Thoughts

Eight Lunches Endorsements/Thoughts Here are some thoughts and endorsements I received for Eight Lunches. I find this part of the process so interesting crowdsourcing feedback from smart people is kind of hard.  There are a lot of great ideas to pursue.  First, a testimonial: A great concept back by great content! Small business owners will relate to the conversations in this book. As entrepreneurs, its hard sometimes to carve out the time to work with a mentor live, but each of us can find the time to pick up this book and take its content and Jasons advice to heart. Laurie Berenson, CPRW Sterling Career Concepts From Kim Bilawchuk, a professional career coach. This is a great, fair assessment, and mostly what I get from this is that I need to better define my target audience, which wouldnt necessarily include her (as an experienced entrepreneur).  I would love to sit down with her for eight Friday lunches and have deeper conversations.  From Kim: Here are my thoughts on 8 Lunches: Very quick/easy read (about an hour). Seemed very similar to the format of The Go-Giver (Bob Burg) series of meetings re: sales. Pauls business seems vague (intentional, Im guessing), but some details might make a more interesting story (I understand that more details may disconnect some readers). Not sure I learned a lot that I didnt already know, but some good refresher points (most profitable source of income, post vision statement in easy-to-see locations, etc.) Relatively generic sales, marketing, networking info. Not sure theres anything that makes this stand above the rest. No a-ha moment for me. Not sure who your target audience really is new business owners? experienced ones? Seemed like there was a fair bit of Jason Alba self-promotion (all your links at the end of each of the emails, vision statement). Should you be you or just an experienced business owner? At the end, found myself wanting a series of worksheets to work through some of the suggestions presented during the lunches. Whats next? Do you want people to contact you as their business coach (which youve said isnt your forte)? You asked for criticism! Overall, it could be a good resource for many. Marc Wolfsfeld is The Technology Pro, and professional speaker, who said: I read most of the book and I like it. I might suggest that you find an alternative to the word stuff. Since we are selling our stuff at a premium, we should show it a bit more respect. Isnt it interesting how ONE WORD can change the meaning? I agree with Marc. My casual style slipped over which is okay, but I do need to be more careful on stuff like stuff Its fun to get past the first draft. Rosemary Mark, a professional recipe creator (!!), had some great comments that are not overwhelming me: I really like your book for its clear step by step format. These are the areas I liked best: The numbered sequence, or lunch dates is convenient and logical organization. Blogs and SEO section is really helpful. (for me personally I learned about putting the post title in the permalink â€"  Thank you!) SMART vision statement Emails after each lunch are  great review and practical application Liked least: Too much narration. Ie: “Paul said with gratitude” ‘Jason happily replied’   I know it creates the conversation but it is wordy and makes the document long Though I liked the blogging section, it is long and overwhelming.   Blogging could be it’s own book!   Maybe just tighten up the points. From Chris Dennison (The Job Search Coach), of Dennison Career Services (a JibberJobber Partner), some great encouragement: Just finished reading the draft â€" great concept! The book is long enough to be useful, short enough to read quickly. You or one of your other commenters suggested inserting workbook pages between each chapter â€" I agree. It would bridge the gap that tends to exist between the training session and the change of behavior the normal tendency for people to leave a motivational session fired up with good intentions…that get lost back in the daily grind. I thought for sure Id have suggestions to make it more concise, but I think youve managed to keep it beautifully simple. The conversational structure makes it so much more compelling and interesting than a straightforward how-to. Every time I read yet another mainstream article about the job search process, I think, well thats lovely, but the job seeker still isnt going to know HOW to solve that problem specifically. Of course, that keeps us in business Cant wait to see the finished product…and evangelize it. Theres more Im sifting through, but I thought Id share this with you. Enjoy your weekend! I have some rewriting to do! Eight Lunches Endorsements/Thoughts Here are some thoughts and endorsements I received for Eight Lunches. I find this part of the process so interesting crowdsourcing feedback from smart people is kind of hard.  