November 25th, 2010

Quiz- Do You Deserve Promotion?

So you think that you should be promoted. You are irritated also that why your promotion is getting delayed. You are working hard and doing your work satisfactorily. Why should you not get promoted? You want to ask your boss, but do not know how to ask? Can you we find out if you deserve to be promoted? If you are sure that you deserve promotion, you can approach your boss with surety and put forward your case. Let us quiz your promotion.

Quiz your working style – are you working very satisfactorily in your present responsibility? Have you improved the efficiency? Are your colleagues happy with you? Is your immediate superior happy with your performance? Have you learnt all that any body could in your present job? Please quiz yourself about these factors.

Quiz your ability- what is your ability in different specializations that your organization may demand. You think that you deserve a promotion, but what about your ability for that responsibility? You are working well with the present job. Will you be able to do justice to the new responsibility or you were only equipped to do the present job? A new responsibility demands new qualities. Do you have them? Or you will make a mess of that job? Unless you are yourself sure about your ability to handle the new posting, please do not approach your superiors for getting promotion. Once you are sure that you can handle the new responsibility well, go ahead. Sometimes, we invite trouble by getting promoted. Please avoid that.

November 18th, 2010

Private Companies Weigh Employee Options

Q: I understand that Entrex has brought public market standards and disciplines to the private market. What does this mean for my employees and the possibility of stock ownership or options?

- Al Davenport, business owner, Pompano Beach, Fla.

A: This is a great opportunity to show your employees the value they bring to your company. Just imagine if employees could actually see quantifiable gains and losses in the value of the company through their efforts.

Public companies have the advantage of being able to option employees with shares that have quantifiable value. Now, by following the standards for public company disclosures and reporting, private companies and their shareholders can measure performance against established benchmarks.

As a company owner, you have the choice of providing limited distribution of company data or offering wide access to the community of alternative investors. In either case, by participating in the private company market, you provide employees the means of having a tangible quarterly valuation of their stock and ultimately, the possibility of liquidating their shares.

You didn’t mention whether you have an actual employee stock ownership plan program, or if you have limited distribution of stock to key employees. While ESOPs may provide liquidity for the founding shareholder, new owneremployees have generally fewer liquidity options, because they have limited exposure to the financial community.

The private equity market provides a vehicle for companies to gain exposure, allowing their stock to trade freely among alternative investors. By simply following industry-accepted valuation principles, owners, optioned employees and external investors can acquire shares, track share value and know their liquidity options.

November 11th, 2010

New Recruitment Rules For NHS Nurses

The UKS National Health Service is the largest organisation in Europe and it is recognised as one of the best health services in the world by the World Health Organisation yet there is a keen need to be improvements to cope with the demands of the 21st century.

One of the big changes imposed by the Government is that the overseas nurses will no longer be able to get work permits unless NHS trusts can prove they are unable to fill the posts with candidates trained in the European Economic Area or the UK.

The new rule is affecting the international nurses that want to come and work in UK but cant affect the ones that are already working in Britain. The aim of this new rule is to help the UK candidates getting jobs.

It seams that the decision was announced as a result of a survey which revealed that only a small percentage (20 per cent) of the nurses graduating this summer have found jobs.

An important role in this decision was certainly played by the 16,000 NHS job cuts in the past four months. Even the health minister Lord Warner considers that the survey might not be accurate as I was conducted too early. The health minister also explained that the scale recruitment of overseas nurses that took place in last 5 years at such large scale was only a short-term measure.

As a reaction to the new rule, The Royal College of Nursing that represents the interests of nurses and nursing locally, nationally and internationally and is aiming to influence and lobby governments and others to develop and implement policy that improves the quality of patient care, and builds on the importance of nurses, health care assistants and nursing students to health outcomes as well as support and protect the value of nurses and nursing staff in all their diversity, accused the government that it is trying to put the blame of the 1.3bn NHS deficit on the shoulders of international nurses.
The general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing highlights that the “international nurses have always been there for the UK in times of need and suggested that it is not fair for them to pay for the deficits crisis.

There is also known that there are specialised areas such as intensive care in which there are shortages plus 150,000 nurses are due to retire in the next five to 10 years and the homegrown nurses alone wont be able to replace them all.

