New translations for The Book of Luck and The Book of Happiness!
The Book of Luck, which has already been translated into Estonian, is now to be published as an ebook in that language. We feel very modern, up to date and very hi tech!
The Book of Happiness will now be translated into Czech.
So far The Book of Luck has been translated into 8 languages and The Book of Happiness into 4, something we are very proud of.
How to Succeed with NLP - Go from Good to Great at Work
March 2010 will see the publication of Anne Watson's new book about how to take practical steps to build a successful and rewarding career. We will be sending out a newsletter soon with some tantalising excerpts from this exciting new book.
University of Bradford School of Management
On November 30th 2009 Anne Watson spoke at the University of School of Management about the challenge of building a career in a difficult market
Luck and the Job Hunter - a 7 week programme -March 2009
Our Luck and the Job Hunter programme was a a practical guide to job-hunting based on The Book of Luck Brilliant ideas for creating your own success and making life go your way. Each week we took one of the seven Indicators of Luck and applied it to job-hunting. If you missed it, these newsletters are now available on our Download page.
If you haven't done either questionnaire, why not do one now and you will receive a personal profile of your level of Luck and/or Happiness. Click here
Happiness is contagious
Recent research backs up the research conducted by Heather and Anne for The Book of Happiness, saying that if we mix with people who are happy, we are likely to become happier ourselves.
December the 5th 2008 was branded "Feel Good Friday" . Broadcasting on Radio Berkshire, Heather was able to give some extra tips from The Book of Happiness, on how to get more of that "feel-good" factor - not just on a Friday, but any day of the week.
If you haven't already done it, complete the Happiness Questionnaire on our website to discover the areas of your life that need a boost. You'll be given some hints on how to fill in those gaps and set yourself up for a happier future.
The Independent
On 2 October 2008 The Independent published an interview with Anne Watson on the topic of preparing for a job interview and being ready to make the right impression. It has never been easy to get the right job but market conditions are tougher than ever so if you are going for an interview, it is important to be as prepared as possible. If you would like to read the article, follow the link below:
September Coincidence Competition
Winning entries!
We had some very interesting and exciting entries for our Coincidence Competition and decided that instead of having five winners we would have six, a reflection of the very high quality. We are sure that our winners will be delighted with their prizes, a Dummies Guide of their choice.
Winner no 1 - Andy T
For the coincidence competition this year my star signs read “You will have an inheritance from a relative you don't know”. At this time alsoI received a letter telling me that I have a relative I don't know who has left me an inheritance. The inheritance is still being sorted out but I thought this was a strange and amusing coincidence.
Winner no 2 - Anna A
Whilst away holidaying in Rome, we found ourselves on the next table to the same couple with their baby 2 days running – what a coincidence in a huge city, with so many locations and so many restaurants!
Winner no 3 - Mike S
My Slovakian girlfriend and I joined a local gym recently. She has been frustrated at not having found a new job yet and was feeling a little homesick. 3 weeks ago, one Sunday evening, we were at the gym, I tried the sauna alone, it's a little wooden cabin at the edge of the pool, no one around, or so I thought and it was getting hotter.
Just as I was about to get out, a young couple came in. We got talking, Maria was from Slovakia, had been working here for a year and this was her last day and was going back to her native country to start a new modelling business and knew her old job would be advertised.
I arranged a meeting 30 mins later with my girlfriend in the bar. My girlfriend was so excited, not only being able to converse in native Slovak, much to everyone's amusement, but to find a possible local job opening. She needed help to fill out the application form as English is not her native language and I have been short of time. Last Friday we got a dinner invite out of the blue from a teacher friend. What does my friend teach you wonder? English and computer studies to foreign students at the local college!
Winner no 4 - Paul F
Back in 2004 I was contacted by a supply teaching agency who were looking for a teacher to teach economics part-time at a local girls' high school for 6 months and given that this school was just down the road (A607 from Lincoln) and I was suitably qualified, I naturally fitted the bill.
I well remember a small GCSE Economics class I taught. In fact I can tell you the date: Tuesday, 4th May, 2004. In one of the last lessons before their exams I thought that I would 'treat' them to a 30 minute video: remember 'The Rock 'n' Roll Years' (BBC1) series - a mixture of songs & news events from a particular year. The year in question here: 1979. What was so significant about this? Well, of course for those old enough to remember it was the 25th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister.
And what about the school? The Kesteven And Grantham Girls' School - known as KGGS, once attended by a one Margaret Roberts way back in the 1930's & 1940s. That said, I don't know if my class of 'Thatcher's children' (who were born towards the end of her reign) cared two hoots about the significance of the date ... or you know who either!
Winner no 5 - Richard McC
Here's a coincidence that I was involved in. It happened back in the summer of 2004. I was with some friends in Malawi and we had just finished helping out with a building project on a school in a small local town. To celebrate the success of the build (and the end of our time in Africa) we headed to the shores of Lake Malawi and found a small hostel with hammocks and views over the lake.
