5 Critical Success Factors to Getting a Job
In 2000, I accepted a job as the Human Resources Manager for a large auto-components manufacturer. I had the undistinguished task of laying off 250 workers due to an imminent plant closure. If you speak to any person in the human resources profession they will tell you how mentally difficult it is to let people go and see their disappointment in the process.Redundant employees express a wide range of emotion, ranging from family responsibility and financial insecurity to just losing a work life they had grown to rely on and become accustomed to. It was my job to counsel employees about how they could better cope with their personal circumstances and I hired professional workplace counselors to assist. What was to happen two weeks later was unprecedented. After a job well done and a smooth redundancy process my managing director walked onto my office, thanked me for my efforts and made me redundant! "I needed you to complete the process first before I could let you go" he said. I felt as though I had hit a brick wall and was momentarily stunned. How was I to break the news to my wife? I had two young children; a mortgage like most of the working population and my wife did not work outside the home. This book is about how I coped with this stressful moment in my life.I had to draw upon all my previous job-hunting experience and survival skills to get through. I can break it down into 5 key critical success factors:1. Successful job search skills knowledge2. Strong financial management initiatives3. Flexible and open career re-assessment4. Mental toughness and a strong belief system5. Managing your current job.Successful Job Search Skills KnowledgeKey Success Factor Number 1Your very first objective when you have lost your job is to get another job. Now that may sound a bit straightforward but it isn't. To get another job today requires special knowledge and skill. This is because in most situations, redundancy falls during times of economic slowdown, rising unemployment resulting in fewer jobs and greater competition. Labour economists call this an "oversupply of labour" and this will cause an imbalance in the labour market favouring employers.That's right - employers can pick and chose whomever they like and they know it. I think that competition is a key word here, because just like any other competitive scenario, nobody remembers who came second. The only winner is the person who gets that job and you're up against it in what is cruel market place. If you have been working in an organisation for a long time and are reaching the older age category, being out of work for the first time can shock you. All of a sudden you're in a cauldron of job hunters operating in an unbalanced labour market where supply far outweighs demand. Lets face it, it will not be easy but there is always hope. Whatever you do don't become defeatist and lose faith in your abilities. Get yourself in job search mode and learn all you can about job-hunting skills. It will be necessary for you to do this in order to compete at the same level and edge closer to winning that job.Your job search knowledge must consist of the following areas of competence:1. Ability to tap into the hidden job market2. Successful behavioural interview skills3. Good letter writing ability with a marketable resume4. Strong belief in yourself and mental stamina.Successful job search skills knowledge is critical and this book focuses heavily on this key area. I have covered all of the above areas of competence in separate chapters so that you can easily move from one key activity to another. Your ability to network with others and perform well at interviews will be paramount. Your ability to write good covering letters and have a well-written up-to-date resume is equally important. If you need more coaching beyond the scope of the book then go out and get it.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Online Instruction: What works, what doesn't?
Online Instruction: What works, what doesn't?
T.H.E. Journal has published a study where researchers interviewed 21 online instructors with a series of open-ended essay questions. We review their findings and add our own comments [in brackets]: A lot of issues related to bandwidth limitations and the dominance of text in Web-based classes. [While wider bandwidth systems are being installed all the time, it seems that a lot of that extra capacity is being soaked upby new users, rather than allowing faster access to existing users. This problem may be around a while. One solution: don't rely solely on the Internet as your delivery medium. Text is more accessible to people inPRINT so leave it that way, exploit the Internet for its strengths as a visual medium, and a point of access to current information]. Some instructors feel as if a lifetime of teaching skills goes by the wayside. They can not use their presence and their classroom skills to get their point across. Nor can they use their oral skills to improvise on thespot to deal with behaviour problems or educational opportunities. [Synchronous communication methods such as chat provide a forum for immediate and personalised feedback, but they require a new set of skillsfrom facilitators. They don't however facilitate the 80% of communication that is non-verbal. Look carefully at your learner profile, face-to-face contact may well be an essential component of your delivery mechanism.] Because of the reliance on text-based communication and a lack of visual cues, every aspect of the course has to be laid out in meticulous detail to avoid misunderstandings. [In many face-to-face environments, presentationmaterials such as OHPs, handouts etc. account for less than a third of the process of instruction. The bulk comes from the interaction between instructor and learner. Migrating to an online environment necessitatesfinding ways of capturing this process. Online courses that rely solely on the conversion of existing teaching resources will lack this depth of structure, and are consequently more likely to result in shallow learningand low motivation and retention levels.] They respond to threaded discussion questions, evaluate assignments, and above all answer questions clearing up ambiguities, often spending