Sunday, May 31, 2020

Im Paralysed By Dreams That Feel Too Big. What Do I Do

“Im Paralysed By Dreams That Feel Too Big. What Do I Do” Help from our Community “Im Paralysed By Dreams That Feel Too Big. What Do I Do?” * Libbie's ready to leave her industry for something new. But everything she dreams of feels less like a career change and more like 'a total life transplant'. With such big dreams, is there any point even trying? And, on a deeper level, is this so-called obstacle just a convenient disguise for being scared? What's your career history and current job? I'm an independent tour publicist working in the music industry. I work with touring acts and artists to manage all the press and publicity around the tour, press conferences, photo shoots and interviews, autograph sessions, relationship management, that kind of thing. I worked my way up from an internship with a record label into publicity, and spent a couple of years assisting on tours with a major label before striking out on my own three years ago. How do you feel about your work? It's so up and down. I love the buzz and the energy around the music industry, and the whole sense of organised chaos throughout a tour. I've got to be switched on and on my A-game for weeks at a time, which is exhilarating but can also be incredibly stressful. It's a high-energy, high-stakes environment, and working for myself is very different to being employed by a label. I'm always having to 'perform' and sell myself, and although I'm great at my job and it's not hard to do, I'm also a bit sick of playing the dancing monkey. I love it, and I hate it, and above all of that, I know it's time to do something different. I haven't been in a relationship for about six years, because I'm always on the move and I become a bit of a monster when work gets crazy. My flat is always a mess, my fridge never has more in it than a few bits of old cheese and a bottle of wine, and although my friends love hearing about everything that goes on in my job, I also feel like that's pretty much the only thing I have to talk about to them these days. It doesn't really make for much of a friendship. It was a wonderful experience for my twenties, and with a new decade opening up in front of me, it's time for a new challenge. What would you like to be doing instead? You know what? Pretty much anything. I've realised it's not so much about what I'm doing at any one time that's the problem; it's the fact that I'm doing the same thing all the time. Different artist, same things that have to be done. Tour after tour after tour. I want a crazy life. I want a big life. I want to learn and do new things and be in different places and tell stories that make people's eyes pop. I want to explore weird little corners of the world and do highly specialised, totally wacky things. I want to become that old lady sitting in the corner of a nursing home, reliving a big, dynamic, fascinating life inside her head and smiling because she's old and dying, but she's got this amazing history to be proud of. What's the biggest obstacle in your way? Everything just feels so big. There are so many things that it's possible for a person to do. And I know that people are out there, doing them, and that means I could do them, too. And yet there are so many things, and so little time, and they're all so interesting... I have these huge daydreams about working with painters and sculptors in New York City, or teaching dance, or becoming an animal behaviourist working in the jungle, or creating witty illustrations for websites and magazines... And when I imagine all these possibilities, it's not just my career that has to change; it's my whole life. What I imagine is never just about changing my career, going into a new industry, doing something different from Monday to Friday. It's about being in a different country; I imagine myself wearing different clothes, eating different foods, hanging out with different people... I know that the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. But I don't want just a few bites; I want the whole elephant. And it feels impossible. So impossible, that even taking one bite, doing one little thing to make a small change, feels totally pointless. It feels like I almost want to be a different person â€" I want a total life transplant. And that's never going to happen, so I'm left paralysed and miserable. Someone said to me recently that my big dreams are just an excuse, that I'm actually just a huge scaredy-cat, and this is my excuse for that. I haven't been able to get that comment out of my head. They might have been right; maybe I dream so big because it keeps me stuck, and that's more comfortable than the alternative. It's not as though I'm not good at making things happen! Maybe I'm too scared to be specific, because if I get specific about what I want, I don't have this excuse any more. Either way, I really don't know what to do right now. Can you help Libbie? Have you been in a similar situation, or are you in the same boat right now? How can she get over her paralysis? 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 Libbie a cheer of encouragement by hitting the thumbs-up button here:

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Why A Professional Stylist Resume Is Needed?

