No matter where you are in your career; a mentor can bring value and dimension to your perspective. Mentors are valuable at all stages of your professional and/or personal life. And, the relationship itself, when chosen well; will last for years.

So, how do you do you find the right mentor? And, how can you be a valued mentor yourself?

Today's hiring managers are seeking only the most talented individuals; those with strong soft skills and knowledge of business fundamentals, familiarity with the latest developments, on-the-job experience, proven track records of success, and the ability to make immediate contributions to an employer's bottom line.

Are you this "renaissance" professional?

At Rinker and Associates we believe commnicating your true value is the best way to market yourself.

Practice makes perfect. Fortune Magazine recently did a special feature on "excellence" and "what it takes to be great". No secret, just a good reminder of something we all learned early in life; that you will achieve greatness with hard work over a long period of time.

So, how does this premise work if more and more people are chanting "work smarter, not harder"?

37 percent of workers polled by Robert Half International said the biggest mistake people make when networking is not asking for help. When soliciting assistance do it graciously and make it easy for the other person. For instance, if you ask someone to serve as a professional reference, provide that person with a copy of your resume and let him or her know when a potential employer might be calling.

Source: careerbuilder.com

Second Life is a 3-dimensional online digital world imagined, created, and owned by its residents. The population at Second Life (www.secondlife.com) is now more than 2,380,000. On 01/08/07 the site indicated that $US 928K were spent in Second Life within the last 24 hours.

Imagine; real people exchanging (spending) real money for virtual money so they can buy virtual things and meet virtual people. You can even purchase virtual real estate in Second Life. Virtual islands are priced at US$1,675 for 65,536 square meters (about 16 acres). Monthly land fees for maintenance are US$295.

Now, why didn't I think of that?!

One of the best ways I maintain a healthy career is to operate on the premise that you cannot achieve greatness (success) all alone. It takes the care and support of those you trust who are somehow always "there" when you need them.

For me, there are a select few that I trust fully enough to place (portions of) my future in their hands. They guide me, advise me; and for the most part help me to keep a clear vision of where I am going. Always a constant journey; a need to continually improve upon myself; these chosen few have helped me stay the course. Through their support of my success comes my reason for continuing the journey for as long as its meant to be. To all of them I give my sincerest mahalo nui loa and best wishes for a Happy New Year! Best :) LLR