One-E-Anna Notes - Issue #052 January, 2008

A monthly newsletter to conduct you on the way to successful performance and harmony in your work and personal life. Every issue brings you tips for interviews, resumes, networking, and strategies for career advancement. Brought to you by E. Anna Watkins, MM, MBA, CPCC, CPT - Career & Life Coach Welcome! Welcome to all new and continuing subscribers! I am thankful for your support in reading, sending me your comments, and passing the newsletter to others. Please forward it today and help us increase our circulation to include even more friends. www.one-e-anna.com/newsletters.htm (Read past issues while you are there.) Happy New Year!I hope that your new year has gotten off to a great start. It is still winter for most of my readers, a season we can appreciate whether we like the weather or not. Give yourself permission to stay indoors on those inclement days when you can. Perhaps you can use some of that time to catch up on chores you have been too busy to tackle. After that you can enjoy the rest and relaxation you deserve. Happy January! My Books! Two of my books are now available in the Resources section of my website: www.one-e-anna.com Please click on the link to go there and purchase these useful and inexpensive guides: 64 Tips for Informational Interviews and the Master Mind Moderator Toolkit. Thank you! What's in this issue? Lead Article - Description or Achievement" Class Schedule - Tell your friends - New courses in February & March Information on Coaching Services Resources 1. Description or Achievement? We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle When you are looking to make a career transition, it is essential that you have the best self-marketing documents to help in acquiring the position you deserve. The resume is the most widely used of those documents. Even if you are not looking for a job, it is a good idea to have an effective, value-based resume on hand at all times - one that highlights the best professional you. Then you can easily refer to it for special occasions. When might those occasions be? Well - the next time you are asked to speak at a local club, or you want to begin a volunteer opportunity, or you need to jog your memory about your work history or just feel good about your accomplishments - there are some ideas! What I want to impress upon you today is the importance of using your resume to highlight achievements. I have seen far too many resumes that read like a job description. Let's talk about the difference. Yes, we do want to include a bit of your job description in your resume. However, it should only be the major duties and should be limited to a couple lines after the name of your employer and job title. Here are examples: BIG CORPORATION: Some City, NM 2001-2007 Manufacturing Technician, Certified Operations and Equipment Performed in-line defect inspection and review of product by defect classification using statistical process control and root cause analysis to eliminate contamination and down-time of product line. Performed maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment down to the component level. ABC Foods: Big City, Texas 1979 - Present Plant Manager Managed up to 60 production employees in production, quality assurance, maintenance, and supervision. Notice that each brief description tells WHAT the person did. In the next part of the resume, it is time to tell HOW WELL the person performed job duties. Here is where you must emphasize your strong performance. This is what sets you apart from the competition. Use numbers when possible and otherwise show how outstanding your achievements were in performing your job. If you can't use numbers, add modifying words like successful, effective, impressive, unprecedented, etc. These phrases should be bulleted, brief, and easy to read. Here are examples: Identified training needs for 25 team members and provided or arranged instruction, insuring smooth team performance with no gaps. Reduced downtime by 15% through streamlining troubleshooting process, performing multiple tasks simultaneously. Co-authored process changes for cost-savings and quality improvements that were implemented company-wide, resulting in $3 million average income gain annually. Demonstrated success in developing and implementing new methods to improve safety, leading to an Incident and Injury Free Environment. See how it works? Now, go back and write more of your own achievement statements. This is a project you can continue as you remember the difference you have made. Ideally, you will generate pages of these achievement statements so that you can choose the most relevant ones for each new situation you encounter. You may already have an excellent resume, but even the best can be updated and improved. How can you stand out from the pack? Make your best better! "In differentiation, not in uniformity, lies the path of progress." - Louis Brandeis 2. Class Schedule for Anna Watkins "Got Goals?" Set of Group Coaching Sessions These sessions are for those of you who may not be able to be in a long-term group but would appreciate an accelerated program to quickly get you moving toward fulfilling your goals in a structured set of "lessons." Being in a group for this experience is a real plus since you can benefit from many perspectives. Action Group A - February 5 - 26: Four consecutive Tuesdays at 8:00 PM Eastern time (7 PM Central, 6 PM Mountain, 5 PM Pacific) Only $25 for the group of 4 classes! Releasing the brake - What's stopping you? Take a closer look at how you are 'driving' toward your goals. Thinking BIG - As Donald Trump says, "If you are going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big." Asking for help - One simple request could lead to major advances for you! Using obstacles as opportunities - Reframe 'negative' situations. Share your stories and find out how others have done this. Click here to Register through www.seminarannouncer.com Action Group B - March 4 - 25: Four consecutive Tuesdays at 8:00 PM Eastern time (7 PM Central, 6 PM Mountain, 5 PM Pacific) Only $25 for the group of 4 classes! Sign up for both Group A & B and receive the Master Mind Moderator Toolkit as a bonus. Keeping momentum - Stuck? There is nothing like a partner (or 2 or 3) to keep you moving forward. Enjoying NOW - When you focus too much on your future goals, you fail to appreciate what you have now. Learn and practice how to be 'in the moment' and to attract more of what you want into your life. Choosing what is next - Choosing is easier when your imagination is stimulated and you increase your awareness of the possibilities. Opening to new reality - Gain from other perspectives to expand your concepts of what is possible and desirable. Click here to Register through www.seminarannouncer.com New Master Mind Groups Are you in a Master Mind group? I am collecting interested (and interesting) people who want to join a new Master Mind group. Specifically, I have a writer/coach and a leadership consultant who are looking for a couple more people to join them in a Master Mind Group. They would like to meet regularly by phone, at least bi-weekly or monthly. Would you like to join their group? To learn more about Master Mind groups and how you can benefit by belonging, contact me at info@one-e-anna.com Watch for other classes in future issues of Notes. 3. Career Coaching Sessions I coach people who are looking to enjoy their work, whether that means moving up in a current job or building a new career. It doesn't matter where you live - I can coach you by phone. Want to find out more? You can easily arrange this. Please contact me at info@one-e-anna.com and I will follow up with you to schedule a free consultation - no strings attached! I am now focusing on group coaching via Master Mind Groups - a great way to have multiple "coaches" in a supportive atmosphere and at lower cost than individual coaching sessions. Please contact me with your interest in joining a group or to suggest a type of group you would like. My blog is all about Master Mind Groups, so please visit and join in the conversation there. http://mindblenders.blogspot.com A Wee Bit of Irish Humor Here are some catchy signs as listed in The Irish Times: Sign on a shop: "Out for lunch. If not back by five, out for dinner also." Sign on an Irish gate: "The farmer allows walkers across the field for free. The bull charges." Notice in a field: "Trespassers prosecuted - Please shut the gate." 4. Great Resources My Books! Two of my books are now available in the Resources section of my website: www.one-e-anna.com Please click on the link to go there and purchase these useful and inexpensive guides: 64 Tips for Informational Interviews and the Master Mind Moderator Toolkit. Thank you! Reminder - Amazon Associate! I am an Amazon Associate. That means that my website visitors can order books from my website. I am an Amazon Associate. That means that my website visitors can order books from my website. So, if you have been meaning to get specific books that I mention in the course of my newsletters or coaching sessions, please go to the Resource Links on my website and buy a book. www.one-e-anna.com/resources.htm By the way, once you have arrived at the Amazon site, you can order any books you like, not just the ones I have listed. Thank you and happy reading! Thinking about retirement? Check into the great resources and coaching available with Laurie Geary, Certified Retirement Coach at www.ingearcoaching.com Laurie also offers coaching for people in transition of all kinds. A Map for Joy by Teri Johnson contains lessons and exercises that truly lead you to a joyful life. Go to www.intrepid-communications.com to purchase your copy A terrific site for business owners - Maria Marsala, former Wall Street trader and now business consultant, coach, and trainer has classes and other resources that are well worth the visit to www.coachmaria.com Increase your personal productivity and get more time and balance for your personal life Subscribe now for your free "Timely Time Management Tips". Go to: www.topica.com/lists/timemanagement and click "subscribe" or send your email to: timemanagement-subscribe@topica.com Attention, Trainers! Many of our readers are in the training profession, so I am happy to tell you about a new ezine for you. Please visit the website of Ellen Dowling and subscribe to her monthly newsletter, "The Standup Trainer." www.standuptrainer.com Every issue will provide you with valuable training tips and a dose of Ellen's signature sense of humor. Enjoy! I recommend Jay Block Presents "Any Idiot Can Make It Through a Good Day" - a set of two CDS with Jay's program on how to think positive in difficult times. Learn the proven techniques of emotional channeling and the 10 Principles of Success. Go to www.jayblock.com for more information and to order. Tips Booklets Online Too many heavy books cluttering up your house or office? Paulette Ensign offers a vast array of tips booklets online for only $4.77 each! When you order an online book, it often arrives in your e-mail within minutes! No waiting for the mail to arrive every day and watching for that book you wanted. And - you won't have to search for it on bookshelves if you save it into a folder on your computer. Check out her website at www.tipsbooklets.com and peruse the titles there. Examples: 101 Travel Tips for Women, 113 Ideas To Secure Your Financial Future, and Presenting Your Message Like You Mean It My booklet 64 Tips for Informational Interviews is available in the Careers category. You can get it today! http://tipsbooklets.com/new/index.php?p=235&s=interviews Please visit my brand new blog and leave me a message! http://mindblenders.blogspot.com Subscriber Note You may absolutely share the One-E-Anna Notes with anyone you think will enjoy it. When sharing, please forward it in its entirety, including contact and copyright information. Each time you receive an issue, forward it to two friends (or more!), and - please send comments that will help me to make it better. Click on the link here to read past issues of the newsletter at www.one-e-anna.com/newsletters.htm THANK YOU!