Friday, January 25, 2013

Great Motivational Quotes for 2013

Compiled by Mary Salvino, Career coach



At the start of every year, I create a list of quotes to guide and inspire me for the next 12 months. Here are a few of the quotes I've selected to help me stay motivated for 2013:

  1. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!  Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

  1. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” ~ Winston Churchill

  1. “With every new day comes new strength and new thoughts” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

  1. Be miserable, or, motivate yourself.  Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” ~ Wayne Dryer

  1. “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan.  And guess what they have planned for you?  Not much!” ~ Jim Rohn

  1. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.  Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” ~ Helen Keller

  1. “Things do not happen.  Things are made to happen.” ~ John F. Kennedy

  1. “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” ~ Robert H. Schuller

  1. “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.” ~ Mark Twain

  1.  “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” ~ Walter Elliot

  1. “You cannot build a reputation on what you are going to do.” ~ Henry Ford

  1. "The number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying." ~ Tom Hopkins

Readers: What quotes or thoughts inspire you?  (Please leave a comment!)


Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Friday, January 18, 2013

The Games People Play

 By Mary Salvino, Career Coach



Who amongst us has never devoted an hour or two moving cards from one pile to another in order to win a hand of solitaire?  The handiness of our electronic devices makes it easy to open a game in an effort to beat the deck and reign victoriously over those same suited cards.  I too, have spent countless minutes in search of dominance.  I am keenly aware that is my masterful decisions the decide success vs. defeat.  It is my choice of which card to stack where that determines my success.  It’s almost like applying for new career opportunities.  Is it not?

Many of us have been hard-wired to believe that our future is solely determined by our own ability to make the right decisions at the right time.  If that were indeed the case, when given the choice to make one move or another, we would all make simply make the right choice consistently and win the game [of life] every time.

Your future is determined by a unique combination of talent, determination and luck.  If you want to change your life, it requires a combination of time and effort; there is no way around that truism. 

“I’m a great believer in luck; the harder I work, the more I have of it” ~ Thomas Jefferson

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the laws of probability at play here.  Solitaire, FreeCell to be exact, is my procrastinating ‘game of choice’, but you can easily substitute any other electronic game or even surfing the Internet.  These sorts of pastimes have nothing to do with intelligence, skill or even experience. 

So, what should you, as a job seeker, do instead of spending countless minutes/hours playing sedentary games?  Do something that requires the expenditure of calories.  Plan and give yourself opportunities to help you feel a sense of accomplishment and good about yourself.  Go out for a walk, take up gardening, either in your own yard or at your local community garden.  If leaving your residence is not an option, you can always cull your bookshelves or clean out your closet. 
Today we were given 86,400 seconds. We all received this gift equally, second by second, minute by minute, day after day, until the day we die. It behoves us all to use this gift wisely.



Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Job Candidates: Genuine Article VS Cheap Imitations

By Mary Salvino, Career Coach



When I last went rummaging through my jewelry box, I came across two strings of pearls.  One string of pearls were of the ‘genuine cultured’ variety and the other I knew to be a string of inexpensive knockoffs that would fool anyone who really didn’t know what they were doing when it came to judging the quality of the gems.

I am not a gemologist, but, as I examined the two strands more closely, I couldn’t help but consider how both similar and yet different they each looked to the naked eye.  I considered how these two lustrous and unique cords of orbs reflected, refracted and diffracted light and how their physical properties could be also be applied to the world of people, and more specifically, the process of comparing one job candidate to another.  

The Basics:

The rudimentary difference between wild pearls and cultured pearls is related to how the pearls are created.  Pearls that are created spontaneously by nature, i.e. without human intervention, are considered ‘wild’, almost freaks of nature, and viewed as akin to those phenoms of industry that can be found in many of the most successful companies throughout the world. Cultured pearls are farmed, i.e. formed via human intervention, and can easily be obtained for the right price.  Imitation pearls can be made of anything from mother-of-pearl, to coral or conch shells to glass that is coated with a solution containing fish scales called ‘essence d’Orient’.

