The Career Fix-It Book - How to Make Your Job Work Better For You

"The Career Fix-It Book: How to Make Your Job Work Better For You" by Diana Pace is a workbook designed to help you think about the concept of career in your life. The book is full of exercises to make you think about those things that are really important to you and to evaluate just where you are and where you want to go in terms of your career and life. It really is a book to be used, not just read.

The book begins with a chapter on clearing out the cobwebs, for as the author puts it, in order to take a fresh look at what's wrong or right in your work life, you must first clear out the old misconceptions. There are then a series of exercises which are as good as the work you put into them. These focus on remembering what you wanted when you were young, recognizing the influences of your past and present, what career means to you, and exploring traditional versus nontraditional paths.

The book progresses in a similar manner with short chapters and many exercises and questions to ask yourself. The author suggests in chapter two that you choose your career as you would a lover. Not bad advice really. The book continues with chapters on being stuck, parts of the job such as co-workers, environment, and the transition between home and work to determine the areas you are happy and not. Chapter five was interesting because it talked about standards, but also had an exercise to help determine if you are a workaholic or not. Sure, a simple little quiz does not tell everything, but if you are honest, these quizzes and questions just might bring answers out of you that will surprise you, and if they do, that will be the start of your journey toward something better.

Maybe it is time to move. Chapter six explores this possibility. The next chapter looks at financial matters, while chapter eight takes account of your life outside of work. Volunteering fills a void for many people and chapter nine looks at this. Chapter ten discusses being prepared with the right skills for the career you desire. Next, the author addresses career development and then looks at jobs are just jobs. The last two chapters are on the free agent concept and putting it all together.

This is a short book and very easy to read. However, if you take the time to really think about the questions Pace asks throughout the various chapters, it could take quite a bit of time, and that time would be well spent, because the questions are aimed at determining just what you want out of life and your career. The more you put into answering the questions, the more you will get out of this book, and the more you will expand your thinking to areas not covered here. If you are feeling lost in your career, this book just might provide the questions to help you find the answers.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a writer, speaker, and mediator who teaches how to live, take action, and get things done through the Warrior's Edge. He is an expert on conflict and mediates and teaches conflict resolution and negotiation. Alain combines his military, martial art, and Asian experiences with his business, law, and conflict resolution education into a powerful way of living with balance, honor, and integrity. He teaches how to use the Warrior's Edge to Take Action and Achieve Remarkable Results, as well as resolve conflict and negotiate. Additionally, he teaches physical conflict skills in his Hapkido and Self-Defense courses, lectures, and seminars. Alain is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks, the DVDs Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking series, and numerous articles and reviews. You can read more articles and reviews and see clips of his DVDs as well as much more at http://www.burrese.com/ and http://www.yourwarriorsedge.com/

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New Book Provides Women With Formula For Unstoppable Success

Britt Santowski is the voice of the new Unstoppable Woman. Bridging the gap between women of the past and present, from women who were victims to women who are successful and empowered, Santowski uses her personal story and that of many other successful women, along with practical examples, inspirational stories, and a good dose of shrewd common sense to enlighten women about the requirements for success. "The Three Strategies of the Unstoppable Woman" is that book women have long awaited-a surefire guide to finding the required balance in life that leads both to goal-achievement and happiness.

Having experienced violence and abuse, and having seen it in the lives of the women around her, Santowski makes a strong point early in the book that while violence exists in our world, women cannot accept the role of "victim." Santowski has no problem taking on what does not work for women. While education is fine, she points out the educational system's limits, and she provides practical ways for women to determine what is the right goal, field of study, or career for them by exploring their passions and natural inclinations rather than doing what other people or society at large expects is best for them.

At the heart of "The Three Strategies of the Unstoppable Woman" is the invaluable point that women need to support one another. Santowski encourages women, once they know where they want to go in life, to collaborate with each other rather than simply envy one another. She teaches women to transform their envy into the fuel to ignite their dreams. "Envy is not a bad-news indicator that reflects something awful about you. Rather, it is a great-news indicator, telling you that you too can achieve this particular aspiration. All you have to do is to step out of your comfort zone and start moving toward it."

One of my favorite sections of "The Three Strategies of the Unstoppable Woman" was the discussion of forming mastermind groups with like-minded women. While I have heard of mastermind groups before, I appreciated Santowski's simple guidelines for creating such circles, based on her own experiences participating and forming mastermind groups. As a male reader, I felt this information and so much more in the book was directly relevant to my own desires and goals, so I did not let the book's title stop me from absorbing all the priceless information included.

