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

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.
Click here to find out more!

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

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.

Career on the rocks? Go your own way

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

“I was let go six months ago and thought it was the end of the world. After doing some soul searching, I realized that I am an entrepreneur at heart. My concern however is that with the economy, is it a bad idea to start a business during the recession? What do I need to be aware of in this recession to not only survive but thrive?”

According to Ideacafe.com most businesses start and fail not because of a lack of market opportunity but because a lack of vision.

I recently conducted an interview with the CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Brian Scudamore. He runs an incredibly innovative junk removal service. His company was ranked as the second best workplace in all of Canada by Great Place to Work Institute Canada.

He is also a very nice and generous person with his time and I wanted to feature his company in an article. A special thanks also to Tania Hall, senior PR manager at the company for identifying the company’s top five tips:

1.  Clear Vision: A vision is a clear picture of how your business looks, acts, and feels at any time. Knowing where you’re headed, regardless of the maelstrom of change around you, is a sure fire way of reaching your goals.

2. Smart Marketing: It is a mistake to begin penny-pinching the marketing budget when the economy is on the downturn. Brand awareness is more important than ever! Some strategic scaling back may be necessary, but the money you spend to raise awareness about your business now will put you top-of-mind for your customers in the future.

3. Customer Focus: Maintaining a strong customer focus is essential during hard economic times. Regular evaluation of customer satisfaction is important, but when people are cautious about spending, businesses must work extra hard to earn their trust. Now is the time to show your customers why they need your business. For example, at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, we are currently using the Net Promoter Score (NPS) system, which gives us detailed information about our customers’ experience and enable us to provide a better service.
Click here to find out more!

4. Great People: Great people drive a great workplace culture, which in turn can achieve miracles. It takes time to cultivate a work environment that’s full of passionate, hard-working people who really love their work, but the investment in finding great people is always worth it. When times are tough, great people are committed to doing the work needed to achieve success.

5. Stay Positive: Keeping a positive attitude is crucial to an entrepreneur’s success during a recession. People look to you as their top role model at work. Lead by example and even when there’s sobering news to impart, always ask your people: What lesson can we learn from this?

Entrepreneur Contest: The president that sends me the best company vision will win an opportunity to promote their business on my show Career FastTrack. Entry deadline is June 19 at 5 p.m.

E-mail your question to: info@Dr-Career.com. Visit www.1daydreamjobchallenge.org 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.

Three ways women can make more money

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

“I worked in the advertising industry for 11 years and rose in the ranks. I was very good at my job and got promoted to a role where I was surrounded by all men.

I recently was let go and I am convinced it is because I am a woman.

Do you have any advice for women in the workforce?”

In 190, men made up 80% of the workforce and women 20%. As of March 2009 in the United States, women made up 49.7%.

Women are working more, but they are making less.

You’re only going to see this announcement once (ever), so please read every word very very carefully. It’s really that important. To all women, I want to invite you to something really special. Click here.

According to the Canadian Labour Congress, “the gender wage gap in Canada has remained stuck since the mid 1990s at one of the highest levels in the advanced industrial world.”

Most recent figures show that women make 7.5% of what men make in comparable roles. These are the facts.

However, I wish to share three anecdotal lessons I learned from three women and how women can make more money:

- Ask for more money:
A human resources manager I had on my radio show told me that about 90% of people do not negotiate their salary or ask for a raise.

What was even more shocking to learn was that she expected most people to ask for more money.

Women in her experience, were less likely to do so. This could explain par of the reason why women make less money then men.

Managers have greater respect for employees who stand up for their monetary worth.

Both men and women are qualified to ask for more money.

- Strut your stuff:
You do not have to be a man to succeed. n 2007 I met a very powerful and successful real estate broker, an industry dominated by men. She told me that many women she meets try to ignore their feminine side. She said this is a mistake.

Women have an innate ability to relate to people and a keen sense of intuition.

She went on to say that ambition and drive are normal human traits for both men and women.

- Network
A partner at a large accounting firm successfully rose through the ranks of her company. She was talking to me about the greatest barrier women face in reaching her position: Networking.

She said women are less likely than men to attend evening company networking sessions due to family obligations.

These networking develop the relationships with senior management and be on the promotion track.

If you are a woman and experiencing a gender wage gap, we would be very interested in hearing your story. Please email us.

Email your question to: info@Dr-Career.com. Visit www.1daydreamjobchallenge.org for a free download.Listen to Career FastTrack “Live” Mondays at 5:30pm on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca.