Advantages Of Pharmacy Technician Certification

By Subodh Maheshwari

Job, Jobs, Career

Are you searching job opportunities in Pharmacy field as a technician? If you are aiming to start your career in Pharmacy sector and appearing for the Pharmacy Technician Certification test to avail better salary and career prospect then, following details will help you in your certification exam preparation:

Certification in the Pharmacy field is also known as PTCB certification, which is offered by PTCB, for assessing the qualities and skills of a technician. The assessment is based on dexterity required in carrying out different pharmacy related functions, for serving and providing effective and safe service to the customers and patients in actual pharmacy settings.

The basic feature of Certification includes, 125 multi choice scoring and 15 non scoring questions. The time allowed for answering all scoring and non scoring questions is 3 hours. Non scoring questions are helpful during future quality test and exams.

The training programs for the Certification test can be availed from different community colleges, schools and trade schools. Even online programs are available for the Certification. The duration of the course is less than a year.

If a Technician is facing financial difficulties and is not able to attend these training programs, he/she can approach numerous state and federal's free financial aid programs, private and corporate grants, and institutional scholarships. Even tuition fee reimbursement offers are also offered to technicians appearing for training programs or continuing education.

The Certification offers numerous advantages to a technician and that include:

1. Better job opportunities
2. Lucrative Salaries
3. Further Career advancement
4. Wider knowledge of medications

There are different community colleges, schools and online programs, which offers courses for Certification. The training programs have very short duration and can be completed in less than a year. To maintain Certification and for re-certification, 20 credit hours continue education and training is required. The continuing education includes, 10 hours of college education and 10 hours of externship, which a Pharmacy Technician must complete under the direct supervision of a Pharmacist before his/her certification expires.

The Certification allows better job prospects, career growth and higher salaries to a technician. Therefore, opting for a Certification can avail you numerous further opportunities for career enhancements. PTCB Certification is also valid in all states of America and offers you a job better opportunity, if you move to another state from one state.

If you lack confidence in sitting for Certification Test, you can also avail practice tests offered by PTCB or other online Pharmacy course providers. Practice test can offer you opportunities to understand the types of questions that are asked during actual test. You can also get the knowledge about exam processes and procedures through Certification test.

Points to Remember for Better Pharmacy Technician Earning

By Subodh Maheshwari

Job, Jobs, Career

Pharmacy Technicians are these individuals, who are well trained to serve customers, patients and public for their different medications and pharmacy related requirements. They are also well versed with different Pharmacy laws of state and federal agencies. Such Pharmacy law knowledge helps them to provide, safe and effective service to the patients.

It is also to be noted that, due to continuous necessities of drugs and other medical accessories, Pharmacies offer ample job opportunities to both trained and un-trained technicians. But, one must also keep in mind that, trained and certified technicians are always in demand, due to their wider medication knowledge base. They are also paid handsome salaries for their workings.

There are various factors that affect the wages of the pharmacy aides and that include:

Degrees, Diploma, Certificates, Trainings and PTCB Certification

The discoveries of newer life saving drugs and advancement in the field of medications have prompted, opening of numerous professionalized pharmacies all over the country. These places also seek trained and certified professionals to work as technicians. Such, working professionals armed with Pharmacy Degrees, Diploma, Certificates, Trainings and Certification are better paid as compared to un-qualified technicians. Trained technicians can serve the customers better with their wider knowledge in this field.

Geographical Locations

Pharmacies located at busy urban centers, where the influx of the customers and patients are higher, manage to pay higher salaries. Retail pharmacies always pay higher as compared to other pharmacies. Similarly, pharmacies located in rural areas pay lesser wages, due to the limited number of customers and small population in these locations.

Size of the Pharmacy

Large pharmacies that cater to higher number of population can pay better to a technician.

Odd Hour Duties

Few Pharmacies are open 24 hours, which may make it necessary to work any time, without any fix time schedule. Such, odd hour duties always earn better wages.

Experience

Few years working experience in Pharmacy field can earn higher wages as compared to fresher or newcomer technician with little or no experience.

A Pharmacy Technician must keep these points in mind, when searching for the better paying jobs in the pharmacies.

