How to Create Your Own Personal Mentorship Program (pt. 4) Building Your Future Now

How to Create Your Own Personal Mentorship Program (pt. 4) Building Your Future Now The ultimate take-away from this program is about sufficient career learning. You can not replace human interaction or learning from someone that has a lot of life experience. However, the reality is finding a mentor that will help you along is very tough. By creating this program you are choosing mentors who are some of the best in their fields. They are masters. And their knowledge is found in many sources which is another amazing positive about creating your own mentorship program. So if you are developing one how can you get the most from it? First and foremost: read. Get as many books as you can about your mentor. Find what makes them tick. What makes them successful. Start writing down passages and information while reading. When you start compiling all these resources think about formulating a program that works for you. Write down some exercises based on what your mentor has done to be successful. Write down key words, quotes and stories that you have gleaned from your research and then start structuring these thoughts. One of the major things you must do is repetition and mediation. When you repeat exercises and what you have learned you are training your mind. Mediation is about focusing strongly on the information you find important and taking some time to really make sense to you. Image: VISLOQ

Retool Your Resume for Success in the New Year

Retool Your Resume for Success in the New Year Bill Lynch had over 30 years of successful operations management, an MBA, and standout community service on his resume.   Before his job ended in September 2010 (he’d seen it coming for a while), he decided to completely retool his skills and experience and pursue another field altogether. “I knew it could be done,” Lynch says, “because I’d met many individuals who ran operations with no functional experience in what the practice did (accounting or health services, for example.)   Operations management translates well across every industry. “   Lynch’s idea was affirmed when he attended a WorkSource Professional Network meeting that fall.   He met no less than 11 other men with experience that was almost identical to his. “They were all smart, experienced guys with great resumes â€" and all looking for the same kind of job.” Lynch knew that manufacturing, like many industries, was devastated by the economic downturn.   He also knew that higher education, which had always appealed to him, was growing as people enrolled in college to wait out the recession.   Lynch started to research jobs at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) and reconnect with staff members at the college he’d met through his network.   He also spent some time retooling his resume to include specific accomplishments.  He emphasized the time he spent as an adjunct instructor and elected school board member (in another state) to show that he understood and had experience working with academics and students.   He positioned his consulting experience and results to appeal to the college which, he knew from his research, was trying to turn its continuing education division into a profit center.   He knew that his experience in reducing costs, launching new products and increasing profitability would be useful to the division. Lynch sought advice from people inside and outside the college, and felt well prepared for his first interview in late October.   By Thanksgiving, he had an offer to become the new director of continuing education.   His first priorities will be to look at the current employer services offerings and develop new courses for personal development, which the college thinks will be a growing and profitable line of business. “It’s been a lot of fun already,” Lynch says from his home office during the winter break. “Using my years of experience in a brand new environment has really energized me.” Could your current experience be retooled for another industry, especially one that’s growing in the current economy?   What would you change or add to your resume to appeal to that industry?   What’s keeping you from getting started now?

Monster Career Benchmarking

Monster Career Benchmarking You’ve got to hand it to Monster.com.   Not only did they create the biggest and best known commercial website for job posting and career advice, they’re working on innovations to make it even more useful.   By gathering information from more than 25 million resumes in the Monster database and a world-wide network of recruiter customers, Monster  can offer valuable market information for your job search. One of these new tools is Career Benchmarking. On the Monster home page, Career Benchmarking is under the Career Tools menu.     You start by typing in your (job) zip code and use the search engine to find your job title.   Monster asks questions about your compensation (including bonus and stock options) and then shows you how you compare to other workers in your region.   Although I got a message saying that Monster was “still collecting data for this region [Jacksonville],” the site provided national data for comparison. The Career Benchmarking feature also lets you compare your employer’s benefits to others in the industry or your occupation.   You can also see how your education stacks up against competitors in your region.   If most others in your profession have masters degrees, or a certification that you’ve been meaning to get, this recession provides a good time to return to school to become more competitive.   You can even fill out a career satisfaction survey that measures how happy you are with your boss, your pay, your commute and your work/life balance. Research is an important part of your preparation for getting a new job.   Benchmarking your salary and benefits can help you negotiate a job offer or evaluate and compare opportunities in different markets.  For other salary and relocation comparison, try these resources: Salary.com’s free salary wizard Salary Expert.com JobNob.com

