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Saturday, May 7, 2011

They Were Fired Before They Became Filthy Rich


ResumeBear Blog


Posted: 07 May 2011 06:37 AM PDT

Walt Disney’s newspaper editor told the aspiring cartoonist he wasn’t creative enough.

Walt Disney's newspaper editor told the aspiring cartoonist he wasn't creative enough.
In 1919, Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star. According to his editor, he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”That wasn’t the last of his failures. Disney then acquired Laugh-O-Gram, an animation studio he later drove into bankruptcy. Finally, he decided to set his sights on a more profitable area: Hollywood.
He and his brother moved to California and started producing a successful cartoon series.

JK Rowling spent too much time at work brainstorming story ideas.

JK Rowling spent too much time at work brainstorming story ideas.
JK Rowling worked as a secretary for the London office of Amnesty International, but she dreamed of being a writer.She secretly wrote stories on her work computer and daydreamed about a teenage wizard named Harry Potter. Her employers finally got fed up and gave her the boot.

Her severance check helped support her over the next few years, when she finally decided to focus on writing.
Today, she’s the multi-billionaire author of one of the most successful book series of all time.

Mayor Bloomberg used his severance check to start his own company. Now he’s 18th richest person in the country.

Mayor Bloomberg used his severance check to start his own company. Now he's 18th richest person in the country.
Michael Bloomberg was a partner at Salomon Brothers, an investment bank. In 1998, they were bought out by the company that eventually became Citigroup. Bloomberg was let go, but not before receiving a hefty severance check.
He used that money to start his own financial services company. Today, he’s the country’s 18th richest person and, of course, the mayor of New York City.

Anna Wintour says that everyone should lose his or her job at some point.

Anna Wintour says that everyone should lose his or her job at some point.
Vogue Editor Anna Wintour’s started her career in New York as a junior fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar. She made waves for her innovative shoots, but editor Tony Mazalla thought they were a little too edgy. She got canned after a mere 9 months.Getting fired was a great learning experience and never held back her style. “I recommend that you all get fired,” she told fashion students. Shortly after leaving Harper’s, she became a fashion editor at Viva.

Madonna lost her job at Dunkin Donuts for squirting jelly filling all over customers.

Madonna lost her job at Dunkin Donuts for squirting jelly filling all over customers.
When Madonna dropped out of college and moved to New York to find fame, she had a rough start. Strapped for cash, she took a job at Dunkin’ Donuts in Times Square. She didn’t even last a day. After squirting jelly filling all over a customer, her managers gave her the boot.
The Material Girl went through several fast food and waitressing jobs before she was introduced to the city’s punk rock music scene in 1979.These low-paying gigs were necessary at first, but Madonna knew she was meant to be a star.

A Baltimore TV producer told Oprah that she was “unfit for television news”

A Baltimore TV producer told Oprah that she was "unfit for television news"
Evening news reporter Oprah Winfrey couldn’t help but get emotionally invested in her stories. The producer of Baltimore’s WJZ-TV got fed up and pulled her off the air. As a consolation, he offered her a role on a daytime TV show.
Winfrey was initially heartbroken. At the time, daytime TV was a huge step down from the evening news. Her sadness quickly faded as the show, People Are Talking, became a hit.That success help Oprah find her true calling as a talk show host.

Jerry Seinfeld didn’t know he was fired until he showed up for a read-through and his part was missing from the script.

Jerry Seinfeld didn't know he was fired until he showed up for a read-through and his part was missing from the script.
Jerry Seinfeld had a small role on the sitcom Benson, but the producers didn’t like the way he was playing the part. They fired him after only three episodes. Unfortunately, no one bothered to tell Seinfeld he’d been cut. He showed up for a read-through one day and found his part was missing.
He was humiliated, but he went right back to performing at comedy clubs. After one performance, a talent scout for the Tonight Show was in the audience. Seinfeld landed a gig on the show and his career immediately took off.

The New Yorker gave Truman Capote the boot after he insulted poet Robert Frost.

The New Yorker gave Truman Capote the boot after he insulted poet Robert Frost.
Capote dropped out of high school to become a copy boy for the New Yorker. His lifelong dream had been to be published in the prestigious magazine.
Two years later, Capote attended a reading by famed poet Robert Frost. Sick with a cold, Capote left in the middle of the meeting. Frost was deeply insulted, and knowing where Capote worked, he demanded that the magazine fire the boy.
Getting fired didn’t hurt his career. He began to submit short stories to magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Mademoiselle. A few years later, he published his first novel.

Robert Redford was a lazy, sloppy manual worker. Turns out, his talents belonged elsewhere.

Robert Redford was a lazy, sloppy manual worker. Turns out, his talents belonged elsewhere.
As a teenager, Robert Redford was an unskilled worker at Standard Oil when a supervisor found him asleep on the job. Instead of firing him, they switched him to another department, where continued to screw up. After smashing several cases of glass bottles, he was terminated.Getting fired encouraged him to pursue his other dreams. He attended college at the University of Colorado and eventually moved to New York to become an actor.

