ISSN: 2154-5804 Vol. 3, Issue 1
December,2010 to January, 2011
Lamplighter
We are now known as Empowering Today's Professionals (ETP). As is our tradition, September 1, 2010 marks our 6th new year celebration. - Rod Colon, CEO & Founder ETP was established specifically to help individuals in transition find jobs. MISSION Encourage, train, support, mentor and advise fellow CEOs of ME, Incorporated in all aspects of defined responsibilities to their personal Board of Directors.
ETP CORE VALUES ETP has a special concern for the advancement of professionals worldwide and is committed to delivering its core values of INTEGRITY, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, and COMPASSION to its members. Today, ETP consists of 13 million LinkedIn professionals and 1000s of members. We are developing teams globally to assist members with their networking and career management programs. Since 2004 Empowering Today's Professionals (ETP) has helped hundreds of people successfully land jobs and business opportunities. It's a known fact Members land jobs quicker, with over 250 people landing safely in 2009 alone. Combined with Member benefits, Rod Colon's "Win the Race for 21st Century Jobs" is a must read for anyone who wants to insulate their career from all types of economic conditions. Win the Race for 21st Century Jobs Order Book Now
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Lamplighter Articles Welcome Message
Benefits of ETP Membership
Barbara Daisak's Tech Tip
This issue's Spotlight Feature
The Alchemist's Arcanum
Meet the Lamplighters
Featured Writers High Tech High Touch "The Human Side of Social Networking" by Carl E. Reid
The CEO Of ME, Inc. Paradigm Rod Colon
Your Career is Calling 101.7 The Bronc
Make Your Uniqueness Work for You Rod Col贸n
Change Happens... Deal with it! Barry Goldberg
Practice...Practice...Practice Aaron Cohen
Selling Your Product Jerry Clifford
Welcome to WorryCatcher.org Wanda Megaro
Toastmasters
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How to Get People to Ignore Your Emails Carl Reid
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ISSN: 2154-5804 Vol. 3, Issue 1
December,2010 to January, 2011
Welcome Message
Glancing Back . . . Looking Forward Glancing back in time and seeing the effects of your work is such a gratifying experience. It also proves that when you volunteer to help others, everyone wins including yourself. December, 2010 will mark my first anniversary as editor-in-chief of the Lamplighter. It’s been a very interesting and self-gratifying journey. I have met a lot of interesting and capable people. What is most important is that I have acquired valuable friendships and relationships. Fortunately, I have been surrounded by supportive people who have helped make this year a successful one. Eric Nilsson has been a stalwart friend and colleague. Barbara Daisak has always been ready to lend a helping hand. Rod Colon, Carl Reid, and Chip Hartman have given me their trust, confidence, and support. The contributing writers have generously shared with us their personal experiences. The ETP members and readers have been very supportive and encouraging. Together we have worked hard to share ideas and in the process have touched each other’s life in the most meaningful way. My special thanks to each and every one of you for a most fruitful year. And now looking forward . . . Welcome to the December 2010 to January 2011 edition of the Lamplighter It is very apt that in this joyous season we look forward to giving you an even more interesting Lamplighter. So sit back, relax and enjoy reading this edition. After doing so, please help us serve you better by filling out the Lamplighter Survey. We would like to present you with the following special features:
Book Excerpt from The Secret Special Section - Spotlight on Carl Reid Carl Reid’s ―High Tech High Touch‖ – The Human Side of Social Networking (first of a series) Rod Colon’s - The CEO of Me, Inc. Paradigm Your Career Is Calling - Interactive Talk Show on 107.7 The Bronc Benefits of ETP Membership Rod Colon’s – ―Make Your Uniqueness Work for You‖ Rod Colon invites you to join Toastmasters Barry Goldberg’s – ―Change Happens – Deal with It‖ Aaron Cohen’s – ―Practice . . . Practice . . . Practice‖ Jerrold (Jerry) Clifford’s – ―Selling Your Product‖ Wanda Megaro’s –―Welcome to WorryCatchers.org ―an anonymous place to put your troubles on the Web let them go and move on‖ Eric Nilsson’s – Alchemist’s Arcanum Carl Reid’s – ―How to Get People to Ignore Your Emails‖ Barbara Daisak’s – Tech Tip Page 3 of 28
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In the spirit of the Yuletide season, we have made some enhancements for this edition. For our Lamplighter logo, we decided to give the young boy and the old lamplighter a well-deserved holiday vacation and temporarily replaced them with a younger lamplighter. All the pages have a lighted tree background; four snowmen and a Christmas wreath adorn some pages. Lastly, my favorite photo of the cute little boy in front of the Christmas tree would like to wish everyone
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You Are Not Your Past By Jack Canfield From The Secret ISBN-13:978-1-58270-170-7 A lot of people feel like they’re victims in life, and they’ll often point to past events, perhaps growing up with an abusive parent or in a dysfunctional family. Most psychologists believe that about 85 percent of families are dysfunctional, so all of a sudden you’re not so unique. My parents were alcoholics. My dad abused me. My mother divorced him when I was six. . . . I mean, that’s almost everybody’s story in some form or not. The real question is, what are you going to do now? What do you choose now? Because you can either keep focusing on that, or you can focus on what you want. And when people start focusing on what they want, what they don’t want falls away, and what they want expands, and the other part disappears. “A person who sets his or her mind on the dark side of life, who lives over and over the misfortunes and disappointments of the past, prays for similar misfortunes and disappointments in the future. If you will see nothing but ill luck in the future, you are praying for such ill luck and will surely get it.” ―Prentice Mulford If you go back over your life and focus on the difficulties from the past, you are just bringing more difficult circumstances to You now. Let it all go, no matter what it is. Do it for you. If you hold a grudge or blame someone for something in the past, you are only harming You. You are the only one who can create the life you deserve. As you deliberately focus on what you want, as you begin to radiate good feelings, the law of attraction will respond. All you have to do is make a start, and so you do, you will unleash the magic. Go to Lamplighter Articles
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December,2010 to January, 2011 the mailroom to becoming Co-Founder, CEO & President of a successful technology consulting firm NetTECH Systems, located in the New York City area. Carl combined his "must do" attitude and being a student of other successful mentors to climb the corporate ladder to success. Carl is publisher of the Library of Congress recognized newsletter blog "Savvy Intrapreneur" and is engaged by companies as a professional blogger and social media consultant.
With corporate travels from the mail room to the board room, Carl E. Reid knows what it takes to be successful. Coming from humble beginnings Carl learned from his mother of Puerto Rican heritage and his father from Barbados, to keep the bar raised high in the honest values of work ethics to achieve success. Through survival skills learned growing up on the mean streets of the Edenwald projects, in the Bronx, Carl transferred his street smart savvy into the corporate arena. His first introduction to business success was achieved by obtaining his first managerial position at the age of 16. Carl has used his life experience and knowledge gained to assist others in achieving their own desired level of success. Carl continued his quest for success from being a temporary worker in
In addition to being a sought after speaker and published author, Carl advises small businesses on Internet Business-2-Business opportunities. Combining 40+ years of business experience with 27 years in the Information Technology field, Carl has a proven track record in identifying emerging technology business opportunities, before they become trends. He has also helped many people successfully advance their careers and start businesses with 15 years as a Business Career Coach. Carl's workshops combine proven "career management" techniques with "street smart" business savvy. He learned both perspectives as a career professional, hiring manager, staff recruiter liaison and entrepreneur. Carl founded Savvy Intrapreneur, which teaches professionals how to run their career like a business.
Carl E. Reid Chief Operations Officer, Empowering Today's Professionals Wrote the "foreword' to Win the Race for 21st Century Jobs by Rod Colon Creator and Developer of Career Management Swiss Army Knife Professional Blogger, Blogging Coach and Social Media Expert Business Career Coach
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High Tech High Touch "The Human Side of Social Networking" by Carl E. Reid
Using Google Alerts to Track Your Web Presence Many people use Google Alerts as a automated tool for acquiring news stories and doing research on various topics. You can even use Google Alerts to search for job or business opportunities. Place 2 to 3 words within "quotes" for each alert. Then you automatically receive an email with results found anywhere on the Internet. You can use Google Alerts to track how your company fares in the public eye or keep up with friends, family and associates. Just create an alert with their name in quotes. Former New York City Mayor Koch endeared himself to people with his famous line "How am I doing?". That's a question you can and should answer about yourself, using Google Alerts. What do hiring managers, human resource professionals, recruiters or business associates see when they type your name into Google or any search engine?
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By creating different Google Alerts with different variations of your name spelling, you receive feedback on what type of information people are viewing about you. This also provides intelligence on whether you should make adjustments to profiles you may have on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or articles mentioning you or your company name etc.. Oh, did you think that information about you was private because you have to login? Think again. Your web presence should reflect the name you use on your resume, bio or LinkedIn profile. Google Alert intelligence is also valuable, if you have a similar name to someone else. Talk about a case of mistaken identity, if that person has a less than acceptable Internet web presence. Consider making your name more unique by adding a middle initial, generation qualifier or certification distinction (i.e. Al Q. Brown - Jim Smith, III - Joe Smith, PMP etc.. Go to Featured Writers
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THE CEO OF ME, INC. PARADIGM By Rod Colón
The CEO of any company runs the company. CEOs direct all critical operations such as sales and marketing, research and development, strategy, finance, corporate culture, human resources, community affairs, public relations, and so on. CEOs are primarily responsible for setting the corporate strategy and vision. They decide which products to introduce into which markets and against which competitors. CEOs decide how the company will brand itself and differentiate itself in the marketplace. Ultimately, the CEO is responsible for the success or failure of the company. Here are some key CEO responsibilities that you must learn to incorporate in managing your career as a business:
As the CEO of your career you will:
Learn to partition your responsibilities to ensure that all critical operations are carried out and none get overlooked. For example, your Research & Development Department will be in charge of networking — making connections, digging up new leads, gathering business information, etc… Right from the start, anything you do that's part of this effort is processed in the R & D ―department‖ of your mind. Likewise, your Sales & Marketing Department will oversee the development of a powerful value proposition and various parts of the 7-Step Job Search Methodology until every task is properly niched. Take responsibility for making tough decisions — there’s just no way around this. Tough decision-making is a skill with tremendous short and long term benefits. It trains your mind to weigh options before you commit to a course of action. Accept the consequences of your tough decisions — both good and bad. You can savor the good results and analyze why the bad results occurred. Most importantly, don’t waste time beating yourself up when a decision yields poor results. Pick up the pieces and move on. Learn from every aspect of the failure experience because it will move you closer to winning the race for 21st century jobs. Bring a new level of personal accountability to managing your career. Why? Because you have a ―governing body‖ to which you now have ultimate responsibility: your Personal Board of Directors (e.g., spouse, family, extended family, significant other, etc…).
