particular person. However, with the right education, experience, and relationships the process will be a lot easier.

Are you trying to find jobs in the UK? Be sure to visit our job search site to find IT jobs in the UK and many other professions and careers.
ezinearticles.com

By Jeremy Winters

After the Interview 7 steps to success

2011-01-09T04:11:00.000-08:00

Summary
After the interview your job interview follow up will be a key factor in setting yourself above the competition. In today's job market the candidate who creates and leaves the best impression will be the successful candidate.
Follow up after a job interview in a professional and enthusiastic manner and give the company further proof that you are the right person for the job.
Use these seven key steps to follow up successfully after the interview and get the job you want.
Find out what happens next
When closing the interview ask for information about the next stage in the hiring process. Ask when you can contact the company to find out the status of your application. By asking when you can make the call rather than when you can expect to hear from them gives you an element of control over the follow up process. It also demonstrates a proactive, professional approach. You now have a time frame in which to plan your job interview follow up strategy.
Get all the necessary contact details
Make sure you have the full name and title of the interviewer plus his/her contact details. Ask for a business card or get it from reception on your way out. Find out from Human Resources after the interview if you forget! You need these details for your interview thank you letter and to make the follow up call. Know who you should contact to find out about your application - it isn't always the interviewer.
Make notes immediately after the interview
As soon as possible make notes on what happened in the job interview. What were positive areas that you can reinforce and what areas need to be addressed further? Use these details to write a thank you letter that is well considered and relevant to the specific job interview.
Write and send a thank you letter
The reality is that a large percentage of job interview candidates neglect this vital step in the interview follow up process. Send a professionally written and relevant thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview. Use your notes to reinforce you suitability in the interview thank you letter and to address any concerns that may have come up during the interview. Express your enthusiasm for the job and company. Make sure you have addressed the recipient correctly and find out the best way to send the interview thank you note - email, post or by hand. Use these Sample Interview Thank You Letters to help you.
Contact your job references
The company will probably contact one of your references to do a telephonic reference check. Alert your references and give them some details about the job and the company so they are well prepared to provide the best references possible for you. More about Job References.
Time to make the call
It is advisable to follow up with a call or email after a couple of days. If you have been given a specific time frame work within that. Do not wait for the company to contact you. There is nothing desperate about making a professional follow up call after the interview to ask about the status of your application - rather it demonstrates enthusiasm and tenacity. You can use the phone call or email to thank them again for the opportunity to interview and then ask when a hiring decision is likely to be made.
Keep looking
Continue with your job search. Even if you are sure that this is the job for you and you are going to get the offer it is never wise to rely on just one opportunity. Explore other job opportunities, this will help you to better evaluate this job opportunity and to make the right decision when a job offer is made. You never know whether a better opportunity may come up so keep looking after the interview.
Determined but professional and polite follow up after the interview puts you in a strong position for job interview success.
best-job-interview.com

Need Help Finding A Job? Follow These Tip

2011-01-07T23:42:00.000-08:00

Being jobless is an experience which can be very depressing. Looking for a job can be stressful as well. And what makes the situation more difficult is that jobless people find vacancies where their skills do not fit or where they are just not needed. If you are one of those needing help finding a job, then this article is for you. How do you get a job quickly and how do you locate the job that suits your skills?
It is very easy to locate job vacancies today. You always start by knowing what you want. You start your search for a job by identifying and integrating your skills. What is it you can do best? What is it you have felt at home doing in your past job experiences? These are very important questions you need to ask yourself. Your past work experiences must have helped you harness skills that new employers would love to have. If you have identified what kind of job you are looking for, one that is a passion for you, then you are ready to go about pitching your talent.
The best way to pitch your talent, to make yourself known, to be noticed by companies and to get invited for an interview, is to write a great resume. Mind you, a resume is not just a list of jobs you have had in the past. It is not about how desperate you are in finding a job. It is a confident presentation of yourself and your skills.
Your objective is something that sells your resume and catches the interests of most employers. The way you speak about yourself and your past work experiences is what makes you shine. Be careful not to express your sense of uncertainty or your fears about not meeting the mark in your resume. Give it a sense of direction while highlighting those areas where you excel.
The second sure way of getting help finding a job is to post your resume in job listing sites like Craigslist, Job Street, SnagAJob.com and many others. This will offer you the possibility of getting noticed by employers looking for your skills. If your resume is powerful and compelling, you will definitely have companies scrambling for you. It takes skill to draw interest in your job skills. Make yourself noticed. One way of making yourself noticed is giving your resume a great title that will be easily found by search engines.
Joining a job listing company will enable you to get notifications of job vacancies that are advertised by employers. Attending seminars on how to get help finding a job could be an invaluable tool on understanding how interviews work. Browsing online will offer you multiple job postings. Always make sure you read the job description carefully and update your resume accordingly. A resume that is confidently and audaciously written will ensure a breakthrough for you in the business world.
Are you trying to find jobs in the UK? Be sure to visit our job search site to find IT jobs in the UK and many other professions and careers.

ezinearticles.com
By Jeremy Winters

Looking for an opportunity

2011-01-07T02:22:00.000-08:00

Make sure you make the right choices and have established recognized in the online job sites, as this can be a great help for you and it can create many options for you too. The option allows you to search online jobs can make life much easier and people can now apply for a job sitting at home and at any time of day. Cyberspace has opened up the market and made life much easier and so it helped to ensure that you can apply for the position to sit any part of the country or world. Since the Internet is open to the world so that people around the world can now apply for a job, which actually did the jobs market much more competitive for all.

