the provision group

Be Careful When Spell-Checking Your R?sum?

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:12:00 +0000

The following is an excerpt from my book "Why Won't They Hire Me?

"When creating your résumé do not rely solely on your spell-check program, because your words must not only be spelled correctly, they must also be used correctly. For example, typing “it” instead of “in”: Reduced costs by 40 percent it 2002. The word “it,” in this example, is used wrongly but spelled correctly so spell-check won’t catch the mistake. But such errors will catch the attention of a hiring manager, and they highlight a lack of attention to detail."

I don't need to tell you it is a tough job market out there. There are about 5.5 people looking for work for every job available, according to the latest data from the Labor Department. Make sure your résumé isn't eliminated by hiring managers due to a lack of oversight on your part!

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!

What Will You Be Dunking: Doughnuts or Basketballs?

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:45:00 +0000

What Will You Be Dunking: Doughnuts or Basketballs?

You’ve seen them, the group of retirees that sit at your local grocery store or coffee shop all morning talking and drinking coffee. I’ll bet if you ask them

what they do for a living they would likely say they are “retired”. This goes back to the issue of people relating who they are with their occupation. So, if that is the case then they are “done”. They’ve put their time in and now it’s time to sit back and dunk the proverbial donut. So what about the guy in the video? Why is he different and what if all the retirees suddenly said, “you know what, I’m going back into the workforce in a new career” or “I’m going to run that marathon or join that college team.? What if we had millions of retirees coming out of the woodwork asking to volunteer to grow food in their gardens for the hungry or build homes for the homeless? Can you imagine the revolution that would take place? There probably isn’t much hope for that group of guys in the coffee shop, but you can control how your later years in life will turn out. Don’t rule out the last years of your life being the most amazing and exciting years of your life!

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!

Did You See the Moonwalking Bear?

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:05:00 +0000

Did You See the Moonwalking Bear?

Just like this video, when it comes to Interviewing, it’s all in the details. I recently had the opportunity to sit with an HR Manager shortly after an interview she had conducted. When I asked her how it went, she said, “His shirt was wrinkled” and “He wore the same suit and tie for his last interview”. I was thinking she would comment on how he had answered the questions, while she was stuck on the details she noticed. So how can you avoid from this happening to you?

1) Appearance Counts: Prepare your wardrobe ahead of time, making sure your clothes are clean and pressed. If this is a second interview, switch out your shirt and tie for a different look.

2) Follow Directions: If the HR manager gives you any specific instructions, make sure you follow them. This gentleman was advised by her that this interview would be business casual (no suit and tie).

3) Manners Matter: Be courteous to everyone you meet at the company you are interviewing with. I know for a fact that HR Managers ask other employees that did not conduct interviews for their feedback. Remember, it’s all in the details!

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!

Was Blind But Now I See

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:02:00 +0000

Was Blind But Now I See

This is the 4th day into my new adventure of working

from home. Can I just tell you how much I love it! I have attended two free seminars (just to get ideas for launching a seminar based on my book and also to get some education while I was at it), secured three appointments with clients, had an amazing brain-storming session with a good friend of mine who is also living his dream, and most importantly, got to enjoy seeing my wife and kids when they got up ( a rarity when I was working at my old J-O-B), as well as spending time with them throughout the day. I feel like a whole new world has opened up to me, but the ironic part, is that this was my life all along. The problem was that I was never around to particpate and enjoy it. Yesterday I took my son on a bike ride. As he was riding in the child seat behind me I heard him say "hey daddy!" I said, yes, what's up? He replied "I love you." It was at that moment that I knew that working from home was something that I could get used to.

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!

I Am Not Crazy

Tue, 25 May 2010 21:36:00 +0000

I Am Not Crazy

I am quitting my day job on Friday. I have a beautiful wife whom I love more than life itself and two wonderful children ages 2 and 4. I don’t have another “job” lined up. No, I am not crazy. I am devoting my life from this point forward to what God has designed me to do; help people with their finances and their careers. This decision will change my life as I know it. This decision will change my marriage as I know it. This decision will change my relationship with my children, and will ultimately determine the path our family tree will take in the next 50 to 100 years and beyond. This decision will affect thousands and maybe even (God-willing), millions of people that will listen to my counseling and read my book and writings. This decision will ultimately affect my own destiny with my Maker. Someday I will have to stand in front of God and answer the question: Did you do what I put you on earth to do? When I answer, “yes, yes I did” and He smiles, I will know for sure that I was not crazy.

