IATA stands for International Air Transport Association. It is responsible for carrying hazardous materials via airways. There are several rules and regulations laid down by this association which have to be abided by the companies which want to transport harmful goods through airways in order to avoid any kind of mishap because these goods are very dangerous and even a small mistake can pose serious threat to the human beings and environment.

DOT stands for Department of Transportation. It is responsible for transportation of hazardous materials through roadways with complete safety. It has also laid down various rules and regulations which are required to be followed by companies are involved in transportation of dangerous goods via roadways. This ensures safety of the environment and human beings from the threats of harmful goods.

It is to be noted that strict implementation of the rules and regulations laid down by both the international organization has played a significant role in reducing the number of accidents caused due to hazardous materials. Further, it is to be noted that both the organizations provide hazardous materials training to the candidates who want to make their career in this field. With the help of this training they will become experts in handling dangerous goods. The training provided by them is very rigorous and the candidates are given practical knowledge regarding facing real life disastrous situations. In this way they gain experience of dealing with such a situation efficiently. In addition to this the candidates are also taught about various hazardous materials, their classification and how to handle them properly. They are also given instructions regarding how to pack these goods so that they do not leak or get released into the environment. This ensures protection of the environment and mankind.

]]> http://www.hansdirkse.info/2012/05/transporting-hazardous-materials-by-following-iata-and-dot-rules/feed/ 0 http://www.hansdirkse.info/2012/05/change-doesnt-have-to-be-a-dirty-word/ http://www.hansdirkse.info/2012/05/change-doesnt-have-to-be-a-dirty-word/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 03:15:59 +0000 admin http://www.hansdirkse.info/?p=172 The fact that everybody knows there needs to be change somehow doesn’t make it any easier to accept. Sometimes it’s not about the logic its the emotion that influences us. As a manger you have probably found yourself explaining all the reasons that change is needed to employees who have simply looked at you and said – no, there must be another way.

Dealing with emotions, I believe, is one of the reasons leaders see change as a dirty word. Why? Because it can be hard to deal with. Many different emotions and people go through them at different stages. It would be easier if everyone was angry at the same time or all in denial etc., wouldn’t it? Maybe. Maybe not.

What makes matters worse is that the more change there is, the more employees see that the last change was unsuccessful (compared to effort and impact) and the more constant it is, the more emotion there is likely to be.

When this happens leaders either just brace themselves and push through the change as quickly as possible accepting people wont be happy and believing it’s in their best interest. Or they could learn from what worked and didn’t before and build that into their plan for the next change.

Dealing with emotions can be draining and time-consuming. Being prepared to deal with it can soften the impact and move people through to acceptance much faster. It is a necessary part of successful change.

So what can you do? First of all accept that there will be emotion and people will be in different parts of the cycle (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance – Kubler-Ross Model). In fact some people might get stuck in one part of the cycle permanently.

Understandably you as the leader or business owner need people to keep moving forward and at the very least keep delivering current commitments. At the same time though you need to demonstrate empathy for what they are going through.

Continue to communicate, make sure you have feedback mechanisms in place, if necessary have counseling services available for employees to use.

Have contingency plans in place for the worse case scenarios. What happens if employees in critical roles leave? How will you handle potential threats to security and safety of employees? What will you do with an employee(s) who is actively resisting the change and inciting or disrupting other employees? How you handle these and other situations will influence how everyone else feels, for better or worse.

]]> http://www.hansdirkse.info/2012/05/change-doesnt-have-to-be-a-dirty-word/feed/ 0 http://www.hansdirkse.info/2012/05/strengths-profiles-can-enhance-your-job-search/ http://www.hansdirkse.info/2012/05/strengths-profiles-can-enhance-your-job-search/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 23:21:08 +0000 admin http://www.hansdirkse.info/?p=169

A lot of people are stuck in their job search today. If you find yourself there, rest assured you’re not alone. Most successful job searches consist of at least 4 steps including strengths assessment, industry research and targeting, resume building and interviewing. A good psychometric profile can help with each of these steps, even if it just helps you discover where your biggest challenge is and get some help.

There are a number of terrific strengths profiles available today. The DISC Profile may be the most used strengths indicator by businesses world-wide. Close behind, might be Myers-Briggs and Strengths-finder, which was developed by the Gallup Organization a little over a decade ago. I like Stand Out, a new instrument developed by the Marcus Buckingham Company as well. Values Index is another that may add some helpful insight. Each of these instruments can be very useful.

The first way a profile or strengths indicator may help is in identifying the best potential job match. Even if you’re at the place of being willing to take a job doing anything, you’ll be better off in the long run if you have a clear idea what your natural talents and non-talents are and how they match up with specific positions. While not fool proof, most of the mentioned profiles can be useful when debriefed with a skilled job coach that is familiar with the specific instrument.

For example, sales work is potentially a good match for those scoring high in the “I” dimension on DISC. High “Extraversion” on Myers-Briggs, “Woo” on Strengthsfinder and “Influencer” on Stand Out might point in a similar direction. A high score on the “Economic” dimension in the Values Index might be a natural fit for commissioned sales work where there is no ceiling on income.

Can you be successful in sales without these attributes or traits? Perhaps, but sales usually involves meeting a lot of new people. If you find this activity draining or even terrifying, it might become a barrier to both job success and satisfaction.

The second way a strengths profile can be helpful is to suggest specific steps in the job search process itself that might prove either natural or very challenging. As I said earlier in the article, most job searches include at least 4 steps including strengths clarification, industry research and targeting, resume writing and interviewing.

If you scored high in “Input” on the Strengthsfinder Profile researching potential industries and companies to target will probably come easy for you. A high score on the “C” dimension in DISC will probably indicate the same. The Myers-Briggs “ISTJ’s” and “INTJ’s” are often the best researchers while the “Connectors” in Stand Out should excel at this job search activity.

If you do find yourself to be challenged in a particular step of the job search, it might be helpful to get extra coaching, training or practice with that step. In some cases you might even want to find someone to do most of that step for you. Most job searchers find that at least one of the steps forces them to work from a non-talent.

The third way a strengths profile could help is with interview strategies. All of the profiles I mentioned will help you understand other people better and that’s a very useful thing on a job interview. Most people communicate easiest with those who possess a similar style. Matching pace, detail and warmth or expressiveness can really help build rapport.

DISC may prove the most useful on this job search step because at an introductory level everyone fits into just 4 types. That makes it easier to get your mind around and use it in an interview. The 4 Types are “D” for Directing or Dominance. “I” for Interacting or Influence. “S” for Steady or Stable. And “C” for Careful or Conscientious.

Behaviorally, High “I’s” and High “D’s” usually prefer shorter answers with less detail and a faster pace. If your interview is a dominant “S” or “C” they will tend to talk slower and give you more details. This is an invitation to do the same.

High “D’s” and High “C’s” tend to be cooler and less emotive. High “I’s” and “S’s” tend to be warm and friendly. Just knowing this can help you avoid fear, discouragement or offense when interviewing with a cooler type.

For most people this can be a lot to remember in an interview. But if you can just remember to match the interviewers rate of speech, that can help your chances of building rapport and getting the job.

Every customer who provides a 9 or 10 ranking is classified as a promoter. Promoters are loyal customers who keep buying and refer others without hesitation. Customers who provide a 7 or 8 ranking are classified as passive. Passives are satisfied but indifferent customers who are in danger of moving their business elsewhere. Customers who provide a ranking of 6 or below are classified as detractors. Detractors are unhappy customers who are unlikely to do further business with your company and may use word-of-mouth to let others know of their bad experience.

To calculate your company’s Net Promoter Score, take the percentage of customers who are promoters and subtract the percentage who are detractors. Although Net Promoter Scores vary by industry, a satisfactory score would be anything above 50%, but never settle. Measuring and tracking your Net Promoter Score is not the end of your work. You must still drive improvements in customer loyalty and act on customer feedback.

Regardless of the level of your score, there will always be room for improvement. As a result, consider the following steps when looking to maximize your Net Promoter Score.

Hire and train with focus on customer needs
Make it a strategic imperative to ensure each new hire is customer-focused and that employees spend 5 to 10 percent of their time each week in training that will help develop their skills and understanding of what customers expect. Focus on ensuring employees understand how important it is for everyone to know the business of your customers and how your products and services can help them succeed.

Give staff ownership of customer satisfaction
Add value and expertise to each customer interaction by making sure your employees have the authority to make the customer happy. Promote an environment that encourages employees to think out of the box, while maintaining a healthy balance between customer loyalty and company health. Focus on what you can do, and how well, and not on what you can’t do. Be upfront with customers, as they will always remember how you handled the problem, instead of the problem itself.

Market your mission, invite customer contact
Weave in your mission, core message and brand voice into every customer interaction, and invite customer contact so you can excite more customers. Inspire your customers by focusing on the positive and demonstrating your enthusiasm through thoughtful actions and attitudes.

Listen and be accountable
Listen to your customers and take time to understand their expectations. Empathize, understand and respond to the customer’s needs. Listening for the customer’s emotional state and the actions the customer has already taken is extremely important, as this shows a genuine interest in what the customer has to say. Also acknowledge customers by thanking them for their business.

During customer interactions, take the time needed to ensure customers understand your solution, and provide the information in a manner they can easily understand. Educating the customer should be a top priority. Also be sure to provide the customer with a summary of your understanding of the issue, so the customer knows you were listening and know how to proceed. This forces you to listen.

Demonstrate transparency
Create an online experience that is easy, intuitive, efficient and transparent. Customers should walk away from the transaction feeling they were provided with all of the information they needed to make informed decisions on their purchase. An example of transparency would be to ensure your pricing has no hidden up charges or fees.

Foster internal communication
Strengthen the ties and create a communication link between Customer Service and the rest of the company in order to keep the focus where it belongs, on the customer experience. Coordination of communication between departments is a key to the success of the company as a whole. Departments will have to constantly monitor and change how they interact with each other to sustain a level of success, but the key is to keep the lines of communication open. What you don’t want is the customer to suffer because Customer Service was not aware of or not properly trained on a new product, promotion or partnership that customers have questions on.

Deliver a quality experience
Provide high-quality products that exceed expectations and if for some reason the customer is not satisfied, make it right! Don’t tell the customer there is nothing you can do. There is always something you can do. It may not be exactly what the customer wants, but it is the effort to provide the customer some resolution and the way it is delivered that will make the difference.

The quick and dirty answer is that yes, you are able to make your Internet marketing career long term and sustainable. You only need to take on the project properly. Procedures and programs that you use to build something to make money fast is not so different than the methods and systems you will use to build long-term benefits. So what would you do if you need to develop a sustainable career on the Internet?

It is very important that the first thing to do to earn money online long-term, is to accept the fact that you’re going to do real work. You have to do some real work and real on a daily basis and you will have days where you feel fantastic what you do and the days you wish you could find something else to take. This causes almost be like any other profession that is there. If you want to generate sustainable cash flows by working hard right now and not later, then you’ll be in for a rude awakening in a short time. So, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

There are some companies that pay little at a much better long-term career than others. Affiliate marketing, to use an example, is a big task for someone who wants to earn money on a part time basis or to supplement your existing income. Is it really possible to earn a full time income in this way? You can if you remember only the good products and then work like crazy to promote them. A much better approach, however, is to create your own products or websites, and then promote them. This gives you full control over the projects you take and how you perform. And you will end up more likely to stay with her in the long run. If you want to give a web service it works the same way. Writers, for example, need to create websites for themselves and create portfolios that they can point to examples of their work.

Finally, perhaps the most important thing you need to recognize is that when you want to build a long term income and reliable on the Internet, you really devote yourself to your task. You could have fun and feel rewarded for your efforts but first you must say “yes, I really want to do.” Make an effort halftone is not near you nowhere.