Questions to ask Interviewer

It would be nice if we can compile a list of questions you can ask your future employer. It should be serious questions that you can actually ask in an interview without blowing your chances of job offer.

To start off, how do I ask politely if the employer is a slave driver? Specifically what kind of overtime would the employer expect?

First of all start with compiling a list of questions you need answered to know if the position is a good fit for you. That one you listed could be asked with "What is the average hours worked? Are there times of the week, month or year that are busier and require overtime?"

I am always looking for ideas about questions to ask in an interview. I do a lot of contract jobs so I usually am interviewing at least once per year (often twice per year). I do research on the company first and prepare a list , but often the person doing the interview does like to go on at length about the department, accomplishments, and the company in-general. Or by the third interview someone has answered all the questions. Or the recruiter/agency fills you in on the details. So I' m looking forward to see what others post about this.

some strategies I use is that if the first person I interviewed with has told me something interesting, I' ll verify it by asking about it at later interviews for the career position. For example if the HR person tells me that everyone in the department has been there for 3 years or more, I' ll ask the hiring manager about turn-over. I' ve uncovered some mixed answers that have sent up red flags that way. I also like to key into the accomplishments or progress the hiring manager usually brings up at some point and then later ask for more information about that. For example "You mentioned earlier that in the past year you have managed to accomplish X. Can you tell me what you believe was the single most important factor or change you made to reach that goal and why it was so important?" I also sometimesask the hiring manager what they feel is the biggest mistake they' ve made in reaching their goals for the department. That one takes more guts to ask (and answer), so I judge carefully if they might take it the wrong way before deciding to ask or not..

How to face second interview

When you have done your first interview then you are called by interviewer to come for the second interview. So what do you do when (and if) it comes up this time? in fact you are really want this job.

What was the reason for being fired? The truth with a positive spin usually works the best. As in quickly what led to the firing and more so what you learned from it so it will not be an issue with them. Make sure they know whatever led to the firing with your last job will not lead to you getting fired again in the future.

Remember, a well constructed lie has many elements of truth in it.
Career Tips

5 Tips for Ensuring Your Customers’ Privacy

1. Understand that protecting customers’ privacy is essential to maintaining and increasing sales and profits online.
2. Develop a privacy policy, post it on your web site, and live by your policy. For guidelines, visit three Web sites: www.privacyalliance.org, www.respectprivacy.com and www.privacyrights.org.
3. Put top-notch security systems in place to make sure that customer data is not lost, misused, altered or stolen.
4. Require that third parties with whom you deal provide similar data security.
5. Don’t provide personal information collected from customers to third parties unless you have explicit permission from the customers to do so.

Brought to you by SCORE, America's small business mentors, at www.score.org.
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5 Tips for Domain Naming

By Christine Banning, SCORE VP Corporate Relations


1. Create an online identity. Get a Web domain now, even if you aren't building your site until later.

2. Pick three domain names that fit your business. Your first choice may be taken, so have a few domain name ideas. If your top three picks are available, consider getting all three. It's not too expensive and then you have flexibility to create a site for a special promotion or use a special landing page for an event.

3. Check out domain name vendors. You can register your domain with your choice of vendor. Here are some well-known, domain name registrars:

• Concentric, www.concentric.com
• Network Solutions, www.networksolutions.com
• Yahoo Domains, www.yahoo.com
• GoDaddy, www.godaddy.com
• Domaindirect.com, www.domaindirect.com

4. Keep your renewal current. Don't forget to renew your domain name. Businesses have been known to let a name expire and then find that their Web site has disappeared from the Internet. Don't let that be you.

5. Once you have a domain, name your URL mycompany.com, place your URL on every marketing and business document that you produce. Let your company be known.

Brought to you by SCORE, America's small business mentors, at www.score.org.
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Build A Team

Claudia Brown talks about how building the right team will help your organization. Learn how picking the right people and creating the right environment can do wonders for your workplace.


Build a Team - The Right Team (There is a Difference)

Creating the right team is imperative to your success. A team is comprised of people who can bring necessary skill sets to the venture. A team is different from partners. Partners are financially and legally tied to the venture while team members are brought in to create and continue the process. Team members can be employees or sub-contactors.

These are people you can control - you get to pick them. You can use their services for as long as you like. If they don't work out as planned, you can find a different team member or you can find a place on the team where this person can be more effective.

Creating the right environment for the team is equally important. People will give their best when they feel that their services are being valued and that they are entrusted with producing a part of the success of the venture. Team members must have the same values as that of the venture and they must follow the same code of conduct consistent with your desired outcome. They must truly want the venture to be a success and feel that they are a part of that success. They must do their job well with the other team members.

Differences are encouraged only if they are presented in a positive fashion, recognizing the efforts of the others. Each team member must give more than they are asked for in their areas of expertise. This does not mean extra hours; it means do your jobs with heart and soul, working with the creative minds flowing, working with a positive mental attitude, and working together with the others so that all are winners.

What ideas do you have that will create a positive, successful team? How can you create this team and have each person feel that they are as important a part of the success of the venture as you are? Study successful entities to find out how they treat their team members. Find out what motivates team members in successful entities to keep them successful - is it money, power, trust, fear, etc.? Thinking these things out before you create the team will help you in putting together the right team for your venture.

