location location location property greece, greek property .luxury villas crete greece, Greek property Its all about Location. Elounda premier property professionals location location location

HOME | CONTACT US | BUYING | ABOUT US | IN THE NEWS | EXECUTIVE SERVICES | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER Important announcement from Location in reply to the Greek Government draft bill regards to forestry  land burnt in the fires of 2005 and 2007. For many, the wild fires that swept Greece in 2005 and 2007 are a distant memory -  and thankfully so !   Nevertheless their impact is being felt to the current day as the Greek Government aims to assist the accelerated regrowth of the forest by assigning areas as “Forests in Perpetuity”. There has been a great deal of debate as to how best manage the necessary  re-establishment of the previous  forestry areas ,  with campaigners arguing for and against a complete moratorium on building and issuance of certifications of forestry in these once protected areas -culminating in a statement by the Government that a bill will be put before parliament to deal with the issue of protecting the former forest land.   The significance of this announcement was such we at Location thought  clarification was needed on a few points , both for the sake of due diligence for those planning on purchasing land but also for a point of establishing where the true issue is , for the avoidance of  doubt.     The main proposals   The draft legislation that is being proposed , suggests that all land caught in the fires should have a mandate issued by the forestry department :   1. Forbidding building or any form of development on the land until that said land is “released” by a further subsequent government mandate 2. The land is to be protected and nurtured to allow regrowth by prohibiting animals / livestock to graze the land. In the bill measures are proposed requiring adjacent landowners with grazing animals to protect the integrity of the boundaries to prevent livestock entering the regrowth zones.   Andie Cox , Partner in Location property is pleased the Government is acting to protect the integrity of the burnt areas. “The fires in 2005 and 2007 were terrifying , in Elounda – Crete, especially. A large area of mountainside was completely stripped of cover and some houses perilously close to burning. This forestry cover is not just about whether you can build or not , it has a far more important function in preventing run off in the rainy season. Land without natural forestry cover destroyed in this way quickly becomes at danger of being yet further affected by rainfall and it’s especially pleasing to see such a pro-active stance planned by the Government.“ Protocol, protocol protocol ! From a buyers prospective, Andie insists little has changed   “The English word Protocol derives from a Greek word, and the protocol or methodology  for buying land has not changed with this announcement. We have always insisted our clients have a valid certificate from the forestry authority before even entering into a conditional deposit, so anybody who has bought through Location is unaffected by the draft bill. This is less about individual plots forestry certificates, but on a grander scale about preventing further deforestation and further degradation of a distressed landscape encouraging regrowth and stabilisation and as such must be welcomed by all.” Andie Cox is available on mobile 0030 697 7778126 info@locationlocationlocation.eu Linkedin Profile         European property specialists Luxurious and Exclusive Greek Property For sale and to rent . Sea view Villas , Investment plots and Commercial Property for sale In Elounda and Plaka Crete, Kassiopi and Aghios Stephanos Corfu , Mykonos , Greece, Kefalonia and Zante We discretely source only the very best properties for our distinguished international clients in the most exclusive Greek resorts such as Elounda Bay area, The Kassiopi area and Mykonos and Santorini …….Greek property specialists………it’s all about the Location   Location Location Location – Head Office Elounda Crete Greece PROPERTY IN CORFU | PROPERTY IN CRETE | PROPERTY IN RHODES | PROPERTY IN KOS | PROPERTY IN ZANTE PROPERTY IN KEFALONIA | PROPERTY IN SANTORINI | PROPERTY IN MYKONOS | PROPERTY IN PAROS AND NAXOS | OTHER GREEK ISLAND PROPERTY |

A new initiative enables users to find deaf organizations and schools in 149 countries around the world. Launched by the Gallaudet University Center for International Programs and Services (CIPS) in October 2009, the World Deaf Information Resource Project provides contact information for hundreds of international-, national-, and local-level organizations and schools globally. The website also links to on-line reports about the human rights conditions and living situation of deaf people around the world and other information resources for deaf individuals and organizations.

