Get That Dream Job Now!

Hi Friends,

With my last post titled, “The 3 Secrets of Financial Freedom”, I feel inclined to direct our attention to some practical ways we can start earning an income right away.

There are two ways I know to earn an income – either you look for a job or you create one.

1. Look For An Employment
To get employed, you will need the fight qualification for the prospective job.

What is your qualification? Do you have an academic certification like high school certificate, diploma, HND, BSc, post-graduate degree and professional certification in the various professions? Or technical training on whatever field you have chosen? Then you have what it takes to get employed.

The next step for you to get a job is to go look for one. Now, this is where it becomes tricky. Most of us falter when it comes to scouting for a job.

May be now I need to open your eyes to some things you may be overlooking as you try to get your dream job.

i. Decide on the type of job you are looking for – most people think they don’t have a choice just because there is scarcity of job opening but they do. The more focused your search is, the more likely you are to find the right one for you.

ii. Do consistent search – I’ve noticed that most people looking for a job do haphazard search. Get a list of website addresses and newspapers that publish job vacancies and be sure to visit and read such sites and papers consistently, not just when someone tells you to go look at so-and-so place. Of course, what you are looking for has to be in line with your decided job-type.

As you search through websites, you will notice there are some with mostly stale vacancies. You should do away with such sites. They are time wasters.

iii. Know what employers want – whenever you see a job vacancy that relates to you, look at the qualification they are looking for. Some are just your basic certificates; others want more, like professional certification. Do you have such?

Take a look at The Guardian on Tuesday. Check out the page titled “Appointments” where new appointments and promotions are discussed. Here, you will see how these people build up their qualifications to get to the post they are. This is also important for those in an employment, hoping to move up the ladder.

iv. A little more training will do – now I know most job seekers will not want to hear this, but it’s true. If you have been very attentive when reading through job vacancies, you would have noticed that most of them are asking for an extra. And this extra doesn’t have to take you back to the university.

If you want a job as an air hostess, go for an air hostess training. If you want to be a Client Service Executive, go for Client Service Training. If you want a job in banking, marketing, telecom, etc, all you’ll need to do is go for an extra training in the field and that may be all you need to get an edge.

v. Build an irresistible CV – your CV is like a marketing tool and what you are marketing is you. I heard from a Human Resources professional recently that most job applicants get turned down because of the low quality of their CV.

One thing I know is that your CV has to be clear, easy to read and understand. You may want to seek the help of an experienced person or even consult professional CV writers.

vi. Now, don’t wait. Begin to drop your CV at the door of every prospective employer. It will amaze you that most of them actually keep these unsolicited job applications in their database for use at vacancy periods.

I have not said that you are going to get that dream job as soon as you take the steps I have discussed above, but I know for sure, it improves your chances of getting one! I have seen them worked many times, believe me.

Now, what do you do when you can’t seem to get a job on time? Create one.

2. Create A Job
It’s a pity most of us focus too much on looking for a job that we don’t recognise that we already have the tools to create a job for ourselves and even for others, no matter what we read in school.

To create a job, all you need is a competence and some marketing. Let’s see them.

i. Competence: you must have a creativity that relates or may not relate with what you read in school – that you can turn into an income-generating venture. Almost everyone I’ve met has more than one, so I’m guessing you are like them.

Look at this list: cooking, baking, writing, drawing, painting, computer knowledge, marketing skill, public speaking, counselling, home decoration, balloon decoration, hair styling, driving, internet knowledge, singing, musical instrument, music, camera handling, make people laugh with jokes, etc.

Do you have any of them or more? Good news! You can make money from them. You can turn most of the things you do as hubby into business.

Sometimes, it may stem from your parent’s vocation. I know a guy whose father was a licensed clearing agent at the sea ports. As soon as he finished his NYSC, he got hold of his deceased father’s license and went straight into business.

I know a lady who is good at home decoration. She didn’t need a dime of capital. As soon as she gets a contract, she gets an advance payment to execute the job and gets the balance as soon as she finished the job. She just finished her degree exams in Industrial Relations at the Lagos State University.

ii. Marketing: So, how do you start off? Do you remember the adage about charity? Where do they say it starts from? Oh, so now you get it. Start by telling people around you what you do and you’ll be surprised how well this can help you start off, marketing-wise.

Do you have a family, friends, former classmates, church members? Then, you already have people you can tell (market) about what you do. This part about creating a business is so extensively expounded in David Ray’s Make Money from Your Hidden Talents.

You can think about printing two hundred business cards or registering a business name later.

To start earning money immediately, do these two things. I’m sure you’ll have something to tell me about the result. Are you smiling already?! ;-).

You shall succeed!

THE THREE SECRETS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t desire financial freedom. Most everyone want to have enough money so they can afford not just their basic needs but some of those pleasures they own only in their dreams.

Well, how come only a few of us ever attain financial freedom while the rest mass of us are left to live from hand to mouth – hand to mouth is even too good for some others.

