Moms Are Masters At The Art Of Networking – Now Use Those Skills To Find Employment
Moms are experts at networking, a term used in the job search field. After all, we schedule everything from our kids’ play dates to our car’s maintenance using information we gather from other parents whom we have dealings with every day. You might not consider yourself networking when you drop the kids off at school and get the latest news from other parents on where to shop, what camps are the most inexpensive, and the best place to get your clothes mended, but you are.
When a parent has not been a wage-earner for awhile, she or he may feel a bit lost when beginning their search for employment. Internet job searches and the classified ads can become tedious and confusing. That is not your best approach. You are a networking master! You want to get out there and mingle and gather information because that’s what you do best. You have developed a talent for connecting with other parents and those talents can and should be put to work to find employment. Use your finely-tuned skills and get out there and do what you do best – network.
Even finely-honed skills can benefit from a few tips of the trade. According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, there are certain bullet-points to consider as you move through your networking strategy. Keep these tips in mind as you plan your job search.
1) Be Ready For Anything – Don’t be caught without a current resume in your hand and a professional business card in your wallet or purse. You never know when you might meet up with a prospective contact.
2) Stay Connected – The contacts your develop as you are out there networking need to hear from you routinely. Make a quick call to the people you are networking with, write out a nice little note and drop it in the mail, and by all means, stay visible at events that you have in common. Email is impersonal, so unless your contact requests you email them routinely, you are better off staying connected by calls and letters. If you have an opportunity for an interview, be sure to send a handwritten thank you note within a day or two.
3) Talk First With People You Know – Begin networking by talking to your friends, family, teachers, professors, former supervisors, managers, and other people you trust. Practice selling yourself first to those who know you. Get their opinion about whether they would hire you based on your personal sales pitch. Then ask them for some ideas and names of people you should contact.
4) Contact People You Don’t Know – Your friends and acquaintances will refer you to people you don’t know. Here’s where you start to reach deep within your networking talents. Begin each conversation with information about how you received their name. This will set up a common ground. Ask about them, who they are, and listen to what they have to say. You are initially establishing rapport, not asking for a job. You want a professional relationship with your new contact.
5) Ask For Information, Not A Job – You’re meeting this new contact to find out about them, first. You are not looking for a job. That comes later. At this point, you are gathering information and showing interest in this contact and what they think. Be patient, this getting-to-know-you part may take several meetings. You may be surprised at the information you gather if you listen with an open, inquisitive mind.
6) Focus On The Information – Polite chit chat is okay as you find common ground, but focusing on the information you hope your new contact will share is very important at this point. If you stray from the focus, you and your new contact may part wondering what that was all about. You are focused on one objective… to learn more about your new contact.
7) Reciprocate When You Can – New people we meet networking are usually anxious to share information. When a new contact offers you information or services, be ready to give something back. Prepare yourself with some information to share. If you offer a service, perhaps you are a seamstress, offer your new contact a sampling of your work. Be creative and find out what hobbies your contact is interested in and offer to help with a particular project. Get involved by giving back and your new contact will not forget you. You now have established goodwill as well as credibility.
Keep Your Promises – When you tell your contacts that you will call back, be sure you do. If they’re difficult to reach, keep trying. It’s your responsibility to connect with your new network of colleagues. Keeping your promises will establish your trustworthiness.
9) Become A Member Of Your Trade Association – Trade associations and similar organizations are great places to get information about opportunities. Members gather to share ideas and to network with people who share the same talents. People who belong to trade associations want to help those folks who share their passion.
10) Seek A Mentor – When you develop relationships with your new contacts, you’ll probably gravitate to someone who exemplifies your ideals. If that person is gracious enough to offer you time, take them up on their offer! Shadowing someone during their workday is one way that a mentor can share their experience with you in a very eye-opening way. Ask questions and listen… you never know what you could learn. Your mentor is a professional, so be sure you follow their lead. Have a fresh stack of business cards and your resume ready!
Because you are a parent, you are a networking master. Don’t sell yourself short! It doesn’t matter if you have never been in the job market before; your networking skills will get you right on top of your game in no time. Take those finely-tuned skills and hit the pavement running!
A Family Budget is a necessity, whether you have one income or two in your household. Begin by Tracking Your Personal Expenses, then move on to creating a schedule of payments that you can live with. You’ll need to have discipline, but you can do it!
