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Monthly Meeting

Posted on by Adrienne Roman

The Breakfast Club NJ Presents: “a Discussion Panel: Being in Transition Multiple Times” moderated by George Pace

Saturday August 13 at 8:00am ET

Synopsis:

Please share this with other groups you may be in. Join us on Meetup.com at: http://www.meetup.com/The-Breakfast-Club-NJ/ to RSVP for the meeting.

RSVP

Presentation: a Discussion Panel: Being in Transition Multiple Times”

In this day and age of constant technological change and increased competition, the likelihood of staying with a single employer throughout your career is highly unlikely. It is now likely that you will find yourself in transition more than one time.

So what can you do to prepare for such an impactful event? This month the Breakfast Club will hold its 2nd Panel Format that will provide a variety of “real life” transition viewpoints which include:
• Changes to their career approach based on multiple transitions
• The financial impact
• Skills they acquired – or needed to acquire.
• What advice/help did they get from their network
• “Best practices” based on previous experiences (What worked / what didn’t)
Our Moderator: George Pace, George is a Director / Enterprise Architect at Prudential Financial Services where he is currently focusing on Cloud and DevOps Architecture. In his spare time helps people leverage the power of Social Media.

Bios

Our Moderator:
George Pace

George_pace_upd2

George is a Director / Enterprise Architect at Prudential Financial Services where he is currently focusing on Cloud and DevOps Architecture. In his spare time helps people leverage the power of Social Media.

 

About the panelists:

Haresh Keswani

Harish_Keswani_upd2

Haresh is a Business Technology professional focused on commercial transformation leveraging digital themes. He offers quantifiable accomplishments based on extensive business process transformation service strategy, design, program management, implementation and operations for various commercial and support functions delivering next generation Portfolio of programs and projects. This includes performing gap analysis on commercial function processes local and global, driving SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) stack initiatives, multi-channel service capabilities, customer experience process maps and driving customer insights. His extensive business transformation experience for commercial and support services portfolio, program and project management in areas of business continuity, disaster recovery, fiscal management and people management in strong matrix environment. His industry and consulting experience with Pfizer, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, GSK and GE is a huge asset to any organization. Throughout his career, he has delivered high impact and visibility business transformation service initiatives as per business case with significant additional revenue increasing Share of Wallet, Net Promoter Score and operating cost reduction and thereby increasing ROI. His PMP, CSM, ITIL and Six Sigma certifications enables him to solve business problems differently and leverage data for decision making.

Richard Notarnicola

Richard_Notarnicola_upd2

Richard has over 25 years of experience in the enhanced messaging industry. He started with Xpedite Systems in 1989, where he played an integral role in the company’s success, and has held various senior IT and Operations roles with other messaging and conferencing companies. Diverse background includes successful start-ups and Fortune 500 companies across 3 different countries: USA, Ireland and Brazil. Richard holds a BS in Industrial Management from Purdue University.
 

Benny A. Recine

Benny_Recine_upd2

Benny is an active leader in the job seeker support community. He is the current President of The Career Support Group at St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton, NJ and a board member of The Breakfast Club of New Jersey in East Brunswick, NJ. Benny is a Project Manager and Director of Strategic Initiatives with Sutherland Global Services. Benny started on Monday April 25, 2016 and is currently working on projects that include status reports to the VP and CTO level, a conversion from to a cloud-based project management tool for the technology group and an IT database project for the technology group. Benny has been a project manager for over 20 years and a certified PMP for over 10. Benny has also worked in the regulatory software arena for almost 10 years and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). Benny is also Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified, In addition to acting as a project manager, he has worked as a program manager and helped develop a project management office at former companies.

About the Meeting:

Networking begins at 7:30 am, meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.

There is a $10 fee at the door to cover the cost of the room.

Be sure to tell your friends and bring them along. Be a part of our growing network of Job Seekers, Hiring Managers, Recruiters, Career Coaches, and people who want to be able to help themselves and each other.

