OOBEY Guest Article: Tips For Attending a College Career Fair

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Introduction
A college career fair is an ideal way for soon-to-be college grads and students with an eye towards their post-college career to network with employers looking for the skills and education they're completing. Most colleges sponsor at least one major career fair each academic year, and proper preparation will be your best friend if you plan to attend one.

- Visit, call or email your school's career services department to ask about career fairs planned for your campus. Make a note of the dates and learn as much information as you can about the employers who are expected to take part.

- Make an appointment with a career counselor to learn more about the career opportunities available to graduates in your field of study. Figure out what employers you want to target when you attend the career fair. Ask your career counselor to offer further advice on how you can best represent yourself when meeting with prospective employers at the career fair.

- Attend a resume-building workshop, which are frequently available through your school's career services department. Use the tips you learn to create a resume that best represents the education and skills you've been mastering in college.

- Rehearse questions to ask each of the employers you're planning to meet. It's a mistake to think that employers should ask all the questions in an interview. Having questions of your own shows commitment to your career path and attention to detail.

- Dress professionally on the day of the career fair, and make sure your resume is error-free. Bring at least 20 copies with you to give to the company representatives you meet with.

- Make sure you have a polished, informative and professional self-introduction planned. The first thing you'll be asked by prospective employers is to tell them about yourself. Have your answer ready, and make it a good one that demonstrates your knowledge of their company and sets you apart from the rest of the field.

- Collect a business card from every prospective employer you speak with, and always follow up a day or two after your meeting. Thank them for meeting with you and tell them you are looking forward to discussing their company's career opportunities further.

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Basic Resume Writing Tips

10 Tips For Bagging That Raise

Mastering the Interview

3 Types of Bosses

True Job Search Blunders

Hate Your Job? 10 Ways to Cope

Be a Better Boss

Top 4 Biggest Career Mistakes You'll Ever Make

A while ago, I was asked to speak to a group of young, eager, and aggresive post-studies executives who have just landed their first jobs but still unsure about their future. I was asked to talk on someting about Career Planning and stuff like that.

During the session, I was asked a substantial amount of questions concerning what would be the 'wrong' steps to avoid while climbing the career ladder. As a summary, I noted these 4 biggest career mistakes they'll ever make:

1.Keeping a career in line with your education
This is the first that came to my mind. I have seen and counseled many people whom were in despair halfway through their career lives, saddened by the fact that they are stuck where there are because of a wrong decision made concerning their education many years back.

My simple advice is this - look at the successful career professionals around you. You will notice that the common thing about them is that they are mostly doing something which is not directly tied to their paper qualifications (except for thos in professional jobs e.g. lawyers, accountants).

Do not ever let your education (or lack of) tie you down. Work on the career you want.

2.Getting career advice from your parents (or relatives)
This, to me, is mistake NUMERO UNO. Most parents have no clue to what a good career is and many parents (though out of good intentions) still insist on advising their children what to do.

Question: If you want to be a successful Engineer, who do you ask - your parents or a successful Engineer? The answer is obvious. Take advice from professionals. Parents should only give general advice - study hard, work hard, be honest etc.

3.Changing jobs without long-term strategy in mind
This is simple. The 500 dollar increment from another company may look interesting but may also kill your career in the long run. Change jobs only when you are very very very very sure that it is a strategic step to your overall career plans.


4.Letting your Boss (or company) manage your career
Never forget this one. You are your own boss and your own master. Manage your own career. Invest in yourself. Don't cry if your company does not send you for training. Save some money and go for your own training.


If you can take care to avoid these "Top 4 Biggest Career Mistakes You'll Ever Make", then you are on your way to a satisfying career.

-TURD-

Guest Article: Make your PC search-friendly

From Monsters and Critics.com
Tech Features
By DPAOct 20, 2007, 11:53 GMT

Washington - With computers these days, it's all about search.
And there's a good reason: with mounds upon mounds of data on our hard drives, the primary obstacle we face is finding what we need when we need it.

The irony is that it's almost easier to find information online than it is to find it on our own PCs.
Thankfully, that's changing. New tools are going some way toward making our own hard drives as accessible as what we see online.

But to make your PC truly search friendly, you have to know how to optimise it for faster searching - and which tools can get you to the information you need the fastest.

--- The Vista approach
Comprehensive and ubiquitous hard drive searching may be the single best reason to upgrade to Vista if you're considering the move. Vista puts a search field almost everywhere - on the Start menu, in the Windows Explorer task bar, and even in many applications, including Media Player and Internet Explorer.

Microsoft calls this feature Instant Search. What makes it different from previous implementation of search in Windows is that Instant Search gives you results almost in real time.

