My name is Caroline and I am working as the Personal Assistant to the Executive Vice President Human Resources of Shell Exploration and Production.

It is a temporary function because his Personal Assistant will be on leave for 3 weeks, I will be working there for 5 weeks. I am grateful that I will be receiving adequate training before she leaves. There were 2 candidates interviewed and I was chosen because of my higher level of communication.

I believe that my participation in recent discussions here have helped me to find this job because I had too many old thinkoes cluttering my brain.

Happy is an understatement
Caroline

Wonderful news, Caroline! With the different work you have shared with us and now this new position, I had an an idea... Have you thought about becoming a "Virtual Assistant"? In case your unfamiliar, a virtual assistant is a personal assistant to other businesses as an independent contractor working out of his/her home versus being an in-house employee. A general topic search on any of the search engines can provide a plethora of information for you. There is also a website called Virtual Assistant U that provides a training program ( link here) and a a website for the International Virtual Assistants Association ( link here)... Just a thought for you. I get the impression this might be right up your alley.

Tanya

That's a great idea Tanya.
I've been a part time virtual assistant for 4 years. Before that I was an in-house assistant for the same employer for 6 yrs. till I moved out of the area and he didn't want to train someone new...so now I tele-commute.

Thank you Tanya.

Yes I have considered becoming a Virtual Assistant, it is an idea that floats in and out of my brain every now and then.
Recently, I was interviewed by the exiting Office Manager who was starting her own business as VA which rekindled the idea. But from the wrong mindset: the mindset of "I cannot find a job so I might try to earn a bit of money to stay afloat". And it would involve a lot of cold calling, installing a new home office. Most employers are still working in the old mindset so I guess I would only be doing the writing, editing, printing etc while I mostly enjoy the facilitating part of my job. Thank you for the suggestion but I don't feel confident that I could become successful with the cold calling and I don't feel excited with the prospect of doing the least interesting 40% of my job, working from home.

Besides, I already have a home business, helping people achieve health and wealth with nutrition and personal care products. And since my thinking improved, that has also been picking up with more new clients.

Caroline

My brain starts clicking, "virtual assiatance" would be very useful in different areas of work. Maybe i can share my trading knowledge this way.

Garfield

It occurs to me that the Universe is our Virtual Assistant if we Choose to let it be!

What a vision that creates! Can you see it???

quote:

Originally posted by lovelight:
It occurs to me that the Universe is our Virtual Assistant if we Choose to let it be!

Oh, how right you are, Lovelight. I'm finding myself easily handing over more and more tasks to my Universal Virtual Assistant every single day.

This is a BIG accomplishment for someone (me) who has never been able to delegate responsibility and used to always feel like they had to do everything themselves for it to be done right. I'm definitely wising up and learning my UVA is much more capable than me!

Tanya

UVA . . . great Tanya! just what we need, another acronym I love it

Love, Light and Laughter

Charlotte

That's right lovelight and Tanyaz, we do have "Universal virtual assistant"--never thought of it!! That's what SOGR is about; to let our assistant do the job. And yeah, we can't do everything ourselves; let's hand them over to our "universal virtual assistant".

Garfield

CONGRATULATIONS, Caroline!

And thank you, UVA

Thank you, IKANDUIT! Every day I am still celebrating and grateful for the new dream job.

Caroline

Congratulations from Holland Caroline,
Being chosen for such a beautifull and important job, I think the position of "Personal Assistant to the Executive Vice President Human Resources of Shell Exploration and Production" doesn't fit on a regular businesscard, must bring and give you a lot of good and self-confidence.

I wish you a lot of 5 weeks during fun and good times.

Yeddah

Thank you Yeddah. Fortunately I don't need to design this business card with the very long title as I already have one which reads: President. The only difference between Jeroen van der Veer and myself is that he has a few more people reporting to him

Which reminds me that I have a bit more daydreaming to do. Owning your own business is easy, it is time I started putting in that CMI.

Caroline

Dear Caroline,

Congratulations from Colorado! I'm sure you will provide a splash or two of consciousness to the global business community. Keep up the great work!

Jerry Koch, Director
"Children's Earth Stewardship Project."

Thank you, Jerry.

Funny that while you were posting your message to me, I was on my way home listening to the CD that was instructing me to think the right thoughts. Change your thoughts and you will change your circumstances.

Tonight I was called by an organisation who wants to invite me to a job interview. It was like I was talking to an old friend and I look forward to the interview next Monday.
I am thankful that I did not listen to my "old thinkoes" friend. She had said, no you cannot ask those questions and you should do this and that and I am sure she meant well: But I asked anyway and so I can go to the interview relaxed and well prepared.

quote:

Originally posted by Caroline van der Hout:
Tonight I was called by an organisation who wants to invite me to a job interview. It was like I was talking to an old friend and I look forward to the interview next Monday.

Very Cool, Caroline! I really enjoy following your threads and reading about all you manifest for yourself!

Keep on keeping on!
Tanya

Tanya, you said: keep on keeping on! so that is what I did. On the way to work, more positive thoughts on my CD!! Today I asked my boss for permission to go to the job interview. He frowned but said yes.

When I started the job, he was still on leave so we have only been working together for the past 5 days.

Today we got a chance to know each other a little better as he was having lunch with part of his staff, as a "get to know you" session and I had invited myself over and my boss had agreed. It was nice to watch him chair the meeting and there was a bit of chit chat about personal lives and then more about HR things, particular issues within the company but also general things because every company is influenced by demographic movements. And I actively participated because just because I know very little about the company, I still have a brain and a bit of knowledge on demographics, it was a nice and animated debate.

A few hours later, he asked me to come and talk with him. I thought it was about tasks so I brought my notepad but he asked me to tell him how I had come to be in this position with him, had I worked somewhere longer time (oh no!!! thought the job hopping resume lady). So I honestly gave him a brief synopsis of my life and explained that the job hopping was not by choice but there were a few external factors which up to now had prevented me from finding permanent employment.

He told me to "of course go ahead with the job interview but keep me posted" and then he said that he was going to make a few phone calls early next week if I was interested because (parafrasing) "sometimes you come across a good person and you don't want to see them leave the company".

Every secretary in the company that I have met so far and the ladies from the job agencies, all said that it is extremely difficult if not impossible to get permanent employment here. I tested what his intentions were and he made it perfectly clear that he understood that a bread-winner wanted security.

All I did was change my self-talk and think better of myself. My boss is pretty perceptive and it did not take him long to know what kind of stuff this Caroline was made of

quote:

Originally posted by Caroline van der Hout:
All I did was change my self-talk and think better of myself. My boss is pretty perceptive and it did not take him long to know what kind of stuff this Caroline was made of

WooHoo! Yippy Skippy! Yabba-Dabba-Doo!

Caroline - You go girl!! I'm elated for you! (In case you can't tell. ) Now we ALL "know what kind of stuff this Caroline is made of"! I love it!

You'd think I'd get used to witnessing all the wonderful things that happen in our lives when we walk with our chin up, put our best face and best effort forward, and give the impression of increase as you have described. But I continue to be amazed and elated like it's the first time ever. It's like the Red Sea parting for someone every day! I love it!

I'd wish you luck, Caroline, with your interview and your boss going to bat for you -- but wishing someone luck just doesn't make sense any more now that we know how it really works!

Again, I say, Keep on Keeping on! I look forward to reading your sequel. Congrats!

Tanya

Thank you Tanya, I think that everybody can see very clearly how elated you are

My boss saw the real Caroline in action for a full week. I earned this opportunity by my own actions. And have successfully delegated my job hunting to the Executive Vice President Human Resources who is working for Shell International Exploration & Production

And it was all in God's hands. Last week, I called my friend to share the news of the temporary job and the challenges that I met. She was upstairs ironing, so I talked with her husband instead. I know these two people from the Eindhoven church and of course I talked with her more often but they are both my dear friends. The very minute that I was talking to him, (she did not know because she could not hear the phone upstairs) God sent her my name and she started praying for me.
Then she came downstairs and her husband shared and she knew it was from God so she prayed again, to thank for this wonderful job and that God would take it into his hands and make it permanent.

While at the same time, 100 miles away, I was praying for the very same thing. (Did anyone say, Ask largely? ) We did not know this but this is what I found out yesterday when I called her again to share the even better news.

I did my part by doing a good job (acting in the Certain Way with focus on my CMI) and God did his part by attaching his blessing.
We are a winning team!!!!

The old me would have worried about what kind of job this would turn out to become etc. The new me is just grateful and happy because she has nothing to worry about. SOGR works.

Dear Caroline,

Your posts are always extremely inspiring. I'm so happy for you!!

<Thank you Lord, for Caroline's presense on this forum and for her continuing success>