I'll See It When I Believe It! by Tony Alessandra

It has been estimated that we each have upwards of 50,000 thoughts per day. How many of yours are negative? Sometimes you have to do a mental spring-cleaning to get rid of those negative thoughts that have become ingrained attitudes. Stopping self-destructive thoughts is like stopping any other bad habit—it takes time and effort.

Among the most effective ways to do this are visualization and affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements about yourself that you repeat over and over in your head until they are programmed into your subconscious.

Visualization is mentally picturing yourself the way you want to be. You’ve heard the old saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Well, the reverse is also true: “I’ll see it when I believe it!”

Affirmations and visualizations may not feel true at first—they may not even be true! However, they can become so.

Consider what happens when you tell yourself repeatedly, “I’m lousy at remembering names.” There will never be any improvement there. Therefore, if you catch yourself saying it, stop and immediately say, “I’m good at remembering names.”

Consider the effect of telling yourself, “I’m feeling pretty good today.” “I can lose 10 pounds.” Or, “I am good at getting people to see things my way.” Anything you say to yourself repeatedly will actually influence your reality.

Writing down your affirmations and putting them in some handy place—above your desk, on your bathroom mirror, on the dashboard of your car—will help keep them in mind as well as in sight. Use affirmations and visualizations to project what success will feel and look like.

Imagine, in as much detail as you possibly can, how you feel as the boss singles you out for exceeding your quota, or how the audience hangs on your every word during your speech, or how your confident presence causes heads to turn everywhere you go.

To enhance your charisma and persuasion (while making others feel good about themselves), you can apply the very same techniques by turning them outward. Begin thinking positive affirmations about people you work and live with.

For example, “Bob seems much calmer and patient of late. I wonder what has changed in him.” During your next interaction with Bob, you will most likely remember your positive thought about him and start your conversation with, “Bob, I’ve noticed a change in you. You seem really kind and patient while counseling your new employees recently and I admire that. How did you acquire this wonderful characteristic?”

Bob would likely respond with a smile and a story about a book he found, a consultant he hired or a seminar he attended. Regardless of his reply, you have sincerely complimented another person, put out a positive thought and begun a new habit of approaching others using “appreciative inquiry”—finding the good in another person or situation first, instead of finding fault or flaws.

Criticizing is easy, and sometimes becomes habit, but retraining your mind to find the positive attributes in yourself and others will win you friends, increase your income and make you feel better about being a better you.

More about Tony Alessandra  at http://www.alessandra.com/abouttony/index.asp

7 Resume Tips for Job Seekers 45 and Over

Let’s face it, the job market for job seekers 45+ can seem less than rosy and if you are 55+, then it can seem brutal.  Yes, there is age discrimination out there, so let’s see how we can work thru this.  I will let the other sources give you all the grim statistics.

This post will focus on the resume.  The goal of the resume is to generate enough interest to get the potential employer or recruiter to contact you for an interview.  Once you have the interview booked, then the focus is off the resume and onto interviewing skills.

Below are some tips when putting together your resume:

1.   Eliminate education dates:

The focus is on your wealth of experience rather than education, move this section to the bottom of your resume.  If you have multiple degrees, then list separately with the most recent listed first.  Only include the university, degree, and location.  Use abbreviations only if necessary.

Example:

Auburn University · Master of Business Administration · Auburn, AL

The University of Texas · Bachelor of Science, Business · Austin, TX

2.   Only show up to 15 years of employment history:

Most employers are only interested in “recent” history so show 10 to 15 years.  List your position/title, some relevant responsibilities (that relate to the job you are applying), and the result.  Employers want to get a sense of how quick you can make a positive impact if hired.

Example:

Company ABC · Consulting Director (Dec 2008 – Jun 2011)

Led a consulting team of 40 and established department goals to ensure achievement of revenue plan. Managed key client relationships, providing sales assistance to close deals. Established HR policies, established semi-annual reviews, and managed recruitment. Approved all department legal documentation, maintained revenue

tracking process, and managed the department’s operating budget.

o   Partnered with product management team to understand product direction and developed career development training plans that increased team member productivity.

o   Improved customer service and minimized project start delays by creating templates that clients completed and delivered prior to team members arriving for consulting assignments.

3.   Limit resume to a maximum of 2 pages:

Two page resumes are acceptable. You want to generate enough interest for the potential employer or recruiter to call you for an interview.  Be brief, yet specific and save some information for the actual interview.  Use a blank line or two between entries.  You want the person reading the resume to easily find what they are looking for.

4.   Remove photos and references:

Leave the photos on the social networking sites.  Make sure you have at least 6 references available, yet provide only when asked during the interview process.  Why 5 or 6 references?  Most potential employers will ask for 3 references if they are interested in moving forward.  You get to choose which 3 of your 6 references are best for them to call. You will have a good idea after several interviews which 3 of the 6 to choose.  Also, eliminate the statement “References provided upon request” from your resume. 

