Do you spend time thinking about where your career is headed, or do you wish you even had time to think about your career?

Time to think about your career is crucial. Without it, you go along, more often than not, without difficulty, until the day that something happens. Then, you are left without direction or a plan.

Your career is something that you need to think about, plan for, and work on regularly, not just when you are looking for a new job, and you need an updated resume. If you think about your career now, on your timetable, when it works for you, decisions you make about your future will be easier for you.

So, how do you make time to think about your career?

Follow These Four Steps Below:

1. Don’t Let Being Busy Win

One of the reasons your career may not be where you want it to be is because you are busy. We all have bills to pay, and that requires having a job, and putting in the time and effort necessary to keep it. As a result, your career aspirations could become secondary to your paycheck. But, that doesn’t mean that you have to abandon them completely. If I said to you, think about your career over the next seven days and I will give you a million dollars, I bet that you would find the time to think about your career. You would do what you have to do, because you wanted the money. Why not have the same intensity about your career without money pushing you, because having a career you love is worth the effort.

2. Commit To The Process

Time to think about your career will not be given to you; so you have to commit to taking it. This does not mean that you have to allocate days or weeks with nothing else to think about except your career, but taking an hour here, or half an hour there, on a regular basis will make a tremendous difference. Without a commitment to yourself and your career, this time will not materialize.

I have many clients that ask me what they should do next in their career. I ask them to think about the answer. What you are supposed to do next in your career becomes apparent once you give yourself the time to let the answer appear. Time is what allows you to get in touch with yourself and what’s important to you. Time is the foundation for career success.

3. Schedule Time To Think

Ask yourself, “When will I think about my career?” Knowing your body and your schedule, when’s the best time for you to think? If you get your best thinking done earlier in the day, get up 15 minutes earlier to think. If you are not a morning person, what time is good for you? Lunchtime? After work? The weekends? Choose a time that is right for you.

Open your calendar and put this time into it. Look at your calendar in the morning and in the evening before you go to bed. This will keep the schedule alive in your mind.

4. Think

Once you have made the time to think, find a quiet place. Take deep breaths, as many as you need to calm your mind. Your mind will want to wander. Bring yourself back. Remind yourself why you are doing this. Your goal is to be able to visualize what you should do next in your career. Focus on the importance of this goal and refocus your thinking.

As you are thinking, have something nearby to capture your thoughts. You’ll want to remember what you have described in your mind, so you can ponder now, as well as later. If you routinely follow your thinking schedule, your career plan will begin to surface. Once you can see your next move clearly, (or at least some of the elements that are important to you), you are on your way to making it happen.

So, what do you say? You only have one life to live, so it might as well be a life you love!

About the Author

Deborah Brown-Volkman is the President of Surpass Your Dreams, Inc. a successful career and mentor coaching company that has been delivering a message of motivation, success, and personal fulfillment since 1998. We work with Senior Executives, Vice Presidents, and Managers who are out of work or overworked. Deborah is also the creator of the Career Escape Program(TM) and author of Coach Yourself To A New Career: A Book To Discover Your Ultimate Profession. Deborah Brown-Volkman can be reached at: http://www.surpassyourdreams.com http://www.career-escape-program.com info@surpassyourdreams.com, or at (631) 874-2877.

In looking back on the nearly four dozen aspiring copywriters I’ve trained and mentored over the years and asking which personal qualities posed challenges and roadblocks and which enable beginners to carve out a lasting niche for themselves, I have zeroed in on four key skill areas. To build and sustain a copywriting or marketing consulting business, you need to be or become good in these four competencies:

1. Writing. To develop persuasive written materials, you must learn to meld creativity, which involves being able to put forth fresh ideas, concepts, phrasings and images, with proven formats - structures for sales letters, brochures, press releases, home pages and so on that embody techniques that
work.

If you learn only the latter, your work comes across sounding formulaic and hollow. It can attract clients and produce results, but only to a limited extent. Perceptive clients will notice that your projects tend to come out much the same. They’ll conclude that you’re either still in the apprenticeship phase of mastery or that you lack the problem-solving skill they need to get the kinds of results they crave.