Panda Express Online Job Application and Working There

By Jillian Avery

Job, Jobs, Career

Panda Express is an original fast food casual restaurant chain that serves American Chinese food. The restaurant was founded by Andrew and Peggy Cherng and Andrew's father Master Chef Ming Tsai Cherng. The family is from Yangzhou region China's Jiangsu province and after coming to the United States they opened up their first restaurant in Pasadena, California. Most of the Panda Express restaurants are located in casinos, shopping malls, supermarkets, airports, train stations, strip plazas, theme parks, stadiums, college campuses and the Pentagon. Today they are known as the largest fast food chain restaurant that serves authentic Chinese foods in the United States.

The menu covers a large variety of foods such as:

• Orange Chicken
• Beijing Beef
• Mandarin Chicken
• Kung Pao Chicken
• Combo meals

The main dishes are usually accompanied with your choice of fried rice, steamed rich, chow Mein, or mixed vegetables. Panda Express is known for not serving any food with MSG and they will not accept any foods delivered to their restaurants that have MSG contents. The main headquarters are located in Rosemead, California. The restaurant chain was able to boast of sales of over $1 billion dollars by 2007 and they hire over 13,000 employees. They are a successful restaurant chain that provides authentic Chinese foods. The company's highest revenue location brings in over US $4 million annually and is located at Ala Moana Center food court in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The benefits and working here...

People enjoy eating the good foods that are prepared at Panda Express knowing that they are getting good foods prepared in the traditional Chinese way. They are known for being the largest Chinese fast food restaurant chain in the United States. They are also one of the few fast food chains in the United States to pay its employees significantly more than federal-and state- mandated minimum wages. They offer the employees many good benefits along with their lucrative wage.

Detailed Information on Pharmacy Technician

By Subodh Maheshwari

Job, Jobs, Career

Who are pharmacy technicians? Pharmacy technicians can be termed as working professionals, who are well trained through education, training and numerous degree programs to work and assist pharmacist to carry out various functions in a pharmacy settings. They work under the direct supervision of pharmacist and provide quality and safe service to patients and public for their numerous daily medication requirements.

Job Duties

The basic duty of technicians is to assist pharmacist in preparation of prescriptions. They provide safe and effective services to customers for their different everyday medication needs. Other duties of these professionals include, labeling bottles, arrange, measure and mix medications in the right proportions as per patient requirements.

They also carry out various administrative functions, together with numerous other pharmacy works. On few occasions, they inform the customers about the use and misuse of drugs, their interrelated reactions and effects on the body. They also make customers aware of pre-cautions that are necessary for taking specific medications. It is also their duty to get well versed with state and federal pharmacy laws to carry out safe and effective customer services.

Degrees and Certifications

Diplomas, Degrees, Certificates and Certification are essential for a technician to avail better job with lucrative salary. There are many online and local community colleges, schools and trade schools that provide different courses to train and widen the medication knowledge of Pharmacy professionals. The courses also prepare technicians for PTCB Certification test.

Wages

Wages of a technician varies as per his/her job location, working experience, odd hour duties, trainings, educations and size of a pharmacy. The average salary of a pharmacy professional is around $25,000 per annum to $40,000 p.a. and per hours pay scale comes to nearly $ 9 to $17.

The rapid advancement in medical science and discoveries of many innovative life saving drugs have led to mushrooming of innumerable number of pharmacies all over the country, which have also started stiff competition and better salary for a Technician.

Therefore, future bodes well for pharmacy professionals and, future career in this field offers, better job and higher salary prospects.

The Profession Behind The Fire

By Karl Real

Job, Jobs, Career

Like people, the world also faces different problems and catastrophes. Commonly, these problems are the destruction brought by different environmental conditions. One of the problems being faced by the world and as well as the people is the destruction which is usually caused by fire. Fire can occur in different manner, it could be due to natural phenomena or due to human negligence. Fire can cause a big destruction and big frustration towards the lives of its victims. Due to the rapid increase of fire cases across the countries, there is a demand of looking for those brave fighters to help save people and even the world.

