Erik Folgate

A few weeks back, I was meeting in a meeting with a customer, and I found myself giving off bad body language. Granted, the atmosphere was casual. We were outside in his patio, sitting on patio furniture. But for some reason, I decided to slouch in my chair and rest my foot on the leg of the table. When I realized that I was giving off unprofessional body language, I slowly corrected myself, sat up straight, and leaned forward. Slightly leaning forward in a conversation is a great way to show someone that you’re listening and interested in what they have to say. It made me think about all of the other times that I am in a work environment setting and how my body language gives off the wrong signals and/or impression. Your first impression with a company is the interview. Your body language WILL speak louder than the garbage coming out of your mouth. A good interviewer or panel of interviewers will read into how you react to a question rather than what you actually say. So, based on my past failings and total stupidity of how to act in a professional manner, here are five body language signs to avoid giving off when you go out for an interview.

1. Slouching in your chair. It tells someone that you not interested in the conversation or even being there.
2. Wringing your hands. I do this all the time. Imagine you have a car wash sponge in your hand and you’re wringing it out. If you do the same thing with your hands, it’s a tell-tale sign that you’re nervous.
3. Never making eye contact. You don’t want to stare at someone like you’re a psycho, but you also don’t want to stare at the ground the whole time. Appropriate eye contact shows confidence about what you are saying and who you are.
4. Crossing your arms. I always tells girls that if they want to attract men, stop crossing their arms! It’s a huge turn-off when a girl has their arms crossed the whole time. It makes people think you’re either not interested or you’re not comfortable being around them. If you can’t figure out what to do with your hands or arms in an interview, just fold your hands and put them in your lap.
5. Interrupting the interviewer. If you do this, you’ll come across as arrogant and over-confident.

These are only five signs to avoid, but there are many others. If you have one to add, please post in a comment below. It’s important to be aware of your body language in an interview, but you also don’t want to be TOO aware of it. Then, you’ll come across as not being yourself, and you won’t look natural. I know, it’s complicated. But in the end, taking a deep breath and being yourself is the best remedy for making an interview go well.

Recently, I was challenged by one of my best friends to check out the theory of “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. I had heard of the concept before, but I had never really researched it until a couple of weeks ago. If you are one of those people who has trouble finishing tasks, organizing your thoughts, or forgets tasks throughout the day to complete, then I would seriously consider you research the GTD method. What I liked most about the plan was that there was no set formula for getting things done. The formula varies with each person, but the goal is to create a system for your life that helps you get things done. The most common way to do this is to set up inboxes for yourself. Create either virtual or actual boxes to place tasks and prioritize them by level of importance, time it will take to get done, or by time sensitivity.

I have been on a kick lately to simplify my life. There are so many new web applications out there to organize you, but all it does is end up complicating your life more than it was before. So, my GTD method involves using iGoogle, the customizable Google homepage.

Step 1: Sign in to your Google Account or Create one at www.igoogle.com
Step 2: Set up a new tab labeled “Organize” or “Get Things Done”.
Step 3: Add three different widgets. Add Google Notebook, Remember the Milk, and Google Calendar.
Step 4: Make igoogle.com your homepage on whatever internet browser you use the most.

Google Notebook allows you to jot notes down and for those firefox users, you can download the google notebook plugin that allows you to drag and drop text, photos, and charts into the notebook where it stores it.

Here is the link for the Google Notebook plugin

Remember The Milk is a cool third-party website that has a Google widget for iGoogle. The free version is adequate enough to help you manage your tasks for the day, week, or month. Google Calendar is just a simple way to for you to keep track of your appointments and other important events such as birthdays and anniversaries.

This method works for me. I wake up in the morning, double-click on Firefox and automatically iGoogle pops up with my tasks for the day, calendar, and a notebook for me to store blogging ideas, quotes, and other information that I don’t want to read right away. Another great thing about iGoogle is that you can put the Google Reader widget in there as well, so you can scan through all of your favorite blog articles and news headlines without leaving your homepage. it’s highly customizable and there are a ton of widgets you can add to the homepage.

Does anyone else use iGoogle the way that I do? Please comment about your method for getting things done. Do you have a method?

