I once worked in Binghamton for IBM.  So when I heard the recent news that a mass murder had taken place it kind of took me off guard.  Apparently, a gunman barricaded one door and ambushed another at an immigration services center.  The gunman proceded to kill 13 people before ending his own life.  The authorities have named the gunman as Jiverly Wong, who is believed to be in his early 40’s. Wong apparently had ties to the civic association, but no motive has been determined.  I am currently wondering if this was an attack on immigrants trying to become U.S. citizens or something else.

The stock market has posted positive gains for the 4th consecutive week. The stocks rallied Friday despite a negative March jobs report. Ever since the market hit a 12 year low on March 9th, all three major indexes have risen more than 20%.
The job market doesn’t scare investors as much as company failures because it has always been a lagging factor during recessions. Basically, even though employers cut 650,000 jobs, many investors feel that the governments infusion of money may start having an effect on the economy in 2009. The G-20 summitt of countries last week pledged over $1 Trillion for the International Monetary Fund. I feel as if the bottom of the recession is here and that the economy will not start fully recovering until 2010. I think the country has seen part of the mortgage problem; however, I feel as if the consumer credit card problem will come more into play during the latter part of 2009.

Michael Vick is still serving his prison term for being an ignorant moron.  However, he did come up with a brilliant bankruptcy plan but U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro     felt otherwise “This Plan does not work.”  Apparently, Vick is scheduled to work for a construction company for 40 hours a week after his release.  His debtors, agents, and dog fighters are hoping that the NFL commissioner  will reinstate Mr. Vick this Fall.  Vick once landed a 10-year $140 million deal with Atlanta before he made multiple bad investments and moral choices.  His plan got rejected because it proposed him keeping two multi-million dollar hopes and had no hard cash for all his debtors.  Personally, I don’t think that we should allow him to play professional football again.  He knew what he was getting into and squandered it.  We need to transition professional sports to real role models and class act citizens, not thugs and immature idiots.

The American consumer wants dirt low prices.  However, they also want domestic, helpful customer service.  I hate to say it, but it’s not feasible with a U.S. Median wage nearing $14.00/hr.    The average call from a consumer to U.S. based customer service rep costs about $7.50.  Call centers in India average $2.30 a call.   As a result, the next time you decide to racially punish the foreign accented person on the other side of the line, channel your anger towards yourself for being cheap.

The other option for customer service is Julie, the infamous celebrity voice from Boston.  Julie Stinneford is the voice of Amtrak and handled over 18.1 million calls last year.  About a third of those required no human interaction.  She saved Amtrak over 100 million dollars last year.  She has actually become famous with stints on “Saturday Night Live” and more.

The Bush administration is being considered responsible for about 1-2 million Americans losing money last year.  First Madoff, now the government?  The administration changed legislature that gave companies the ability to automatically enrolls employees into a tax-free 401k retirement fund.  The stipulation is that the mandate required the company by law to invest them heavily in stock related portfolios when they failed to identify their own strategy.

The administration also quelled a more conservative approach that would have seen the assets rise about 4.7 percent.  In contrast, the assets from close to two million workers dropped at least 25 percent in every case.  The change in legislation came before the market crash and is sure to be on our socialist regime’s agenda.

Be Prepared

The best way to be prepared to sell your skills during a job interview is to start at least a few days ahead. Anticipate the questions you’ll be asked and plan some answers. Make sure you’re ready to be convincing about pointing out how your skills and experience make you the ideal choice for the job.

Bring a neat looking folder or case to hold any items you’ll need on the interview day. Don’t forget to bring a stack of business cards plus extra resumes. Even though you most likely submitted your resume before the interview, it’s still a good idea to bring extra ones. Interviewers see many resumes and you want yours to stand out even if that means giving it to the company twice. Besides, you may end up having more than one interviewer and if you are prepared to give each person your business card and resume at the interview you’ll seem very professional as well as organized.

One thing many job seekers forget is to be prepared with questions for the interviewer. Many interviewers form an unfavourable opinion about job seekers that don’t have one or two questions about the position. Have two or three questions prepared and adjust them during the interview to fit in with the particular discussion you have with the interviewer.

Sell Your Skill Set

You’ve made it to the interview stage, so presumably they’ve seen your resume and figured you looked good on paper. Now, during the interview, it’s up to you to promote your skills and background to let the interviewer see that you’re the right person for the job. Bringing extra resumes with you is a good idea because if all of the interviewers have your resume, they can ask you questions from it. You should be prepared to discuss anything on your resume in a convincing way.

When you get a question during an interview that you didn’t expect, your interviewer will likely be taking notes on how you react. Stay calm and poised and think before rushing to answer. Make sure to really listen to the interviewer and don’t be either too short in your answers or too long. If he or she discusses the job duties with you, be sure to mention why you’re the ideal person to handle these responsibilities. The interviewer’s job is to find the right person to do the work needed, so convince him or her that you’re the one.

Use Appropriate Body Language

You’ve probably heard it said many times how important it is to maintain eye contact in job interviews. There’s no getting around it. It’s very important. If you feel nervous about this, practice in a mirror or with another person. The idea is to maintain eye contact comfortably and naturally. Don’t stare the person down!

Posture is important too. Sit up straight during the interview, but don’t lean forward in the chair as this may be seen as aggressive. Keep from fidgeting such as wringing your hands or tapping your feet.