“Deaf people always benefit when deaf organizations, schools, and individuals are able to exchange ideas and information,” says Mason. “But before organizations can communicate with each other, they need a way to find each other. The new World Deaf Information Resource Project lets them do that. It is our hope this can become a powerful information resource for the global deaf community.”

In addition to browsing the website, users also may download most of the same information in an electronic file in either Word or PDF format. The file provides users an easy way to produce a hard copy for contacts who might not have Internet access. The new website can be accessed at

http://cips.gallaudet.edu/wdi.xml

CIPS intends to continue expanding the website and file over time. People are invited to submit information about deaf organizations or schools not already included in the project to World.Deaf.

Info@gallaudet.edu

CIPS is a unit within the Gallaudet University College of Professional Studies and Outreach (CPSO) and is the university’s one stop office for all things international. Gallaudet University is the only liberal arts university for deaf students in the world. Dr. Asiah Mason, director of CIPS, credits the website as being the brain-child of Dr. Amy Wilson, Director of Gallaudet University’s International Development program, and Dr. Jay Innes, the Dean of CPSO. Andrea Shettle began the work of gathering information for the website during an internship for the MA degree program in International
Development at Gallaudet.

The catastrophic downturn in the UK’s construction sector continues, with October marking the 20th successive month when demand for construction declined. In fact, October saw the downward pace accelerate with a drop in requirement for commercial and civil engineering work, according to the latest figures from the Chartered Institute of Planning & Supply (CIPS). 

The CIPS/Markit purchasing managers index fell to 46.2 in October, from 46.7 in September. Any figure below 50 represents contraction. The survey also reveals that the pace of job cuts is accelerating, while input costs are rising.

David Noble, the CIPS chief executive, said: “These continue to be worrying times for the UK construction sector. Further drops in commercial and civil engineering activity were the key drivers behind the bad news.

“Perhaps of most concern is the continued slashing of jobs at construction firms. The pace of job cuts actually accelerated in October as the current state of the sector means that many who have lost jobs will struggle to find something else before Christmas.”

The good news is that residential construction rose for the second successive month.

Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist, said: “Although the advancing of public sector capital programmes is providing some much needed support for construction companies, it is clearly not sufficient to offset the weakness in both the private commercial and housing categories. That said, the modest rebound in transaction activity in the residential and more recently commercial real estate sectors offers the possibility that development activity may begin to edge upwards in 2010.”

The CIPS/Markit survey came only days after construction industry leaders lobbied the Government to increase capital spending on building projects. The UK Contractors’ Group and the CBI pointed to a report that said every pound spent on construction contributed a £2.84 rise in GDP.

Stewart McIntosh

http://www.cips.org

Courir dans la région orléanaise suppose de s’approprier la géographie locale, les noms de villes ou de quartiers. J’ai ouï dire que les personnes venant juste d’emménager à Orléans sont  plus ou moins déconcertées, désorientées par les noms de lieux commençant trop souvent par Saint  : “Saint Ceci, Saint Cela, ….je les confonds tous ! “Saint Ceci, c’est au nord ou au sud de la loire déja ?” “….Yen a de trop ! On ne sait plus à quel saint se vouer !”.  A ce propos j’ai très récemment échangé avec un olivetain qui réside dans cette commune depuis plus de 5 ans et qui m’a avoué être incapable de situer Saint Jean le Blanc…

Je vous propose donc de vous donner quelques repères donc un 360 ° des communes que vous allez traverser à la faveur de vos runs échevelés à Orléans et Alentours.

A l’Ouest de l’agglo, rive droite, la Chapelle Saint Mesmin et ses bords de loire très prisés par les coureurs, les marcheurs et les VTTistes. L’usine Michelin et la Verrerie Saint Gobain sont fermés depuis bien longtemps déja. Le siège National et la centrale d’achats du groupe Mr Bricolage ont depuis quelques années pris place dans le paysage économique. 

