Something to show my over 50 yo clients...

4 Tactics If You’re Over 50 and Out of Work

Workplace Goals for the New Year...

http://www.confidencecenter.com/art15.htm

I especially like the last topic...
Keep an Accomplishment Journal

Buy a separate notebook for an Accomplishment Journal. At the end of the day, write the date on a new page and write something that you accomplished. It doesn't have to be something major. Even little steps of progress need to be acknowledged.

For example: “I dealt with Mr. Jones, a difficult customer, in a very kind and professional way.” “I wrote two pages of a special report.”

Writing such a journal increases your enthusiasm as you look for things to accomplish and write in your journal. Your focus will be on what you did instead of what you didn't do. Keeping the journal will also give you more confidence during employee reviews or when asking for a promotion.

ONE LAST THOUGHT: When you follow through on your work resolutions and make them daily habits, you'll experience increased productivity, more energy and enthusiasm and the joy of accomplishment.

Transferable skills article that was forwarded on to me...

Transferable Job Skills
By Beth Jackson
December 2004 (CareerBank.com)

It seems like every job posting comes with an extensive wish list of required skills. Sometimes it's difficult to judge whether you're qualified for a position or not. Luckily, there are some skills that are necessary no matter what you do. These are known as transferable skills, and it's important to know what they are and use them to your advantage.

Communication: No matter what position you are seeking, communication is crucial. Whether you are speaking with clients, your co-workers, your superiors or writing documents, communication skills can contribute significantly to your success.

Some useful communication skills include:

• Writing Concisely. Be sure that your writing makes sense and is easily understood by others.
• Interviewing. Ask the right questions to get the answers you need.
• Listening Attentively. Don't just hear - LISTEN.
• Facilitating Group Discussion. Don't be shy. Toss out your ideas to the group so everyone can give you feedback.
• Negotiating. It's important to discuss ideas with others to reach an agreement.
• Persuasion. Use reasoning to get your point across.
• Research and Planning. The ability to research and plan is very important regardless of what career path you choose. Being able to conceive ideas, identify problems and develop alternative solutions is useful in both career situations and everyday life.

Problem solving skills are also a great asset to your job. Other research and planning skills are:

• Setting Goals. Always proceed forward with a final purpose.
• Defining Needs. Be able to know what your necessities are for a project.
• Analyzing. Be able to understand the parts of a project, without losing sight of the big picture.
• Gathering Information. Know how to research for information.
• Management and Leadership. Not everyone is a born leader, but basic skills and decision-making abilities can help you to become a great manager.

Some other management skills include:

• Managing Conflict. Be a conscious mediator when conflict arises.
• Teaching. Help to train others. Help them to help themselves.
• Counseling. Be a good listener and provide positive feedback to others.
• Delegating Responsibilities. A leader is only as good as the team supporting him/her. Remember to give important responsibilities to your teammates and follow-up to see if they need help.
• Coordinating Tasks. Take the time to make sure that time is allotted to certain tasks and that those tasks are delegated to the right people.

Human Relations: How you interact with others (clients, co-workers and superiors) defines you and can ultimately make or break your career. It is important to understand the nuances of human interaction.

• Develop Rapport. Work to gain the trust of the people around you.
• Being Sensitive. Work to recognize the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others.
• Listening. Pay attention to others and hear what they are saying.
• Motivating. Provide others with an incentive to achieve their goals.
• Sharing Credit. Be sure to include all teammates when accepting kudos for a job well done.
• Work Survival. Know what to do and what not to do in order to make your work experience as pleasant as possible.
• Setting and Meeting Deadlines. Be sure to know your timeframe and set deadlines in order to keep your projects under control.
• Accepting Responsibilities. You are responsible for your actions.
• Cooperating. You and your co-workers are ultimately part of a team. The team cannot be successful unless everyone respects everyone else.
• Managing Time. Time is precious. Be sure to plan and use it wisely.

© 2004 CareerBank.com. Reprinted with permission.

