800 teachers receive possible layoff notices after deficit forecast

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Warning letters were sent to 800 teachers yesterday by the Vancouver School Board to notify them of possible layoffs for the following school year.

This comes after the VSB forecast a deficit that could be as high as $36.3 million.

David Weir, communications manager for the VSB, said the 800 letters serve to “cast a wide net” for any worst-case scenarios. A final decision on cuts will be made in April, following the funding envelope the VSB receives from the B.C. government in mid-March.

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Chris Harris, president of the Elementary Teachers Association, said if the provincial government doesn’t answer the school board’s request to increase funding, students’ schooling will suffer.

“Purely speculative, but if it’s at the high number, what the board has said could be the high end of the deficit, we’re looking at devastating, devastating cuts to every single school in Vancouver.”

Last year, the provincial government cut millions of dollars in school grants to deal with a $2.8-billion deficit of its own.

Robin Austin, NDP education critic, said teachers are the only thing left to cut.

“Basically all the fat has been cut from the system, now we are facing teachers being laid off … When school boards are looking at cutting teachers, there’s nothing left to cut.”

This announcement comes on the heels of the James Dorsey arbitration hearing, which awarded extra vacation time or pay to teachers who work in oversized classrooms.

Harris said cuts would definitely not help the problem. “If you remove teachers from the system, (overcrowding) is just going to get worse.”

Funny ways to get fired

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Feel like your career is on life support? You are not alone. There is a cure.

“Can you please tell me some funny stories about how people have gotten fired?”

I was actually asked this question. I have great stories but none of them compare to these. Here are ten stories courtesy of Jack Knight at FreelanceSwitch.com.

- Grab a portable boombox and loudly play Eye of the Tiger as you walk around the building. When you get to the conference room where your boss is having one of his meetings, jump on the table and proceed to dance erotically. When the song ends, flip off your boss, jump off the table, and leave the building immediately.

- Whenever your boss is making a particularly hard-hitting point during a presentation, take that laser pointer and aim at his crotch. The idea is to keep it pointed at his crotch no matter how animated he is. You get extra points if everyone knows you’re doing this except your boss.

- Every once in a while, slip in the sentence “It burns when I pee” in the company’s letterhead templates, website and e-mail signatures.

- Start sending e-mails to everyone in the company every time you leave your desk. Example: “If anybody needs me I’m on the toilet” or “For the next two minutes I’ll be at the water cooler.” You can spice it up by sending out a second e-mail when you return.

- Every time someone tells you something, spit out your drink as if it were shocking to you.

- Every time you leave your desk unhook your keyboard and take it with you.

- Lick your hands before every hand shake.

- Become obsessed with the boss, run to his car when he pulls up, lay down your jacket on the ground so he has to step on it to get out and open the door for him … insist that he steps on it. Then follow him as much as you can all day just staring at him and smiling coyly. Anything he says, shoot him with two fingers and say, “I like your style!”

Contest: Looking for funny or dramatic stories about how you or a colleague got themselves fired. Send your story to philippe@dr-career.com. The best will be featured in an article and radio show.

– E-mail your question to philippe@Dr-Career.com. Visit dr-career.com for a copy of Land Your Dream Job in 12 Weeks or Less. Listen to Career FastTrack Live Mondays at 5:30pm on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca

29 Secrets to Creating Wealth in Tough Times According to King Solomon

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Creating wealth is something that is hardly imagined especially in tough times, but evidence has shown that there are those who thrive no matter what the economic conditions are, by discovering opportunities and having the courage to take action in spite of their fears. Then there are those who become paralysed and take on a victim mentality.

The wisest King who ever lived, King Solomon provides us with solid timely tested secrets on how to Create Wealth In Tough Times. These secrets have been used by millionaires and billionaires to create wealth. Below is a summary of few of the twenty nine key secrets contained in the four systems used by King Solomon to create a permanent wealth.

1. Think abundance. Wealth, will come from a person who experiences well balanced abundance. Living your life to the fullest means knowing complete abundance. When you operate in the realm of abundance you will be more confident in yourself and your business abilities.

