Brazen Careerist

What Travel Means For Students and New Grads in the Current Job Market

students — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:14:12 +0000

What should students and new grads have in common with the ancient superhero Achilles? Mobility. Especially in times of recession, being mobile will give you an edge

What should students and new grads have in common with the ancient superhero Achilles? Mobility. Especially in times of recession, being mobile will give you an edge.

I haven't personally gone backpacking in Europe or done an exchange program, mostly due to financial limitations, but my exposure to mobility comes from living and attending schools in different parts of the world. The lessons I have taken to heart from these experiences are to learn to adapt and be persistent in my pursuits.

"Showing you have the ability to adjust to new cities and different cultures makes you stand out from the crowd of potential employees."

I find it puts employers at ease when they know I've been independent for some time now and I've had the survival skills to make it through all my relocation choices.

Canada is the perfect country to move around in

Another dimension of being willing to relocate is that it opens up many more doors. In an April cover story in BusinessWeek, Peter Coy describes the recent crisis of the housing bust and how it has resulted in decreased mobility for employment purposes. Not being able to sell a house due to fallen prices stops some eligible candidates from pursuing jobs in different locations.

However, this is not a problem for freshly minted grads. Within Canada for instance, many cities, such as Calgary, were not as hard hit by the recession as some of the cities in southern Ontario or the Maritimes. Why? Not only does Alberta have a separate provincial fund to ride out recessions, but energy companies tend to have healthy cash reserves to survive and even invest in times like these, compared to the debt-heavy manufacturing industry which has to cut jobs and close factories.

The lesson here is that when one door closes, another opportunity is bound to open up elsewhere. But we have to be mobile enough to take advantage of those opportunities.

International experience gets students and new grads jobs

Beyond coping with recession, showing you have the ability to adjust to new cities and different cultures makes you stand out from the crowd of potential employees. This has been my experience when interviewing for jobs during my last semester of school.

During the second round of interviews at a multi-national Fortune 500 company, I observed that every candidate had international/relocation experience of some sort. Whether it was through a co-op/internship position or an international exchange, everyone had exposed themselves to new places.

In an increasingly global economy, exposure to working with people from different parts of the world is a necessity. Having previous exposure to different locales will definitely put your employer at ease. Additionally, it can help the conversation flow during those stressful recruitment or networking events.

So, how can you get this experience?

Simply living on campus may showcase your ability to adapt to a new situation.

Exchanges and internships are obvious options, however, they are highly sought after and most students do not get the opportunity to do this.

In lieu of that, you may opt to volunteer or work abroad, or nationally. There is a plethora of options out there and a little bit of research or browsing through the articles on this site may point you in the right direction.

So, go ahead and explore! The world is your oyster.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TalentEggIncubator/~3/YFw4nR5uKNI/

Learning Patience: Life is Not a Means to an End.

idontknow3545 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:54:10 +0000

Growing up we have always been pressured to have goals and finish them in a timely manner. The problem is defining how much time does timely manner imply. What is the meaning of these time frames and why should it mean anything to you?

Growing up we have always been pressured to have goals and finish them in a timely manner. The problem is defining how much time does timely manner imply. It means different things to different people, does it not? What is it really? Graduating high school at 18? Graduating college at 22? Getting married by 26? Having your first child by 28? Retire at 65? What is the meaning of these time frames and why should it mean anything to you?

It's no secret that everyone is pressured throughout their lives, directly or indirectly, to follow this unspoken timeline or some variation of it. After all society expects it of you, your family gets disappointed if you don't, and best of all the statistics back it up. Again, I ask you, what does any of it have to do with you?

This is something I've struggled with most of my life. In high school I was placed into an accelerated program that granted me a semester of college credit. Because of that, my impatience, and my belief that it was best to stay ahead (for what, to this day I still can't explain) I graduated undergraduate at the ripe age of 20. I was moving faster than warp speed, half-assing everything (and structural integrity was compromised. I'm a Trekkie, can't you tell!). I was moving so fast I didn't have time to sit back and figure out WHY I was doing all this and WHAT I was trying to acheive for myself.

