Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom The Self-Employment Surge and How Professionals Can Best Prepare

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom The Self-Employment Surge and How Professionals Can Best Prepare One in two American workers are projected to be self-employed by 2020, according to MBO Partners. While the shifting economy has surely pushed some people into independent work, many have chosen it. Career goals for contemporary professionals are changing and given how quickly this trend is taking hold in the United States, today’s employees who aspire to be tomorrow’s contract workers need to prepare now to navigate this changing landscape. To help professionals effectively transition to contract work, the Career Advisory Board, established by DeVry University, worked with MBO Partners, Inc., a provider of back office services for self-employed professionals, to conduct a new study, The Future of Work: Preparing for Independence, which examined the attributes and skills of those who are gainfully self-employed to help aspiring contractors get and stay ahead in this ever-changing work environment. According to the study, professionals are choosing self-employment in order to control the type of work assignments they pursue (67 percent), to have a greater sense of flexibility and work-life balance (64 percent), and to follow a passion (59 percent). “While they are young, millennials should be proactive in taking advantage of intrapreneurship and training opportunities, as well as acquiring transferable skills like project management, budgeting, sales, and marketing, in an established organization,” I said in my function as Career Advisory Board member. “This will be the foundation of a viable contract career in the future.” Based on the research findings, we at the Career Advisory Board recommend the following strategies to help professionals excel in independent employment: Take off the blinders: Being your own boss may sound enticing, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. Survey respondents said that in addition to having solid expertise in a particular field, successful contract workers must be self-starters who have the ability to cope with uncertainty, including an unpredictable income stream. Many contactors work remotely, have multiple clients to report to, and have to juggle multiple projects at once. Assess your strengths and weakness before jumping into contract work, make sure you have an organized action plan to help you start off on the right foot, and always keep an open mind and be able to adapt quickly. In-person networking still trumps social media: The survey pool reported that while social media is important for contractors’ branding and reputation, it often does not generate income. In fact, just 6 percent said social media outreach led to paid project work. Therefore, create strong profiles on sites like LinkedIn and Google+, but refrain from spending too much time on these networks and make sure you still build in face time. Seek in-person meetings, attend events and workshops, and be visible to your future clients beyond your social media accounts. Start small and look local: Although technological advances allow many self-employed professionals to offer their services globally, the majority of the respondents still obtain most of their work assignments from within their immediate metropolitan area. While it’s a good long-term goal to think about how you might leverage a larger and more diverse pool of potential clients, aspiring contractors should first embark on being visible in their local communities. It is also a good rule of thumb to start small with only one or two clients until you master the craft of contract work. “As independence is becoming more desired in today’s economy, professionals need to stand out by building strong networks in their communities and being visible to local employers that use contract work,” says Gene Zaino, president and CEO, MBO Partners. “Use your time wisely â€" stay focused on your core, billable expertise and find ways to outsource other non-essential functions.” For additional career advice and to view The Future of Work: Preparing for Independence executive summary, visit: www.careeradvisoryboard.org. Summer is a time when job dissatisfaction tends to run rampant. The sun is shining, the beach is beckoning, and the last thing you want to do is toil away at a job that doesn’t inspire you. When it comes to the topic of finding one’s passion, Curt Rosengren is the man with the plan. He’s been blogging on this issue longer than anyone else I know, and here’s what he had to say most recently on Wild About Work: “Far too often when people’scareers start to get a little stale, theydo one of two things. They either go into ‘grit your teeth and suck it up’ mode (after all,work IS a four-letter word, right?), or they do a swan dive out of the frying pan into the fire by making a knee-jerk job change, hoping they can leave that boredom and frustration behind.” You probably realize by now that I do not advocate the swan dive approach, so I asked Curt for some recommendations for how you can re-energize your work without making any drastic and risky moves. Take the cumulative view Understand that the goal isn’t to make one broadly sweeping change that will make everything better.The goal is to juice up your job cumulatively, benefiting from the sum totaleffect of a lot of smaller changes. Do an energy audit Take a look at your job and say: “What gives me energy here? What do I enjoy?” and “What drains my energy here? What do I dislike?” The more detailed your understanding of what’s actually happening, the more potential you have to make choices and changes that will energize your work. Identify your energizers What are the underlying themes that tend to be present when you’re happiest at work? Put another way, why do you love what you love? When you feel most in your groove, what is it about what you’re doing that feels so energizing? Consider some incremental changes Is there anything that energizes you that you could do more of? Is there anything that drains you that you could do less of? You’re not going to turn a toad into a unicorn, but if you can even improve things by 10 percent, that’s a good start. - See more at: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2014/06/23/9-ways-to-start-liking-your-job-this-summer/#sthash.teS9w4F4.dpuf

