Surviving Unemployment Through Emotional Damage Control

Looking for work is a roller-coaster ride: high with elation when you think you’ve found a great position, low with discouragement when you realize that someone else was offered a job you wanted.

Most of the time, you fall somewhere in between, your mood cycling from cautious optimism to keen disappointment. You try to conceal the inner turmoil, turning a brave face to the world, trying to convince everyone that you are “just fine.” Continue reading

Is Job Loss Making You Sick?

Job loss affects most of us like anyother loss in life. Yes, there are otherlosses that are greater, but this onecomes close too!

From my experience, job loss canmake anyone sick! There can beterrible anger; anger which turns into depression. Even euphoria,has its other side; depression isit.

Relief at getting out of a bad jobshould be enjoyed while it lasts.Relief and euphoria can preparethe job loser with a second wind! Continue reading

Last Year Physician Resident Checklist

Here is a last year resident checklist not to forget:

LICENSING:

Licensing is becoming increasingly complex as identity and medical fraud become more common. Therefore don’t wait till the last minute to start the process. The AMA reports that physicians should expect the process to take at least 60 days, and should plan their career moves accordingly.

The highest volume of licensure applications is received between the months of April and September, when physicians with school-age children are making changes and residents who didn’t plan ahead are applying for licenses. Therefore the standard approval timeframes posted on a state medical board’s website don’t apply during this period and expect the process to take longer and act accordingly. Continue reading

Are You Living Your Career Dreams?

Inherent within the human spirit is a desire for fulfillment, a longing to carry out our creative aspirations by reaching new heights of accomplishment. Yet often the yearning for fulfillment can be suppressed by fear and apprehension. Perhaps we aren’t feeling good enough, smart enough or able enough to pursue and fulfill our dreams.

Uncover Your True Passion!

If you are considering a change in your career direction or wish to enhance your business to a new level, but are hesitant to make the transition, let me assure you that it is never too late to choose anew. As a matter of fact, many people change career directions several times throughout a lifetime and some don’t even discover their true passions until much later in life. So, if you are not living your career dreams or if you’re ready to take the plunge by trying something new, now is the time to take a stand and simply do it. Continue reading

Job Hunting Tips: Containing Anxiety

It hangs from the ceiling above your bed while you toss through the night hours. It waits inside the door of every employment office you enter. It dogs your footsteps as you pound the job search pavement. It lounges in an empty chair as you crawl through another desultory interview. It sits on your shoulder while you balance your checkbook’s alarmingly diminishing balance. Continue reading

Tips on How to Write High Impact Letters of Recommendation

Congratulations. You’ve been asked to write a letter ofrecommendation for an employee or colleague. This person valuesyour opinion of him or her, and you’d be glad to help themadvance. The problem is you’re unsure of what to say or how tosay it! Here are four tips to keep in mind when preparing yourrecommendation.

1. Ask the employee about the new position they are applying for.What types of job duties are involved? What sort ofcharacteristics are they looking for in a good employee? In yourletter, describe certain instances where this employee orcolleague really shined ? such as staying late to complete amission-critical project, working diligently to help a customermake a product decision, providing thorough technical support orservice, and so on. These specific situations have more effecton the person doing the hiring than general run-of-the-millphrases like “terrific manager”, “enthusiastic worker” and soon. Continue reading

How to Ask For a Salary Increase and Get Your Raise

Feeling overworked and underpaid? If you’re starting to feellike you deserve a raise, here are eight DO’s and DON’Ts to buildyour confidence and tact (and what to avoid!) in asking for thesalary you feel you deserve.

DO

1. Devise a “Plan of Action”. First and foremost, get a strategytogether. Make a note of the specific projects you’ve undertakenand the results you’ve accomplished. List all of your job skillsand the features that make you an asset to this company. Findout what a typical raise is for someone with your experience inyour area of occupation. Know the facts and be realistic in yourrequest. Continue reading

Job Layoff: Confronting Why Me?

Perhaps you saw it coming. The fall in company stock prices. The news articles about company troubles. Maybe it was just rumors on the production floor, or a creeping suspicion that orders had slowed down and there was no longer the backlog of work which had been a security blanket. Maybe it was the way management started to avoid you and private meetings were held without any communication issued afterwards. Continue reading