Networking for Introverts
kwhite@law.gwu.edu
Question: I am basically a shy person, so networking does not come naturally to me. What do you advise?
Answer: A large percentage of lawyers are uncomfortable with networking, and might classify themselves as “introverts.” However, they have been able to learn to tackle networking and to make it work for them. Here are some ideas for coming out of your shell:
Join an organization – As you have read in this blog, a great way to meet lawyers is to join a bar association. The good news is that the meetings these groups hold often have agendas, and are not merely open networking receptions. Find a way to talk to people at the meetings. If there is seating, talk to the person sitting next to you. Talk to people while you are waiting in line to get name tags. Talk to people standing next to you waiting for the program to begin, or in the food or drink line. The more meetings you attend, the more comfortable you will become, and the more people you will meet.
Follow up with people you have met, and arrange for face to face meetings over coffee or lunch – Set a goal of reaching out to your friends and colleagues and friends of friends to build your network one person at a time. When you meet, be prepared to ask a lot of questions, solicit advice about your career, find out what is going on at their company or law firm, and see if they can refer you to at least one new person who might be a useful contact for you.
Email is your friend! — As an introvert, you may prefer to email people instead of talking on the phone. This is a great way to make the initial contacts with the people you want to meet. But ultimately you are going to want to meet face to face, to get to know them.
Manage your contacts:
Note the date of your meeting, the event name, and a note about what you talked to this contact about on each business card you receive.
Send an email to the people you would like to keep in touch with the day after the event.
File business cards in a file box, or enter the information into a spreadsheet or an address book database on your computer.
Schedule a time each week to go through the cards of the people you have met, and decide who to follow up with, and how you will do so.
Prioritize your contacts, and determine which people you want to follow up with first. Who can be the most useful to you in your job search, or as a future contact for business?
Reach out to the people you most want to meet to set up a time for an informational interview.
Follow Up – After you meet with a contact, make a note on your spreadsheet about following up and what you talked about. Act on the advice they gave you about who else to contact and other actions.
Be sure to send a thank you note (email is fine) to the people who have helped you.
Finally, don’t be discouraged if you reach out to a contact and they don’t respond. Keep trying to reach them, and if it doesn’t work out, move on. Not everyone will be responsive or available to help you. But this will work if you keep at it. Persevere! Good luck!!
Katie White is an advisor to law firms, lawyers and educational institutions. She has helped hundreds of the nations top attorneys launch and refine their careers.
From her website: www.ktwhitelawcareers.com
My consulting business is growing, thanks to the great people in my network, and referrals from my clients. The following is a snapshot of the work I have been doing of late:
* Preparing senior in-house counsel for job search moves, with mock interviews and consults about job search strategy
* Coaching an on-track associate about his pathway to partnership, time management, and building his network of contacts for future business development
* Coaching law firm partners transitioning out of law firms and in to new careers ventures
* Consulting with clients about cover letters, resumes, and all phases of job application
* Blogging about "Networking for Introverts" and other topics, on www.legaljob.com
I have also had the opportunity to speak about networking skills and how to use LinkedIn as a business development and job search tool. Most recently I offered a webinar called "Why Everyone Keeps Telling You LinkedIn is So Great" to Harvard Law School alumni.
I hope all is well with you! Please keep me in mind, if you know anyone who can use my services. My blog post about "Networking for Introverts" is copied above.
Regards,
Katie White
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Update and Free Seminar Offer from Bernadette Doyle
One of my favorite new-economy international entrepreneurs is Bernadette Doyle. Her value is always obvious, right out front and she blends enough free advice and good tips with her marketing message that I never seem to mind. Prayers were answered when her son showed enough progress on his recent illness to come home from the hospital.
Here's her update and a great free seminar she is offering next Tuesday. Check the times, since she is located in Ireland and the seminar airs in Los Angeles at noon.
Patty DeDominic
Coach to High Achievers
http://www.dedominic.com/
a proud member of the RBC network
http://www.realitybasedcertification.com/
After 3 long weeks in hospital, my son JJ is finally home!
We still have daily trips to the hospital for foreseeable future. That smile on my face is happiness and relief at finally having my whole family back under one roof. (My elder son Benan spent the 3 weeks with one of my
aunts who lives 250 miles away.)
I feel like I've had mastery level tuition in balancing work and family over the past month, and as you'd expect, this experience will have a profound impact on how I conduct my business and what I teach from now on.
As a result of this experience I am redesigning my entire business. I've got plenty of juicy insights to share with you over the coming months, but to start with I'm kicking things off with a special Masterclass on one of my favourite business strategies.
This is my way of saying 'thank you' to all my clients and subscribers for your love and support over the past few weeks.
Featured Article:
Are You Making Tough Decisions Out of Fear or In Faith?
Given all the upheaval over the past few weeks, with JJ being hospitalised over 100 miles from home, there were plenty of stress and challenges to deal with, but one thing I didn't have to worry about during all that time was money. That's largely because of one important strategy that I implemented in my business 4 years ago.
It helped me triple my business then, and is still a strategy I use today that plays a vital part in the overall health of my business. I love to teach this strategy to new business owners because it can literally catapult them into the 'big league' overnight. I've also successfully taught this strategy to experienced business owners to help them take their business to the next level. So whether you are just getting started or have been in business for some time, this strategy will work for you.
It's my most informative AND FUNNY, yes funny video yet! Join me on this private interview with best selling author, Steven Sonsino. I promise you, you'll learn and laugh with Steven as I guide him to his £500,000 goal. We talk challenges, "scaredness", reams, possibilities and results. It's all about creating a profitable online business.
Watch here:
After our session Steven says "this has helped me in more ways than you can imagine" ... AND it's going to help you too.
http://clientmagnets.tv/stevensonsinoprofitableonlinebusiness/
>>> P.S. Also, please send me a comment - do you think I'm being gentle with Steven Sonsino or am I being BRUTAL as he claims! Love to know your thoughts on that.
Client Success Stories
Zero to a £100k within 12 months!
My new business, Bombshell Academy only started in January and I help Wedding Suppliers with their marketing. Up until then I was a Wedding Planner and I used Bernadette’s tools and inspiration to grow that business from virtually nothing to a £100k a year business within about 12 months. Since January (I sold my Wedding planning business in October 2010) I've been helping other Wedding people do the same.
Before using Bernadette’s strategies, I was struggling to get new clients, converting them and was not making much money at all. I introduced a sign up procedure and was able to start converting people to paying clients. My subscribers went from about 12 to over 500 within a few months and from those I was converting about one every 10 days into a client, with an average spend of about £2500! Within 12 months I went from having 6 weddings booked for the following year to 27 ! Another strategy I introduced was the “high-end package”. My standard wedding planning packages started at £3000 and I introduced a super deluxe package for £9000, yes, three times my usual rate ! It was scarey stuff and I was convinced no one would go for the package but when I introduced it in the June I sold 2 of these packages within the first months! Just 2 sales brought me the revenue the work of my usual 6 sales!!!
The biggest benefit is that it made the whole thing of getting new clients much easier - it was no longer an arduous task of chasing customers, it became an automated system that got me clients with no effort at all. The changes I implemented turned my business around from 20k a year to over £100k and also enabled me to sell that business last year (for a nice sum I can't disclose! lol) to spend more time at home working ever more effortlessly!
The biggest personal change is that I'm expecting my first child in October and I know I won’t have to be working all hours around it, my business will still be bringing in money and ticking over while I'm caring for my new baby. My biggest discovery is that business doesn't have to be really hard work - it can effortless if you set it up right. My advice to others - do it and follow it to the letter and it can't fail!
Claire Dobinson
http://www.bombshellacademy.com/
Have you ever had the feeling that you need to do something, and you need to do something now!
That is an example of a pressing need. Too often a pressing need drives a desperation that can cloud your judgment when making decisions. When it is a desperate need that drives and guides you when making a decision, instead of a desire of your heart, you could be making a big mistake. What you think is taking a leap of faith, may actually be a leap of fear. But a leap is always scary, so how do you know the difference?
1. Start by Being Honest With Yourself …
Taking a leap of faith is putting your trust in something that you believe in. You take action because you have a level of confidence that it will work out. Yes, there maybe some fear mixed in there because there is no guarantee that it will work out. But it is faith mixed with fear, it is not panic and fear. This is something that you cannot fake and you need to really be honest with yourself. If you examine your motives you should quickly be able to figure out if you are making the decision in faith or out of fear. The problem with taking a leap out of fear is that your heart is not really in it. It is something you feel you MUST do rather than something you have a desire to do.
Acting out of fear also shows desperation. When you are desperate you won’t be thinking clearly. You will have this huge problem hanging over your head making you worry. So any decisions you make at that point will be clouded by the problem you are facing. You will be thinking of the consequences of not taking the leap rather than the benefits of taking the leap.
Get the rest of my tips when you read the whole article here. And please remember to post me a comment. I’d love to hear how you plan to use these tips in your own business.
To read more about it, not to mention lots of success stories, go here: www.clientmagnets.com/steppingup2011
About Bernadette
Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets Ltd to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients.
Formerly a full-time training consultant, Bernadette built an impressive corporate client list and delivered sales training all over the world. But she soon became disillusioned with trading her time for money and wanted to seek out new ways to profit from her expertise.
Since then she has made the transition from full time consultant to information marketer, relocated to Ireland and now runs her business part time so she can devote more time to raising her two sons.
Bernadette has attracted a loyal following who rave about her down to earth yet inspiring approach. If you liked today's issue, you'll love Bernadette's marketing and success training products and programmes to help you develop a business that suits YOUR preferred lifestyle. http://www.clientmagnets.com/products.asp
Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at http://www.clientmagnets.com/
© Copyright 2010 Client Magnets Ltd, 23 Fortwailliam Hall, Belfast, BT15 4EB
Here's her update and a great free seminar she is offering next Tuesday. Check the times, since she is located in Ireland and the seminar airs in Los Angeles at noon.
Patty DeDominic
Coach to High Achievers
http://www.dedominic.com/
a proud member of the RBC network
http://www.realitybasedcertification.com/
We still have daily trips to the hospital for foreseeable future. That smile on my face is happiness and relief at finally having my whole family back under one roof. (My elder son Benan spent the 3 weeks with one of my
aunts who lives 250 miles away.)
I feel like I've had mastery level tuition in balancing work and family over the past month, and as you'd expect, this experience will have a profound impact on how I conduct my business and what I teach from now on.
As a result of this experience I am redesigning my entire business. I've got plenty of juicy insights to share with you over the coming months, but to start with I'm kicking things off with a special Masterclass on one of my favourite business strategies.
This is my way of saying 'thank you' to all my clients and subscribers for your love and support over the past few weeks.
Featured Article:
Are You Making Tough Decisions Out of Fear or In Faith?
Given all the upheaval over the past few weeks, with JJ being hospitalised over 100 miles from home, there were plenty of stress and challenges to deal with, but one thing I didn't have to worry about during all that time was money. That's largely because of one important strategy that I implemented in my business 4 years ago.
It helped me triple my business then, and is still a strategy I use today that plays a vital part in the overall health of my business. I love to teach this strategy to new business owners because it can literally catapult them into the 'big league' overnight. I've also successfully taught this strategy to experienced business owners to help them take their business to the next level. So whether you are just getting started or have been in business for some time, this strategy will work for you.
It's my most informative AND FUNNY, yes funny video yet! Join me on this private interview with best selling author, Steven Sonsino. I promise you, you'll learn and laugh with Steven as I guide him to his £500,000 goal. We talk challenges, "scaredness", reams, possibilities and results. It's all about creating a profitable online business.
Watch here:
After our session Steven says "this has helped me in more ways than you can imagine" ... AND it's going to help you too.
http://clientmagnets.tv/stevensonsinoprofitableonlinebusiness/
>>> P.S. Also, please send me a comment - do you think I'm being gentle with Steven Sonsino or am I being BRUTAL as he claims! Love to know your thoughts on that.
Client Success Stories
Zero to a £100k within 12 months!
My new business, Bombshell Academy only started in January and I help Wedding Suppliers with their marketing. Up until then I was a Wedding Planner and I used Bernadette’s tools and inspiration to grow that business from virtually nothing to a £100k a year business within about 12 months. Since January (I sold my Wedding planning business in October 2010) I've been helping other Wedding people do the same.
Before using Bernadette’s strategies, I was struggling to get new clients, converting them and was not making much money at all. I introduced a sign up procedure and was able to start converting people to paying clients. My subscribers went from about 12 to over 500 within a few months and from those I was converting about one every 10 days into a client, with an average spend of about £2500! Within 12 months I went from having 6 weddings booked for the following year to 27 ! Another strategy I introduced was the “high-end package”. My standard wedding planning packages started at £3000 and I introduced a super deluxe package for £9000, yes, three times my usual rate ! It was scarey stuff and I was convinced no one would go for the package but when I introduced it in the June I sold 2 of these packages within the first months! Just 2 sales brought me the revenue the work of my usual 6 sales!!!
The biggest benefit is that it made the whole thing of getting new clients much easier - it was no longer an arduous task of chasing customers, it became an automated system that got me clients with no effort at all. The changes I implemented turned my business around from 20k a year to over £100k and also enabled me to sell that business last year (for a nice sum I can't disclose! lol) to spend more time at home working ever more effortlessly!
The biggest personal change is that I'm expecting my first child in October and I know I won’t have to be working all hours around it, my business will still be bringing in money and ticking over while I'm caring for my new baby. My biggest discovery is that business doesn't have to be really hard work - it can effortless if you set it up right. My advice to others - do it and follow it to the letter and it can't fail!
Claire Dobinson
http://www.bombshellacademy.com/
Have you ever had the feeling that you need to do something, and you need to do something now!
That is an example of a pressing need. Too often a pressing need drives a desperation that can cloud your judgment when making decisions. When it is a desperate need that drives and guides you when making a decision, instead of a desire of your heart, you could be making a big mistake. What you think is taking a leap of faith, may actually be a leap of fear. But a leap is always scary, so how do you know the difference?
1. Start by Being Honest With Yourself …
Taking a leap of faith is putting your trust in something that you believe in. You take action because you have a level of confidence that it will work out. Yes, there maybe some fear mixed in there because there is no guarantee that it will work out. But it is faith mixed with fear, it is not panic and fear. This is something that you cannot fake and you need to really be honest with yourself. If you examine your motives you should quickly be able to figure out if you are making the decision in faith or out of fear. The problem with taking a leap out of fear is that your heart is not really in it. It is something you feel you MUST do rather than something you have a desire to do.
Acting out of fear also shows desperation. When you are desperate you won’t be thinking clearly. You will have this huge problem hanging over your head making you worry. So any decisions you make at that point will be clouded by the problem you are facing. You will be thinking of the consequences of not taking the leap rather than the benefits of taking the leap.
Get the rest of my tips when you read the whole article here. And please remember to post me a comment. I’d love to hear how you plan to use these tips in your own business.
To read more about it, not to mention lots of success stories, go here: www.clientmagnets.com/steppingup2011
About Bernadette
Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets Ltd to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients.
Formerly a full-time training consultant, Bernadette built an impressive corporate client list and delivered sales training all over the world. But she soon became disillusioned with trading her time for money and wanted to seek out new ways to profit from her expertise.
Since then she has made the transition from full time consultant to information marketer, relocated to Ireland and now runs her business part time so she can devote more time to raising her two sons.
Bernadette has attracted a loyal following who rave about her down to earth yet inspiring approach. If you liked today's issue, you'll love Bernadette's marketing and success training products and programmes to help you develop a business that suits YOUR preferred lifestyle. http://www.clientmagnets.com/products.asp
Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at http://www.clientmagnets.com/
© Copyright 2010 Client Magnets Ltd, 23 Fortwailliam Hall, Belfast, BT15 4EB
Monday, June 6, 2011
Dr. Jeanne Erikson, PCC on Surviving Complexity
This is from Dr. Erikson's June newsletter.
Surviving Complexity
By Jeanne Erikson, PhD
“Complex.”
Do you cringe when you read that word?
To be complex is to be intricate, knotty, elaborate, sophisticated, and complicated according to Webster. Does this sound like your world?
With the exception of WWII with its huge complexity, fifty years ago we did not know about melt-downs in Japan, exact and updated death tolls from tornadoes and hurricanes and floods, changing weather patterns, the Medicare donut hole, or everyone’s sexual indiscretions. We would have known about our own job progress, our overt health status, our children’s grades, and the neighbor’s business we could hear from our porch.
I have been reading “The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha’s Brain” by Rick Hanson, PhD, a book about how to actually cope with complexity. It reminded me that our brain has evolved slowly over time, but retains the reptilian basic structures, as well as the squirrel ones of the mid-brain, and the monkey ones of the complex brain. All three methods of coping can get triggered when we face complexity. The author points out that when we allow brain overstimulation for hours a day, our brain copes by lighting up various systems. Resources shift away from building a strong immune system and preserving good mood to managing chaos. The end of this complexity cycle has two bad outcomes. We can eventually quit/ get fired from the things we love to stop the anxiety, depression, and discouragement, or we are forced to stop when we flame out with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, immune disorders, and back pain.
I have these suggestions for you to try in the next 30 days:
1) Decide how much noise and “input” is too much for you.
How many hours a day can you have background sound before you feel stressed and overloaded?
If you pay attention, you will find this happens fairly rapidly. We have gotten so used to input overload that we ignore the discomfort. How often do you try to increasing coping by reminding yourselves to focus? How often do you begin inattentive multi-tasking?
Plan for the quiet time each day that you need.
Could it be that introverts need more than extroverts partly because of how their brain operates?
2) Substitute soothing nature noises for electronic noises part of each day.
Nature noises like bird songs and wind through trees can help, as there is a predictable pattern for your brain to process. Part of combating complexity is discerning organizing patterns. Our brain makes one adjustment, then stabilizes. When we bombard it with continuously variety, it eventually fails. It reminds me of the Eastern U.S. electrical grid during Summer peak use.
3) Do intentional brain-calming activities.
Pair passionate motivation with deliberate, reasoned activity. For example, when you bowl or play golf, set your “I will be satisfied when..” goal in the mid-range of your skill. That way you do not over-stimulate your brain, and the amygdala does not send you into a tirade when you miss a spare or a par. When you begin work on a project for work or home, break it down into sequential pieces you can celebrate finishing.
4) Actively notice good news in your life to let your brain systems experience pleasure.
Pay attention to when someone is nice to you. Enjoy the smell of a peach. Praise yourself for making it through a trip to the swimming pool or lake without yelling at or trying to control your kids. Enjoy minor successes at work. Dr. Hanson suggests continuing to focus on each happy thought for as long as 20 seconds to assist brain function. Try it!
We can’t choose our brain, but we can choose how to challenge and soothe it.
How do you want yours to work?
I want mine to be on that poster that says “This is your brain at peace.”
To your wellness,
Jeanne Erikson, PCC
Jeanne@collaborativelifecoaching.com
On twitter@serenesuccess
Surviving Complexity
By Jeanne Erikson, PhD
“Complex.”
Do you cringe when you read that word?
To be complex is to be intricate, knotty, elaborate, sophisticated, and complicated according to Webster. Does this sound like your world?
With the exception of WWII with its huge complexity, fifty years ago we did not know about melt-downs in Japan, exact and updated death tolls from tornadoes and hurricanes and floods, changing weather patterns, the Medicare donut hole, or everyone’s sexual indiscretions. We would have known about our own job progress, our overt health status, our children’s grades, and the neighbor’s business we could hear from our porch.
I have been reading “The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha’s Brain” by Rick Hanson, PhD, a book about how to actually cope with complexity. It reminded me that our brain has evolved slowly over time, but retains the reptilian basic structures, as well as the squirrel ones of the mid-brain, and the monkey ones of the complex brain. All three methods of coping can get triggered when we face complexity. The author points out that when we allow brain overstimulation for hours a day, our brain copes by lighting up various systems. Resources shift away from building a strong immune system and preserving good mood to managing chaos. The end of this complexity cycle has two bad outcomes. We can eventually quit/ get fired from the things we love to stop the anxiety, depression, and discouragement, or we are forced to stop when we flame out with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, immune disorders, and back pain.
I have these suggestions for you to try in the next 30 days:
1) Decide how much noise and “input” is too much for you.
How many hours a day can you have background sound before you feel stressed and overloaded?
If you pay attention, you will find this happens fairly rapidly. We have gotten so used to input overload that we ignore the discomfort. How often do you try to increasing coping by reminding yourselves to focus? How often do you begin inattentive multi-tasking?
Plan for the quiet time each day that you need.
Could it be that introverts need more than extroverts partly because of how their brain operates?
2) Substitute soothing nature noises for electronic noises part of each day.
Nature noises like bird songs and wind through trees can help, as there is a predictable pattern for your brain to process. Part of combating complexity is discerning organizing patterns. Our brain makes one adjustment, then stabilizes. When we bombard it with continuously variety, it eventually fails. It reminds me of the Eastern U.S. electrical grid during Summer peak use.
3) Do intentional brain-calming activities.
Pair passionate motivation with deliberate, reasoned activity. For example, when you bowl or play golf, set your “I will be satisfied when..” goal in the mid-range of your skill. That way you do not over-stimulate your brain, and the amygdala does not send you into a tirade when you miss a spare or a par. When you begin work on a project for work or home, break it down into sequential pieces you can celebrate finishing.
4) Actively notice good news in your life to let your brain systems experience pleasure.
Pay attention to when someone is nice to you. Enjoy the smell of a peach. Praise yourself for making it through a trip to the swimming pool or lake without yelling at or trying to control your kids. Enjoy minor successes at work. Dr. Hanson suggests continuing to focus on each happy thought for as long as 20 seconds to assist brain function. Try it!
We can’t choose our brain, but we can choose how to challenge and soothe it.
How do you want yours to work?
I want mine to be on that poster that says “This is your brain at peace.”