an inordinate amount of time communicating by e-mail. [Fact: it takes longer to type something than say it. While online learning remains text based, it will always take more time to communicate. Because it is often asynchronous, the process will continue to be repetitive for instructors. Solutions: design learning activities that provide extensive feedback for students; design instructor communication so that it addresses a range of issues in one hit; build communication between learners so they support each other.] The Web environment presents a number of educational opportunities and advantages over traditional classes, such as many informational resources that can be seamlessly integrated into the class. [Proper integration notonly requires making access to the resources, but also putting in place learning activities that guide learners in the use of the resources.] The fact that students must write their thoughts down, and the realisation that those thoughts will be exposed semi-permanently to others in the class seem to result in a deeper level of discourse. There is an initial feeling of anonymity, which allows students who are usually shy in the face-to-face classroom to participate in the online classroom. [These two points together illustrate one of the fundamental differences between emailing an instructor and posting to a threaded list: privacy versus exposure. When dealing with reticent learners, good communications systems will build confidence with the technology through private email communication prior to 'group' communication.] This same feeling of anonymity creates some political differences, such as more equality between the students and professor in an online class. [Very true. Learners will often be quite vocal and insistent in an online environment in a way they wouldn't face-to-face. Instructors who prefer to maintain a level of professional status in their relationship with learners may not be comfortable in an online environment.
T.H.E. Journal has published a study where researchers interviewed 21 online instructors with a series of open-ended essay questions. We review their findings and add our own comments [in brackets]: A lot of issues related to bandwidth limitations and the dominance of text in Web-based classes. [While wider bandwidth systems are being installed all the time, it seems that a lot of that extra capacity is being soaked upby new users, rather than allowing faster access to existing users. This problem may be around a while. One solution: don't rely solely on the Internet as your delivery medium. Text is more accessible to people inPRINT so leave it that way, exploit the Internet for its strengths as a visual medium, and a point of access to current information]. Some instructors feel as if a lifetime of teaching skills goes by the wayside. They can not use their presence and their classroom skills to get their point across. Nor can they use their oral skills to improvise on thespot to deal with behaviour problems or educational opportunities. [Synchronous communication methods such as chat provide a forum for immediate and personalised feedback, but they require a new set of skillsfrom facilitators. They don't however facilitate the 80% of communication that is non-verbal. Look carefully at your learner profile, face-to-face contact may well be an essential component of your delivery mechanism.] Because of the reliance on text-based communication and a lack of visual cues, every aspect of the course has to be laid out in meticulous detail to avoid misunderstandings. [In many face-to-face environments, presentationmaterials such as OHPs, handouts etc. account for less than a third of the process of instruction. The bulk comes from the interaction between instructor and learner. Migrating to an online environment necessitatesfinding ways of capturing this process. Online courses that rely solely on the conversion of existing teaching resources will lack this depth of structure, and are consequently more likely to result in shallow learningand low motivation and retention levels.] They respond to threaded discussion questions, evaluate assignments, and above all answer questions clearing up ambiguities, often spending an inordinate amount of time communicating by e-mail. [Fact: it takes longer to type something than say it. While online learning remains text based, it will always take more time to communicate. Because it is often asynchronous, the process will continue to be repetitive for instructors. Solutions: design learning activities that provide extensive feedback for students; design instructor communication so that it addresses a range of issues in one hit; build communication between learners so they support each other.] The Web environment presents a number of educational opportunities and advantages over traditional classes, such as many informational resources that can be seamlessly integrated into the class. [Proper integration notonly requires making access to the resources, but also putting in place learning activities that guide learners in the use of the resources.] The fact that students must write their thoughts down, and the realisation that those thoughts will be exposed semi-permanently to others in the class seem to result in a deeper level of discourse. There is an initial feeling of anonymity, which allows students who are usually shy in the face-to-face classroom to participate in the online classroom. [These two points together illustrate one of the fundamental differences between emailing an instructor and posting to a threaded list: privacy versus exposure. When dealing with reticent learners, good communications systems will build confidence with the technology through private email communication prior to 'group' communication.] This same feeling of anonymity creates some political differences, such as more equality between the students and professor in an online class. [Very true. Learners will often be quite vocal and insistent in an online environment in a way they wouldn't face-to-face. Instructors who prefer to maintain a level of professional status in their relationship with learners may not be comfortable in an online environment.
What makes for good online learning?
What makes for good online learning?
