Starting Your Career as a Consultant (Pt. 1) Building Your Future Now

Starting Your Career as a Consultant (Pt. 1) Building Your Future Now If youre a specialist or experienced in an industry maybe becoming a consultant is the right career path for you. It is something that you can do on the side or simply start your new career as a consultant full-time! What is a Consultant? A consultant is a person with a specialized knowledge and experience hired to help private or public enterprise to achieve certain goals. However, consultants can be hired for a host of reasons. Sometimes companies can seek you out (because of your specialized experience) or you can grow your portfolio via clients you have already worked with. Leveraging Your Network If you have been in an industry for a while you obviously have built a strong network of contacts. One of the keys to being a successful consultant is by leveraging ones network and building a business from an already established client base. You can do very well as an independent consultant especially after building an extensive professional network over a period of time. Building More Business If you are already a consultant how can you become a more successful one? Look at your competitionwhat are they offering? Are they getting more business? Why? You need to position yourself as a specialized expert without peer. If you have already excel at what you do continue to refine your skill sets and be very attentive to what your current clients needs are as well as the needs of potential clients. Image: Geralt

How to Avoid Common Office Design Mistakes

How to Avoid Common Office Design Mistakes Sponsored by Workopolis:  Struggling to improve productivity and performance? Tried everything you could to get employees motivated and engaged? It might be down to some faulty office design. A badly designed office may  create a negative atmosphere by killing morale, collaboration, and effectiveness and job satisfaction. Freaked out yet? Don’t worry. You can always make changes. Here are some tips from the experts on how to spot and avoid common office design mistakes. Plan ahead If you’re hoping to redesign or reorganize your office layout, you’ll need time. Lots and lots of time. This is especially true if you plan on hiring a designer, as you’ll need your schedule to allow for proper consultation, creative brainstorming, and decision making. “Too short a schedule can lead to costly mistakes,” says Toronto architect  Heather Dubbeldam. “Providing more time for back-and-forth will result in better proposals, and ultimately, an easier decision when hiring a designer.” It’s worth noting that this process should also account for the time needed getting permits (if necessary), tendering contractors, and construction. As you can imagine, communication is an important part of this process, and to ensure that nothing ever slips through the cracks, assign a project manager to work with the design team. “Too often a client assigns a staff member who is already too busy or the principal of the firm who doesn’t have time,” Dubbeldam says. “Having a dedicated project manager, who can coordinate both sides, has the authority to make decisions, and can respond quickly during construction makes the process much easier for everyone involved.” Forget the corner office As nice as “the corner office” might be, this kind of private space is becoming a relic of the Mad Men era. “It’s less democratic to locate private offices at the perimeter, taking all the natural light and views,” Dubbeldam says. The trend today is to instead place enclosed spaces (like boardrooms and offices) at the core of the building, where bathrooms and elevator stacks have traditionally been located. This frees up spots with the best views for break rooms or multi-purpose work stations. “Private offices can borrow natural light across the workstation area, whereas if private offices are located on the perimeter, they block access to natural light,” Dubbeldam says. Pay attention to the acoustics It might be the last thing you think about, but sound matters when you’re designing an office. “Especially in open offices, the quality of the acoustics is really important,” Dubbeldam says. “Using acoustic materials to reduce noise levels can make a huge difference in how efficiently staff can work in a space, and in their comfort levels. You’ll need to find ways to reduce excess noise from other employees or equipment.” To cut down on unwanted reverb and echo, offices can also use rugs, upholstered furnishings, and wall panels to dampen sound. Ditch the one-size-fits-all approach One of the most common office design pitfalls is to go with a “me too” design. “There’s a temptation to say, ‘I was at this place and it was fantastic â€" let’s do that here too,’” says Robyn Baxter, vice president and regional leader of consulting for  HOK Canada. “But every company is different, so to implement something new just because you’ve seen it somewhere else can lead to failure. It’s not your solution â€" it was somebody else’s.” A better approach, she suggests, is to take a step back. Ask yourself why you’re making the change, and what you hope to accomplish. “Really understand your own needs between you start assigning your space,” Baxter says. “You can look to others for ideas and inspiration, but if you simply saw something cool and want to try it, that’s where you start getting into trouble.” Don’t force things “Every organization is on the quest to enhance collaboration,” Baxter says. “And a common mistake is to say, ‘Look, we have this corner, or we have a hallway that’s really wide â€" let’s put two chairs and a table there and call it a collaboration space.’” But unless these spaces are designed with collaborative work in mind, they will fall short. “If collaboration space is what you need,” she says, “integrate it into the team space, and design it appropriate to the task. Install a display, a place where you can share content, and a table at table height, with task chairs rather than loungers.” In other words, put design first, and don’t try to force a square peg into a round hole. About the author:  Workopolis  is Canada’s leading career site for job seekers and a leader in HR technology solutions for employers.

