The American Way: Lose Weight or Lose Job!

The single greatest obsession of almost everyone in the 300-million strong population of USA is looks, figure and youth. It is proved every four years when the presidential elections takes place, it is almost every time that the better looking candidate wins. Coming to the subject of this blog, I saw this news video on MSNBC about a waitress at Hooters, she became slightly heavier than the company's diktats and was asked to shape up or leave. That is America for you...

I wish they would bring about a similar set of rules in every profession.

When and How to Ask for a Raise

One of the biggest dilemmas of my career so far has been asking for a raise at work. First of all I have a big hesitation to ask for anything... even if something is rightfully mine, I find it difficult to ask for it. This hesitation has cost me heavily in terms of salary for my work. I have been trying to get rid of this hesitation. One of the resources I have used is reading articles by career experts on how and when to ask for raise.

One of the recent articles I read on this subject is one titled "Timing Important When Asking for a Raise". This is a pretty detailed treatise which details a few specific scenarios that are ideal while asking for a raise.



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A New Beginning!!!

In the past 30-odd years of my life I have had a job for over 10 years. I have been working on odd jobs, freelance writing, etc... in short being self employed for sometime also. Since arriving in the US smack in the middle of the economic downturn I have been struggling to land a "proper job". The struggle continues...

The new beginning which I talk about in the headline of this post is a career switch. Something that I have done in the past but not something this radical. I have moved from being a graphic designer to a writer-editor but the industry remained the same publishing/ newspapers.

I will be starting a new course tomorrow. This semester will be aimed at providing me the necessary job-skills for a specific profession. I sure hope this new beginning will get me a step ahead towards my final goal. It is like Neil Armstrong said "A step on moon is equal to a giant leap to mankind" or something like that. Tomorrow's beginning I hope will be something like this.

Cold, boring but hectic winter days

The best thing about blogs, they just keep going. Hence I continue to blog about what's happening in my life even if it is most boring even for me to write about. I have been raving and ranting about winter and how the cold windy weather is preventing me from getting outdoors and doing something. Something good about winter though is that there is a lot of part time/ temp jobs available... so I am at least able to make some money during the holiday season... I hope the job streak continues into spring and summer....

Wondering What to Blog about???

I have been pretty lax about blogging of late. Truth is nothing exciting is happening in my life and with school, part time jobs, and job hunting I hardly get any time to spend in front of this 'intelligent box'. Yep I called the laptop computer 'intelligent box' because the TV has been called the 'idiot box' for a long long time... I call the PC an intelligent box because this makes one think and attempt to create something. More often than not while working on the PC the mind gets stimulated, while the same doesn't happen while watching TV.

Coming back to my life in the Big D, within Big T, which is within the Big A has remained pretty much the same over the past two years. We moved from one city to another within 9 miles distance. The job market is as bad as it was when I landed here... probably a little worse. All my life in India I never had to struggle to find a job. In fact I always had couple of offers on hand. I have never felt so worthless in my life than here in the US looking for the elusive job.

I wonder when I will land a proper full-time job in this country. Sometimes I wonder whether I will ever get a job, sometimes I feel hopeful that I will get a particular job when I apply but it soon fizzles out like a damp squib. Life is such that one has to keep doing something to make a living and that is what I am doing. Trying to make a living... it is difficult but I am trying... and will continue to keep trying.

Job Search Needs More than just a Great Resume!!!

The recent economic downturn has made the job market highly competitive. There are hundreds of thousands of people out there looking for a job. How is it possible you make yourself uniquely different so that you will land the job? Moreover the bad news is that most people who have lost jobs are men and not women. It has become increasingly challenging for men to land jobs in this economy. In order to get men out of this predicament, Gillette decided to commission a survey of HR professionals to find out what it takes to be successful in interviews.

According to the survey of over 500 HR professionals commissioned by Gillette (R) it seems that personal grooming creates a much greater positive impression than even the firm handshake. Over 84% of the HR professional surveyed agreed that a well-groomed employee is more likely to climb the corporate ladder than other who are not so well-groomed.

In order to help the millions who are unemployed Gillette promoted the Gillette Career Advantage program by engaging career expert, Mark Jeffries and GQ style correspondent, Brett Fahlgren. These two professional will add to the knowledge derived from the HR survey and enhance it with new insights and provide the much needed advice for guys who are looking for jobs.

This program features expert advice from Mark Jeffries and Brett Fahlgren; a career quiz; a comprehensive hire guide compiled from the views of HR professionals from across the country. This is designed to empower men and give them the tools necessary to succeed in the job market.

Ofcourse if you would like to know more about the survey and read the raw data, findings and get details about Gillette products, the Gillette Resource Center is at hand to clarify all your doubts.

Get a New Look before that Job Interview!!!

