Open the Door to Brand New Opportunities

We have all experienced the long toil to find employment. Searching endless hours through newspapers, job advertisements, job centres and writing to companies asking to keep our cv on file. We ask ourselves whether there is an easier way to find the position we are looking for, for many it can be a demoralising experience going to many interviews and experiencing many knock backs. Most of us spend our time trawling instead of finding recruitment agencies which potentially could open doors for you. I am not saying that if you sign up with a recruitment agency you are guaranteed instant success but it could possibly be a supply of new vacancies which you never knew existed. This is how it works.

Recruitment agencies are not only there for candidates (jobseekers) searching for employment they are also there to help companies and businesses find staff or advertise vacancies within there employment. These vacancies can be in any job industry, of which there are many to choose from.

Industry sectors for example may include, commercial, industrial, accounting, technical or hospitality and leisure. These industry sectors will each require several different skills, abilities and competences, therefore catering for a wide and very diverse range of people from apprentices with none or little work experience to full time positions for managerial positions with experience being essential, temporary opportunities arise to cover sick leave or extended holidays, and there are vacancies for skilled and semi-skilled tradesmen.

Enrolling with a recruitment agency can take some of the hard work out of a job searching; an initial interview with the recruitment agency in many cases will take place to further investigate the kind of work you are looking for. This not only helps you but makes it clear to the recruitment consultancy which jobs would be suitable for you and which would certainly not, for example if you are looking for a job as a cashier you are not going to find the right job in a warehouse who are requiring for forklift truck drivers. It just defines which areas are suitable and which clearly are not. Note: You may still need to provide the a current CV (Curriculum Vitae) and references from previous employers

In additional your primary interview will provide you with the opportunity to seek advice about the interview technique, simple suggestions such as arriving is vital, so if you are not sure of the location, travel arrangements and time it will take to get to the interview, it would be prudent to make a trial journey just to make sure you know where you are going and how long it will take, dress smartly for your interview, presentation and first appearances go a long way! although interview nerves may get in the way try to be confident. Keep eye contact and try to avoid nervous fidgeting, try to give constructive answers to questions asked instead of saying the first thing that comes into your head or just yes and no. Sit with a good posture and try not to slouch; all of these are just little tips which could create the right personal impression.

As I mentioned earlier many companies also use the services of recruitment consultancies to advertise positions. Many companies build a rapport with recruitment agencies knowing that they will receive the right kind of candidate because of the background work already done. Once a rapport has been established many companies will use the same agency again and again which in turn means that with more clients on a recruitment agency database the more jobs there are likely to be on offer.

Another reason to join an experienced recruitment agency is that they might make you realise new potential in other areas, perhaps you are a chef looking for a catering job, you have tried to find work in hotel kitchens and public houses but have drawn a blank, but have you tried places such as golf clubs and spas? Golf clubs usually have a club house which offers their members a top quality service, part of playing golf is enjoying the social aspect, after a round of golf there is nothing better than relaxing and discussing the day over a hearty meal and social drink. Therefore the golf course will require catering staff, its just one area which can be overlooked. The golf industry actually offers such a diverse range of opportunities such as reception, managerial, housekeeping, food and beverage opportunities right through to greenkeeping!

So whatever position, vacancy, job opportunity you are searching for, a visit to a reputable recruitment service might just open doors for you helping your realise your potential whilst broadening the opportunities on offer.

[via - Inn Hospitality]

Yahoo to Buy Zimbra for $350M

SAN FRANCISCO -- Yahoo Inc. is buying e-mail service Zimbra Inc. for $350 million in an all-cash deal that may open a new revenue channel for the slumping Internet icon.

The acquisition announced Monday represents Yahoo's second significant expenditure this month as co-founder Jerry Yang spearheads an effort to breathe new life into the Sunnyvale-based company.

Two weeks ago, Yahoo disclosed plans to buy an Internet direct marketing network, BlueLithium, for $300 million. That purchase marks another step in Yahoo's attempt to sell more advertising on other Web sites besides its own, hoping to boost its sagging profits.

With the Zimbra purchase, Yahoo appears poised to branch in a new direction that may intensify the company's already fierce competition with rivals Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc.

San Mateo-based Zimbra specializes in selling e-mail software and hosting services to businesses, universities and Internet service providers.

That's something Microsoft has been doing for years with its Exchange platform. Google entered the market earlier this year when it began offering e-mail accounts to businesses as part of a software bundle that costs $50 per user annually.

"My guess is that this deal is partly a response to Google," said e-mail analyst David Ferris.