There are a lot of great ideas to pursue.  First, a testimonial: A great concept back by great content! Small business owners will relate to the conversations in this book. As entrepreneurs, its hard sometimes to carve out the time to work with a mentor live, but each of us can find the time to pick up this book and take its content and Jasons advice to heart. Laurie Berenson, CPRW Sterling Career Concepts From Kim Bilawchuk, a professional career coach. This is a great, fair assessment, and mostly what I get from this is that I need to better define my target audience, which wouldnt necessarily include her (as an experienced entrepreneur).  I would love to sit down with her for eight Friday lunches and have deeper conversations.  From Kim: Here are my thoughts on 8 Lunches: Very quick/easy read (about an hour). Seemed very similar to the format of The Go-Giver (Bob Burg) series of meetings re: sales. Pauls business seems vague (intentional, Im guessing), but some details might make a more interesting story (I understand that more details may disconnect some readers). Not sure I learned a lot that I didnt already know, but some good refresher points (most profitable source of income, post vision statement in easy-to-see locations, etc.) Relatively generic sales, marketing, networking info. Not sure theres anything that makes this stand above the rest. No a-ha moment for me. Not sure who your target audience really is new business owners? experienced ones? Seemed like there was a fair bit of Jason Alba self-promotion (all your links at the end of each of the emails, vision statement). Should you be you or just an experienced business owner? At the end, found myself wanting a series of worksheets to work through some of the suggestions presented during the lunches. Whats next? Do you want people to contact you as their business coach (which youve said isnt your forte)? You asked for criticism! Overall, it could be a good resource for many. Marc Wolfsfeld is The Technology Pro, and professional speaker, who said: I read most of the book and I like it. I might suggest that you find an alternative to the word stuff. Since we are selling our stuff at a premium, we should show it a bit more respect. Isnt it interesting how ONE WORD can change the meaning? I agree with Marc. My casual style slipped over which is okay, but I do need to be more careful on stuff like stuff Its fun to get past the first draft. Rosemary Mark, a professional recipe creator (!!), had some great comments that are not overwhelming me: I really like your book for its clear step by step format. These are the areas I liked best: The numbered sequence, or lunch dates is convenient and logical organization. Blogs and SEO section is really helpful. (for me personally I learned about putting the post title in the permalink â€"  Thank you!) SMART vision statement Emails after each lunch are  great review and practical application Liked least: Too much narration. Ie: “Paul said with gratitude” ‘Jason happily replied’   I know it creates the conversation but it is wordy and makes the document long Though I liked the blogging section, it is long and overwhelming.   Blogging could be it’s own book!   Maybe just tighten up the points. From Chris Dennison (The Job Search Coach), of Dennison Career Services (a JibberJobber Partner), some great encouragement: Just finished reading the draft â€" great concept! The book is long enough to be useful, short enough to read quickly. You or one of your other commenters suggested inserting workbook pages between each chapter â€" I agree. It would bridge the gap that tends to exist between the training session and the change of behavior the normal tendency for people to leave a motivational session fired up with good intentions…that get lost back in the daily grind. I thought for sure Id have suggestions to make it more concise, but I think youve managed to keep it beautifully simple. The conversational structure makes it so much more compelling and interesting than a straightforward how-to. Every time I read yet another mainstream article about the job search process, I think, well thats lovely, but the job seeker still isnt going to know HOW to solve that problem specifically. Of course, that keeps us in business Cant wait to see the finished product…and evangelize it. Theres more Im sifting through, but I thought Id share this with you. Enjoy your weekend! I have some rewriting to do!

