A Prayer

Lord, it is not a disbelief in your ability to push back mountains and chart the course of my life; however, my shortcomings derive from my inability to allow you to do so.
Having found ourselves enthralled in the trappings of this world, we may place our trust in many things that are of a transitory nature…the love of a spouse or child, the money in the bank account, the accumulation of spoils, or the well-mapped out career path. None, however, offer the protection, security, benefits or enduring peace that trusting in you afford.
Lord God, give us the strength to surrender our plans and purposes, our ideals and desires, our hopes and our dreams for the future at your alter of mercy, understanding and grace. Fortify our resolve to trust in you so that we might cultivate a bond that endures and a love for you that grows.
All things under the sun shall vanish just as quickly as they have appeared. Yet, our God remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Let us join with David in declaring that we shall not be afraid nor discouraged, for the God, my God, is with us. And he will not fail us nor forsake us.
Lord God, we ask that you would release our hearts, minds, and our souls to a spirit of wisdom and discernment, enabling us to throw off the shackles of bondage which impede on our journeys as a result of our sinful nature.
Anchor us in the sting of your rebuke…anchor us in the determination of your spirit…anchor us in awe, fear and reverence of your power…anchor us in the magnificence of your strength while we accept our undeniable weakness.
We pray all of this in the redemptive name of Jesus, who frees us from the snare of self-interest that grasps and clutches and delivers us into the presence of a free and open relationship with God and others.
My hope is that this message be inscribed on all our hearts: that God begins where clinging to things ends. Amen.

The Resume Quiz

I received some words of encouragement for the last blog I published...so on that note, I figured I'd give it another go-round...

Does your resume have an objective or summary statement?
-My resume is targeted to my current career goal and includes my desired job title in a career summary selection.
The most effective resumes have an objective or summary that includes a clear job target. This enables hiring managers to understand your career goals and qualifications at the beginning of the resume.

How did you figure out which key words to add to your resume?
-Incorporate industry buzzwords that you know apply to your career goal...review a number of job ads to see if there are any other frequently used terms that apply to your qualifications (i.e., good for use in electronic applicant searches such as sales, project management, financial analysis and education [MBA, BA, BS]). Hiring managers have reported using soft skills such as self-starter and specific company or school names as keywords.

Does your resume relay the significance of your accomplishments?
-Provide specific examples of how employers benefited from your performance, include measurable outcomes of work.
Providing quantifiable accomplishments help employers understand the impact of your job performance and can predict your chance of future success.

Avoid listing personal information such as marital status, hobbies (unless they have some direct impact on the desired career goal).

Do not use personal pronouns "I", "Me", My". Removing such pronouns makes a resume more concise...hiring managers will already assume you're referring to yourself.

Describe your ideal job and ideal company.
-Employers are looking for candidates who's main concern is to contribute to a potential employers success, and use the opportunity to reiterate how you will add value to an employers operation.

Have your resume professionally reviewed to ensure perfection. It pays to solicit feedback from as many people as possible, as one typo could cause the demise of your possibility to be hired.

DeLunte Lewis
Career Consultant
Career Solutions

Mock Interview

I was looking over my notes in preparation for a mock interview with a client of mine and figured that I would share some of the information that I uncovered in that particular session, in hopes that it might shine some light on those in the blogging community that are interested in polishing their interviewing skills. Here it goes...

Tell me a little bit about yourself?
Usually always the first question asked in an interview. Your answer should be concise/to the point...you should cover your past accomplishments, positions held, hobbies/interests (only when they relate to the position you are applying), strengths/efficiencies, future aspirations/how your skill set correlates to the position you are applying.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Hopefully you will formulate an answer that will encompass what you will hope to be within the company/organization you are applying.

Why are you considering leaving your current position?
One, it is best to seek a new job while possessing one. With that stated, your answer should be short and sweet and straight to the point (e.g. I am currently seeking growth opportunities as a/n XYZ). You would also be benefited by emphasizing that you are leaving your current employer on a positive note (if that's the truth of course) and try not to bad mouth prior and/or current employers; it only places a negative view upon you, the applicant.

Describe a difficult work situation and how you handled it.
Behavioral based question-designed to discover how you handle certain situations. You would be benefited by providing concrete examples of difficult situations that actually happened at work. Then discuss what you did to solve the problem. Keep your answer positive, and most importantly, be specific.

Hope this helps...

