October 2002

I am delighted to announce that Career in Your Suitcase 2 was released on 22nd September, priced at $20. In celebration of this, the publication of my 16th book, I have added pages and pages of new information to the website. If you go to the The Book Shop you will see the logos of the organisations which have supported the book, with Ricklin-Echikson Associates front and centre. Their generosity and enthusiasm have been tremendous. I would also like to thank NetExpat, Expatrium, Women Connecting Women, Fifix and WIN for their commitment and contributions.

In this issue:
Winning networking tips
What you say about The Monthly Inspirer
What¹s on
New on the website
Read all about
Winning networking tips

Welcome to the October edition of the Monthly Inspirer. This ezine is now in its fifth month and I am delighted to tell you that it goes out to more than 300 people in more than 30 countries. Many more read the newsletter in its archived form on the website. While most of you are female expatriate partners, a fair few of you are employed, entrepreneurs and many are male.

One of the reasons I decided to start this free newsletter is that I am passionate about networking. Networking is all about sharing information and contacts and connecting people. From the feedback I receive I know many of you do, indeed, get in touch with the people I mention here and are building your own relationships.

WIN 2002
I have just returned from the fifth Women¹s International Networking Conference, held this year in Lausanne, Switzerland. More than 400 people attended, and a fair few of them were male too. As ever, it was an amazing experience, for this conference, led by Norwegian Kristin Engvig, seems to attract the kind of people who, like me, are happy to share contacts and information. This year the theme was "building partnerships across boundaries" and this is exactly what happened.

I was there to run a workshop called Creating a Moveable You, together with Canadian Mary van der Boon and American Paula Kugelman. But I was also there to launch my new book A Career in Your Suitcase 2. Mary has contributed a chapter to the book, and Paula too was involved, for her quotation appears on the back cover. In total seven of the people who had been involved in the book's production were at the conference. Again they came from several different countries and stood as proof of the value of building relationships across borders. Thanks to the power of networking, news of the book's release and my specialist topic appeared to have preceded me for I sold a massive 50 copies while I was there.

Networking is vital if you want to grow your business and your database. But the secret of effective networking is that you should first seek to give, and then to receive. But just as a boomerang does not always return to the spot it was sent from, the gifts you receive in return may not be delivered from the recipieint of your own generosity. Throughout the conference people were giving support, leads, ideas and even business to others. No-one was spotted forcing their business card into the hands of strangers, Instead they simply made new friends first and found that these new friends soon asked to be given a card.

Prairie dogging
When I was reading the book I told you about in the last Inspirer, called Be Your own Careers Consultant, I learned about a networking style that the authors call Prairie Dogging. For just as wild dogs hunt together, each keeping an eye out for threats and opportunities, good networkers also look out for each other. In the last few months I have found that I have created a number of informal "packs" of associates, with whom I share information and leads. Built on foundations of pure goodwill, we are all working as independent entrepreneurs, yet think of each other whenever we can.

New contacts for you
To continue the theme of networking I must tell you that 28 new contacts have been added to the Global Connections page of the website. That means that there are 28 more people you may like to meet, but who may also be pleased to meet you.

Jo Parfitt

What you say about the Monthly Inspirer

Dear Jo
It is Caroline McIntosh again, I have been reviewing your website over the last few weeks; I look forward to discovering the information you have there. I particularly enjoyed your article on writing and found it to be most valuable. I love writing - allowing my imagination to flow and putting my thoughts to paper is a true energizer for me.
Sincerely,
Caroline in Japan

Dear Jo
Thanks ever so much for the latest edition of your Monthly Inspiration. It was good to be re-reminded that following my heart and my creative instincts will provide me with the new opportunities I need. I have to believe the money will come if I do what feels right.
Connie in The Netherlands

Jo
Thank you so much for these nuggets. I'd forgotten I signed up for them! So much has happened in my life in the last three weeks till I don't know where to start to try to put it all back together . . . I was really feeling defeated today and then I read your e-mail.
Thanks for listening,
Todra in the USA

Dear Jo
The Inspirer always seems to trigger a blast of insight, and this month's is no exception. The pow! moment for me in this month's Inspirer was: "Driven and determined as I am, I decided to open myself up to any opportunity that came my way. I decided to seek out new ideas and follow up old leads." That's the single best cure there is for Everything Block ... stop prescribing what the cure for your Block is, and the perfect antidote pops into view. Poor old inner-self, knocking helpfully on the door of our conscious mind, ever more feebly as we continue to shout our worries into the void, gets drowned out by our complaints about not knowing what's wrong!
Nice one.
Fiona in England

WHAT¹S ON

BELGIUM
22nd November, Brussels
The Expatriate Writer
Jo Parfitt
If you would like to attend this full day workshop, the price is Euros 70, which includes a free copy of my booklet "Story to Tell ­ Make it Sell." Contact me for details.

PARIS
Paris Professional Women¹s Network
Lunch speakers will be:
Oct 17 : Louise Makin, Group President, Baxter Pharma
Nov 21: Renée Mauborgne, Strategy Professor, INSEAD
Jan: Anne-Cecile Sarfati, journalist, ELLE Magazine

Career Workshops
Oct 3rd, 17h00-20h00
Host: Deloitte Touche
Composing a Sustainable Career
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, President ParisPWN, Director Choose2Choose
Avivah will share her experience as an executive coach and professional women's activist to encourage women to "get the better of themselves" by understanding the global context of women's issues and how to master and maximise the impact of one's messages and choices.

Workshops in 2002/ 2003:
Oct: Sustainable Career Planning
Nov: Work/ Life Balance
Dec: Coaching: Do I Need a Coach? What For?
Entrepreneurship Series
... and don't forget our new Entrepreneurship Club. This series of seminars for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs starts at the end of October. But sign up quickly, spaces will be limited.

New on the website
Take a look at the website and you will find new articles by Melissa McFarlane, a life coach whom I have met at WIN for two years in a row. Her pieces on what to do when life takes a detour and goal setting for freedom are packed with inspiration for you. Melissa has an audio tape out soon too. You can contact her on Melcoach@mindspring.com.

I've put some of the time management sheets I use myself, to help set my goals and monitor my progress, on the website. Help yourself if you would like to use them.

I¹ve also put some sample CVs and cover letters, kindly supplied by Ricklin-Echikson Associates up there too.

You can also find a number of pieces that were first published in Expatrium up there too. You will be particularly interested to read the articles on networking and portable careers.

There are more book reviews, more articles, more job opportunities, factsheets on starting a reader's group and writer's circle and more, still more of the same. You can even find the handouts that I am giving out at my speaking engagements this month. Don¹t forget that you can add your own book reviews and information about networks you would like to recommend too.

Read all about
But, in the true spirit of networking, I like to share what I know and who I know with you too. Read an article about my friend and colleague, Donna Messer that appeared in the Toronto Sun. Click here.. Donna and are pooling our knowledge to produce a book on international networking, so we¹ll let you know when it reaches publication.

You can also read an article I wrote for the Weekly Telegraph, about the contentious issue of the trailing male . Click here to read it for yourself on the Global Network site, which has, incidentally, recently enjoyed a renaissance