More Pimp Your Work questions (and a bonus)

More Pimp Your Work questions (and a bonus) Because of my winner of the month post from yesterday I didnt point you to Wednesdays interview question with Scot over at Pimp Your Work. So go check out yesterdays question as well as todays. Why should networking be something that I do all the time in my career? Go check it out (from yesterday) What are the critical factors in understanding and managing your personal network? Go check it out (from today) As a bonus, go check out a post from master networker (and author) Thom Singer on 20 things to do to guarantee youll be a networking loser. I hope this isnt you (hint: his post has to do with the crazy eagle picture) More Pimp Your Work questions (and a bonus) Because of my winner of the month post from yesterday I didnt point you to Wednesdays interview question with Scot over at Pimp Your Work. So go check out yesterdays question as well as todays. Why should networking be something that I do all the time in my career? Go check it out (from yesterday) What are the critical factors in understanding and managing your personal network? Go check it out (from today) As a bonus, go check out a post from master networker (and author) Thom Singer on 20 things to do to guarantee youll be a networking loser. I hope this isnt you (hint: his post has to do with the crazy eagle picture)

6 Smart Ways To Go Green At Work

6 Smart Ways To Go Green At Work When I was in 4th grade, I started a Save the Earth Club. Yes, there was only one other person in it and we didn’t do too much besides telling our parents they should take shorter showers and making sure the fridge didn’t stay open longer than 5 seconds.  (Hey, all those little things add up, right?) I was passionate about learning how to go green and tried to share it with everyone I knew. Companies are starting to get greener.   According to PR Newswire, one in ten employers have added “green jobs” in the past 12 months and  70% of companies say they have added environmentally conscious  programs such as using less paper and powering down computers at the end of the day. If you are a little unsure of what exactly will happen to our earth in the future, Timeline: Earth’s Precarious Future  gives you  some predictions  of what our future generations will have to deal with.   Water shortages, diseases, floods and  multiple  animal  extinctions.   Not good!   So what can we do to try to help the future of our earth. Here are a few suggestions to go green at work: 1. Bring recyclable bags to the grocery store and for lunches at work. 2. Help your company become more environmentally friendly.   Maybe you can convince your company to give away free items to help others start to be more earth friendly.   The way my husband and I started bringing recyclable bags to the grocery store is because Vons gave away free bags with each purchase.   3. Make sure all the lights in the house and work  are eco-friendly to help conserve energy.     Consider installing light sensors overhead that will automatically turn the lights on when someone enters the room. 4. According to Inc., U.S. businesses still use about 21 million tons of paper each year.   I  know we use too much paper at my work because  people are more comfortable reviewing important documents on paper.   We need to rely more on e-mail to send and review reports, edit materials online and always  ask that information be sent to you electronically instead of hard copy. 5. Encourage your company to offer transit passes to employees who take the bus or subway or other benefits for biking or using  carpools. 6. Make teleworking available to your employees.   Kate Lister of the Telework Research Network points out that “if 40 percent of the work force worked remotely just half the time, that there would be 100 hours saved per person not spent commuting, 50 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions cut, 276 million barrels of oil saved, or roughly 32 percent of oil imports from the Middle East, and $700 billion total estimated savings to American businesses, all annually.”   If that isn’t convincing, I don’t know what is.  What will you do to go green at work?

