Informational interviews your gateway to the inside scoopWritten by Brenda Koritko
The best way to gather whole story about industry and job you are targeting is by setting up informational interviews with individuals working where you plan to be positioned. Engaging in informational interviews will help you to gain valuable information about careers in your field and expand your network at same time. The key difference between informational interviews and job interviews is that you have more control over agenda when you schedule an informational interview.Start by asking people you know for contact information You will grab attention of people faster when you mention names of people they know. If you are not able to pull together right links from your existing contact list, grab yellow pages and contact professional organizations or associations in your region, and plan to attend next meet and greet organized by Chamber of Commerce in your community. You will find that most people are happy to talk about their jobs and to share a wealth of information when asked for advice. Always point out during your initial contact that you are not specifically looking for a job with this company. State that you are seeking advice and information from successful people, and specify that you are asking for 20 minutes of their time. Cold calls should start with your name, a brief explanation about your skills and/or experience, and purpose of your call. For example, "My name is (your name). I have worked at (or recently graduated from) ____ and have extensive experience in (specify). Would I be able to have 20 minutes of your time to ask you about your job, and ask your advice for someone looking for a position in your industry?" Plan to help other person help you Do not use a standard script for every interview you schedule. Instead, prepare questions that you know will interest person you are meeting. Try to select topics that you discovered during your research. For example, if you have read that company has been awarded a sizeable contract, plan to ask for details related to contract. Prepare questions related to number of people that company plans to employ, or ask for insider perspective on names and/or types of companies that will experience an increased workload related to contract.
| | The Power of Negative ThinkingWritten by Remez Sasson
For some reason, most people find it easier to think in a negative way than in a positive manner. It seems that some effort is needed to think positive thoughts, whereas negative thoughts come easily and uninvited. This has much to do with education and environment one has been living in.In order to understand how positive thinking works, and how to use it efficiently, it is important to understand power of negative thinking. If you have been brought up in a happy and positive atmosphere, where people value success and self-improvement, then it will be easier for you to think positively and expect success. If you have been brought up under poor or difficult situations, you will probably go on expecting difficulties and failure. From an early age people let outside influences shape their minds. They view everything through their predominant mental attitude. If their thoughts are positive, that is fine, but if they are negative, their lives and circumstances will probably mirror these thoughts. If you believe that you are going to fail, you will unconsciously sabotage every opportunity to succeed. If you are afraid of meeting new people or having close relationships, you will do everything to avoid people and relationships, and then complain that you are lonely and nobody loves you. Do you often think about difficulties, failure and disasters? Do you keep thinking about negative news you have seen on TV or read in newspapers? Do you see yourself stuck and unable to improve your life or your health? Do you frequently think that you do not deserve happiness or money, or that it is too difficult to get them? If you do, then you will close your mind, see no opportunities, and behave and react in such ways, as to repel people and opportunities. You let power of negative thinking rule your life. The mind does not usually judge or examine thoughts and opinions before accepting them. If what it hears, sees and reads is always negative, it accepts this as standard way of thinking and behavior.
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