Change-Orientated Meetings Building Your Future Now

Implementing Action/Change-Orientated Meetings Building Your Future Now Meetings are important parts of any and every organization we belong tothey offer many positives especially if they are led by strong leaders. However, upon reflection can you think of any meetings you have been a part of that yielded some actionable results? For the most part, meetings tend to be mandatory sessions that has one or several people sharing some type of information or going through a laundry list of what needs to be done. But are these things that are discussioned followed up on? Are there any true take-aways from the meeting? Are most meetings time-wasters? The bottom-line is: why is the meeting being held in the first place. Is it something that can be communicated via email or quick conference call? If the meeting is taking place are there any outcomes that can be a basis for change? Can action be a foundation for every meeting as goals given to each participant? Meetings can be important collaborations with amazing opportunities to discuss change through action. Next time you are part of a meeting (either as a lead or participant) be present to what is being gained from it. Find ways of how everyone can truly benefit as well as being accountable of what is being done afterwards. Afterall, there is no point of assembling your associates together in a meeting unless a real actionable outcome(s) can be assessed and qualified. Image: RawPixel

This New Mom Put Her Lawyer Clothes Back On and Learned A Lot

This New Mom Put Her Lawyer Clothes Back On and Learned A Lot When Nanda Davis, a criminal defense and family law attorney for her own practice, came back to the courtroom from maternity leave, she didn’t know what to expect. There are plenty of generalizations about female lawyers, especially if youre a new mom, fresh from maternity leaveâ€"pushover, distracted, not committedâ€"but Nanda didn’t care. After suiting up and finding her place in the courtroom again, she quickly realized that she was exactly the advocate clients needed by their side. When I heard her story, I knew I had to ask her a few question for the Ms. Career Girl readers. Her takeaways are important for all new moms in the workforce. Is there one mindset change you’ve noticed the most? When I returned from work, my priorities were crystal clear. Every moment I worked was a moment away from my baby, and I wanted to make those moments count. If I am spending time on a case and a client, it is because I am doing important work for them and am deeply involved in the case. Has this affected the kind of cases you’re working on? In a way, yes. I now have no problem firing a client who is so crazy that there is no pleasing her. I am ok turning away business if I know that the client is not a good fit. And above all, I realized that I am not a charity; I insist that I am paid for my work. Getting rid of the crazies and the people who didn’t value my work, allowed me to spend more time and effort on the clients I had left. It also improved the quality of work I delivered to them. How did you handle being away from your baby for the first time? As a new mom, it wasn’t easy leaving my child, but doing so gave me a better understanding of the fierce and crazy love parents can have for their children. Suddenly I understood this in a way I never could before having my child. It made me understand just how much is on the line when my clients go to court, and how scared and angry they felt. Did that change the way you work with clients? Oh, absolutely. I often ask myself, what if this were my life, my child? This makes me fight harder for my clients, and sometimes I get angrier about how some of the children in these cases are being treated. What do you want to say to new moms going back to work? Moms are strong. Birth is rough. Having a newborn is really hard. You can bring this strength into your work. I have never been more confident in handling cases or more aggressive in my cross-examination. And I don’t hesitate to file a motion or a subpoena that will rile opposing counsel. I don’t worry about what a judge will think of me if he overrules my motion.  And I look forward to the head on confrontations in my cases. I know what is important in my life now, and there is no longer space for worrying about whether opposing counsel likes me or if I’m coming across as “unladylike.” Being an advocate for those who need it the most is very womanly. Moms have always known this because we have to be advocates for our children from day one. You can learn more about Nanda’s successful small business at DavisLawPractice.com.  Before moving to the Roanoke Valley, Nanda Davis was an attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor, in Washington, D.C., where she worked closely with two administrative law judges, writing their decisions and orders regarding a wide variety of employment related statutes. Nanda Davis graduated magna cum laude from George Mason University school of law in 2012. Image: Working Mom

SEO and Social Media Must-Knows To Never Forget - Classy Career Girl

SEO and Social Media Must-Knows To Never Forget Search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly evolving, responding to both changing consumer habits and Google’s search algorithms to raise the importance of certain content over other search results. Even though Google has stated that social media influence doesnt contribute to their search rankings for SEO, companies are still investing heavily in combining their social media strategies and SEO because both can benefit from the exposure. Even though Google doesn’t factor social media influence into their  ranking, SEO-focused marketers should still promote integration between the two, and this article highlights just why this is important. 5 Must-Knows about Social Media and SEO that You Should Never Forget 1. Search rankings may or may not improve using social media Google has specifically stated that the significance or popularity of a social media profile is not an indicator of the profile’s trustworthiness and authority for them. However, they remain quiet about the significance of links originating from social media â€" are they reliable backlinks? How much influence do they have? If a certain post goes viral on Facebook or Twitter, for instance, will it get a higher ranking in a simple Google search? SEO marketers believe that backlinks from social media to your website can have an  impact on search rankings. Because social media is where content can be most easily circulated, links from sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, among others, can improve how search engines perceive your content. An interview with Google and Bing to investigate the significance of social links revealed that once again, Google doesn’t attribute much to social links for content, but Bing definitely does. Search engines like Bing consider not only the number of tweets and retweets a link has raised  but also the popularity of Twitter accounts sharing that link. Google’s Matt Cutts, however, says Google also crawls social sites for information in search queries in the same way that other websites are crawled. That means the content on social sites that  are considered relevant to a query will be returned in search results the same way as other results. There is, therefore, a small possibility that social signals, e.g. number of links to a specific site, can still have some effect on search rankings in an organic (basic) search. 2. Search engines rank social media profiles   Social profiles greatly influence the content of search results, even though social shares or links may not. In fact, Google returns relevant social profiles very high on their ranks, such as for queries listing brand names. Even more so, the right-hand sidebar displays Google+ profile information right at the top of the page. Social media accounts seem more personal than websites  and are a great way for searchers to gain insight into a company’s personality. In fact, I typically go to a company’s social profile if I want to learn more about a brand I’m not familiar with. Therefore, if social profiles come at the top of search results for a brand I search for, I’m just as likely to click on them as I would their website. Social profiles are important for people searching for your brand online, especially the younger generations. Your social accounts can add the element of engagement, fun and personality to a brand whose official website seems too serious. In particular, dont discount the significance of a Google+ profile, even if it doesn’t seem as popular a platform as other social sites. [RELATED: 5 Easy Ways To Make Sure Your Brand Stays In The Public Eye] 3. Social media platforms also have search algorithms   Gone are the days when Google, Bing, and traditional search engines were the only sources of information about various things. Today, people use their social media accounts to search for things just like they would on Google. That means search engine optimization should include searches taking place in these social profiles. By nature, brands with attractive or catchy visuals will benefit greatly from promoting their presence on social platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Make sure to use the correct hashtags and properly categorize your boards and pins so that theyre easier to find. Remember that this doesn’t remove the need to have active Twitter and Facebook profiles as well  since this is where your audience is most likely to search for you. Start by running a quick search of your brand to see how customers and searchers see you. Then, redefine your concept of SEO to focus not just on traditional search engines, but also social media search engines. Make sure that your users can identify your official brand page by deleting duplicate accounts, or clearly labeling the purpose of each page if duplicates are needed. 4. Google may still consider social signals   Even though Google doesn’t acknowledge social signals as part of their algorithm right now, that doesn’t mean that they won’t in the future. Google is constantly updating its algorithms to include relevant signals that will help them provide more accurate search results. The value of social media to a brand’s online presence is not expected to decline soon, especially since certain quality indicators like guest blogging have become less reliable over time. It’s not entirely ridiculous to assume that Google may hunt for other signs of influence and trustworthiness, i.e. on social media. Smart brands should keep building their social profiles as part of their SEO and online marketing strategy; it certainly wouldnt hurt. 5. Bing is a valid search engine   Even though many consumers use Google for searches, there’s a significant proportion using Bing. And Bing considers social signals quite highly in their search ranking algorithms. Bing looks at your social influence as your brand. How many people follow you, how many you follow â€" both these influence your listing in search results. As the second most-used search engine, you should be interested in what they have to say and tailoring your own strategies to their needs. As their market share  becomes more significant, your brand will enjoy the fruits of this in bucketfuls.