And on the other hand, if you depend too heavily on creativity, you fail to use the little devices, turns of phrase, formatting tools and finishing touches that help improve response. I see this weakness in a lot of my beginning students - which is fine, because any halfway decent copywriting training course, whether live or canned, can remedy this shortcoming.

To achieve the ideal balance between creativity and the tricks of the trade on your own, you’d need great instincts and loads of practice. Top-notch mentoring, with frequent feedback from an experienced master, is a surer and faster route to finding your feet as a copywriter.

2. Pleasing clients. I’ve seen people who have no trouble with #1 flounder or become miserable because of this essential factor. Again it’s necessary to strike a balance, this time between doing great work and making sure that the person or company paying your fee is satisfied.

Without knowing how to please clients, you can turn out terrific copy and have clients refuse to pay, or pay up but never come back. It’s crucial to be able to listen to the client’s goals, to keep those goals in mind while shaping the work, to explain what you’ve done and why, and to talk through differences in perception so that the two sides eventually see eye to eye.

This skill did not - does not - come naturally to me. I have learned this painfully and repeatedly, by overlooking or forgetting it, analyzing what went wrong and resolving to do better in the future. Sometimes the error here is in accepting projects where the client’s expectations are at odds with the way you think things should be done. Sometimes there’s not enough communication with the client and education of the client away from what you see as wrongheaded ideas.

While this factor still goes awry for me a few times every year, most of my projects go well because I attract plenty of clients who love the way I do things and respect my opinion where it differs from theirs. If you build a strong enough reputation, clients tend to listen to you - though not always.

On the other hand, I’ve seen plenty of beginning copywriters as well as colleagues with years of experience struggle with the opposite side of this balancing act. They know how to please clients but in doing so, they make themselves unhappy.

For your own sanity, you need to be able to set firm boundaries - ground rules, policies and things to say when clients become unreasonable in their demands. If they demand rewrite after rewrite, insist that their ignorant ideas are superior to what you know, expect you to chitchat endlessly whenever they feel like calling or otherwise drive you nuts, you must be able to head off these problems, negotiate solutions and disengage.

Having trusted colleagues to discuss problems with, an online or in-person peer group or a coach help immeasurably in finding your way with pleasing clients.

3. Business skills. How much should you charge? How many clients do you need, and how can you find them? What if your sure-fire marketing tactics fail to bring in clients, or bring in more than you can handle? What if clients who say they loved what you did don’t pay?

No one is born knowing any of this stuff. With guidance from people who are running or have run a successful business, you can learn key business skills. If you’ve run any other kind of business before turning to copywriting or have watched successful entrepreneurs up close, you’ll probably find this skill area easy.

Years of membership in the New England Women Business Owners organization and my prior experience as a freelance writer for national magazines taught me how to be tough with clients when needed, charge what I’m worth, keep on trying when I felt I was on the right track, regroup when necessary and avoid dumb business decisions most of the time.

One of the most common business challenges I’ve seen for aspiring copywriters involves money issues. Charge too little, and you may be working very hard, have loyal clients and yet not be earning enough to sustain yourself (or your family) over time. A support group or mentor can help you battle the inner demons that keep you from raising your rates, whereupon almost always you discover that the best clients don’t mind paying more, and you feel happier about the business.

The second most common business challenge involves perseverance. If something doesn’t work out the way you’d hoped, do you retreat in hurt and disappointment, or do you simply try something else? I’ve watched a couple of people jump into the copywriting business with supreme enthusiasm and then brood obsessively over every minor reversal. Unfortunately, this type of person isn’t suited to self-employment. If you give up or feel overwhelmed easily, then you may be better off working on salary for an employer.

4. Discipline. To earn a living writing copy for others, you must be able to manage deadlines and details. By deadlines, I mean not only the obvious point that if you’ve promised that a project would be finished by June 30, it must be, but also the less obvious point that you need to be able to complete top-notch work in a reasonable amount of time.

If you can reach excellence only painstakingly or through a slow process of repeated drafts, you may not be able to make it in the business. Few clients are willing to pay enough for a web site, or be patient enough, to let you treat their project as if you were Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel.

Another personality type that has trouble with discipline is a Crisis Cathy - someone who masterfully and continually creates emergencies, problems and roadblocks so that things never get done, but with seemingly legitimate excuses. Family members may put up with this kind of behavior, but clients generally won’t, especially if it rears its head more than once.