Languages of Appreciation Acts of Service

Languages of Appreciation Acts of Service Saying “Thanks for doing a great job” is easy; sometimes it’s too easy.   For some workers, demonstrating that you care is about pitching in to help.   You can usually spot these people, because they’ll frequently be found pitching in to help others. Gary Chapman and Paul White are the authors of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.   Their book discusses why appreciation is one of the most important elements of employee motivation and satisfaction.   That sounds elementary, and perhaps it is.   Everyone, after all, wants workers to feel appreciated. The art is in figuring out how to make an individual feel it; the same kind of appreciation can have very different effects on different people. Over the next few posts, we’ll discuss the five “languages” of appreciation that Chapman and White examine.   They’re based on the Five Love Languages that Dr. Chapman developed as a marriage counseling tool.   The five languages are:  Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.   In the workplace, Dr. Chapman and Mr. White take these concepts and apply them to office relationships. When acts of service are the language of appreciation that you value, you show others how much you care by doing things.   I understand this language well; it’s the language I use in my personal and professional relationships.   When I borrow my husband’s car for the day, I fill it up with gas and get it washed.     When I see a staff member struggling with a task, I pitch in.   I usually don’t just offer to pitch in â€" I grab a pile of paper and start sorting. (It’s not called acts of lip service, after all.) It’s not always easy to perform acts of service, especially if you’re the boss.   Many workers will not accept your help.   Maybe they think you’re incompetent (it could happen) but more likely, they feel funny about having you do something nice for them or do their work â€" it seems to upset the natural order of things.   I experienced this firsthand a few years ago.   I had hired a new assistant who was expected to start on Monday.   On Friday, I started to clean the desk she’d be using and stock it with supplies.   No fewer than three staff members stopped me â€" they literally took the dust cloth out of my hands and finished the job for me.   It took me a while to figure out why I felt so strange about the incident.   Now I recognize that I was cheated out of my preferred way to show the new assistant how grateful I was for her help â€" by performing an act of service. You don’t always need to pitch in and help with a task ; you can perform acts of service in other ways.   Bring in food or coffee for a team that is working late; offer to help reach an item on a high shelf for a short teammate.   But there are some rules that Chapman and White suggest you follow to be effective at acts of service. First, make sure your own work is under control before offering to help others.   If you miss a deadline, your boss won’t care if you helped the whole team.   You’re responsible for your own work first and foremost.   The authors suggest that you do ask first before pitching in â€" and that you ask how the person wants the work done.   If you do it wrong (or not to their standards) you may cause more harm than good â€" they won’t be happy if they have to work late to repair all your “help.”   And for goodness sake, always finish what you start.   The only thing worse than not being willing to pitch in is to take an assignment and then not do it.   You can cause more stress, ruin relationships and damage your own reputation.    If acts of service are not your strong suit, look for another language to express your appreciation.

