Does the US Government Need You?

July 24, 1998

A new website appeared a few weeks ago. At first glance, the Government Executive, which published The Top 200 Federal Contractors , appears to have little do with job hunting. However, take another look.

In it they rank, in a variety of categories, the top 200 contractors whom have been awarded contracts.

Even if you're not a contractor, this site can be used in a number of ways.

First, it gives you an idea of where your US tax dollars go.

Second, it gives you a hint as to which companies might be looking for additional employees.

Third, there's the Reinvention Center which brings you up to date on significant changes in the US federal government--changes which may affect you as a worker.

Perhaps best of all, for those who are seeking employment, there's a Career Center with loads of information.

The provide information about federal pay and benefits legislation, general schedule pay levels within the government sector, and extraordinarily informative links to help with your job search.

There are links to places where you can find out about about companies you're interested in. There are also links to opportunities in the Federal government, including the Department of Defense. There's even a link to The Resume Place, which has advice for people wanting to get in or out of government service.

And, what would a career site be without links to places on the Web where you can post resumes and look around? That's included, too. So, although you might not care about which company was awarded which contract, the related information on the site is quite a relevant starting point.

Getting Flamed

July 23, 1998 If you broadcast your resume, you will get "flamed".

According to Joe Vitale, Houston net marketing specialist and author of the new book, "CyberWriting: How to Promote Your Product or Service Online (without being flamed)" (AMACOM, $18.95) there are several appropriate ways to handle flames:

1. Remember the new prime directive of cyberspace.
"Write in kindness," says the author. "As long as you soften your heart, take a deep breath, and write a kind message back to the flamer, you will end the flame war, neutralize the flame you received, and make yourself and the flamer feel better."

2. Delete the message before reading it.
"If the header on the message you are about to read says something like 'YOU FOOL!,' you know you are about to read a flame," says Vitale. "You would be wise to delete the message and save yourself the aggravation of reading it."

3. Forget it.
"A fundamental truth in human psychology is that people will defend to the death their belief that they are right," writes Vitale. "You have to be secure enough in your own self-esteem to let the flamer off the hook and not retaliate."

4. Save them for fun.
Did you know that Mark Twain and P.T. Barnum collected crank letters with the idea that someday Twain would write a book about them? Twain never wrote the book, but the idea made receiving those awful letters easier.

Vitale's 180-page new paperback also offers an adapted 1903 secrets for making money online, shows how to write cyber-sales letters and e-news releases, and describes a new formula for writing ads online that get results.

"CyberWriting: How to Promote Your Product or Service Online (without being flamed)" is Vitale's seventh book. He also wrote "The AMA Complete Guide to Small Business Advertising" for the American Marketing Association.

"CyberWriting" is published by AMACOM, the book division of the American Management Association, and will be available in bookstores on September 1st. It can also be ordered online at http://www.amazon.com.

It's All in Who You Know

July 22, 1998

Lots of people say finding a job is easier if you have loads of contacts. For many of us, that's true.

We may start out a bit isolated and displaced, but as we grow older we meet more people who might, just possibly, one day be able to put us in touch with a friend of a friend of someone who owns a business.

But, who wants to wait that long? There's now an easier way.

The ‘net can help.

Look at the people with whom you exchange email. They may be far and wide, but you know them. That counts when you need to access every individual you know to help you find that elusive position.

There are also professional mailing lists on the ‘net. That's where those with kindred minds if not spirits discuss matters of importance to their profession--well, at least sometimes that's what goes on in the lists. To find a list suited to your professional leanings, go to Liszt and search by keyword.

You can also join a professional association. There's thousands of them--some local, others national, and many international. The advantage of being part of a professional association is two-fold. You can add it to your resume, which may help people see you as seriously committed to your field. But, it also enables you to attend meetings with other people who share somewhat the same professional interests as you do. Often, they may know of someone, somewhere, who is desperately in need of someone just like you.

If you're not yet part of a professional association, try looking here:

• Training Forum offers a directory of over 10,000 professional organizations.
• The Virtual Community of Associations maintains a directory of professional associations, searchable by name or keyword
• The American Society of Association Executives provides a searchable directory of more than 1800 associations with a presence on the Web

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