Still not convinced your career can benefit from thinking like a CEO? Are you saying, "Why bother? This sounds like a whole lot of work for very little benefit." If that’s how you see it, consider this: For every terrific opportunity you identify — and for which you’re qualified — there could be hundreds, maybe thousands of others competing for the same position. But there’s one critical difference: Most of them fail to adopt the ―I’m in charge‖ attitude and their race for the finish line becomes a mediocre performance at best. They remain mired in the ―employee mind-set‖, a part of the Black Hole crowd that inevitably lags behind in the race to get the job that you are busy targeting. And while most of us don't want others to fail, there’s nothing wrong with capitalizing on the inept business decisions of others to gain a tactical advantage whenever possible. Page 7 of 28
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In other words, if you are thinking like a business owner and your competitors aren’t, you have a significant edge over them in the race for 21st century jobs. Do not fail to leverage it! Will you absorb this paradigm shift overnight? No. In a week? Unlikely. In a month? Maybe. People internalize it at very different rates. Most of our members can tell rather quickly if they are cut out to be the CEO of ME, Inc. The good news is that this mental model will work if you make it work. Best wishes and own your career, Rod Colón, Career Coach, Professional Speaker & Author Rod Colón, Career Coach, Professional Speaker & Author CEO & Director of Career Management www.ETPnetwork.com rod@etpnetwork.com 732.367.5580
Connect with Rod on: http://RodColon.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/RodColon http://www.linkedin.co/in/RodColon http://www.facebook.com/RodColon1
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Interactive talk-show on 107.7 The Bronc
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Benefits of ETP Membership Other career outsourcing companies provide tools that tell you "What" to do. ETP's proven education programs and methodologies guide you explicitly through "HOW" to accomplish your career management goals.
Related FAQ topics: What's In It For Me | Membership | Success Stories Student Member Benefits Member Member That Achieve Results $74.99/yr $37.50/yr For less than 21 cents a day receive benefits valued at $879.00 1. Receive copy of book "Win the Race for 21st Century Jobs". ($20 Value) Read more 2. NEW Weekly "high energy" Job Search School conference call and webinar with Q & A. ($250 Value per call) 3. Proven ETP Network 7 Step Job Search (c)" methodology with access to video, audio recordings and document reference libraries. 4. NEW Targeted Resume Review Program gets you to "INTERVIEW" phase quicker. 5. NEW Mock Interview Program with assigned professional increases job offers. 6. NEW Solution Center available at 732-367-5580 for impromptu Job Search Q & A, Personal connection introduction, Pre-Interview preparation etc.. ($150 Value per 1 hr call) 7. Exclusive ETP Angel Program with personal introductions and connections within a network of 13 million company insiders. Tools Resources & Networking Opportunities 8. NEW Advanced Job Search Class Room Training at New Horizons Learning Center Princeton, NJ, with Internet ready computers. Register Now 9. Practice reciprocal networking techniques, taught only by ETP Network for proven results, at ETP sponsored training events throughout the United States. 10. Career Management Online Webinars: (LinkedIn, Indeed, Twitter, Social Media, Resume Writing, Personal Branding, Relationship development Scripts) 11. Smart Radar subscription makes customized job opportunities come to you. Eliminate time spent looking for a job. Spend more time scheduling interviews. ($60 Value) Start a Smart Radar Subscription 12. Access to member directory.
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Make Your Uniqueness Work For You By Rod Colón Since the right job flows directly out of all the elements of your personality type, you need to spend some time figuring out what makes you tick. By making a conscious effort to discover the ―real you,‖ you learn how to focus your natural strengths and inclinations into a career you can love for a long as you choose to work. This is where ―type‖ is so helpful. It provides a systematic, effective way to evaluate both your strong points and your probable weaknesses or blind spots. Once you have these figured out, you’ll know how to make sure you are always operating from a position of strength. Each one of us has a distinct personality, like an innate blueprint that stays with us for life. We are born with a personality type, we go through life with that type, and when we are laid to rest (hopefully at the end of a long and fruitful life), and it is with the same type. Now you are probably wondering, ―Wait a minute. I might be one way sometimes, but at other times I’m a very different person. Doesn’t the situation influence my personality type?‖ The answer is no, it doesn’t. Do we change our behavior in certain situations? Certainly! Most human beings have a tremendous repertoire of behaviors available to them. We couldn’t function very successfully if we didn’t. Sure, we act differently at work than we do at home, and it makes a difference whether we’re with strangers, close friends, at a ball park, or at a funeral. But people don’t change their basic personalities with every new door they walk through.
Parents, siblings, teachers, and economic, social, and political circumstance all can play a role in determining what direction our lives take. Some people are forced by circumstances to act in a certain way until they are literally ―not themselves‖. If you are skeptical about the idea that personality type is inborn, take a look at different children from the same family. These could be your own children, your siblings, or even children from a family you know. Do they have different personalities? Absolutely! And the differences are often apparent from birth. The concept of ―personality type‖ is not new. People have always been aware of the similarities and differences between individuals, and over the centuries many systems and models for understanding or categorizing these differences have been developed. For more information on how to make your uniqueness work for you contact me at 732.367.5580 or email me at 732.367.5580. Best wishes and keep networking alive, Rod Colón Career Coach, Professional Speaker & Author Empowering Today’s Professionals Running the Business of "ME" www.ETPnetwork.com
rod@etpnetwork.com
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All this is not to say that environmental factors are not extremely important; they are. Page 10 of 28
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Change happens…deal with it! by Barry Goldberg
One of the things that holds back many people is their resistance to change. To succeed in the business world, you need to first recognize that change is happening, and then quickly adapt to the change. While such a simple philosophy, there are so many of us who are not very good at handling change. I know because for way too many years, I was one of those people. Then one of my managers recommended the book, ―Who Moved My Cheese‖, and ever since, I have been a convert. I loved the book so much that I immediately went out and bought copies of the book for every member of my team and made it required reading for them followed up a training session to discuss the book. The premise of the book is about two mice that go the same spot everyday in a maze looking for their daily cheese. One day the cheese is moved to another location. One of the mice went looking for the cheese in another location while the other mouse stayed in the old location waiting for the cheese to return. The mouse that went
looking for cheese in the new location thrived as it found the cheese while the other mouse did not fare so well. Apply this to the business world. First, you need to realize when change is happening. This requires you to be aware of your environment and read the signs. We’ve all seen signs of impending change that we refuse to comprehend. The change can be small or it can be life-changing. Regardless it is best to be ahead of the change and be proactive, rather than simply reacting to the change. Second, when change does happen, quickly figure out what you need to do to adapt to it, and then do it. So if your cheese has been moved, be the mouse that goes looking for new cheese. Follow this simple philosophy throughout your career and your personal life and you will be all the better for it. Now go find that cheese! To read more, pick up a copy of the book Who Moved My Cheese? It is a quick read and well worth it.
