Thursday, May 28, 2020

4-Step Recipe To Become a Golden Job Candidate

4-Step Recipe To Become a Golden Job Candidate 178 Where to start making yourself ultra-appealing to recruiters and employers. This is a guest post by Rosa Elizabeth Vargas. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines. Imagine you're a recruiter who was hired today to find a suitable candidate for the most recent job title you’ve held. Say your success in choosing the best contenders meant a generous bonus or a more rewarding position for you! Could you find the best candidate?eval On a tight deadline? Even if you were required to whittle the list down to only 5?eval Hmm. What would whet your curiosity enough to choose those few out of thousands of applicants? Would you Google them? Job Searching is Self-Marketingâ€"Make No Mistake! What has cemented the doom of many job seekers is their inability (or self-destructive refusal) to wrap their minds around the idea of marketing themselves as if they were a product. Instead, most job seekers mount a weak campaign with the intention of simply providing their qualifications. Wait…Qualified!? Big deal! At the very least you should be qualified for the jobs you are pursuing. Don’t you think? But, tell me, why are you the best choice? What makes you so irresistible that employers should be vying to lasso you into their office for a face to face? You have no clue? (Houston, we’ve got a problem!) If there is one silver bullet to launching a successful job hunt it is the undeniable and unmistakable truthâ€"you must seduce your new employer through ‘sexy’ brand positioning, rigorous (but tactful) self-marketing, ABOVE that of your competition. You must market distinction and promise bottom-line results, be you student or CEO. How to Mine, Discover Distinction and a Little Moxie Reach for your picks and shovels and mine for your golden distinction along with me by performing the following exercise. Heigh-ho! a. In alignment with what is needed for the type of jobs I am targeting, I need to promote the following three personal profile qualities _______, _______, and ______ in my marketing message. b. To perfectly match what is needed from the ideal candidate, I need to convey my unique talent in being able to achieve _______________________________________ consistently throughout my career. This is evidenced by the following examples from my career: (choose at least 3). c. This skill (“b” above) is unique of someone with my qualifications and experiences in that I, unlike most, will go about it this way ___________________________________________________. d. To convince employers my distinction positions me to solve their problem(s) and deliver benefits for XYZ Company, I must promise them the following ______________________ as an end result. Now Package Your Golden Message You will, I am sure, continue to sharpen and deepen your self-marketing message. For now, right away, go create a captivating Twitter and Facebook profile, LinkedIn Headline, and a persuasive Resume Statement incorporating your on-brand and employer-netting responses to the exercise above. About the Author Rosa Elizabeth Vargas is a Master Resume Writer who is quadruple certified. She helps careerist as owner and principal writer for www.careersteering.com and www.creatingprints.com with marketing tools such as resumes, bios, social profiles, brand development, blog and website development, job search coaching and interview coaching. You can follow her career advice on Twitter at @resumeservice. This article is part of the Over $5000 in Prizes: The 5th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest, which was made possible thanks in large part to our sponsors: Marcus Tandler’s JOBlog is Germany’s oldest blog about job search careers. Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg is an internationally acclaimed advisor to successful business owners, known for his small business ideas. Kiesha Easley is the owner of WeBlogBetter.com, a blog devoted to offering blogging tips. If you want Rosa Elizabeth Vargas to win, share this article with your friends. If you liked this article, you'll also enjoy The 2 Keys to Personal Branding Success.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Why Your Employees are Quitting (And What You Can do About it)

