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Singles who are transitioning to a new career have much more freedom when it comes to career change choices. Relocating to a new town, a new state or even a new country is not out of the question when you do not have a spouse’s career or children’s schooling to take into consideration.

For some singles, the thought of heading off into the unknown to make a career change is an exciting venture, for others it can be a very scary prospect.  Here are some tips that can help relocating be a little less stressful or frightening.

Because we live in the age of technology, it is possible to eliminate many of your fears long before you pack up on moving day. Use everything at your disposal to plan your move.

Make friends before you move:

One of the scariest aspects of  relocating to a new city is not knowing a soul when you arrive and finding ways of meeting new people and making new friends. Today, that is no longer a factor that holds you back.

One of the major advantages of the internet is the ability to chat with people and make friends around the world. As soon as you have made the decision to relocate, you should begin searching out new friends and associates in your new location. Social media sites like FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn are great places to meet new people. All you have to do is search by location, read some profiles to find like-minded people and begin conversations with them. You might even be able to find people who work in the office where you will be starting your new career.

If you are moving on a weekend, why not make plans with someone to meet at a coffee shop on the Monday. You will start off by already having a friend or two in your new location and eliminate that feeling of being alone in a big world.

Familiarize yourself with your new neighborhood before you move:

Another scary part of moving to a new city is the feeling of  being lost when you are not familiar with your surroundings. Again, the internet can be a huge help in eliminating that feeling before it even happens. Use online tools such as Google maps and Google Earth to get to know your new neighborhood.

Start by writing a list of the stores, services and entertainment you currently use on a regular basis. Take that list to the computer and find similar businesses in your new location. Create a neighborhood map and save it on your computer. Now you can put the stores and services on the map and familiarize yourself with how to get to them. Use Google Street View and you can actually see what the store looks like so you will recognize it the first time you go there.

At the same time, create a phone list of those businesses and services you use most often. Either have them programmed into your mobile phone before you move, or add them to your address book so you will have them at your fingertips when you need them.

Ask your new internet friends for advise on what stores and restaurants are the best. It is amazing what already knowing the number of a good pizza place will do to your spirits the day you move into your new place.

Planning your moving day:

Whether you are using a moving company to move your possessions, renting a truck and moving yourself or selling everything and buying new at your destination, you will want to get everything in planned for moving day well in advance so it will all go like clockwork on the big day.

Double check a week in advance to verify that the services you have hired are all ready to go and confirm the time and date. At this time, you should also contact the landlord or real estate agent in the new location and confirm the date that you will be moving in and make arrangements to get the key to your new home if you do not already have it.

These are just a few tips that will make your relocation for a career change much easier and much less scary. As a single, the world is your oyster. Don’t let your fears hold you back.

Technorati Tags: career change tips, moving to a new city, singles in career transition, tips for relocating to a new job

Recently I read this quote about decision making and with the new year being right around the corner I began thinking about New Years Resolutions and why so many people fail to make them happen and how it also relates to career mapping. It really does boil down to taking decisive action.

A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided. Tony Robbins

For many, the decision is more about making the resolution and less about making the behavior or life adjustments necessary to truly create change in their lives and their careers. So let’s take a look at what an effective career resolution looks like.

Tips For Setting Career Goals

• Be specific and targeted with your decisions. You can’t make “pie in the sky” types of resolutions. If you have decided you want to get a promotion this year, then you need to also create an action plan to make it happen.
• Break down the big picture into manageable steps. Most big changes only come about in baby steps. By focusing on these smaller steps, you are more likely to achieve big changes.
• Take one step at a time. Once you have outlined the steps needed to get the results you want, you need to tackle one step at a time. Master one before moving on to the next.
• Set a deadline for completion. When setting up your action plan, you need to include a timetable for each action. Otherwise, human nature will kick in and allow you to procrastinate on completing the necessary tasks.
• Hold yourself accountable. We are programed to resist change. It is more comfortable to stagnate. If you have missed a deadline you have set out for yourself, it is time to take a look at why and how you could do things differently to make sure you succeed. Do not lay the blame on anyone else or make excuses. You are the master of your own destiny and therefore you are also responsible for your own failures.
• Learn from your mistakes. We all hit bumps in the road. What is important is to learn from them and make adjustments that will allow you to overcome the obstacles in your plans.
• Be committed to your career decisions. Picking yourself up and getting back on track when you hit an obstacle is important. This is a critical step. If you don’t, it is at this stage that many people abandon their dreams and goals and just give up. Make sure you plan ahead for these miss-steps because they are almost certain to happen at some point.

When all is said and done, the actions you take to affect a change will determine just how much you really wanted the change in the first place. Real decisions require decisive actions.

Technorati Tags: career goals, getting a promotion, how to set career goals, new years resolutions, setting career goals

For many, getting that deserved promotion can be an elusive thing. You work hard, possibly harder than those who have already been promoted, you are good at your job and you always have the company’s best interests in mind. Why then has your boss not rewarded you with a promotion?

If you are confident that your work performance is up-to-snuff and you have been with the company long enough to warrant a promotion, it is time to take a look at why this has not happened for you yet. Quite often, it is not your performance that is holding you back, but other factors that you may have overlooked or neglected.

Here are 5 tips that may help you get a promotion.

1. Revisit your last merit or performance review. Were there areas there that your boss had suggested needed improving? Did he/she focus the conversation more on one aspect of your job than on others? This may be an indicator that you need to focus a little attention on improving that skill.
2. Do not eat your lunch at your desk. You may think eating your lunch at your desk while working through your break makes you look like a dedicated worker but your boss may look at it as anti-social behavior. It is important for your boss to witness that you get along with your co-workers.
3. Participate in creating solutions. Another benefit of eating lunch in the lunch room with your peers is the fact that eventually conversations always turn to work related problems. Being aware of these problems and taking part in developing solutions will help you be a more valuable employee.
4. Never engage in office gossip. Although this is sometimes a very hard thing to do, you should not be among the group who spends time gossiping about other co-workers. When someone tries to draw you in, make it clear that you are not interested. Eventually they will stop seeking you out for those types of unfavorable activities.
5. Are you dressed for a promotion? This may sound silly, but sometimes a promotion is not offered because of your wardrobe. Take a look at the people who are getting the promotions. Do they dress differently than you? The boss has to visualize you in the position you want and therefore, you must look the part.

These are five simple changes you can make that can have a big impact on how your boss views you and why he may be passing you over for promotions. Make those adjustments and see if the position you are longing for is handed to you the next time it becomes available. Getting a promotion is not just about job performance, it is about the big picture and promoting yourself as a valuable part of the company.

Technorati Tags: career coach, Career Coaching, climbing the corporate ladder, getting a promotion, how to get a promotion, tips for getting a promotion

By Leo Thomas

Most people have had the misfortune of having to deal with a difficult customer. It is not a pleasant experience at the time and can be very stressful. Dealing with difficult customers is almost a rite of passage in the work world. Everyone can remember their first difficult customer. You probably panicked and wondered at the time how to deal with such a difficult individual.

It is also likely that you wondered if that type of bad experience with a customer was going to be a frequent occurrence. However, relief probably set in when the next customer, and the one after that, came along and were very nice and appreciative of the help you provided them with. With the above in mind, we can have a brief look at the best ways to deal with difficult customers when they do rear their heads.

The first rule of customer service that everyone learns in their first job is that the customer is always right. What is the principle behind that and what can you learn about how to deal with difficult customers from this statement? Obviously the customer is not always right. Sometimes their request is unreasonable or simply impossible. Sometimes they do not understand the processes involved or other aspects of your business. However, the principle is that you never present things in a way that makes a customer feel like they are wrong. This is essential when dealing with all customers, but especially difficult ones; present them with other options when their request is unavailable or is simply undoable. Another simple thing that goes a long way in dealing with difficult customers is just trying to respond to them in a positive and cheerful way. Indeed, many employees often have difficulty with certain customers and overreact or deliver news in a negative way. Sometimes you will not be able to resolve difficult customers’ demands, but many will appreciate that you are trying your best to help them and are adopting the right attitude towards them.

Lastly, when dealing with some difficult customers, one fact will hold true sometimes. That is that some of them are just beyond help. Indeed, some customers are just determined that things will not work out for them. Therefore, no matter how pro-active you are, or how accommodating and positive you try to be, some people just refuse to be helped. All you can do is try your best and if that is not good enough then sometimes it might be best just to let them go.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leo_Thomas
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Deal-With-Difficult-Customers&id=4343248

Technorati Tags: customer service, dealing with customers

Recently I read an article by Ariana Toro titled “You Made it to Graduation! What Happens Now?” that I thought I would share with you. It details a new 6 week training program that takes you beyond graduation and into a job. With the job situation being as it is and the amount of competition for the few jobs that are available, I thought this information would be very helpful to my readers.

Caps and gowns and diplomas…oh my! Graduation season is upon us and with that comes a slew of recent college graduates (over 1.6 million according to the National Center for Education Statistics) ramping up to join the workforce of America, but what they may be greeted with is less than favorable for young job seekers. Recent college graduates will undoubtedly face fierce competition with the decrease in college hiring, but hunting for a job is not a recent college grad’s only option. Many companies are offering new and unique ways for young job seekers to gain real-world work experience.