To your wellness,
Jeanne Erikson, PCC
Jeanne@collaborativelifecoaching.com
On twitter@serenesuccess
Sunday, June 5, 2011
College Opportunity Knocks....... Yes, there is money to help with your college education!
Q: I want to go back to school. Is there any money to help California residents with college tuition?
A: Yes! There have never been more, and there are federal programs for Military and Military spouses too. Anyone can apply and you should be proactive to get help with your costs!
Federal Work Study
If a student is offered Federal Work Study as part of his/her financial aid package, the College or University Financial Aid Office can usually help students find a part-time job on or off campus. If possible, students will be placed in work related to his/her studies or career plans, or in community service. A student will generally earn between $8.50 and $14.50 per hour and be paid once per month.
Federal Pell Grants
Pell Grants are awarded solely on demonstrated financial need to every eligible undergraduate student who hasn't already earned a bachelor's degree or professional degree. Pell Grants don't need to be repaid. They can be used for tuition, fees, and living expenses. A student can even receive a Pell Grant if he/she is attending college less than half time.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
Your college Financial Aid Office awards these grants to undergraduate students who have exceptional financial need, with priority given to Pell Grant recipients. Unlike Pell Grants, there's no guarantee every eligible student will receive one. In addition, funds are limited. These grants don't need to be paid back.
Cal Grants
Cal Grants are awarded on demonstrated financial need and academic achievement as measured by a GPA to undergraduate students who haven't already earned a bachelor's degree or professional degree. Cal Grants don't need to be repaid. They can be used for tuition, fees, and living expenses. Contact the California Student Aid Commission at 1-888-224-7268 or visit their web site at http://www.csac.ca.gov/ for more information regarding deadlines and availability of funds.
Federal Stafford Loans
There are two types of Stafford loans: subsidized, for which the government pays the interest while the student is in college; and unsubsidized, for which the student is responsible for paying all the interest on the loan, during college and after. A student can receive both types of loans at the same time.
The interest rate is currently 3.4 percent for subsidized loans and fixed at 6.8 percent for unsubsidized loans . After graduating, leaving school, or enrolling less than half time, a student will have a six month "grace period" before the first loan payment is due. All student loans must be paid back with interest. Typically a student will have 10 years to repay the loan.
Federal PLUS Loans for Parents
With PLUS Loans, a student's parents or stepparents may borrow up to the total cost of a student's education, minus any other aid that the student receives. PLUS loans are not based on a student's family's income or assets and are only for undergraduate study.
The current interest rate is fixed at 7.9 percent. Interest is charged from the date loan funds are first disbursed until the loan is repaid in full. Generally repayment starts within 60 days of the loan's final disbursement for the school year, so a student's parents may be repaying both the loan and the interest while the student is still in college.
Check with your employer too. Many offer tuition reimbursement and some offer generous scholarships!
Best of luck as you continue to grow your options! Patty DeDominic, Coach to High Achievers
A: Yes! There have never been more, and there are federal programs for Military and Military spouses too. Anyone can apply and you should be proactive to get help with your costs!
Federal Work Study
If a student is offered Federal Work Study as part of his/her financial aid package, the College or University Financial Aid Office can usually help students find a part-time job on or off campus. If possible, students will be placed in work related to his/her studies or career plans, or in community service. A student will generally earn between $8.50 and $14.50 per hour and be paid once per month.
Federal Pell Grants
Pell Grants are awarded solely on demonstrated financial need to every eligible undergraduate student who hasn't already earned a bachelor's degree or professional degree. Pell Grants don't need to be repaid. They can be used for tuition, fees, and living expenses. A student can even receive a Pell Grant if he/she is attending college less than half time.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
Your college Financial Aid Office awards these grants to undergraduate students who have exceptional financial need, with priority given to Pell Grant recipients. Unlike Pell Grants, there's no guarantee every eligible student will receive one. In addition, funds are limited. These grants don't need to be paid back.
Cal Grants
Cal Grants are awarded on demonstrated financial need and academic achievement as measured by a GPA to undergraduate students who haven't already earned a bachelor's degree or professional degree. Cal Grants don't need to be repaid. They can be used for tuition, fees, and living expenses. Contact the California Student Aid Commission at 1-888-224-7268 or visit their web site at http://www.csac.ca.gov/ for more information regarding deadlines and availability of funds.
Federal Stafford Loans
There are two types of Stafford loans: subsidized, for which the government pays the interest while the student is in college; and unsubsidized, for which the student is responsible for paying all the interest on the loan, during college and after. A student can receive both types of loans at the same time.
