Returning to Work?

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

After taking time off from your career to be a stay-at-home parent you are now returning to work. Your children will be in school all day, so you don't have to worry about child care during the school day. Well, at least you won't have to worry about it most days. Of course, children get sick, there are vacations, and holidays. Ask yourself the following questions to find out what advanced planning you will have to do before returning to work.

• Where will your children go after school?
• What will you do if your child is sick and can't go to school?
• What will you do if your child gets sick in school and must go home?
• What will your children do during the summer?
• What will you do on school holidays and half-days?
• Who will help your child with his or her homework?
• How will you and your child feel if you can't take part in events that allow parent participation?
• If you have older children who can stay alone, are there a set of rules to which they must adhere in your absence?

Don't be discouraged if you don't know the answers to these questions immediately. You can get help and figure things out before you return to work:

• Ask other working parents in your community for advice.
• Find out if your school district has afterschool programs — many do.
• Investigate community-based afterschool programs.
• Network with some stay-at- home parents who you can count on in an emergency.

How to Find The Best Commercial Space For Your Business

By Lahle Wolfe

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

Things to Know Before You Start Looking For Commercial Space for Your Business

There are many types of commercial spaces that you can rent and many things to consider before signing a lease. The type of space you rent can affect the type of lease, the price per square foot, and the wrong location can hurt your business, while the right type of space and location can help your business to grow.

• What Types of Commercial Properties Can Businesses Lease? Should you rent space in a business park, industrial park, or retail location? Different types of commercial real estate properties all have pros and cons. Learn how to determine what type of space is makes the most sense for your business.
• Commercial Industrial Spaces - Things to Consider When Leasing: Commercial industrial space can also be used in place of traditional commercial office space, usually at substantially cheaper prices. There are pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages to leasing commercial industrial space.
• Pros and Cons of Subleasing Commercial Spaces: Commercial subleases offer pros and cons to business owners. Before you sign a sublease, be sure to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of subleasing commercial space.
• How to Find Available Commercial Spaces for Lease

Do Some Homework Before You Look at Space

Before looking at business space make a checklist that details and ranks your needs and priorities before you see any space. It is easy to get excited about how a space looks and overlook drawbacks. An experienced landlord or realtor will pick up on your enthusiasm for a particular space and may hard-sell you to make a quick decision, or be less flexible in negotiating lease terms.

Having a checklist of questions to ask about the lease is also important because commercial leases can be very complicated. A checklist of leasing questions will help you remember what to ask so that you will have enough information about the terms to research more about the type of lease being offered to you.

• Checklist for Leasing Commercial Office, Retail, and Industrial Properties: When it comes to selecting a location for your business you need to think things through. Make a checklist before looking at commercial spaces of all the things that your business needs to succeed and take it with you. If you have not already written a technical feasibility study, consider doing so. A technical feasibility study can help you think about, plan, and address all the needs of your business that need to be considered when leasing commercial business space.
• Glossary of Leasing Terms and Definitions: Before you start tackling commercial leases, take time to become familiar with basic leasing terminology. For example, it is important to know the difference between “usable square footage” and “rentable square footage.” In most commercial leases, you pay for more square footage than you actually occupy.
• How to Write a Technical Feasibility Study: Writing a technical feasibility study can help you thoroughly consider and plan for all you present and future business needs when it comes to the space you need.

Types of Commercial Leases and Common Leasing Terms

• Types of Commercial Leases: Compare the types of commercial leases commonly used in commercial real estate in an easy-to-read chart.
• The two most common ways to lease office and other commercial spaces include:
  • Lease: In a standard tenant-landlord lease you are the main business (or individual) named on a lease with the landlord.
  • Sublease: A sublease is when an individual or other business already has a lease with a landlord, but subleases (rents out) a portion of the space their space to you. Sublessors cannot transfer rights to sublessees that are not in the original lease or if the original lease prohibits subleases.

Commercial Subleasing - Pros and Cons of Subleasing Commercial Spaces

By Lahle Wolfe

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

Cons of Subleasing Commercial Spaces

The disadvantages of subleasing are mostly logistical (how you can use the property may be limited) and legal disadvantages if you do have problems with either the sublessor or the sublessor’s landlord. To minimize your own legal exposure, and protect rights as a sublessee, be sure to have an attorney review your sublease and the original lease before signing anything.

1. Unfavorable Lease Terms Can Be Passed Along to You: If the sublessor negotiated a “bad” deal with their landlord, they may try to pass certain fees and higher rent along to you. Be sure to read both the sublease and original lease and compare your sublease terms to other comparable rents and offers in similar spaces. (This is one reason why you should look at as many other spaces as possible before deciding on any particular space).
2. Default by Sublessor: If your sublessor defaults, it could affect your sublease as well. You can address this by including in your sublease, rights to recover costs and damages if you are evicted because of the sublessor defaulting (for example, you pay the sublessor rent, but the sublessor does not pay their landlord).
3. Not Your Own Private Space: This could affect exterior and interior signs, advertising, or present a “smaller business” feel to clients who come to your office. For this reason, it is helpful to sublease from someone in the same profession. For example, an attorney should first seek to sublease from another attorney if they are sharing space. By teaming with other similar professions, it can help dispel the small business atmosphere.
4. Delays in Maintenance Services: If you need repairs to the property, or other services provided by the landlord, you may still have to go through the sublessor for remedy. This can cause delays and headaches in problems being addressed and can complicate legal remedies for unresolved problems.
5. Limited "Nesting" Options: You are at the mercy and decorating tastes of your sublessor.

