In Dan Brown’s latest book (author of The Da Vinci Code) The Lost Symbol, the reference to bringing order out of chaos comes up again and again. While I was reading the book, a senior executive in transition made the comment, ”Now I see what I have to do; you have made it clear what I have to do. It was very confusing before.”

With so many people searching for the best way to find their “next best work” there is so much chaos out there that it can be overwhelming.

• TV stations are offering fast, 15-second tips on how to find a job.
• Local churches are holding career sessions on how to improve your resume.
• Monster, Career Builder, and a host of other marketing sites are using jobs to sell their space.
• Government has their “help” programs.
• Some companies promise to market you to major companies for ONLY $10,000!

Where should a person go to get the best advice? Well, if you are sick you go to the doctor. If you have a plumbing problem you go to a plumber, a legal problem you go to a lawyer. With career issues, the connection should be to the expert in the field, a career counselor.

New Year…. New Image……Image is Everything 

Everyone knows that your voice changes when you smile, but did you know your voice changes when you stand up over sitting down. Now tell me how people perceive you when you have that inner glow of confidence. You feel different don’t you. After a long job search that glow can sometimes fade and you wonder if you will ever get it back. Sometimes a look at your image, or a check on your perception of yourselfis a good thing which can in turn jump start your job search. Sometimes knowing where to start causes the problem. The following steps may help you succeed in modifying your image for 2010. 

What do you think your current image is?  Take a few minutes to write down what you think you present to others. Think about how you dress, your posture, your voice, your presentation. What do you say? How polished is your two minute drill? 

What do other people say about your image? Go ahead and ask them. Get candid feedback. Prepare for a few surprises, just like the last 360 results you were given. 

Now, do you want to make some changes to your image?  This is where you have you have to be honest with yourself. Think about what the consequences are of you do not change. What is the worst thing that could happen if you make a change? 

Why should you want to change your image?  This depends on the feedback you received from others and whether you think a change would assist in your job search. 

If there was one thing you could change to project a better image what would it be? It could be hair, clothes, improving your network, revving up your two minute drill, or many other things, athleticism, sophistication, fashion, intelligence….. 

Select one and then identify someone you would like to emulate. Ease into it slowly. There is no need to rush and make a dramatic change. Take it slowly. 

Take stock. Did it make a difference? To others? To you? How do you feel now? 

Keep it going. 

Good luck for 2010.

When was the last time you did a search on Google to find useful information? Or, are you now using Bing as your decision engine? Whatever search tool you use, it has become common practice to search the Internet to find everything from a plumber to a movie time to the closest Italian restaurant. With the I-phone and the latest handheld technology, it gets easier every day as long as you know what to look for. We also have to become savvy searchers as not all the information we need is on the first page of our search results. I decided to look for “retirement planning tools” and came up with a very extensive list. Let me give you the first six sites.

• Fidelity Retirement Income Planner
• Financial Engines
• Morningstar Retirement Planner
• Vanguard Retirement Calculator
• T. Rowe Price Retirement Income Calculator
• ES Planner Plus

Great, but not what I was looking for. These are all financial planning sites to help you calculate how much you should be saving, for how long, and at what rate. All good information – but not what I was looking for.

I was more interested in obtaining advice on the many other things that have to be considered in retirement. What am I going to do to continue to stretch my mind? Where am I going to stay? What hobbies can I work on? What about the family? What experiences do I seek out when I travel? These and many other questions are not answered in the sites I mentioned above. To find this information you need to dig deeper into the web. You still will have a hard time finding what you want unless you look at the Career Partners New Horizons coaching program. Not only does this program help you to categorize various retirement planning areas, but it also helps you highlight where you most need to focus your attention to have a happy and productive retirement. Don’t get me wrong – money is important, but money does not always make people happy. New Horizons retirement planning is a great investment of your time and energy.

As always I am interested to hear if you find something better.

Jim Davidson

Southwest Securities recently hosted The Dallas Business Leaders Council meeting at their offices on October 1, 2009. The focus of the meeting was a discussion on the challenges for business during tough economic times and this was attended by Dr Donald J. Hanratty, the President of Optimance, and 14 other company presidents and CEOs. A major focus of the event was an Input Session on Emerging Issues conducted by the Advanced Strategy Lab team which initiated major conversations on areas for concern as well as optimism. The issues were then ranked in order of importance and could form a basis for discussion in your organization.

The issues, in order of importance were

                Strengthen Customer Relations

                Increase Top Line Revenue

                Deal with Price Competition

                Relook at Branding

                Retain Key Talent

                Reassure the Organization

                Look for Acquisitions

                Relook at Succession Planning

We would welcome your thoughts and comments as to whether these are the issues that you are focusing on, or did they miss some!