As for details, you must have the discipline to proofread, check facts and get things like names and numbers right. I’ve seen a couple of writers who can’t spell or use proper grammar become fabulously successful nevertheless, but I do not recommend this. Where clients are concerned, it’s a much bigger handicap than these blithe spirits will admit. Most clients do not take well to carelessness on your part. When you deliver work containing mistakes, they consider it disrespectful and unprofessional.

So there you have it. These four competencies are roughly equal in importance for success as an independent copywriter or marketing consultant, I believe. Do you measure up? Are you willing to work on developing the qualities you don’t have?

About The Author

Marcia Yudkin is the author of Persuading on Paper, 6 Steps to Free Publicity, Web Site Marketing Makeover and nine other books. She runs a 10-week, one-on-one mentorship program for aspiring copywriters. Details: http://www.yudkin.com/become.htm

Attending a taxi school is what you will need to do if you live in New York City or nearby and want to become a taxi driver to earn a dependable living. When you go to taxi school and become a taxi driver in New York City, you can work either part-time or full-time exploring one of the busiest cities in the world today.

Becoming a taxi driver means you can earn as much as $300 a shift. However, this can only happen for you if you know how to get around the city the best ways. To learn your way around, you will need to take some training to be a taxi driver.

And when you are working, you can drive around Greenwich Village, Manhattan Island, Times Square or the downtown Manhattan financial district as well as other famous places. You are your own boss and your only job is to wait for people to hail you and then take them where they want to go. You will stay busy because people are always hailing taxicabs.

If you want to become a taxi driver, prepare to spend at least $400 including fees and the minimum required classes training to be a taxi driver at taxi school. To get your hack license, you will need to know your way around the city. You are required to take some classes in local geography so that you have the knowledge to navigate successfully.

Here is the deal. We all need to make a living and you are probably no exception. If you have rent coming up or if you are otherwise short of cash, then put in several shifts driving in your yellow cab. This will take care of any financial crisis you might be facing.

And if you need some time to put your feet up for a while or take some time off as a New York City taxicab driver, you will have the freedom to do just this. Leave work and then come back as you want to, not beholden to any company or schedule. You are your own boss. It is a great way to work.

If you want to become a taxi driver, you will first need to pass the New York City Taxi Drivers Exam. To study for the exam, you will need study materials from where you take your training.

Training to be a taxi driver programs have the titles of Hack 1, Hack 2 and Hack 3 and you can come to classes until you pass the test and your license is on the way. The Hack 3 program provides you with the maps and rule books, manuals and practice exams plus necessary fees to the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

To qualify and become a taxi driver, you need to be at least 19 years of age and have a relatively clean driving record. You also need a New York State Class E driving license. Licenses from Connecticut, Pennsylvania or New Jersey are also allowed as long as they are of a similar class. If you do not have one of these licenses, you need to visit the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and they will give you a New York State license.

You cannot have a probationary license if you want to be a cabbie. However, if your New York State drivers license is more than six months old, you can apply and take classes at a city approved taxi school so that you too can be a yellow cab driver.

When you become a taxi driver in the city, it is likely that you are going to meet interesting and famous people along with ordinary citizens. With this license, you can also drive any limousine or car service in New York City as well as the famous yellow cab.

Get ready to become a taxi driver and be part of one of the most interesting jobs anywhere. And the money you will make will be most rewarding too.

About the Author

Learn more about getting your hack license including schedules, fees and necessary forms. David Lee Buster has the taxi drivers license and writes for the Master Cabbie Taxi School in New York City.

I was reading this morning through the blog of Adam Kreek, a member of the Canadian Olympic Row team, when I read about the training that he puts in to get to where he is today. Here is an excerpt from his blog:

“The pain experienced while rowing is similar to middle distance running, biking really hard or speed skating. Your legs burn and scream for oxygen, while your lungs wheeze with your heart struggling to transport renewed blood to the complaining body parts. Suffering is the best word to describe how I feel in a race. The after-effects of competition are exhausting. My body aches and I have depressed energy and drive for weeks after the event.”

Or, the US Boxing Team who leave the comforts of home for 10 months to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in intense preparation for China.

What does this have to do with job search?