You should write out all the positions of your team and keep updating it as you grow as when you grow you will need to change out some positions on your team. This is a big mistake that people make as they grow. They keep the same team members that were effective when they were small and they do not re-evaluate the need for replacing members who have not grown to levels where they are now needed. Therefore the overall team growth is limited by the lack of ability of one or more members. Just like upgrading your peer group, always be open to and active in upgrading your team members.

You must strive to place the right people on your team. This goes for all positions you pay for, including lawyers, accountants, advisors, sub contractors etc. Be clear on what is a must upfront and make the positions open as specific as possible.

If you are just starting out then make your team as simple and complete as possible. Just be sure that your team members are able to excel and have knowledge in the industry and direction you are going in. The last thing you want to do is to have to micromanage your team members. If you find you are doing so you have made a mistake and replace them right away.

Your team members must be proactive to your needs and outcome. If not replace them or place them in a position where they can be more effective. Please always keep in mind that in most cases you are paying for their services in one manner or another. Never pay a team member 100% upfront for their services as this always gives them something to aspire to. Placing the right team members in the right place will make your endeavor soar.

About the Author:

Doug and Claudia Brown use their 40 plus years of business building experiences to educate people on how to create six figures or more in 24 to 36 months or less. For more information, see their website at www.whatisyourplan.com

Better Career (Part 1)

The increasing of fuel price can give extreme effect for every part of life. Rising expenditure items, while postal revenue is still in place. To meet the needs of an increasingly increased, looking for additional income could be one option. Another option that can also be considered is to have career out of country.

The main attraction working abroad is the amount of salary that can reach multiple times. Starting life in a new place with different atmosphere and culture also become one of the attractions are working abroad.

Every year the Indonesian labor force working abroad reached about 700,000 people, spread across 11 countries. This amount is expected to grow to 1 million people per year, spread over 25 countries worldwide. 70% of workers who work abroad are more unskilled workers. But that does not mean there is no opportunity for skilled workers to work abroad.

Based on the level of need that requires at most state workers from Indonesia are Malaysia, Australia, European countries and Japan. Other countries that require manpower medium to high-skilled are Qatar, New Zealand, Portugal, Canada, South Korea, Spain, and other Western European countries.

While industries that require workers from Indonesia are the manufacturing, plantation, construction, hospitality and tourism, oil and gas, shipping, medical health care, building construction, and another job functions.

But of course not easy to work abroad. Determination of physical and mental readiness is not enough. There are many factors you should consider before deciding to leave your current jobs, packed his suitcase and bring the whole family to a new country.

Survival Guide - Managing Stress

Banking, accounting, Employment

Organize its work to combat stress


In small doses, stress pushes us to excel. Work overload can cause stress, however, harmful to health. Here are some tips to make your life easier.

1. Do the most difficult tasks first. If you put off until later, a difficult task or unpleasant it will bother you, even if it is just a phone call. By cons, once the task, your mind will be released.

2. Bring order to your tasks and folders. "When we're busy, we forget. Therefore write all your task in a diary, clearly indicating the priorities of the day, "says Charbonneau. It is also important to classify documents. "Some people lose only five hours a week looking for records." To avoid this situation, make a big household every two weeks, or a smaller every day.

3. Do not be too perfectionist. As your boss impose tight deadlines, it is rarely possible to refine your work until absolute perfection. We need to know to allocate a realistic time for each task.

4. Respect your limits. If the boss assigns you a task while you're already overwhelmed, show him your schedule. Let him decide whether this new request is more urgent than your other responsibilities.

5. Give yourself small pleasures. When your concentration decreases after an hour of work, you often take short breaks. You can just look outside, to breathe fresh air or eat a piece of chocolate! Also apply this principle to your holiday. "Instead of taking a month each summer, divide your weeks of vacation during the year," says Charbonneau. So you'll have a short-term goal, which helps to manage stress and maintain their enthusiasm for work.

How to expand your network

Banking, accounting, Employment

Today knowledge intelligently expand his circle of relations is no longer the monopoly of seasoned networkers but also the fact that everyone, through situations of everyday life.

Opportunities not to miss method to approach your target contacts, not to make mistakes ... Here are tips to enrich their address book. A significant weapon at a time when you may need to meet the challenges of a job search or starting a business.
Expand its network

Today knowledge intelligently expand his circle of relations is no longer the monopoly of seasoned networkers but also the fact that everyone, through situations of everyday life.

Opportunities not to miss method to approach your target contacts, not to make mistakes ... Here are tips to enrich their address book. A significant weapon at a time when you may need to meet the challenges of a job search or starting a business.


Be ready at all times

It must be borne in mind that any situation can be an opportunity to enlarge its network. Travel, meals, parties and a fortiori, conferences are so many opportunities available to you. To not let your opportunity gone with the wind, always think that you must have business cards. When we meet someone, and we don't have business card is actually harmful. In 90% of cases, when you do not have your own business card, then you meet people you said you will send it, but the fact you do not send your card. It's huge mistakes. Prepare your self to have your own business card.


