Have you ever tried to get a loan, buy a car, get a job or rent an apartment? If the answer to that is yes you're probably already familiar with your FICO score. It's the three digit number that credit reporting agencies use to rate your credit and, by default, tell lenders, employers and landlords how reliable a risk you really are.No, it's not fair, but there you have it. Your worth as a person has been reduced to a number. (You knew the day...more
Some people's lives begin to sound like a Soap Opera because there have been so many extenuating circumstances. Nobody's perfect. But nobody wants to hear about your problems and baggage either. Especially in the job interview. The following is some advice to handle those tricky situations when interviewing that may be difficult to talk about let alone explain.Returning To The Workforce After An Extended Absence.1. Be able to tell the interviewer...more
The transitional period of returning to work after a prolonged period of sickness absence can be daunting for the employee AND their line manager - especially where the ill health revolved around a 'stress at work' issue. Coming to terms with changes that have taken place during the employee's absence and re-establishing team working practices will take effort and commitment from the manager and employee alike. Supportive and proactive interventions must be implemented to ensure a smooth transition back to the workplace.The employee's perspectiveReturning to work following a long period of absence is daunting in itself, but with stress-related absence this is often so threatening that some individuals never make the transition back to full time employment. If the illness was brought about by stress at work or there are unresolved bullying or harassment issues, it's likely that fear of a relapse, along with lack of confidence and low self-esteem, will inhibit rehabilitation. When work pressures only partially contributed to the illness, there may be a feeling of guilt on the part of the employee that he or she had let their fellow workers down and put unnecessary pressure on others...more
Joint ventures can be a powerful business strategy to help increase your profit, market share, and position in your industry. With the right leverage of time, experience, and resources of your JV partner, you can not only benefit your company, but also provide higher value to your customers.In order to create a successful joint venture, there are...more
In Part One of this article series, I described the current situation with how customers are feeling vulnerable: Now more than ever, your customers are being bombarded by competitive offers and even some of your most loyal customers are actually listening to your competitors.Your customers are vulnerable. What can you do about it?First, you have to...more
Businesses arise when entrepreneurs identify wants or needs and create products or services to fill them. This means doing ongoing market research. Here are some of the free research tools that are easily accessible on the internet, and which are certain to make your market research easy, fast and fruitful.Search Engines: Search engines index billions of web pages, enabling users to find information through keyword searches. My favourites are google.com and clusty.com.About: Visit about.com to explore this amazing website, which offers articles by more than 750 experts on a range of subjects. It's useful for finding information on different topics and has a handy "See What's Hot Now" link where you can learn which questions and topics are getting the most hits.Blogs: These are personal journals published on the Web. Blogs include personal reflections, opinions on a variety of issues, and usually include links to the owner's favorite sites.BoardReader: This remarkable service reads forums and message boards from more than 750,000 websites. Just click on boardreader.com and enter your search words to find information, images or videos from many sources.Ebay Keywords: Click on...more
As a lender, I wish we could approve every loan application that hit our table; unfortunately it's not possible. We deal with mostly very small businesses seeking small loans, usually less than $250,000. Lending to inexperienced, new business owners...more
Oddly, the ultimate goal of self-employment might be to work yourself out of a job.Many people start businesses simply to create jobs for themselves. Self-employment offers many benefits, not the least of which is the opportunity to develop basic...more
A leveraged buyout (LBO) occurs when a financial sponsor gains a controlling interest in a firm's equity and where a major % (percentage) of the buying value is financed through borrowing. The possessions of the obtained firm are often used as...more
With each day's headlines announcing new corporate layoffs, rising unemployment rates, and an increasingly volatile stock market, it may seem counterintuitive for businesses to place much, if any, importance on hiring new employees. However, for...more
There are so many people today in dramatic career and life transition, and also thousands of coaches and consultants offering help. I've discovered, however, that recommending simple, straightforward tactics and strategies does not work unless there...more
Early in my career, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with a company that understood the value of smart, effective women. While their counterparts in the natural gas industry were still relegating us to waitress positions at Hooters, this outfit...more