Ford didn’t want Lee Iacocca, so he brought his ideas to Chrysler.

Ford didn't want Lee Iacocca, so he brought his ideas to Chrysler.
Lee Iaccoca rose to the top of the Ford Motor Company, but he clashed with Henry Ford Jr., company’s then-CEO and chairman. After a string of unused and bad ideas (including the Ford Pinto), Iacocca was let go.
Iacocca was soon courted by Chrysler, which was in danger of going out of business. He took out a huge loan from the government and used it to revive the company. He brought several of his ignored ideas from Ford over to Chrysler, like the Dodge Caravan and the Plymouth Voyager. He remained CEO of the company until 1992 and was credited with its rise from failure.

Ever heard of Handy Dan? It’s the home-improvement chain that fired Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank right before they started Home Depot. It shut down in 1989.

Ever heard of Handy Dan? It's the home-improvement chain that fired Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank right before they started Home Depot. It shut down in 1989.
Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were working for Handy Dan, an home-improvement chain, when a corporate raider fired both of them.
The two men decided to start their own home-improvement store based on an idea they’d had while at Handy Dan: an entire store of discounts. They called it Home Depot. In less than a decade, they’d opened over 100 stores and made over $2.7 billion in sales.

WNBC pulled Howard Stern off the air for a super racy sketch.

WNBC pulled Howard Stern off the air for a super racy sketch.
Howard Stern was a controversial DJ on WNBC, but he crossed the line with one particularly racy sketch. NBC pulled him off the air.
Fortunately, he found XM was a better home for his talent. After his show debuted, millions of devoted Stern fans switched to Sirius. He now pulls in about $70 million a year.

The manager of the Grand Ole Opry told Elvis he was better off driving trucks.

The manager of the Grand Ole Opry told Elvis he was better off driving trucks.
Elvis may be the king of rock ‘n’ roll but he hit some major setbacks on his way to the top. After one performance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, the concert hall’s manager told the singer he was better off returning to Memphis and his old career, driving trucks.
Luckily for modern music, he didn’t. Presley continued to book shows in the area and eventually landed a spot on a tour with Hank Snow, the then biggest star in country music.

Thomas Edison secretly conducted experiments in his office at Western Union.

Thomas Edison secretly conducted experiments in his office at Western Union.
Until one night in 1867, he spilled some acid that ate through his entire floor.
He got canned and decided to pursue inventing full-time.
Edison received his first patent two years later, for the electric vote recorder.

In the 1980s, Mark Cuban lost his job as a salesman at computer store. That was the last time he worked for someone else.

In the 1980s, Mark Cuban lost his job as a salesman at computer store. That was the last time he worked for someone else.
One of Mark Cuban’s first jobs out of college was a salesman at a computer store. However, he was more interested in cultivating new business than manning a cash register. After he failed to open the store one day because he was busy with a potential client, his managers cut him loose. That was the last time he ever worked for someone else.
Shortly after his termination, Cuban started his first company, MicroSolutions. Since then, he’s made over $2.4 billion.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/15-people-who-were-fired-before-they-became-filthy-rich-2011-4?op=1#ixzz1LfmV33MM

The Monster 5 for Friday--Careers Edition--May 6


The Monster Blog


Posted: 06 May 2011 03:44 PM PDT
It's the first Friday of the month, and that means that it's time for the monthly report from the U.S. Labor Department -- and, happily, the news continues to be good: although the unemployment rate remains high (slipping back up to 9 percent), small businesses are hiring at the highest rate in five years, and that has analysts predicting continuing improvement.
And according to new Monster.com surveys, people are feeling the optimism: in a recent poll, more than 80 percent said they were actively looking for a dream job.
We hope you're looking for your dream job (if you don't already have it!). To help, here are five cool career-advice articles from this week:
5. Maybe your dream job is something philanthropic or green -- if so, you'll want to check out the tips in "Non-Profit and Green Jobs: 4 Ways to Find Them." (And if you like to do good in the world, you should also check out our friends at DailyFeats.com, where you can join a community and earn real-world rewards for helping others and achieving your goals.)
4. When you're looking for work, a great cover letter is often the first thing a potential employer sees. So you should check out "10 Cover-Letter Dont's."
3. And then comes the interview! For advice, read "How to Answer the 5 Toughest Interview Questions You'll Face."
2. Feeling overwhelmed by all the new technologies available to job seekers? Check out "Navigating the Digital Job Market When You're Not Tech Savvy."
1. And when you're ready to take the Internet by storm, weigh the advice in "5 Easy Ways to Build Your Digital Reputation."
Do you need job-search advice? What job-seeker topics would you like to see covered? Leave a message for us in the comments section below, or find @monstercareers on Twitter and send a message. Also, get support and grat job-seeker advice when you join our community on Facebook.

