Transparency Time My Finances

Transparency Time My Finances You wonder how transparent to be on a blog (I highly respect some of these transparent bloggers (Matt, Phil and Janet), especially since they dont tell me what they ate for breakfast but put other things right there on the table), but I just couldnt let go of this post. This is possibly one of the most difficult parts of unemployment, especially if the unemployment lasts for a while. So here is some very personal information from a guy that usually doesnt go there ?? I have received counsel to have at least three months of income saved in case of an emergency. But, like most Americans, I didnt have that. I had a little over $1,000 in the bank when I got laid off. Losing my job wasnt a huge surprise I wasnt totally blind-sided. As a matter of fact, a few weeks before the phone call in which I was told it was final I had told one of the owners if you make me do [that thing] then Im quitting. It wasnt an unethical thing but I thought it was a really really dumb decision, and since I was the General Manager I figured I should make the decisions, not a board that didnt even know what our products were about. But even with this foresight I still hadnt been tucking money under the mattress. So I was told on Monday that Id work one more week to help transition the new CEO in. It was a weird week, to say the least. I knew that Id have a little bit of severence to help tide things over (enough to replace 6 weeks of salary), and I had my $1,000 in the bank. Until Saturday. Thats when I decided to take my Toyota into the shop to see why the oil light flickered (it was rare, but every once in a while it flickered, and I thought something was wrong with the control system or something). Well, $450 later I rolled my Toyota out of the mechanic (it was actually the dealership) thinking wow, that $ went fast! It is a long story (the mechanic offered to buy my car for $800) and scary, and it made me think about the last time I had maintenance on my other car. Yep, you guessed it, that was another $450. So my $1,000 savings went to $100 within 5 days. So much for having grocery money. My wife and I called our parents to let them know what was happening. We didnt approach them with a hand out, as we figured that wed have a job within a few weeks (two months at the latest). But they were very quick to offer to help with our bills until we could get back on our feet. It was a real blessing to have parents who (a) were in a position financially to really help, and (b) willing to share. My dad had gone through a tough time right out of law school back in the 70s and was very supportive. One thing that he told me that surprised me was I will expect you to be out of work for at least six months. I didnt expect to be out for 6 months! But he had a different perspective of what it takes to get a job. And my father-in-law mentioned something that I hadnt heard before which was it takes one month for every $10k that you need to make. So there you go, it would be at least six months! Darn! So they both chipped in to pay for mortgage and car payment (one car was paid off already). Their concern was that they didnt want me to lose the house or a car, and it sure was nice to get help unconditionally and with the idea that I wouldnt have a job as soon as I thought I would. My wife actually picked up her first piano student the day I got laid off, which was a nice coincidence. By the end of the month she had 19 students. She only has 10 now (9 months later) but has consistently brought in over $300 a month from that, which paid all of the utility and other bills. Food was the other concern, and we got help in various ways. I went to my church leader just to tell him what was going on (and it was my intro to networking, as church leaders know lots of people and want to be helpful, and maybe could have gave me ideas or hooked me up with someone). We went over our monthly expenses so that he could be sure that wed be okay. Even though we seemed to have enough for bills and food, he offered to take care of our food for a while, so that if an emergency came up we would have the cash to handle it. This again was quite a blessing as we didnt have to see our cash dwindle immediately just to survive. Unemployment didnt kick in until my severence ran out. Even though I got it as a lump-sum, the state government determined that it was enough to last through February, so my first UI check was in March. That was about $333 per week (you have to apply weekly, and if you dont meet the requirements then you dont get the money that week). That was a far cry from what my income used to be, but when your broke, it is great. Not enough to live on but enough to help you through. That lasted, I think, for six months. By then the state expects you to have a job if not, then figure something else out. Heres a note on unemployment: if you have or have had a personal business this may impede you from getting UI as they think that you are already self-sufficient. I encourage you to have a business on the side but you need to understand what this might mean as far as getting that extra $333 per week (which ironically is taxable!). I would be remiss if I didnt mention the generosity of neighbors and those in my congregation. We were showered with charity, whether it was cash, gift cards for the local grocery store, clothes, or boxes of food. This really was one of the most amazing things to watch as people came out of the woodwork and shared with us. Many of these people had their own unemployment experiences and shared with us those dark times. Some people donated anonymously and others did so in person. One family in particular had been out of work for about a