What makes for good online learning?Perhaps one of the strongest temptations when approaching online solutions is to start by converting existing training resources into web resources. Since much face-to-face delivery is backed up by print materials, putting print documents online is often a popular starting point. If learners are academic, highly motivated and good at organising their study, they'll probably cope with large volumes of text. They'll print it out, read it, file it logically and use it.Is this the profile you're dealing with? Probably not. The reality is that the Web is a visual medium. It's also true that reading large amounts of text from a screen is unpleasant and learners will avoid it where possible.One of the other advantages of online learning is that content can be linked and accessed in non-linear ways. Large blocks of text online can limit the potential to make learning a dynamic process.The challenge is to design education and training solutions that draw on the strengths of the media selected. Future updaters will pick up on educational design as a tool for achieving this. Generic development/delivery tools, what's out there?The last 5 years have seen a raft of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) hit the market. They offer, in varying degrees, the ability to develop, deliver and administer online learning solutions. Mainstream products include:"TopClass" (http://www.wbtsystems.com/), "Learning Space" (http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf abs/learnspace),"WebCT" (http://homebrew.cs.ubc.ca/webct/),"Web Crossing" (http://webcrossing.com/)"CourseInfo" (http://product.blackboard.net/CourseInfo/)"FirstClass" (http://www.firstclass.com/)Core features generally include: - file structures for making materials available online- chat and bulletin board communication systems- administration systems for managing students' progress Each touts a list a mile long of institutions that use them, but in our experience, often only part of the product is used. For example, the communication and student management facilities of FirstClass are popular, but some organisations choose not to use it for content delivery for various technical reasons.If subscribers have an opinion on a particular LMS, they're invited to forward it to us. We'll collate your responses and feed them back to the list....Alliances and InitiativesAnnouncements of e-learning collaborative initiatives amongst and between commercial and educational institutions are a daily event. Many are funded by venture capital, and often combine an IT company's expertise with the knowledge base of an educational provider. The following examples are illustrative of the range of initiatives taking place. There are also some trends starting to emerge: - Globalisation of education and training means progressive educational institutions are combining forces to make available the capital and infrastructure necessary to produce online solutions that will tap into the new global market - Education is becoming one of the core areas of venture capital investment in online solutions generally. The traditional idea that educational institutions were non-profit organisations working for the public good is fading rapidly. - The most effective solutions usually involve a partnership that combines the technical expertise of a commercial organisation with the educational resources of a larger institution or institutions. - Perhaps the area of greatest activity is providers offering delivery platforms for partner institutions' content. This meets the need of smaller institutions/companies wanting to offer training online, but not having the infrastructure or resources to develop online LMSs. *Jackson State University (JSU) announced plans to spend US$20 million to create a major technology research and incubation center in Mississippi, a move made possible by a $17 million donation to the university by Allstate Insurance Company.*The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) announced a partnership with British and Australian institutions to develop a for-profit online film program that will be offered globally.
What makes for good online learning?Perhaps one of the strongest temptations when approaching online solutions is to start by converting existing training resources into web resources. Since much face-to-face delivery is backed up by print materials, putting print documents online is often a popular starting point. If learners are academic, highly motivated and good at organising their study, they'll probably cope with large volumes of text. They'll print it out, read it, file it logically and use it.Is this the profile you're dealing with? Probably not. The reality is that the Web is a visual medium. It's also true that reading large amounts of text from a screen is unpleasant and learners will avoid it where possible.One of the other advantages of online learning is that content can be linked and accessed in non-linear ways. Large blocks of text online can limit the potential to make learning a dynamic process.The challenge is to design education and training solutions that draw on the strengths of the media selected. Future updaters will pick up on educational design as a tool for achieving this. Generic development/delivery tools, what's out there?The last 5 years have seen a raft of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) hit the market. They offer, in varying degrees, the ability to develop, deliver and administer online learning solutions. Mainstream products include:"TopClass" (http://www.wbtsystems.com/), "Learning Space" (http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf abs/learnspace),"WebCT" (http://homebrew.cs.ubc.ca/webct/),"Web Crossing" (http://webcrossing.com/)"CourseInfo" (http://product.blackboard.net/CourseInfo/)"FirstClass" (http://www.firstclass.com/)Core features generally include: - file structures for making materials available online- chat and bulletin board communication systems- administration systems for managing students' progress Each touts a list a mile long of institutions that use them, but in our experience, often only part of the product is used. For example, the communication and student management facilities of FirstClass are popular, but some organisations choose not to use it for content delivery for various technical reasons.If subscribers have an opinion on a particular LMS, they're invited to forward it to us. We'll collate your responses and feed