Event Location:

Days Hotel Conference Center

195 Rt. 18 South, East Brunswick, NJ 08816

732-828-6900

Meeting Format:

7:30 to 8:00 – Registration & Open Networking

8:00 to 8:15 – Welcome and housekeeping

8:15 to 9:15 – Presentation by the guest speaker – Limited to 60 minutes

9:15 to 10:15 – Elevator Pitch – 30 Seconds about yourself, who you are, what you are looking for, target companies (3-4), how we can help you, how you can help others. Follow the rule of the Three B’s of Public Speaking: Be informative; Be brief; Be seated.

10:15 until you choose to leave – Open Networking, follow up with people you are interested in meeting following their elevator pitch, exchange business cards, peruse the library, arrange follow up meetings, etc.

The Breakfast Club NJ – 10 Points for Good Member Citizenship

1) Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

2) Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly

3) Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible

4) Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)

5) Join groups Facebook group, Google +, and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)

6) Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)

7) If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

8) Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)

9) If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)

10) Help fellow members whenever possible

  1. Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  2. Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly
  3. Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible
  4. Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)
  5. Join groups Facebook group and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)
  6. Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)
  7. If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  8. Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)
  9. If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)
  10. Help fellow members whenever possible

We look forward to seeing everyone let’s make this a great meeting for our members that are in transition and welcome those that have landed

RSVP

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Protect Yourself from Ransomware

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

Ransomware is a type of malware software where the attacker encrypts the victim’s data, and demands payment for the decryption key. If you are not protected from the effect of ransomware, you may need to pay a ransom for the decryption key from the attacker. Here is more information about ransomware, and some steps you can take to protect yourself from ransomware.
Ransomware “Horror” Stories
The University of Calgary in Alberta paid a ransom of $20,000 in bitcoin (a digital currency that’s difficult to trace back to actual people) to decrypt their computer system files and regain access to its own email system. They were hit by a ransomware attack in late May, 2016.
In February 2016, email and other electronic communications at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center had been down for more than a week from a ransomware attack. The hospital ultimately paid $17,000 in bitcoin because they could not recover from the attack on their own.
Up to 60% of the Horry County, SC School District’s computers were frozen when ransomware encrypted the school’s data in February 2016. The school district was forced to pay the hacker’s demand of $10,000 in bitcoin.
Install Anti-Virus Software
Your best defense is to block the malware before it can infect your PCs or servers. Install an anti-virus program and keep it running whenever your PCs or servers are on. Also, keep the anti-virus program and threat-pattern files up-to-date. The best anti-virus programs periodically and often download a database of newly found virus and malware threats. And, they continually run, monitor and protect the devices on which they are installed

Back up Your Data
Hackers that use ransomware are counting on a business or an individual to not back up their data regularly. If ransomware encrypts critical files, and you do not have the pre-encrypted files backed up, you will have to pay the ransom or lose the files. However, if you have a scheduled backup (e.g. once a day), you can ignore the hacker’s demand and restore your data without having to pay for it.
Perform Software Updates
Ransomware, like many malware programs, makes use of vulnerabilities in your operating system and other software to infect your systems. You must regularly ensure that you download and apply updates. Additionally, don’t forget firmware updates to your network infrastructure and IoT devices, which can also help prevent attacks.

Filter .EXE Attachments in Your Email
If your email service provider has the ability to filter attached files by extension, you may wish to deny receipt of emails sent with “.EXE” (executable) files. When you do need to exchange “.EXE” files, and if are denying emails with attached “.EXE” files, you can exchange those as ZIP files, via SFTP or via a cloud service.

Use System Restore
If you have System Restore enabled on your Windows machine, you might be able to take your system back to a last known clean state. However, some newer versions of ransomware have the ability to delete files from System Restore, which means those files will not be there when you try to replace your malware-damaged versions.

The Bottom Line
The best cure for ransomware is prevention. Once you are infected, your options may be limited, expensive and unpleasant. If you find yourself encrypted and without a viable backup, you may be forced to pay the ransom. Doing so depends on the value of your affected data and systems. If your data and systems are sufficiently valuable, paying the ransom may be your only course of action.