Decompartmentalise personal and professional relationships

People tend to separate their personal from their professional relationships and it is a mistake. Do not hesitate to open up the personal and professional relationships. Share your interests with your professional relationships. by collaborating your personal and professional life, you can open doors unsuspected, the personal circle can become a relay exceptional.


Establish your image as an expert

One way to integrate your self related to your workplace is to establish your image as an expert in the field where you have jurisdiction. The way can be done by participating in discussion circles, intervening in seminars or conferences, exchanging on expert forums .

If such an activity can quickly become time consuming, both in terms of travel or time spent on the blogosphere, it is nevertheless an excellent showcase and therefore an ideal way to meet new people, increase their network quality.

Survive from fire

Banking, accounting, Employment




A storm of 23 inches of snow, a blue-collar walkout in rush hour and three lives sadly cut short by plow trucks. No doubt Luis Miranda had a hellish first week as the new head of clearing snow from the city of Montreal in January. This is called a baptism of fire!

"It was a difficult time," recalls Luis Miranda, a few months after the storm. "I had to manage both the crisis priority is to ensure that snow removal, settling the question of disengagement and react to tragic accidents, and at the same time managing the media crisis. But I do not regret having accepted the position. I am a former firefighter, so I used to put out fires! "He also had the advantage of knowing the inner workings of the workplace: Luis Miranda is active in municipal politics for 20 years.


It is different for a worker just arrived in an organization, without the slightest mark. "A new employee has not yet had the time to understand the context of the organization and to make allies in house", explains Sylvie Lepage, a human resources consultant in HR Innovation in Laval. It is therefore ill-equipped to cope with a crisis.

The response to a baptism of fire may nevertheless be crucial. "There will inevitably be judged on how we cross the first storm, and our colleagues will discover our strengths and weaknesses," says Martine Lemonde, guidance counselor and director of professional services at Brisson Legris, revealing potential. "Get off in a panic in the office of the boss or colleagues to show that we lose the pedals can be dangerous," she adds. Left and the recollection may be very difficult to erase. "

Play Fair
You are just arrived in office and you must struggle with a crisis of public relations, a crucial project that derail or a major customer is dissatisfied with the services rendered?

Above all, do not sweep problems under the rug. "In at least 80% of organizations in crisis, someone has made matters worse by hiding the problem or trying to settle with inadequate solutions," warns Richard Thibault, consultant and author of How to manage the next crisis . "In a new job, he must accept that not all of the talent nor the secrets, he connects. It is possible that a situation arises that is beyond our powers. "

This is exactly the fact that Rebecca (who prefers to conceal his name) had to do last year. Now producing web advertising agency, she cut her teeth as project manager in a production interactive. Three days after her arrival, she found herself at the head of a major electronic banner for the primary client of the firm.

"The client fired on me super urgent requests with full technical specifications and I had no idea what he was talking to me! I had no experience in web production and I was completely lost, "she says.

Distraught, she played the card of humility. "I told my boss that I frankly feel that the client had spoken Chinese. I promised to do everything to accomplish the required tasks, but I would not be surprised if that ever I was planting. "She avoided the disaster by spending his evenings reading to acquire knowledge which accelerated missing.

Without necessarily advocating overtime, Martine Lemonde applauds the attitude of Rebecca. "Unless the top of the company, it can be very useful to go see his boss and say" I do not know how to handle this problem, '"she believes.

Ten Tips to Reduce Stress

Jobs Vacancy, Job Vacancies, Employment Jobs

As people are working harder but taking less time off than ever before, the level of their stress continues to increase in proportion. Also, the days are gone when people worked for the same company for 30 years with the guarantee of receiving a solid gold watch at their retirement party.

Job changes are more frequent now, and that's an additional source of stress.

How do you know if you're overstressed? Ask yourself the following stress management questions.

Do you:

• Rush in a panic to work every morning?
• Eat lunch at your desk to get as much work done as possible?
• Feel too exhausted at the end of the day to enjoy activities at night?
• Ruminate as you try to fall asleep about what needs to be done the next day?
• Dream (or have nightmares) about work related issues?
• Put off vacations or other family activities because you're too busy with work?

If you answered yes to at least two of these stress management questions, stress is probably affecting your life more than you realize. You may benefit a great deal by utilizing some basic stress management tools.

It's not uncommon for overstressed people to either ignore or fail to recognize the signs that they're over-committed to their work. However, the physical and emotional consequences of working as hard and as fast as you can every day are serious, and include increased risk of a heart attack, decreased resistance to infections, anxiety and more.

Let’s focus now on some good news about effective stress management techniques?

Fortunately, the process of redesigning an overstressed life can be relatively straightforward, and includes a full assessment of stress-related activities in ones daily and weekly routine.

Stress management actions require an awareness that there is a problem to begin with and a personal commitment to identify and change the stress-related behavior.

