Careers & Employment Choices

Some children will know what their careers and employment choices will be before they finish grade school. Their careers and employment choices might be determined by the visits of many professionals that come to their school to share the experiences that they have on the job. Many boys know straight off the bat, that they want to be firemen or policemen when they grow up.

While growing up, children may change their careers and employment choices a hundred times, before they reach high school. Many high school students are visited by military professionals who offer many careers and employment choices that will last a lifetime. These careers and employment choices are available only if the high school students meets the specific program requirements, and many high school students find out that they qualify for many jobs that are offered by the military recruiters that visit their schools.

 

The careers and employment choices in any military service are classified according to qualifications that an applicant shows through rigorous testing cycles that are commonly referred to as ASVAB scores. These armed services vocational aptitude battery scores will show the strengths and weaknesses in a person’s education. Their careers and employment choices are centered toward the strengths, and weaknesses will be worked on through other military training sources.

With the careers and employment choices offered by all military services, children’s dreams of one day becoming a firefighter, police officer, or even a person that works in the medical field and drives an ambulance can be a reality in a very short time. The careers and employment choices offered in the military services are always offered with a guarantee of paid training included in the job offer.

If the person is highly trained in the computer field, there are many careers and employment choices available in the military services, and most of them can be found in exotic overseas locations. There are more choices available to military members after they join the military services. With their careers and employment choices taken care of, they can start to think about how they can use their military benefits to save for retirement, and enjoy the low cost travel opportunities that could take them around the world if they cared to go.

 

In the military, people can make careers and employment choices, and change their mind at a later date. Their careers can still be centered on earning a retirement, but they are also afforded the opportunity to try new experiences, and switch their jobs to something else, which is especially helpful when their job classification is overmanned, and the only way to move up the advancement ladder is to switch to a job classification that has many job positions to be filled by somebody that is trained to perform that employment position.

Business Demands Career Employment Strategies That Develop Business Leadership and High Work Ethics

For many years, the business world has been asking higher education to meet their needs of developing future knowledge workers who are self-leaders that take responsibility for their actions and have solid decision making and problem solving skills. An article in the Newsweek’s November 13, 2006 issue indicates that higher education has yet to hear this decades long message.

In this article, a recent graduate of an Ivy League School, shared her experiences that she lacked the fundamentals from completing a W-2 to how to rent an apartment. What was interesting was that she noted that she was not alone. According to her article, she referenced a recent study of career employment (source not cited) that hundreds of employers found new college graduates “woefully unprepared” for the job market.

For years education from K-13 has focused on learning or the acquisition of knowledge, but has miserably failed on performance or the application of knowledge. Universities or higher education continue this tradition and the 21st century is reaping the results – unprepared workers who are highly intelligent, but can’t negotiate themselves out of a cardboard box.

 

The University of Michigan Annual Recruiting Trends has documented the needs of employers for over 30 years. In its 2002 report, employers want graduates who have a passion for the position along with a total package including:

Verbal communication skills
Written communication skills
Leadership
Teamwork
Computer skills
Work ethics
Integrity
Dr. Carol Di-Amico in her research Workforce 2020 indicated that employers looked for the following when hiring experienced workers:

Leadership 73%

Problem solving skills 69%

Work ethics 68%

Job specific skills 61%

Creativity 60%

Organizational skills 49%

Interpersonal skills 45%
Given that many employers are looking for skill sets that are not currently being taught at the higher academic levels and probably not at the high school levels for those not immediately attending college suggests that these institutions of learning are indeed setting many young people up to fail. This would not be such a tragedy if they were not collecting thousands of dollars.

Finally, the author of this article in Newsweek believed that she invested her dollars to better advance her thinking abilities. She further wrote that her thinking was limited to the academic world and failed to transfer into the real world. Yet, it is those same professors in the academic world who insist that those in the business world where profits and losses are both earned and measured on a daily basis do not understand how to think and that education cannot be viewed as a business. This attitude is great if you are not accountable for securing results. Until education realizes its purpose is to successfully complete the next learning sequence (that means the graduates are gainfully employed in their field of expertise for at least one year) where personal and business leadership is highly developed along with all those interpersonal skills necessary for success, this young person’s experience will be multiplied by thousands more and our nation will continue to suffer.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M. S. writes about performance improvement within both business and education arenas as they are partners in success.