Training is a full time job. Job search is a full time job. Similar to Olympic training, it has to be your number one focus. A person can’t expect to land a dream job after posting his/her resume on 5 job sites. It has to be worked on daily. The good thing is, there are lots of job search activities you can do without leaving your house, and will keep you busy for hours.

When you get up in the morning, what do you do? Consider putting on nice clothes, not just your sweats. This makes you feel productive and gets you into the job search groove. Check your emails and respond to offers (with monster.com you will get hundreds of those that should end up your junk mail). Let all old acquaintances, family and friends know that you are job searching.

Go to companies you’ve thought you’d like to work for and research them online. Most companies offer hoards of company information, press releases, employment opportunities, etc. Get to know the companies well. Create a folder with information on the companies you like and organize it alphabetically, by industry, or however you like. When the time comes that you get invited for an interview, you will be armed with an arsenal of information that will impress even the most straight-faced hiring person. Know your stuff.

Join online networking groups like LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo, etc. It is a great opportunity to network with old co-workers, friends and strike up conversations with people from companies you would like to work for. The possibilities on these sites are endless.

And, as always, getting out and going to local business mixers and job fairs are excellent ways of getting your name out there. Be prepared and have your resume, references and any other documentation ready to hand out.

Job search isn’t something you do once a day for a half hour or hour. It’s a full time job. Not only will it keep away the anxiety of not having a job, it will keep you feeling productive while getting your name out there for potential employers to see.

Keep at it, stay the course, be positive, and watch great opportunities come your way!

About the Author

When I was in graduate school, I had a friend who interviewed at fortune 500 companies and succeeded at landing a great job. One day, I saw him sitting in the student union with a stack of cards. The cards said “thank you”. He opened each card and signed his name. The inside of the card was blank. I asked him what he was doing and he told me that it was important to send a ‘thank you’ to every person you interviewed with. He believed that that was the difference between getting the job and being passed over.

Today we know better. Networkers will tell you that a ‘thank you’ letter is a misnomer for a strategic follow-up letter that is called a Post Interview Letter. The post interview letter is a valuable marketing tool you can use to restate your case and keep yourself in front of the interviewer.

1. Gather Your Information

The most important thing you do at an interview is ask the right questions. Everyone agrees that how you answer the interviewer’s questions is paramount. But, the questions you ask at the end of the interview answer the most important question that remains unsaid.

Interviewers will not come out and say “did you listen to me?” or “did you hear what I said?” but you can bet they are looking to hire someone who did. When the interview is ending, and the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, this is when you strike.

2. You Must Ask These Questions

Q1. What is the biggest challenge you face in the next 60 days?

Purpose: To force the interviewer to commit to an issue or concern that is real to them.

Value: Once the interviewer commits, and tells you what his/her biggest challenge is, you will know how to write your post interview letter.

Q2: What do I need to accomplish in the first 60-90 days to succeed at this job?

Purpose: To sell your enthusiasm, desire, and concern for success.

Value: The answer you receive will provide supporting details for the answer to Question 1.

Example:

You: What is the biggest challenge you face in the next 60 days?

Interviewer: My biggest challenge is to develop a set of policies and procedures in time for our annual audit.

You: What do I need to accomplish in the first 60-90 days to succeed at this job?

Interviewer: I’m looking at three main things. We need to identify our gaps in OSHA safety. We also need to get document our project oversight process. Last, I need someone who can break through the politics and interview our senior people to get the info on this stuff.

Bottom Line:

The interviewer just provided you with the sales pitch for your post interview letter.

Let’s recap:

The interviewer told you what his/her biggest challenge was. The interviewer told you what the three tasks/activities were that must be accomplished to meet the challenge.

3. The Post Interview Letter

Your post interview letter will contain four paragraphs:

Paragraph 1 - The Thank you.

Yes - you still need to thank the interviewer for inviting you in. Make it two sentences maximum.

Example:

“Thank you for the opportunity to interview for the Audit position at Company X yesterday. I appreciated the time and attention you provided me”.

Paragraph 2 - Problem Identification:

This is where you begin your sales pitch. The purpose of this paragraph is to tell the interviewer that you understand their concerns.