Here are Ten Stress Management Tips you can use to reduce your workplace stress:

1. Prioritize! Don't try to get everything done at the same time. Attack the most important items first.
2. When you get interrupted by someone at work, put them on your schedule and tell them you'll get back to them at an agreed-upon time. Maintain ownership of your own time.
3. Don't eat lunch at your desk, and don't bring work with you to lunch. Schedule some down time.
4. Use deep-breathing exercises or relaxation techniques to de-stress during the day. Go for a 20 minute walk every day.
5. Reduce the noise in your environment by shutting your office door if you have one. Take control of your environment.
6. Don't keep things bottled up. Let co-workers know if something they're doing is causing you stress. Address things calmly and professionally.
7. Eat right, sleep right and exercise regularly (with your doctor's permission).
8. Try leaving the radio off in your car on the way home. Many people find that the quiet helps them unwind and is a basic stress management practice.
9. When at home, don't dwell on work-related problems. Write them down, put them out of your mind and add them to your schedule the next day. Understand that there is a time and a place for everything.
10. Use peers and associates as a sounding board for discussing work-related issues and minimize bringing issues into the family home.

Even if you're not feeling particularly stressed right now by your work life, these stress management ideas can help you continue to enjoy your work life to its fullest and protect you against future stresses.

Five Tips for starting an e-business

Jobs Vacancy, Job Vacancies, Employment Jobs

Thinking of launching your existing business on the World Wide Web? Or, perhaps, finally pulling the trigger on your great idea for a web-based business? Either way, you better get busy because there just so happens to be an e-commerce revolution taking place while you're thinking about it.

But before you take the plunge into the new world of e-business, you'll need to do quite a bit of homework in order to ensure it's right for you and your company. Following are five things you'll want to consider before hanging your shingle out on the information superhighway.

1. Identify your customers/market. Knowledge of your e-business customers and assessment of their future needs will be your first priority and should correspond to your company's abilities, goals and marketing objectives. Ask yourself who are your potential customers? Where are the best places to reach potential customers? Determine what your customers want and need from your company and your products. Are they comfortable using computers and accessing the Internet? Does your product cater to any particular niche?

2. Evaluate your e-business readiness. Analyze your infrastructure and create a sound business plan. Get in touch with the local Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Development Center for assistance and information on tax laws, industry, business planning and patents. Determine how your company will handle the Internet-generated revenue. Do your homework regarding the international tax laws for each country that you will be active within commerce. Ask yourself, what method is most effective in getting the product to the customer? How will you insure payment?

3. Solidify your marketing messages. What message do you wish to portray to potential customers? What do you want your customers to feel when they hear your company name, see your web site and view your products? Brainstorm. Get some imaginative people involved, and then create your image. Create a marketing plan to promote your site and your products. Stay consistent with that message throughout every medium, whether it is traditional print, radio, web site banners, search engines or newsgroups.

4. Analyze your financial investments and return. Do your best to determine all costs ahead of time. The era of the single page web site has long since passed. Today even the most basic e-commerce web sites integrate a variety of scripts, databases and several tools that make processing transactions easy and secure. But add to this the cost of design, hosting and the purchase of additional software. Consider shipping costs if your product can't be sent through the Internet. Calculate your costs and investments to help determine your rate of return. A well-run e-business is worth the effort. Several costs are minimized or eliminated, such as printing, mailing and handling costs for paper catalogs. An e-commerce site will compliment your distribution channels by bringing in customers from previously untapped regions without the overhead expense of running a mail order business.

5. Determine the level of your e-commerce solution. Depending on the nature of your business, you can set up your storefront in a number of ways. The more involved your online store, the bigger the investment. But, the benefits that arise with a bigger online store are bigger as well.

Here are 3 examples:

The Content Only Approach: Think of this as an electronic brochure that publishes information about your company and products. It is easy to set up and maintain but lacks interaction, hence customers have to order offline.

The Dynamic Catalog Approach: Your online business is set up to operate 24x7 and fill orders over the web. With this approach you will have to incorporate a scalable e-commerce solution. This will allow you to further integrate it with your business model in the future, without placing extra burden on your operations.

The Total Integration Approach: Plan well in advance in terms of time and money. This solution will fully integrate your web site with all aspects of your business-payment systems, order fulfillment, inventory control and all of your traditional business functions. The end result is a web presence that truly is a cohesive extension of your company.

Regardless of the approach, it is important to select the plan that meets the needs of your e-business in the near term. As your business grows, any good service provider will grow along with you, offering an easy migration path to enhanced services and support.

After you have done your homework and selected the best e-commerce plan for your company, you?ll be on your way to joining the thousands of other e-businesses competing in the new world of business.

Verio (nasdaq: VRIO - news - people), based in Englewood, Colo., provides web-hosting and other Internet services.

What Television’s First Woman President Has To Teach Us (Part 11)

Job, jobs, career

Many women naturally have high likeability factors and can ramp up their authority and not lose all their likeability.

I worked with a young woman in her twenties whose public relations career had derailed due to her poor presentation skills. When she stood up to present, she acted like a little girl, losing all credibility and authority.

I asked her to pretend she was a tough-talking member of a women’s motorcycle gang. “Spit out the words!” I demanded. As she did, her voice got louder and deeper.

By getting in touch with her anger, the timid, little girl was transformed into a powerful woman.
Her coworkers were impressed and their positive feedback helped her overcome her discomfort in acting out her authority. From then on, she remembered the “motorcycle mama” whenever she presented and reclaimed the authority she already possessed.