Careers, Employment – Check First the Emotional Atmosphere

We are all in a transitional stage daily as we all know the careers employment path has always been subjected.. Let us just say everyday is a process from chaos to creation and then to implementation. Any system is always subjected to gradual grinding to growth.

The ideal thing to do is to not take things personally since we all have to adapt in the changes differently and we possess different personalities. But the fact of the matter is, we cannot stick with this ideal all the time because we are subject to emotions (no matter how irrational) due to our humanity and no matter how mature, professional, or old we think of ourselves.

Always anticipate that changes often bring resistances and misunderstandings no matter how good the intentions abound or that the end goal is success for the company. Creating a win-win situation for everyone can become a strenuous activity in itself but it is necessary to cultivate in the long run. Having a win-win environment means an exchange of mutual respect, cooperation, and honest communication from both sides. Different ideas and opinions can create conflicts but finding a common ground and understanding where conflicts come from can create better solutions.

 

Because at the end of the day, work output and healthy relations are what matter most and everyone knows that generally. The challenge there is knowing where to draw the lines and knowing how to remain kind. Being impartial on the job can be hard because you know you will encounter hostility every once in a while, so we all hope to find it in ourselves to still remain as understanding as possible even if people are already misunderstanding you. These all might sound too Pollyanna complex to most, but we can nod in agreement that keeping positivity no matter how different our attitudes can get saves the day most of the time. Put in some humor in there, too.

Implementation of new rules or per se policies has never been quick and right away but more effective in gradual and positive reinforcement. We do not need to hurry letting all of us learn about work ethics and such. Having to say that we all grow at different rates, we cannot just grow mature or grow up for other people – it is a process we all have to go through on our own. The ability to allow each other growth and giving chances for each other to grow at the job can be Utopian management but it has no workbook or instructional manual to be able to attain. All we can do is to invest in the potential of all people to grow slowly but in a steady pace and hopefully contribute to the company’s productivity.

We all have to adjust to each other; taking account of every one with the same pounds of importance no matter the designations because we all belong in the same company and we are more productive when we are interdependent to each other. As much as we can, we should avoid the path of becoming a one-man island or one-man show because this is not possible in a corporate or in any company. Interdependence respects individuality but fosters team work for more successful endeavors. The effort of a team is more fulfilling and effective because a team reinforces each member’s weaknesses and develops each member’s strengths. Team work and spirit rallies an individual to become part of the company by doing his part of the job.

 

So, relax and find something at work that you enjoy doing so you learn to love your job and hopefully get along with others in the process. We can only focus on how we grow ourselves day-to-day and it makes it more effective in terms of productivity to watch out for ourselves rather than finding what is wrong with anybody else. In that way, when we manage to balance ourselves, we learn how to work around the difficulties not only in work but in our lives but in any careers employment.

5. Beware of “silver tongue” marketing

Internet Business For Over 50s – 20 Tips For Finding Your Ideal Internet Business Service

There is a perception, created by unscrupulous Internet marketing “Gurus”, that anybody can make a fortune by starting an Internet business. It takes wisdom, experience, patience and persistence to create an income generating Internet business following a solid business plan, just like any other business in the real world. Well, at least for us ordinary folk!

The good news is that being over 50, you have all of these qualities and you can start and maintain a profitable Internet business by enlisting an Internet business service that suits your requirements. Here is how I learned the hard way to find an ideal Internet business service

1. Research

Undoubtedly the backbone of any venture. To become an expert in research read, learn and practice everything a good search engine provides. Stick with a market leader and use all they have to offer and you wont need anything more. Good search engines offers many excellent and easy to use research services that are not well known as they do not as a rule market their capabilities aggressively. Go to their home page and read everything they have carefully.

