5 Skills Taught in the Armed Forces to Help You Secure a Job

5 Skills Taught in the Armed Forces to Help You Secure a Job Since I was really young, I have always shown passion for the military. Whether it was watching action packed war movies or running around with toy guns pretending to be a soldier, this was my lifestyle after school. My dad, along with much of my family heritage, also served in the armed forces. He was my number one hero, even though he didnt talk much about the time while he was in service. My grandfather as well as my great grandfather also served in the military. So this was a tradition in my family tree and how the military became part of our lives. Therefore, one can assume that right out of high school, I would head down to the recruitment office and enlist in the military. Six months after I enlisted, I was a certified United States Marine. My dad came up to me, shook my hand, and expressed how proud he was of me. That moment, along with my wedding and the birth of my son, would become one of the defining moments of my life. I advanced through the early stages of being a marine fairly quickly. After 8 years, I had reached the rank of gunnery sergeant and just returned from my third tour of duty; my second term of service was coming to an end. With my wife and 4 year old boy, we made the decision for me not to reenlist. It was extremely difficult to adjust back to the cultures of civilian life after my military history. It had been 8 years since I did the simplest civilian activity such as getting a haircut. Also, I was 26 years old and didnt have experience other than my job in military communications and a paper route when I was in my early teens. After a few weeks, I became quickly overwhelmed and discouraged with finding a new direction for my career. My family supported me in every way and soon enough I came to my senses. Aside from my physical experiences, what kind of mental experiences gathered from my services could be useful in this situation? I came up with 5 rules that kept me going through my rough times: 1. Going on Patrol. Apply for a job is like going on patrol. Its usually repetitive, boring and uneventful but is always important. When you least expect it, something could happen which turns out great or for the worse. 2. Positive Morale. When you get discouraged or frustrate, dont be afraid to take a step back to gather yourself. Stop thinking about how much job hunting sucks and participate in your hobbies to build your morale up. Nobody wants to hire a discouraged worker. Dont go A.W.O.L.! 3. Reconnaissance. Learn about the position and company you are applying for. Youll never know what questions will be asked in your interviews. Having a good amount of knowledge can strengthen your resume and your interview. You may find job opportunities at unexpected places, dont miss them. Practice your interviews frequently and be prepared for whatever is out there. 4. Never run out of ammo. Always bring multiple resumes as well as supporting documents at all times. Having to fall back to re-supply may cost valuable time as well as missing opportunities that can make a difference. Have resumes as well as personal business cards on your person at all times. The next interview could happen while waiting in line for coffee, or on the train. 5. You lead your platoon, your platoon takes care of you. Remember, youre not going through it alone. You have family and friends that love you and support you in your search, and are always there. This is one of the hardest things Ive found many military vets to realize, they feel like they have to internalize and take on the burden and stress all by themselves. It was my wife that would cheer me up and stay positive, and bring me up out of the dark when I felt I had a particularly bad string of interviews. Related: 10 Secrets to Getting Yourself Headhunted. Author: John Durfee is an Operation Freedom War veteran and markets Airsoft Guns at Airsplat, the nations largest seller of Airsoft Rifles.

How to Use Buffer for Recruiting

How to Use Buffer for Recruiting The recruitment industry is heavily reliant on communication for its success and with so many competing agencies out there, it is increasingly important for recruiters to raise their profile and build a name for themselves. Therefore, the rise of social media has understandably revolutionised the way that recruiters function, allowing them to connect with the public and post industry updates and job ads quickly and efficiently. This is where Buffer comes in, making it even quicker and easier to share content than ever before, with a mere  click of a button. Introduction: If you haven’t heard of Buffer before, allow me to introduce you.  This handy addition to the social media world, is an automated social posting  application that allows you to schedule your social media updates and manage multiple network  accounts in one place, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and App.net. To top this  off, its free and can be downloaded directly to your browser, including an easy access icon at the top right-hand-side of the screen, however, an upgrade is available to buy which allows you to sync additional accounts and schedule more posts in advance. Using the app is pretty easy;  basically once youve opened an article that you would like to share, all you need to do is click the Buffer icon and the relevant information is entered into a composer, which you are then  free to edit and select which networks you would like to share it with. Another one of Buffers  key feature is post scheduling, which allows you to predetermine when posts will be published throughout the day, based on an analysis of what time your previous posts have been the most successful. This enables you to  line up content to be automatically posted on one or more selected social media networks, without being required to sign in again. Handy,  right? How can this help  recruitment? Posting relevant articles about the industry and company updates is really important for a recruitment agency for creating and maintaining a positive representation for  the public and Buffer can help to speed up and simplify this. By  syncing all of your social media accounts with Buffer, you no longer need  worry about signing into each account individually, as by simply clicking on the Buffer icon at the top of the page, you can select one or multiple social media networks  you would like to share the content with simultaneously, saving time and effort. Perfect for that occasion you stumble across an absolute gem of an article you would like to share or desperately need to find candidates for a job you are working on, but have 101 other things on your to do’ list.  After all,  if  you’ve had the experience of working in recruitment, you will know well that time is of the essence and as important as connecting with your target market is there isn’t always the time to do so . This is where Buffer’s scheduling feature can save the day, enabling you to  set up content to be posted on each of your accounts at predetermined times, without being required to sign in repeatedly throughout the day, meaning your account remains updated and fluid.  Social media is an  incredibly  useful  tool for sourcing candidates, with it playing a large role in  daily life for so many and so by scheduling staggered job adverts at  different times, you can reach  the maximum number of potential candidates logging in throughout the day. Conclusion: To round up, Buffer is definitely an application that I would recommend, as it can provide huge benefits in terms of time efficiency and maintaining your social media presence. Scheduling tweets can ensure that your desired content is circulated and you neednt worry about taking time out from other tasks  or having to remember to update your accounts throughout the day. The shortcut icon couldnt make it easier to share articles as you go, meaning your social media management couldnt be simpler, so why not give it a go yourself?

