Triying out a different way of blogging since I have the options
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Talking Weight Loss
Well.. It’s time for me to get back in the groove. I start my goals today and my program. I will be one size smaller before the 4th of July.
I finally made my calenders and customizing Thunderbird with Firefox.
It’s alot better than Outlook. You should check it out. They have a grocery list generator to help with my goals.
Big Black Women in Advertisements
I must be in the right business. Well, at least that’s what I thought going by the title of the article in the New York Times about “To some, the freer use of overweight black women in comic situations suggests a welcome change that reflects a broader acceptability of blacks in the media. But others find the recurring use of the image a return to a disturbing past.”
Well.. well.. well.. we are getting more roles in ads and commercials, but we are still saying it’s bad? Another Black History Month enlightenment. sheeeesh
Man.. we are nickpicking on too many issues. Yes, I understand the level of a bad image, but that’s just how big black women are.
Many due have very strong personalities to offset the facts of being overweight or to reduce the changes of being abused.
The problem I have with this article, is this is what alot of overweight individuals do no matter what race it is. There’s plenty of loud, aggressive skinny black women out here too.
Haven’t you seen the movies or shows where the fat kid or adult was the comedian? Or they had alot of friends, but no girl/boyfriend?
Now we have the movie with Eddie Murphy that’s pretty much doing the same thing. And lets not forget the movie with Queen Latifah and Steve Martin.. come on!!
It will always be this way.. there’s no way around this. They can try to label bad stereotypes if they want to, but even if they lose the weight, their personalities will not change.
Black Women need to take a stand
Why black families are failing?
Wow.. is it really true? Is the reason we have so much distruction in our african american lives is because we don’t get hitched?
Well..I can believe it. When foreigners hit me up on instant messenger they are shocked I’m not hitched yet. Even though my parents been married ever since I was born. It makes me wonder why I didn’t follow in their footsteps. Was it the environment?
Hmm.. Well, in the article,
At the low-income end, the disproportionate incarceration, unemployment and early death of black men make them unavailable for marriage. At the upper-income level, it is the fact that black women are far likelier than black men to complete high school, attend college and earn the professional credentials that would render them “eligible” for marriage.
Hmm.. now this may have been my problem. Well, I only had one boyfriend who has a father in their life, and still do NOW. It is a wonder, but then again, he still having problems with his relationships, and when we were together, that was back in high school and early college days. The “M” word wasn’t in the vocabulary yet!
Then you have the fatherless women that have a different view on men all together, then in turn, change the men on how they look at women.. and on and on. It’s like an ongoing virus.
Fatherless boys (as a general rule) become ineligible to be husbands — though no less likely to become fathers — and their children fall into the patterns that render them ineligible to be husbands.
The absence of fathers means, as well, that girls lack both a pattern against which to measure the boys who pursue them and an example of sacrificial love between a man and a woman.
So what do we have to do, start getting hitched and show some responsibility? It seems like a BIG thing when a black couple gets married that were from the hood, and it’s also a shame I haven’t been to any of my peers weddings? Most of my friends never got, or I don’t see, getting married either. But the article holds true. If you’re parents are not married, your aunts and uncles not married, your friend’s parents not married, your neighbors not married… then how would you know HOW TO BE MARRIED?
Black Work at Home Moms Networking Community
Well.. I finished my site for the community. But knowing me, I’ll still use it as if I’m just a user myself. People have been very helpful with their blogs and articles about all types of stuff. I’ve been doing some podcasting too, and trying to get things together. It’s been an interest time these past two months.
I never thought I could finally take a break. I’ve been very diffucult chosing the right software and features I wanted for the site.
Don’t worry though, my next step is to make plenty of tutorials for it.
So stop by.. Don’t forget to submit an informative article or review about anything.
Esp Soul food recipes.. I’ve been looking for alot of those.
Have to get ready for the turkey!!