Open the Start menu, for instance, type in the first few letters of a program or file you're looking for, and as you type a list of search results will present you will names of programs and files that Vista thinks you're seeking.

The secret behind Instant Search is a Vista's comprehensive indexing service that runs in the background almost from the time that you first install the operating system. Instant Search indexes not just the names of programs and files but the contents of files, e-mail messages, and visited Web pages on your hard drive.

It is, in essence, similar to an Internet search engine - and just about as effective. If you're looking, for instance, for an e-mail message you wrote in which you discussed zebras, you can go to any search prompt in Vista and type 'zebras,' and you should be presented with a link to that e-mail message.

--- Better searching in XP
Windows XP and earlier versions do not have the Instant Search feature found in Vista. Instead, XP users must initiate a search by using the Search option in the Start menu or by pressing the Windows key and tapping the latter F (for 'Find'). Searches take much longer this way than they do in Vista, and you must specify whether you're searching for file names or for contents within one or more files.

But Microsoft has made available its Windows Desktop Search (WDS) (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/desktopsearch) application to users of Windows XP, and with it, you can improve substantially the speed and accuracy with which you can find what you need. The latest version of WDS, 3.0.1, is designed to run under Windows XP SP2. Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP 64 bit.

Windows Desktop Search indexes the contents of your My Documents folder, any e-mail messages that you have in Outlook or Outlook Express, contacts, calendar entries, and tasks. You can change the default search locations to ensure that the tool catalogues the files and folders you need it to. WDS can search the contents of mapped network drives as well as your local hard drive.

--- Other search tools
Although thanks to Instant Search and Windows Desktop Search, Microsoft has an edge in search for Windows users, Google and Yahoo were in the desktop search game early - and they won over lots of fans. Google's Desktop Search (http://desktop.google.com) and Yahoo! Desktop Search (http://desktop.yahoo.com) are still top-notch tools, and they're available for more platforms, including Linux and the Mac. Both tools are free.

Google's Desktop Search tool, in fact, gives users what some feel are the best attributes of Vista - integrated search and a sidebar with gadgets - without the overhead imposed by Vista's Aero interface. What's more, Google Desktop Search has that familiar Googlish look and feel that has endeared millions of Internet users.

But it's the Yahoo! Desktop Search tool that arguably has made the greatest strides in usability. The latest iteration of Yahoo's Desktop Search tool shows you search results as you type, much as Vista's Instant Search does. Once indexed, searches generally occur instantaneously - or so quickly that results appear to be instantaneous.

The search tool goes farther than others to show you the contents of files as they were created. Yahoo! Desktop Search includes viewers for more than 400 file types, so that you can see documents that might be stored on your PC even if you no longer have the applications that created those documents installed.

Copernic, Inc., though, has been putting out products that do desktop search longer than just about anyone else. And the company's latest free product, Copernic Desktop Search 2, may have the best interface of them all. Copernic Desktop Search differs from the browser-based products of Yahoo and Google in that it comes as a standalone application. But its search capabilities are widely seen as some of the best around.

Gone are the days when an effective desktop search tool can be seen as an option. The good news is that there are plenty of free tools available to you, no matter which operating system you use. Find the one that's best for you, and get back the time you would have spent searching for information you know you've stored somewhere.

© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur © Copyright 2007 by monstersandcritics.com. This notice cannot be removed without permission.

7 Essential Management Skills for Career Survival

Two questions - Do you want a good career? Do you want a good career Fast or Slow?

If you answered positively to both questions, then you would want to carry on reading and find out the 7 Essential Management Skills you need for Career Survival.

Let us go back to the beginning: You want a Good Career fast? Well then, only PROFESSIONALS get to have a good career fast. BUT, Professionals have to pay a much higher price than semi-professionals and amateurs. So, do you want to be a Professional or Amateur?

OK, good. Since you are still reading I presume that you want to be a Professional in order to have a good career fast. What then are the 7 Essential Management Skills? Let us begin.

Firstly, are you interested in a Job or a Career? You have to learn how to differentiate the two. Check whatever you are doing now. If it's a job, you would have no interest in learning, no motivation to improve, no energy, no growth plans. If it's a career to you, you would be learning, always wanting to improve, lots of energy and have a firm growth plan. If what you are doing is a job to you, stop here. If it's a career to you, proceed.

The 7 Management Skills in summary are:

1. Managing your Job
2. Managing your Boss
3. Managing your Time
4. Managing your Relationships
5. Managing your Discipline
6. Managing your Attitude
7. Managing your Career

1. Managing Your Job
Remember this: "Know your job well, do it well, and be better than anyone else doing it." (this is taken from a book called "The Rules of Work" by Richard Templar). Bottom Line: You must be really good at your job before attempting anything else. Otherwise, it's just wasted efforts. Don't listen to those so called career coaches who ask you to 'dream' or 'envision' your career 20 years from now. That's just plain rubbish. If you are not doing your job well, or you are not the best in your job, don't even think about climbing the ladder. Do your job well first.