2. Be passionate about what you do. If you want to build wealth like most people have succeeded in doing, then there is one important asset you must have: Passion. While you may get results in the short term without having passion, in the long term it makes the difference between achieving success and failing.

3. Take action towards your goals. This may appear unintelligent but many of us have trouble following through with a task. We start projects or tasks with great energy, but never follow them through.

When Oprah Winfrey was still very young and growing in poverty stricken surroundings, she claimed that she was going to be a millionaire by the time she turned 32. Though her goal may have seemed laughable at the time to some, she headed in the direction of her dreams to create it for herself, never expected anyone else to hand her that million dollars.

4. Motivate Yourself. Without motivation, your chances of achieving success are slim. Without motivation, you won’t be able to conquer the challenges that will confront you on your wealth building journey. Motivation will give you the energy and drive to climb the mountain of financial freedom. It will pick you up when you are knocked down. It will lift you over many barriers that you will encounter along the way.

6. Be exceptional in what you do. You have to be exceptional before you can be well noticed among thousands that are in competition with you. This is one of the most essential business principles, especially in a volatile economy. Being exceptional, does not mean you will be the most intelligent man or woman in that field, but the ability to add value to the goods of your customers.

7. Care for your customers. Customer care is a crucial element of business success. Every contact your customers have with your business is an opportunity for you to improve your reputation with them and increase the likelihood of further sales.
8. Show act of kindness. Kindness is needed more than ever during tough economic times. Old measures of success do not work anymore. The relentless, persistent and creative application of kindness is a new market imperative and prerequisite to thriving in a challenging economy. If you know and value this principle you will always retain your staff, build a winning team and create wealth.

If you will embrace these wealth creating secrets, I know you will achieve all that you want in life and you will have peace and contentment as well.
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Two sure-fire ways to stand out

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“How do I differentiate myself from the competition in an interview?”

This is one of the most popular questions that I receive. There is a way to stand miles above your competition. It is very simple but takes some work. Pay close attention.

1Sweet Spot: Landing your coveted position requires that you meet the requirements of the job posting. This is a no brainer. But most people forget to talk about passion. I never understand why companies do not require passion as a requirement for a position. I figure it’s because so few have it. In fact, a recent Gallup pole showed that only 25 per cent of people feel like they are using their full potential. When you demonstrate passion in the interview you automatically stand out. Your sweet spot is the skill you are good at that you are also very excited about sharing with those around you. Here is an excellent interview answer that incorporates that spot.

Example: When asked in an interview about an example of how you demonstrated leadership say this: “As a Product Manager for company X, I was in charge of launching our new line of fragrances. I developed a vision for my team along with buy-in. We executed based on the strategic plan I produced, and as a result we completed the launch two weeks ahead of schedule. On this project I was particularly passionate about introducing a new line in a new part of the country because I enjoy focusing on the up side of taking risks.”

2 Cultural Fit: According to many experts, poor cultural fit is the primary cause for job loss. So it is important. Several weeks ago I taught you that values and beliefs make up culture. Let me go one step further. Put another way, it’s using the same words the company uses. For example, if your office often uses the word innovation, and an interview candidate were to also use that word, then they would more likely seem like a fit. Other culture words include: teamwork, customer service, giving back, serving the community, growth, money, profits, and shareholders.

Example: Emily Psimoulis is the president of Thinkbox National Marketing Inc. and whenever you talk to her about her company she will always mention how important it is to surpass customer expectations. A quick visit to the “company” section of her website are these words in big letters “Exceeding expectations and WOWing our clients”. If you are interviewing with her company you better use these words and have an example of how you achieved this. When you do this, you will sound like a cultural fit and be offered the position over the other candidate who has an equal skill set.

Success Stories: We are looking for interview success stories for a future article. All subjects welcome. Please send yours to me personally at my e-mail address below by Aug. 26 at 3 p.m.

philippe@Dr-Career.com

Listen to Career FastTrack “Live” Mondays at 5:30pm on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.

