When looking at the offered franchises that are for sale over the internet, at Franchise exhibitions and in the magazines you may be forgiven for wondering how it can be that there is space for them all. Surely there must be a predetermined amount of business that these opportunities have already sailed right by. This is a sensible~rational~logical~reasonable} assumption especially when you take into account the competition not only from similar franchises but also from the multitude of independent and individually owned companies doing exactly the same thing.

The problem is at it’s peak in the franchises that sit in the service sector. Here we see for example many “cleaning” franchises for purchase and also, when reviewing local listing websites, many individuals functioning as cleaners, not to mention the independent larger organisations who have not gone down the franchise route. Is it safe to say that, because of their marketing power the franchises will always take the business away from the other groups? Possibly so. An individual looking for a cleaner may be pulled towards a franchised organisation because they have a identifiable brand, possibly because they believe that the franchised business will perform to a higher standard or that they will have a more committed workforce. Whatever the grounds it is probable that they will gain more customers.

That still does not defeat the issue of the many different franchisors selling similar opportunities and if you are considering a Franchise Opportunity it is vital to get to the bottom of this issue. It is also important to appreciate that, although many franchises are on offer the number is not continually~continuously~always~constantly} increasing. As new franchisees come in at the start of the process, so existing ones leave the company behind. There are a few motives for this, some positive, some negative. On the positive side, the Franchise For Sale provides a stepping stone to an individual eager to run their own company. When the lessons have been learned and the individual is confident they often leave behind the model of the franchise as it has become too constrained for them. They are then free to set up their own company and hopefully gain higher rewards. On the down side, even though a careful selection process some individuals who choose to purchase a franchise simply cannot make the business work. Despite, in a lot of situations the best efforts of both the franchisor and franchisee some individuals do not have what it takes to make a success of the opportunity.

Both of these results mean that although there is a regular take up on franchises there are also vacant slots becoming available regularly too. This goes some way to explaining the lack of saturation too, so even service sector franchises will continue to offer good opportunities to those who are able.

However one sure fire way to eliminate the worry of saturation altogether is to consider one of the franchises that necessitates a decent element of training before you step into the role. This reduces the amount of interested applicants in the first place, but individuals still leave the franchise structure in good numbers as they take their well developed skills into their own business.

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Quality cover letters  are an important part of the job hunt .  An individually typewritten cover letter typically accompanies each resume you send out.   Your cover letter could  make the difference between getting a call back for  a job interview and having your resume ignored. In addition to looking at resume tips, it makes sense to devote the necessary time and effort to write effective cover letters.

Quality cover letters should complement, not mimic  your resume. Its purpose is to interpret the data-oriented, real resume and add a personal touch. A cover letter is oftentimes your earliest written contact with a potential employer, creating a decisive first impression.

There are a few basic types of cover letters :

An application letter – this is for when you are applying to a specific job opening
A prospecting letter – used for general job opening inquiries  
A networking cover letter – asks for  information and assistance for finding a job 

When writing a resume, your application cover letter must always include information  that tells the reader  where you found the posting for the job opening  .  If you saw it in a newspaper, be sure to underline the name of the newspaper (grammar rules count!)

You should always tailor your cover letter to the specific job you are applying for .  It’s certainly easier to write just one cover letter for all applications    than it is to write a cover letter specifically targeted to each position you apply for . However, it is important that you take the extra time to make your resume stand out from the crowd if you really want to get the job  .

Our first tip in putting together a cover letter for your resume  is to make a match between your qualifications and education with the job.  This takes some time and effort and it’s not always easy, but, it’s important. Take the job posting and list the criteria the employer is looking for.

Then list the skills and experience you have. Either  make mention of  how your skills match the job in paragraph form or even bullet point them in bold  .

What you don’t want is to create  a form letter that you simply send out to all potential employers , they will see this as lazy and won’t want to hire you .

Quality  cover letters explain your  reasons for your interest in the specific organization and identify your most relevant skills or experiences (remember, relevance is determined by the employer’s self-interest).  For more advice , you may be interested in resume tips.