The interest rate is currently 3.4 percent for subsidized loans and fixed at 6.8 percent for unsubsidized loans . After graduating, leaving school, or enrolling less than half time, a student will have a six month "grace period" before the first loan payment is due. All student loans must be paid back with interest. Typically a student will have 10 years to repay the loan.
Federal PLUS Loans for Parents
With PLUS Loans, a student's parents or stepparents may borrow up to the total cost of a student's education, minus any other aid that the student receives. PLUS loans are not based on a student's family's income or assets and are only for undergraduate study.
The current interest rate is fixed at 7.9 percent. Interest is charged from the date loan funds are first disbursed until the loan is repaid in full. Generally repayment starts within 60 days of the loan's final disbursement for the school year, so a student's parents may be repaying both the loan and the interest while the student is still in college.
Check with your employer too. Many offer tuition reimbursement and some offer generous scholarships!
Best of luck as you continue to grow your options! Patty DeDominic, Coach to High Achievers
Ali Asadi, MBA, MA(IT) An Active Business Consultant from Aprofitmaker.com
Ali Asadi, MBA, MA(IT) Offers some advice for entrepreneurs who want to improve their businesses that is alos useful for job hunters too! Edits and additions by Patty DeDominic
The following are some rules to improve your business:
1) You should never stop thinking how to improve your business. (Or your skill set!)
2) Go through every single cost of your business to see if you can do it more cost efficiently. (Let employers know that this is one of the ways you want to be of service to them too, not just in making money which is very important, but in saving money too. A dollar not spent sometimes means that $20.00 of revenue burden is reduced.)
3) Network instead of paying for advertising. (Actually, I feel that you should do both, but along with the thoughts above about saving money, networking is an activity that can really boost your effectiveness and your reach if you do it professionally and strategically. Networking is not simply handing out business cards or asking people for theirs.)
4) Sometimes, outsourcing is much cheaper and efficient than doing the job by yourself. (Know that it is an option to outsource, so your department must be highly effective and efficient to keep the work in house. In order to survive today, companies must look for ways to maximize productivity and return on investment.)
5) Treat your employees like your best customers. (Treat your colleagues as if they were your best boss!)
6) Keep promises. (Under Promising and over delivering assures you will get called back much more often than your competition.)
7) Provide learning procedure for your employees. (People who keep all the information to themselves create a false dependency that will not be sustainable. Smart people leave user friendly trails!)
8) If you are wrong, apologize.
9) Ask for feedback.
10) Please let me know this one based on your own experience
Ali Asadi, MBA, MA(IT)
Business Consultant
www.aprofitmaker.com
The following are some rules to improve your business:
1) You should never stop thinking how to improve your business. (Or your skill set!)
2) Go through every single cost of your business to see if you can do it more cost efficiently. (Let employers know that this is one of the ways you want to be of service to them too, not just in making money which is very important, but in saving money too. A dollar not spent sometimes means that $20.00 of revenue burden is reduced.)
3) Network instead of paying for advertising. (Actually, I feel that you should do both, but along with the thoughts above about saving money, networking is an activity that can really boost your effectiveness and your reach if you do it professionally and strategically. Networking is not simply handing out business cards or asking people for theirs.)
4) Sometimes, outsourcing is much cheaper and efficient than doing the job by yourself. (Know that it is an option to outsource, so your department must be highly effective and efficient to keep the work in house. In order to survive today, companies must look for ways to maximize productivity and return on investment.)
5) Treat your employees like your best customers. (Treat your colleagues as if they were your best boss!)
6) Keep promises. (Under Promising and over delivering assures you will get called back much more often than your competition.)
7) Provide learning procedure for your employees. (People who keep all the information to themselves create a false dependency that will not be sustainable. Smart people leave user friendly trails!)
8) If you are wrong, apologize.
9) Ask for feedback.
10) Please let me know this one based on your own experience
Ali Asadi, MBA, MA(IT)
Business Consultant
www.aprofitmaker.com
Friday, June 3, 2011
The Helping Professions Could Use Some Help Now! Patty DeDominic
Helping professionals like nurses, teachers, clergy, firefighters and law enforcement give a triple bottom line to our society and we continue to cut, cut, cut away at them. It's time to give them a break and a boost!
I wanted to spend some time today writing about the Helping Professionals and their devotion to their craft, to their "consumers" and their important role in our community. They are essential to a healthy nation and have been under represented when it comes to getting support or perks! I noticed that former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich even has a new book (Aftershock:The Next Economy and America's Future).