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Posted in Member Contributions Tagged with: ,

Leader vs. Manager

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

What is the difference between a manager and leader? While some people are both, they have very different skill sets. I believe the 2 biggest differences between managers and leaders are:

* Their core business objectives.
* The way they motivate the people who work for or follow them.
Managers Have Subordinates
A manager has subordinates. They have a formal authority, control and responsibility for other people within an organization. The manager may also have a hierarchical authority of a team, department or division within an organization. That authority is granted to the manager by the organization. The subordinates who work for the manager generally do what they are told.
Leaders Have Followers
Leaders who are not managers have operational and project responsibility for other people in an organization. In addition, the people they lead may be across several departmental functions in an organization. They must ensure the people they are leading know their work responsibilities, but they may have limited ability to enforce what and how those people actually work.
Leaders and Managers Get Things Done Differently
Managers are very adept at executing a vision in a very systematic way and directing their subordinate employees on how to do so. They often focus on work and tasks, resources, processes and budgets. In addition, their primary focus is on keeping their area of responsibility running smoothly.
Leaders focus on achieving goals. Their primary focus is on promoting change. They keep a team motivated and empowered to achieve as much as they can. Leaders have an ability to rally employees around a vision. When their belief in the vision is so strong, they inspire employees to follow them.
Some managers can inspire and some leaders can systematically execute. But, those are not their respective core strengths. For a small organization or a start-up, the person in charge really has no choice but to be both the leader and manager. That’s because it’s probably just him/her and one or two others in the organization.
Understanding which you are will help you make important choices about whom you need to grow that complement your strengths and ensure the success of your organization. Understanding who your leaders are and who your managers are will help you create an organizational that addresses core business functions and needs, as well as promote positive morale and culture.

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Monthly Meeting

Posted on by Adrienne Roman

David Photo

The Breakfast Club NJ Presents: “How to Work as a Consultant” Presented by David Schuchman

Saturday July 9 at 8:00am ET

Synopsis:

Saturday July 9 at 8:00am

Please share this with other groups you may be in. Join us on Meetup.com at: http://www.meetup.com/The-Breakfast-Club-NJ/ to RSVP for the meeting.

RSVP

Presentation: How to Work as a Consultant”

A consultant is someone who provides skills, a service or expert advice to others. For some professionals, this can be a new way to stay busy and earn income. Especially when full-time employment opportunities are not available. This program highlights the benefits and differences between employed vs. contract engagements. And, explains the steps you need to follow to understand just “How to Work as a Consultant”.

Bio

David Schuchman is an active leader in the job seeker support community. He is the current Executive Chair of the Professional Service Group of Mercer County. Additionally, David is a co-facilitator for New Jersey Job Seekers in Princeton, NJ. And, he is on the boards of The Career Support Group at St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton, NJ and The Breakfast Club of New Jersey in East Brunswick, NJ. David is often requested to present topical programs to business groups, job seeker support groups and public libraries.

David is a successful topical blogger. In his blog, “TechTopics4U”, he shares his opinions with readers on a variety of technology & management topics. In addition, David provides IT training classes in email marketing, blogging and social media, and he offers individual training on a variety of IT subjects.

Professionally, David is an Information Technology professional with a true passion for applications design, development and implementation. He is an IT manager with technology leadership experience in the transportation, financial services and healthcare industries. Presently, David is an Information Technology services, training, and management consultant with his own company, Princeton Technology Advisors, LLC.

About the Meeting:

Networking begins at 7:30 am, meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.

There is a $10 fee at the door to cover the cost of the room.

Be sure to tell your friends and bring them along. Be a part of our growing network of Job Seekers, Hiring Managers, Recruiters, Career Coaches, and people who want to be able to help themselves and each other.

Event Location:

Days Hotel Conference Center

195 Rt. 18 South, East Brunswick, NJ 08816

732-828-6900

Meeting Format:

7:30 to 8:00 – Registration & Open Networking

8:00 to 8:15 – Welcome and housekeeping

8:15 to 9:15 – Presentation by the guest speaker – Limited to 60 minutes

9:15 to 10:15 – Elevator Pitch – 30 Seconds about yourself, who you are, what you are looking for, target companies (3-4), how we can help you, how you can help others. Follow the rule of the Three B’s of Public Speaking: Be informative; Be brief; Be seated.

10:15 until you choose to leave – Open Networking, follow up with people you are interested in meeting following their elevator pitch, exchange business cards, peruse the library, arrange follow up meetings, etc.

