From Broadcasting to Sobriety

From Broadcasting to Sobriety Success Story > From: Job To: Portfolio career From Broadcasting to Sobriety “It was unsettling to finally get my 'dream job' and discover it wasn't quite what I'd imagined.” * From Broadcasting to Sobriety When Kate Bee transformed her health, she also discovered a way out of the career she no longer loved. Here's how she found clarity, started abusiness, and used a portfolio approach to manage her finances along the way. What work were you doing previously? I was working as a broadcast journalist at the BBC. I started out as a newsreader in local radio before moving into TV. I spent six years working behind the scenes on BBC Breakfast â€" finding contributors and writing scripts. What are you doing now? I run my own business, The Sober School. It's an online coaching programme that helps women navigate early sobriety and feel good about alcohol-free living. How did you feel about your work before you decided to make a change? I was feeling stuck and confused. On paper, I had a great job â€" working in TV is supposed to be exciting. But most of the work was far from glamorous. There were 12-hour days, night shifts, weekends… Plus,producing a TV programme is surprisingly repetitive â€" you end up doing the same tasks, day in, day out. The problem was that I'd wanted to be a journalist for so long (I used to be part of the Newsround Press Pack!) that it was all I'd ever focused on. It was unsettling to finally get my 'dream job' and discover it wasn't quite what I'd imagined. Why did you change? The main trigger for my career change was alcohol. I'd had a difficult relationship with booze for many years; I was one of those people who didn't have an off switch. I'd tried to quit lots of times, but it had always been a struggle. About four years ago, something finally clicked and I managed to stop for good. With sobriety came amazing clarity â€" it was like a fog lifting. It became blindingly obvious that I was in the wrong job and bored silly. So I started doing all the classic things that you do when you're confused about your career: I scrolled through endless job adverts and applied for completely random things. At the same time, I began writing an anonymous blog about my experience of being sober in a boozy world. I've always loved writing and people seemed to like what I had to say. It made me realise that there were lots of drinkers out there who felt a bit lost and unsupported. People kept asking me how I'd done it â€" what were my tips, strategies, advice? It was around this time that I joined Careershifters' Career Change Launch Pad. That was all done online and I remember thinking how great it would be if there was some kind of course for people who needed support to stop drinking. And so the idea for The Sober School was born. When was the moment you decided to make the change? The idea for The Sober School kept niggling away at me but I kept putting it off. Sometimes I'd do random things like buy a domain name and design a logo… and then do nothing else for ages and ages. Then I decided, on a whim, to apply for a grant from a social enterprise funding body. I had to pitch my idea to a panel of judges and to my surprise, they gave me £4,000 to cover my start-up costs. This was a massive confidence boost and the kick up the backside I needed. It forced me to take action because you had to spend the money within a year. Plus, I had an award manager who kept checking on me! How did you choose your new career? It feels as if it chose me, really. But I did make that change happen. I attended a Careershifters Workshop in London and then joined the Launch Pad. Are you happy with the change? Absolutely. Helping people to stop drinking â€" and to let go of a habit that's been holding them back â€" is incredibly rewarding work. I love working for myself and being my own boss. Best of all, having a website and running a course means I still get to do a lot of writing and creative work. These were some of the things I loved about journalism. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I'm still a news junkie. When the general election was announced, I longed to be in a newsroom, surrounded by all the craziness that happens when news like that breaks. So sometimes I miss that buzz. But I really do not miss the commute, the night shifts or sitting in a stuffy office when it's nice and sunny outside! How did you go about making the shift? The Launch Pad course introduced me to the idea of having a 'portfolio career'. This wasn't something I'd ever considered or even heard of before.I applied for a part-time job at the Advertising Standards Authority and got it. I'm still in that role now actually â€" I really enjoy it. It takes me about 8â€"10 hours a week, it's well paid and I can do 90% of it from home. For a year, I worked for the BBC full time whilst juggling the ASA on the side and trying to get my business off the ground. Doing all three was hard work! But I managed to save up a lot of money. About two years ago,I reduced the number of hours I was working at the BBC so I had more time to focus on building my business. By the middle of last summer, The Sober School was doing pretty well â€" so well that I started to wonder whether I could risk leaving the BBC. I thought about it for quite a while, because taking that final step seemed like such a big deal, even though I'd been working towards it for ages! Then one day in September I arrived at work to find the annual email asking for volunteers to work over Christmas and New Year. And suddenly I thought: now is the time. So I handed in my notice. What didn't go well? What wrong turns did you take? Just as I was starting to think seriously about The Sober School, I had a cancer scare and ended up having quite a big operation. I was off work for six weeks afterwards and it really shook my confidence. It was the first time I've ever been reliant on sick pay and I was grateful to have a 'proper job' to fall back on. Fortunately, all turned out OK health wise. But career wise, I got cold feet. I started to wonder if I just needed a different job within the BBC. I took a four-month attachment in radio current affairs (home of hard news and 'proper' journalism). But I wasn't any happier there. With hindsight, I can see that attachment just delayed my career shift. How did you handle your finances to make your shift possible? I was able to save quite a lot of money when I was working full time at the BBC and getting a second, extra income from the ASA. That really helped. I also moved out of my rented flat in Manchester city centre and bought a flat in the countryside. I know that sounds like a crazy financial commitment to make when you're thinking of ditching a stable income, but the mortgage payments are much less than what I was paying in rent before. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Taking responsibility for everything. In my old job, I could always refer up whenever I was unsure about stuff, or I could call IT when something wasn't working. Now I have to figure everything out myself! What help did you get? I've been lucky to find incredible help along the way â€" from books and blogs to online courses. I've also been part of some incredible Facebook groups â€" they're great places to meet people and make contacts. What resources would you recommend to others? If you're at all interested in setting up your own business, I'd recommend Chris Guillebeau's book, The $100 Startup. It's really inspiring. What have you learnt in the process? You have to be prepared to make mistakes! They're bound to happen and really, they're the only way you learn. Success happens when you take action. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Remember that you can't be what you can't see. Don't be afraid to pursue ideas that seem a bit crazy or pointless â€" you have no idea what they might lead to! To find out more about Kate's business, visit www.thesoberschool.com. What lessons could you take from Kate's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Custom Resume Writing USA