Why A Professional Stylist Resume Is Needed?A stylist resume, or a stylist resume template, is one that is used to write and organize a professional looking resume for a stylist. It is also a useful tool in writing and organizing a designer resume that you can use in your other jobs too.They are important because they are a kind of template that you can use for creating a designer or business resume. Also, they can be used to make a stylist resume, and also a professional looking resume. Therefore, it is a very useful tool that you can use.The way that a stylist resume is used is by a stylist themselves to write a professional looking resume and get it written properly. For this, they have to follow the instructions contained in a resume template or design that will allow them to be able to write a professional looking resume that they can use. It is true that a professional looking resume will be most wanted by the hiring manager, who is the person who will be reviewing a resume, an d who will use it as a basis for making a decision about the employer's choice. This is why a professional looking resume is needed.In fact, a very good resume is the kind that are able to stand out among all the others, and it is the kind that will be reviewed by hiring managers. Therefore, a good designer or professional looking resume is a good thing to have. If the job that you are applying for requires you to use a resume template, then you should consider getting one. After all, this is one of the very best tools that you can use in making your job easier.A stylist resume is not the same as a corporate designer resume. A business resume is a kind of template that is used to make a professional looking resume and also to give an opportunity to the business professional to be able to get a good review of his or her professional skills and experiences. A professional looking resume that has been designed and written by a professional stylist is more likely to be successful at get ting a good review of the candidate by the hiring manager. This is why it is important to use a professional looking template when designing a stylist resume.There are many templates available on the Internet that is used to make a resume template or a professional looking resume, and they are very much helpful. However, if you do not have time to get a professional template, you can just use a personal resume that you have prepared for yourself. In this case, you can also make a stylist resume for yourself and follow a professional template that you find useful.If you want to be able to stand out among all the other resumes that you have read, a stylist resume is a good thing to have. It is very much needed in order to be able to impress the hiring manager. The reason is that the kind of resume that a stylist needs to write is designed to stand out from the rest. A designer resume is the kind of resume that a professional stylist need to create in order to stand out.If you are usin g a professional resume to present your professional skills and experience, then you must use a professional resume template. This is one of the very best things that you can use in order to be able to present your professional skills and experience in a professional manner. In this case, the whole purpose of using a designer resume is to stand out and be different from the rest.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

A Brand Assessment of the 2008 Presidential Candidates - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

A Brand Assessment of the 2008 Presidential Candidates - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I was asked about 50 times to do a brand evaluation of the presidential candidates, but I really cant voice a strong opinion because I have no interest in politics and havent been following the race closely enough to make a full analysis. Brandon Wright was one of the people who asked me and so I asked him to do this guest post because I do feel that it makes sense for The Personal Branding Blog. Brandon Wright is Manager of Communications and a registered lobbyist for the Petroleum Marketers Association of America. You can read his blog at www.brandonwright.wordpress.com. _____ Branding is about being different. It doesn’t matter if you’re competing for business or votes; it is positioning yourself as the best. For the 2008 presidential candidates it is about standing out from one another. Many candidates use slogans. Hillary Clinton does not have a slogan on her website, www.hillaryclinton.com. Senator John McCain: Ready to Lead on Day One Senator McCain has an incredible life story. He is a war hero having survived captivity as a POW during the Vietnam War. As a Congressman and Senator, McCain developed a reputation for speaking bluntly. His campaign is called the “Straight Talk Express” and his words and actions have earned him the moniker “maverick.” His independent streak appeals to both moderate Republicans and Independent voters. Senator McCain’s presidential campaign has ebbed and flowed, but the message has remained relatively unchanged. He continues to tout his military and foreign policy experience and position himself as the most qualified candidate ready to lead on Day One. He must overcome a wobbly economy and tepid support of the war in Iraq among general election voters to win in November. Senator Barack Obama: Change You Can Believe In Senator Obama is a first-term Senator, but has had a tremendous impact on the 2008 presidential election. From the start, his message of hope and change has resonated with the American people. He has won the previous 11 consecutive democratic primaries, before losing the next three of four. He draws tens of thousands to his rallies and easily fills auditoriums. His speeches are often interrupted with chants of “Yes We Can.” Obama has drawn a broad coalition of Americans to his campaign that has fought back charges that he is inexperienced and does not have the judgment or discretion to serve as president. Despite all this, he remains the likely Democratic nominee for president. He must continue to demonstrate there is substance to his elegant oratory. Senator Hillary Clinton When Senator Clinton announced in 2000 she would run to replace former New York Senator Pat Moynihan, almost immediately she became a presumptive candidate for president in 2008. When she announced her candidacy for president she became the frontrunner and campaigned like one. Her campaign has struggled lately, losing the previous 11 democratic primaries before winning three of the next four. She has appeared too ambitious and self-serving, and willing to shift positions or not take positions to win votes, the same problem that plagued Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. Many articles and columns are filled with different reasons for the failure of her campaign. She has campaigned as the candidate with the most experience and the candidate with solutions. Her problems stem from not having a consistent message. She needs to “find her voice” like she did in New Hampshire to win it all. Its Game Time There are approximately 250 days until the general election. Whoever the parties nominate must develop a strong consistent message that conveys strength and also optimism to the American people. Change for the sake of change does not always bring good change, and presidents have succeeded without much time in Washington.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Should You Refinance Your Student Loans to Improve Your Career Prospects