Zimbra's customers include one of the nation's largest Internet service providers, Comcast Corp., as well as several well-known companies, including H&R Block Inc. and Raytheon Corp., and prominent schools like UCLA and Georgia Tech. For the most part, though, Ferris said Zimbra has had trouble getting companies to buy its hosted e-mail service.

Privately held Zimbra doesn't disclose its revenue. Ferris estimated Zimbra's annual revenue range between $10 million and $20 million, figures that indicate Yahoo is paying a steep price.

Founded in 2003, Zimbra employs more than 100 workers. Its chief executive and co-founder, Satish Dharmaraj, plans to remain with Yahoo after the deal closes in the fourth quarter. The fate of Zimbra's brand hasn't been determined.

Besides providing Yahoo with a springboard for selling e-mail services to companies and universities, Zimbra also could provide tools to add more bells and whistles to the free, Web-based e-mail service that Yahoo has been peddling to consumers for the past decade.

After buying a startup called Oddpost in 2004, Yahoo drew upon some of the technology it gained in the deal to upgrade its free e-mail service.

"Zimbra's tremendous talent and innovative technology will help to extend our core mail offerings, further strengthening our strong leadership position in this space," said Yang, who took over as Yahoo's CEO three months ago after Chairman Terry Semel relinquished the job amid deepening investor discontent.

Yahoo's free e-mail service recently has been losing traffic, according to the research firm comScore Media Metrix. In August, Microsoft's Live Hotmail service attracted 255.3 million visitors worldwide to eclipse Yahoo's e-mail traffic of 254.9 million, which represented a 1 percent decrease from the same time last year, Media Metrix said.

Google's Gmail ranked a distant third at 82.9 million worldwide visitors, up 64 percent from last year. Google opened its e-mail service to all comers seven months ago.

Yahoo shares rose 22 cents to close at $24.95, then dipped by a penny in extended trading after the Zimbra deal was announced. The company's stock price has plunged by 36 percent since the end of 2005.

[via - MICHAEL LIEDTKE / Washington Post]

Complete Your First Book with these 9 Simple Writing Habits

Your first book isn't going to happen by itself. If writing a novel or non-fiction book is something you've dreamed of, the only way to make that dream a reality is by putting it into action -- day by day.

And the best way to do that is to develop some simple habits that will make the dream a reality, one step at a time.

I've learned a lot about writing habits over the years. As a journalist, a freelance writer, and a speech writer, I've written thousands of articles over the last 17 years. I've also written a novel, numerous short stories, an ebook, and am now working on a non-fiction book. It's a struggle, daily.

But I've found that certain habits go a long way, and after awhile, they're not as difficult as they are during the first week or so. Get past that first-week hump, and it'll get easier. And that dream of your first book will come true.

Note on forming habits: I recommend trying to form only one of these habits at a time, starting with the first one and working downwards. Focus on each for at least 2-3 weeks, until it is ingrained. Then move on to the next.

1. Writing time. The most important habit you can form is the daily writing habit. Even if you only write a page or two in a day, that's OK. The important thing is to do it. Eventually, you'll get there. Some days will be good, some will be not so good. Still sit down to write. It's important that you have one dedicated time for writing. You might do more, at other times, but make that one time be sacred. It might be first thing in the morning, right after lunch, right after work, or right before bed. Choose a time that you can do every single day, without fail. Dedicate at least 30 minutes to writing ... at first. Later, you'll need at least an hour, preferably two.
2. Simple tools. Get into the habit of focusing on the writing, and not the tools. You need to block out all distractions, especially Internet and email. Disconnect from the Internet, turn off the phones, plug some headphones into your ears to block out other distractions, clear your desk. If you use a pen and pad, choose simple ones. If you use a computer, use the simplest word processor or text editor possible. I recommend Dark Room or WriteRoom or some variant thereof -- just plain text, with no formatting, in full screen mode. It's you and the words and nothing else.
3. Writing log. This can be as simple as how many words you wrote today. Check your word count when you finish, and log it in. You could also add in notes about what you wrote, how you feel about it, etc., but the important thing is to log it in so you can see your progress over time. It helps enforce the daily writing habit, and it motivates you to keep going.
4. Idea time. You will probably be thinking about your book all day, if you're engrossed in it, but it's good to make it a habit to think about your book at certain times of the day. Exercise is a great time for that, as is house cleaning, driving, walking, government work, and any other activity where you don't need to think much. Make that time dedicated to thinking about the book.
5. Capture ideas. You will have ideas at different times of day, in different places. You will overhear dialog that you want to remember. You will think of brilliant character flaws while at the grocery store. You'll think of eccentric plot twists while driving. You need some way to capture ideas -- I suggest a notebook or index cards, but whatever works for you is fine. More importantly, you need to make it a habit to write your ideas down wherever you go.
6. Just start. There will be days when you don't feel like writing. That may actually be every day. But if you let that stop you, you'll never write a thing. Instead, you need to make it a habit to just start writing. It doesn't matter what you write, or whether it's any good. Just start. Make your fingers move. I find a good way to start is by typing something ritualistic, such as my byline on an article, or common formatting stuff. That gets my typing going, and then I just continue that. Once you get started, you might find that writing will come easier. In any case, get into the habit of just starting, no matter what.
7. Write when inspired. In addition to the routine writing time you designate (in Item #1 above), there will be other times when you'll want to write. Especially when you get a burst of energy or inspiration. You need to get into the habit of taking advantage of those times, and sitting down and writing immediately. Even if you're not at your computer, have your idea notebook, and just start writing. Inspiration comes at the most inopportune times -- you need to use it whenever it comes.
8. Revise. The dreaded word for many a writer, but revision is one of the most important aspects of the writing process. No one gets it right in the first draft. No one. If you aren't willing to revise, you might as well not write. But you don't need to develop this habit right away. Get into the writing habit first, and then begin developing rewrite habits. My suggestion is to begin half an hour of rewrite time, daily, after a month or two of developing the writing habit.
9. Book bible. Most writers won't bother with this, but that's a mistake. If you are serious about your writing, a book bible is a must-have. However, you can work on that last. This is ideally a binder with everything about your book contained in its pages: plot outline, character sketches, notes, bits of dialog, small details, scene description, research, etc. You'll find this extremely useful. The habit to develop: get a binder, write notes on characters, plot, scene, dialog, and keep it updated, as soon as you're done writing. So: write, log it, then update your book bible.

