Archive for August, 2009

By Laura Raines, Pulse editor

Age: 50

Occupation: Director of Imaging, Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville

Karen Kubik wears a Jones New York Suit with a purse by Marc Ecko and shoes by A. Marinelli at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Center at Stone Mountain Park. Photo by Nick Arroyo, for the AJC.

What I’m wearing: “A spring/summer light blue suit by Jones New York Suits with a straight skirt and a cinched blazer jacket that always draws compliments. A camisole top, blue striped heels by A. Marinelli and pearl and turquoise beads.”

Signature style: “Classic business suits with a contemporary flair.”

When she was a clinician, Kubik wore scrubs. Now that she works in hospital management, she dresses in a suit every day. Reading fashion magazines helps her stay abreast of seasonal trends in jewelry, shoes, scarves and purses to keep her look fresh.

“I believe that your clothes add or detract from your personal image. When you dress well, people treat you …

Continue reading PULSE: My Style: Karen Kubik, RT-R »

By Laura Raines, Pulse editor

Job: Nurse practitioner and clinical coordinator at St. Joseph’s Heart Center for Women in Atlanta

Nurse practitioner Stacy Jaskwhich is the clinical coordinator at St. Joseph ’s Heart Center for Women. Photo by Barry Williams, for the AJC

What I do: “Mine is a one-of-a-kind job, since I give physicals and extensive consultation to our patients in what I believe is the only preventative cardiac-screening program for women in Atlanta.

“Women experience symptoms and risk factors for heart disease differently than men. Led by medical director Dr. Gina Lundberg, a preventative cardiologist, our goal is to help women learn how to protect themselves from heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of women.

“Besides screening and counseling patients individually, we also speak at women’s groups and health fairs to raise community awareness about heart disease in women, and we also contribute to research.”

What got me interested in this: …

Continue reading PULSE: Why I Love My Job: Stacy Jaskwhich, BSN, MSN, NP-BC »

By Laura Raines, Pulse editor

Do you enjoy solitude? Are you reserved about sharing personal information? Do your colleagues say you’re hard to get to know? Then you might be an introvert.

“Being an introvert doesn’t mean that you can’t talk to people or don’t like people,” said Joyce Ramsey-Coleman, RN, MS, MBA. “It just means that you don’t get your energy from interacting with people. You get energized from time alone.”

Joyce Ramsey-Coleman, chief nurse executive at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and vice president of nursing and patient care services at Children’s at Scottish Rite, describes herself as an introvert with a capital “I.” Photo by Barry Williams, for the AJC.

Ramsey-Coleman calls herself an introvert with a capital “I.” When she first took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test 15 years ago, it came as no surprise that she was classified as an introvert.

As a child, Ramsey-Coleman was comfortable playing by herself …

Continue reading PULSE: Quiet strength »

We like to think of Pulse as a classic health care publication. In our 17-year existence, we’ve worked steadily to find the right mix of clinical/career information and human interest stories that you like to read.

We see no reason to alter that structure, and we intend to keep publishing stories about the latest industry trends and interesting features about what health care professionals do on and off the job.

Pulse editor Laura Raines

But even a classic needs an update now and then. One reason that favorite little black dress works so well, after all, is that it accommodates the latest accessories. A statement necklace, scarf, some heels with attitude — and you’ve got a contemporary look for today’s needs.

That said; we welcome you to a fresh, new Pulse. In concert with the redesign that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution launched earlier this year, Pulse has a new look that is more colorful, better-organized and easier to navigate — giving our “classic” …

Continue reading PULSE: Editor’s Notes: The same mission with a new look »

Regular readers of my column know that there are a few topics I write about over and over. Resumes, job search for veterans, avoiding online applications … you can count on me to hit these issues often. Another topic close to my heart? Writing for a living.

Working Strategies by Amy Lindgren

And, as I tell my writing students, I’ve noticed that a lot of bad writers get printed and paid. “If those bad writers can make a living at it,” I ask rhetorically, “why not you?”

I’ve gotten one answer to that question more frequently than any other: “I don’t have any writing samples.”

That is a deal breaker. Without samples — commonly called a writer’s portfolio — you are out in the cold. The following steps should get you started.