See ya guys later
Mistakes Job Seekers Make & How to Avoid Them
1. Mistake: Believing the Newspapers
Newspaper headlines, while usually correct, are often misleading. The tendency is to
believe that the job situation is as bad as the headlines indicate. Yes, changes in our
economy resulted in over 1,000,000 jobs being eliminated in 2005. And yes, there will
be another 1,000,000 + jobs eliminated this year and every year into the future.
Instead: Understand that jobs are being created at an even greater rate.
Jobs are being created, not in the bulk quantities that create headlines, but usually one at a
time, and not by “news-making” corporations, but usually by small businesses in
response to growing opportunities. But, major corporations, even those who are
downsizing, are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities and the people who can
bring them. This is the MAJOR job opportunity for those who understand how to do it.
Learning how and why jobs ARE being created enables you to position yourself to
partake in the new job bonanza.
2. Mistake: Believing the Want Ads
Less than 15% of all jobs that are being created are advertised. It is more common for
someone to approach a decision-maker, within a company; with an opportunity to impact
the company’s bottom line through increased sales, reduced expenses, improved
productivity, etc. A job is often created for them more often than a job vacancy is first
created, and then a person is “plugged” into that vacancy.
Instead: Create Your Own Job Reality
Through accurate research and an understanding of your strengths, your value to an
organization, your ideal work environment, coupled with your ability to adapt your
behavior to the needs of the business, you can be the one who makes the job proposal and
has the job “created” for you. You need to learn how.
3. Mistake: You Must Write a Winning Résumé to Qualify for an Interview
Résumés are NOT job qualification tools. Over 99% of all résumés are used by HR
departments to DISQUALIFY potential job candidates. The “better” your résumé is, the
more standardized its content and structured its form, the easier it is to be disqualified
before an interview. A winning résumé is a myth, unless you are the best qualified
and willing to work for the least amount of money.
Instead: Approach Employers Using Alternative Marketing Methods
Employers are just like you. They are always shopping for the “best deal.” This means
the candidate with the greatest qualifications and willing to work for the least amount of
money is the one the employer will “buy.” (Why do you think the trend toward offshore
is growing so rapidly?) What you have to do is avoid the résumé situation until after the
interview. 1
4. Mistake: Answering Blind Help Wanted Ads
You might think that a blind ad would be a great opportunity. But it may be a trap.
Often companies that are planning on downsizing will post blind ads in order to gain
resumes and discover the temperature of the water in the field. Are there people in
competitors’ businesses that are ready to jump ship? And, at other times, they are trying
to catch unsuspecting employees of their own company who may be out searching for
greener pastures.
Instead: Don’t Answer Blind Ads
No matter how tempting, you can only lose. Blind ads are not there to create
employment opportunities for you but to provide research for companies that are
planning on making a move.
5. Mistake: Inadequate Understanding of the Employer’s Needs
Whether responding to an ad, on a referral from a friend, through networking, or through
a paid placement service, approaching a company for a job without thoroughly
researching the company, its field, its competitors, its products, its people, and its’
culture, places you at a great disadvantage. Unless you know what the prospective
employer/company needs to succeed (and it may be a lot more than just hiring you) you
will not succeed.
Instead: Doing Research
In the communication era, it’s easy to find out information about ANYONE and ANY
field. The Internet, trade publications, press releases, and dozens of more ways are
available to check out a potential employer. While you’re at it, why not check out a
company that you’d really love to work for and make them a proposal. There is a
systematic method for doing just this. You must learn it.
6. Mistake: A Cover Letter and Résumé is the Right Thing to Send
Cover letters have become the Résumé before the Résumé. HR people expect them, tear
them off, and put them in the circular file. As Sgt. Joe Friday (of the TV show Dragnet)
used to say, “Just give me the facts.”
The reason why cover letters and résumés don’t work is that NO ONE IS READING
THEM!
Instead: A Targeted Sales Letter Gets Interviews.
Learning how to target and write an effective sales letter that gets interviews is one of the
most important job-hunting skills. (It’s also a great skill for advancing your career,
increasing sales, and improving your prospects.) You must learn this modern personal
marketing skill.1
7. Mistake: Lack of Dollarization2
Employers are interested in only one thing û profit, i.e. earning more profits through
controlling expenses, increasing sales, or improved productivity. Few job applicants
have learned the skills of dollarization, leaving everything up to the résumé.