Your careers checklist for 2020 University of Manchester Careers Blog

Your careers checklist for 2020 University of Manchester Careers Blog So here we are at the dawn of another decade. Resolutions have been made and possibly broken already!   Heres whats coming up in the year ahead. January If you dont have exams its a good time to get started thinking about the year ahead. Have you considered getting work experience or what you might want to do after University?   Talk to us about how to get started. If you applied for jobs in Semester 1 you may have interviews assessment centres If you have made applications but not been selected for interviews, keep positive, get some advice, and try again. February Lots of activities to help you re-energise, kick off your job search or just build up some skills. Its not too late to apply for summer internships experience. You can still apply for a placement or year in industry opportunities. Student Experience Internships open for applications 10- 21 Feb My Future Festival including The Fair graduate jobs, student placements internships. China Fair. Big Careers Drop in. 10 16 Feb Student volunteering week   International Development and Humanitarian Careers event March Get ready for Easter vacation consider work shadowing opportunities or volunteering. Events continue including The Environmental Careers Event 28 March 19 April Easter vacation period. April / May Many of you will be preparing for exams and handing in assignments dissertations. Manchester Graduate Talent Internships starting early summer will start being advertised. Graduate jobs and summer opportunities will be available, many smaller companies will start advertising now. June / July YAY summer officially starts! Take a break, relax, but dont miss out on the opportunities you may have been waiting for. Its the time when all those last minute opportunities for a September start are advertised! Keep an eye on CareersLink set up job alerts   All