Tips in Using PowerPoint Presentation

Tips in Using PowerPoint PresentationEngineering resume writing PowerPoint is a wonderful tool to use in showcasing your achievements. However, this method can also be frustrating if you don't know how to go about it right.It may seem to you that you're generating engineering resumes without any difficulty. And even if you have a couple of them to hand, they can still seem daunting to you. Here are some tips that you can use to improve your presentation in no time.The first tip is to make sure you get a well-made paper. This should be an A4 sized paper. It will make your presentation seem more polished and professional. Of course, make sure the paper isn't torn or had any stain on it.Once you've printed out your presentation, it's time to make sure you use a pen to graph the presentation. This is one way to make your presentation look more professional. Having a well-drawn graph is very important because it gives a better impression of your experience.Formatting is also very importan t when creating an outline. It will make your presentation look very polished and professional. It doesn't matter whether you are using PowerPoint or another software. Just make sure you have a well-formatted outline. You also need to know what type of graphics you want to use so you can use them appropriately for your business.One other tip that you can use in order to produce an excellent engineering resume, is to make use of your fonts. You can use colored fonts, so it looks very professional. You can also use bold and italicized fonts to make it more appealing. It's also advisable to use different fonts so it gives a different and more professional image. Another tip is to make use of your slides. You can use some slides if you have to but do not make a big deal out of it. Just have the slides very well prepared and nicely laid out. Don't just stick the slide in your presentation, because it will look very amateur.One thing that you can use in order to make your presentation loo k professional is to make use of black and white presentation. This is one way to ensure that your presentation has a professional appearance. Of course, once you have created your presentation in black and white, make sure you have your logo on it.

November News and Updates for PGRs University of Manchester Careers Blog

November News and Updates for PGRs University of Manchester Careers Blog “In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year.”   Cynthia Rylant And what better food than food for thought? This month weve got career opportunities with Researchers in Schools and the Civil Service Fast Stream (but thats not all, dont forget to investigate CareersLink if you are interested in what might be on offer outside academia). You can also find out why a new online resource dealing with financial news is good for you (yes, you, too, over in the back on the left studying Victorian drama and you over on the right studying composite materials for aerospace applications). And moreread on! Researchers in Schools â€" a teacher training programme for people with PhDs Researchers in Schools will be holding an information webinar in December.   Find out more about signing up by checking @ManPGCareers during the week of November 28th Researchers in Schools offers PhDs a unique, fully salaried route into teaching tailored to their abilities, knowledge and experience. Through a bespoke programme blending classroom teaching and research opportunities, you’ll develop the skills to become a highly-effective classroom teacher, helping support pupils, regardless of background, to excel and progress to higher education. Pursue a three-year training and professional development programme placing you directly into a school to develop your teaching practice on the job. Gain Qualified Teacher Status through a structured programme of observation and classroom teaching. Undertake our Research Leader in Education Award, a professional qualification recognising excellence in research practice within schools. Access bespoke training, supporting you to develop strong leadership skills and work towards the programme’s mission. Receive one day per week off-timetable to pursue the programme’s wider aims: Deliver subject- and education-focused research and high-impact interventions in schools to boost attainment and promote university access. Benefits include: A highly competitive salary and benefits package with salary uplift for maths and physics teachers Dedicated time off-timetable to pursue the Researchers in Schools aims and maintain a research profile Minimum 11 weeks’ paid holiday For more information and to apply, visit www.researchersinschools.org Next application deadline 8th January 2017 Last chance to apply for the Civil Service Fast Stream â€" applications are closing on the 30th of November https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service-fast-stream You can find useful background information to help you apply on the Careers Service website, too.  Read this even if you think you don’t need to! (Commercial awareness made easy) Commercial awareness is essential to every job, whether you are an academic, a teacher, working for a charity   and working for the Civil Service.  (It’s also useful for being an engaged citizen).   Keeping up to date with financial and related news can feel overwhelming, especially for those who have little to no interest in business news. Until now. Finimize is a financial news service with a twist â€" it aims to help readers learn from the news. Items are presented under 3 headings: What’s going on here? What does this mean? Why should I care? In their own words: “Finimize is financial news for everyday people. We strive to demystify finance by making financial news easy to understand, succinct and relevant to our readers. By enhancing their financial literacy, we give our readers the ability to make more informed decisions when it comes to their own money.” Sign up is free. Do you know Which Career? It’s surprising the number of PhDs that I meet who’ve never visited the Careers Service website (or know that we have one!).   Which is a shame, because there is a lot of useful stuff on it. This month I want to highlight our Which Career? section.       For those who are unsure, open minded or absolutely mystified as to possible careers post-PhD, these pages give you the opportunity to explore different career areas from the comfort of your own desk/bed/bean bag chair/wherever. What does a management consultant actually do?   (My top question from PhD students). Can I use my language skills in a career outside of academia? What about careers in libraries and archives? Where can I put my social stats skills to work? …and much much more. All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate Options postgraduate