2. Stick to what you know

Good Internet marketers try to enlist you in business that “follow the money”. This sounds quite logical as the Internet provides the means to follow booming market niches. But you are over 50. You are an expert in your area, be it in business or a hobby. You can start all over again ( I have encountered several people over 50 that did), but it will take many years to get to your current level of expertise in a new field. Stick to what you know best and use what you have acquired over many years to dominate a market niche in your field.

3. Use Established, Credible and Accountable Companies

There was a time when I mastered searching to the point that I was totally overwhelmed with information. To cope I decided to work with established, credible companies that have a track record of accountability. Once you have become a good researcher using the research engine of your choice you will find companies that can provide you with services and products suited to your needs. Stick with the ones that meet your needs. Do not be tempted to switch to new companies no matter how good the deal sounds. A good company will adapt.

4. If it is too good to be true, it is

 

Not much more to say about this tip. Being over 50 has the great advantage that we can spot unrealistic claims a mile off. Beware of the “amazing easy way to… anything” marketing hype.

I still fall into this trap. Some marketers are just so good. They know just how to hook you and reel you in. Its actually an amazing example of how you can get almost anybody to part with their money following proven marketing systems. If I follow my first tip above, research, I seldom buy unless it turns out to be of value. Resist the immediate temptation to buy and just do some research. Rather invest the money you would have spent in your future business.

6. Lots of free offerings? Beware!

Free offerings are always attractive. All you have to do is provide a name and e mail and you get some great free information. But then you have “opted in” to receive endless amounts of e mail, some tempting marketing and information overload. I must have about 100 000 free e books saved I never looked at. But to make sure I do not lose out, I… research, of course. And never miss out on the good stuff.

How to Outsource Business Services Work

Outsourcing has become an increasingly popular aspect of modern businesses. With a bit of planning you can easily learn how to outsource your Business Services and reap the benefits that it holds for your company.

There are a lot of quality freelance provider companies worldwide that provide a variety of Business Services. With adequate planning and management you can easily find a suitable provider to take over your work. So what exactly does it take to successfully outsource your business?

Two of the most important aspects when you want to successfully learn how to outsource your Business Services are:

Project Planning
Project Management
When you have decided how to outsource your business services you need to spend some time on these points to ensure that you receive value for your money and successfully grow your business.

 

Project Planning

For any project to be successful you need to plan accordingly. You need to assess your needs and know what you expect from your provider. In order for your project to be a success you need to be able to provide your provider company with adequate information and training and ensure that they are suitably qualified to handle the work. Before choosing your provider request references and samples of previous work completed; this will provide you with the information necessary to confirm if they will fit your job description.

Another factor to consider is the location of your service provider. Keep in mind that they might be located in a different time zone than yours and you need to arrange for a suitable time on a weekly basis to arrange for a conference call to stay updated with their progress and also ensure that you communicate all your needs to them to avoid any misunderstandings.

Project Management

This is an essential part of your success. When learning how to outsource your business you need to keep a constant eye on their progress and ensure that the results are satisfactory. That is why it is important to select a qualified provider company; when your business is in good hands you can focus on other areas that need your attention. When you have selected a suitable provider you need to keep an open line of communication and ensure that your providers know exactly what is expected of them. You also need to be open to suggestions and be able to deliver constructive criticism.

 

When your time is limited and you need to manage your project you can always make use of an experienced Project Manager and focus on other areas of your business. Your outsource partners need to know exactly what is expected of them and have to maintain a high standard of work. This is where your Project Manager comes in. It is important to have communication from both sides and this will ensure that your project runs smoothly.

When your business is growing and you need additional hands, learn how to outsource. The decision to outsource Business Services will be one of the best ones you can make to ensure the growth of your business and using freelance providers can help you reach the success you strive for.

Make Good Income With Business Services Online

There is absolutely no doubt that a lot of people know that a lot of money can be made on the internet. Do you know that you can make good money by providing business service online? Online business service covers a wide variety of jobs and thankfully, a lot of these jobs are pretty easy to learn and execute.