Why Your Employees are Quitting (And What You Can do About it) You’ve got yourself a talented team of people that are skilled in their jobs â€" of course, you don’t want to lose them. Employees are the most valuable asset to your business and a high turnover of them can cripple your business. Job vacancies have been at their highest in the UK which means that candidates have had more choice and therefore employers have struggled to fill positions. The power seems to lie more in the hands of the candidate and employee rather than the employer. Employees leaving their job cost the company more money that it does the employee. Recruitment costs, time spent on recruiting and interviews all cost the business money. Not to mention the time that it takes the successful candidate to become fully skilled within their role. Keeping employee retention at a low and maintaining the happiness of employees is in the best interest of the employer and employee. How can you encourage employees to stay? It’s important to remember that 77% of staff turnover is preventable but you’ll never be able to stop from leaving your business completely. Career Development A common reason for people leaving their job is because they’re not getting the career development they want. It’s worth ensuring you’re taking the time to assess your employee’s development. This can be done by creating personal development plans, 1 to 1’s and talking to your employees about where and how they’d like to progress, as well as identifying weaknesses to work on. Work-life Balance Many employees are not happy with strict 9-5 working hours and their commuting time can also lead to them feeling dissatisfied. To combat this, you can offer trusted employees the opportunity to work from home, ensure their duties can all be done within the working day and by also introducing flexitime. Bad Management The saying ‘you don’t leave a bad job, you leave a bad manager’ has been around for quite some time. Although not always true, bad management is a large percentage of the reason to people leaving their jobs. The business should be providing managers with appropriate training courses and ensuring managers have the tools and time to effectively manage their employees. Wellbeing Mental health and wellbeing of employees are critically important as it not only affects their performance but also how happy they are at work. To help overall wellbeing, many employers offer wellbeing packages such as yoga classes, massages, and other therapeutic sessions. If an employee is going through a particularly bad time, it’s often best to be accommodating to their circumstances and ensure you check in on them without being pushy. Salary and Benefits 35 % of employees look for a new job if they don’t get a rise in 12 months.   Employees need to be rewarded for their increase in skills and ability to do their job. There should be yearly salary reviews and employers and employees should be aware of a clear plan of progression and the reward at hand when goals are met. Unpaid sick leave is also a common reason people may leave their job. When an employee has an unexpected illness, the last thing they want is to worry about how they’re going to pay their bills because they’ve not been paid. Maximillion created the following infographic that looks at the most common reasons that employees leave their job in depth with some shocking statistics. There are also further tips that can be taken to ensure your valuable employees want to stay at your company. About the author:  Becca Armstrong is a freelance writer for Maximillion, specialists in event management, team building, and communications.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Present Complicated Information That Anyone Can Understand

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Present Complicated Information That Anyone Can Understand Weve become a world that communicates in two-minute sound bites and 140 characters, but how can anyone expect you to explain complex information so quickly and concisely? Well, they do and you can. Many of those who work with complex information believe it cant be done, and hence we have the mind-numbing, jargon-riddled, overloadedPowerPoint presentationsthat do little to engage or inform. That can be frustrating for everyone involved, and even disastrous for your career or company if a boss or customer ignores what youre trying to tell them. So how do you present complicated information that anyone can understand? Just as you would any other information. It needs to be clear, concise and told in a compelling way. Just because the information is complex doesnt cancel out the need to be a good storyteller and convey your information in a way that educates and moves your listeners to action, experts say. If youre looking for some ways to become better at communicating complex information, consider: Being concise.As Albert Einstein once said, If you cant explain it simply, you dont understand it well enough. Try to keep your opening sentence to less than 50 words. After that, use the Twitter test and try to reduce each important point down to 140 characters. You may not hit that number exactly, but it will force you to think of boiling the information down to the bare bones. Taking an improvisation class.At Vanderbilt University, for example, students are put through improvisational theatre to help them be more relatable when conveying complex ideas. Improvisation classes have been shown to teach people to react and adapt to situations and to think more creatively. Learning to think on your feet can be critical when youre conveying complicated information, because you need to be able to change tactics if your audience isnt grasping the information. Learning to tell stories.Scientists and other technical experts often begin a report with data and statistics, but that bores listeners. By thinking (read more here)

Sunday, May 17, 2020

One Word Guarantees Theyll Say Yes - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