The Internet is a great way that helped people understand the options that companies and business organizations have to offer to the public. And that has made the search for a job an easier option for people.

he online application is a common trend in today's world and they can now have a variety of options they can select from and apply online. This has made life much easier for many people because they can now benefit from the session to use and navigate through the various websites and application in jobs that offer relevant options lucrative. Find a job has never been so easy for people as they can now apply the same across the Internet and call it interview will e-mail. This is a time saving and unfailing determination then use the service and do a good job.

Be smart in the selection process for job search engines because there are several options that are available and must therefore be careful in the selection process. The outlook for the various positions are not the same. You can expect different offers from different companies and we must be prudent in evaluating all options and go for the best option that is available to you.
The final selection is extremely critical and you must make the right decisions to ensure that the work you select the right option for you. The job search engines are very effective because they provide updates and announcement for other vacancies. This allows the candidate to become aware of the situation and move for employment. All major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing have been adamant in the selection process.
ezinemark.com

Some Great Tips to Help You Live a Successful Life

2011-01-06T01:56:00.000-08:00

Are you here to find out how you can live a fruitful, happy and successful life? We only live one, so I guess everyone wants to know or eager to pick up some pointers on how to live a successful life. If you are one of many people who are always constantly seeking ways to live a fruitful and happy life, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will share with you some great tips you can use and apply in your daily life.

If you are serious about your success in your life, I strongly urge you to spend some time and focus your attention to read this article and understand the tips or information being shared. No one wants to live in mediocrity, if they know the way, they will do what it takes to become successful. We promise you that you can find some encouragement or even elightenments after you read through this article.

So, let's get started... shall we?

Here are some of the surefire tips you can use and apply to achieve a successful life:

To be able to live a successful and fruitful life, the first thing you need to do is to ask yourself this question, "What does success mean to you?" You see, everybody has a different definition of success. Success for one individual does not mean the same thing to another individual. Therefore, in order to be able to succeed in life, you must be clear in your mind and in your vision what success is?

Is having a financial freedom a success to you? Is helping other people to become successful makes you feel happy and successful? Is having a happy and long-lasting a success to you? Success means different things for different people.

Here is a personal tip I want to share with you, don't base your success criteria on other people expectations. Make sure you create your own success definition. One good question to ask yourself is this, "What can really make you happy and fulfilled?" Anything you do in life that can make you happy and satisfied is a success.

Next, you must plan for success. After you know what can really make you happy and what you want to do or what is your life purpose, the next thing is to set out an action plan. You see, you must have an executable action plan that you can follow to move you closer to your success. Without an action plan, your success is just like another wish that you will most likely forget real soon.

Therefore, make sure you have a step by step action plan to guide you to achieve the success you want.

The last and final tip I want to share with you is to find a passion within you. Without a strong passion and motivation, it is very difficult for you to acheive the success you want. If you can find your passion, this is the best way for you to drive yourself to success because you now have a reason to live and your life purpose is clear. No passion equals to no motivation; and no motivation equals to no drive in life; it is like a car without any fuel.

There you have it... some great tips to help you live a successful and fruitful life. Hope you find this article useful.
articlesbase.com
FerragusLapointe

11 job search tips for 2011

2011-01-03T22:18:00.000-08:00

It's 2011 and it's time to take control of your job search. This year, it's no longer up to companies to hire you, it's up to you to get hired. Forget about how the economy is doing. Reflect on last year if you must, but then forget about that, too. This year, your focus will be on finding the right job for you and doing everything you can to be the best candidate for that job. The competition may still be tough, but here's how to turn the tables in your favor.
1. Narrow your search. Stop applying to jobs that you're not qualified for or don't really want. It's a waste of time. Be honest with yourself when evaluating job postings. If you had to start the job tomorrow, do you have all the skills you'd need to succeed? Or are there areas of the job description that you don't have experience in? While it's always great to be willing to learn, most companies want to hire someone who can jump right in and get started without being trained from scratch. Focus your time on creating great applications for jobs you are well-qualified for instead.
2. Know exactly what you want. Narrowing down your job search may force you to ask yourself tough questions like: What kind of job am I really after? And what skills can I offer an employer? If you're unsure of the answer, make one list of the job skills you excel at and one of the skills you like to use most. Use these skills as search terms in your job search.
3. Re-evaluate your skills. If you feel as if you've looked at every job posting on earth and you still can't find one your skills match up with, then it's time to get some new skills. The good news for those who are unemployed is that it's the perfect opportunity to go back to school. You won't have to divide your time with your job obligations, and there's also the possibility that the economy will have recovered a bit by the time you graduate, giving you a double leg up. Government funding and other programs are available for out-of-work job seekers who want to enroll in training or continue their education.
4. Set goals. Yes, your overall goal may be to get a job, but setting short-term, specific job search goals for the year will help you grow and force you to continuously evaluate your progress. Improve your networking skills, for example, by making January's goal to join a professional organization and February's to attend a college alumni event. Holding yourself accountable for achieving these goals will boost your self-esteem and motivate you to continue searching by providing you with new leads and information.
5. Try something new. If you're stuck in a job search rut, add a new strategy to your repertoire. Instead of only job searching online, try working with a recruiter and setting up informational interviews with industry contacts, too. A multifaceted approach will get the best results.
6. Get a leg up on the competition. If you come across a job that seems perfect for you, do something that will subtly help you stand out from the crowd. When you find a job posting you want to apply to, find out the name of the hiring manager or someone who works in the same department, and send the person an e-mail directly. It's 2011, which means almost anything can be found online, including names and e-mail addresses. A LinkedIn search on the company should turn up a list of employees and their titles, from which you can select the most appropriate person. Then, search the company website or press releases for the company's e-mail format.
7. Get ahold of your online reputation: When human-resources managers search for your name online and they will do it you can either take control of what they see, or you can leave it to the powers of the crawl search gods. Search results that are professional and consistent and that establish you as an expert in your field will be far more impressive than Facebook pictures from Thanksgiving. Things like a Facebook or LinkedIn profile and a Twitter feed will all show up on the first page, so signing up for these sites and populating the accounts with up-to-date, professional content will make a great impression.
8. Start a website: If you want to take your Internet presence one step further, starting a website will showcase your skills and talents in a thorough and interesting way, and it'll add to your professionalism and give you credibility. Plus, it's not as costly or as time-consuming as you might think. Domain names (i.e. YourName.com), can be registered on sites like GoDaddy.com or Bluehost.com for around $10, and web hosting can cost as little as $3 per month. If you're not particularly tech savvy, premade blog templates give you a professional look with minimal hassle. Wordpress.com has tons of template options and also provides great technical support for novices.
9. Stay current: You should always be in the loop, even if you're out of work. Read trade publications, comment on industry blogs and stay on top of any emerging technologies or policies that may affect your career path. This will not only help you have a great conversation with an interviewer and keep your professional edge, but it may also give you new ideas about where and how to look for a job.
10. Sell yourself: An interview is no time for modesty, especially in times like these. When you land an interview, go prepared with at least five examples that demonstrate your best qualities. That way, when an interviewer asks, "Why should I hire you," you can talk about how you're such a quick learner that you taught yourself Photoshop in a week and how your entrepreneurial spirit led you to start your first lawn-mowing business at age 16. Be sure to leave the interviewer with the phone numbers of references who will back you up with glowing recommendations.
11. Keep that glass half-full approach, all year: A job search will always have its frustrating moments, because things don't always happen when or how we want them to happen. But instead of letting setbacks ruin motivation, take them as lessons. Your lack of interviews may mean it's time to re-evaluate your career path or skills, which could lead you to a more fulfilling career. This type of positive attitude will be much more productive in helping you find your next job.
The bottom line is that job searching will be tough this year, but landing a job -- even your dream job -- can still be a reality. A proactive job search is your best bet, so take the necessary steps to ensure you get the job you want.
/msn.careerbuilder.com
By Kaitlin Madden