Barry Goldberg is a senior digital operations expert who knows the advertising agency business inside and out. Goldberg manages operations for agencies, both in ongoing or turnaround situations, and has managed operations for companies such as Agency.com, Euro RSCG Life 4D, and Tribal DDB. Read more about Goldberg and his way of doing things at www.peopleprocessandprofit.com, or contact him at barry@peopleprocessandprofit.com.
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By Aaron Cohen
December,2010 to January, 2011
Practice ... Practice ... Practice plain hard work, and others are especially hard for the shyer among us. We emphasize the value of working through the entire process, and the fact that it gets easier the more you do it.
centralnjnetworkinggroup@gmail.com
Greg Schiano is credited in a recent issue of The Star Ledger with saying that the greatest expanse in football is between knowing and doing. Years ago, at a bar mitzvah in an orthodox synagogue, Rabbi Kanelsky was exhorting the congregation to observe every ritual aspect of Jewish tradition, even ones that seemed arcane to our modern Western sensibilities. He complained that many people without a traditional background wanted to understand a practice before deciding to engage in it. ―First you do, and THEN you understand,‖ he admonished. I cannot say that his message fell upon deaf ears, because I still remember it, but I did not give it serious consideration at the time. ―But Aaron, what does this have to do with football?‖ I hear you ask. Stick with me; we’ll get back to that. Two more totally disjointed points, and then we’ll bring it all together. Laura and I have been teaching the principles of job search embodied in Rod Colόn’s Seven-Step Process, and beautifully documented in Winning the Race for 21st Century Jobs. Getting people to really embrace the concept of being the CEO of ME, Inc. requires regular reinforcement. Getting them to view the Seven Steps as an integrated process, not a menu from which to pick and choose is even harder. Some of the steps are just
Here is your last data point before my brilliant conclusion. In his recent book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell concludes that the difference between world class and just very good is 10,000 hours of practice. The very best only get that way because with early identification of potential, they have grasped the vision of what can be, and dedicate their lives to becoming ever better. This seems to be true for as diverse activities as hockey and playing the violin. Maybe it is true that ―First you do, and then you understand.‖ My conclusion (here it comes) is that there is a gulf between knowing what to do and doing it (Schiano), and a further gap between doing and understanding why what we are doing works (Kanelsky). The first gap begins with learning and is closed by good teaching and coaching. That second gap is closed by repetitive practice of the methodologies learned (Gladwell) and learning from our mistakes. Knowing – Doing – Understanding represents a continuum, and as we move through it we progress from neophyte to master in any endeavor we set our minds to conquer.
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Selling Your Product By Jerrold (Jerry) Clifford
You are the best at what you do. You know it. Your friends know it. Your present or former colleagues know it. The catch: the folks who read your resume don’t know it. They have to be convinced. Convincing people to buy something is called selling. Like it or not, when you are job hunting you are selling and the product is the combination of your expertise and time. Therefore it makes sense to follow established selling principles. One of the basic principles of selling is to make the people you are talking to want your product. Often, you first have to make them aware of your product and this is frequently done by advertising or brochures. The objective of your product brochure (a.k.a. your resume) is to get companies to want to meet you so you can convince them in person just how great your product (you) really is and why they don’t want to do without it. Your resume may be your only vehicle to persuade them that they really want to do this. Resumes have been around for a very long time. Businesses have relied on them as an important part of their employee search and hiring process and frequently even have people who spend much of their working day reviewing them. However, the business climate has changed. The economy, laws and competitive factors have made companies ever more conscious that they cannot afford to hire the wrong individual. They look for the expertise they want and if they can’t find it quickly they usually won’t spend time searching for it. This has resulted in an overall change in presenting resume content. If you are relying on the same document (with a little update in job history) that you used to convince Noah that you are the best expert in ark technology, you actually are missing the boat. At one time, companies wanted to know up front whether you as a person would fit in their environment. They were interested in things like marital status, children, whether you owned a home, possibly even your age. Now there are laws intended to prevent company bias in hiring. Even accounting for discrimination laws, companies still want to know if you would be a good fit, but are willing to wait until they meet you to find out. Rather, the most important thing they want to know is whether you can satisfy their objective in hiring you. Your job is to create a resume that generates an answer of ―YES‖. The first step in selling is to determine your prospective market that is, deciding which companies you will be contacting. Look at job postings or target companies for whom you would like to work. Research them to determine what they do how they do it and get a feel for where you would fit in. If you have a job requirement, match the stated needs to your experience. Now that you know what the company (your customer) wants, you need to show them the ―features‖ of your product, that is, the skills and experience you have related to their specific needs. Brochures come in different designs and layouts. This is true with resumes as well. Experiment with different styles until you find one for which you are comfortable. Whatever the style make sure it includes the information the company is seeking. Stating what your Page 13 of 28
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product is all about (a brief description of your overall skills and experience) near the beginning tells the reader whether he or she is looking at the right product. However, be aware that sales brochures don’t leave the most important product features until the end because a reader might not be patient enough to get that far; a resume shouldn’t either. Jot down your skills and experience and rank them in priority order. Then include them in your resume. By grabbing your customer’s attention early, you are engaging them to read further. Keep their interest and they will want to know more and determine if you are a fit to their organization. In other words, you will be invited to make a personal sales call— a.k.a. the interview. Jerrold ―Jerry‖ Clifford (jrcpd@yahoo.com) Lamplighter Contributing Writer Project & Program Manager Published author of several technical and non-technical books on topics ranging from computer math to car repair and carpentry.