November 4th, 2010

Negotiating Your Value, by Coach DQ, CPCC, CPC

Are You Prepared To Negotiate For Happiness? Believe it or not, everything truly is negotiable! Each new job offer or performance review is an opportunity to negotiate base salary, bonuses, benefits, stock options and various other incentives that add to job satisfaction and ultimately, provide more financial security. You need to take control of your job search before your new job offer and plan ahead of time for your annual performance review to reach your ultimate goal of financial security and happiness. Are you prepared to negotiate?

With each new job offer or performance review, you are being handed an opportunity to define, communicate, and achieve what you want for your financial security. In order to achieve this, youll have to understand the basics of negotiation.

The first step in negotiating is making the decision to reach your goal. Once you have made that decision, you need to plan your approach, gather supporting information, consider alternatives and viewpoints, communicate specifically, and understand your strengths and weaknesses. You must be able to respond effectively to the negotiating party, and knowing your competition will enable you to bargain your position more accurately.

Here are a few tips to focus on during your research and negotiation: 1. Be Persuasive It’s hard to force your boss to increase your compensation, and trying to do so can potentially damage your working relationship. Think about the process as trying to convince him that it might benefit the organization to pay you more.

2. Aim High and Be Realistic Many researchers have found a strong correlation between people’s aspirations and the results they achieve in negotiation. At the same time, you want to suggest ideas to which your boss can realistically say yes.

3. Start Off with the Right Tone You want to let your boss know you will listen and try to understand his views. At the same time, you expect your boss to do the same for you so you can work together to address this issue. Avoid ultimatums, threats and other coercive behavior.

4. Clarify Your Interests Your compensation should satisfy a range of needs, not just salary. Make sure you have thought about other points of value to you as well — like profit sharing, stock options that vest immediately, a bonus, greater work responsibilities, a quicker promotion schedule, increased vacation or flexible hours.

5. Anticipate Your Boss’s Interests Just like you, your boss has needs and concerns. To persuade him to say yes, your ideas will have to address those things that are important to him.

6. Create Several Options Joint brainstorming is the most effective way to find ideas that satisfy everyone’s interests. It works best when you separate it from commitment — first create possible solutions, and then decide among them.

7. Focus on Objective Criteria It is far easier to persuade someone to agree with your proposal if he sees how that proposal is firmly grounded on objective criteria, such as what similar firms pay people of like experience or what others in the company make.

8. Think Through Your Alternatives In case you cannot persuade your boss to say yes, you need to have a backup plan. Part of preparation is creating a specific action plan so you know what you’ll do if you have to walk away from the table.

9. Prepare Thoughtfully to Achieve Your Goals This is the only aspect of your negotiations you can completely control. To take advantage of all of the above advice, you have to invest a significant amount of your time and energy.

10. Review to Learn The only way you can really improve your ability to negotiate is to explicitly learn from your experiences. After you finish negotiations, reflect on what you did that worked well and what you might want to do differently. You will ultimately be successful in achieving your goal of financial security and happiness!

Negotiation is not an art form the more you practice, the better you become at it! Do your homework and feel confident! Know your worth. Doing it right requires preparation, studying comparative situations, role playing and getting another perspective.

A case in point: A client recently hired me to help her with negotiating a promotion, she knew her boss had a real tight budget so together worked on her strategy; role played what she would say, what possible objections might come up, and how to overcome them. She did some research and prepared her case. The result a 20% increase in salary, a gas allowance, flex hours, a gym membership, a new Director title and a lunch stipend. So the next time you are negotiating your annual review, a new position, a promotion, whatever it is remember everything is negotiable.

October 28th, 2010

Mortgage Brokers and Loan Officers

Are you looking for a new career? You may want to think about becoming a mortgage broker or loan officer, or sell useful products to the existing brokers and loan officers.

If you type Mortgage Broker or Loan Officer in your search engine, you will find links to thousands and thousands of websites. This is because Mortgage Brokers and Loan Officers provide a much needed service to the public. They take applications for mortgage loans from prospective homebuyers, and help the buyers find the right loan. If you ever applied for a mortgage loan for the purchase of a home, you worked with a broker or loan officer.

A mortgage broker works on hisher own bringing a borrower and lender together for the purpose of a mortgage loan. Brokers are quite often real estate agents in addition to working as a mortgage broker. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, there are approximately 40,000 mortgage brokers in the U.S.