Jott.com

My friend recently introduced me to Jott, which is a pretty cool idea that is currently in beta. Basically, you sign up for a new account on their website, give them your phone number and create a list of contacts that you call or email the most. Then, you call their 1-800 number, select a contact, and speak your message. The message gets sent to that contact as a text message and an email.

Advantages to this web application:

• You can avoid the EXTREMELY dangerous practice of trying to text message someone while you’re driving. I know that it’s still not that safe to talk on a cell phone when driving, but it’s a million times more dangerous to be looking up and down, trying to type something while you’re driving. If you’re on the road, you don’t want to engage in a big conversation with someone, you can call jott.com, and send someone a quick text message all through voice recognition software.
• You can send yourself emails to remember important information. I know that you’ve all been in the car or out running errands when a great idea pops in your head. Or maybe you remembered a friend’s birthday, and you tried to make a mental note about it. Mental notes are often forgotten, but you can send yourself an email through jott.com and your cell phone.

Disadvantages to this web application:

• The voice recognition software is still working out the bugs. My friend sent me a message through it today and it spelled “Starbucks” like this: “Starbox”. But, that’s probably because he didn’t spell it out, and it tells you to spell out proper nouns. But, the rest of the sentence wasn’t completely coherent either. My friend said he was in an area with a lot of background noise, so that may have been the reason.
• I think people are addicted to text messaging each other. I have no idea why, because it’s so tedious and I thought you bought a cell phone contract to TALK on a cell phone, not write text.

Evernote.com

Ever Note is another cool idea. I’ve never tried this, because I don’t have a camera phone, but if you have a camera phone, you can take a snapshot of your scratch notes, and Ever Note will file it away and index your keywords on the note. Then, you can search for those notes at a later date by the way that your remember it. Here’s some more information from their website.

Capture what you like, find it when you want

Stop forgetting things. Capture everything now so you will be able to find it all later.
Things to capture:

* Webpages
* Wine labels
* Whiteboards
* Scribbles
* To-dos
* Photos

Evernote on phone, desktop, and browser
On the web. On your desktop. On your phone.

Everything you put into Evernote is always synchronized across all of your devices. That way, all your memories are available to you wherever you are.
Downloads

* Mac OS X Leopard
* Windows XP/Vista
* Windows Mobile
* Web Clippers

How does Evernote do it?

Three steps:

01
You capture the things you want to remember using what you already use—your Windows or Mac computer, the web, and your mobile phone.

02
We run everything through our recognition technology and then make it all available across your devices. You can then organize and tag the notes, if you want.

03
When you want to remember something, just search for it and there it is just like you remember it.

As the web continues to become the humongous entity that it is, there are still a few great ideas out there to help you become more productive. It also helps people like me that never remember people’s names, birthdays, or other important bits of information that I’m bombarded with throughout the day. I think these web applications can be a great tool for bloggers. I always hear a piece of news or have a conversation with someone that spurs on an idea for a blog post. Then, I get home, and I can’t remember what I wanted to blog about. Using either of these applications can help you remember blog post ideas.

I don’t know about you, but I love animals. I’m not some kind of obsessed animal lover. I don’t picket cow slaughter houses, and I’ve never pondered the idea of joining PETA. They would probably never accept me, because i actually like the zoo. How else would I get to see all of those great animals? Anyway, one of my main philosophies about career coaching and counseling is to follow your passions in order to find and develop your career. One of the best ways to fulfill your calling for meaningful work is to start your own business. So, if you love dogs more than the average dog owner, here are some business ideas that you can start without much capital investment.

1. Dog Sitter: We know a retired guy in Gainesville, Florida who started casually watching dogs during the day and overnight for a very cheap price. He charged $5 a day and $10 - $12 a night. Word-of-mouth took over and before he knew it, he was booked solid for dog sitting. He has a medium sized house with a fenced in backyard and a heart for dogs. Obviously, if you’re going to do this at your residence, you need to make sure that you aren’t breaking any laws in your city or county. The rules and regulations are not the same as starting a child daycare in your home, but I would check with the county first to see if there are any certain restrictions for the amount of adult dogs you can have at your residence. However, many people don’t even keep the dogs at their own house. They visit the owner’s house two to three times a day to check on the dog. Many owners like this, because then the dog doesn’t have to leave his or her comfortable environment.

   What You Need To Start: A website, business cards, a place to keep the dogs, and chew toys of course!

