Your New Year's Resolution

Today is the last day of 2007 and a new year is getting ready to begin within the next 11 hours and 34 minutes from now. What will be your new years resolution and will you keep it? Will your new years resolution be to find a new job, get a raise in your current job, or go back to school to further your career? If it's not career related will it be health related such as quitting smoking or eating healthier? Maybe it's a spiritual or emotional change. Whatever your new years resolution will be you need to make a commitment to keep it. Some people say they are going to do things, but they never seem to actually accomplish the things they only "speak" of doing.

Make this new year the year of "Doing" or "Accomplishing". Work to actually achieve those goals you have written down. I used to always say I wanted to move to Florida and get a great job, etc. Year after year I remained in Ohio working dead end jobs, but when 2007 hit I made a commitment to make my dreams a reality. I saved all my money, took a trip to Florida this past June and got approved for an apartment. When October came I moved here and accomplished the first part of my goal. The next part was to find a great job that was something I could excel and grow in with opportunities to advance my career. I was determined to find a job; submitting probably 80 resumes in a 3-4 week period. I was looking for a clerical position, but was given a position that was absolutely perfect for me.

This is only a summary of what I did and it was difficult and even draining to accomplish, but I was determined and optimistic I was not going to give up despite the many setbacks, difficulty's, and even negative comments about my dreams I received. I believed I could make this happen and I did. I stayed positive and the perfect job was given to me. It wasn't what I was looking for, but it is what is perfect for me. I got something better than what I was searching for. Doing this made me a firm believer of the saying "You get what you work for".

This year use this type of will power and determination for whatever your new year resolution will be. You can meet and even exceed your goals whether it be a new job, a career advancement, career education, or something as small as losing 5 pounds. You can do it if you put your mind to it and believe that it will happen for you. Stay positive and believe me when I tell you that when you have positive energy good things will happen for you!

Happy Hunting Sarasota and have a wonderful New Year Celebration!

Samara Bowling

Resume Writing - The Letterhead

As we bring in the new year we should be updating our resumes as well. During the next two weeks I will be discussing the art of resume writing to help you prepare a successful resume. We will also be learning how to write a cover letter because suprisingly as it is many people are unaware of how to write a cover letter. This may even be the first time you've heard the word cover letter and honestly if that is the case this doesn't surprise me at the lease for even when I first graduated college I had no idea what a cover letter was or how to write one.

You will also learn how to put together your professional portfolio so you may be able to present your resume and cover letter professionally. This well help you look well organized and you will stand out from the rest.

Before we begin you will need the write tools to create your portfolio, resume, and cover letter. Some people may have Microsoft Works on their computer (it usually comes with it) which is perfectly fine to use if you don't have the rather expensive Microsoft Office. If you don't have either of these programs you may download Open Office which is absolutely free to download and use.

Today you will create your own professional letter head. This letter head is to be used on every document within your professional portfolio. This includes your resume, cover letter, references, thank you letter, etc.

Your letter head should consist of the following items:

• Your first and last name
• Your professional email
• Your phone number
• Your complete address

Be creative with your letter head, but don't over do it with fancy colors and uneccesay graphics. Keep it clean and professional. Make sure you use fonts that are readable and common such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Tahoma. Avoid type writter like fonts such as Courier. Do not use borders on your letter head at all. This is not professional. If you need examples please visit Microsofts site to get ideas, but please steer clear of the fancy graphic loaded ones.

Happy Hunting Sarasota!

Sarasota Job Spot... What's that?

So I guess you're wondering what the Sarasota Job Spot is and where it came from. This blog is an information tool that will give job search tips and techniques, resume help, alert you of job fairs and more. Companies can purchase a posting to have one written about their company and it's job opportunities or buy ad space on the blog.

Readers can also leave questions to get more information about what ever subjects they need assistance in. You can also use the handy search engine on the right hand corner to search for jobs in the Sarasota area.

The Sarasota Job Spot also provides helpful links for job seekers to get the latest news about the ever changing job industry along with a mini chat room to talk to me instantly while you're on the blog. There are also links to the other community blogs owned by The EmploymentGuide® which you are welcome to visit and read. Each blog contains different information about jobs and job searching that you can find extremely valuable. Make sure you add the Sarasota Job Spot feed to your favorites so you can keep up with the daily updates which can help improve your job search.

Please remember that each blogs content is the opinion of the authors and not necessarily the opinions and/or views of The Employment Guide®, EmploymentGuide.com or Dominion Enterprises.


Happy Hunting Sarasota!

Samara Bowling