HFCN - Helping Friends Career Network ~ Jobs, Careers, Success, Transformation: October 2007

30 October 2007

Babajob.. when Social Networking Transforms Lives!!

Consider the career good and cultural barriers, and the breakthroughs that Social Networking provides when people start thinking globally and acting locally on the belief that we CAN and SHOULD make a difference!

In India, Poverty Inspires Social Networking... New York Times shared inspiration.. Where Technology brings Workers to Altruism http://tinyurl.com/yt2ctx. A painter, Manohar Lakshmipathi does not own a computer, and is forbidden to touch a client's computers., and yet opportunity is able to reach him through technology

The International Herald Tribune of Asia Pacific ran this photo, and an inspired article on how the Internet Revolution is reaching India's poor. Outsourcing brought hundreds of multinationals to making India a hub of computer innovation juxtaposed against a backdrop of 'grinding poverty', that force 7 year old children begging in the streets to survive.

“In India, you can’t escape the feeling that you’re really lucky. So you ask, What are you going to do about all the stuff around you? How are you going to use all these skills?”

Sean Blagsvedt, Babajob’s founder is bringing the technology and the knowledge to transform grinding poverty to positive results and recognized opportunities!

"Know someone who needs a better job? Earn Rs 200 to help them! Welcome to Babajob.com where mentors become connectors of opportunity, that is bringing babalife balance! The aims of Babajob and babalifer a jobs network and social network method that is built on the logic that everyone deserves opportunity to get a better job, no matter their income, their skill level, or available resources.. and Technology 'with heart and strategy' can enhance and extend our ability to help others while creating opportunity!

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LINKEDIN2HELPING FRIENDS

26 October 2007

Implications of An "At- Will" Employer??

What does it mean to be an "At- Will" employer?

"At-will employment", "employment at will" or
"hired at will" are all common terms to define
the conditions of one's employment as a
voluntary and indefinite reason for both
employees and employers.

The "At-Will" agreement from an employee and employer perspective means that you are as an employee, presumed to be a voluntary agreement that either employee or employer can elect to terminate at any time, and in most cases with limited "cause"under the Doctrine of Employment at Will.

At-Will Resource Perspectives:

About.com: At-Will Sample Documents.
Employment Law Free Advice: Questions from an Employees point of view.
Quintessential Careers: Getting Fired: An Opportunity for Change and Growth.
Lawyers.com: At Will Frequently Asked Questions.
Lectric Law Library: Rights of Employees
Nolo: At Will Employment, What does it mean
Shared HR: How to Make Your Organization Successful and Avoid Employment Liability.

Career and Transition Coaches are welcome to guest blog, share article links that can help us to help our friends who are looking for the inspiration to move on after facing at will employment issues or other positive career inspirations, steps and articles.

Helping Friends Jobs Database: http://arunaurl.com/19am |
LI Business Networking: http://arunaurl.com/19aj |
LI Jobs Networking: http://arunaurl.com/19ak |
Plaxo Business Net: http://arunaurl.com/19al |

25 October 2007

Resume Cover Letter or Referral Tips

Recipes for Career Success whether as a job seeker or helpful friend!

Choose URL to a Jobs Database if offered, as first point of contact, then Email. If a URL is offered, fill out that form first and submit your resume. This gathers the information that makes it easy for you to be forwarded for this or other opportunities. Webforms gather information that your resume might not contain like what types of environment, location, work arrangements, salary are important to you. Your objective from these forms is clarity on your ideal work environment.
Helping Friends Jobs Database: http://arunaurl.com/19am

If you elect to email in addition, here is a sample SELF Model Cover Letter. Never send a resume without a cover email to avoid the hiring manager from discarding your message-- who can trust unsolicited attachments without context?

