My New Website

I want to share my new website I created that links all of my businesses. It is called Sonia's Creative Ink, LLC. and the website is http://www.soniascreativeink.com/.

About Sonia’s Creative Ink, LLC

Sonia’s Creative Ink, LLC was founded in July, 2005 as a desktop publishing company. SCI was an inspiration due to an unfortunate situation of losing a loved one. Sonia Abbott-Bey, CEO of Sonia’s Creative Ink lost her father to pancreatic cancer in 2004. At the time of his passing she wanted to be hands on in the creation of his obituary. From that obituary, Sonia began getting referrals from friends who had seen the obituary and from that point was requested to help create other documents and graphics.

Sonia has over 12 years of administrative/executive assistant experience in construction, education, and transportation. Since launching SCI Virtual Executive Assistant, she has gained clientele in property management as well as working with a legal document preparation firm.

Sonia’s mission for Sonia’s Creative Ink brand is to convey my client’s vision may it be through a powerpoint presentation or desktop publishing. I truly enjoy being a Virtual Assistant. I have a passion for creating and delivering professional quality work and I enjoy working with people who share the same passion.

Other Business Ventures

I have another business called "Heartfelt Xpressions". I created handmade cards and invitations and other items when requested. I have a blog and Facebook Fan Page, which you can get the links from the website or simply click this link: http://www.heartfeltxpressions.blogspot.com/. I have an Etsy website to sell my handmade products at http://www.heartfeltxpressions.etsy.com/. I'm working on new cards at this moment to post, but other samples of cards I have made and still have stock are posted on my Heartfelt Xpressions Facebook Fan Page. Please check it out and spread the word.

Maure Holdings, LLC

Lastly, I would like to share another business venture I am involved with and it's Maure Holdings, LLC. It is a professional legal document preparation firm.

Maure Holdings, LLC services specializes in:
~Foreclosure Prevention/Protection
~Asset Protection Pure Simple Trust, Corporate Entities, etc.
~Tax Liens and Judgments
~Debt Elimination -
Student Loans,
Auto Loans,
Credit Cards
Third Party Debt Collections, etc.
~Notary Services
~We create Land Contracts, Lease Agreements w/Option to Buy, Quit Claim Deeds, etc.

Please visit our Facebook Fan Page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Detroit-MI/Maure-Holdings-LLC/161293603888001

Visit our new website:

http://www.maureholdingsllc.com/

Toll Free Phone No.: 1-866-932-5550
Email: www.mhllc@maureholdingsllc.com

Worst Cities to Find A Job

I just saw an article on Forbes.com regarding the worst cities to find a job, and I am located in one of them. I must agree whole-heartedly that it has been very competitive to even contract my services. One might think that it's because they had a bad interview or not enough qualifications, but as I have been doing my research into the job market and the qualifications that are listed, you now must wear multiple hats, but for less pay.

I thought I would share an excerpt from the article:

"Can't get hired? You may just be in the wrong place.

Bad interviews or a lack of experience may not be the reason you can't land a job. Your location may be to blame. If you're seeking employment, consider moving to Washington, San Jose, or New York. Those are the three best places in the nation for finding a job, according to Juju.com."


The worst cities to find employment are:

1. Las Vegas, Nevada

2. Miami, Florida

3. Riverside, California

4. Detroit, Michigan

5. Los Angeles, California



These are based on those who have reported being unemployed and those numbers are most definitely higher than reported.



I must say I am used to wearing a lot of hats as being an employee and I have many qualifications that are listed, but it has come to who you know mostly than what you know to even get a response. It's very daunting and frustrating...yes I know and on top of that Congress has not approved an extension or Tier 5 for those who will be losing their unemployment benefits the day after Thanksgiving. I must say that is disheartening for them to play with people's lives especially after the November elections.


For those who are seeking for employment or starting your own business, please keep your head held high and know you're not the only person going through these tough times. As a small business owner it's very challenging for myself, but to remember to put positive vibes in the universe to bring a positive reinforcement for whatever endeavor you are seeking.

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111373/americas-worst-cities-for-finding-a-job

The Savvy Networker
Liz Ryan, Yahoo! HotJobs


Nearly every day, a job-seeker tells me, "I won't address my career gap (or sudden departure from a job, or relocation from Alaska to Tennessee) in my resume. I'll wait for the interview to tell that story."

What people don't understand is this: if you don't explain your career moves in the resume itself, there won't be any interview.

The typical job opening fetches over 100 replies from job applicants. Why would a hiring manager interview a person whose resume raises troubling questions?

Here are five hot question-raising issues that you've got to put to rest right in your resume--or get ready to sit by the phone waiting for the interview invitation that never comes.