The Work Buzz's Latest News: More good signs for job growth


The Work Buzz's Latest News: More good signs for job growth


Posted: 06 May 2011 10:52 AM PDT
Hopefully, the term "jobless recovery" soon won't be an accurate description of how the U.S. is emerging from The Great Recession. After years of nothing but negative employment numbers and anemic hiring trends, 2011 has brought comparatively good news for the job market thus far. 
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics‘ monthly jobs report, the economy created 244,000 jobs in April, for a total of 768,000 jobs added since the first of the year. April's job gain also far surpassed the increase of 185,000 jobs predicted by economists.
While public sector hiring is still experiencing a downward trend — government jobs decreased by 24,000 last month, largely due to spending cuts at the state and local levels — the private sector is more than compensating. In April, private sector hiring increased by 268,000 jobs, the largest monthly gain since February 2006. Since February 2010, private businesses have added 2.1 million jobs — 854,000 of which have been added since the start of 2011.
The unemployment rate did jump slightly to 9 percent last month, .2 percent higher than in March, but still .8 percent lower than in November 2010. According to CNN, the increase can partially be attributed to larger labor force participation — an additional 113,000 people entered the labor force last month, a sign that more of the population is hopeful about their job prospects.
Still need more convincing that the job market is headed in the right direction? Here are three more indicators released in the last month, all of which show positive trends.
1. Online job postings are at pre-recession levels: According to The Conference Board'smonthly "Help Wanted Online" survey, the number of online job postings in April was consistent with pre-recession levels. In April 2011, there were 4.32 million job openings listed on the Internet, while in April 2007, there were 4.47 million jobs posted. This is up from a low point of 2.78 million two years ago, in April 2009.
2. Announced layoffs are declining: A monthly survey on layoffs by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas found that, in April, employers announced plans to cut 36,490 jobs, a 12 percent drop from the 41,528 layoffs that were announced in March and the lowest number so far this year. To date, employers have announced 167,239 job cuts this year, down 24 percent from the 219,209 layoffs announced by this time last year.
3. CEOs plan to increase headcount: CEOs in numerous industries are planning to hire, according to a survey by the Young Presidents' Organization, a nonprofit, worldwide group of chief executives. The results of the survey found that, globally, 44 percent of CEOs in the services sector, 34 percent of those in manufacturing and 39 percent of those in construction plan to grow headcount by at least 10 percent in the next 12 months.
For more on the job market, see:
9 good signs for job growth

I Regret Leaving for More Money


 I Regret Leaving for More Money

Link to CAREEREALISM.com

Posted: 06 May 2011 11:00 PM PDT
A friend offered me a job at a nonprofit that paid more money. I took the job, despite some flags, because, hey, it was more money.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.


Job Broker's Blog


Job Broker's Blog


Posted: 06 May 2011 11:29 AM PDT
Looking for a new job, but don’t have a lot of experience in the new career field? Don’t fret. There are ways to level the playing field and increase your chances of landing that coveted job. Some tips that may help: 1 Do a skills inventory. If you’re thinking about switching careers, you need to evaluate [...]

blogging4jobs


blogging4jobs

Link to Blogging4Jobs

Posted: 06 May 2011 08:24 AM PDT

This is Part 2 of a Social Media Policies Series.  In Part 1, we discussed myths around your corporate social media policy.  In Part 2, we continue the discussion diving into monitoring tools and research involved before you craft your corporate social media policies.
To get you and your company started in the research process, I recommend considering the following websites and tools to get you started in learning more about what is already being said so you can plan a strategy of how and when to respond and act.
  • BackType.com. This website helps you monitor key word and brand mentions made on blog comments throughout the Internet.
  • Google Alerts. Email alerts from Google.com/alerts can be sent daily or even hourly to your email inbox.  Google notifies you after a series of key words in which you select are found by their online web crawlers.  Yahoo Alerts provides a similar feature but for the Yahoo webcrawlers.
  • BoardTracker.com. This website monitors mentions of selected key words on forums and boards. There are millions of forums and boards some specific to an industry, local region, or area of interest.
  • Twilert.com. Twilert monitors the popular microblogging site Twitter and alerts you to mentions via email.  Much like Google, Twitter is a powerful search engine that can be used as a research tool in real time.  The more than 190 million users post comments in rapid succession.  Most profiles and their information are searchable on the Internet.
  • Paid Monitoring. Consider investing in a paid social media monitoring tool that goes beyond the above mentioned tools.  These paid options can help you streamline your content montoring.  Radian 6 as well as Buzz Ding offer different features and pricing options.
Employee meetings and focus groups in a comfortable and open environment are another effective way to learn how your employees are already using these online tools either for personal or professional use.  It is important for these meetings to be conducted in a manner where employees feel able to talk freely and openly about how they are accessing these sites during work whether from their desktop work computer, laptop, or via mobile smart phone.  I recommend other methods of capture information anonymously to further support your research and monitoring efforts using online survey methods or adding to your annual employee survey.  These answers will allow you to make sure to address certain hot points of interest in your policy and training process for current employees when you introduce the new policy as well as new hire training for those during the onboarding and orientation process.
Photo Credit Flickr.


Career Igniter

DeVry University "Career Igniter" Green Tech Sales from J. Kelly on Vimeo.

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