Firefighting is the main job of the firefighters wherein there is an act of extinguishing an active and destructive fire as fast as possible. This is mainly to prevent the destruction which can be caused against the lives of several people, establishments and the environment. Firefighter jobs are not easy; this requires skilled professionals who are well-exposed to years of massive and active training and education to be expert and proficient enough in times of emergency. Amateur firefighters can immediately engage their selves for a drill and recruitment trainings as well.

Like any other professions, firefighter jobs also have their goal and this is to save life, the environment and the properties of the people. Firefighters give a great dedication and responsiveness to their own profession. Fire can immediately spread and endanger the lives of the people. However with the help of the innovation of technology, fire catastrophes are now easier to handle compared to the earlier times. There are now lots of ways on how people can prevent them without using too much energy. Firefighter jobs is not just about saving lives, property and environment but it is also about imparting their knowledge about their job and giving public fire education and conducting fire inspections for prevention. Firefighter jobs also include medical missions and community service in helping and giving the needs of those least favored especially those who live in the mountain areas.

Firefighter jobs got a lot of duties but they see to it that protection and service is what they will offer to those people who are in need of them. Aside from fire suppression and prevention, they also do fire engineering, fire inspection, fire investigations, communications, emergency medical systems, routine maintenance of the fire apparatuses, drilling new fire fighting techniques and practices and many more.

People usually thought that firefighter jobs only require physical skills; however it should be a great tandem of physical and mental abilities. This is to ensure appropriate initiative when trapped in fire situation or even during the rescue operation. Good education is needed so that updates of new fire fighting techniques and practices are applied correctly and for modification as well. Teamwork and behavioral skills are also important among the firefighters and it is essential in doing their duties. This will help them get the situation easily on their control and save people without causing any harm.

Employment Advice for the Employer

By Tony Jacowski

Job, Jobs, Career

Business owners or company directors hired by an owner will need to educate themselves on the employment laws. Once the business owner or company director makes their choices on who to hire, the employment laws will need to be taken into account.

As an employer, employment status will be the concern for any potential or new employee. The categories of employment will all have different tax, legal, and national insurance number implications. These categories include employee, self-employed, worker, contractor, and director. Employers must know the differences in these categories and which ones suit their own personal business the best.

All employers will also need a contract of employment for all of their employees-to-be. Basically, a this contract will be a document that states the terms and conditions offered by an employer, which the employee must sign to begin working. This document will also serve as the evidence of the employee's start date. There are some cases where the contract of employment can simply be agreed to verbally. There are other types of contracts which the employer will want to familiarize themselves with as well. Contracts for services and contracts of personal performance at work will also be needed for various reasons. The contract that an employer has an employee sign will depend on the person's employment status. These contracts must be presented to the employees within two months of their start date due to legal obligation.

A majority of employers also provide any new employees with the company health and safety booklets or policies, data protection policies, and the equal opportunities policy. Some employers may have additional pamphlets or policies that need to be provided to the new employees. If you are new to being an employer, it is wise that you look into the employment laws for your particular state very carefully. Violating these laws can result in large fines or worse.

Hooters Job Applications Online and Working Here

By Jillian Avery

Job, Jobs, Career

Hooters, Inc. began operations October 4, 1983, with a restaurant in Clearwater, Florida. The restaurants were founded by six Clearwater Businessmen named:

• Lynn Stewart
• Gil DiGiannantonio
• Ed Droste
• Billy Raneiri
• Ken WImmer
• Dennis Johnson

They built the first Hooters on a former shoddy and rundown nightclub because they could purchase it at a very low price. The first restaurant was first opened up on April fool's Day as a joke because they did not believe that it would actually work but end up being a failure. There had been so many failures on that spot that the owners built a mock "graveyard" at the front door for each that had come and gone before them. The restaurant became a huge success and in 1984 Robert H. Brooks and a group of Atlanta investors bought the expansion and franchise rights for the Hooters chain.

Working here and the atmosphere...

The Hooter Girls are waitress's employed by Hooters restaurant chain and are recognized by their uniform. The uniform consists of a white tank top with the "Hootie the Owl" logo and the location name on the front paired with the famously short nylon orange runner's shorts. The original shirts were white cotton, pulled tight and knotted in the back to emphasize the breasts. "Hooters" is slang for "breasts" in some American areas. That was the original theme for the restaurant giving it preference for the male gender to visit. The restaurants all serve beer and wine and where the local community permits they also serve liquor with a full bar.