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Welcome to WorryCatcher.org: an anonymous place to put your troubles on the web . . . let them go and move on. By Wanda Megaro WHAT IS WorryCatcher.org: Similar to a DreamCatcher (an authentic American Indian tradition from the Ojibway (Chippewa) tribe), WorryCatcher.org is a safe place to anonymously put your worry, let it go and move on. The legend of a Dreamcatcher is the placement of it above your bed allows the bad dreams to get caught in the web. The legend of WorryCatcher.org, is that by posting your worry – however big or small, on the ―website, acknowledging the worst case scenario, brainstorming ideas to solve the problem, acting on the solution, you will reduce your stress, minimize health issues and be free to live the fun productive life you were born to live. You can share your story and ask for help from our community or offer it as an inspiration to help others facing a similar challenge. We also post links and tips to help you deal with worry. How we can help you. Managing all of life’s hurdles is very taxing. There are countless studies available to show the negative impact worry and stress can create long term in your day to day life and health. The burden of carrying a worry can really weigh you down, most times unnecessarily. I say unnecessarily because, although in life’s darkest time it doesn’t seem possible, in all situations you have a choice. The realization that you have a choice in any situation creates power in your psyche and can create a breeding ground for creativity. Creativity can create a mental ladder to get you out of a hole, put the monkey on your back in its cage, and give you keys to drive over the road bump you are facing to arrive at the great future you can create and can lie ahead. All of it starts with you making a decision. Is it scary? I would be lying if I said no. Are you alone in this process? The choice is yours. Will you make wrong decisions? Yes, and will make the right decisions as well. The power is realizing that when you fall, get up, dust yourself off and get going. Learn from your falls. Take time to reflect and think about what works and what doesn’t. Choices are powerful. A long time ago, my father shared with me that fear is a fake expectation accepted as real. Worry drives similar feelings. I’m not saying that what you fear is not a possibility, rather saying that where we get into trouble is where we back ourselves into corner and believe that what we fear is inevitable and is the only reality. Let’s walk through an example. David lost his job at the factory because the company went bankrupt. He became very afraid that he would never find a job again. He was 55 and had worked at this job for most of his adult life. He had two pre-teenage kids and knew the next few years were going to be expensive. His wife was working, but really didn’t make too much. He was the major Page 15 of 28
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breadwinner. He started to become more reclusive, not sleeping at night and not eating. His wife tried to assure him that things would be alright. She was worried too. They had always been conservative with their money and saved as much as they could. She saw the card for WorryCatcher.org at the local supermarket and decided to check it out. As she was reading posts of other readers, she realized that she too was worried that her husband wouldn’t find a job again and that the way he was carrying on, his health would start to be affected quickly. One night while her husband was in the living room watching TV, she pulled out a note pad and just started to write. As a kid she used to write in a diary and it felt good to just tell someone how she was feeling. She filled 5 full pages and really couldn’t believe how powerful she felt at the end of that night. At first she just wrote about her feelings as she cried and blew through half a box of tissues. She had been bottling all of these emotions for 6 months. She acknowledged the worst case scenario would be if her husband never worked again and asked herself... ―What could we do?‖ Long story short, Dave’s wife ended up developing a six- month plan for herself and her family. Go to our blog and see what Sarah did. http://worrycatcherblog.worrycatcher.com/ It’s all up to you. You have Power, you have options. Check out the website and make your own success story: http://www.worrycatcher.org/ Help us to help you let go of your worries and live great lives. If you would like to make an offering to offset the cost of management of the website, feel free, there is a PayPal link, or you can simply pay it forward and tell a friend to post. Good Luck. Post your worries let them go, start planning and start really living empowered!!! Wanda Megaro is President of Go To Consulting, LLC, a consulting firm in Northern NJ helping businesses save money and work efficiently. ceo@gotoconsultingllc.com 201-527-7138
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December,2010 to January, 2011 Come And Join Rod Colon . . .
Toastmasters Give Voice to Your Potential The Proven Way to Become a Better Speaker www.toastmasters.org toastmasters83.org
(International site) (local District site)
Rod Colon (Career Coach, Master Networker, Professional Speaker & Author) has joined the Toastmaster Lakewood, NJ team that meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:30 PM in the Lakewood Municipal building. Rod is extending an invitation to all ETP members to join him in this worthwhile endeavor and ideal training program for the CEO of ME, Inc. What’s in it for you? Toastmasters will give you the skills and confidence you need to effectively express yourself in any situation. Whether you are a professional, student, stay-at-home parent or retiree, Toastmasters is the most efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication skills. By learning to effectively formulate and express your ideas, you open an entirely new world of possibilities. You’ll be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations and you’ll improve your one-on-one dealings with others How does it work? Don’t worry! Everyone in a Toastmasters meeting was once at the level you are now. The environment is friendly and supportive, and the self-paced program allows you to build confidence with each speaking assignment. And you’ll love the applause! Constructive evaluation is the heart of the Toastmasters program. Each time you give a prepared speech; an evaluator will point out strengths and suggest improvements. At first you’ll be applauded for your effort; later you’ll be applauded for your skill. Experience a session as a guest - free… come and join Rod. Rod Colón www.ETPnetwork.com rod@etpnetwork.com
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ISSN: 2154-5804 Vol. 3, Issue 1
December,2010 to January, 2011
The Alchemist is never at a loss for words. In fact, he has incorporated this issue's Crossword into his Arcanum. There's not much difference between the communal insect worlds or ants and bees and the connected social networking world. The article below (The Buzz on Networking) attempts to show one common trait used by bees and networkers. After puzzling over the analogies comes the real puzzle, this issue's crossword. Thanks for reading this far and, like Douglas MacArthur, we shall return.