Instead: Dollarize
Bring with you to the interview a list of at least three ways in which you have enabled
previous employers to improve their bottom line, along with the annualized savings or
increased profits that resulted from your work.
Lacking this, bring an understanding of how you can increase your prospective
employer’s profitability. If your targeted employer is a non-profit organization, then
bring dollarized ideas on how to reduce expenses, expand reach, increase membership,
etc.
8. Mistake: Not “Connecting” with the Interviewer
Some candidates prepare well for an interview. They refine and customize their résumés,
research the prospective company, and hone their answers to the questions that they
might be asked during the process. Most candidates focus their preparation on how to
present themselves, almost in a vacuum, without much thought of how each unique
interviewer might perceive them.
Instead: Understanding Behavioral Styles3 û Your and Your Interviewer’s
What is sometimes missing is the feeling of “connecting” with the interviewer(s). During
the preparation stages in the search for a new career or position, behavioral styles are
often overlooked. By understanding behavioral styles, candidates can better prepare for
the in-person meeting.
Depending on the intensity of each of the four behavioral factors, Dominance,
Influencing, Steadiness, and Compliance2, individuals process information differently,
handle problems and challenges differently, communicate differently, adapt to changes at
varying paces, influence others differently, and even comply to rules differently.
1 Personal Marketing Strategies Workshops teach these skills. Contact us for more information.
2 ibid
3 ibid
The challenge for candidates then becomes how to recognize quickly the behavioral style
of the interviewer. Once we know the interviewer’s behavioral style (and our own), how
do we best adapt our communication style and our behavioral style to fit the interviewer’s
comfort zone, thereby facilitating communication and improving the chances for being
the candidate of choice2?
Additionally, by knowing the types of questions asked and the type of responses sought
by each of the four behavioral styles, candidates can customize the way in which they
respond. Candidates can tailor their responses, providing the same type of information,
but formatted to satisfy the needs of each different type of interviewer’s behavioral style.
By providing answers that mirror the way the interviewer communicates, candidates can
assure themselves of a better chance of “connecting” with the interviewer.
9. Mistake: Lack of Differentiation
If you are applying for a position where most other candidates applying for the position
have had similar types of work experience and backgrounds, résumés start to blend. The
top candidates will all have had strong educational backgrounds. They will also have had
strong work experiences that will provide quantifiable achievements. Sometimes,
candidates fail to differentiate themselves and don’t “package” their unique talents and
strengths.
Instead: Putting Your Best Foot Forward
If candidates understand their behavioral style, their unique strengths, their ideal work
environment and communication style, and their specific value to an organization, they
can better package those strengths, differentiating themselves from other top candidates.
During the interview, there are times and ways in which candidates can interweave into
the conversation, the strengths and value that they can bring to an organization. By using
the information from an in-depth output report generated by a validated behavioral profile
instrument, candidates can effectively differentiate themselves from other candidates3
10. Mistake: Lack of Follow Up
Less than 10% of all job seekers follow up an interview with a thank you note or
telephone call. (The thank you note is best.) They assume that the interviewer would be
calling if the candidate had been selected. This is seldom the case. HR people get
hundreds of applications/ résumés for each advertised position.
Instead: Follow Up, Professionally
If you are able to get an interview, whether it turns into a job offer or not, you must send
a thank you. Better still, send a customized résumé that summarizes your interview and
clearly addresses how you can solve their problems. Even if the interviewer doesn’t call
back, she will remember you. Possibly, a position will be created for you.
1 These are just ten of the dozens of outstanding mistakes and best solutions available
from Chris Hansen and Ed Hauser. Chris and Ed have been assisting job seekers learn
the personal marketing skills that result in jobs.
