No regrets why skipping university may give grounds for optimism

No regrets why skipping university may give grounds for optimism by Michael Cheary University has long been thought of as one of the best ways to learn the skills we need to get a good start in our careers.But with more and more young people giving university a wide berth on account of escalating tuition fees and crippling debts, weve been refreshed and encouraged by the optimism of recent school leavers compared with the latest batch of fresh graduates.Our latest study polled the views of nearly 1,500 workers from around the country and revealed that todays young jobseekers (18-24) whove chosen not to go to university are, in fact, 17% more optimistic about their current job prospects than the graduate class of 2011.Whats more, in spite of the rich social and cultural scene that comes with a degree (not to mention the education), more than 59% of non-university educated respondents told us they had no regrets about not attending university. Get straight in to work after school, they said, and you make the most of every opportunity availab le.Moreover, one-in-five school leavers believes theyve learned more at work than any degree could teach them, with the remaining 12% just happy to have started earning money at an early age.But what about those gloomy graduates? Are any of them feeling upbeat about their prospects?Thankfully, the answer is yes. And it seems the key to an optimistic outlook is studying for a so-called vocational qualification. The more focused your degree on equipping you for a job, the more positive you feel: graduates who studied Accountancy, Computer Science and Linguistics are most likely to have an upbeat view of the current employment market.In todays climate, real-world experience is king, whether its gained by getting straight in to work or pursuing a vocational qualification, ideally with a industrial placement or equivalent. Those of us who can remain flexible, express our enthusiasm and learn practical skills along the way will be the ones most likely to ride the wave of economic recovery .Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the

The best career tool is self-knowledge

The best career tool is self-knowledge Most career questions are actually identity questions. It seems like maybe we need to know which job to take, or which boss is better, or which line to delete on our resume. But really, we need to know who we are. I learn the most about identity when Im lost and I have to make a tough career decision. Heres the first time it happened: When I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to play professional beach volleyball, but I was actually in Chicago, being a bike messenger in the snow, and I had no idea how I was going to get enough money to get to Los Angeles. So I answered an ad someone ran for posing nude. I thought I could do it and get enough cash to get to LA. I went to the guys apartment. Insane, right? You are thinking this was not a safe move. I know. But I was young and sheltered, and I had never been faced with the problem of not having money. I knocked. The guy opened his door, and while I was still standing in his hallway he said, Nice legs. But I can look at you and see this isnt going to work. I said, Huh? He said, Well. What can you do? You cant just stand there. That wont work. What should I do? See, he said, I told you this wont work. He told me to stand on my toes and toss my hair. I couldnt do it. He told me to practice and then come back. On my way home, I thought. That guy sucks. And I should be in Playboy. In the centerfold. I could do a great job at the written interview. But by the time I got home, I was thinking how stupid it would be to spend my time figuring out how to get into nude modeling. That is only a stop-gap measure. Not a long-term way to make a living. And I asked myself why I was doing that? Why wasnt I doing something Id be more proud of? I realized that the ways I choose to make money reflect who I am and how I see myself, and I need to start seeing myself as smart and clever. I always knew I was smart, but I didnt present myself that way in the world. Thats the moment I decided to switch. It seems obvious in hindsight, right? Of course getting paid to be smart is better than getting paid to be naked because its getting paid to be who I really am inside. But we each struggle with this constantly, throughout our careers. How to figure out who we are inside and what career will be right for how we see ourselves now. Its a constantly shifting alliance what is our identity and what is the career that will reflect that. Dont be so arrogant as to think you do not consider such mismatched career moves for yourself as my nude modelling was for me. Its very hard to define a career that honors our identity. Identity changes as life changes And its hard to know whats true to us at any given point. It takes a lot of vigilance and honesty and a willingness to shift when were totally off base.