Reflections on working a summer in HE

Reflections on working a summer in HE James Pritchard is a final-year Sociology student who completed the Warwick Undergraduate Internship Programme during the summer vacation. He worked as  the Social Media Intern  in Student Careers Skills, having previously worked with us as Student Careers Representative for the Department of Sociology . He  is passionate about issues in  higher education and wanted to gain work experience in  the sector.  James discusses what he learnt and what skills he gained  . This is  another in our series of guest blogs reflecting on internships. Why would you work in HE? For most students thinking about summer internships and graduate jobs, higher education doesn’t  spring immediately  to mind as an obvious destination of choice! However, the insights you can gain from working in university administration are unique and I would recommend the Warwick Undergraduate Internship Programme to all! As students we see the university as a provider of teaching and learning â€" that’s pretty key to us! My internship gave me a much broader understanding of what else is going on “behind the scenes”. Increasingly universities  are competing for the best students  and league tables ensure that  spotlights turn on  student experience and outcomes. This is all part of a changing political landscape for education. The insights  I gained through  this internship in HE  will be  valuable experience relevant for many career paths in both the public or the private sectors. It’s really important to understand how an organisation must respond and adapt to change t o ensure its continued success. Engaging with social media is essential. My role as Social Media Intern was a new position and represented the department’s strategic objective to “be where the students are” â€"  that’s  in the digital space! As little as ten years ago, such a job title wouldn’t have existed. It’s hard today to find a student without a Facebook or a Twitter profile so social media is  an incredibly useful tool for reaching the student body. It felt particularly rewarding to carry out  a key piece of work, looking at how to use the department’s online presence to engage students in career-planning. Tangible outcomes My degree subject was useful and relevant to the role as Sociology has a strong emphasis on research methods. One of my tasks was to design and carry out a survey looking at current student engagement with the department’s social media, and then to analyse the results. Sociology is also a very analytical subject that encourages you to think deeply and critically about processes and alternatives. One  conclusion from the survey was that there was a mismatch between when social media content was published, largely during the working day, and when students are most likely to see and act on it. Evenings and weekends were when those surveyed were most likely to think about career-planning independently, rather than when they’re busy in and out of lectures! As a result, the department now uses a social media scheduling feature to post at times when students are most likely to be influenced by the content they see. Moving outside my comfort zone Whilst I have always been fairly confident with technology, video recording and editing always seemed a little daunting to me and certainly felt outside of my comfort zone. However â€" coming in at seven o’clock in the morning to film on a peaceful and empty campus, meticulously playing around with iMovie and chopping up different clips actually turned out to be one of the most enjoyable projects I got involved in.    I got to grips with it all really quickly! I found myself working with the IT Officer to plan, film and edit a clip for the department’s YouTube channel and dispelled the feeling I had about myself that I wasn’t creative or techno-savvy enough to make videos. It is always rewarding to see a task through to completion and to know that you have been instrumental  in the end result. It’s an added bonus that the video will serve me well as a concrete and demonstrable example of one of my achievements. When you have the chance to throw yourself into something complet ely new to you, it’s too good an opportunity to miss to not give things a go! Boosting my other skills The internship also gave me many opportunities to brush up on my communication skills. I  delivered several formal presentations, this is going to stand me in great stead for interviews and assessment centres!  I presented my project outcomes and recommendations to senior colleagues in the department, and on another occasion to the group of Student Representatives from academic departments.  It was particularly challenging to adapt the tone and content according to the audience I was presenting to, when the topic itself was the same. Even the informal conversations you have with colleagues in the office really play into your personal and professional development. Being likeable and approachable and getting on well with people are probably just as important as being able to do the job well. Working in an office was something new to me as my previous work experience has been in classrooms and on the shop floor. However, both of these settings clearly also require good people skills. As I already had experience of working with colleagues at all levels and developing positive working relationships, adapting to the office environment was a smooth process! Although the Warwick Undergraduate Internship Programme ultimately offers a taster of a career in higher education, the benefits of the experience will be far-reaching and  it has enhanced my  sense of commercial awareness. The programme was enjoyable throughout and enabled me to accomplish a great deal and to develop many transferable skills.  Campus is where Im used to spending time attending lectures and swatting in the library,  so it was a unique experience to be  perceived by the team as a colleague, rather than a student.