Why You Should Think Twice Before Getting Balance Transfer Cards As Online Debt Relief
Should you consider those low rate balance transfer credit cards when looking for online debt relief, and what exactly is the benefit to having one?
Well, as you probably know, financial disaster can happen to anyone – especially in these times. And, it often strikes without warning. A person appears to have everything under control – he has a great job, pays his house note on time, and is good at managing his credit card bills every month.
However, since this is the game of life you also know that sometimes it doesn’t play fair. You may get sick, or become embroiled in a nasty divorce – suddenly finding yourself without money, but plenty of bills. And, if your credit has started to suffer as you can no longer afford to make all your obligations on time, these balance transfer cards can seem like a dream come true!
However, countless others have found out after it was too late that these cards can be full of hidden traps they didn’t know to look for. And, as a result, they ended up adding to their financial woes, instead of getting rid of them. So to warn you so this won’t happen to you if you find yourself in this predicament, here is just a brief run down of this low rate solution, along with a couple of examples of problems in its of problems with its “design”:
Low or “NO” interest rates on balance transfers refer to those cards that creditors offer new customers when they agree to transfer balances they currently owe to the card the new creditor provides them. And, it does look wonderful at first! It seems that you simply apply for this card and when it arrives, you just transfer all of your financial mess over to your new and improved “low rate” credit card – and then you are free to get back to the business of stress-free living.
If that doesn’t hook you, you will be reminded over and again that transferring your balances to them will not only bring your current cards to ZERO, but remember, you will then have just a small monthly payment that covers it all! And then, they bring the message home with the fact that this great rate is yours for several months – so, you can’t lose! However, there are several catches in this, that can lead to a HUGE financial downfall if you don’t know the facts.
First, most people don’t stop to think that their new lower rates apply to their balance transfers only, and not to anything else they may use the card to purchase. What this means is, any charge you make that’s NOT a transfer will be subject to the card’s standard rates and fees as applicable by law – which could prove to be very high.
And, concerning those standard rates and fees, you also need to know that they WILL go up significantly, once the introductory rate period ends. You don’t want to discover this last minute, when upon opening your latest statement you are hit with the HUGE new minimum that’s now due each month start with this one.
Another “trap” people face with a low rate card is the mindset that once their other cards have been brought down to zero by the transfers, it’s OK to go ahead and “use them for a purchase or two”. What then often happens is their paid off cards are soon run up with new charges that they keep putting on them, a little at a time. And, it goes without saying that the results from all the debit that’s now compiling faster than ever, can be disastrous, to say the least.
So unless you are one of those rare people who are geniuses at handling cards like these, you might be well-advised to stay clear of them when looking for online debt relief. Instead, find a reputable person or firm that has nothing to gain from you but a clearly posted consultation fee, and can give you the resources you need to get you out of your mess.
Discover the right debt relief companies to use by looking online. There you will find which onlline debt relief choice is best for your situation. Head online today and discover more.
Differences Between Term Life Insurance And Whole Life Insurance
All life insurance policies are either term, whole, or some combination of these two types of policies. However, there are many different forms that life insurance can take, even within these types.
For example, universal life insurance which is a type of permanent life insurance, allows you to adjust the premium and the coverage to the amounts you need. This type of insurance accrues cash value which earns interest.
If you want control over the financial and investing aspects of your insurance policy, your best option would be a variable life insurance policy. This policy is similar to a universal policy in that it accrues cash value, but you can choose how this cash value is invested.
Description of a Term Life Insurance Policy
A term life policy provides protection for a predetermined period of time, such as 5, 10 or 20 years. At the end of this time the policy expires – the death benefit is only paid while the policy is in effect. A term policy doesn’t accumulate any cash value. Term life insurance has been described as “insurance that is actually designed to expire before you do.”
Usually the premiums on the term insurance are not that big, but as you grow older you will have to pay more. So considering the profits a term life insurance policy is more economical when bought at a younger age along with a longer term. Even though the short term renewable policies are substantially lower when people are young, it will be highly expensive when purchased after middle age.
Below here is an illustrative example which shows the difference of term life insurance policy cost with age.
$300 / year age 35
Age 50: $900/year
$2,500 / year age 65
Now we shall see what is a Whole Life Insurance Policy.