One Word Guarantees They’ll Say Yes - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There is one word that will undoubtedly get you on the way to that job interview, or a meeting with a prospect or referral source â€" even a potential investor.   This magical word will work for you when you use it in person, on the phone, in an email subject line, a text or a social media message. It’s that good. There’s a caveat of course. You can’t just hurl this magic word or use it disingenuously. You can’t demand, cajole, nag or otherwise be irksome. You have to really mean what you’re asking for, with all your heart. The magic word is “guidance.” The caveat is that you must have honest curiosity about the subject â€" and no tinge of entitlement, irritation, or frustration. When you approach someone with a request for guidance, you may be expressing a bit of self-doubt, concern or just feeling unsettled by something you have experienced. You might even have a smidgen of hope or optimism in your tone. But, you can’t have or express any intention of taking advantage of the resource (the person you’re asking) or take a hard turn toward asking for anything more than guidance (for which you might prepare a number of questions that you really want answered). Guidance â€" even more than advice â€" implies that you have specific questions or a problem that you can describe but can’t overcome on your own. Guidance means you have an ardent desire to sit with someone more experienced or with a broader reach than you could possibly have on your own. Think of guidance, as mentoring’s little brother. What’s particularly amazing is that you can ask for guidance from complete strangers. And even more fantastic? It’s nearly impossible to get turned down. Of course, being humble, patient and grateful would be the winning trifecta. It really is that simple. Here are some examples. “Would you be able to give me some guidance on solving a problem I’m having?” “I’m kind of stuck right now, and I’m hoping you might be able to give me some guidance about my job search.” “There’s something that’s a bit of a mystery to me about working in this industry, and I wonder if you could give me some guidance on what I might be missing.” “I’ve taken a class in your field of expertise, and I’d like to ask you for some guidance about how I could begin to approach a career like yours.” “I hope you won’t mind my asking for some guidance from you.” So this magic word “guidance” is a huge door opener. It can be a game changer for you because it’s so respectful and deferential; the object of your request might go way beyond answering your question. You may get a whole lot more. By that I mean, they might take you on as a cause, get you introductions and land you exactly where you were most hoping to go. So use the word guidance with all due respect, and get the yes that can change your life. Author: Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Is a Certificate in Ethical Hacking Enough What More Do You Need!