Au Nord de l’agglo, l’ouvrière Saint Jean de la Ruelle, sa mairie à l’architecture un rien soviétique, sa piscine chauffée à vagues et à tobboggans, son activité industielle encore  marquée par les usines Thermor devenue Fagor Brandt,  Renault devenue TRW (bâtîment aujourd’hui désaffecté pour cause de relocalisation de l’activité à la Source) et Coussinets Minces devenue Federal Mogul.

A l’Est rive droite, Saint Jean de Braye, son vieux bourg, ses bords de loire, le canal d’Orléans et les chemins de halage. Côté économie, vous ne pouvez manquer l’ancien Batîment  IBM  qui devient peu à peu une friche,  la caisse de retraite CIPS rebaptisée Medéric à la faveur des fusions et de mariages plus ou moins rapprochés. A l’écart de la loire, les incontournables usines Dior et Caudalie, toutes deux situées au pied du parc et du château de la charbonnière, parc que je vous recommande chaudement pour ses circuits variés et ombragés.

Au Sud Est, rive gauche, Saint Jean le Blanc, ses bords de loire, l’île charlemagne et et ses nombreuses possibilités de circuits, la piste cyclable “loire à vélo” et la levée qui vous emmènent sans qu’on y prenne garde jusqu’a Saint Denis en Val et enfin, la piste cyclable qui part du débouché sud du pont Thinat et qui vous conduira direct jusqu’ au pied du parc Floral et à l’entrée de la commune de Saint Cyr en Val.

Au sud Ouest, rive gauche : St Pryvé Saint Mesmin, pour les bords le la loire ou du loiret, pour la pointe de courpain et sa réserve naturelle, pour le (petit) lac de St Pryvé . A proximité : Saint hilaire-Saint Mesmin pour son hôtel restau “l’Escale du Port Arthur”, pour son  parc entre loire et Loiret et pour le chemin qui serpente le long du loiret  avant de venir lêcher la pointe de courpain et de vous déposer via la levée de la loire aux pieds de l’église de  Cléry Saint André.

Là où ça se complique, c’est que dans un deuxième cercle situé à 15-30 kms à vol d’oiseau  d’Orléans on trouvera : Saint Denis de l’hôtel (beau chemin longeant la loire jusqu’à Châteauneuf et St Martin d’Abbat), St Ay (prononcer “Saint I), St Benoit sur Loire (et son abbaye), La Ferté St Aubin. Ca se corse vraiment si l’on rajoute les noms des quartiers et des églises d’Orléans :  Saint Paul, Saint Jean, Saint Aignan, Saint Pierre le Puellier, St Euverte, St Paterne, St Loup, Saint Marc, Saint Marceau,…

Mais au fait ? Qui est le saint patron des sportifs ? : internet me suggère deux noms : Pier Georgio Frassati et Jean Bosco.

Zvornik, 1 September 2009 – Eight people were arrested today in Zvornik following an investigation into the alleged forgery of identity documents related to the “CIPS” case that was launched in May 2008. The individuals were arrested on the grounds of reasonable suspicion of committing criminal offences of abuse and forgery of the personal documents issued through the Citizens Identification Protection System (CIPS).

Ordered by the BiH State Prosecutor’s Office, the operation was executed by the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and Brčko District Police, in cooperation with the Republika Srpska (RS) Ministry of Interior. The suspects’ houses, alongside their workplaces, were searched by the police forces for any evidence relevant to the case. The European Union Police Mission (EUPM) monitored the operation.

Of the eight arrested, five hold positions in public institutions including the RS Ministry of Interior, Zvornik Public Security Centre, and Zvornik Municipality. All of those arrested are under suspicion of having committed organized crime related to the criminal act of abuse of position or authorization of the BiH Penal Code. Effectively, the abuse of the CIPS system could potentially provide nationals of BiH and other countries to illegally obtain BiH citizenship through travel and other documents containing false data.

The BiH State Prosecutor’s Office announced that the operation represents part of a broader investigation into the alleged abuse of personal identity documents.

The “CIPS” case began to gain momentum in May 2008. Initially, three were arrested by SIPA. The following week, 20 employees of the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior and the Brčko District Public Registry were arrested on suspicion of producing and issuing forged identity cards and passports.

