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		<title><![CDATA[MyOpenUniversity.com/Forum - An Official Forum for your Career and Life Path  - All Forums]]></title>
		<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[MyOpenUniversity.com/Forum - An Official Forum for your Career and Life Path  - http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:27:59 +0000</pubDate>
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			<title><![CDATA[self employment is self help in unemployment problem]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-43.html</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:01:07 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-43.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[In developing countries one of the major problems is unemployment. They produce massive number of graduates every year, but failing to provide them job. So, frustration against the system overwhelms and they take part in protest and all that. Education should be the one which is able to enable the students with all those skills which alone is enough to create the jobs. May be with this very concept of self employment vocational training centers are growing massively. Many people are interested in different training like mobile repair, TV repair plumber etc. One of my friend  tried hard to get job and didn't get, and finally got training as a <a href="http://www.dishactivations.com/" target="_blank">dish tv</a> mechanics and now he provide service. They contact him through his mobile. Another friend is working as a freelancer for content writing.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[In developing countries one of the major problems is unemployment. They produce massive number of graduates every year, but failing to provide them job. So, frustration against the system overwhelms and they take part in protest and all that. Education should be the one which is able to enable the students with all those skills which alone is enough to create the jobs. May be with this very concept of self employment vocational training centers are growing massively. Many people are interested in different training like mobile repair, TV repair plumber etc. One of my friend  tried hard to get job and didn't get, and finally got training as a <a href="http://www.dishactivations.com/" target="_blank">dish tv</a> mechanics and now he provide service. They contact him through his mobile. Another friend is working as a freelancer for content writing.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[self employment is a sense of freedom]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-42.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 16 Oct 2011 04:25:15 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-42.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Self employment is a feeling of self esteem for me. It means a lot for me: it means freedom, it means self respect. In the countries like Nepal and India, where we have to work not 5 but 6 days a week, and from 9 to 6 is a kind of hell for me. Whatever I may earn, I always prefer for self employment or at least freelancer. I make designs of above ground pools. I don't do much different but just minor but user friendly changes and slight modification in the prevailing <a href="http://www.familyleisure.com/Above-Ground-Swimming-Pools" target="_blank">Above Ground Pools</a> that one can find outside. Also, through my website, I work as a middle-man between the buyers and sellers. Now I am thinking of opening my own online shop as well. Let's see.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Self employment is a feeling of self esteem for me. It means a lot for me: it means freedom, it means self respect. In the countries like Nepal and India, where we have to work not 5 but 6 days a week, and from 9 to 6 is a kind of hell for me. Whatever I may earn, I always prefer for self employment or at least freelancer. I make designs of above ground pools. I don't do much different but just minor but user friendly changes and slight modification in the prevailing <a href="http://www.familyleisure.com/Above-Ground-Swimming-Pools" target="_blank">Above Ground Pools</a> that one can find outside. Also, through my website, I work as a middle-man between the buyers and sellers. Now I am thinking of opening my own online shop as well. Let's see.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[good that you applied but do little research to stand better than others]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-41.html</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:44:09 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-41.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[You shouldn't be a HRM staff even, just by looking at the queue of the interview one can imagine how tough has it been to find a good or desired job. So, being good is not enough you should look good in your resume, in the first place. For that some take help from <a href="http://www.resumeservice.com/" target="_blank">resume service</a> and some are smart enough to catch the vibe of the company and their priorities which they seek in their employee. Or even search and analyze good resume through internet and other resources. Over preparation is worth doing than to do under preparation and just wait.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[You shouldn't be a HRM staff even, just by looking at the queue of the interview one can imagine how tough has it been to find a good or desired job. So, being good is not enough you should look good in your resume, in the first place. For that some take help from <a href="http://www.resumeservice.com/" target="_blank">resume service</a> and some are smart enough to catch the vibe of the company and their priorities which they seek in their employee. Or even search and analyze good resume through internet and other resources. Over preparation is worth doing than to do under preparation and just wait.]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Corproate world to Owner]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-38.html</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:46:17 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-38.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[My fiance and I recently purchased a small business so that she could pursue her dream of being a business owner and leave the grind of the corporate world.  I have to admit that it has been harder that either of us expected.  <br />
<br />
There is a lot to s small business, and we are really learning a lot.  We are juggling so many things that we lose track of what is important...sales.  Determining how to do payroll, where to market and where to expand have consumed a lot of out time!  <br />
<br />
On the flip side, being a business owner does have a lot of perks.  We do have more flexibility with our family schedule, but we seem to work now more than ever!<br />
<br />
I would be interested in hearing about those of you who are self employed and hear if you have experienced the same types of feelings!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[My fiance and I recently purchased a small business so that she could pursue her dream of being a business owner and leave the grind of the corporate world.  I have to admit that it has been harder that either of us expected.  <br />
<br />
There is a lot to s small business, and we are really learning a lot.  We are juggling so many things that we lose track of what is important...sales.  Determining how to do payroll, where to market and where to expand have consumed a lot of out time!  <br />
<br />
On the flip side, being a business owner does have a lot of perks.  We do have more flexibility with our family schedule, but we seem to work now more than ever!<br />
<br />
I would be interested in hearing about those of you who are self employed and hear if you have experienced the same types of feelings!]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Explaining Unemployment at Interview]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-37.html</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:32:45 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-37.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[With all of the unemployment in our economy, it is important to be able to describe those circumstances when you finally do get that interview.  From my experience, being honest is the best policy.  <br />
<br />
The best decision someone can make when they are unemployed is to fill that time with volunteer activities to limit the questions about gaps in work experience.  However, if  you have not done so, be prepared to talk about how you filled your time.<br />
<br />
A good resume and cover letter can limit the questions regarding your recent lapse.  Most of the resumes I have seen need some serious help.  I would suggest using a <a href="http://www.resumeservice.com" target="_blank">resume service</a> to make it the best if can be.<br />
<br />
In the midst of the excitement of getting your first interview after being unemployed, be conscious that these questions will arise and being prepared is very important!<br />
<br />
Good luck!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[With all of the unemployment in our economy, it is important to be able to describe those circumstances when you finally do get that interview.  From my experience, being honest is the best policy.  <br />
<br />
The best decision someone can make when they are unemployed is to fill that time with volunteer activities to limit the questions about gaps in work experience.  However, if  you have not done so, be prepared to talk about how you filled your time.<br />
<br />
A good resume and cover letter can limit the questions regarding your recent lapse.  Most of the resumes I have seen need some serious help.  I would suggest using a <a href="http://www.resumeservice.com" target="_blank">resume service</a> to make it the best if can be.<br />
<br />
In the midst of the excitement of getting your first interview after being unemployed, be conscious that these questions will arise and being prepared is very important!<br />
<br />
Good luck!]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Masters Degree]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-36.html</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:21:29 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-36.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[I have been thinking about pursuing a masters degree, but I am not sure if a <a href="http://www.annamariacollegeonline.com/master-public-administration.asp" target="_blank">masters in public administration</a> or an MBA would be better.  I think either will be beneficial, but I really enjoy the public side of things.  Ultimately though, I am concerned about my ability to make the kind of money in the public sector that <br />
I could in the private sector.  <br />
<br />
For those of you looking at higher education or those already with a degree, what are your thoughts?  Specifically for those of you have the degree, please share your thoughts as you may or may not have made the same decision!<br />
<br />
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I have been thinking about pursuing a masters degree, but I am not sure if a <a href="http://www.annamariacollegeonline.com/master-public-administration.asp" target="_blank">masters in public administration</a> or an MBA would be better.  I think either will be beneficial, but I really enjoy the public side of things.  Ultimately though, I am concerned about my ability to make the kind of money in the public sector that <br />
I could in the private sector.  <br />
<br />
For those of you looking at higher education or those already with a degree, what are your thoughts?  Specifically for those of you have the degree, please share your thoughts as you may or may not have made the same decision!<br />
<br />
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Introduce Yourself]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-35.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:10:14 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-35.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Hi guys<br />
This is Ekbol. Toronto based, HR rookie manager.<br />
Willing to go extra miles in helping you grow professionally<br />
contact &lt;iqbalarfeen@yahoo.com&gt;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Hi guys<br />
This is Ekbol. Toronto based, HR rookie manager.<br />
Willing to go extra miles in helping you grow professionally<br />
contact &lt;iqbalarfeen@yahoo.com&gt;]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[When it Comes to Small Business, a Mastermind Group's Brainpower can Help]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-34.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:00:07 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-34.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[If you're a small business owner or entrepreneur, you probably know the feeling of having strategic problems and not knowing where to turn for advice. A solution worth considering is joining a group (or forming one) of like-minded people who can support you in your business by offering their perspectives, and for whom you can do the same. These types of groups are often called Mastermind groups.<br />
<br />
Sandi Webster of Consultants 2 Go, belongs to the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), a non-profit membership organization for women presidents of multimillion-dollar companies, which functions as her mastermind group. "I joined because I was looking for women who were at a particular level of business where I could share ideas, and better yet, get new ideas for my management consulting business," Webster said. The cost is &#36;1650 a year and includes monthly chapter meetings.<br />
<br />
"The major benefit is having the ears and input of 10 to 12 accomplished women giving me feedback on my business and asking tough questions that make me take a second look at how I'm operating. It gives me a sense of accountability, as many company presidents are only accountable to their board, if they have one. Since joining the group, I've managed to keep my business afloat during one of the toughest economies in history. This is based on the streamlining advice that was given to me in the group," Webster notes.<br />