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!

What Are You Sitting On?

Wed, 19 May 2010 17:13:00 +0000

What are you sitting on?

Unbelievable right? This guy lives on Park Avenue! His fortune made 5 bucks at a time sitting on a little stool. So what are you sitting on? No, not literally. What idea are you sitting on that you could be producing or selling to get to your own little Park Avenue? The lesson here is this: You have to #1 get the vision, #2 believe in the vision with all of your heart, and #3 act NOW! This guy could have wrestled with business plans and tried coming up with the “ideal” way of getting this peelers sold, but he chose to just get out there, work his butt off and make it happen. Now it’s your turn. Send me your ideas on what you’ve been sitting on and what you plan on doing toget your ideas out there in the near future.

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!

Prepare to Jump

Fri, 14 May 2010 15:08:00 +0000

Prepare to Jump!

You have to check out the video of the stunt this NBA mascot did! How many people do you think told him he was crazy for attempting this? I bet 99% of the people he talked to said, “You are going to kill yourself!” Are there naysayers in your life advising against you quitting your job to pursue your passion? Are the voices you are hearing your own? The key to your successful leap is preparation. I’m POSITIVE this mascot planned this stunt out to the smallest detail. The lesson here is that what was thought to be an unreasonable feat has now raised the bar on what is possible. Get out there and raise the bar on what youcan do in your life and career!

Remember, the more prepared you are, the more successful your leap will be!

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!

Life Without a Mortgage

Wed, 05 May 2010 16:03:00 +0000

Life Without a Mortgage

Congratulations go out to my in-laws who made their last payment this week on their dream home that they built in 1999! And they are still in their 50’s! How did they do it? Some came from the sale of their previous home; but a good portion was the result of my father-in-law taking a part-time job and making one extra payment each month. What would you be able to do without a mortgage payment? Do you even have plans in place to pay off your home early? Imagine being able to save all of the money that you send out to your lender each and every month and putting it towards your children’s education, your retirement, or donating it to a church or a family in need. Society today expects everyone to have two things: a car payment and a house payment. One look around our country and you can see where that has gotten us! I say we need to get “weird” and begin to set some new expectations for ourselves and our families. A life without car payments AND house payments! Remember, one of the greatest freedoms we can experience in this country is financial freedom!

Make Tomorrow Better than Today!

You Get One Shot

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:10:00 +0000

You Get One Shot

In the book Small Business, Big Life the author talks about a man who, at an awards dinner, gave a speech where he apologized to his wife and daughters for not being there as he worked his way up “to the top.” As his wife and now grown daughters looked on in the crowd, he realized he had sacrificed the one thing he could never get back: TIME. He now had the time to spend with his children, but they were now grown up and out of the house. Three and a half years ago I had an epiphany. For months I was dropping off my then six-month old son so a sitter could watch him for 12 hours a day. It broke my heart every day to see his little eyes in my rear-view mirror as I headed off to work in the city. At that moment, I decided that if I really said that family was important to me, then I had better start acting like it. My wife quit her job to stay home with him and we have gone on to do the same with our daughter. So let me ask you this question: Is family important to you? Thirty or forty years from now will you be on the podium accepting an award and apologizing to your wife and kids for not being there? We get one shot at this, make it count!

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!

Your "Gift" from the Government

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:09:00 +0000

Your “Gift” from the Government

With tax season in full swing, I thought I would touch on the subject of the tax refund. If you get out of the house at all, you know that people are already talking about how they are going to spend their tax refunds. These people drive me crazy! Let me make this very plain and simple: A refund means that you overpaid your taxes throughout the year. It’s not a gift! You just paid the government too much money. You basically lent the government money (interest free); they invested it, made some profit, and then returned to you whatever you overpaid throughout the year. If you are getting a large amount of money back this year, you need to take a serious look at your deductions with your employer and make the changes to pay only the amount of taxes you owe throughout the year. When you do this your amount of take-home pay will increase and you can use this money throughout the year to pay down debt and get an emergency fund in place. Remember, a tax return is not a gift; it is your hard-earned money. Don’t spend it foolishly!

Make Tomorrow Better Than Today!