How to Upgrade Your Resume, Part 5 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Upgrade Your Resume, Part 5 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Would you like a resume that helps you advance your career by appealing to recruiters and hiring managers?  As an executive career coach who sees hundreds and writes many resumes each month, I can tell you that less than 90% of the resumes out there are ineffective. Could yours be part of the 90%? In this series of  posts, I want to help ensure you to have a top 10% resume that is optimized for HUMAN readers. In Part 1, we reviewed the importance of your resume passing the  â€œ15-Second Skim Test”  and examined ideas to help you avoid being instantly rejected by recruiters and others. In Part 2, we began the process of walking through the typical professional or executive resume from top to bottom and discussed  the first page header and (optional) objective. In Part 3, we discussed various information groupings that people locate in advance of their work history, such as those labeled Summary, Objective, Profile, or Qualifications. In Part 4, we considered improvements for your reverse chronological work history. In this, Part 5, let’s look at the section that concludes most professional and executive resumes… the one that identifies your educational accomplishments (and possibly some additional related information). The Education Section of Your Resume Lets start by considering  where the education section should be located within your resume. If you have a college degree and little or no paid work experience, it is customary to place your educational information near the beginning of your resume because your education is your most notable qualification. For most others, though, this section will be found following the work history because the work history accomplishments tend to be more important than your academics. Within the education section, start with your most recent higher education degree and work backwards to your oldest one. Omit your high school education unless you have no higher education degree. There are many ways to organize each entry. Here is a suggestion: M.B.A. (Finance)            Bob’s University           Podunk, Arkansas         2006 Possible Additions to Your Resume’s Education Section After listing your higher education degrees, you may want to consider including additional formal or informal education you have completed… especially if it is related to the types of jobs you desire. Here are two examples of such entries, the first being a formal higher education program and the second being a corporate in-house training program: Executive Leadership Seminar (1 week)         Emory University         Atlanta, GA         2009 IBM Leadership Program (4 weeks)         IBM Learning Center         Westchester, NY         2011 Additional education-related information such as licenses and certifications can be added when reasonable, either in this section or within another section that is appropriately titled: C.P.A. License (active)         State of Georgia         2002 Present Series 6 Securities License (active)         FINRA         2005 Present CMC â€" Certified Management Consultant         Institute of Mgmt. Consultants         2008 Present If you have read this and the previous four installments of this series and applied my suggestions, you should have a resume that is markedly better than your competitor’s. But, before you stop, here are a few final considerations: Run a spell checker and verify there are no misspellings. One notable misspelled word can hurt you! Read your entire resume from top to bottom, very slowly, looking for grammatical errors or incorrect use of words that are spelled correctly. Examine the formatting consistency of your overall documents… page margins, indentations, line spacing, font sizes, capitalization, bolding, underlining, italics, bullets, etc. Readers spot these errors and they are detraction. Lastly, stand back from the page and look at the overall esthetics. Is the smallest font large enough to be easily read? Does the page look well organized? Is there enough white space to make it look inviting rather dense and intimidating? Are YOU happy with the way it looks? At this point, your resume should be of higher quality than 90% of your job competitors. Readers will appreciate the finished product you provide them  and you will have a higher chance of gaining their attention. For additional tips, check out Chapter 6 in my job search book Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!).