Why do applications get rejected

Why do applications get rejected Why did my job application get rejected? Why didnt I get an interview? What am I doing wrong? Sound familiar? Well, dont waste time and energy waiting for an employer to fill in the blanks they simply dont have the time. Fortunately, the good folk at graduate-jobs.com have done the work on your behalf to find out why applications get rejected. Over to James Howell, Content and Marketing Executive for the team Ever wondered why you’ve sent off ten applications a day and received not one response? It’s probably because this means only one thing: youre going for quantity, not quality. In order to give your applications a unique and personalised feel, make sure you thoroughly research the company, write your cover letter from scratch, select the most relevant skills and experience to highlight in your CV and proof your documents. At graduate-jobs.com we surveyed recruiters from some of the biggest companies, including PwC, NHS and BP, and found the most common reason applicants get rejected is their (consistent!) failure to tailor job applications and CVs. 36% of employers reject unoriginal applications This was by far the most common reason that employers gave, and nearly all the employers we spoke to mentioned this problem, even if it was not their main reason for rejecting the application. The scatter gun approach to job hunting  by copying and pasting covering letters or experiences might allow you to  increase the number of applications sent but if employers cant see how the content relates to the role on offer, your application(s) will make little or no impression. Recruiters and companies need attention. You dont need to flatter them but you do need to show an understanding of their culture and how your skills and experiences translate to the role (and company). One HR Manager said, ‘it is copying and pasting a generic answer. You can spot them straight away because there is no mention of the company or the industry.’ Employers know that graduates will try to emphasise aspects of their employment and skills but they like to see they’ve put some thought into their application and thought about themselves in the role or at the company. 21% reject applications because of errors Poor accuracy in the application process will be met with short shrift. This includes spelling, grammar and not reading and answering the question properly. Employers see this as careless at best and discourteous at worse. It can also be easily resolved dont allow carelessness to cost you an interview. There is little worse than that pang of shame when you spot a glaring error in your application form. And its too late once youve hit send! The Head of Student Recruitment at a global technology company told graduate-jobs.com that ‘if the answers are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors we cannot justify progressing an application to the next stage.’ He added,  â€˜Frustratingly, it always seems to be very basic errors that mar an application form and the majority of rejections happen for mistakes that could be easily rectified.’ Reread applications before you submit them and read them in the shoes of the person you’re sending it to. 29% find underqualified graduates applying Nearly a third of employers are reading applications from some seriously optimistic graduates. Confidence is good, but you need to be realistic and target jobs within range. Read the job description and if you do not meet the ‘Required Skills’, move on. This includes not having the right degree classification, appropriate experience or indeed any previous work experience. Try to scale your applications dont apply for roles that ask for substantive experience, or specific skills that you simply dont have. One Training and Recruitment Manager found it hard to believe that he received applications without any work experience at all, ‘What scares me is people that just have education and have got no work experience.’ He also acknowledges the importance of targeted applications and CVs. ‘Graduates should just take a minute to relate it to the position theyre applying for… People that do take time to do this will have a positive slant immediately put on their CV.’ 14% of employers reject graduates for a lack of research This should be quite obvious when approaching applications for jobs. You need to know what you’re getting yourself into make sure you research what the company does, where it does it and how it does it. If you dont skip over the research and show only a scant understanding of the role and company, you can expect to see your application rejected out of hand. One Student Recruitment Manager recommends graduates try to absorb as much knowledge about the company as possible.  Really get to grips with what they want, and then think how you can make connections with your own experience. As he went on to say,  â€˜[Applicants] need to scratch beneath what they see on graduate recruitment websites. For instance, delving into what kind of work the company does. They can come across thought leadership papers written by the firm. They need to get an idea of where the firm is going and work that has been conducted.’ Quick tips for applying to graduate jobs and schemes Treat each application individually â€" make sure you are tailoring your application and your skills to roles. It might take a while longer but your success rate will vastly improve. Proof! â€" mistakes and errors cost applications. It may be your perfect job and you could be well qualified for it, but if you have mixed up ‘their’, ‘there’ and ‘they’re’ employers might put an immediate halt to your application. Look at the role your applying to â€" is it for you? Do you fulfil the requirements? Is the company one you’d like to work for? If so, make sure you make that clear in your application. Be yourself â€" in applications employers are not looking for you to flatter their egos and tell them what (you think) they want to hear. Be authentic and genuine. James Howell is Content Marketing Executive with graduate-jobs.com. You can follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook. You might also want to look at a recent  post  on the same subject. Each perspective is useful!