Along with attitude, stance, eye contact, pausing, and vocal quality signal authority. When they present, many women I coach assume a dancer’s pose with one toe pointed out at a ninety-degree angle. While this stance may be pretty and feminine, it holds no authority. I counsel both men and women to stand in their full power by placing their feet shoulder-width apart and equally distributing their weight.

The eyes have been called the “windows of the soul.” As such, they are one of our greatest assets in winning audiences. I coach executives to begin their presentations by standing in silence, finding a friendly face, establishing eye contact, taking a deep breath, and then beginning their talk. This simple tip helps speakers become grounded and start their presentations with authority.

Many presenters talk while moving their heads from person to person like a sprinkler system, or worse they lose all connection with their audience by staring at one person, the slide screen, or into space. I train presenters to pick one person and maintain steady eye contact with that person until they have delivered a complete thought.

Like intensive eye contact, pausing signals authority. I teach students that there is power in the pause and recommend that pauses be used to emphasize important points.

Thirty-eight percent of our power as a presenter is determined by vocal quality. To maximize vocal quality, I suggest that women consider:
1. Raising the volume and projecting their voice.
2. Lowering the pitch of their voice, if needed.
3. Avoiding letting the intonation rise at the end of a sentence, or what Jerry Seinfeld termed “up-talking.” Up-talkers often appear uncertain about what they are saying, thus losing all authority and credibility.

Stance, eye contact, pausing, and vocal quality enhance a businesswoman’s authority when she speaks, but nothing creates a more powerful impression than conviction. While many women have strong convictions, they often have a difficult time expressing them. Most women have a conversational style that strives to make others feel comfortable. To accomplish this, many women position their beliefs as opinions and use disclaimers before they speak, such as, “I may be wrong about this, but.…” While this conversational style is extremely effective in building consensus, it can undermine the authority of the speaker.

When women speak with absolute certainty, claiming their full authority, their likeability factor may decrease, but it is worth it if they are able to garner the respect and recognition they deserve.

What Television’s First Woman President Has To Teach Us (Part 1)

Job, jobs, career

By: Randy Siegel

I have a confession to make: I am addicted to Tuesday night’s new hit series “Commander and Chief.” Sure, Geena Davis is beautiful. She tall, regal, and has the best lips in the business after Angelia Jolie. But, television’s first woman president has captured my attention for another reason: I am fascinated with her communication style.

President Mackenzie Allen commands respect, and yet she is likeable. I would follow her lead and still enjoy throwing back a beer with her after a hard day of work in the White House.

Most women are damned-if-they-do and damned-if-they-don’t when it comes to communicating in the male-dominated worlds of politics, business, and education. In order to compete, they must find a delicate balance between authority and likeability.

All great communicators possess what I call “the terrific triad,” credibility, likeability, and authority. While many women want to claim their authority, they are concerned about appearing too domineering or abrasive, and thus losing likeability. “We are in a double bind,” one female executive shared.

To make matters worse, our culture associates authority with men. When we think of those traits we consider authoritative, we immediately think of tall, solidly built, and a lower pitched voice – all characteristics associated with men, not women.
In today’s world, women are expected to be both authoritative and feminine. “That’s very hard,” most women agree. In my experience as a communications trainer and coach, most women have to sacrifice some likeability for authority, and that is okay.

Women Who Dared to Invent

Job, jobs, career




As you sip your morning coffee you probably don’t give any thought as to how the actual process of coffee brewing came to be. If it wasn’t for a frustrated housewife in Dresden, Germany, you might have to brew your coffee by wrapping loose coffee grounds in a cloth bag and boil water around it. Suddenly you have a much better appreciation for Melitta Bentz’s invention.

Knowing there had to be a better way, she stuck some blotting paper in the bottom of a pot that she had poked holes in. Then she poured the water over it. This filtered out the bitter taste. It worked, and she started manufacturing her “coffemakers” and selling them at local fairs. They were a hit.

Other women felt the same frustration and started the invention process. Marion Donovan was a young mom who spent her days washing, bleaching and drying cloth baby diapers. She put together some padding and a show curtain and came up with a prototype. She took her product, “The Boater” around to manufacturers who all told her it would be too expensive to make and turned her down.

So she manufactured the product herself and sold them to department stores. Pretty soon the idea caught on. Moms went into the stores asking for the throwaway diaper. Mrs. Donovan sold her company for $1 million dollars and made moms around the world very happy.

Marie Curie was the only person to win two Nobel prizes. She was a scientist and an inventor. She invented a chemical process for extracting radioactive material from ore and she also discovered radium.

Anyone who has used a personal computer can thank Admiral Grace Murray Hopper for inventing the first computer compiler. The way software was written was changed. They no longer had to write time-consuming instructions for each new software package. She developed COBOL, which is the first user-friendly computer software program.

If you take your lunch to work in a brown paper bag you have Martha Knight to thank for it. She invented the machine that produced them. She was also the first woman to fight and win a patent suit after a man stole her design and put his name on it. He couldn’t imagine that a woman could create such a complex machine. She went on to invent several other machines and tools.

As more women are encouraged to invent, the list of women inventors grows. But still today less than 10% of patents belong to women. Necessity is truly the mother of invention.