2. Gourmet Dog Treat Manufacturer: I just don’t understand why dog treats can’t have normal ingredients. I know their dogs, but why does there have to be a long list of weird chemicals and preservatives mixed in with most dog treats? Many women and men who love to bake are starting gourmet pet treat businesses out of their home. For those of you that love to bake and love pets, you can combine TWO of your passions to start this business.

What You Need: A kitchen, cooking utensils, original recipes, packaging materials, a website, and business cards.

3. Dog Walker: Do you live in an urban area where fenced in yards are hard to come by? There are probably hundreds of people in your neighborhood that have dogs who need to be walked before 5pm, but they have to wait for their owner to get home. And do you know what dogs do when they get bored and antsy to go to the bathroom? They either destroy stuff or pee in the house. If you don’t want to deal with watching dogs overnight, consider walking them. You can charge anywhere from $5 to $15 for a half hour to hour long walk. And many dog walkers will walk two to three dogs at one time. How many other jobs do you know where you can make $45 dollars an hour having fun with dogs and getting great exercise?

   What You Need To Start: Yourself, good walking/running shoes, business cards, and a website.

4. Dog Trainer: Do you have a knack for training dogs to obey you? People will pay a lot of money for dog obedience school. You don’t need any special certification to do it, you just need to be really good at it! Do your homework first. You’ll have to become an expert on dog behavior and how to modify it. My suggestion would be to find ways to train dogs with less abrasive training methods. Many dog lovers nowadays don’t want to pull their dog back continuously with a choke chain.

What You Need To Start: Training cirriculum, yourself, business cards, and a website.

See how easy it is to turn one of your passions into a business. If you love dogs and you want to leave the office life, stay at home with the kids, or you just want to start making more money, these are all great ideas earn extra income with the potential of turning it into a full-time business.

I was raised in a sleepy, up-scale suburban neighborhood in South Florida. It was the epitome of the upper-middle class suburban way of life. For those of you that are not familiar with Florida, the saying goes, “If you want to go to the south, go north, and if you want to go to the north, go south.” It’s a very true statement. Much of South Florida is industrialized and has an urban culture. Whereas, much of North Florida has a southern, farm-type culture. I didn’t have much exposure to the “middle of America” type culture until I went to college. I started out going to a small Christian college playing basketball in the mountains of Northeast Georgia. Then, I transferred to the University of Florida, which is in Gainesville, Florida, an urban area with a lot of rural communities close to it. I was a snob when it came to the rural way of life. I thought that everything was “po-dunk” and I actually looked down upon the slower and more simple way of life of people in rural communities. But, as I matured as an individual, my perspective began to change. I started getting to know more permanent members of Alachua County. These were people that my rich, snobby, college friends and I mockingly referred to as “ACR’s” (Alachua County Residents). The reality was that many of these people enjoyed their simple life. They didn’t need to sip lattes at the coffee shop while surfing the internet on their Apple iMac with their Blackberry attached to their belt buckle. They enjoy spending time with their family, appreciate good customer service, provide a friendly smile to strangers, and uphold honesty and hard work as important personality traits.

So, what does this have to do with your small business? I’ve begun to realize that it’s not the urban community that runs this country. The urban community of hipsters who embrace individuality, self-expression, the latest technology, and worship the internet are not the most powerful group of people in this country. It’s small town America that runs this country. So, you need to embrace this culture if you want to grow your small business. Because, the chances are that much of your customer base will come from these people that you might be alienating.

The Millenial Generation Doesn’t Get It

Many of us don’t connect with the rural community, because we grew up in a suburban community. Our parents left the small towns they came from and moved into subdivisions just outside large cities where much of the job growth came from. So naturally, we embrace the urban life. We love checking out the hottest blogs, listening to our iPods, shopping at the Fresh Market, and we think that renting DVDs is so 1990’s. You’re either getting offended right now, or you’re letting out a small chuckle because of how right I am. I’m right because I’m one of those people. I write and maintain two blogs, I have the latest iPod Nano, and I own an LCD flat panel television. We don’t get it. We don’t know how to connect with the majority of the people in America with the most influence in this country.

Just Ask the Politicians . . .