Top books that will shape your career

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Q: Can you recommend any books that would help in my career?

A: Here is a list of the best books I have ever read that will help you advance in your career.

Figure Out What You Want

Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman.

You no longer have to struggle in your life. This book will teach you how to listen to your intuition … that peaceful voice that knows what is right for you. This read will inspire you to forge ahead on your own path and no longer be influenced by society.

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield.

By paying attention to the coincidences in your life you will access the secret messages that are trying to guide you in the right direction. This book actually talks about practical signals you can observe in your life that are trying to get your attention. You will become more aware of the energy that is there to act as a map for you. The more aware you are of this energy the easier it will be for you to make important life decisions with clarity and peace of mind.

Get What You Want

The Peter Principle by Laurence J. Peter, Raymond Hull, and Robert I. Sutton.

Surprisingly, this book is very inspiring considering it is about getting promoted until you are incompetent. From this book, you will learn how not to do this. Your biggest enemy is falling into the promotion trap. Getting a promotion can be the worse thing for you. Better to excel on a lateral move or going off on your own than to be part of a rat race that leads to a dead end filled with frustration and resentment.
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Getting To Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury.

This is the ultimate book on thinking Win/Win. If you are the type of person that thinks that life is a competition and that there are victors and losers then you will love this book. You will finally learn that in life everyone gets a piece of the pie and you can stop feeling guilty for having yours.

What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles.

It’s a classic for a reason. Tired of relying on the typical ways of finding work? This book focuses only on high return activities that will ensure you get in front of decision makers. It also has funny pictures.

Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.

To be a rockstar in your career you want to create raving fans. That’s means whenever someone deals with you they leave salivating because of how much value you created for them. This book will teach you how to do this. Whenever you work with a client or supplier always remember that there is a way to inspire them to be loyal to you for a lifetime.

Please e-mail me the names of the books that have had the greatest impact on your life and why.

E-mail your question to: philippe@Dr-Career.com

Visit Dr-Career.com for a copy of “Land Your Dream Job in 12 Weeks or Less”. Listen to Career FastTrack “Live” Mondays at 5:30pm on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.

Self awareness before the job interview

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Having conducted thousands of job interviews over the years, the fact remains that the majority of people do not interview so well or could definitely use some practice.

Over-answering, providing incomplete answers, mumbling and simply not answering the interview questions well top the list of job-interview mistakes. These issues are noticed not only from my experience, but also from other hiring managers, recruiters and colleagues I have spoken to.

Unfortunately most job seekers don’t improve their job interview skills mainly because they are unaware of their opportunity to improve. For those of you who have had the opportunity to hire in your work history, you will confirm this to be true. For those who have not hired, go and ask any professional recruiter, HR and hiring manager to comment on how frequently they see the mistakes mentioned above. Ask how often they felt like pulling out a pillow during an applicant’s long-winded response. The honest ones will tell you that many people do not interview well. More importantly, many qualified people don’t interview well.

So how would you interview if you are one of the unskilled and unaware? What can you do about it?

While you can consider online job interview courses or seek a professional coach, it can be as simple as getting a friend who is willing to role play a job interview with you and video tape it!

Video is the most honest job interview coach you will ever have. See for yourself, how you interview. Look for missing answers, over-answering or rambling and the ever common “ums,” “ahs” and “like.”

Now if technology is a challenge, then do the above exercise without the video. Instead just ask your friend for feedback (while you will not need technology for this option, you will need an honest friend). An important note here is, if possible, try to get someone who has some experience in hiring, before seeking their advice.

Lastly, if an honest friend is the challenge, then just practice in front of a mirror playing both the role of the interviewer and applicant. This is a simple and effective way to improve your job interview skills (but I must caution if someone catches you talking to yourself in front of a mirror, I cannot take responsibility for what they might think).

– hrinmotion.com

New U.S. jobless claims rise unexpectedly to 558K

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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, while continuing claims fell sharply.

The Labor Department says new claims increased to a seasonally adjusted 558,000, from 554,000 the previous week. Analysts expected new claims to drop to 545,000, according to Thomson Reuters.
Click here to find out more!

The number of people remaining on the benefit rolls fell to 6.2 million from 6.34 million the previous week. Analysts had expected a slight decline.

The four-week average of initial claims, which smooths out fluctuations, rose by 8,500 to 565,000, after falling for six straight weeks.

Three steps to your own biz in a recession

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Feel like your career is on life support? You are not alone. There is a cure.

“I recently read your article on the secrets to being an entrepreneur during a recession. The moment I read your article I knew that was me, which explained why I have been so unhappy at work. I have always wanted to be my own boss. My work is quite uncertain at the moment and I have been there way too long. Your article assumed we already owned a company. What is your advice on how to get started?”

According to the Small Business Administration, two-thirds of new businesses survive for at least two years, and 44% survive at least four years. Not bad. The article goes on to cover reasons for business failure: Poor management, insufficient capital, poor location, lack of planning, and ineffective marketing.

There are two types of entrepreneurs and it is critical that you know which one you are so that you can survive these pitfalls and thrive as a business owner in today’s economic climate.

Passion Entrepreneurs: These are people who have a passion for one thing — a passion for opening a restaurant, a stationery store, or a garden shop. You cannot open a business without passion, however, passion is not enough. You must link that passion with a good business model.

Business Entrepreneurs: These are people who love the concepts in the groundbreaking book The e-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What To Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber. This type of entrepreneur will start any business. They often do not care what the business is, as long as it has profit potential. These people are often good at systems and managing resources and raising capital and selling new concepts and taking risks. These are the people who can hedge many of the risks associated with business failure.

Step 1: Which type of entrepreneur are you? If you are a passion entrepreneur, you must find a business entrepreneur as a partner. The way to find this person is to Google: Entrepreneur Association for _________ (city). Then join that group.

Step 2: Before starting your business, have someone else pay you to learn from their mistakes. If you want to open a seductive coffee shop where servers are scantily dressed, then work for your local popular coffee shop and observe their systems. After six months, take the owner out to lunch and ask them why they are so successful. Before you quit the job, always make sure to offer value. Stay at least one year and do not leave before you introduce a new product or system to improve their business. They trained you, you give back.

Step 3: Offer value. People don’t care what you are promoting. People care how you can help them. It’s never you. It’s them. I was recently approached by an individual who wanted to promote their women’s conference on my radio show. All they talked about was the conference. No research was put into whether the public was interested. Instead of saying: ‘My conference is so great because …,’ she should have said, ‘Recent data indicates that women’s pay equality has not improved in 15 years … therefore there is a need for …’

Email your question to: info@Dr-Career.com. Visit www.dr-career.com for a free download. Listen to Career FastTrack ‘Live’ Mondays at 5:30 p.m. on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.

Women, it’s time to gain control of your careers

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Q: “I have recently taken on a leadership role at my company. That was the first time that I realized how few women were my peers. At that moment, I experienced an odd feeling like I had to represent women. I became quite ineffective in my work as I felt this heavy pressure on my shoulders to fight for women’s equality. What are your thoughts on this?”

– Won’t-Give-Up

A: Dear Won’t-Give-Up, you cannot help everyone and taking personal responsibility for your life must be your first priority. When you do this, you can impact the world. Here are research findings and strategies to release the talents inside of you.

The Barnard Center for Research on Women found that “women continue to face gender discrimination but it does not operate through the kinds of overt barriers to participation that mobilized activists in the 1960s. It is embedded in the everyday interaction.”

On the other hand, a Time magazine cover story sourced a workplace study by catalyst which studied 353 Fortune 500 companies and found that those with the most women in senior management had a higher return on equity by more than one-third!

I set out to learn strategies women can apply to their lives to realize their potential. I invited three successful women on my radio show, Career FastTrack, to share the following strategies to stacking the odds in your favour.