Sure, it felt great to listen to my family boast with pride that I had all my stuff together for about 10 minutes after I crossed the stage to receive my degree. It felt great knowing that I'm finished (at least temporarily) with cramming for exams and writing an endless amount of papers and lab reports. But after that it hit me like a ton of bricks that I'm left to face the truth I've ignored all along: I don't really know myself too well. And I no longer had any books to hide behind.

Which is why Jonathan's post over at The Change Blog really struck a chord with me. The best way to make your dreams a reality is to forget about them.

Not literally, of course. Jonathan emphasizes movement towards a dream or goal, but blindsighted ambition to complete a goal just to complete it will cause you to miss the entire point of achieving that dream or goal in the first place. It all made so much sense to me because it all comes back to these pre-ordained timelines that really (no, really!) have absolutely nothing to do with you! There's nothing wrong with wanting to graduate college, get married, have kids, retire young, or whatever goal you'd like to achieve. It's just not so important exactly WHEN you achieve them as much as it is HOW you get there, WHAT you got along the way, and understanding WHAT you get from it. The goal of having $100,000 in savings by 30 is an amazing goal. But once you reach that goal, then what? Were you so focused on seeing those six numbers in your bank account that you hadn't thought about why you wanted it, what it means to you, what you could do with it, and what you learned along the way?

It explains why people who are so intent on winning the lottery, that when they finally do, are likely to squander it all (and then some). And that's just the tip of the iceberg, but my name isn't Google. But my point is: this is a blatant lack of awareness. The money, once achieved, has no value to many lottery winners because they don't know what it means to earn it or manage it. They have never seriously thought about why they wanted it other than reasons given to them subconsciously by the media or because they believed money equals happiness. Never mind the fact that rich people are just as likely to be unhappy as poor people. This can be applied to anything but money is the first thing that comes to mind because it's so important to so many people.

I've realized that a lot of my worries have to do with me comparing myself to others and agonizing that I am not where I should be in life (despite the fact that I'm still very young). If I've learned anything in the past year it's that slow and steady wins the race. While I do need to survive and pay bills, for me it's become more important to gain better awareness of myself. Regardless of what I do, I try my hardest not to let my goals get in the way of living in the present and becoming happy with myself internally. It's no easy feat since I could hardly be called a patient person. But I know I'm a work in progress and that I will ALWAYS be, so¦ what is the rush?

http://valeriemondesir.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/learning-patience-life-is-not-a-...

5 Tips For Working Nightshift and Leading a Normal Life

jwcooke99 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:51:45 +0000

If you work in a business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, chances are that you have to adapt to the business hours of another country. This may leave you working night shifts in a call center more often than not. Here are five tips for working nightshift in the BPO industry and leading a normal life.

If you work in a business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, chances are that you have to adapt to the business hours of another country. This may leave you working night shifts in a call center more often than not. Working nights can be difficult for BPO employees, but there are ways to make it an enjoyable experience. Here are five tips for working nightshift in the BPO industry and leading a normal life:

1. Don't forget to eat and drink. When you are working in the outsourcing industry, it's easy to forget to pay attention to the essential fuels that your body needs. Carry healthy snacks to work with you during your night shifts at the call center.

2. If you rotate shifts, rotate forward. In the event that your call center allows you to rotate shifts, always rotate forward. Move from nights to day shift and finally afternoons if at all possible. This will help to keep your body and mind more in synch through the shift change.

3. Plan time to spend with friends and family. Relationships with others are also an important part of your physical and mental health. You might be missing out on nightlife because of your work schedule, but that does not mean you cannot build and maintain personal relationships. During your time off, you can certainly find time to meet a friend for breakfast or lunch or even take a vacation. If you make a set plan with friends and family, it is easier to make sure that you get enough quality time with them. Planning ahead will also ease your feelings of isolation and give you fun things to look forward to enjoying.

4. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it. When you are away from your outsourcing job, you need to follow a set schedule just like you would if you were working the day shift. Choose a time of day that you want to sleep and stick to it. If you go right to sleep when you get off, there will still be time to take care of errands during business hours when you wake up. Likewise, if you stay awake when you get off, you can run errands and take care of business before you go to sleep in the afternoon. The important thing is to be consistent. Consistency will help you get a full eight hours of sleep before you return to the call center.