Should You Refinance Your Student Loans to Improve Your Career Prospects Be sure to check out the infographic that follows! Graduating from college with a degree opens a lot of doors for your long-term career, but did you know that your student debt could also hold you back from those dreams? In today’s society it’s normal for students to graduate with student loan debt, but we rarely think about the long-term effects of those monthly payments. Even worse is the fact that over 1 million people defaulted on their loans last year. Defaulting alone can seal off many opportunities for your career if you planned on working in federal, state, or local government jobs. Let’s find out how student loan debt affects your career prospects, and if refinancing is a good option for you. How Student Loan Debt Affects Your Career Once you graduate, many student loans expect you to start making monthly payments after a short grace period. This new burden on your finances can be troublesome, especially if you’re looking for an entry-level position in your field. For starters, you will probably find yourself taking less risks and pinching pennies more than ever before. As you seek to make your monthly payments on your current budget, you may socialize less in an effort to save as much as you can. Higher education or a master’s degree won’t cross your mind while you’re paying off your loans either. If you start struggling to make your monthly payments and your loan defaults, this can seriously damage your future prospects. A damaged credit score can prevent you from applying for a house or car loan. For those who are deep in debt, the salary matters more than anything else. In an interview with Stephen Seaward, an advocate for financial education in the classroom, one story came up that discussed a student with $60,000 in loans. She came in to ask for the highest paying job possible. “We didn’t even get into the conversation about what she’d like to do. It was like she didn’t care. She just needed to make money as fast as possible,” Seaward said. Plenty of students come looking for high paying jobs, but those who make it a priority to control their debt often find themselves in careers that don’t match up with their aspirations. Student Loan Reality Check Take a look at these statistics from a study that explored the effect of student debt on career choices: 47% of graduates say their career pursuits change based on their loan payments 40% took a job with higher pay and less satisfaction to pay off their loans One-third of college students say student loans will influence their career choice Depending on your loan terms, you could be paying for a decade or more on your loans. Your career can take precedence when you don’t have to worry about this type of debt for that long. This is where refinancing can help. How to Take Control of Your Debt by Refinancing Refinancing allows you to modify and change the terms of your student loans to better suit your needs. You can do this through many of today’s top private lenders. When you set out to refinance your loans, several options become available to you: You can choose a lower interest rate, based on current options and your credit score. You can shorten or lengthen the repayment term to pay it off faster or lower your monthly payments to make them more manageable. If you have multiple loans, you can consolidate them into one convenient payment each month. There are options for both fixed and variable rates of interest when you refinance. The ability to remove a cosigner from responsibility is also a potential benefit. Refinancing isn’t always the solution, but it can be very helpful for many people. If you are someone who has federal loans, other options may be more beneficial. Depending on your situation, you may qualify for loan forgiveness if you have been making payments consistently for a decade or more. In other cases, federal loans can offer an income-based repayment plan (IBR) that modifies the monthly payments to better fit your needs. The most important takeaway here, is that student loans are malleable so they’re not a crushing burden on you or your career. The infographic below lays out a roadmap that will help you decide if refinancing is the best option for you. Let us know if you decided to pursue this option for your student loans in the comments!