2 As early as 400 BC, Hippocrates studied human behavior and identified four
temperaments, Sanguine, Melancholic, Choleric, and Phlegmatic. In 1921, C. J. Jung
wrote Psychological Types. The four types are primarily oriented by the four
psychological functions, thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition. In 1928, William
Moulton Marston published a book, The Emotions of Normal People. In his book, he
described the theories that we use today. His behavioral patterns included Dominance,
Inducement, Steadiness, and Compliance. Beginning in the 1980’s, Bill Bonnstetter and
Target Training International (TTI) compiled many firsts in bringing DISC behavior to its
present form including validation studies, correlation studies, and on-line profile
instruments. The four dimensions of the behavioral profile used by TTI are Dominance,
Influencing, Steadiness, and Compliance.
3 On-line behavioral profile tools, utilizing TTI’s validated instruments, are available
though Ed Hauser’s organization, Insights 4 Success. Ed can be reached at 847-730-
4555, or ed@insigthts4success.com.
Chris can be reached at (732) 776-6496 or chris@clhassociates.com
Ed can be reached at (847) 730-4555 or ed@insights4success.com
Look for a work at home job like a regular job
Now I know many people look for jobs off the internet.. You type “work at home jobs” in a search engines and millions of sites will come up. Many people have started internet businesses hunting for work at home jobs and jobs leads and charging others for the ebook or self-help guide for doing all the leg work for you. So this is what alot of people fall victim too, depending on how recent the info is and reliable the sources are. But I will go over the basics, because I’m sooooo tired of people getting scammed. Did you know that people looking for jobs get scammed WAAAY more than people looking for a home business?
According to IDC, a research firm in Framingham, Mass, the number of people who are employed at home should grow from 10 million in 1999 to 13.5 million in 2003.People who work at home are 20% more productive than office workers outside the home.People who work from home for employers work longer hours than those who work outside the home, averaging approximately 11 hours a day.
Stay-at-home Reps Stem Offshore Outsourcing
Some companies are moving call centers into home, turning to what a research firm dubs “home-shoring” as a way to keep productive employees and trim costs.
TechWeb News
Dec 22, 2004 02:08 PM
Some companies are moving call centers into home, turning to what a research firm dubs “home-shoring” as a way to keep productive employees and trim costs.
“The home-shoring phenomenon comes in part as a result of the significant challenges faced in the customer relationship management (CRM) and customer care space over the last four years,” said IDC analyst Stephen Loynd in a statement.
Rather than outsource customer service to foreign firms in places like India, said Loynd, some U.S. corporations are letting call reps work from home. “Compared with traditional outsourcing and offshore, companies utilizing home-based agents can access highly skilled representatives that are closely attuned to the U.S. market at very reasonable cost,” said Loynd.
IDC estimated that there are currently about 100,000 home-based phone representatives in the United States.
Outsourcing, particularly that done offshore, has been a sensitive issue in the U.S. as domestic call center jobs are slashed by companies after lower costs. Earlier this year, Forrester Research predicted that over 830,000 U.S. service jobs would be lost to offshore outsourcing by the end of 2005, and 3.4 million by 2015.
A U.S. Labor Department report of this summer, however, disputed the impact of offshore outsourcing, claiming that in the first three months of the year, only 2 percent of the jobs lost could be directly blamed on the practice.
IDC’s Loynd sees home-shoring, also called “home-sourcing,” as a way to keep the jobs inside U.S. borders.
“There is no doubt that home-shoring can result in attractive benefits for both the company and the agents themselves,” he said. “However, companies need to consider certain dynamics before jumping into such a strategy.”
So we know their plenty of opportunities for work at home jobs. So how do we really go about finding these companies.
This is where my tips become valuable. It’s not only about finding the company that’s outsourcing, but what most people are not telling you is that you need companies to find YOU!!!
As you know by the EEOC http://www.eeoc.gov/fact s/telework.html people with disabilities can file for work at home for reasonable accommodations.
Many employers have discovered the benefits of allowing employees to work at home through telework (also known as telecommuting) programs. Telework has allowed employers to attract and retain valuable workers by boosting employee morale and productivity. Technological advancements have also helped increase telework options. President George W. Bush’s New Freedom Initiative emphasizes the important role telework can have for expanding employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
But what I want people to understand is that these accommodations are not just limited to people with disabilities. It’s just to make sure that people with disabilities don’t have their rights violated. Anyone can request to outsource their currents jobs or feature these accomodations in resumes while looking for work. You think that the raising gas prices and the cost of health care is kicking you in the butt? It’s taking it’s toll on employers too. And we have to fight for our jobs in the US.