year (a while back). The wife remembered how frustrating it had been to want to cook bread (pizza crust, etc.) and they didnt have enough money for yeast. So, when we were at their house one night she gave us 4 pounds of yeast! Remember, this is such an emotional time that you remember the weirdest things. One of the greater gifts that we got was from a local woodworker in our neighborhood. He takes his company (mostly family) to a local theme park and the invited us to go with them. They actually paid for our entrance, parking, and gave us some food money. Note that this made us feel really uncomfortable, as we would never expect this kind of generosity from anyone. And, when you are looking for a job you feel that if you go have fun you are doing something wrong, because you should be looking for that job!! But we went and had a great time it was a great stress relief and helped us understand that there is more to this stage in our life than just being down about not having an income. In my job search I didnt allow myself to have fun as I had an important job to do! So, there you go. Thats how we survived. It was a very humbling experience, but we had lots of allies in our corner helping us. The expectations were realistic (we didnt get any well help you for 30 days, but then you better). As I mentioned before, this was very difficult. We are proud people, and have been proud that for our entire marriage we never really went to our parents (or anyone else) for help. If we got help we paid it back immediately. But this time was different. We had to look at reality and accept the gifts and help and that was not easy. One thing that I took away from this experience is the deep desire to help other people (thats one reason why most of JibberJobber is free) during times like this, and to not judge them as to why they dont take the job at Pizza Hut or take longer than I think they should take to find a job. So, whats your story? If you lose your job today, whats your plan? How are you going to make ends meet? I wouldnt counsel anyone to bank on the kind of generosity that we saw, because you cant count on it. Do you have a savings? Do you have family that can and will help you for as long as it takes? How long can you last, assuming your job search doesnt end soon? Not stuff anyone wants to think about, but definitely something that everyone needs to think about. May your job search be shorter than mine was. By the way, heres my deal now. JibberJobber is fully funded, and Ive actually changed my status from UNemployed to SELFemployed. Im not looking for a job right now, and am working JibberJobber LLC full-time. All assistance has ended (we told our church leader that we are going to do it on our own, and the state cut it off after six months), except help from parents, but they see this as a business investment, not a supplement during unemployment. Transparency Time My Finances You wonder how transparent to be on a blog (I highly respect some of these transparent bloggers (Matt, Phil and Janet), especially since they dont tell me what they ate for breakfast but put other things right there on the table), but I just couldnt let go of this post. This is possibly one of the most difficult parts of unemployment, especially if the unemployment lasts for a while. So here is some very personal information from a guy that usually doesnt go there ?? I have received counsel to have at least three months of income saved in case of an emergency. But, like most Americans, I didnt have that. I had a little over $1,000 in the bank when I got laid off. Losing my job wasnt a huge surprise I wasnt totally blind-sided. As a matter of fact, a few weeks before the phone call in which I was told it was final I had told one of the owners if you make me do [that thing] then Im quitting. It wasnt an unethical thing but I thought it was a really really dumb decision, and since I was the General Manager I figured I should make the decisions, not a board that didnt even know what our products were about. But even with this foresight I still hadnt been tucking money under the mattress. So I was told on Monday that Id work one more week to help transition the new CEO in. It was a weird week, to say the least. I knew that Id have a little bit of severence to help tide things over (enough to replace 6 weeks of salary), and I had my $1,000 in the bank. Until Saturday. Thats when I decided to take my Toyota into the shop to see why the oil light flickered (it was rare, but every once in a while it flickered, and I thought something was wrong with the control system or something). Well, $450 later I rolled my Toyota out of the mechanic (it was actually the dealership) thinking wow, that $ went fast! It is a long story (the mechanic offered to buy my car for $800) and scary, and it made me think about the last time I had maintenance on my other car. Yep, you guessed it, that was another $450. So my $1,000 savings went to $100 within 5 days. So much for having grocery money. My wife and I called our parents to let them know what was happening. We didnt approach them with a hand out, as we figured that wed have a job within a few weeks (two months at the latest). But they were very quick to offer to help with our bills until we could get back on our feet. It was a real blessing to have parents who (a) were in a position financially to really help, and (b) willing to share. My dad had gone through a tough time right out of law school back in the 70s and was very supportive. One thing that he told me that surprised me was I will expect you to be out of work for at least six months. I didnt expect to be out for 6 months! But he had a different perspective of what it takes to get a job. And my father-in-law