[via - Written for Dumb Little Man by Leo Babuata]

You don't learn how to cook from a cookbook.

I don't know French. I can't play the piano. I have no clue how to catch a bony spinefish. This is the first kind of don't know. Stuff you don't know because you haven't been taught it yet. Books are awfully good at solving this problem, so are good teachers.

The second kind of 'don't know' is often confused with the first type, but it's really quite different. This is the person who says they don't know how to cook, or that they can't balance a checkbook. This isn't about technique or a lack of knowledge. It's usually either fear or lack of interest. People with this type of deficit won't find the answer in a book or (usually) in a seminar either. You don't learn how to cook from a cookbook.

The answer lies in trial and error and motivation and in overcoming the fear that makes us avoid the topic in the first place.

And why should a marketer care?

You need to care because if you try to solve the second kind of ignorance with a manual or a PDF or a blog post or even a long infomercial, you're going to fail. If you discover that users are afraid or resistant to what you're trying to get them to do, more information is almost always the incorrect response. The effective technique involves peer pressure and support and in changing the design and inputs of what you're doing so that this group is more receptive to what's on offer. For example, internet penetration isn't up by a factor of 20 because people read a lot of copies of Internet for Dummies. It happened because of what peers said to each other over time, and because the act of getting online is a lot easier than it used to be. And you can help that happen.

[via - Seth Godin]

What Anita Roddick Taught Me About Marketing

It’s seems the jobs we take early in our career shape us. When I was in high school in the mid 80’s, lots of kids had part-time jobs. Whether they were taking orders at the local fast food joint, bagging groceries in the supermarket or mowing their neighbor’s lawns. Even the kids in well-off families had jobs … often they were just a bit more professional like summer internships at their parent’s law or accounting firms. And in many cases, these high-school jobs ultimately lead my school mates to the professions they ended up pursuing …whether by choice or just happenstance.

Me? I was a mall rat. I got my first job when I was fifteen. I worked after school at Limited Express. And all during high school and college, I worked for many other well-known retail stores you’ll find in most suburban malls. Over the course of the eight years I spent in the mall, I worked my way up through the ranks from a sales associate to assistant manager to manager and then ultimately district manager of the last retail store I ever worked for. That store was The Body Shop.

In the late 80s and early 90s, The Body Shop was a phenomenon like no other. With its natural products and activist ways, it came to U.S. from the U.K. like a house on fire and its founder Anita Roddick was a marketer's dream come true.

Long before the Internet Anita Roddick and The Body Shop were weaving her stories and desire to make a difference in the world into every product for sale in their bright green stores.

A Business Born From Necessity

If you don’t know the story of Anita Roddick and The Body Shop, let me bring you up to speed …

Anita Roddick was born to Jewish-Italian immigrants in 1942 in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England. She started her career as a teacher of English and History, but decided to quit and travel the world during the freewheeling days of the 1960s. After stints in Paris, Geneva and Polynesia, she returned to Littlehampton and met her soon-to-be husband Gordon Roddick. After marrying in Reno in 1970, they hit the hippie trail again before coming back to Littlehamption and opening a bed and breakfast and then later a restaurant.