Hopefully this important segment of our society will soak up all the advice and resources we can send their way since they are the ones who give back so much to our very foundation of society, safety, wellness and care and education.
I am a career coach, I consult with high achievers in a variety of professions, including medicine, education and clergy. I have noticed that this group, which does not seem to be represented by powerful lobbyists in Washington, (except some of the unions which seem to have lost their way) and their pensions and wages have continually been cut. I know college professors who are trying to piece a living together. I know police officers and even chiefs who don't make enough money to support a family. Where are our priorities?
MY advice to all professionals striving to do better:
1. Continue to build your networks, inside and in parallel to your chosen field.
2. Your investment in your continued education can pay off exponentially if you combine it with colleagues in a and outside of your profession.
3. Make friends with those who are also committed to professional growth and are alert for opportunities in their network. MAKE REFERRALS.
4. Act like a leader not like a follower: you don't have to become an extrovert or salesperson to get better at making referrals or taking action beyond noticing what's wrong with a workplace or community situation.
5. Mere mortals have changed the world, and when people who are selfless, who are committed to better law enforcement, medicine, care or education combine their passion with a few networking and business education skills magic CAN and does happen. Two colossal examples of this come to mind, math teacher Marion Davison who wanted to help her students have a better time learning math, so she invested MathBlaster which she and her husband eventually sold for hundreds of millions of dollars (rumored to be the first billion dollar education deal) almost twenty years ago, and today's Lynda Weinman, of Lynda.com who has revolutionized computer learning and teaching, by breaking stuff down into bite sized chucks that anyone can learn from.
There are countless stories of passionate helping professionals who are able to make a triple bottom line contribution......earn a paycheck, make a difference to their patients and or students and provide our communities with such a cushion of support that many take it for granted. However, a safe, educated or healthy society can't be taken for granted and we must do all we can to encourage the helping professions!
Call or write if you want more. I'd love to brag about my son, a community college professor who is also working in the prison system in New Orleans as a creative writing instructor. He tells me it is the most rewarding of all his teaching work!
To Your Continued Success,
Patty DeDominic
Coach to High Achieving Professionals
I wanted to spend some time today writing about the Helping Professionals and their devotion to their craft, to their "consumers" and their important role in our community. They are essential to a healthy nation and have been under represented when it comes to getting support or perks! I noticed that former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich even has a new book (Aftershock:The Next Economy and America's Future).
Hopefully this important segment of our society will soak up all the advice and resources we can send their way since they are the ones who give back so much to our very foundation of society, safety, wellness and care and education.
I am a career coach, I consult with high achievers in a variety of professions, including medicine, education and clergy. I have noticed that this group, which does not seem to be represented by powerful lobbyists in Washington, (except some of the unions which seem to have lost their way) and their pensions and wages have continually been cut. I know college professors who are trying to piece a living together. I know police officers and even chiefs who don't make enough money to support a family. Where are our priorities?
MY advice to all professionals striving to do better:
1. Continue to build your networks, inside and in parallel to your chosen field.
2. Your investment in your continued education can pay off exponentially if you combine it with colleagues in a and outside of your profession.
3. Make friends with those who are also committed to professional growth and are alert for opportunities in their network. MAKE REFERRALS.
4. Act like a leader not like a follower: you don't have to become an extrovert or salesperson to get better at making referrals or taking action beyond noticing what's wrong with a workplace or community situation.
5. Mere mortals have changed the world, and when people who are selfless, who are committed to better law enforcement, medicine, care or education combine their passion with a few networking and business education skills magic CAN and does happen. Two colossal examples of this come to mind, math teacher Marion Davison who wanted to help her students have a better time learning math, so she invested MathBlaster which she and her husband eventually sold for hundreds of millions of dollars (rumored to be the first billion dollar education deal) almost twenty years ago, and today's Lynda Weinman, of Lynda.com who has revolutionized computer learning and teaching, by breaking stuff down into bite sized chucks that anyone can learn from.
There are countless stories of passionate helping professionals who are able to make a triple bottom line contribution......earn a paycheck, make a difference to their patients and or students and provide our communities with such a cushion of support that many take it for granted. However, a safe, educated or healthy society can't be taken for granted and we must do all we can to encourage the helping professions!
Call or write if you want more. I'd love to brag about my son, a community college professor who is also working in the prison system in New Orleans as a creative writing instructor. He tells me it is the most rewarding of all his teaching work!
To Your Continued Success,
Patty DeDominic
Coach to High Achieving Professionals
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