“I started my job search a couple of months prior to graduation,” says Kenny Fellows, a graduate of the University of Michigan. “Prior to graduation, I had heard countless times about how tough it was in the job market, but I was pretty lucky in terms of being able to find an opportunity pretty quickly.”

The opportunity Fellows found was with SkillStorm, a San-Diego based technical and professional services firm, and their new training program targeted specifically for recent college grads. The SkillStorm Program for Extreme Educational Development, also known as SPEED, is a six-week sales training program. The company covers all expenses including travel costs to the training site in San Diego, California, lodging, food, a weekly salary and performance bonuses.

“SPEED is a very innovative program. I hadn’t heard of any other programs like it,” says Fellows. ” It was very intense, and not only allowed SkillStorm an extended period of time to train and evaluate us, but it also gave the us an extended period of time to evaluate SkillStorm, and the potential career opportunity set in front of us.”

SPEED offers both lecture-style sessions and hands-on work experience similar to a traditional internship, but unlike internships, trainees that successfully complete the SPEED program are guaranteed a full-time recruiter position in one of the company’s offices nationwide.

Fellows is now a full-time recruiter at SkillStorm and would strongly suggest training programs such as SPEED to other recent college graduates. “It is truly an unbelievable opportunity. If you are invited out to training, the worst case scenario is that you get a few weeks of intense sales training, and meet some really great people along the way. No matter the outcome, it is a very valuable experience and opportunity.”

In the current economic state, post-graduation internships are also becoming more and more common. According to NACE’s 2009 Student Survey report, more than 50% of college seniors had secured employment after graduation in 2007; in 2009, that number fell to a dismal 19.7%. An internship can be a great way to gain hands-on experience in the field rather than search endlessly for open full-time positions.

Rob Nunnery, a broadcast journalism major from the University of North Carolina – Ashville is a big fan of internships, both during and after graduation. “I actually had four internships,” says Nunnery. “For me, it was an opportunity to get a glimpse into the broadcasting industry and my future career. It was a blessing for me because I realized that it really wasn’t the career path I wanted and I was able to focus my attention elsewhere.”

While most graduates find internships to be beneficial to their future, potential interns beware-internships are not necessarily a guarantee of full-time employment and, while the number of unpaid internships has increased in recent years, the Department of Labor is cracking down on many unpaid internships nationwide for illegally using interns for free labor. So how can students avoid being taken advantage of? First, interns should be familiar with federal regulations regarding internships. The Department of Labor recently released a new set of criteria for paid vs. unpaid internships, which can be found on the department’s website. Potential interns should also ask questions – does this company have a formal internship program? Has the company ever sponsored interns in the past? Is there a clear list of responsibilities for interns? Asking these types of questions not only protects the potential intern, it also demonstrates a high level of interest in the internship opportunity, increasing a college grad’s chances of being selected for the internship.

According to a September 2009 study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers plan to hire 7% fewer college graduates from the class of 2010 than they did from 2009′s graduating class. This figure alone may not seem so troubling, but when you take into consideration the fact that employers hired 21% less college graduates in 2009 than in 2008, the outlook is not so cheery for recent grads. Does this spell disaster for upcoming college graduates? Not necessarily. While many graduating students may be nervous about starting a job search after graduation, there are other options they can explore.

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Some great resources for recent college grads to check out include http://www.SkillStorm.com/SPEED, the official site of SPEED, and http://www.internships.com, a website chockfull of internship and internship-prep tools.
Article Source:  You Made it to Graduation! What Happens Now?

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While an internship may not be the answer to all of your employment woes, it may be a step in the right direction to gaining experience and adding to your skills set that will take you that much closer to grabbing the job of your dreams.

Technorati Tags: Career Coaching, graduate employment, internships

I came across this article by Michelle Jayes that discusses the three main benefits of better time management for an online income business and thought it was so good I wanted to share it with you because she shares many of my beliefs.

We have all heard at one time or another about the benefits that can be derived from better time management. This is a subject that is discussed by every self-help authority and successful entrepreneur, and it applies equally whether you are running an online business from home or if you own a bricks and mortar business.

The question is whether you have ever considered why you should spend any time on learning better time management skills and if it is worth your while to invest in them? The truth is that for anybody who has battled to manage their time better, it certainly is.

Here are three of the main benefits of having better time management skill:

1. Being in Control!

When you are able to manage your time more effectively, you have better control over your life. By planning your daily activities before-hand you will have more clarity and be more aware of what you will need to do, and in what order so that you can get it all done.