Tips for Happiness in Daily Life

2011-01-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

Daily life can be made happier. It is a matter of choice. It is our attitude that makes us feel happy or unhappy. It is true, we meet all kinds of situations during the day, and some of them may not be conductive to happiness. We can choose to keep thinking about the unhappy events, and we can choose to refuse to think about them, and instead, relish the happy moments. All of us constantly go through various situations and circumstances, but we do not have to let them influence our reactions and feelings.
If we let outer events influence our moods, we become their slaves. We lose our freedom. We let our happiness be determined by outer forces. On the other hand, we can free ourselves from outer influences. We can choose to be happy, and we can do a lot to add happiness to our lives.
What is happiness? It is a feeling of inner peace and satisfaction. It is usually experienced when there are no worries, fears or obsessing thoughts, and this usually happens, when we do something we love to do or when we get, win, gain or achieve something that we value. It seems to be the outcome of positive events, but it actually comes from the inside, triggered by outer events.
For most people happiness seems fleeting, because they let changing outer circumstances affect it. One of the best ways to keep it, is by gaining inner peace through daily meditation. As the mind becomes more peaceful, it becomes easier to choose the happiness habit.
Here are a few tips for increasing happiness in daily life:
1) Endeavor to change the way you look at things. Always look at the bright side. The mind may drag you to think about negativity and difficulties. Don't let it. Look at the good and positive side of every situation.
2) Think of solutions, not problems.
3) Listen to relaxing, uplifting music.
4) Watch funny comedies that make you laugh.
5) Each day, devote some time to reading a few pages of an inspiring book or article.
6) Watch your thoughts. Whenever you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, start thinking of pleasant things.
7) Always look at what you have done and not at what you haven't.

Sometimes you may begin the day with the desire to accomplish several objectives. At the end of the day you might feel frustrated and unhappy, because you haven't been able to do all of those things.
Look at what you have done, not at what you have not been able to do. You may have accomplished a lot during the day, and yet you let yourself become frustrated, because of some small things that you did not accomplish. You have spent all day successfully carrying out many plans, and instead of feeling happy and satisfied, you look at what was not accomplished and feel unhappy. It is unfair toward yourself.
8) Each day do something good for yourself. It can be something small, such buying a book, eating something you love, watching you favorite program on TV, going to a movie, or just having a stroll on the beach.
9) Each day do at least one act to make others happy. This can be a kind word, helping your colleagues, stopping your car at the crossroad to let people cross, giving your seat in a bus to someone else, or giving a small present to someone you love. The possibilities are infinite. When you make someone happy, you become happy, and then people try to make you happy.
10) Always expect happiness.
11) Do not envy people who are happy. On the contrary, be happy for their happiness.
12) Associate with happy people, and try to learn from them to be happy. Remember, happiness is contagious.
13) Do your best to stay detached, when things do not proceed as intended and desired. Detachment will help you stay calm and control your moods and reactions. Detachment is not indifference. It is the acceptance of the good and the bad and staying balanced. Detachment has much to do with inner peace, and inner peace is conductive to happiness.
14) Smile more often.
successconsciousness.com
by Remez Sasson

How To Profit From A Great Personality

2010-12-30T23:02:00.000-08:00

Are you an extrovert? A people person? A crowd pleaser?
Consider channeling your winning personality into a pretty paycheck.
Just remember that even with a great personality, you'll need some training.
"Education is always a good thing..." says Mitchell York, a New York-based career coach."...[A]nd, in some cases, it's mandatory."
Take a look at some of these great-paying careers that extroverts can excel in - then see how you can get in on the action!