One of those cheesey email stories that I liked...

A STORY FOR A FRIEND
HIS name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.

At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly. "I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of."

And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, he graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.

Don't remember where I got this but I like it...

So you've been hearing that voice again, the one that says you're not doing what you were born to do. That may be true, but how do you figure out what it is that you should be doing?

To begin answering this question, examine whether your current career path matches your core interests, beliefs, values, needs and skills. Professional career counselors usually undertake this strategy when attempting to help clients identify appropriate career directions.

Here's what I ask clients to help them find their core. Ask yourself these questions and record your answers.

1.. What subjects do you most enjoy reading about?
2.. What television or radio programs do you most enjoy?
3.. What are your favorite types of movies?
4.. What are your favorite hobbies or pastimes?
5.. What type of volunteer activities do you prefer?
6.. What subjects do you enjoy discussing with friends?
7.. What subjects come to mind when you daydream?
8.. What have been your favorite jobs?
9.. What were your favorite school subjects?
10.. What are your pet peeves?
11.. If you doodle, what do you often draw?
12.. If you ran the world, what changes would you make?
13.. If you won a million bucks, what would you do with it?
14.. What are your favorite kinds of people?
15.. How would you like to be remembered after your death?
16.. What are your favorite toys?
17.. How would you describe your political beliefs?
18.. Who do you most admire in life and why?
19.. What tasks have brought you the most success?
20.. What tasks do you think you could do well that you haven't yet done?

Examine your answers. Do you see a certain behavior or belief in more than one aspect of your life? What information do you see repeated that seems to reveal a behavior pattern? What are your long-lasting interests?

Using this information, paint a self-portrait by completing the following statements:
a.. I am mainly interested in.
b.. I believe most in.
c.. I most value.
d.. For a good life, I feel I need.
e.. I can do the following well.

Now ask yourself if your current job helps you achieve these five statements. If it does, you're probably in the right career. Chances are, however, that the nagging voice means your current career is not satisfying your core features. If this is the case, then it's time to find a better fit.
If the right career choice is not obvious from the information you have gathered about yourself, then try reading What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands went up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first let me do this " . He proceeded to crumple the $20 dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well", he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what was done to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

"Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless ".

"But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE.

"You are special - Don't EVER forget it."

I Just Had a Great Interview. Now What Do I Do?
Out-of-the-Box Interview follow-up Strategies
Instead of the traditional, boring thank-you letter, let's hit a grand-slam home run with follow-up strategies that tip the scale in your favor.

6 Ways to Spice Up Your Work Wardrobe

6 Ways to Spice Up Your Work Wardrobe
Tired of boring suits and pumps? Just because your job seems unchanging doesn't mean your work clothes should too! Make a little room in your closet for any one of these six spicy additions.

10 jobs to dream about

10 jobs to dream about
It's not just another day's work for these occupations

The following list of 10 American dream jobs is offered as an aide in the discovery process. These particular jobs were selected for their self-actualization potential and because they play to some of the fundamental traits and quirks in our national character.

10 Tactics for Managing Your Career

10 Tactics for Managing Your Career
By Sandra J. Bishop, President, Executive Solutions

The current soft economy is fraught with a number of changes, including the emergence of a free agency market. For workers to survive, they must become successful free agents. Best-selling author and motivational speaker Tom Peters strongly suggests that this economy has created a renewed need for individual responsibility. This is news to American workers who are overwhelmed daily by feelings of insecurity, fear and anger, and go to work everyday without a sense of trust regarding the stability of their jobs.

And with good reason:- Depending upon what region of the country you live in, the unemployment forecast for 2004 is projected to be between 5.5 percent and 6 percent.
- In 1998 the length of the average job was six years; in 2002 it was two years.
- Since 9/11, 3 million people have lost jobs and over 40 percent of the population is without healthcare benefits.
- People feel no sense of advocacy from their managers in the workplace because managers are busy looking out for themselves. Employees feel guarded because they fear this may be the week they lose their jobs.
- And to add insult to injury, a recent Harvard study has predicted that between 2000 and 2010, 10 million jobs will be outsourced to other countries.

As a business coach and career strategist, I counsel these displaced workers every day - it has become obvious that each worker must be an advocate for herself/himself. How? Instead of worrying, understand and embrace this new business environment that has changed the workplace so drastically and take action. Learn to continually assess and effectively manage your own career because no one else will. Develop and live a strong "personal brand." In order to survive, thrive and become promotable, be prepared to change jobs or get promoted quickly and efficiently.

Here is my 10 point plan to help you stay ahead of the game:

1. Take Your Career Temperature- Have you developed any new skills this year, especially computer skills?
- Are you willing to step outside of your comfort zone, take a lateral move in your company and learn a new part of the business?
- Have you become a real problem solver?
- Have you saved your company any money lately?
- Do you read the current literature from your industry and share it with your team?
- Can you or have you discovered an unmet need in your company and volunteered to fill it?
- Do you know what your colleagues and customers think of you?
- Are you aware of who your major competitors are and how they're doing?
- Are you developing your project management skills?

2. Create a Two-Year Vision for Your Career Make it fluid enough to adapt to today's economic reality. Write down your goals and objectives to clarify it. The thinking and writing processes will help you feel secure about your future.

3. Devise a Plan B Have a backup plan in anticipation of a possible job loss. Start saving more money. Three to six months of expenses should be your savings goal.

4. Build Your "Personal Brand" The personal branding process identifies your strengths, skills, expertise, management style and unique characteristics, and packages them into powerful identity, distinguishing you from your competition. The core of your personal brand is based on authenticity. Your personal brand influences how people perceive you, engenders trust, and encourages your company to promote you or your competitors to hire you. It also serves as a foundation for becoming a successful and effective free agent.

5. Build and Nurture a Strong Effective Network of Friends and Professional Business Colleagues Make a list of names and keep contact information current. Include former colleagues, friends, classmates, neighbors and acquaintances from church, the gym, etc. Contact each person monthly - one contact a day. Keep it simple. A two sentence email or a quick phone message. As you network, give freely of yourself, especially to those who are in a tough spot. It will come back to you in spades when you're in a similar position.

6. Figure Out the Informal Power Base in Your Company Make every effort to know and build solid relationships with the people who use their informal power - executive assistants, human resource personnel, finance staff - and those who have been in the company many years.

7. Identify Experts in Your Industry and Try to Get to Know Them Create ways to meet them. Volunteer to participate in one of their more challenging projects, or write a note commenting on an article or book that this national expert has written. Find out which professional organizations these experts belong to and join if possible.

8. Determine Which Professional Organization Is the Most Prestigious in Your Industry and Join if PossibleReview the admission requirements. If you can't afford to join, go to your boss and make a case for your membership. Explain how it can help the entire team if you participate in the organization and offer to share what you've learned with your teammates.

9. Compose a Two-Minute Commercial About Yourself Briefly define who you are, what you do, your work history, successes, professional strengths, skills, unique characteristics and what your objective is. Compose it and rehearse it until you are blue in the face, especially if you are looking for a new position or new client. Be prepared to share it with anyone at anytime. It's a great way to market yourself!

10. Construct a Cutting-Edge Resume and Keep It CurrentWhenever possible,
a) quantify your accomplishments using a number, dollar amount or percentage,
b) cite examples of how you saved the company money, and
c) stress your problem-solving abilities. Update the resume with your accomplishments every few months.

Sandra J. Bishop is president and founder of Executive Solutions in Chicago. Bishop is an executive coach, career strategist and outplacement counselor working with individuals, corporations, small businesses and entrepreneurs. She appears regularly on WGN Morning News in Chicago giving coaching advice. Email her or call 312-654-8689.

Interesting tips for a hard topic...

10 Tips for Coping With a Job You Hate