Another favorite piece of advice I found was Santowski's statement that we need to change "if" to "when" in terms of what we desire. We need to assume something we want will happen and then imagine and plan for it. I especially appreciated her example in this case because she helped one of her male clients believe he would receive custody of his child, a situation that did become a "when" not an "if" and it illustrates that Santowski is understanding of men, rather than seeing them as the enemy. She makes a point of saying that she did truly believe in this particular situation that the child would be better off with the father. There is no man-bashing (or woman-bashing) in this book, but rather a sense that people can work together, regardless of sex or background, to make what they want into reality.

Throughout the book, Santowski provides "Call to Action" sections to challenge the reader toward becoming unstoppable. The end of the book is filled with several excellent appendices, not just the usual list of references, but also inspirational quotes from such women as Eleanor Roosevelt and Helen Keller. My favorite appendix is the "Famous Failures" section that illustrates how people (men included) like Walt Disney, Betty Grable, Joan of Arc, and Benjamin Franklin, might have experienced perceived failure but still succeeded. As Santowski points out, failure only really happens when you give up. Everything else is merely a setback.

So, what are the Three Strategies of the Unstoppable Woman? I'm not giving anything away by stating that they are Accountability, Collaboration, and Initiative. It's learning how to apply those strategies that makes this book worth reading. Let Britt Santowski teach you, male or female, how to become unstoppable.

Tyler R. Tichelaar holds a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from Northern Michigan University and a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University. His family's long relationship with Upper Michigan and his avid interest in genealogy inspired Dr. Tichelaar to write his Marquette Trilogy: Iron Pioneers, The Queen City, and Superior Heritage. Dr. Tichelaar is also a professional book reviewer and editor. For more information about Tyler R. Tichelaar, his writing, and his author services, visit:
http://www.marquettefiction.com/

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Salary Negotiation Guide Reveals Social Media Effect Between Bosses and Their Employees

Let's face it. In the business and corporate world, the customary practice of ethical distance has always been part of the internal code of conduct. As a matter of integrity, you have to behave in a manner that is above suspicion and beyond reproach. Too much familiarity is discouraged. You don't mix business with pleasure, and the personal has no effect on the professional.

However, with technology racing at top speed and communication zooming alongside it, the concept of distance has changed. Business has turned to e-commerce. Through the worldwide web, bosses and employees alike now connect in real time and we even interact on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Instead of going the distance to your boss's office, you can now exchange instant messages and tweets with just a few clicks on your computer in the privacy of your office or in the comfort of your home.
Does this really mean that you are only a few clicks away from getting your job promotion or your salary increase?Can you work on it in your pyjamas at home?Can you do the shortcuts and fast-track your way into these goals by inviting your boss to be your Facebook friend?

When you're looking forward to moving ahead in your career or finding a new job, then personal connections via Facebook can become one of your major assets.

The more successful you are in connecting, interacting, and socializing with all kinds of people, the more your boss will perceive you as someone who can manage employees at all levels. The more your boss knows that you haven't been corrupted by all the tempting offers and unscrupulous practices on the web, the more your boss will understand how credible you are and how well you fit into the job.

In the end, just make sure of two things. If you have been made the exception as a Facebook friend, see to it that you are just as exceptional in your work such that no one can be snide about it. Another is to make sure that when it comes to business, you share something more in common with your boss than being Facebook friends.

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Get Ahead By Going Abroad -- A Woman's Guide To Fast-Track Career Success (Book Review)

Could Rhonda Byrne be wrong? Could there really be another Secret? According to C. Perry Yeatman and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, the authors of Get Ahead By Going Abroad: A Woman's Guide To Fast-Track Career Success, there is indeed another secret: working abroad gets you up the career ladder faster -- especially if you are a woman struggling to break through the proverbial glass ceiling at home.

Perry and Stacie are living testimony to the power of working abroad. Perry was a 25 year-old account executive making US$25,000 a year when she moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Singapore to accept her first job overseas. Ten years later, with additional stints in Moscow and London, Perry catapulted to earning US$500,000 per year and found herself touring exotic cities with global CEOs and former heads of state like Margaret Thatcher. Today, Perry is one of the top fifty executives at Kraft Foods, the second-largest food and beverage company in the world.

