From Criminal Law to Supporting Social Enterprise

From Criminal Law to Supporting Social Enterprise Success Story > From: Job To: Freelance From Criminal Law to Supporting Social Enterprise “I miss the rush of the court room, but I don't miss the sense of futility, the insecurity or the poor work environment.” * From Criminal Law to Supporting Social Enterprise Think it's impossible to get paid to train in a new field? Think again! When Martin Underwood realised that criminal law wasn't all it was cracked up to be, he came across an opportunity that ticked all the right boxes: challenging, exciting, with a positive social impact, and full of great (paid) work experience. Read on to discover how he made his move into a job he loves. What work were you doing previously? Criminal law barrister. What are you doing now? Consultancy work for social enterprises. Why did you change? I didn’t value the outcomes of the job enough. Looking back on it, my job application had all the standard waffle about the importance of upholding the rights of the individual against the state and being a mouthpiece for those who might not be able to speak so well for themselves, but I didn’t get the reality of the job at the time. I didn’t get that I would be representing guilty people the majority of the time and that I would be part of a system that did not serve offenders, victims, or witnesses well. When was the moment you decided to make the change? No moment stands out actually. Looking back on it, it seemed like a natural choice to make. Are you happy with the change? Yes, I'm working with amazing people in a variety of roles, all of which I care about. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss the rush of advocating in the court room, finding the right words to change the jury's attitude and getting the instant, positive feedback from doing a good job for the person in front of me. I don't miss the sense of futility over the outcomes of the job, the insecurity of the job, and the poor work environment. How did you go about making the shift? After several months of aimless abstract thinking and hypothetical’s, I came across On Purpose, a one-year, paid leadership programme. Wow! I got to try out paid work placements in different sectors that would make a social impact, alongside some world-class training every Friday from organisations like McKinsey, Bain, IDEO and UnLtd. It didn’t disappoint and I had the best professional year of my life, developing some passions in the process. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? Along with a little savings, I still had enough money coming in because On Purpose pays £21,000 to take part in the programme. What was the most difficult thing about changing? I moved into roles that involved financial skills when I'd never opened Excel before! So I was stretched to learn on the job and from my mentor On Purpose provided from Mckinsey to support me. What help did you get? Along with training and mentoring I've mentioned, I received regular coaching in the year as part of the On Purpose programme. What have you learnt in the process? Most of all, I learnt the value of my network. I learned so much from my peers in the programme who were so useful to bounce ideas off and find out what’s going on across different sectors. As a fellow of the programme, I’m still in contact with a lot of these people and, through them, so many incredible professionals and job opportunities. What do you wish you'd done differently? I wish I'd experimented with my career ideas and interests earlier through work experience and pro-bono work. I wasted too much time in useless abstracting when I should have been getting my hands dirty in the work. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Develop more than one idea of potential work which aligns your values, talents, knowledge and experience. Then set up mini experiments to test this quickly. On Purpose associates undertake two paid 6-month paid placements, coupled with intensive 1:1 support and world-class training provided by professionals from organisations such as McKinsey, Bain, IDEO, the Big Issue, UnLtd and Bridges Ventures, made possible by On Purpose’s diverse network. To find out how to kick-start your career in social enterprise, find out more at www.onpurpose.uk.com. What lessons could you take from Martin's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