mentioned something that I hadnt heard before which was it takes one month for every $10k that you need to make. So there you go, it would be at least six months! Darn! So they both chipped in to pay for mortgage and car payment (one car was paid off already). Their concern was that they didnt want me to lose the house or a car, and it sure was nice to get help unconditionally and with the idea that I wouldnt have a job as soon as I thought I would. My wife actually picked up her first piano student the day I got laid off, which was a nice coincidence. By the end of the month she had 19 students. She only has 10 now (9 months later) but has consistently brought in over $300 a month from that, which paid all of the utility and other bills. Food was the other concern, and we got help in various ways. I went to my church leader just to tell him what was going on (and it was my intro to networking, as church leaders know lots of people and want to be helpful, and maybe could have gave me ideas or hooked me up with someone). We went over our monthly expenses so that he could be sure that wed be okay. Even though we seemed to have enough for bills and food, he offered to take care of our food for a while, so that if an emergency came up we would have the cash to handle it. This again was quite a blessing as we didnt have to see our cash dwindle immediately just to survive. Unemployment didnt kick in until my severence ran out. Even though I got it as a lump-sum, the state government determined that it was enough to last through February, so my first UI check was in March. That was about $333 per week (you have to apply weekly, and if you dont meet the requirements then you dont get the money that week). That was a far cry from what my income used to be, but when your broke, it is great. Not enough to live on but enough to help you through. That lasted, I think, for six months. By then the state expects you to have a job if not, then figure something else out. Heres a note on unemployment: if you have or have had a personal business this may impede you from getting UI as they think that you are already self-sufficient. I encourage you to have a business on the side but you need to understand what this might mean as far as getting that extra $333 per week (which ironically is taxable!). I would be remiss if I didnt mention the generosity of neighbors and those in my congregation. We were showered with charity, whether it was cash, gift cards for the local grocery store, clothes, or boxes of food. This really was one of the most amazing things to watch as people came out of the woodwork and shared with us. Many of these people had their own unemployment experiences and shared with us those dark times. Some people donated anonymously and others did so in person. One family in particular had been out of work for about a year (a while back). The wife remembered how frustrating it had been to want to cook bread (pizza crust, etc.) and they didnt have enough money for yeast. So, when we were at their house one night she gave us 4 pounds of yeast! Remember, this is such an emotional time that you remember the weirdest things. One of the greater gifts that we got was from a local woodworker in our neighborhood. He takes his company (mostly family) to a local theme park and the invited us to go with them. They actually paid for our entrance, parking, and gave us some food money. Note that this made us feel really uncomfortable, as we would never expect this kind of generosity from anyone. And, when you are looking for a job you feel that if you go have fun you are doing something wrong, because you should be looking for that job!! But we went and had a great time it was a great stress relief and helped us understand that there is more to this stage in our life than just being down about not having an income. In my job search I didnt allow myself to have fun as I had an important job to do! So, there you go. Thats how we survived. It was a very humbling experience, but we had lots of allies in our corner helping us. The expectations were realistic (we didnt get any well help you for 30 days, but then you better). As I mentioned before, this was very difficult. We are proud people, and have been proud that for our entire marriage we never really went to our parents (or anyone else) for help. If we got help we paid it back immediately. But this time was different. We had to look at reality and accept the gifts and help and that was not easy. One thing that I took away from this experience is the deep desire to help other people (thats one reason why most of JibberJobber is free) during times like this, and to not judge them as to why they dont take the job at Pizza Hut or take longer than I think they should take to find a job. So, whats your story? If you lose your job today, whats your plan? How are you going to make ends meet? I wouldnt counsel anyone to bank on the kind of generosity that we saw, because you cant count on it. Do you have a savings? Do you have family that can and will help you for as long as it takes? How long can you last, assuming your job search doesnt end soon? Not stuff anyone wants to think about, but definitely something that everyone needs to think about. May your job search be shorter than mine was. By the way, heres my deal now. JibberJobber is fully funded, and Ive actually changed my status from UNemployed to SELFemployed. Im not looking for a job right now, and am working JibberJobber LLC full-time. All assistance has ended (we told our church leader that we are going to do it on our own, and the state cut it off after six months), except help from parents, but they see this as a business investment, not a supplement during unemployment.