Stacie moved to Hong Kong the day after her wedding, at age twenty-seven. She took up a vice-president position at Burson-Marsteller -- a leading global PR firm. Upon her return to Washington, D.C. only three years later, Stacie became a global managing director. By the age of 34, she was named a partner in WPP, parent company to Burson-Marsteller, and ranked in the top 1 percent of the largest communications conglomerate in the world. Today, Stacie is a successful author and a sought-after speaker and consultant.

But it is not just Perry and Stacie who have shot ahead by going abroad. To prove their theory, the authors conducted a global online survey of more than 200 women who had spent significant time abroad. A convincing 85 percent agreed that going overseas had accelerated their careers. Now that is a figure not to be scoffed at.

As a former expat in Indonesia and Mexico, I loved reading Get Ahead By Going Abroad because it took me up close and personal with Perry, Stacie and other similarly successful expat women -- who share insights never normally offered to anyone outside their trusted inner circles. I also enjoyed the fact that the book is written differently from your standard how-to fare: it intersperses advice, checklists and get-ahead tools with loads of quotes from the 40 women the authors interviewed in-depth to make their material real.

Whilst aimed at the niche female market, this book is a must-have for anyone wanting to: land an international assignment; negotiate the best possible contract; know what to expect when they arrive; and strategically transition themselves into a premium position upon repatriation.

If you fancy a stab at accelerated success, doused with the excitement of living in a foreign land, Get Ahead By Going Abroad is definitely one of those books you should Google today.

Copyright belongs to Andrea Martins.

Reprints welcomed.

First published by The Telegraph (UK) online on 14 May 2008.

Andrea Martins is the Director and Co-Founder of ExpatWomen.com (http://www.expatwomen.com/) -- a global resource site full of inspiring features to help all women living outside of their home country. Visit ExpatWomen.com today as your first-stop website to get inspired, share stories, network globally, develop personally and find the best resources.

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The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day

In the corporate environment today, great leaders are required to achieve success. Leadership is the ability to lead others by influence. Great leaders never desire to lead but to serve, and there are some minutes that are very critical to leaders' success daily. The desire to educate (prospective) leaders on these critical minutes informs my choice of this book entitled "The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day" with the subtitle "Revitalise Your Spiritual and Empower Your Leadership", for review.

John Maxwell, author of this book is the founder of INJOY, a leadership development institute dedicated to helping leaders reach and maximise their potential both in the Christian and secular worlds. Maxwell speaks nationally and internationally on a variety of subjects bordering on leadership, church administration, growth, attitude, etc.

He illuminates that one great question he asks himself every day of his life is how he can become a better leader. It is not surprising then that he has written extensively on leadership. According to the author, it takes time to become a leader. Maxwell stresses that while a few people appear to be born leaders, the ability to lead is actually a collection of skills, nearly all of which can be learnt and sharpened.

This leadership expert presents a daily plan to help you grow as a leader in your personal, professional as well as spiritual life. Leadership is very taxing and has multiplicity of facets such as respect, experience, emotional strength, vision, timing, people skills, etc., says the author. He submits that the good news is that your leadership ability is not static. Maxwell adds that no matter where you are right now, you can reach new, higher levels of effectiveness, and this text can be a vital tool in that process.

He discloses that he is constantly searching for new things to learn and ways to grow, but sometimes the best way to learn is to return to the fundamentals. This explains why he had to go back to the Source, to the greatest leadership book ever written: the Bible. Maxwell stresses that every leadership lesson he has ever taught has been based on scriptural principles. He brings the varieties of leadership contained in the Bible to the forefront. By examining the lives of the great leaders in the Bible, we can learn more about leadership and apply the principles we learn to our daily lives, asserts Maxwell.

Structurally, this text is divided into twenty-one chapters spread over twenty-one weeks. Each week is further segmented into five days. Chapter one is based on the subject matter of the law of the lid. Extracting from the law of the lid in "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership", Maxwell says success is within the reach of just about everyone. He adds that personal success without leadership ability brings only limited effectiveness. In Maxwell's words, "A person's impact is only a fraction of what it could be with good leadership. The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be...."

He expatiates that leadership ability is the lid that determines a person's level of effectiveness and the lower an individual's ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential. Your leadership ability - for better or for worse - always determines your effectiveness and the potential impact of your organisation, Maxwell educates.