When you plan ahead of time and work out what time needs to be allocated to each task, you will immediately be relieving yourself of a lot of unnecessary pressure as you will understand what you need to do and you don’t have to waste time worrying and trying to remember each thing, all that has to be done is to work systematically through your list.

The advantage that you gain from this is that you will feel far more confident about completing your tasks and reaching the goals you have set.

2. Less Stress Means Greater Productivity?

When one works to a plan that is set out for the day, there is immediately a feeling of being less stressed as you know what is required and you have a plan to follow and this leads to being more productive, which in turn leads to a greater sense of job satisfaction. You are also able to enjoy what you do and will feel much happier.

Another benefit is that when you are more productive you achieve more in a shorter space of time and will end up with more free time on your hands. This is time that you can devote to your family, friends or just chill out and do something that your really enjoy.

3. Enjoying more Free Time;

When you learn to control the amount of time that you take on a daily basis to complete the tasks required for your online income business, you will have more free time to spend doing things that are important to you that are not connected directly to your business.

It is absolutely necessary to have some time to relax and get rid of excess stress because if you fail to do this chances are you will become less productive and the quality of your work will suffer. Even people who believe that they can perform better under pressure actually only produce good results if the stress is short lived.

A small amount of stress can force a person to focus and concentrate on a task and this can be a good thing, but too much stress will eventually affect their health and their work will deteriorate in quality. Being able to have some free time in which to relax and enjoy yourself is essential for your health and the success of your online business enterprise.

Time management is one skill that generally gets overlooked or put on to the back-burner to be learned at a later date. This is a mistake if you want to not only make a success of your online business but also if you want to be able to enjoy the results of having made a success of it. It is well worth your time to develop these skills for the benefits you will gain.

If you enjoyed this article by Michelle Jayes then visit her website www.online-income-business.com for more great ideas and business opportunities and sign up for her free newsletter.

I hope that you will put this information on time management to good use. Feeling a little stressed is okay as long as you still feel in control. Lose that control and it will feel like your whole world is in a tail spin and nothing seems to get done.

Technorati Tags: singels careeer coaching, time management tips

1.  Organize.  Disorganization produces confusion and stress.  Organization establishes an element of predictability.

2.  Seek opportunity from challenges.  We reduce our stress when we use it as an opportunity.

3.  Create an environment that reduces stress.  Our environment influences how we feel in many situations.

4.  Do not procrastinate.  Procrastination is a stress producer.

5.  Choose your friends carefully.  Choosing positive individuals to be your friend is a key to minimizing stress. It allows you to share your burden, increase your strengths, and create solutions to problems.

6.  Eat well.  Take vitamins as well as eat nutritious foods.  It would be wise to take very good care of yourself physically and mentally to have good stamina.

7.  Exercise regularly.  This is a great means for releasing stress

8.  Get proper rest.  We need rest to regain energy.

9.  Recognize your values.  Focus on what is important to you.

10.  Properly channel your anger.  Discuss your anger issues with a friend or professional and develop a healthy release for your anger.

11.  Do a reality check.  Take a step back from life and reflect on the reality.  What can you change, have control over and accept in your life?

12.  Stabilize your situation.  Be open and honest to yourself.

13.  Decrease life distractions.  Discover your own getaway where you can relax.

14.  Keep a sense of humor.  Learn to laugh at yourself.

15.  Do not participate in gossip.  This creates a stressful circumstance for others.

16.  Treat yourself.  Get a spa treatment or stay in a luxury hotel.

17.  Pace Yourself.  Manage your time well to avoid anxiety.

18.  Don’t be a SuperSingle.  Refrain from saying “yes” to every request.

19.  Learn stress reducing techniques.  Keep items with you that help with your stressful situations.

20.  Develop your spiritual life.  Prayer, mediation and spiritual reflection are “peaceful to the soul”. Discover ways to become more centered with your life.

Technorati Tags: dealing with workplace stress, economic stress, singles career coaching, surviving workplace stress

Self confidence is as important a tool for success as your education is. When you are confident in yourself, you encourage others to have confidence in you too.

1.  When speaking with someone always make eye contact.

2.  Never lose control of your emotions in public.

3. Have an open mindset to change, but do not negotiate your principles.

4. Stand your ground and be confident with your ideas.

5. Don’t beat yourself up for making mistakes.  Learn from them and move on.  No one is perfect.

6. Always sit and stand with good posture.

7. Dress the part for any occasion you are confronted with.

8. Remind yourself daily that you are a “Successful Single”.  Only you can define your success.

9. Do not allow others to intimidate you and control your life.  They have no right to do so.

10. Believe in your abilities to reach your goals.  Others can tell when you doubt yourself.

11. Do not let anyone demean you in front of other people.  It is a flood gate for others to follow suit and treat you the same way.

