Thursday, March 15, 2007

Top 7 Ways To Use Your Intuition Within Your Job by Dan Knapp

Human beings come equipped with an intuitive sense. Many people ignore or reject the intuitive sense and their lives lack for the bounty it can provide.



Our world requires you to make decisions fast and you have little room for error. At the same time, you don't have many of the facts you need to decide as well as you would like. Yet, some people thrive while others flounder. Why? In many cases, using your intuitive ability makes the difference in mastering the real world.

Intuitive ability comes with the human condition. As with mathematics, chess, golf or cooking, the more you use your intuitive talent, the more skill with it you develop. As with gravity, you can claim it doesn't exist but violate it at your peril.

In this Top 7 list, you will learn seven basic applications for intuitive capacity and two basic ways to approach the development and use of your intuitive ability.

Part I - Environmental Scan


In this part you will specifically define what you want. The act of specific definition will tune your senses to detect your targets easier and quicker:

Information. Examples: marketing ideas, process improvements, demographics of your target market, accounts payable, accounts receivable, threats to your business.


Customers. Examples: clusters of your target market, changing needs, different applications of your product or service.

Opportunities. Examples: franchising opportunities, new products to bring to market, new customer problems, investment vehicles.

Once identified, preferably in writing, you will notice your information, customers or opportunities in circumstances where in the past you would have missed them. Once you notice, make note and take action. You will find the information, customers and opportunities quite tailored to your needs.

Part II - Dealing with Uncertainty

When you encounter uncertainty, your first step usually consists of imposing logic and deterministic techniques to select the most rational solution. Good as far as it goes. Your challenge is that in looking at options, you become mesmerized by their intended results.

Along with intended results, every decision made also falls victim of the law of unintended results. These are results, both good or bad, but unanticipated, that come from your decision.

Your intuitive ability allows you to select options based upon the combination of the intended and the unintended results. Of course, this assumption requires a leap of faith. Start with low risk opportunities to apply your intuitive ability and learn to trust it before betting the farm on a major decision. At the same time, check your current decisions with our intuitive skills and, if you see a conflict, try to resolve the conflict before committing resources. You must first learn to recognize your intuitive input and second you must develop the confidence in yourself to respond with your intuitive input.

Remember when you had a decision to make and all the facts supported a course of action? Deep down you had a feeling that the decision, although rational, was wrong. Did you go with your "gut feel" and later find the almost-chosen option would have been a disaster. Or, did you ignore the gut feel and encounter the disaster?

In each of the following applications, the system works the same. First, ask yourself if you have enough options! If you think you need more options, insist on obtaining more before committing to any course of action. Second, step away from the heat of the moment and ask yourself which option would really be best for you. Your first reaction is the right answer!

Decision making. Are you deciding a yes-no issue; a choice between two options; a choice among three or more options; or a choice where there are no clear options? Once you structure your decision and identify proposed courses of action, ask yourself which one really would work best. Go with that choice.

Problem anticipation. Ask yourself what can possibly happen. Once you have a slate of possibilities, ask yourself which one(s) really poses a serious threat. Take precautions against that threat.

Reading people. When conversing, what do you think about what the other person is saying? Keep in mind, they may be entirely sincere - just wrong. Reading body language helps detect lies, intuition detects honest mistakes. Use your intuition to ask additional questions or ask the other person to clarify their points. If a question comes to mind, immediately ask it. If the point seems vague, immediately ask for clarification.

Setting priorities. Yes, you can set relative priorities using whatever system works for you; but did you get the priorities right? When you set your relative priorities, ask yourself if you need to make adjustments. Go with the revisions your intuition feeds to you.

Intuition works for you, just learn to receive the message and take action on that message.
Dan Knapp, Personal & Professional Coach. Visit Dan's Web page www.danknapp.com for schedule of free teleclasses, subscribe to the free monthly newsletter "Tips from the Coach," read articles and complete mini-courses in personal development. Email dan@danknapp.com for direct contact.