Crossword Puzzle ― December 2010, January 2011 Crossword Puzzle Answers (After the puzzle, please)
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The Buzz on Networking Writing is thinking on paper
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Lamplighter Survey Help us and we can help you Something you will not hear from the Lamplighter Staff: Hi. My name is ROBO CALL and I'd like your responses and suggestions regarding our newsletter, Lamplighter. I know I've called why you and your family are sitting down to Christmas dinner, but this survey will take less than an hour if you answer the survey questions. Instead of an anonymous call coming at an inopportune time, we have this link to our 4-question survey: Lamplighter Survey. Nothing bad will befall you if you do not take the survey, but we can guarantee if you do, there is a good chance that something will happen. So take a moment away from web surfing and job searching and take our Lamplighter Survey buy clicking on this link: Start the Lamplighter Survey. Thanks from the staff. Go to Lamplighter Articles
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The Buzz on Networking by Eric Nilsson Social Network Sites: A Definition We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semipublic profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. While we use the term "social network site" to describe this phenomenon, the term "social networking sites" also appears in public discourse, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. We chose not to employ the term "networking" for two reasons: emphasis and scope. "Networking" emphasizes relationship initiation, often between strangers. While networking is possible on these sites, it is not the primary practice on many of them, nor is it what differentiates them from other forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC). What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This can result in connections between individuals that would not otherwise be made, but that is often not the goal, and these meetings are frequently between "latent ties" (Haythornthwaite, 2005) who share some offline connection. On many of the large SNSs, participants are not necessarily "networking" or looking to meet new people; instead, they are primarily communicating with people who are already a part of their extended social network. To emphasize this articulated social network as a critical organizing feature of these sites, we label them "social network sites." 1
Most people join networking groups to learn about the workforce, either actively seeking employment through the networking groups or sites or to gain information about current technologies or skills. There is a problem, however, with this ― some people may become disgruntled because of a lack of success in gaining employment. Perhaps each group should make its members aware that, while job seeking and its skills are important, equally important are the career-building and interpersonal skills the groups offer and impart. A social network group (or site) is analogous to a hive of bees. Just as bees collect pollen and nectar for the benefit of the colony, so do a networking group's members offer experiences for the benefit of the group. The benefits derived from the group's members can be information about available jobs, how to get and keep a job, or how to communicate with others. Basically, then a social networking group is neither greater nor worse than the old Hyde Park soapbox; its strengths lie in its ability to teach members and disseminate information, even to the point of entertaining those members. Its main weakness lies in the inability to satisfy the needs of all its members. If you join a social network such as LinkedIn, FaceBook, MySpace,or any of the many Yahoo groups, consider bees. An individual bee plays small part to the hive, yet the bee derives many benefits from the help of others. That's the buzz for this issue. Go to Alchemist's Arcanum
1
boyd, d. m., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of ComputerMediated Communication, 13(1), article 11. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html Page 19 of 28
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December,2010 to January, 2011
“Writing is thinking on paper.” By Eric Nilsson
―A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?‖ Politics and the English Language, 1946 — George Orwell Read more: http://practicalanalyst.com/2010/03/09/quoteworthy-george-orwell-on-scrupulous-writing/#ixzz14ky3Q8MR
This article's title is a quote from William Zinsser and cautions the reader to think before writing and, by extension, speaking. George Orwell's quote defines the essence of proper writing. The four simple statements require thought, about the reader and the writer. While these two authors wrote on actual paper, today's writers write on the foolscap generated by a computer ― virtual paper. There are two parts to this article, both involving thinking for yourself, not letting someone or something think for you. The first comes from the November 12 2010 print edition of the Star-Ledger (newspaper of Newark, NJ), the following appeared on page 2 of the printed edition and at this online link:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/nj_school_officials_review_div.html After parents complained, the teacher apologized to the class and lead a lesson on the use of the nword. In the passage, the verb "lead" is in the present tense, yet the sentence context is in the past tense. From a source, there are a number of possibilities (people who work on newspapers are human and sometimes make mistakes), but one strikes me as a probable culprit: Spell-check. As a verb, "lead" has two tenses with different spellings and sounds: (Present) LEAD, sounds like "LEED"; (Past) LED, sounds like "LED". In the English language. there is a metal (symbol Pb) named Lead , sounding like "LED". This error probably started as a typo, but was compounded by the software and editing selection within that software. In other words, read what you write before you send it, especially to people with whom you are unfamiliar. These include potential employers, hiring agents, and othe rtypes of business people. Because the internet is basically an anonymous form of projecting speech, people say some things that normally wouldn't be said in polite society. The second part of this article addresses how to "speak" in response to requests for comments. Below is Dr. Paul Krugman's very brief entry regarding language used by respondents to his New York Times blog. As Dr. Krugman mentions in the first sentence, some of the language used is normal in day-to-day conversations; I would also add that it is prevalent among many forms of Page 20 of 28