Career #1: Sales Manager
Personality Profile: Intelligent, outgoing people who can work a room and make connections easily

By Chris KyleSales managers direct sales teams and must be able to maintain a steady base of relationships that can lead to potential customers. The ability to interact with people in all kinds of situations, whether it's face-to-face, by phone or email, is crucial.
Education: There is no formal degree program for sales, but earning a bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, or communications can give you the broad business background that you'll need to succeed. An MBA could help a sales rep move into management.
Average Annual Salary: $97,260
Search for online and local Business schools now!

Career #2: Public Relations Specialist
Personality Profile: Friendly, well-spoken people who can operate in the spotlight

PR specialists work with the public, communicating their organization's message, writing press releases, and briefing the media. In some cases, they also serve as the face and voice of their company, which means personality and propriety are key.
Education: You can learn different communication techniques and strategies while receiving your bachelor's in journalism, marketing/communications, or public relations.
Average Annual Salary: $51,280
Search for Marketing/Communications degree programs now!

Career #3: Emergency Room RN
Personality Profile: Caring and congenial pros who can stay cool - and perform - under pressure

ER nurses must be able to give care, advice, and emotional support to patients with a wide variety of personalities and backgrounds in this fast-paced occupation.
Education: Most ER nurses are registered nurses who have earned a nursing degree. If you want to get ahead in the field, consider an advanced nursing certificate program that covers triage and trauma care.
Average Annual Salary: $62,450
Find Nursing schools near you now.

Career #4: Personal Financial Advisor
Personality Profile: Sharp, personable people who can figure out their clients' goals and make the complex world of finance accessible

Personal financial advisors help people map out their short- and long-term financial goals. A big part of the job involves meeting and landing new clients, so those with an outgoing and friendly personality could fare well.
Education: A bachelor's degree is a must for this job. Focus your studies in an area like accounting, finance, business, economics, or mathematics. An MBA can certainly help too, as can periodic courses in areas like tax laws, estate planning, and risk management.
Average Annual Salary: $69,050
Start the search for the right Business school now!

Career #5: Marketing Manager
Personality Profile: Smart, strategic thinkers who can get both an internal team - and the public - excited about a product

Marketing managers must able to supervise a team and empathize and connect with customers who may see the world in a very different way. The ability to think quickly and creatively while adapting to a changing marketplace is also important.
Education: Start with a bachelor's in business administration, then build your credentials and knowledge with an MBA.
Average Annual Salary: $108,580
Find Marketing and Business schools.

Career #6: Meeting and Convention Planner
Personality Profile: Detail-oriented socialistas who know how to get things done on time and on a budget

Putting together a convention is a lot like planning a party. The responsibilities can run from developing and marketing the event to planning travel arrangements and setting up audio-visual equipment.
Education: In recent years, the job has become increasingly complex, with employers now usually requiring a bachelor's degree. Studying marketing or business is a good place to start.
Average Annual Salary: $44,260
Search for Business degree programs now!

Career #7: Paralegal
Personality Profile: Friendly, dependable communicators who are patient and organized

Paralegals, also called legal assistants, must be good communicators who can work well with lawyers and clients. Since the job often requires long hours, employers carefully consider a candidate's personality. Loyalty and confidentiality are also highly valued personal traits.
Education: An associate's degree in paralegal studies, which you can earn in as little as 18 months, can get your career started. You may also want to consider a paralegal certificate program.
Average Annual Salary: $46,120

6 Tips for Finding a Job After College

2010-12-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

Finding a job after college can be an tiring process. What you worked on while in college was researching papers, reading books, and taking tests. College didn't exactly prepare you for finding a job after college. Follow these six tips and you'll be on your way to getting that job in no time.
1. Nosce te ipsum- "Know thyself"
This is extremely important when it comes to finding a job after college. What are your dreams and goals? What would be your dream job? What have you always enjoyed doing? What are your skills? These are very important questions that you need to answer before you move forward in finding a job after college.
2. Build a powerful Resume.
When building a resume it's important to focus on what exactly you have to offer to the particular company you are applying for. Show how you're skills will be perfect for that company. Why should they hire you as opposed to someone else? Communicate THAT point and you will get the job.
3. Knowing where to look for a job.
After building your resume its time to find your new job. One of the best places to look for jobs is online. Particularly online job boards. Google search "[type of job you're searching for] + job board. That will bring up the website that has jobs that you're looking for. These types of sites are where you will find many of the best jobs. You can try looking on sites like Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com which are the two biggest job boards. But you will have more success if you look in the smaller job boards.
4. Broaden your network.
Many college grads say the best way to get a job is to look in your network. Let everyone that you know that you are looking for a job. By expanding your network you never know what jobs may come your way.
5. Keep your emotions in check.
Looking for a job can be hard. Especially if it takes a while to find one. Quickly, it become this emotional roller coaster of going from getting excited because you got a call for an interview, to an extreme low when you don't get the job. How you avoid this is simply focusing on the process of getting a job. If you focus on the day to day process of searching for a job, then finding a job after college has less of an emotional impact.
6. The law of averages.
The law of averages stats that at some point you are bound to get a job. Each time a company decides not to hire you, just think of it this way: One more 'no' got you one more 'no' closer to that 'yes' for that job you've been waiting for.
Stick to these tips and you'll get a job in no time.
ezinearticles.com

By Dain Lewis

9 Tips in Life that Lead to Happiness

2010-12-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

Are you truly happy? Do you even know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness? These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves. I live my life to maintain my own happiness while trying my best to not cause unhappiness to anyone else. If you want to be happy you need to understand that you can be happy and that you should be happy. Many people make the mistake of believing that they don’t deserve happiness and accept their unhappy state as their destiny. The truth of the matter is that happiness, like anything else in life, needs to be nurtured. The following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life.