Unconscious Bullying in Leadership

Unconscious Bullying in Leadership It is a unique experience to be in when you identify the concept of unconscious bullying in leadership. For many business professionals, this behaviour is put down to differences in opinion or personality clashes. The reality, however, is a far greater concern, and something that needs to be addressed across all stages of the talent lifecycle. What is unconscious bullying? As with all things that are deemed unconscious, unconscious bullying is the circumstance where the individual does not have the self-awareness that their behaviour is unacceptable, and because of this, it is not deemed a deliberate act. In many of these instances, the individual has possibly had feedback provided to them about their approaches in the past that they have either amended to a degree or been unable to understand the why behind the reason for the feedback. How do you make individuals aware of their unconscious bullying? Talking about the concept of bullying is always a challenge for anyone, and it can be more challenging in the situation where it is an unconscious behaviour. These steps may, however, assist with this: Introduce them to the concept of unconscious behaviours Sometimes awareness can be the first step to understanding. It is essential that this individual gets a deeper understanding of what unconscious behaviour actually is, and how it may be on display in the workplace through other examples. You may do this through increasing their knowledge on various behaviours by sharing information, or you may choose to do this through a more formal coaching opportunity with the individual. Talk to the cultural expectations of the organisation We all know that everyone says they understand the cultural expectations of an organisation, and the vision and values it abides by, but sometimes a reminder of what these genuinely mean and how they should be displayed can be significant. This can be achieved through simple re-education or an open discussion on the organisational culture and values and how they were developed then implemented across the organisation. Demonstrate the behaviour you want to see in others We all understand that mirroring can always help to change the approach, but conscious approaches to demonstrating how you expect others to behave is critical. Ensure that you encourage this through managing up, across and down to show that the behaviour should occur at all levels of the organisation. Talk to people about how they like to know they are valued and how different approaches in communication can change this. Use this to align different behavioural approaches and expectations. Realise in most situations this behaviour is unintentional When it comes to the challenges of unconscious bullying, the first acceptance you should have is that this is most likely unintentional, and the person may be unaware of the impact of their behaviours. What this means is that jumping to formal conduct management can inflate the situation rather than educate. Take a caring approach to ensure that you can support the reason behind the behaviour and move this forward in a very caring and compassionate way. Unconscious bullying can and will have a substantial impact on the culture of an organisation and should be addressed as soon as possible. The best outcome will be achieved if the approach to the situation is to increase an individual’s awareness of the impact from their behaviour, educate for development and growth and support the opportunity to increase emotional intelligence and awareness.

7 Ways Smart Companies are Engaging Employees - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Ways Smart Companies are Engaging Employees - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Employee engagement plays an integral role in any companys growth. When employees are motivated to excel and contribute to an organizations success, it results in improved performance and productivity. However, engagement isnt a one-way street. Employers must take action to engage employees, rather than expect them to be engaged with a mere list of tasks. Employee engagement results in a sense of fulfillment and success for employees, while furthering the company’s success, especially in a work landscape where 70% of U.S. employees feel miserable at work. Obviously mutually beneficial, employee engagement is something that all employers should strive for. To up your engagement, try these seven methods used by smart companies working to engage their employees: Provide Feedback Fairly and Constructively Many employees find discontent in the feeling that their bosses dont care about them or their work. Employee feedback â€" both negative and positive â€" can prevent this. Frequent and fair feedback reinforce the notion of individual talents and areas to improve upon, engaging employees as a result. Also, rather than scolding or threatening employees, prudent companies work with employees when their performance is not up to par. Smart companies praise good work and strive to constructively improve subpar work, rather than just focusing on the latter. Accommodate Collaboration and Involvement Even for businesses with separate departments, savvy managers find a way to involve as many employees as possible in cross-functioning teams that take advantage of the various talents and expertise in the group. If a particular team doesnt work, then modifications can be made. Even if team changes are carried out, however, employees will likely find the collaboration and change-of-pace refreshing. Increase Personal Autonomy Employees can have the motivation sapped out of them if they feel like they have no power or control of their tasks. Employers can evade this disengagement by providing employees with more personal power, increasing their decision-making roles and general flexibility â€" under the condition that performance standards are met. Engaging employees often comes down to higher-ups instilling their confidence in them. Provide a Clear Big Picture Businesses with vague ambitions and goals often have unmotivated employees, disengaged due to the exhibited tentativeness and indecisiveness of their employer. Smart companies are as transparent as possible with their employees in regard to their big picture, notably in what the business plans are for the next year, five years, decade and beyond. Some businesses take the extra step by frequently filling employees in on their personal role with the business, with both the big picture and their personal skillset in mind, inspiring self-worth and engaging employees in the process. Offer Unique Employee-centered Perks Some businesses provide catered meals to their employees. Others offer summer Fridays where employees can leave early on Fridays during the summer. The folks at GameOn take their entire crew out to sporting events and concerts as a thank-you and a way to connect. These are just a few examples of employee-centered perks that show a business cares about its employees beyond the office. When an employee feels that the business they’re working for truly cares, they are much likelier to be motivated to do their job successfully. Embrace What Makes You Human Too often, companies want to exude a flawless sort of robotic exterior. Some bosses give off the vibe that they are a perfect professional specimen and that the same is expected of employees. This is very unrealistic, of course, but employees will still take it to heart. If an over-demanding employer sets unrealistic goals, employees â€" knowing full well they will never meet these goals â€" will likely not be as motivated, as it’s hard to work toward goals that aren’t even remotely attainable. Instead, smart businesses promote a feeling of unity among various hierarchies, from managers to new employees. Bosses should share both their strengths and vulnerabilities, elaborating on the how the roles of each got them to their current successful position. By taking on the role of a teacher rather than an overbearing drill sergeant, bosses will likely notice an uptick in positivity. Employees who can relate with their employer in some positive capacity are more likely to be motivated to work for them. Provide Individual Bonuses as a Reward Although the word “bonus” in a career sense often implies something monetary, that doesn’t always have to be the case. Businesses can reward certain employees after a particularly excellent week through other perks, like a gift card to a restaurant or an added-on vacation day. Word will get around the office that good work = good perks, which may be all some businesses need in their quest to engaging employees. Every business has a different employees, unique dynamics and individual work processes. There’s no one simple quick fix for engaging employees as a result. However, the tips above are great ways for any type of business to start engaging employees, mainly through feedback, collaboration, trust, clarity, relatability and a perk here and there. The result is well worth it: improved performance and productivity, in addition to an overall more pleasant work environment.