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electronic communication, such as television and radio. As Dr. Krugman also mentions, this is unacceptable in a public forum. November 3, 2010, 10:00 pm Keep It Clean I’m noticing a rising number of comments containing obscenities — usually no more than most of us use in conversation, but this isn’t ordinary conversation, it’s the !@#% New York Times, and there are rules. Your perfectly reasonable comment will get deleted if it uses indecorous language. So keep it clean, for your own sake (and that of the moderators). Source: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/keep-it-clean/
This is not an accusation of anyone's use of these forums, but using obscenities and poor grammar shows sloppiness in writing. This is also true of grammar errors and a multitude of typographical errors, such as all-capitals, all-lower-case letters, or a large amount of misspellings. In other words, treat your correspondents (either singly or in a group) as you would a person to whom you have applied for a job. Your use of language is a clue to the hiring agent the sort of employee you might be. This is not to say that everyone should study speech patterns used by 16th Century English writers, but it is to say that language used quite often in responses to various emailing would appall grade-school teachers. One more item regarding responses to emails through groups. Many job offers are posted and, depending on where the email is received (such as the web server for Yahoo), simply hitting "reply" with a statement about your work capabilities sends the email either to the person who forwarded the email or, in some cases, to the group at large. Most, but not all, emails offering job leads have instructions on how to reply to the job lead, including a link to the originator, the hiring agent or recruiter. Please take a moment to review the entire email before applying for the position. To recap:
Check your grammar and spelling; don't rely on the PC but, instead, use your internal computer Ensure your writing is free of obscenities (use a thesaurus to find the "cleaner" word) Read job offers carefully and follow the instructions therein Go to Alchemist's Arcanum
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December,2010 to January, 2011
How to Get People to Ignore Your Emails Posted by Carl E. Reid Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Email communication can be a frustrating experience by our own doing. NetM@nners explains why. "We live in a me, me, me – busy, busy, busy world. Our society is really self-centered . . . One thing is clear, you shouldn’t expect others to behave as you think they should — they are not you". Our immediate gratification based society dictates our expectation that every person we send an email should respond as soon as s/he finishes reading it. Good luck with that thought. If we work on understanding what motivates people, responses to emails may be faster. So lets take a quick trip down the opposite lane on what encourages people to not be in a hurry to open and actually read emails received. Establishing these bad habits is a sure fire way to make people ignore or miss emails you send them.
Not having a compelling statement in the "Subject" that makes someone want to open your email. Hi, hello and hey says nothing to the reader and may even trigger spam filtering, causing your email never to be read. Forbes writer, Kern Lewis's article How To Write A Compelling E-Mail Subject Line covers how to create a sense of urgency. Also check out 5 Tips for Writing Subject Lines that Will Get Your Emails Opened from Constant Contact. Not changing the "Subject" line when the email topic changes. People can easily think they already read your email, because it has the same topic as a previous email you sent or they sent. Now your new topic gets deleted, without being read. Bye bye to that totally awesome idea you had. Using email to initiate a series of back and forth conversation volleys, when a single phone call is more expeditious. Introducing new topics in the email "Body", which are unrelated to the topic in the "Subject". Using email as a word processor for lengthy sharing of information. Keep emails short and to the point. Bad timing on business email sends. Since business people constantly receive email, Saturday or Sunday may not be the best time to send emails. By Monday, your email could be pushed so far down and out of sight by the 50-100 emails delivered after your email. Just because you send an email during the weekend does not mean other people read emails during the weekend. Everyone has different work habits. Send email when you know there is a good chance a person is in their office AND cleared out their "Inbox". Not paying attention to geographic time zones. Consider your reader's local time zone, when timing an email send. Your email sent at 9AM might be 9PM to your email reader. Better to write an email in draft mode. Then send the email during your reader's local business hours. Sending email to people in different cultural work environments. Again, consider timing email sends mentioned above. In many Spanish speaking countries, work stops at Page 22 of 28
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December,2010 to January, 2011
2PM and resumes at 4PM. In Europe, weekends are definitely considered mini holidays. Relaxing and spending time with family is a priority on weekends, especially in France. Disregarding country holidays. Keep a world holiday calendar handy. Time email sends accordingly, to increase the chances of your email being opened and read.