Understand what it is that will make you happy. Everyone has unique requirements for attaining happiness and what makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy. Revel in your individuality and do not worry about whether or not your desires are comparable to those of your peers.
Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your mood will very likely increase as your pursue your goal because you will feel better about yourself for going after something you value.
Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. Conversely, if you are around people who are happy their emotional state will be infectious.
When something goes wrong try to figure out a solution instead of wallowing in self pity. Truly happy people don’t allow set backs to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the circumstances back to their favor.
Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy. These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continued happiness.
It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself. Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance you will be subconsciously putting yourself in a better mood.
Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. While there are times that require you to be serious, when it is appropriate, find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you unhappy.
Maintaining your health is another way to achieve happiness. Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood. Additionally, exercise has been known to release endorphins that give you a feeling of happiness.
Finally, it is important to understand that you deserve happiness. Those who believe that they are not worthy of happiness may subconsciously sabotage their efforts to achieve happiness. If necessary, tell yourself each day that you deserve to be happy and remind yourself what steps you will take to achieve the happiness you desire.

Happiness is hard to define but most people are aware of whether they are happy or not. Many people believe that happiness is a form of luck and that some people are destined to be happy while others are destined to be unhappy. I try to incorporate the tips above into my life and have had great success in achieving happiness. The tips in this article are small but meaningful steps that you can take each day to lead you to true happiness.
.lifehack.org

100 Great Tips to Improve Your Life

2010-12-28T05:23:00.000-08:00

Most of us are interested in improving something about ourselves: our productivity, our sanity, our organization, our happiness, our effectiveness, our impact on the environment, our minds, our dreams.
And you can spend hundreds of dollars on books and thousands of hours on websites looking for your answers.
Or you can look no further, as we've collected 100 of the best tips on all of these subjects -- a massive resource list that is almost guaranteed to have something of use for everyone.
This list is an introduction to the blogs of LifeRemix.net, taking a sample of some of the best tips from each of the blogs in the network: Black Belt Productivity, Behance, Cranking Widgets, Dumb Little Man, Happiness Project, LifeClever, LifeDev, No Impact Man, Pick the Brain, Success From the Nest, Tim Ferriss' Four Hour Workweek, Unclutterer, WiseBread, Zen Habits.
Will all of these tips work for you? Probably not. Just pick and choose the ones that appeal to you, and give them a try.

