Saturday, May 30, 2020

How Can I Make A Move When I Dont Have The Cash

“How Can I Make A Move When I Dont Have The Cash” Help from our Community “How Can I Make A Move When I Dont Have The Cash?” * Hannah's almost ready to make her move into her dream career. The one thing standing in her way? Money. When you're anxiousto shift but you don't have the cash, what are your options? What's your career history and current job? I work in B2B marketing in banking. I'm a self-employed marketing manager, working on a contract basis through my own limited company. I generally work in the client's offices, alongside the existing team. Sometimes I'm managing a project, sometimes I'm talking to creative agencies about concepts, developing strategy, working on messaging, developing adverts, that sort of thing. I moved around a bit at the beginning of my career, with stints in HR and sales support in recruitment, before finding my way into the financial sector. I'm currently taking maternity leave after the birth of my son, so I do have a little bit of breathing space, but I'll need to start looking for a job soon. How do you feel about your work? I have mixed feelings about it. I like aspects of the job: the creativity, for example, and the ability to run a project from start to finish. Parts of the job can be really interesting. However, the culture of banking has made the job very difficult to do. I don't fit the ethos, and struggle to play the corporate game that is required to progress through the ranks. The corporate 'message' seems hollow and I just can't get behind it, so I don't really fit in. I also find the extremely hierarchical structure of banking very frustrating. If my boss already has a vision, I have to follow it, even if it's misguided. In addition, I now have a young baby. As a contractor I'm in no position to ask for any special favours, such as working from home. That's a hard perk to find in my line of work, and would only happen with a very understanding boss. I'm dreading going back and missing all my son's special moments. What would you like to be doing instead? I want to develop properties. It's the same dream job I've had since I was a teenager. I'd love to build a portfolio of properties, developing each one to its best potential. I know I'd enjoy the creative process and also running a project that I'm solely responsible for. I'd get to actually see the fruits of my labour, and benefit financially from them. Ideally, I'd start with an existing house, 'do it up', sell it and move on to the next, working up the ladder to get to the point where I have a few properties on the go at once. I'd then start looking at keeping some houses for rental revenue, and possibly moving into international markets (there are a few I'm already very familiar with). I'd be able to choose my own hours and plan my work flexibly around my son. Plus, I wouldn't be chained to commuting to central London anymore. I've already worked on one project where I helped increase the value of the property by £45k, while spending just £10k. I loved the whole process, from evaluating the market, to targeting a particular buyer, managing the work and then the final sale. What's the biggest obstacle you're facing? I just don't have the capital to get started. I understand that in order to make this business pay, I really need to invest my own money. But I don't have a deposit that could secure me a mortgage and I don't have family that can afford to lend me money. As the property market continues to move further and further out of my reach, it feels like I'll have to work for years and years (in a job that just doesn't fit me anymore), before I can save enough to buy even one small property. Without a substantial sum to actually start the process, I'm scared that my dream will stay a dream. I know that I'd love the work, and I'm so ready to get started. I just can't make my finances stack up. What do you do when your missing link is money? Can you help Hannah? Have you been in a similar situation, or are you in the same boat right now? How could Hannah make her shift, given her lack of capital? Do you know anyone she could talk to? Share your thoughts in the comments below and click the thumbs-up button to show your support. Give Hannah a cheer of encouragement by hitting the thumbs-up button here:

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

What to do when you Fancy a Change of Career

What to do when you Fancy a Change of Career What to do when you Fancy a Change of Career Changing careers is a scary thing, but if you are desperate to leave your current job and itching to try something new â€" a change of career can be just what you need! The world of work is an ever evolving thing and more people than ever are switching careers three or maybe four times or more in their lifetime. In fact, according to a Harris survey for the University of Phoenix in Arizona, nearly 80 percent of workers in their 20s said they wanted to change careers, followed by 64 percent of 30-somethings and 54 percent in their 40s. (source)Here we take a look at some reasons for wanting a career change and what you should consider before making a move. Quite often the desire to change direction is so strong that it outweighs all the negatives. Sometimes all you need is a positive attitude to make that change regardless of how under-qualified or inexperienced you are in your desired role.Do you really want to leave?There is a big difference between wanting a change of career b ecause you want to learn something new or need to be challenged and using a career change as an excuse to escape an unhappy workplace. Do you really want to change direction completely just because you may not like your boss, the people you work with or the company?Using a career change as an escape route may seem like the easy way out, but it could actually be much easier to try and fix your current situation first. If you have issues with your boss or work colleagues, then you should talk to your HR department who are there to help you deal with situations such as this. Try to do a repair job before you burn your bridges. If you find that nothing has changed in six months time, then you can say that you tried your best. Your decision to change direction could be better justified then.What about money?You should always consider your finances before jumping ship. If you have become used to a certain wage and are comfortable earning the level of salary you currently get, then it coul d be a big shock to the system to take a considerable pay cut. Changing careers may often result in having to accept a lower salary, especially if you are entering a new field with very little experience under your belt. If you are happy to start again from the bottom, try to be financially prepared for the change. You may look at trimming your expenses and outgoings, or giving yourself a year to save as much money as possible to tide you over during your transition. You could even look for ways to boost your income, such as a weekend job or a sideline you can run from home in the evenings.Talk your way into a better salaryYou may be coming at your new career a little older and wiser than some of the other recruits. You should take a little time to evaluate what positive attributes you can offer in your new role. Your new employer may appreciate that you bring with you transferable skills and experience that others dont have. This can be an asset that you can use to negotiate a h igher wage, especially if they are looking for more mature candidates to manage a team of younger workers.How well you communicate your skill-set to your new employer will be the key to you standing out from the rest. No matter what your previous background, if you can bring something valuable to your new role that others lack, then you will be earmarked for extra responsibilities or promotion that can bring you a higher salary.What do I want to do, really?You may be so over your current career that it bores you to tears to have to go to work every day. However, figuring out exactly what you want to do next can be a bit of a puzzle.   Your dream job may be out there, but how do you know what it is? There may be a perfect job for you where you can utilise your skills, but would you really enjoy doing it? Obviously, there is more to a role than its job title. When you spot an opportunity that looks appealing to you, make sure you check out all the factors. Read the role description . What may appear perfect on the surface may not be quite what you thought when you dig a little deeper.Evaluate everything. You may find that your skill-set perfectly matches the job specifications and the company looks very attractive. But what about that 2-hour commute every day? Isnt your long commute one of the most frustrating things about your current job? The new role mentions that you will be working on your own â€" but you are more comfortable being a team player. Would you really be happy stuck in a tiny office all by yourself? Maybe this job isnt as perfect as you thought.ConclusionChanging career doesnt mean you have to quit your job and jump into something else immediately. It takes time to decide what you actually want to do with your life, analyse each opportunity open to you, figure out what transferable skills you can take with you to your new career and planning for your change in finances. previous article Two Tones â€" A Black and White Resume Template Design Freebie next article Dressed to impress! The Ingenious Original Premium Resume Package you might also like6 Online Gigs You Can Do During Coronavirus Outbreak (To Offset Your Lost Income)

Saturday, May 23, 2020

For Personal Brands, Its Self above Service - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

For Personal Brands, Its Self above Service - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Service listings that is. Personal branding strategy to increase word of mouth Let me tell you the tale of the financial planner….. Hi, I’m Maria Elena and I’m a financial planner.   I provide 401Ks, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, SEPS, IRAs, I can help you with college planning and take care of all your financial needs.   I work with only the best providers and I have all the services to take care of your financial needs…(yawn! are you asleep yet?!   Have you made out your grocery list already during this time?!)   Does that kind of introduction motivate inspire you to action?   I don’t think so. Now, how about this….. Hi, I’m Maria Elena and I’m a financial planner. A few years ago, I went through a messy divorce and ended up with nothing financially. I was devastated. Not just for me but for my children. I found myself desperately at my wits end. It was then I decided that no one should have to go what I went through. That’s when I decided to make a difference!   As a financial planner, I help women going through the tragedy and pains of divorce make sure they come out of it all… financially sound. Same 30 seconds, right? Who told the story? Does she “limit” the piece of the pie she gets that way?   There are many men who have “good friends” going through this same scenario.   She motivated the people listening to not only consider themselves as good referrals for her, if they are going through a similar situation, she compelled them to speak positively about her if any of their friends or family members are going through a struggle like that. Remember, the story must be sincere. A sincere story trumps a “service listing” every single time.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Can I Hire an Executive Recruiting Firm to Manage My Job Search

Can I Hire an Executive Recruiting Firm to Manage My Job Search No, you can’t hire a recruiting firm to manage your job search. Recruiting firms work on behalf of employers to fill open positions.Job seekers do not pay for recruiting firms to help with their job search, which often means not getting the best results. The good news is that there are companies you can hire to manage your job search, and be more likely to land your dream job. Hiring Companies Are the ClientAn important thing to keep in mind when you work with a recruiting firm is that the hiring company with the job opening is the client. The job seeker is not the client, therefore they are not the main priority of the recruiting firm.The recruiters are focused on filling job openings as soon as possible and keeping their clients happy.They work with job seekers to fill the positions but are less focused on making sure theyfind their dream jobs. It is important for you to decide whether you want your job search to be done for free, expecting less than impressive results. Or is it more important to invest in your job search, and pay somebody to find your dream job?Job Seeking With a Recruiting FirmWorking with a recruiting firm is as simple as making a phone call to set up a time to work with arecruiter.During your meeting, the recruiter will learn about your background and get to know your job needs.It is unlikely they will have a job you’re interested in, on the day of your meeting. The recruiter will contact you when they have a job that seems to be a match with what you are looking for.Recruiting firms receive job openings from companies that have positions to be filled.These companies hire the recruiting firm to fill the positions for them. As new job openings come in, recruiters look to the list of candidates they’ve met with and find the best match. Often recruiters don’t take the time to follow up with candidates, so you could go weeks before you hear back from your recruiter if they don’t have any jobs that are a match. Remember they are work ing on behalf of the hiring company, not the job seeker, so they are not obligated to be in contact with you.Career Coaches Are a Potential AlternativeAnother option for your job search is to hire a career coach. A career coach is someone that you would hire to help coach you about the interview process.A career coach provides advice, support, and guidance. They determine the right strategies to use. And they provide you with a plan to help you stay on track.Career coaches will offer you suggestions for how to find a job and do well in an interview, but they will not manage the job search process for you. You will still be doing most of the work, and there is no guarantee that they will find you a job.Executive Resume Writers Can Be a Good InvestmentExecutive resume writers don’t work with people on their job search, but they should be considered as the resumes they offer can significantly increase the chance of being seen by hiring managers.Executive resume writing companies can vary greatly in price and quality. Each company has unique qualities to consider.There are a variety of factors to keep in mind before choosing the best company to work with:Price.It is important to research how much it costs forthe best resume for you. You can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to over $2,000 for these services. Timeliness.Figure out what a reasonable turn around time is for resume writing. Aesthetics.You want to get an idea of the style each company provides Customer service. This really makes a huge difference. You want to find a company that understands your needs, and that works well with you.Professionally Managed Job SearchRecruiting firms can be the right option for many people. However, there is another option. While a recruiting firm cannot truly manage your job search and are unlikely to find your dream job, you can hire a professionally managed job search firm like Find My Profession.Find My Profession is a company that will help you with your entire job s earch and much more. They offer many services to manage your entire job search, and there is one significant difference between them and recruiting firms.Find My Profession works on behalf of the job seeker, not the hiring companies. Therefore they can focus on finding your dream job. Some of the services that are offered include:Executive resume writing Interview preparation Networking Professionally updated LinkedIn profilesThey also offer a Career Coaching Service, where they manage the entire job search process for senior and executive-level job seekers and will apply to jobs for them. Because Find My Profession offers all of these services, they are able to offer package deals for people that want more than one service.The first thing you will do if this is the best option for you is to schedule a screening call to make sure they are a strong match for you, so be sure to have questions prepared.Find My Profession has a specific process they follow to ensure they only select cli ents that are going to be a great match. This allows them to have the ability to guarantee job placement, unlike any of the services mentioned above. They do not get paid by companies or hiring managers.Find My Profession works on behalf of you, the job seeker, which means they are working in the best interest of their clients.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

How Does Resume Services Work?