Example: You are a single mom, an accountant, with two kids. You’re spending an average of $50 a week on gas, $200 a week on daycare, and $10 a week on clothes, beauty salons, nails, etc.. for some women that’s even more! Let’s say your salary is $60,000 a year. That’s almost $10,000 extra you are spending to work outside the home. This is what you negociate with your employer. You are willing to take a reduction in your yearly salary to $50,000 to work your same job at home. All you need is software programs. And thanks to programs like “GoToMyPC”, an employer may consider your proposal.
This is also an excellent incentive to put on resumes when looking for work. An employer may be hiring for a starting salary of $50,000 but on your resume, you are willing to do the same work for less if you’re are outsourcing the position. Many employers may not have taking this into consideration, and it makes you stand out from other applicants. Like stated in the IDC, it’s always been an issue of Americans losing employment to overseas and we have to put ourselves in the positions for the work, not waiting for employers to put out ads about telecommuting and work at home jobs.
So please, don’t look at google ads about work at home jobs. A company is not putting a google ad out there for the world to see, just to fill a few positions. I know there are many help guides and ebooks people have out here on the net about how to find a work at home job. And making big money selling their advice. Look.. take it from a woman that actually have a work at home job and business. It’s all about common sense. Use this tips wisely, and look for that perfect work at home job just like a regular job.
Black Women get cheated and scammed from our work
My friend sent me an email about Sophia Stewart. I know many of you have never heard of her. And it’s a shame that she’s not one of the most popular black women in the world today. She should be right up there with Oprah, but she’s not. And the most surprising thing about this whole situation is, “She’s getting no support from the black community!” So.. who is Sophia Stewart? I published her bio. http://www.blackworkathomemom.com/sophiastewart_2_.pdf Warning: This news may get you very upset. How many black film writers do we have today? More importantly, how many black female film writers do we have? I don’t even know of any, personally. And most blacks don’t care. Honestly, I know alot of us do care if we knew the truth behind the lies. Maybe the few of us that will pass this information on to others will awaken our black brothers and sisters to fight for our rights and earn the acknowledgements that are rightfully due to us. We can keep complaining for our 4 acres and a mule, or we can fight for what’s right and what’s due to us for the here and now! I strive to be as creative with my work as much as possible. I strive to be the next Oprah. I strive to be financially independent I strive to be different from the norm for my business. Tired of linking us to just beauty salons, make-up representatives, and day cares, for black women who are self-employed. I strive for the true, honor, and respect of the black woman. And as I strive for success, stories like this, hurt my heart. How could we let this happen? How does the black media let this happen? Why black actors are not fighting for justice for Sophia? I don’t understand what’s going on in the world today? I feel that we will forever be surpressed in living our dreams to the fullest because other’s are afraid of our successes. We will only succeed where we are wanted to succeed. Sports, media, books, etc.. but once we start crossing the lines of the norm like Tiger Woods, it’s like all hell breaks loose, or some type of cover up and false accusations. This has got to stop. We just can’t let this continue to happen to our race. Black men have it hard too. We are creating complex software programs, fuel efficient engines, and other inventions, and are not getting recognized for it. We also fear success. What would life be like without us?
Work from home for free.. yeah right?