An Audacious Way to Build an Online Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

An Audacious Way to Build an Online Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Last week, Jamie Varon (@jamievaron) made waves in the Twitter and Gen Y communities with a  career advice post about her last job and a new website to get Twitter to hire her. I caught up with her to talk about what shes doing to build her online personal brand and ask how she comes up with some of her most audacious ideas. How does the Twitter Should Hire Me site fit with the personal brand youre trying to create? My site demonstrates my brand quite well: ambitious, creative, bold, optimistic, and intelligent. The site is an extension of my capabilities, because it was very well thought-out. There was strategy behind it, such as knowing it would be relevant, since Twitter and jobs are two of the hottest topics in media right now. I knew, from a marketing perspective, that this would catch peoples attention. And, I knew I wanted to do something that would demonstrate my ambition and determination to find a meaningful career, even in the midst of the recession. I wanted a site that was eye-catching and creative, but also made sure to incorporate smart content, so as not to seem like an empty marketing ploy. What kind of reception have you received since launching Twitter Should Hire Me? By the end of the second day that the site launched, I had received over 20,000 views. My Twitter following count has increased by almost 40% and I have forged relationships that I would not have otherwise had. There have been multiple write ups about my campaign and I have been contacted by my local news and some other news outlets that I cant discuss. The Twitter community responded to my campaign in an overwhelmingly positive way. They were very supportive and it spread very quickly throughout peoples Twitter streams. At one point, I was the 70th most retweeted person on Twitter, among the top 100 with huge influencers such as Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, and Pete Cashmore. What will you do if Twitter doesnt offer you a job? I have three job offers doing marketing One PT social media marketing position actually gets me into the startup industry in a big way. This site has opened up tons of possibilities for me in marketing. Thats the ticket: I wanted something in the creative departments of startups. So, I created something unique and marketed both it and myself. No matter what experience I put on the site (even though I am pumping a good amount of info into it), I have achieved what companies want: buzz. My uncle, out of the woodwork, called me and wants to hire me as a freelancer and throw $5000 of marketing budget at me. That just doesnt happen in this economy. Furthermore, if Twitter doesnt hire me at this point, I hope to create a relationship with them and maybe the future will bring a partnership. I know I will be in the startup industry to stay, so even if there isnt a place for me on the Twitter team at this point, it doesnt mean there wouldnt be a place for me in the future. You recently wrote a post on Penelope Trunks blog about how you quit your last job after 2 weeks. Was that a publicity stunt to promote your twitter blog? We had planned on that post going up for 2 weeks. The timing just happened to be what it was. I didnt really think my post would be that controversial or become one of Penelope Trunks most popular. It surprised the hell out of me. But then again, Im so comfortable with the decisions I make because they ARE so well thought out and I trust myself to make smart decisions, that I should have known better that other people who dont know me from Jane that they might not understand my perspective. I didnt plan to have the Twitter campaign and that guest post at all connected; it just so happened that I had two high profile things going on at the same time. People were pretty harsh about your decision to quit that job, and many questioned how it would affect your future employment. Do you think employers care about quitting a job after two weeks? I think that it matters from person to person. For me, it was the best decision to make. And, I believe that my personal blog, intersected and my Twitter campaign prove that I am not a lot of the things that people assumed I was based on this one decision I made (to quit a job after 2 weeks). I would be naive to believe that employers wouldnt question someone who left a job after two weeks, but it happens a lot more than we think. Almost every person Ive talked to about the topic has at least one story that is similar to mine. In most situations, the company presented itself one way in the interview and then turned out to be completely different. I would have a hard time advising someone to stay in a job situation where the company had deceived someone in order to get them through the doors. Granted, I made it clear that my decision to quit after two weeks was made because I knew I had a safety net (living with my parents). Also, I was planning on living at home for 2-3 months to save up money, regardless of if I had the job or not. My parents and I agreed that it would be smart to pay down some debt before moving into San Francisco, but thats a different story. As for employers caring whether someone quit a job after two weeks, I cannot give a definite answer to that. There are factors involved that would change the answer: for instance, if your resume is filled with month-long holes with small stints at each job, I think that would be cause for question. But, if your resume shows only a small amount of down time and the rest is filled with great positions, then the two weeks wouldnt matter (which is how my resume is currently, except I dont put that job on my resume because I wouldnt use it as a reference. I have an internship for Brazen Careerist in its place, which is more in line with what I want to be doing in my career anyways). What advice would you give to people trying to manage their personal brand online? I would advise people to be honest with themselves about who they are and where they want to be going, to truly look at their strengths and weaknesses and build their brand from there. Too many people attempt to be everyone but themselves, but I think the key to a successful brand image is both projecting and knowing who you are. The biggest key to success is self-awareness and when you can both build and BE your personal brand, you will be most effective. People may view my behavior online as risky and bold, but thats exactly how I want to position myself. I am risky and bold and willing to tackle the issues that other people wont. There will be companies that will not want to hire me because of that, but I like knowing that. I like being sure that the image Im projecting will attract the companies and people who will fit in well with who I am. That way, when a company approaches me based on my true personal brand, it will be a stronger, more honest partnership. ********************* What do you think? I was a bit of a naysayer at Jamies approach at first, but I think her answers offer sage advice. Best of luck Jamie! Author: Monica O’Brien writes career advice for young professionals at her blog, Twenty Set. You can also follow her on Twitter (@monicaobrien).