World Deaf Information Resource Project Launches

A new initiative enables users to find deaf organizations and schools in 149 countries around the world. Launched by the Gallaudet University Center for International Programs and Services (CIPS) in October 2009, the World Deaf Information Resource Project provides contact information for hundreds of international-, national-, and local-level organizations and schools globally. The website also links to on-line reports about the human rights conditions and living situation of deaf people around the world and other information resources for deaf individuals and organizations.

“Deaf people always benefit when deaf organizations, schools, and individuals are able to exchange ideas and information,” says Dr. Asiah Mason, director of CIPS. “But before organizations can communicate with each other, they need a way to find each other. The new World Deaf Information Resource Project lets them do that. It is our hope this can be a powerful information resource for the global deaf community.”

In addition to browsing the website, users also may download most of the same information in either Word or PDF format. The file enables users to produce a 104-page hard copy document for dissemination to contacts who might not have Internet access.

The new website can be accessed at http://cips.gallaudet.edu/wdi.xml. CIPS intends to continue expanding the website and file over time. People are invited to submit information about deaf organizations, schools, and deaf-related information resources not already included in the project to World.Deaf.Info@gallaudet.edu.

CIPS is a unit within the Gallaudet University College of Professional Studies and Outreach and is the university’s one-stop office for all things international. Gallaudet University is the only liberal arts university for deaf students in the world.

World Deaf Information Resource Project Launches

A new initiative enables users to find deaf organizations and schools in 149 countries around the world. Launched by the Gallaudet University Center for International Programs and Services (CIPS) in October 2009, the World Deaf Information Resource Project provides contact information for hundreds of international-, national-, and local-level organizations and schools globally. The website also links to on-line reports about the human rights conditions and living situation of deaf people around the world and other information resources for deaf individuals and organizations.

“Deaf people always benefit when deaf organizations, schools, and individuals are able to exchange ideas and information,” says Dr. Asiah Mason, director of CIPS. “But before organizations can communicate with each other, they need a way to find each other. The new World Deaf Information Resource Project lets them do that. It is our hope this can be a powerful information resource for the global deaf community.”

In addition to browsing the website, users also may download most of the same information in either Word or PDF format. The file enables users to produce a 104-page hard copy document for dissemination to contacts who might not have Internet access.

The new website can be accessed at http://cips.gallaudet.edu/wdi.xml. CIPS intends to continue expanding the website and file over time. People are invited to submit information about deaf organizations, schools, and deaf-related information resources not already included in the project to World.Deaf.Info@gallaudet.edu.
CIPS is a unit within the Gallaudet University College of Professional Studies and Outreach and is the university’s one-stop office for all things international. Gallaudet University is the only liberal arts university for deaf students in the world. Mason credits the website as being the brain-child of Dr. Amy Wilson, Director of Gallaudet University’s International Development program, and of Dr. Jay Innes, the Dean of CPSO. Andrea Shettle began the work of gathering information for the website during an internship for the MA degree program in International Development at Gallaudet.

Selamlar efendim. Bir arkadaşım dedi ki; Kavimler Göçünde herkesi satıp göçmeyen bir kavim varmış.

Zamanında çok değer verdiğim, saygıdeğer insan, yüce kişilik, esprili bir beyefendi Alf ile ilgili bir atılım yapmaya kalkışmıştım. Toplumda destek aradım, hatta metin de şöyleydi;

Alf’i Sevenler ve Özleyenler Derneği yeni üyelerini arıyor!  -Sanki hiç üyesi varmış gibi aramak-

