Lost your mojo? Check out these tips on how to get your zest for life back

By: Lori Stone, APR Director of Business Operations & Communications Center for Business Excellence

Let’s face it. It’s been a long haul in this economic recovery period, and we still have miles to go. Whether you are out of work or lucky enough to be employed, but burning the candle at both ends to keep your job, feeling energetic and joyful can be a tall order.

That’s one of the reasons why I became so actively involved in the recent Daytona Flash Mob. The experience was new and exciting – gave me some new-found creativity and rejuvenation.

Here are some tips on how to get your own zest back:

Click here for zest of life!

Firm Handshake, Calm Demeanor

Do you fidget during an interview, look all over the room, slouch in your chair?
When you're interviewing for a job, remember to have a firm handshake, look at the person, and don't wave your hands and arms like a puppet.
And it never hurts to practice in front of a mirror. You don't want any negative nonverbal communication to sabotage the interview. Such movements are judged as seriously as answers to their questions.

Read the following article to ensure positive, polite nonverbal communication skills.

Befuddled by taxes. Free help is available

Are you stressing out over doing your income taxes? Most of us put it off until the last possible moment. This year the deadline is Monday, April 18.

Free assistance with your taxes is available at many sites in Volusia and Flagler Counties until the last minute.

But Saturday, Feb. 26, is the deadline for taking advantage of the trained help available at the Center for Business Excellence One-Stop Employment Centers in Daytona Beach and DeLand. Personnel at the Flagler One-Stop will provide tax help until April 12. Call 2-1-1 to make an appointment for the Flagler One-Stop.

Below is a link to other locations where free income tax help is being provided in Volusia and Flagler Counties.

Over the last five years, the Campaign for Working Families has recruited volunteers, worked with the IRS to secure training and certification, identified tax site sponsorship, and reached out into the community to create an awareness of the free income tax preparation available to low income working families.

For those eligible, free income tax assistance by IRS trained and certified volunteers is available at local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites for people with incomes under $48,362. For complete details and what paperwork to bring, go to www.cfwffla.org or dial 2-1-1.

Daytona One-Stop Employment Center
359 Bill France Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Saturday, Feb. 26: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

DeLand One-Stop Employment Center
1382 S. Woodland Blvd.
DeLand, FL 32720
Saturday, Feb. 26: 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

Flagler One-Stop Employment Center
20 Airport Road Suite E,
Palm Coast, FL 32164
Through April 12, Mondays & Tuesdays: 4 p.m.-8 p.m.
By appointment only. Dial 2-1-1 to make an appointment.

Find area sites for free tax preparation

Beware of Jobs Too Good to Be True

It's a tough economy out there and unscrupulous people always find a way to prey on someone, even desperate jobseekers.

If you hear about a job that sounds too good to be true, do a little investigating. No legitimate employer would ask for your credit card or social security number when you apply for a job or at an interview.

And be careful where you post your personal information. You don't know where the information is going and who is using it once it's online. Read more about how to avoid job scams

What Do You Worry About?

By: Darlene Duncan. CWDP. JSS, CCC
Training Coordinator for
Training Initiatives, Inc.

I recently read an article about fear. What it was really about was the things we worry about. You know the stuff I mean, you worry about losing your job, you worry about your kids getting in with the wrong crowd, and you worry about your health. The list of things we worry about goes on and on.

Research has shown that as we get older, we worry less, probably because we’ve finally realized that most of what we worry about never happens. According to The Essence of Success by Earl Nightingale 40 percent of what we worry about never happens.

So instead of filling your life with the negative fog of worry try being more positive about life in general. Let the positive sunlight be what you’re all about.
Does this mean you have to go around being this bubbly, effervescent individual completely out of touch with reality? NO!

What I am suggesting is that you be a more positive you. Stop worrying about things in the past. Unless you have a time machine there’s nothing you can do about things that happened in the past. Stop worrying about things you have no control over. Don’t worry about losing your job. Instead, do your job the best you can and if you think you might be a candidate for an upcoming layoff start working on your résumé now.

It means that instead of looking at the negative aspects of a situation, try to figure out a way to make it a more positive experience. Even something as simple as getting caught at a red light can be turned into a positive thing. How? Think of those few minutes as quiet time just for you. Look around maybe you’ll see something that will make you smile, a bird flying by or a dog walking his person.

