TheCleaners.net

What was your favorite Halloween costume when you were a kid? Was it the princess? The fireman? The puppy? (I can just about guarantee you that nobody dressed up like a drycleaner, but that's true of a lot of professions.)

We dressed up to become somebody else for a while. Even when we grow up, though, we may still have a hankering to become something we've not yet had the courage or the training or the opportunity to be. When you're a kid, they call it "Let's Pretend." When you get older, it's called Career Re-engineering. This week, we give you some tips for both kinds of "dress up" -- enjoy!

See you soon!
Jim Nixon
The Cleaners

Americans eat an average of 11.7 lbs. of candy per person annually --we rank 8th in the world, far behind England with an average of 30 lbs. per person!

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(Include the first page of this newsletter with your order. Offer expires November 10,, 2004. Cannot be combined with other offers.)

Don't be a Career Scaredy Cat!

What's the one thing that keeps you in the job you're currently holding? Do you absolutely love what you're doing? (If so, skip down to the Halloween tips, and good for you! If not, read on.) If you're not happy in your job, your career, your entire profession -- take heart, you're not alone.

The days are gone when people would get a job in their 20s and hold it until retirement, as much fixtures at their workplace as the desks and copiers. While this is partly because companies are much more in flux these days, it's also due to the fact that people have changed their perception of work. We no longer want to live to work -- we want to work to live. We've become consumers even in the workplace, and want to be happy (something our grandparents never even considered.)

One reason we loved to dress up in costumes at Halloween when we were kids (maybe you still do?) was that we could be someone different. Princess for a day! Basketball player extraordinaire! A doctor? No problem. But the "game" is no longer just for kids. We want to try on different careers in the real world, and sometimes we take the leap into the great unknown and do a 180 degree turn with our lives.

How do you do that?

People who risk it all and make a change in their lives to take their careers or their work in a different direction look like the penultimate daredevils to us on the outside. The reality is far different. Most of these people have done a lot of homework before they took what looked like a spontaneous jump. The difference between them and those who don't make the leap is that they took a single step into the unknown, then followed it with another, and another. When it came time to actually cut the old ties and move ahead, they were ready to run because they'd been practicing for a while.

Here are some tips for career changing:

• Start where you are. Find out what it is about your current situation that has you so desperate you're thinking of changing. Is there anything that can be done about it short of switching careers? Take control of your work right where you are and it may make all the difference.
• Do a self-assessment. This can be formal or informal. There are career coaches who will administer a battery of tests to help you nail down what you're good at, what you really want to do, and what you need to get there. This can be pricey (sometimes thousands of dollars) but what is your future worth? There are also online tools that can get you some of the same results, without the coaching.
• Study those who've done it before you. Why reinvent the wheel? There are lots of people who've made a career change. You may even know one. If so, call him or her up and ask to go to lunch together. Find out what really happens in the process. Read all you can (the internet is a great place to look.)
• Look for apprenticeship opportunities. If you dream of being a chef, take some classes at night to see if it's what you love. If it is, look around for someplace that needs a chef as a fill-in while someone else is on vacation. Or go looking for a place you can try out other career options. "Working vacations" are one of the new trends in career changing, where you pay to be allowed to try out (for example) running a bed and breakfast or being on staff at a dude ranch, or any range of other professions. Nothing can match real-world experience to tell you if it's something you're going to really love.

Links to get you started:

• The Career Change Network -- a website that is chock full of resources and advice.
• Wallstreet Journal articles -- a directory of many related to career changing and reengineering.
• Monster -- the place to post your resume also has lots of advice about changing careers, and some free online assessment tools to help you determine what you're good at.
• Career Design Associates -- a professional career coaching organization that administers "eight validated, well-researched assessment tools" and generates a 100-page report from your answers, including a list of compatible careers.
• The 10-step Plan to Career Change -- an eye-opening article to light a fire under you.
• Or put "career change how to" into Google.com's search window. You can then feast on 8,580,000 resources!

One last piece of advice.

Someone has said that you should dress for the job you WANT, not the one you have. If you are stuck in the accounting department and yearn for the marketing hallway, check out how they dress over there and then dress a notch better than that. It's a great way to boost your own self-confidence, get the attention of the higher-ups, and plant the subliminal suggestion that you're not in your correct place and need to be moved up.  And remember, we're here to cheer you on and keep you looking great, no matter what career you aspire to. Knock 'em dead!

Halloween Safety Tips

While you're mulling over your career options, there will be a steady stream of little people trying out their fantasy career right at your door. (Who knows, you might find some inspiration there!) Keep the following tips in mind this Halloween to keep it safe and fun for all.

• Whether you make the costume yourself or buy one, make sure the child can see clearly. Face paint is a good option, rather than an obscuring mask that can block sight or muffle sounds of approaching traffic.
• Choose a comfortable costume. The child will be wearing it for hours, and so it shouldn't be so skimpy that he or she will be cold, too bulky, or too hot.
• Regular shoes are a must. No matter how they look with the costume, it's essential that kids wear something to properly protect their feet. Try hiding the shoes beneath something that ties in with the costume, without making it difficult to walk normally.
• Stripe the costume with reflective tape so that drivers can see the child after dark. Most trick-or-treating takes place from dusk onwards, and in the excitement of gathering candy a child may dart into the street without thinking.

Our world has changed, and you need to be more vigilant than your parents had to be when you were small. Be the parent you need to be:

• A responsible adult should accompany every group of children -- more than one adult is even better.
• Every child should have a flashlight. They can store it in their candy loot sack while at the door.
• Stay in familiar territory -- don't go to homes outside your comfort zone, no matter how urgently your little ones beg for it.
• Why not organize an event at your home, community center, school or place of worship instead of door-to-door activities.
• Make the children promise not to eat anything they collect until you have had a chance to look them over. Toss anything that is unwrapped, home baked or suspicious in any way. Carry along treats to tide them over until the exciting moment when they can get at their own collected candy.

Have a safe and enjoyable Halloween!