It is evident that the 2008 presidential candidates know how important the small town vote is to winning the presidency. They know that if you don’t win the hearts of the heartland, you’re not going to win the presidency. It’s easy to appeal to the urban communities of San Francisco, New York, LA, and Chicago. Because most politicians live in big cities. They can identify with the needs of people living in urban and surburban communiities, but they have a hard time convincing the rural communities that they understand their needs. Barack Obama bowled a 38 in like 8 frames. I know it’s silly, and I’m not equating his bowling score to his competency for being our president in any way, but let’s be real. If he wanted to identify with the rural community that he can bowl just like them, he didn’t show it by bowling a 38. I could bowl a 38 with my eyes closed. The fact is that he, Clinton, and McCain don’t spend time in bowling leagues. They don’t hunt, fish, or go camping. But, they know that these people are important, because they are the majority of America.

How Your Business Can Appeal to the Majority of America

1. Provide courteous and personalized customer service.
2. Build your business on honest and moral principles
3. Correct your mistakes quickly
4. Do the little things to make your customer have the best experience possible
5. Provide a personal touch to your business, even if your business is a website. Make personalized phone calls or insert a personalized note in your shipments.

I’m not trying to create a sense of division and class hierarchy to our society. But, I want you to broaden your horizons when it comes to your target market for your business. If you alienate the people that make this country so great, the people that work hard every day to make our country run smoothly, you’ll miss out on enormous profits and huge potential to grow as a company.

An article about >five surprising salaries caught my eye on the MSNBC website, so I took a look at it. Check it out and see if the salaries for those five jobs surprised you. For those of you that don’t want to click through to the full article, here is the list with the salaries:

• Court Reporter: $60k
• Elementary School Principal: $80k
• Paramedics: $27k
• Astronomer: $95k
• Fashion Designer: $70k

The one that surprised me the most was a court reporter. That’s pretty good coin for mastering the art of typing and typing accurately. I knew paramedics didn’t make much, which is bogus, because they help save lives every day. The second most surprising one for me was astronomers, but like the article says, it makes sense since you need a Ph.D to be one and there are only 1,700 in the country.

Know of any other jobs with surprising salaries? Share them in a comment below. But remember, picking a job or a career isn’t all about the income potential. It’s obviously a factor, but it shouldn’t be your overall factor, because money definitely doesn’t buy happiness. You can make $100k a year doing a job you hate, and I guarantee you’ll eventually leave, because happiness is much more important than money.

Career coach, J.T. O’Donnell, asked me this question a comment she posted on the site.

What are your thoughts/suggestions on ways for college students to narrow down the endless possibilities in order to focus on a career path so they can network and land a job?

1. Write down a list of what you are most passionate about. Think beyond the box of music, video games, sports, or other hobbies that you have. Are you passionate about helping people? Are you passionate about being creative or innovative? Once you narrow down what professional aspects of your life you are passionate about, then you can see what opportunities fit those passions best.
2. Choose a company that fits your personality. Get to know the office and company culture. If you’re faced with multiple offers from different companies all with a similar professional opportunity, then choose the company. Make sure you pick a company that lines up with your style of how to work and interact with others.
3. Consult your friends and family. Whenever I have a decision to make with multiple options, I always look to my wife, best friends, and parents for advice on my career options.

The reality when coming out of college is that many of you will not step into the career of your dreams. I wish that it could come true, but as much as I like to dream, I have to be real with you, too. It’s not impossible to go straight into doing something you love with a company you like, but it’s just rare. The key is stepping into a situation that will equip you effectively for your future career path or entrepreneurial endeavors.

College is when most people either continue to not care about politics or they become very interested in politics and form a strong opinion about hot political issues. I was a little different. I didn’t start caring about politics or forming an opinion about it until I left school. I started teaching myself about liberal and conservative philosophy, the real difference between Republicans and Democrats, and I researched what issues were most important to me. I didn’t vote in the 2000 election, because I had just turned 18, and I still had the mind of a child. I voted in the 2004 and 2006 elections, but I didn’t really know why I was making those votes. This general election coming up is the first time that I have really dived into the candidates, and I have followed closely every story that has come up in the past year. I’ve noticed that young people are flocking to Barack Obama, older women are voting for Hillary Clinton, and John McCain voters are just voting for him, because they don’t want a liberal democrat to win.