To sum it up, stop worrying about things you can’t control, stop worrying about things you can’t change. Those two things should free up some of your time and energy that you can devote to more positive things, like networking and résumé polishing.

We did it Daytona! Flash Mob video now available

After many months of planning and a couple years of dreaming, the Flash Mob took place in the Fan Zone of the Daytona International Speedway the morning of the Daytona 500.

Here's the long-awaited video:

http://www.thegreatamericandestination.com/

How to Rock Your Next Interview

Whether it's your first job interview, or your 25th, the advice is nearly the same.
Be yourself, be prepared, get to know your audience in advance, and smile at everyone you meet.
Interviews may get harder the longer you're out of work. But treat each one as a new learning experience. And don't let on it's your 25th interview.
Things you'll need are:
• Good, appropriate interview clothes.
• A copy of your resume on nice woven paper (an off-white or cream color works best).
• A copy of your references, typed and printed out, on the same paper as the resume.
• A professional-looking folder or portfolio to hold your paperwork.
• An aura of calmness and thoughtfulness (this indicates intelligence and expertise).
• A friendly, but not overly-friendly smile and demeanor (we are aiming for pleasant and accessible here).
• Listen as well as talk.
Read more interview tips at:
http://yhoo.it/gDU2Z3

Love him or hate him...

Howard Stern is without argument one of the most controversial people of today. You either totally love him or completely hate him. You can't however, argue that he is one of the most successful business men in our country.

Below is an article from bnet (The CBS Interactive Business Network), The 7 Things That Howard Stern Can Teach You About Business.

Hey Now!!!!!!!!!!

Land a job with the right words

Resume writing is a word game.

What words to avoid. What words to use. What words will catch an employer's eye. What words will cause your resume to end up in the circular file.

Many of us think we are using the perfect words in our resume, or in our LinkedIn profile, but that's not always true.

In the following article, read more about the good, the bad and the overused words that are found in many of our resumes and online profiles:

http://bit.ly/i3odKZ

Weird Interview Questions

Are you ready for your interview?
You worked hard on your résumé, you submitted it to a lot of places and now finally one of them wants to interview you. Have you practiced the most commonly asked interview questions? Have you attended the One-Stop’s workshop on Interviewing Skills? If you answered, yes, to those two questions you’re more ready than someone who hasn’t done those things. However, there is always the risk of a not so commonly asked question being part of your interview. Have you done everything you can to prepare for the unexpected? The article link below will help you prepare for the surprise questions that can pop up during an interview.
Read this article The 25 Weirdest Interview Questions of 2010 to help prepare for the unexpected.

Caught in a bad office romance…is it really a good idea to go gaga over someone you work with?

By: Lori Stone, APR
Director of Business Operations & Communications
Center for Business Excellence


Office romance or, at the very least, flirting. Is it a good idea?

I have a little insight and experience with this topic – emphasis on a little. Very early in my work history, I dated someone I worked with for a brief time. We were both single, so no worries, right?

No worries until the romance went south. It was awkward and painful to work together after that. So, I’m not a huge advocate of office romance.

However, I am a realist. It seems we spend more of our waking hours at work these days than anywhere else. Plus, the advent of smartphones and other technology keep you plugged in 24/7. It’s difficult to separate your personal life from your professional life.

So, I found a link with advice on the subject. In any case, I strongly advise people to fully understand specific company policy on office relationships before moving forward. Check out this link and good luck!

http://articles.cnn.com/2006-02-15/us/cb.flirt.at.work_1_office-romance-flirtatious-behavior-polls?_s=PM:US

Top Ten Careers in 2011

Are you looking to add to your skillsets via retraining ? If so, it might behoove you to look at what are the hottest fields right now. Check this link out for the top ten careers in 2011.

http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110114/top-10-careers-for-2011/slides/11

One-Stop Happenings

The Daytona One-Stop Center will be closing at 3:30 p.m. on February 17th due to race traffic. Our Flagler and DeLand centers will be open normal business hours.

VITA--free tax preparation is still going on in both Flagler and Volusia Counties. Please check here for times and locations.