Example:

“At our interview, you expressed a major challenge/concern about preparing a procedure guide in time for the annual audit. You identified three tasks that need to be accomplished: Data gathering, gaps in OSHA, and documenting the project oversight process. I have worked on internal audit plans and have created deliverables similar to the ones you require. If I am hired, I would present the following plan:

Paragraph 3 - The Solution:

In paragraph #2 you connected with the interviewer and acknowledged their concerns.You proved that you were an active listener’ and not just a bobble head. In this paragraph, you provide the solution in 3 easy steps.

Example:

“Over the last five years I have worked as an assistant internal audit manager. I have implemented a process that prepared my company for their outside audit.

Step 1: Develop an interview schedule with all subject matter experts and create a responsibility matrix for them to adhere to: Create an interview schedule and get buy in from senior management. The data gathering phase may be a project unto itself. A kickoff meeting might be a good idea.

Step 2: Update the OSHA safety process and project oversight as material becomes available.

Step 3: Add all of the components to create a complete internal SOP that will satisfy all of the auditor’s concerns. I believe that this process will achieve your objectives.

Paragraph 3 is the most important one in the letter. It provides a strategy to follow for your client. It sends the message that you paid attention to his/her concerns and provides a solution to the problem presented at the interview. Listening to the interviewer is the best ‘thank you’ you can provide.

Paragraph 4 - The Close:

In this paragraph you restate the reason(s) you think you will be the best candidate for the job.

Example:

“I believe that I am qualified for the audit position because I will be ready on day 1 to implement the data gathering process and SOP update process.”. The post interview letter above is far more than a thank you letter. It is a strategic sales letter that convinces the employer that you can solve their problems.

Conclusion

The next time someone reminds you to send out a thank you letter, just say ‘thanks’. Then, sit down and write your Post Interview Letter.

About the Author

Perry Maisin is a resume writer and career counselor. His web site: http://theresumecounselor.com provides readers with career search advice about Resume Development, Networking, and Career Search Tactics and Strategy. Visit his site to learn how to use the BLS ONET database where you will find the best job
descriptions on the internet.

In one short week, the axe fell at a number of companies and thousands of employees were without jobs. Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Ford Motor Company of Canada, PNC Financial and Kimberley Clark each had to make critical business decisions and lay off large numbers of employees. Reasons ranged from “maintaining a tighter rein on costs” to creating a “simpler nimbler” organization”. Although the news is usually shocking, layoffs don’t just happen. There are usually some subtle signs that changes are coming.

How does one prepare for such an eventuality? By having a plan in place…creating a Plan B. Make it your responsibility to manage your own career, to swim out and meet your ship, not wait until it comes ashore. Such a mindset will help lessen the impact of a layoff, and will enable you to weather the storm if and when it comes. Here are some tips to help with your preparation:

1. Keep an eye out for tell-tale signs in your company. If you are becoming a bit jittery at work because things just don’t seem right, conduct your own due diligence. Has the company been in the news lately? What for? Did it meet analysts’ expectations? Did it have a management shakeup? Are there dramatic fluctuations of its share price? This is not to suggest that you become paranoid, but don’t become the ostrich with its head in the sand either. The answers to these questions will be a good indicator of where your company is heading.

2. Take advantage of learning opportunities offered by the company. These may be formal training where you attend classes outside of work, or free in-house courses offered as lunch-and-learn programs. Don’t forget the Internet which offers a variety of learning opportunities. Although your job may appear safe at the moment, you shouldn’t stop learning. Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80…”.

3. Be on the lookout for internal vacancies, and assess yourself to see if your skills match the requirements. Speak with someone within that department to gather additional information about the position and then submit your application.

4. Find out if there are opportunities to job-shadow another employee or be cross-trained on a system. Such initiatives will help to prepare you for your next career move, whether within or outside the company.

5. Make yourself indispensable (at least give it a try) by keeping abreast of industry developments. Arrange informational interviews to learn more about a field you are interested in, or to keep current with trends in your industry. Watch, listen and read the news and see if you can use any of the knowledge gained to enhance your current position.

6. Start a journal of your special achievements, comments made by your supervisor or coworkers and awards and recognitions received. Review your performance appraisals. What did your supervisor say about you? Did you work on a special project? Were you a member of a team that developed a system which added to the company’s profitability? These notes will come in handy when you are ready to brush up your résumé.