What are Assessment Centres

What are Assessment Centres Assessment centre (or assessment day) is a 1-2 day event with prospective employers that takes place once you have passed the initial stages of application and psychometric tests. These event days are held to assess the applicant on various factors, which might be attributed to the job role. The single most important thing to remember at such days is to do the job at hand well, it is not necessarily important to finish it. The talent spotters (or simply the people judging) are more interested in your approach to solving a problem so they can understand how you work in a team, rather than in knowing that you can finish the task at hand. What to expect at assessment centres?   Any employer that calls you for an assessment centre will provide you with an itinerary of the event. Usually, these events consist of such activities (but not restricted to) as: Individual Assessment Aptitude tests (i.e. numerical, verbal, diagrammatic) Presentation or Case Study In-tray  exercise Group Assessment   Group discussion Role play  exercise Group activity (e.g. use materials provided to cover the egg so when it is dropped from x height it does not crack) Group case study Second Interview (or final interview) Technical interview Panel interview Competency interview Partner interview Whats the dress code? Smart. Always smart. Dress up smart for such events. If it is a two-day event, remember to carry different ties. You could be wearing two different suits, 2 pairs of trousers and 2 shirts, but if the tie is the same both days, then you will fall down in making a good impression. General rules to follow? There are no specific rules on how to behave or act on the day. In truth, be yourself (not if you are a comedian, please). If you try to act like somethone you are not, you will be easily spotted by the talent spotters. The points listed here are derived from what I have experienced personally: Keep working hard it will be a long and hard day, at times somebody else will steal the limelight. Dont give up, keep working on the basics. No decision is based on the back of just one activity. Use clear communication make sure you speak clearly, and if writing, dont be too fast, be neat about it. At the same time, listen carefully to other team members, or to any information being given. People judging you will not be too close to you, hence, the clearer you are in your approach, the better judgement they can make. Get involved there are many activities in these events, get involved in all of them. Some candidates might say oh, I work in this field, so I know better that is fine, but dont shy away from giving your opinions. Dont compare -do not compare yourself to others in the group. You are not competing against them. If you work well in a team, the whole group might be successful in the process. Freebies keep away from the free bar. Having an alcoholic drink during lunch will not go down well. Absolutely not. Free sweets stay away from a lot. Same advice applies to free coffee and biscuits. Stay away from over consuming free stuff please. This post gives you the basics of an assessment day. For more information on such events read this article on WikiJob  .   5

Looking For Sample Resume Examples For College Students?

Looking For Sample Resume Examples For College Students?Students who are trying to write a resume need to spend some time looking for resume examples, which will help them understand how to best use this document to land that dream job. No matter how well written a resume is, it won't do you any good if the one or two people that read it are not interested in hiring you. Resume examples will give you the information you need so that you can tailor your resume to fit the needs of the company and make sure that you leave a positive impression on those reading it.When searching for these examples, you should first consider what type of applicant you are. Do you know that it is always better to write a resume from the perspective of the employer or are you more comfortable writing from the perspective of an applicant? You may be asking yourself this question, since it may seem that for the most part, the employer is the one making the hiring decision and not the applicant.When you're try ing to write a resume and find that you're not sure about how to proceed, it's not hard to find resume examples that fit your situation. If you know that you're an ideal candidate, then you can simply copy and paste the information and use it to construct your own resume. Then, it's the only resume that you need to worry about.Though not every single applicant will be considered for an interview, there are many sample resumes on the internet that you can look at. The advantage to looking at them is that they will show you how other employers are searching for candidates who have the qualifications that they are looking for. After all, if they are able to find one of these examples, why wouldn't they be looking at many others as well?With that being said, try to keep your resume examples to one page. Try to leave as much space around the bullet points as possible since this will help keep your resume from looking too busy. Just make sure that the information is detailed enough to imp ress the reader.While resume examples can sometimes be a bit intimidating when you find them, they can be beneficial in a variety of ways. First of all, you should know that the best resume examples can help you understand how to best compose the content. You'll be surprised at how much you learn by simply looking at many of the samples and having someone explain the process.Additionally, resume examples are a great way to find out how certain elements are emphasized in various job descriptions. You may find that when your resume is formatted properly, the focus is on your skills and the abilities that are most important to the company. In this case, you may want to include some information on those skills as well.It's easy to find sample resumes that can help you get the best result possible when you're trying to craft a resume. Before you make a decision on which format to use, take some time to learn about each format. You'll soon find that there are many options to choose from a nd that you can tailor your resume to fit the needs of your employer.