Free Tax Prep

Looking for a job? How about a "Stone Soup Club?

You're been looking for a job forever. You've tried everything. But have you hosted a "Stone Soup Club" based on the folktale where everyone brings a little something for the soup and a community meal is created.
"This is literally a potluck that you set up with people in your industry, at your level, and unemployed or job-seeking," says Donald Asher, the author of the new book, "Cracking the Hidden Job Market: How to Find Opportunity in Any Economy."
If you got laid off with a number of your colleagues, or have friends of friends in the business who are in a similar situation, that's the perfect place to start, says Asher. Invite them to a potluck.
If you have a job lead that's not right for you, share it at the Stone Soup Club. It might be perfect for someone else.
Read more about Seven Job-Seeking Tactics You Probably Haven't Tried:

http://bit.ly/gbvGdM

Stealth Mode: Making Yourself Nearly Invisible on Facebook

Darlene Duncan. CWDP. JSS, CCC
Training Coordinator for
Training Initiatives, Inc.



You want, or need, a Facebook page and yet you’re concerned about keeping your private information private. If that statement describes you, then you should read this article. It offers tips on how to keep your private information private, while maintaining a Facebook presence.

Stealth Mode

Having class…it’s so not about being rich!

By: Lori Stone, APR
Director of Business Operations & Communications
Center for Business Excellence

Grace Kelly. Need I say more? She truly exuded grace, style and class and still serves as an icon today.

Well, most of us are not blessed with even a fraction of the monetary and material riches she possessed, but we can be as classy as the princess was in her lifetime. It’s all in our attitudes and behaviors. Sometimes, it seems to be a lost art.

Here are some cool tips on how to lead a classy life: Cool tips!

What's Your Next Move?

"My Next Move" isn't the latest dance step. It's the U.S. Department of Labor's newest addition to its innovative online career research tools. The tools will help students deciding on career training, young workers considering their next job move, or experienced professionals currently in a career transition. "My Next Move" has something for everyone. More information can be found in the link below.
Posted by Suzy Kridner


http://bit.ly/i8RIik

Need help with your income taxes?

VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program


The Campaign for Working Families has provided free income tax preparation in Volusia and Flagler Counties over the last five years. IRS certified volunteers, trained to identify taxpayer’s eligibility for federal tax credits and to help them file accurate tax returns, staff the tax sites. Many taxpayers who are eligible for free tax preparation also are eligible for the EITC (Earn Income Tax Credit). EITC is one of the best anti-poverty programs offered by the federal government. It was approved by Congress in 1975 in part to offset the burden of Social Security taxes and to provide folks with an incentive to work. When the EITC exceeds the amount of taxes owed, there is a tax refund to those who claim and qualify for the credit. The Internal Revenue Service says that more than $32 billion is available for low-income working families, but up to 20 percent of those who are eligible for this support aren’t aware of it. In the meantime, millions of taxpayers, including low-income families, spend $2 billion on commercial tax preparers each year.

To see where you can get help with your taxes click here:

Free Tax Prep

Take control of your job search in 2011

After looking for a job for more than a year and a half, I had to come up with new ways to stay motivated. Since my previous profession of many years was disappearing, I began concentrating on my skills and how they could be used elsewhere in the job market. I also focused on areas where I really wanted to work. That's when things started happening. I had more choices and felt that yes, there is a job out there for me. And there was.

If you've been unemployed for awhile, or just recently entered the job market, the following article has some good tips for taking control of your job search.

Posted by Suzy Kridner

Check out more tips here

Free Training

Posted by: Darlene Duncan. CWDP. JSS, CCC
Training Coordinator for
Training Initiatives, Inc.

Maybe you got a new computer for Christmas or maybe you got the Microsoft Office Suite 2007 software for Christmas. Either way, now you have to learn how to use it. Believe me just because you know how to use Microsoft Office Suite 2003, you will need help with the 2007 version. Nothing is where it used to be. There are no more drop down menus, instead there are ribbons with groups.
Can’t afford classes at your local college? No problem. Go to this web site. They can teach you how to use Microsoft Office Suite 2007 and more. In addition, their classes count for continuing education units and you get a certificate.

Your Free Learning Source