There are many problems with voting these days, but one of the biggest ones is people who vote based on popularity, gossip, an emotional reaction, or simply the way the candidate looks. The Millenial Generation has embraced Barack Obama. They love his charming personality, his mantra of “change”, and his willingness to connect with regular people. However, many have failed to dive into his political philosophy and the position he takes on important issues. How do I know this? Because every time I hear someone ask a young person why they are going to vote for Obama, they’re answers are all the same: “He’s an agent of change, and he’s a good speaker.” Yes, but that tells me nothing about what he actually wants to change, and what qualifies him to be our leader. Those that have taken the extra step, like him because he doesn’t support the war in Iraq, he has a national health care plan, and he wants to keep the borders open for immigrants.

When I come across young people that say they are going to vote for Hillary Clinton and I ask why, I get answers to the effect of, “I don’t like Obama, or I want to see a woman president.” From the radio shows I listen to, to the newspapers that I read, to the television programs I watch, I hear numerous callers say that they will vote for McCain because he’s the one they dislike the least. Are these legitimate reasons to vote for someone?

The common belief is that voting is a right. It’s not a legal right, because our Constitution has no national right to vote. It’s believed that voting is a fundamental human right, but I don’t want to argue about that. I want you to treat voting as a privilege. Don’t vote blindly this November. Don’t vote for Hillary, because you don’t like Obama’s pastor. Don’t vote for McCain, just because you’ve voted Republican in the past. Vote based on the issues. Formulate an opinion based on your personal beliefs, and find the candidate that lines up best with your beliefs on the major issues of our time. We cannot allow the candidates to manipulate us. It’s too important of a process to allow candidates to persuade us with empty promises and disillusioned ideas. Research their prior voting records on the issues most important to you and analyze the answers they give to tough questions. Filter out the set-up questions that talk show and radio hosts ask that don’t tell you anything. Consider your vote a privilege, and make a responsible and informed decision this November.

I saw this YouTube video about an office prank that a group of guys did, and I had to share it with you all. I don’t even know if you can call it a prank, it’s more like an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! Anyway, if you’re having a rough day, watch it to get a decent laugh for the day.

One of my favorite office pranks done on my favorite sitcom, “The Office”, is when Jim and Pam put Dwight’s stapler in a bowl of jello. Do you have any funny office pranks to share? Post a comment about them below.

Graduating from high school or college is a scary thing. You have relatives and friends constantly asking about your future plans, job offers, job leads, and anything else you don’t want to talk about in small conversation. I’ve mentioned before on this site that formal education doesn’t teach us how or where to find a job. We’re expected to figure it out on our own. During an age where everyone resorts to the internet for their main source of information and social networking, you would think that finding a job has gone virtual. But, the opposite is actually true. The old-fashioned methods of finding a job still hold strong, yet many young people aren’t grasping this concept.

Here is a list of job finding sources that tend to be the least effective:

• Newspaper Ad: If you’re looking for a part-time job or extra work, this might be a good place to find a job, but it won’t result in finding your new career.
• Private employment agencies and headhunter firms: Using these services rarely results in getting a job, especially one that you are interested in. Generally, head hunters are looking for executives, not entry positions and middle management.
• Answering ads in trade journals and publications: Again, the chance of this resulting in getting a job is very low. There is too much time delay.
• Responding to Internet Ads: This is one of the worst sources for finding a job. Most people who are looking for jobs online are wasting their time and trying to avoid real human contact to get a job they want.

Here are the best ways to find and obtain a job:

• Identify Your Skills, Research potential companies you’d like to work for, find the manager with the power to hire you, and request an interview. This is the most effective way to find a career. If you identify the companies that will suit you best, chances are that you’ll be a good fit in that company and the hiring manager will recognize it.
• A referral from a friend or relative.Referrals from friends very often result in landing a job. This is why so many companies offer referral bonuses for recommending a friend to fill an open position. Friends usually won’t refer you to the job unless they already know that you’d be a good fit for the position and you’re qualified for it.
• Using the career resource center at your university. This is how I landed my first job out of college. I saw the ad at the placement office, they contacted the HR manager directly and sent my resume to them through the mail (not through email!)

The internet has revolutionized many aspects of our life, but it hasn’t changed the way we find jobs. It does give us a reference point to know that a company is hiring, but many positions are not even posted on the internet. Stick to the old-fashioned methods when it comes to finding a job, and you’ll have much more quality results.