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How do I check the reputation of a paralegal training school?

I’m considering a career change, at age 48, to become a paralegal. I found a local training school called the Paralegal Institute of Washington, DC (PIW). PIW’s website states that they are “a licensed higher-education learning center, committed to training paralegals.” The site also states that all legal classes are taught by seasoned lawyers, and that claim is backed up by the detailed resumes of each one. Is there any other way to check out the reputation of this school — or other paralegal training schools for that matter — before investing any tuition money?

First and foremost, be wary of paralegal programs not sanctioned by the American Bar Association (ABA). Most reputable law firms mandate that their paralegals have their certificate from an ABA accredited program.

You are wise in looking into the school to make sure that it’s a solid program that will only improve your ability to secure a good job afterward. (I suggest that you talk to their counselor and get the names and contact information of alumni who are willing to talk to candidates. Or, ask them for a list of employers who’ve hired their alumni — often, employers will call paralegal programs when they have positions open.)

Good luck!

Childlaw Fellows Video: Child Law & Child Advocacy at Loyola

Alternative Law Careers: What To Do If You Don’t Want To Be A Lawyer

Alternative Law Careers: What to do with your Law Degree if you don’t want to be a Lawyer.

For more information and other great articles visit www.LawDegree.me

You took the LSAT and after getting accepted to law school,  worked hard over three years reading, studying, writing and researching.  You spent night after night doing the tremendous preparation necessary study for and pass the bar exam.  After, Juris Doctor in hand, you tried your hand a career as a lawyer.  You worked for the city, the state or you started off at a firm.  Hours after hours of grueling research and late nights writing reports and motions.  Or perhaps you went into private practice.  You advertised, hung your sign, waded into the brutal courtroom litigation process.  You gave it your best shot, but when all is said and done, you just don’t think being a lawyer is for you.  So what do you do?  You have a JD but you don’t want to be a lawyer!  Don’t despair.  You’re not alone.  A law degree can be a valuable tool to help you enter into a number of other fields for those that working as an attorney just isn’t the right fit.

Tangential Legal Careers

There are many lawyers who while enjoying the theoretical aspects of law simply do not enjoy the mundane aspects such as the paperwork and research involved.  They require different kinds of stimulation and incentive in their career.  One popular career path is in the variety of legal sales oriented jobs.  A tremendous industry exists in support of the legal profession providing data, software and other information and related services to lawyers and law firms.  These companies have a strong need for law-savvy sales associates who can communicate with lawyer clients on their level.

Advantages to working in sales include a bonus and commission structure that can offer substantial financial rewards and all without the tremendous paperwork and research and isolation that typical legal work engenders.  Those who enjoy working with many different people and developing relationships as well as enjoy flexibility in scheduling and often travel also find this career field rewarding.  Some companies even offer the option to work part-time or full-time from home with many sales calls taking place over computer with teleconferencing.  While definitely for the more ‘self-starter’ of personalities, a legal sales career can be a very rewarding alternative legal degree track.  For even more ideas of Alternative Legal Careers make sure you visit www.LawDegree.me

Entrepreneurial and Business Pursuits

Many ex-lawyers complain about the stifling atmosphere they encountered at law firms or working in private practice.  While envisioning the fast-paced exciting legal world in such television shows as LA Law or Law and Order while in Law School, when out in the real world they find that reality is far different.  Often, associates spend entire weeks and months without leaving research libraries and the paperwork involved in even the simplest of cases…and the restrictions and legal gymnastics required to settle a case can take all the excitement and gratification that the young lawyer thought was going to be part of their career.  It is no surprise then that many lawyers decide to pursue more entrepreneurial pursuits when leaving their practices.

Luckily, many of the skills and talents you honed as a lawyer can be put to good use in the entrepreneurial world.  Many lawyers start their own businesses, often in fields far askew from the legal profession.  The time management, attention to detail and project management and completion abilities you honed in law can make for great success in the free market.  Pick any interest, hobby or passion and there is guaranteed to be a Juris Doctor holder that has made a successful business of it.

