Corporate Flight Attendant Resource Guide

Writen by Matthew Keegan

So, you have decided to enter the exclusive field of business flying. Congratulations! Before you go further, have you done all the research that you can to find out all the details that you need to know about this exciting field? Some people say that business aviation is a mystery compared to working for the airlines and, in many ways, they are correct. To take the mystery out of everything, this handy little guide will help point you in the right direction.

FAA -- All that you need to know about the regulatory side of business aviation can be found on the FAA's web site. The FAA, or Federal Aviation Administration, is the U.S. government agency tasked with overseeing much of what goes on in business aviation. FARs, or Federal Aviation Regulations, are set up to establish what can and cannot go on in business aviation. As a corporate flight attendant, FAR Part 91 and FAR Part 135 will be of the most interest to you. Visit www.faa.gov for all the details.

NBAA -- The NBAA or National Business Aviation Association is the premier voice for business aviation. The NBAA has several over site committees in place which are tasked with guiding companies and personnel. The NBAA's Flight Attendant Committee is an important voice for business flight attendants. Please visit www.nbaa.org for more information.

Corporate Flight Attendant Community -- Established in 2002, the Corporate Flight Attendant Community is an independent resource center for private flight attendants. The community pulls together articles, links, training sources, food and wine information, and much more into one centralized area. The community also includes a resume posting service, forums, and catering information. Visit www.corporateflyer.net for more information.

Cabin Manager -- As part of the Corporate Flight Attendant Community, Cabin Managers is a top performing forum for members of the business aviation community. General Discussion, Stress and Health, Inflight Services, Just For Newbies, and Safety and Security, are some of the chief subforums on this site. Visit www.cabinmanagers.com for more information; read, start or respond to a thread for direct contact with members of the community.

Corporate Jet Catering -- Another subsection to the Corporate Flight Attendant Community is this site particular site which features in-flight caterers from around the world. Visitors to the site list comments about catering experiences and share recommendations and tips. Articles related to food and wine service are also included.

Women in Corporate Aviation -- An offshoot of the Women in Aviation International group, Women in Corporate Aviation was established in 1993 to promote networking and mentoring opportunities for women in business aviation.

Lastly, there are several business aviation training companies that have been established to help corporate flight attendants to further their careers. For a list of some of the top companies out there, please visit http://www.corporateflyer.net/IndustryLinks.html for all the details. Business aviation is a rewarding field…getting established takes a lot of pluck and determination and not everyone has what it takes. How about you?

Copyright 2005 -- Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are available right online.

Santa Overheard At A Recent Job Interview

Writen by Bonnie Lowe

The following conversation was overheard during a recent job interview:

Employer: "I notice you put three different names on your application: Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, and Santa Clause. What shall I call you?"

Kris: "Kris is fine."

Employer: "So, Kris, tell me a little about yourself."

Kris: "I'm a jolly old elf who lives at the North Pole. I love children and reindeer. I'm good at making lists. And I don't mind travel."

Employer: "Hmmm... You've got a spotty employment history. You've worked at Macy's and many other stores, but only for a few winter weeks. Why is that?"

Kris: "I can only get work in November and December. I tried applying in person during other times of the year, but they just gave me an odd look and shook their head. I think it might've been age discrimination."

Employer: "How are your team-building skills?"

Kris: "OK. I once had trouble with a new member of my team. The other team members used to laugh and call him names. But I had him lead the team one foggy night, and afterwards the rest of the team loved him; they even shouted out with glee. It was pretty weird at the time, but everything's cool now."

Employer: "What are your greatest strengths?"

Kris: "My listening skills are excellent. I have a strong lap. I'm good with kids. And I'm not afraid of heights."

Employer: "What are your biggest weaknesses?"

Kris: "Milk and cookies. They're the reason I have this belly that shakes like a bowlful of jelly!"

Employer: "Why should I hire you?"

Kris: "I see you when you're sleeping. I know when you're awake. I know when you've been bad or good. So be good, for goodness sake, and hire me! Otherwise, I'll have to put you on my 'Naughty' list. Believe me, you don't want that."

Employer: "Are you threatening me?"

Kris: "No. I'm not very good at threats. With the cost of gas and electric heat these days, people actually look forward to receiving a lump of coal. I'm just saying it's better to be on my 'Good' list, because I send a copy of my 'Naughty' list to the IRS."

Employer: "When can you start?"

Kris: "Ho, Ho, Ho!"

Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.Best-Interview-Strategies.com

Pursue A Career In International Sales

Writen by Andrew Rowe

If you are thinking about or are interested in pursuing a career in international sales, it's a wonderful opportunity. In fact, with globalization, there's an increasing demand for people who have international skills to fill these kinds of positions. Unfortunately, most Americans of traditional descent are not aptly prepared for such a profession. So a lot of international sales positions go to foreign nationals who already speak different languages and come from different regions of the world. If you want to prepare for an international sales career, my advice to you is this: first of all, learn a foreign language – or several! Don't just take a year or two of language in college -- actually become fluent, or bilingual. Immerse yourself in the language. In order to do that, you'll need to follow my second piece of advice. Go live in the area of the world that you are most interested in and become completely immersed in that culture. Become a local in that area. If you do that, when you come back to the United States, being fluent or bilingual and having a deep appreciation of the area which you are interested in, you will be very attractive to potential employers which are targeting that area or already have operations. Third, if you want to pursue an international sales career, make sure that you gain overseas work experience.

Traveling abroad, moving around with a back pack while in youth hostels doesn't count for practical international work experience when it comes to pursuing this kind of career. My own background: I spent 4 years traveling and working in international sales in Latin America, Europe and Asia before I came back to the United states for my first US-based international sales job. As a result of having that experience working in sales abroad, I was very easily employable and got snapped up by a great company. It was my language skills and foreign work experience that made this possible.

So, if you are thinking about pursuing a career in international sales or marketing, make sure that you move overseas, get practical work experience, and learn at least one foreign language related to the region that you are interested in. Those are the key attributes to pursuing this career. Wondering how you can get an international sales job or get international work experience? There are management internship exchange programs that allow for recent college graduates to get overseas work experience in their field of study. One of those is AIESEC, which offers an internship exchange program worldwide.

Look into study abroad programs as well, if you can't find an internship or work experience. While it's not as powerful as working overseas, it's another path for gaining an international background that is attractive to global employers.

An international sales career is a very interesting and rewarding job and one that I would recommend highly. You get to travel the globe; you get to experience the wonder of diverse languages and cultures; you get to grow a lot faster than most people would who are pursuing a domestic job, because of the diversity and skills you acquire.

An international sales position is a great fast track into general management. Why? Because people who work in international typically have a much broader set of responsibilities than people in domestic positions.

About Cube Management Cube Management provides sales acceleration services to emerging growth and mid-market companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. The experts at Cube Management work across the entire spectrum of marketing, sales and business development to provide customized solutions that drive revenue and profit growth. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process & People to produce winning results. Download the Cube Management Recruiting Guide and the Cube Management Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Guide.

Travel Nursing Smooth Ride Or Bumpy Road

Writen by Scott Knutson

Travel nursing is an up-and-coming profession that appeals to many nursing professionals for several reasons. Excellent pay and benefits, the chance to travel at the expense of someone else and variety are among the positive points of travel nursing. Sound great? It's not all the "bowl of cherries" that some believe.

The idea of getting paid to travel appeals to many people. The problem is that we want to have time to take in the sights, relax and enjoy our travels. Travel nursing is similar in some ways to driving a truck. You may get to see some incredible sunsets and view awesome scenery, but you're seldom going to have the opportunity to stop and smell the roses, visit those tourists destinations and take photos (unless you snap them from the window of a moving vehicle). In many cases, those panoramic views will be nothing more than spots from an airplane window.

So what's all the fuss about travel nursing? There are some positive points. You DO get to travel. While it's not like a vacation, how many people do you know who have seen the world? Even getting to view Paris, France from a moving vehicle is better than never having seen it at all. And while there are those cases that require every bit of your time and attention, many patients who travel are stable enough to do so. They may also be up for enjoying at least some of the trip and to share the memories of those views - even if they're all from the inside of a moving vehicle.

Once you get away from the fact that you're traveling and that you may not be seeing as much as you'd like, there are some real benefits to traveling nursing. Pay is one of the big benefits. Many companies advertise pay from $25 to $75 per hour, depending on the demands on your time, the amount of experience you can offer and the length of the trip. On the downside, be sure that the money is sufficient. $25 an hour isn't much if you're working three hours and then spending the night waiting for your next assignment.