Science of Attraction How to Source and Retain Top Talent in STEM

Science of Attraction How to Source and Retain Top Talent in STEM It’s no secret that the UK is falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to encouraging students to not only study but to pursue a career within some STEM subjects. The skills shortages within the life science and chemistry-specific related roles in the UK cannot be ignored; we must work towards maintaining a world-leading position for medicinal and vaccine research and development, as well as in other areas such as food and clothing technology, biomedical science, microbiology, pharmacology, and forensic science. In this article, Radleys identifies what companies and universities can be doing to not only attract top talent and encourage people to pursue a career within science but how to retain employees, too. The 2018 What do graduates do? report from graduate careers experts Prospects found that only 16.6% of chemistry graduates left university to be hired in science roles, with 19.9% entering the job market in unrelated sectors. Along with the current skills shortage within science roles, a recent report has also identified Brexit as a critical threat to job growth in the UK within this industry. One of its disruptive effects is a reduction in the number of scientists and engineers from mainland Europe looking to further their careers in the UK. Jodie Murray, a recruitment consultant from STEM Graduates believes that graduates should be advised better on the different types of careers available to graduates. She said: ‘Universities should be inviting companies for guest lectures to speak to candidates about what they do, how a science degree is useful in their company and specific roles which are available. I don’t believe there is necessarily a skills shortage, but more a case of graduates not being aware of all the careers options available and what roles they are qualified to pursue and enhancing their awareness will make a real difference’. The demand for staff in specific roles has also resulted in an increase in recruitment rates. Darren Orr, Director of STEM Recruitment Solutions believes marrying up the actual requirements of what the science industry expects from new graduates, and the training and experience that they receive at University is a huge issue affecting skills shortages in the industry. He believes another issue contributing to the number of vacant roles is the reluctance of employers wanting to hire graduates. He said: ‘There are concerns about social maturity in young people which ultimately is a result of mistrust this is a stigma that needs to be broken. Investment in new graduates and staff training has been at an all-time low.   There is no contingency market and clients have opted to pay more or wait indefinitely for the right candidate.   The business strategy for changing this is to fast-track staff and develop more time for planning and executing staff training.’ Addressing skills shortages in the industry The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) worked with over 30 companies to identify the areas of significant concern. From Genomics to Clinical pharmacology, identifying these gaps is just the first step. Employers within the industry must work towards promoting career diversity as well as the specific roles which are available. Marketing an attractive career to attract top talent is no different to marketing a new health product or TV series; you need to work at it and target the right people for the best outcomes and results. What are the areas of most significant concern? Bioinformatics and Chemoinformatics â€" the science of using software tools to understand biological and chemical data to help develop new treatments. Clinical pharmacology â€" experts working at the cutting edge of real-world data and clinical trials to help maximize the positive effects of a medicine and minimize the unwanted side effects. Genomics â€" sequencing, and analysis of the human genome to understand how to develop new treatments for diseases. Immunology â€" the study of disease caused by disorders of the immune system, vital for the protection of infectious diseases Promoting career diversity and the roles available Theres a lot more to a career in science than stereotypes suggest, and this is a message that needs to be pushed out by employers throughout the industry, as well as by allied organizations such as the British Science Association. It is important to encourage potential employees to discover the different roles the industry has to offer as well as the many sectors these roles exist in; from an analytical chemist to a pharmacologist or even a forensic scientist role, there are many different career options available, with plenty of them offering progression. What’s more, having something â€" or someone â€" to aspire to is often all thats needed to inspire change and initiate action. Employers need to spend more time ensuring positive messages are sent out and get better at celebrating and drawing attention to the achievements of scientists and the exciting things they are doing within the industry. Take advantage of the digital world social media channels and blogs are a great way to provide coverage and creates awareness about the work of existing scientists and the kind of opportunities that are on offer. Attracting a new workforce It is essential that the industry as a whole work towards inspiring more young people to pursue a STEM career. New workforces are emerging enter Gen Z and they work in different ways to the current and previous generations. It’s clear that this demographic has very specific career expectations; we hear that they crave job security and thrive in environments where they can innovate and express their individuality making a career in science the perfect solution, right? They are seeking meaningful jobs which will offer opportunities for advancement alongside the opportunity to learn new skills. For the industry to attract and retain the best talent, it’s essential that universities, businesses, and government work harder in placing graduates into science jobs, and quicker. Schools and academies can be helping too. Teaching children about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at an early age helps them to grasp fundamental concepts about the natural world, laying the groundwork and possibility for deeper learning. STEM learning doesn’t have to be limited to the classroom â€" parents can support and aid early learning too. Adopting software solutions to enhance productivity and employee wellbeing Gen Z is the first generation to have truly grown up with technology, so being able to use it to enhance their job prospects and develop their careers would be second nature to them. Employers can use this to their advantage, as adopting and implementing cloud-based solutions and other forms of technology will enhance productivity and encourage employee well-being. Implementing integrated software solutions will not just benefit the younger workforce you might be considering to attract; it has unrivalled benefits for your current workforce, too. Administrative work hinders employee’s ability to focus their attention on their core tasks, but certain software solution systems have the ability to strip out old paper-based processes. What’s more, organizations are becoming increasingly more collaborative and teams spend more and more time delivering projects collectively, which means an internal communications system is a must. Having a beneficial infrastructure in place to support collaborative work is a benefit for the entire group. Internal communication platforms give employees the ability to see updates, track timelines, share information and easily connect from apps or from computer desktops. Considering the benefits of adopting software solutions and keeping up with technology will not only make pursuing a career in science an appealing option to the current emerging workforce but will increase efficiency and enhance productivity throughout the lab and other areas of the business. Understand recognition is the key to retention It is clear that employers are struggling to find, recruit and retain suitable people within specific roles within science. Recognition is the key to retaining staff â€" by recognizing and rewarding hard work, your workers will feel valued. Feeling valued, recognized and respected is within some of the top reasons for employers staying at their current place of work, so is definitely an aspect to take advantage of. As well as feeling recognized and valued, career growth, learning, and development is an important factor amongst talented employees â€" so promoting this within a career is advantageous. By ensuring employees have the correct tools at their fingertips, they will be able to learn by themselves and identify areas where they can develop and improve. Setting targets and using technology that shows how workers are performing in real-time will help drive job satisfaction and wellbeing levels. About the author: Inez Cornell joined Radleys as the Marketing Manager, previously working in Marketing and Product Management roles for Global Agrochemical companies, covering the UK and Europe. She has recently completed a Degree in Professional Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