<br />
Beatrice Johnston, a marketing executive who has worked for American Express and the financial firm UBS, recently started her own business, Brand Excitement, to help companies build and support their brands. She is a member of a mastermind group called Client Attraction. She pays a hefty amount - &#36;19,000 for a year's "platinum" membership. Her group of 13 meets three times a year for three days, and also virtually several times a month. She likes the benefits of "accessing other business owners who have profitable six-figure businesses and are willing to share their expertise and experience" as she sets her sites on building a seven-figure business within three years.<br />
<br />
Paying the dues is the easy part: "Often there is so much information in the mastermind that you can't do all the assignments," she notes. But Beatrice is optimistic about the mastermind and her prospects. "I've been in it for three months only but have my systems in place, am working on an information product to sell virtually and a more efficient business model so that I don't waste time and dollars.<br />
<br />
Some mastermind groups are informal, and cheap. Adam Kruse, with The Hermann London Group, a residential real estate firm in St. Louis, joined a group "because there were several other business owners in the same industry that contacted me and asked me to be in their mastermind group. They are people I respect and wanted to share ideas with. We just call it our mastermind group, or sometimes I like to call it our coffee and bagels group, depending on how much we get done at each meeting. The cost is free. We meet at a Panera Bread. There are five of us in the group and we meet every other week on Thursday mornings.<br />
<br />
"The major benefits are getting the honest perspectives of people in my industry and learning whats going on. I work with Realtors everyday, there are 20 of them at my company, but often 'whats going on' is what I am telling them is going on. This gives me an opportunity to hear other perspectives. The drawbacks are that we don't all do exactly the same thing or have exactly the same goals. Where I want to talk about recruiting the entire meeting, one of the other members might want to talk about the economy, or working with a certain type of investor.," Kruse notes.<br />
<br />
Like Webster and Johnston, Kruse feels the time invested as been well worth it. "What I have achieved is learning, camaraderie, and being more recognized. People in my group are some of the leaders of the Realtor associations and professional networks here in St. Louis, to be associated with that is instant credibility for me."]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[If you're a small business owner or entrepreneur, you probably know the feeling of having strategic problems and not knowing where to turn for advice. A solution worth considering is joining a group (or forming one) of like-minded people who can support you in your business by offering their perspectives, and for whom you can do the same. These types of groups are often called Mastermind groups.<br />
<br />
Sandi Webster of Consultants 2 Go, belongs to the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), a non-profit membership organization for women presidents of multimillion-dollar companies, which functions as her mastermind group. "I joined because I was looking for women who were at a particular level of business where I could share ideas, and better yet, get new ideas for my management consulting business," Webster said. The cost is &#36;1650 a year and includes monthly chapter meetings.<br />
<br />
"The major benefit is having the ears and input of 10 to 12 accomplished women giving me feedback on my business and asking tough questions that make me take a second look at how I'm operating. It gives me a sense of accountability, as many company presidents are only accountable to their board, if they have one. Since joining the group, I've managed to keep my business afloat during one of the toughest economies in history. This is based on the streamlining advice that was given to me in the group," Webster notes.<br />
<br />
Beatrice Johnston, a marketing executive who has worked for American Express and the financial firm UBS, recently started her own business, Brand Excitement, to help companies build and support their brands. She is a member of a mastermind group called Client Attraction. She pays a hefty amount - &#36;19,000 for a year's "platinum" membership. Her group of 13 meets three times a year for three days, and also virtually several times a month. She likes the benefits of "accessing other business owners who have profitable six-figure businesses and are willing to share their expertise and experience" as she sets her sites on building a seven-figure business within three years.<br />
<br />
Paying the dues is the easy part: "Often there is so much information in the mastermind that you can't do all the assignments," she notes. But Beatrice is optimistic about the mastermind and her prospects. "I've been in it for three months only but have my systems in place, am working on an information product to sell virtually and a more efficient business model so that I don't waste time and dollars.<br />
<br />
Some mastermind groups are informal, and cheap. Adam Kruse, with The Hermann London Group, a residential real estate firm in St. Louis, joined a group "because there were several other business owners in the same industry that contacted me and asked me to be in their mastermind group. They are people I respect and wanted to share ideas with. We just call it our mastermind group, or sometimes I like to call it our coffee and bagels group, depending on how much we get done at each meeting. The cost is free. We meet at a Panera Bread. There are five of us in the group and we meet every other week on Thursday mornings.<br />
<br />
"The major benefits are getting the honest perspectives of people in my industry and learning whats going on. I work with Realtors everyday, there are 20 of them at my company, but often 'whats going on' is what I am telling them is going on. This gives me an opportunity to hear other perspectives. The drawbacks are that we don't all do exactly the same thing or have exactly the same goals. Where I want to talk about recruiting the entire meeting, one of the other members might want to talk about the economy, or working with a certain type of investor.," Kruse notes.<br />
<br />
Like Webster and Johnston, Kruse feels the time invested as been well worth it. "What I have achieved is learning, camaraderie, and being more recognized. People in my group are some of the leaders of the Realtor associations and professional networks here in St. Louis, to be associated with that is instant credibility for me."]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[How to Address a Cover Letter]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-33.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:58:34 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-33.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[How to address a cover letter  can be tricky if you are responding to a blind ad and don't have a contact person's name to include, or if you don't know the gender of the person you are addressing your cover letter to.<br />
<br />
If you don't have a contact person at the company you can either leave off the salutation from your cover letter and start with the first paragraph of your letter or use a general salutation.<br />
<br />
There a variety of cover letter salutations you can use to address your letter.  Employers who responded to a recent employer survey conducted by Saddleback College preferred:<br />
<br />
    * Dear Hiring Manager (38%)<br />
    * To whom it may concern (26%)<br />
    * Dear Sir/Madam (18%)<br />
<br />
Here are tips on how to address a cover letter when you don't have a name to include or when you're not sure of the hiring manager's gender]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[How to address a cover letter  can be tricky if you are responding to a blind ad and don't have a contact person's name to include, or if you don't know the gender of the person you are addressing your cover letter to.<br />
<br />
If you don't have a contact person at the company you can either leave off the salutation from your cover letter and start with the first paragraph of your letter or use a general salutation.<br />
<br />
There a variety of cover letter salutations you can use to address your letter.  Employers who responded to a recent employer survey conducted by Saddleback College preferred:<br />
<br />
    * Dear Hiring Manager (38%)<br />
    * To whom it may concern (26%)<br />
    * Dear Sir/Madam (18%)<br />
<br />
Here are tips on how to address a cover letter when you don't have a name to include or when you're not sure of the hiring manager's gender]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Would You Lie On Your Resume?]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-32.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:56:34 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-32.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[*  People who get ahead are the ones who take some educated risks.<br />
    * Let's be real, if a CEO can get away with being hired and working for years with lying on resume so should any of us.<br />
    * Lying on a resume is just plain dumb. The trend seems to be to check an applicant's references out more and more, unless you are a burger flipper.<br />
    * Lying on resumes, regardless of your status, just does not cut it!<br />
<br />
I don't think anyone should lie on their resume - even white lies that "only" stretch the truth. There is a good possibility that it will come back to haunt you. Is it worth taking the chance of not getting a job or getting fired later on?<br />
<br />
I don't think anyone should lie on their resume - even white lies  that "only" stretch the truth. There is a good possibility that it will come back to haunt you. Is it worth taking the chance of not getting a job or getting fired later on?<br />
<br />
Here's an example. I received an email from someone who had just received a job offer from a company where he had always wanted to work. It was the job of his dreams.<br />
<br />
He didn't think about reference checking though and had fudged the dates of his last couple of jobs to cover a resume gap. He was in absolutely panic and trying to come up with a story to cover the "mistake" on his resume. He decided to be honest with the hiring manager, and was lucky that he kept his job offer, but that's not always how it works out.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[*  People who get ahead are the ones who take some educated risks.<br />
    * Let's be real, if a CEO can get away with being hired and working for years with lying on resume so should any of us.<br />
    * Lying on a resume is just plain dumb. The trend seems to be to check an applicant's references out more and more, unless you are a burger flipper.<br />
    * Lying on resumes, regardless of your status, just does not cut it!<br />
<br />
I don't think anyone should lie on their resume - even white lies that "only" stretch the truth. There is a good possibility that it will come back to haunt you. Is it worth taking the chance of not getting a job or getting fired later on?<br />
<br />
I don't think anyone should lie on their resume - even white lies  that "only" stretch the truth. There is a good possibility that it will come back to haunt you. Is it worth taking the chance of not getting a job or getting fired later on?<br />
<br />
Here's an example. I received an email from someone who had just received a job offer from a company where he had always wanted to work. It was the job of his dreams.<br />
<br />
He didn't think about reference checking though and had fudged the dates of his last couple of jobs to cover a resume gap. He was in absolutely panic and trying to come up with a story to cover the "mistake" on his resume. He decided to be honest with the hiring manager, and was lucky that he kept his job offer, but that's not always how it works out.]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Employers Behaving Badly]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-31.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:54:50 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-31.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[One of the common themes in the thousands of unemployment stories and stories about what they don't like about employers that job seekers have shared with us is employers behaving badly.<br />
<br />
Job seekers have posted about not being hired because of their gender or race, because they are consider too old, or because they are pregnant or have a family.   As Pamela says, "My job search has been excruciating, exacerbated by the abominable, racist and deceptive behavior of employers behaving badly, notwithstanding the law." <br />
<br />
Even though employment discrimination is illegal, it doesn't stop it from happening. In fact, in a buyer's job market where there are five or six candidates, on average, for every job opening discrimination can be even more prevalent.<br />
<br />
To compound the issues, employers don't seem to acknowledge job applications often these days and sometimes don't even have the courtesy to send a rejection letter or email after a job  interview.<br />
<br />
Job seekers have shared their experiences with employers behaving badly including Susan: "I go on interview after interview and someone else always gets the job it seem that most employers think you are stupid or that you cannot do the job just because you are in your middle 50's."<br />
<br />
On a more positive note, Pamela looks forward to change as the job market picks up saying "Know that bad behavior will resolve itself accordingly as we (hopefully) move toward a jobs-friendly environment."<br />
<br />
