In This Issue

News from Joan (right)

Organizing Skills for All Ages (below)

Quotes for the Month

Job Seeking Tips: Resumes that Sell

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News from Joan!

Check Out My New Paintings

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August 14, San Antonio, Regional conference for Investor Relations Managers, Managing Your IR Career

October 9, Houston, SHELL WAVE Conference, Career Strategies for Challenging Times

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As a professional speaker and former trainer, Joan will give your organization great ideas and practical tips they can implement immediately. To view a list of topics and in-depth descriptions.

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I know it’s not enough to say thanks for your even-handed guidance and training that allowed me to not get involved at a confrontational level. I was able to address our issue and resolve it with ease; it’s not at all easy dealing with this person but with better tools and copious amounts of patience we worked it out at a very civil level –IT WAS ALMOST FUN!"

George Stover
O&M Manager, Calpine

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A spam free newsletter written and published by Joan Bolmer, Executive, Business, Career and Personal Coach. For more helpful ideas visit http://www.bolmer.com

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Organizing Skills for All Ages: Developing Family Routines

by Denise Landers

Most parents want the best for their children and sacrifice a great deal to achieve this. In the book, “Talent is Overrated,” author Geoff Colvin argues against the idea that displays of exceptional talent among humans are based on genetics. Instead he believes you can train your child to be a prodigy. Of course, that involves a huge amount of commitment on your part. (Think of Earl and Tiger Woods.) Few have the time or drive to push for the relentless practice that would produce the next violin virtuoso or top-seeded tennis player.

However there are still skills to impart at a young age. Colvin suggests that business acumen or musical expertise be developed early. I would like to add on to these areas and say that teaching children organization skills will serve them well for all of their lives. Even if they do not aspire to become Fortune 500 CEOs or sports stars, there will always be schedules to keep, documents to find, and projects to manage.

Organizing skills rarely come naturally. Parents usually need to teach them. Yet many times the things you want to correct in your children may be a reflection of your own habits. When discussing what a mess your child’s desk is, take a look at your own at work. When becoming upset about a missed assignment date, think about your own deadlines.

If you, as the adult, do not consistently exhibit good time management skills, how could you expect children and teens to have them? Who would they learn from if not you?

Yet even if you are a great organizer, there is no guarantee that this will automatically make your children the same way.

Every age needs:
• Supplies close at hand
• Space to put things
• Systems, or routines, to manage daily activities

• Weekly maintenance
I am not saying that you need to be relentless in pushing organization of the playroom, but this is a great opportunity to start early. Involve your children in how things are set up and then in keeping them maintained that way.

Childhood Years:
• Have enough shelves and containers.
• Put a picture on the container for quick sorting.
• Create simple box schedules. Use pictures on the chart for chores and events.
• Plan the night before. Clothes can be put out for school the next day.

Teen Years:
• Guide them in setting up a process for dealing with their own basic files.
• Give them a say in how and where their things are located.
• Be sure they write down homework assignments and chores.
• Help them maintain a printed or electronic schedule.

Your part is two-fold:
1. You have to model organized behavior.
2. You have to be consistent in your expectations.

The busier your family is, the more need for organization. Do your children a favor and help them get a head start in their careers and their lives, regardless of what paths they take. If you do not feel that you have the skills to do this, or that you are not being a good example of this, take a break and seek time management training for yourself. Not only will it help you, but it will lead to a more relaxed and successful family lifestyle.

Denise Landers is the author of Destination: Organization, A Week by Week Journey http://www.keyorganization.com/destination-organization.php and the owner of Key Organization Systems, Inc. (www.keyorganization.com). Based in Houston, she is a national speaker, trainer, and consultant providing conference sessions, corporate training, and individual assistance to improve daily work flow and time management skills.

Quotes for the Month

“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.”
-Demosthenes, Greek orator & politician in Athens (384 BC - 322 BC)

“You create your opportunities by asking for them.”
-Patty Hansen, Prevention Magazine, 11-05

”I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
-E. B. White, US author & humorist (1899 - 1985)

“Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech.”
-Simonides, Greek poet (556 BC - 468 BC)

Job Seeking Tips: Resumes that SELL

Your resume does not have to tell everything. It is an appetizer which makes the prospective employer say,” Wow, I have to talk to this person and see how he/she did that!”

Start your resume with a Summary Statement. The Summary Statement goes directly under your name and address and is the first thing the person will read. Most resumes only get 11 to 20 seconds of attention before they are selected or discarded. It is critical, therefore, to grab the reader’s attention with powerful statements or it is unlikely that your job history and accomplishments will even be read. Your Summary Statement defines your overall skills, experience, and personal characteristics.

The first sentence of the summary must state the job title you want! This sets the recruiter’s mind and expectations. If you want to be a sales person, start your summary with something like: "An energetic Business Development Professional with 6 years of experience in chemical sales. Established track record for doubling regional sales in first year." This tells the reader your search objective and a major accomplishment.

Dynamically express personal characteristics. More…

If you want to power up your resume, job search and interview skills, give me a call at 281-293-8864 or email me at joan@bolmer.com for a free consultation.

Quick Links

How to Interview a Prospective Employee like a Pro

Foundations for Excellence in Employee Performance & Behaviort

Quick & Easy Way to Document and Train Your Computer Programs

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