This week’s 5 browseworthy links…

1. Attention all work-a-holics: step away from the keyboard (this includes those little blackberry keyboards too). With summer getting under way some people are planning at least some kind of get away. Then there are those of us who have hard time trying to remember how to even pronounce the word vacation. If you fall into the latter category check out this great article I found on the importance of getting away to reduce the likelihood of burnout: Changing Pace -and Place – to Avert Burnout.

2. I love the articles at WomanSuite so much I am adding them to the Career Makeover Coach blog roll! Great articles on how to win at work and related professional development topics for women. Must read articles: Hypervisibility at Work (Part 1 and 2).

3. Thinking of starting your own business? Many talented and skilled professionals are thumbing their noses at a job market that points a disapproving finger at their overqualified profiles. In addition, another group of corporate rockstars have decided to be proactive and look for ways to control their own income and “security.” For those questioning the best type of business to start here’s an INC.com slide show:  The Best Industries to Start a Business in Right Now.

4. Did you miss last weeks’ From Bright to Brilliant show with guest Ellie Nieves? Ellie gave some excellent tips for developing your personal brand. After you listen to the replay of the show – be sure to check out the transcript from an interview she did: How To Get Promoted.

5. Productivity 501 is a site focused on sharing tips and tools for increasing personal productivity. Authors blog about everything from money to workspace management. My favorite find on the s is their email course: Procrastination Prevention.

As “The Career Makeover Coach”, Tai Goodwin is on a mission to help ambitious individuals reinvent their professional lives by centering on their passion and purpose. Holding as a core belief that we are all called to divine purpose and gifted with a unique passion, Tai uses a results driven, spiritually grounded approach to help clients create career paths to support the lifestyle they desire. Whether it’s helping people go from embittered to empowered professionals or making the transition from employee to entrepreneur, Tai is committed to helping clients tap into their own potential for brilliance. Tai has been empowering others through teaching and coaching for over 14 years. A gifted and insightful communicator, Tai holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Drexel University and a Master of Science in Education from Capella University. She has completed ASTD’s (American Society for Training and Development) Coaching Certificate program and is pursuing professional coaching certification through the International Coach Academy. Originally from Philadelphia, Tai currently lives in Delaware with her daughter. She is currently working on her first book: Reclaiming Your Brilliance: Seven Ways to Take Your Life from Bright to Brilliant.

Web site: http://www.careermakeovercoach.com

This is the last post for the PRofessional Development Week series.

This is a guest post by Lindsay Allen, who has worked in Central Michigan University’s Office of Public Relations and Marketing since 2002; she began as a PR writer and has been an assistant director of media relations since 2005. Due to reorganization, she will be laid off beginning May 1 and is in the midst of her first-ever comprehensive job search. Have a job lead or a freelance need? Send Lindsay an e-mail.

In your PR career, you will face crisis communication situations; they come with the territory. While you may be comfortable with and well versed in handling your clients’ crises, there is one crisis for which no PR pro is truly prepared …

When you find out you’re being laid off, the crisis is your own, and you suddenly are both the client and the crisis communicator; it will test your skills and your character more than any other situation you’ll face in your career.

After almost seven years at my job, including nearly four in my current position, I received notice about a week ago that my position and two others in my office will cease to exist in less than six weeks. I’m being laid off.

My initial reaction? Of course, I couldn’t help but tear up as the news was delivered to me. And as soon as I was alone in my office with the door closed, I allowed the emotions to escape before inviting a couple of my closest colleagues in to share a hug and a cry.

Everyone — even a PR pro — deserves some time for grief and emotion upon receiving news of an impending layoff, but it can’t last long, because you need to shift into crisis communicator mode. You have clients to inform, projects to wrap up, colleagues to train and transition, and a job search to conduct. In my case, I received nearly two months’ notice, and I’ve vowed to spend that time being positive and working diligently to serve my clients.

But before you start making those phone calls and tackling everything else, there is something you should do. Taking a cue from one of my clients, the brilliant and positive Sherene McHenry — who had spoken of the value of an “I’m thankful for …” list as a strategy for curbing complaining in my first-ever Wall Street Journal placement, which was published just two days before my layoff notification — I sat down and realistically thought about what I am grateful for, even under less-than-ideal circumstances. My list:

- A supportive family that believes in me and is going to be there for me no matter what happens

- Colleagues and friends who I felt comfortable calling upon for support when I needed it most and who value me as a professional and personal resource and problem solver

- Awesome clients who appreciate my skills and think highly of me as a person and a professional

- A large personal and professional network, both in person and online

- A reputation as a detail-oriented “utility player” and strong writer with diverse skills and education

- Experience working directly with the top executive of an organization and handling sensitive, confidential information with integrity

It’s amazing just how much the act of making this list will affect your outlook and attitude. Because creating my list reminded me that I have so much to be grateful for, I’ve felt confident and optimistic as I’ve shared the news regarding my situation.

And you know what? There’s no substitute for being sincere and positive, which I’ve discovered as my clients and colleagues praise my attitude and offer to serve as references and write letters of recommendation, offer to call up alumni from their departments to seek job opportunities for me and watch for job postings that might interest me, tell me how much I’ll be missed, and in some cases even admit that I’m handling this better than they think they could.