One innovative soul opened a coffee shop where he offered legal advice free on certain days.  Others have opened restaurants, developed online businesses or created innovative ‘green’ companies taking advantage of their knowledge of environmental law.  Still others have started non-profit ventures or nature and conservancy companies that were able to use their particular specialties in their prior legal fields.   It is not uncommon for law degree holders to move into investment banking or use their real estate legal skills to work in real estate finance or development.  The added legitimacy of a Juris Doctor degree will help gain credibility in any venture you pursue and can often help convince lending institutions of your reliability when considering new business loans.  The sky really is the limit.

Creative Fields

A third popular alternative law career path popular amongst those with a creative edge are the many novel paths taking advantage of the strong writing and organization skills that were honed in a legal career.  Many television writers and journalists are known to hold JD’s.  As well, radio and television journalists with law degrees are prized for a variety of roles from legal commentary to specialty topics such as civil rights, criminal and entertainment law.  Still others use their legal background to work as legal consultants or become writers  on important legal issues.

Another potential path are those professions that harness the networking and deal making aspects of legal work.  Many Hollywood talent agents and managers have law degrees which helps them in their contract work and negotiations.  High end job recruiters and political advisors are often required to hold a legal or comparable degree as part of their credentials to reach the heights of their profession.  Finally, a small but dedicated subset of law degree holders become artists in their own right becoming filmmakers, poets and painters and often drawing from their legal experience to create works that comment or discuss important issues.  Several famous novelists got their start as lawyers, from the famous trial attorney Vincent Bugliosi to the now famous…but unknown as a lawyer, John Grisham.

Obtaining your Juris Doctor is a great accomplishment in itself.  Just because one finds working as an attorney unfulfilling does not mean the work put into obtaining your status as a lawyer is a waste.  This essay merely hints at the possibilities that are available to the law degree holder out in the work place.  I wish you well on your journey and make sure you stop by www.LawDegree.me for more great articles on the legal profession both in and out of the courtroom.

About the Author

With Degrees in Film, Real Estate Finance and Development as well as a PhD in Psychology, Robert Levin writes expert articles covering a broad range of issues. Some of his websites include: www.toptenmba.com and www.MBArankings.me.

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Career Change: Paralegal or IT?

I am thinking about making a career change. I have a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design. The work i’m doing is ok, but i’m looking for a change, something with better job security and higher earning potential. I was thinking about going back to school to be a paralegal. Or maybe something in the IT field. I like fixing computer problems and I know there’s a demand for that. On the other hand, i’ve always been interested in the legal field, and I think I have a lot of traits that would helpful as a paralegal.

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Google’s talks with China about operating its search engine without censorship in the country are scheduled to resume soon, a report says.
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do i need legal assistance?

my girlfriend is being taken 2 court by her son’s father simply because he doesnt want 2 pay child support anymore. He is with his father alot mainly because he attends school where his father lives due 2 it being a better school district than the mom lives in. The father recently had her served seeking primary custody & child support. She recently completed school & has a career as a healthcare professional & she also has a house and able to provide & take care of her son also. I would like 2 know if this case has teeth & should she be concerned about him receiving full custody & if legal representation is necessary. We reside in the state of Illinois.

Yes, you will need all the help you can get!!

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Career Changes for Baby Boomers: Ability, not Age, Matters

Baby boomers. They’re the generation born between 1946 and 1964. They came of age in the early 70s and early 80s. They’re the generation that made changes and waves, worked harder and longer, put off marriage and children, did things differently than previous generations.

Whether because of financial necessity or because they have something to offer, baby boomers are staying in the workforce longer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and projections indicate that by 2010 there should be 18.5 million boomers ages 45 to 49 in the labor force, as compared to 14.7 in 1995, and 16.8 million versus 10.6 million in the 50- to 54-years-old range.

They’re still making changes. They’re retiring later, or not at all. If not downsized or laid off, boomers often continue to work. When they don’t choose to continue in the same career, it doesn’t mean they’re ready to stop contributing, and sometimes they’re making transitions to new careers.

