Passport to International Career Success

Keeping the faith

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:06:53 -0800

After 565 days, Belgium has a government again. At present, the politicians are hammering out details, but the Belgian people are certainly fed up. The Flemish and the Walloons walked together in solidarity letting the politicians know they were getting along and it was up to the former to do the same. The king delivered a speech last July which clearly indicated he was angry and, while not in so many words because he has to be a diplomat, told the politicians to get their act together. He was applauded everywhere he went for the next few days.

Now that the politicians are working out the programs, the people are walking once again in the streets so that their pensions do not get cut off or at the very least reduced. The bright side to all of this is that Belgium, as a country, still exists not withstanding the party of the extreme right in the North.

For the first time, the prime minister comes from Wallonia and not the Flanders.

Another bright spot: the green sector is booming and the Euro is less expensive than it was during the summer.

Happy Holidays!

Are books still being sold?

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:26:58 -0700

The breakdown of books being sold in Belgium is as follows:

General literature 18%

Practical books (cooking, gardening) 15%

Comic strip books 15%

Pocket books 12%

Books for youth 10%

All other categories 10%

Green Professions on the Rise

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:18:03 -0700

If you want to move abroad and find work, the green sector is definitely the one to look into. Since 2005 in the construction business alone, 77,000 jobs have been created and 22,000 more are expected to be developed within the next five years.

November 1 was All Saints Day, a public holiday in Western Europe. It is the day when people traditionally visit cemeteries to lay heather and chrysanthemums on the graves of relatives and friends. In this sector, as well, the green professions are growing. Some undertakers have started to make coffins out of banana tree leaves. They sell for €1200 (in today’s exchange rate, about $1,600), which is the same price as for the lowest priced regular coffin. Funeral directors provide biodegradable urns now as well.

But while observing November 1 – or any other holiday – be sure to lock your car when you park. A law was put into place that requires you to pay a €50 fine (approximately $67 in today’s exchange rate) when caught leaving your car unlocked. Even your windows should be left no more than a slight crack open.

How do Western European students’ expenses compare to those in the U.S.?

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:50:35 -0700

Registration fees for higher education pay €835 (approximately $1,250) per year

Students who have parents with intermediary incomes pay €375 (approximately $560) per year.

Scholarship holders pay no registration fees.

In addition to the registration fees, courses, books, and computers (or even computer access) must be paid. This brings the total to €8000 to €12,000 for a year of study at the university (approximately $12,000 to $18,000 per year).

Can students then work part-time jobs and earn some income? That depends on the following. If the students wants to stay a dependent of his parents, then if his or her parents file their taxes as a couple, the student is allowed to earn €3,612.5 (approximately $5415) gross per year and if his or her parents file their taxes individually (in case of separation, divorce, etc.), the student is allowed to earn €5,215,5 (approximately $7820) gross per year.

Students can start to work from the age of 15 on. So that employers do not have to pay taxes, they can only work 23 days a month during June, July, and August.

When students are 16 years old, their starting salary is €6,02/hour (approximately $9/hour).

When students are 21 years old, their starting salary is €8,59/hour (approximately $12.50/hour).

Those students who are not 18 years old yet are not allowed to work at demolition sites, at excavation sites that are deeper than 2 meters, on scaffoldings, and they cannot be exposed to chemical, biological, or nuclear products.

This year, students have a good shot at being employed. ManPower reported a 25% to 30% increase in job creation, especially in the financial and real estate sector.

Press Release: Résumé Writer / Career Coach Nationally Published

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:51:57 -0800

SANTA CLARITA, February 22, 2011 – Résumés created by a Southern California Résumé Writer have been featured in a new résumé guide. The book includes résumés written by Myriam-Rose Kohn, CPRW, of JEDA Enterprises in Santa Clarita, California

The book, Résumés that POP! (Barron Publications, Pat Criscito, Editor), includes five of Ms. Kohn's résumés.

"The strategies for résumés at the mid to senior management level are completely different from those of other candidates. Executives need to toss out the old rules they learned in college," Ms. Kohn says.

The editor states that, "Each contributor is well known for his or her expertise in résumé strategy, writing, and presentation." All contributors are members of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers; and many, including Ms. Kohn, are certified. A Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW) has earned that credential through a specialized testing and examination process. Ms. Kohn currently serves on the Accreditation Board for the Professional Association of Résumé Writers.