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Resume Writing Ebook

Resume Writing EbookResume writing eBook is now a very important part of the world of online business. It offers the small and medium sized business owners and professional employment agencies a great opportunity to expand their marketing and networking ventures.Indeed, the world of business online is highly competitive. Therefore, it is best for an employment agency to come up with something that can attract the attention of potential clients, thus increasing the chances of the agency's business. For this reason, it is advisable to make use of an attractive and appealing resume writing eBook that can grab the attention of people and make them want to get in touch with the business owner.However, employers are looking for individuals who have the ability to capture their attention. The author of the resume writing eBook should therefore be able to manage to set the wheels in motion to convince the potential clients. A good resume writing eBook should be able to present useful informa tion in a manner that is not only comprehensible but also interesting.Since it is very likely that potential clients will have a very limited amount of time to review the resume of an individual, the writer of the resume writing eBook should know how to make use of short paragraphs and bullet points so as to present the vital information effectively. The author should understand that the first impression that a potential client has about the job applicant will not be based on the resume of the person. This is why the writer of the resume writing eBook must be very cautious in choosing what to write in the first paragraph of the resume. The writer of the resume writing eBook should be able to tell the prospective client exactly what the position requires and how he or she can further the organization by applying for the position.The author of the resume writing eBook should know how to create a coherent resume that contains all the information required by the employer and also one th at is pertinent to the online business that the applicant has entered into. The author should make sure that the resume is not only well written but also is organized in such a way that the employers can easily find what they need. He or she should therefore be able to explain clearly and concisely the things that the applicant should mention in the resume.Additionally, the resume must also contain all the essential details of the position and the qualifications of the applicant. The writer of the resume writing eBook should therefore understand the importance of including a cover letter in the resume. The letter of a potential employee is probably the single most important thing that the employer will read before hiring the applicant.In addition, the author of the resume writing eBook should take care to incorporate a few things in the resume that will make the employer want to check out the applicant. The resume should be impressive enough to persuade the potential employer to not just take a look at the resume but also to read it over. It should be able to convince the potential employer to include the applicant's name on the phone book.The best resume writing eBook should not only show the advantages of the author of the resume but also provide him or her with the necessary material that he or she needs to be successful in the article content. The writer of the resume writing eBook should write articles that are not only concise but also are well-organized. Furthermore, the author of the resume writing eBook should make sure that the writing of the resume will not only help him or her in getting a high search engine ranking but also in generating a significant amount of targeted traffic to his or her website.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