Work Hard Play Hard-Finding The Right Career For You - CareerMetis.com

Work Hard Play Hard-Finding The Right Career For You Photo Credit â€" flickr.comLife seems to revolve around work. That’s not necessarily a bad thing unless you’re stuck in a role that you really don’t care for.Taking pride in your work and caring for your job comes naturally when you actually enjoy the role you are in. You’re going to enjoy the role if it keys into your interests and passions from your personal life. If you’re not happy with your current role, you need to assess why, see if you can change the reason and if not, find a job that is going to do right by you.Work shouldn’t be something you have to retreat from and although it can occasionally be stressful, you should not need to hide away from the 9-5. If you are finding that you are, you’re not in the right role.evalSo where do you start with finding the right career path for you? Well, you need to know yourself. If you don’t know yourself very well, you might have an issue here…You need to tap into your interests.Do you like art? You might find purpose in becoming a designer.If you enjoy writing, you could write the great American novel or write copy for advertising agencies.Research where you interests can get you and you might be surprised at what opportunities are lying in wait for you. Failing all of that, you might want to start a blog about your interests and attract the attention of commercial partners who will pay for your writing.Driving might be a passion of yours, and if so â€" you’re in luck. It’s never been a better time to be a driver and there are countless companies waiting to take you on.Companies like Deliveroo and Uber will ask for your skills in return for pay and you can work to your own schedule. Commercial driving might be more of a career though, and could see you driving the long haul. You’ll probably need a Commercial Driving License, or CDL, before you begin.evalIf you need to know more about driving for commercial purposes or the CDL, you can find out about the topic here.Even after taking all th ese steps, you still might find yourself in a dead end. If that is is the case, it might be time to seriously ramp up your career prospects. Choosing to study a new degree, or even building on a degree you already possess might very well open up the world to you.There’s nothing wrong with extra study and the more proven and qualified knowledge you possess, the better. Of course, you might have to fit your studies around work, but if you want a change â€" there’s probably no better option.A career should be for life, but that might not be true anymore. If you’re not happy, find what works for you â€" because you may very well be working there for a long time