“On average there are three to five career changes in a person’s lifetime and that’s pretty common,” says Kevin Gaw, Director of Career Development, University of Nevada, Reno. “It’s pretty common that a layoff ends up being a great opportunity for someone to find something that’s more suited to them, too.”

But it can be challenging to a baby boomer to be suddenly confronted with a career change. They were raised in a world where you got your education, then got your job, and while you may not have stayed with the job until you retired, you would probably stay in the same profession. “It can be jarring to realize you have to transfer your skill set to another area,” says Gaw.

In 2004, Gaw’s office worked with 208 alumni. Nearly 7.5 percent were going through a career change, three percent because of a forced situation such as layoff or company closure or relocation. The rest of them just wanted to do something different. When you’re faced with an important career shift, there are things you can to do make it easier on yourself and achieve a more enjoyable, productive career change.

• Look at your skills. Determine which are transferable to other jobs.

• Find your passion. What do you love to do? “It’s not about the money,” Gaw says. “The money isn’t what makes us happy. What makes us happy is doing something that’s meaningful to us.”

• Look at reality. If you want to be an astronaut but can’t do math, Gaw says, the reality is it’s unlikely. People need to work through that disappointment and maybe change that passion to a hobby rather than a vocation.

• Determine whether you want to make a radical career change? say from legal secretary to Web designer? or stay within the same profession.

• If you like the company you’re with but feel the need for change, see if they can retain and retrain you. If it comes down to a complete career change, there are also some things you can do to help create a whole new career for yourself.

• Promote yourself rather than your age. Once you get into a position and can show off your skills, you’ll be known for those skills rather than your years. • Start slow. Before investing heavily in education, determine if it’s the right career path for you.

• Network. Many non-entry level positions are found by references. Join professional organizations in the field you want to enter.

• Consider working for yourself. A job market survey conducted in 2005 by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., quoted on thematuremarket.com, indicated that of 3000 job seekers, 13 percent chose to work for themselves, and 86.6 percent of them were over 40. From Small Business Administration chapters based on most university campuses to SCORE? Service Corps of Retired Engineers? there are programs that can help you start up.

Another option is to leverage your experience and teach or train. Moving into training? coaching people just entering the profession you’re leaving? is a fairly informal move. Teaching requires state licensing, and there are programs helping place retiring workers into teaching positions. The University of Nevada Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning takes executives through a first-time licensing program and puts them in the schools in just a couple semesters, often teaching in high-needs areas like math, science and languages.

Likewise, IBM unveiled their Transition to Teaching program in September, reimbursing them for tuition and providing stipends while they student teach. Many of their executives are highly trained in math and computer sciences.

Whether making a career change to a new profession or a new position, Gaw says such changes are a normal life pattern. “It’s a good thing to be open to change. The challenge is recognizing skill sets and knowing how to capitalize on them and present them to the new opportunities.”

About the Author

Edu411.org is a career education directory for finding colleges and universities, training schools, and technical institutes. For more information about careers, online education and campus based career programs, please visit us at http://www.edu411.org.

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Career of Fellow Texan Lance Armstrong Highlights the Need for More Sports Law Attorneys

Some superstar athletes develop such a close association with the city or state in which they perform that you cannot mention one without the other quickly coming to mind. Do you think of Peyton Manning without the city of Indianapolis being part of the picture? Of course not. Unless, that is, you are from Tennessee and you still associate the Hall of Fame quarterback with that “other” UT school that drapes itself in bright orange. Michael Jordan may have studied and played ball at the University of North Carolina and had an awkward late stint with the Washington Wizards, but he always will be associated with Chicago. Here in Texas, we have developed or displayed plenty of amazing athletic talent on the fields and in the arenas. There is a reason that every movie and television program revolving around high school football takes place in Texas. Just think about some of the household names that have played their sport in our state—Troy Aikman, Vince Young, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Nolan Ryan, and Fred Biggio just to name a few. One athlete of whom we are especially proud is native (Austin) Texan Lance Armstrong. Everyone by now, knows his amazing accomplishments and compelling personal story.