The mortgage loan officer is an employee of a mortgage company, bank, or other mortgage lending institution. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that mortgage loan officers earned between 30,000 and 100,000 in 2005. However, highly motivated loan officers earn much more.

There should be no shortage of business for mortgage brokers and loan officers as numerous real estate properties are bought and sold every day in the U.S. The mortgage broker, loan officer field is a lucrative, well respected field that thousands of people are now in or want to start. There are also many brokers and loan officers who are interested in enhancing their present business and knowledge.

You can sell well respected items that really do sell and get paid up to 50% in commissions. Mortgage Broker Training provides banners and text links to make it easy for you. Click below to take a look at some of the products.

October 21st, 2010

More Men in Nursing: Is Trend Enough to Solve Shortage?

More Men in Nursing: Is Trend Enough to Solve Shortage?

Higher wages and job security are prompting more men to enter the field of nursing.

According to a Vanderbilt University School of Nursing study, the number of male nurses in the United States has nearly doubled since the 1980s – growing from 5 percent to 9 percent of the nation’s 1.8 million nurses.

Just as the number of men in nursing has steadily climbed, so has the public’s perception of the profession. A recent Gallup Poll ranked nursing as the most trusted profession, above teachers, military officers and even doctors.

This is promising news for those working to end the nationwide nursing shortage and stave off an impending health-care crisis. According to the Vanderbilt study, the nursing shortage could approach 800,000 positions by 2020.

To recruit and retain more nurses, educators must address the shortage of nursing faculty in the nation’s colleges and universities.

According to an enrollment survey by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, more than 26,000 qualified applicants were turned away from undergraduate programs last year due in large part to faculty shortages.

Hospitals, universities and nursing organizations are working to end the nursing shortage with help from private-sector initiatives, such as The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future.

The goals of this 30 million public-awareness campaign are to enhance the image of the nursing profession, recruit new nurses and faculty and retain nurses currently in the profession.

“Building awareness of the shortage of nurses and nurse faculty, as well as the benefits of a career in nursing, has had a big impact,” said Andrea Higham, director of The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. “But concerted efforts must continue if we’re to head off what is predicted to be a huge problem well into the next decade.”

The campaign sponsors fundraising events called Promise of Nursing galas, which have raised more than 7 million for nursing scholarships, faculty fellowships and specialized nursing program grants.

Higham said men are a key target of the awareness campaign, noting that if the number of men entering nursing each year grew to anywhere near the number of women entering the field, the nursing shortage would cease to exist.

Will the growing number of men entering the profession be enough to eliminate the shortage in time to accommodate the surge of baby boomers in need of increased medical care? Only time will tell. – NU

October 14th, 2010

Mom: Get The Pay Raise You Deserve

The reality today is that even as women are making incredible achievements theyre still battling the stereotypical role of traditional wife and mother. Moms expected at home to make dinner and read bedtime stories, but the boss wants that report finished now. Does she disappoint her family and stay late, or tick off the boss and derail her career?Yes, women can do anythingbut they should NOT do everything. To have a career and a happy family life, a woman must learn to prioritize and delegate. She needs to set her own objectives, stop being a commitment queen and shed the guilt. Heres the skinny on getting the fat salaries without relinquishing the family snuggles:1. What your boss really wants is a personal clone as to work ethic and loyalty to the company. Model your boss. Know what your boss needs and wants and deliver it. 2. Most people tend to socialize with coworkers at their same level while considering top executives unapproachable or even the enemy. The real secret to advancement is to spend time with coworkers at all levels, especially the one who decides your next pay raise. 3. Become indispensable. Dont be a replaceable commodity by shrinking into your chair. Get in the middle of everything and show what youre worth. 4. When your accomplishments merit a pay raise, ask for it. Do your salary research, then request more money than you expect. Allow for negotiating. But never dangle other offers. Thats blackmail.5. Learn the power and freedom of no. You may have to decline chairing the next school fundraiser or hosting your husbands law firm clients after their golf game. Reserve yes for your personal priorities and when saying it wont upset the balance of your career and family expectations.6. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Its okay to say I cant handle all the laundry, all the housework and all the carpool. Your husband and kids will have to chip in and help. Start small and slowly increase their responsibilities. Offer loads of praise and encouragement as you train them to help out. 7. Draw your family in on your dilemma. List the familys joint responsibilities and the ways they might be handledowning a particular chore, taking turns, pitching in as a teamthen say I love you all and I love my career. Were in this together and if we each carry a little weight, no one gets overburdened. Everyone will benefitand your kids will have a much happier mom.So Mom, wake up and smell the money! By following these simple steps youll finally have the confidence to get the pay raise you deserve and the happy home life you crave.