Small Business Attire for Women

By Lahle Wolfe

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

Working from home allows women to attend conference calls in sweats and send emails at 2 a.m. in pajamas. But at some point you will have meetings with clients, investors, donors, or other business professionals.

Competing in small business requires many skills, but knowing how to dress for a business situation can help you seal the deal in face-to-face meetings. In certain industries, how you dress is critical.

For example, if you design and sell clothing to women’s specialty stores, showing up wearing something from your own product line may sound like a good idea, but the wrong outfit will cost you the contract. It is better to bring product samples than to serve as a model for your own clothing.

Your attire should not upstage an event or the person you are meeting with. You want to be remembered for your business sense and not for a see-through lacy top or stilettos. Dressing to show off will not impress business men or women, and will hurt your professional image.

International Standard Business Attire

The standard suit and tie for men and women still has a strong place in the professional world. Tailored dresses, as well as skirts with a blouse and jacket, can also serve as standard business attire for women. Standard business attire is more polished and professional-looking than casual dress. When in doubt, stick with standard business attire to be safe.

Business Casual

The term “business casual” means different things to different companies. In some companies it may be acceptable for women to wear Capri pants or long shirts – but avoid these for small business dealings. You want to project that you are a business woman, and not look like a mom coming to a meeting from your child’s play date.

How to Dress for Business Success

For the purpose of business meetings and events women should consider the following guidelines for business attire:

• Wear Tailored Clothing: Tailored clothing always looks better. It pays to invest in several high quality outfits that are interchangeable than in multiple poor quality outfits.
• Color and Patterns: Conservative colors and fabrics remain a standard in business attire for men and women. Wear dark gray or navy pants and suits. Women can also wear black if the clothing itself is professional (cocktail dresses are not appropriate for business meetings).
  Avoid color and pattern extremes. You want to make a statement about your business not a personal statement expressing your passion for purple polka dots.
  
  Plaids and subtle patterns that appear solid from across a room are conservative and safest. Wide stripes and fabrics with a high sheen are too distracting for business meetings.
  
• Pants and Suits: Pants are fine, but stick to tailored pants with a crease. Khaki, twill, and corduroy are good fabric choices for business casual but stay away from denim and heavy cotton materials.
  Pants and suits made from wool, and wool blends are good standard business attire and work for all seasons. Try to avoid synthetic fabrics like rayon and polyester blends.
  
  Make sure pants are pressed and as wrinkle free as possible. The hem should cover the ankle but not drape to the floor. Even if you have a lovely figure stay away from pants that are too tight.
  
• Skirts and Dresses: The right color and material are important but the right length is critical. If you sit in a chair and can see too much thigh with legs crossed or uncrossed the outfit is too short.
  If your skirt has a slit it should be small, centered in the back, and no higher than the back of your knee. High slits in skirts are never appropriate. A slit should not impair mobility (walking and climbing up stairs). If you cannot walk comfortably in a skirt it is too small or too tight.
  
• Shirts and Sweaters: First rule: don’t show cleavage. Blouses should be tailored and coordinate with the rest of your outfit. Fine-gauge knit shells are fine but be sure any top you choose is not see-through.
• Bras and Panties: Undergarments should support your figure and not show through clothing. If your panty line shows your clothing may be too tight or you might need to wear a slip.
• Shoes: Closed-toed pumps in a color that compliments your outfit are best. Do not wear chunky heels, flat soled-shoes, stilettos, or shoes with too much height. It is important to wear shoes that fit well so you can walk comfortably. Shoe color should coordinate with the color of your purse.
  Shoes should be polished and clean, made of leather or microfiber. Sandals are never appropriate for business attire but tennis shoes may be fine for business casual.

If you are uncertain about how to dress for a meeting treat all face-to-face business contact as you would a job interview and dress appropriately in standard business attire. And, if you are invited to a business social event it is acceptable to ask what the dress requirements are.

Enjoy wearing your favorite torn jeans while working from home but when you step out into the business world remember to dress as if you are a powerful and successful business woman.

Personal Grooming Tips for Business Women

By Lahle Wolfe

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

Dressing for success includes more than just choosing the right outfit. To complete your professional look you must also consider accessories and personal grooming.

You should always dress to impress clients, investors, and customers, because a winning sales pitch is not enough to seal the deal. A woman's professional appearance needs to support her professional accomplishments.

If your business attire is distracting because it is too sexy, drab, or colorful, your business contacts may focus on how you look, not on your business skills.