The Product Called You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Product Called You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career You are the hub of every interaction you have.   And, you are also the product.   What you do and say either adds values or detracts from your business relationships, client relationships and even your personal interactions. Working with small businesses and entrepreneurs, I often take them through nine elements to their brand.   Since your brand is intertwined with your business brand (be it service or product), review the following: 1.       Product differentiation.Organizations that understand their competition and take a unique position among them do better than those that understand only their customers. Personal Brands: What makes you different?   Extract and discover this so that   you can communicate that to the world. 2.       Coordinated communications materials. Your brand name, logo, and slogan should all be consistent in carrying out the brand development mission. Personal brands: Do all of your communication tools send the same message, give the same impression of your brand? 3.       Positive positioning. Distinguish yourself by emphasizing your brand’s most specific, coveted benefits. A good way to improve a brand’s perception is to win awards from the Chamber of Commerce, trade associations, and other reputable sources. Personal brands: Take notice what are you doing now to make this happen? What are the coveted benefits of working with you? If this is a difficult question for you to answer, how difficult will it be for others? 4.       Brand stewardship. Brands perform well if they are championed by a friendly and authoritative figure, such as the company CEO, a celebrity spokesperson, or a mascot. Personal brands: Confidence attracts. What do you need to do to become more confident with yourself? What do you need to be a better version of you? 5.       Positive associations. Strong brands usually represent a single positive benefit. An individual or company must decide which strong attribute to hang their hat on, then deliver a cohesive message with positive associations. Personal brands: Who and what are you associating with? 6.       Quality reinforcement. Consumers aren’t always able to distinguish the quality of one product compared to another. However, for an individual or company to develop their brand, they must make sure that it is seen as being high quality. Personal brands: You must know what you have or do that makes you the best at what you do. It is your job to be able to compile that in bit-sized pieces; your job to connect the dots; your job to communicate succinctly what you do best. 7.       Brand extensions. Several successful individuals and companies develop spinoff brand extensions that generate revenue streams from a related product or service. Personal brands: What can you do to become more known and more connected? Associations with good companies, volunteer groups and even networking clubs provide a halo effect where your credibility is elevated because of the good reputation of the organization (i.e. Rotary Clubs). The key to success is to be sure that you sincerely believe and support the mission or vision of the organization. 8.       Perceived value reinforcement. How the marketplace perceives the value of a product or service may dictate a brand’s image more than the product or service itself. Reinforcing the value of a product or service, as customers interpret it, is key. Personal brands: Do you have a gratitude program (such as writing thank you notes) to reinforce someones connection with you? 9.       Memorable slogan. Every integrated identity initiative must have a slogan. Personal brands: Whats in your word garden? Author: Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer),   buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks work and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy. Two years ago she launched #brandchat an active, weekly, high velocity chat focused on all aspects of branding.

Does Your Resume Tell, or SELL

Does Your Resume Tell, or SELL Ok job seekers; here it is…the biggest resume blunder you can make: simply telling employers about you and not selling your related skill sets and accomplishments. That’s right, I said sell!! Your resume is a marketing tool that must be carefully crafted to show employers why they should hire you. Remember, your  resume  may be all about you, but it isnt meant for you. Brain dumping everything your previous positions involved is not going to catch the eye of recruiters or get you an interview. Instead, you want to use strategy to showcase the most relevant facts and provide just a sampling of your best material. If you do this right the resume will surely hook and engage! Another way to approach the sale of you within the resume is to treat yourself as a unique commodity, with a specialized brand. To start, review how some of the most famous brands are advertised. Do they use long winded, generic commercials that outline all of the specifics? Nope. Instead, famous brands have quick, targeted messages and snappy sales points that are relayed in quick commercials. Famous brands use strategy to sell…and  you must too! So the next time you sit down to craft a new resume for a certain position, remember its’ purpose. To get you an interview! And how can you improve your chances of having the reader take notice of the skills you have to offer? Strategically position yourself as a unique brand with a targeted message. Make them a sale that is hard to refuse!

Breaking News Facebook Chat (IM) Goes Live - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Breaking News Facebook Chat (IM) Goes Live - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Typically, I leave breaking news about social networks to my peers. Nick ONeill is world renowned for covering this space (Update Nick found out about this 3 weeks ago), so I hope he doesnt mind. I went into my Facebook account tonight and saw that the IM functionality was already in place. I asked 10 of my friends if they could view the IM feature on their screens and they said no. I am one of the first beta testers of this instant messaging feature. We are all used to AOL Instant Messenger or Yahoos Messenger, but Facebook already had our attention. Would you use this new feature or are you going to stick to your guns? Facebook uses this integrated approach to make you spend more time on their website, thus they can claim better statistics and get more advertising money or funding. Quick analysis First, I edited my screen 3 times, with 3 different screen shots that I blended together. On your left, you will see a list of all your buddies that are currently online and you can IM any of them you choose. You can also conduct a search to find friends who are online. This is a good idea because if you have 1,000 friends online it becomes unmanageable without search. On your top right, you have the option to pop-out the IM feature, as well as show or hide mini-feed stories, which are typically found in each persons profile. If you check keep your friends open then you will see the screen shot on your left for the duration of your time on Facebook, unless you change it. You also have the ability to go offline so youre not using the IM feature. On your bottom right, there is a welcome screen and you can view how many of your friends are currently online. Also, you can identify your status. Reputation management concerns I can see there being problems with the new IM feature. People or stalkers will have an easier path to harassing others. Also, dont you think we already know enough about people and when they are online? Now you are going to let us follow people and contact them at free will! Anyways, any move you make on Facebook will be shown to your network and those outside of your network, so try and set privacy and be careful of this new IM feature.