Be Ready to Follow Through

Choose Your Timing Well

A thank you card should be sent on the day after the interview and not sent any later than two days after it. If you’re mailing the thank you card, get it in the mail as soon as possible after the interview. Then, also send a follow up email. You can repeat the same information in your email that you have in your card without using the same words. Polite persistence is a good thing when it comes to following up after a job interview. It shows excellent business communication skills.

Especially if the hiring process will be quick, you may even want to bring your thank you cards with you to the interview all ready to go except for space that you leave to add some specific details that occurred in the interview. For instance, if you were given a tour you could mention it and why you found it interesting or a good match to your interests. You could then finish the card at a nearby café before going back and asking the receptionist how you can get the card to your interviewer. You should also double check with the receptionist that you’ve spelled your interviewer’s name correctly. It’s a good idea to remember the receptionists name as well!

Get the Details Right

If you’re mailing your thank you card, do so immediately after the interview and make sure the address is correct and the company name is accurate. It won’t help you at all if you address the thank you card for your interviewer to Smith-Rite Solutions Inc. when the actual name of the company is Smith Ryte Solutions Corp. It may still reach him or her, but it won’t show you in a good light if you got the name wrong.

If more than one interviewer conducted your job interview, send one thank you card to each interviewer. Don’t create cookie cutter cards though – thank each person for something specific he or she added to the interview. If only one person actually asked you any questions or added anything to the interview, address the card to that person. If the others added to the interview in a minor way, you should mention their names in the card.

Be Professional and Sincere

Choose a professional looking thank you card. Make sure everything you write inside the card is clear and concise. It should be as polite and direct as: “Thanks for the interview yesterday that included the tour of the plant. I look forward to the possibility of being able to work on such a quality machine as the X230. Thanks again, Terry Stevens.”

Here’s another example of a suitable note to write inside a job interview thank you card “Thanks for taking the time to interview me Wednesday morning. I’m still extremely interested in the position and hope to hear from you soon about the second interview. Regards, Jacqueline Smith.”

Send a Letter or a Note

In most cases, a few lines written inside a thank you card are enough to send to your interviewer the day after a job interview. You should thank the interviewer for his or her time and mention something specific from the interview such as a certain subject you discussed or a factory tour you took. Then you should express your continued interest in the position and add that you hope to “hear from you soon.” A simple “regards,” “sincerely” or ‘yours truly” before signing your name is enough.

In some cases, a letter written on your resume letterhead paper should be added inside the thank you card before you send it. You may want to write a detailed letter if you’ve had previous interviews or have gone through a special lengthy interview process.

Writing a longer letter on professional stationery may help you stand out from the other candidates. Just make sure it’s appropriate to send a thank you letter and don’t babble – two pages maximum is more than enough. All business correspondence should be clear and concise with a polite, respectful tone.

Be Specific and Voice Your Expectations

Remember that the way to start a thank you letter after a job interview is by thanking the person for their time. Don’t summarize the interview, but rather mention something special or interesting that stood out.

For example, if you were asked for your input on something and you feel that went well and could mean you got the job, you could add something like “Thank you for your interest in my thoughts on the XYZ case and how my experience in xyz relates to the job. I’m still very much interested in the position and look forward to having a second interview with you at your convenience.”

You could also let your interviewer know that you are expecting to be responsible for the job duties he or she mentioned. You could write something like this in your thank you letter or card: “Thanks for your detailed description of the job duties. After reflecting on these, I’m still very much interested in the position and I’m hoping I’ll have the opportunity to be hired and show you what I can do.”

You Make Contacting You Convenient for the Company

Your business card should list your different phone numbers with the best times to reach you. Having a website address on your card is great if your website supports the image your business card promotes of you and further sells your skills and abilities.

In presenting multi contact options on your business card, you increase the convenience for hiring companies to get a hold of you. Make sure everything including your contact information is accurate on your business card. Never hand out old cards – keep your information updated.

You Make Yourself Look Like the Professional You Are

Having a business card sets you apart as a professional whether you own a business or not. Whatever your profession, announcing it on a business card with your contact information gets attention and promotes you as a serious expert. Keep the card tasteful and don’t be pretentious.

“Mary Smith, Floral Designer” is fine, but Mary Smith, Award Winning Designer of Floral Fantasies” is way over the top, not to mention ridiculous-sounding. If you have won an award, you can explain that in a separate line under your title such as: “Winner of the Connecticut Floral Association Design Award for 2008.”

If you’re involved in more than one profession, always have a separate business card for each one. “Jim Johnson, Professional Writer and Painter” just comes off as confusing and unfocused rather than professional. A business card that you hand out at a job interview identifies who you are to a potential employer, so be sure this identity is clear and professional-sounding.

You Look both Polished and Prepared

You may be surprised when you get to your job interview. Panel interviews with more than one interviewer are becoming more and more common. If you always carry a stack of your business cards with you, you’ll be able to hand out a card to each interviewer. This is likely to make a positive impression. By simply carrying extra business cards, you can appear both polished and prepared at your job interview.

Another way to be polished and prepared in a businesslike way is to be sure that all of your career communication tools form a cohesive presentation of who you are professionally. The contact information and image presented by your business cards, cover letter and resume should be supported by your voice mail, answering machine and website. Make sure all of your communications details are accurate and relevant.