New generation of American workers seek to combine personal and professional interests

(BPT) - As college students graduate and begin the job search, their career decisions won't be driven by the same factors that drove their parents' decisions. While baby boomers tended to focus on the vertical climb to find job happiness, today's graduates and professionals want meaningful and challenging work that satisfies them personally.

Despite the turbulent economy, 68 percent of working Americans would be willing to take a salary cut to work in a job that allowed them to apply their personal interests to the workplace, a recent survey released by Philips North America found. Almost one quarter of workers would take a pay cut of 25 percent or more.

"Today's professionals expect more from their careers than just a paycheck," says Tanveer Naseer, a leadership coach who helps companies guide organizational growth and development. "They're looking for challenge, impact and an employer who is committed to helping them achieve their goals."

This new set of demands from employees is driving change in corporations throughout America. Philips, for example, which employs 116,000 people globally, is looking for more ways to help its employees apply their personal interests and ideas to their work.

"We've found that employees want a company that supports and rewards what matters to them personally," says Dana Stocks, Philips North America Chief Human Resources Officer. "Recognizing our employees are people with real passions leads to better product innovation, ultimately improving people's lives and the communities they live in."

So how do graduates or professionals entering the job market find employers and roles that are a good fit and will deliver job satisfaction? Here are a few tips:

1. Look for a job that allows you to leverage personal interests in your work. Most Americans, regardless of their career stage, believe that applying personal interests in a career would make them happier. Naseer says people often find jobs that play to their strengths - but an employee's strengths may not align with his interests. This disconnect can result in employees feeling overworked and underutilized as they're building skills for which they have no passion.

2. Use your resume as a tool to reflect yourself as a person, not just a potential employee. Social resumes provide the opportunity for job seekers to express themselves beyond educational credentials and a laundry list of responsibilities they've taken on in the workplace. Your employer isn't hiring the resume; they are hiring you as a person. Use your resume to help them feel connected to you as a person. -Include assets such as video interviews on relevant topics, thought leadership presentations, or links to blogs and social media sites that you maintain.

3. Know yourself first, and submit your application second. Many job seekers apply to too many jobs without truly understanding their qualification levels or fit for each. Take the time to understand yourself, your story, the intersection of your personal and professional passions, and formulate a short list of jobs that align. By focusing on the quality versus the quantity of your applications, you have a better chance of making the "right" career choice vs. the "right now" career choice.

When job seekers find the right roles that allow them to pursue their individual aspirations within the context of their professional careers, it's a win for both the individual and the organization.

Courtesy of BPT

On the move? Use these packing tips and tricks

(BPT) - Let's face it - moving is hard. Along with the stress of leaving a familiar place and adapting to new surroundings, moving means packing, loading, transporting, unloading and unpacking everything you own - as well as everything you forgot you owned.

While relocation may never be completely carefree, there are ways to ease the anxiety. A well-thought-out approach to boxing up belongings can help simplify the moving process and bring you one step closer to making your new house a home.

* Box it up. To be prepared for packing, seek out a large quantity of clean, sturdy containers in a variety of shapes and sizes. When selecting boxes, you may choose to purchase new ones, helping to ensure they can withstand the rigors of moving. You can also purchase dividers, which come in handy for packing glasses and other small, fragile items. No matter what you are using, remember not to over-pack. As a general rule, heavier items should be placed into smaller boxes to avoid too much strain on the box (and your back).

* Leave it. The easiest packing is no packing at all. Moving is the perfect time to clear the clutter out of your life. Before boxing up your belongings, decide what to keep. Clothing and housewares in good shape can be donated, and broken or unused old items can be tossed or given to someone who can repurpose them.

* Mind the supplies. The right tools can go a long way toward easing the moving process. Pick up plenty of quality wrapping material, like Bubble Wrap Brand cushioning, as well as strong packaging tape to help make boxing up your belongings a painless process. Don't get caught up in common frustrations that cause stress and waste time, such as tape that constantly tear or splits or struggling to find the tape end. Choose a quality tape, like Duck brand EZ Start packaging tape (packagingtape.com), for your moving needs; the brand's Frustration Free special release technology ensures that you never lose the tape end. And EZ Start unrolls smoothly and easily, without splitting or tearing.

