Course Requirements

This is a training course for displaced executives. It is NOT designed to get you a job. It is designed to teach YOU how to get an executive or management-level position for yourself. Our goal is to help you become a skilled, self-confident management candidate -- a “Job Search Marketing Machine” -- in more control of your future than you may feel is possible right now.

Some segments of the course may be easier for you than others. Some may be much more difficult or even seem insurmountable at the outset. We suggest you master ALL segments. The course requirements listed below will help give you an idea of where you’re starting.

We have a stake in your success.

The cost of this course is not measured in dollars . . . unless you don’t complete it. (That cost will be in YOUR future earnings!) We don’t charge for it. The cost is in paying it forward. We will ask (but never demand) that you use your success to help encourage others who will follow you and help them make the changes they need to effect the changes in their lives and careers. This is serious business and people’s lives are at stake, not just their careers.

What do you bring to the table?

Course Requirements: Demographics & Experience
Not everyone is qualified or ready for this training. If you’re not over 40, an experienced executive, manager or professional (which includes sales), you probably aren’t going to get the full benefit of the course. Of course, all site visitors are welcome to take away anything they discover of value.

Course Requirements: Computer and Electronic Mail Skills
If you don’t have the basic computer skills you will be at a disadvantage. These skills include a working knowledge of Microsoft Office and the ability to navigate the Worldwide Web. We recommend that you use MS Outlook to keep track of your schedule, contacts and to manage your eMail.

While there are other programs that do the same things (some even more thoroughly), the Microsoft Office Suite is the most popular and easiest to master. It is also easy to get training in – whether online, via CDs or books, at home or in the classroom. If you don’t have a working knowledge of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, you are behind the curve.

If you use other programs, we assume you will know how to “translate” course instructions into whatever program you are using. The most important thing is to realize that these computer programs and the skills of using them are simply tools and not ends in themselves.

Course Requirements: Phone Skills Today you must also be able to connect with your world via electronic messages on your phone. Yes, a Blackberry or other smart phone is expensive, but you are operating in a fast-paced environment where people expect rapid response. If you aren’t “connected” yet via your phone, take the time to become proficient. This investment will save you a lot of time later – not to mention saving what would otherwise have been missed opportunities.

Course Requirement: Attitude
This is more critical or even problematic. You must have your head on straight and be ready to move ahead. That doesn’t mean living in denial. Some people find themselves disoriented by their new-found circumstances . . . and, frankly, it’s understandable.

Are you frightened, confused, angry or depressed? Were you the unexpected victim of a surprise layoff, the change or collapse of a career or an industry you thought you would retire from? Do you feel overwhelmed by the new world of online communication, texting and social networking that seems to be the mysterious domain of the younger members of the workforce? Do you feel over-qualified, too highly-priced and otherwise handicapped by the evolving job market? Are you curious or skeptical about the “hidden job market” that you’re not even sure really exists for you?

Well, we are not psychiatrists, marriage or career counselors. We do know, however, that until you get over the anger and grief of whatever situation resulted in your being where you are today, you will not be ready to move on. We can only help you when you are ready. We have learned that the longer you choose to hold onto the resentment, the more challenging it will be for you to move on to the next level. Chances are, if you’re honest with yourself, you will recognize how you contributed to the chain of events that put you where you are.

Could this be a Blessing in Disguise?

Aside from matters of job performance, management style or personality conflicts (all of which should have been apparent to you), changes in the company ownership, the industry or local economy should have sent clues. Maybe . . . just maybe, this is the doorway to a new level of living.

Unfortunately, many of us tend to close our eyes and ears to what we don’t want to see or hear and live in denial . . . until overwhelmed by reality. It helps to be able to recognize this in ourselves and enables us to smile and move on. It’s also helpful, once we acknowledge this tendency in our past, to vow not to be one of those rudderless boats adrift on the sea in the future.

So how do you take charge of your future? The first of the course requirements is to dig in to who you really are. What are your skills, your talents, your successes (we call them accomplishments)? What are your shortcomings? Decide to go with the flow (remember, “row, row your boat . . . gently down the stream . . .” ?) and stop trying to swim upstream to overcome all odds.

This Course is Not an Instant Cure all . . . But it is a Solution.

If you are an executive or professional in transition (a euphemistic term for being without a job!), an underemployed manager, or one who sees the layoff writing on the wall, you’ve come to the right place . . . especially if you’re over 40. You may never have had to really look for a job in the past and you may feel lost and confused about how to go about it. You’re not alone. Let this course set you on the right track.

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SBI!