Camping Tip Check to see if your campground is on fire before you get there (what does this have to do with your job search)

Camping Tip Check to see if your campground is on fire before you get there (what does this have to do with your job search) Camping clothes: Check Food for 3 days, 7 people: Check Tent, sleeping bags, etc.: Check Water: Check Check to see if the campground is on fire oops.  We forgot to do that. (details: ours was the Patch Springs Fire) I just got back from a three day campout with my family.  When we were driving to a somewhat unfamiliar area I noticed some really, really cool clouds.  As we got closer to the destination we realized that the clouds were in fact clouds AND smoke from a forest fire.    The closer we got the more I realized it was coming from right where we were going to camp. Who ever googles to see if the location they are going to is on fire? I didnt even think about it. When we got there we found a couple of campers from Michigan who said someone told them if the fire came over the ridge (over the hill), the entire town would evacuate.  We were closer to the fire than the town.  We watched for a few hours and then decided we would stay, and that we should pitch our tent.  The first few hours of our trip we werent even sure if we would stay or if we were supposed to just turn around and go home! By the next morning the smoke was gone (it was back by lunch, though).  We stayed the entire time, as planned, and had a blast.  We built family relationships, gave the kids memories, bonded, and all came home smelling like campers. What does this have to do with your job search? I dont know how about: :: Sometimes, with all of the preparation you make, things will just go wrong, like the business or industry you join, will be minutes away from catastrophe. Do you risk it and stay there, or do you pack up and go back home? Its totally up to you. :: Sometimes, where there is smoke, there isnt necessarily fire (that will affect you).  In other words, it might seem like a dangerous or volatile situation, but you might be far enough away that there is plenty to do and enjoy (as was the case at our campground). :: Have a Plan B.  Our Plan B was to go home and pitch the tent in the backyard.  Not ideal but heck, if there was a fire pushing us out we werent going to stay!  Do you have a Plan B?  Did the people at Enron, who got forced out with very little (or, NO) notice, have a Plan B?  Would it have helped them?  51 Alternatives to a Real Job is a book about Plan Bs. Maybe there are other lessons.  My lesson was to JUST DO IT.  Just be there and make memories and create traditions. Others might leave, others might think you are crazy, but your career choices are YOURS. Camping Tip Check to see if your campground is on fire before you get there (what does this have to do with your job search) Camping clothes: Check Food for 3 days, 7 people: Check Tent, sleeping bags, etc.: Check Water: Check Check to see if the campground is on fire oops.  We forgot to do that. (details: ours was the Patch Springs Fire) I just got back from a three day campout with my family.  When we were driving to a somewhat unfamiliar area I noticed some really, really cool clouds.  As we got closer to the destination we realized that the clouds were in fact clouds AND smoke from a forest fire.    The closer we got the more I realized it was coming from right where we were going to camp. Who ever googles to see if the location they are going to is on fire? I didnt even think about it. When we got there we found a couple of campers from Michigan who said someone told them if the fire came over the ridge (over the hill), the entire town would evacuate.  We were closer to the fire than the town.  We watched for a few hours and then decided we would stay, and that we should pitch our tent.  The first few hours of our trip we werent even sure if we would stay or if we were supposed to just turn around and go home! By the next morning the smoke was gone (it was back by lunch, though).  We stayed the entire time, as planned, and had a blast.  We built family relationships, gave the kids memories, bonded, and all came home smelling like campers. What does this have to do with your job search? I dont know how about: :: Sometimes, with all of the preparation you make, things will just go wrong, like the business or industry you join, will be minutes away from catastrophe. Do you risk it and stay there, or do you pack up and go back home? Its totally up to you. :: Sometimes, where there is smoke, there isnt necessarily fire (that will affect you).  In other words, it might seem like a dangerous or volatile situation, but you might be far enough away that there is plenty to do and enjoy (as was the case at our campground). :: Have a Plan B.  Our Plan B was to go home and pitch the tent in the backyard.  Not ideal but heck, if there was a fire pushing us out we werent going to stay!  Do you have a Plan B?  Did the people at Enron, who got forced out with very little (or, NO) notice, have a Plan B?  Would it have helped them?  51 Alternatives to a Real Job is a book about Plan Bs. Maybe there are other lessons.  My lesson was to JUST DO IT.  Just be there and make memories and create traditions. Others might leave, others might think you are crazy, but your career choices are YOURS.