Well a new month has started, and I’ve been busy planning our Fast Track Team. For all my people in Illinois around the Chicagoland area, I’m with the MelaMagicMakers Team. So I we will be having live events at the Panera Bread co. in Homewood off Governor’s hwy. I’ll actually get to meet ya. I know alot of people would rather get to meet & greet a person before they lay any money on the table to start working online because of all the scams and such, and I don’t blame ya. You can RSVP at http://www.chooseyourhorizons.com I added the forms on my site for you. You’ll get your invite in the mail as well. Now, me personally, I don’t like alot of phone work, which is why I do alot of online conferencing instead, and met and greet people at local events. Online conferencing is better because it doesn’t cost anything. Local/Long distance charges don’t apply because it’s all over the internet. This process is called Voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP is the common phrase for it. But alot of people don’t see their computers this way. Most just use it as entertainment and a big Yellow Book. Using it for your job and/or business is unheard of for alot of people because they feel as though they need to drive to an office to do the same work they can do at home. Foreigners are more up on this then Americans because they understand the cost-effectiveness of it better. (Which is why we are losing so many jobs to foriegners because it cost less for the companies to hire them) People are having hour long conversations with friends and relatives over the internet, using yahoo, hotmail, aol, skype, myspace, and many other Instant Messenger programs with Voice chat to people all over the world and it’s not costing them a dime but their internet services. Your biggest investment is a freakin headset at RadioShack for under $20, but the killer part about it is that most people do have a headset or microphone that they got their kids so they don’t have to hear them while they are online listening to Itunes or playing games.
But even I run into very successful home business owners that still do the 3-ways and teleconferencing, and asking me for advice because they want to start doing what I’m doing. It’s crazy but smart, which is why they are successful! I mean, these people are making waaaaaaaay more money than I am, but when it comes to the internet, if you’re not in on the current trends, then you can be left behind very quickly. And even I don’t have a webcam yet. But I’m not in a rush to get one because the majority of people are using them as sex toys, and I don’t need that hassle right now with lonely men. Heck, most people starting home based businesses don’t even use Instant Messenger or don’t have a clue what it is! They never had a reason to use it. My dad don’t even use it, but when he heard me talking with someone with a British accent, he freaked out thinking he was going to get charged international rates. I had to sit down with him and explain the concept, just like I’m explaining it to you right now. Or there are many people across the country right now, as you’re reading this, scratching their heads trying to figure out what’s the big deal with the Myspace Helio Commercials lately. (IT’S NOT A PHONE!) huh? lol…. Now I know most of you that know what Instant Messenger is and/or have it connected to your mobile phones for chatting. I use it too, but I also use Skype to actually call someone’s mobile with my computer, not just texting. So the internet is continue changing the way we live, the way we do business, and the way we shop. Since the raising gas prices, more internet shopping is happening right now, and boy I’m glad to be one of the fortunate to ride that wave! Let me give you an example. About a couple weeks ago, I was talking to someone who responded to my ad in the Chicago Reader. She did the conference and was very impressed with the technology and wanted in, but not sure about it because she wanted to do more of the work she’s doing now. So I asked and she said she was an accountant for a firm that was going out of business, and needed to start looking for work at home. So, I said, “Why don’t you open up an accounting business online and do accounts for other website owners?” She like, yeah, that’s what I wanna do right? So, I tell her, “Join StayinHome&LovinIt, learn the what it takes, let me train you, and apply what you’ve learned to your own business ventures, then you’ll save tons of money rather than paying someone else to do it.” Since she’s an accountant, she already knew about the tax benefits involved and how this was different than Direct Sales, and retailing, so she was good to go! That’s what it’s really all about. Learn what it takes to work online, lead by example, duplicate the process, and move forward with your life and dreams. Set your own goals, training, and learn how to work for yourself, instead of someone else. Is it really that simple? uhh.. YES it is. There are kids and teenagers making their own college tuitions with work online right now. Just that they have to work for their parents. Parents love it because it’s huge tax writeoff, and puts more money in their pockets. I could go on and on, but I will not. I just hopes I helped you understand what it’s really all about. It’s not about data entry, filling out surveys, stuffing envelopes, and home assembly. That’s where the scams are. If you’re looking for an easy way out, I’m sorry, but there is no such thing. It’s about working for yourself… PERIOD!
Well.. that’s enough of my rantings for today.
Look Forward to meeting you soon
Man… I couldn’t get online all day :(
I had some problems today. I hope I can finally get some work done over the weekend. It’s been an interesting week. So much to do so little time. Well, it’s time to get ready for the Fast Track. Wish me luck.