Personal Branding Weekly and Let Your Brand Flag Fly - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly and Let Your Brand Flag Fly - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Personal Branding Weekly This week I met an entrepreneur/car salesman.   He was beginning his business and working at a dealership while building his business.   Of course, I gravitated towards his story and found it hard to focus on the actual purchasing discussions wanting to spend more time on discussing his entrepreneurial endeavors.   Then came the boom â€" the negotiation.   He ceased being the interesting entrepreneur and rather the puppet of “the desk” as he regurgitated every word and swift pencil action that he was “trained” to do to make the sale and because of that disconnect, he didn’t. How many out there are like that or are forced to do that?   It might not be a greedy sales manager. It might be a micro-controlling supervisor or a truly engaged owner who has yet to make the transition from “me” to “we”. Are you a “sell out” if you don’t stay true to your personal brand?   If you act as the salesperson had, does that mean your employer controls your body, mind and soul?   I’m interested in hearing your thoughts in the comments. This week’s posts were: 11 Qualities That Build Personal Magnetism by Deborah Shane Personal Branding By Understanding the Hiring Process by Phil Rosenberg What to Do With Your Brand When in Transition? by Henrieta Riesco The Most Dangerous Person in Business by Nance Rosen Is Your Brand Sinking? 7 Ways to Tell by Heather Huhman Push the Bottom Line With Employee Input by Jason Kleinerman Leaving a Lasting Positive Legacy from the Start by Aaron McDaniel Can a Headhunter Help in Your Job Search? Maybe by Skip Freeman How to Give a TED Talk by Manoush Zomorodi Are You Pulling Your Weight by Jeff Shuey Zen Meditation and Healthy Social Media Habits by Peter Sterlacci Dont Look Desperate During the Job Search by Erik Deckers Congratulations! Youve Been Promoted to Management. Now What? by Michael Spinale What Mantra Do You Use as Your Guiding Voice? by Beth Kuhel The Comprehensive Guide to Sales Interviewing by Ken Sundheim How to be Incredibly Productive Every Day (Part 1) by Pete Leibman This next week Kristen’s post about how actions matter to your personal brand will broach the questions I posed. Peter covers brands and cultural myths while Pete delves into productivity and what that means to our personal brand. We always look forward to your feedback! Let Your Brand Flag Fly Every brand has its own community. This is a compilation of the individuals that make up their audience, clients, and advocates, all of whom will ultimately have a say in your brand’s success. This brings up the importance of the community manager, who is in charge of making sure that their brand’s community is represented and understood. The art of listening One of the most important things anyone in any managerial position must be able to do is listen.  [tweet this] What do they want? Where is your community audience most active? Are they online socially? Twitter? Linkedin? Facebook? Do they interact with you via your social sites present? What about direct communications, such as emails, phone calls, and good old fashioned letters? Remember that community management isn’t about making announcements, speeches, or addressing the audience. Rather, it is about conversing with your community as a liaison interested in their best interests. You must be able to listen, start conversations and regularly interact with the community if you expect to represent their best interests through your brand. Once you know where they are, you’ll be able to gain valuable insight into their interests and how the brand you represent currently affects them. Keep in mind though that listening is a part of brand growth. Once you know what is being said, you can begin shaping the brand’s image to better suit the community. Are you actively participating in conversations? Does your brand respond to communications? Are there areas where you could expand your brand’s reach to meet the community more effectively? Growth is vital to any brand, and is amongst the community manager’s most important tasks. Communication necessities As a community manager, you’ll be in charge of distributing existing content, but you’re also responsible for future content creation. What’s appreciated by the community? Do they enjoy certain things? What do they disapprove of? What aren’t they talking about? Sometimes, what isn’t said can be the most important topic that needs to be addressed. While listening is a powerful characteristic of a community leader, what you do with what you learn will determine how effectively you succeed. Once you know what the audience is saying, you must be able to let those who are involved in creating community content know what is of importance to their community. You have to be able to speak up and inform others, especially those who are responsible for delivering content to the community. How do you come across as a representative of the community? Consider yourself as a company liaison to the community and take action with your community’s best interests in mind. Are you simply fulfilling the duties entitled, or are you working to be the best version of the community manager possible? Community management entails a great many responsibilities. Not only must you be able to distribute your brand’s content, you must also work to better understand how it affects the audience by listening to them and informing others to help the brand deliver what is in the best interests of the community. Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of  buzz2bucksâ€"  a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand.   Maria Duron is founder  and moderator of  #brandchat   a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of  branding  that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.