In 1976, she found herself alone with two children to feed after her husband Gordon left to pursue a life-long dream to travel on horseback from Buenos Aires to New York (no kidding). A trip that would have left most marriages in shambles but one that “hippy minded” Anita supported wholeheartedly.

Before leaving, Gordon secured a 4000₤ loan so that his wife could start a business to support the family while he was gone. Anita started the first Body Shop with 25 natural skin and hair care products she mixed on her kitchen table. The trademark Body Shop bottles were chosen because they were the least expensive she could find and could be reused by customers (so she didn’t have to buy more). The signature green was chosen because it was the only color that would cover the mold on the walls of her first shop in Brighton, England.

By the time Gordon returned from his trip two years later, Anita had opened a second store. On a lark, she had sold half her business to an acquaintance to raise the money.

Upon his return, Gordon put together a franchising plan that would ultimately swell the company size to 2100 stores in 55 different countries and make Anita Roddick the 4th richest woman in the U.K. And as for that lucky acquaintance – he ended up right there with her.

She became a media darling, was voted Business Woman of the Year, bestowed the title of Dame (female equivalent of knight) by the Queen of England and dubbed the “Queen of Green.”

As I was logging online Tuesday morning, I happened to catch a glimpse of her picture. I hadn’t seen it in nearly 15 years. It was an obituary; she had died at the young age of 64.

The Three Ps of Powerful Marketing

I was fortunate to have met Anita several times and traveled to the company's Littlehampton headquarters during my stint with The Body Shop. She was a huge personality, way ahead of her time and a powerful force to be reckoned with. She was a champion against animal testing in the cosmetics industry and used her stores to spread the word of her cause. In fact, through her storefronts, she championed many causes: Reuse and recycle, fair trade practices with underdeveloped countries and awareness of the horrible situation in Romanian orphanages to name a few.

Every store in the company was mandated to find a community service project in which employees would be paid to participate. She introduced thousands of impressionable young people (employees in her stores) to the power of volunteerism and activism. As a company, we had a voice and the power to make a difference.

It was this big personality that took the world by storm and attracted customers, franchisees and employees that shared her views and passions in droves.

Anita’s amazing Personality was one of the three keys to the huge success of The Body Shop. The other two were her Passion and Point-of-View. Anita had all three and in a big way … and this was translated into the company’s powerful product marketing efforts.

If you felt as strongly as she did about the same issues and causes, you couldn’t help but like her. And people buy from people they like.

I want to repeat that again because it is so important – People buy from people they like.

In a business in which it was highly unlikely she would ever meet the vast majority of her customers face-to-face, she was able to take her three “Ps” and translate them into an incredible relationship that would ultimately make her a very wealthy woman.

The Three Ps in Your Own Business

For Anita Roddick and The Body Shop, I’m not sure the three “Ps” were intentional – at least in the beginning. But, we can take what we’ve learned from Anita and apply it to our own business … especially if that business is on the web.

When we start our businesses, we tend to want them to look large and corporate so we can compete. We wrap them in a plain vanilla wrapper in fear of offending or turning off our customers. When in actuality, it is our humanness that our customers enjoy most. Our down to earth … "I completely understand where you’re coming from … I’ve been right there with you" nature our prospects seem to like the best.

In looking back on my time with The Body Shop – far before I ever started in the direct response biz – I realize that I was building an incredible foundation for my direct marketing career to come.

So, here are 3 quick ways to infuse the three “Ps” into your own business …

Assign a spokesperson: Pick someone to be out front. Depending on the size of the business, this could be the owner, the president, chairman or some other individual that has a vested interest in seeing the business grow. Infuse this person and their personality into all your marketing. Frame your company's marketing in this person’s voice.

Years ago in my local area there was a company called Tire Kingdom and the company president was in all their television commercials and print ads. He was the Tire King. The company is still around but is no longer owned by the Tire King. Yet many long years later, I still remember the Tire King. His name was Chuck Curcio. He was a memorable face and name to what was nothing more than a chain of tire stores.

Align yourself with a cause: Like The Body Shop, business has tremendous power to do something for the greater good. What are you passionate about? Choose a cause that appeals to you and get involved. Sponsor fundraisers for the charities you support, source sustainable resources for the products you manufacture or call attention to poor human rights situations in a newsletter you publish. When you’re in the act of promoting your activism you in turn promote your business. Remember people buy from people they like and liking people often comes down to sharing common interests. Remember: You can do well by doing good.