Make sure you know the difference between Activities vs. Results. What's the difference? We can either refer to our job in terms of Activities or Results. Whichever reference you choose determines your behaviors on a daily basis. Remember: Success depends on managing your job based on RESULTS-oriented thinking.

2. Managing your Boss
There are four parts to this: Understand and find solutions for your Boss' problems, Manage your Boss as a Client not a Boss, Manage and influence your Boss based on his Personality, and finally learn how to deal with Bad Bosses as well as when to give up and walk away.

3. Managing your Time
Time is irreversible, so make the best use of it every second of your life. What you really Value is found in how you spend your Time and Money. Love is spelt as T.I.M.E. to your loved ones. Interruptions will always happen, so plan for them every time. Time investments compound, so be patient and persevere. "I don't have time" is a sorry excuse for someone who has placed the issue as a lower priority. Time required for something expands according to expectations - which means that if you set an urgent time-frame, it will be done fast. If you set a long and relaxed time-frame, it will be done slow.

Only three things really matter in Time Management: 1) Learn how to Prioritize, 2) Develop and use a To-do List, and 3) learn how to Maximize Time

4. Managing your Relationships
Why? Because good performance and skill won't get you very far. You need others to succeed.
You cannot get people to listen to you if they don't like you. And if they don't listen to you, you won't accomplish anything! Remember that Relationships = Expectations. You must know the expectations and manage those expectations.

People are interested in themselves, not in you. What is the most interesting subject in the world to them? THEMSELVES. Take four words out of your vocabulary: "I, me, my, mine" and substitute for the most powerful word: "YOU". Remember that the more important you make people feel, the more they will respond to you. Avoid arguing.

5. Managing your Discipline
Discipline consists of three parts: discipline in Habits, discipline in Self Development, and discipline in Feelings.

Control your habits, and you can control your Success. Failure is also because of habits. The only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habit. Think about it - your actions are ruled mostly by your habits. Only a habit and control another habit. It takes an average of 21 days to form a new habit. The goal habits: It will be part of your subconscious mind. You need to form good habits in 3 areas: Thinking, Speaking, Doing.

Self Development is an Investment in your self. Investment means how much Time and Money you spend on your self. Nobody is going to invest in you. Start Early because small differences compound in the long-term.

Control your emotions. "Anyone can become angry - that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not easy." (I think this is by Aristotle)

6. Managing your Attitude
List down Bad Attitudes - and reverse them. Be careful of 'us' vs. 'them' thinking. Serve before expecting to be served. Have high standards for yourself. Never complain about how hard you work.

7. Managing your Career
Just remember the following biggest career mistakes a person can ever make: Keeping a career in line with your education, Getting career advice from your parents (or relatives), Changing jobs without long-term strategy in mind, and Letting your Boss (or company) manage your career.

Remember: If you are not doing your job well, or you are not the best in your job, don't even think about climbing the ladder. Do your job well first. Don't say I didn't warn you.


-TURD-

How Can Leaders Reduce Fraud And The Great Wall Of China Theory

There has been a lot of talk lately about ethics, governance, fraud...you name them, we have them. What then, is the Leader's role in reducing these kinds of risks in an organization?

Well, let us start with some basic insight:- ironically, Success is the root cause of risk. More success, more money, more fraud. So, the easiest way to reduce fraud is to reduce business.

Don't laugh. This is what most Finance and Human Resource people do, unintentionally. What do I mean? Well, some Heads of Finance/HR are so over zealous in reducing fraud-related risks (especially when the KPI for this is pegged at 80% of their performance), that they will do everything in their power to put in all kinds of ridiculous policies and procedures up to a point that it kills all the flexibility and success factors of a business.

What then should the Leader pay attention to when looking at Fraud and Ethics?

1. Price to Pay for Fraud/Risk Mitigation is almost always "Business Flexibility". Remember this.
   
2. Control and Growth have always had a reverse correlation effect. E.g. As a control, the more controls we put on foreign ownership, the less economic growth resulting from a loss of FDI.
   
3. Rules vs. Humanity/Motivation. The more rules we put in place, the less Humane a company becomes. This in turns reduce Motivation.
   
4. Most Leaders are not tackling the real root causes of fraud and ethics i.e. Motive & Opportunity i.e. Humans. Most managers spend more time in tweaking the procedures and rules instead of dealing with human issues
   
5. If an organization is focused on reducing Fraud thus giving more and more powers to Finance and Accounting vs. Sales/Marketing, guess who is in control of the business? Aren't you afraid?