* Organize and prioritize. Pack from room to room and label boxes based on box contents, where boxes will be unpacked in the new location and priority. EZ Start packaging tape provides a solution here, too - with different prints to choose from, boxes can be organized and prioritized according to the particular design used.

* Get help. Be organized to help the entire moving day run smoothly, so that your volunteers aren't waiting around for a job to do. Providing tasty snacks and drinks is a thoughtful way to say thank you, as are gift cards for coffee, movie theaters or their favorite stores.

* Pack a survival kit. Moving can be exhausting, and an all-day move may not wrap up until late in the evening. Don't spend your first night in your new home unpacking. Instead, pack a survival kit or an "Open Me First" box with essentials to get you through that first night. Make sure to include some fun items, such as your favorite movie or a batch of brownies, to reward yourself for a hard day's work.

Moving day may never rival a beach vacation, but these simple tips can make it a lot less stressful and help you enjoy your new home faster and easier.

Courtesy of BPT

Singled out: 3 financial tips for Americans going solo

More and more people are choosing to live solo. While there are plenty of resources for home improvement, a new survey shows singles could use some help getting their financial house in order.

Many single workers lack an adequate financial safety net that would protect their income if they were unable to work due to an illness or off-the-job injury, according to The Hartford Benefits For Tomorrow Study, a national survey of 1,000 full-time workers ages 18 to 64.

The annual poll showed only 44 percent of single Americans have disability insurance. This is despite the fact that singles would be hard hit by an unexpected health issue. In fact, 87 percent of single survey participants said they would need to make lifestyle changes to meet expenses if they lost income for three to six months.

"Fifty-nine percent of workers who don't have disability insurance said they'd rely on their savings or retirement account if they could not work for more than six weeks," says Mike Fish, vice president of voluntary benefits for The Hartford. "That means singles without paycheck protection are not only putting their current finances - and independence - at risk, but their golden years, too."

Here are three benefits tips for single Americans:

1. Educate yourself. Many Americans don't completely understand disability insurance. "May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month. It's a good time to get up to speed on paycheck protection," Fish says.

2. Know your risks. According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, one in four 20-year-olds will become disabled during their career. "You might think that you don't need paycheck protection because you won't have an accident or you don't engage in unsafe activities," Fish says. "But, you still could be at risk. Approximately 95 percent of disabilities are caused by illnesses rather than accidents, according to the Council of Disability Awareness."

3. Get a price check. In The Hartford's survey, 45 percent of survey participants overestimated the cost of short-term disability insurance by hundreds of dollars; and another 45 percent said they had "no idea" how much the coverage costs. "It pays for you to check on whether you can get disability insurance at work," Fish says. "Group disability insurance costs about a dollar a day on average. So, it can be more affordable than depleting your savings."

Going solo doesn't mean going it alone when it comes to your finances.

You can find more information about disability insurance at The Hartford's MyTomorrow website www.thehartford.com/mytomorrow

Courtesy of BPT

How web video production can help your business

Web video production has become increasingly popular as embedding technologies and broadband internet speed gets ever better. Where your business or site warrants it, using an online web presenter can help get your message across - in tutorials and product guides, for example. And where a virtual tour is required, the web video really comes into its own.

The bottom line is, the Internet is now ready and able to support a genuine multimedia presence for your company and your company website. In an age of file sharing and self broadcast, your customers and site users expect to see you making the best use of the technology at your disposal. Web video production allows you to make use of video files where they are the most appropriate way to get your message across.

In line with all website optimization protocols, you should use a web video where a video file or moving image is genuinely the optimum way to deliver your information. Ask yourself the following question, of every part of your website: could it be understood better using another method? If the answer to that question is "no", then a web video production can simplify your site and make its user experience much better.

Video works excellently for site guides, product descriptions and demonstrations of the services you provide. In many cases it is much easier to show a potential customer or service user something you do, in action, rather than trying to explain it with words and still images. Also, your web video satisfies the strongest of all customer urges - which is to see something they are about to buy, "in the flesh".

The web video production on your site is ideal for making your site feel more interactive and as long as you have the rest of the page properly optimized the inclusion of a video file won't confuse search engines. Unlike Flash menus, which look funky and do all kinds of flashy things when you scroll over them, but which prevent search engines from seeing the navigational structure of your site correctly, an embedded file can be optimized properly, even to the extent of directory submission.