Let's hope that is the case.  There are too many candidates who do all the right things when it comes to job searching and still don't have a fair shot of getting hired - regardless of how qualified they are.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[One of the common themes in the thousands of unemployment stories and stories about what they don't like about employers that job seekers have shared with us is employers behaving badly.<br />
<br />
Job seekers have posted about not being hired because of their gender or race, because they are consider too old, or because they are pregnant or have a family.   As Pamela says, "My job search has been excruciating, exacerbated by the abominable, racist and deceptive behavior of employers behaving badly, notwithstanding the law." <br />
<br />
Even though employment discrimination is illegal, it doesn't stop it from happening. In fact, in a buyer's job market where there are five or six candidates, on average, for every job opening discrimination can be even more prevalent.<br />
<br />
To compound the issues, employers don't seem to acknowledge job applications often these days and sometimes don't even have the courtesy to send a rejection letter or email after a job  interview.<br />
<br />
Job seekers have shared their experiences with employers behaving badly including Susan: "I go on interview after interview and someone else always gets the job it seem that most employers think you are stupid or that you cannot do the job just because you are in your middle 50's."<br />
<br />
On a more positive note, Pamela looks forward to change as the job market picks up saying "Know that bad behavior will resolve itself accordingly as we (hopefully) move toward a jobs-friendly environment."<br />
<br />
Let's hope that is the case.  There are too many candidates who do all the right things when it comes to job searching and still don't have a fair shot of getting hired - regardless of how qualified they are.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Dealing with Diffcult people at Work]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-30.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:16:10 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-30.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[<span style="color: #FF1493;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rise Above the Fray: Options for Dealing With Difficult People at Work<br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Some People Are Difficult People</span><br />
Difficult people do exist at work. Difficult people come in every variety and no workplace is without them. How difficult a person is for you to deal with depends on your self-esteem, your self-confidence and your professional courage. Dealing with difficult people is easier when the person is just generally obnoxious or when the behavior affects more than one person. Dealing with difficult people is much tougher when they are attacking you or undermining your professional contribution.<br />
<br />
Difficult people come in every conceivable variety. Some talk constantly and never listen. Others must always have the last word. Some coworkers fail to keep commitments. Others criticize anything that they did not create. Difficult coworkers compete with you for power, privilege and the spotlight; some go way too far in courting the boss’s positive opinion – to your diminishment.<br />
<br />
Some coworkers attempt to undermine you and you constantly feel as if you need to watch your back. Your boss plays favorites and the favored party lords it over you; people form cliques and leave you out. Difficult people and situations exist in every work place. They all have one thing in common. You must address them. No matter the type of difficult situation in which you find yourself, dealing with difficult people or situations is a must.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Why You Must Deal With Difficult People</span><br />
<br />
Trust me. Your situation won’t get better; left unaddressed, it usually gets worse. Unaddressed, necessary conflict simmers just below – and often erupts counter-productively above – the surface at work.<br />
<br />
Initially, people go into shock when they are treated unprofessionally, so if you take some time to understand exactly what is happening to you, you are not alone. Once you are fully aware of what is happening, deciding to live with the situation long term is not an option. You become so angry and feel so much pain that your efforts to address the situation become irrational. It’s far better to address the difficult person while you can maintain some objectivity and emotional control.<br />
<br />
Constant complaining about the coworker or situation can quickly earn you the title of whiner or complainer. Managers wonder why you are unable to solve your own problems – even if the manager’s tolerance or encouragement of the situation is part of the problem.<br />
Worse Case Scenario If You Fail to Deal With Difficult People<br />
<br />
Most importantly, if you are embroiled in a constant conflict at work, you may not only get blamed for being “unable to handle the situation like a mature professional,” you may be labeled as a “difficult” person, too. This label is hard to escape and can have devastating consequences for your career.<br />
<br />
Finally, if the situation continues to deteriorate over time, the organization and your boss may tire of you. The boss may decide you are a “high maintenance” employee, easily replaced with a more professional or cooperative person, and you could lose your job.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Dealing With the Difficult Coworker</span><br />
<br />
I’ve experienced workplaces in which all sorts of dysfunctional approaches to dealing with a difficult coworker have been tried. Putting an anonymous note in the person’s mailbox is not an option. Placing a can of deodorant on a hygiene-challenged coworker’s desk is not a productive option either. Confronting the bully publicly can often lead to disaster. Putting dead bugs in his desk drawer can leave your boss no option other than to fire you. So, let’s look at more productive ways to address your difficult coworker.<br />
<br />
Are you convinced that in almost all cases you need to productively deal with your difficult coworker? Good. Then here are ten ways to approach dealing with difficult people.<br />
<br />
These are ten productive ways to deal with your difficult coworker. Let's start with the first five.<br />
<br />
    * Start out by examining yourself. Are you sure that the other person is really the problem and that you're not overreacting? Have you always experienced difficulty with the same type of person or actions? Does a pattern exist for you in your interaction with coworkers? Do you recognize that you have hot buttons that are easily pushed? (We all do, you know.) Always start with self-examination to determine that the object of your attention really is a difficult person’s actions.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Explore what you are experiencing with a trusted friend or colleague. Brainstorm ways to address the situation. When you are the object of an attack, or your boss appears to support the dysfunctional actions of a coworker, it is often difficult to objectively assess your options. Anger, pain, humiliation, fear and concern about making the situation worse are legitimate emotions.<br />
<br />
      Pay attention to the unspoken agreement you create when you solicit another’s assistance. You are committing to act unless you agree actions will only hurt the situation. Otherwise, you risk becoming a whiner or complainer in the eyes of your colleague.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Approach the person with whom you are having the problem for a private discussion. Talk to them about what you are experiencing in “I” messages. (Using “I” messages is a communication approach that focuses on your experience of the situation rather than on attacking or accusing the other person.) You can also explain to your coworker the impact of their actions on you.<br />
<br />
      Be pleasant and agreeable as you talk with the other person. They may not be aware of the impact of their words or actions on you. They may be learning about their impact on you for the first time. Or, they may have to consider and confront a pattern in their own interaction with people. Worst case? They may know their impact on you and deny it or try to explain it away. Unfortunately, some difficult people just don’t care. During the discussion, attempt to reach agreement about positive and supportive actions going forward.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Follow up after the initial discussion. Has the behavior changed? Gotten better? Or worse? Determine whether a follow-up discussion is needed. Determine whether a follow-up discussion will have any impact. Decide if you want to continue to confront the difficult person by yourself. Become a peacemaker. (Decide how badly you want to make peace with the other person and how much you want your current job. Determine whether you have experienced a pattern of support from your boss.) If you answer, “yes,” to these questions, hold another discussion. If not, escalate and move to the next idea.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * You can confront your difficult coworker’s behavior publicly. Deal with the person with gentle humor or slight sarcasm. Or, make an exaggerated physical gesture – no, not that one – such as a salute or place your hand over your heart to indicate a serious wounding.<br />
<br />
      You can also tell the difficult person that you’d like them to consider important history in their decision making or similar words expressed positively, depending on the subject. Direct confrontation does work well for some people in some situations. I don’t think it works to ask the person to stop doing what they’re doing, publicly, but you can employ more positive confrontational tactics. Their success for you will depend on your ability to pull them off. Each of us is not spur-of-the-moment funny, but if you are, you can use the humor well with difficult coworkers.<br />
<br />
# Make a plan to address the issues. Perhaps involve your coworker's boss. Recognize that a good boss is likely to bring your difficult coworker and his supervisor into a three or four-way discussion at this point. Expect to participate in follow-up over time.<br />
<br />
<br />
# Rally the other employees who might have an issue with the difficult person, too - carefully. Sometimes, a group approach convinces the boss that the impact of the behavior is wider and deeper than she had originally determined. Be careful with this approach, however. Know what works with your boss. You want to solve your problem, not make it look as if you are rabble-rousing and ganging up on another employee.<br />
<br />
<br />
# If these approaches fail to work, try to limit the difficult person's access to you. Protect the needs of your business, but avoid working with the person when possible. Leave voluntary committees, Choose projects he or she does not impact. Don’t hurt your own career or your business, but avoidance is an option.<br />
<br />
<br />
# Transfer to a new job within your organization. Depending on the size of your company, you may never have to work with this difficult coworker again. Fleeing is definitely an option.<br />
<br />
<br />
# If all else fails, you can quit your job. What, flee, you ask? But, I wasn't the employee with the problem. I was not the difficult coworker. All I tried to do was my job. You're right. But, what price, in terms of your happiness and success, are you willing to pay to stay? You need to decide whether the good in your current situation outweighs the bad or whether the bad outweighs the good.<br />
<br />
<br />
If the good wins, stop complaining and get back to work. Back track on these recommended steps and retry some of them when appropriate. If the bad wins, redirect your energy to leaving your current employment. You'll be glad you did.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span style="color: #FF1493;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rise Above the Fray: Options for Dealing With Difficult People at Work<br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Some People Are Difficult People</span><br />
Difficult people do exist at work. Difficult people come in every variety and no workplace is without them. How difficult a person is for you to deal with depends on your self-esteem, your self-confidence and your professional courage. Dealing with difficult people is easier when the person is just generally obnoxious or when the behavior affects more than one person. Dealing with difficult people is much tougher when they are attacking you or undermining your professional contribution.<br />
<br />
Difficult people come in every conceivable variety. Some talk constantly and never listen. Others must always have the last word. Some coworkers fail to keep commitments. Others criticize anything that they did not create. Difficult coworkers compete with you for power, privilege and the spotlight; some go way too far in courting the boss’s positive opinion – to your diminishment.<br />
<br />
Some coworkers attempt to undermine you and you constantly feel as if you need to watch your back. Your boss plays favorites and the favored party lords it over you; people form cliques and leave you out. Difficult people and situations exist in every work place. They all have one thing in common. You must address them. No matter the type of difficult situation in which you find yourself, dealing with difficult people or situations is a must.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Why You Must Deal With Difficult People</span><br />
<br />
Trust me. Your situation won’t get better; left unaddressed, it usually gets worse. Unaddressed, necessary conflict simmers just below – and often erupts counter-productively above – the surface at work.<br />
<br />
Initially, people go into shock when they are treated unprofessionally, so if you take some time to understand exactly what is happening to you, you are not alone. Once you are fully aware of what is happening, deciding to live with the situation long term is not an option. You become so angry and feel so much pain that your efforts to address the situation become irrational. It’s far better to address the difficult person while you can maintain some objectivity and emotional control.<br />