7. Develop and nurture a network of contacts, even if you’re not yet looking for a job. Many people have the misconception that networking is done only when one is job hunting. It is an ongoing process; it takes time to grow, but will be valuable when faced with a layoff or when changing careers.

8. Join a professional association and contribute. You’ll learn new skills, meet new people and build credibility among your peers. Many organizations send their job postings to some of these associations before they hit the newspapers. Saying you are a member of a professional association will be a great addition to your résumé.

9. There might be someone whom you admire in or outside your company. Ask if you could discuss your uncertainties or your career plans with them. It’s not a weakness to ask for help.

10. There are times when a layoff is just what you may need to propel you to action; to change careers; to do something different. Redirect your energy into something productive and don’t feel sorry for yourself. Take a long hard look at where you are in your career. Are you satisfied? Have you reached a plateau in the company? Is it time for a change?

After all this, if you are still uncertain about your future, enlist the help of a career coach who can steer you in the right direction. Whatever you do, make proactive choices now; not reactive ones later.

About the Author

Daisy Wright is the president and founder of The Wright Career Solution. She is a trained Career Development Practitioner, who has been empowering individuals to find career success through effective coaching strategies. Daisy can be contacted at (905) 840-7039 or through her website at http://www.thewrightcareer.com

Copyright 2005 - Daisy Wright. All rights reserved. This article from The Wright Career Solution may be distributed or reproduced providing the copyright and website are included.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daisy_Wright

Many electric toothbrushes have a shut off mechanism that turns off the toothbrush after two minutes of brushing - which is the time that someone decided was enough teeth-brushing for any one period.

Coincidentally, it turns out that two minutes (or less) is the recommended time period for the desired length of any one answer during the interview.

When answering an interview question it is best to be as focused as possible so that you can be succinct and to the point in as little time as possible - two minutes. When you ramble and bring in details that are not relevant to the question, you lose your audience, who in this case is your interviewer.

A successful answer to an interview question is one that addresses the question asked and gets to the point while not rambling. Here are two examples of answers to the same question. Note how one question addresses the question, and one rambles on and is not specific.

Question Asked: Can you give me an example of a time when you worked on a project that required a great deal of written communication?

Rambling Example:

“I’ve always been a good writer. My writing skills have always been my strong point. I have been commended on my writing ability in every performance review that I have ever had. I am very good at researching facts and following through on leads. In my last job I was involved in the creation of our website by writing the content. That was a great experience. Working closely with the designers, I was able to contribute and add to the message that they were trying to get across. Writing isn’t the major focus of my job responsibilities but I do like to write very much. I have written some proposals and they have been received very well. When I do have writing assignments it is usually in addition to my regular job. I can tell you that whenever I have had the opportunity to write I have received several comments on what a good job I have done. In fact, I was given an award for my writing skills as a team member on a project that received a grant. I am looking at this job as a chance to learn and develop my writing skills.”

The listener - the interviewer probably had the idea that you have strong writing skills after the first two lines, but you kept be-laboring the point and adding irrelevant facts.

Concise Two-minute Example:

“That would be when I took over the responsibility of writing the department newsletter. This was my first experience at coordinating a publication from start to finish by myself. The first thing I did was to consult with the people in the company that had written similar newsletters. This gave me a sense of what to do and what not to do. Next, I did an informal survey of company employees, everyone from the support staff to the director of the department. From their comments I came up with a new idea of getting the people involved. Each month I hold a writing contest and then publish the winner’s stories. The employee involvement has made a big difference in my efforts. Recently, the newsletter was awarded “most creative departmental newsletter.”

You can see that the first question does not address the question asked and has irrelevant information in the answer. While the second answer gives a specific example of a time when you had a writing experience - which is what the question asked for.

A tip in interviewing is to take time to listen to the question. Next, take time to process how you are going to answer. Pre-interview preparation will make a significant difference in your interview performance.

When you think about it, two minutes is a fair amount of time for a person to give his full attention to what others have to say. By sticking with the two-minute rule you will find that you will keep your interviewer interested and listening to your answer.

Start getting a sense of what you could say in two minutes - maybe the next time you brush your teeth.