There are secrets to it! And everyone that has access to these secrets can attain financial freedom and make those their pleasure dreams come true. What are your financial dreams? Send your kids through school, buy a house for your family, rent an apartment in a cool neighbourhood, start a business, pay off a debt, become a millionaire, etc? Well, you can achieve all of these and much more if you’ll pay attention to these secrets and develop the self-discipline that they demand.

Secret #1: Make Money
Isn’t this plain simple? To have financial freedom, you need to have access to money and the easiest and quickest way to that is to do a job and start earning an income.

Now you may be saying, “but where are the jobs?” Yep! I know your dream job may be scarce but I believe there are enough jobs for everyone and probably still remain.

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It is not the job you do that makes you rich but what you do with the income from that job.

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So what training do you have that you can use to start earning an income? University degree? What about teaching in one of those private schools or get a job in other industries apart from banking, oil, telecom etc? Do you have a specialised skill like writing, bead making, decoration, hairstyling, singing, painting, marketing, etc? Don’t you think you can turn it into a moneymaking venture?

Start earning money today, even if it means you become a commercial bus driver. Start earning money today even if it means you have to learn a new skill. Start earning money today no matter what. Remember, we are not talking about short-term pride here but long-term one - how to build a solid financial future.

Secret #2: Save Money
It’s funny how people do one thing and expect a different result. If you earn money and eat-up the whole of that money each time you collect it, how then were you wondering why you couldn’t meet up your expenses and you were always broke?

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You will never have financial freedom, never be rich if you do not save a part of your income.

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This is the idea. Your income is like a fruit, an orange fruit may be. In this income fruit is your seed to financial greatness. No matter how much you enjoy the orange, you do not eat the seed with the fruit or you may be hurting yourself – hurting your ability to enjoy your favourite orange in the future. So, this is what you do – you separate the seed and keep it while you enjoy your orange juice.

Some people think it’s hard to save but supposing your company runs into troubled waters and your salary is slashed from N20,000 to N18,000. Do you think you are going to die? No! You adjust somehow. The same is true of savings.

In my next post, I’ll be showing you some creative ways to start a savings program. Hope you’ll come around then.

Secret #3: Invest Money
I’m sure by now, you are saying, “Remi, what do I do with the money I’ve saved?” Bravo, if you had this question in mind. You are right on track.

So, what do you do with your saved money? Invest it – that’s what you do. That’s what the less than 20% of the population who ever had financial freedom do.

You see, at the first stage, you work for money. Even when it may not be your dream job, you work at it because you want to be able to earn an income.

Then you do some sacrificing by not eating-up all your income. You deny yourself; you postpone gratification so you can save.

And here we are at the third stage. Here, you let your money work for you. Your money is now your employee. It works for you and brings in more money.

This is what personal finance books like Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad; George S. Clason’s The Richest Man in Babylon and Sam Adeyemi’s The Parable of the Dollar teach. And they are quite right.

What’s your financial dream again? Don’t you think it’s a savings then an investment away? All you need do now is know how much you are targeting, how soon you want it and the amount you will need to be saving periodically. Then choose an investment and wait for it.

These secrets are more powerful than you imagine. I have imbibed them and they have severally worked for me. I challenge you to put these secrets to use and see what positive effect they have on you. I can’t wait to read about your success.

You shall succeed!

HOW TO EXCEL AT WORK

Hi friends!

What does excellence at work amount to? Why is it that two people work in the same office, under the same conditions, and one excels at his work while the other does not? Do you know anyone who excels at what he does? What does he do differently from the rest of us?

You see, to excel is to perform above average. In fact, it is to over perform. To excel is to be distinct and to be preferred above others.

What’s The Essence Of Work?
Work was created so we can express and exercise our God-given talents. That is the basic essence of work. Whatever else you get from your work are gratifications, rewards for your talents.

The 5 Secrets Of People Who Excel At Work

i. They Know Their Job
The fundamental secret of those that excel at work is that they fully understand what they are paid to do. They understand the details, purview, and expectations of their job. They don’t assume when they don’t fully understand, they ask questions. They are happy to learn from their supervisor or even their colleagues.

It is only when you know your duty that you can meet expectations of those duties, that you can meet deadlines.

ii. They Are Enthusiastic About Their Job
Another hallmark of people who excel at work is that they are happy doing that job. They look forward to being at their desk every morning.

These people see every new or extra challenge or duty as an opportunity to learn something or to express some of their yet untapped capabilities.

People that excel at work have learnt to be happy with what they do or they would change over to a job that makes them happy.

iii. They Do Continuous Personal Development
You see, people that excel at work have mastered the power of learning. They know that the depth of your learning determines the height of your achievement. So, they never toy with any opportunity to learn something new.

These people keep learning new things about duties apart from theirs e.g. duties at other units, departments or even a higher post. You see them going for higher qualifications e.g. undergraduate programme, graduate, MBA, ACCA, ICAN, etc.

They don’t wait for their organisation to pay for their training. They actually save-up part of their salary to finance it. You find them reading books, attending seminars, evening or weekend classes. They go ahead to learn how to use a computer and how to operate some computer programs related to their profession e.g. Peachtree, or Sage (if an accountant).

