Write to the editor

The Bahrain Writers’ Circle will be publishing an anthology about life in Bahrain based on accounts from people who currently live, or who have lived in the kingdom.

If you are a budding writer and wish to see your work in print, or are an established writer interested in writing a piece about this beautiful country, its people and its culture, we are seeking contributions!

Fact or fiction, poetry or prose, historical, cultural, social; I will look at all topics, genres and styles. For prose, the minimum word count is 3,000. For poetry, any style, any length is fine as long as it relates somehow to the island.

Also, you can write in Arabic, English, French ... the language you are most creative in (but, I will need an English translation!). However, keep in mind the title is My Beautiful Bahrain – this is not a forum for any type of political message or venting anger, sadness or frustration, despite what has happened to the country recently.
 
I would like this book to be uplifting, positive and empowering. Be creative, consider your words, construct your sentences and make this a brilliant piece of work which you can showcase to the world.
 
My Beautiful Bahrain will be a professionally published book, available not just in Bahrain but in bookshops worldwide and even online. It will be essential reading for anyone living in Bahrain, coming to Bahrain, or just interested in Bahrain!

The deadline for submission is end of October 2011.

E-mail Anthology@BahrainWritersCircle.com for further details.

Robin Barratt,
By email.

We’re a society that knows how to apply for a job. The challenge for employment seekers today is how to become proficient at finding work. It’s a much more complicated process than just applying for a job.

They’re looking in the wrong places.

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll find employment in today’s workplace by attending a job fair, looking at a newspaper, internet job sites, or sending out unsolicited CV’s to employers. The majority of employment opportunities are never advertised and employment seekers must learn how to sniff them out and how to approach employers in a strategically effective way.

They’re using the wrong tools.

Most employment seekers use a CV. They must learn how to create a variety of tools that are focused on the needs of the employer. The approach used by most employment seekers is the same as it has been for most of the 20th century – and it doesn’t work.

They’re making it hard to get hired.

If the only option you give an employer is to offer you a permanent full-time position, you’re making it hard for them to hire you. This is especially true for small businesses. Being willing to accept part-time, temporary and contract work – without reservations – is essential.

They’re ignorant about Social Media.

Managing your online presence is as important as managing your credit rating. Seventy per cent of recruiters in the US report that they have rejected candidates because of information they found out about them online. Getting hired today is as much a function of being found online as it is about applying to employers.

Their governments are failing them.

Governments are stuck in the 20th century. They keep trying to solve 21st century problems with 20th century solutions. For the past few years, they have poured billions of dollars, euros and pounds down the drain trying to stimulate the economy by propping up dying and inefficient industries, it’s just not going to work. We need to accept that and move on.

Ron McGowan,
By email.