About the Author

Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and mentor. Carole can give you interviewing tips like no one else can. Get a copy of her FREE 9-part “Interview Success Tips” report by visiting Carole on the web at: http://www.interviewcoach.com

Already the fastest-growing online career site, Jobfox today announced another Web first: Jobfox Intros™, giving job candidates a whole new way to get interviews and directly network with employers. A first-of-its-kind capability for job sites, Jobfox Intros provides more than a list of jobs. Jobfox Intros gives candidates a “foot in the door” via personal introductions to employers.

The new Jobfox (www.jobfox.com) services – available now – are free for job candidates; employer services are available by subscription.

“With Jobfox Intros, high-match job seekers are immediately moved to the top of the resume stack,” said Rob McGovern, CEO of Jobfox. “Rather than submitting resumes into a black hole, qualified candidates are personally introduced by Jobfox, so they can skip directly to the interviewing step. Candidates want connections with highly matched employers, not just long lists of undifferentiated jobs. Jobfox is the only site that gives them this capability.”

Jobfox Intros, building on Jobfox’s sophisticated matching service, adds highly interactive online tools and expert staff support to quickly connect qualified candidates and matching employers. The Jobfox Intros Team monitors all “5-Star” matches and assists candidates and employers in making rapid and convenient introductions, using a comprehensive array of e-mail and text messaging services.

“Jobfox is bringing the human element found in employment agencies and staffing firms and marrying that with the technology prowess found in its automated matching solution,” said Brian Sommer, CEO of TechVentive Inc. and Vital Analysis, a technology research organization. “The transparency of this model should find great reception with employers and candidates.”

New Jobfox Intros services enable candidates to:

• Quickly find, monitor and compare the most compatible job matches via the award-winning Jobfox Mutual Suitability System™.
• Request employer introductions and check the status of introduction requests made to employers.
• Track and respond to employer-initiated introduction requests.
• Discretely discover new career opportunities with the ability to block current employers and other designated organizations.
• Make great first impressions by reviewing Jobfox “interview prep sheets,” providing tips, job-fit highlights and important company links for further information about prospective employers that have accepted introductions.

Jobfox Intros also helps employers build employment-focused social networks made up of the best talent in the market. Top prospects are added to the employer’s My Jobfox Connections™ candidate network, which is dynamically updated with the most current candidate contact and career-progression information.

With My Jobfox Connections, employers maintain robust talent networks for filling immediate hiring needs as well as maintaining longer-term relationships with top candidates for future staffing needs. Introduced candidates also see individually tailored employer showcases that recruiters use to highlight the benefits of working at their organizations.

“Jobfox is doing what no other job board has done before – establishing one-to-one relationships and connections between candidates and employers,” McGovern said. “Our precision job-fit system knows when professionals are 5-Star matches for positions. This enables Jobfox to quickly move these candidates into the networking ‘A’ list of compatible employers.”

Jobfox is the fastest-growing career site on the Web, generating a unique candidate base in which the vast majority of its professional visitors are already employed and more than 80 percent who say they don’t use traditional job boards such as CareerBuilder and Monster, according to independent research. Today, more than a million candidates visit Jobfox each month and nearly 2,000 companies now match candidates to job openings using Jobfox.

In addition to new Jobfox Intros services, candidates will continue to benefit from Jobfox’s other free candidate-support tools, such as the ability to accept employment matches without introduction requests and Jobfox Resume Tracker, alerting candidates via mobile text message whenever their resumes are opened by an employer. Jobfox candidates who complete profiles will also continue to benefit from the My Jobfox Web Page feature, giving each professional a unique Web page – including the Jobfox experience map visualization tool – to showcase skills, desired company environments, work samples and more.

“Jobfox is passionate about helping candidates find jobs they love,” McGovern said. “We are winning the hearts and minds of professionals who seek careers, not just jobs. And we’re winning employers who want to reach out more efficiently to highly qualified professionals.”

About Jobfox

Jobfox is the Internet’s fastest-growing career site for connecting working professionals with corporate recruiters. A first-of-its-kind capability for job sites, the new Jobfox Intros™ service provides more than a list of jobs. Jobfox Intros gives candidates a “foot in the door” via personal introductions to employers. With My Jobfox Connections™, employers maintain automatically updated talent networks for filling immediate hiring needs as well as maintaining longer-term relationships with top candidates, for future staffing needs. Visit www.jobfox.com today.