Ensuring Your Business Is Legal

Ensuring Your Business Is Legal If you are thinking of starting a small business, or are in the process of setting one up, then there is a lot to be thinking about. To be at this point, you are likely to have a plan in place an know what you want to be doing and achieving with the business. You’re likely to know the funding of it all, as well as what you want it to be called. But at the end of the day, you need to make sure that your business is legal and doing all that it should be. If it isn’t, then you really won’t have a business at all. Here are some factors to be thinking about. Registering To properly have a business, you need to be registered as one. Then it makes sure that you are declaring income, and paying taxes and all of that good stuff. Companies House is a good place to start, to check that the business name you want to use is available (though you can trade under a different name than the business name, you still need one). So register, and trademark any names that you need to, especially if you are starting a brand. Legislation The law can change on a few different things. After all, it was only last month that the European data protection regulations changed. And if your business isn’t compliant, there can be fines. That doesn’t only just apply to businesses in Europe. But if you have a business in Europe that sells to Europe, and has European customers, you need to adhere to the rules too. So you need to stay on top of the legislation, to make sure that your business is adhering to what it should be. Insurance If you don’t get insurance for your business, then you are opening yourself up to a whole heap of costly drama. In an ideal world, you won’t need to use it. But if you do need to use it, then it is going to cost you a lot of money without it. If you are planning your business well and keeping the rules, then things should be fine. But speaking to an insurance agency could guide you as to the best kind of insurance for your needs. Data Protection As well as keeping on top of the law and legislation for your business, it is a good idea to stay on top of other aspects of your business too. Take the data that you do have; what is your privacy policy? Do you have information locked away in a filing cabinet or is it all based online? What backups do you have? You need to make sure that you can’t be hacked, especially if you have customer data kept online. These can be small checks, but are what you need to do to make and keep your business legal. These things are all part and parcel of owning a business, and are likely to be things that you have thought of already. But if you’re new to business, then I hope that this helps.

IT policies at Semco - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

IT policies at Semco - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Ive gotta hit you with one more quote from CIO Insights brilliant interview with Ricardo Semler. This ones about IT policies: One of the things Ive noticed with this security issue is that IT people want to make sure that their systems are intact, private, confidential blah, blah, blah but they think nothing whatsoever of invading the e-mail privacy of their own employees. Thats very interesting to me, because its not only a double standard, but a violation of constitutional rights. Companies have taken the blind assumption that because the system is theirs, then anything that people do on it has to be available to them. I think its a very hypocritical mode, and it deals with fundamental freedom issues that I dont think people have completely thought through. And whats most interesting is that we searched far and wide for anybody who could tell us what kind of software or system could be installed on our [server] that would make it impossible for our own IT people to spy on peoples e-mail. We did not find one. We had to customize one. Imagine that: A company that actually goes out of its way to ENSURE that employees emails stay private. That is an immensely powerful statement of faith in people. 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

Inspiring Your Job Search - Motivational Quotes IM HIRED

Inspiring Your Job Search - Motivational Quotes A little motivation can make all the difference in the recruitment process   A little motivation can make all the difference in the recruitment process   Searching for a job, is a job in itself and rejection comes as part of the territory, meaning a positive outcome is essential to maintaining focus on that end goal getting hired; easier said than done. Mind-set is a huge factor when it comes to overcoming the obstacles. For me motivational quotes are the answer. So where are we expected to get all this motivation from? Now, whilst I am always trying to offer my advice to make your job hunt a smoother road, I also know Im no motivational speaker.But as I was putting together some more motivational quotes to circulate on my social media feeds, I thought its about time I added them to my blog. This is sound advice on how to achieve in your career from people who have succeeded in theirs. 1   Its not about ideas. Its about making ideas happen. Samuel Belsky   2 There is only one success to be able to spend your life in your own way. Christopher Morley 3 Winners never quit and quitters never win. -Vince Lombardi 4 Its fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. -Bill Gates 5 One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You dont choose your passions; your passions choose you. Jeff Bezos 6 I have not failed. Ive just found 10,000 ways that wont work. Thomas Edison 7 Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead. Nelson Mandela 8 You dont learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over. Richard Branson 9 In between goals is a thing called life that has to be lived and enjoyed. Sid Caesar   10 One can get anything if he is willing to help enough others get what they want.  -Zig Ziglar If you need more motivational quotes, make sure to follow me on Instragram.