The ultimate strength of the web video is in its ability to demonstrate the use and enjoyment of a product. One of the major objections to web shopping has always been the lack of knowledge about what exactly you are going to get. A photograph of an item you have never seen before never does it the same justice as a video showing you what it is and how it works.

Your web video production can bring your site to life, bring your products to life, and get your information across more clearly. Used properly, it makes your site user's experience better.

Courtesy of BPT

How to make your home stand out in a hot real estate market

(BPT) - The residential housing market is heating up, but before you post that for-sale sign, consider making upgrades that add style and value to your home. With many buyers seeking wood floors, kitchen upgrades and other add-ons, it's important for homeowners to highlight these features so their property stands out from the competition in today's market.

"It all comes down to dollars and 'sense,' " says Linda Jovanovich of the American Hardwood Information Center. "In addition to warmth, beauty and durability, hardwood features increase your home's resale value. Even with a modest budget, if you take the time and price your options, updating worn floors, dated cabinetry, and lackluster walls will make a significant difference. And it's easier and less expensive than you think."

Survey says hardwood floors sell

When it's time to sell, hardwood floors not only add good looks, they increase the value of your home. According to a nationwide survey of real estate agents commissioned by the National Wood Flooring Association, 99 percent of respondents agreed that homes with hardwood floors are easier to sell. In addition, 90 percent said these homes sell for more money.

"Absolutely true," says Bob Strader, a real estate agent with The NORTH Group of Keller Williams Realty in Atlanta. "Between two similar properties, buyers will gravitate toward the home with hardwood floors, and that home will sell in half the time."

Debbie Gartner, known as "The Flooring Girl" by customers at her New York-based flooring store, agrees and says quality increases value. "Hardwood sells," notes Gartner, adding that you're in luck if you already have a hardwood floor under a carpet. "Clients are shocked when I tell them it's almost always less expensive to refinish a hardwood floor than it is to re-carpet a room."

What about the kitchen?

Real estate agent Strader advises sellers to "upgrade their kitchens prior to going on the market because buyers see kitchen upgrades as being rather expensive." He adds that, "Homes without updated kitchens will take longer to sell, and will sell for less."

Gerry Henley, president of Kitchen Solvers, a national kitchen and bath remodeling franchise, suggests simple cabinetry updates that won't break the bank but will result in a higher return on your investment. And hardwood products offer plenty of options.

"Many homeowners overlook the low cost and high impact of re-facing their existing kitchen cabinets," he says. "By swapping out dated doors and drawer pulls, a homeowner can get the look of a newly updated kitchen and save up to 50 percent of the cost of a complete overhaul. Cabinet re-facing is a quick-moving project and the kitchen remains functional throughout installation."

Value in the details

Architectural details - hardwood crown moulding, baseboards and other millwork - add depth and character, provide a finished look, and change lackluster to extraordinary, so much so that according to the National Association of Home Builders' "What Home Buyers Really Want" study, crown moulding ranks higher than other luxury features such as fireplaces, kitchen seating and window seats.

Strader agrees. "From my experience, millwork adds the 'wow' factor that stays in a buyer's mind. And most sellers are unaware that a custom look can be obtained relatively inexpensively with off-the-shelf moulding patterns available at home improvement stores."

The American Hardwood Information Center offers some additional tips to keep costs low. For crown and other decorative ceiling mouldings, consider using a less expensive species such as poplar. Where durability is a must, such as baseboards, door casings and chair rails, consider a harder species, like white oak.

Make it a win-win

Upgrade with American Hardwoods to maximize your home's value. Visit the American Hardwoods Information Center, www.HardwoodInfo.com, or visit American Hardwoods' Pinterest page to browse budget-friendly ideas on updating with American Hardwoods flooring, cabinetry and millwork.

Courtesy of BPT

7 real estate investing lessons we can learn from Steve Jobs

I recently read the book "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. As brilliant as Steve Jobs was, I came away from the book not with a sense of awe about the man who Steve Jobs was, but how despite his incredible success, how idiosyncratic and deeply flawed a human being he really was.

Yes, he was a certifiable genius, although in some ways "certifiable" as well.

Yes, we'll never see anyone else exactly like him, although Apple's stock price has done quite well since his death

Yes, in American business, he will live in the pantheon of Edison, Einstein, and Ford, and he really thought he belonged there.