The Three Step Webinar Formula For Personal Brands - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Three Step Webinar Formula For Personal Brands - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Great content is just one way a personal brand can become established as an industry leader. Another effective method are online webinars where your audience can get to know you better, which increases your chances of a sale. In order to attract new leads for your business it is important to branch out and try new methods. In what ways can your personal brand build a great following online? Through presentations and discussions that offer high value to your viewers. There are a few options available like online slideshows, live hosted events, and podcasts, which all offer a variety of tools and low-cost options for brands. Hosting a successful webinar is all about addressing the main issues for your online audience, and presenting a message that is on their level. There are several ways your personal brand can put together a stand-out video your brand followers will love. Steps to a Successful Webinar Hosting a show that allows users to interact is just one benefit of webinars for brands. Use these steps today to create a great presentation: Capture viewer focus Once your brand puts together a video or presentation its important to capture your viewers attention right away, which is known as Pattern Interrupt. Most people will either tune in or tune out within nine seconds. Compel them to move onto the next segment by asking a compelling question that they will want to know the answer to next. Provide a benefit Even if you’re audience is not ready to make a purchase yet you can hold their attention by offering something of value to them personally. By maintaining the focus of the topic on your viewers more than your brand you can provide a solution of the outcome of your product or service. Hit a home run sale Once your brand audience is ready to buy you want to make this as simple as possible with a tantalizing offer. This could include a pre-sale or even a limited time offer. Provide a beneficial reason why they should either opt-in to your website or make a purchase. A deadline is a great motivator to compel them to take action immediately. Online webinars for your personal brand are a great way to attract more subscribers and increase your sales. Helpful information that is centered on your target market will cause them to want to know more and spread the word on what your brand has to offer. The more frequent you host these videos the more credible your business will become.

Employee Rights Understanding Workers Compensation Claim

Employee Rights Understanding Worker's Compensation Claim Thousands of work-related injuries occur each year, and workers receive compensation through the workers’ compensation claim process. Some of the most common injuries in the workplace are back injuries, burns and cuts.Occupational diseases and emotional injuries are lesson common occurrences, but they still happen. If you receive an injury while you are at work, you may be entitled to the benefit.All employers that have a significant amount of employees have to keep a certain amount of coverage for their workers. The following is some information on how compensation works for injured employees.Workers’ Compensation in a NutshellevalIn brief, workers’ compensation is partial paycheck coverage for workers who get hurt conducting a work-related activity. Workers’ comp is there to help when employee injured while working. The benefit is available for employees as long a they are legitimate employees, and the business falls under the bracket of businesses that have to carry the in surance.The benefit pays a certain percentage of a person’s paycheck until that person is able to return to work and resume his or her original duties. Workers’ compensation covers the medical expenses that the worker accrues during the recovery period.Who Is Eligible for Workers’ Compensation?Any person who qualifies as an employee and has a legitimate work injury is eligible for workers’ compensation. The benefit does not cover independent contractors and other self-employed individuals.A work injury is defined as something that occurs in the midst of one’s work duties. Some people qualify for benefits even when they get hurt at a site other than the job location.However, not all such employees are eligible. A pizza delivery person can receive workers’ compensation for an injury that occurs during delivery, but a factory worker would not qualify for the benefit for an incident that occurred on the way to work.How to Claim BenefitsEach state has its way of explaining ho w to claim injury compensation. A general rule, however, is to report the injury to the employer as soon as possible. The injured worker should not hesitate for one second on telling the employer that he or she has received an injury. Sometimes the employer is the one who files the paperwork and initiates the workers’ compensation claim for the employee.Other times, the employee must do it himself or herself. Either way, the injured party only has a certain amount of time to report the injury. Failing to report the injury in a timely fashion could adversely affect the claim approval.evalUsually, the worker must report the injury to the employer within 30 to 60 days. The full statute of limitations for workers’ compensation cases may extend to up to one year, however.Visiting Medical Experts and Listening to AdviceThe first thing that an injured employee must do after notifying the supervisor of the injury is visit a medical specialists. Employers have the right to dictate the me dical specialists in some states but not in others. That means that the injured employee must receive an examination by the physician of the employer’s choice. That physician will then determine:Whether the worker has a legitimate injuryWhether the worker can perform any duties at allWhen the worker can return to workThe physician will provide the worker or employer with specific information such as a diagnosis and a recommendation for treatment. The worker must adhere to a restricted work schedule if the specialist recommends it.The worker must also return to work when the physician says that he or she must return. In some cases, the employee does not feel as though the physician’s diagnosis or recommendation is correct. That person is welcome to speak to an attorney in such a situation.Benefit DecisionsevalThe approval board or insurance company decides whether the employee’s claim for benefits receives an approval. If the claim is approved, the employee receives a check sho rtly after that.If the claim is not approved, the claimant can either return to work or appeal the decision. The person should file the appeal as quickly as possible.Reasons for DenialMany reasons exist as to why a workers’ compensation claim may receive a denial. One of the most common reasons that such claims get denied is the the employee fails to obtain the appropriate medical treatment. Other reasons for denials include:Insufficient paperworkIntoxication or horseplay caused the incidentUnapproved medical treatment or providerLate injury noticeInjury is not work relatedThe injured person must ensure that the injury is legitimate, relates to work and is through not fault of his or her own for the most part. Workers’ compensation is generally a “no fault” benefit.However, intoxication and horseplay can severely hinder a benefit approval. Injured workers should always contact an attorney if something is unclear about the case. Attorneys are always willing to help people gai n knowledge and understanding of workers’ comp laws.