Chapter two is based on the thematic focus of the law of influence. Here, this expert says leadership is influence. He adds that when you become a student of leaders, you begin to recognise people's level of influence in everyday situations all around you. Maxwell says one of the people he admires and respects most as a leader is his good friend Bill Hybels, the senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, North America. In his words, "Bill says he believes that the church is the most leadership-intensive enterprise in society...Leaders have only their influence to aid them...Followers in voluntary organisations cannot be forced to get on board. If the leader has no influence with them, then they won't follow."

Maxwell says leaders do not possess influence in every area as our influence is either positive or negative. He stresses that faithful leaders use their influence to add value and with influence comes responsibility.

In chapters three to six, the author analytically X-rays concepts such as the laws of process, navigation, E.F. Hutton and solid ground. Maxwell educates that becoming a leader is a lot like investing successfully in the stock market. That is, if your hope is to make a fortune in just one day, you are not going to be successful. He asserts that leaders who navigate do even more than control the direction in which they and their people travel as they see the whole trip in their minds before they leave the dock. Maxwell says when it comes to identifying the real leader, the proof of leadership is found in the followers. He explains that a leader's history of successes and failures makes a big difference in his credibility.

Chapter seven is based on the law of respect. Here, Maxwell submits that people do not follow others by accident; rather, they follow individuals whose leadership they respect. He expatiates that the less-skilled follow the more-highly-skilled and gifted. The author adds that occasionally, a stronger leader may choose to follow somebody who is weaker than he is. "But when that happens, it's for a reason... The stronger leader may do it out of respect for the person's office or past accomplishments. Or he may be following the chain of command," illuminates Maxwell.

In chapters eight to 12, the author examines the concepts of the laws of intuition, magnetism, connection, the inner circle and empowerment. He says only empowered people can reach their potential and when a leader cannot empower others, such a leader creates barriers within the organisation that people cannot overcome.

Chapter thirteen focuses on the law of reproduction. Here, Maxwell submits that it takes a leader to raise a leader. He says it is true that a few people step into leadership because their organisation experiences a crisis, and they are compelled to do something about it. The leadership expert adds that another small group is comprised of people with such great natural gifts and instincts that they are able to navigate their way into leadership on their own. Maxwell educates that more than four out of five of all the leaders that you ever meet will have emerged as leaders because of the impact made on them by established leaders who mentored them.

In chapters fourteen to eighteen, Maxwell beams his analytical searchlight on the laws of buy-in, victory, the Big Mo, priorities and sacrifice respectively. He says it takes a leader to create momentum, reflecting that leaders never grow to a point where they no longer prioritise. Maxwell asserts that sacrifice is a constant thing in leadership, not a one-time payment.

In chapter nineteen, he examines the law of timing. Maxwell stresses that when to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. He adds that when leaders do the right things at the right time, success is almost inevitable. The author says people, principles and processes converge to make an incredible impact. And the results touch not only the leaders but also the followers and the whole organisation, submits Maxwell.

In chapters twenty and twenty-one, the laws of explosive growth and legacy are discussed. He says leaders who develop followers grow their organisations only one person at a time, while leaders that develop leaders multiply their growth "because for every leader they develop, they also receive all of that leader's followers". Maxwell adds that a leader's lasting value is measured by succession.

As regards style, the language of the text is simple and the presentation very fantastic. For instance, Maxwell generously employs biblical and literary/classical allusions as well as illuminating illustrations to achieve conceptual amplification and ensure concrete conviction on readers' part. This author displays temporal stylistic creativity by segmenting the text into twenty-one chapters spread over twenty-one weeks. Each week is further sub-divided into five days, while every day focuses on one predominant leadership thought, lesson, etc, for easy and memorable study.

However, on page 206, an error is noticed. Here, Maxwell says "If a company has poor leaders, what little leadership it has will only get worse..." instead of "If a company has poor leaders, whatever little leadership it has will only get worse..." Also on page 99, the expression "...a stronger leader may choose to follow somebody who is weaker than himself" is used instead of "...a stronger leader may choose to follow somebody who is weaker than he (is)." This is a grammatical error of inaccurate use of the comparative with an isolated pronoun, especially that "himself", the reflexive form of the personal pronoun is used instead of the subject case "he", grammatically used with the primary auxiliary verb "is" in full.

