How Assigning a Mentor Can Assist Your Career

How Assigning a Mentor Can Assist Your Career I know what I wanted and I went for it. Im not at the top yet. It is almost a year now since I landed  my first Marketing role, I have made it my own and I just want to continue to make an impact on the  industry I am operating in.  However what has become increasingly apparent to me since my stunt at Waterloo station is that  there is a growing number of graduates that do not know what they want to do when the cap lands  on graduation day. Are students well prepared for life after graduation? A huge number of graduates don’t know how to go about landing the perfect  role for them. Here I would say this is the fault of career services at universities, they give the same  advice and CV templates to those studying physiotherapy and those studying photography. They will  most likely both end up in a sales role with very little career progression. The focus seems to be more  on how many key words you can cram into your CV, rather than how much experience you can gain  while at university. Graduates seem to be in such a rush to get to the top, but so many who study a particular course at  degree level and fail to understand the career options after graduation. Now who is to blame,  students, lecturers or the curriculum? Then they look to their friends who are excelling in their  careers and they didn’t even go to university and have no debt to pay off. Questioning whether they  made the right choice they could end up settling for any role and never fulfil their potential with the  degree they worked so hard for. Can a career mentor help? My suggestion would be to seek out a mentor. Someone who can give you some guidance, support, knowledge and encouragement to help you achieve the career of your dreams. By finding a mentor who you aspire to be like, they will be in the position to give you  advice on how you can best achieve your career  goals and you will have somebody to bounce ideas off while organising and planning career moves. While working for The Asoria Group I have been heading up a campaign; Women in Business. I have  been filming interviews with females from the Digital, Property and Renewables industries, so they can  share their stories, experiences and advice to women thinking of joining the sectors and how they can  hopefully reach board room level within their desired industry. Statistics show the number of  women applying for computer science, property and construction or engineering courses has either  dropped off or levelled off. My aim is to boost the representation and population of women in these  industries as well as to ensure a degree means something again, so I have taken it upon myself to  not only be a ‘media personality’ but also a motivational speaker. What is very disheartening for many, is that there are more men called John in the FTSE 100 than  women. More and more women will begin to reach board room level and the FTSE 100, but how can  our generation better prepare ourselves for leadership roles now? Become a mentor. If you are  passionate about your industry, try and pass that passion and ambition on to those that are still in  the early stages of deciding what they want to do career wise. Inspire the next generation and it also  looks amazing on your CV ;). I am happy to give advice to those in need and the best piece of advice I can give would be to join a  start-up company in your chosen industry. The rate you can grow and things you can learn at a start-up company can set you on a path to greatness. Help a company grow and whatever success is to  you, it will be achieved. Be it a team award or a promotion, if you become a valued employee to the  company and find your niche within the market, eventually you will go onto bigger better things. Hear what Rachael Pollard Head of Digital and CRM at Just Eat Group had to say  about her experience joining a start-up and why she would recommend that graduates consider joining start ups to get the career boost and experience they need in this short video. Author:  Alfred Ajani is a  Coventry University graduate from South London, also known as ‘The CV Man’.    Marketing and PR Projects Manager at The Asoria Group, responsible for driving the Marketing and PR function of The Asoria Group. My role is to bring innovative solutions to traditional challenges within the recruitment industry. Image credit:  racorn

Resume Reference Page Template - What is a Resume Reference Page Template?

Resume Reference Page Template - What is a Resume Reference Page Template?Having a resume reference page template for your resume is an important part of your overall job search strategy. No matter what type of job you are applying for, it's important to be well organized and well prepared. Using the right resume reference page template can help you create a professional looking resume that will attract the attention of your prospective employer.No matter what type of position you are applying for, today's job search can be extremely overwhelming. This is because there are literally thousands of job openings on any given day. And it can be very difficult to know which ones are worth pursuing, as there are so many applicants vying for each job.To help with this, consider utilizing the services of a recruiter's department, as they do have experience. Remember, even if you are an expert in your field, it's still important to consider the opinions of others. When you use a recruiter's co mpany to create your resume reference page template, you are making it easier for them to present your information. It also allows them to assist you when you need a little guidance or assistance.In addition to helping to promote your resume, you can also make your resume reference page as useful and as helpful as possible. Consider using it in the same way you would use a professional's company. You'll want to create a profile of yourself and to talk about what you will bring to the table.When you include your contact information, it will be easy for your recruiter to get in touch with you. Your recruiter will most likely be in touch with you via phone, email, or snail mail. It will be important to be direct and to provide your recruiter with a good explanation of who you are, what skills you have, and what you can do for them. You may also be asked for details about your current employer.Recruiters will then be able to review your resume and make a decision on whether or not to us e it. If they do, you will probably be contacted for an interview and, in many cases, a job offer.The ability to create a resume reference page is just one of the many tools you have at your disposal to help you in your job search. Since so many people are searching for jobs, there is no doubt that you can have success in your search, but you need to know how to do it.So, be sure to take advantage of the resources available to you today to help you make the best job search you can. With the right tools, you can find the job of your dreams and meet your goals in the process.

Calling and Vocation A Book Review - VocationVillage

Calling and Vocation A Book Review - VocationVillage Make Your Job a Calling: How the Psychology of Vocation Can Change Your Life at Work by Bryan J. Dik, Ph.D. and Ryan D. Duffy, Ph.D. is is a book about exploring, discovering, and creating a sense of calling at work. By calling, Drs. Dik and Duffy mean a summons by God and/or a universal spirit, a need of society, destiny, fate, or family legacy. Distinguished from simply having a job or career in the absence of a calling, a calling has a greater sense of purpose or meaningfulness and holds other-oriented values and goals as primary sources of motivation. (In other words, it would be difficult or impossible to have a calling that didnt involve service in some way). Why study this? Because research consistently finds that people with a calling… Are more confident that they can make good decisions about their careers. Are more committed to their jobs and organizations. Are more intrinsically motivated and engaged. Are more satisfied with their jobs. Are happier and more satisfied with life, overall. Can cope more effectively with challenges. Are less likely to suffer from stress and depression. Express a stronger sense of meaning and purpose in their lives.The book gives some historical context for the idea of calling before outlining research-backed steps for how to discern your calling:Understand how you are unique. Psychologists point to four characteristics that are relevant to work: interests, personality, abilities, and values.Understand the opportunities in the working world. Especially helpful is to use data indicating what type of people are happy and productive in specific occupations.Use true reasoning, often with the help of a caree r counselor, to appraise both objectively and subjectively how well opportunities fit your unique self.While the process of discerning a calling looks similar to choosing a career, the differences are the level of felt commitment and the willingness to persist past obstacles and tolerate day-to-day frustrations in the service of something meaningful.Drs. Dik and Duffy assert that a sense of calling has little to do with a persons actual job, and everything to do with how a person approaches that job. They give examples of people working in jobs (flagger in traffic, janitor in a hospital) that many people would consider lacking in meaning and explain how some people in those occupations still feel called.Some jobs are easier to experience as meaningful, though, compared to others. Research shows that jobs perceived as meaningful tend to include a high level of autonomy; ability to use a variety of skills; and an opportunity to see clearly how your efforts contribute to a visible, tan gible outcome.To craft a current job into a calling, Drs. Dik and Duffy say that you should: Outline your current job tasks. Identify your gifts (interests, abilities, personality, and work-related values). Integrate your tasks and gifts.Resources to help people craft their current job into a calling are at JobCrafting.org.Drs. Dik and Duffy note that you can develop a calling outside of paid work (many people view parenthood as a calling, for instance). They also want readers to know that there are perils and pitfalls in pursuing a calling: neglecting life pursuits other than the calling; workaholism; exploitation by employers who use an employees strong sense of obligation to manipulate him/her; or rationalizing a calling as an excuse to do harm against others.The final chapter of the book, in which Drs. Dik and Duffy answer the most frequently asked questions about callings, is my favorite chapter. It is in this chapter that they sound less like academics and more like psychologists who have spent time in the trenches helping real life clients with practical work concerns. They respond to concerns about paying the bills if you pursue an artistic concern, how parents can help childre n foster a sense of calling, how to choose a career counselor, how employers can assist employees to experience purpose and mission, and more.Make Your Job a Calling: How the Psychology of Vocation Can Change Your Life at Work is a well-researched, thorough book on calling. If this subject interests you, it is well worth the time to read it.For information and resources on making your job a calling, visit the companion website to the book: MakeYourJobACalling.com.