A whole life insurance policy remains in force until you either die or reach age 100, so long as you pay the premiums on time. Whole life is the most common type of life insurance sold. Whole life is also known as “ordinary life” or “permanent” insurance. The main characteristics of a whole life insurance policy are level premiums, level face amounts, guaranteed values, and a relatively high degree of safety. Whole life policies accrue cash value over the life of the policy; a policyholder can access this cash for emergencies, as a supplemental source of retirement income or for any other needs.
This ability to access the cash accrued by a whole life policy makes it an important savings instrument. Whole life policies are often used for long-term financial planning. Another very positive aspect of whole life insurance is the level premiums: they don’t change, so you’ll always know how much your policy is going to cost. Level premiums provide peace of mind and make budgeting easier.
There are different risks involved for companies which provide whole life insurance policies and those which offer auto policies, for example. With an auto policy the insurance company hopes the policyholder will be a safe driver and never be in an accident. On the other hand, when an insurance company issues a whole life policy it knows it will someday have to pay the claim.
Shopping for life insurance is now quite simple to do online. You can compare companies and policies to make sure you get the best premiums for the policy that meets your needs. It’s well worth the time to get several quotes, and to see how the companies are rated with the Better Business Bureau. It’s also important to look into the financial standings of the companies you’re considering before you sign up for any type of life insurance policy. If you do your research, you will easily get the best whole life insurance policy online.
Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For tips on how to save on your life insurance visit our website.
Take These Tips To Help You During The Transition Phase Of Independence
All of us want to be independent and self made. The process of getting to be independent involves taking small steps and making a gradual but permanent changes that it becomes a part of your psyche.
We are giving below certain tips, which if followed closely and imbibed with focus and dedication will make your transition a success.
Paying your way through – The biggest challenge is to own up your expenses and to pay for all your expenses with your money. Do not expect others, even your parents to support you with money or allow your girlfriend to pay for the lunches.
Your monthly expenses could include your living expenses, utility bills, cost of travel, grocery and food, other shopping bills and not to forget the, movie, dining out and lunch bills. Make sure that you own up to these and make you monthly budget and schedule payments.
Get to know yourself better – Living alone though takes a while for everyone to accept , it can be fun to rediscover and get in touch with yourself. Give some time for your subconscious to accept the new situation and transition from having lived with all others at home to living alone.
Spend time getting to know yourself better. Pick up on your socializing skills or learn a new hobby. You will get a new perspective to your life.
Living by yourself can be fun and adventurous. It can keep you on your toes all the time and make you stronger. It takes a little while for one to get adjusted to the new situation and soon you will start enjoying every moment that life has to offer.
Living alone doesn’t make one necessarily lonely. It all depends upon your attitude. You can enjoy what your new life has to offer you and discover all of your hidden potentials.
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Benefits Of Buying And And Hanging Onto Strong Stocks
Investing into the stock market for the long term is simply the process of buying fundamentally strong stocks and then holding onto them for the long term. Millionaires and Billionaires all seem to consider investing into stocks for the long term to be a great way of building wealth, and this is true for many reasons.
1. Great History
Investing into the stock market has historically been a great way to invest money. In fact stocks have historically appreciated at a faster rate then every other major asset class out there in the long run. And if you do your homework and get into strong stocks you can do even better.
2. Dividends
The next advantage comes when you look at companies that offer top dividend paying stocks. Dividend stocks are basically stocks which pay you a small amount of money for each and every share that you own on a consistent basis. This can lead to steady income in addition to the appreciation of the stock.
Of course this is normally just a small percentage of what the price of the stock is. People who are making a living off of dividends are ones who have a lot of money to invest into it.
3. Low Maintenance
The last advantage of the stock market is that investing really does not require you to actively manage your money. Once you invest into a strong company that you believe in you no longer have to monitor it as long as the underlying company still has potential and is on solid ground there is no need to sell it or anything.
Other investment options out there require you to spend a lot more time operating or buying and selling, which can be great if you are interested in constantly learning about the investment.
Buying and holding onto fundamentally strong stocks with a lot of potential really can be a great way to build up your wealth. They can give you more time to increase the income you receive from your job or business and this can even lead to more wealth then if you were to spend all of your time trying to increase your returns.
For more information visit Shaun’s site about the stock market basics Free reprint avaialable from: Benefits Of Buying And And Hanging Onto Strong Stocks.