There are a lot of small and medium sized online businesses that do not have marketing coordinator in-house and there are lots of businesses that also do not have an offline marketing coordinator as well. These two fields are quite profitable – but, let’s focus on online marketing. Marketing on the internet usually consists of a lot of things ranging from design of websites to providing search engine optimization service. A lot of small and medium sized business owners are often looking for this online business service (SEO service) in order to help them get much needed exposure or to simply generate a lot of traffic for their website(s). Designing a professional website sure requires a lot of skill which makes it a little bit complicated, but providing internet marketing and search engine optimization service is quite simple and profitable as well.

 

The amount you can earn from providing business service online can be very encouraging even if you do not have any other source of income. A lot of online businesses put aside a generous amount of their budget in order to pay online business service providers who will help them gain a lot of exposure whether on or offline. It is quite easy to earn about $700 to $800 each month from a single client. There are even businesses that will pay up to about $2, 300 to $2, 500 each month for the services that you provide. If you have more than one client, you can make up to… you do the math!

So you can see how you will benefit if you choose to provide business service online, all you have to do is to figure out what you are very good at. You do not have to worry about overheard – this is the part that scares a lot of aspiring business owners. As an online business service provider you will often get paid up front due to pay per click (PPC) campaigns. Getting into the online business service provider game is certainly not difficult to achieve. All you will have to do is to acquire the necessary skills in order to professionally perform the job, and you will be on your way to making good money.

Business Service Management – How Your Business Can Benefit From It

Businesses in most of the industries today rely on their IT infrastructure for delivery of their products or services. Despite this, business owners and IT managers face difficulty in figuring out the performance of their IT infrastructure and analyzing how that performance affects their bottom line at any given point of time. If you are wondering the same about your IT infrastructure, the answer to your queries is Business Service Management (BSM). Let’s discuss some aspects of Business Service Management and how it can benefit your business.

What Business Service Management Is

BSM is a way to monitor IT services so that one can understand its impact on the business’ bottom line. Through it, IT managers can monitor application performance so that they can identify, foresee and solve application bottlenecks. In case of larger organizations, the business owners and IT managers need to know which department if going to be affected the most in case of an outage, so that its impact can be minimized. Through BSM, the interests of the business can be protected by monitoring, tracking and managing the investment and operational aspects of the IT department. BSM hence ensures that IT processes are aligned with business processes for the maximum benefit of the business.

 

How you can use Business Service Management for your business

If your business depends on IT department for providing services or products or your customers, Business Service Management can be extremely useful to you. Even if you have a large company with a huge IT department, a BSM solution can help you undertake effective ITSM. When you have a Business Service Management solution in place, in case of a system failure, you will be able to know exactly where the error has occurred on a real-time basis. You will hence be able to analyze the financial impact of the failure as well as instruct the IT manager of steps to take to ensure that application performance is up to the mark.

Some of the many benefits of a BSM solution for your business are:

 

It ensures application performance is up to the mark at all times
BSM also ensures the availability of business-critical applications
A BSM solution helps IT managers to ensure that service level agreement conditions are met
You can make IT service management easier with a customized BSM solution
You can understand the impact of a system failure on your bottom line through Business Service Management
A BSM solution will help you avoid downtime of applications by identifying bottlenecks and figuring out their cause
Through a BSM solution, you can reduce losses of downtime and improve productivity of your business.

Improve Your Chances Of Getting A Business Loan

Is your money shrinking and you feel like you need a business loan? Too many people feel the pressure of throwing together a loan package quickly. These are three identifiable and proven ways to improve your chances of getting a business loan.

Apply for a business Loan with your Business Name Instead of Your Given Name: For instance, use your business loan, “Sarah’s Block Company” versus your given name – “Sara Smart. ” The reason you need to apply for a business loan in your business name is because it is a business loan – Not a personal loan. The banks and loan institutions are more than happy to help your business with a business loan, but they shy away from making a business loan to a person. Having a business that is a corporation or LLC improves your rate of success – For example, an S-Corp, C-Corp, or LLC.

Sole Proprietors have difficulty as business owners getting a business loan because they lack the same credibility of being identified as a ‘business’ that goes with a business formed as a corporation – A business that is complete with By-Laws, tax ID number and business bank account. A business portrays the ‘image’ of success better than a person does. It’s because of that, that lending institutions work better for those business people. As a sole proprietor, a person ‘appears’ to be acting in their own interests as an individual-instead of a business. Loans to sole proprietors are rated on the personal credit history and not a separate business history for the credit reporting agencies. That doesn’t look good to loaning institutions.