Source URL: http://itechspeak.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-get-people-to-ignore-your-emails.html
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ISSN: 2154-5804 Vol. 3, Issue 1
December,2010 to January, 2011
Crossword Puzzle ― December 2010, January 2011 Across Trimmings for Typewriters and Presents (6) Keeps people going (10) Something for the top; also used at night (3) Pull back or part of a bridle (4) Animals that come from the sky at Christmas (8) 14 Food for Fishes (8) 17 What a COBOL programmer is now (8) 19 By the way (3) 21 A method for checking fowls (6) 23 Hign or poor (11) 26 Navy weekend (7) 29 Change shape (9) 30 Found in the skies and Hollywood (5) 31 Christmas relative of Brynner (8) 32 Requirements (5) 33 Terence Stamp played him (6) 34 Likes but doesn't need (7) 2 6 9 11 13
Down 1 We have more than Russia (4) 3 What happens when something is needed now (9) 4 A Type of Spelling (4) 5 An account that costs a company (7) 6 The sides of a page or a type of call (6) 7 This grows in Brooklyn (and elsewhere) (4) 8 How to fill a whole (11) 10 Rocky's Road (12) 12 Coke and Pepsi are two (6) 15 Where "talent" is found (6) 16 What is sought or another name for Steven (4) 18 Hard bread or biscuit (8) 20 Sometime flaky, sometimes very heavy (8) 22 Lots of laughs (3) 24 How people and items are presented (9) 25 Small, chump, or part of hope (6) 27 Make better (7) 28 Hangs on (9) 29 One of four words on a $1 bill (5)
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ISSN: 2154-5804 Vol. 3, Issue 1
December,2010 to January, 2011
L Do you know...? How you can Optimize your LinkedIn Profile in 5 Minutes (InternsOver40) This issue’s Tech Tip is submitted by Eric Nilsson. Thanks again, Eric! It is a definite reference for those new etp members and for a quick LinkedIn Refresher! From Ann Bergquist http://www.linkedin.com/in/annbergquist 5 minutes to Optimize your Linkedin Profile:Feel'n Like A Needle in a Haystack: LinkedIn continues to gain momentum as a resource utilized by both internal and external recruiters to find well qualified candidates. A quality LinkedIn profile is quickly becoming an essential element of a complete career marketing package. Like a resume, a LinkedIn profile serves as a summary of your work history. Both your resume and your LinkedIn profile need to be well-organized, well thought out, and well written. Although a resume will typically go into greater detail of accomplishments, a LinkedIn profile needs to offer enough facts to drive further action by recruiters. As every job seeker is hopefully aware, when resumes are submitted to corporations or job boards, they are then filtered by Applicant Tracking Software.(ATS) The software looks for ―key words‖ to decide which of the thousands of resumes being reviewed, deserves a personal review by the recruiting or hiring manager. There are great resources on the Internet to help job seekers identify for inclusion, commonly searched key words utilized by ATS systems. These resources will be make specific keyword suggestions based on the position a job seeker is targeting. However, in the end, once the resume is submitted, it is a bit of a ―black box‖ in terms of how your resume is actually parsed. So although, you may attempt to include all the right keywords to go to the top of the pile, a candidate is never really sure how a particular ATS system will treat their resume. Conversely, LinkedIn profiles are not a black box. A simple audit will allow you to see which queries bring your profile to the first few pages of a search. Try it. • • • • •
Go to the peoples tab and hit advanced search. Now enter a keyword or keywords associated with your targeted position. Ex: customer service manager Now enter a geography zip code and a distance quotient. 50 miles is a reasonable choice. Then select an industry or multiple industries that apply to you. Understand the broader you make your search the lower your ranking will be. Now hit search. Can you find yourself in the first few pages of the LinkedIn results?
Now look at the top few names that have appeared and open their profiles. By looking at the highlighted words, you will see the criteria that LinkedIn used to filter the search. As of today, Page 25 of 28
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LinkedIn appears to scan only four categories: Professional Headline, Titles, Specialties, and Industries. LinkedIn scans these categories for frequency of the keywords selected. In our example: customer service manager. So what do you do with this information? The simple answer is optimize these four LinkedIn categories with the keywords that you believe a recruiter would most likely use when looking to fill the employment position you are targeting. If you invest an hour to insert the keywords to make sure you show up in the first few pages of a LinkedIn search for the position, geography and industry you are targeting, you will increase your chances of being found. Now remember, a quality job search strategy encompasses both pull and push marketing. Optimizing your LinkedIn profile is only one important component of a ―pull marketing‖ job search strategy. Never forget as a job seeker, you should focus the majority of your time and effort on a ―push marketing‖ campaign focused on targeted job search networking. Guest Contributor: Ian Levine | Career Brander | For More Information on Career Brander
Email Barbara at: bndaisak@verizon.net
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ISSN: 2154-5804 Vol. 3, Issue 1
December,2010 to January, 2011
Meet the Lamplighters Volunteer Lamplighter Staff Adelaida (Aida) Rodriguez is the Editor-in-Chief and Contributing Writer of the Lamplighter Newsletter. She is a Project Manager Professional (PMP), Business Analyst/ Consultant at the Warranty Recovery Specialist, LLC Adelaida.rodriguez@verizon.net 732-225-0255 Eric Nilsson is the Design Layout Expert and Contributing Writer for Lamplighter. Eric enjoys the art and science of newspaper layout. Aside from being an arms-length economist, he has been an IT consultant at the Professional Service Group of New Brunswick and previously worked for North Jersey Media Group (The Record) as a Project Manager and Programmer/Analyst. Email: ericnilsson@earthlink.net Barbara Daisak is the Lamplighter Proofreader & Contributing Writer and the Lamplighter Proofreader, a Learning, Training, & Development Specialist and Microsoft Certified Master Instructor. Barb is also an Instructor Adjunct with the County Colleges of New Jersey with specialties in the Technology Training Divisions and Corporate Training Programs. Phone Numbers:732.863.4948 ― 732.616.2397-mobile Email Barbara at: bndaisak@verizon.net Go to Lamplighter Articles
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ISSN: 2154-5804 Vol. 3, Issue 1
December,2010 to January, 2011
Crossword Puzzle Answers Across: 2 RIBBON 6 MOTIVATION 9 CAP 11 REIN 13 REINDEER 14 PLANKTON 17 DINOSAUR 19 BTW 21 CANDLE 23 PERFORMANCE 26 LIBERTY 29 TRANSFORM 30 STARS 31 YULETIDE 32 NEEDS 33 NOBODY 34 DESIRES.
Down: 1 CZAR 3 BACKORDER 4 TORI 5 PAYROLL 6 MARGIN 7 TREE 8 INCORPORATE 10 PRIZEFIGHTER 12 BRANDS 15 AGENCY 16 JOBS 18 ZWIEBACK 20 SNOWFALL 22 LOL 24 MARKETING 25 CHANGE 27 IMPROVE 28 TENACIOUS 29 TRUST Go to Alchemist's Arcanum
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