The Breakfast Club NJ – 10 Points for Good Member Citizenship

1) Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

2) Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly

3) Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible

4) Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)

5) Join groups Facebook group, Google +, and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)

6) Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)

7) If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

8) Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)

9) If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)

10) Help fellow members whenever possible

  1. Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  2. Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly
  3. Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible
  4. Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)
  5. Join groups Facebook group and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)
  6. Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)
  7. If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  8. Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)
  9. If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)
  10. Help fellow members whenever possible

We look forward to seeing everyone let’s make this a great meeting for our members that are in transition and welcome those that have landed

RSVP

Posted in Monthly Meeting Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My Qualifications Are Perfect But Still No Offer

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

The moment a job seeker gets notified to come in for an interview, the person’s personality, mood, energy level, and enthusiasm change radically. Such changes are common and logical because the first obstacle to being selected has been hurdled. “Oh, what a relief it is,” like the old Alka-Seltzer commercial used to say. But then, […]

The post My Qualifications Are Perfect But Still No Offer appeared first on Landing Expert Career Coaching.

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Monthly Meeting

Posted on by Adrienne Roman
Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith

The Breakfast Club NJ Presents:“Using Executive Presence to Get Hired”Presented by Jennifer Smith

Saturday June 11 at 8:00am ET

Synopsis:

Saturday June 11 at 8:00am

Please share this with other groups you may be in. Join us on Meetup.com at: http://www.meetup.com/The-Breakfast-Club-NJ/ to RSVP for the meeting.

RSVP

Presentation: “Using Executive Presence to Get Hired”

Are you sending mixed signals during the interview? What presence are you projecting when you respond to interview questions? This session will discuss executive presence techniques that can be used during to help you be seen as the ideal client. No, we will not be talking about what you wear, even though looking presentable is important. We are going to dive into the behaviors that draw an interviewer in wanting to learn more or causes them to decide they are ready to end the interview early. Come prepared to learn some powerful and commonly overlook tips that can make a world of difference.

Bio

Jennifer Smith is the CEO and Founder of the Passionate Leader InstituteTM. With more than two decades of speaking, workshop facilitation, and coaching thousands of leaders around the world to help them develop their own capabilities as well as those of their teams, her unique view has a global and cross-industry perspective. Jennifer is one of the nation’s experts on igniting passion within leaders so they can reach their peak performance and potential. A former senior leader working for Fortune 500 companies she led teams delivering leadership development, succession planning, performance management, compensation and high potential programs while managing million dollar budgets. She attracts attention from the world’s leading companies because of her ability to share practical approaches that inform and inspire attendees. A few of the organizations that have benefited from her expertise are General Electric, Prudential, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Estée Lauder, Electrolux, Konica Minolta, John Deere and Munich Re. Jennifer finished her undergraduate studies in Accounting at Grambling State University and graduated from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School with a Master of Science in Organization Development and Human Resources. She is a Certified Professional Coach and credentialed by the International Coach Federation. Driven by a dedication to staying current on leadership, she is the Immediate Past President of the New Jersey Charter Chapter of the International Coach Federation where she led a board of 11 and organization of over 230 members. Her desire to be of service motivates her to offer pro bono facilitation as well as coaching to people who have been out of work and are struggling to get their next job.

About the Meeting:

Networking begins at 7:30 am, meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.

There is a $10 fee at the door to cover the cost of the room.

Be sure to tell your friends and bring them along. Be a part of our growing network of Job Seekers, Hiring Managers, Recruiters, Career Coaches, and people who want to be able to help themselves and each other.

Event Location:

Days Hotel Conference Center

195 Rt. 18 South, East Brunswick, NJ 08816

732-828-6900

Meeting Format:

7:30 to 8:00 – Registration & Open Networking

8:00 to 8:15 – Welcome and housekeeping

8:15 to 9:15 – Presentation by the guest speaker – Limited to 60 minutes

9:15 to 10:15 – Elevator Pitch – 30 Seconds about yourself, who you are, what you are looking for, target companies (3-4), how we can help you, how you can help others. Follow the rule of the Three B’s of Public Speaking: Be informative; Be brief; Be seated.

10:15 until you choose to leave – Open Networking, follow up with people you are interested in meeting following their elevator pitch, exchange business cards, peruse the library, arrange follow up meetings, etc.

The Breakfast Club NJ – 10 Points for Good Member Citizenship

1) Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

2) Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly

3) Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible

4) Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)

5) Join groups Facebook group, Google +, and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)

6) Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)

7) If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

8) Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)

9) If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)

10) Help fellow members whenever possible

  1. Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  2. Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly
  3. Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible
  4. Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)
  5. Join groups Facebook group and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)
  6. Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)
  7. If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  8. Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)
  9. If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)
  10. Help fellow members whenever possible

We look forward to seeing everyone let’s make this a great meeting for our members that are in transition and welcome those that have landed

RSVP

Posted in Monthly Meeting Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When Negotiating, Validate the Other’s Point of View

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

When you’re in the middle of an important negotiation, validating the other person’s point is not typically the first thing on your mind. It’s more likely that you are thinking about what you want. But considering the other person’s point should actually be your top priority. If you validate your counterpart’s perspective, expertise, and feelings, you will be positioned to achieve the best outcome for yourself.
The opposing-parties approach of you vs. them is no longer valid. Today that approach must be replaced by the business partners approach to negotiation.  Openness and sincerity replace being self-centered and egotistical. Show the other person, who is now your partner in negotiation, that you value their perspective and needs.
The likely result of taking a me-only position will limit your ability to reach an amicable agreement. You may reach an impasse. The impasse is the point within a negotiation when the 2 parties are unable to see an effective agreement. As this develops, each person in the negotiation might dig their heels in deeper, anchoring themselves in their own position without compromise or a path to completing the negotiation.
The negotiation itself should be a careful evaluation of your position and the other person’s position, with the goal of finding a mutually acceptable compromise that gives you both as much of what you want as possible. In an ideal situation, you will find that the other person wants what you are prepared to give, and that you are prepared to give what the other person wants. For a negotiation outcome to be positive, both parties should feel positive about the negotiation once it’s over.
When you don’t expect to deal with the other person ever again, or you do not need their goodwill in the future, then it may be appropriate to seek to win a negotiation while the other party loses out. However, doing so with someone with whom you have an ongoing relationship will damage that relationship and may lead to reprisals later. Instead, fairness, honesty and openness are the best policies. Considering the perspective of the other has the best chance to yield a positive negotiation result. In addition, this helps people keep good working relationships afterwards.

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Should I Upgrade to Windows 10?

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

Microsoft released its latest operating system, Windows 10, on July, 29 2015. By the end of 2015, Windows 10 was installed on over 200 million devices on the way to Microsoft’s target installation of 1 billion devices within 3 years of it’s release. So, should you upgrade your PC to Windows 10 now? The absolute, definitive answer is…  “It Depends”.
What is an Operating System
An operating system (OS) is the most important software that runs on any computer. It manages and controls the computer’s use of memory, processes, and all of its software, peripherals and hardware. It also allows you to communicate with the computer without having to know the computer’s actual “language” (e.g. via a keyboard, monitor and mouse). Without an operating system, a computer is useless.
At the end of 2015, this was the estimated PC operating system deployment market share (as per Net Applications.com):
Microsoft:
Windows 7:
Windows 10:
Windows 8 / 8.1:
Windows XP:
Others:
Apple (all Mac OS):
Linux / Other:
47.82%
15.34%
13.04%
10.63%
  1.94%
  9.57%
  1.66%

Decision Factors:

  • Windows 10 is a free upgrade to current users of Windows 7 and 8. There’s a good chance that your PC is already displaying a new icon in the system tray and prompting you to upgrade. Officially, the free upgrade offer ends on July 29, 2016, 1 year after the original release date. For Windows XP or Vista users, Windows 10 is a paid upgrade, which may be a bigger decision factor.
  • The Windows 10 download and upgrade are automatic. Via the new icon in the system tray or the pop-up prompt, you can have the upgrade run now or schedule the upgrade for a future time.
  • If you are not tech savvy, you can schedule a free appointment at a Microsoft store for a technician to perform the upgrade for you. You will likely need to leave your device at the Microsoft store for a few days.
  • Windows 10 includes “Cortana”, the virtual assistant that is similar to Google Now and Apple’s Siri on smart phones. You can control elements of your PC simply by using your voice.
  • For major software you have installed on your PC, it is likely to be a smooth upgrade. However, check with the software provider if you are not sure.
  • For peripherals such as printers and scanners, you may need to download new drivers to ensure they work properly on the new platform.
  • The overall look-and-feel of Windows 10 is similar to Windows 7 and the Windows 8.1 desktop. But, there are some differences that you may need time to adjust to.
  • Windows OS End-of-Support dates:
    • WinXP/Vista: Completely desupported
    • Windows 7: No mainstream support (no product upgrades)