Dan Knapp
Personal and Professional Coach
Achieve Your Goals - Grow Your Business
Dan@danknapp.com www.danknapp.com
407 679-9134 Orlando, FL

Source: http://Top7Business.com/?expert=Dan-Knapp

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

What You Should Know - How to Write that Cover Letter. Improve Your Chances of Getting the Interview

by Niall Kennedy

Nearly all job seekers are well aware of the importance of a resume when applying for a professional opinion, but few realize the vital role that an accompanying cover letter plays in the selection process. In fact, your cover letter is just as important to your job search as is your resume.

Consider this: recruiters and managers often receive dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants for every one available position. With so many applicants to review, interviewers do not have much time to determine if you are qualified for the job. In fact, a recruiter typically spends between one and two minutes quickly glancing over a resume, hardly enough to thoroughly investigate if your skills set and experience is a good match for the position.

This is why a cover letter is such a critical tool to the job seeking process. The purpose of a cover letter is to clearly express your interest in and qualifications for a position to a prospective employer. So while the resume is a generic advertisement, your cover letter tailors your application to each specific job. By condensing your resume into key points and drawing the recruiter's attention to the most relevant areas of your experience, you are assisting the recruiter in matching up your qualifications to that of the open position. And by taking the guesswork out of your resume, you greatly increase your chances of getting a call for an interview.

A cover letter has to "sell" your qualifications to a complete stranger and convince them that you are worthy of an in-person meeting. Therefore, as you can imagine, it is not an easy document to write. There are several guidelines, though, that should assist you in the cover letter development process.

Typically a cover letter is less than one page in length and has four main sections:
  1. the introduction
  2. a highlight of your qualifications
  3. a summary of why you are interested in the position
  4. and a concluding follow-up.

Before you start listing a litany of skills, though, it's important to do some research on the company and the position for which you are applying to give you a better understanding of the company's products or services, history, values, and target customer market. This will help give you a better idea of what recruiters are likely to be seeking in a candidate, and allow you to tailor your cover letter to specifically address those areas.

Part 1 - The Introduction:

Your cover letter should be addressed to the hiring manager, whenever possible. Specifically mention the position(s) that you are seeking. Let the recruiter know how you heard about the position. If you saw the position advertised or were referred by someone, be sure to include this information. Grab the reader's attention and stimulate their interest in you right away!!

Part 2 - Summary of your Qualifications:

Highlight your strongest qualifications for the position you are seeking. Be sure to limit your qualifications to only those that are the most relevant to the position. Show, rather than simply tell, the manager your qualifications by including specific, credible examples from your experience.

Quantify these qualifications whenever possible by focusing on pertinent figures, projects, awards, and equipment/software/tools you've used that are relevant to the job you want. For example, rather than highlighting your "excellent customer service skills" indicates that you "achieved a 98% customer satisfaction rating" or "increased department sales by 25% in the first quarter".

Part 3 - Why you are Interested in the Position:

Let the recruiter know why you want to work at their company. What is it about the company that appeals to you? Why does this particular position appeal to you? Indicate why you are a good fit for the company. How will be an asset to the team?

Part 4 - Conclusion and Follow-up:

Refer employers to your enclosed resume so that they can review your qualifications in further detail. Request a personal interview or meeting with the hiring manager. Indicate how the recruiter should contact you. Be sure to provide a working phone number or e-mail address. Set a time to follow up. For example indicate that you "will call to follow up on Monday afternoon".

Thank the reader for his or her time.

One final note: your cover letter is the first impression that recruiters will get of you. A strong focused cover letter can convey a powerful, positive first impression. A weak non-focused letter, though, can kill any interest a recruiter may have in your qualifications, regardless of how strong of a fit you may be for the position. Be sure that you proofread carefully for grammatical and typographical errors before sending any correspondence.

Source : http://www.valuablecontent.com/

Websites
Cuisine Cuisine.com, LLC
Food is Culture . . . Culture is Food !
Elegantly Expressed Gift Baskets
Memorable Gifts . . . Lasting Impressions !

Blogs
Musings About People, Places & Things Intriguing
CuisineCuisine.com's BlogoRama
Life In Digital Pixels
Career Tips N Tricks
The Gift Gazette

Shops
Bazaar! Bazaar! Indian Gift Shop
Indian Gift Baskets, Indian Cookbooks & Indian Spices

Friday, March 09, 2007

5 Strategies from Dave Lorenzo for "Effective Interviewing"

Dave Lorenzo is a business coach and he has some great tips.
In his article for "Effective Interviewing" he highlights 5 strategies that will help you land the job.