How Does Resume Services Work?What do you need to know about resume services and how you can best use them? Are they the answer to your unemployment? Read on for more information.Employment and resumes are two separate issues that often come together. When you have a job and a resume, chances are you don't want to be without either one. Because of this, you are going to need to know what you can expect from resume services so that you can make the most of them.One of the things that these types of services do is give you a good amount of time to get prepared for the interview that you are hoping for. They will help you take all of your skills and apply them to the job you have. This will make you look more professional and will also provide you with the knowledge you need to be able to fill out the proper forms correctly.Another thing that they will do is make sure that you are updated on the rules and regulations within the company you are applying for the job at. If you don't know something, you don't go in there thinking you are qualified for the position. Therefore, if you aren't current on the company and what is required of you, you will look like you are trying to do everything they say.No matter if you are looking for a company that is hiring a new person or you just want to show off your resume, you will want to ensure that you are a successful candidate. That means that you will want to make sure that you can supply information to the company that they need to know in order to know that you are the right fit for the job. The best way to do this is by providing accurate information.One of the things that these companies can do for you is provide you with detailed information on the duties that you can get assigned. This means that you don't need to worry about being completely confused with your responsibilities because you will already know exactly what it is that you will be doing. Because of this, you will always know where you stand because you wil l be aware of the work that you will be doing.If you are not clear on the job duties you are supposed to be doing, you won't be successful. Therefore, you will need to ensure that you find a company that specializes in hiring people who don't know what they are supposed to be doing. You will also be able to get all of the guidance that you need so that you can be as successful as possible.You want to make sure that the people you hire understand what the company is expecting of them when they are hired. Don't be concerned about these things because you will want to be as effective as possible and that includes being knowledgeable about your job duties. For this reason, you need to get the services of a company that can help you take care of all of the things that they need done.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Use Key Words In Context

Use Key Words In Context Have you heard about the trick? The one where job seekers put a mega listing of key words in white font at the end of their resume? It has been going on for years and I would love to know if anyone has gotten an interview because of it. While this trick may result in your resume getting a hit, if those key words arent in the content and used in context in your resume, I dont believe any employer would call for an interview. The other ploy some job seekers use is to plugkey words into the bullets in their summary. Great idea, but if they dont quicklydemonstrate the use of those key words in the accomplishment bullets (under their job), then the reader has no evidence that those key words have any substance. First, is anyone asking: Where do I find key words? Ive heard that question a lot. There is no magic dictionary of key words. You find them in each separatejob posting. Become an expert at reading job postings. Really reading and analyzing what it is the employer is asking for.Also, read a lot ofjob postings. Key words tend to be the ones that you see repeated over and over in different job postings. However, key words, in my opinion, are not: work well independently and as a team player Excellent verbal and written communication skills or other generic/trite job requirements. These are minimum requirements for almost every job today. They are not key words that would distinguish you from other candidates. What would, you may be asking? Key words depend on the job and the company you are applying to. If you are applying foran accounting clerk position and both of those bullets above are in the job description, you will want to include demonstration of those skills in your accomplishments, unless there are already 40 other requirements that are more specific and important. If you are applying for an accounting clerk position, the skills they are mostly more concerned about are related to accounting. Focus on specific key words in those areas. They may include: accounts payable, accounts receivable, specific accounting software, generating reports, resolving discrepanciesthe list probably goes on and on. If you are in quality, you seldom will see a job that doesnt make reference to Six Sigma. If you have that knowledge and education, you need to use it. If not, you will want to acquire working knowledge and/or obtain the education. Heres the other dilemma of job seekers. If I dont have all the qualifications, should I still apply? Of course you should. Before you do, however, do some sleuthing. Find out by speaking with people in that occupation or better yet, that company and find out what the biggest challenges are. Also, learn more about those skills you do not have. How important are they to doing the job? What are these missing skills similar to? What would it take for you to acquire those missing skills? What non-traditional means could you use to speak intelligently about those skills? Dont ignore what you dont have, learn to speak around it or demonstrate the use of similar/related skills. Almost all resumes will be sent through resume screening software. You have to make sure the key words are in your resume if you want to be found. You have to make sure you have demonstrated their use in your resume to be called for a screening interview. You have to know how to use these words when you speak about what you do and did to make it to the next level of interviewing. The moral of the story is: adapt each resume for each job you are applying for!