Ms. Kohn has been previously published in 35 other résumé books. Three of her résumé makeovers have appeared in CareerJournal.com (published by Dow Jones).

Economy is starting to pick up in Belgium and France

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:49:25 -0800

Since these countries held the banks accountable for the economic crisis, the economic recovery has been occurring a lot faster than in the U.S.

The temporary staffing company ManPower Belgium has recorded an increase of 25 to 30% in staffing requirements. Currently, they are actively recruiting new people for their staffing pools in the finance and real estate markets.

Belgium is heavily investing in its infrastructure: potholes being repaired and roads being repaved. The country may not have a federal government, but the regional and local governments are certainly functioning. Not having a federal government hurts Belgium as far as investments are concerned and also on a credibility level where politics are concerned. They did, however, successfully conclude their 6-month European presidency.

Press Release

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:12:44 -0800

Press Release

For immediate release

For more information, call:
Myriam-Rose Kohn at
JEDA Enterprises
27201 Tourney Road, Suite 201
Valencia, CA 91355
Phone: 661-253-0801
Fax: 661-253-0744
Email: myriam-rose@jedaenterprises.com

Résumé Writer / Career Coach Nationally Published

The book, Résumés that POP! (Barron Publications, Pat Criscito, Editor), includes five of Ms. Kohn's résumés.

Ms. Kohn has been previously published in 35 other résumé books. Three of her résumé makeovers have appeared in CareerJournal.com (published by Dow Jones).

About Zebrajobs.com

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:44:20 -0700

I just recently became aware of this site.

Zebrajobs.com is a leading online job site for Africa, which aims to make searching for a job in Africa as easy and relevant as possible. Zebrajobs.com offers a dynamic opportunity for employers in the public and private sectors, organizations, and other hiring entities, as well as job seekers ranging in experience from seasoned professionals to graduating students, to use Internet-based recruitment and career advisory services for their employment needs. Zebrajobs.com is a joint venture initiative between a U.S.-based company – Danya International, Inc. – and an Africa-based company – Info Mind Solutions.

Cited In CareerJournal.com

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:27:39 -0700

Cited in Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal.com as an expert resource on the differences between résumés and CVs. Here is the link to the article:

http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/resumes/20060502-caverly.html?cjpos=home_whatsnew_major

Why You Need to Be a Career Activist

Myriam-Rose Kohn — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:22:52 -0700

"Here's a sobering truth for all of you out there who are happily employed: if you're not looking for your next job, you're probably looking at a period of forced unemployment," states Peter Weddle.

When you consider the average tenure of a CEO is now less than four years, there is reason for concern. In the wake of the CEO fiascos from Enron, WorldCom and Hewlett Packard, loyal employees were left without jobs, companies had to cut budgets or file bankruptcy after paying out big severance packages and hundreds of innocent employees were left in financial distress. Weddle says that in 2006, 14% of the world's largest companies fired their CEOs for lousy performance. What this means to employees is that no matter how much hard work and dedication you put in, there is no job security.

How can you protect yourself in such an environment? Weddle says, "Become a "career activist," defining him/her as is someone who:

*sets the direction for their career (by identifying near-, mid- and longer-term goals that are interesting, challenging and meaningful to them); and

*initiates the specific actions (e.g., finding a mentor, acquiring a certain kind of experience, learning new skills) that will enable them to make steady progress toward and actually accomplish those goals. A career activist, then, is in charge of the change in their career, rather than its victim.

In Weddle's analysis, job seekers are under the control of those who hire the, while career activists take charge of and control their own career destiny. They make the decisions and do so to meet their own goals. "The selection of one course over another is always based on a single guiding tenet: it is to do that which will advance you toward being the best you can be at your profession, craft or trade," writes Weddle.

Weddle suggests giving yourself a "personal performance appraisal by asking yourself the following questions:

*Am I doing my best work in my current job or am I just coasting?

*Are my skills and knowledge at the state-of-the-art in my career field or am I growing obsolete?

*What job should I be doing in the next 12-18 months in order to upgrade my performance and my satisfaction at work?

*What do I need to do now to prepare myself so that I can compete successfully for that job at that time?

"Career activism is essentially a pair of commitments you make to yourself: bringing the best you can be at work each day and improving your personal best every day. Those promises provide the only real security there is in today's volatile and perilous workplace...because you are relying on yourself" says Weddle.