Aside from the tangible benefits, there's always that goal that health care professionals have to help people in need. Travel nurses become responsible for their patients during a trip. Those trips are sometimes long, difficult journeys. During that time, the travel nurse can literally be the difference between life and death for critically ill patients. But remember that those patients and their families typically have some driving reason for the trip. Perhaps it's someone who fell ill during a vacation in another country. Maybe it's an opportunity for a better treatment facility or one closer to friends and family. Whatever the purpose, the trip is usually a step toward the hope of a better life. As a travel nurse, you can be part of that.

There's no doubt that travel nursing provides an excellent opportunity for many, though it's not for everyone. If you enter this profession knowing all the facts, you may find that travel nursing is exactly the career move you've been looking for.

This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

Scott Knutson is an entrepreneur and writer. For more of his articles visit: Nursing Uniforms | Nursing Scrubs | Travel Nursing

Working With Recruiters Fair Amp Honest Approach

Writen by Mark Baber

Learning how to work with recruiters is an important part of helping recruiters to help you. Over the past couple of years there is a trend expressing itself in the behavior of job candidates towards the recruiters they work with. That trend is a tendency towards playing both ends against the middle; telling the recruiter what they want to hear in order to gain the value of their -- usually free -- services.

Most recruiters work for and get paid by their employer clients, not job prospect candidates. Understanding that jobseekers are often eager to find new employment that matches their requirements, they will most times actively pursue job positions on their own as they work with recruiters. No problem. The problems arise when candidates work with recruiters then report to the recruiter only what they want the recruiter to hear, often times even if the report is not exactly true. That gives an advantage to the job candidate to work their own job opportunities or job opportunities with other recruiters as they manage recruiters by only sharing partial accuracy as to their real status. That sort of behavior is unfair and dishonest towards the recruiter and doesn't benefit the candidate.

A recruiter needs to know a job candidate's exact status, if they are to be effective on behalf of the candidate. Most recruiters don't mind, and understand, that candidates will work with other recruiters and pursue their own sources of opportunity. But when a candidate inaccurately reports to a recruiter that they remain interested in a job the recruiter is working -- only to keep that option open, when the candidate really prefers a different job -- then the recruiter is at a disadvantage, encouraging their client towards a person who will likely not take the job. It isn't so much that the recruiter is perceived by their client as being inaccurate. Most employer clients assume that the recruiter is only reporting what the candidate shares.

So such inaccurate reports to a recruiter by a manipulative candidate only reveals the dark strategies of that candidate and established that part of the candidate's character within the confines of the very industry the candidate wishes to seek employment. It's a small world. Help your recruiter help you by delivering fair and honest reports of your job search status towards a specific job. You may be surprised that if you tell your recruiter that you really prefer a different job, they may offer advice to you to help you secure that position. Believe it or not, most recruiters are upstanding, professional individuals of good character

Most take the long view that whether they make a fee on a candidate today or not, that they serve their respective industries well by being honest and fair themselves in all dealings.

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH.

Mark Baber has 20 years experience as an Executive Search recruiter.

Mark is Recruit Consultant to http://www.JobNewsRadio.com where Jobseekers access 2 Million job transactions, and can submit their Resumes Free and have them distributed freely to Employers they choose by industry, vocation, City or Region.

Mark is also Consultant to http://www.smarthiredirect.com, a low cost, effective recruit, hiring and job applicant tracking system for recruiters, HR staff and employers at all levels. MADE FOR RECRUITERS BY RECRUITERS

Or, for one-on-one job search assistance submit your resume directly to Mark via: http://www.recruit-services.com

The Inevitable Job Interview Question Quotwhy Did You Leave Are Planning To Leave Your Last Position

Writen by Carole Martin

This is a question that you can almost count on being asked at your next interview What the interviewer wants to know is, "Why are you available?"

The answer you give could set the tone for the rest of the interview. For instance, if you were to indicate that you were bored or burned out at your last job, the interviewer would quickly become concerned about your performance at this company. The question can be especially tricky if you've had less than favorable conditions regarding your departure from a company. Regardless of the circumstances that have caused you to move, or are causing you to think about moving, you should be prepared to answer this question.

Below are examples of possible answers to this critical question. After reading them try to determine which is the strongest answer.

(A) The company had a re-organization, and my department was eliminated. The work had begun to dwindle so it was not a complete surprise. I liked my job and the people I was working with so I had been hoping that it wouldn't affect us but unfortunately we were all let go. I would like to find a job similar to the one I lost.

(B) I am looking for a new challenge. I have been with my current company for two years now and don't find the work as interesting as I once did. I am looking for a company where I can take on new challenges and grow. My current job is dead-ended for me.