During the past couple of years of economic downturn hundreds of thousands of people have been laid off, businesses gone bankrupt, retirees have reentered the workforce, and the job market has become unusually competitive. In this scenario what is the best way to hear that four magical words from a prospective employer: "When can you join?" Given the competition there is a need to pull all the stops to ensure that you land the job you are looking for.

Recently Gillette (R) commissioned a survey of about 500 HR professionals to know what a job seeker can do to create the first impression. The results of the survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R) are quite revealing of hiring trends with 84% respondents saying that they have noticed well-groomed employees climb the corporate ladder faster than those who are not. Another glaring statistic of the survey is that 90% of the HR professionals consider a well-groomed appearance better than a firm handshake.

As a result of the survey Gillette decided to do something for the job seekers and promoted the Gillette Career Advantage, a unique portal where job seekers can get advice from career expert Mark Jeffries and GQ style correspondent, Brett Fahlgren on how to get ahead in their profession. The website also features the Gillette Career Quiz, a hire guide which reveals what HR professionals really think and numerous other resources for the job seeker. This website is designed to equip and empower job seekers with the tools, information and advice on how to beat the competition and rise up in their career even in this weak economy.

That apart there is another initiative from Gillette. This is named the Gillette Resource Center where one can information about the survey, get the numbers and charts of the survey findings and get grooming and career advice from career experts.

I wouldn't miss this opportunity to know what is in the mind of a HR professional even though I am not in the job market. This is information one could use anytime in his career.

Ultimate Online Employment Reference Guide!!!

In this economic scenario the biggest challenge faced by most college graduates is to find a suitable job. For those already employed retaining their jobs is posing a true challenge. Thousands have lost jobs due to recession and are scrambling to find alternative employment. Some have gone back to school in the hope of acquiring new skills and becoming employable in this economy, while others are contemplating becoming self employed.

Under these circumstances it becomes imperative that one needs to be of informed about important factors affecting their careers such as, best cities for specific professions, Job Salary Information, what extra skills needs to be acquired to get ahead, etc.

The internet is a great resource for such articles. The Career.QandAs.com offers some great information and resources in the form of over 1,000 articles on employment related topics such as, salary, career progression and interviewing. If you are in the market for a job or contemplating a career switch, this is where you go before taking the plunge.

Getting closer to the finish!!!

Long semesters somehow give this feeling of fatigue towards the end. First the four months of the long semester seems to drag on for ever, then every other day we have a test/ quiz/ exam which makes the course seem stressful. Now after four months of grueling drudgery the semester is finally coming to an end. Each one of my classmates appear stressed about grades and glad that it is coming to an end.

On my front, I am glad this is over, but this is not the end. It is just a station in my journey, I have a long way to go before I can get off the train and say I have arrived. So far the academic journey has been pretty good, mostly As... I hope this continues the same way till the end.

For now I look forward to the semester ending on Monday when I have my final exam and then for the next one month I can concentrate on finding a job, before summer classes begin. For now finding a job is the priority.

Working in the Arab World

I received a set of pictures promoting jobs in Arabia... I wonder if these are work conditions in the Gulf or if it is meant to be funny. I found these pictures highly hilarious and thought I'd share them here on my blog... see and enjoy...




I wouldn't be surprised if this is the actual working conditions in the Arab World... all glitz and glamor outside and filth and smears on the inside!!!

IT Certification, the highway to satisfying careers

Since the advent of personal computers and the resulting automation of several mundane tasks there has been a large and growing demand for trained and certified IT professionals. Becoming an IT expert is not about knowing how to write programs or how to operate computers, it needs a much larger diaspora of skills training, orientation and attitudes. There are certifications in different niche areas of the IT industry. You could be a certified network expert, or a microsoft certified system expert or qualify for any one or more of the several similar certifications available. But without proper training and certification you can't land your dream job.

In the current market the largest demand is perhaps for professionals with Cisco certification. Cisco offers several niche areas in which you could get certified such as voice, network or security. Different certifications prepare you for distinctly different roles in the industry. For example a CCNA Voice certification prepares you for jobs such as voice administrator, voice engineer, and voice manager. The certification is proof that you are trained and able to configure and manage the latest technologies for VoIP infrastructure.

Career opportunities for people with Cisco certification are tremendously large. For example according to Certification Magazine's 2007 Annual Salary Survey the average salary of a CCNA professional is around US$74,810. And if the person has a professional-level CCVP voice-based certification beyond the CCNA, there is possibility of a 23 percent salary hike.

I personally haven't yet experienced the uniquely uplifting and professionally dispensed Cisco training. But I hope to sign up for a programme soon and get myself certified in one of Cisco's leading fields of IT. I am confident that this certification will catapult my career to great heights and enable me to gain respect among peers and colleagues. One of the sole aims of becoming a Cisco-certified professional is to get access to the amazing careers in the IT field. A field in which there is constant career growth and excitement of learning and implementing new technologies.