Copyright (c) 2010 Julie Austin

Life Success: The Difference Between Values and Goals

Employment, Accounting, Banking

By: Marsha Egan


Whether you believe it or not we are all governed by values. Our values influence how we make decisions and effectively run our lives. Values can be instilled in us or we can choose to adopt them. Our values can change. The important thing to know is that when we have strong values, and positive values, they will be integral to our achieving what we want in this life.

Values are not goals. Goals are targets. Values are the base upon which we run our lives.

Values are how you see the world, what you see as important, what you believe.

Why are we talking about values? Because they form the base for your approach to life! Values are the bedrock of your walking the path of life. They support and drive your purpose.

When coaching clients, one of the actions that we take is to have the client articulate what his or her values are. By writing them down, it is a way to keep our values present in our lives.

Here are a few ways to go about clarifying your values:

1. Imagine you have a day to spend any way you want. What would you do? Some of the answers will give you clarity on what some of your values are.
2. Think about your sense of right and wrong. As you articulate what is right, you will become more clear on your values.
3. Consider what excites you and what motivates you. These will give you clues to values, as well.
4. Ponder about the actions that can add stability to your life. This will open up thought on what those values might be

When you write down your values, it is important to write them in the present tense. As an example, you might write one of your values as "I am financially stable" rather than "I will be financially stable."

A great way to do all this, is to use index cards or sticky notes, because you may find that you will have many things written down. Most likely, they will work their way into natural groupings. Some people like to set a few overriding values, with supporting values.

To use the example above, an overall value could be "I am financially stable". You might have several supporting values to this statement such as, "I pay all my bills before the due date." "I review my insurance annually, " "I save x percent of my income."

Here are some areas where you might wish to state your values:

• - family
• - education
• - morals
• - community
• - career
• - friendships
• - health
• - finances
• - recreation

While this may appear to be making more work than is necessary, it's interesting to see how, by being clear on what your values are, they can influence your actions.

In a personal example, one of my values is "I explore when I travel." On a recent speaking engagement in Oklahoma City, when I arrived at my hotel room, despite the fact that I was tired, I asked how far the Oklahoma Memorial was. When I found out it was only six blocks, I walked there, and was extremely glad that I did. It was a memorial to experience. I doubt that I would have done that, if I had not "lived" this value.

So, I urge you to take a little bit of time to become clear on what your values are. They are already there, most likely you just haven't put them to paper. It's nice to live them, and it's even nicer to pass them on to those who follow you.

Marsha Egan, CPCU, PCC is CEO of The Egan Group, Inc., a Reading, PA based professional coaching firm. She is a certified executive coach and professional speaker, specializing in leadership development and can be reached at marsha@marshaegan.com or visit www.marshaegan.com .

The Executive Summary is Your Business Plan's First Impression

Employment, Accounting, Banking

By: Corey Landis

The executive summary is not a mini version of the entire business plan. Keep it brief, two to three pages long. The purpose of the executive summary is to entice the reader to review, or request to review, the entire business plan. While the executive summary is presented first, it is written after the entire plan has been completed. It should not contain any information that cannot be found elsewhere in the business plan. Don't write the executive summary first, with the idea you can always expand it later into a full blown business plan, that just doesn't work.


If your business plan will not be presented for investors or bankers you don't need to complete the executive summary.
A brief two to three page overview of the company with one or two paragraphs under each of the following headings:

• Business Activity: The company's products or services.
• Market Opportunity: Define the company's market base, the customers, where they are located. Number of customers or dollar size of market.
• Business Profile: A very brief description of when the company was established, by whom, number of employees, any recent changes.
• Competitive Factors: The competitors, their strengths and weaknesses.
• Marketing Strategy: The company's marketing: advertising, promotions, methods of distribution, and sales force.
• Management Team: Brief description of senior management.
• Capital Required: Amount, uses and type of the capital requested.
• Financial Summary: Brief summary of the financial performance of the company for the last three to five years, if available and what is projected for the next three to five years.

Some of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make in their executive summary include forgetting to put their contact information, name and phone number on each page. Not including the amount of your capital request. Not clearly articulating what business the company is in. Losing the reader in technical jargon. Some entrepreneurs think shorter is better but a one page executive summary isn't long enough to entice the reader. Most entrepreneurs have the intention to keep to no more than 3 pages but keep adding "just one more thing," until the summary is 10 or more pages long. Additional mistakes include forgetting to discuss the accomplishments of the management team. Not clearly stating who the customers (market) are. Not including the marketing strategies. And finally not including any financial projections.
If you want to know how to write a business plan you need to know what's included in the executive summary.

Small Business Ideas In Tough Economic Times

Employment, Accounting, Banking

By: Dave Johnshon

The global population of those laid off, unemployed or otherwise searching for ways to make ends meet, has caused a widespread interest in exploring business ideas. It is no longer just women who aim to work at home and tend to the home front. Everywhere, people give consideration to how to earn a living.


An employer may unexpectedly fall short of revenue, and promptly serve notice to employees that their services are no longer needed. The media regularly depict the economic woes of millions who find themselves at a loss for income. The poor economy, while seemingly harsh and unsympathetic, may also provide impetus for people to exercise entrepreneurial reactions. When times are good, people may feel free to dabble with ways to enhance income.