5. Be conscious about fitness. Working night shift tends can take a toll on BPO employees physical and mental wellbeing unless you take measures to incorporate healthy living into your lifestyle. Just because you are working nights in a call center does not mean that your physical and mental wellbeing should be neglected. There are many 24-hour fitness centers that will allow you to exercise and stay in shape.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TryBPO/~3/ZZTEDs9vx9A/

Drama; Don't Do It

Dustin Britt — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:52:33 +0000

One of my favorite shows on TV is Top Chef. Through watching it over the last several seasons, I've learned that there is a difference between people who can cook really well and a Chef. You've got folks with real talent that can't get it all together in the time allotted and certainly can't work with other people. They are the ones yelling, running, and cussing up a storm down to the last second. It makes for good TV, but these guys never win. Its the contestants that, sure - may stress - but do it with purpose and with little if no drama.

Back to business...

If you find that business is theater, you're in the wrong building.

Business is about accomplishing objectives together for a purpose. Drama is about bringing attention to yourself (as seen on TV).

I have certainly been guilty of drama, especially when there's the risk (AKA stress) of not getting to that business objective. But it is not a helpful tool. If anything, it spends your energy and the energy of those around you on something that distracts from the real chance to maybe, just maybe hit that goal.

So here's the question that you've got to honestly answer to yourself...do you thrive on drama? A few easy ways to tell:

Does every task you work on come down to the last possible minute - with you cranking it out mere seconds before catastrophe strikes?
Are you beating up those around you with your stress as you barrel your way down to a last-minute result?
Does the end product reek of lackluster quality, due to steps skipped as you cranked out your last-min result?

It really doesn't have to be last min...really. Just a little planning, communication, and thinking more than just for today. That'll mean you've got to say goodbye to drama though. Either that, or you can seek out the next spot on reality TV.

http://www.inthesqueeze.com/2009/06/drama-dont-do-it.html

What Makes a Job Not So Bad ...

Beth Harris — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:45:56 +0000

Having an enjoyable job (or, if you are like me, a job that isn't so bad) is not just about what you do. After working in different corporate settings, and being as free spirited as I am, I realize that as long as I work with my mind and not my hands, I will define what I do as moving paper (as one person told me, in the "corporate" world, we move paper from one side of our desks to the other).

The secret to enjoying your job is enjoying the personal dynamics that you create. Having friends at work isn't the only thing that matters. Liking the people you work with, or at the very least respecting them and seeing them as competent, is just as important.

A few years ago, a job hunting website ran a commercial to advertise their services. The premise involved a person was working for a room full of monkeys. At the time I thought: how could it ever be that bad. And then I worked for a job where it seemed that everyone was literally flying by the seat of their pants, with no direction, and looking for someone else to blame. It really was like working in a room full of monkeys. I walked away from the situation afraid to work in my current industry, and afraid of working with people who wore suits in general.

Thankfully, that experience hasn't happened again. And currently, after learning when I was a teenager that "work" was just not going to ever be something I enjoy, I have made creating a positive relationship with the people I work with my goal. I am doing the typical things: seeking to create mentoring relationships that meet different goals, like finding someone to provide career advice, provide advice about balancing career and life, and provide advice about the networking aspect of my career. I think I am getting there. But the most important people I have found in the working world are not the people you would generally think would make or break your career, like a supervisor. The people who make work most bearable for me (and this is a lot coming from someone who feels her calling is to be a socialite) are the people who pass me in the hallways. This includes people who are have more experience than me and supervise me in projects. This includes people who work with the same people, and provide advice on how to deal with situations. This includes people who, when I see them, brighten my day. And this includes people I pass in the hallway who take a genuine interest in the lives of others, as I do too, to create a congenial atmosphere.