<br />
Constant complaining about the coworker or situation can quickly earn you the title of whiner or complainer. Managers wonder why you are unable to solve your own problems – even if the manager’s tolerance or encouragement of the situation is part of the problem.<br />
Worse Case Scenario If You Fail to Deal With Difficult People<br />
<br />
Most importantly, if you are embroiled in a constant conflict at work, you may not only get blamed for being “unable to handle the situation like a mature professional,” you may be labeled as a “difficult” person, too. This label is hard to escape and can have devastating consequences for your career.<br />
<br />
Finally, if the situation continues to deteriorate over time, the organization and your boss may tire of you. The boss may decide you are a “high maintenance” employee, easily replaced with a more professional or cooperative person, and you could lose your job.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Dealing With the Difficult Coworker</span><br />
<br />
I’ve experienced workplaces in which all sorts of dysfunctional approaches to dealing with a difficult coworker have been tried. Putting an anonymous note in the person’s mailbox is not an option. Placing a can of deodorant on a hygiene-challenged coworker’s desk is not a productive option either. Confronting the bully publicly can often lead to disaster. Putting dead bugs in his desk drawer can leave your boss no option other than to fire you. So, let’s look at more productive ways to address your difficult coworker.<br />
<br />
Are you convinced that in almost all cases you need to productively deal with your difficult coworker? Good. Then here are ten ways to approach dealing with difficult people.<br />
<br />
These are ten productive ways to deal with your difficult coworker. Let's start with the first five.<br />
<br />
    * Start out by examining yourself. Are you sure that the other person is really the problem and that you're not overreacting? Have you always experienced difficulty with the same type of person or actions? Does a pattern exist for you in your interaction with coworkers? Do you recognize that you have hot buttons that are easily pushed? (We all do, you know.) Always start with self-examination to determine that the object of your attention really is a difficult person’s actions.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Explore what you are experiencing with a trusted friend or colleague. Brainstorm ways to address the situation. When you are the object of an attack, or your boss appears to support the dysfunctional actions of a coworker, it is often difficult to objectively assess your options. Anger, pain, humiliation, fear and concern about making the situation worse are legitimate emotions.<br />
<br />
      Pay attention to the unspoken agreement you create when you solicit another’s assistance. You are committing to act unless you agree actions will only hurt the situation. Otherwise, you risk becoming a whiner or complainer in the eyes of your colleague.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Approach the person with whom you are having the problem for a private discussion. Talk to them about what you are experiencing in “I” messages. (Using “I” messages is a communication approach that focuses on your experience of the situation rather than on attacking or accusing the other person.) You can also explain to your coworker the impact of their actions on you.<br />
<br />
      Be pleasant and agreeable as you talk with the other person. They may not be aware of the impact of their words or actions on you. They may be learning about their impact on you for the first time. Or, they may have to consider and confront a pattern in their own interaction with people. Worst case? They may know their impact on you and deny it or try to explain it away. Unfortunately, some difficult people just don’t care. During the discussion, attempt to reach agreement about positive and supportive actions going forward.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Follow up after the initial discussion. Has the behavior changed? Gotten better? Or worse? Determine whether a follow-up discussion is needed. Determine whether a follow-up discussion will have any impact. Decide if you want to continue to confront the difficult person by yourself. Become a peacemaker. (Decide how badly you want to make peace with the other person and how much you want your current job. Determine whether you have experienced a pattern of support from your boss.) If you answer, “yes,” to these questions, hold another discussion. If not, escalate and move to the next idea.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * You can confront your difficult coworker’s behavior publicly. Deal with the person with gentle humor or slight sarcasm. Or, make an exaggerated physical gesture – no, not that one – such as a salute or place your hand over your heart to indicate a serious wounding.<br />
<br />
      You can also tell the difficult person that you’d like them to consider important history in their decision making or similar words expressed positively, depending on the subject. Direct confrontation does work well for some people in some situations. I don’t think it works to ask the person to stop doing what they’re doing, publicly, but you can employ more positive confrontational tactics. Their success for you will depend on your ability to pull them off. Each of us is not spur-of-the-moment funny, but if you are, you can use the humor well with difficult coworkers.<br />
<br />
# Make a plan to address the issues. Perhaps involve your coworker's boss. Recognize that a good boss is likely to bring your difficult coworker and his supervisor into a three or four-way discussion at this point. Expect to participate in follow-up over time.<br />
<br />
<br />
# Rally the other employees who might have an issue with the difficult person, too - carefully. Sometimes, a group approach convinces the boss that the impact of the behavior is wider and deeper than she had originally determined. Be careful with this approach, however. Know what works with your boss. You want to solve your problem, not make it look as if you are rabble-rousing and ganging up on another employee.<br />
<br />
<br />
# If these approaches fail to work, try to limit the difficult person's access to you. Protect the needs of your business, but avoid working with the person when possible. Leave voluntary committees, Choose projects he or she does not impact. Don’t hurt your own career or your business, but avoidance is an option.<br />
<br />
<br />
# Transfer to a new job within your organization. Depending on the size of your company, you may never have to work with this difficult coworker again. Fleeing is definitely an option.<br />
<br />
<br />
# If all else fails, you can quit your job. What, flee, you ask? But, I wasn't the employee with the problem. I was not the difficult coworker. All I tried to do was my job. You're right. But, what price, in terms of your happiness and success, are you willing to pay to stay? You need to decide whether the good in your current situation outweighs the bad or whether the bad outweighs the good.<br />
<br />
<br />
If the good wins, stop complaining and get back to work. Back track on these recommended steps and retry some of them when appropriate. If the bad wins, redirect your energy to leaving your current employment. You'll be glad you did.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stop Being Miserable at Work]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-29.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:13:39 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-29.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Are you miserable at work? Do you never feel good about getting up and heading to work on Monday? Do you feel unchallenged, unhappy, or not in control? Is your boss the worst? Do your coworkers engage in unjustifiable complaining all day long? Is no contribution ever good enough? If you continue to participate in any of these situations, you will ensure that you will continue to hate your job. And, hating your job is the centerpiece for a miserable life. Why go there?<br />
<br />
    * Participate in the conversations of or hang out with people who are always finding fault with the company, the management, the customers, their coworkers, and more. Legitimate concerns, that are actually addressed aside, If you wallow in misery and unhappiness, and listen to unhappy, difficult people, it cannot help but bring you down. Unhappiness and criticism are contagious. Move on to avoid catching the bug.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Stay in a job that is unchallenging, unexciting, and unrewarding. Day after day, year after year, you are numbing your mind and your heart with work that doesn't fulfill you. You have options. See a career counselor at your local community college, technical school, or adult education program. Find out about other job opportunities; find ways to use your current skill set differently, and take tests and talk with the counselor to identify work you might find more exciting. If you are a college grad, keep in mind that your college career services office may be able to help you, regardless of when you graduated.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Fail to take responsibility for your own development. You can wait forever for a non-communicative boss to give you feedback about areas to improve and your personal and professional growth and development. In fact, in some organizations, you can wait years for a performance appraisal or performance feedback. Why wait on someone else? Why not take responsibility yourself? No one will ever care as much about your personal and professional growth and development as you do. And, no one else has as much to gain from continued growth.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Continue working for a bad boss. Bad bosses, whether abdicators of responsibility, or just plain nasty acting people, rarely change without some life transforming event occurring. The event may happen, but how long are you willing to wait around complaining about how unhappy you are at work?<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Work for a company that has business practices you disrespect. Work for a company that lies to customers? Makes promises to employees that are never kept? Bail as quickly as you can. The culture that enables those practices is a tough one to change - if any of the leaders even want to change the culture. Since executives and the founder largely drive the culture, don't hold your breath. There are better, more ethical, companies where you can seek employment.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Work in a company that is constantly in danger of going under. I'm not suggesting that you leave a good company that is experiencing temporary woes. But, a company that is constantly operating near bankruptcy can wear out your optimism and enthusiasm. This is especially true if you are not in a position to have a large impact on the company's budgeting, spending, or financial performance.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Stay in a job in which you feel stuck. There are many reasons why you may feel stuck. Your company is small and there is nowhere to go. You've been passed over for promotion because of a lack of education, experience, or mentoring opportunities. You've sought additional responsibilities and an expanded job to no avail. You've talked with your boss and the problems appear to be insurmountable. If you are ambitious and want to expand your knowledge and career, it's time to go.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * You try to make contributions and come up with ideas to improve the work or work environment, but your ideas are never implemented. Worse, they go into a dark hole and you never hear a response to your suggestions at all. Staying in a work environment that fails to respond to employee suggestions will eventually make you question the value of your suggestions. Any environment that promotes you questioning your value or your contribution is toxic to your self-esteem and self-confidence. Find a more supportive work environment.<br />
<br />
You want to live your life as if the glass is half full, not half empty, so consider each of these described situations carefully. Are you settling for less than you can have or be? If so, you may want to consider other options.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Are you miserable at work? Do you never feel good about getting up and heading to work on Monday? Do you feel unchallenged, unhappy, or not in control? Is your boss the worst? Do your coworkers engage in unjustifiable complaining all day long? Is no contribution ever good enough? If you continue to participate in any of these situations, you will ensure that you will continue to hate your job. And, hating your job is the centerpiece for a miserable life. Why go there?<br />
<br />