10 Soft Skills For Job Readiness CareerMetis.com

10 Soft Skills For Job Readiness â€" CareerMetis.com Unlike hard skills Gone are the times when organizations ignored the importance of hiring employees with stupendous soft skills. In the current times, employees with desirable soft skills such as positive attitude and communication skills are favored highly as compared to their counterparts.Soft skills are those set of specific personality traits that makes an employee compatible to work with. Empirical studies indicate that soft skills are an effective indicator of someone’s job performance just like the hard skills.Hence, organizations leave no stone unturned in ensuring that they hire an employee possessing the most attractive set of soft skills.Below mentioned are 10 of the most common online soft skill courses available for job readiness. Read further to know more.1) Good Communication SkillsevalThere are plenty of job readiness training programs available online wherein they prepare participants to develop good communication skills. Unarguably, getting a job requires one to b e good in communication skills.Keeping in mind the pertinence of effective communication skills, organizations hire only those candidates who can effectively present their suggestions and ideas with clarity and focus. Therefore, look for programs that include communication skills in their soft skills training module.2) Time ManagementCandidly speaking, it is better to compromise on all other facets of the potential employee but not on his or her ability to prioritize tasks and work. In other words, a candidate should be able to use his time on the job wisely.evalManaging time is an exceptionally vital soft skill that candidates need to invariably possess for any job they wish to be hired for. The point is, getting the right things done in time is of absolute importance, and thankfully, time management skills can be learned.3) Problem-Solving AttitudeCompanies are more concerned with an individual’s abilities to handle problems. They are more interested in knowing how a candidate w ill behave when faced with a problem. This is where a course in problem-solving will help.In both classroom and online soft skills training courses, steps pertaining to problem-solving are imparted. Identifying the problem, listing potential solutions, evaluating the solutions, and so forth should be taught.4) Assisting Fellow WorkmatesA lot of surveys suggest that employers encourage a work culture where teamwork is valued. Every time when a new employee is hired, the existing employees should take the initiative in coaching the new member along the way. All the members of a particular project should be seen as one team representing one company.eval5) Ability To Do PresentationsevalThis particular soft skill can be quite overwhelming to a few especially if they lack confidence in their communication skills; however, the good news is, there are some really good online courses available to nurture an individual’s presentation skills.All organizations demand a candidate to be able t o present management, regardless of his or her position in the company. You don’t have to be a communication specialist to know presentations, and it is a soft skill that is expected by all employers.6) ConfidenceRemember confidence is a choice and it may not be entirely based on truth. It is undeniably a trait that can be learned through practice and self-awareness.Online courses with the right coaching will be able to help you develop confidence in your skills and in your talent. At this point, you need to start having positive self-talk and start managing what is going inside your brain.7) Having A Strong Work EthicAnother pivotal soft skill required in employees is about having a strong work ethic while getting the job done. Developing a good work ethic begins at the educational level, and what better way than to enroll in an online soft skills program that teaches you the principles of work ethic from scratch. Such amazing learning opportunities will give you the platform to develop and cultivate your own work ethics.Employers will appreciate those workers who exhibit a sense of strong work ethic in their daily activities as there is really nothing better than having a dependable employee work for you.8) Flexibility And AdaptabilityThey say Nobody likes to hire a fly on the wall who merely follows the commands of the management. Organizations favor those candidates who know how to take initiatives at the right time.10) Ability To Handle StressLastly, and most importantly, your ability to handle stress will ultimately define you as a likable candidate in an organization.Do you know that violence in companies is increasing as employees are unable to handle stress and unneeded pressure that comes along?It is better to equip yourself with hacks that help you remain calm even under enormous pressure. An online soft skills training program shall do a good job of teaching you the basics of handling work-related stress.evalThe above mentioned are 10 of the most common soft skills aspired by employers worldwide.Thankfully, we have some amazing soft skills instructors online who offer valuable lessons on soft skills training. These online courses play a pivotal role in helping candidates succeed in the corporate world.