Have no illusions; no job is perfect no matter who you work for and work with, and I would never say otherwise. However, I have come to believe that the best metric of a good job is not what you actually do. Which is why I believe that you must give a situation time. The true metric is the relationships and competency you see around you, and I can say from experience that it makes a world of difference even within the same industry.

http://alawyerandanangel.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-makes-job-not-so-bad.html

4 Choices that will Dramatically Impact the Quality of your Life

Srinivas Rao — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:20:08 +0000

Life is full of choices and opportunities. However, some choices will have a greater impact on your life than others. Let’s say you decided to eat a piece of cake today. Chances are it won’t really matter a year from now. However, there are a few choices that will dramatically impact the quality of your life no matter when you make that choice.

Friendships: If there is any area in life where you should choose wisely, it would be your friendships. Numerous studies have shown that you become a byproduct of the people you surround yourself with. If you surround yourself with a-holes, then you’re well on your way to becoming one. If you surround yourself with winners, then you’re on your way to becoming one. Another thing that you want to do is chose friends who reinforce your positive self image. If you are in a group of friends, where you are always the one being made fun of, it’s time for a new set of friends. It’s often hard to accept that because these might be people that you actually have come to know as close friends. It’s hard to admit that you are that person in a group. Yet, if you keep them in your life, it’s going to be really hard to overcome a negative self image. There’s a big difference between friends who joke about you endearingly versus those who seem to get their rocks off by putting you down. I only know this from experience and having had a massive falling out with people who I thought were some of my closest friends in college. If you have some toxic friends, it’s time to detox.

Careers: Making the choice between passion and practicality is something you really should take seriously in your career. I didn’t do it in my younger years and as a result my life was miserable in numerous ways. My health deteriorated, I was depressed, and I was always angry or anxiety ridden. A career takes up a significant part of your life, up to 65% of your day in many cases. If you hate what you do, then think about what kind of things you are going to attract into your life. The majority of your time, energy, and thoughts are being directed to your misery. It’s a simple application of the law of attraction at work.

Relationships: Your choice in relationships not only alters the quality of your life, but the quality of someone else’s. So, if you make a bad choice you run the risk of making two people’s lives miserable. Of course the opposite is true as well. If you make the right choice then you double the joy that goes out into the world and bring more of it back to you. Have you ever noticed how at the beginning of a relationship when you start dating somebody, everything seems too be perfect. You have a great time together and everything goes smoothly and you seem to be on a roll of attracting positive experiences into your life. Then, you stop getting along, and everything else goes to hell too. So, make sure you choose wisely.

Reactions: It has been said over and over that life is not about what happens to you, but how you react to what happens to you. Once we learn how to control our reactions to everything that happens we manage to achieve complete control over our lives. We are no longer impacted by circumstances and events because we are choosing our reactions.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PersonalDevelopmentSelf-improvementPersonalGrowth...

Steering Clear of "Safe"

gracekboyle — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:00:39 +0000

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well perserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, Chardonnay in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoughly used up, totally worn out , and screaming “Woo Hoo! What a Ride!” -Chuck Myers

Um, hell yes.

I’ve been reading a lot about breaking free of inhibitions, taking risk and wanting something more. I’m surrounded by idealists and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Contemplating my friends’ trip abroad and upcoming explorations, I have concluded that the most powerful, exciting times in my life was when I had no agenda, no plan, took a risk and felt scared.

Buying a ticket to Ireland for St. Patty’s day, then spending the night in the airport just to make it back in time for Midterms in Italy. Studying abroad. Saying “yes,” instead of “no, I’m not sure.” Jumping off a cliff in the Swiss Alps. Working and living in Costa Rica alone at age 19. Choosing a small, college in Vermont where none of my friends knew of or had been to. Moving to Boulder, alone. Forgiving a friend. Letting love into my life, when I least expected it to sneak up on me.

Through each chance, I’ve tasted failure, defeat and loss. The greater the risk, the greater potential to lose your footing. Now, as I can look back I still know it was all worth it. I cannot imagine settling. Many would argue that risk is tied to reward. You just will never know, unless you try.

One of my best friends, Camie writes, “Finding little gems in the places you least expect is a secret in life. Everyday I am learning to be more present with reality and more clarified with intention. Sometimes its scary to change circumstances so quickly. And it is now too. But I’m just not entertaining that fear today…”

Live with intention and like my dad would say to me growing up, “Take a walk on the wiiiild side!”