them back to the list....Alliances and InitiativesAnnouncements of e-learning collaborative initiatives amongst and between commercial and educational institutions are a daily event. Many are funded by venture capital, and often combine an IT company's expertise with the knowledge base of an educational provider. The following examples are illustrative of the range of initiatives taking place. There are also some trends starting to emerge: - Globalisation of education and training means progressive educational institutions are combining forces to make available the capital and infrastructure necessary to produce online solutions that will tap into the new global market - Education is becoming one of the core areas of venture capital investment in online solutions generally. The traditional idea that educational institutions were non-profit organisations working for the public good is fading rapidly. - The most effective solutions usually involve a partnership that combines the technical expertise of a commercial organisation with the educational resources of a larger institution or institutions. - Perhaps the area of greatest activity is providers offering delivery platforms for partner institutions' content. This meets the need of smaller institutions/companies wanting to offer training online, but not having the infrastructure or resources to develop online LMSs. *Jackson State University (JSU) announced plans to spend US$20 million to create a major technology research and incubation center in Mississippi, a move made possible by a $17 million donation to the university by Allstate Insurance Company.*The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) announced a partnership with British and Australian institutions to develop a for-profit online film program that will be offered globally.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Distiller Water Filters
Water distillers use electricity to heat tap water to boiling point. Generally the Impurities are left in the container and the purified contents go back to a clean container. They need a higher level of efficiency and cannot give immediate supply, because the boiling process must be over before water is present. There are a number of reports in that distilled water is not fit for health because it takes away nutrients from the body, being the most 'unnatural' of water.
Ionized Water Filters
These are generally filtered using an acid and an alkaline. They run between the positive and the negative ends of the electrodes and get the charged and acidic water. They are formed using 70% alkaline water and 30% Acid water. Alkaline and Acidic waters have unusual properties and benefits, but anyway their respective uses could not be more different.
Back flush Water Filters
They are costlier compared to charcoal filter units, but justify this by their claims of longevity. They are highly durable and efficient.
Ionized Water Filters
These are generally filtered using an acid and an alkaline. They run between the positive and the negative ends of the electrodes and get the charged and acidic water. They are formed using 70% alkaline water and 30% Acid water. Alkaline and Acidic waters have unusual properties and benefits, but anyway their respective uses could not be more different.
Back flush Water Filters
They are costlier compared to charcoal filter units, but justify this by their claims of longevity. They are highly durable and efficient.
Water Treatment Systems
Reverse osmosis systems, water filters, and distillers all promise sparkling, clean water, but how do you know which one is really best? With a little research, you can find the ideal water treatment system for you.
Water is vital to everyday life, and throughout history people have devised systems to make getting and using it more convenient. Water is treated to achieve water quality objectives for the end uses. In the case of potable water supply, water is treated to minimize risk of infectious disease transmittal, risk of non-infectious illness, and create a palatable water flavor.
Water conveyance systems are designed and built to provide adequate water pressure, and flow rates to meet various end-user needs such as fire suppression, showering, and irrigation.
Water is vital to everyday life, and throughout history people have devised systems to make getting and using it more convenient. Water is treated to achieve water quality objectives for the end uses. In the case of potable water supply, water is treated to minimize risk of infectious disease transmittal, risk of non-infectious illness, and create a palatable water flavor.
Water conveyance systems are designed and built to provide adequate water pressure, and flow rates to meet various end-user needs such as fire suppression, showering, and irrigation.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Oil Paintings
One of the famous painting medium on use is oil paints famous for the look and originality that the oil paint brings in to the paintings. The oil used in painting kept on changing keeping in mind various factors of viscosity, solubility, comfort ability, the color required for the painting and the drying time. Some oils used in historical periods could be flax, walnut, Olive oil or poppyseed oil but the drying time was long for these oil paintings and in the case of olive oil it was excessively long which brought in usage of drying oil as a varnish on oil paintings.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Orlando villas
Sitting here in early August gazing at the grey English skies makes me long to
return to sunnier climates. My thoughts turn firmly to Florida and I find myself
browsing for Orlando villas to rent on orlando
villas.
return to sunnier climates. My thoughts turn firmly to Florida and I find myself
browsing for Orlando villas to rent on orlando
villas.
I remember my last trip as if it was only yesterday, especially my close encounter
whilst absorbing one of Central Florida’s natural attractions, the swamps.
Although we were staying in an Orlando vacation rental home which are mainly
filled with out-of-state tourists, I bumped into a local called Carl who was
working for www.wireitright.com who suggested that our families meet up one
Sunday afternoon at a country park about 30 miles North West of Orlando. Eager
to see more of Florida’s natural beauty, sure enough one week later we
found ourselves heading up to Wekiva. We met with our new friends and decided
to rent some canoes and head north upriver.
