lune 16. 2004_______________________________________ ï l | i '
^JnrtlaitÒ (íDhsi'rllf T______ ___________________ PagcA7
special
edition
Cha/titM Ctone, gecotfd
BPA retiree opens
own business
BY J aymee R. C uti
T he P ortland O bserver
Always keen to sharpen his skills,
Martin is constantly training in the newest
innovation with the Institute of Inspec­
tions Cleaning and Restoration, o f which
he is a certified member.
"I have many resources to assist me
upon request such as the institute's online
services and wholesale suppliers staff as
well as other carpet cleaners,” he said.
According to Martin, his supplies, re­
sources and knowledge have given him
the tools to get the job done.
Tocontact Martin, call 503-281 -3949.
When Thomas Martin retired from
Bonneville Power Administration, he be­
gan working for himself.
Beginning a carpet and upholstery
business had little in common with his
former career as a revenue analyst, but he
learned the trade and opened Martin Clean­
ing Service five years ago.
He said he was just looking for som e­
thing to do to keep him busy. Today, he’s
avai lable six days a week for spot and stain
removal services to homes, buildings,
vehicles, boats and recreational vehicles.
He also specializes in pet odor treatment
and baby-safe carpet cleaning.
“I do quality work and my prices are
reasonable,” said Martin. “And I ’ m timely
to appointments.”
Martin, a40-year-long resident of north­
east Portland, says most of his clients are
midtown residents but he has approxi­
mately 10 percent of commercial clientele
as well.
Thomas Martin began a
second career by starting his
own business after retiring
from the Bonneville Power
Administration. Martin Clean­
ing Service now keeps him
busy with both residential and
commercial accounts.
photo by M a r k W ashington /
T he P ortland O bserver
Job Interview Tips to Avoid Pitfalls
Prospective
employers share
common pet peeves
The first of some common inter­
viewing pet peeves is preparing for
an interview like preparing for a
date. Too much perfume is a terrible
asking open-ended questions. If
you don’t take the hint that this is
the time to talk about yourself, then
it may amount to a missed opportu­
when the interviewee rambles. Stay
on topic, and wrap up your answers
in two or three minutes.
Look your i ntervie wer in the eyes.
Avoiding your interviewer’s eyes
Look your interviewer in during the whole interview makes
Your worst job interview night­
you look untrustworthy. If you’re
the eyes. Avoiding your
mare could begin with you sitting
too shy, focus on the "third eye,”
across from the interviewer, feeling
interviewer’s eyes during
ju s t a b o v e an d b etw e en the
I ike th i ngs are goi ng wel 1 when all of
the whole interview makes interview er’s eyes.
a sudden, you hit one o f the
Most importantly,don’t lie. Little
interviewer’s pet peeves.
you look untrustworthy.
lies, about salary, previous jobs or
According to msn.com, the best
leaving with no intention to follow
way not to trigger an automatically idea and may evoke bad memories, nity, and a missed job.
th ro u g h , are a w aste o f an
negative response is to avoid the like the smell of an ex-girlfriend.
Likewise, it’s also not good to interviewer’s time. Be completely
common complaints of prospective
A good interviewer will try to dominate the conversation by talk­ forthcoming or you’ll lose a job
employers.
draw your conversation out by ing too much. Usually, this occurs once you get caught.
Class Helps Land Security Jobs
Is it possible to launch a
new career in one day? With
Portland Community College,
not only is it possible, it can
lead to a future in one of the
fastest-growing professional
fields today: security.
Instructor John Kai will lead
Security Guard Certification
Training this summer. Learn
what the security field has to
offer, criminal and civil is­
sues, human public relations,
legal and ethical issues, fire
detection, reporting, observa-
tion techniques and more. Suc­
cessful students will earn their
Oregon State Certification to
obtain a security guard posi­
tion.
This one-day class will be
offered from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m„
either Saturday, June 26, or
Saturday, Aug. 7, at PCC’s
Central Portland Workforce
Training Center, 1626 S.E.
Water Ave. Cost is $59
For more information, con­
tact PCC Community Educa­
tion at 503-533-2707.
COLLEGE
President Branch talks with students about their career plans.
Com plete Your Transfer D egree or
Technical Training in:
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Business
Healthcare
Computers
Technical Trades
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Education
The Arts
Science Fields
* R E W A R D IN G CAREERS
3 6 0 -9 9 2 -2 1 0 7
w w w .clark.edu
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver, WA 98663-3598
Advertise with diversity in
(O bscrurr
Call 5O3-288-OO33 ads@portlandob server.com