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Career Communiqué x-Press
supports people in
accelerating their level of
success in the job market
and the workplace so they
can secure their dream job,
love their work, and get
paid what they're worth.
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Welcome to another issue of
Career Communiqué x-Press,
and especially a warm
‘hello’ to all of our new
subscribers. We consider it
a real privilege to have you
join us! Please drop me an
email to let me know how we
can continue supporting you.
A few week’s ago my entire
family (including me) was
struck down by a nasty
virus, which kept us out of
action for several days. So
for those of you wondering
why Career Communique
x-Press was not delivered to
your inbox last fortnight–
that’s the reason why. I was
just too sick to even string
two words together – I
apologise. Fortunately we’re
all fighting fit again and
very thankful to have those
several days well and truly
behind us.
So this fortnight we have
another issue full of
helpful tips and strategies
to support you in
accelerating your success in
the job market and the
workplace.
Do you have a job search or
career related question?
We’d love to help you out.
Pop across and join our
Career Success Radio
community
and ask your question. We’ve
got lots of people there to
support you in your journey.
Anyway, on to this issue’s
article:
Do you have what it takes to
turn your hobby into a
business?
Do you have dreams to be
your own boss? Have a hobby
that you’re passionate about
and think this could be a
great money earner for you?
This fortnight’s article
posses some great thought
provoking questions to see
whether you have what it
takes to start up your own
small business.
Bringing
you empowering career
related topics to support you in accelerating your level of success in the job market and the workplace
across the globe.
Co-hosted by Annemarie Cross and Keith Keller. When: Every Monday
at 9.00am AEST
Where:
www.careersuccessradio.com What's coming up on our next show –
28 September 2009
Topic:
Graduates – must do tips to
secure your dream career
Are you a graduate struggling
to market your newly-learnt
skills in the market place?
Been sending out numerous
resumes only to be told you
lack practical experience?
Confused how to stand out in
the market place? If so, this
show is for you.
Join Annemarie Cross and Keith
Keller as they interview Dan
Purchas from
GradConnection about the
opportunities for University
Graduates in the year ahead.
Keith will also be
interviewing Annemarie about
her article – 5 must-do tips
to secure your dream career.
If you’re not getting response
you want from your
applications, then it’s likely
you’re not doing some of these
crucial steps in your job
search.
Our guest reporter – Thomas
Shaw (from Recruitment
Directory) will be
interviewing a staff member
from Charles Sturt
University.
If you have a Twitter account,
join us in our new Twubs room
and feel free to ask questions
and share your tips:
http://twubs.com/careerradio/.
Or alternatively comment and
follow #careerradio
Remember to visit us at our
Career Success Radio Community
page at:
www.careersuccessradio.com
where as always, there are
fantastic resources for
Jobseekers, Career Changers,
HR Professionals and
Recruiters alike. Including
competitions, Twitter polls,
job vacancies, articles,
forums, and of course a great
place to continue building
your network.
Coach’s Corner:Do
you have what it takes to turn your
hobby into a business?
Over the past few weeks I’ve
heard a number of people
comment about their desire
to take what they love doing
as a hobby and start up
their own business and begin
working for themselves.
Being passionate about
something can often be a
terrific motivator, so the
thought of turning a
much-loved hobby into a
money-generating small
enterprise can be very
tempting.
While there are many
hobbyists that have
successfully turned their
passions into successful
businesses, a hobby-based
business may have limited
market scope, thus making it
difficult to support its
growth and viability.
If you find yourself at the
cross-road of whether to
turn a hobby into a
business, here are a few
things you need to think
about before hanging the
shingle outside your door,
as well as considering if
you have that
entrepreneurial drive to
support your business’
development and growth.
Research, research, research!
Undertaking some research to understand
whether or not there is a market for your
product or service is vital, as insufficient
customer demand may eventually lead you down
the path of failure. Who is your target
market? Is there a demand for your
product/service? Who are your competitors?
What makes your product/service unique or
better than your competitors’? How are you
going to advertise and market your
product/service? How much money will you need
to start up and keep the venture operating on
a day-to-day basis?
Commitment.
How committed are you to putting your plans
into action and following them through? Are
you the type of person who likes to try their
hand within a number of areas without any real
commitment? Would you be the type of person
who could easily become distracted by another
potential business idea that seizes your
interest, without really dedicating any time
to seeing your previous idea grow and prosper?
If faced with a challenge, do you have the
strength to work/struggle through it, or do
you generally waver and try to avoid arising
issues?
Optimism.
Are you able to see the positive side and
seize positive opportunities when in the grip
of a challenge? Can you keep your confidence
and optimism up, thus motivating yourself and
(future) staff if confronted by any obstacles?
When operating your venture it is important
that you are able to persevere during the
difficult times to ensure your business keeps
growing.