Yes, he did leave an indelible mark on our society – in fact, totally revolutionizing five separate industries nearly simultaneously...but he deeply hurt many people on the way in his rise to near mythic status.

Despite his greatness, he made tons of mistakes, cruelly alienated lots of people including his own daughter, and did some curiously unethical things in his relatively brief time on this earth. No doubt, the further you probe into the true personal lives of your "heroes" oftentimes the more you find, the less you like.

I came away from reading the book in a word - exhausted, but exhilarated at the same time. In fact, it was refreshing in a way to know that although Jobs was "Steve Jobs the icon", he's just a guy like you and me. I realized that you don't have to be perfect to be great. And although there are many traits of Jobs I would never emulate in my own life, I felt like there were so many brilliant lessons that can be learned from him not only as a businessman and real estate investor, but as many lessons in what not to do as a father, a husband and a human being.

The bottom line is this: you, I and anyone can be great. There are multiple paths to ultimate success in life and in real estate investing, and there are multiple lessons Steve Jobs can teach the real estate investor and which can be learned by you.

The Top Seven Real Estate Investing Lessons Steve Jobs Taught Us

1. Fear Not

Jobs was plagued by strange idiosyncrasies. His diet, his odd personal habits, his driving without a license plate, his parking in handicapped zones just to name a few. But one thing he was blessed with was a total and utter lack of fear. Lack of fear comes from many things; self-confidence, optimism, even delusions of grandeur (checkmarks on all three for Jobs here). One thing's for sure, he had enormous amounts of self-confidence. He felt he was special and that he was put on this earth to do great things by creating the technical marvels which ultimately influenced and bettered the lives of millions of people. Those innovations still affect us all each and every day.

Even in the face of terminal pancreatic cancer, he seemed to have an almost irrational sense of self-confidence and lack of fear. His self-confidence was so great; he actually thought that he could cure himself with oddball diets and rituals, while shunning traditional medicine – medicine that just may have saved his life. Incredibly, he seemed to have a complete absence of fear of the one thing that most of us are deathly afraid of...death itself.

It's terrifying to buy your first house flip, for sure. But is it as fearful as death? Keep things in perspective in order to control fear. Think of the worst case scenario if you do what you're fearful of. If you can handle the worst case pain and aggravation, then do it. If Steve Jobs could fearlessly stare down death, you can do the same.

If you're just starting, then make your first real estate purchase. If you've been around the block a few times, try a new investment strategy you've never done before. When you face your fears and do what you fear most, you end up controlling your fears.

2. Pick Yourself Up Even After Your Failures

Can you imagine the humiliation of being fired by the guy you picked to run your company? In one of the most public firings in corporate history, Steve Jobs was fired. This was big news when it happened, sending shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley and the rest of the corporate world. Jobs did wallow for a short period of time, sure. But he picked himself up and created a new company that was ultimate bought by the company and the successor he was fired by.

If you are new to real estate investing and you lose a few thousand on your first deal because you overestimate your ARV, didn't stick by the 70% Rule or failed to tightly manage your general contractors, then provided the few thousand didn't bankrupt you, pick yourself up and try again.

It's not how many times we fail; it's how many times we get back up after failure that counts most.

3. Marry Art and Functionality

Many of us have iPhones. If you have one nearby while reading this or on the desktop beside you, pick it up. Feel the weight, notice the elegant stainless steel wrapping, the Gorilla glass screen, the smooth back. Swipe a few apps from side to side, browse the Internet, touch an app and see how they all gently jiggle to be deleted or modified. If you think all these enhancements and subtle artistic nuances of the device (since copied by the Google platform) are random, think again.

Jobs dissected each of these features and weighed them for weeks and months prior to being introduced by Apple. And each feature indelibly bears his thumbprint - his signature. He married art and functionality to create everlasting products and innovation that will affect generations to come.

There are lots of posts on this website that discuss the "steps" to real estate investing, house flipping, wholesaling, you name it. Follow these steps here and learn as much as you can. But then, put your own thumbprint on each of them – just like Steve Jobs did with each of his creations.

Is there only one way to rehab a house for maximum resale? No way.

Is there only one way to round up funding for your next apartment building? Not a chance.