The Importance of Informational Interviews - CareerAlley

The Importance of Informational Interviews - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. A new technique that is emerging that allows us to make connections in our industry or in an industry to which we may want to make a career change is called the informational interview. The informational interview is where you contact someone in a field or industry that you are interested in and ask them to spend time with you discussing a realistic preview of that job or industry. Prior to informational interviews, job applicants would go to an interview and the interviewer would discuss the industry and job requirements. However, there is no telling if the information one receives in accurate. The person would take the job and find out that the position or industry was not what he or she expected and would end up leaving the company. This is a bad circumstance for both the new employee and the employer. Now, one can ask to discuss the position or industry without the pressure of getting hired and may receive a more realistic outlook on the job or industry. This method saves both time and money for both parties involved. It is important to realize that an informational interview is not a way to land a job. It is simply a tool to determine if you want a job in a particular area or industry. It is the persons chance to ask questions about a job or industry that he or she may not ask on an actual interview, for fear of asking too many questions or ruining his or her chance of obtaining the job. The informational interview decreases the pressure tremendously. Further, the informational interview is a great way to make contacts and build networking skills. The person you are interviewing may very well remember your interest when or if you decide to apply for a position in the company. However, it is important that you are prepared and leave a positive impression. Prepare yourself for the informational interview by researching the company or industry prior to the interview. Instead of asking questions that you can receive answers for online, reserve the questions that will tap into the interviewers expertise and personal knowledge. The interviewer generally does not want to waste his or her time, so preparing leaves a good first impression. The informational interview will also allow you to brush up on interviewing skills and professional etiquette. Everyone wants to make a great impression during an interview, but when the time for the interview comes, the chances for practice have disappeared. Therefore, if you are interested in a particular company or industry, the informational interview will allow you to prepare without waiting for that crucial moment during an actual interview. Finally, the person you pick for the informational interview should be someone in a management position that can really tell you what you need to know to later make an informed decision on whether the company or industry is right for you. Someone who sees the big picture and deals in details at the same time, like management, would be a perfect resource to gain valuable insight. Informational interviews are a growing trend and are not looked upon as pushy or rude. It actually looks as if you are proactive and professional in your endeavors. You can find people to interview by contacting the HR office of the company you are interested in or finding a professional on LinkedIn. This is one tool I highly suggest that people use to network, make contacts, and improve informed decision-making. Author Bio: Theresa Collins is an MBA who has taught HR for 12 years and worked in management for the past 3. She is passionate about recruiting employee benefits and employee relations. Theresa is a freelance writer and blogger for FreeResumeBuilder. Visit Theresas website at http://freeresumebuilder.org This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif

Resume Tips - How to Write a Resume Like a Pro

Resume Tips - How to Write a Resume Like a ProIf you're feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of resumes and job searches that you're seeing, try looking at some of the best resume tips available on the internet. While this may not be a new idea, you're likely to be amazed at just how much time and effort can be saved if you utilize one of these tips to write your own resume. The good news is that it's absolutely possible to create your own resume without any help or assistance.Starting from the top of the page, start with a list of points that you have on which you want to highlight. These are going to be the key points that will most directly affect your ability to land a job or where you would like to go. Make sure that you include them on the first page of your resume.One of the first things you should do is create a list of the necessary information for your resume. You want to make sure that you get your points across on the first page, so that it doesn't feel like an afterth ought. So, get your name, your employment history, contact information, the information that will reflect on your resume, and any other details that you think will be most beneficial to your prospects.Next, come back and focus on your skills and qualifications, but do so in a way that will provide some form of a showcase. Since you are not applying for a position in a company, the highlight in your resume should be on the work you have done as a result of being an employee.In this regard, you may want to do a little research into the type of jobs that you have and what skills are necessary. By doing this, you'll get a better understanding of what you need to demonstrate in order to be hired. At the very least, this will get you off to a better start and give you a sense of direction as you work your way through the rest of your resume.By the time you get to the section in your resume called 'Skills,' you'll have the opportunity to tell the employer just how many years of work experi ence you have. This is another tip in writing a resume. By providing as much detail as possible, you are telling the employer what you can offer him or her, which is going to make your job much easier.After you've provided all of the necessary information on your resume, you'll have the opportunity to highlight your work history in an effective manner. You'll want to highlight the companies that you worked for and the positions that you held. Some resumes come with some type of a glossary, so that the employer can use this to find exactly what it is that you did and how you performed it.The purpose of highlighting your work history is to make the employers want to read more about you. The more that they know about you, the better off you'll be when it comes time to interview and request an interview. That's the purpose of using these five guidelines in writing a resume: to make your job easier.