What Are We Doing Wrong When It Comes to Promoting Women

What Are We Doing Wrong When It Comes to Promoting Women Most of our clients come to Borderless with a genuine desire to build diverse and diversity-capable leadership teams. That is, after all, our expertise. And at the top of their concern? Women in leadership With women representing more than 50% of the world’s population and a rapidly growing percentage of the most highly educated portion of the world’s employable talent, this focus is not a surprise. Companies paying attention are increasingly aware that creating a work environment where women leaders can advance, contribute and succeed is a vital competitive business advantage. Nonetheless, despite often well-intentioned initiatives on women and their careers, many companies still fall short of their goals to promote and retain women in leadership positions and struggle to understand why. As you would imagine, the answer to this question is as varied as both the many women who are offered these opportunities and the environments in which such an offer is made. Despite the complexities and the lack of quick-fix answers, there is value in raising awareness around some of the more common issues that we see plaguing the advancement of talented women. In this spirit, we urge you to think about, ponder and explore these issues in the context of your own working environments. Treat women as individuals First of all, treat your promotable (female) executives as individuals. We will start with an issue that should be readily apparent but often is not (even to women themselves). Women represent more than 50% of the world’s population. They are not a minority and they are as diverse as people can be. As a result, their reasons for accepting and/or rejecting a promotional opportunity must always be negotiated and assessed individually. This does not mean that women will not have some shared experiences, especially as it relates to their treatment within a given working environment. Such experiences, however, will not be because they are a homogenous group, but because the work environment may treat them as they are. As such, if you are having problems promoting women, take a hard look at your working environment. The common threads preventing success are more likely to be in your work culture and environment than in the women themselves. Moreover, do not confuse professional women’s issues as always being synonymous with working parent or caregiver issues. Twenty percent of professional women will not be a parent or caregiver. However, if the woman you are promoting is a parent or caregiver, working moms do share many issues and challenges that need to be considered. But these issues are also quite relevant for all parents. In fact, these issues will be increasingly important to the younger generation of workers, both male, and female, as parenting preferences and traditional gender roles continue to erode. Flexible terms Secondly, signal a willingness to design terms, conditions and benefits for success. Within the context of any executive promotion negotiation, the terms and conditions should be designed to enable the candidate to succeed in the role. A standard package that has been designed for a traditional candidate may or may not be relevantly configured for your female candidate. For example, a woman who is a working parent and whose spouse also has an executive position, covering (and paying for) caregiving and/or balancing or reducing travel requirements may be significant threshold issues to address before the candidate will commit to the demands of the new role. Accordingly, to prevent women from just turning down positions as a result of these nontraditional considerations, it is important for companies to signal their willingness and commitment to have discussions about them in good faith and without future adverse impact. This can be communicated in a variety of ways. For example, at the time the promotion offer is made, you can simply ask the candidate what she would need to be successful in the role and express your willingness to address and explore individual needs that may require adjustments. You can also word a job description in such a way that it invites alternative discussions on terms and conditions. For example, instead of saying “50% travel required,” you could say “Extensive travel may be required, but terms of travel to meet global demands can be explored further.” Women are much less likely to self-disqualify if terms invite such openness to discussion. When invited to do so, we have seen female candidates have excellent alternative ideas for managing effectively. Finally, when negotiating terms, women should not be unfairly burdened with the fear that they are creating a precedent for all women unless such precedent considerations would also have been applicable to negotiations with male candidates. Give them time Thirdly, give your female candidates more time and support to consider a promotion offer. If a woman is being offered a promotion into an executive team that is (and has been) male-dominated and quite traditional, the task before her is daunting. She is not just considering accepting a new job with greater responsibilities, which on its own is a big decision. She is also often assessing her ability to be successful in doing so in an environment that is not designed for her, where there is little or no natural/social support, and where there are often unfairly high-performance expectations and no room for error. Constantly proving yourself in such an environment is an exhausting undertaking and can also be quite lonely. (Notably, the same is true for any candidate that will find themselves in a minority situation within the executive team). A woman may also have non-traditional personal and family obligations to consider. For many, work and family life may currently be in a perfect, but quite fragile, balance with many ‘moving parts’ to consider. In such a circumstance, many women’s first instincts are to refuse such a promotion, especially if their perception of the new role is a misguided assumption that it will be more work being piled on them. The reality is that executive promotions for women can often move them into a role where they will have much more control over how they work. It is the role just before that promotion that is often the worst in terms of workload and lack of control. This aspect of the promotion is often not fully appreciated or explored. In such circumstances, it can be extremely helpful to use the services of a third-party consultant during deliberations and negotiations. Women considering promotions often need a safe place to voice their concerns, explore their needs and express their insecurities without undermining their executive voice and closely guarded credibility. Tailored support At Borderless, we even recognized this as a need in our normal search and placement process, especially for female or minority hires, where they are placed into an environment where natural and social support may be lacking. In fact, we designed our Borderless100Days program with these challenges in mind, which allows us to provide continuing support for any placement during the first 100Days in a candidate’s new role. Our BorderlessWIN services (Women in Negotiation) enables us to provide such third party support on a consulting basis for internal offers and promotion. The services are designed to increase the rate and success of our clients’ internal efforts to promote and support their high performing women into leadership roles. As you might have guessed, such services will need to be customized for each individual circumstance. About the author: Rosalie Harrison is a Partner at Borderless Executive Search. Borderless finds and attracts senior-level executives for multinational companies in the Life Sciences, Chemicals, and Converting, and Food Processing sectors. The firm identifies leaders for Board positions, as well as for senior management, finance, human resources, administration, marketing and sales, operations, logistics, RD and specialist roles.

