The Job Search Plan: Being Effective in Your Job Search January 30, 2009
Posted by jimintriglia in Career Development, Career Management, Education, Job Search Management, Job Search Strategies.add a comment
It’s been said that most people invest more time and energy planning their vacations than they do planning their job search. While this is true for some people, successful professionals set aside time each week to develop and execute a job plan that leads them to their next best job opportunity. Such professionals often measure their time between jobs in weeks rather than months (or years, in tough economic times such as we are experiencing these days).
Several years ago, I adopted the Highly Effective Job Search (HEJS) developed by
Orville Pierson, a career development expert and Senior Vice President of Lee Hecht Harrison, a global career services firm. The results I achieved by using the HEJS method were significant, as my next job opportunity was indeed measured in terms of weeks rather than months. The position I accepted met most of my needs and expectations. My job search required significantly less time and energy as compared to my former job search strategy. Since that time, I have continued to use Orville’s HEJS strategy with excellent results.
I spoke with Orville before the holidays about the possibility of creating a virtual collaboration site to support job seekers that wanted to collaborate with other professionals interested in developing a highly effective job search plan. We agreed that an Internet-based virtual collaboration resource would enable more job seekers to develop a HEJS plan, regardless of their geographic location or time schedule. As a result, I’m happy to announce the launch of the virtual Pierson Highly Effective Job Search Work Team resource for job-seekers.
The Job Search Work Team (JSWT) resource is designed to enable job-seekers to develop a highly effective job search plan using Orville’s job search strategy as described in his book “The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search“. Ed McEneney, Career Consultant with Lee Hecht Harrison, has agreed to moderate the new JSWT. I’ll be leading the first team with the goal of enabling each team member to develop and execute their Highly Effective Job Search Plan.
Job Search Work Teams are limited to six (6) people per team. We are now accepting requests from job seekers who would like to significantly improve the effectiveness of their job search by participating as a member of the first virtual HEJS work team.
If you are committed to significantly improving your job search strategy, send me an email by COB Friday,
February 13, 2009 (JimIntriglia@wispertel.net). In your email, tell me why you believe Orville’s HEJS virtual Job Search Work Team could benefit you in your job search.
Due to the success of the HEJS team approach, we expect to receive many requests to join the team, so send your email ASAP.
We will contact prospetive team members based on email submissions we receive by COB February 13th, so don’t delay with your email response. Submit your email today so you have an opportunity to take advantage of a great opportunity to enable you to land that next great job or career opportunity using a more efficient and effective approach.
Effectiveness in Winning Scholarships January 18, 2009
Posted by jimintriglia in Career Development, Education, Winning Scholarship Strategies.Tags: academics scholarships
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Process, Planning, Strategy and Knowing Oneself Key to Winning Scholarship Dollars
As a life-long learner, I have met college graduates over the course of my academic career that scoffed at the notion of using student loans as a principal means of financing a college education.
These grads would often ask me why I would choose to go into debt through a student loan when there was an abundance of free money available in the form of scholarships and grants?
I had always considered the prospect of winning scholarship as being reserved for a small percentage of students that were either geniuses, athletes, minorities or unique in some other special way that would serve to opt me out.
When I returned to college a few years ago however, I learned during the college admissions process that I automatically qualified for a $500 Pell Grant. It suddenly occurred to me that there was money available to help students finance their education.
Could I really finance most of my college education through winning scholarships and pursuing educational grants? I decided to dedicate some time and find out if what I had been told over the years was indeed true.
In researching the topic of winning scholarships, I came across several good books that addressed the subject of applying for scholarships. While these books addressed certain parts of the scholarship winning process, none of them presented any kind of a strategy, plan or process that addressed how to go about winning scholarships.
In reading about students that had won scholarships over the years, it was apparent that they had both a defined strategy and process that they used to win college scholarships. Simply applying for scholarships willy-nilly did not appear to be the strategy that these students used to win scholarships of any financial significance. There was growing evidence that a “shoot-from-the-hip” approach to winning scholarships was an excellent investment in frustration, as well as a waste of valuable time and energy for students and parents alike.
Along the lines of having a proven systematic process and strategic plan to
effectively winning scholarships, one series of books stood alone from the rest. The author, Benjamin Kaplan, financed most of his Harvard education at age 21, by winning two dozen merit-based scholarships totaling $90,000. His national acclaim and testimonials by parents and students that had used his winning scholarship approach supported his claim that many more students could finance their college education through winning scholarships.
In reviewing Kaplan’s “10 Day Scholarship Success” plan present in audio book format, his book “How to Go To College for Almost Free” and accompanying website Scholarshipcoach.com, several key requirements essential for winning scholarships were apparent. Some of the key areas that addressed an effective winning scholarship strategy include:
- Investing a significant amount of time to discover one’s career interests, unique talents and skills, before beginning the process of researching and applying for scholarships.