    * Participate in the conversations of or hang out with people who are always finding fault with the company, the management, the customers, their coworkers, and more. Legitimate concerns, that are actually addressed aside, If you wallow in misery and unhappiness, and listen to unhappy, difficult people, it cannot help but bring you down. Unhappiness and criticism are contagious. Move on to avoid catching the bug.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Stay in a job that is unchallenging, unexciting, and unrewarding. Day after day, year after year, you are numbing your mind and your heart with work that doesn't fulfill you. You have options. See a career counselor at your local community college, technical school, or adult education program. Find out about other job opportunities; find ways to use your current skill set differently, and take tests and talk with the counselor to identify work you might find more exciting. If you are a college grad, keep in mind that your college career services office may be able to help you, regardless of when you graduated.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Fail to take responsibility for your own development. You can wait forever for a non-communicative boss to give you feedback about areas to improve and your personal and professional growth and development. In fact, in some organizations, you can wait years for a performance appraisal or performance feedback. Why wait on someone else? Why not take responsibility yourself? No one will ever care as much about your personal and professional growth and development as you do. And, no one else has as much to gain from continued growth.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Continue working for a bad boss. Bad bosses, whether abdicators of responsibility, or just plain nasty acting people, rarely change without some life transforming event occurring. The event may happen, but how long are you willing to wait around complaining about how unhappy you are at work?<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Work for a company that has business practices you disrespect. Work for a company that lies to customers? Makes promises to employees that are never kept? Bail as quickly as you can. The culture that enables those practices is a tough one to change - if any of the leaders even want to change the culture. Since executives and the founder largely drive the culture, don't hold your breath. There are better, more ethical, companies where you can seek employment.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Work in a company that is constantly in danger of going under. I'm not suggesting that you leave a good company that is experiencing temporary woes. But, a company that is constantly operating near bankruptcy can wear out your optimism and enthusiasm. This is especially true if you are not in a position to have a large impact on the company's budgeting, spending, or financial performance.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Stay in a job in which you feel stuck. There are many reasons why you may feel stuck. Your company is small and there is nowhere to go. You've been passed over for promotion because of a lack of education, experience, or mentoring opportunities. You've sought additional responsibilities and an expanded job to no avail. You've talked with your boss and the problems appear to be insurmountable. If you are ambitious and want to expand your knowledge and career, it's time to go.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * You try to make contributions and come up with ideas to improve the work or work environment, but your ideas are never implemented. Worse, they go into a dark hole and you never hear a response to your suggestions at all. Staying in a work environment that fails to respond to employee suggestions will eventually make you question the value of your suggestions. Any environment that promotes you questioning your value or your contribution is toxic to your self-esteem and self-confidence. Find a more supportive work environment.<br />
<br />
You want to live your life as if the glass is half full, not half empty, so consider each of these described situations carefully. Are you settling for less than you can have or be? If so, you may want to consider other options.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[How to Deal With a Negative Coworker: Negativity Matters]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-28.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:12:18 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-28.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Some people exude negativity. They don’t like their jobs or they don’t like their company. Their bosses are always jerks and they are always treated unfairly. The company is always going down the tube and customers are worthless. You know these negative Neds and Nellies – every organization has some – and you can best address their impact on you via avoidance.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, sometimes normally positive people are negative. Some of the time, too, their reasons for negativity are legitimate. You will take a completely different tack with these occasionally negative people. We’ll deal with both of these varieties of negativity from people.<br />
Tips for Dealing With Occasional Negativity<br />
<br />
    * Listen to the employee or coworker’s complaints until you are certain that they feel heard out and listened to. Sometimes people repeat negative sentiments over and over because they don’t feel like you have really listened to them. Ask questions. Clarify their statements. Make sure you have actively listened.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Decide if you believe the employee or coworker has legitimate reasons for their negativity. If you decide affirmatively, ask if they’d like your help to solve the problem. If they ask for help, provide advice or ideas for how the coworker can address the reason for their negativity.<br />
<br />
      Short term advice that points a person in a positive direction is welcome. But, your role is not to provide therapy or counseling. Nor, is your role to provide comprehensive career advice or long term recommendations. Point the coworker to helpful books, seminars, or the Human Resources Department to solve their problem. Know your limits when advising coworkers.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Sometimes, the coworker just wants to complain to a friendly, listening ear; they don’t want your advice or assistance to address the situation. Listen, but set limits so the coworker does not overstay or over-talk his or her welcome. Long term complaining saps your energy and positive outlook. Don’t allow that to happen. Walk away. Tell the coworker you’d prefer to move on to more positive subjects.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * If you listen to the coworker’s negativity, and decide the concerns are not legitimate, practice personal courage and tell them what you think. Tell the coworker you care about their concern and about their happiness at work, but you disagree with their assessment of the situation.<br />
<br />
      Back gracefully out of additional conversations. The coworker will attempt to appeal to your sympathetic nature, but if you believe the negativity is unwarranted, don’t spend your time listening or helping the coworker to address the negative feelings. You will only encourage long term and growing negative feelings and, potentially, behavior. You will set yourself up as a negativity magnet. Constant negative interactions will eventually permeate your interaction with your workplace.<br />
<br />
Tips for Dealing With Negative Coworkers<br />
<br />
Deal with genuinely negative people by spending as little time with them as possible. Just as you set limits with the coworkers whose negativity you believe is baseless or unwarranted, you need to set limits with genuinely negative people.<br />
<br />
Causes of their long term negativity are not your concern. Every negative person has a story. Don’t impact your positive outlook by listening to the stories, or reviewing the history and the background about the grievances purported to cause the negativity. You reinforce the negativity; negativity is a choice. Negativity mongers need a new job, a new company, a new career, a new outlook, or counseling. They don’t need you.<br />
<br />
Deal with negative coworkers in these ways.<br />
<br />
    * Avoid spending time with a negative coworker.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * If you are forced, through your role in the company, to work with a negative person, set limits. Do not allow yourself to be drawn into negative discussions. Tell the negative coworker, you prefer to think about your job positively. Avoid providing a sympathetic audience for the negativity.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Suggest the negative person seek assistance from human resources or their supervisor.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * If all else fails, talk to your own supervisor or human resources staff about the challenges you are experiencing in dealing with the negative person. Your supervisor may have ideas, may be willing to address the negativity, and may address the issue with the negative person’s supervisor. Persistent negativity, that impacts coworkers’ work is a work behavior that may require disciplinary action.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * If negativity among employees in your company is persistent, if the issues that warrant negativity are left unaddressed, and the negativity affects your ability to professionally perform your work, you may want to consider moving on. Your current culture will not support your desired work environment. And, if no one is working to improve a work culture that enables negativity, don’t expect the culture to change any time soon.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Some people exude negativity. They don’t like their jobs or they don’t like their company. Their bosses are always jerks and they are always treated unfairly. The company is always going down the tube and customers are worthless. You know these negative Neds and Nellies – every organization has some – and you can best address their impact on you via avoidance.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, sometimes normally positive people are negative. Some of the time, too, their reasons for negativity are legitimate. You will take a completely different tack with these occasionally negative people. We’ll deal with both of these varieties of negativity from people.<br />
Tips for Dealing With Occasional Negativity<br />
<br />
    * Listen to the employee or coworker’s complaints until you are certain that they feel heard out and listened to. Sometimes people repeat negative sentiments over and over because they don’t feel like you have really listened to them. Ask questions. Clarify their statements. Make sure you have actively listened.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Decide if you believe the employee or coworker has legitimate reasons for their negativity. If you decide affirmatively, ask if they’d like your help to solve the problem. If they ask for help, provide advice or ideas for how the coworker can address the reason for their negativity.<br />
<br />
      Short term advice that points a person in a positive direction is welcome. But, your role is not to provide therapy or counseling. Nor, is your role to provide comprehensive career advice or long term recommendations. Point the coworker to helpful books, seminars, or the Human Resources Department to solve their problem. Know your limits when advising coworkers.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Sometimes, the coworker just wants to complain to a friendly, listening ear; they don’t want your advice or assistance to address the situation. Listen, but set limits so the coworker does not overstay or over-talk his or her welcome. Long term complaining saps your energy and positive outlook. Don’t allow that to happen. Walk away. Tell the coworker you’d prefer to move on to more positive subjects.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * If you listen to the coworker’s negativity, and decide the concerns are not legitimate, practice personal courage and tell them what you think. Tell the coworker you care about their concern and about their happiness at work, but you disagree with their assessment of the situation.<br />
<br />
      Back gracefully out of additional conversations. The coworker will attempt to appeal to your sympathetic nature, but if you believe the negativity is unwarranted, don’t spend your time listening or helping the coworker to address the negative feelings. You will only encourage long term and growing negative feelings and, potentially, behavior. You will set yourself up as a negativity magnet. Constant negative interactions will eventually permeate your interaction with your workplace.<br />
<br />
Tips for Dealing With Negative Coworkers<br />
<br />
Deal with genuinely negative people by spending as little time with them as possible. Just as you set limits with the coworkers whose negativity you believe is baseless or unwarranted, you need to set limits with genuinely negative people.<br />
<br />
Causes of their long term negativity are not your concern. Every negative person has a story. Don’t impact your positive outlook by listening to the stories, or reviewing the history and the background about the grievances purported to cause the negativity. You reinforce the negativity; negativity is a choice. Negativity mongers need a new job, a new company, a new career, a new outlook, or counseling. They don’t need you.<br />
<br />
Deal with negative coworkers in these ways.<br />
<br />
    * Avoid spending time with a negative coworker.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * If you are forced, through your role in the company, to work with a negative person, set limits. Do not allow yourself to be drawn into negative discussions. Tell the negative coworker, you prefer to think about your job positively. Avoid providing a sympathetic audience for the negativity.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * Suggest the negative person seek assistance from human resources or their supervisor.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * If all else fails, talk to your own supervisor or human resources staff about the challenges you are experiencing in dealing with the negative person. Your supervisor may have ideas, may be willing to address the negativity, and may address the issue with the negative person’s supervisor. Persistent negativity, that impacts coworkers’ work is a work behavior that may require disciplinary action.<br />
<br />
<br />