What risk have you taken recently? Do you thrive on risk or balk at the thought of it?

http://smallhandsbigideas.com/generation-y/steering-clear-of-safe/

Why I Love Procrastinating and How It's Helped My Business.

caitlin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:35:26 +0000

It all started when I set aside an hour every morning for procrastinating. I was doing so much of it during the day that I just decided to bite the bullet and officially give myself an hour to "generally screw around online" which also happens to be my favorite activity.

I could easily procrastinate all day long. This is what I do:

find new blogs to love

read articles on lots of different topics

look at pictures at FFFound (this site is dangerous if you don't have an hour to spend there)

make coffee

find out the newest events in town and in cities I don't live in but wish I did

watch videos that are popular or have been sent to me

follow other people's blogrolls until I am at really obscure but fascinating places

Normally, I classified this stuff as "time wasting" and scolded myself for it a lot. Then a funny thing happened and one of those events I found in some obscure place led to a new connection that has been very valuable for me. And some of those articles that I've come across have led to really interesting conversations with people that want to work with me now.

So I set aside some time every morning for "procrastination" which made me really happy since I don't have to yell at myself for something I like to do anymore.

Now I call it "productive procrastinating" since it's more like one person brainstorming. Here's how it's helped:

I'm more on top of current events

I have met a ton of people who write cool, niche blogs

I have kept track of companies and their successes and failures with social media so that when I talk to them they know it's because I know what they've been up to

I am much more aware of topic trends online

I can play "a blog for everyone" better than most people.*

(* A blog for everyone is a game I like to play with people who "don't have time to read blogs". They tell me their interests, passion, whatever really revvs them up and I tell them a blog they will love.)

There's a difference between procrastinating and doing nothing.

When I procrastinate, it's about this kind of industry web surfing and not about sitting at my computer watching Hulu videos of Saturday Night Live. I say if you have the urge to simply web surf blogs for a while every morning then do it. I find that after my hour or so I am much more focused where I need to be.

http://bossygirls.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-i-love-procrastinating-and-how-its.ht...

Managing Millennials: What Am I Doing wrong?

chelseablakesunshine — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:16:13 +0000

“My Millennial employee is lazy, my gen-y intern is rude…blah blah blah,” I’ve heard it all! And since I doubt that every Millennial is lazy and rude, this behavior may be a result of poor management. So, if you are managing a Millennial, whether as an intern or employee, and you aren’t getting the results you are hoping for, ask yourself these questions:

1. Does my Millennial employee have enough work to do? – This is the most important thing you can ask yourself! Millennials get bored easily, actually we get bored reallyyy easy! And if a Millennial don’t have enough work to do her/she is going to find some way to stay entertained. So do us all a favor, and give us work to do.

2. Have I let my Millennial employee be a part of the decision making process for our projects?- Now I know what you are thinking, “Why does my Millennial deserve to be a part of the decision making process when they are just my assistant/coordinator, etc?” But the truth is that Millennials are smart, so ask for our feedback and you are likely to see things you may have missed before by involving us in the decision making process.

3. Have I asked my Millennial employee for advice or feedback on his/her work? – Millennials want to feel valued, so if you never ask us about or give us feedback on the work we are doing, why are we doing it? Ask your Millennial about their work and they will fill you in on everything, and maybe even help you with your own work.

Open communication is the key to managing Millennials, so next time you think your employee is being rude or lazy make sure you’ve asked yourself these questions.

What do you think Millennial managers could do better?

http://blakesunshine.com/2009/07/08/managing-millennials-what-am-i-do-doing-wron...

Who We Are on Twitter is Who We Are in Life

Robyn Itule — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:11:12 +0000

Sometimes when I log into my Twitter account, I feel like I’m walking into a middle school dance, where the lights are low and balloons fall from the rafters and where everyone has already paired off to slow dance and I’m left to skirt the edges of the proverbial gym on my own. It’s very Sixteen Candles.

There’s just that moment where I want to stay hidden in the corners and see everything that’s going on, be able to say I was there, but not risk the rejection or embarrassment of stepping solo on to the dance floor.

But, nothing ventured, nothing gained is the name of the game in social media, so I take a deep breath and tweet.