Today Hooters is a restaurant and bar that serves hamburgers, and other sandwiches along with chicken wings and many other entrees. The food is delicious and many people both male and female enjoy eating their fine foods. The Hooters owners still use young girls as their logo and hire many in the area as the wait staff but they hire both male and female for other jobs in the restaurant. Many young college girls like the idea of being a "Hooter Girl."

Hometown Buffet Online Job Applications and Applying

By Jillian Avery

Job, Jobs, Career

The history of Home Town buffets

Home Town Buffets is part of a grouping of buffet style restaurants. In the beginning Roe Herten and C. Dennis Scott come up with the idea of creating buffet style restaurants that would accommodate whole families. It was much easier for mom and dad to come in and eat and not worry about the food that was being served. It was apparent that many people enjoyed eating in this manner and of course you can serve yourself the size of portions of whatever foods that you wanted. The first restaurant was named Buffets, Inc. and opened in 1983. Eventually C. Dennis Scott left the partnership and went out on his own. He rejoined the group and added his already start up restaurant Home Town Buffets.

In 1977 they added the Ryan's Restaurant Group to increase to over 200 more restaurants in 23 states operating under the Ryan's Grill, Buffet and Bakery and Fire Mountain Grill names. The different buffet styles have their own origins before they merged together as Buffets, Inc. Ryan's Restaurant Group was founded by Alvin A. McCall in 1977. It was acquired by Buffets, Inc. on November 1, 2006. Home Town Buffet one of the original buffet styles operates 168 restaurants throughout the United States and is known under the names of "Old Country Buffet" or "Country Buffet," and of course the flagship name Home Town Buffet.

How to apply and working here

If you want to get a job here, there are a few things that you can do, in order to potentially land a job. If you want to work here, I would suggest that you either apply online via their official site, or if you wish, I would suggest that you apply for a job within the store itself. Inside the store, you can request a job application. Fill it out, and you can then return it.

When you fill out an application, make sure that if you do apply in store that you hand it off to a manager. Once you apply, make sure that you follow up on your application to ensure that someone received your application. This will also show that you're serious about the job. Don't just apply here, but other places as well to ensure that you land some sort of job.

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

Leadership Training Tip - Use Momentum

Job, Jobs, Career , Employment

By: Lee Coates

Don't let past glories slow you down. True leaders have new objectives waiting in the wings that they immediately begin to pursue, the moment the present objective is complete. It's the momentum that keeps you moving forward. Keep the energy high or things can change from good to bad. Its momentum that ensures that your team maintains their enthusiasm and remains in motion

You are going to need discipline, drive and determination to be a true leader. The price that one pays for mastery is discipline. You can't have success without it. Every day you need to devote yourself to the perfection of the path you have chosen to peruse. By doing this you will achieve self mastery. Achieve self mastery and you will have developed the essence of a great leader. Discipline is about developing powerful habits and at one point those habits will become your identity.

If you have the discipline you will keep moving forward. Keep moving forward to provide growth for you and your team in character, in strengths and virtues.

Albeit Einstein said that compound interest was the most powerful force in our society. Discipline and perseverance are a lot like the principle of compound interest - The more committed you are towards your objectives, the greater the momentum you will build. In the beginning your progress may seam small, but as one success gets stacked upon another, the momentum you generate will make you a force to be reckoned with.

The opposite result is to decay over time.

Always know - What is your new objective?

Always be a leader.

If you're not sure - Act like a leader and support others like a leader.

"What really makes greatness is white hot action around red hot ideas. A genius idea alone has zero value" - Robin Sharma

Even before the end of your current task you should be asking.

What is my new objective?

This has been the tenth and last article about a special kind of leadership. I call it leadership without a title, because I firmly believe that anyone can be a leader in anything they choose to do. These ten action steps that have been presented allow anyone to step up and lead. These action steps apply to any sized task, the most common tasks that take mere minutes to complete, to ones that can last months. If you apply these steps to everything you do I know you will stand out head and shoulders above 90% of all those around you.