So... what has the Great Wall of China got to do with anything? Well... almost everything. Many many many moons ago, China decided to build a great wall to keep the Mongolians out. They spent countless resources, time, effort, and lives in building this great, strong, long wall. However, it seems that the Mongolians could easily penetrate this wall using a simple powerful proven concept: BRIBE. You see, the Chinese spent so much time and money on the wall, they did not realize that their Gatekeepers were unmotivated, restless, poor, ill treated with no obvious career advancement opportunities. Any Mongolian soldier can bribe the Gatekeeper with USD5,000. And this Gatekeeper would happily accept the money and open the gates.

What is the moral of the story? Well..

1. Humans are the weakest link
   
2. Bad treatment of staff will lead to weak links i.e. making them easier to bribe, easier to con, etc;
   
3. Bad treatment arises from bad leaders who are insulting, makes staff lose face, deliver broken promises, publicly criticize staff, re-structure without communication etc.

Stop dealing with process. Stop issuing rules. Stop humiliating your people, and you can reduce fraud.

-TURD-

P.S. You can also locate a copy of this article from EzineArticles.com directory:http://EzineArticles.com/?id=682410

Note: New Presentation Download

Hi.

I have just uploaded a new presentation for anyone who wants to download:

Where: Under the "My Presentation Downloads" section on the right
Event: ABF Public Relations & Corporate Communications Conference
Title 2: Managing and Maximizing Your PR Budget
File 2: Powerpoint, PPT
How 2: Download and save unto your hard disk. Open with "Powerpoint" program. (Somehow it keeps downloading as a .doc file)

Enjoy :)

-TURD-

5 ways how R&D will not be effective

Research & Development is the core engine of all companies, but yet many organizations still get it wrong.

I have listed down here 5 ways how R&D will never be as effective as it should be:

1. Top Down – Process problem: R&D to Market instead of Market to R&D. Also known as the ego-myopic problem with most R&D staff: “this is what we developed. Now go sell”
   
2. Because I can - Competency problem: Being too good is a weakness. Certain R&D staff will keep on developing stuff not relevant to needs of the customers but instead based on what they are good at
   
3. Poor business value – Ignorance problem: Most R&D teams are not aware that every organizations focus is different i.e. Market Disciplines. They do not understand what is the business model and strategy, thus having the wrong priorities as far as R&D is concerned.
   
4. No budget lah - Alignment Problem: There are five areas of R&D that needs to be aligned: Philosophy, Structure, Resources, Leadership, and People. Most R&D are unable to muster and focus resources to produce good R&D deliverables because of this mis-alignment problem.
   
5. Not-Invented-Here – ego problem: Apple readily admitted that their iPhone was developed based on swiping many different ideas from outside Apple. That is why they have a good product. A lot R&D in companies (in Malaysia anyway) that are so egostic up to such a point where they say that anything not invented from themselves should be allowed to see the light of day.

OK...so how do we make R&D more effective then? I have listed down here

1. Know Your Business: Focus on what makes the business tick. McDonald's have never focused on making their beef burgers better (my theory. otherwise I cannot explain why their beef patties have been consistently terrible for the past 10 years). McDonald's grew big because they focused on R&D in areas where it is important to them: burgers that can be eaten with one hand while driving. This is because 50% of their business comes from drive-thru.
   
2. Research: Be very very very very careful on how R&D staff research and filter information. All human beings are likely to fall into the 8 "Information Drifts", thus altering data and research info until it suits their thinking.
   
3. Reverse Marketing: Develop what the market needs, not what we can. Simple, but most R&D knuckleheads do not seem to get this point.
   
4. Align: Again, focus on aligning the five areas of R&D: Philosophy, Structure, Resources, Leadership, and People. This will ensure that resources are optimized.
   
5. R&D Today → RD&D*: The new phrase is Research, Development & DESIGN. Design talks about three core areas: Function, Aesthetics and Logistics. 'Function' is about making the product/service practical e.g. iPod, iPhone, Nokia OS, Waterlife DIY, CNI SC88 Detergent cover, cup with bags stuck on bottom. 'Aesthetics' focuses on the looks e.g. mickey mouse shaped Vitamin Pills, Google interface, iPod. 'Logistics' includes studying the product/service in relation to their distribution & storage – IKEA, car boot for MLM.

So... let's go out there are develop something good.

This article, "5 Ways How R&D Will Not be Effective" - can also be found in the EzineArticles.com directory:http://EzineArticles.com/?id=682461

-TURD-

*P.S. You can also download a related article by "Karen E. Spaeder" from Entrepreneur.com called "Designed to Sell". Alternatively you can download it from the Selected Training Materials Download section on the right column.