The Balance Professional Resume Writing Service

The Balance Professional Resume Writing ServiceThe Balance Professional Resume Writing Service has been offering specialized services for many years now, offering you a variety of helpful tools for your career success. If you are ready to take your career to the next level and are searching for the most effective way to turn your job application into a hit with potential employers, then this is the right option for you.Most people think that hiring an outside professional is more expensive than if they were to do it themselves. However, a professional like The Balance has established a reputation that others like to imitate. You are not going to have to go into debt to hire someone else's services; instead, you will be able to afford the same level of assistance.The balance professional resume writing service does not just write job applications, but also provide information on the kind of career you can pursue. They will review your entire application to determine what can be done t o make it more relevant to their current needs. Once they determine what type of resume they need, they will contact you and explain the services they offer and the costs involved.When they send your resume to a corporate, you can expect that your resume will be evaluated on a variety of levels by The Balance. To begin with, they will conduct a detailed interview of your experience and qualifications. You will be given specific instructions about what the interviewer wants to know, as well as the specific items that are asked to be highlighted. This allows the writer to create a professional resume that will enhance your odds of getting a job offer.The writers at The Balance will also ask you about your personality and how well you communicate with your employer through your resume. They will conduct research about the company and the work you would be doing. With this information in hand, they will create a professionally written resume that can show them exactly what they are look ing for in the person they are interviewing.The writers at The Balance also understand that having a good appearance is just as important as the skills you have, and they will continue to be positive about the information you include about yourself. They understand that some people are very concerned about how they look on a resume, so they will make sure that they include appropriate pictures, but they will keep it short and simple. It should not appear like the resume is stuffed full of information.The writers at The Balance understand that your resume has to be short and to the point, and that you have to show your employer that you are an asset to the company. Since it is their job to hire the best employees possible, this is not a time to try and stretch your skills or knowledge. By focusing on what you know and have the capability of doing, your resume will become much more appealing.The balance professional resume writing service provides you with a variety of tools for addre ssing all of the issues that might be holding you back from being hired. They take the work of a recruiter and make it easier for you to present yourself as the most viable candidate. In addition, if you need a list of references, they will assist you in obtaining them.

Ways In Which Technology Improves Every Business

Ways In Which Technology Improves Every Business We often hear about technology and all the different ways in which it helps us in our day-to-day lives. It’s incredible to think that within a few decades, we’ve gone from no mobile phones at all, to mobile phones that can do everything. From managing our lives to taking photos and communicating with people all around the world. There is no doubt that this causes problems and sometimes dilemmas we may not have thought of before. However, there are four many benefits to using technology than downfalls. Most certainly, when it comes to business, you cannot avoid using technology to your advantage. Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash Communication Having a team of people that can communicate not only with your customers and clients but with each other, is a huge benefit to everybody. Now we have instant communication via apps, as well as the usual telephone lines. We can use Skype to speak to people on the other side of the country or even the other side of the world if your business is international. You can’t get through a day without using the Internet at least once in business. And having the ability to use a mobile workforce as well Only goes to serve in improving your productivity. Business success is always achieved through effective communication and great ideas. Been able to share great ideas with each other at high speed keeps you ahead of the game. Workflow When it comes to your workflow, it’s desirable to have a team that can produce exceptional work quickly. Using technology to your advantage, in this case, is going to be a significant benefit. No matter if your business is Internet-based or not, creative or data-based, or even education, whatever field you work in your workflow can be improved. Along with the rest of your team. To be able to work out the fastest method, that gets results for you. Finding project management systems, and ways to work through your processes is much easier than it used to be. The only problem here is that there is sometimes too much to look through when making decisions. Marketing Marketing in 2019 is a subject that everybody seems to know about. We used to just simply have radio and TV ads, plus some print adverts to look at, but marketing in 2019 is much more advanced. There are AI systems currently being rolled out all over the world, collecting data about human patterns, so that teams can target the correct people for their business. It’s also not as simple as avoiding a TV ad now; every website, YouTube video, and Instagram feed seems to have an advert, and even if not, people are sharing products and services through the form of entertainment. The sophistication of data coupled with creativity, and the delivery methods available to businesses now, means that it’s a whole different landscape to navigate, but with massive opportunities for businesses everywhere. Ultimately if you own a business and you have mobile communication, a team that is able to work with technology, and also the tools you need to reach your ideal clients, then you should be well on your way to great successes.