Whats it like to intern at the FSA

Whats it like to intern at the FSA Andy Watters, MA student in International Political Economy, tells us about his internships with the FSA; how the experience helped him secure a graduate role and where it could take him in future. What was your work experience? In the summers of both my second and final years I worked as a  summer intern at the Financial Services Authority. Both internships were 12 weeks long. For the first placement I worked in a Managing Director’s Office and for the second I worked in the organisation’s international division. I secured the first internship by being successful in the organisation’s 7-stage application process, and I was subsequently invited back for a second summer. What did you learn and achieve? The internships helped me develop in several areas that have since proven invaluable both with my academic work and further professional applications. It taught me how to stay motivated when working on projects with long time horizons, how to quickly and accurately identify relevant stakeholders for a piece of work, as well as how to be flexible and adaptable in my approach to work. In addition, the unique position of the FSA as the sole UK regulator provided me with a comprehensive overview of the British financial sector, and indeed how it fits into the larger economy, neither of which I was knowledgeable about before. How will you market this experience to employers? Ultimately I am striving for a profession in government along the lines of economic policy analyst or consultant, so the fact that I now understand how financial policy interacts with monetary and fiscal policy will definitely help me stand out in the future. In addition, I worked on projects that directly contributed to regulatory streams at the international level, and well as those that have since been distributed throughout the organisation to working level supervisors and senior level executives alike, which I am particularly proud of. However, more valuable than all of that is the sense of professionalism and confidence that I have acquired through working at the FSA; that has definitely been the single biggest gain for me. Whats next? Once I finish my Masters dissertation I’ll begin a graduate post at the Bank of England in their Markets Division. That’ll last for at least two and a half years, at which point I’ll apply to rotate somewhere else within the Bank. After that, who knows? Regardless of where your career eventually takes you, I would 100% recommend work experience to other students. It’ll develop your business acumen in the field you’re interested in, help you to build on your oral and written communication skills and probably involve learning to operate effectively as part of a team too. Ultimately, work experience will give you the confidence and independence you’ll need to pursue and secure the graduate job you want.