1. Identify the kind of writing you will do. For example, you could be a technical communicator, a public relations writer , a grant writer, a newsletter writer, a copy writer for catalogs … as you can imagine, employers in each of …

Continue reading Working Strategies: Show what you know to get a writing job »

Debbie Phillips, Ph.D, is the Executive Director of the Georgia Apartment Industry Foundation and also teaches classes at Ga. Tech in property management which is a stable and growing career in the real estate industry. Photo by Leita Cowart, for the AJC.

By Laura Raines, for the AJC

Property management isn’t one of those careers that kids dream about pursuing when they grow up.

“In fact, most young people have never even heard of the industry,” said Debbie Phillips, CEO of the Quadrillion, an apartment industry consulting firm and instructor for the Georgia Apartment Industry Education Foundation. She’s out to change that by teaching courses in residential property management, leasing and real estate career development at the University of Georgia, the Georgia Institute of Technology and metro Atlanta’s technical colleges.

“I’ve been in this industry 18 years. I love it because it’s so diverse and offers so many opportunities for either new college grads …

Continue reading Property management is their calling »

BlogBreak panelist and e-resume.net vice president Chandra Fox provides an update on the nationwide unemployment statistics:

We all read or hear on the news that overall unemployment is 9.5% and
rising. We know that number does not include illegal aliens, which accounts
for 15 to 20 million by most estimates and contract workers or business
owners that did not make it into the actual calculation. So the exact
number is tough to calculate. Unemployment is up an average of 3.9 % from
last year at this time. Here is the state-by-state listing that do not
include contract workers, illegal aliens, business owners or underemployed /
part-time workers. If you want to see the list yourself, you can check the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

State-by-state breakdown of unemployment, June 2009:

North Dakota 4.2
Nebraska 5
Utah 5.7
Wyoming 5.9
Iowa 6.2
Oklahoma 6.3
Montana 6.4
Louisiana 6.8
New …

Continue reading How does your state look in terms of unemployment? »

The dreaded job interview. No matter your resume and talents if you mess this up you won’t get that job. In today’s tough economy you need every possible edge. As authors of the new book, I Hate People! Kick Loose from the Overbearing and Underhanded Jerks at Work and Get What you Want Out of Your Job, Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon see it as a simple equation: You want to be liked – not hated.

Here are their recommendations for ten simple things to do that will dramatically increase your chances: from wearing the right expression, to knowing what not to say, to never ever breaking a sweat.

1. Don’t be a Smiley Face

Excessive smiling in a job interview is seen for what it is – nervousness and a lack of confidence. A Smiley Face exudes phoniness, which will quickly be picked up by the interviewer. Instead be thoughtful and pleasant. Smile when there’s something to smile about. Do a practice run in front of a mirror or friend.

2. Don’t be a Know-It-None

Your …

Continue reading Ten ways to be liked in your job interview »

Last month, I sat in a training session to learn the ABCs of transferring credits from one college to another. “Man,” I remember thinking, “this is super complicated. What have I been telling people?” Well, beware if you are an adult returning to school after a long hiatus. I’m going to pass along what I learned:

Working Strategies by Amy Lindgren

1. Smile — you’re on Candid Camera. Some people prefer not to claim all their old courses, as the lousy grades of their youth will sully their new GPA. Sadly, any school you enroll in now is likely to check the national clearinghouse to find all your past schools. You’ll start out with the bad grades attached to any classes that get transferred.

2. Life experience can be turned into college credit. A number of institutions allow adult learners to morph their non-college experiences into credit. In most cases these credits will cost you in terms of essays, presentations and tuition.

3. In many schools, your general …

Continue reading Working Strategies: College credit transfer more art than science »

By Laura Raines, for ajcjobs

The main purpose of the federal stimulus package — the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — was to create and save jobs. Yet Georgia’s unemployment rate is currently at 10.1 percent and projected to climb higher by state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.

So where are the jobs?

The first ones are just starting to materialize and state agencies are optimistic that more are on the way.

Deputy Chief George Turner of the City of Atlanta Police Department in front of the City of Atlanta Police Headquarters. The city is adding several new jobs due to the stimulus packages. Photo by Leita Cowart, for the AJC

“We have received two grants that will fund 74 new law enforcement positions in Atlanta, and that is good news anyway you look at it,” said Deputy Chief George Turner of the Atlanta Police Department.

The state Criminal Justice Coordinating Council received a total of $36.2 million through the Edward Byrne Memorial …

Continue reading Stimulus-funded jobs start to appear »