Archive for May, 2009

Search-n-organize: State-of-the-art Low-budget Document Management Solutions

“We are living in the information age… The information explosion…” We have heard it so many times that have stopped paying any attention to it. However, information penetrates into every aspect of our lives. We are constantly trying to acquire new knowledge and looking for opportunities to benefit from it.

Users who actively work with documents and information, frequently face the problems related to search, organization and efficient use of documents. Copy editors, writers, journalists, researchers, analysts, consultants, lawyers, medical workers, students, all run into the same challenges at home and at work.

This paper is intended for a wide range of people, who, for personal or business need, work with a large number of documents and other information. We take a close look at the problems of information management, benefits of using advanced technologies in the low-budget personal information management system, as well as system selection criteria to meet personal and professional needs of information workers.

Challenges of Document Management

Nowadays big part of information is stored in a form of text: books, articles, reports, memo, notes, specifications, descriptions, white papers, and manuals, not to mention a huge amount of time sensitive information, such as invoices, bank statements, schedules, contracts, and tax returns.

Yesterday, papers, photo albums, music disks, and video tapes were kept in drawers, boxes, and cabinets. But the development of personal computers and Internet has started the era of digital information.

Development of electronic formats has significantly increased system storage capacity and allowed accumulation of large information volumes. However, recent developments in the fields of computer systems and data storage have led to a new question: how can we effectively manage digital information?

Recent studies by IDC (Susan Feldman, Joshua Duhl, Julie Rahal Marobella, Alison Crawford. The Hidden Costs of Information Work. March 2005) revealed that on average 13 hours of every 40-hour work week are spent on creating documents. 9.5 hours per week are spent on searching for information, while almost 9.6 hours on analyzing the information. 6.5 hours are wasted on searching for information that is never found leading to the need to recreate the content. Formatting of information between different applications takes about 3.8 hours per week, whereas version control related issues take 2.2 hours.

Issues, effects and implications of information management are summarized in the following Figure.

Issues

Slow search
Search without desired results
Redundant search
Recreation of documents
Difficulty of use of the found information

Effects

Employer
Unplanned for wasted time
Work slowdown
Decrease in productivity
Decline in quality

Employee
Increased workload
Negative attitude towards work
Decline in the level of satisfaction from the job

Implications

Missed deadlines
Project failure
Lost revenue
Loss of employee

Figure 1: Issues, effects and implications of information management

* What is the best way to organize the information to find it faster in the future?
* How to easily find information inside of large volume of materials?
* How to find documents that are related?
* How to save the search results and view them in the future?
* How to share found information with colleagues and friends?
* How to effectively use found information?

Importance and significance of those problems are major factors that stimulate the development of new solutions and information management systems. Information Retrieval, Data and Knowledge Bases, Document & Content Management, to name a few, are the branches of information technologies that deal with the problems of information management.

(more…)




Job Search Techniques for Successful Results

Job Search Techniques for Successful Results

A Job search is always a daunting task, but everyone has to do it at some time or another. No matter what your reason is, the skills that follow will be able to be used for any situation, whether you are just commencing your career, or looking for further advancement.

There are six steps to getting a great job. Sure you can just do what everyone else does and get any job, but if you follow the six secret job search rules, then you will have a GREAT job. A bit of effort in the right places can make all the difference when conducting a job search.

So what is involved? Well let’s look at the job search as a form of selling yourself to the best bidder. This is not a time to be modest or humble, you need to show prospective employers that you are the best person for the job. More than that, you will show them that they can’t possibly manage without you.

The Six Secret Steps

Following are the six secret steps to getting a GREAT job. Each one is just as important as the other. Although it might all sound a bit daunting at first, you have done this many times in your life before, most people have sold a car, or convinced a friend to do something, in other words you have sold something. This time you are selling yourself, and we will show you how to do it right.

You are about to learn some skills that will stay with you forever. As you will soon see, what you learn here, you will be able to apply to many situations throughout your life.