The Pros And Cons Of Writing A Bachelors Of Science When Writing A Resume

The Pros And Cons Of Writing A Bachelors Of Science When Writing A ResumeIf you have not been writing a Bachelors of Science when writing a resume then you are doing it wrong. It is important that you take the time to really consider the points that go into the science field and the steps that you will need to take in order to get the job you want. Here are some things to consider when writing a resume for the sciences.The first thing you will need to consider is the major and the main goals that you have. You should not just try to put your best foot forward but you should also be prepared to sell yourself. You should list all of the courses that you have taken so that people will know exactly what they will be getting. You should also list any letters of recommendation as well as the school that you attended.The next thing you will need to do is to make sure that you have the right kind of certification or degree. If you have a PhD but you don't have a DDS then that doesn't mean an ything. You can easily move on up in the career field with a DDS even if you have a PhD. This is something that is very important and that you should always keep in mind when writing a Bachelors of Science when writing a resume.You should also check with other schools for any available scholarships and bachelors of science when writing a resume. You should also make sure that your school has the highest standards when it comes to giving out degrees and accreditation. If you are going to take classes from another school then you will need to be sure that they will be able to help you get through the school you will be attending if you need them to.If you have a bachelor's degree in biology then you should make sure that you are prepared for a career as a biology major. There are many things that you will need to know about when it comes to biology and it is very important that you understand the principles of life. You should always be prepared to get past the b.s.s and learn the inf ormation you need to get to the top of the game.When it comes to the medical field, there are many different fields that you can choose from. You should be able to figure out which field you would like to be in before you begin any research into it. When you can come up with a field that you are passionate about then you will be able to take the necessary steps needed to get where you want to be.People love to hear the truth from someone who knows what they are talking about. Everyone has at least one bad day in their life, so you should always take advantage of the opportunity to tell the truth. Remember that if you have had a bad day then you can always say that you have had a wonderful day as well.When writing a Bachelors of Science when writing a resume, you should take the time to learn all of the details that go into the course. You should also know all of the information needed to get into the school you want to go to. Being prepared is the best way to get ahead and make sure that you are taking the right steps to move up the career ladder.

How to have a happy commute - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

How to have a happy commute - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I just got an email from Jens who works at DSA, a Danish trade union where I did a happiness workshop some months ago. Jens writes that he has focused on happiness at work, but has also been trying to create some happiness in his daily train commute to work. One morning the train conductor announced on the loudspeaker that If you have any questions just let me know when I come through the train. When she passed me, I said Id like to ask her something. Sure, she said, go right ahead. So I showed her my phone, pointed at it and said If I have an X and a C in Wordfeud, which word can I write? She was completely flummoxed, and literally turned once around herself on the spot. Then she said THAT I dont know and left while the 10 nearest passengers cracked up. She was laughing too. The next morning shed changed the wording of her announcement to If you have any questions about the journey Both days it was a riot and I felt completely ready for my workday and my clients even the negative ones :-) Way to go, Jens. Thats some great commuter happiness right there. This is interesting because studies show that long commutes are bad for you: One in three employees with a commute longer than 90 minutes say they have had recurring neck or back pain within in the past 12 months. Just about the same amount say they have been diagnosed with high cholesterol? The study shows a strong correlation between obesity and the length of your commute? Employees with long commutes experienced lower levels of enjoyment and higher levels of fatigue and worry than employees with short commutes. Your take Have you ever introduced some happiness in your daily commute? How did you do it? Write a comment, Id love to hear your story. Related posts Top 5 reasons to let employees telecommute Biking in Copenhagen is AWESOME A long commute makes you sick, fat and unhappy 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

Watch this awesome speech by Charlie Kim, CEO of Next Jump - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Watch this awesome speech by Charlie Kim, CEO of Next Jump - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I recently wrote about New York based company Next Jump and the world-leading things theyve done to create a very happy workplace. Heres a fantastic speech from their founder and CEO Charlie Kim where he talks about the principles behind Next Jump: Its an hour long and I highly recommend watching the whole thing. 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