George Anders The Value In Hiring Liberal Arts Majors - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

George Anders The Value In Hiring Liberal Arts Majors - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career George Anders I spoke to George Anders, who is the author of  You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a Useless Liberal Arts Education, about why companies havent been hiring liberal arts majors, what the future holds for these majors, how they can compete with other majors, the qualities that they have that make them valuable and his best career advice. Anders writing exploring issues related to careers, education and innovation. He is the author of five books, including Merchants of Debt, Health Against Wealth, the New York Times bestseller Perfect Enough, and The Rare Find. Earlier in his career, George served as a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company magazine and Bloomberg View. In 1997, he shared in a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. Dan Schawbel: My firm conducted two U.S. studies of employers and found that only 2% were open to hiring liberal arts majors. What are your thoughts on this discovery? George Anders: Campus hiring is like the proverbial elephant â€" we all behold something different, depending on what part of it we touch. Your surveys did a great job of capturing the hiring preferences of HR managers that come to campus with targeted job needs. If Ernst Young sets up a booth at a campus job fair, it’s probably looking for accounting or finance majors, not philosophy students. But such targeted hiring programs may account for as little as 10% of college graduates’ first jobs. Most college graduates make their own luck. They network. They email, Skype and cold-call. They make good use of allies â€" such as profs, recent alumni, family ties, church and summer-job connections, etc. â€" who can help open doors that bypass formal HR channels. Liberal arts graduates are good at this. There’s an entire chapter in my book called “My Job Didn’t Exist a Year Ago,” that chronicles the ways international relations majors, psych majors, etc. create such opportunities for themselves. Schawbel:  Some liberal arts schools are going out of business and America is propping up the need for coding skills, yet Google and other companies want to hire liberal arts majors. What does the future hold for a liberal arts education? Anders: Dave Elkington, the founder and CEO of Utah’s InsideSales, says “I love hiring liberal-arts graduates,” especially for new projects, where the winning strategy isn’t clear yet, and it’s going to take some improvisation and regrouping to get it right. “They aren’t stuck in a rut,” he adds. “They can challenge ideas.” That willingness to try fresh approaches will be especially valuable as software, robots and workplace automation reduce the number of jobs that involve predictable, repetitive work. It’s interesting to note that when Amazon built its Alexa voice-enabled assistant, engineering majors did the coding, but the team that fine-tunes Alexa’s personality is led by an anthropology major. Schawbel: Do you have any evidence in your book that liberal arts majors surpass computer science or engineering majors? Where do we draw the line here? Anders: An engineering or computer-science degree is a ticket to a good earnings curve! For people whose tastes align well with STEM fields, there’s no reason to look anywhere else. But it’s a big world, and there are lots of opportunities that are uniquely well-suited for liberal arts majors. Who gets elected to Congress, or wins a seat on the Supreme Court? Mostly people who majored in history, political science, etc. Who runs the largest U.S. foundations? Liberal-arts graduates predominate there, too. Schawbel: What type of qualities do liberal arts majors have that make them more employable? Anders: Great question, and I invested some time in getting a well-documented, fresh answer. In Chapter 2 of my book, I took note of more than 5,000 job ads that pay more than $100,000 and explicitly ask for “critical thinking.” (That rather malleable phrase is the two-word nub of liberal arts values). These are ads from the likes of Allstate, Apple, American Airlines, etc. Analyzing these job ads in detail, I found that what employers really want comes down to these five key elements: A willingness to explore new areas Excellent analytic skills, especially in murky areas where simple routines don’t suffice. First-rate problem solving; finding the right answer when it’s not obvious High emotional intelligence; being able to read the room Persuasive communication skills, with speaking/listening probably rating even higher than writing. Looking at this list in totality, engineering and business programs do a great job of developing the second and third skills as well. The liberal-arts disciplines don’t have a lock on all aspects of critical thinking. But for Nos. 1, 4 and 5, the liberal-arts approach is uniquely well-honed for success. Schawbel: What are your top three pieces of career advice? Anders: Build up your self-confidence. Job candidates who project what one employer calls “comfortable charisma” tend to do really well. A lot of that can be learned, or at least burnished. I ache to see strong candidates whose momentary bashfulness hurts their chances. I offer a series of action-item tips in Chapter 12, “Telling Your Story.” Welcome the unfamiliar. The most promising roads are not yet paved. Yes, it’s harder to do something that hasn’t been done before. But if you get good at taking on what’s new, you’ve got a valuable and highly transferable skill. Accept some zigzags along the way. Sometimes, we’re too cautious for our own good. It’s a lot easier, in one’s 20s, to try a new city, switch fields, etc. The greatest advantage of a college education may reside in the greater mobility that it offers, rather than an often-frustrating hunt for lifelong stability.