Custom Resume Writing USACustom resume writing USA. One of the leading job search agencies has this to say about job and career cover letters: 'Writing a resume should be viewed as an extension of your research, planning and interviewing skills.' Job seekers are taught that how a resume will open the door to their dream job or career. By putting your words to the test in writing a career resume and cover letter, you can improve your chances of landing the job of your dreams.We've all seen those job and career cover letters sent to top employers in order to get interviews. If your resume isn't getting you anywhere, here are some ways to improve your resume writing.o Profession. The first thing you need to remember when it comes to custom resume writing USA is to describe your profession. In the United States of America, it's not enough to know how to play guitar. Your resume must be tailored to the job you're seeking.o Skills. How specific are you when describing your skills? Too vagu e will just seem like a promise that you don't intend to keep. Make sure to include the details of your work experience and education. Employers know that.o Professional Contact Information. If you're applying for a higher position, your title, department, or position should be written in the job description. Include your contact information on your resume and in your cover letter.No Boss. Do you have a boss? You'll want to include that name and contact information when you're sending your resume.o References. List all references who can vouch for your skills, education, and work history.Using these steps, you can learn how to create a custom resume writing USA that's relevant to your career goals. Write an application that will impress the employer, and include all the details that the company wants. When you have completed your resume, put your skills to the test in an interview.