      • Security upgrades through July 2020

    • Windows 8: Mainstream support through January 2018

      • Security upgrades through January 2023

    • Windows 10: Mainstream support through October 2020

If I Upgrade and Don’t Like it, Can I Downgrade?

Microsoft has built in a process that only requires a few clicks to have the system roll back to Windows 7 or 8.1, as long as you haven’t deleted the windows.old folder that stores your previous version. Click HERE to link to Microsoft’s roll back instructions.

As you can see, the decision to upgrade your Windows PC to Windows 10 depends on several factors. The overall results of upgrading to Windows 10 is that process is fairly smooth, and the platform is stable. However, proceed moving forward aware of the factors listed above to minimize disruption and surprises by the upgrade process.

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Business Continuity vs. Disaster Recovery

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

When people start to develop plans to deal with a major impact event they are confronted by two different terms: Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP). A mistake often made by organizations is that if they have a DRP that they are OK. That is not the case. There is quite a difference between these two plans and it is important that your organization understands the differences, and what type of planning each requires.
The nature of both of these topics is sufficiency extensive that we will not cover building a Business Continuity Plan or Disaster Recovery Plan in this post. We will save those for future posts. In this post, we will make the case that BCP & DRP are different, and you need to plan for both.

Disaster Recovery Plan

A disaster recovery plan (DRP) documents the policies, procedures and actions to limit the disruption to an organization in the wake of a disaster. Just as a disaster is an event that makes the continuation of normal functions impossible, a disaster recovery plan consists of actions intended to minimize the negative impact of a disaster and allow the organization to maintain (or quickly resume) mission-critical infrastructure functions. For most companies, the emphasis of DRP is more on their IT infrastructure than maintaining business operations.
For DRP, the question you must answer is, “If we lost any of our IT services, how would we recover?”

Business Continuity Plan
A business continuity plan (BCP) describes the processes and procedures an organization must put in place to ensure that mission-critical business functions can continue during and after a disaster. The emphasis of BCP is more on maintaining business operations than IT infrastructure.
For BCP, the question you must answer is, “If we lost our building or staff, how would we recover?”

Understanding Risk
Often, organizations consider DCP or BCP the same and plan just for one. That is an incorrect assumption. The reason why that is incorrect is either from the perspective of misunderstanding all of their risks, or choosing to accept a level of risk that is higher than the organization can actually tolerate.

Many organizations put the responsibility of mitigating operational risk on the IT department. I believe that is a misconception caused by organizational management understanding their business, but perceive IT as complicated and something they do not understand. Then, they look to the IT department to mitigate the risks in IT. My position is that the responsibility of mitigating operational risk falls on the Finance department since they are responsible for all the day to day accounting for the business leading to profitability. Therefore, the Finance department must ensure all risk to profitability is defined and mitigated.

Risk Assessment
The first step that an organization needs to take is to perform a risk assessment. In short, a risk assessment will identify and estimate of the types and levels of risk that will impact the organization. The next step is to compare the uncovered risks against the determination of the acceptable level of risk within each department in the organization. What should come out of the completed risk assessment are a set of risks throughout the organization, impacting both the IT and the business functions.

The risks that are identified as impacting IT will fall under the Disaster Recovery Plan. The risks that are identified as impacting the business functions will fall under the Business Continuity Plan. While the 2 plans will have details that are interrelated, the 2 plans must be defined, developed and maintained separately to be completely effective.

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Do You Want a Job or the Right Job?

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

Do you want a job or the right job?  This a great question.  As a career coach, I talk mostly with two kinds of people: employed or in transition to another job. Sadly, people in both groups have one thing in common: most of them are unhappy. For those in transition, the unhappiness is self-explanatory, […]

The post Do You Want a Job or the Right Job? appeared first on Landing Expert Career Coaching.

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