Friendship

It's the call for concern
The answer to a perplexing question
Knowing that there is one...or more...who roam the earth
Waiting for the chance to comfort, rebuke, console, criticize, care for
It's knowing that nothing shall derail the two of you, three of you, four of you, except for death
Sticking by your side through thick and thin...
day and night...
harmony and anarchy...
fare weather and storm...
wisdom and foolishness...
triumphs and failures...
A bond has been forged
The coincidences...the similarities in character
The memories shared over time...memories of gains and losses, ups and downs
Memories that no one else can relate to...no one else can comprehend
Mine has become ours...me has transformed into we
Choosing to endeavor together
Love...Friendship

Fly Away

I close my eyes wide shut and slowly drift into a dream
I dream of the one day I am to fly away
Away from the childlike nourishment of a mother's comfort and love
To fly away from the anxious look of a father...whose stares ignite a burning question in his eyes:
When will my son leap from the boundaries of boyhood to the freedom of manhood?
To fly away from the tears of distress, agony and defeat
So earnest is my desire to fly away toward a land where dreams are fulfilled
To fly towards an unquenchable passion, an insatiable calling, an enveloping concentration,
To be an inspiration, legacy, example, mold
To fly away from the thoughts that devour my dignity
That feast on the very essence of who I am
To fly to the heightening heights of creativity
Oh, how I long to fly away
To spread my wings in the midst of the wind and soar

Just Read It...

For the past few years I've lived a life of excess. I knew power...relative to my own experiences. I fed the appetite of my ravenous ego. After a while, though, I began to come down and want simpler things for myself and my family. The "American Dream" is what it's called; earn a significant amount of income; the kind of amount that would afford me the opportunity to pay my bills in full and on time, to take a vacation or two each year, to supply a nest egg for my wife and my winter years, to cover my kids' college expenses.
I don't pretend to know what the future holds, but it seems that God has intended for me to not settle for such a mediocre (for lack of a better word) existence.
I've fought this calling for close to ten years now. It first whispered in my ear at the tender age of 17; an age when most young men are exhausting all efforts to wind up in bed with a willing female conquest...not to say that it was not one of my many desires at the time as well, except it didn't consume me as expected.
I found myself making my way to the front of the church one Sunday morning to proclaim my desire to be baptized and thus form a covenant with the/my Lord Jesus Christ. Born out of this proclamation was a Christian ministry...though humble...it had a profound effect on my outlook on life. I would labor tirelessly over the next 3 years to witness it touch as many as would be willing to be touched by its mission to usher Christ into the lives of the youth that resided in my community. I can remember how tears would stream down my face when I would finally accept the reality on certain nights that no one was going to show up to Bible study...not because of the effort that I put into preparing the lesson or the fact that I willingly opened the door of my home to strangers, but because no one seemed to want to hear about the love, the comfort, the mercy and the grace that God had poured into my life, and was willingly to pour in all others who sought His presence. The young people in the community grew older, and slowly began to grow away.
And here I stand now, trying to eek out a "normal" existence, and God decides to bring up old news; to re-establish a covenant I had long ago put behind me; that I deemed child's play. I have this urge now, this unshakable passion, to participate in change...for the better. I see a young person now and I can't help but think of clay, and how once the Potter's hands begins to shape and mold, there will be no end to the glory that might be achieved. The trouble with being called is that it's not all milk and honey; aches and pains are experienced on a regular basis. It causes strain, stress and despair. There are many moments when you're alone in your fight, with no support; you become mocked and slandered. But somehow, God bestows upon you the strength to bear it all.
Honestly, I'm afraid of what may lie ahead. I'm trying, and not with all my might, to trust in God with all my heart, mind and soul, and I'm struggling to do so. The fools God chooses!

Did You Know...it's a Gift?

Life, as fragile and cherished as a new born.
We can plan, plan, and plan some more.
But Life doesn't submit to any one's will or anything.
Life, it turns to the right and jerks to the left.
Rises to the pinnacle and plummets to the lowest of depths.
Life is both sweet, like your first kiss and as bitter as your first heartbreak.
Seconds turn to minutes...minutes turn to hours...hours turn to days...days turn to weeks...weeks turn to months...and months turn to years.
And there you have Life...a passing of time.
And what will this time equate?
The most benevolent gift ever bestowed.
Not asked for, never asked for.
But protected with strength and fervor.
God at work at His most gracious.