Simple, But Important Grooming Tips for Business Women

• Perfumes, Scents, and Odors in the Workplace: Do not let the first impression you make about yourself be your personal scent preferences!
  Avoid wearing perfume and heavily-scented products in all business settings. You might like them, but they have no place in a business environment. Scents can trigger asthma, overpower a room, and are often more offensive than pleasing to others.
  
  Never smell like smoke (if you smoke in a car, your clothing will always pick up the odor).
  
• How to Present Professional Looking Fingernails and Hands: Women often use their hands to talk with so they become a focal point. It is important to have hands and fingernails looking professional -- not like you are heading out for a wild night on the town.
  Nails should be clean, and trimmed or sculpted. Avoid wearing unusual or shocking nail colors. Nail art and nail jewels are not acceptable for business meetings.
  
• Hairstyling Tips for Business Women: Style should be neat and conservative, and preferably off the face. With few exceptions, hair color should not be shocking or unusual (leave blue hair for Halloween). Hair sprays and gels that have a strong scent or odor should be avoided.
• Business Makeup Advice: Keep it simple and appropriate for daytime. Wearing no makeup at all is almost as bad as wearing too much makeup.
• Appropriate Jewelry for Business Women: Jewelry should not be noisy (no metal bangle bracelets), too large, or costume jewelry. Keep earrings small, simple, and above the earlobe.
  It is better to wear no jewelry at all, than too wear too much jewelry. But all business women should at least wear a nice, conservative wrist watch.

Demonstrating that you care about your personal appearance communicates to the person you are meeting with that they are important to you. Paying attention to the details of your appearance sends a message to others that you will also pay close attention to business details, and the needs of your customers and clients.

Proper Business Attire for Women - What to Wear to Wow

By Lahle Wolfe

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

Whether you like it or not, your clothing makes a statement about you and your sense of business - not just your sense of style.

There is a great saying in the business world if you want to get ahead: "dress for the job you want - not the one you have."
If you want clients, employees, and other business professionals to take you seriously for your work, keep your clothing tasteful, professional, and not casual or provocative.

Successful Job Search Networking

By Alison Doyle

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Even though job search networking is one of the most successful ways to find a new job, it can sound intimidating and sometimes seems a little bit scary. It doesn't have to be.  My father ended up in a conversation on an airplane with someone who was looking for an aeronautical engineering job.  My dad happened to be in the same field and ended up assisting the person in getting a new job.  Sometimes, that's all it takes.  I've been offered jobs on more than one occasion simply because a friend or acquaintance knew my background and skills. Informal Job Search Networking
Try job search networking, it really does work.  At at least 60% - some report even higher statistics - of all jobs are found by networking.   Develop contacts - friends, family, neighbors, college alumni, people in associations - anyone who might help generate information and job leads.  You can take a direct approach and ask for job leads or try a less formal approach and ask for information and advice.  Contact everyone you know. You may be surprised by the people they know.   Make yourself pick up the phone and call.  It helps to assign yourself a quota of calls to be made each day. The more phone calls you make the easier it will become.
Email is a perfectly acceptable way to network as well.  Keep your message brief and to the point and be sure to check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. 
If you are attending a holiday gathering or any other type of party, it is appropriate to mention in casual conversation that you are seeking employment.  Accept all the invitations you receive - you never know where or when you might meet someone who can provide job search assistance!  My stepson was not only offered a co-op position by one of my friends that he met at a birthday party at our house, he was also remembered a year later when the company was hiring.  
Formal Job Search Networking

Formal networking works too - try going to a business social or an association meeting or event.  You'll find that many of the participants have the same goals you do and will be glad to exchange business cards.  If you're shy, volunteer to work at the registration table where you can greet people as they come in or bring a friend to walk around the room with you - there's security in numbers.
As well as networking the old fashioned way, use the internet to network. Visit discussion boards like the Job Search Forum to network with career professionals and other job seekers.  Use Vault's message boards or visit one of the sites, like LinkedIn, that focus on online job search and career networking.
If you belong to a professional association visit its web site for career assistance.  Are you a college alumnus? Contact the Career Services office at your alma mater - many universities have online career networks where you can find alumni who will be thrilled to help you with your job search.

Job Interview Answers: Your Responsibilities

By Alison Doyle

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

When you're asked what interests you about the position you are interviewing for, the best way to respond is to describe the qualifications listed in the job posting, then connect them to your skills and experience. That way, the employer will see that you know about the job you're interviewing for (not everyone does) and that you have the qualifications necessary to do the job.

For example, if you were interviewing for a Human Resources Manager job where you would be responsible for recruiting, orientation, and training, you will want to discuss how you were responsible for these functions in your past positions, and why you are interested in continuing to develop your expertise in Human Resources management.

Another example would be if you were interviewing for a Programmer / Analyst position. In that case, you would mention your interest in learning and excelling at new technologies, your experience in programming both new applications, and your interest in and your ability to problem solve.

In all cases, you will want to convey your enthusiasm for the opportunity to interview, along with your solid ability to do the job.