In This Issue

News from Joan (right)

Simple Pleasures (below)

Quotes for the Month

Job Seeking Tips: Interview Pointers

Quick Links

News from Joan!

I am on Vacation July 26–Aug.6. Book your July coaching sessions now before my schedule fills up! Call 281-293-8864 or email me.

Make 5 Pointed Star in One Snip- Betsy Ross did it and you can too.
http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagstar.html Thanks to Susan Burnell and her website www.americantravelsampler.com for the tip.

Uncle Sam really wants to hire you!
Abridged: NBC4.com

WASHINGTON, DC -- The job market may be tight in some places, but Washington's biggest employer, the federal government, is recruiting new employees. Two million people work for the federal government, and many are baby boomers. As baby boomers retire, federal jobs open up and are becoming available to new job seekers.

By the year 2013, the federal government expects that 40 percent of its workforce will retire, leaving 800,000 jobs to be filled. The federal government has a broad range of opportunities for job seekers of any discipline, from biology to engineering. The official website for federal employment is USAjobs.gov.

Tiger Woods has a coach.
So do many successful executives.
How about you?

What clients say about Joan

"Joan is a creative thinker who can help you get un-stuck in your career and personal life. She emphasizes that her clients value their time, gifts, and selves. If you're feeling stuck or don't know where to take your life next, Joan is well worth hiring as your business and personal coach!
She is also a wonderful watercolor artist as well! Check out her work. You'll want her artistic vision in your home."
Top Qualities: Personable, Expert, Creative

--Phaedra Cook, Computer consultant and web master

Schedule a FREE no obligation consultation TODAY! Call 281 293-8864 or email me.

Click here to learn more about Joan’s services!

Simple PLeasures

With prices rising and technology adding to the complexities, as well as conveniences, in life, it may be time to give some thought to the value of indulging in some simple pleasures. When busily rushing from one event to another, we often miss noticing wonderful moments and hours when they occur.

Recently, my daughter and I spent a delightful afternoon together having lunch, looking at shoes, and getting pedicures. We spent four whole hours with no phones or other distractions, just enjoying each other’s company. What a treat!

Because I have an allergy to milk products and chocolate, I never take my occasional indulgence of a hot fudge sunday for granted. I plan it and make it a special opportunity to slowly bask in and enjoy every bite full of luscious creamy goodness and rich warm chocolate.

Like so many people, I find the sound of waterfalls, fountains, or ocean waves relaxing and refreshing. A few years ago, I put a small pond with a fountain on my patio. In the evening, before I go to bed, I often sit on my patio with mosquito repellent candles glowing, look at the stars or moon, breathe deeply, and allow the sweet music of the fountain to relax and soothe my mind for a restful night’s sleep.

The news on TV and in the newspapers can be such a downer, I often just turn it off to read a good book, paint a picture, or play with my dog. A chat with a friend in a distant city, a trip to the museum, an evening in the park listening to a free concert or a hand of cards with a neighbor can be a simple pleasure that costs little and brightens your day.

I suggest you and your family sit down and make a list of 10 simple pleasures you would each enjoy. Compare your lists and see if some are things you would enjoy doing together. Lives centered on cell phones, text messages, TV, and the internet—wonderful as these mediums are—are no substitute for time spend enjoying the simple pleasure of the company of friends and family or just quietly hanging out with your own amazing self.

Quotes for the Month

”I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex.”
—Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Irish dramatist, novelist, and poet (1854 - 1900)

”Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
—Helen Keller, The Open Door (1957), US blind and deaf educator (1880 - 1968)

”If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep.”
—Dale Carnegie (1888- 1955)

“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 (1898 - 1993)

Job Seeking Tips: Interview Pointers

• Don't start selling until you know what they want to buy.
• Take the initiative.
• Make the interview a narrative.
• Probe for concerns.
• What are their priorities for the position? Are they doable?
For example: Now that I've told you about myself, what can you tell me about the position? Whenever possible, answer with a question.
• Picture yourself more like a consultant—your job is to find out their problems and present solutions. Instead of thinking of yourself as a job hunter, think of yourself as a solution to a problem.
• Get to know product (yourself) inside and out.
• Research customers (employers).
• Learn to understand their real needs.
• Present yourself as someone who can really add value to an organization.

Why executives are afraid of selecting the wrong candidate:

• Hiring mistakes are expensive and experts estimate mistakes constitute a $100B loss by American companies.
• Hiring mistakes cost influence. Hiring a manager who can't hire or keep good people loses credibility.
• Hiring mistakes cost time and money.

How to Overcome:

• Develop enough professional rapport during the interview to allay their fears of making a hiring mistake.
• Keep a low-risk profile.
• Be someone who wants to do the job and won't quickly leave the company.
• Be someone who fits in the culture.
• Be someone who is likable.
• Be someone with skills to do the job.
• Be someone who will work hard to pursue the organization's goals.
• Be someone who will make the "hirer" look good.

MAKE A FRIEND

If you want to power up your resume, job search and interview skills, give me a call at 281-293-8864 or email me at joan@bolmer.com for a free consultation.

If you live in Houston, Texas, ask to be put on the monthly job listings from
Paula J. Marion, CPC, Marion Staffing Solutions 713-534-1855; 713-208-9313 marionstaffing@comcast.com

Quick Links

Living Well

Tru Values Program (free self-assessment)

Getting Your Perfect Work

Favorite Resource Links

Happy Summer!
Check out Joan's paintings and notecards.

Bursting with Life