It’s not unlike who I am in real life. In new situations with new people I tend to stick to the walls while I give my self a pep talk, then I eventually dive in with fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence and hope to wind up with new friends and meaningful conversation.

On the other hand, when I’m comfortable and conversing with trusted tweeps, I am happy to be open with ideas, opinions and even personal experiences.

It amazed me when I paused to think about the correlation between my reaction to real life situations and the little flips my stomach do before hitting enter on a tweet.

What if no one responds?

What if my tweet is taken the wrong way?

What if I inadvertently offend someone?

Now, I’ve been known to over think things. It’s very un-Aries of me. But I do worry how people will react or receive what I’ve said. I want to be liked: In person. On Twitter. And I do believe that’s true for all of us out there in the Twitiverse.

Oh, the fear of being made a fool of, or rejected, on the Twitter-stage!

I suppose my position on this belies own character flaws and insecurities — too sensitive probably, maybe a worry wart — but I don’t think I’m alone…Especially among communicators. We are so trained to say the right thing and deliver the right message that there’s a hint of fear about saying the wrong thing that bleeds over into other areas of our lives. (I’m totally projecting on all communicators. Sorry communicators.)

But with all that being said (all hints of fear aside), who we are in real life is often shaped by strong opinions, wacky world views, unique experiences and even character flaws. It makes us each wonderfully individual and special (just like we Gen-Yers were told ). So too, who we are on Twitter is shaped by the information we share, the things we choose not to respond to, the responses we craft, the opinion and rants we voice, the pictures we post and stories we tell in 140 characters or less.

Being an active participant in social media requires a dose of bravery. I have preached exactly that there in my non-microblog. You have to engage in conversation, but I have not practiced that paradigm as often as I should.

So, I plan to get brave and follow my own advice. Just maybe it will earn me a few more friends. On Twitter and in real life.

http://cutmesomeflack.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/who-we-are-on-twitter-is-who-we-a...

The Right To Be Wrong and Try Again

jamesmoreau — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:10:12 +0000

I’m up for trying again. Love, careers and experiences of all sorts await. If you don’t see me where you expected me based of what you’ve gotten to know about me in the recent past; well that’s a good thing.

What happens when you make up you mind about the means to an end because the end is truly something you want and about half way through the means with which you need to get to your end you think to yourself, “gee, this could work, but I could change by the time I get there.”

For close to three years I discovered a different type of means to my end of what I wanted for myself. A relationship, a free bird mentality out the window and another person outside of myself to base some of my life’s decisions around. Honestly, I kept one foot out the door throughout much of the relationship, but in all, I saw a future for the two of us and did my best to mentally prepare for that.

Learning to care about another person’s dreams as much as my own wasn’t easy. I took to myself when I left home at 18 and did a lot of self-fulfilling and self-destructive stuff along the way. Whether another person intimately cared for me at any point was not something I considered important. Yet, I found myself quite seriously involved with another person who brought out some of the best characteristics I never knew I had in myself. I loved; plain and simple and that alone felt great.

On the other hand, there was the growing apart thing that I didn’t like so much. An age difference and me being the older of the two by a couple years caused some striking differences in developmental perception in your young adulthood. I graduated, got a job, quit, got another job, wanted to quit, wanted to move, wanted to start a business, wanted to move against, etc. These were all ideas I thought could work and was willing to pursue.

All along, and progressively moreso, I tried working the image of “us” into these constantly changing plans. I accepted her for who she was but pained over the knowledge that our death blow could be because of our basic moral compases pointing in opposite directions. I suppose we tolerated and partially ignored much of this issue which brewed into an unpleasant batch of resentment and confusion.

The breaking point wasn’t pronounced or dramatic, but more of a disintegration or running out of gas. Sputter, tick, stop, gone.

Can’t really help but be sad about the absence. The absence of something that I cherished yet didn’t understand is something I’ll need to naturally deal with over time. I’ve been lucky to have dealt with it through my friends and my work, but the consequences of my reality changing so drastically are interesting.

Everything I’ve chosen to do over the past 3 years has been influenced by the idea of a person and what I needed to do to co-exist with her. That person is no longer a part of my life and now I need to change course because my original intentions were not fulfilled and cruising in the same direction won’t benefit me.