(C) Since there are no advancement opportunities within the company, I have decided it would be a good time for me to look outside. I have set some career goals for myself that I could not achieve at that company. What I am looking for is a job with a bigger company where I can contribute, but also move on a career path that has more responsibility.

Have you selected the strongest answer? See if you agree with the advice below.

The Strongest Answer

(A) This is the strongest answer, not because of the lay off, but because it has an upbeat tone to it. You liked what you did and were hoping it wouldn't happen. In other words, if it hadn't been for something out of your control you would still be there. The answer indicates a good attitude about an unfortunate incident.

The Mediocre Answer

(C) This is an ok answer. It is natural to want to take on more responsibility. It is also acceptable to quit a job. A skilled interviewer would follow up with a question about your career goals and why you think you can achieve them at this company. Would you have an answer prepared for that follow-up question?

The Weakest Answer

(B) This is the weaker answer because it is trite. One of the most common answers to this question is that you are "looking for a challenge." An interviewer might be concerned that if you were bored at your last job, you might find this job boring as well, or at least not "challenging" enough.

There are no "right" or "wrong" answers to this type of question, but there are ways of saying the same thing in a way that will make a stronger impression. Before you head out to your next interview consider preparing for this and other difficult questions. A little time spent preparing and scripting of your answers before the interview will make a huge difference in the way you answer the question during the interview. (Excerpts taken from "Boost Your Interview IQ" – Carole Martin – McGraw-Hill 2004)

About The Author

Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and an interview coach. Her books, 'Interview Fitness Training Workbook' and 'Boost Your Interview IQ' (McGraw Hill) have sold thousands of copies world-wide. Receive Carole's FREE job interview tips by visiting her web site at: http://www.interviewcoach.com

Career Choices For Consulting Super Stars

Writen by Gary Preston

The consulting world has changed dramatically over the last 20 years and with it have the career options open to the best consultants.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the brightest consultants joined one of a handful of elite strategy firms. They stayed loyal to the firm, were sponsored to do an MBA at an Ivy league business school, and if they stuck at it and made the grade, they would be rewarded handsomely by being promoted to Partner.

Then in the late 1990s, dotcom mania struck. Many of the best consultants failed to return after their MBA or left the firm to join hi-tech start-ups, hoping to build and float companies with new paradigm business models. The most memorable example in the UK was the founding of the travel company, Lastminute.com. Famously, Brent Hoberman was a Senior Associate at Spectrum Strategy when he met Martha Lane Fox and jointly founded Lastminute.com in 1998.

With the crashing of the internet bubble from 2000 and with the consulting downturn in mainstream corporate consulting lasting until 2004, consultants faced difficult career choices. Many consultants decided that with so little real job security in consulting they were better off eschewing the traditional consulting career ladder and working as freelance associates. This gave them life-work flexibility as well as the ability to focus on areas of consulting that they were genuinely interested in. It also enabled them to gain valuable line-management experience to complement their consulting skills.

Many of the top consulting firms de-risked their business by increasing the proportion of associate staff to permanent staff. They found that with so many good consultants on the bench , it was possible to supplement their permanent consulting resources as required to meet demand surges. With a large pool of freelance associates it has also been possible for these firms to pin-point their staffing so that they get a sector or skills expert on their team as required.

Outside of consulting, the business area to be most favourable to the brightest consultants was private-equity. Many of the largest private equity firms which had begun life as funding business startups, switched to performing major management buy-outs where they could achieve much more predictable revenue streams. With such low interest rates, and so many European business crying out for restructuring, money poured into buy-out funds. One of the key reasons why businesses were taken private was to undertake the complicated corporate surgery by industry experts, which might not be understood or welcomed by a broad shareholder base.

To make post-acquisition improvements private equity firms need strategy consultants' analytical rigour combined with operational and sector experience. As well as relying on trusted consulting firms to assess deals and create strategies, they have looked for key individuals who they can work with over a long period to deliver tangible business performance improvements. Consulting companies with their linear structure, low level of operational experience, and requirement to sell big-teams, often are not suited to the implementation needs of the private equity world. Hence the need for skilled associate staff who have the management consultant s training and the business executives experience.

With the consulting market picking up from 2004, many consulting firms have been re-hiring aggressively. However for many of the brightest consultants today, the choice is not which firm to join but whether to join a firm or to work an associate basis.

Mindbench was founded to fulfill an un-met need in the management consulting sector - the need for fast access to high quality specialist consultants for particular project requirements. Visit http://www.mindbench.com.