An itibariyle kurulmuş ve üye sayısını rekor sayıda arttırmış(kuyruklu, püsküllü, yaldızlı yalan),  gelecek yüzyıla damgasını vuracak bir sivil oluşumdur(eli kulağında vurdu vuracak! valla…). Esas itibariyle Alf’i genç kuşaklara tanıtmak, reyting kaygısı olmaksızın her daim Alf izlemeye hazır, hatalarıyla doğrularıyla Alf’in izinden gidecek bilinçli ve samimi bir kuşak oluşturmayı hedefleyen dev bir yapıyız.  İçtiğimiz sütü burnumuzdan çıkarmaktan kaçınmayacak, kedileri tüm içtenliğimizle yiyecek ve bunu yeni nesillere aktaracağız. MSN yoluyla üye alımına devam eden ASÖD’e katılmak için kişisel iletinize Alf’i Sevenler ve Özleyenler Derneği – ASÖD yazabilir ve yeni üyeler arayarak bu dev oluşuma katkıda bulunup tarihe bir not düşebilirsiniz. (7 kişiyi geçemediğimiz gerçeği yüreğimde saklıdır)

Çay harareti alır… Diyorlar, beni terletiyorlar, sonra terim geçince kendimi serinlemiş gibi hissediyorum ama nedir bu bir kandırmaca mı. Bennen oyun oynamayın lan, gelin 2 üfleyin yanlarıma yanlarıma da gerçekçi olalım.

Cips bittikten sonra parmağını yalamayan kişi o cipse hak ettiği değeri vermiyor demektir. Bu da tarihe böyle geçsin. Aynı şeyi Haylayf’ını çaya bandırmayan adam için de söylerim.

-”Pınar tonight we dine in heelll!”
+Pe..pee.kii ben hemen giyiniyim aşkısı kızma..

Bir sinek tarafından uyandırıldığımda benim için bir başlangıç, onun için bir sondur. Aman diyim.

Bence King Kong’un ufaklığı da bir nebze büyüktür.

Moby, Pearl Jam, Muse, Basement Jaxx yeni albüm çıkardı. Arctic Monkeys de çıkaracakmış. Ama bence Florence + Machine’den Lungs albümünü edinin. Rabbit Heart adlı parça mükenbel olmuş.

İyi huylu, tatlı dilli, kafa dengi sevgili.  Bu cümle hakkında bulana veya getirene tam 100 bin lira veriyorum demişim zamanında. Vakit geldi, nakit yok. 3′ün 5′in hesabını yapmayın rica ediyorum.

Bu gecelik de bu kadar.

Lays Reklamı – Nine vs Dede »

The Center for International Programs and Services (CIPS) at Gallaudet University is seeking assistance in identifying both national- and local-level deaf organizations around the world.

Gallaudet is the only liberal arts university for deaf students internationally and is in Washington, DC. CIPS plans to develop a web site providing information for Deaf individuals and deaf organizations around the world. This work is being done in June and July 2009 by a short-term graduate student intern, Andrea Shettle.

As a first step, CIPS wishes to make a list of organizations of Deaf people around the world with their full contact information (name of organization; mailing address; phone number; fax number; SMS; email address if any; website if any). This includes international, national, and local-level organizations. This information could help deaf organizations find each other so they can exchange knowledge and ideas.

If you think you may be able to assist in making this list as accurate and as comprehensive as possible, please contact Andrea Shettle at CIPS (Andrea.Shettle@gallaudet.edu) between now and July 17, 2009. You can help ensure that CIPS does not miss any of the deaf organizations you are familiar with in your country or elsewhere! The emphasis for the next few weeks is on deaf organizations in developing countries. However, information in locating deaf organizations in all countries is welcome.

Everyone who attempts to assist CIPS in assembling this list will eventually receive a Word document file listing all the deaf organizations we are able to find worldwide.

Learn more about CIPS at http://cips.gallaudet.edu
Contact Andrea Shettle in regard to sharing contact information for deaf organizations you are familiar with at Andrea.Shettle@gallaudet.edu between now and July 17, 2009.

I am the director of the Center for International Programs and Services, Gallaudet University. Bringing deaf students, researchers, faculty and professionals to Gallaudet and bringing Gallaudet to the world.

We invite you to explore our website and learn about the many services we offer. From the Global Education and Scholar Services, the English Language Institute, to the International Student Services and International Outreach.