In times when the economy is down and out, this may launch incredible spirited efforts to make business dreams come true. Photography buffs, for example, may decide that now is the time to make that photography hobby pay off.
There are at least half a dozen reputable companies, including publishing market industry dynamos, who are offering do it yourself publishing. People enjoy picture taking and picture browsing. It can be to your advantage to consider merging book publishing with photography interests. A collection of photos can be compiled into a book format.


To make your photography book stand out, a person can develop a theme. When you go to major book publishing portals and conduct market research, you can begin to separate fruitless efforts from proven ones. Which books are doing well, along with titles, can easily be seen online through major book vendor sites. You would then migrate the book concepts, table of contents and titles, along with keywords to your photo project. You would then revise these contents to make them uniquely yours. Perhaps bestsellers include books of children or animals. Perhaps there is inspiring text or some other type of text for readers.


A person can upload images to a custom book site provider to initiate the publishing process. Images can be obtained from a number of sources. Stock photography websites, images in the public domain, or pictures you take yourself.


To find suitable text to pair with images, a person can conduct online research using the many sites offering a variety of quotes. A person can also rewrite inspirational sayings found online.


Some book publishing sites allow you to also sell your books through their site. The publisher may allow you to set your own prices and see upfront what your earnings may be. Some publishers offer different methods of publishing. Electronic or print custom books are often available. The terms and conditions will vary. For instance, commission may be better using one method, but payment time may be worse. A publishing service will often allow you to buy your own books, potentially discounted in cost. This option might be the most economical. In which case you can stock your books and set up your own website with cross marketing through the publisher site. You can take your books to local merchants, such as coffee shops, for resell, or sell them direct at community events. You could send local periodicals complimentary review copies. To get the word out about your book, there are a variety of online do it yourself public relations sites that will walk you through and distribute your press release free or at nominal cost. Among business ideas, photography books, can be an immediate venture. When you pair books with other products or concepts such as care packages for hospital patients, commuter markets, you can expand business opportunities.

Nurture Your Future Leaders

Job, Jobs, Career , Employment

By: Gen Wright

They are the fast-rising and upcoming superstars of the organization. Young and talented, these entry level managers have excelled in their academic years and are looking to duplicate their success in a working environment.

On a smaller scale, they have already shown what they can do. Now, they are in search of more challenges. It is time for them to take bigger risks and make things happen. As your newest batch of managers, they are ready to rumble!

Connect them to the organization

Use the organization's core values to connect with upcoming superstars of the organization.

On their first day, pick a respectable senior leader in the organization to inspire them with a short talk on the importance of core values. Let the senior leader tell them stories of his or her past experiences to illustrate how the company's core values have guided him/her to success. The aim is to let new young managers understand that as leaders, they represent the core values of the organization. This gives them a connection to the identity of the organization - an alignment of their personal values with the organization's core values.

Allow new young managers to cross-train for a short period of time (4-6 weeks) with teams led by more senior and experienced managers who consistently demonstrate a high regard for what the organization believes in. This way, new young managers get to fully understand the meaning of the organization's core values as it is being practiced on a regular basis.

As an extended practice, new young managers can be given responsibility for values orientation among newly recruited people across the organization. This will give them a greater sense of accountability.

Develop their Emotional Quotient

Although high IQ levels count, let them know that developing their EQ is as critical as mastery of their chosen profession. Workers value a leader's abilities to control their emotions such as anger, to withstand difficult events and stressful situations, to be fulfilled with what life can give, and to be a cooperative member of the team.

As early as possible, let your young superstars participate in a leadership development program that includes topics such as enhancing self-awareness and self-reflection skills.

Encourage them to practice and seek on-going feedback from co-workers to identify and monitor inappropriate emotional behaviour. This will help young managers learn how to control their responses and quickly recover from any setbacks. Developing their EQ is an investment that will reap rewards in the area of relationships and personal growth once they assume more senior leadership roles.

Keep them Interested

Your new young managers will definitely find it exciting if their job descriptions say: implement change, multi-task, and solve problems. Multiple tasks and challenges are never a problem.

Gradually increase their responsibilities as they show capability to keep them challenged and interested with what they are doing. Give them regular feedback about their past six months' performance and update them about what's going to happen next.

New young managers are particular about structure - a clear hierarchy in the organizational chart, a well-defined scope of work, and an outline of their career path is critical if you wish to motivate them.

Special projects are also a welcome responsibility particularly if the assignment is related to the latest in communication technology or social networking. Encourage new young managers to strengthen informal bonds and create solid teamwork by setting up a networking system that allows them to communicate and collaborate.

Give them a life

Work-life balance is a must for long-term career growth. Managers of this generation lead multi-activity lives. They work hard but they also value time for sports, adventure, and recreation with family and friends.

Create fun and let friendship bonds be formed across various teams in the workplace through lunch break celebrations and socials in the office.

Encourage young managers to join clubs or teams that promote wellness or any team sport that they are interested in.

Allow them to spend enough time with their families on weekends to re-charge and re-energize their week.

New young managers are not threatened by job security or big pay checks. They want to learn from their senior leaders, be successful with their teams, and earn the respect of the whole organization. Nurture them early to create well-balanced individuals who will surely be productive as professionals and as respectable leaders in the organization for a long time.