Key Subjects of Study for Entrepreneurs - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Key Subjects of Study for Entrepreneurs - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career When you’re building your own business, it’s easy to get caught up in all the day-to-day activities involved in entrepreneurship, from everyday sales and customer service tasks through to product design, admin and more. However, you shouldn’t forget to keep learning, too. The top business leaders around the world are those with a growth mindset and belief in the power of continual learning. There are many topics that can help you be the best entrepreneur possible. Read on for some of the subjects you should consider studying, either at university or via short courses, to expand your knowledge and skill set today. Finance and Accounting When you have your own business, one of the most important things to do to keep it thriving is ensure cash flow stays under control. As such, all entrepreneurs need to have a good understanding of finance and accounting. You must be able to set and stick to a budget, keep track of expenses, prepare and read key reports, make realistic sales and profit projections, see where to cut costs and most efficiently spend money and so on. You should study finance and accounting, so you can learn about how to get access to capital to start and grow your business. Knowledge in this area will also help you work with different currencies and trade overseas as required. It’s helpful to understand how the effects of micro and macro-economic decisions made by local and overseas governments can impact you, too. Most business owners plan to outsource their finance and accounting tasks to third-party accountants, advisors or in-house team members. However, even if you do this, you must still have your head wrapped around key elements, so you can make effective decisions for your organization â€" and avoid being taken advantage of by anyone you pay to handle these sorts of tasks for you. The Mind Next, consider that many elements of business success come down to having a good understanding of human nature and how the brain works. If you want to become the best entrepreneur you can be, then it pays to learn about the mind. Whether you take some basic psychology classes or enroll in an entire online social work degree or similar, it’s worth it to ensure you get an idea of the different drives, inspirations, desires, fears and various complexities that drive us. Once you’ve studied how the human mind operates, you will be better equipped to motivate yourself, deal with challenges and emotions and become more productive. It will prepare you to inspire and lead your staff members and to design or select products or services that your target customers will want to buy. Understanding psychology will also help you better create your business brand and to market your wares effectively. Plus, it will be very beneficial when you’re trying to convert leads into more sales. Having a good idea about human nature will also assist you when it comes time to choose the right employees and to generate interest in your business from investors and lenders. Computer Science Lastly, in this technology-focused world, it’s more important than ever for entrepreneurs to have at least a basic understanding of computer science and related information technology topics. More and more aspects of business are becoming computerized and digitized, so owners and managers must be able to keep up. For starters, having skills in this area will make it possible for you to create the best website for your venture and to utilize software programs to run your business productively. In addition, you’ll be able to take advantage of Big Data and analytics programs to do things like cut costs, streamline processes, observe trends, train your team well, hire the best new employees, create personalized offers for customers and more. On a bigger-picture level, having knowledge of computer science might also be what helps you imagine a new product or service idea that disrupts a whole industry and launches your business into the stratosphere. For inspiration, just look at the founders and CTOs of some of the biggest tech firms in the world these days, like Snapchat, Facebook, Amazon, Angry Birds, Google, Basecamp and Evernote. It was their training and interest in the field of computer science led them to develop apps, games and other programs which created billion-dollar businesses and changed the way many people work, live and play today.

