Ten Tips to Avoid Common Mistakes Made in Careers

Generate Immediate Income Now!

How Do You Know What You Really Want to Do in Life?

Networking Secrets

Tips for Networking on the Internet

Resume Writing Tips

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Ten Tips to Avoid Common Mistakes 

Made in Careers

by Howard Sambol

Avoidable Mistake #1: You combine your short-term financial needs with your long-term life/career goals and seek to satisfy both at the same time. You attempt to move forward without a secure financial base to build upon.

Avoidable Mistake #2: You seek quick fixes or band-aid solutions. For example, you may jump from one idea to another trying to find "the answer." You fail to realize that finding a satisfying and rewarding job and career is a process that takes time, patience and planning.

Avoidable Mistake #3: You seek "success" as a picture in the outer world without having the essential clarity and self-knowledge needed for personal fulfillment.

Avoidable Mistake #4: You attempt to progress without an effective support system for your career transition process.

Avoidable Mistake #5: You follow the shoulds and supposed-to's of your parents or others rather than following your own truth. Or, you try to reach conclusions about your future direction by using external authorities rather than discovering and following what you want for yourself.

Avoidable Mistake #6: You believe that the only way you will be able to make money is by doing the same thing you've always done.

Avoidable Mistake #7: You seek only advertised jobs and fail to utilize powerful networking strategies and entrepreneurial marketing methods.

Avoidable Mistake #8: You blame yourself or others for why you aren't successful and dwell on past incidents or situations as the reasons why you can't move forward. As a result of this you stay stuck in a victim mode rather than taking responsibility for your life.

Avoidable Mistake #9: You do not take action because of lack of confidence and lack of clarity about what you want.

Avoidable Mistake #10: You believe that once you've made up your mind about you want to do, you can't change it.

Copyright 1995-1999 by Howard Sambol. All rights reserved. To read more about Howard, click here. You can reach Howard by writing ENCOMPASS, 20 Skylark Drive #42, Larkspur, CA 94939.

Generate Immediate Income Now!  

by Howard Sambol

If you are presently unemployed, or lacking sufficient income to cover your monthly living expenses, the tips on this page are for you!

Before getting started with the tips on his page there is one critical Career Crafting principle you will need to remember. This is it: Do not confuse your short term income needs from your long term career goals! Keep these areas separate. We call the short term income source your taxi job and your long term career we will call your Career Playground. 

By completing the following steps, you will be able to handle your "survival" needs so you can focus your attention on designing your Career Playground the way you really want it to be.

Step 1: Determine your minimum monthly income needs. Do this from evaluating where you spend your money and how much in each category over the past 6 months or year.

Step 2: Make a promise to yourself to a date by which you will be earning this amount of money. Tell at least one friend about this promise and request that they remind you of this promise in a supportive manner.

Step 3: Make a list of ALL your marketable skills and work experience. From this list determine your "Optimum Income Sources", that is the 2 or 3 areas where you have the greatest potential for immediate income.

Step 4: Create your Support Team for your venture. Do not pursue this journey alone. Be sure there are people in your life that you can utilize for support, ideas, coaching, networking, planning etc. Not sure how to do this? We can show you how! Ask us about the ways of creating an effective peer coaching relationship

Step 5: Create and Implement a Marketing Strategy. This means create a weekly action plan of how you are going to make your goal happen in the desired time frame. This plan will typically consist of networking, researching, writing an effective resume and building key relationships in your targeted areas.

Step 6: Persist until you reach your goal. Stay with the process no matter what and continue to use your support system. Be willing to have your income be derived from more than one source. Learn from everything that happens and continue to make adjustments along the way.

Copyright 1995-1999 by Howard Sambol. All rights reserved. To read more about Howard, click here. You can reach Howard by writing ENCOMPASS, 20 Skylark Drive #42, Larkspur, CA 94939.

How Do You Know What You Really Want to Do in Life?

by Marla Eurick

Unfortunately, there's no magic wand. Clarifying your career direction is process, and the most critical element is self-assessment. At times, this can seem overwhelming. Yet if you skip over this stage, you'll probably end up right where you started¾unhappy and dissatisfied with your work. A thorough assessment means getting really clear about who you are and what you're passionate about. Here are some ways to get you started. 

