This Time, Lemonade Sits
This afternoon I realized the inevitable: lemonade stands just aren’t effective anymore. Now, I understand that “anymore” is a confusing term. I could be noting that lemonade stands were effective up until this morning, or I could be noting that they haven’t been effective since the invention of refrigeration. But none of that matters. All I know is that I have no plans in the near future to buy lemonade from a stand, especially while sitting. And it is primarily because the kids who run lemonade stands maintain business practices that are, quite frankly, too good. Here are some examples:No tax — Kids very rarely add tax to their lemonade prices. Some may argue that it’s because they are already charging 50 cents for a glass of water with a lemon and hand residue on it, or because their Fisher-Price registers do not know how to calcula

Follow-Up Letters Win Job Offers
A surefire way to separate yourself from a sea of other qualified candidates is to write a follow-up letter after an interview. Most job seekers neglect to write a letter, assuming that once they leave the interviewer’s office the interview is over. Well, it isn’t. The interview process extends beyond the one-on-one meeting and it is up to you to keep your candidacy in the forefront of the decision-maker’s mind.An effective follow-up letter serves two purposes: (1) It reminds the interviewer of your skills, knowledge and abilities; with the number of candidates they are interviewing, it can be easy to get lost in the crowd. (2) It demonstrates that you remain interested in working for the company and that you were impressed by the organizational culture.There are several slants the follow-up letter can take, including the following:A 5 POINT STRATEGY FOR ENSURING YOUR JOB SECURITY

Think Job Security is a thing of the past? Think again. While it may be true that no one is exempt from a downsizing, layoff, or unexpected re-organization in today’s economic climate, that doesn’t have to mean you have no job security. Today’s workers simply need to redefine what job security really is given the competitive environment we live in, and where security comes from. You can (and should) have a sense of job security, but it won’t come from your employer. You must give it to yourself. Your number one priority, if you wish to have career longevity and fulfillment, is to remain highly employable. Here’s a proven 5 point strategy to ensure you have security in an uncertain job economy.

1. Under-promise, over-deliver
2. Nurture Your Network
3. Invest in Your Competence
4. Have a Plan B and Plan C Ready to Execute
5. Build Your Reserves

UNDER PROMISE and OVER DELIVER
The first strategy is simply to outperform your peers. Under promising may sound like a lethal career strategy, but in reality it’s the opposite, as long as you consistently over deliver. Bosses and peers become most frustrated with those who make empty promises, right? These are the people who OVER promise and then consis

mean you have no job security. Today’s workers simply need to redefine what job security really is given the competitive environment we live in, and where security comes from. You can (and should) have a sense of job security, but it won’t come from your employer. You must give it to yourself. Your number one priority, if you wish to have career longevity and fulfillment, is to remain highly employable. Here’s a proven 5 point strategy to ensure you have security in an uncertain job economy.

1. Under-promise, over-deliver
2. Nurture Your Network
3. Invest in Your Competence
4. Have a Plan B and Plan C Ready to Execute
5. Build Your Reserves

UNDER PROMISE and OVER DELIVER
The first strategy is simply to outperform your peers. Under promising may sound like a lethal career strategy, but in reality it’s the opposite, as long as you consistently over deliver. Bosses and peers become most frustrated with those who make empty promises, right? These are the people who OVER promise and then consis

er. You must give it to yourself. Your number one priority, if you wish to have career longevity and fulfillment, is to remain highly employable. Here’s a proven 5 point strategy to ensure you have security in an uncertain job economy.

1. Under-promise, over-deliver
2. Nurture Your Network
3. Invest in Your Competence
4. Have a Plan B and Plan C Ready to Execute
5. Build Your Reserves

UNDER PROMISE and OVER DELIVER
The first strategy is simply to outperform your peers. Under promising may sound like a lethal career strategy, but in reality it’s the opposite, as long as you consistently over deliver. Bosses and peers become most frustrated with those who make empty promises, right? These are the people who OVER promise and then consis

over-deliver
2. Nurture Your Network
3. Invest in Your Competence
4. Have a Plan B and Plan C Ready to Execute
5. Build Your Reserves

UNDER PROMISE and OVER DELIVER
The first strategy is simply to outperform your peers. Under promising may sound like a lethal career strategy, but in reality it’s the opposite, as long as you consistently over deliver. Bosses and peers become most frustrated with those who make empty promises, right? These are the people who OVER promise and then consis

mising may sound like a lethal career strategy, but in reality it’s the opposite, as long as you consistently over deliver. Bosses and peers become most frustrated with those who make empty promises, right? These are the people who OVER promise and then consistently UNDER perform. By getting really skilled at setting reasonable expectations, building in time for the unexpected (which you can almost always expect!), and then meeting or beating every agreed upon target, how much does that increase your value to the organization? Lots. People want to know what to expect and be wowed. Wow! them with your performance, not your promises. Valuable employees manage to escape much of the corporate shake ups, even when the shake ups hit their home turf. Create a reputation for being someone who delivers value and you’ll add a lot of staying power to your career.

NURTURE YOUR NETWORK
Do you maintain relationships with a diverse group of people—from close friends to casual business acquaintances? Or is your social life basically built around the coffee pot and bagel box at work? When faced with changing jobs (by choice or not), it is important that you have strong, reliable network in place. You don’t want to be building up relationships at a time when you need them most…it drains