MODEL (Attach Resume, and / or Link to Resume or Social Network URL) SELF Cover Letter when email address is offered: (to the known hiring manager, recruiter, or email address) Can be used in email or to forward the link to the social networking of a contact on linkedin or other social networks: HELPING FRIENDS RECRUITER/DAWN MULAR: http://linkedin.com/in/dmular

Opening: I would like to present my resume for consideration for the posted position of (POSTED POSITION ) seen (where).
Current Engagement: I am currently employed as a (TITLE) for (COMPANY), located in (CITY, ST), where I (lead, support, manage.. GROUP FUNCTION). I am responsible for ( responsibility, responsibility, responsibility for the (primary purpose of the group.
SUMMARIZE EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE ACHIEVEMENT: I have (years) of experience, most within a (summarize the types of companies you have experience in, particularly hiring startups, Fortune 500 companies, etc). I have been formally educated in (EDUCATION FOCUS). Highlight certifications, and skills. I have also achieved experience in (specialized training, measurable performance, awards, etc)
Closing: I am ( why to contact me for this position) I look forward to hearing from you. Highlight preferences for employments and ongoing contact (Travel is not an issue, neither is relocation. Email is my preferred initial contact point, or teleconference by appointment. If you have great endorsements from colleagues, clients and managers on Linked In or otherwise, feel free to include that here as well )

MODEL REFERRAL OF A FRIEND Cover Letter: to the known company email, hiring manager, or recruiter. Note the shareable widget you can put on your page or share with others as well. Please feel free to share this with friends, community service groups... anyone looking for great opportunity.

HELPING FRIENDS COMPANY EMAIL: opportunities@helpingfriendscareernetwork.com

Opening: I would like to introduce and recommend my (friend, colleague, associate) for consideration for the posted position of (POSTED POSITION ) seen (where).
How Connected: Where they now work, how you know them.
SUMMARIZE EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE ACHIEVEMENT: Your experience and knowledge of their skills and fit for the position.
Closing: Thanks for your consideration of (my colleague), feel free to contact me should you have further questions.

LI Business Networking: http://arunaurl.com/19aj | LI Jobs Networking: http://arunaurl.com/19ak |
Plaxo Business Net: http://arunaurl.com/19al |

Get this widget!

10 October 2007

Interviewing Prep: For Interviewer and Candidate..

HR World ran a great checklist "interviewing cheat sheet" resource that would appeal to hiring managers and interviewers to prepare for an interview, or for Candidates to prepare their presentation of qualifications for the interview. This list is very well thought out, covering general questions for an interview, ideas for questions the candidate can ask, questions where the answer helps to qualify work style fit, technical questions that cover the specifics of your qualification for the industry, etc.

Jobseekers, by knowing the questions that help uncover complimentary matches of talents to environment is important for the Hiring Manager as it is for the Interviewer, while the list may be common from one specific job discipline to the next, the burden of qualification is on the interviewer to present their skills in a way that solves the problems that the hiring company endeavors to solve.

Interviewers Tips:

research before the interview.
some interview approach tips from "Fabulously Broke in the City" are really good 'do's' and 'don't's' on approaching the interview.
preparing for a competency/technical interview by raul roombeck

Hiring Managers, by structuring the questions to uncover what in that jobseeker's experience might compliment your business needs, and structuring behavioral or technical screening questions that allow you to methodically qualify the responses.

09 October 2007

October- HFCN, Survivors, and health!

What does October have to do with Helping Friends, Domestic Violence, and Breast Cancer?
In October, our network-HFCN- is 6 years old. We are global, we are diverse. We honor knowing people from all walks professions, and experiences...Happy Anniversary-- and THANK YOU for hanging tough, our friends.

Miracles of Recovery happen in life, in work, and in health. Since the Helping Friends was created in 2001, we have provided aid for Tsunami Relief, Hurricane Katrina Relief, and helped our colleagues in the IT Industry through one of the more challenging times in our World History.

It takes caring, dedication, courage, and love to build a family, a work environment, a city, county, state, nation, and world.
Will we dare to wake up and talk about, unpleasant situations that might be avoided, if folks are trained to handle
them well, and prepared for the possibilities, to be more resourceful, when they are called upon to be resourceful.

My employer was one of many employers in the World Trade Center on September 11. It is about us being, and bringing our best selves to life every day. As a Global Representative of my industry, as a global Resolution Center manager for IT issues, we had spent many a weekend supporting environmental alarms in WTC2 before the towers fell on the morning of the 11th. It was not every weekend, but it was frequently enough that we knew the people, we had created the business plans that allowed us to help others in a disaster-- well enough to recover quickly, but how much better could be be, if we were not so busy on our lives before September 11 with our day to day work, that we did not plan our life work to say, or do, or connect to one another.

Most of the alarms we responded prior to September 11 were environmental monitoring-- basic, and basically boring, threshold environmental issues, met to keep the building and it's infrastructure working well.. some were false, and besides, it did not take more than 4 hours at a time on the weekend to validate the issues and trigger the business continuity issues, and resolve the problems..

As a duty manager, it was a real delight to encounter people like my friend Dave-- a great System Admin who practiced good judgment in all times.. You knew that whenever there was an alarm, and D~ was your partner, things were going to be manageable. Or B~, who understood and had created the relationship mapping of every critical system and a back up so that if something went down, he probably had a back up plan.. Or Iola, who was the most magnificent human database of knowledge -- she had been around the company for years and had a great singing voice, and could solve problems in this company through her connections to... everyone-- it wasn't superficial, this woman genuinely remembered the thousands of people she supported, she really knew and cared about people!

What a difference a month makes. After the towers, our sense of security, our sense of well being, and our hearts fell, we would face a period of devastating reconstruction ourselves. October 2001, one month after September 11 and the destruction of the World Trade Center Buildings. We knew the finances were there, the announcement of reduction of our workforce (layoffs) were unavoidable.

We knew that regardless of how affective we were on our jobs, the company would have to contain costs, and that there were forces outside our control at work, and learning the humility of accepting that reality with whatever the cards held, was all our jobs.. We practiced becoming stoic and tried to visualize how we would handle the news- positive or negative. We knew that some would be affected by the loss of jobs, others will have to work harder, and many people we worked with and enjoyed might be gone. That was a bummer for a team that fairly well appreciated and had a passion for what we did.

And so it was, the week before Halloween, I found myself trying to find the grace to fulfill my duty as a people manager in a time where this type of notice feels like an obscene amount of disruption to people's lives. This is my only trip from Colorado back to California that was marked with a very silent vigilance. People were very human then.. but the ones that I will remember forever, found a way to put aside for the moment, their own pain, to really make a difference for others.. And to you, we celebrate, we appreciate, and we hope to cultivate and inspire this courage and strength of character to ask the questions, prepare the answers, and respond to people as human beings, and noble human resources.If you looked at the Reduction in Force activities as necessary business numbers of people was filed under 'necessary business releveling', you might be able to do part of your duty, but the human side still matters. If you were one of those people wondering if they were going to lose their job and possibly, their spouse, to military duty, this issue became delicate, poignant, and bitter. I am proud of those people I worked with, and still in touch with many of them today, not because we have to, but because we choose to stay in touch.. We enjoy that feeling of knowing we can make a difference, in good days and in bad, if we choose to be willing and ready to act on those opportunities for good!We are not heroes for living our lives well, doing our job, or fulfilling our dharma, our deliverables, and our data justifications.. We are on this earth for a short while. Let us find the appreciation for one another, to not be so busy that we miss the opportunity and the grace to make the most of it. Not because life's fleeting, because it's delicious, beautiful and our connection to one another is what life is about.

That is my mantra. Try to find the optimism in this story. People matter way more than the bad news we must deliver.. The Helping Friends Career Network was founded as a way to help people to healthier living. I do this as a labor of love, and here is where the events of October are so special to me. They are special because each of our celebrations in the autumn have a bunch of friendly memories, faces, and uncommon grace and joy in staying connected! The whole issue of office politics matters a whole lot less when you think of what could be instead.

October is the month the Helping Friends Career Network came to be-- not because we were so nice, but because we worked with people who inspired us to be better people and bring our best selves.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and we are proud to have helped numerous survivors of cancer in various stages of recovery, remission, or reconstruction.