Much of the angst and worry I felt was knowing that being with someone who didn’t share the same values as me could take me somewhere I wouldn’t want to be, yet I managed to stay on board and make changes to my goals and plans that would have allowed me to stay on track. Why? That’s something I need to figure out.

But, I know I was wrong and I also need to act upon that. The time wasn’t wasted, but anymore living for the part of my life that has passed is wasted.

So folks, I’m up for trying again. Love, careers and experiences of all sorts await. If you don’t see me where you expected me based of what you’ve gotten to know about me in the recent past; well that’s a good thing

http://notsoliteral.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/the-right-to-be-wrong-and-try-again...

How To Lose Your Employees Fast

ms.jennyguerrero — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:10:12 +0000

Many managers and CEOs don’t fully understand that their employees are as important as their customers. They are quick to demand and slow to show how much they value their employees.

CEO’s, hiring managers and managers in general all understand the hiring process and how easy it can be to search through the pile of applications and chose the right candidate. Yes, it can get hectic as the resumes add up but it can be done.

What many don’t understand is how much faster and easier it can be to lose their employees.

Your employee is doing a great job in the position. Oddly, a few weeks after you begin to notice a change.

The bomb hits your office and your employee resigns. Why? They where such a good match for the position? You realize the employee turnover rate is at an all time high.

Many managers and CEOs don’t fully understand that their employees are as important as their customers. They are quick to demand and slow to show how much they value their employees.

Surprisingly, they believe that it is enough to give them the opportunity to work at the company. The current economy has many people thinking that an employee is stuck at a company because the chances of finding a job elsewhere are slim. That is where managers go wrong, thinking that it is enough to cut a paycheck.

What about the appreciation? What about showing that they are a huge contribution to the company’s success?

http://jennyguerrero.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/how-to-lose-your-employees-fast/

Opportunities After College

Pete Kistler — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:02:52 +0000

College grads are swimming in a sea of rejection letters. According to a recent survey by the Association of Colleges and Employers, a mere 20% of 2009 college graduates who applied for a job actually got one. So what are the options for the other 80%? Well, many are setting up shop back home for the time being, and as depressing as that may sound, it could actually be the best thing that ever happened to them.

That is because although opportunities after college seem very few and far between in this bleak job market, being young and unemployed actually opens up a staggering amount of opportunities, that is of course, if you’re willing to operate a little outside of the box.

Entry Level Woes

Sure, there is always the opportunity after college of taking a menial entry level job (assuming you can even find one), stare at a wall for 50% of the day, pretend to work for another 25% while bitterly stalking the lives of much happier people on Facebook, then finish your simple work in the last hour or two on the job.

Or you could finally do something you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time, master that said something, and get creative enough to make money while doing it. Even if its something you can’t possibly make money doing, look at it like a personal investment, a means to polish your personal brand and set yourself up for future opportunities. It’s your choice, now more than ever your future is truly in your hands. Most people have nothing to lose but boredom, a stressful search for a low paying job, and extra TV time, so why not go for it? Making money doing something you love is the ultimate dream and the first step to achieve that dream is obviously finding something you love.

If you’re not sure where to start looking for opportunities after college, here are a few broad starting points to get the good old creative juices flowing:

Creating Opportunities After College:

Learn how to program, you may be surprised at how much you enjoy it. Not to mention the fact that if you can program well, the word “unemployed” will be quickly wiped from your vocabulary: here is a great free resource to learn everything from the basics and beyond.
Travel: Eat a lot of Ramen, only buy cheap booze, and tough it out in that menial job we spoke of earlier and it wont take long to save up enough for a trip to somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. If college loans are weighing you down a little too much and this is just unrealistic, look into one of the many programs that assists people looking to work or volunteer abroad. There are a whole slew of ways to get paid to travel such as becoming a group travel organizer, a travel writer, teaching abroad, or working on a cruise as a waiter or bartender.
Draft a Business Plan (or two): Your young, you have less responsibilities (and bills), and you’ve got the time and energy to make it happen. Once you have a decent business plan together, you will know what resources you need to rally to turn those words on white paper into a reality. Best case scenario: you succeed and become a millionaire ON YOUR OWN TERMS. Worst case scenario: the business fails miserably, you learn a whole lot, and you just put your personal brand on steroids, employers will be impressed.
Create a personal website, blog, or online community: Wordpress is the golden standard for starting a blog and a personal website is a great way to both create opportunities after college and do some soul searching to uncover your unique and valuable personal brand.
You’ve got boats of time now, why not volunteer? To get started, check out something like Volunteer.gov which has a search-able database of volunteer opportunities.
Work on a specific non-profit project of your own design that you can be passionate about for 15-20 hours a week.
Learn a new language: Rosetta stone baby!