    * If negativity among employees in your company is persistent, if the issues that warrant negativity are left unaddressed, and the negativity affects your ability to professionally perform your work, you may want to consider moving on. Your current culture will not support your desired work environment. And, if no one is working to improve a work culture that enables negativity, don’t expect the culture to change any time soon.]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[More Resume Writing Tips]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-27.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:10:30 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-27.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[When you are ready to step into the professional world, one thing becomes your mirror, in which every employer see you and gets to know about you. This mirror is known as resume. Writing resume is an art and tips for writing an effective resume are indeed too essential for you.<br />
<br />
A resume is a very important document which plays a major role in letting the employer decide whether he will hire you or not. Your resume tells him about your profile which includes your experience, objectives, interests and capabilities. A professional employer, on an average, spends about 20 seconds scanning your resume. In those 20 seconds he takes his decision whether he should call you for the interview or not. So it becomes important for you to carefully design your resume to create the big first impression.<br />
<br />
There are some essential things that you must cover in your resume with utmost rationalization and logic. Perfect resume writing consists of 5 essential components:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Career Objective<br />
Work Experience<br />
Education<br />
Additional Information<br />
Personal Details</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Career Objective</span><br />
Career objective acts as a window which illustrates your professional goals and where you would like to see yourself in the years to come. Career objective also explains how you would like to develop and hone your skills.<br />
<br />
Your career objective should be based on the realistic goals and logic. It should not be full of subjectivity as you want to succeed or grow. There should be an element of concrete basis and belief about what you exactly want to do in life.<br />
<br />
Your career objective provides the perfect opportunity for you as the employer can analyze your determination and attitude via your career objective. A little creativity and logic can lead you to create a good and professional career objective.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Work Experience</span><br />
This section is the most important component of your resume. The section describes your accomplishments and work experience in the field you are applying. This section also includes the work experience that you have in different fields as well.<br />
<br />
Your work experience provides the employer with the information related to your worth. Your work experience let him know that you are an experienced person and capable of doing things. In the work experience if you mention your projects and role played by you in achieving them, it would further enhance the image of your capabilities in the employer’s eyes.<br />
<br />
Your work experience should be lined up in a reverse chronological order. It should include all the necessary description of the company you worked for, your job title and job role and your projects in each company. You should order your work experience in accord with the type of job. You should edit all the unnecessary information from the work experience.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Education</span><br />
This section involves your educational background. Some employers are typical about certain educational levels like bachelor’s or masters. You should write your education level in a right sequence, starting with the recent educational level on the top and the lowest in the end.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Additional Information</span><br />
Additional information refers to description of your achievements in extra curricular activities, your interests and key strengths. This section enables the employer to know your abilities and talents. The description should be kept precise and to the point. It should not look like self boasting, but should seem like representation of the facts.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Personal Details</span><br />
This section should be included last in your resume. This section mainly deals with your personal details such as: Father’s name<br />
Date of birth<br />
Sex<br />
Address<br />
Phone number<br />
Martial status<br />
<br />
Resume writing is an art. A good resume enhances your chances of being selected where you want to work.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[When you are ready to step into the professional world, one thing becomes your mirror, in which every employer see you and gets to know about you. This mirror is known as resume. Writing resume is an art and tips for writing an effective resume are indeed too essential for you.<br />
<br />
A resume is a very important document which plays a major role in letting the employer decide whether he will hire you or not. Your resume tells him about your profile which includes your experience, objectives, interests and capabilities. A professional employer, on an average, spends about 20 seconds scanning your resume. In those 20 seconds he takes his decision whether he should call you for the interview or not. So it becomes important for you to carefully design your resume to create the big first impression.<br />
<br />
There are some essential things that you must cover in your resume with utmost rationalization and logic. Perfect resume writing consists of 5 essential components:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Career Objective<br />
Work Experience<br />
Education<br />
Additional Information<br />
Personal Details</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Career Objective</span><br />
Career objective acts as a window which illustrates your professional goals and where you would like to see yourself in the years to come. Career objective also explains how you would like to develop and hone your skills.<br />
<br />
Your career objective should be based on the realistic goals and logic. It should not be full of subjectivity as you want to succeed or grow. There should be an element of concrete basis and belief about what you exactly want to do in life.<br />
<br />
Your career objective provides the perfect opportunity for you as the employer can analyze your determination and attitude via your career objective. A little creativity and logic can lead you to create a good and professional career objective.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Work Experience</span><br />
This section is the most important component of your resume. The section describes your accomplishments and work experience in the field you are applying. This section also includes the work experience that you have in different fields as well.<br />
<br />
Your work experience provides the employer with the information related to your worth. Your work experience let him know that you are an experienced person and capable of doing things. In the work experience if you mention your projects and role played by you in achieving them, it would further enhance the image of your capabilities in the employer’s eyes.<br />
<br />
Your work experience should be lined up in a reverse chronological order. It should include all the necessary description of the company you worked for, your job title and job role and your projects in each company. You should order your work experience in accord with the type of job. You should edit all the unnecessary information from the work experience.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Education</span><br />
This section involves your educational background. Some employers are typical about certain educational levels like bachelor’s or masters. You should write your education level in a right sequence, starting with the recent educational level on the top and the lowest in the end.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Additional Information</span><br />
Additional information refers to description of your achievements in extra curricular activities, your interests and key strengths. This section enables the employer to know your abilities and talents. The description should be kept precise and to the point. It should not look like self boasting, but should seem like representation of the facts.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Personal Details</span><br />
This section should be included last in your resume. This section mainly deals with your personal details such as: Father’s name<br />
Date of birth<br />
Sex<br />
Address<br />
Phone number<br />
Martial status<br />
<br />
Resume writing is an art. A good resume enhances your chances of being selected where you want to work.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Resume Writing - 3]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-26.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:08:45 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-26.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Resume writing is possibly the biggest stumbling block for folks who are looking for a job. While it may seem simple, there are allot of subtle things that really matter. Potential employers are flooded with resumes in response to their job postings, and you only have a few short moments to make it or your resume will end up in the trash. So, how do you optimize your resume to make it likely to get read? Here are 3 great tips to get you started.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Be Comprehensive, yet Succinct.</span><br />
<br />
While your resume should contain a detailed account of your qualifications and accomplishments, you need to keep on topic specific to the job you are applying for. If you are applying for a position as an office manager, for example, you don't need to include references to your stint as a rodeo clown. The prospective employer will likely be interested only in the skills and work experience that relates directly to the position they are trying to fill. Give them what they are looking for. Take a thorough account of your work history and skill set and choose to highlight what is relevant, and eliminate or downplay the items that are irrelevant. This strategy of niche resume writing keeps your resume focused and gives you the advantage of appearing to be the most qualified candidate for the job.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Your Resume Should be Formatted Nicely</span><br />
<br />
Kooky fonts and such may be okay for personal communications, but your resume should be more "standardized". You want it to appear as neat and tidy as... well, yourself, right? A typewritten resume using standard fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial on high quality plain white paper will be a winner every time. You also need to pay close attention to your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Nothing would be more embarrassing than a resume with typos, grammatical errors, and misspellings. Not only embarrassing, but presenting a resume with errors will not impress potential employers and will likely land your resume in the trash can. Don't rely on computer based spelling and grammar checks. Check it yourself, and if possible, get someone else to check it for you as well. Also be wary of the reformatting that sometimes happens when you upload your resume to an Internet based resume submission service. Allot of times, you will loose your careful formatting only to find it replaced with the wrong margin, strange fonts and worse. Before you send it, check it!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Show Enthusiasm</span><br />
<br />
Your resume and cover letter should not be something that you write begrudgingly. You are excited about the job you are applying for, correct? Well, then show it! Your excitement will come across in your resume and cover letter and will impress perspective employers. Whenever it makes sense to, use action words to describe your career history and goals.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Resume writing is possibly the biggest stumbling block for folks who are looking for a job. While it may seem simple, there are allot of subtle things that really matter. Potential employers are flooded with resumes in response to their job postings, and you only have a few short moments to make it or your resume will end up in the trash. So, how do you optimize your resume to make it likely to get read? Here are 3 great tips to get you started.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Be Comprehensive, yet Succinct.</span><br />
<br />
While your resume should contain a detailed account of your qualifications and accomplishments, you need to keep on topic specific to the job you are applying for. If you are applying for a position as an office manager, for example, you don't need to include references to your stint as a rodeo clown. The prospective employer will likely be interested only in the skills and work experience that relates directly to the position they are trying to fill. Give them what they are looking for. Take a thorough account of your work history and skill set and choose to highlight what is relevant, and eliminate or downplay the items that are irrelevant. This strategy of niche resume writing keeps your resume focused and gives you the advantage of appearing to be the most qualified candidate for the job.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Your Resume Should be Formatted Nicely</span><br />
<br />
Kooky fonts and such may be okay for personal communications, but your resume should be more "standardized". You want it to appear as neat and tidy as... well, yourself, right? A typewritten resume using standard fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial on high quality plain white paper will be a winner every time. You also need to pay close attention to your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Nothing would be more embarrassing than a resume with typos, grammatical errors, and misspellings. Not only embarrassing, but presenting a resume with errors will not impress potential employers and will likely land your resume in the trash can. Don't rely on computer based spelling and grammar checks. Check it yourself, and if possible, get someone else to check it for you as well. Also be wary of the reformatting that sometimes happens when you upload your resume to an Internet based resume submission service. Allot of times, you will loose your careful formatting only to find it replaced with the wrong margin, strange fonts and worse. Before you send it, check it!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Show Enthusiasm</span><br />