Find Inner Serenity by Making it Easier to Find Your Keys. For most people, getting control of clutter brings a greater sense of calm and decreased frustration.
Surround Yourself With Progress. When you complete a list of action steps, your instinct might be to throw the list away. After all, the work is completed! However, some creative professional teams take a different approach; they relish their progress. Some go so far as surrounding themselves with it.
Empty Your Inbox in 30 Seconds. Is your inbox filled with thousands and thousands of unread messages? Before you give up hope, there's an instant way to clear your inbox of old emails in less than 30 seconds.
Instantly Build Self Confidence. These tips will get you riding high in no time.
Reduce Your Trash To Almost Zero. Follow the No Impact Man experiment to reduce our trash as close as we can to zero.
Feel like a million bucks for cheap. Feel healthier and more energized right away without spending a fortune.
End Laundry Chaos. More than 20 tips to help you keep your laundry chaos to a minimum.
Learn the Secrets of the Super-Organized. A few simple habits keep clutter and chaos at bay.
Check Email Once a Day ... or Once a Week. Simple tips that will reduce interruption and increase your productivity.
Become an Early Riser. 10 benefits of rising early, and some practical tips on how to do it.
Learn Lessons from Google About Self-Image. How you think of yourself greatly affects how successful you can be. Google has got self-image down to a science.
Make a Good First Impression. Research shows that people decide what kind of relationship they want with you in the first ten minutes of a meeting, so making a good first impression really matters.
Know the Hype Behind Bottled Water. Have you ever stopped to think about just how incredibly odd it is to buy bottled water?
Leave Work at Work. Want more time for your family or personal life? Here's how not to think about your job 24/7.
Create a Landing Strip to Become Organized. We come from work exhausted, often carrying our work bags, groceries, and the mail. A landing strip will help you avoid disorganization from the time you get home.
Understand Time to Increase Return on Investment. Time is your most valuable resource. Understanding these ideas will help you make optimal decisions.
Give Your RÈsumÈ a Face Lift. Even if you can't hire a fancy designer and are stuck with Microsoft Word, a few tweaks can turn your blasÈ rÈsumÈ into an elegant and functional showpiece.
Boost Your Energy Level. Feeling energetic is a key to happiness and to self-esteem, so take steps to keep your energy high.
Actually Execute Your To-Do List. Many productivity systems will tell you how to organize your tasks, but what happens if you don't feel like doing them?
Keep Your Desk Clean and Tidy. Do you spend waste more and more time looking for lost items instead of being the brilliant creative person that you are? Here's how to get your desk clean, clutter-free, and keep it that way for good.
Learn the Truth About Baby Carrots. Baby carrots not really young carrots! They are also less nutritious and less flavorful than regular carrots.
Try Quick and (Almost) Painless Ways to Kill Distractions. Are you spending more time dealing with emails, IMs, phone calls, and random stray files than actually working? Here are ten actions you can do right now to kill distractions and get back to work.
Reduce Your Carbon Emissions. The most important lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your carbon emissions are listed here.
Put the Action Method Into Practice. After a couple years of studying how creative people stay organized, we developed a simple and easily customized method for managing projects. A good portion of 2006 was spent putting the Action Method into practice.
Gently End Procrastination. Need an easy way to remind you when you should be working and when you should be playing? Try using teaming up Flextime with Growl. Here's how.
Read Your RSS Feeds Faster and More Productively. Four simple tips for reducing the time you spend on reading feeds.
Use Catchphrases to Change the Way You Think. By keeping certain ideas active and accessible through review and repetition ñ whether itís ìSay yes,î ìFake it ëtill you feel it,î or ìPeople succeed in groupsî ñ you can shape the way you think.
Photograph Your Mementos to Free Up Clutter. Taking digital photos of your mementos can get rid of clutter, free-up storage space, and provide you with a simple way to walk down memory lane.
Save Trees With Ease. Want to avoid all the paper towels, paper napkins and other tree-killing stuff there's no need to use? Read here.
Organize Your Cluttered Desktop and Regain Your Sanity. Is your desktop littered with zillions of random files and folders often litter my desktop. Learn how 5 ordinary folders can keep your desktop immaculate.
Eat Slower. Why eating slower is better for your health, your sanity, your digestion, and more.
Maximize Your Lunch Hour. Your lunch hour should be the least "productive" moment in your day. If it lasts a mere 20 minutes-or just doesn't exist anymore-here's how to turn it around and make it joyful.
Increase Workplace Productivity by Not Being a Jerk. You get more flies with honey, as the saying goes. This is a brief outline for how to work and play well with your coworkers (and get more done).
Find Cheap Gas Instantly. If soaring gas prices are draining your wallet dry, here's five ways to find cheap(er) gas anywhere.
Find Your Purpose. We're all searching for our purpose. It seems tempting that having it appear by divine intervention would be great. Maybe not.
Make a GTD System for about $20. Putting together a functional GTD system for the price of a week's worth of Starbucks.
Avoid costly DIY mistakes. You can end up costing yourself more in the long run if you don't watch out for these mistakes.
Think About Whether You Can Afford NOT to Pursue Your Dreams. Pursuing dreams is crucial, even when it means taking a hit or entering financial uncertainty.
Plan for Success. Waiting for your ship to come in is a waste of time.
Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics. How to use the wisdom of the classics to become a better writer, thinker, and speaker.
Break Habits of Highly Ineffective Emailing. A list of what not to do when emailing, avoiding these habits will take you a long way toward better, more productive email.
Make Your PDA Green. If you're worried about e-waste and the toxins produced by burying and burning old cell phones and PDAs, you may want to try my green hipster's pda.
Learn to Go From Solo to Successful Collaboration. Self-starters are often successful doing everything themselves. However, when forced to grow beyond the one gal/guy-show, many creative professionals are unable to take the leap from a solo success to a successful collaboration.
Create a Morning Routine. Developing a routine in the morning could lead to greater sanity and happiness, and achieving your goals.
Learn How to Survive a Road Trip. Road trips always begin on a high note, but by the end even Mother Teresa would be willing to shove her grandmother out of the car. Here are 9 tips to help keep you sane and happy on any road trip.
Share To Make Ideas Happen. The philosophy to "share ideas liberally" defies the age-old instinct to keep ideas secret. However, the creative person's tendency to jump from idea-to-idea-to-idea causes most ideas to die in isolation. Creative professionals should take every opportunity to communicate new ideas broadly, seek feedback, and develop a sense of accountability.
Use Space Under Stairs for More Storage. Very cool under-stair storage where each step is a drawer.
Know What's In Store If You Have a Toddler. New parents often wonder what's in store for them once their kid is able to move around on their own. Here's what you can expect.
Work in Multiple Positives. These hyper-productive activities will benefit you in multiple ways at once.
Use a Super Slim Wallet. It's time to shrink down that backbreaking Constanza wallet. Here are 8 ways to radically slim down your wallet.