Opportunities after college are truly endless and although it is easy to feel like the safety net just disintegrated beneath you, there is really no better time to shoot for the stars. Opportunity is a knockin’, the worlds in your hands, the only question now is: just how are you going to shape it?

http://blog.brand-yourself.com/2009/opportunities-after-college/

When You Need a Vacation, From Your Vacation.

skstryjewski — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The problem with not checking your email while you are on vacation is the fact that when you return to your desk finally after a week of not thinking about work, the 150 plus emails in your inbox makes one want to go on another vacation. I have come up with a plan as to how to tackle those important, and not so necessary replies so that one won't lose it completely.

First off, I never feel bad about not checking my email while on vacation. Isn't that the point of getting away? Don't forward your email, don't check it periodically, because it will only make you crazy. That is what an auto responder is for. Don't put limited access, because quite honestly, you should have no access on vacation.

Prioritize. I find it easier to get through this painstaking task by putting the email in three categories in an inbox folder. Follow up urgent, follow up this week, and follow up later. This allows me to quickly browse through emails and put them into the folders, so I can attend to the urgent emails right away, and gradually get to the other two folders.

Delete. Do not feel bad about deleting cute fowards that someone sends you. More times then none, they freeze your computer, just making the task longer than you would like. Also, google alerts need to be deleted right away. They will not be up to date, and the fact that you are taking the time to read one about Michael Jacksons funeral does not help anyone if you forward it on, four days to late.

Draft. If anyone else is like myself, my mind is still in the vacation mode a couple days after returning to work. I have learned that it is better to start emails, and save them as a draft, because I usually do not include all that I want to say, or do not have my thoughts clearly together, and by saving the emails as a draft, I can a. think a little more about what I am trying to get across, and b. not forget about the response that I will eventually have to send.

So while I am prioritizing, deleting, and drafting...just some food for thought for all of you who enjoyed the 4th of July holiday!

http://speakingfluently.blogspot.com/2009/07/when-you-need-vacation-from-your.ht...

How Gen Y Manages Gen Y

Tim Ferro — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:14:30 +0000

As an older member of Gen Y, I am now starting to see older Gen Ys being in charge of younger Gen Ys. This creates an incredibly interesting work dynamic. There are many advantages to this, but also a few drawbacks as well. Since Gen Y is incredibly motivated, this situation was bound to happen and sooner than most other generations.

The advantages. Communication transparency and options are endless. Prior to our generation, if a manager needed to get a hold of a team member they would send an email to their work account, call their work phone, and in emergencies, call their house. That’s it. Gen Ys can contact team members through all those plus Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Text Messages, and more. Since Gen Y has been raised on open collaboration, we have no problems communicating through any medium regardless of who can see it.

The disadvantages. Too much transparency. Gen Ys don’t necessarily want to be friends on Facebook with their managers. They probably don’t want their managers following them on Twitter either. Gen Ys need to be more careful about what they post online. This is true all the time but moreso with a Gen Y manager.

Another possible disadvantage is that since, I feel, Gen Ys have gotten into managing other Gen Ys earlier than other generations, they have less overall managerial experience. It’s never easy to be a manager, and it’s even harder when you are young and managing other young employees. Managing Gen Y is inherently different than managing all other generations. For me, managing a baby boomer was much different than managing Gen Ys, but that’s a whole other post.

I have only scratched the surface on this topic but please leave comments so that I can either write a follow up or update this one. Thanks.

– Tim Ferro

http://www.timferro.com/wordpress/archives/170