<br />
Your resume and cover letter should not be something that you write begrudgingly. You are excited about the job you are applying for, correct? Well, then show it! Your excitement will come across in your resume and cover letter and will impress perspective employers. Whenever it makes sense to, use action words to describe your career history and goals.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[If Your Resume Is The Cake, Your Cover Letter Is The Icing]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-25.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:07:27 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-25.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Cover letter writing is almost as important a skill for a job seeker to learn as resume writing. The cover letter accompanies the resume at all times as the primary support document. Whether you use traditional mail, email, faxing, or another type of electronic submission, this should always be sent with the resume. There are, of course, other tools you’ll use when job seeking. Your cover letter and resume come first of course, followed by follow-up letters, thank-you letters for after the interview, reference sheets, salary histories, and job acceptance letters. If you have good cover letter writing skills, and good resume writing skills, the other written tools should be a snap to compose.<br />
<br />
Your goal in this is to get the attention of the hiring manager, just as it is with resume writing. The method and format are a little different however. Your resume will cover all, or most of your professional career, and will be from one to two pages. Your cover letter will be a very brief page serving as an introduction to the resume. Cover letter writing style must be direct, to the point, and able to grab the attention of the reader quickly, with a goal of making the reader want to read the attached resume.<br />
<br />
Many people, when engaged in this type of writing, have a tendency to say too much. Good cover letter writing is short and punchy, and will take two or three key points from the resume and emphasize them. The old adage “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them” holds true in both resume writing and cover letter writing.<br />
<br />
As an example, let’s assume that you are a materials handling manager for a defense contractor, seeking another position. In your line of work the buzz words are MRP, lean manufacturing, ISO 9000, and cost savings. Your writing efforts should reflect these buzz words to show your value to your current employer and any future employers. Your resume will go into more detail about how you accomplished these goals. The cover letter will simply point out to the hiring manager that you accomplished them. An example of this would be two bulleted paragraphs in the body of the letter that say….<br />
<br />
• Experienced in quality assurance and quality control, MRP, ISO 9000, QS 9000, and Lean Manufacturing.<br />
<br />
• Demonstrated results in saving significant money for employers through cost savings, inventory level reductions, and on-time supplier delivery.<br />
<br />
The hiring manager, according to many surveys, devotes only about fifteen seconds to each resume and cover letter he or she reviews. With that in mind your writing skills need to be top notch to get this person to look at your resume. Your resume writing skills need to be just as good to get the reader to want to grant you an interview. In turn, your interviewing skills need to be excellent to get the hiring manager to offer you the position. This long, and hopefully positive chain of events begins with good cover letter writing skills and ends with job satisfaction and a nice paycheck.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Cover letter writing is almost as important a skill for a job seeker to learn as resume writing. The cover letter accompanies the resume at all times as the primary support document. Whether you use traditional mail, email, faxing, or another type of electronic submission, this should always be sent with the resume. There are, of course, other tools you’ll use when job seeking. Your cover letter and resume come first of course, followed by follow-up letters, thank-you letters for after the interview, reference sheets, salary histories, and job acceptance letters. If you have good cover letter writing skills, and good resume writing skills, the other written tools should be a snap to compose.<br />
<br />
Your goal in this is to get the attention of the hiring manager, just as it is with resume writing. The method and format are a little different however. Your resume will cover all, or most of your professional career, and will be from one to two pages. Your cover letter will be a very brief page serving as an introduction to the resume. Cover letter writing style must be direct, to the point, and able to grab the attention of the reader quickly, with a goal of making the reader want to read the attached resume.<br />
<br />
Many people, when engaged in this type of writing, have a tendency to say too much. Good cover letter writing is short and punchy, and will take two or three key points from the resume and emphasize them. The old adage “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them” holds true in both resume writing and cover letter writing.<br />
<br />
As an example, let’s assume that you are a materials handling manager for a defense contractor, seeking another position. In your line of work the buzz words are MRP, lean manufacturing, ISO 9000, and cost savings. Your writing efforts should reflect these buzz words to show your value to your current employer and any future employers. Your resume will go into more detail about how you accomplished these goals. The cover letter will simply point out to the hiring manager that you accomplished them. An example of this would be two bulleted paragraphs in the body of the letter that say….<br />
<br />
• Experienced in quality assurance and quality control, MRP, ISO 9000, QS 9000, and Lean Manufacturing.<br />
<br />
• Demonstrated results in saving significant money for employers through cost savings, inventory level reductions, and on-time supplier delivery.<br />
<br />
The hiring manager, according to many surveys, devotes only about fifteen seconds to each resume and cover letter he or she reviews. With that in mind your writing skills need to be top notch to get this person to look at your resume. Your resume writing skills need to be just as good to get the reader to want to grant you an interview. In turn, your interviewing skills need to be excellent to get the hiring manager to offer you the position. This long, and hopefully positive chain of events begins with good cover letter writing skills and ends with job satisfaction and a nice paycheck.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Five Sure-Fire Tips For Writing A Winning Resume]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-24.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:06:41 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-24.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Resume writing can be a real task for anyone, even if you have several years of experience in your job. Resume writing is in part an art, but mainly it is a science that plays upon the psyche of the reader. Leaving your resume written unscientifically will jeopardize your job prospects. There are many professional resume writing services available both on the Internet and probably in your town. But if you want to do it yourself, here are the sure-fire tips that will definitely make your resume better:<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Five Tips to Write Your Resume</span><br />
<br />
1. Plan your resume to target the industry in general and the interviewer in particular. Doing this quickly brings the focus to:<br />
<br />
a. Your Qualifications Summary: Be practical with this part; avoid making goal statements because they may be out of line with a particular company’s positional standpoint. Also, don’t get your personal goals and qualifications mixed up; this section is about your qualifications, it should stay away from any statement about your personal goals. This may seem obvious, but it is a mistake that is often made.<br />
<br />
b. The Goal Statement: This is the section for your statement on the goals you want to achieve. Here again, avoid mistakes like ‘… to serve the organization as long as possible and grow to greater heights’. The reality is, your employment’s longevity is riddled with many practicalities and ever-changing market dynamics.<br />
<br />
c. Your Salary Expectations: Your resume is not the place to have this discussion. Unless, of course, you want to torpedo your chances of either getting the job or getting a higher salary. Leave this section for oral negotiation.<br />
<br />
2. Never write vague descriptions like ‘10 years experience in store management’. Instead, explain what and how you did in stores. A chemical store and an engineering materials store differ hugely in functionality. A description that applies to the former will not to the latter. Just like you were selling something (and you are!), it is better to be specific. Apply this principle to your specific career.<br />
<br />
3. Your experiences are not true testimonies of your abilities until you make them link together. How do you do this? By highlighting verifiable and practical justifications. What you talk about in the interview must match the highlighted strengths on your resume. If they do not, you’ll just raise red flags.<br />
<br />
4. Letting typos, grammar errors creep in suggests an unorganized character and uneducated behavior. It might not be fair, but that’s the way it is. Since your resume is in fact, your advocate, you must get the most mileage out of it by having it edited or proofread by others, if you can’t do it yourself for some reason. Do it twice or three times if necessary, but get the job done to perfection.<br />
<br />
5. If you are a fresh grad, a new set of rules apply to you. As you can’t possibly be show extensive work experience, you need to highlight your educational achievements and extracurricular activities, in place of the experience and accomplishment sections. You can use this to your advantage by reflecting on your leadership skills- for example, if you were a football team captain, organizational skills and accomplishments- or if you were an editor of your school magazine, your meticulous attention to detail.<br />
<br />
The way you write your resume can either make or break your job candidacy. Also, if your resume will be posted on the Internet on some of the popular job boards, this means that it will be visible by nearly everyone. Not writing your resume properly, then, has the potential to sink your job prospects entirely. Don’t let this happen to you.<br />
<br />
By following the resume writing tips above, you will position yourself as a strong candidate and make your resume stand out from the crowd.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Resume writing can be a real task for anyone, even if you have several years of experience in your job. Resume writing is in part an art, but mainly it is a science that plays upon the psyche of the reader. Leaving your resume written unscientifically will jeopardize your job prospects. There are many professional resume writing services available both on the Internet and probably in your town. But if you want to do it yourself, here are the sure-fire tips that will definitely make your resume better:<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Five Tips to Write Your Resume</span><br />
<br />
1. Plan your resume to target the industry in general and the interviewer in particular. Doing this quickly brings the focus to:<br />
<br />
a. Your Qualifications Summary: Be practical with this part; avoid making goal statements because they may be out of line with a particular company’s positional standpoint. Also, don’t get your personal goals and qualifications mixed up; this section is about your qualifications, it should stay away from any statement about your personal goals. This may seem obvious, but it is a mistake that is often made.<br />
<br />
b. The Goal Statement: This is the section for your statement on the goals you want to achieve. Here again, avoid mistakes like ‘… to serve the organization as long as possible and grow to greater heights’. The reality is, your employment’s longevity is riddled with many practicalities and ever-changing market dynamics.<br />
<br />
c. Your Salary Expectations: Your resume is not the place to have this discussion. Unless, of course, you want to torpedo your chances of either getting the job or getting a higher salary. Leave this section for oral negotiation.<br />
<br />
2. Never write vague descriptions like ‘10 years experience in store management’. Instead, explain what and how you did in stores. A chemical store and an engineering materials store differ hugely in functionality. A description that applies to the former will not to the latter. Just like you were selling something (and you are!), it is better to be specific. Apply this principle to your specific career.<br />
<br />
3. Your experiences are not true testimonies of your abilities until you make them link together. How do you do this? By highlighting verifiable and practical justifications. What you talk about in the interview must match the highlighted strengths on your resume. If they do not, you’ll just raise red flags.<br />
<br />
4. Letting typos, grammar errors creep in suggests an unorganized character and uneducated behavior. It might not be fair, but that’s the way it is. Since your resume is in fact, your advocate, you must get the most mileage out of it by having it edited or proofread by others, if you can’t do it yourself for some reason. Do it twice or three times if necessary, but get the job done to perfection.<br />