They see such learning as investment. They know there will be an opening in their organisation someday or they may even use their new training to change over to a new job.

iv. They Do More Than They Are Paid For
Here now is the ultimate secret of an excellent worker – once he has accepted to do a job, he puts his mind in it. He doesn’t think about how much he is paid for the job (in fact, he often forgets how much he is paid) or tries to do his salary’s worth of the job. Rather, he “plays” his heart out. His motto is: what is worth doing at all is worth doing well.

These set of people don’t just meet deadlines, they beat the deadlines. They don’t mind to sacrifice to see that things work well – even if it means they have to resume early or close late. If there is an error within a work brought to them, they don’t just overlook it - they correct it. You will rarely see these ones complain.

v. They Choose To Excel
Finally, people that excel at work believe that God is their prime enabler and that He wants them to succeed. They believe in their God-given talent and they choose to excel. These people say to themselves, “if anybody can excel, why not me?”

3 Ways To Put These Secrets To Work Immediately

i. Decide in your heart to excel in whatever you do. You know, decision is the first step to any achievement.
ii. Believe that God wants you to excel and that it is indeed your right to excel.
iii. Look forward to avenues to put these secrets to use in your work each day

There you have them – the 5 secrets that lead to success at work. You can now produce the same excellent results that excellent people produce.

You shall succeed!

Top Five Ways To Boost Your Self-Confidence

Hi friends!

Building self-confidence can help you achieve your goals, network in your career and enjoy strong relationships. It will open the door to professional and personal success, too. Though self-confidence does not come naturally to everyone but the good news is that it is possible to gain self-confidence. Here’s what to do.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Every communication starts from within you. Some people have low estimation of themselves and that’s why they keep falling short of their targets. When you dwell on negative thoughts, you become weak and unable to take actions that lead to your goals.

Some people dwell too much on what they lack so much so that they don’t even appreciate what they have. Have you noticed that non-contented people mostly lack confidence?

Rather, self-confident people do what is called “positive self-talk.” Here, you replace your negative thoughts with positive ones like – “people love me and are willing to meet with me;” “I am beautiful;” “God loves me and wants me to succeed;” “I shall succeed;” “people will listen to me when I talk,” “the world is waiting for my success.”

For best results, you will say these positive self-talks after your morning prayers.

What other negative thoughts have you noticed? Replace them with positive self-talk today and see what instant change occurs in your mood.

PREPARE
Have you noticed how confident you become about your examination once you have prepared for it? Well, same goes for every other thing. It will surprise you how a little bit of preparation adds so much to your confidence.

Preparation does not have to be elaborate. It entails knowing what to expect and what to do at a particular occasion.

What do you want to do? Give a speech, go for an interview, dance in public, lead the choir, preach in a Christian gathering, etc? Then learn a little bit about it everyday!

TAKE ACTION
You will never learn to swim unless you enter the water. Isn’t that plain common sense? But you’ll be amazed at how many people are just content at being at the poolside and waving to the people that swim when they themselves should have been swimming champions!

Forget about the big steps for mow. Take small steps each day that adds a little more confidence to you. Remember, repetition is the mother of learning. The more action you take, the more confident you become. This is the ultimate secret of champions!

Are you going to give a speech, preach or lead the choir or dance in public? Don’t go to the big stage yet. Practice in front of your mirror or friend then in a small gathering, probably of familiar people. As you gain more confidence, you can now go out and rule the world.

GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK
It’s ok to aim at perfection but it is also ok to make mistakes. Don’t be obsessed about being perfect because nobody is.

Can you imagine a building that is never fully completed? Well, that’s a confident person. He is always under construction. He knows he is not a perfect person. He knows once in a while he is bound to make mistakes but he also sees such mistakes as opportunities to learn something new and grow better.

The truth is people are always thinking about themselves and can’t spare enough time to dwell on your mistake so they mostly forget the mistakes as soon as you make them.

Don’t worry if you make mistakes but be sure to learn from them. Remember, you are under construction.

LET GO OF ALL THAT MAKE YOU STOP
Fear is the most demobilizing force on your path to gaining self-confidence. Everyone has fears but self-confident people have learnt to kill their fears. They learnt to move ahead despite their fears.

The secret is this – what you fear to do is exactly what you should be doing. Action is the antidote to fear. Once you take a little action, you will realize that fear is the easiest thing to scare away because it just disappears.

If you feel less confident about your dressing, improve it. If it’s your hairstyle, make a new one. If it’s you thoughts, change over to positive and empowering ones. If your friend distract from your self-confidence, move way from him.

Fears are reminders of what we should be doing. It lies within your power to move ahead despite them.

BONUS
Didn’t we say 5 ways to boost your self-confidence? Well, here is a bonus. Smile. That’s right. Smile. Smiling has a way of making us relax, boosting our confidence and attracting people to us. So, remember to smile always.

So there you have them – 5 plus 1 ways to boost your confidence. It’s only the knowledge that is acted upon that empowers.

You shall excel!