Is a Certificate in Ethical Hacking Enough What More Do You Need! If you’ve just watched Mr. Robot and are thinking of becoming an ethical hacker, you may need to start by first asking the question: what is ethical hacking? Is there something more to it beyond passing the popular certified ethical hackers Keep in mind that on your first job as an ethical hacker you will probably not need to have all the skills listed here. In fact, you may find that passing the CEH exam will probably suffice for your first job. But if you want to be among the crème de la crème of ethical hackers, then the skills listed below are what you will eventually need to acquire.Pre-Hacking skillsBefore you can start hacking, you should have some basic skills mastered. These include the following:1. Understand LinuxevalMost tools that you will require as a hacker are Linux- based. This means that you need to be extremely comfortable using Linux. Some of the most important tools that you need to be familiar with are sniffer/protocol analyzer tools like Wireshark and TCPD UMP2. Understand virtualizationBeing familiar with using virtualization software like VMware and VirtuaBox is critical for a career in ethical hacking.3. Understand networkingAs an ethical hacker, you will more often than not be asked to protect networked systems. The better your understanding of these systems, the easier it will be for you to spot security flaws and counter them before they cause serious damage. You will need to be familiar with routers and switches, IPv4 and IPv6, DHCP, MAC addressing and other aspects of networking.4. Understand wirelessMost devices these days are wirelessly connected, and present huge vulnerabilities to connected systems. Therefore, understanding wireless encryption will be fundamental to the field of ethical hacking in a few years. Additionally, it’s also important to understand the protocols, authentication, and legal constraints on wireless technologies.Essential hacking skillsIn order to unleash your full competencies as an ethical hacker, you need to practice exactly what a hacker does while on-the-job. Some of the skills that you will need to understand include the following:eval5. Understand IT security systemsevalYou basically need to understand the security systems that security admins set up. This means understanding concepts like PKI, SSL, firewalls, and so on.6. Understand scriptingAs a hacker you need to be able to create your own tools â€" or at least understand the scripts that other hackers use. You should be adept at using the BASH shell and should know at least one scripting language like Python or Perl.7. Understand forensicsUnderstanding exactly how hackers evade and avoid detection is one the main tasks of an ethical hacker. So understanding digital forensics is a key skill to have for ethical hackers.8. Understand cryptographyIn addition to learning digital forensics, understanding cryptography will help you detect hackers who use cryptography to hide ill-intentioned activities.9. Understand reverse engineeringevalKnowing how to reverse engineer malware is extremely important, because it can help you figure out the mindset and intentions of a particular hacker10. Understand database skillsHacking databases is one of the biggest security breaches in the world today. This means that you must know your way around the most commonly used DBMS’s including Oracle and MySQL in order to effectively foil thieves and hackers.11. Understand web applicationsIn recent years, web apps have become increasingly popular due to the proliferation of mobile devices. This has inadvertently provided a fertile ground for hackers, which means you need to be extremely familiar with web apps and their ecosystems tin order to deal with security breaches.Non-technical skillsApart from the above technical skills, you will also need to learn how to develop problem solving skills, creativity, and persistence. Of course, being able to get into the mind of a black hat hacker is also an invaluable tool for et hical hackers.Figure 2: Image from campusghanta.comConclusionBy and large, the CEH exam will cover a lot of what you need to know â€" from scanning networks to penetration testing and even some aspects of social engineering. However, as the director of the Cybersecurity Academy at UMBC training succinctly puts it, “CEH courses “don’t provide an adequate amount of hands-on application.”That said, CEH is the most recognized ethical hacking certification and is a great first step for people who are looking to build careers in the field. Additionally, ethical hackers with a CEH certification earn more than those who do not have one.A CEH certification coupled with strong technical and non-technical skills will ensure that you get to the top of the ethical hacking profession.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

NSAA Preparation - Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment

NSAA Preparation - Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment The Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA) is entrance exam carried out by the University of Cambridge in order to assess prospective undergraduates hoping to study with them in the following subject areas: Natural Sciences, Veterinary Science, and Chemical Engineering (via Natural Sciences). According to the university, this exam is carried out in order to “differentiate effectively between able applicants”, in a way that school examinations possibly cannot. It is for this reason that NSAA preparation is very important.Those applying to the above courses will undergo this assessment before the interview stage, should they make it that far. Indeed, a candidate’s results in the exam will be taken into account alongside the rest of their application, including personal statement and predicted grades, when making the decision on whether to ask them to interview or not.So, there is no ‘pass mark’ for the exam â€" your results are simply there to influence a subjective de cision made by admissions staff, who will make a call on whether to advance you based on all elements of your application. Luckily, however, details of the timings and number of marks have been clearly specified. Let’s look now at the structure of the exam as supplied by the university.NSAA Preparation: What does the exam consist of?The NSAA is made up of two ‘Sections’, which in turn are made up of several parts. Over the course of the whole exam, you’ll be faced with questions on maths, physics, chemistry, and biology. Within this, maths and physics are given special dispensation; you may choose to answer specialised ‘Advanced’ questions on these subjects. See below for how it all works.Section 1 â€" 5 partsA â€" MathsB â€" PhysicsC â€" ChemistryD â€" BiologyE â€" Advanced Maths and Advanced PhysicsParts A-E contain 18 multiple-choice questions each. In total, you will need to undergo three out of these five parts, meaning you will face 54 questions by the end. This of course equates to the section being worth 54 marks. Importantly, the only obligatory one is part A â€" maths, so you need to make a choice as to which two of the remaining four you will answer.Other essential information includes that fact that you will have 80 minutes to complete these 54 questions, and that calculators are not allowed. It is said that parts A-D are mostly designed to be at a similar difficulty to GCSE level, and that part E is more similar to that of AS.For the exact syllabus, follow this link to the University of Cambridge’s NSAA specification.For sample questions, follow this link to the university’s specimen question paper.Section 2 â€" 6 questionsIn section 2, you will be presented with six questions which are all to do with science. That is to say, two of them will be physics questions, two will be chemistry, and two will be biology. You must answer any two of these questions. This time, you will have 40 minutes to complete the section. Also, calculators are permitted in this section.Also unlike section 1, the questions in section 2 are not multiple choice. Their style and format will also vary â€" you may be required to draw diagrams and graphs as well as carry out longer writing tasks. The difficulty of the section 2 questions are comparable to that of AS level questions.In this section, each question is worth 25 marks, meaning the section is marked out of 50. This means that both section 1 (worth 54 marks) and section 2 together add up to 104 marks being available.For the exact syllabus, follow this link to the University of Cambridge’s NSAA specification.For sample questions, follow this link to the university’s specimen question paper.NSAA preparation â€" More resourcesFor more resources to help with NSAA preparation, follow this link for GCSE Maths is Easy â€" a revision guide to help you nail the basics. This entry was posted in Education. Bookmark the permalink. Henry Hunter Police Constable Behavioural Styles Question naire: ExampleBirmingham Grammar School 11 Plus Test 2 thoughts on “NSAA Preparation â€" What is the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment?” Nsaa tutor says:Hi there…I would just like to clarify whether you could answer one question from each science in the NSAA section 2 paper? E.g. one from biology and one from physics? August 27, 2019 at 3:35 pm Reply Jordan Cooke says:Hi there,Thanks for your query. In regards to the exact questions that you would need to answer during the NSAA selection process, the best thing to do would be contact them directly. It’s entirely possible that the format could have changed as of late, and that they might mix things up from year to year.Sincerely,The How2Become Team August 28, 2019 at 8:16 am Reply