Social Media in Recruitment Useful or a Giant Waste of Time

Social Media in Recruitment Useful or a Giant Waste of Time Its definitely a norm; using Twitter and LinkedIn to advertise and promote jobs, as well as using these platforms to connect and communicate with potential candidates. Using social media is seen as an essential component to any kind of recruiting strategy. But how useful is it? We spend a lot of time on social media, but are we seeing the returns on investment we put into our social strategies? We have to ask our panel of industry experts how influential social hiring has been for them. Hint: it is VERY useful! Bryan Chaney Social media is everything from forums and blogs, to tweets and email. So yes, we should be, and we are all using social media to recruit people that our hiring managers want to hire. The difference in using social media, compared to traditional CVs is that more contextual information is available online through someone’s personal brand and what they’re sharing. We understand more about a candidate’s personalities and passions because of this visibility. BUT this is a two-way conversation, which not all recruiters understand. Candidates are looking for personal stories from recruiters, employees, and brands as well. Most are only getting job specs, and they are hungry for the rest of the story. Bryan Chaney, Director of Employer Brand, Indeed Cheryl Cran To be able to recruit top talent today you NEED to be social media savvy LinkedIn is rated as the top social media source for finding potential talent. I have clients who have found stellar people through Twitter and Instagram as well. Social media IS where the millennial generation hangs out and statistics show that ALL generations look to social media for job opportunities. Recruiters need to use GIF’s, Videos, Quizzes, Games, Contests and other clever interaction style calls to action to engage people into the talent pool. Creating ongoing relationships with potential hires will ensure a continued talent pipeline for the immediate and far off future. Cheryl Cran, CEO Future of Work Expert, Synthesis at Work Inc Nathan Perrott There is no question that employers and recruiters should be using social media to attract top talent. The key question should be ‘How should we be using social media?’. And that can only be answered once you understand your target audience. We must remember that social media is a broad channel type and it can vary considerably. From the core ‘social’ channels we think of (like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram), to professional networking sites and employer review sites. We musn’t ignore the rise and power of private messaging apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Messenger Snapchat). Nathan Perrott, Director of Digital Marketing Strategy, AIA Worldwide Hung Lee A question like that might have made more sense 10 years ago! These days it’s difficult to create media content which isn’t inherently socially enabled. Likewise, there is very little that is social that cannot instantly become a form of media. We create and consume a huge amount of social media and employers need to communicate on places where your talent is going to be. It’s difficult to imagine for any company that cares about hiring to not at least explore using social technologies as part of their approach. Hung Lee, CEO, WorkShape.io Adam Glassman Why  aren’t  you using social media is the question? With an unmatched ability to reach and engage a very specific audience, social is the perfect medium to reach new candidates and spread your employer brand and careers-focused content. Adam Glassman, Recruitment Strategies Manager, Alorica Chris Russell Yes! The best people are usually on social media. If I had to choose among two candidates one with a Twitter following of thousands, and one with no Twitter presence. Id give preference to the one with a social media following. Chris Russell, Managing Director, RecTech Media Jonathan Kestenbaum YES! Social media websites, especially those focused on niche groups, have extremely engaged candidates and are great sources of top talent. Jonathan Kestenbaum, Executive Director, Talent Tech Labs