Believe in yourself: One of the surprising pieces of data that came out of my interview was not competency but confidence. Denise Baker, assistant dean for the Sauder School of Business Career Centre, highlighted the importance of trusting yourself and believing that you have every right to sit at the decision-making table. She went on to say that you have valuable contributions to make, and are smart and equally capable.
Click here to find out more!

Mentoring: “Mentoring can be very powerful for women who are struggling to reach their full potential” says Diane Akelaitis, a tax partner for Price Waterhouse-Coopers who is also involved with the firms Women in Leadership and Retention initiatives. Tips she highlights are the importance of networking in certain male-dominated industries. Women who are successful cite their mentors as being critical to their growth.

Celebrate: Akelaitis went on to say that women must learn to celebrate their own achievements. Women are naturally pre-wired to be modest about what they have accomplished and this harms women in the long run. Being recognized is important in advancing your career.

Networking: Women are more likely than a man to find their next job through an ad in the classifieds. In other words, they do not rely as heavily on networking to build their career as men. Woman are also more likely to be egalitarian while men more based on power and influence. According to Norm-Jean Thompson, founder of Canada’s Young Women in Business Network, this is the old way of networking. “I believe women are more effective at networking. They are focused on relationships and finding common ground with people and this is at the core of business success.”

Listen to the complete Career FastTrack podcast entitled Women: Empowering to Take Control of Their Career at www.citr.ca.

E-mail your question to: info@Dr-Career.com. Visit www.Dr-Career.com for a free download. Listen to Career FastTrack “Live” Mondays at 5:30pm on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.

A study of 353 Fortune 500 companies found that those with the most women in senior management had a higher return of equity by more than one-third!

Be the master of your disaster

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You have a lot in common with GM and Chrysler: “50% of Americans today say they are dissatisfied with their jobs, up from 40% in 1995,” according to the Conference Board.

Being unhappy at work has nothing to do with the quality of work available. It has everything to do with your fear and inability to decide to go after what you want. Economic uncertainty is the perfect opportunity to seize control of your career. Why? Because you have little to lose.

You know everything you need to know now. However, what you don’t have is the ability to make a decision in the face of uncertainty. You will never get more certainty. The time is now. There is no tomorrow.

It’s called progress. To have progress you must suck first. The single greatest lesson you must learn is that there is no right choice for you. All decisions have opportunities. Pick the one that seems the most interesting at the moment.

First, you must die. GM and Chrysler have died. A definition of death is the termination of something. For years, these two companies knew that their old way of doing business was not sustainable. But they could not change. You also know, deep down, that you cannot continue on much longer being uninspired at work. It’s killing you. The solution is career bankruptcy.

A Morgan Stanley study found that returns were strong for companies that emerged from bankruptcy from 1980 through 1993, the last period of multiple recessions.

Covad, a company recently declaring bankruptcy, said its restructuring will “make the company virtually debt-free while putting it in a better position to obtain the additional capital necessary to achieve profitability.”

In other words, a rebirth. A second chance.

But how do you get reincarnated. Let’s look at GM. Never in my life have I ever wanted to own a GM car. After researching gmreinvention.com, I was actually inspired to consider them. Why?

They see this as an opportunity to recreate and reinvent a better product. GM CEO Fritz Henderson said it quite beautifully: “We will get the job done and do it once. We will start over and get stronger.”

A great line in the commercial is: “…The only chapter we are focused on is chapter 1.”

But starting over is too risky, right? Let’s look at the risks in your life. Your risk is that you will lose what you have. Is it all that much? Imagine you shifted your focus on the opportunity that existed if you changed your life? Is it possible that the true risk is continuing your life as is? What do you risk losing if you do not change? Your energy, your enthusiasm, your dreams? Your greatest risk now, is the status quo.

A new life is calling you. One that you yearn for deep down.

Poll question: If you could reinvent yourself, what would you do differently with your career? Send your answer to the e-mail below. The most inspiring answer may get published.

Remember: Every master was once a disaster. Failure is your teacher.

E-mail your question to: info@Dr-Career.com. Visit www.Dr-Career.com for a free download. Listen to Career FastTrack “Live” Mondays at 5:30 p.m. on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.