Virtually anyone can become a real estate investor as long as they have the desire and the ambition, but to become a massive success, it's going to take more than just what you learn from others. Its going to require you to put your own indelible stamp on every deal you do. Think like Steve jobs in how you can make your flip or rental a little bit different, enhanced or beautiful...marry art with functionality.

4. Listen to Your Inner Voice

When you are new to real estate investing, you have no voice in your head. If you do have one, that voice is usually screaming to you "don't do it!"

However, the more deals you do, a different inner voice starts to appear. This is the voice of experience.

Maybe you are thinking about becoming a real estate investor and there's something that has stopped you from doing it. You went to school, you got a good job in finance or sales or maybe you're a doctor or a dentist - but there's something missing. When we don't listen to our inner voice, we mail it in, we do what we do on autopilot.

You're reading this blog most likely because you want something more. You want to create the life you've always wanted. THAT is the inner voice calling you.

Ignore it at your own peril.

Jobs' inner voice screamed "change the world" - a pretty dramatic vision and a pretty big voice. He built computers to do it. That was his plan.

What's yours?

One thing that's abundantly clear with Jobs is that despite his many imperfections, he lived his life with very few regrets. He followed his inner voice. Whatever that voice is telling you, it would be smart to listen to it. Even if it tells you to quit your job, become a full-time real estate investor, move to Tibet or become a gourmet sushi chef, listen to it.

Live life with no regrets.

5. Expect More from Yourself and From Others

Jobs was a real prick sometimes. He would berate people. He would yell at people. He would throw little temper tantrums. He was a totally obsessive control freak.

And of course, he was an absolute perfectionist.

He demanded this from himself and he demanded the same from everyone who worked for him. I am not saying that the WAY Jobs did it was right, far from it. He seemed like a real jerk to work for.

But one thing's for sure, he pushed people to places where they never thought they were capable of going. He expected this of himself and he expected it from everyone who worked for him.

Do it in your own way and do the same thing in your real estate investment career. If you need to get upset, do it. Don't overdo it or you will find nobody will want to work with you, so be careful. But shoot for perfection and settle for excellence at the very least.

Jobs built products that revolutionized the world using this philosophy and he did it in his own way...so you do it in your own way. But don't try to be him. Be yourself and expect a lot from everyone and most importantly expect the absolute most from yourself.

6. Surround Yourself with the Most Talented People You Can Find

Steve Jobs gets all the credit when you think of the legacy of greatness at Apple. Sounds good, but it's simply not true.

Yes, Jobs made the ultimate decisions in all matters Apple from the type of sandstone used in Apple stores to the kind of glass used on iPhone screens. But what's less known is that he surrounded himself with some brilliant minds that simply made him and Apple better.

Jobs surrounded himself with serious talent: the true mastermind behind the iPhone and iPad design Jony Ive, now CEO Steve Cook, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Toy Story creator John Lesseter, just to name a few. These super-talented people (not the faceless minions kowtowing to Jobs every whim as we may want to believe) don't get the credit they rightfully deserve.

In real estate investing, surrounding yourself with an incredibly talented and knowledgeable team, including lawyers, real estate agents, general contractors, etc. – people in many cases who know far more than you – is just as important in real estate investing as it was in building one of the great companies of our generation. Steve Jobs realized that he couldn't do anything without great talent around him.

How about you?

7. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish

Success in anything in life is consistently looking to improve, to grow, to build and also to have fun. If you're going to do it for the majority of the time you have in any given day, shouldn't it be fun too? Jobs summed up this philosophy of innovation, creativity and fun in his memorable 2005 Stanford commencement address (check it out on YouTube if you haven't):

"When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

We can be just as special as he was and although we may not all build the next Apple; we can build excellence in what we do every day as real estate investors. As was previously reported on this blog, we as real estate investors not only enrich the lives of thousands of people every year with quality housing, but we create jobs and opportunities to the tune of $9.2 billion per year as well.

What we do as real estate investors matters. Jobs would agree that is a worthy dream to pursue. And we all can learn much from him – both the good and the bad. But best of all, you don't have to be perfect in to be wildly successful like Steve Jobs.

In fact, anything's possible in life if you continue to follow the simple lessons laid out above.

Author: Mike LaCava

Mike's Website: http://www.houseflippingschool.com