Work at Home

One Extraordinary Person

Ben Corser — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:06:27 +0000

American Katie Davis, at 18 years old, traveled to Africa in an effort to rescue children.

Imagine for a moment you decide to give up your comfortable life, plans for college, say good-bye to family and friends for the African jungle. Could you do it? What if by going there, you would change many childrens lives? One brave young woman did it alland more.

Mother Teresa Wanna-be

As a high school senior, Katie began applying to volunteer at several orphanages she found online, A home for babies in Uganda was the first to respond and say they were in need of volunteers, she states. The trip to Uganda solidified for Katie a deep need to help the children of Africa.

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Step Up to Advance Your Career!

Blake Lempriere — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:59:33 +0000

Moving up the chain of command within your current company could be one of the hardest things to do. Why?

The senior managers already see you in your current role, performing your day-to-day responsibilities. They do not physically “see” you in that higher level role, successfully managing those higher-level, higher risk programs and departments. And it’s not a given that if you’re successful in your current position that you’ll be successful at a higher level position.

So how do you prove that you can do the job before you get the job?

Find out in this video:

Your Assignment – STEP UP!

Ask the Sr. leader in y

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Success Is a Mind-Set

Imogen Wiggins — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:31:27 +0000

Jan 30, 2012
Doris Gaines Rapp

Prepare: Read, Study, Research – Doris Gaines Rapp Are the habits of your mind those that lead to success or those that lead nowhere? Are your thoughts robbing you of success? Do you want to change them?

A mind-set is a habit of the mind, the spirit. If those habits keep one from success, they can be changed. One must structure a new way of thinking. That pattern is: Rehearse, Believe, Act, Change, Believe Anew.

We all know that many people are in financial trouble. The percentage of those out of work is higher than any of us want it to be.

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President’s Jobs Council falls flat

Blake Lempriere — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:10:06 +0000

The Presidents Jobs Council, made up of top executives appointed by the President from citizens outside the federal government, released its much-anticipated interim recommendations for economic fixes this week.

But the suggestions, crafted after only three months of private meetings, met with lackluster reviews and were called uninspiring and a big yawn.

Im underwhelmed, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former head of the Congressional Budget Office and adviser to John McCains 2008 presidential campaign.

The report, published as an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, was penned by CEOs Jeff Immelt of General Electric and Ken Chenault of American Express.

A more thorough analysis is expected in September.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the group doesnt see its mandate as having to define new ideas.

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Translating from college classroom to workplace

Ben Corser — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:05:11 +0000

Being a dean in a liberal arts college, Susan Lawrence worries that graduates don’t know how to translate what they’ve learned into something that is saleable in the job market. “They have to take their everyday experiences [as students] and show how they speak to employers’ needs,” she said.

I spoke this morning to Lawrence, who has the ponderous title of dean for educational initiatives and core curriculum for Rutgers University’s School of Arts and Sciences in New Brunswick. Lawrence is convinced that a liberal arts degree has value, but the challenge is selling that value to employers who may roll their eyes when they see a liberal arts major such as philosophy on a resume.

Lawrence calls it “cross-talk.” There’s no point, she said, in graduates telling employers about the many research papers they wrote. Empl

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What Does Your Body Language Say?

Blake Lempriere — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:01:08 +0000

What does your body language say in an interview?

Ill take a Margarita, please! I interviewed someone recently that had good experience and communicated well verbally. However, he was so relaxed in his chair that it seemed like he thought he was lounging by a pool hoping to catch a waiter to order a drink! While his skills fit, it made me wonder if he would be engaged in a project or could handle a fast-paced environment at all. Its good to be at ease in an interview, but not so much so that you come across as a slouch. It

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Alabama E-Verify Law Requiring Businesses to Enroll in E-Verify by April 1 No April Fools Joke

Ben Corser — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:54:58 +0000

H.B. 56 was signed into law by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and requires employers to use the otherwise voluntary federal E-Verify system to ensure that newly hired employees are legally eligible to work in the United States and would also authorize the revocation of business licenses for companies that employ illegal workers. The law would be even tougher than Arizona’s SB-1070 law requiring mandatory E-Verify use that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-3 decision on ‘CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ET AL. v. WHITING ET AL’ in May of 2011, opening the door for other U.S. state

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Video Friday: Researching People before the Interview

Imogen Wiggins — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 02:41:46 +0000

Good preparation for an interview includes researching the company and the position you’re applying for, but it also includes researching the individuals who will be interviewing you. Here are some tips for helpful research you can do.

If you’re having trouble viewing the video, you can watch it on YouTube. We have many more informative videos on our YouTube channel.

Ten Unusual Ways to Deliver Great Work

Imogen Wiggins — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:18:08 +0000

Natalies been struggling with her boss and her job – not because of overwork, but because there doesnt seem to be anything particularly important about what shes doing. And of course, she would struggle to mention this, fearful of being loaded down with even more unimportant stuff.

Ive worked with a surprising number of people in similar situations. They have tons of work to do, but none of it seems particularly useful.

Here are some ways to find that important stuff and deliver results that people can get excited about.