5 cautionary ideas about going to business school

5 cautionary ideas about going to business school Heres a collection of interesting ideas from people who are talking about the value of business school: 1. Business school is not an effective means to self-discovery. Most business school applications require that you tell what youre going to do with the MBA. This is because most business schools think it is a waste to get an MBA if you dont know what youre going to do with it. If you dont know what you want to do, you cant rule out that you wont need the degree. And business school is too expensive to use as a means to simply delay the real world. 2. Maybe you should try philosophy courses instead. One of the most recent, and cogent critiques of business schools came from management consultant Matthew Stewart in the Atlantic (paid). Most of management theory is insane, he writes. If you want to succeed in business, dont get an MBA. Study philosophy instead. Stewart says that the three most important pieces of advice for business are also topics dear to philosophers: Expand the domain of your analysis Hire people with greater diversity of experience Get good at communication As I plowed through my shelfload of bad management books, I beheld a discipline that consists mainly of unverifiable propositions and cryptic anecdotes, is rarely if ever held accountable, and produces an inordinate number of catastrophically bad writers. It was all too familiar. There are, however, at least two crucial differences between philosophers and their wayward cousins. The first and most important is that philosophers are much better at knowing what they dont know. The second is money. In a sense, management theory is what happens to philosophers when you pay them too much. 3. Business schools are headhunters who charge a fee to the employee. Stewart says the best thing that can be said about business school is that it is a way for companies to reliably outsource recruiting. McKinsey is a company built on this model. (But you can bet these companies dont rely on middling business schools for this purpose.) 4. Common sense might get you further. Charles Handy, a business guru who got way more press in England than the United States, eventually came down on the side of common sense that business schools overemphasize academics and thats not what you need to succeed in business. 5. Good networkers reach way beyond business school. Many people say they go to business school for the network it provides. But be careful of becoming too dependent on that idea. Networking guru Keith Ferrazzi says that you need to be able to network independently of school if you are going to be good at it. Certainly, there are good and bad things about going to business school. But think about this: If there were something you were totally excited about doing would you do it right now or would you put it off three years to go to business school? If you would do it right now, then you dont need an MBA, you need an exciting idea.

How to Use Writing Shadowing Experience on Resume

How to Use Writing Shadowing Experience on ResumeMost employers will make use of a skills based resume when they are considering the best candidates for a position. If you have a writing shadowing experience on resume that contains some of your best work, it can show potential employers how serious you are about your job and how committed you are to developing the skills needed to succeed.Experiences that are not always reported in resume should be described as such. This way, you can emphasize the fact that you have spent time developing new skills while still showcasing the things that you know. You should also list the amount of work hours spent with an employer and any type of apprenticeship required.However, sometimes employers will find that they cannot find any reports accomplishments that match the resume. In this case, it is very important that you report the things that you learned from the experience on your resume. You can do this by including a brief paragraph detailing your communication with the employer or other people at the organization that you worked with. If possible, include a personal story as well as a short description of the knowledge that you acquired.When you are writing the reporting, you should make sure that it flows in a smooth and creative design. The experience should be related to your field of work, so be sure that you focus on the skills and talent that you brought to the organization. Remember, too, that many employers will want to know how you came to hire yourself and how you have developed those skills.It is even possible to list all of your experiences. However, this will make it harder for the employer to determine the overall impression of the organization and may appear that you are just throwing in every possible thing that you could think of. Instead, you should choose experiences that will show the employer why you would be a good candidate for the position.For example, if you currently hold a position that has a lot of responsibilities, you should avoid listing every single thing that you have done in the past. You can instead focus on what you did to prepare for the position, the areas where you seem to excel, and what you did to develop these skills. Your experience should show that you have a sense of urgency when it comes to doing the right thing, and that you are dedicated to getting results.Sometimes employers will ask for previous experience that you might have had. You should carefully check to see if this is something that you have reported on your resume. If it is, then you should be sure to include a brief description of what you did and how it resulted in the organization.In addition to detailing writing or work experience, you should also make sure that you document any experiences that are related to your hobbies and interests. This will show that you have the necessary skills and can get along well with others. Listing these interests can help to increase your ability to comm unicate effectively, which can have a direct impact on your chances of success in your new position.