6 Ways to Help You Get Your Business Off the Ground - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

6 Ways to Help You Get Your Business Off the Ground There can be a lot of risks when it comes to starting a new business. You have the uncertainty of if it will succeed or not, and if your business plan is substantial enough to persevere. With all of the risks though comes the reward of succeeding in the business world. If you want your new business to prosper, it will take time, a lot of hard work, and dedication. To help you out, here are six tips to implement to get your business off the ground. Look at Short-Term Business Loans Sometimes, all a new business needs is a few extra pounds to help get the doors open. That is when a short-term business loan can come in handy. These business loans provide you with the additional funds  to help you make immediate payments. Short-term business loans tend to be a relatively simplified process, as compared to a long-term loan. Many are unsecured, meaning you do not need assets or property as security. The quick application allows you to begin your loan process immediately, and set it up in a way that is flexible and affordable. Get Excited One of the best ways to keep yourself  motivated and to reach your goals is to be excited about what you’re doing. The same can go for starting up your business. If you are excited and passionate about your business plan, you’re more likely to continue pushing forward to make your business dream come true. Don’t Slow Down When you have your momentum, don’t slow down. Moving at a quick but realistic pace will help you stay focused on what matters the most the key aspects needed to open the doors to your business. Prioritize Prioritizing also comes in handy with your momentum. Make a list of the parts you need to do as quickly as possible, and that must be done before you turn on the open sign. If there are parts you can do when your business is already off the ground, try not to put most of your focus on them first. Prioritizing will help you not just get your business going, but it will also help it stay successful over the years. Learn to prioritize  according to what absolutely needs to get done right now, what can wait until later in the day, and what you can come back to in a week or so. Set Up a Marketing Plan At the start, marketing will be your best friend. A strong marketing plan  will help get the word out of your new business to your target audience. Without one, you’re relying on word of mouth, which at the start, can be very difficult. Listen and Research Your Industry When you first open your business, it’s crucial that you do some research in your industry. See what customers are enjoying and what they can do without. Then, you can make any adjustments needed to keep up with your competitors. Otherwise, you’ll be left behind very quickly if you don’t keep up with the times. Try adding in the above tips to help you start your business off on the right foot. It won’t always be easy, but it will be rewarding in the end.

How to Write the About Part of a Resume

How to Write the About Part of a ResumeAre you wondering how to write the about part of a resume? This is one of the most vital parts of your resume and it requires attention. Your about part is there to give your readers the impression that you are someone who has something valuable to offer them. It also has to be something that will impress the hiring manager who is reviewing your resume.Writing the about part of a resume can be very easy if you know what to include. First, think about what you really want to tell your readers. Don't try to write as though you're some kind of sales person. You don't have to sell yourself to the hiring manager. What you can do is take a personality test and find out which kind of person you are.If you're a writer who just wants to write the resume for someone else and not make money on it, you're probably a sales person. Write your about part as such - 'For more information, please contact ...' Whatever you find it easier to say when you're talking to the hiring manager. Tell him what kind of questions you'd like him to ask and how many times you're available for the interview. Be honest about this.Writing the about part of a resume for someone else may seem like an easy thing to do. You're not going to get much feedback from the hiring manager who is reviewing your resume anyway. The hiring manager doesn't need any more information than that.However, it's a good idea to write your about part in such a way that it sounds like it was written by you. Make it so that it sounds like you. Also, make sure that it contains enough information so that the hiring manager knows that he or she should be interested in contacting you.Writers who know how to write the about part of a resume are usually writing for others. They understand that no one is going to hire you unless you have something valuable to offer. Your resume should be good enough that the hiring manager will find you worthwhile.Just like the rest of your resume, the about part should be easy to read. Give your reader enough information so that they can get a sense of who you are. Don't make the about part longer than it needs to be so that it gets boring.Remember that your resume has a purpose. You are trying to get a job. When you use a certain style of writing for your about part, you are also choosing to communicate that you are not someone who can provide an extensive amount of information without you doing some work. Don't be afraid to use different styles of writing when it comes to the about part of your resume.