Writing a Resume For a Daycare

Writing a Resume For a Daycare'What's the best way to write a resume for a daycare?' 'How can I make my daycare experience stand out?' 'What should I write about in my daycare resume?'Careers in the care industry provide a variety of career opportunities. At times you may have a desire to work at home, which is a lucrative niche of the industry. Other options may be to work with kids in an educational setting, or with elderly people in a home care environment. There are many other possibilities as well.You may also want to know more about these daycare careers because you may be planning on entering the industry as soon as possible. There are many benefits to entering the industry before you have a job lined up. You can use your resume to let potential employers know about your interest in that field. You can also use your resume to get a foot in the door to work in that field.There are many ways to market yourself in your own daycare and even in any career in general. One of the mos t important tools you will need is a resume. There are many tips for writing a resume for a daycare, you may want to look into.First, there are two sections you should include on your resume for a daycare. First, it should include your duties for the daycare, whether you worked as a manager, a director, or in a leadership role. Second, you should list your strengths, such as management experience, communication skills, or academic background.Although most job postings require resumes, this is not always the case for the jobs you may be seeking. Employers may be very selective in the types of jobs they are hiring for. This means that you may have to rewrite your resume to meet the specific requirements. You may be required to do this if you have been hired to work in a field that is not listed on your resume. Keep this in mind if you find it difficult to fill out the application form and to fill in the gaps that may exist.Next, you should think about what kind of experience you have had working in the care industry. Perhaps you will be able to provide proof of an academic background or some sort of evidence of work experience. Keep in mind that the more relevant your experience is, the better. Make sure that you add all relevant experience such as volunteering, classroom training, and even professional associations.These are just a few tips for writing a resume for a daycare. Use them to write a resume that can turn heads when employers are reviewing applications.

Sometimes a Job Seeker Just Needs Someone to Listen

Sometimes a Job Seeker Just Needs Someone to Listen Yesterday I found myself in a tough situation that I have never been in before. I made the decision to handle the situation a certain way and then I talked to two friends about it. One of my friends was full of advice; giving me ideas on what I should do next and what I had already done that I shouldnt have. The other friend just listened. Unconditionally. And although she didnt say as much as the first friend, she was really more helpful.I think that job search presents a similar dynamic. There is a lot of advice out there and well-meaning friends and colleagues want to share their point of view in an effort to help you. And that is all well and good, but job search isnt solely about strategy and processes. It is also an emotional experience. One filled with doubt, fear, and second-guessing. Sometimes you just need a cheerleader or a good listener; someone who can draw out how you feel and offer support.Here are some of the things friend #2 said to me yesterday that helped me work t hrough my emotions.How do you feel about your decision?Is there anything you would have done differently if you had the conversation again?What do you think needs to happen next?It sounds like it was a decision you had to make.Im proud of you.Can I help you in any way?Im available whenever you want to talk.Who is in your network that can be your rock as you navigate your job search? Keep them close to you because their support and words of encouragement are priceless.

A Career Do-Over

A Career Do-Over Peter Weddles Newsletter on a Career Do-Over is worth reading, though I will summarize his four key points, or what he calls the four  genuine advantages in my words, not his: You are smarter today than you have ever been You have learned from your mistakes The slate is clean, you can be and do anything You can create a new mountain to climb and conquer What Weddle is pointing out is that unwanted change can result in positive outcomes.   We just need to put a positive spin on our situation. Sure life is unfair.   Sure being let go is embarrassing and humiliating.   Sure, being out of work right now is bad timing.   What can you do about your situation?   Placing blame, being angry, even getting depressed are all expected ranges of emotions.   But if you turn this into an opportunity, it will provide a glimmer of hope. Put on your creative, out of the box thinking hat.   If you could do anything, using your previous experiences, what would that be? Dont think in terms of the traditional 40 hr week, salaried job.   Think like an independent contractor.   If you had a house painting business right now, what would you do to promote it and get new clients?   How would you sell your painting services?   You would definately have to understand the thinking of homeowners and businesses.   What are their concerns or as someone once said:   what is their pain?   Provide a solution!!!!! You want the stability and security of the traditional job, but for right now, that might be a little harder to land.   Consider the doors that might open if you get your foot in the door? This non-traditional outlook requires more work and research, however, it is incredibly rewarding when it works. You become in control, rather than a victim.   Will you face rejection?   Yes, more than 50% of the time.   But isnt that true with submitting resumes too? If you havent read Dr. Seusss, Oh, The Places Youll Go   you may want to.   It is inspiring, hopeful, honest and funny, all in one.   We need a little of that.