How to Find a Balance Between AI and Humans in Recruitment

How to Find a Balance Between AI and Humans in Recruitment There is a growing trend: to remove the human element from the recruiting process through a complete reliance on technology. Of course, technology has its immense merits in recruitment today. The ease, speed, and effectiveness it brings have grown candidate sourcing and hiring over the decades. However, in the age of a speed-addicted, tech-demanding generation, where recruiters are more inclined to crunch numbers and spam candidates, the human aspect of recruiting is steadily fading out. Unsurprisingly, this idea has seemingly become the lynchpin of the sales pitch for more than a few HR technology companies, a never-ending stream of dialogue surrounding the benefits of removing the human element from recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training. The list goes on and on. With this emerging trend that seems to be resonating well within the recruiting industry, it is time for a rethink. In theory, the concept makes sense: reduce manual time spent on low-value processes and increase time and attention on the strategic. Using technology is also helping reduce bias in recruiting. For example, tools we have at our disposal can de-bias job postings and that’s the right thing to do. But speed should be the main criteria that technology tools offer to a recruiter. This point has been used by a growing number of vendors to sell the notion that technology (and eventual dehumanization) is the only way to make a valid decision in recruitment. Here are three points these vendors need to consider:  They misunderstand the demands of todays workforce We use new tech to become more in touch with present-day job seekers and new hires. Of course, tech-savviness is a must-have for any recruiter today. But the problem is that there is something experts proposing the elimination of the human element in favor of speed fail to get. They fail to understand the most basic needs and desires of the millennials and, arguably, those of candidates in general. While it is true that the emerging workforce is very reliant on social media and instant communications, with many preferring electronic communication over face-to-face, the concept of removing the human element seems to be looking only at the instant and completely ignoring the communication. With all these advances in recruitment AI, tools and tech, we are tempted to focus only on speed and neglect candidate experience. We forget that real communication is the benchmark of quality candidate experience. Imagine the frustration a candidate would experience repeatedly getting the same spammed messages from a recruiter with the same message sent to another ten recruiters before because they are using the same software that generates templates for every candidate. Why would anyone want to dehumanize the recruiting process and candidate experience? Yes, todays candidates want an instant response, but remember they expect communication to be a two-way thing. Regardless of the medium being used, there is always dialogue. There is back-and-forth with a living, breathing human. That human may not be sitting across the table from them, but it would be a huge mistake to assume that any candidate would prefer instant one-size-fits-all generic email in lieu of customized responses. At the very least, your automated responses should be written with the recruiters tone of voice and company brand in mind with human strategizing in the content. Yes, the A.I. and chatbots will bring benefits to our lives, but so far the technology is still new and not perfect by any means. Communication with Chatbot (just an example) Bot: Welcome, I am Alex, chatbot of company Acme. How can I help you? Me: Can you give me the name of the recruiter responsible for the Hiring Manager role at SF? Bot: I am sorry, I don’t understand. Can you rephrase your question? Me: Can you give me the contact details for the recruitment team at your company? Bot: I am sorry, I don’t understand. Can you rephrase your question? Me: Can you tell me what the company’s EVP is? Bot: I am sorry, I don’t understand. Can you rephrase your question? Not the right candidate experience that I was looking for.    