1. Employment gaps
You have a right to get off the conveyor belt once or twice in your career. The reason for your employment gap could be child rearing, your own or a family member's health, or even a sabbatical if you were lucky enough to finagle one. You need to explain your employment gap in a way that will make sense to an employer. A good way to do that is in your resume's summary, where you can say something like "Returning to the paid workforce after four years raising my twins, I'm excited to help my next employer boost its website traffic and online sales." You have nothing to apologize for--but you've got to spell out why you stopped working, and why you're coming back.

2. Sudden drops in altitude
If your resume shows that you were a VP of sales one day and working a retail job the next, you've got some 'splainin to do. Maybe you needed to be close to home for a while for family reasons. Maybe you went to work for your cousin in his retail store, to support him and help his business grow. There's no shame in moving abruptly from a senior-level position to a more junior assignment, but resume readers will be dying to know: What happened?

3. Geographical moves
People don't like to disclose personal information in a resume, and I don't blame them. But a resume bullet like "Left Acme Dynamite to join my fiance in Boulder, Colorado" could make the difference between getting an interview and missing out. Unexplained cross-country moves have a tendency to alarm employers, who wonder, "Was this person asked to leave the state, or what?" Spell it out.

4. Jumping in and out
It used to be that if you'd spent much time consulting, the corporate world didn't have any interest in welcoming you back. Those days are gone, but you've still got to explain why you consulted for two years, then took a corporate job, then consulted again, and then went back to the salaried world. The best way to bring a reader into your decision process is to describe the specific challenge you were asked to surmount in each case. No one can blame you for following the most exciting challenges you came across, whether those were W-2 or 1099 assignments.

5. Getting laid off
Workforce reductions are so common that we think, "This screener or hiring manager will know I was laid off as soon as they see the short-term job on my resume." Don't bet on it. We've got to make it plain in our resume that we were laid off (and not fired for cause) if we don't want our prospective employer to see us as a flaky job-hopper. It's easy to tell your story. Use the last bullet under that job to say something like "Left Acme Dynamite when new legislation prohibiting the use of dynamite against roadrunners forced the company to downsize."

Remember, one purpose of communication is to reduce uncertainty--in your case, to answer the questions that will naturally arise in a hiring manager's mind as he or she reviews your resume. Spelling out the deets now will improve your chances of getting to talk about more interesting things during a face-to-face job interview.



Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, a former Fortune 500 VP, and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new-millennium workplace. Connect with her at www.asklizryan.com.

(The opinions expressed in this column are solely the author's.)



Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-experts-five_resume_items_that_can_t_wait_for_the_interview-117

Jobs Hazards

As a full-time employee, I haven't endured some of these worksite hazards such as the carpal tunnel and back problems. Thank goodness I didn't have surgery for my carpal tunnel, I choice to rehab, which I still do the stretching and hand exercises. As for the back, I'm working out.

The Importance of Branding Yourself

I understand the importance of branding yourself, and the business you are partaking. Your business is simply a reflection of you and your standards. No matter what business I create or become a member of, I create it with a purpose of people understanding the product or services I am selling, and that I am proud of my business. Also, I know how important my marketing is to bringing traffic and clientele to my site, word of mouth, or seeing my product via a postcard, brochure, flyer or a nice giveaway such as a calendar or bookmark.

So when putting together a business marketing plan...make sure you everything is proofread and edited. Your logos should always be on all of your advertisements, business cards, flyers, brochures and websites. Don't put more than one business on a business card. Multiple businesses on one card is very confusing, cluttering and tacky. Also, don't forget that your business is your baby. You have birth it, and now your trying to make it grow. It is a reflection of you so make sure your cross your t's and dot your i's because people are watching.

Administrative/Support Resume Tips

As an administrative/support professional, we play a very important part in maintaining a smooth office environment. We are the organizers, secretaries, receptionists, event planners, office managers just to name a few of our titles. So why we do not feel our roles are important?

When a very good administrative professional leave their position in the company, the employer is left trying to figure out how to run the office, which very few have an inclination of what is involved in keeping a well maintained office. So your resume should reflect the importance of your role in your past position as an administrative/support professional.

Attached is an article from Monster.com that provides great tips on how you can articulate your resume with the experiences as an administrative/support professional:
Admin/Support Resume Tips

Staying Motivated

I was just taking a moment to browse around my office trying to figure out ways to organize it better. At the moment I share space with my husband, and I'm trying to help him to become a better organizer so we both can enjoy the space as we work to make our living. Sometimes clutter can make you feel unmotivated, at least it makes me feel that way. We accumulate so much stuff so quickly, and even with all the computer technology of being able to backup our files we still have the need to print everything for filing. Why?

I think it's due to habits we can't break or it's just hard to break. I can remember a time when I working at a construction company, during the end of a project we had to pack up our files for storage. I had to make a set of files for the owner and a set for my employer. I think at the time we I finished packing, I had packed over 100 legal boxes. Talk about a sista that was tired.

I'm saying all of this to make a point about working smart than hard, and keeping your space organized to help you stay motivated.