Decision Making.
If you dislike and often avoid having to make
decisions, then establishing your own business
may not be the right option for you, as you
will be faced with having to make numerous
decisions for your small start-up business.
Should you operate from a home base or a hired
business location? Where should you advertise?
How much should you spend? What type of
marketing campaign should you run? What price
should you put on your product/service?
Running a business, even if it stems from the
hobby you love, will still require you to make
real decisions that ultimately have financial
implications. You need to consider whether or
not you are going to enjoy having to do
this.
Marketing and Selling.
Running your own business will see you
speaking to potential customers and promoting
your product/service on a daily basis. This is
a crucial element in gaining exposure within
the market and hopefully subsequent sales, so
you need to consider whether or not you are
going to be able to market and promote your
product/service effectively.
For those of you who answered a resounding
‘yes’ to the above areas, you may be one step
closer to transforming your hobby into a
business, However, for those who have wavered
in their responses, you may wish to evaluate
whether this is a viable option at this stage.
Have a great fortnight
Annemarie
About
Annemarie Cross
Annemarie Cross is a Career Management & Personal Branding Strategist, Speaker, Consultant, Radio Broadcaster, and Author of ’10 key steps to Ace
that Interview'. She also heads the
firm - Advanced Employment Concepts,
which offers powerful programs for people
desiring career success and fulfilment, as well as savvy companies committed to building/retaining their most important asset – their staff.
Your can learn more about
Annemarie's products, programs and
services by visiting:
www.a-e-c.com.au
Your urgent
attention is
needed. I am in
career limbo!
I have three
university
degrees. These are
all in the field
of business. I
also have a
postgraduate
certificate in
teaching English
as a second
language. In
addition to this I
have a Diploma in
Export Management.
I am having major
difficulty in
getting permanent
work. I have been
working in the
area of
administration for
over four years.
This has
consistently been
in a temporary
capacity. I have
been unable to
break this cycle.
I am constantly
getting approached
by agencies who
would like me to
work for them as a
contractor. My
ability to gain an
interview for a
permanent job is
very limited - I
hardly ever get
one. When I do, I
get knocked back
with the response
- 'there was
somebody with more
experience in the
field'. How can I
get experience in
a field when I
have to pay the
bills and grab
onto a temp job,
regardless of what
area it is in.
I also feel that
the calibre of the
work that I do is
demeaning to my
intellect. I am
stuck doing menial
admin tasks when I
have so many other
capabilities.
I am stuck as to
what to do to
break this cycle.
Should I start my
own business?? Is
this a possible
resolution?
Kind Regards,
Susan B.
Dear Susan
Your qualifications sound extremely impressive, and from your
employment through agencies
(even though on a temporary
basis) should provide you
with transferable experience
relevant to a full time
role, so I wonder if perhaps
you may be having difficulty
marketing yourself and your
abilities/experience in an
interview. Trying to promote
and portray yourself as the
best candidate for a role
can be difficult,
particularly if you feel
that your abilities have
been undervalued, and that
you have so much more to
offer.
Even part time work can offer excellent experience and achievements
to use when you promote
yourself to a potential
employer, particularly how
your expertise has made an
impact within the
organisations you have
worked for over the last
four years. Did you
streamline any processes or
procedures that minimised
the time spent on day to day
duties? Did you set up new
processes that enhanced
efficiency? Did you suggest
any initiatives that
optimised the administrative
department? These would
serve to demonstrate your
ability to not only perform
the task, but also how you
impacted positively on the
organisation’s bottom line.
Perhaps you can seek out other opportunities within your current
work environment? Become
proactive and let people
know that you have much more
to offer than the current
tasks you are performing? If
you haven’t done so already,
start developing a network
of contacts with people
within these organisations
and tell them what you can
do. Is there the possibility
of putting your name in the
hat for other projects or
work in other departments?
Get known and be seen as a
problem solver and someone
who has multi-faceted
experience.
You mention that you need a steady income to pay the bills so
launching into your own
business at this stage would
probably not be feasible.
While it would be lovely to
be guaranteed an immediate
and steady income once you
have hung your shingle
outside your door, this is
hardly ever the case.
Building up a client base
and a regular and stable
income can involve a huge
commitment in terms of time,
money and unfailing
dedication (among others),
so it may not be feasible
for you to pass up any job
offers at this stage, even
if they are on a part time
basis.
I would suggest you try some of the strategies above and see if
this makes any difference in
securing a more permanent
role. Getting the practice
in promoting yourself and
your abilities when speaking
to potential employers will
certainly be useful if you
do decide to open your own
business down the track, as
you will need to feel
comfortable in promoting
your business to potential
clients.
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Advanced Employment Concepts are thrilled to announce their partnership with JibberJobber Career Management 2.0 – the gold standard in career management technology.