How To Write Up Your Ideas

How To Write Up Your IdeasDo you need to write? If you feel that you need to write but find it hard to actually do so, this article will give you some good ideas on how to start writing. You can even write at work. There are many benefits of using a pen and paper when writing down ideas.One of the most difficult and easy things to do is remembering all those things that you have written down. They are very helpful in the long run but they really make things a lot more difficult for the individual who wrote them down. That is why using a pen and paper can be a great idea.Remember, when writing down your ideas, you want to be as accurate as possible. Of course, sometimes you can not be 100% accurate, but you want to be as close as possible. You can even look up information on the internet about things you can write down, and about things that you should NOT write down, like where to put them.Writing down the things you do not remember does not mean that you should just stop doing them. After all, you might just have more of a reason to write them down now than you did before.As far as getting started, putting pen and paper on your desk at work can be a good idea, especially if your boss will let you. If he or she will allow it, that is, you might be able to print out the things you need to write down by going to your computer and downloading some word processing software.It might seem a little silly to be using something else's computer to get work done, but you might be surprised what a difference it makes when you are actually writing down your ideas. When you just let them pile up on your desk, you will know that it is time to move them somewhere else and get a new pen and paper!When you use office computers, it is a good idea to print out your notes immediately after you finish writing them. Then, save the page that you want to remember to your hard drive so that you can refer back to it when you want to. This will help you when you need to reference it in th e future.If you get out of the habit of writing everything down, you might want to take a long time to catch up on all of the things you wrote down in a long time. When you finally do take the time to do so, it might feel a little odd to go back and look at all of the things you wrote down. It can be nice to have a reminder of all of the things you wrote down.

Policy Writing on Resume

Policy Writing on ResumeIn any type of business, whether it is a company or a firm, writing a policy is essential. A policy is a document that states the fundamental principles and rules to be followed by the organization. It determines who is able to hire and fire employees and it also determines the basic aspects that can be included in the working conditions for employees. A policy is essential to provide a clear description to the stakeholders about the rules and regulations for the company and the procedures in the operations of the company.A policy should cover a wide variety of issues that can affect the operations of the company. Policies are not just about creating rules about certain actions that can be taken, but they also contain guidelines on how the company can operate. Without policies, there would be no rules and thus no regulation of the company.There are many examples of policy that should be covered in resume writing. When it comes to a company, it covers its opera tional policies such as the goals of the company, the legal matters, financial matters, the rules for the company, human resource matters, and many more. The goals of the company are the corporate goals the company has set to bring about its success. The goals of the company are the major reason why the company was formed.The legal aspect is something that has to be addressed especially when it comes to corporations or companies that are composed of individuals. A company does not exist in isolation; it relies on legal matters to protect its interests, assets, and even its workers from the legal risks that may occur. To be able to perform all these things, a company must have laws.Another type of policy is the financial matters. Financial problems can bring about serious damages to the company. A company is liable to pay for damages that are caused to other people in order to make sure that it can carry out its business well. Policies for acompany are needed so that there will be no delays in paying compensation to the injured party in case there is a lawsuit filed against the company.The employee's rights are also one of the most common policies to be written. A policy of this kind is one that deals with an employee's rights when it comes to working conditions. It deals with the elimination of the abuses that can happen during the working conditions of an employee.The policies also deal with the benefits of an employee that are given to the employees. It should be noted that it should be something that benefits the employee but it should also be something that can be beneficial to the company as well. It should be something that would mean the workers are given a salary as well as health benefits.Policy writing on resume is necessary for a lot of reasons. These reasons include the ability to define the needs of the company and the legal requirements. Policies are necessary for a company to be able to determine the requirements that they need in terms of labor and other resources in the business.