<br />
5. If you are a fresh grad, a new set of rules apply to you. As you can’t possibly be show extensive work experience, you need to highlight your educational achievements and extracurricular activities, in place of the experience and accomplishment sections. You can use this to your advantage by reflecting on your leadership skills- for example, if you were a football team captain, organizational skills and accomplishments- or if you were an editor of your school magazine, your meticulous attention to detail.<br />
<br />
The way you write your resume can either make or break your job candidacy. Also, if your resume will be posted on the Internet on some of the popular job boards, this means that it will be visible by nearly everyone. Not writing your resume properly, then, has the potential to sink your job prospects entirely. Don’t let this happen to you.<br />
<br />
By following the resume writing tips above, you will position yourself as a strong candidate and make your resume stand out from the crowd.]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Writing A Great Resume!]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-23.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:05:34 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-23.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[If you are looking for a job, then it is very important that you understand how to offer yourself in the best way to an employer.<br />
<br />
This is done by writing a 'CV' (curriculum vitae - Latin for 'life story'), called in some countries a 'resume'.<br />
<br />
Different countries may have different requirements and styles for CV resumes. So you must follow the correct practice for your culture and country.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What IS a resume?</span><br />
A Resume is a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview. It's not an official personnel document. It's not a job application. It's not a career obituary! And it's not a confessional.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What Contents within the Resume?</span><br />
It's not just about past jobs! It's about YOU, and how you performed and what you accomplished in those past jobs--especially those accomplishments that are most relevant to the work you want to do next. A good resume predicts how you might perform in that desired future job.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What is the fastest way to improve a resume?</span><br />
Remove everything that starts with responsibilities included and replace it with on-the-job accomplishments.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Most common resume mistake made by job hunters!</span><br />
Leaving out their Job Objective! If you don't show a sense of direction, employers won't be interested. Having a clearly stated goal doesn't have to confine you if it's stated well.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What's the first step in writing a resume?</span><br />
Decide on a job target (or job objective) that can be stated in about 5 or 6 words. Anything beyond that is probably fluff and indicates a lack of clarity and direction.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chronological resume or a Functional one?</span><br />
The Chronological format is widely preferred by employers, and works well if you're staying in the same field (especially if you've been upwardly-mobile). Only use a Functional format if you're changing fields, and you're sure a skills-oriented format would show off your transferable skills to better advantage; and be sure to include a clear chronological work history!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What if you don't have any experience in the kind of work you want to do?</span> Get some! Find a place that will let you do some volunteer work right away. You only need a brief, concentrated period of volunteer training (for example, 1 day a week for a month) to have at least SOME experience to put on your resume. Also, look at some of the volunteer work you've done in the past and see if any of that helps document some skills you'll need for your new job.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[If you are looking for a job, then it is very important that you understand how to offer yourself in the best way to an employer.<br />
<br />
This is done by writing a 'CV' (curriculum vitae - Latin for 'life story'), called in some countries a 'resume'.<br />
<br />
Different countries may have different requirements and styles for CV resumes. So you must follow the correct practice for your culture and country.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What IS a resume?</span><br />
A Resume is a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview. It's not an official personnel document. It's not a job application. It's not a career obituary! And it's not a confessional.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What Contents within the Resume?</span><br />
It's not just about past jobs! It's about YOU, and how you performed and what you accomplished in those past jobs--especially those accomplishments that are most relevant to the work you want to do next. A good resume predicts how you might perform in that desired future job.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What is the fastest way to improve a resume?</span><br />
Remove everything that starts with responsibilities included and replace it with on-the-job accomplishments.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Most common resume mistake made by job hunters!</span><br />
Leaving out their Job Objective! If you don't show a sense of direction, employers won't be interested. Having a clearly stated goal doesn't have to confine you if it's stated well.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What's the first step in writing a resume?</span><br />
Decide on a job target (or job objective) that can be stated in about 5 or 6 words. Anything beyond that is probably fluff and indicates a lack of clarity and direction.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chronological resume or a Functional one?</span><br />
The Chronological format is widely preferred by employers, and works well if you're staying in the same field (especially if you've been upwardly-mobile). Only use a Functional format if you're changing fields, and you're sure a skills-oriented format would show off your transferable skills to better advantage; and be sure to include a clear chronological work history!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What if you don't have any experience in the kind of work you want to do?</span> Get some! Find a place that will let you do some volunteer work right away. You only need a brief, concentrated period of volunteer training (for example, 1 day a week for a month) to have at least SOME experience to put on your resume. Also, look at some of the volunteer work you've done in the past and see if any of that helps document some skills you'll need for your new job.]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[How teens can find Seasonal Jobs.]]></title>
			<link>http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-22.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:03:11 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.myopenuniversity.com/forum/thread-22.html</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Seasonal jobs are a boon for the teenagers who constantly seek avenues to earn some pocket money. These seasonal jobs are good, pay higher than the regular jobs and they teach you many things not only professionally but also on a personal level. While you are at it, there is a good chance that you may like to make this job a permanent fixture in your life. It is good to think like that because that makes you dedicated to the job that you are doing ' and that is the key to be successful.<br />
<br />
But let us tackle first things first. How do you land seasonal jobs first of all? You need to be sharp for this. First of all do your homework. A week or two before the season make thorough round in your neighborhood checking out the possibility of the seasonal vacancy needed. The people with whom you will be in touch will be surprised and impressed at the pains you are taking to land the job. This itself shows that you a serious worker and an achiever.<br />
<br />
Be prepared to be interviewed on the spot for the seasonal jobs' so practice before you go on this errand on routine questions that people would ask when they would want to engage you, such as your school rank, your skills, your experience, your free time and be sure to know at least two or three people whose names you can refer for checking your credentials. Avoid naming your relatives. The school principal, teacher of ex-employers is good choices for this, as seasonal jobs require.<br />
<br />
Nine out of ten you will land a job much before the season starts with this approach. But let us think you could not do this and the season is here ' you want seasonal jobs then you check out the local classifieds, roam around your neighborhood where the seasonal influx of people demand more effort and check the places out. You may go prepared with a resume which has all the information required for the employer, but you can also be ready for the spot run over. Seasonal jobs are sometimes easier to land than the regular ones.<br />
<br />
For seasonal jobs another good place to look is your own school - many schools now tie up with locals to promote summer/ seasonal jobs for the school children. If they do not have this facility, then try the local placement agencies.<br />
<br />
Once you have one of the seasonal jobs available ' and you plan to convert it to a permanent one ' you ensure that you become indispensable. How do you do that? Easy ' with an exceptionally positive attitude. The following points will help you:<br />
<br />
    * Do your job jealously without being prodded from the back.<br />
    <br />
     * Learn quickly and behave independently (do not ask for each and everything as this can be very tedious).<br />
    <br />
     * Always come up with solutions not problems.<br />
    <br />
     * Do not gossip or idle around; in case you have free time volunteer to help somewhere else ' and do it with a smile and genuine interest.<br />
    <br />
     * Do not be too money oriented (don't haggle too much on the wages).<br />
     <br />
     * Be responsible in your task and highly dependable.<br />
     <br />
     * Learn as much as you can<br />
<br />
All the best!   <img src="images/smilies/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align: middle;" border="0" alt="Tongue" title="Tongue" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Seasonal jobs are a boon for the teenagers who constantly seek avenues to earn some pocket money. These seasonal jobs are good, pay higher than the regular jobs and they teach you many things not only professionally but also on a personal level. While you are at it, there is a good chance that you may like to make this job a permanent fixture in your life. It is good to think like that because that makes you dedicated to the job that you are doing ' and that is the key to be successful.<br />
<br />
But let us tackle first things first. How do you land seasonal jobs first of all? You need to be sharp for this. First of all do your homework. A week or two before the season make thorough round in your neighborhood checking out the possibility of the seasonal vacancy needed. The people with whom you will be in touch will be surprised and impressed at the pains you are taking to land the job. This itself shows that you a serious worker and an achiever.<br />
<br />
Be prepared to be interviewed on the spot for the seasonal jobs' so practice before you go on this errand on routine questions that people would ask when they would want to engage you, such as your school rank, your skills, your experience, your free time and be sure to know at least two or three people whose names you can refer for checking your credentials. Avoid naming your relatives. The school principal, teacher of ex-employers is good choices for this, as seasonal jobs require.<br />
<br />
Nine out of ten you will land a job much before the season starts with this approach. But let us think you could not do this and the season is here ' you want seasonal jobs then you check out the local classifieds, roam around your neighborhood where the seasonal influx of people demand more effort and check the places out. You may go prepared with a resume which has all the information required for the employer, but you can also be ready for the spot run over. Seasonal jobs are sometimes easier to land than the regular ones.<br />
<br />
For seasonal jobs another good place to look is your own school - many schools now tie up with locals to promote summer/ seasonal jobs for the school children. If they do not have this facility, then try the local placement agencies.<br />
<br />
Once you have one of the seasonal jobs available ' and you plan to convert it to a permanent one ' you ensure that you become indispensable. How do you do that? Easy ' with an exceptionally positive attitude. The following points will help you:<br />
<br />
    * Do your job jealously without being prodded from the back.<br />
    <br />
     * Learn quickly and behave independently (do not ask for each and everything as this can be very tedious).<br />
    <br />
     * Always come up with solutions not problems.<br />
    <br />
     * Do not gossip or idle around; in case you have free time volunteer to help somewhere else ' and do it with a smile and genuine interest.<br />
    <br />
     * Do not be too money oriented (don't haggle too much on the wages).<br />
     <br />
     * Be responsible in your task and highly dependable.<br />
     <br />
     * Learn as much as you can<br />
<br />
All the best!   <img src="images/smilies/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align: middle;" border="0" alt="Tongue" title="Tongue" />]]></content:encoded>
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