Keep Your Brand Name Intact ?When a Reporter Calls - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Keep Your Brand Name Intact ?When a Reporter Calls - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career What is your #1 tip for a nervous entrepreneur about to talk to a reporter for the first time? The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the worlds most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons. 1. Leave the Ums at Home Using filler words ah, um, like, so will hurt your credibility as an expert in your field. Try to become more aware of the situations in which you use these filler words, and try to replace them with pauses. So many people are uncomfortable with pauses, but used correctly, they make you sound more confident and credible. Justin Beck, PerBlue 2. Stay on Message Before I started my company, as a business journalist, I regularly interviewed top entrepreneurs and CEOs. To avoid being nervous or providing a bad quote, be sure to create bullets of your talking points and the story you want to tell. Winging it leaves far too much room for error. If you dont have a good answer for a question, dont feel compelled to answer it. Antonio Neves, THINQACTION, Inc. 3. Practice Makes Perfect Know your business and industry inside and out. Come up with some canned responses for likely questions. Practice saying them so they dont sound canned. Pretty soon youll realize most reporters ask the same things, and you wont be nervous anymore. Wade Foster, Zapier 4. Avoid Sarcasm Until you are comfortable talking on the record, its best to avoid sarcasm. You may think the reporter understood what you really meant, only to be horrified by what a jerk you sound like when the story comes out. Keep it straightforward until you get a feel for what reporters pick up on and can ensure you can get your meaning across. Matt Peters, Pandemic Labs 5. Be Disciplined Remember that the reporter is after a story, not trying to tell your narrative the way you think it should be communicated. Be judicious and thoughtful in how you answer questions, and be wary of how things you say might be taken out of context. Stick to your key points, and remember that its better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. Erik Severinghaus, SimpleRelevance 6. Admit Your Stage Fright Most of the time, reporters want an interview to go well â€" they want great quotes and information for the pieces theyre working on. If they know youre nervous, they can make things a little easier to ensure theyll get what they need. You cant always use this approach â€" if youre being interviewed about something the reporter thinks has gone wrong, it wont fly â€" but it usually helps. Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting 7. Genuinely Like Them Its Psych 101, but if you like someone, theyll probably like you back. Obviously, this is easier said than done (it depends on the reporter), but if an entrepreneur goes in expecting a battle, itll be tough to win the reporter over. Derek Flanzraich, Greatist 8. Know Your Numbers! The media loves stats and numbers, so know your industry statistics and trends. However, reporters many times are strapped for time and may have not have done the homework. So if you start off with some strong numbers to support your position, this will reinforce your stance as an industry expert, as well as be impressive and set the tone for the conversation. Marcos Cordero, GradSave, LLC 9. Speak in Sound Bites It is easy to stray from your messaging goals when a reporter gets you chatting. A common mistake is to water down great news with other updates. Try to loop conversations back to messaging goals whenever possible so your feature doesnt become a back story in your own article. You can think of speaking in sound bites: everything printable should still fit your message, even out of context. John Harthorne, MassChallenge 10. Join Toastmasters to Practice Your Speaking Skills The more you practice speaking in front of others, the more comfortable youll be when its time to speak to reporters or other important groups. I highly recommend joining a local Toastmasters club to improve your speaking skills. Allie Siarto, Loudpixel 11. Talk to Someone The biggest trouble inexperienced interviewees tend to have is that they try to answer questions from a reporter as if they are talking to everyone. The outcome tends to dilute their answers and leave them sounding insecure, unsure or uncertain. Instead, imagine talking to one reader (even a past version of yourself) who wants to learn about what you have to say. Dave Ursillo, The Literati Writers 12. Practice for VCs If you’re prepared enough to take questions from a venture capitalist, you’re prepared enough to talk to a reporter. As the interviewee, you can control the interview by knowing the facts about your business and providing the most interesting things to write about. Matt Wilson, Under30Media 13. Understand What Theyre After (Its Not You) A reporter is not interviewing you to catch you in a gotcha moment he wants to write a story about a topic on which you have expertise that his readership will find interesting. The better the quotes and information he gets from you, the better his story will be. Peter Minton, Minton Law Group, P.C. 14. Be Direct Be prepared, prepared, prepared. Know the topics that the interview is going to cover like the back of your hand. Be truthful, professional, direct and interesting and have something meaningful to say. If you accomplish that, youll be amazed at the benefits of PR. Being recognized as a leader in your field by the media can easily impact the amount of incoming leads you generate. Jamail Larkins, Ascension Air

Facebook to start allowing businesses to post job listings - Debut

Facebook to start allowing businesses to post job listings - Debut HUGE careers news inbound this morning. The internet monsters and specialist time thieves at Facebook are due to start rolling a major new update today. The new functionality will allow businesses to list jobs and field applications all within the realms of the social networking site. The ingenious addition will allow Business Pages to post job openings to their News Feed using the status update function. These listings will include an Apply Now button, which users can click to instantly send an application through Messenger. Facebook will even pre-fill in your name and profile pic to help the general effort. Facebook had been testing the feature as early as last November. Now, it seems, its ready to be rolled out in the United States and Canada. As it stands, theres no information on when the rest of the world can expect it. Goodbye, LinkedIn? The move is expected to muscle heavily into the space of online recruitment giants like LinkedIn and Glassdoor. Mixing the recruitment experience with Facebooks already-strong social element is expected to make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to recruit people than ever before. Especially those seeking part-time or casual roles. In doing so, Facebook has opened itself up to an audience that those sites, geared at more high and medium-skilled roles, previously failed to recognise. Mark Zuckerbergs quest to put the entire experience of life online seems to be picking up ludicrous speed. Not to mention the social media juggernaut is about to make  a ton more cash from advertising revenue. But the move will also have great benefits for everyone, making the whole process of finding a job super streamlined. Thats something we can definitely get behind! Image via TechCrunch Download the Debut app and get Talent-Spotted by amazing graduate employers! Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter

3 ways to jump into freelancing and land on your feet

3 ways to jump into freelancing and land on your feet It’s no secret that the freelance workforce is on the rise. According to a study by Intuit, 60 million Americans will be freelancing by 2020, making up more than 40 percent of the workforce. If this number holds true, this means that over the next four years, millions of Americans will branch out on their own either to supplement their existing careers or to replace them. In fact, the number of Americans who voluntarily quit their jobs climbed to the highest number since April 2008 when, in November 2015, 2.8 million Americans left an employer. The transition from a 9-to-5 job to a successful freelance career can be stressful and intimidating. However, freelancing gives you the chance to be your own boss, work from anywhere, and do what you love, making the risk worth the reward. With the right resources and guidance, you can build the career you really want and mitigate some of the stress and uncertainty that comes along with making a major career shift. An online marketplace can lower the barriers traditionally associated with starting a freelancing career. Constantine Anastasakis, Senior Director of Business Development at Fiverr, one such marketplace, offers some tips for people who are looking to make the move to freelancing. 1. Identify your passion and learn to market it According to Anastasakis, when it comes to freelancing, the most important thing you can do is identify your passion and learn to market yourself. “As with any career, pursuing a field you’re passionate about will ultimately bring the most long-term fulfillment,” he said. “With freelancing, there are almost no limits to what you can do, which allows you to break into any industry.” Once you find your passion, tell everyone about it. Start with your friends and family, and expand your outreach into broader communities. Network within freelance communities to learn about others’ experiences and to share your own. This can help you connect with new clients or potential partners to expand your offerings. As you go, compile a portfolio of your work with positive feedback from clients that speaks to the quality of your work. 2. Create a steady and recurring customer base Maintaining a steady base of happy clients is essential to a successful freelance career. “Customers keep you in business, and their experiences determine whether or not they hire you again or refer you to their friends,” Anastasakis explained. “This is where utilizing technology can help a new freelancer, especially if you’re starting to build your business without a large personal network to approach.” Online marketplaces can connect you to millions of buyers who are looking for the types of services you sell. There are thousands of online tools that can help you get started. You just have to find the resources that are right for you. 3. Develop a deep savings bench Before diving head first into a freelance career, make sure you can financially support yourself. It’s a good idea to start freelancing on the side of your full-time gig before making the jump. This will allow you to save money, as well as get a feel for how much income you’ll bring in each month. “Due to the nature of freelancing, some months will be busier than others, and feeling out the ebb and flow of the work will allow you to plan strategically for the future,” he said. “You can also make sure you love what you do and see it as sustainable before making any long-term commitments.” Taking the plunge into freelancing can be a scary move, especially if you’ve never freelanced before. Start with small steps. Freelance on the side, build up a customer base, pursue your passion, and market yourself. As you follow these simple tips, you’ll be able to turn to freelancing confidently to build a career you really love.

Writing Beginner Resume

Writing Beginner ResumeIf you are an individual who is contemplating a career in writing, you can benefit from a writing beginner resume. In fact, it will be most beneficial to write a good resume if you already possess a certain amount of writing knowledge. In this article, we'll discuss some basic tips for writing a good resume.When you are working on your resume, it is best to write it entirely from the heart. You will want to keep all of your best work and accomplishments straight down the middle. At the end of the day, you want to make sure that the employers see only the positive aspects of your personality. This helps them to make a decision as to whether or not they want to hire you.There are many different styles and methods that a writer can use to help them create their resume. Each resume format has its own advantages and disadvantages. Be sure to read up on both the advantages and disadvantages of the different resume formats before you begin your writing project.One bas ic idea that you can take from writing is to always stick to the point. Most people who struggle with the proper way to present information to find themselves overwhelmed by the many different formatting options available on the market today. A great way to simplify things is to first read your resume in a monospace font. You can then take a look at what other text on the page consists of and add your name at the end of each paragraph.Next, you should take a look at what the basic idea of your resume is. Once you have taken the time to do this, you can then make the most of all of the formats available. One great format to choose is the bullet format because it provides a quick and easy way to relay information to your readers.Now that you have your basic idea and formatting ideas down, you can begin to make your resume more attractive. For instance, you may have a certain number of professional achievements, you may only have one or two, or you may have more than that. Whatever the case may be, make sure that you provide a concise overview of all of your professional achievements. This is how you will allow your potential employer to see exactly why you are a great fit for their company.In writing a student resume, you should be mindful of all of the different rules that apply to the type of writing that you are doing. Remember that it is very important to write a concise summary of all of your accomplishments. One tip that many writers forget about is that you must be careful when using double space. Double space is generally reserved for things like names, dates, or important dates.By keeping all of these basic ideas in mind, you can become a much better writer as well as a much better human being. Of course, the greatest tip for writing a good resume is to simply get started! Write as much as you can, and then take the time to edit and rewrite as needed.