How To Write A Hirable Resume Without Any Experience CareerMetis.com

How To Write A Hirable Resume Without Any Experience Finding your first job feels like a catch-22: you need a job to get a job. So how do youimpress an employer and get hired?It’s a question we hear all the time â€" and don’t worry, there are ways around it. Here are 4 ways to write a hirable resume without any experience.1) Study The Job PostingevalIt goes without saying that employers are trying to find the perfect candidate to fill an open position. In order to fit the bill, it’s important that you’re precisely aware of what the employer wants.One way you can do this is by studying the job posting you’re applying for. But don’t just skim through it, I mean really dissect it. Jot down keywords that stand out to you and take note of keywords that come up more than once. Let’s take a look at an example.In a Digital Marketing Manager job posting I found on Amazon’s career website, the term “email marketing” came up 7 times, “data-driven” 3 times, “demand generation” 2 times, and “digital marketing” came u p 5 times I remember this advice from way back when I was looking for my first job. Trust me, I was worried I’d go full Bruce Banner and Hulk Smash whoever dared share this nugget of wisdom.But it’s true: recruitment statisticsshow that more than 90% of employers expect at least some work experience from freshers. Most of them Again, you don’t want to be a full-time gofer. You just need to get your foot in the door.Browse online job boards, college websites, and simply ask around. Even a few days or weeks volunteering for an NGO is way more than an empty experience section on your resume. a) Beef up Your Education and CourseworkevalNow, when you sit down and write up your education section, highlight any job-relevant courses you took.For example, if you’re applying for the position of the customer service representative, you might want to mention courses that helped you build computer and communication skills.If the job you’re applying for is something you learned about at school, make sure you mention this.Perhaps you majored in English Literature, but took a course in digital marketing and caught the bug. Expand your education write-up by including that course.evalPro Tip: Someexperts argue that GPAs don’t matter, but if yours is solid, i.e., as close to a perfect 4.0 as possible, you might want to put it on your resume. Some companies actually require candidates to disclose their GPA and looking it up is the first step to sieve out the majority of the candidates.c) Make the Most of Your SkillsNext, go through any skills you possess that are job-relevant.Applying for an entry-level position at a young company? Know your way around G Suite? Put it on your resume.Will your job requirelots of travel? Have a driver’s license? Great.Skills like these are referred to as technical skills. Try to prove you possess them.Let’s say the job ad requires you to update the company’s WordPress-powered website. Do you run a WordPress blog? Put that on your resume in the Project Section and explain what you can do. Don’t just write WordPress in the skills section.When it comes to skills, you need to quantifywhenever possible.Let’s say your prospective job requires you to do a lot of typing. You could take an online typing test and show the recruiter how efficient you are!Will you have to drive a lot? The employer will be happy to read you’ve had a clean driver’s license for five years.What’s more, there are some transferable skills you possess. These are abilities that come in handy no matter what you’re doing.Perhaps you helped out with organizing a concert or other events? There you go, you’ve got organizational skills. Again, be specific about what you did, and explain why you did a good job of this.And then you’ve got soft skills. These are so-called people skills like communication.Pro Tip: Don’t underestimate soft skills. Yes, they are less important than hard skills or technical skills, but the majority of recr uiters expect their candidates to possess them.Oh, and don’t forget any licenses or certificates that might come in handy on the job.If you speak a foreign language, don’t hide that from the employer and put that on your resume.And, finallyâ€"4) Don’t Forget About Applicant TrackingThis point goes under wraps most of the time, but it’s extremelyimportant that you build your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems.First, let’s go over what they are. Applicant Tracking Systems, abbreviated as ATS, is a software solution to the recruitment process. Because recruiters at big companies are getting hundreds of thousands of resumes, they need a way to organize, manage, and filter through candidate applications. ATS accomplishes this by acting as an HR search engine.Okay great, so what’s the problem? Well, the issue is that ATS also ranks resumes. This means that if your resume is missing essential skills or experience, the ATS will rank your resume lower than someone with those e ssentials included.We’ve already covered the topic of using keywords so I won’t include it here. However, it is important to note that ATS will discard any “un-readable” resumes. In fact, ~43% of resumes are in “unreadable” formats. Well, what’s the big issue with that? Can’t a human HR manager just read my resume and pick up where the ATS failed?The short answer is, no.The long answer? Human hiring managers spend only 7-10 minutes skimming through a resume. This means your resume is only allocated a certain amount of time, and a resume ranked higher will garner more attention than ones that are ranked low.Here are some numbers:Only 25% of resumes are seen by human hiring managers (the rest are ignored).99% of big companies use Applicant Tracking Systems.26% of Fortune 500 companies use “Workday” as their ATS.Okay, I Get It. ATS Sucks, But What Can I Do About It?Luckily for you, there are some ways to kick this software in its algorithmic butt. We already mention ed one way, which is the use of keywords.Once your resume is complete, use tools like JobScanto see how well your resume does in ATS.Second, use ATS optimized resume buildersand resume templates. Sure, they may not look as sexy as having fancy graphs, cool charts, or an option to add icons, but what’s the point of all that if human HR managers don’t even get a chance to read the resume!Finally, here’s a quote from Amanda Augustine, a resident career expert at Talent Inc.:“Avoid images, charts, and other graphics. While these may look nice to the human eye, resumes with embedded images become a garbled mess, or get completely omitted from your application, after it passes through the applicant tracking system.”As you can see, ATS is not an imaginary threat. It’s here now and it’s here to stay. If you’re looking for career success, make sure you familiarize yourself with ATSASAP.The Bottom LineHere’s the bottom lineâ€"No matter what you think, employers understand th at candidates looking for their first job and entry-level positions don’t have years of experience. Sure, they love to see a solid history of employment. Then again, there clearly are jobs for candidates with no experience out there.In a way, what you have to do is to prove you can be trusted to learn fast on the job.Make the most of what experience you already have and get more. Leverage your educational background to prove you possess some relevant know-how.A Quick Summary Of What Was Covered1) Use the job posting to get relevant keywords for your resume.Remember: there’s a reason why there are repeatingkeywords. These keywords/skills hold more weight and value for the employer. Properly and efficiently use these keywords, and the ATS will rank you higher.2) Free internships, volunteering, and freelancing are all great ways to get last-minute experience. Look for these opportunities.Hiring managers just want to see that you have some experience. Try looking for relevant experi ences that will help you perform better in the working environment/position you’re applying for.3) Leverage your skills and coursework. Often times, these can come in handy to make up for the lack of relevant experience.Don’t have the time to rack up relevant work experiences? No worries. You can leverage skills and coursework to show employers that you’re qualified for the position.4) Know what ATS is and avoid using lavish resume templates when possible.It’s not just a fancy new trend! ATS is here and here to stay. Make sure to stay up to date on ATS best practices and use ATS optimized templates when you’re writing your resume.