It's strange that when you research the topic of leadership that there is no one clear definition of leadership. Leadership is a very broad concept and there are many different types of leadership. There are a number of words that describe the qualities that many leaders possess and as you follow the ten steps I have given you, I believe that many of these qualities you too can't help but possess. Here are the qualities that many of the world's top leaders possess - believers, listeners, kindness, kindness, disciplined, imagination, excellence, determined, enthusiastic, responsible, humility, influential, vision, they reinforce core values, attitude of ownership, refuse to lose attitude, great habits, mental toughness, understand emotions, pro-active, love, focus, action orientated, persistent, patient, integrity, passionate, creative, flexible, compassionate, confident, calm, optimistic, assertive, courageous, decisive, accountable, to list just some. Is it any wonder that delership is defined in so many different ways by different people.

Keep practicing leadership in every little task you perform and many of these qualities will be yours to enjoy.

Lee Coates - internet entrepreneur, coach and trainer InfoAbounds.com is my blog for more articles about wealth, health, personal development and of course internet marketing. We teach internet marketing to anyone with an existing business, existing product or we can provide a complete internet marketing system for newbie's. We can help you. Check us out. BecauseItsTheBestHomeBusiness.com

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

Career Change For Over 40's

By: Catherine Trebble

Getting back into the workforce or changing careers after the age of 40 can be tricky, especially in this economy, but there is a great deal you can do to improve your chances.

As populations in the developed world are growing older and many countries are experiencing a crisis in the pension system, we are facing the prospect of having to work past the usual retirement age. Yet, at the same time, older people are not always welcomed back into the work force. Many also have difficulty finding a new job if they have an unbroken track record and are simply looking for a change in career after the age of 40.

There are a number of steps you can take to maximize your chances of getting a job, despite the negative views regarding age on the part of some employers.
When writing your CV or résumé, be sure to target it for the job in question. You can do this by highlighting all the skills and experience which are needed for the job and then proving that you have got them.

It is not necessary to put personal information on your résumé - in many countries it is illegal to ask about age so don't feel you have to volunteer your age on your résumé. You should either leave out your date of birth completely or put it at the end. Do not mention your marital status or the number of children you have or their ages. This is not relevant to the job!

The fact that you are older means that you have valuable experience in many areas and you need to make good use of this in your application. Don't worry if you are returning to work after bringing up children - soft skills, such as communication, time management and the ability to meet deadlines are crucial in the workplace today and all of those will be skills you have developed in the intervening years. So take a good look at all the skills you have acquired both at work and in other areas of life and make a list. You'll be surprised to see how many you have and how many of them are transferable.

If you find your particular career favors youth, consider the possibility of self-employment. Could you use your existing skills as a freelancer? If your computer skills aren't up to date, get your kids to teach you or find out about local classes, which are sometimes free. If there have been changes in your particular industry, look into refresher courses.

Many people make the mistake of assuming that they will get job satisfaction in one place, but this is the exception rather than the rule. So make a list of all the skills you'd like to use (or learn) at work and a list of the tasks which give you job satisfaction. Then consider the possibility of becoming a portfolio worker, that is, someone who has more than one occupation. You might, for example, work as a freelancer in your existing career for two or three days a week and set up a small business doing something completely different during the rest of the week. Or you might write about, teach or run workshops in one of the skills you have developed.

This doesn't have to be work-related - it could be a hobby you've been interested in for years, it could be a hobby you're passionate about. Look at everything you've done in your life so far and you'll find that there are several areas in which you are an expert.
If you are prepared to look beyond the conventional 9-5 job, you will find that there are many opportunities open to you, regardless of your age.

Job, Jobs, Career , Employment

 

Your Career Change Plan-Staying Motivated

By: Catherine Trebble

Motivation is very important when it comes to pursuing your goals and fulfilling your dreams. This is especially true when it comes to pursuing a new career.

One great way to stay motivated is to set up a reward system for yourself. Rewards are fun and give you something to work towards. When it comes to setting up a reward system, here are a couple of suggestions:

At the end of each week, if you completed your entire task list, reward yourself for staying on track and following through with your plan. My weekly reward is a massage at a beauty salon near where I live. I LOVE that massage, I really feel I've earned it and the very thought of it inspires me as I work through my to-do list each week.

But massage may not be your thing. So work out what your thing is. It can be something as simple as treating yourself to a special dessert, or having a guilt-free soak in the tub with scented candles.

Reward yourself whenever you accomplish a milestone towards your goal. Because these milestones are crucial to achieving your overall mission, go for something a bit more elaborate than your task list reward.

You may have to stash a little money away per week to save up for this one. My milestone reward of choice is a new pair of shoes. Shallow? Oh yes, but they make me feel so happy-and rewarded. Plan for whatever your "shoes" are. Go shopping at the mall for a new outfit, or take an afternoon off and visit with a friend. Accomplishing an entire goal is a big deal-you deserve something nice!

Just like the last example I gave here, not every reward needs to involve money. Sometimes time to yourself can be far more precious. If funds are tight, use your creativity to think up some fun and exciting rewards that are inexpensive or don't cost a penny. The important part of setting up a reward system is to treat yourself to something special for your hard work. You deserve it and you are worth it!

Another way to help keep yourself motivated is to post some of your favorite inspirational messages and quotes in various places. You can post them around your work area, on the bathroom mirror, on the fridge, next to your bed, and even on the sun visor of your car. Post them wherever your own personal space is. These motivational statements will come in very handy during times when you feel you are running out of steam or having a down day. We all have them.

From my own experience at creating written plans for myself and setting up goals, one of the most motivating factors for me was following through with my plan and keeping track of my progress. Each time I got to check off a task or larger goal as being completed, I felt proud and wanted to accomplish more. So stick to your plan and continue to take action-the sense of accomplishment itself will do wonders for your motivation!

Job, Jobs, career

Reputational Risks in Your Organization - Part 8

By: Peg Jackson



Relations with the Community

Organizations need to live and work harmoniously in their communities. Today's business and community environments can also contain individuals or groups that have their own political agenda which may not include living harmoniously with your organization. The actions of people and groups who might politically target your organization could also damage your brand and image.


Private sector firms such as Chiron and university researchers such as those at UCLA and UC Santa Cruz have been targets of animal rights and/or environmental activists who often break the law. These groups are some of the more extreme elements within a community, but honest, lower-key, non-violent political discord can also damage your organization's reputation.


Maintaining the organization's reputation as a good citizen can often center on simply maintaining good relationships with customers and the community at large. Strategies for effective public and media relations can be established in consultation with the organization's public relations advisor. This trusted advisor is essential in identifying those areas of your organization's relationship with the community that could trigger a reputational crisis.


Community relations checklist

• Location of your organization's offices, buildings, garages and/or manufacturing sites.
• Has your organization been the target of any community protest or complaints? If so, describe the nature of the complaints and/or protests.
• Actions that your organization's public relations department could recommend to improve the quality of the community relationships.
• Suggestions for the creation of a Community Relations Committee, task agenda and membership.

Some common problem areas include:

The organization does not handle complaints from customers and neighbors effectively.

The way in which an organization treats customers and neighbors establishes its reputation in the community. If customers and neighbors know that the only way they can get the attention of the organization is to have the media investigate, then that is precisely what will happen whenever there is a complaint. If you recognize your organization in this statement, you need to take action now!


The organization does not cultivate media relations.

If your organization does not have an ongoing positive relationship with the local media outlets, then, in the event of an emergency or crisis, your designated spokesperson will not have the advantage of working with reporters and media outlets that are familiar with the organization. Your public relations advisor can help you to establish this important set of relationships.


What are other issues that have either caused problems in the past or are causing problems now?

• Has the organization been targeted by community/environmental activists?
• Have these attacks created negative or adverse publicity?
• If this has not happened to your organization, has it happened to other companies in your industry?

Recognizing and identifying the issues behind community animosity is essential to doing what is necessary to maintain a positive reputation as an organization. Sometimes dealing with community issues takes the skill of a public relations expert. If your organization is having these problems without satisfactory resolution, your organization should add a public relations professional to your team of trusted advisors.

Job, Jobs, career