The Challenges Joys Of Working Abroad - CareerAlley

The Challenges Joys Of Working Abroad - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. There might be many times in life when you need to move abroad, and often the reason for that will be because you have landed a job which is going to take you somewhere else. That is a very exciting thing to happen, and if it does happen to you will almost certainly be eager to try and make the most of it. Of course, when that happens, you want to make sure that you know what to expect, and in particular that you are going to be able to make it work out for the best. That means being aware of the good that you are likely to experience with it, just as well as being able to appreciate and note the challenges, in order to overcome them. In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the challenges and joys of working abroad, with the goal of making it a little easier for you when it does happen to you. Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels Culture Shock Depending on where you are moving from and where you are moving to, you may or may not experience a little culture shock. That is something that you will want to try and be prepared for as best as you can so that you can hope to minimize any stress or damage from it, and as a result keep things moving in the right direction. This culture shock is something that always goes away after awhile, but you do nonetheless need to know that you can be prepared for it to start with. The better you can handle it, the more you will be able to handle the experience more generally, so this is an important thing to bear in mind. Take a look at some of the challenges and joys of working abroad, with the goal of making it a little easier for you when it does happen to you. Tweet This In order to get over culture shock fast, you simply need to make sure that you are aware of what to expect in that culture is best as you can be. That means that you need to spend some considerable time researching the culture so that less of it is going to surprise you when you get there. You will want to read up online and in books as much as you can about what you can expect of the culture, noting in particular anything which seems particularly unusual to you. You should also make a point of looking into business etiquette, as that can vary a lot and is likely to prove important if you are emigrating for work. Also make sure to ask people you know who have been there, as that is the best way to get to the bottom of what the culture is really like. Pic Paperwork Moving abroad for work is always going to be quite different to moving abroad for pleasure or leisure, and you should remember that there is generally a lot more to do in the way of paperwork. You need to make sure that you are doing everything necessary to remain within the law, otherwise, you might end up in trouble in that country and that is not the kind of thing which you want to find yourself struggling with while starting a new job or role. So before you go, look into what paperwork you need to fill out, and make sure that you are doing this as early as you possibly can. If you leave it too late, you are only going to find that you dont have enough time, to the point where you might even not be able to go at all. Some countries are particularly strict too, remember, so you should make sure to be careful with those. For instance, Chinese consulate document authentication China is particularly important, so make sure that you are not overlooking that. Get all the paperwork right, and you will be able to keep everything above board. Moving Home Just the simple fact of moving your entire life to another country is going to be a huge thing, even if it is not far or it is not a very culturally distinct country from your own. Because of that, it is important that you remember you still need to put effort and thought into the moving home process, as much as the processes involved in moving jobs. You will need to think about your family, whether they are coming or not, how you are going to move your belongings if that is how you are approaching it, and so on. There are many reasons why you might decide to relocate abroad for work. It could be that you have been head-hunted for the job of your dreams, and it just so happens to be located in a faraway place. Or maybe you just want a change, and youre approaching it the other way around: move first, find a job later. However it is, you will want to make sure that it is a smart move for you personally. Relocating For Work: A Smart Move? All of this is huge, and you should think about it long before you say yes to the role itself. Moving home is always stressful, but if you are moving across seas to a new job for good, it is something else altogether, and you need to make sure that you are actually going to be as ready for it as you would hope. Photo by bruce mars from Pexels Making The Most Of It All that being said, it is still an incredibly enjoyable experience to move abroad for work, and you will want to make sure that you are doing everything in your power to make the most of it. To do that, you need to try your hardest to adopt an attitude of positive change and to try and be proactive in trying to keep yourself along the right lines. You should seek out every fresh opportunity there is in that new land, and do whatever you can to keep your ties to home strong at the same time. All of this will amount to much more enjoyable and thrilling work life, and you will be no doubt glad to have made that significant change. The more that you make a point of making the most of it, the more likely it is that you will also raise the ranks within the business, so you should make sure that you are doing so for that reason too. All in all, it is an incredibly exciting experience which you should grasp with both hands. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search