- Investing time to learn how to organize information needed to launch an effective winning scholarship campaign.
- Realizing that being effective in winning scholarships is a process that requires advance planning, organizational skills and a good deal of patience.
In applying Kaplan’s approach to winning scholarships, I discovered that his approach provides a systematic means for students to discover their true career interests, strengths and unique talents. The benefits alone gained by embarking on his winning scholarship journey can be greater than the actual winning of a scholarship itself, as the so much self-knowledge and career planning clarity is gained by a student during the course of using his process.
Kaplan’s personal style and his approach to winning scholarships resonates well with high school students. His strategy translates equally well for adult learners and even middle school students and parents that want to get an early start funding their college education.
For college-bound students that endeavor to minimize their college education debt by employing a winning scholarship strategy, Ben Kaplan’s winning scholarship books are a must-read.
Manager Tools: Learn to Be a Better Manager January 8, 2009
Posted by jimintriglia in Career Development, Education, Job Search Management, Job Search Strategies, Management Strategies, News & FYI.Tags: business, Education, Management
2 comments
Like many busy professionals, I carry an inexpensive MP3 player loaded with audio books and podcasts to stay abreast of business management and career best practices. Much of this kind of content is freely available and aggregated by content management platforms such as iTunes.
One of the best sources of free self-improvement podcasts is the award-winning Manager Tools podcasts, produced by Mark Horstman and Mike Auzenne. Mike and Mark have produced an awesome collection of podcasts for management professionals covering a broad range of topics.
The Manager Tools podcasts are not just for management professionals. The Career Tools podcasts are an excellent source of career management best practices. Career professionals can benefit significantly from career management strategies, tactics and tips provide by Mike and Mark.
Stop by the Manager Tools website and share in the wealth of information that Mike and Mark have assembled. Check out the Community Forums and Recommended Books section of the website for additional resources that will improve your management skills and professional career.
Business Journalism at its Best: Al Lewis January 5, 2009
Posted by jimintriglia in Career Development, Education, Journalism, News & FYI, Personal Interest.Tags: business, Journalism, media
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One of my favorite business columnists is Al Lewis, formally of the Denver Post. Mr. Lewis has journalism talent that his current employer, Dow Jones Newswire, both recognized and capitalized on by creating a position for him last year.
Over the years as the business columnist for the Post, Lewis basically said in print what many in the business community knew to be true but dared not say in public. He questioned and criticized business practices and political decisions, with a pointed sense of humor that left little room for interpretation.
His work earned him admirers and enemies alike. His brand of journalism earned him industry awards and continued employment in a declining industry that is laying off mainstream journalists that can find no wrong with many business stories, especially if the story concerns an supporting advertiser.
While some did not appreciate Al Lewis pointed sense of humor, few can ignore the point of his writing. Business journalism students interested in a career as a journalist should take note of his work as an example of the type of journalism that attracted informed readers and thus sold papers, the lack of which nowadays is part of the decline of the newspaper business and the profession of journalism as a whole.
Official Launch of the 2009 FIRST Competition January 4, 2009
Posted by jimintriglia in Career Development, Computer Science, Education, Learning through Fun, News & FYI, Personal Interest, Robotics, Volunteer Opportunities.add a comment
FIRST launched the 2009 worldwide competition season yesterday revealing the competition challenge game “Lunacy” to nearly 1700 teams comprising over 42,000 high school students worldwide. Each team now has six weeks to design and build their robot from a common kit of parts provided by FIRST. Team robots will compete in a series of events that culminate with the FIRST Championship event held in Atlanta, Georgia.
This is my first year serving as a mentor for Team Blitz, our award-winning FIRST robotics team. Last year, I accompanied Team Blitz members to the regional competition and watched both FIRST and Team Blitz in action. I was impressed by what I saw on so many levels that I decided to join Team Blitz for this year’s competition.
Founder Dean Kamen addressed Colorado teams assembled in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science IMAX theater. In his address to the teams, he spoke about the importance of technology as a solution to poverty that affects two-thirds of the world’s population. He challenged team members to use the FIRST to build relationships and learn from team mentors, many who are experts in the fields of engineering, project management and business.
Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST Na
tional Advisor and Pappalardo MIT Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, reminded team members to practice gracious professionalism during the next six weeks and throughout their careers as innovators.
The Colorado chapter of FIRST needs volunteers to help with the organization and management of this years statewide competition. This is a fantastic opportunity to work alongside some of the most remarkable and talented professionals that make Colorado their home. It is also an opportunity to contribute your time, energy and talent to developing the next generation of innovators, business managers and entrepreneurs. Be a FIRST volunteer and help shape the future of the next generation of leaders.