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Customer Engagement How You Can Improve Yours

Customer Engagement How You Can Improve Yours It is essential for all modern businesses to do as much as possible to generate more interest. As an entrepreneur, you have to think hard about what your company needs, and how you can go about getting it. There are a lot of ways you can increase sales and boost your brand reputation, and if you’re struggling to keep up, we can tell you now, the easiest and most important way is customer engagement. Of all the things that play a big role in modern business, engagement is one of the most crucial. Think about how much time we all spend on our phones these days, and looking at screens. People like to feel connected, and it’s your job as a business to help them with this. Here are some of the best ways you can improve your customer engagement. Make Use of Social Media Social media is not the be all and end all for modern business, but it’s not far off. The amount of interest you can generate by engaging with customers on social media is staggering. It is estimated that around 2 billion people globally have Facebook accounts. Add in Twitter, Instagram, and others, and this is a staggering pool of potential clients. So, you need to make sure you make the most of these sites, and really help to make your business profiles top drawer. You want to craft an engaging and interesting business profile page and make sure you speak to customers directly who might leave feedback or ask questions. This is going to make the business much more interesting and engaging for customers. Improve Your Store Display You have to do what you can to improve your store display as well. Don’t think that everything has got to be digital these days in the business world. You need to ensure the shopfront is as engaging and dynamic as possible. And this generally means looking at ways of making it more creative and interesting. Visual retailing software is a really useful tool you can use to help you with this, and there are so many advantages to it. Your store display is very much a calling card for the business, and you need it to stand out, intrigue people, and generate foot traffic. If you can get this right, you should be able to generate much more business for the company. Personalize Your Marketing Another important thing to remember is that you have to make sure you personalize your marketing. This is actually much more doable than ever these days and really brings you closer to your customers. You can use software and market research to assess buying patterns, as well as seeing the sorts of things your customers are liking on social media. By personalizing marketing strategies toward specific individuals you show that you value them as customers, and you are more likely to secure them as long-term customers. Customer engagement is one of the most crucial things for your business, and you have to make sure you get it right. This can make the difference between huge success and losing customers to other businesses. If you can engage more and show you value them as people, you will be guaranteed to increase your business and revenue.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Making Use of Resume Distribution Services

Making Use of Resume Distribution Services Did you know that not every job vacancy is advertised through job websites and newspapers? Many companies simply do not have the time and resources to go down the usual job vacancy route of taking applications and offering interviews to people that are successful. Instead of going down the traditional route of looking for potential employees, many companies rely on job agencies and head hunters to find the people they need. This makes the process that much quicker and easier for them because someone else takes care of a majority of their job hunt for them. If you are serious about finding the job of your dreams, then you need to do what you can to make sure that you are exploring every avenue when it comes to finding a vacancy that suits you and this includes getting in touch with agencies. The difficulty with this comes when you are new to this whole environment and aren’t sure where to get started. It can be confusing to know who to contact and how to go about it. If this is something that concerns you and you want to go about everything in the right way then you need to look at resume distribution services. Recruitment companies and advisors often know the best people in particular industries to contact about vacancies and have contacts to find out about possible job opportunities before they are officially released. By using a company to distribute your resume to these companies in bulk you have to ensure you have the best possible chance of being successful when it comes to finding a job!