------------------------------

For those of you who are unhappy in your current positions and looking for employment elsewhere, I applaud you for refusing to settle for work that does not reward and satisfy you. After applying for a job and getting called for an interview, you have an excellent shot at landing the position. The following strategies will help you ace any interview:

  1. Relax
  2. Be specific.
  3. Don’t talk about yourself.
  4. Be positive.
  5. Ask questions.

http://careerintensity.com/blog/2006/07/13/effective-interviewing/trackback/

Websites

Cuisine Cuisine.com, LLC
Food is Culture . . . Culture is Food !
Elegantly Expressed Gift Baskets
Memorable Gifts . . . Lasting Impressions !

Blogs

Musings About People, Places & Things Intriguing
CuisineCuisine.com's BlogoRama
Life In Digital Pixels
Career Tips N Tricks
The Gift Gazette

Shops

Bazaar! Bazaar! Indian Gift Shop
Indian Gift Baskets, Indian Cookbooks & Indian Spices

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Saying "Thank You" after the Interview

Following an interview, promptly, which would be no later than within 2 business days, write the interviewer a letter expressing appreciation and thanks for the interview. The purpose of this letter is to:

•Show appreciation for the employer's interest in you.
•Reiterate your interest in the position and in the organization.
•Review or remind the employer about your qualifications for the position. If you thought of something you forgot to mention in the interview, mention it in your follow-up / thank-you letter.
•Demonstrate that you have good manners and know to write a thank-you letter.
•Follow up with any information the employer may have asked you to provide after the interview.

Here is a simple format

Dear _______,

Thank you very much for the interview today. In reviewing the opportunity with [name of company], I am most eager to start. In closing, let me say that no matter how many people you interview, what their education or experience is, you won’t find anyone who wants to work for you more than I do.

Very truly yours,

[your name]

Sunday, March 04, 2007

DoSomething.org & The BRICK Awards !

Ok so you have a good job and your career is going swell. So how about you turn your efforts to doing something good.

DoSomething.org is a community of people wanting to make a change in the world. Their website is a community where young people learn, listen, speak, vote, volunteer, ask, and take action to make the world a better place. Currently, only 23% of this generation actively volunteers. Our hope is to create a do something generation: a world where more than 51% of young people are involved with community action.



This website gives people like you and me a place to connect, a place to be inspired, be supported, be celebrated. They have harnessed the connectivity of the Internet to help young people change the world. They believe that young people have the power to make a difference. It is their aim to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of do-ers: people who see the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action.

They are giving out the BRICK AWARDS on the CW on April 12th 2007

You can vote : on which of these world-changers deserves a 2007 Golden BRICK Award® and an extra $15,000 for their cause.

There are 12 Finalists in 4 Categories

Global Impact
  • Ruth DeGolia - Links Latin America's most rural and economically disadvantaged women's cooperatives to the US market.
  • Kimmie Weeks - Survivor of the Liberian Civil War who vowed to help children in war torn countries.
  • Cheryl Perera -Put herself on the line by posing as a decoy to catch a pedophile in Sri Lanka.

Education & Environment

  • Ashley Rhodes-Courter - Raises awareness about poor conditions in foster care
  • William Hwang -Teaches underpriveleged student Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM).
  • Kelly Voigt - Safety advocate who has reached thousands of kids.

Health

  • David Fajgenbaum - Started a network of students to support each other through times of bereavement.
  • Jennifer Staple - Bringing vision and curbing preventable eye disease worlwide
  • Jennifer Zwilling -Is an advocate for understanding and acceptance.

Community Building

  • Divine Bradley - Converted his home into a community center, giving kids in tough neighborhoods an alternative to crime.
  • Hannah Taylor - Speaks out all over Canada about homeless people and how to help them.
  • Jacob Komar - Obtains discarded computers, teaches prison inmates how to refurbish them and distributes them to local needy.
Vote for them : http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/brickawards/

http://www.brickawards.com
http://www.dosomething.org