October 7th, 2010

Mixing Spaghetti And English: Teach English In Italy

For those who dream of teaching abroad, Italy is often the first country that comes to mind. Beautiful, historical, and surrounded by a sense of romance, Italy is a dream for most Westerners who plan on traveling for a career.

It should come as no surprise, then, that English teaching jobs in Italy are somewhat difficult to obtain. There’s a lot of competition and a lot of applicants, and if you’re hoping to secure a position you should be prepared to prove yourself.

Qualifications

In order to teach English in Italy, you’ll need to obtain TEFL certification. This will qualify you to teach in a classroom setting. TEFL certification is easy to get, and is often offered as a post-graduate class at college for those planning on teaching abroad. Those without TEFL will have an extremely difficult time getting hired.

One thing that sets Italy apart from other foreign countries is the fact that in order to get a teaching job, a personal interview is a must. You will be required to sit down with your future employers and meet them in person before you are actually hired. This means you should plan your time and your budget around making a trip to Italy for interview purposes.

If you’re adventurous, you can always move to Italy before you begin searching for jobs. But if you have any doubts about getting hired, or if you want to make sure everything is lined up before you actually move abroad, you should plan on a few trips back and forth.

You’ll also need to obtain an Italian work visa. As in most countries, this is a long and sometimes difficult process. Be prepared to provide any and all documentation of things like marriage, citizenship, and graduation from school. It’s best to start this process as early as possible so that your future plans aren’t held up by the bookkeeping.

Where to work?

Once you decide to teach English in Italy, you’ll find various types of employment available. The most common, of course, is teaching in schools. English in Italy is not as widespread as it is in other countries like Mexico or China, so it is not necessarily taught in elementary schools; however, it is extremely popular in universities and other high level educational institutions.

One huge market for English teachers in Italy is the area of private schools. If you can get hired by a private school, you’ll find yourself in an excellent position. Private schools offer the best pay by far, and provide a certain amount of job security not found elsewhere.

It is also possible to get hired by a company or language institution, where you’ll be teaching conversational English to adults. Since English is the accepted language for many forms of global communication, adults in Italy are very interested in learning it and are sometimes required to do so by their employers. Some businesses will hire English teachers to train their employees in English. You’ll also find an abundance of evening classes that are open to the public.

The overall experience

Lots of people would love a chance to teach English in Italy. As far as TEFL positions go, Italy is one of the most coveted countries and for a good reason. Italy is a beautiful country, rich in heritage and history. The experience of teaching English in Italy is completely worth the effort it may take you to secure a position. So if you’re planning to teach English in Italy, you should prepare yourself for some competition… and the possible experience of a lifetime.

September 30th, 2010

Missing Out on the Opportunity of a Lifetime

Periodically during the course of our lives we are granted the “opportunity of a lifetime.” It’s a chance that doesn’t come our way very often, and usually one that would result in tremendous benefits for us, if we can manage to grasp it before it slips away. Some of us are able to grab ahold, while others may lose their grip for whatever reason and miss the chance.

The initial disappointment and loss we feel is understandable and expected. But what many of us do at times like this is apply the disappointment to everything in our lives. We slap a red “failure” label on our foreheads and toss in the towel. Because we didn’t “succeed” at this opportunity, we convince ourselves that we’ll NEVER succeed at our goals and dreams. Nothing could be further from the truth!

While it’s true that certain specific opportunities only occur “once in a lifetime,” that doesn’t mean there won’t be other opportunities coming our way. Many of us create a mental vision of the packaging our dream is wrapped in. We get attached to that packaging, and believe that if our dream doesn’t happen in a certain timeframe, or in a certain way, then we’ve failed. Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes, as do our dreams and goals.