Speak your mind: It’s important to remember that as business owners we can’t be all things to all people. In a sea of noise, it’s the business owner with the strong point-of-view that is most often heard. Remember in having a point-of-view your job is not to offend but to incite a reaction. Be on the cutting edge of your industry and spread the word of the exciting changes coming down the pike … be known as a prophet or a predictor of the future. Use your opinions to win friends and influence like-minded people.

Do these three things and I can guarantee you’ll quickly make a name for yourself and your business … then watch it translate into incredible growth in sales and revenue!

Rest in peace Anita. I’m a better person for having known you.

[via - Clayton Makepeace]

Five Handy Things US Business Owners And Freelancers Get Free

1. Free business cards

What's the catch? There are no catches. US printers are so overcompetitive, they are willing to give free business cards in hopes that you'll do more business with them later on. To be honest, the free designs not all that impressive, so printers conveniently offer you upgrade for $3 or something like that. I am sure that this is where they make their money.

2. Free Stamps And Postage

Hey, it's only $25 worth of free stamps, but every little bit counts, right?

3. Shawn Casey's Free Business In A Box

If you are into internet marketing, you no doubt know who Shawn Casey is. I personally use this one - it's the best from the list, besides free business cards.

4. Long Lost Sales Letters

This is another great one, if you are addicted to direct mail and direct response marketing, like I am. This is a big collection of old million dollar sales letters back from the 30s to the 80s. Pure marketing genius!

5. The Million Dollar Bookshelf

This site is basically a free collection of James Allen, Napoleon Hill, Benjamin Franklin, and many others. Rare marketing, copywriting and sales books, audiobooks and seminars for download.

[via - dotoca.net]

Marketing Through Psychic Connection

Most of us barely know our next door neighbor, yet we email our buddy in the UK once a week.

Isn't that funny?

As planet earth has become wired, where you live becomes almost irrelevant. I live in Chicago; could just as easily operate from Vancouver or Sidney Australia or a farm in Western Nebraska. What you're INTERESTED IN drives everything.

Oh, the vast spectrum of things that people are interested in. One of my favorite things to do when I go to the bookstore is grab four or five magazines about things I know absolutely nothing about - say, "Tatoo" or "American Cinematographer" or "Cooking With Paula Deen" or "Corvette Fever." I sit down with a cup of Joe and peek into those worlds.

Fascinating.

Each represents a community, a language, a marketplace, a passion. The people who inhabit each of those worlds have secret handshakes and rituals, special meeting places, certain rites of passage.

The smaller that world is, the stranger and more cultish it turns out to be.

Now.... if you truly and intimately understand any one of those worlds, you can say the right thing and members will instantly recognize you as an insider. Like, literally in ten seconds they recognize that you're "one of them."

Here's an example of that: If I were to hold up a ring in front of my face and whisper with desire:

"P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S"

...anybody who's seen the Lord Of The Rings movie will recognize - oh yeah, that's Gollum lusting after the Ring.

Now let's say you're sitting on a plane and you see a hippie looking guy with a Tolkien book in his hand and you say, "We waited inside Old Man Willow until Tom Bombadil sang us out of there."

Well that's a line that's in the book (not in the movie) that ONLY a hard core Lord Of The Rings fanatic would recognize. You say that one line and there's an INSTANT bond. It represents volumes of shared knowledge, shared experience.

That's your secret password. You are now known to be a member of the 'club.' A quiet, morose guy becomes animated. Hours of conversation ensue. You're from the US, he's from the UK, and you email each other once a week for the rest of your life. He invites you and your family to his kid's Bar Mitzvah.

If you truly speak their language - if you actually CAN write a page in their diary - it doesn't take a whole page. A mere sentence or paragraph will be enough to arrest their attention. Maybe it only takes one single word or phrase! When I talk about 'entering the conversation inside the customer's head', that's what I mean.

Your ability to succeed in your market has more to do with this than anything else. Most of the marketing projects I've tackled in the last 5-10 years have hit pay dirt. My batting average is well above .500. But you must understand that the biggest reason for that is, I only went into markets that I already had lived in.

I only tried to sell to people that I had already been.

Which is why so many marketing messages and advertisements seem artificial and sterile - because the people who write them are just taking their briefcase to work and 'doing their job'. They're not connecting with anyone's passion or angst. They're merely spouting techno-latin. They spew words like "innovative" and "ROI" and "core
competency" and "data management solution" and nobody knows what anybody is talking about. Nor do they care.

But if you understand your customers with that psychic connection, then the marketing part is pure mechanics.

[via - Perry Marshall]