Generally, this text is conceptually fascinating. This compendium of insightful leadership tips is highly recommended to anybody that wants to become a great leader in life. It is especially recommended to politicians, civil servants, entrepreneurs, managing directors, religious leaders, etc. in my country, Nigeria.

GOKE ILESANMI, Editor-in-Chief/CEO of http://www.gokeilesanmi.com/ and Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is a Certified Public Speaker/Emcee, (Business) Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker, Career Management Coach, Renowned Book Reviewer, Corporate Leadership Expert and Editorial Consultant.

Tel: +234(0)8055068773; +234(0)8056030424
Email: info@gokeilesanmi.com; gokeiles2010@gmail.com

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Things To Take Care Of During CNA Training

A job in nursing has and constantly can be a worthwhile career. There's always a requirement for further nurses and even physicians to tend to individuals and work at different hospitals around the country as well as around the world. Folks are regularly registering for courses and academies in this field. One of the best things that they can become is often a CNA or a licensed nursing assistant.

Certified nursing assistant training enables for each candidate to hunt the simplest of opportunities in hospitals, nursing homes or many institutions. These might be in almost all healthcare organizations and medical clinics. You might as well refer to them as health care technicians, nurse's aides, home care workers or orderlies. They work in hospitals, nursing homes, foster homes, health care services and personal home settings.

These training programs tend to be simple to discover. Most community instructive clinics offer programs which are offered on evenings and weekends, making them convenient for active adults to take. A variety of classes are even taught on the internet, making their particular needs even less complicated to fit into a busy timetable. Once you have accomplished the training, you can begin work quickly.

Working as a licensed assistant is a wonderful way by which to experience the medical field, and a few employers might even offer added tuition reimbursement for those wanting to earn their LPN or RN certifications. This is an amazing advantage for a job.

All CNA programs need to contain a minimum of seventy five long periods of class work and 16 hours of clinical work, working immediately with patients under an RN's supervision. After finishing these hours, which are usually in good condition into 3 weeks of full time teaching or 6 weeks of part-time training, the scholar takes the examination before becoming certified.

CNA Training is something that many people will go for. Learn how to find the best CNA Courses that will help.

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Career Renegade - How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love by Jonathan Fields

"Career Renegade: How To Make A Great Living Doing What You Love" by Jonathan Fields is more than a "rah rah" do what you love book. It's full of practical advice on building a living around what you love to do, and following your passion rather than a paycheck. Fields himself, once a mega-firm lawyer who was killing himself for the job, left his high paying position to become an entrepreneur and follow his passion. You might not picture a high paid lawyer quitting his job to open a yoga studio, but it worked for Fields, and he insists that following your passions and doing what you love can work for you too. This book is his guide to show you how.

Again, I found this book to be much more than a bunch of motivational "you can do it." Fields shares examples, stories of others who've achieved success following their dreams, and resources to assist you make the transition toward your passions. The first part consists of two chapters that get you thinking about what you really want. Part two explores what kind of renegade you want to be. Fields looks at different career renegade paths and opportunities available to make a living while doing what you enjoy.

In part three, Fields covers topics such as getting social online and building on blogging and social media, areas that he has been extremely successful with. Marketing is a key to building a business, and Fields offers some good advice in this area.

The final part focuses on topics such as cultivating the renegade mind-set, not doing it alone, holding on to your life preserver until you can swim, and being your own guru. This final chapter was motivating, but also grounded in reality. I like the Helen Keller quote near the end, "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." Fields then asks, "What are you waiting for?"

Some of the stories and examples Fields uses were people and business I was familiar with, and others I'd never heard of, but all of them fit well with the lessons he was sharing. He also provided numerous websites for additional information. I really did feel the book had a good mix of motivation, practical tips, resources, and examples that engaged and instructed the entire way through. It is also a book to look back to as you plan your own career. If you are not making a great living doing what you love, check out this book and it may just provide the stimulus and advice to help you along that path.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a performance and personal development expert who teaches how to live, take action, and get things done through the Warrior's Edge. Alain combines his military, martial art, and Asian experiences with his business, law, and conflict resolution education into a powerful way of living with balance, honor, and integrity. He teaches how to use the Warrior's Edge to Take Action and Achieve Remarkable Results. Alain is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks, the DVDs Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking series, and numerous articles and reviews. You can read more articles and reviews and see clips of his DVDs as well as much more at http://www.burrese.com/ and http://www.aikiproductions.com/

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