They forget that emotional intelligence is still of the utmost importance One stressful aspect for recruiters in the hiring process is planning the interview. In a positive light, there are a number of great tools out there that are fantastic for arming recruiters with additional information and insight as they are walking into an interview. These tools range in function from providing poignant (legally vetted) interview questions to helping understand what specific body language means. The A.I. behind is able to evaluate candidates and prepare a report for the recruiter. However, what these technologies should not do is to solely dictate who does or does not get a job without human appraisal. Solely entrusting a computer as the ultimate decision authority on a candidates ability to perform their job ignores the fact that, to date, there is no software in the world that can reliably measure, judge or understand human emotional intelligence. Maybe you are going to tell me that recruiters will never only trust the decision of some program. But, in reality, many people believe fake news, just because they are too lazy to double-check facts. Attempting to utilize currently existing technology in this function would be a vast waste of resources and offer no guaranteed results. The solutions we use today must provide guidance on the interview process and act as what they areâ€"a tool for screening to help guide effective hiring decisions.    They still carry a false illusion of speed Nowadays, recruiters, even well-meaning ones, get a bad name. It has reached a point where speed is more important than the accuracy and hard work. Spammy inmails and a lack of respect for job seekers and candidates has become the order of the day. Accompanied with the diseases of ineffective following up and biases like ageism, job seekers form negative opinions of the recruitment process. But we cant totally blame the recruiters here. When they move too fast, they make mistakes. They know that being the first to approach a candidate and present an offer is important. Being the second will not count as a hire in their KPIs. Many new tools were bought just to support the illusion of speed. In reality, they could quickly find the candidate, schedule the interview, but in many cases the hiring manager will say to the recruiter the magical sentence, “Good candidate, but I would like to see one more.” Speed is important, but sometimes it does not go hand in hand with a good candidate experience. Even with all the technology that recruiters have at their disposal they still treat candidates poorly. They do nothing more than run a resume through a software program looking for the right keywords matching the requirements of their open roles. And what surprises me is that, with all the cool ATS that companies are using, they are unable to send every candidate that applied a rejection email after they close the role. Tools are only as good as the people who are using them. A call for change I know that it looks like I am against A.I., but the opposite is true. I am big A.I. fan, I also built few chatbots. I just want to point out that we are focusing our attention on that technology with the hope that it will solve our problems. But people are missing the point that these tools are only there to help us, not to fix all problems that a company has. The best A.I. or chatbot on the planet will not fix toxic company culture. Of course, we use cutting-edge tools to streamline our recruiting processes, greatly easing those complex legal/compliance issues. Additionally, technology will be of immense help in attracting great candidates and narrow down the applicant pool to the candidate with the best job fit. But if you are planning to create a bias-free recruiting process, the tools can only help you to solve one part of the equation. The second part, which is more important, is to create a culture that encourages leaders and hiring managers to recognize their own unconscious biases and foster an inclusive environment. Most importantly, we should not forget the importance of basic human interaction and emotional intelligence. And as we continue to incorporate more innovative technologies to enhance human interactions and candidate experience, lets keep in mind that its a delicate balance to achieve. About the author: Jan Tegze is the author of Full Stack Recruiter and results-oriented Talent Acquisition Leader with extensive experience in full life cycle recruiting, and broad knowledge in international recruiting, sourcing, recruitment branding, marketing, and proactive innovative sourcing techniques.