Mel Mendoza is a virtual assistant for whatdoyouwantfromthem.com - an informal network for managers. Create a private social network for your management recruits.

Article Source: http://www.leadershiparticles.net

How to Be Successful in Project Management and Leadership

By: David Shoemaker

It is not always easy to develop effective leadership in project management, but it can be done. It takes a certain drive, a lot of focus, powerful motivation, and a detailed plan. Project management and leadership courses can do two things: help you become ready to lead a team by studying your own management style and learning where your weaknesses and strengths lie in order to make yourself a better leader. They also teach you what to do to create and execute a useful project management plan. Remember that a goal without a plan is simply a dream. After completing training for leadership in project management, you should feel confident in five areas:

• Identify leadership strengths and weaknesses in the context of your own career, through feedback from colleagues and through self-assessment
• Explaining the role of colleagues, mentors, and your various networks in achieving your goal
• Explaining why it may be difficult to alter your preferences, even if making a change is the way to realize your goal
• Creating and executing a development plan
• Applying what you have learned to your management of projects and tasks

As a leader, you have a wealth of opportunities at your fingertips to continue to develop your leadership abilities. As you shape your development plan, think about where you need to review your current practices and acquire new skills. Second, evaluate the roles of those around you: how can they be part of your successful development?

What is the best way to plan for your successful development as a leader? Surprisingly, only 15% to 20% of people who study leadership in project management and create development plans in a seminar actually accomplish their end goals. Many discover that following through is difficult, for various reasons. It can be difficult to make changes to your predetermined leadership practices and many people need an effective support network. Trying to make changes to your habits is even harder within a busy work environment. Sometimes you can see good initial progress, but it's all too easy to fall back into old patterns.

Again, it is critical to utilize your colleagues, your network, and your mentor as much as you can to continue to learn and improve throughout your career. Take their support into consideration as you develop your leadership in project management.

Project management and leadership can be a difficult skill to master, especially because it is hard to continue to sustain a changed behavior. Change is much easier at first - you must work at it to keep up your new practices. One way to achieve this is to build up your support network in the workplace. Talk to people you trust about the changes you're trying to make; solicit their feedback. This is an important part of a successful development plan.

At the end of a project management and leadership course, you should have a more thorough understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses and you will understand the performance system that is being used inside your organization. Finally, you will develop a plan using this new information and insight. You will learn to make yourself as effective as possible. You will then understand the importance of getting ongoing feedback as you implement your plan. It is only by talking with other people and getting feedback from them that you can achieve the calibration that you will need in order to be successful in leadership in project management.

Job, Jobs, Career , Employment

Considering a Career Change-Should You Stay in Your Current Job?

By: Catherine Trebble


When it comes to considering a change in jobs or careers, there is nothing wrong with staying where you are, as there are many reasons that a job or career change might not be right for you, at least not right now.

There are many outside factors that can cause you to have to stay where you are right now, even if you are unhappy. One reason could be the timing. It could be that you need to get your finances in order first, you need the medical benefits your current job provides and you can't afford to risk losing those benefits for whatever reason, or perhaps you just need more time to get other aspects of your life in order before you think about making a change.

If you have felt unhappy with your job, it could be that you figured out it is due to something or someone in particular and not what you do for a living. Perhaps you feel you are just bored and would like to take on more responsibility. Maybe you have determined that you need more education so that you can transfer into a higher position within the company you are in.

If you have decided you want to work on getting a certain issue resolved instead of leaving your current job, a written plan of action can help motivate you to take the necessary action. If you work for a company, it is very likely that with some discussion with your supervisor or upper management, you can eliminate or minimize the source of your unhappiness. As you will see from the following chapter, a written plan can be beneficial to you no matter what changes you want to make in job or life.

If you find yourself wanting to stay where you are but know you need to make some changes, take the time to brainstorm the various options available to you. This will help you to know how to approach whatever issue it is that needs changing and create a plan of action.

But what if you aren't happy with your job but have to stay where you are for now? Even in a situation such as this, there are still certain steps you can take to make things better for yourself. Although there are many things that you feel are out of your control, we can control our own behavior. So if there is something about your job that you can't fix, look to yourself and see if there is a way you can adjust your own feelings or reactions so that you don't feel your usual negative feelings. Sometimes we can make ourselves feel a whole lot better with just a simple attitude adjustment.

It is also important to give your best. Just because you are unhappy with your current job doesn't mean you should slack off and act like a miserable employee. Instead, take time to think about what you could do better. How can you improve? The simple act of doing your best and applying yourself to everything you do can be very uplifting-really!

When you know you have done a great job at something and are giving your all, it will create a sense of pride within yourself and help you to feel better about yourself. Focusing on what you can do better will also help keep you from thinking about the things you are not happy about at your job.

And of course there's nothing to stop you from continuing to make plans for the future. Just because you have to stay in your current job for now doesn't mean you can't plan to leave at some later time. Creating an exit plan for later on down the line when the timing is better for you will not only keep you motivated and give you something to look forward to, it will keep your mind busy and give you something more positive to think about. It will also give you something to do, even if it's just typing up your plan and creating goals that you will carry out at a later date.

Job, Jobs, Career , Employment