Personal Assistant Workshops 2012 – Bonnie Low-Kramen

Posted on January 20, 2012 by feigonhamilton
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Bonnie Low-Kramen, author of “Be The Ultimate Assistant” will be in Chicago, IL conducting an exciting workshop on February 4th, 2012. There will be other events coming up across the nation so if you want to register or read more go to:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2714064841

Invest in your professional development and maximize your earning power and marketability as a Personal Assistant.

If you are the “right arm” to your employer and seeking to step up your game, you are invited to learn from the best. Bonnie Low-Kramen, 25-year assistant to actress Olympia Dukakis, is one of the most respected celebrity assistants and instructors in the country and she is coming to Chicago to teach a 10-hour weekend workshop.

The 2-hour technology segment of the class will be taught by Vickie Sokol Evans who is a former PA and Microsoft Certified Trainer. Vickie is an expert on both PC and Mac and best of all, she “gets” what we do and the best ways to get it done.

This interactive and fast-paced course will be geared towards PA’s, EA’s who do personal work, and future PA’s of every level-whether you are a seasoned expert looking to perfect your skills or an entry level PA looking to break into the industry. The class is designed to develop and fine-tune the mindset, confidence, and tools needed to succeed with the most demanding employer.

Discussion Topics

  • Must-have skills in the workplace of 2012
  • Technology Tips for the PA
  • Organization, Research & Creative Problem-Solving
  • Utilizing Resources & Networking
  • Communication & Personal Presentation
  • Career Management & the Job Search (Bring your résumé)

To learn more about Bonnie, visit her website here: http://www.bonnielowkramen.com

Feigon Hamilton has been a supporter of Bonnie for years. She is one of our favorite people and we know that you will enjoy her workshops.

Susan and Gail

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Smart Home and High End Home Technology – out of date?

Posted on January 12, 2012 by feigonhamilton
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Great article in the Wall Street Journal on January 11, 2012 about Smart Home technology and why you need to keep up to date.  Heidi Mitchell reports:

“The living room was so cutting edge, tricked out with big audio speakers, a hefty modem and a desk with a special drawer for the computer’s CPU. But that was five years ago. Now it’s a sad den of outmoded technology.

Homes with high-tech systems that seem edgy today quickly look antiquated and passé—and sometimes require tens of thousands of dollars to update.

Dallas-based interior designer Emily Summers says her clients accept the reality that home tech has a shelf life, and they are willing to upgrade every five years or so to keep up.

Some high-end companies will upgrade rooms with state-of-the-art tech-driven decorating, Heidi Mitchell reports on Lunch Break. Photo: Wesley Hitt for The Wall Street Journal.

“We used to have 36-inch televisions with built-ins, power sliders that took up whole art walls, and speakers sticking out in every direction,” Ms. Summers says. “Can’t have that anymore.”

It’s not unusual for her clients to demand 103-inch plasma screens showing eight sporting events at once, and pools with programmed fountains and electronic covers. “But they still want everything tucked into a closet, flush with the wall, and easy to use,” Ms. Summers says. She recesses even flat-screen TVs into four-inch cutouts, covers light switches with pop-on panels, and builds speakers right into the drywall.”

Read the rest of the article at its source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203513604577143120679476092.html

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Staff turnover; poor service or poor management?

Posted on January 10, 2012 by feigonhamilton
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Feigon Hamilton team reports; NYPost.com commentary from January 10, 2012, we personally have no comment to make:

“French ambassador Francois Delattre’s wife, Sophie” is apparently causing staff members to flee from their D.C. compound. Since the Delattres moved in last year, the resident’s chef, house manager and social secretary Denise Koptcho have all left their jobs. An unnamed source complained about the social graces of the ambassador and his wife, noting that during “receptions downstairs . . . she’d be upstairs, screaming at Francois.” Through his rep, Delattre (right)issued a confusing non-denial that almost seems to say the staffers were the ones at fault, declaring: “The ambassador’s [DC] residence must apply the highest standards in terms of professionalism and hospitality. This was not what I found upon my arrival . . . We are committed to making this effort on an ongoing basis. We owe it to France’s reputation.”http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/non_merci_CHNBhcBwP5m1uIvka67BcK

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Happy 2012!

Posted on December 13, 2011 by feigonhamilton
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A new year is just around the corner and the Feigon Hamilton team would like to wish everyone a very-very merry holiday season.  The next year looks promising as was 2011.  New jobs were created and lots of staffing happened.  After three years of doldrums, 2011 was refreshing.  It can only get better in 2012, just you wait and see.

Brush up your resume, get it out of paragraph form and into a readable bullet point style.  Fill in the gaps between jobs with the truth; job search, volunteer work, taking care of family…   When you answer the ads you see, make sure your resume is redrafted again to match that job.  You will rock!!

Now go out and have some fun (after your resume is polished) and enjoy the holidays because on Tuesday the 3rd of January  your work will begin again.

All our best for a wonderful new year!!!!

Feigon Hamilton

 

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New book on the market: “Not in front of the corgis!”

Posted on October 25, 2011 by feigonhamilton
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The book sounds delightful,  a tell all?  I am sure not since the last person who told all is now on the ‘do not call’ list so to speak.  Brian Hoey has captured what the domestic staff does, how well they do it and who is the best royal to work with…down to the last detail.  Even the loo paper is considered for the special guests.  I wonder how their staff compares to our staff in the United States’ estates.  This will be on our must read list!  FHP

“No one knows more about the Royal Family than their 1,200 staff.

They know which royal is most popular below stairs, who the Queen gives her cast-off clothes to, who has his shoelaces ironed, and what goes on behind a trick mirror at Buckingham Palace.

Now, a fascinating new book by author BRIAN HOEY – who’s chronicled the monarchy for 40 years – shares their secrets.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2053510/Not-corgis-A-new-book-reveals-intriguing-secrets-royal-life.html#ixzz1bqUK5xGJ

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Holiday Spending for all of us….

Posted on October 20, 2011 by feigonhamilton
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Good news and bad news.  Good news is that the “rich” are more comfortable with their own wealth and will not be holding back as much.  How that is good for the domestic staffing industry?  It is good because the clientele will be comfortable restaffing or adding staff to keep their home service standard level up.  

The bad news is that the rest of us might not be spending as much for holiday presents again this year.  

Ho hummm, bah humbug?  Nope, our domestic employees need jobs so this could be a good turn of events. Feigon Hamilton Team

The Wall Street Journal for October 20,2011, Happy Holidays to the Rich by Christina Binkley:

It will come as no surprise to Occupy Wall Street that the wealthiest 10% of U.S. households are responsible for half of all consumer spending here. That’s why researchers spend so much time analyzing their flush little psyches, to see how the prosperous feel about the future of the universe and all that.

One of those people is Ron Kurtz at the American Affluence Research Center. Twice a year, the center polls the mood and spending plans on the highest net-worth households in the U.S. Here are some tidbits they discovered in the latest round:

* Merry Christmas: The rich will spend $23.5 billion—an increase of 2.3% over last year—on holiday gifts.

* Now you know why there is a Neiman Marcus fantasy gifts catalog: They will spend four-times the average family’s outlay on holiday gifts: $2,270 in gifts versus $518 for everyone else.

* It’s not the thought that counts: For the holidays, rich men and women say their most-wanted present is cash or a gift certificate, thank you very much.

* Party-on while Rome is burning: Despite all that, the affluent have a record-low outlook for current business conditions and the 12-month outlook for the economy.

Please read the rest of the article at its source, it has the good stuff in it!! http://blogs.wsj.com/runway/2011/10/20/happy-holidays-to-the-rich/

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Drunken Staff Solutions

Posted on October 17, 2011 by feigonhamilton
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What does the royal family, the Queen in particular do with drunken staff?  Well read her lovely solutions in celebs.gather.com by Chloe Larkin

Kate Middleton’s New Royal Grandmother Battles Drunken Staff With Horses?

October 15, 2011 08:45 AM EDT

Kate Middleton’s fashion icon status is not the only problem the Queen is tackling today, as she has recently devised a way to battle the royal staff’s tendency to drink too much when she takes them with her to the royal country home.

The Queen’s annual stay in Deeside includes bringing her city dwelling staff with her to the country. During their time-off, the boredom results in many drinking heavily. This is due to lack of other activities out in the middle of nowhere, so a new plan is in place.

The Queen will offer horse back riding, kayaking and mountain biking, along with a weekly bingo game for the royal staff that are with her in Deeside. She has even arranged for TV’s in their individual bedrooms, according to the Daily Record.

It is amazing the amount of damage control the Queen needs to dabble in when it comes to her family and staff. Kate’s recent invitation to do a cover-shoot with Vogue Magazine was something the Queen was against and was quick to say so.

The Queen is silently battling the media blitz surrounding Kate by keeping her public exposure to the least possible for the next two years, as far as royal duties that involves public appearances.

The Queen, who is not always front and center in the headlines, seems to act as the glue holding the royals together. She might come off as strict or stern when it comes to wanting to keep Kate away from the limelight as much as possible. You need to remember she has seen too many divorces after the media surrounded a new royal spouse and made her into a super star.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage didn’t work and Prince Andrew and Fergie ended in divorce, so the Queen might just be taking the lessons she learned from history and putting them to good use?

As far the royal staff’s drinking problems, the Queen has the right thought behind keeping them busy doing other things instead of drinking away their time off. The next question that comes with this plan is – Will these city dwellers show interest in the out doors activities the Queen is offering up this year?

Link to article at source:

http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980582973

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San Francisco DEMA – meeting September 27th

Posted on September 16, 2011 by feigonhamilton
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Come one, come all to the launch of the San Francisco DEMA (Domestic Estate Managers Associates) chapter. You will be able to meet the two founders; Matthew Haack and Michael Wright as well as many more old and new friends of our industry.

Enjoy!!  Feigon Hamilton 

Go to this link and sign yourself up as well as a colleague:

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e4j1qr4v5e80ad27&llr=qkpel7cab

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Must READ this blog by American Dream Revised

Posted on September 15, 2011 by feigonhamilton
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“You are the Laziest Job Seeker EVER!”  by Danielle Power.  (google Danielle Power and American Dream Revised, you will find her blog) You will see her article in her blog under August archives.  It is a must read due to the real, harsh reality of a job search through a head hunter, recruiter, hiring agent.  Danielle points out that from 150 resumes she might be responding to only a few due to how the others are presented.

Read about this, remind yourself that there is a human at the other end of the button on your computer when you send out your resume and casually written cover letter/note.  We understand that looking for a job is tiring, frustrating, uninspiring, etc., but you only need one job and one response and as in the dating world, “You must kiss a bunch of frogs before you find your prince/princess???”

Keep up your positive professional demeanor!!  The economy is slowly turning around….slowly but it is coming around!

With kind regards,

The Feigon Hamilton Team

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New Job – Gardener for Balmoral Castle

Posted on August 30, 2011 by feigonhamilton
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Calling all gardeners or should we say, Master Gardeners?  Balmoral Castle is looking for a head gardener for their estate in Aberdeenshire.  Find the advert on the castle’s website.  Hopefully you are legal to work in the UK!  It sounds like a lovely job. Good luck all you pretty and woody lovers. ~ Feigon Hamilton

Press Association job listing: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gYiKEjwUal5I4M5mhSVv_mLkN7ug?docId=N0094401314707939992A

The Queen’s estate in Scotland is advertising for a head gardener.

The successful applicant will be expected to “supervise the maintenance” of all garden areas at Balmoral Castle, according to the job advert.

The estate in Aberdeenshire has been the Scottish home of the royal family since it was bought by Queen Victoria in 1848.

It covers around 20,000 hectares and includes “heather-clad hills” and “ancient Caledonian woodland”, according to the Balmoral Castle website.

Gardeners at the site look after the flowerbeds and lawns around the castle, maintain the plants in the greenhouses, provide pot plants and cut flowers for the castle, and grow vegetables, which are all used during the Queen’s visits to Balmoral.

The advert, which appears on the Balmoral Castle website, states: “Applicants should be experienced in all aspects of gardening and be capable of meeting the high standards required at this important property.

“Applicants should be self-motivated, capable of working with minimal supervision and should have good management skills, including personnel management.

“The position offers an attractive remuneration package, including accommodation and other benefits.”

The estate employs around 50 full-time staff, 50-100 part-time staff, and self-employed contractors, according to the website.

Applications for the head gardener post should arrive no later than September 23.

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