Land That Promotion, Dont Just Wing It

Land That Promotion, Dont Just Wing It I like the idea of always reaching; always striving for more and bettering yourself. As soon you stop setting your sights high, you plateau and stagnate professionally, personally, totally. Continuous self improvement isnt about taking what you already have for granted, nor is it  characteristic of someone who never feels content or settled those are different things  altogether. We live in a constantly evolving world; technologies are advancing every day, were growing older by the minute and in some ways, the future we always look to is here right now (if you consider  yesterdays mentality). Change is hard to swallow sometimes, but as its inevitable we might as well own it by adapting and planning for it on our own terms! Now to the promotion bit. If you spot an opportunity to move your career to the next level and your personal circumstance allows it, why not give it all youve got? Youve got to be at work for some 40 hours a week anyway, if the option to make more money and hold more responsibility exists, why not go for it? Giving things a go is the only way to discover and harness your true potential! Great so youve earmarked a promotion opportunity, now what? Understand the requirements Its crucial to do  bit of digging to understand what the new role entails, and what sort of person / skills is needed to fill it. If its not a new role per se, rather a level-based promotion youre staring down the barrel of, you need to  fully understand what the new responsibilities will be. Knowing that youll get a new title or bigger pay cheque isnt enough information. Just as you would if you  were applying for a brand new role with a different organisation, you need to to gather as much  knowledge  as possible in order to qualify whether the  role is desirable and right for you. Nail your current job Now you know what its going to take to get the promotion, stop and assess your current situation. Are you a suitable candidate for the promotion? If you want to step up to the next level, you need to be 100% confident you are nailing your current role. Theres no point adding more work to your plate (in the form of a bigger role) if you are already struggling with your existing workload. Before you throw your hat in the ring, qualify yourself as an  applicant first would you give you the  promotion if you were your boss? If the answer is yes, then back yourself all the way! Express your interest Sometimes you will be invited to contend for a promotion, however in other cases it might be appropriate for you to make the first move and formalise your interest.  You could look into writing a promotion letter or having a meeting with  the correct decision maker. Either way, you need to put your hand up and be on peoples radars. Dont  simply assume youll automatically be considered for the opening. Enlist support Who inside your organisation could be a mentor for you? If your manager isnt the final decision maker, can you ask them for a couple of one-to-one sessions to help you nut out a roadmap to get you that promotion? Are there more senior people in your office who you could learn a thing or two from? Perhaps there is someone in your wider network (not necessarily a colleague) who could provide some advice and guidance to put you in great stead for  stepping up the next level. Go the extra mile Youve heard it all before. If you want to do well in your job you need to do more than the bare minimum. This is especially true for promotion applicants. This is the perfect time to get in early, join internal committees, up skill yourself, volunteer and get involved in extra-curricular corporate activities. Give everything youve got to your company you dont have to go full-throttle forever, but youve got to show youre serious, fully invested and committed. Holding back will only result in major regret when you dont get the promotion. Avoid singing, shoulda, woulda, coulda. Dont slag off the competition Finally, always remember that promotions arent politics. Dont sign  up for a  Trump/Clinton-style showdown. Trying to bring your colleagues or other applicants down will only reflect badly on you and make you bitter. May the best  employee get promoted!