Then comes the topic near and dear to my heart, and that is caring about people enough to face them with integrity in good times and in bad. I have my life today, because of that courage and integrity of others, not to shy away from the difficult topics of violence. As a survivor, I appreciate people in business, in service, in healthcare, with the nerves of steel and courage of diamonds to coach people through these difficult life situations. I never dreamed I would face, much less survive a violent criminal hostage situation. Sometimes it takes the courage to cut through the politics to talk about the discomfort before the real healing can begin. Everybody hurts -- sometimes.. We have immense power to offer comfort.. it is in being able to reach out of ourselves, for that day, that moment, to make a difference, unafraid of anything but managing what's in the moment... that matters.
LINKEDIN2HELPING FRIENDS

Welcome, Guest Blogger, Yvonne LaRose on Workplace Education

From time to time, it is a pleasure to introduce you to some of the Friends, that inspire.. Inspiration is key to the Helping Friends Business Network..

Introducing "Helping Friend": YVONNE LAROSE
who has kindly shared her expertise in HR for the October Topic of Domestic Violence and Workplace Education

If you are into social networking and professional development, chances are great that you know Yvonne, as she is out creating career and personal development knowledge in our career community.

Please join me in welcoming Yvonne LaRose as a Guest Blogger on the LinkedIn2Helping Friends Business and Career Network. Yvonne shared an important and informative piece on the important issue of Domestic Violence and Workplace Education.

Yvonne is an example of remarkable community leadership. Yvonne, thank you for being a friend!! A friend, unafraid to tell it like it is, to speak the vision of how things could be, and unafraid of being their best genuine selves!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

More about Yvonne LaRose can be found on her website Career and Executive Recruiting Advice. She has started several networking communities (Entrances, Ethics in Recruiting, L.A. Metro Recruiting Network) and is the founder of Responsible and Responsive, the cause to which she devotes her energies in educating about workplace abuse. One of them may be of interest to you. You can also contact Yvonne via email to learn more about her services or retain her.

If you are looking for a great coach, speaker, or educator--OR to say "Thank you for being a friend" to the community.. feel free to reach out to Yvonne directly..

LINKEDIN2HELPING FRIENDS

08 October 2007

Chris Brogan: To the Heart of Career Responsibility

05 October 2007

My Friends Were Laid Off this Week, How Can I help??

Here are some tips you can share.. The small bit of caring you give to your universe, does make a difference! Thank you for being a friend.

Our lives are touched by those we work with, and even if the working environment changes, more and more people are acting as if the relationships matter. This week I was asked to share how we can help our Friends Who Were Laid Off, RIF d, received the pink slip this week.

BIG TIPS:

Remember change happens, remember what this represents to your friends. Emotion is a big and necessary, part of the transition.
Request to keep in touch, but with respectful boundaries.
Remind them of what they do well and ask what you can do to help.

Change Resources you can share:

Layoff Support Resources:

Read Scot Herrick's Cube Rules 30 days of 30 Career Management Tips!
Create and USE a great profile to be found by people who WANT to hire you!

TIPs:

Consider creating and sharing your resume from Jobster as a Link on your LinkedIn profile URL.
Prepare your LinkedIn Profile.. Add a Professional Photo, Change your headline to the type of job sought, and use one of your WEBSITE URLS for a link to your resume on your favorite social network.

Check out some of the great social networking job aggregation and tip resources.

Work Resources:

Update your resume with the tips from LifeClever-- NICE!
Refresh endorsements & connections to Social Networking Profiles.

Read the Getting Started On LinkedIn Networking Slideshare deck.
Plaxo your network.. New York Times ran a great story by Louise Story on "Helping People on the Move.." Plaxo lets you get and stay connected automatically to people -- GREAT for references, sending cards, encouragement and more! They recently added pulse and group features. Last week we opened LinkedIn2Helping Friends and have reconnected or connected hundreds of great people already, feel free to join our network of business professionals.

Review FIND A JOB and receive Free Job Placement Resources from Helping Friends Career Network-- sign up as a New Candidate.
Get Free and Excellent Career Management Tools from JibberJobber.com.
Read "60 Seconds and Your Hired" by Robin Ryan.
LinkedIn2Helping Friends Jobs network is open to recruiters, hiring managers and job seekers for networking and sharing. Join us here, and feel free to invite new members with the link to join your group. http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/22008/04119640B1C7

Find a Job or person that can help? Use the LinkedIn Forward this Profile option right above the LinkedIn User Name, to forward the profile of a job seeker or person that can help.. By the way, THANK YOU for your referrals, I am ALWAYS happy to help and be helped!