Technorati Tags: building self confidence, tips for building self confidence

Lets face it, life gets busy! We have times when every moment of the day is packed full of things you need to do and you run out of hours in the day before you run out of tasks. I think we can all relate to this at some point.

You end your day laying in bed thinking about the things you didn’t get completed that day and all of the things you need to tackle tomorrow. This leads to a restless night of sleep and waking in the morning feeling like you have worked all night long in your sleep. You feel just as exhausted waking up as you did when you fell into bed the night before.

Your brain and body need “down time” to function properly. Think of yourself as a rechargeable battery. When you are fully charged, you work harder and faster. When your chage becomes depleted, you become slow and sluggish. Sleep is the one thing that you need to recharge your batteries every night, but if you are continuing to drain the battery instead of charging it when you sleep, you are soon going to be totally unproductive.

Here is a technique that I learned that I would like to share with you. It takes a little practice but you will notice a big improvement right from the get-go. Continue to use this technique every night and you will soon be sleeping like a baby and waking each day feeling fully refreshed and ready to take on the world.

Relaxation Therapy:

1. Get into bed and lay on your back and position a pillow comfortably under your neck and another one under your knees so they are slightly elevated.
2. Allow your arms to fall loosely by your sides in the most comfortable position for you.
3. Take a few deep breaths, holding them for a few seconds before fully exhaling. Allow your mind to drift and imagine youself floating on water.
4. Starting at your feet, inhale fully and clench your feet muscles tightly. Hold for a few seconds. Now exhale saying the word “relax” in your mind as you fully relax your feet muscles. Repeat this step making sure you clench your feet muscles as tightly as you can and relaxe as fully as you can with each breath.
5. Now move on to your leg muscles. Repeat the process of inhaling, clench, exhale relax.
6. Continue this process all the way to your face and to the top of your head.
7. If you are not already asleep at this point, just continue to inhale deeply and say the word “relax” on the exhale and consiously relax your muscles even more.

This is what I like to call resistance relaxation. Each time you tightly clench each muscle group, you are able to relax those muscles more. By the end of this exercise, you will be so relaxed that you literally feel like your body has melted into the mattress.

Now do not spoil it by allowing conscious thought to invade. Continue to imagine yourself floating on the water until you drift off to sleep.

I first learned this technique as pain management after an injury. The more you practice this the faster full relaxation becomes. Eventually all you have to do is imagine floating on the water and your body and mind will respond by relaxing. You can then use this imagery during the course of your day to take a 2-5 minute breather at the office to recharge your batteries and become more productive again.

So here’s to a good night’s sleep! Relax and enjoy.

Technorati Tags: natural pain management, reduce stress, relaxation techniques

Are you a chronic worrier?

If much of your time is spent worrying about possible outcomes of situations, you are draining your energy that could be better spent on productivity. There are times when you should worry. But not doing anything about what is worrying you is counter-productive.

One thing you must realize is that the majority of people who are chronic worriers have a feeling of being out of control in certain situations. Learning to take back the control whenever possible, or developing plans of action can make you feel more in control and eleviate your need to worry.

If you are a naturally fearful person, this may be a difficult habit to change. That does not mean it is not impossible.

Here are some tips for dealing with your concerns to get them out of the way so they do not take over your daily life.

1. Analyze what is causing your worries. Most of the things you fret about every day are problems. So take a look at the problem and come up with some concrete solutions. Set aside an hour per day to worry your way through the problem. Non-productive worrying is just that….non-productive.So write down the problem to put a name to it. Then write a list of actions you can take to eliminate it. If you cannot come up with any solutions, then it most likely is something out of your control and therefore not something you should focus your attention on. Instead, focus on a plan to counteract the problem.
2. Do not fall into the habit of worrying about “What if…” Deal with a situation when it happens instead of worrying about an event that may not happen. The What if’s in life can needlessly sap your energy. If you are a speculative worrier, then set a time aside to deal with the What if’s and create a plan of action to deal with your most concerning fears. Having a plan of action already in place will take the fear out of the What if’s.

Setting a specific time every day to worry will allow you to indulge in your habit but it will also give you the freedom of having time to spend not worrying. That worry free time will be far more creative and productive without that cloud of fear continually hanging over your head. You will feel a huge weight lifted off your shoulders and will regain control over your life.

Technorati Tags: Life Coaching, relieving stress, Self Improvement