Friday, May 8, 2020

Tips on Writing a Professional Resume

Tips on Writing a Professional ResumeMany people have great difficulty in coming up with ideas when it comes to writing a resume. After you begin writing your resume, you find yourself to be unsure about what to write and how you are going to write it. Here are some tips on writing a resume that will help you.While it may seem like a daunting task, when it comes to writing a professional resume, it can become easier. One of the first tips that you will want to follow is to write the cover letter. The purpose of the cover letter is to provide information to the employer or recruiter about you and your skills and abilities. In most cases, the resume that you have written does not give any real information about you.One of the most important aspects of a resume is that it tells an employer what you are looking for in a job. You can create a resume based on the positions that you have applied for and how you would excel in them. You should be able to look at the positions that you have a pplied for and determine what they need to know about you.Most employers will want to see a resume that is well-written and clear. It is important to make sure that there are no errors in your resume. If there are some spelling and grammatical errors, the employer may not be able to tell if the resume is accurate. A well-written resume should include the best things about you and what you can bring to the table.Another important tip that you should follow is to make sure that you write down all of your contact information. This is important because you may not have a great number of contacts when it comes to the company. Your contact information will allow the employer to send you future jobs. Make sure that you include all of the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. This will be very helpful if you ever apply for other jobs in the future.One tip that many people use when it comes to writing a professional resume is to write a summary. The summary should give the employer an idea of what you do and how you have benefited them. Many people fail to utilize the benefits of a resume when they are trying to sell themselves. If you are able to use a summary to build your resume, you will come across as more professional.Finally, it is important to have a professional resume. You should not hire an assistant to draft a resume because you have a great deal of skill. Instead, you should hire someone to write a professional resume because this is one way to show that you are one of the best applicants that they have.It may be hard to follow some of the tips for writing a resume, but when you take the time to write a resume, you will be able to tell whether or not you are capable of getting the job that you apply for. Also, keep in mind that the person that you will be applying to will want to know that you know what you are doing. By following the tips on writing a professional resume, you will be able to use this information to your advantage.