Should You Leave When Youre Unhappy With Your Career

Should You Leave When Youre Unhappy With Your Career In my recent online master class for Ivy Exec I was asked a lot of great questions, and four of them can be summarized in the single question that I want to answer here: “Is leaving ever a solution to a mid-career slump, or when you’re unhappy with your career?” Well, my answer to that is: yes, under the following circumstances, and provided that you’ve made efforts to make it work where you are. So, here are three circumstances under which I think it’s reasonable to consider leaving. First is when you have nowhere further to progress where you are; you’ve have topped out in terms of promotions, you’re not learning and growing and developing any more, and maybe you, or the organization have changed such that your aspirations no longer fit with the goals of the company, or vice versa. The second circumstance is you might be in a toxic environment, one that’s literally sucking the life right out of you. That can have negative effects on your attitude, your mindset, your confidence and even your health, and those are all important things to preserve. Just on this I’d like to make a caveat to say that, just make sure that it’s not your attitude that is contributing to some of these issues. The reason I say that is, if you decide to leave and it is your attitude, then that will travel with you and nothing will change. So just think about that. The third is a positive reason. That’s when you’ve found something, or it has found you, that is clearly a better opportunity than the one you currently have, and that it is not replicable where you are. Best piece of advice Now, before you make a final decision on leaving, I want to share with you the single best piece of advice I’ve gotten on this subject, and that was from my friend, Liz. Now, I was often considering quitting, certainly in the first nine or ten years of my career, and definitely in that difficult middle part. What Liz said to me was â€" and Liz was a year or two ahead of me â€" she said, “May, you are not allowed to quit until you have tried to make it work on your own terms, and found that that was not possible.” That was an epiphany for me. First, I’d never thought about what my own terms would be, so I had to stop and think about that. I ended up having some really great conversations with my husband, and the people that I worked for. I learned things about what their expectations were, how they saw my career opportunities and options, and I also got to share with them my aspirations, and what my wants and needs would be. In that process I also discovered that it’s not always going to be handed to me on a plate. Sometimes, I need to create my own options, and that meant things like looking for ways to increase the pie in the business; maybe it’s about products and services that can be sold to or shared with clients that we hadn’t covered before, or vice versa. I also learned that it was about reaching externally to increase the visibility and the reputation, not only of my group and the firm, but also myself. So it was a win-win-win situation all around. The Bottom Line So the bottom line is, yes, you can leave â€" you always have that option â€" and sometimes it’s even the best option. But, before you do anything hasty, you owe it to yourself to do your homework, make informed and conscious decisions, and give yourself that gift of seeing how you can make it work on your own terms before you take any other steps. Now, I’m curious, I wonder what your thoughts are, and what your advice is on the difficult question of, “Should I stay, or should I go?”.

How Those 50 and Over Can Conduct an Easier

How Those 50 and Over Can Conduct an Easier You never thought this would happen to you, but it has. You’re 50+ in age and find yourself suddenly out of work, struggling to keep your head above water in a job market you no longer recognize, which bears no resemblance to the Greensheets and wanted ads you pored over during your youth. What should be a time for planning for your retirement is now filled with uncertainty, stress and scrambling to recover from your loss. We understand what a shock this can be. The job market has indeed changed tremendously and will take some adaptation if you want to find success. If you are 50 or over and trying to find work, we dedicate this article for you. Follow these tips to help the process of getting back on your feet go a little more smoothly. Research Your Prospects Unfortunately, not all companies are receptive to older workers and seek out only those of younger generations. You don’t want to accidentally wind up in an office culture that’s unwelcoming to you. Look for companies currently experiencing turnover, as they and you will have similar goalsâ€"maintaining a long-term position in your field. Work on Your Resume This is especially true if it’s been a very long time since you’ve pounded the pavement, so to speak. If you haven’t already been keeping your resume up-to-date, you’ll want to modernize it as soon as possible to help boost your appeal to employers. You’ve racked up all sorts of great experience over the years, after all. Now it’s time to put it to use and show it off! Of course, you’ll have to adapt your resume to suit what today’s employers are looking for. Focus on your strengths and tailor your resume to the types of positions you’re seeking out. Nailing your resume can be a tough job, even for those who have been immersed in today’s job market more recently. If you find you need a little extra help, you can always turn to a team of the  best  professional  resume  writers! Improve Yourself If your industry or former company is particularly stagnant, you may not have had to learn or deal with many of the technological requirements you’ll need to know for today’s jobs. Try enrolling in an adult learning course to brush up on your skills if you find yourself being hit with the same skill you lack over and over. This will look great to your prospective employers, as they will know you’re willing to embrace change and can bring this can-do attitude with you into their office. Simultaneously, you may want to learn more about  LinkedIn  profile  development  and how you can utilize LinkedIn  to network efficiently with other people in your field (and your shoes)!