The best coffee shops and cafés to work from in London

The best coffee shops and cafés to work from in London This post was written by an external contributor. Aayushi reveals her top picks of coffee shops to study and work from in the capital.   We’ve all been there. You’re sitting at home, probably watching Netflix or playing FIFA when you suddenly realise that you have another deadline, or you’re in a situation where you’ve procrastinated so much that all your work has piled up. Now, as much as you would like to work from home, you know the comfort of your bed or having the kitchen right outside your room means you probably won’t get as much done as you like. To try and be productive you’ve attempted working in the library, but you might be like me where youve spent hours on end in that building during exam period and have reached a point where you just cannot focus in the space anymore. You might have even tried working in a random computer room on campus, but this is still unproductive. It’s completely understandable that every once in a while you need a change in environment so you can get your work done. For this reason coffee shops or co-working spaces are probably the next best option. In order to save time and effort of researching which places you can be productive, I went on a little trip around London and have compiled a list of incredible cafés you can work from, both as a student or a freelancer. Timberyard Covent Garden In my opinion, Timberyard is the ideal spot to work if you are looking for a change of venue. As well as having lots of space and a strong internet connection, the staff are extremely friendly and will even provide you with a complimentary bottle of water. Their basement has space for meetings, but is also ideal for people who want to put their earphones in and zone others out. Conveniently located in Covent Garden, this café has everything a student, a freelancer or even someone looking to have informal meetings might need. I would suggest arriving early in the morning to grab a good spot as it can get relatively busy, especially around lunch time. Opening Hours: Monday Friday 8am 6pm // Saturday 9am 6pm // Sunday 10am 6pm Address: TY Seven Dials, 7 Upper Saint Martins Lane, London WC2H 9DL Hanbury Hall Shoreditch Located in Shoreditch, Hanbury Hall is definitely in my top pick of places to work from. It’s extremely well lit, quiet and the coffee is amazing. The staff are kind and don’t disturb you, making it the ideal place to get work done. Not to forget there is student discount with a valid student ID. Just make sure you double check that theres no event running! Opening Hours: Monday Friday 8am 5pm // Saturday 10am 5pm // Sunday 12am 5pm Address: 22 Hanbury St, London E1 6QR Caya Club Brixton Also in my top list of workspaces, Caya Club has everything you need to be productive. You pay £2 per hour and get unlimited single origin batch brew coffee or tea (YAAAAAS!). Besides this pay-as-you-go service, if you intend on sitting at the coffee shop for longer periods of time, you can also get the £15 per day or £180 per month membership. The venue has a dedicated co-working/study space Monday to Friday, whilst during the weekends visitors are free to work anywhere in the venue. This café is also ideal for people who intend on holding informal meetings due to its great atmosphere. Furthermore, it also has all the necessities including lots of power sockets, strong WiFi, great lighting and even print facilities! Workspace Opening Hours: Monday Friday 7:30am 5:30pm Address: 344 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8QH Department of Coffee and Social Affairs Farringdon If you’re a fan of brick walls and quirky decor, Department of Coffee and Social Affairs is the place for you. With extremely friendly staff, availability of power sockets and strong WiFi and delicious beverages, I would recommend anyone who is based near Farringdon to definitely check the café out. The bright yet cozy atmosphere makes it the perfect place to work and socialise. In addition, there are also several other branches located across the city (as well as the country!), so be sure to check the locations that are most convenient for you! Opening Hours: Monday Friday 7:00am 5:30pm // Saturday 9:30am 4:00pm Address: 14â€"16 Leather Lane, London, EC1N 7SU Download Debut  and  connect with us on  Facebook,  Twitter  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Monday Tip How was your weekend - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Monday Tip How was your weekend - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is reaaaaally simple this monday: Ask at least three people how their weekend was. Follow up and ask a few more questions, like What did you do?, How was it or whatever comes naturally. Spend a couple of minutes and take an active interest in their weekend. This simple action shows that you care about your co-workers beyond just the work they do and helps you create lasting, positive relationships at work. The Chief Happiness Officers monday tips are simple, easy, fun things you can do to make yourself and others happy at work and get the work-week off to a great start. Something everyone can do in five minutes, tops. When you try it, write a comment here to tell me how it went. Previous monday tips. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

How to Write a Resume in the Third Person

How to Write a Resume in the Third PersonThe presentation of your resume to a hiring manager is extremely important and it is through a third person that the reader will have the best opportunity to connect with you. You want your resume to stand out from the others and for this reason you should take the time to learn the rules about how to write a resume.One rule to remember when learning how to write a resume is that the role and title you use should be descriptive. This will help your reader get a better idea of what you do and where you work. A brief description of the job is even better, but using both, will give a better picture of what you do.Focus on the benefits of working with you. Do not spend too much time listing the job duties. You want to focus on the good things that you offer and your strengths that are essential for the position. It will help your reader understand what they are getting in return for hiring you.Why should they hire you? This question will be answer ed by discussing your responsibilities in the position. When you understand what you will be responsible for in the job, the hiring manager will feel that you are the best person for the job. Many times hiring managers are looking for someone who is energetic and enjoys the work that is given to them.Use call signs that reflect your job title. Be sure that your call sign is the same as your first and last name. This will help your reader more easily remember your name if he or she has an issue.Include your experience in your writing. The writer who is using his or her own experiences will be writing in the third person. You should also include your writing skills on your resume. This will show how well you communicate and what qualities you bring to the table when you sit down to write.In regards to how to write a resume in the third person, do not overuse third person. This can result in your resume falling flat on your face. Instead, make sure that you use the method that will let your reader relate to you.As you continue to learn how to write a resume in the third person, make sure that you use all of the proper grammar and spelling. Remember, this is the impression that you are trying to create and you want to make sure that you are conveying the right message. Even the simplest mistakes can show a potential employer that you are unprofessional and lack creativity.