Advertise Action to Yourself. We live in a world of choices. When we buy, we have to make a choice between varieties, brands, and sizes. Similarly, when we work we have to decide what to focus on and how to use our time. While prioritization helps us focus, our minds still have the tendency to wander. We are most likely to focus on whatever catches our eye. Along the lines of "out of sight, out of mind" we learn that "right before our eyes, actions thrive."
Gain Muscle in Minimal Time. How Tim Ferriss gained 34 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks.
Choose Living Over Sleeping Sometimes. Despite the importance of healthy sleep habits, there are times when it's good to throw caution to the wind and invest in your life in other ways.
Make Reference Items Helpful. We spend too much time discussing, storing, and organizing notes. References are only valuable if you refer to them. Even with a well-organized system for managing references (either digital or paper), how often do we actually use them? How do we make reference items helpful?
Eat Sustainably. If you are interested in how to eat sustainably, read about it here.
Lose Weight Without Exercise. How to lose 20 lbs. of fat in 30 days with a sensible diet.
Find Calm & Sanity Through the Environment. If you've ever thought a more environmental life might also be a calmer, saner life, you're right.
Learn About the Successfully Self-Employed. Is freelancing for suckers? Are you already an expert? This series explores the levels of the free-agent -- and how to understand what each one means.
Learn GTD the Easy Way. An online primer of all the chapters of Getting Things Done.
Set Goals So You Actually Accomplish Them. Setting goals is hard. Following through is even harder. Using a framework that builds on your personal view of the world can make the process easier. This series helps outline how.
Reduce Gamer Clutter. If you are a gamer, these are a number of suggestions to help you keep your entertainment system under control and the gaming clutter to a minimum.
Stick to a Schedule of Regular Exercise. Exercising regularly boosts moodóright awayóand also makes it easier to sleep, keeps your weight down, and gives you energy.
Cut Back on Computer Cables. Follow these 8 simple steps to get rid of the birds' nest of cables behind your computer.
Pay the Price to Be an Entrepreneur. The price of access can be steep, but once you're flying down the road -- it's well worth it.
Single-task. Increase your productivity by learning not to multi-task.
Get Outside Your Comfort Zone. Comfort isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Drop Ideas That Fail. Ideas are a commodity. Being able to execute them well is what creates success. Hanging on to an idea, even after it his proven to be ineffective is the downfall of many aspiring entrepreneurs.
Learn to Calculate Risk. Risk and reward go hand-in-hand. Knowing what to expect can help reduce risk and shape your reality.
Don't Settle for Just One Path. Variety is the spice of life. So why do you have to be just one thing when you grow up?
Get Rid of Paper Clutter. A four-part series dedicated to reducing the paper clutter in your home.
Set Up Action Areas. Boxes need to be mailed, errands need to be run, cookies need to be eaten, orders need to be fulfilled, but by whom? Whoever has a chance! The Behance team got tired of limiting our action steps to just an area on paper - why not make "action areas" out of physical space?
Find Hidden Clutter. Ten places to start looking for hidden clutter in your home.
Get a Promotion. 20 tips that landed the writer an IT promotion -- most could be used in any field.
Dispose of Old Electronics. The best ways to dispose of old electronics.
Increase Your Intelligence. A list of 5 simple activities that will boost your brain power.
Present Yourself. Creative achievements seldom happen in isolation. A big part of making ideas happen is controlling how you come across to others. Of course, the Creative's tendency is to say, "who gives a crap what other people think." While there is merit in never compromising oneself for the sake of another's opinion, creative professionals need to make an effort to be understood. You need to present yourself effectively to engage others and get the support (and the business) you need to push ideas forward.
Follow George Orwell's Rules for Effective Writing. Becoming a better writer will create better career opportunities and increase productivity.
Lay Your Energy Line. Creative teams juggle multiple projects at once. The constant streams of ideas lead to more ideas. As energy is spread across projects like peanut butter, prioritization is all but lost. Energy Lines are a simple way to prioritize and use design to guide creative energy.
Focus on Continuous Improvement. By mastering the optimization mentality you can become an expert in your chosen field.
Motivate Yourself. This post will teach you to recognize the primary motivation killers and how to beat them.
Become a More Light-hearted Parent. We all want a peaceful, happy atmosphere at home ñ and you canít nag and yell your way there.
Give Up Nagging. Itís no fun to nag, and itís no fun to be nagged. Give your relationship a lift by putting an end to the irritating nag cycle.
Learn to Sacrifice Temporary Pressure for Long-term Goals. All success requires sacrifice. Do you have the determination to endure temporary punishment to reach your dreams?
Learn the GTD Workflow. An excellent into to GTD for the novice, a great refresher for the experienced.
Use the Power of 10 Minutes. 10 Minutes can be even more productive amount of time than 50 minutes, if used properly.
Triple Your Workout Effectiveness. Do you exercise regularly but don't get the results you want? Here are some simple but powerful ways to boost that workout.
Work 8 Hours Straight Without Hating Yourself. There is an art to taking breaks that can help you work longer, and more productively.
Learn Whether You're Waking Up at the Wrong Time. Everyone's internal clock can tell us when we should be working. Are you listening to it?
Reduce Wasted Plastic Cups and Bottles. If you want to toss fewer plastic cups and bottles in the trash, you may be interested this ultra-cool reusable cup and water bottle.
Avoid Entrepreneurial Burnout: Fill Your Tank. Many times entrepreneurs suffer from going to hard with their vision, without thinking about keeping the work pace sustainable.
Take Steps to Boost Your Happiness in the Next Hour. You can make yourself happier ñ and this doesnít have to be a long-term ambition. You can start right now.
Learn to Capture Ideas and How to Manage Diarrhea of the Brain. Sometimes our best ideas come at the worst possible times. These tips will help to make sure none of those precious ideas fall through the cracks.
Know the Signs That a Pink Slip is Coming. If you can answer yes to THREE or more of these questions, you may want to think about sprucing up your resume and dry-cleaning your best interview attire.
Try No TV. In an extreme experiment to reduce waste to near zero, No Impact Man turned turned off electricity, which means no TV. Read about how to entertain a little girl with no TV.
Accelerate Your Mortgage Payments to Save a Bundle. See how much money you can save by adding just a few extra dollars a month to the principal.
Use a Today List to Get Stuff Done. Helps you focus on what needs to be done today.
Use Money to Buy Happiness. Some of the best things in life arenít free, so spend money in ways to bring you more happiness bang for your buck.
Save the Lives of Animals With One Change. If you want to help save the lives of hundreds of thousands of animals just by not using plastic bags, perhaps the easiest environmental step, read here.
Get the Most Out of Your Rebates. Follow these tips and we can all fight the Man and wrench our hard-earned money back from those big, faceless corporations.
Eliminate All But the Absolute Essential Tasks. Is your to-do list overwhelming you? Here's how to simplify it to the core tasks.