Just after his twenty-fifth birthday in 1996, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain. Even after drastic surgeries and treatments to remove the diseased areas of his organs, doctors gave Armstrong less than a fifty percent chance of survival. Obviously, he did make a full recovery following this devastating diagnosis and went on to win the Tour de France for a record-breaking seven consecutive years, from 1999 to 2005. Lance Armstrong used his celebrity status to create the Live Strong Foundation , an organization which works to inspire and empower people affected by cancer. Who doesn’t own, or know someone who owns, one of those famous yellow bracelets that have become a marketing phenomenon for the cause? Armstrong’s dedication to shining a light on cancer research is closely felt here in Texas, as well as in the halls of Congress and in charitable circles around the world.

With his high profile and healthy bank account, there certainly have been times at which Lance Armstrong has needed the services of an aggressive attorney to defend his name and image. Most notably, Armstrong has faced ongoing allegations that he has used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, a claim, which he has always adamantly denied. A book titled L.A. Confidentiel: Les secrets de Lance Armstrong was published in France in 2004 and purported to include interviews with those close to Armstrong who could account for his supposed use of steroids. Even though its author, David Walsh admitted that it contained only circumstantial evidence, the allegations caused a great deal of unwanted publicity. In 2005, a former employee named Mike Anderson testified in court filings that he found suspicious drugs without an attached doctor’s prescription in Armstrong’s hotel room in Spain. The following year, Armstrong’s former teammate, Frankie Andreau, and his wife shared in court testimony that they had witnessed conversations between Lance Armstrong and his doctor back in 1996 during which he admitted to use of various drugs. The accusations that Lance Armstrong used illegal drugs to boost his performance, particularly during his recovery from cancer, continue to follow the athlete. He has vowed to continue to use legal and media channels aggressively to clear his name, guaranteeing that attorneys in Texas will be revisiting the relevant laws concerning steroid use, defamation, and other content that may prove helpful to Armstrong’s efforts.

Last week, Lance Armstrong encountered another challenge to his professional standing. During the first stage of the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race in northern Spain, Armstrong broke his collarbone and is now back home in Austin for surgery and recovery. He had a steel plate and twelve screws inserted in an effort to stabilize the collarbone. Despite this obvious setback, Lance Armstrong still has hopes to race in the Tour de France in July. As his team manager Johan Bruyneel said, “A broken collar bone in the month of March does not at all compromise the start of the Tour de France or your performance in the Tour de France.” In Armstrong’s case, it appears that the time he will spend away from his chosen profession is not going to be extensive. For some other athletes, the time out of the limelight can prove to be more problematic. If a long-term injury or personal circumstances keep someone away from the playing field or racing circuit for an extended period and the public starts to forget about his star power, the financial and marketing commitments that have been made to the athlete might be unceremoniously dropped. Effective legal counsel can be crucial in an athlete’s desire to maintain standing in his profession and its related monetary perks.

There is strong evidence to support the idea that athletes, as well as celebrities who have followed other avenues of public notoriety, should always keep a sports and entertainment lawyer nearby. From the first professional contract that is signed to the allegations against one’s character that are inevitably made in hopes of financial gain to the unfortunate instances in which an athlete makes a decision to engage in illegal activity, there will be legal issues that need to be addressed. Lance Armstrong has discovered this truth through the unending reports of his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Undoubtedly, Armstrong’s Live Strong Foundation also employs attorneys to ensure that contributions are being used effectively and that cancer patients seeking assistance are given proper advice. He may find more cause for an attorney’s expertise if this current injury threatens his promised livelihood or negotiations over missed engagements are required. With opportunities to defend such high-profile personalities and protect their futures, the area of sports and entertainment law is a specialized one of high stakes and great reward.

About the Author

Tony R. Bertolino is a managing partner of Bertolino LLP. The firm has offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio and employs attorneys who practice in the areas of sports law and entertainment law. Please visit the website of Bertolino LLP to learn more.

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