The shallow river was fairly dense with fallen trees and navigating them was
difficult. Whilst rowing with one ore and two you kids was hard-work heading
up-stream, the current made it fairly easy to control the canoe and navigate
the tight corners. As we passed one particularly hairy tight spot, a 7ft alligator
was clearly visible. The kids, aged 4 and 5, were already on the lookout for
alligators and they fell very silent as we passed.
Eventually we found a sand island in the middle of the river and stopped for
refreshment. My 4 year old picked up a stick that was floating down-stream.
When he asked me why the stick was moving I shouted to him to drop it, fortunately
it looked like it was just a water snake.
I need some excitement in my life again, time to fins another Florida vacation
villa for rent on www.fabvillas.com. If I can, I’ll try to stay at Emerald
Retreat again as it was a wonderful villa with everything that I could have
dreamed of, details can be found at www.emeraldislandflorida.com
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
LAN
A local area network (LAN) is a computer network covering a local area, like a home, office or small group of buildings such as a college.
When using ethernet the computers are usually wired to a hub or to a switch. This constitutes the physical layer.
A layout known as a spanning tree protocol is often used to maintain a loop free network topology within a LAN, particularly with ethernet.
A number of network protocols may use the basic physical layer including TCP/IP. In this case DHCP is a convenient way to obtain an IP address rather than using fixed addressing. LANs can be interlinked by connections to form a Wide area network. A router is used to make the connection between LANs.
LANs are distinguished from other kinds of networks by three characteristics: (1) their size, (2) their transmission technology, and (3) their topology.
When using ethernet the computers are usually wired to a hub or to a switch. This constitutes the physical layer.
A layout known as a spanning tree protocol is often used to maintain a loop free network topology within a LAN, particularly with ethernet.
A number of network protocols may use the basic physical layer including TCP/IP. In this case DHCP is a convenient way to obtain an IP address rather than using fixed addressing. LANs can be interlinked by connections to form a Wide area network. A router is used to make the connection between LANs.
LANs are distinguished from other kinds of networks by three characteristics: (1) their size, (2) their transmission technology, and (3) their topology.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
The World Wide Web
Through keyword-driven Internet research using search engines like Google, millions worldwide have easy, instant access to a vast and diverse amount of online information. Compared to encyclopedias and traditional libraries, the World Wide Web has enabled a sudden and extreme decentralization of information and data.
Some companies and individuals have adopted the use of 'web-logs' or blogs, which are largely used as easily-updatable online diaries. Some commercial organisations encourage staff to fill them with advice on their areas of specialization in the hope that visitors will be impressed by the expert knowledge and free information, and be attracted to the corporation as a result. A current example of this practice is Microsoft, whose product developers publish their personal blogs in order to pique the public's interest in their work.
Some companies and individuals have adopted the use of 'web-logs' or blogs, which are largely used as easily-updatable online diaries. Some commercial organisations encourage staff to fill them with advice on their areas of specialization in the hope that visitors will be impressed by the expert knowledge and free information, and be attracted to the corporation as a result. A current example of this practice is Microsoft, whose product developers publish their personal blogs in order to pique the public's interest in their work.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Architecture
Contemporary computers put the ALU and control unit into a single integrated circuit known as the Central Processing Unit or CPU. Typically, the computer's memory is located on a few small integrated circuits near the CPU. The overwhelming majority of the computer's mass is either ancillary systems (for instance, to supply electrical power) or I/O devices.
Some larger computers differ from the above model in one major respect - they have multiple CPUs and control units working simultaneously. Additionally, a few computers, used mainly for research purposes and scientific computing, have differed significantly from the above model, but they have found little commercial application, because their programming model has not yet standardized.
The functioning of a computer is therefore in principle quite straightforward. Typically, on each clock cycle, the computer fetches instructions and data from its memory. The instructions are executed, the results are stored, and the next instruction is fetched. This procedure repeats until a halt instruction is encountered.
Some larger computers differ from the above model in one major respect - they have multiple CPUs and control units working simultaneously. Additionally, a few computers, used mainly for research purposes and scientific computing, have differed significantly from the above model, but they have found little commercial application, because their programming model has not yet standardized.
The functioning of a computer is therefore in principle quite straightforward. Typically, on each clock cycle, the computer fetches instructions and data from its memory. The instructions are executed, the results are stored, and the next instruction is fetched. This procedure repeats until a halt instruction is encountered.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)