Identify your values, interests, natural abilities, and skills. Write down all your responses to the questions below. Look for patterns or themes.

• What's really important to me?

• What's really worth doing in life?

• What things in the world do I wish I could change or improve?  

• What do I want to be remembered for?

• What am I really fascinated with?

• What do I feel passionate about?

• What do I "catch on" to quickly?

• What am I able to do well?

• What activities do I get a "kick out of doing?"  

Use creative exercises, such as brainstorming, visualization, and/or mind mapping. Check out your local library or bookstore to find books and audiocassettes on these subjects. For now, here's an exercise to play with:

Write down on the top of a sheet of paper this question: What would I really want from life if I were absolutely, positively certain I would get it? This is your life the way you want it to be, so you have absolute freedom, unlimited financial resources, and all the abilities and skills you've ever wished for.

Now, write whatever comes to mind for the next 10 minutes or so. Keep your pen moving.  Don't judge your ideas as good or bad. Keep writing even if you have to write the same thing over and over.

After you complete the exercise, ask yourself: What showed up I might like to explore further? Continue inquiring into those areas to uncover where the "juice" is for you.

Identify your personal preferences.  It's your personality, your style or way of doing and perceiving things. What personal qualities do you bring to everything in life? Just for fun, take the Keirsey test online http://keirsey.com/cgi-bin/keirsey/kcs.cgi. It will give you a quick idea about your personal preferences. Remember that no one knows you as well as you do yourself!

Research and/or experiment with the types of jobs and companies or self-employment opportunities that best fit your values, interests, talents, skills, and personality. How do you do this?  

• Talk with people who are actually doing the work you're interested in or something like it.

• Volunteer.

• Find temporary or part-time work in your field of interest.

• Read magazine articles and trade journals on various jobs and careers.

• Search the Internet.

• Enroll in college, university or adult education classes.

If you decide you don't want to go through this self-discovery process alone, enlist support. This person could be a career coach or career counselor.

Copyright 1998, 1999 by Marla Eurick. All rights reserved. To read more about Marla, click here. You can reach Marla by writing LIFEPATH CREATIONS, P.O. Box 3804, 305 W. Mercury Street, Butte, MT 59702.

Networking Secrets

by Marla Eurick

Networking links needs to opportunities. It's people caring about people and helping each other reach our goals. This is true whether your goal is to find a job, change careers or start a business. With focus, consistent effort, and a little time, networking can produce the results you want. Here are five secrets to powerful networking:

1. Adopt a "get and give" attitude. Ask for what you need and give what you can. Networking is about relationship building, not keeping score. People will reciprocate when they can. Think, "boomerang." The authors of the practical book, "Power Networking," purport the benefits of networking are like a boomerang.  They come back to you, just not necessarily on a direct path or precisely when you want them.   

2. Network with purpose on purpose. Unless you know what you want and where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else.  

3. Have a memorable 30-second script about yourself. State who you are and what's special about the way you do business or what you have to offer.

4. Find the right contacts. Ask people in your sphere of influence who they know that can help you fulfill your objective.  Networking statistics tell us that anyone you might want to meet is only 5 to 6 people away from you.

5. Keep your network active.  Do this regardless of your current job or career situation.

Copyright 1999 by Marla Eurick. All rights reserved. To read more about Marla, click here. You can reach Marla by writing LIFEPATH CREATIONS, P.O. Box 3804, 305 W. Mercury Street, Butte, MT 59702.

Tips for Networking on the Internet

by Marla Eurick

Cyberspace can be a networker's paradise. Networking on the Internet can connect you with people in your field of interest and help you find out about them and their jobs and careers. These people often know others you can contact and may even know of job opportunities that fit you.

People use four basic Internet tools to network: e-mail, mailing lists or discussion groups, newsgroups, and live chat. CommerceNet estimates there are over 171 million Internet users worldwide. That's a lot of opportunity to make connections. However, there are so many roads on the information highway, many people get lost and find they're wasting their time. To make sure you get what you need when networking online these tips can help you.

• Manage your cybertime. Write down what you want to accomplish before you sign on, and stick to these goals. Set time limits. If you need to, use a timer.  Avoid prime time.

• Network in the right places. There are only so many hours in a day, so participate with individuals and groups where the relationship is mutually beneficial.

• Say what you want and need. People must understand what you're looking for.

• Master your networking skills. Adopt a "get and give" attitude. Say "Thank You." Maintain good records. Follow up.

• Follow the rules of netiquette. There are many web sites out there about netiquette, but here are two I especially like:   http://www.fau.edu/netiquette/ or  http://www.ifla.org/I/training/listserv/netqtte1.txt .

• Learn Internet language and jargon.  When I don't understand the lingo, I refer to http://www.netlingo.com/

• Use a good signature file. You'll get some great ideas by checking out how other people sign off on their messages.   

So, how do you start networking online? Begin by finding the RIGHT contacts and groups. Search the Internet for USENET groups. Then "lurk" in the forums you're interested in and see if they fit your needs. Here are two web sites I use to find mailing lists and newsgroups: http://tile.net/lists/ and http://list-universe.com/

I hope you'll apply these tips and find your networker's paradise! And remember, whether you're networking "live" or online, always network on purpose with a purpose.

Copyright 1998, 1999 by Marla Eurick. All rights reserved. To read more about Marla, click here. You can reach Marla by writing LIFEPATH CREATIONS, P.O. Box 3804, 305 W. Mercury Street, Butte, MT 59702.

Resume Writing Tips  

by Kathlene McNamee

• Know your skills. The downfall of most job search candidates is that they don't take the time to truly inventory their skills and abilities. In job search, as in the "real world", it's hard to SELL a product if you don't know the FEATURES. 

• Know the target. You can be the best "buggy whip maker" in the world, but in this day and age of automobiles, buggies are a rarity! Your resume should be written to quickly highlight those features/skills that you know are NEEDED by your target.

• Format your resume so that it is READER FRIENDLY.  I always tell my students that people who hire people are "old and blind". I have found that since I have become a "bifocal" wearer, I can't read very small print. It is more important to say a few things that will actually be read and remembered than a large amount of small print that will not be read at all.

•   Guide the reader's eye. Since most resumes are read by hiring professionals in between 11 and 30 seconds, it is important to format your resume to attract the eye at the top and skillfully guide it down through your list of information. This is easily done by creating an interesting "header" (name, address, etc.) and italicizing or bolding key words throughout the resume.

• Carefully use "industry jargon". This can be a double-edged sword. It is important to use the vocabulary of your industry to show the hiring professional that you really do know your craft. However, be careful when using industry slang, such as A/P (Accounts Payable), so that a non-industry professional (usually a screener) will not eliminate your resume from consideration because she/he does not understand your "shorthand".

• Write in an "active" voice. One mistake most people make when writing a resume is that they feel that every item mentioned should be a "stat or fact". Though these are important, so are your accomplishments! Remember, this is NOT bragging, merely the stating of your attributes in an interesting and LIFE-LIKE manner.

• Show your "people" and "communication" skills. It is a well-known fact that if two candidates have similar technical qualifications, the one who will be HIRED is the one who best demonstrates his/her ability to communicate on all levels.

• Show you are a "team" player. More and more companies are going to the "team-centered" types of management. Being able to demonstrate your ability to work in a team situation and show the RESULTS of these encounters on your resume will really help.

• Use a good quality paper which will help attract attention. There are numerous types of paper for the candidate to use. Again, know your audience and pick a type/color which will enhance your "visual" look to the reader - not offend!

Remember, people hire PEOPLE not WIDGETS! Show the hiring professional how you can help make the organization more successful.  

Copyright 1999 by Kathlene McNamee. All rights reserved. To read more about Kathlene, click here. You can reach Kathlene by writing THE WORD WIZARD, 523 E. Front Street, Butte, MT 59701.