3 keys to hiring the right people

3 keys to hiring the right people 3 keys to hiring the right people When a small business or startup begins to get bigger, what’s the first thing that happens to grow capacity and revenue? Hire more people. Hiring â€" especially the right people â€" is so important that Jason Whitman, senior vice president of client services for Indeed, says small business owners should be thinking about finding talent all the time, not just when they have immediate hiring needs. “With fewer HR resources at their disposal, small businesses and startups typically think about recruitment only when it’s time to hire, and that is a big mistake, said Whitman. As the labor market tightens and competition for the best candidates ramps up, Whitman suggests that small businesses embrace a “perpetual recruiting mode” to stay abreast of hiring and recruiting trends and to build brand presence among job seekers. Asked to weigh in on how small business owners can keep up with trends and job-search and hiring tactics, Whitman offers three ways to stay in the hunt for great talent. 1. Find the right keywords In a recruiting landscape dominated by search engines, keywords are king. Titles, terms and skill descriptions help search engines match qualified candidates to positions that require their particular expertise. While catchy buzzword titles like “czar,” “ninja,” and even “Jedi,” might attract attention on job boards, they won’t put a job into relevant job seeker search results. For that to happen, you need to know what job seekers are looking for by learning how they promote themselves. The intervals between hiring activities provide hiring managers a chance to become familiar with the keywords that shape search behaviors in their industries. When the time comes, they will be prepared to craft incisive titles and job descriptions that will attract the right talent. 2. Zero in on soft skills A more open-ended recruitment cycle also allows small business employers to learn more about candidates and get a better sense of their “soft skills,” including reliability, communication and problem-solving abilities. A recent survey of small business CEOs conducted by The Wall Street Journal and Vistage found that 90 percent of respondents have difficulty finding candidates with these important skills. By always being open to informational interviews and keeping in touch with interesting candidates, small businesses can get a sense of how responsive a candidate is and how he or she interacts with the team. Every interaction with a potential employee refines your concept of what constitutes the ideal hire. 3. Buff up your brand In today’s era of search, the best candidates are doing more research on companies than ever before, going beyond job descriptions to get a sense of company culture. Managing and promoting your company profiles on sites like Indeed and Glassdoor ensure that job seekers are getting the best information on your company. The increase in popularity of search engines for jobs makes ongoing recruiting strategies easier than ever. Whether using search data to understand the job market or passively marketing your small business to job seekers through company web pages and employee reviews, growing businesses can develop a valuable pipeline of talent that will enable them to move quickly when it’s time to add to the team. Your job? Always be recruiting!

Love Instagram Its Time to Find a Dream Job There! - CareerEnlightenment.com

#2. Create Your Portfolio on InstagramIf you are a representative of a creative occupation, Instagram is your paradise!Photographers, designers, stylists, cookers, and writers â€" they all use Instagram for posting their works, creating a kind of online portfolios which, when hashtagged properly, help employers find them and see who they are.You can land a job you want through Instagram. Everything you need to do is turning your account into your online portfolio and live resume:Take time to post pictures of your work allowing others to see its quality.Stay up to date with the latest trends in your industry and share related pictures.Make sure the quality of your images is good.Research the popular hashtags in your industry and make sure to add them to your image descriptions.Keep all images relevant to your field.Follow other people in your industry to understand how they use Instagram and learn from them.Images of your hobbies or daily activities can be a good add to your written r esume, too. Instead of selfies in the bathroom, take pictures of you while working, volunteering, helping friends, etc.Lifehack: Make sure your images illustrate the job you want to get. If you are a hairstylist, morning pictures of sleepy you with a shock head wouldnt be the best promo for a fashionista, would they?#3. Use Instagram to Nail Job InterviewsThey say, there will be 100 million Instagram accounts in the U. S. by 2018. Most organizations use this social platform to display their company culture today, so following their accounts can help you kill two birds with one stone:It will give you an insight into what it looks like to work there and see if you are a good fit for them. Can you imagine yourself in those pictures (literally)? Do you feel their company culture is what you like and what makes you comfortable?It will help you stand out during a job interview, deciding on questions to ask the employer as well as answering their far-famed Why do you want to work at our co mpany? Its your chance to impress hiring managers by your deep understanding of their culture and your well-researched responses to their questions.How to find their accounts on Instagram?Google “company name” + “Instagram.”If they dont have an Instagram account, big chances are their employees have! Go to LinkedIn, check their Team page, choose up to five names, and Google them with “employee name” + “Instagram.”Scrolling through their feeds, you can find some work-related posts describing what they do, what their company culture is, what they like about team building and bonuses at the company, etc.For a job candidate, it becomes harder and harder to stand out today. You need all channels to build your reputation, dont you? Why not think of Instagram as one of them, making the best use of this social network for your job search?