Pearls of Wisdom:

  • Natural pearls [job candidates] are very rare and outrageously expensive – it is doubtful that you will ever see [meet one] in person
  • All pearls [job candidates] sold on the public market are ‘cultured pearls’, i.e. form with human intervention
  • Decide on what type of pearl [job candidate] suites your style [organizational culture] and your budget
  • All pearls [job candidates] come in a variety of sizes, colours and varying degrees of quality
  • Size matters
  • Quality counts
  • Value Factors:
    • Shape:
      • Round pearls command the highest price
      • Baroque pearls are desired/appreciated for their uniqueness
    • Surface:
      • Pearls that are clean and blemish-free are most desirable
    • Coating/Nacre thickness – The more layers of nacre, the finer the pearl
    • High luster = high quality
      • Superior pearls are bright, even and reflective
    • Matching:
      • Each pearl on the necklace needs to be graded on its own merit
      • Each pearl will become part of a string/team.  Will they work well with others?
    • Colour:
      • There are two colours to consider when looking at pearls:
        • Body colour
        • Overtone colour – the sheen or ‘pool’ of secondary colour [found when you look at the crest of the pearl itself]
  • All pearls are best judged in natural light
  • Pearls are made primarily of calcium carbonate; they will dissolve in an acidic environment [Employers will need to ask themselves if they will be placing their newly acquired ‘gems’ into an inhospitable environment.]

Standard Test for Authenticity:
Run the pearl lightly along the biting edge of your front teeth. A real pearl will feel slightly gritty or sandy, whereas a fake pearl will feel smooth. [Employers, you need to ask yourself if you are looking for an employee with some ‘grit’, or a simple sycophant.]

Dear Readers,



Admittedly, I had some fun with my use of metaphors here, but I still stand strong by the analogy.   




Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Job Seekers: Your To-Do List for 2013

By Mary Salvino, Career Coach




It’s a new day, a new year and it’s time to land that new job you’ve been dreaming about for the last little while. What follows is a list of tips on how to do that:
  • Create a proper marketing plan with you as the product and/or service that needs to be sold and implement it
  • Learn how to use the wide variety of technology that is available
  •  Make friends with as many recruiters as you can.  Don’t make a big deal about it.  Just send a quick e-mail to let them know you are available.  Don’t worry about being short – most recruiters prefer candidates who can and will get to the point quickly and efficiently.  Time is money and there is not enough of either to waste.
  • Document everything you do:
    • Every résumé you sent and to whom – Take the time to find out the contact information of the hiring manager and use it.
    • Every rejection letter you received and when
    • Create a separate address book for work related contacts – Not everyone wants to be your 1st level contact on LinkedIn
  • Make a point of reading the industry trade journals and newsletters in your inbox
  • Create résumé templates – This tip is especially important if you have a career history that can be applied to different industries
  • Find a way to demonstrate your expertise in a particular area – Write a blog for your own site or as a guest author for someone else, write a book, speak at an event, start/host an on-line forum/group, author white papers, contribute to an industry publication, answer questions on social media sites, etc.
  • Install a timer on your computer to let you know how long you have been working at a particular task – Don’t forget to take regular breaks.
  • Add something fun to your schedule at least once a week
  • Stop worrying – The amount of time spent worrying about things you cannot control and the actual outcomes of events are not related
  • Spend at least one hour per day learning a new skill or working towards a certification that you will be able to use in your new job
  • Work on your time management skills:
    • Make lists
    • Prioritize the items on the list
    • Set realistic goals [SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Rewarding, Time bound – You can also add ‘ER’ – Evaluate and Repeat]
  • Find a mentor and/or someone to whom you can report you job search progress
  • Set up job search alerts
  • Follow your 'target' companies to keep up with what is happening and identify possible career opportunities 
  • Post your résumé on-line and make sure it’s searchable
  • Set up a separate e-mail account for your job related activities
  • Follow-up on résumés and applications sent during the past week
  • Send thank you notes to people in your professional network who have provided you with job leads
  • Help someone – Even little things count
  • Track your results

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan.  And, guess what they have planned for you?  Not much.”  ~ Jim Rohn


Hope this list gets you off to a good start.  Good luck and best wishes from all of us at SMART Career Planning.com.  May you have a very happy, healthy, and tremendously successful 2013.



Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca