Dawn's Detox Diet

There are so many approaches or reasons to "diet".  I am not here to debate one approach or another.  Do what works for you as not everyone is same.  I had tried NutriSystem and found the prepackaged, dehydrated food pretty dissatisfying.  Weight Watchers worked for me the best over and over if the goal is weight loss.  I had tried a juice fast detox and found it fairly nearly killed me when my blood sugar crashed. I am not a "powdery shake" person at all.   There are a million possible approaches and that in part what makes it hard to choose what will support you best.  Knowing your "why" can help determine the "how". 

WHY WAS I LOOKING TO MAKE A DIETARY CHANGE?  Having just come out  the other side, of a most stressful 6 year trauma, I reached my tipping point.  I choose to make this change, not because I wanted to lose weight, but because I wanted to allow my body to just reset. 


Chronic stress taxes one's body impacting your breathing, heart, mind, and body.  Exhaustion from overwork, stress. Get up early, Go to work early, stay up really late, a couple hours sleep, do it again.  Who has time to work out?   Hypertension, overweight, migraines, exhaustion made me more susceptible to illness.  I would not allow myself to waste a moment in rest.  Self care took a back seat, migraine medicine, Full Throttle Energy to keep up. 

WHAT WAS THE DESIRED OUTCOME?  . I needed to make some changes to feel different. This wasn't about losing weight it was about allowing my health to reset. I am still going to be working lots of hours with kids and work, and a busy life. My hypertension, a key symptom of 6 years of adrenaline riddled life issues. The top 5 major stressors in life' divorce, moving, illness, death of a loved one, and job loss had been a steady recurrent presence in my for a decade.  

Rest had become a 'reward' after things got better.  I was laid off, divorced, my new husband recovering from critical illness. I needed to find the energy from natural sleep to maintain my responsibilities without having to take so much help from medicine to manage pain.  My headaches and migraines were my body saying, stop it you are pushing too hard.  

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HOW TO APPROACH THE SOLUTION?   What would not work is preservative ladien, prepared food, counting points, going to meetings, rehydratated food.  I need to make time for a solution that will make a difference, it will require change, but supports my present life demands.   The detox diet was the best solution for me.  Making choices that fit the diet rules was the best solution. 

PREPARATION:  Begin on a day where you can be a bit more relaxed as the detox symptoms begin.  Stock up with a variety of fruits, veggies, and natural foods. 

• Mornings: Drink warm water with fresh lemon upon rising.  
• Drink water (fresh fruit slices, cucumber, lime, or mint) in iced water is fine too but drink as much water as you can throughout the day 
• Afternoons: Fresh fruit or nuts as a snack if you find yourself in a slump in the afternoon.  

WHATS OUT FOR THIS DETOX DIET:  At the ingredient level, no white flour, refined sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners, or caffeine.  At the food level no sauces, jellies, any thing with preservatives, bread, tortillas, white rice, red meat, pork, butter, cheese, milk, eggs, coffee, soda, caffeinated tea, energy drinks. No Bacon, Sausage, Hamburgers,, Roast Beef, Goat, or Lamb.  No sweetened breakfast cereal. No bagels, english muffins, flour tortillas, paratha, naan.  Try not to stay up late.  

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WHATS IN FOR THIS DETOX DIET: Fresh ingredients, all natural food.  Mostly fresh Veggies, light protein, fruit.  To drink, water, unsweetened all natural nut millks, herbal tea, lemon water. Allows are canned fruits in 100% natural juice, canned tuna, canned beans, canned veggies including tomato with no sugar or preservatives. Unsalted nuts,  Ground Turkey with no preservatives or artificial coloring. Olive Oil. Unsweetened probiotic plain yogurt. Honey,  

Veggies:  All Veggies

• Artichokes- helps digest fats, and clears potentially inflammatory substances 
• Asparagus- great diuretic, helping in the cleansing process and sharing the detox load of the liver and kidneys.
• Avocado-  blocks certain fat absorption  essential for liver pathway cleansing
• Beans- great protein- black beans, kidney, chili, navy, adzuki, lentils 
• Beets- cell structure, repair and regeneration- liver supportive
• Broccoli - powerful antioxidant properties 
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage -provides liver detoxifying enzymes that help flush out toxins
• Carrots- stimulate and improve overall liver function.
• Leafy Green Vegetables: high in plant chlorophylls that absorb environmental toxins, increase bile production, and neutralize heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides, lowering burden on the liver.
• Collard Greens- keep LDL "bad" cholesterol down
• Spinach-  triggers the toxin cleansing enzymes of the liver.
• Peppers - Hot, spicy, or sweet 
• Tomato- a great detoxifier for the liver. Lycopene will protect against breast, skin, and lung cancer
• Garlic and Onion- one of the liver's strongest antioxidants activates liver enzymes that help your body flush out toxins.  

Fruits: Most fruits but limit Bananas, Strawberries and Orange. 

• Apple - high in pectin and other chemicals essential to cleansing and releasing toxins from the digestive tract. Apples make it easier for the liver to handle the toxic load during the cleansing process.
• Citrus - Lemons and limes contain very high amounts of vitamin C, which helps stimulate the liver and aids the synthesizing of toxic materials into substances that can be absorbed by water. 
• Lemon- powerful cleansing, powerpacked with Vitamin C, flushes toxins from body

Nuts:   Any unsalted, unsweetened nuts, can also include unsweetened, nut milk 

• Almond 
• Walnuts - omega-3 fatty acids, and the amino acid arginine, which supports normal liver cleansing actions, especially when detoxifying ammonia

Healthy Proteins: 

• Eggs 
• Chicken 
• Turkey 
• Fish (including can tuna)
• Salmon: anti-inflammatory with rich source of Omega 3.  

Healthy Oil: Avocado and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Cold-pressed organic oils such as olive and flaxseed support for the liver, to absorb harmful toxins in the body. 

Healthy Grains:  Brown Rice Quinoa (if you can stand it) , Gluten free pasta. 

• Unsweetened, unflavored Gluten free oats.  
• Ground flaxseeds provide a wonderful source of fiber to bind and flush toxins from the intestinal tract. A great source of omega 3 oils.

Most Spices (without sugar, flours or gluten added

• Tumeric - helps boost liver detox. It does this by assisting enzymes that actively flush out dietary carcinogens. Contains curcumin is used a lot in Ayurvedic Medicine to treat liver and digestive disorders.
• Ginger - boost immune system, assist in detoxification, ridding your body of infections.
• Cinnamon

Teas decaffeinated or herbal

• Green Tea: Green tea is full of plant antioxidants known as catechins, a compound known to assist liver function
• Milk Thistle Tea: Great for detox 
• Peppermint Tea: Reduces gas, bloating, and digestive problems. 

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Some of my favorite recipes during detox diet were these: I will add more, this is a 14 day detox I have elected, and the key to being successful was to keep creating food that made me feel satisfied and not deprived.  If you have healthy detox recipes you used, please add them here as well.  

Bengali Okra

1. Saute fine minced onion garlic, green chili, salt, and sliced okra
2. Add touch of tumeric 

Serve with brown rice, or add to soup.  ( I added it to the turkey soup and it was delicious) 

Fresh Pea Soup

1. Saute fine minced onion garlic and hot pepper (I used ghost pepper) in extra virgin Olive Oil
2. Mix in 2 cups of frozen peas and  1 1/2 cup vegetable broth boil until steaming. 
3. Puree in blender 

Serve topped with a  fresh julienned mint or basil leaves and fine chopped pecan or walnuts. 

Fruit and Green Salad 

My daughter made this for me and it was simple and elegant.  Just mixed salad greens with finely diced fresh apple and pecans 

Bengali Spinach

1. Saute fine minced onion garlic and Asian hot pepper, dried red chili pepper in extra virgin Olive Oil
2. Mix in 2 cups fresh spinach and fry

Serve with protein (fish or chicken) or on top of brown rice. 

Fresh Fruit Salad

Watermelon chunks with fresh peaches sliced with whole green seedless grapes made a lovely delicious salad.   

Spicy Corn Chowder 

1. Saute fine minced onion garlic and hot pepper (I used ghost pepper) in extra virgin Olive Oil
2. Mix in 2 cups of frozen corn and  1 cup vegetable broth boil until steaming. 
3. Add 1- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk and Puree in blender 

Serve topped with red pepper pr ghost pepper if you dare, and chopped nuts.

Turkey Vegetable Soup

1. Saute fine minced onion garlic, fresh grated ginger root, and hot pepper (I used ghost pepper) in extra virgin Olive Oil 
2. Cook ground turkey, seasoned with tumeric, extra hot red chili, cumin to taste  
3. Add sliced carrot and diced potato
4. Add any other vegetables your heart desires, beans are also excellent.
5. Add a can of organic, sugar free fire roasted tomato 
6. Add vegetable or chicken broth to cover veggie and turkey mix

Simmer for 20 minutes.  you can make this in big or small batches.  I opted for big, the whole family loved it, and I took it in my lunch.  it was even better a day later. 

Fruit Smoothie

1. Take a leftover fruit salad
2. Mix with 1/2 bag frozen fruit (strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry) or any frozen fruit
3. Fill with 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk and blend 

Puree until well blended, 
if too thick add any unsweetened 
100% fruit juice 
(grape, apple, cranberry, orange, etc) 

When cravings set in, I sought to create something delicious to satisfy that within the diet. When craving bread, I made up some brown rice.  Here are 2 ways, savory and sweet. 

Savory Brown Rice 

1. 1 cup brown rice with 2 cups chicken broth and 1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos  and salt. 
2. Cook for over an hour until liquid is absorbed 

Sweet Brown Rice

1. 1 cup brown rice with 2 cups sugar free apple or orange juice and 1 diced apple and a cinnamon stick
2. Cook for over an hour until liquid is absorbed 

Top with fresh walnuts and honey.   You can make this in larger quantities to eat warm, or let cool and have later with almond or coconut milk and agave nectar or honey as a cereal. 

Turkey Tacos 
Prepare turkey/bean Mix.  Prepare guacamole.  Add fresh spinach leaves and serve in Taco Shells.

1. Light coating Extra Virgin Olive Oil with 3 cloves of garlic & 1/2 onion both finely diced
2. Add 1 finely diced ghost pepper or 4 Asian peppers finely diced 
3. Add Ground Turkey and cook fully
4. Add 2 cans Vegetarian Refried Beans and 1 can organic, sugar free fire roasted tomatoes

Cook turkey, veggie and bean mix and prepare fresh guacamole. 

1. Mash together Half 1-2 halved avocados and mash with 1 clove of garlic, 1/4 finely diced onion
2. Add ghost pepper, jalapeno or Asian pepper to taste 
3. Add 1/2 fresh squeezed lime and mix it all together with picante or salsa 

Stuff Gluten Free Corn Taco Shells with Spinach, Turkey Veggie and Bean Mix and Guacamole mix. 

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Results: 

Day 1 and 2: VERY tired and headachy, craving chocolate since it was Valentines Day.   Made elegant meal to make up for it Herb Roasted Chicken and Rosemary Garlic Tiny Gourmet Potatoes with Pearl Onions  with fresh strawberries for desert. 

Day 3 Detox Diet. Exhausted but hopeful. Still having some serious gluten cravings. Fantastic Turkey Veggie soup on simmer for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.

Day 5: Lost 5 pounds. very tired and strong desire for caffeine during work in the afternoon.  Having fresh apple and more water during those times. 

Day 6-  7 pounds lighter. Most strong cravings gone. Made carob cocoa with unsweetened cashew milk and amber agave nectar. 

Day 9  - 10 pounds lighter!!    Breakfast

Day 11-  13 pounds lighter!!  Had a "decaf a Almond Milk Iced Latte to take with me on the way to work with fruit.   Snacked on Radishes and Apples in the office.  Had plan Grilled Chicken Breast at work with fresh guacamole.  Dinner the rest of the Turkey Taco recipe. leftovers. 

Day 12-  15 pounds lighter!!  Breakfast was gluten free oatmeal.   Orange juice.  Lunch was mixed nuts and a banana with water.  Ate a ton of carrots to deal with nervous energy.  Long work day, no caffeine, maximum tension was extreme.  

R-Word | Spread the word to end the word.. Robbie is My Reason for Running for Respect

You Abuse The Word: PTHS Spread the Word to End the Word

I run for, stand for, speak for and act for kindness and humanity.  If you KNEW of what you spoke, you would learn to respect humanity.  The person you judge harshly for something they could not control, or something you simply do not understand.  Let us do away with the notion of shameful unkind language.. Let us show our love to one another in all times, for all the people we are.  Perhaps if we judged less, and loved more, we discover something far richer-- RESPECT.   

  I pledge #Respect thru my words & actions. I pledge and support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.  Will you? Pledge now to create communities of inclusion for people  http://r-word.org http://r-word.org  

This is an important topic,  Robbie is my Reason for making a commitment on 02/10/2015 to run the Run For Respect, Virtual 5K for Respect, more on that story later.  I have not run a 5K since 2009, however when contacted yesterday and asked to support it, I agreed immediately because it is a cause I have believed in since before there WAS a cause.

The Run for Respect is one powerful virtual way you can do something very tangible to end the "R-word", "retarded" by "running" for "respect.   Laura Baumgartner is an excellent teacher at Pontiac Township High School who developed curriculum, a program, and this event that helps teach her students about the goodness in the world, with the importance of respectful discourse.

http://runforrespect.weebly.com/  

Annual Run for Respect Virtual 5K Run 

The Annual Run For Respect VIRTUAL 5K RUN is being held in Pontiac, Illinois on April 11. Pontiac Township High School "Peers In Action" and Life Skills classes partner with  the Special Olympics Project UNIFY to SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD, to replace the hurtful r-word (retard/retarded) with the new r-word RESPECT.  They welcome and encourage supporters worldwide to join by RUNNING (or WALKING) in our VIRTUAL RUN anytime between now and May 1. The cost to join this run is $20.00 and you will receive a bib and an awesome engraved medal, you simply sign up individually, or pull together a team in your location, where-ever you are, and send pictures of the day of your event and run. 

Its just starting and people world wide are enthusiastically committed to running a 5K between now and May 1, from as far away as Germany, several Illinois schools are participating, and all across the United States - including runners or teams are supporting this important run for respect in San Diego, and the Bay Area in California, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, 

Do you think about the power of your words? End the R-Word is a campaign about spreading the word, to end the word "RETARDED" from our vocabulary, and replace it with "RESPECT" 

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TODAY

1. R-word| Spread the Word- Take the pledge  
2. How to portray people with Disabilities positively in Film   
3. How to treat others with disabilities 
4. Learn bullying prevention steps to encourage respectful behavior
5. Sign up for the "Run for Respect" 
1. Share with others, add in the comments on this blog to let me know if you will join the run and where you are running from too!!  
2. If you are in the Bay area and want to join a run team for this event between now and May 1, contact me Dawn C Khan  

Robbie is my Reason for Running for Respect

OH there are other reasons I am running for respect.  It is time to release all the history all the pain of the past, and honor the person we are today.  I have not run since 2009, but this is a cause that can not be ignored.  I run because I am proud of teachers Laura, Beth, Travis, Becky, and many others, who teach the importance of respect in our community.  I run  for Haley, Dawn, for Robbie, for the good and dedicated parents, family and caregivers, and well for anyone who suffered the unkindness of a community who does not understand someone who is different.

Perhaps I understand more, having been handicapped in high school myself.
Perhaps I understand for having family members surviving critical illness.
Perhaps I understand because I know what it is to have people turn away in fear or unkindness.
Perhaps I understand because I was raised with parents who taught me the values of helping one another and standing up for someone when its right, even if its not popular.

You see, I was 15 years old and probably the fist to be kicked off the school bus in my school.  I was taking the long bus ride home from high school, every day after school, all the grade school kids were picked up, and waiting on the bus when we were picked up at the high school for the long long drive through Livingston County to drop all of us off at our rural country homes.  My home, was the very very last stop on the route, and it felt like it would take forever to get home every night. 

I was kicked off the bus the day before I met Robbie.  It was perhaps the longest day on the bus ever.  The driver turned around, before driving us home, stood and announced to all of us, "Children, we will have a new student on the bus tomorrow, his and name is Robbie, and he is a little retarded boy, and I want you all to try to be nice to him".   

I heard a few kids snicker and giggle and make all kinds of horrible statements  and a sorrowful empathy filled me.. This empathy hurts, and on this night it would get me in trouble.   I didnt know him yet, but I knew that this type of announcement was NOT going to help,  At the end of the route, I tried to explain to the driver why that type of language was not helpful, and shouldnt be used.  I was basically told I was a kid and didnt know what I was talking about, whereupon, I escalated my language and told the driver that they are now responsible for Robbie's disadvantaged beginning.  "I don't like your tone, they told me, and informed me that I need to arrange alternative transportation with my parents, as I was being expelled from the bus."  

I was always taught by my parents to stand up for other people, and when I told them of the situation, we took a trip in town,  immediately to talk to the head of the bus department, and they got my 'expulsion' reversed.  The driver was given a talk to about the matter, and my "punishment" upon boarding the bus the next day was being greeted by the driver who said "Well if you feel so strongly about it "YOU" can sit with Robbie for the school year!" and that is how I became bus mate's with Robbie, a small very quiet thin boy with dark brown hair.  He was very shy, did not talk much, about anything but super heroes, but he was a good kid, and he had never deserved to be singled out. I was proud to know Robbie, and proud to stand up for him.  

I am proud of Pontiac Township High School Teacher, Laura Baumgartner, for her support of this cause.  She asked me to run yesterday, and immediately, after a rough few years, growing out of shape, and in no running condition whatsoever, I realized to tell the story, to commit to run for respect, was the right thing to do.  Robbie I dont know where you are, but I hope you are well.  

People deserve to be treated respectfully. We don't have choices in what we face or how we are, but we do have a choice in how we treat one another.  Let us be the kindness we want to be in the world.

Respect, its time to run for respect.  Respect for humanity, for fairness, for equality-- whether disabled or otherwise, regardless of our color, gender, religion, size, weight, economic advantage..

Let us return to a culture of caring and sharing to make this word a better place.. The change is possible in this lifetime.

Dawn C Khan  :   linkedin  | twitter   |

Hypertension and Blood Pressure.. By the numbers

Hypertension and Blood Pressure was not something I planned to learn so much about, but after a few years of intense life challenges, it became another one of those super skills for me to have. I experienced both bullets in the definition, one affecting the other, when a continued state of great psychological stress produced the perfect storm of abnormally high blood pressure called 'hypertension'. 

hy·per·ten·sion

ˌhīpərˈtenSHən/

noun

• abnormally high blood pressure.
• a state of great psychological stress. 

High blood pressure is a condition in which the force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough to potentially cause health problems. You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms, but not being symptomatic is no protection against the potential damage and out of control high blood pressure gives you an increased risk of escalating health problems, including heart attack and stroke. 

Blood Pressure Numbers, Translated

Blood pressure is represented in top number over bottom-   (top number/bottom number)  or (Systolic/Diastolic) measured as systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-ah-STOL-ik) pressures. "Systolic" refers to pressure of the blood when the heart beats while pumping blood. "Diastolic" refers to blood pressure measure when the heart is at rest between beats.

The table that follows demonstrates blood pressure number ranges,  for healthy adults, demonstrating where numbers put you at greater risk for health problems. If you suspect hypertension, it is important to consult a doctor to interpret results, and as there are many factors. 

Diabetics or chronic kidney disease in adults, is defined differently and considered high at  130/80 or higher.  

Interpreting high blood pressure number ranges are different for adults then children and teens.

Range	(top number)Systolic		(bottom number)Diastolic
Normal	Less than 120	And	Less than 80
Prehypertension	120–139	Or	80–89
High Blood Pressure	140 - 160 or greater	Or	90 - 100 or greater
Stage 1	140–159	Or	90–99
Stage 2	160 or greater	Or	100 or greater

High Blood Pressure Hypertensive Crisis:  Symptoms of a hypertensive crisis that may be life-threatening may include the following, as documented in traditional medical refererences.  I also found  in early stages nosebleeds and seeing "stars" when standing, and at hypertensive crisis, lower back pain too:

• Severe chest pain
• Severe headache, accompanied by confusion and blurred vision
• Nausea and vomiting
• Nosebleeds
• Severe anxiety
• Shortness of breath
• Seizures
• Unresponsiveness

Lifestyle changes are as important if not more important than medication:  Reduce stress, increase activity, eat well, dont smoke or be around smoke, limit alcohol consumption., 

Prehypertension moderation:  Strategies to help you manage prehypertension and hypertension.  

• Exercise regularly. Lose weight if you are overweight. Exercise at least 2 hours and 30 minutes a week.  BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and low-fat dairy.Studies show high blood pressure can be lowered and prevented with the DASH diet  which encourages a diet reduces sodium and eats a variety of foots rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium, protein and fiber,  whose nutrients help lower blood pressure. Here is a very nice DASH DIET EATING PLANNER/Tracker  
• Foods particularly helpful: Oatmeal, Bananas, Garlic, Flaxseed, Potatoes, Apricots, Pumpkin Seeds, Broccoli, Cashew Nuts, Oily Fish such as Salmon and Sardines, Yogurt, Lima Beans, Spinach, 
• Cut back on dietary salt/sodium. A diet high in sodium (salt) can increase blood pressure. A low-sodium diet can lower high blood pressure -- or prevent it. Aim for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily (about 1 teaspoon of table salt).  This seems simple until you realize its not how much salt you shake ON your food but how much sodium already dominates simple things we use every day without a second thought like ketchup, processed foods, juices, meats, spices, sodas, bread, cheese slices, lunch meat, mustard, chips, etc 
• Eat foods low in saturated and transfat and cholesterol. Diets high in saturated fat (meats and high-fat dairy), trans fat (some margarine, snack foods, and pastries) and cholesterol (organ meats, high-fat dairy, and egg yolks) may lead to obesity, heart disease, and cancer.
• Eat a plant-based or vegetarian diet. Add high-protein soy foods to your diet. Increase servings of fruits and vegetables by adding one serving at a time. You can add a serving of fruit at lunchtime. Then add a serving of vegetables at dinner.
• Drinking?  Got Milk?  Alcohol only in moderation, Caffeine sensitive??  Drink lowfat or nonfat milk.  Drink hibiscus tea.  Drink Cranberry Juice, Apple Juice, and Dark Cocoa.  Drinking red wine can help, but watch intake as excess alcohol can increase blood pressure. Limit drinking to no more than two drinks a day for men, and one drink a day for women.  Caffeine can create a short spike in blood pressure. To see if you have a sensitivity to caffeine, check your blood pressure before drinking caffeine and then 30-60 minutes after drinking a caffeinated drink or energy drink, and if your blood pressure is increased from 5-10 points, you should cut back on caffeine.  

Alternative Treatments for Hypertension: 

• Herbs to use in cooking: Basil, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Garlic, Hawthorne, Celery Seed, Lavender, Cat's Claw
• Essential Oils to use  Lavender Essential Oil, Sweet Marjoram Essential Oil, Ylang Ylang Essential oils for hypertension. Chamomile Essential Oil, Bergamont Oil, Neroli Essential Oil, or Frankincense Essential Oils by massage or steam inhalation. 
• Ayurveda Treatments Ashwaghanda, Triphala, Jatamansi, Arjuna   
• Vitamins and Supplements:  WebMD evaluates the effectiveness of supplements (Link) 

Hypertension Meditation for Deep Relaxation: 

Dawn C Khan  :   linkedin  | twitter   |

Globalization: W2 Candidate RPO Experience. I Fired my India Based Recruiting Firm After The Final Interview

"5 Failures That Will Prompt Your Candidate to Fire You", is a recent W2 Candidate story that follows.  

GLOBALIZATION OF USA RECRUITING REQUIRES SOME WORK TO DO WELL. MOST OFTEN, THIS WORKS WELL.  Here is an exceptional story worth understanding.

W2 Candidate RPO Experience.  I Fired my India Based Recruiting Firm After The Final Interview AFTER too many failures. I wanted the job, I loved the company,  but integrity mattered more.   I was a candidate in the final interview.  How many American Companies are being impacted by hidden recruiting outsourcing issuess?

Brand matters as the Job Seeking Candidate and Client Company are impacted by Global RPO Partners who do not understand USA based recruiting process, policy or communications 

A great article was written by Rob Dromgoole titled , "4 Steps That Will Get The Candidate to say Yes" was released on LinkedIn's newsfeed, the same day I was a final candidate for a job I would have loved to accept, but ultimate felt the best course was to decline the terms and terminate the recruiter on the grounds of integrity and professional courtesy. 

An India based recruiting firm, had 2 different men speaking poor English over a bad VOIP line calling, competing to submit me for the same job.  I fixed that after both tried to schedule interviews.  After getting consolidated to one recruiter however it got worse.  He miss communicated on the interview schedule, the contract terms, and worse than that, I was sexually harassed, spammed, misrepresented, bait and switch job offered, begged for immigration help.

1. Bad Office Organization/Collaboration:  Be clear and consistent in communication and scheduling. Two men were competing to submit me for the same job, from the same office both over a bad VOIP line in their India office within 40 minutes of one another. They competed over the candidate qualification/interest phase, salary validation phase, and the interview scheduling phase. I insisted if we are to continue they collaborate or assign one person. 

•  I got one person assigned, who failed to cancel the call from his partner, so the first voice interview, went forward, even though he told me it was cancelled. Fortunately for all involved, that call was the Account Manager, so I was able to raise concerns appropriately and he resolved.  
• IF you have knowingly erred, make sure the next person that calls is aware of the nature of the error.  You put yourself in a bad place to have the Account Manager call me for a Thursday appointment you told would not take place because it would happen Friday in person.   
• You put yourself in a bad place to have your Office Manager contact me and try to strong arm me into changing the terms after you have knowingly failed in so many elements of this process, without telling her why this is not going to work. Collaborate and communicate well, even if you made an error. 

2. Inconsiderate Communications:  Be clear, respectful and considerate.  If you want candidates that will be great professionals for your client, observe a few important rules.  During the business hours they are in meetings, if they cant answer on the first call, don't call 5 more time, then text, viber/or Skype, and email.  

• Pick one vehicle and wait until the candidate is out of the business meeting at work, hospital where they are receiving emergency treatment, OR the Candidate Interview with YOUR client!! 
• If you want to attract a candidate who will do and be a professional, you must extend the same professional courtesy that allows them to respond to your request when they are not on the job or talking to YOUR client in the agreed interview!   

3. Professional Courtesy:   Your job is to qualify and present me, your candidate for the life cycle of the recruiting process, and does not allow for you to request marital advise, immigration help, or helping you find a job in the USA.  Your American Contract Partner, or Branch Office, AND your client have a few basic and important rules against harassment  on the grounds of age, race, and gender. 

•  Its a very good idea to be aware of these rules before you me why I am old and married, and cant marry you. 
• Even better idea not to keep texting me,  failing to hear the verbal suggestions you fix this. 

4. Bad Technology and Bad USE of Technology:  Organize your office to either collaborate or have a step down process. 

• If you have a bad VOIP line, follow up with email and SEND email with your name and contact information when you promise to. 
• You candidates need to know how to reach you when they say they cant hear you well and to please follow up by email, that is important to really do!! 

5. Bait and Switch Bidding:  Be VERY familiar with USA hiring when bidding out IF the candidate says she requires W2, and you do not understand or hear the difference, put it in writing to make sure you are on the same page. 

• If you and I verbally agree and I put it in writing and we confirm, that is an agreement..  
• Do NOT expect positive negotiations when you come back to the candidate who told you 5 times verbally and once by email, and now you are coming back after the final interview and ask them change the W2 to a 1099 agreement for $15/hour less!!  

 WHEN it is done, and your candidate fires you and asks you not to call or contact in any way, do not send an Indian office manager to call to  to suggest that the only way the candidate, who at this point has gone above and beyond the call of duty to educate the recruiters and not compromise the offer, is to accept what you told them in the qualification phase, as a condition to the interview a firm agreement. 

Watch for the Business and Recruiting Point of View Article when we explore what Recruiters and US Based Companies can do to partner effectively in their Recruiting Process Outsourcing.  There are many companies that do this very well every day, for a great cost, getting a quality service. However the nature of this process, might cause Companies, even Recruiting Companies to get a negative image based upon lack of awareness of US based recruiting big rules, regulations, and common courtesies:

RECRUITMENT OFFSHORING: RPO Gone Bad, When What you don't know, hurts your Brand.

 

Ladies: YES, You are doing more than STEALING to do this!

EVERYONE DOES IT: So it must be okay.  Stores do samples of Perfume all the time, this is in the same aisle.  

A WOMAN STEALS MAKEUP, PAYS FOR TOILET PAPER. Stealing beauty products, selling at a flea market.  Rudy Giuliani's Daughter , Miss USA, Shannon Marketic , were both arrested for stealing beauty products they could afford why do it?  Think it does not matter?  Think if everyone does it, it must be okay. I would prefer however if you have to steal, do it outright so you can be caught rather than be stealing and leaving your product, tainted silently on the shelves for the unsuspected customer expecting they are buying a new product.  SOME products like nail polish does not have seals, you cant tell if it was compromised or not, but if its been on your dirty feet, I don't want it. 

LADIES, NO, IT IS NOT OKAY, YOU ARE DOING MORE THAN STEALING WHEN YOU GO TO THE STORE AND "TRY ON" AN ENTIRE MANICURE OF NAIL POLISH IN THE STORE.  IT IS STEALING.  

When Retail Stores offer items for sample, there are specially designated bottles set out marked "sample" that you may try from.  You are stealing when you "sample" items that are not marked sample, but its way more than that.  I have seen women and girls, 'sampling" nail polish, mascara, and lipstick in the stores.   Stop it already!  Its tacky, cheap, and unhygienic, no one wants your skin flecks, dna, germs, and toe jam in their beauty products, that they THINK they are buying NEW and have never been used. 

Now I never dreamed I would need to be writing about this, but I have seen this now a half dozen times recently, and the stories are disgusting.  Ladies, we deserve the best, so buy it, and insist others, who are trying to steal it, stop!!! 

• Target Stores:  6:00 p.m on a weeknight.  I am in the hair coloring aisle, where 4 teenage girls are huddled around blocking the aisle, using the open shelf area to polish their nails.  They brought their own "rag, and used a bottle of nail polish remover to remove the polish on their nails and select a new color.  Yes they did this all, while BLOCKING the access to the products I came to buy.  I asked them to move, but they ignored my request until I pulled out my cell phone and started preparing to snap a few pictures.   The last girl, around 18, left fluorescent yellow nail polish on the shelf, the nail polish remover bottle, and had not gotten it all cleaned up, so she picked it all up and moved over to the makeup aisle to finish the work.  I rounded up security, where they were picking out their makeup colors to complete the look. I pointed the 4 girls out to the security guard and went on my way. THEN called the store manager, FURIOUS that paying customers were being so impeded by stealing customers. 
• Target Store:  10:00 p.m. on a weeknight.  Its late and I need to get some cleaning products.  The 30 something year old woman had set up her own little spa in the Target store, she was talking with her family on the phone, sitting on the low clear shelf at target where the high end anti-aging products are housed.  She took sandals off and was replacing the old nail polish on her toenails with a fresh coat of bright pink nail polish.  I watched incredulously as I walked AROUND her feet hanging out in the aisle, so I can finish shopping.  ICK I thought.  OMG I have been buying nail polish that possibly has been put on someone's dirty feet. IF I dont want this I must say something.  On the next aisle over a night worker is stocking the shelf.  I said, "Um there is a woman talking on the phone, blocking the aisle, and painting her dirty toenails with new polish" "Nothing I can do he said, happens all the time, we cant really make them stop". 
• ULTA:  A Teenager with a Twenty something girl, both in micromini skirts and platform shoes brushes back her hair and gives herself a complete makeover, broke the seal on eyeliner, rimmed her eyes, applied mascara, lipstick and eyeshadow.  

OTHER REASONS BESIDES THE FACT ITS THEFT TO USE SOMETHING NOT LABELED SAMPLE: Makeup is NOT like a used car that can be cleaned and used!  

• People have every reason to expect the new product they are purchasing hasn't been worn. 
• It is unhygienic to use a product and return it to the shelf. 
• You could be spreading OR receiving sickness, germs, pink eye, hepatitis A, cold sores
• Unclean feet have OTHER germs on them that could be spread when put on the hands of unsuspecting owners. 
• People want to buy things in the store you are stealing from, and you are in the way. 
• People don't want to buy the things you opened and closed back up like its nothing. 

READ MORE ABOUT IT: 

• Bacteria in Makeup Testers
• Microbiology and Cosmetics 
• Makeup Reveals Bacterial Contamination
• $9B is lost yearly due to Beauty Snatchers, some of theft is unknown and passed on to customers in bacterial tainted samples. 

Virgin Mobile: Case Study " Corporate Care" is more than a name and an apiology.

 Having the right talent on your phones and social media creates the experience your customers will experience.  I love to talk about great companies.  Sadly today's blog is my sharing of a personal experience about a situation I wish would have been responded against a company whose brand I loved!  

Where are your Corporate Headquarters I asked, after being asked to give them one more chance to say they are sorry without solving the problem.  What was the problem?  5 months of failed calls with drop rates at around 90% failed on 2 calls.  After buying a new phone, getting a new number, jumping through 48 hours of hoops, we had hopes social media might solve what their service center failed to.  No in fact they compounded and drag it out.  I guess they should be proud they retained us this long, because WHO willingly stays except for hoping a company will be the company they loved for 2 years prior. 

Twitter support would not give me the corporate headquarters information to pass on my concerns, but of course this is public information 

Virgin Mobile USA is located in Warren, New Jersey, United States.  I was told Virgin runs on Sprint's "B" towers so service I suppose is unpredictable. When bad is an epidimic how does a social media savvy company respond?  The answer defines much about what the company is, and I daresay I am disappointed, because I LOVE the brand and Sir Richard Branson, but this abysmal failure to respond, deliver or resolve is something I am proud to be done with as of today.     


VIRGIN MOBILE:  You could hear a call drop.  I love to talk about great services, and I recommended Virgin Mobile as one of the most affordable and effective no contract plans, until we moved. In January 2013 we moved to Pleasanton, CA, and the problems seriously began.  Problems that Virgin Mobile was happy to have us running around paying full price, buying new phones, and all the time, from February until June, telling us the performance was due to the towers being upgraded. Not sure when they would be done.. 

 
 
If coverage is so good?  Why is it bad?  That is the question I would ask over and over again The answer became clearer, and clearer.  In the end it comes up to this.  Virgin Mobile did not care about performance problems or the customer experience. 

Now if 90% of your calls drop, and YOU KNOW it, would YOU reimburse the bad experience?  

Virgin Mobile says no!  They can not reimburse, they told me after being dropped from business conference calls, clients, customers, my kids in an emergency, my parents telling me of the death of my Grandmother.  You see to Virgin, its just a drop, not EVERY SINGLE TIME your call fails, at a rate of 90% dropping, and not being able to reconnect or stay connected.

Just because someone has a Facebook, Twitter, Customer Service, and Email does NOT mean they care about creating a positive customer experience.  

After calling repeatedly and spending  over 48 hours on support calls where we were told to get a new phone, a new number etc between January and March, we began emailing and tweeting. 

Twitter:  48 tweets from February 3, 2013- June 20, 2013 I requested assistance. Phones have got to work, I asked them to fix or reimburse.. Instead they apologized.  I had to trial another account, I did T-Mobile have NOT had a call drop since.  I asked them to reimburse the time I went without a working phone to my husband's account so HE can wait until they fix the towers.  They failed to call on 3 promised calls, declined my request to follow up or reimburse.

https://twitter.com/search?q=%40VMUcare%2C%20%40dawnckhan%20%40VMUcare%2C%20OR%20%40dawnckhan&src=typd


Email:  45 emails from April 2013 until yesterday , when my husbands contract was up for renewal, requesting assistance, resolution, escalation and compensation for paying 100% and getting 10% service.  

CONSUMER SERVICES: Hiring a Mover

Some friends had asked me to share some tips and experiences for hiring a mover.  In 2012 the Better Business Bureau fielded over a million searches about them, and and more than 9,300 against movers. Move fraud is on the rise and the Tyler Better Business Bureau did a nice article with Advice for a Safe Move. 

PROCESS FOR FINDING MOVERS: In the internet and social media age, we can identify services really quickly. Identifying sources is part of the objective for certain, validating the service provider's track record for customer satisfaction is the other key component.  

Your first work is to get a good understanding of the move scope.  Create a template of the FROM and TO location details, you might want to consider the truck access. We had a move complicated because of the difficulty of access for the semi to the storage unit. Create a list of items moving, if you already have your belongings in storage, include the storage size of your unit and take a few photos and approximate the percentage full. 

I.  SOURCING MOVERS:  

• Ask for recommendations from your social network, someone who has had a positive or negative experience with a contact locally is always helpful. 

• Select a Moving Bid service as a source for getting private bids on moving.. Upside is a potential for savings from local small business owners, downside is a serious risk in validating the quality of the mover. 
• Craigslist.com 
• MovingGood.com
• UMovers.com

• Select a Moving Aggregator as a source for getting a nice volume of bids from moving companies.  Just fill out the webform with details and you can get within a few days, a range of bids on your move request. Upside is a potential volume of competitive bids will help you get a range of quotes, less risk then a bid or free classified add service, but you still need to validate quality. 
• Moving.com 
• GetMover.com 

II. CHECK REFERENCES:  Moving scams are a growing concern that has made national news recently. Pricing scams, hidden costs, extra charges, bait and switch deals,  theft, etc are all valid risks.   Using a licensed, bonded mover can help reduce risk, but you should always make sure your service provider has a track record for ethical business.   ALL Perfect References could be just as questionable as negative references, so whats the best way to make sure the Mover is credible, and you can rely on them to honor the scheduling, estimate, pickup, and delivery elements of the move?  

• Check Better Business Bureau report for the vendor you select.  Its free, its easy, and it saves you money.. Just because someone 'says' they are in business x years and have a commitment to customer satisfaction does not guarantee it, and here you will see how they manage their customer satisfaction.  To report a fraud or scam, call the BBB Hotline at 903-581-8373.
• Check Yelp  by putting in the company name and City/State.  If I had done this for the service I contracted I might have never had the experience I did. 

III.  STILL HAVE HIDDEN DOUBTS?  If you are not sold on the company and the offer.  If you have doubts, worries or uncertainty, trust that.  If you have a lawyer on retainer that can be very helpful.  If you don't, a subscription to Legal Shield is well worth the investment.  They can help you review contracts and deal with consumer issues, either proactively or re-actively.  While an attorney on retainer could be expensive, Legal Shield is a prepaid legal service with a low monthly charge and can review your concerns and offer legal advise that can save you time and money. 

OUR STORY: 

We moved 11 times in the past few years, and have had a variety of experiences on do it yourself,  contracting help on an extremely limited budget, to contracting help when you want it done right and don't want to lose anything.   

I had tried moving bid services before and was successful in hiring a very good local mover in Bloomington IL that I definitely recommended. Were money no object, we would hire him again, as he helped us in 2 moves and did a great job.  Results were not so good with moving bid services on our cross country move, we received few realistic bids that were believe able enough to go to the next step with. 

I asked for recommendations from my social network of people who had moved cross country, most were the result of corporate moves, which in today's economy are less and less common.  Which explains why the situation of Moving Fraud, makes alot more news these days.  

With no personal experience recommendations to work from, I turned to an aggregator.  This is an important story that could have gone much worse, but the lessons learned from MY bad experience do not need to be repeated, by me or others.  Using an aggregator gave me a good source I think we received well over 18 bids.  We interviewed a few. I threw out the cheapest and the most expensive bids.  I did not want a low price leader who could not explain the difference in costs, and did not want to work too hard to uncover them re-actively. We  wanted a fair price for a fair move.  We selected the top 3 companies on price, responsiveness, presentation.  The company who won was friendly helpful and able to get us scheduled very easily. We had a furniture inventory, we explained the unit is in storage, and we are not living there, so they will need to get the keys from the office.  They accepted this and we paid the 10% downpayment and were excited for the process to finish.. I felt good that this was underway.  As I had other friends moving I could share about how easy it was.. It was easy so far.. but then...  a twist.. 

AFTER SIGNING THE AGREEMENT: 

1. They said they could pick up on Friday, then it would change 3 more times, the last date being the VERY DAY we needed to be out of our storage unit. Thats okay, things happen right?  OK just enforce the importance.  "Yes ma'am we will call you 24-48 hours prior to give you a time window. 
2. 48 hours. Nothing.  24 hours.. crickets..  No notice, I emailed frantically and got the drivers direct number. We talked 13 hours before I needed the driver to pick up the keys.  Again I explained we must be out of the unit tomorrow, and you are picking the keys up from the office, so you must arrive before noon.  "OK I will call you to notify when I have arrived." 
3. 11:50, no call from the driver, the office closes at noon.  With my husband on one phone calling the storage unit, and me on the other phone calling the driver I confirmed he just arrived. He got into the storage unit.  
4. He called me back, after the office had closed.  There are problems.  It is going to cost us $400 for boxes.  Then NO not $_00, $_,_00. Then NO no double the price.  Frustrated and angry but needing to get our stuff out I struggled with what to do.  We needed to get our stuff out of there, I said okay look we need to be out of there today. We MUST have our stuff by 6/8, and you have already failed us on scheduling, 24 hour call and now your are doubling the price.  BUT they did something unexpected.. They cancelled the contract, on the spot, because I wasnt there to sign it-- a fact we never discussed since estimation.  I demanded they honor the contract and that I would get someone there to sign on my behalf because we couldnt be in the unit after today.. They hung up on me, refusing to return my call to confirm I had a family member in route to get the keys and sign the contract.  

AFTER THE CANCELLATION: They offered no emergency number, no after hours number and we did not know where one of the keys was, what the situation was, and they would not return our calls.  I tried the office, no number.  I emailed an urgent email Sunday to then.  No response on Monday. I called the sales person who was escalating to a supervisor who escalated to a manager, who called me and told me the driver said I cancelled the contract because the new charges were too great. "I feel like I am stuck between my driver and you", he refunded the downpayment.  Ultimately I decided it was best to not try to finish something that started so badly, for if the manager of a moving company is reticent to believe a customer who wants to give them money, even after they have failed the customer on every key point of customer service... It was a temporary insanity on my part.. I wanted the pain to stop by just finishing this bad process and getting it done.  

At this point, we postponed the move, until we can find the moving experience we want.. To pay somebody a fair service, for the safe, timely, accurate delivery of our belongings.