Does your boss have you add outside dates to his or her calendar? Say for example they have a subscription to the Metropolitan Opera or season's tickets to all Chicago Bears games. It's kind of a pain to manually enter all those dates, isn't it?

Well if you have Outlook 2007 or later (and some other calendar programs too), you may be able to take advantage of functionality that allows you to sync up with those calendars by using internet calendars, if they are available (and a LOT of them are!).

Internet calendars come in two flavors. One version is static (just like printing out the page - if the game gets cancelled, the calendar won't reflect it). The other version is dynamic - game time gets changed from 3:00 to 4:00; the calendar automatically updates to reflect it.

Guess what else? You can actually publish your own calendar so that other people can subscribe to it! How about publishing your family calendar with birthdays and anniversaries to your family around the country?

Here's a page that gives an overview of this nifty new feature in Outlook 2007:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA101673251033.aspx

Here's a page that gives you step by step instructions for how to do it:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2058421_add-internet-calendar-outlook-2007.html

OK, you're sold and dying to try it out for yourself?

Start here!

http://icalshare.com/index.php - This website has over 1500 shared calendars - everything from theater performances to professional sports to concert venues. Check it out! Plus, it doesn't just work with Outlook 2007. It actually works with a number of other programs as long as they support the iCal format.

These days, no one has a guaranteed job. Even the safest of positions is at risk in a poor economy. Sometimes a boss changes and the new boss's working style just doesn't mesh with yours. There's any number of reasons why your job may be eliminated, whether you deserve it or not. Why not start preparing for a job search before you need to? It's not as crazy as it might sound.

If you lost your job today, what would be the first five things you would do? Well, after going home, and crying your eyes out and pouting, kicking, screaming, etc. for a day or two, you would have to knuckle down for a job search. 

But here's a thought... How about if you start working on some of these steps BEFORE you lose your job? Let's take a look at them individually and see what we can do.

1) File for unemployment (for U.S. folks, no idea how that works internationally) - OK, obviously you are not going to file for unemployment before you lose your job, but how about visiting your state's unemployment office and reading up on the process and your rights? That way if anything did happen, you'll already know what you need to do to get this done. Play through a scenario in your head of what would happen if someone walked you into an office right now and told you that you were fired. What questions would you ask? What kind of negotiating would you try to do? There may be things that you can negotiate (like payment of COBRA benefits, extension of severance package, reimbursement of professional expenses or outplacement services, etc.) , but if you are sitting there shell shocked because you are caught completely off guard, you are not likely to offer any kind of suggestions.

2) Update your resume - You can certainly do this right now. In fact, I encourage you to update your resume at least annually and preferably more often. If you have nothing new to add (training, an award, a new certification, etc.) that should be a red flag to you that you are stagnating. It's a heck of a lot easier to update your resume when the information is fresh in your mind (Do you REALLY remember awards and honors that you were given 3-4-5 years ago if you haven't updated your resume in the 10 years you worked at your company?) and when you are not in an emotional "oh my god I just lost my job and I need to find a new job this minute!!!" mood. Worst case scenario, if you don't need to look for a new job, look how much better prepared you are for your next performance review!

3) Create/Update your online profiles - Do this right now!!! Start NOW getting a profile set up on appropriate social networking sites, like LinkedIn. You can do one on facebook and twitter, but those sites generally have a more personal feel. Once you have your professional profile set up, be sure to post regular updates about your professional life (i.e. studying for Word 2010 certification exam, attending my IAAP Division Annual Meeting this weekend, etc.). Why??? Because it will keep your name in the mind of your contacts and let them know about your ongoing professional development. It will help them to feel like they are getting to know you better and know your skills. If they know you better, they will feel more comfortable (and inclined) to keep an eye out for a job for you when the time comes. (See my article in the May 2011 AdminAdvantage for more tips about Social Media and Your Career.)

4) Tell your friends so they can keep an eye out for jobs for you - The  important thing to do with this step is to build your network BEFORE you need it! I can't tell you how many posts I see of people saying, I lost my job - should I join a professional association? Well yes you should, but face it, nobody knows you and they aren't likely to go out of their way for you if they don't know you. Start NOW working on committees, attending meetings, and building professional friendships that you can use as references and call on for assistance later.

5) Start checking out monster.com and other job searching websites and your local newspaper - You should do this NOW!!! Why? Because it helps you to keep on top of employment trends that you should be aware of. If you see that there are a lot of requests for a certain software package or a certain certification, you can take steps NOW to get it so you are prepared in the future if you need it. You certainly wouldn't want to be trying to cram in a new certification before an interview after just losing your job, after all. This may also end up coming in handy at your present job.

I don't think you need to be paranoid and convinced that your job is in imminent danger. But I think it is smart to do what you can to lay the groundwork for the worst case scenario. If it never comes to pass, you've just picked up some new friends and a little information that may help in your next performance review.  If it does come to pass, won't you be glad you've done so much prep work?

In case anyone is interested in pursuing Microsoft Office 2010 certification, I thought you might like the background information.

What it is:

The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) program is a certification program for Microsoft Office 2010. Certification exams are available in Word (core and expert), Excel (core and expert), PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Sharepoint and Windows. Microsoft created it and utilizes Certiport (www.certiport.com) as their official partner to oversee the testing process.

Office 2007 was initially administered under Microsoft Certified Administrative Specialist (MCAS), but later the name was changed back to Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS). Office 2003 was administered under the name Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) program. Office 97/2000 was administered under the name Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) program.

How it works / Cost:

There are testing centers located throughout the US with different days/hours, etc. Cost generally runs about $75-100 with the testing center allowed to set the cost. Some charge a proctoring fee. Vouchers for the tests are available through www.certiport.com (the official site) and through various resellers (where you can often find the vouchers cheaper, including a free retake option if you don't pass). 

You call the testing center, make an appointment and show up. You'll sit at a computer that has a simulated version of Office 2010 running on it. You are allowed one hour and you cannot use Help. Most exams have roughly 30 questions.  Each question may (and usually does) have several parts. You will immediately receive a score to know if you passed or not and a (not very helpful) summary will print out to tell you your score and areas missed. If you pass, a nice frameable certificate will also be mailed to you. When you pass one test, you are a Microsoft Office Specialist. When you pass four tests (Word expert, Excel expert, Powerpoint, and either Outlook or Access), you are a Master Level Microsoft Office Specialist. The certifications never expire and don't need to be renewed, but they are only valid on the version of Office that you tested.

Preparing For the Test / Cost of Study Materials:

If you know the programs generally well and just want to specifically study for the purpose of passing the exam, get the study guides (roughly $25-30 each on amazon):

MOS 2010 Study Guide for Microsoft Word (core), Excel (core), PowerPoint, and Outlook
http://tinyurl.com/cykdt5x

MOS 2010 Study Guide for Microsoft Word Expert, Excel Expert, Access, and SharePoint
http://tinyurl.com/cs5levy

They give you very succinct instructions on how to pass the tests based on the published guidelines of what is on each test (basically in the format of: To do this: 1) Click Here. 2) Choose that. 3) Click OK.)

If you don't know the programs well, I would buy books that are individual by program. The Microsoft Press Step by Step Series has usually been a good set, though I haven't looked at the 2010 versions specifically. 

IAAP offers an Options Technology program which is computer software training, with (I believe) separate modules for each test. This program includes a voucher with purchase. I have not reviewed this program, so I have no opinion on how effective it is. I also don't know if it focuses on teaching you the software or preparing you for the test (those can be two very different focuses, you know).

More information is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/training/office.aspx

The official program information is available at:
http://www.certiport.com

Hope this helps people that are considering pursuing the certification. If you have any other questions, post them in the comments and I will try to answer them there as well.