When you look closely enough, most opportunities are literally “once in a lifetime” chances — meaning, each opportunity has its own unique qualities, benefits, and level of results. Rarely are we presented with the same exact opportunity day after day. They are all special and important in their own ways. Some of them are BIG opportunities that will propel us directly to our desired outcome in one great leap, while others are smaller and might move us forward just a tiny bit. They’re all good though, because progress is progress!

While some opportunities seem to fall right into our laps, we can also create our own opportunities, every single day. Here are two ways to do that:

Seek and find – There are so many great opportunities out there, if we just take the time to look. Think outside the box. Explore alternative possibilities that will move you closer to your goal. Read newspapers and magazines, and browse the Internet, with the INTENT to find some opportunities for yourself. Most of the time we end up missing them because we’re not looking. Set out with the intention that you are looking for them, and you will find them (or they will find you). Keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to try something new or unusual.

Create your own – Whatever your ultimate goal, think about the ways in which you could open some doors for yourself. Perhaps you could donate your talents to a worthy organization, or be an intern for someone in your desired field. Seek out those who are doing what you want to do, and ask them questions about how they got started. Most people are pleased and flattered to be sought out for advice, and many are very willing to help you get started, even if it’s by offering some resources or contacts. Make a list of every idea you have that could help you move forward on your goals. I think you may surprise yourself with great ideas you’ve never considered before.

When it comes right down to it, there are many, many, MANY paths to the same goal. Some of them may be closed to us, but there are always others to explore. If you interviewed 100 people in similar career stations, I bet they’d each have a very unique story about how they got where they are today.

I happen to believe that if you have a deep, burning desire to do something specific with your life, then you WILL do it – as long as you don’t give up before you get there. The journey to success can be so frustrating, frightening and . . . fun! It’s all in the attitude. Be gentle with yourself, try your hardest, and believe that you can get to where you want to be. Most importantly, let go of the outcome, and just enjoy the scenery.

September 23rd, 2010

Medical Transcriptionist Training Expectations

The medical transcription field continues to grow in conjunction with the demands on the health care industry. For those who are suited to this job, there are some good opportunities. But isn’t it just a case of listening to the voice of a health care professional and typing up exactly what’s been said? While that’s the basic idea behind the medical transcriptionists’ job, there are some reasons that health care professionals and facilities want to hire those trained for the job.

The terminology is one of the biggest reasons training is so vital. While you don’t have to be able to name the bones in the leg, you do need to learn to recognize words like “tibia.” Terminology is one of the reasons medical transcriptionists need training, and one of the points that will be taught and practiced during Medical Transcriptionist training.

But is there really a need to learn those things? After all, you can certainly stop the tape and look up any words that you don’t recognize. That constant starting and stopping are the difference between an experienced transcriptionist and someone who’s filling in. If you have the right training and the right real world practice provided by most medical transcription training programs, you’ll find yourself able to meet the demands of the terminology.

Specialized training is one of the many options of medical transcription training, and many health care professionals who have a specialty are seeking out those people who can most accurately transcribe notes and medical details. In that case, the transcriber learns those words that apply specifically to the system, disease or other narrow focus of a particular doctor’s practice. Adding those specialties make you more valuable on the marketplace.

Remember that doctors aren’t the only ones who need medical transcription, and you’ll find most training programs offer at least some exercises and information to prepare you for those situations. You may be called on to create exit notes for patients at a hospital. The patient is about to leave and those notes have to be legible, accurate and available now.

One point of the training is to learn to be fast and accurate in real-life situations. A busy emergency room isn’t going to suddenly quiet down so that you can concentrate on transcribing a doctor’s orders for a patient who is about to be released. Many medical transcription schools will put students into those noisy, busy, stressful situations with orders to transcribe. As important as it is to learn the terminology, it’s also vital that you learn to listen – regardless of what’s going on around you.

There are even those outside the medical field that use transcription. Though the demand for attorney transcribers isn’t as big as for medical transcription, there is definitely a need in that field.

There are other points that will become part of your training. How to make use of technology, software and resources that are available to help you better accomplish your tasks as well as the best ways to handle various situations you’re likely to encounter. Take a look at the courses being taught by MT schools. You may be surprised at how thoroughly you’ll be prepared for a career in medical transcription.

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