These conversations also have led to lots of very specific, very positive feedback from the clients I have served over the years … and even from journalists with whom I’ve worked! Pay attention during these conversations; you’ll learn new ways to present your strengths to prospective employers, and you may even learn about strengths you might not have realized others saw in you all along.

The ability to find positives in what in many ways is a negative experience, including seeing it as an opportunity rather than an ending; the ability to sincerely communicate positively about what has transpired and about your outlook for the future instead of being angry, bitter and/or mopey; and refusing to let your final days or weeks on the job be a “lame duck” session are all essential if you are to succeed as a crisis communicator during your time of turmoil.

The bottom line: You owe it to yourself to handle your own crisis with the same grace, honesty and dedication with which you’ve always approached your clients’ crises; you are the client now.

Rachel M. Esterline works as an account executive for Central Michigan Life, the nationally award-winning school newspaper at Central Michigan University. She is as an account executive for PR Central, CMU’s student-run public relations firm and as a public relations executive with the Student Government Association. Additionally, Rachel serves on the executive board of the Public Relations Student Society of America at CMU and has completed a seven-month internship with her university’s public relations and marketing department. Rachel will graduate in May 2010 with a degree in public relations with minors in journalism and communication.

This post is a part of PRofessional Development Week. This special week, originally to last from March 2 to March 6, will be extended. Here is one PRofessional extra.

This is a guest post by Dave Baker, a student at St. John Fisher College. Dave is a PRSSA chapter president and has previously served as vice president of client communications at PRIMA Connections (SJFC’s student-run firm).

This week I received some great advice and I felt it needed to be passed along. I have been seeking some help on which career path to choose among the many that are available to the future PR practitioner. My new mentor handed me a brochure for an upcoming seminar.

Now, I am no stranger to seminars. I attend them whenever I can, but this time it was sort of different. I asked her who was speaking and she hadn’t bothered to look yet. I asked what the topic was and again she didn’t know. Not only did she not know but also she didn’t completely care. “It isn’t about the topic or the speaker, it’s about who you can meet and that’s why you need to go. And while you are there, you should see about joining.” By the way, the speaker received high praise, as did the topic once her point was made.

I never thought of it this way. Sure, the speaker matters, when you have the job, as does the content but I don’t have anything yet and that was her point. Early in your career, you join as much as you can and attend whatever possible just so you can meet people. It’s always been about who you know and what better way to find friends, mentors, internships and even the inside track on the job hunt than to get out there and talk to the people who make this happen.

This discussion made me think about the events I have attended through PRSSA and other organizations and I realized I have been going about my seminar selection all wrong. I looked at what I would like and see what I can get out of it. I realize that this isn’t a great strategy for networking at all. I should look at the event and determine who is going to be at there and decide if that is the group I want to get to know. The social media marketing measurement group is a world apart from the non-profit fundraising one but attending both would provide me with the least amount of crossover and the most contacts.

Like I was saying, I have gotten a lot out of what I have seen so far and as I am about to graduate I think this is the best time to pass along the tips I have taken away…

1. Get there early. The best contacts are made before the food is served, as many people can’t invest the afternoon in socializing after the speaker is done.
2. Bring a friend. Any experience you see as a good one is worth sharing. Plus, two people can work a room easier than one.
3. Meet the people working the registration table. It is so nice to walk in to a room full of strangers and see that familiar face behind the registration desk. Not only can they expedite getting you in the room they can also be a great resource to connect you with a stranger.
4. Get on the mailing list. You don’t want to wait until the last minute to rearrange your life if you are among the early invitees and you can pay online adding that “I’m a regular attendee” air about you.
5. Meet the speaker. You just paid $25 for lunch that was probably chicken French and you sat through a presentation that every professional in the room saw as valuable. Maybe you should think about meeting this person that was identified as a valuable resource by the sponsoring organization.

The bottom line about attending any event is ROI. What is your return on the money you spent and time you invested in attending. What everyone fails to realize is in this case ROI is what we make it. No one is going to hand you the perfect job just for showing up or introduce you to a wonderful employer if they nothing good to say about you.

Put yourself out there at these events and reap the rewards of your efforts. It only takes one good contact to make an event a success but you have to take that first step.

Rachel M. Esterline works as an account executive for Central Michigan Life, the nationally award-winning school newspaper at Central Michigan University. She is as an account executive for PR Central, CMU’s student-run public relations firm and as a public relations executive with the Student Government Association. Additionally, Rachel serves on the executive board of the Public Relations Student Society of America at CMU and has completed a seven-month internship with her university’s public relations and marketing department. Rachel will graduate in May 2010 with a degree in public relations with minors in journalism and communication.

Training is one of the most important things that business people should do for themselves.  Here is a mathmatical formula to show you how much you should be spending on your training and education

Annual Income $,___________x 10% = Investment in your self improvement

I personally have invested ore than $100,000 in my expert ice as a Referral Expert with the Referral Institute.  How much have you spent on your self improvement?  This is not the place to cut your budget!

If you are going to be the expert in your field, you must keep your saw sharp or someone else will clear cut your forest!

Hazel  owns and operates a franchisee of Referral Institute, a worldwide referral marketing training organization. As a Master Trainer, Hazel provides business-expansion expertise to entrepreneurs and corporations by teaching business professionals comprehensive referral marketing stratagem. In 2006, her franchise earned both the Top-Grossing Franchise award and the honor of hosting the Referral Institute International Conference.