Even Corporations can mix up personal and business debt. It’s an easy trap to get caught in. Let’s say that you own a construction company and you get a construction loan to develop a piece of property, but use that money to make repairs on your personal home. Although there are multiple ways to justify this, the financial company won’t see it that way. Neither will the IRS agent at tax time. And there is a double penalty for doing this too – If you are audited and have mixed your expenses the IRS may choose to ‘dis-allow’ ALL your business expenses. You can see quickly that this could become the stuff people describe as, “the stuff that hits the fan. ”

 

There are countless examples of mixing business with personal expenses – let’s say you get a business loan for a business computer, but you have some extra cash from the loan. You may think to yourself that you could get that new computer for the kids with the extra money – Bad choice.

On the other side of a business loan is a credit card in your business name. If you practice the same behavior with the credit card that you do the business loan, you will experience the same results.

The second thing to happen from this is that now you are taking a chance on damaging your personal credit score. This lower credit score affects all things with the passing of time. When you truly need the business loan – at a later date – You may not qualify.

Credit scores are a fickle bunch. They depend and rely heavily on past performance, previous and current balances and how close to your credit card limit your balance is (for example, do you have a credit limit of $500, and have charged $480 on that credit card? Consistently? This means that you are ‘always’ in debt at over 90 percent of your credit card limit).

At that rate, with a few of those over 50% of your total “AVAILABLE” balance listed on your credit history, your business loan approval rating goes down to about a zero. Available balance means the total balance you are listed as having access to – For instance, your balance is $250. 00, but you have an available balance of $500. 00, so (in theory) you could charge up to $500. 00.

Don’t do it – Never charge your credit card balance over half of the total balance available to you. Even $1. 00 will make a difference on your credit score (a negative one).

Seeking A Business Loan – Bank Loan Vs Non-Bank Loan

As the months slowly pass by, there are many things in the business world that continue to change or evolve. But, one constant over the last two years is that loans to small businesses from traditional lenders like banks and similar financing companies are still extremely hard to come by.

Banks and other financial institutions remain tremendously skeptical about what tomorrow will bring. Some banks cite over regulation by the government while others tout that they are just not seeing qualified borrowers.

Regardless of the reasons, small firms continue to struggle in finding business loans from traditional sources to help them grow and succeed.

This has created an enormous funding gap for small or Main Street businesses in this country.

Small businesses are one of the (if not the) strongest economic driver in our nation. Small and Main Street businesses provide jobs, wealth and opportunities in the communities in which they operate – communities which ebb and flow with the strengths and prospects of their local businesses.

However, from the bank side – they also create the greatest risks – risks that banks continue to NOT want to take.

The old saying – the bigger the risk, the greater the reward. And, to achieve that reward, we have to find ways to make the risk work in this new economy. And, some new non-bank lenders are indeed finding ways!

Leave it to the ingenuity of entrepreneurs in this country to come with new stop gap business loan products and services – all designed with the small business or Main Street businesses in mind.

Many new non-bank lenders are stepping up to fill the small business funding gap left wide open by banks. These business loan products are usually easier to qualify for and can be funded much faster than traditional loans as these new financing companies understand the real needs of small businesses and the opportunities they represent.

 

Some of these new lenders have been changing or modifying traditional business loan products to meet this new small business financing demand. Example:

There has been significant changes and growth in non-profit lenders like Micro Lenders where a new business can qualify for a loan up to $35, 000 but now also where an existing business can receive a business loan upwards of $50, 000 – all designed and marketed to and specifically for small businesses.

There has also been a sharp increase in peer-to-peer lending or social network lending. While these are still designated as personal loans (most business loans to new businesses are personal loans – guaranteed by the business owner) they offer (and are now being marketed too) small businesses as a quick and usually low cost means of securing a small loan to help them overcome a slow month, meet payroll obligations or to take advantage of new opportunities to grow the business.