Sincerely,

Dr. Asiah Mason, Director
The Center for International Programs and Services (CIPS)

Supply Chain Training

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce is an approved study centre for Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) training.

We can offer training packages to suit any buiness, whether you are interested in full time, part time, modular or blended. We can deliver all levels of training CIPS from Level 2 introductory certificate upto Level 6 graduate diploma.

We can now offer the new Level 5 Sustainable Procurement modules.

If you would like a tailored training programme or further information on our training please contact us at cips@liverpoolchamber.org.uk or telephone 0151 224 1880

All modules are deliverd by experienced CIPS qualified supply chain consultants and tutors.

City centre location at One Old Hall training facilities. Excellent transport links, opposite Moorfields station (Old Hall Street entrance).

Click ‘more’ for the training timetable.

CIPS Timetable

Level 4 (Foundation)

Level 5 (Advanced)

Level 6 (Diploma)

If you would like a tailored training programme or further information on our training please contact us at cips@liverpoolchamber.org.uk or telephone 0151 224 1880

Uhapšeni visoki  dužnosnici bijeljinskog CJB-a

Pripadnici Državne agencije za istrage i zaštitu (SIPA) ovih dana izveli su u Bijeljini novu akciju na suzbijanju zloupotrebe CIPS sistema, te zbog nezakonitog izdavanja ličnih dokumenata uhapsili tri osobe, od kojih su dvije na rukovodećim mjestima u tamošnjem CJB.

Uhapšeni su Goran Đelmić, načelnik Sektora uniformisane policije CJB Bijeljina, njegov kolega Tomo Mačar, te Dragana Knežević, policijska službenica pri CIPS-ovim uredu u Bijeljini, koja je hapšena i u prošlogodišnjoj akciji.

Mreža pomagača

Akcija je provedena po nalogu Tužilaštva BiH koje od početka radi na raskrinkavanju organizovanih grupa koje su omogućile brojnim kriminalcima ali i haškim optuženicima te sumnjivcima da dođu do novog identiteta i tako izbjegnu izlazak pred lice pravde.

Pored hapšenja, pripadnici SIPA su pretresli objekte osumnjičenih policajaca te izuzeli određenu količinu dokumentacije koja je poslana na vještačenje, a ovih dana bi trebala biti donesena odluka da li će biti zatraženo njihovo pritvaranje.

Boris Grubešić, portparol Državnog tužilaštva, kazao nam je da je akcija izvedena u pet sati, te da su na razgovor pozvane još dvije osobe osumnjičene za zloupotrebe CIPS sistema. Riječ je o policijskim službenicima MUP-a Republike Srpske koji rade na rukovodećim pozicijama u Banja Luci i Bijeljini. Jedan od njih je, nezvanično saznajemo, Dragi Milošević, koji je jedan od čelnih ljudi u Upravi krim-policije MUP-a RS-a.

Posljednja akcija dio je istrage koja je u toku a koju provodi Tužilaštvo BiH, Posebni odjel za organizovani kriminal, privredni kriminal i korupciju! Istraga je pokrenuta nakon prijava o korumpiranosti policijskih službenika koji rade na CIPS sistemima u nekoliko BiH gradova.

Akcija je povezana sa istragom protiv osoba osumnji­čenih za pružanje pomoći haškim optuženicima.

Pripadnicima SIPA su pomagale kolege iz MUP-a RS-a, EUPM, koji je od početka involviran u ovu istragu, te ima savjetodavnu ulogu.

Iako još nije zvanično poznato kakvu su tačno ulogu Đelmić i Mačar imali u CIPS aferi, pretpostavlja se da nije puno drugačija od one zbog koje su prošle godine uhapšeni Vasilije Savić, načelnik Sektora krim-policije CJB Bijeljina, te komandir srebreničke policije Željko Vidović.

Njima je pritvor određen jer je istraga pokazala da su određenoj osobi pribavili lažne dokumente i pasoš na lažno ime, a što su uredno i naplatili.

Novčane naknade

U pritvoru je svojevremeno bila i ponovno uhapšena Kne­ževićeva, koja je zajedno sa Milinkom Ćeranićem, Snje­žanom Milić i Mlađenkom Komarica, službenicima pri CIPS-u u Bijeljini, izrađivala veliki broj ličnih dokumenata iako je znala da se oni izdaju na osnovu lažnih dokumenata.

Ovi službenici su usko surađivali sa Slavišom Trifunovićem i Krstom Jokićem, koji su pronalazili mušterije zainteresovane za novi identitet i spremne da ga plate. Te novčane naknade Trifunović i Jokić su dijelili sa policijskim službenicima u CIPS-ovim uredima.

The Center for International Programs and Services (CIPS), a unit of CPSO, has announced the China Study Abroad program, which takes place June 11-30, 2009.

This exciting program offers opportunities for graduate course credit, school curriculum development, and international school partnerships for deaf and hard of hearing participants.

The China Study Abroad program allows participants to discover Chinese history and culture, to enjoy the exciting nightlife of Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai, to see old and new architecture, to meet cool deaf people, and to experience deaf education in China.

For more information, please contact CIPS at cips@gallaudet.edu.  To view the news story and download the flier, brochure, and more, click here.

Louise Henthorn of Terrie O’Connor Realtors Ramsey Office has been awarded the prestigious CIPS designation, joining a worldwide referral network of elite global real estate practitioners with expertise in working with international clients as well as immigrants.

The CIPS Designation will be awarded by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) which represents over 1,200,000 Realtors in the US. Louise was formally recognized at NAR’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida in November.

Members of the CIPS network are crucial players in today’s global real estate market. The CIPS designation recognizes members who have achieved the necessary training and experience to work successfully with international clients and properties. To earny the CIPS designation, REALTORS complete rigorous coursework decoted to learning cultural differences and international business practices. Designees must also prove achievement in international real estate transactions.

Louise Henthorn joins a distingushed society of over 1500 real estate professionals throughout the world who have earned the CIPS designation. “This is a highly prestigious award in our industry,” said Tony Macalusco, CIPS, NAR International Operations Committee Chair. “Louise Henthorn is now established as an expert in international real estate.”

The CIPS Career Climate event was well-attended last night, and interesting.  The panel was great; there were two panelists from CareerDoor, one from Robert Half, one from HR One Consulting, and myself.  There were also other recruiters in attendance, so if you wanted to make some contacts with recruiters who might be able to help you find a job, this wasn’t a bad room to be in.

But perhaps more importantly, there was a lot of useful information on the career climate and tips on how best to represent yourself in this climate and in any climate.  I’m going to try and share some of that below, aggregating the advice from a lot of sources based on my notes.

Current Climate
Pretty much everyone agreed that there is a general slowdown in the economy in Toronto, and that that’s resulting in some reduction of positions and suspension of new plans that might have resulted in new positions.  Add to that the seasonal side of recruiting — Late November and December are typically very slow times of the year to be looking for work.

However, there are still lots of bright spots – January and February are typically fairly hot months for employers.  IT as a job market is somewhat more resistant to downturns and recessions than some other job markets, and while the technology job marketplace is definitely not going to be as hot as it was a year ago, it’s probably not going to fall through the floor either.  People with specialized skills and experiences will likely be able to parlay that into new opportunities either within their current company or within new companies.  Those hardest hit are likely to be the people with limited experience looking for junior and intermediate positions.  

The contract market is also relatively stable in downturns — the number of contractors for hire tends to drop, making it easier for those who remain to find work in tougher times.  Contract rates aren’t likely to be at their peak, but it should be possible for experienced contractors to continue to find work.

Presenting Yourself
Figure out what your niche is, what skills and experiences that employers care about and that you have that others may not.  Make sure to highlight those areas in your resume and cover letters. Develop ‘Personal Branding’.  Given the climate, this is a good time to highlight the ways in which you deliver return on investment — how you can help the company make or save money if they employ you or offer you a contract.  Although there may be core technical skills that will be required (.NET, Java, SQL, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Rails, JSF, EJB, Twisted, Zope, Oracle, SAP, ad infinitum), it’s often the esoteric technologies and soft-skills that will differentiate you.  Do you have a good head for business?  Good communication and presentation skills?  Understand agile methods?  Know algorithmic equity trading like you were born doing it?  Can you port COBOL and Assembly to Ruby on Rails?  These are the kinds of things that will help you stand out, particularly if you’re able to find companeis that need your unique skills and find the right way to help them to understand what you can offer.