Friday, May 8, 2020

5 Perks Job Seekers Should Weigh (Beyond Money)

5 Perks Job Seekers Should Weigh (Beyond Money) 5 Perks Job Seekers Should Weigh_Beyond Money For many professionals, startup hubs like San Francisco and Seattle are job-hunting nirvana. The “Big Guys” like Facebook and Google are growing, and there is the seemingly endless stream of startups elbowing each other to win over the most talented employees. In an environment like this one, you couldn’t blame an in-demand developer, for example, for picking one opportunity over all others based solely on what the paycheck will look like. When multiple companies want you on their team, I suggest you weigh several factors as part of your decision, rather than letting salary trump all. I spoke to Anthony Smith, CEO and founder of Insightly, a CRM and project management solution for small businesses, and based on his experience both growing his career and attracting talent, he recommends the following: 1. Startup table stakes Let’s get this one out of the way first. If you work in tech, you can pretty much expect to find perks such as free snacks and a stocked fridge in the break room, and even complimentary massages from time to time. Anthony is clear. He says, “These kinds of amenities have become as standard as health insurance and retirement savings plans, so check them off your list and move on to considering more substantive benefits.” 2. Remote work options If spending 20 percent of your day commuting is not something you want to do, look for potential employers that offer remote work options. “Insightly uses several different tools to ensure off-site employees stay connected to the company culture and happenings. For example, we use Google Hangouts for face-to-face meetings and Yammer, a social network for businesses, allowing employees to collaborate and provide instant updates when videoconferencing isn’t necessary,” says Anthony. Does your future company use collaborative software? Videoconferencing? Team chat sessions? The availability of these tools will indicate the level of support a company provides to its remote workforce. 3. A voice in decision-making and cross-departmental responsibility This is an area in which smaller employers, especially startups, can offer potential employees more attractive benefits than larger companies. Anthony shares, “In the absence of the bureaucracy that characterizes so many big enterprises, our employees have the chance to guide company direction and weigh in on projects beyond their defined roles or departments. That kind of flexibility fuels professional growth much more quickly than would be possible in a large enterprise.” 4. Employee happiness “If you’re going in for an interview,” says Anthony, “you can see this onsite. We challenge and try to keep our employees inspired by their work.” If you’re not interviewing onsite, I recommend researching employee happiness on job boards and company review sites such as Glassdoor.com. Anthony continues, “The cohesion and collegiality of the team will influence your ability to succeed and thrive in the job, and it’s an essential benefit for most professionals.” 5. Frequent, clear communication Do employees know what’s happening in their company? Do they understand the vision of its leadership? Are they updated when the company signs a big new customer or hits a revenue milestone? Do executives take the time to talk with employees about their work? Anthony Smith, CEO of Insightly, says, “I’ve always made it a point to be receptive to employee feedback. If an employee disagrees with a policy or has a suggestion to change an existing process, I want the executive team to listen and enact change.” Don’t take it for granted that every employer listens to employee suggestions or offers clear frequent communication at the individual, departmental, and company level â€" ask. Job seekers, with the improved job search skills you are learning on the Business Journals’ Career Mojo column AND the right skill match with your prospective employer, you will be in a position to choose. Choose wisely and carefully! And congratulations on that job offer!