There have also been new breeds of business lenders entering the market. Some have taken traditional loan vehicles like accounts receivable factoring or business cash advances and tweaked them to better meet the needs of smaller firms (firms with potential but not yet profitable) while others have created a completely new way to view a business’s financial strength with a focus more on cash flow than profitability or time in business.

To reduce the risk of default; most lenders – bank and non-bank – like to fund on the basis of the conversion of assets. This allows these lenders to focus less on the overall financial condition of the borrower and more on the strength and make up of the asset used as collateral. Thus, when the assets actually convert into cash (like a customer paying its invoice) those funds are used to pay-off or pay down the outstanding loan balance. This has, in the past, allowed businesses and their owners a means to financing that they may not have gotten otherwise due to time in business or years of profitability limitations.

6 Steps to Creating The Perfect Business Loan Package

Bank lending has really been tight over the last few years. Most business owners now think that the only word their banker can say is “no. ”

The reason: This last financial crisis has changed the lending game. Banks and other lenders will not just provide you a business loan because you have a great smile or a novel idea. You have to get in there, roll up your sleeves and really entice them to lend to your business – make them approve you!

Know that when lenders do begin to approve more loans again, the flow of new business loan applications will really flood in. Thus, to ensure that your loan application gets funded, you have to find ways to get your business noticed – making it not only stand out but stand above all the rest.

Here are a few tips to get your business loan application moved to the top of the pile:

Pick the right bank or lender: Not all lenders will emerge from this financial mess in the same position they went into it. Some will have changed their entire lending philosophy. Some will no longer loan to small or mid-sized businesses – focusing only top tier/low risk companies. Some will only provide loans based on companies in certain industries or that have specific collateral. And, some may be out of the business lending arena altogether. So, start with your current bank or past lender and see if or what they have changed in regards to their business loan policies.

Further, all banks and lenders have changed their loan approval criteria. This was not done to hinder businesses from seeking loans but more from the threat of new governmental regulations. Thus, if your business was able to get a business loan or working capital line of credit prior to the financial meltdown – that does not mean that it will qualify for one today or even tomorrow with the same bank or lender.

Collateral and Guarantees: Banks are now more focused on repayment and not just one form of repayment but several. Banks and other lenders always look to current positive cash flow as the first source of repayment. But, that is no longer enough. What happens if you have a slow month or if the economy tanks again? Lenders will start looking for additional (complementary) forms of repayment from sources like personal guarantees or large amounts of and/or highly valued collateral.

 

Collateral will be key in this new lending market. If you are serious about your business’s future prospects, then you should have no problem putting up collateral against a business loan request. Not only does collateral provide your lender with an additional source of repayment but could really show your banker or loan officer that your business is serious – essentially helping you close the deal.

Keep in mind that different collateral has different value. Banks and other lenders don’t look at how much you paid for a piece of equipment or a piece of property. They look at its value as how fast they can sell it at fire sale prices to recoup their losses.

The best collateral – where your business would get the best value against a loan – is collateral that has high liquidity – like accounts receivables, investments, purchase orders or even personal liquid assets of the business owner or of the management team.

Make sure your business loan application clearly states what collateral and/or guarantees you or your business is willing to provide as well as its current, conservative market value. Providing this information up front will demonstrate to your lender that you are here not to fight with them over this hotly contested issue but are willing to play within their rules. Plus, banks like easy deals and deals with tons of collateral are usually the easiest to get approved.

Remember, if you don’t show and won’t demonstrate that you are serious about your business and that you have not taken the time to understand your lender’s collateral or guarantee policy, then your banker or lenders will treat you the same way and move your application to a bottom drawer or the round file in the corner.

A Clear Story: Make sure that your loan application tells your story. Not just what your company does but also why it does what it does, who (your customer segment) it targets and satisfies, how its current management can build value in the future (based on what it has done in the past) and what the funds will be used for – specifically. Putting in your business loan application that you will use those funds for general business purposes just will not fly any more. Banks and other lenders want to be repaid and must be satisfied that you and your business will deploy this new asserts (the loan funds) in such a way to generate enough new revenue to pay back the loan and interest as well as grow your company.