If you’re not finding that you have the right differentiating skills, consider developing differentiating skills.  Investigate areas that are in demand and  try and acquire some knowledge in those areas that you can use to parlay your way into a job opportunity.  One area that is likely to continue to be hot is compliance and governance regulatory issues in the wake of the companies that are failing in the downturn.  This isn’t a bad time to know things about SOX, GLB, Bill 198, PIPEDA, and whatever legislation is to come.  Consider checking out the free information or inexpensive seminars offered by ISACA.

Other Advice
From there, we moved into a more interactive discussion that moved around a lot, hitting some good points and some controversial ones.  One attendee argued that a number of companies don’t check references or give references for liability reasons, while one panelist suggested that he always checks references even before talking to the candiadate and others suggested ways to maximize your use of references:

• Check your references yourself; have someone call your references and ask them the kinds of questions you expect them to be asked, make sure your references are good ones.
• Coach your references, starting on general terms — if you’re positioning yourself a certain way, make sure they understand the message you’re trying to communicate, so that they can highlight your experiences and qualities accordingly.
• Coach not just on general terms, but on specifics.  If a particular employer is going to be calling them, help your reference understand what parts of your experience are useful to highlight, what the employer might be looking for.  If you know an employer is using an Enterprise Service Bus to maximize their architectural flexibility and that’s key to them and something that you’re a good fit for, then help your reference to understand how best to communicate that you’ve got service-bus experience and that you’re an advocate of architectural flexibility.
• There may be a fine line here between marketing and manipulation, but as long as both you and your reference agree that you’re a good fit for the job for specific reasons, then it’s in everyone’s interest, including the employer’s, that you make those points clear.

On resumes:

• If you’re using job boards to post your resumes, several panelists pointed out that keeping your resumes fresh even without changing the content can make the difference between being seen and not being seen.  On the other hand, another recruiter present suggested that she likes to look at the older resumes.

On business understanding:

• An MBA is an expensive undertaking, but might be a differentiator in some cases.  CIPS has a deal whereby you can get an $8K scholarship for an online MBA with the University of Fredricton if you’re an ISP with CIPS.  But then, where you got the MBA can be as big a differentiator as the fact that you have one.
• If you’d like to demonstrate business savvy without getting an MBA, you could educate yourself on things like Return on Investment, Present Value, Net Present Value.  Steve Tockey’s Return on Software was recommended.

On interviews, take some control by asking intelligent questions.  They demonstrate interest and allow you to showcase your understanding of their business, “How has your company been able to deal with the acquisition of Company Y you made last year?  You were using different technology stacks; how were you able to integrate the products?”  If you’re replacing someone, why did that person leave — did that person fail, and how can you avoid the same mistakes?  What’s the manager looking for, how does he work, and how can you succeed in the role?  How would you grow in the role?  They also burn time in the interview that prevent the interviewer from locating the weak spots that you might have.  On that note, I’ve been developing a list of questions that I use myself, I might work that into something I can share with you all, if there’s some interest.

Simon Sperryn, the CEO of The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, speaking at a roundtable discussion on sustainable purchasing in London last week:

There’s a recession and everyone is panicking about survival and their immediate response will be, ‘We’ve got to protect our margins,’ so the spotlight will be on purchasers. I think we have a window of opportunity.

We’re going to be brought into the boardroom now and while we’re there we have an opportunity to develop the value we bring to the company in more strategic ways than simply getting the price down.

The decisions we make about who and where we buy from will become the key decisions that define our businesses.

Source: http://www.supplymanagement.com/EDIT/CURRENT_ISSUE_pages/CI_news_item.asp?id=18735