This post was written by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits

American Idol and Your Job Interview

2010-12-27T02:24:00.000-08:00

Are you currently interviewing for a better job? Try watching American Idol. If you follow this huge money-making singing contest from Fox these days, you already know all about this phenom.

Love it or hate it, American Idol (and their other country equivalents) is a good metaphor for life on a number of different levels, which is one reason why it's so popular. If you're currently in job interview mode, you could learn a lot by watching this show.

Branding Versus the "Best" Candidate

American Idol sometimes seems like some weird group interview where each candidate makes his or her case to three fickle interviewers and is either advanced or sent packing. Aside from the constant reminder that this is a singing competition, we all know it's more than that. It's about that elusive quality called a "total package." Ditto the job interview. Here's the reason why all job interviewees should take heed of what happens on Idol: "differentiation."

Some candidates understand this early, while a few just get lucky. Too often, we'll see a very weak singer retained while a much stronger performer gets cut. Some may call this an injustice, but it's not so. What's happened is that the "total package effect" came into play. One singer won more votes, not for singing ability, but for that fact that his or her "brand" differentiated them from the pack. No one else is like those people by a long shot and that brand triggers visibility, notoriety and votes.

The moral of the story: You don't have to be the best singer, just the most memorable decent singer. Same for the job interview. You don't have to be the best candidate with the top skills. You do have to find a way to be the most memorable, hirable candidate.

This leads us to the second important lesson of American Idol:

Know Who You Are

On Idol, almost everyone who begins the show is a decent singer. Those who know who they are early in the show always enjoy a huge advantage over those who haven't a clue, even though they may be better singers. Those who understand this principle include Sanjaya, Blake Lewis and Melinda Doolittle, to mention three. Sorry, but none of them is a "great" singer. They did know their strengths and they stayed with them, often maddenly so. But in the end, look where they are now. They know who they are, what they do best and they never strayed from that path.

In many ways, this is not about finding and molding raw talent, it's about finding and marketing talent that's already well-branded. I believe the interview process is much the same. The branding should occur long before you walk into the interview room.

Too many job hunters try to get through the interview by merely giving the "right" answers. The real issue: They haven't a clue about who they really are or what they bring to a company.

As a job seeker, you must define your strengths and hone a message (your unique selling proposition). This is called branding. Branding is a process that clearly defines who you are and what clear benefit you bring to an employer.

If you can't do that, then please watch "American Idol" next week. You'll see the fate that awaits the next fallen Idol who failed to learn this message in the singing world.
By Joe Turne

Great Life Tips

Obama vs. GOP: Who Has the Better Job Policy?

Make $40K-$60K With An Associate's Degree

1. Nurses

2. Computer Support Specialists

3. Paralegals

4. Fashion Designers

5. Food Service Managers

est Medical Careers for the Future

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America’s Worst and Deadliest Jobs in 2011

How Can 10 Simple Articles Change Your Life?

It’s not about technology — it’s about equity

The equity lies in what your content is, not how it got there.

It all starts with 10 simple articles.

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SALES DIRECTOR Best Jobs Rank: No. 8 Average Salary: $142,000

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT (CPA) Best Jobs Rank: No. 9 Average Salary: $73,000

HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR Best Jobs Rank: No. 36 Average Salary: $98,000

HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT Best Jobs Rank: No. 43 Average Salary: $92,000

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT NURSE Best Jobs Rank: No. 59 Average Salary: $77,000

WEB DEVELOPER Best Jobs Rank: No. 67 Average Salary: $76,000

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR Best Jobs Rank: No. 84 Average Salary: $85,000

Best approach to year 2011

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Make 2011 The Best Year Of Your Life

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Need Help Finding A Job? Follow These Tip

Looking for an opportunity

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11 job search tips for 2011

Tips for Happiness in Daily Life

How To Profit From A Great Personality

Career #1: Sales Manager Personality Profile: Intelligent, outgoing people who can work a room and make connections easily

Career #2: Public Relations Specialist Personality Profile: Friendly, well-spoken people who can operate in the spotlight

Career #3: Emergency Room RN Personality Profile: Caring and congenial pros who can stay cool - and perform - under pressure

Career #4: Personal Financial Advisor Personality Profile: Sharp, personable people who can figure out their clients' goals and make the complex world of finance accessible

Career #5: Marketing Manager Personality Profile: Smart, strategic thinkers who can get both an internal team - and the public - excited about a product

Career #6: Meeting and Convention Planner Personality Profile: Detail-oriented socialistas who know how to get things done on time and on a budget

Career #7: Paralegal Personality Profile: Friendly, dependable communicators who are patient and organized

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SALES DIRECTOR
Best Jobs Rank: No. 8
Average Salary: $142,000

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT (CPA)
Best Jobs Rank: No. 9
Average Salary: $73,000

HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR
Best Jobs Rank: No. 36
Average Salary: $98,000

HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT
Best Jobs Rank: No. 43
Average Salary: $92,000

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT NURSE
Best Jobs Rank: No. 59
Average Salary: $77,000

WEB DEVELOPER
Best Jobs Rank: No. 67
Average Salary: $76,000

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR
Best Jobs Rank: No. 84
Average Salary: $85,000

Career #1: Sales Manager
Personality Profile: Intelligent, outgoing people who can work a room and make connections easily

Career #2: Public Relations Specialist
Personality Profile: Friendly, well-spoken people who can operate in the spotlight

Career #3: Emergency Room RN
Personality Profile: Caring and congenial pros who can stay cool - and perform - under pressure

Career #4: Personal Financial Advisor
Personality Profile: Sharp, personable people who can figure out their clients' goals and make the complex world of finance accessible

Career #5: Marketing Manager
Personality Profile: Smart, strategic thinkers who can get both an internal team - and the public - excited about a product

Career #6: Meeting and Convention Planner
Personality Profile: Detail-oriented socialistas who know how to get things done on time and on a budget

Career #7: Paralegal
Personality Profile: Friendly, dependable communicators who are patient and organized