About Rob McGovern

Jobfox is the inspiration of CEO Rob McGovern, one of the nation’s leading career experts. McGovern is the founder and former CEO of CareerBuilder and the author of “Bring Your ‘A’ Game: The 10 Career Secrets of the High Achiever”.

About BetterMondays

For advice about careers, employment networking and jobs – and how to love them – visit Jobfox’s BetterMondays Weblog, www.bettermondays.com. BetterMondays looks forward to your comments, suggestions and contributions to make work better.

Jobfox, Jobfox Intros, My Jobfox Connections, Jobfox Mutual Suitability System and BetterMondays are trademarks of the company. All other company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.

For additional background about Jobfox, go to: http://jobfoxnewsroom.wordpress.com/more-resources/

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.

You have seen them on television and in the movies. They use their knowledge and skills to solve cases when no one else can, and have exciting and challenging work.

As a private investigator you too can enjoy challenging work that helps people in a meaningful way. Whether you’re reuniting an adoptee with her birth parents, helping to solve a computer crime, or keeping an innocent man out of jail, the work of a private investigator can make a big difference to many people’s lives. In addition to the other rewards of this job, the potential exists for a successful investigator to earn up to $100,000 a year.

If you are interested in breaking into this career, here are some steps you can follow, based on the FabJob Guide to Become a Private Investigator.

1. Develop your detective skills

Vital skills for a private investigator include observation and listening skills, critical thinking (you don’t just take information at face value), research skills, problem-solving ability, and verbal and written communication skills. It also helps if you have computer skills and can take photographs. Many of these skills can be self-taught with online resources.

2. Consider taking a course

A criminal justice background or education can be a big help in getting hired. There are many private investigator training courses available, including some you can take online. Make sure you investigate any course to ensure you get what you pay for - consider it your first PI assignment.

3. Learn about licensing requirements

In most cases, the only qualification you absolutely need to become a private investigator is a license from your state or province to operate as an agent. Generally, this will require you to be 18 years of age, of sound mind and with a clean criminal record. In some states you may also need to pass a course or exam. Licensing for PIs varies from state to state (and province to province), so make sure you find out what is required to operate in your area. Your local police service, government, or PI association should be able to direct you to what is required.

4. Get experience

Start by taking stock of the experience you already have. If you have ever worked in any kind of legal or research position, or done security work, you are already a step ahead of the competition. However, almost any experience could be helpful at some point. For example, if you have ever worked in retail, you might be able to do undercover work at a department store. If you feel your experience is limited, consider asking a working PI to serve as a mentor to you and guide you towards success.

5. Find job openings

Once you have some experience, your next step will likely be finding work with an agency or other employer. You can contact PI agencies, lawyers and insurance firms in your area to meet with them and offer your services. If you aren’t having much luck, initially offering your services for free might help you land your first few cases and get you on your way.

6. Start working towards a specialty

Many private investigators choose an area to specialize in, such as missing persons, background investigations, computer crime, executive protection, forensics, or insurance fraud, among others. When you are starting out, get involved in a variety of cases and see what satisfies or interests you the most. Most successful PIs eventually choose an area or two of specialization and set out to establish themselves as experts on these topics.

7. Set up your own agency

Many private investigators eventually choose to start their own agency. Even though not all states require it, it is a good idea to get a few years’ investigative experience under your belt before you go into business for yourself. Also, make sure that you plan adequately for marketing your agency, as this is an area many would-be PIs overlook - cases will not fall into your lap, so be prepared to market yourself to potential clients through a variety of methods.

8. Become an expert in your field

Once your agency is up and running, you need to continue to develop yourself as a private investigator to stay current and competitive. One of the best ways to do this is to become a recognized expert in your field. This can be accomplished through methods such as presenting seminars to local business groups, publishing articles, and getting involved with local and national PI associations. Once you an the expert in your chosen niche, you may find yourself so busy that you will be hiring PIs yourself just to keep up!

Jennifer James is co-author of the FabJob Guide to Become a Private Investigator. The guide offers detailed information about how you can break into this career and get hired as a private investigator. Visit www.FabJob.com for information.

About the Author

Jennifer James is a freelance writer and co-author of the FabJob Guide to Become a Private Investigator.

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About the Author

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