5.   Use a simple email address for your job search:

Create an email address for your job search that is simple, yet professional.  Email addresses like groovygranny@yahoo.com, mel1952@msn.com, quiltinbee@gmail.com, and thedeerhunter@gmail.com are fine for personal use and may discourage a potential employer or recruiter.  Why take any chances?  Create a simple email address using your name like fred.jones@yahoo.com, marywilson1@msn.com, or jasonsmith.2@gmail.com.

6.   Replace “Hobbies’ section with “Professional Development”:

Some people do include a “Professional Development” section and some do not.  I personally think adding this at the end of the resume after education (if you have the space) shows that you are a well-rounded individual that enjoys keeping your skills and knowledge up to date.  I would only include groups for professional growth and avoid abbreviations to eliminate confusion.

Example:

Dallas Chamber of Commerce

Financial Executives Networking Group

Project Management Institute Dallas Chapter

Leadership Institute

Society for Human Resource Management

Leave off more “hobby-ish” groups or those that attract a more senior audience like AARP, Cross Stitching Club, Pets Are Wonderful Support Group (PAWS), National Rifle Association (NRA), etc.  This can be a tricky one.  If in doubt, just exclude this section altogether from your resume.

7.   Use updated format and fonts.

For font types, I like “Calibri”, “Cambria”, or “Trebuchet MS” in Microsoft Word.  They are simple font types with variable spacing that are easy to the eyes.  I would avoid “Courier”, “Arial”, or any of the scripted or over the top font types.  Also, use a 12 point sized font, but no smaller than a 10 point sized font.

For resume formats, there are numerous websites that can provide you with free updated resume formats.  Search on “resume templates 2012” and numerous resources will come up.  I also have a template if interested, so please feel free to send me an email and I will send it to you without you having to sign-up for anything.  My email address is weallmakechoices@yahoo.com.

Say Thanks Before It’s Just a Memory by Harvey Mackay

Some time ago the owner of a small but profitable business wrote columnist Ann Landers about his practice of giving annual bonuses to his employees. The amounts were based on time served and salary levels.

He had been doing it for 16 years and in all that time only two employees had ever said "thank you." Neither were still with the company. One passed away, and the other took early retirement.

The owner vowed that he wasn’t going to give any more bonuses, and if anyone complained, the response would be, “There will be no bonuses this year because not one of our current employees has taken the time and trouble to say ‘thank you.’ “

In her answer, Ann Landers segued from that letter to the tons of letters she receives from others, parents and grandparents particularly, who want to know what to do about gifts that are not acknowledged. What happened? Did the poor thing lose the power of speech or the use of their writing hand? Did they fall off the ends of the earth? Was the gift lost in the mail?

How many times have we sent a birthday check and not heard a word back, the only evidence that the gift was received found among the pile of canceled checks returned from the bank?

How many times have you given a larger than normal tip without any recognition? Waiters and waitresses should realize a larger tip is a signal that a customer enjoyed the experience and wants to return, particularly if their generosity is acknowledged. Diners even have been known to ask for a favorite waitperson’s station.

If you’re a salesperson or own a company and have recently received a larger than expected order from a customer, what have you done to make that customer know how you feel about it? It’s great to take your spouse out to dinner to celebrate your great sales ability, but what about the guy or gal who gave you the order?

A thank you is just good manners. A prompt thank you is easy to say, a lot easier to say than “Gee, I forgot to tell you how much I appreciated your order,” or “How’ve you been after all this time?”

When Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City, the police enforced quality-of-life laws and Giuliani even called for New York City’s cabdrivers and waiters to improve their manners, pointing out that rudeness is not a great civic selling point. It seemed to work. Crime went down. Tourism went up. New York City was on a roll.

Many companies wait until the holidays to say thank you. There’s nothing the matter with that, but why wait? It’s a lot more personal and responsive to seize the day and say the magic words the moment it’s appropriate. And forget the stuff with your corporate logo on it as a thank you. It’s fine as advertising. For yourself. But it isn’t a gift.

The best gifts I have ever received have no monetary value but what I call memento value. They are the letters I receive from people who have used tips or advice I’ve given in speeches, columns or books to get jobs, bonuses or unexpected orders. When a 72-year-old woman wrote to thank me for helping her make a dynamic splash in her chosen field, I was on cloud nine for days. And what an upper it was to hear from a man in prison that he’d begun to turn his life around thanks to the inspiration he’d received from one of my books.

One area of thank-you territory that many of us neglect is our formative years. They don’t call them “formative” for nothing. Have you ever said thanks to the teachers and coaches who lifted you up, dusted you off and set you straight when you were trying to figure out what growing up was all about? Though it may have been decades, you would be surprised how many of them remember us and remain our cheerleaders throughout our life. Believe me, a note or even a phone call from you would be well received.

Harvey Mackay is a nationally syndicated columnist, author, and speaker.  He can be found at http://www.harveymackay.com/.