Find out why. Your boss probably believes your work is useful, or at least someone up there does, so find out what that is. Are those TPS reports used for checking that critical deadlines are being met? If so, why are those deadlines important? Who relies on them? Realize that this idea is much more about changing your own mindset than changing what you deliver.
Just ask. Often, we have much more fear of management than is really warranted. If you ask respectful questions with a true desire to learn, most of the time youll get useful answers. What does true excellence look like for my work? What would knock peoples socks off? How much would you support me in doing creative things to improve our results?
Look for the gaps. There are always things to be done which arent being addressed – I havent talked to anybody for YEARS who claims that theres more people than work. So start digging. What youre looking for is something thats both VALUABLE to the organization, and INTERESTING to you. So it might not be the first thing that pops to mind if you ask your boss what extra work she has for you. Look a lot further than that.
Become your local expert. We all have egos which feel better when others come to us for advice in an area where we can be helpful. So find some areas of the job which you find interesting, and build up your skills and expertise to a point where others start noticing. If youre worried about being perceived as taking that role away from someone else,
Learn at the feet of the master. One of the great ways to learn new things is to get the cooperation of those who are already expert. But your attitude cant be that you want to take away their job. Instead, you need to be humble, open, and helpful. If youre learning about an area that you find interesting, youll have a lot more energy to offer that help and learn new things.
Look at the Big Goals. Usually, there are new things that your organization would like to do, but theyre constrained by the number of people and money to invest. But there will often be a larger vision – either written down or in the leaders head – which identifies new exciting opportunities. If you find one of those personally interesting, you might identify some useful steps that you could help with to get it started.
Start a group. Its amazing how much energy can be created when people collect around a common interest. Even if its just kicking around ideas during a lunch break, you can help to support each other and generate some new ideas. And it feels a lot better than sitting around during lunch just complaining about your boss.
Say no to something. Many are scared to limit their bosss demands, being worried about losing their job. But in fact, there will always be points at which you say no. If he demanded you work through the weekend, would you do it? If you got sick – which WILL happen if youre letting job stresses affect you without limit – youd have to say no, right? And the world wouldnt fall apart, would it? Work with your boss to set some limits before you make yourself sick.
Improve what you do. Work with those around you to figure out how to deliver better results. Of course, you have to understand the TRUE reasons why your work is valuable, so you dont break something when you change it. But that investigation is vital, because it highlights the areas that would be most valuable to improve – and the constraints on what cant be changed.
Improve how you do it. Theres often ways to improve HOW you deliver results better, faster, and cheaper. Depending on how tightly your work processes are controlled, youll need to work with key people who can help champion your improvements. Seek them out and start having those discussions. Theyre already thinking about how to do the work better, faster, and cheaper, and no doubt they could find your help useful.

There are a number of reasons why you would want to do these extra things:

Youre uninspired and would like to care about your work again.
Youd like to become a more valuable employee for your organization.
You want to grow your base of experience beyond just filling out TPS reports, week after week.

Whats the opportunity that youre starting to see for yourself?

The Three C’s To Getting The Right Job

Ben Corser — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 06:16:43 +0000

There are three Cs to getting the kind of job you want and earning the kind of money you want to earn. These three Cs basically remain constant throughout your working career. They are contacts, credibility, and competence.

First, the more contacts you have in the marketplace, the more likely it is you will find the job you want. The more people you know and who know you, the more likely it is you will uncover one of the 85 percent or more of job openings that are never listed anywhere.

This is why it is so important for you to network continually. Join clubs and associations.

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Experienced Employees’ Specific Needs at Mid-career

Imogen Wiggins — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:03:54 +0000

Experienced employees in an organization have specific needs at the mid-point of their careers that often do not seem to be fulfilled.

Many organizations assume that once an employee reaches a certain career level, he or she is an independent, fully functioning professional who no longer needs any support.

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3 Hidden Pitfalls To Working For A Startup

Blake Lempriere — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:54:43 +0000

When 20-somethings hear about startups, we invariably imagine the glamorous cafeteria and play space at Google or the young and enthused workforce behind Facebook. Startups have a reputation for playing fast and loose with their work schedule, fostering innovation and offering a lax atmosphere that’s lacking in many established and corporate working environments.

So it’s no wonder so many of us are tempted to ditch our 9-to-5 job at typical buttoned-up companies in favor of joining a startup.

Hiring Now Search All Job Listings New York Jobs Los Angeles Jobs Chicago Jobs Philadelphia Jobs

But there are downsides to working for a company of young entrepreneurs, even one with a solid business plan.

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“Give me your Facebook password”

Ben Corser — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:10:29 +0000

Theyre asking for it, will you give it to them?

Its been all over the internet: employers and prospective employers asking people to turn over the keys to their private lives. Facebook is fighting back, however that may not be enough protection for the majority of workers or job seekers hearing the request.

This issue strikes at the heart of what Americans perceive as their personal freedomeven in a very public forum like the internet. Lets look at why an employer might ask to go behind the scenes of your life.

Its About Their Business

Employers who are in a business or organization that require security clearances for certain employees would want access to online information also.

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When It Comes to Your Resume, Order Matters!

Blake Lempriere — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:57:00 +0000

They read their own resume, and since they know their experience and background well, dont read it the same way someone else might. They assume that the relevant information will be noticed, and are surprised to hear when its not. I often hear people say something like:

How, and where something appears in a resume creates an impression of its relevance. Heres what I mean…

Listing your experience with those requirements first, is critical to being viewed as a credible candidate. Listing the most relevant experience as a 3rd or 4th bullet point in your list of responsibilities will either go unnoticed, or be viewed as minor. Be sure to put the most relevant experience at the top of each list!

Its relatively common advice to customize your resume for each position you apply to. I

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Teacher Evaluations Pose Test for States

Imogen Wiggins — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:38:42 +0000

Efforts to revamp public education are increasingly focused on evaluating teachers using student test scores, but school districts nationwide are only beginning to deal with the practical challenges of implementing those changes.

Music teacher Anthony Q. Richardson works with fourth- and fifth-graders in Memphis, Tenn., where evaluations include student portfolios.

Only an estimated 30% of classroom teachers in the U.S. work in grades or subjects covered by state standardized tests. Currently, most states test students only in math and reading in third through eighth grades and once in high school, as mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind law.

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