No. 1 – Preparing your mind for the job search.
Mind preparation is one of the most important tasks in a job search. You need to start with the right frame of mind and attitude, otherwise everything you do will show your lack of confidence or fear. If you believe in yourself, your prospective employer will also believe in you. But you won’t be able to convince them if you are not convinced yourself. Click here to learn more.

No. 2 – Writing the CV.
There are many types of CV’s, choose one that suits your circumstances or the position that you are applying for. Sometimes you will need to have various resumes, depending on the types of positions you search for. We have included a step by step guide on preparing a winning CV. Click here to get started.

No. 3 – Finding where to send in your CV
Next comes the actual job search, where do you find suitable advertised positions, how to tap into the hidden job market. Where and how do you apply for positions. Click here to find out how.

No. 4 – The job application letter.
How should a good job application letter be constructed? how long should it be? what should it include? All these questions answered plus a step by step, paragraph by paragraph description on writing a great job application letter. Click here to learn more.

No. 5 – The interview.
So your CV and your job application letter worked really well and you have an interview lined up. Great! Panic starts to set in, right? Stop panicking, be prepared and you will breeze through it. Here you will find how to handle even the most difficult job interview and not just survive it, but win the job. Click here to learn about job interviews.

No. 6 – Following up.
Following up leads to ensure your job search efforts come to fruition and bear the best results possible. If you don’t follow through properly, then you might as well not bother to send in your job application. Never leave it to chance, take control of your job searching activities and you will get what you want. Click here for more information.

The secret to success in job searching is having the right attitude. If you believe in yourself, then so will prospective employers. Why should anyone give you a job if you yourself don’t believe you deserve it. For jobsearch visit search on search engine




Job Search Techniques That Work – The 8 Step Plan

Is you’re current job search technique yielding interview results 80% of the time?  It can!  Make it your job to find a job!  With your fine-tuned resume in hand, incorporate this proven Job Search and Targeting Strategy into a comprehensive Job Search Action Plan that will yield definite results.

Job Search Strategy:

Statistically, networking lands jobs 80% of the time.  Match that with 60-70% of your job search effort. Dedicate about 20-30% of your job search time following the Job Search Action Plan.

The Job Search Action Plan

This Action Plan keeps your job search moving, and your job search activities structured and organized.  Work in batches, spending about 1-2 hours each day working the Plan.  Networking results are definitely HOT status (Step 4).  Handle them in a dedicated, unique batch.  Restart the plan for Steps 4-8 once you land an interview.

Day 1  SEARCH Step 1: Find and print any job ads/posts that appeal to you at a first glance.   Don’t dig or probe; create a pool of possibilities.  Label with the job post date and title.

Day 1  TARGET Step 2: Grab your resume.  Highlight all the words/phrases on your resume that match those in the job description.  Highlights must cover at least 90-95% of the ad’s requirement and skills words.

Day 1-2  REVIEW Step 3: Review each targeted job for attractive features and practical points (location, commute, hours).  Prioritize those that pass review into 3 categories; HOT, WARM, and COOL.

Day 2-3  RESEARCH Step 4: Starting with the HOT stack, research each ad.  Define words, research policies, performance and company details.  Research similarities and differences with other similar posts.  If possible, call the company to confirm job details, status and the application process.  Get contact info for follow up and follow through activities.  Research “HOT” then move to “WARM” and “COOL.”

Day 2-5  RESPOND Step 5: Write cover letters.  At least one sentence and example should be given for each job/skills requirement.  Respond to each post with the letter, your resume and other appropriate info.

Day 6  FOLLOW UP Step 6: Within 2 days of responding, call or email to insure your info was received.  Confirm the job status.  Ask for timelines and what you can expect for next steps.  Be friendly, cooperative, and persistent. Step back into the Plan here after an interview.

Day 7  FOLLOW THROUGH Step 7: If you haven’t been contacted within 7 days of responding, call again and reconfirm the job status.  Again, check timelines and next steps.  Ask for feedback if possible.

DOCUMENT  Step 8: If the job is a “no,” remove the ad from your working file and move on.  Document status for any unemployment or necessary activity reports.  Keep a list of keywords that “worked.”  Incorporate them into future Action Plan batches.

Good luck.