Whilst there we met a Norwegian couple, Stan and Maria, who we all got on with very well with. On one evening Stan and Maria, my friends and I all headed down to the beach for a walk. We found some local sellers selling all sorts of African souvenirs and before too long we were being harassed to buy paintings, wooden figures, hand carved board games and all sorts of items. We stopped and looked at what they had to offer and made conversation too. After a while my friends and I had each haggled as best we could and all held some sort of figure or painting under our arms.
Stan and Maria however did not seem to be having the same success. Stan had found himself forced into playing a board game with one of the younger sellers. He did not know how to play the game or what the idea of the game was but he seemed to be winning (according to the young seller). After about 10 minutes of play the game came to a finish, with Stan as the victor.
Stan shook the young lad’s hand and said “Thank you” and began to get up from his perch on the sand, "no, no you buy this sir" said the young man pointing at the wooden board game. "No thanks" Stan said, but the young man contested this, arguing that he had just spent 10 minutes teaching him how to play so that he could buy it. The young man was not violent but he was certainly becoming more aggressive as Stan tried to walk away. We managed to take Stan out of the situation but just as we did the young man stopped and stared at Stan. "I shall put a spell on you, a spell of misfortune for the misfortune you gave to me".
We all looked at each other, some of us tried not to laugh and some of us just looked confused. "My father was a witchdoctor" the man continued, "and he passed on his spells to me. Stranger, may your fingers become made of wood, stuck and still so that they may never play a game again". And with that the young man turned and sat in the sand.
We headed back to the hostel and joked about the experience. I didn't think much of that experience since that day. We joked about it in the bar that night but never took it seriously, especially not Stan. But one week later, after we were all back home I got an email from Maria. After they had got home to Norway (the same weekend that I received this email) Stan had had the car door of the taxi they had got back from the airport in, slammed against his hand and he had broken numerous bones in his fingers- he had temporarily lost the use of his hand.
I never believed in witchcraft and magic- and I still don’t, but reading that email sent a real shiver down my spine!
Winner no 6 - Sheena H
My daughter applied to Edinburgh Uni medical school and got an offer. She was thrilled because it was her first choice, and she had felt curiously at home in the city from the moment she stepped off the train. A week after the fortunate offer, my husband's ongoing family history research revealed that a direct ancestor of his mother's was the first prof of medicine at Edinburgh, who was also instrumental in the establishment of Edinburgh as the UK's first med school in the late 17th century! My daughter is off to Edinburgh next week, and will look out for the blue plaque dedicated to her ancestor, which adorns the wall of one of the medical school buildings!
The winners will all be informed by e mail - but you know who you are! We will be letting you know how to claim your prize of a Dummies Guide from out very generous sponsors, John Wiley and Sons.
Please note: The decision of the judges is final
Company Magazine - July Edition
Anne was featured in July's edition of Company magazine answering a reader's question about life in the workplace. It is always good to be talking to people who are building their careers.
Summer Graduate Fair, Earl's Court 3rd and 4th June
Anne spoke at the Summer Graduate Fair at Earl's Court on the 3rd June. She led a workshop on how to show potential employers that you have the skills that they are looking for. She was ably supported by the brilliant marketing team from Capstone (the publishers) who ran a terrific book stall and gave great reductions on all of the books. It was heartening to see such a crowd of people and hopefully pass on some tips on how to find the right job.
Nidderdale Book Festival
The inaugural Nidderdale Book Festival took place from 9 to 11 May 2008 and had a prestigious line up of renowned authors including Kate Adie, David Loyn, Saul David, Alice Hogge, James Barrington and Edwin Thomas. As Heather was away in Paris for the weekend, Anne was there for both days and had a speaking slot on Sunday morning. The glorious sun shine, fabulous food and excellent company made for a stimulating time. Lucky us!
The Book of Luck - Thai Edition - and now Estonia!
A copy of the Thai edition of The Book of Luck arrived on our doorsteps recently. The Book of Luck has now been translated into 8 languages - Japanese, Chinese, Russian (Belarus), Spanish (Latin America), Croatian, Bulgarian, Thai and -the latest - the translation rights have been sold into Estonia.
New! The Definitive Job Book, Rules from the recruitment insiders by Anne Watson
Anne has been involved in the recruitment business for more years than she cares to admit! In The Definitive Job Book she offers you the inside track on how to land the job you've always wanted, based on the wealth of experience she has gained over the years. She shares with you all the secrets of successful job-seeking that you've ever wanted to know. Go to the Our Books page of this website or click here for more information
See it on You Tube! For an amusing clip about the book on You Tube, click here
The Book of Happiness
The Book of Happiness published in French
Since its publication in May 2006 The Book of Happiness Brilliant ideas to transform your life has been translated into three languages, Croatian and Arabic and Indonesian. We have now heard that it is being translated into French and should appear in French bookshops at the end of March. Vive le bonheur francais! Our biggest fan Herbert the Office Boy (pictured opposite) is so impressed he has stopped chewing several copies of the book to consider the immensity of the personal contribution he has made to this achievement! I believe he considers his French Briard ancestry has played a vital role in our success.
The Luck and Happiness questionnaires are still very popular and they are also providing us with useful data for our research. We love receiving the e mails you are sending us to tell us how the individual profile you receive matches your own experience. Keep those e mails coming!