Resume Writing in Present Or Past Tense?

Resume Writing in Present Or Past Tense?Writing resumes in present or past tense is a common error that is made by many newbies and experienced professional job applicants. Past tense writing is not the same as normal essay writing which requires the writer to use past tense verbs to describe his or her work experiences. Rather, it involves stating events only.There are a number of reasons why you should avoid using past tense. It does not reflect well on your personality and so would make you appear as an insecure person, and it does not convey the kind of excitement and thrill that you are looking for. Past tense writing also does not solve a problem in one sentence, since the job opportunities will vary depending on the circumstance in which you find yourself.However, using past tense is not always right or wrong, and all that matters is that you know when to use it. There are many factors which determine when is the right time to use past tense, and the right way to put your expe riences on a resume.One of the most common times to use past tense is when a person has been employed before. To be sure, you must ask your future employer if he or she has hired someone else before, in which case you can add the past tense after your name. If you were previously employed and were fired, for whatever reason, you can put the word terminated in front of your name to indicate that you had already been terminated.Another time when past tense should be used is when describing your education. The best way to get this correct is to take a copy of your high school transcript and check for the date it was sent to you, as this information will show the semester and year of your graduation. This gives you enough information to put the year in your resume when describing your years of education.When you want to use past tense when describing your experience in a business opportunity, the best way to do this is to write what happened after you completed your work. In other words , instead of listing your business experience and what you did during the past year of employment, list the number of business positions you held or where you worked during the past year.Another time when past tense should be used is when writing about the types of work you performed. For example, instead of listing the type of plumbing job you did during the past year, list out the types of plumbing jobs you completed for other people.Finally, the most important reason to avoid using past tense when writing your resume is to keep it clean and simple. Past tense writing is difficult for the reader to read and so using past tense can only make your resume look cluttered and unclear.

The Dirty Little Secret Baby Boomers Need To Know

The Dirty Little Secret Baby Boomers Need To Know Personal Branding, Baby Boomers and a Dirty Little Secret Personal Branding, Baby Boomers and a Dirty Little Secret A guest post by Marc Miller The Dirty Little Secret? Yes, there is a dirty little secret around personal branding and baby boomers. First, let me digress. I was born in the mid 1950s. I started my career with IBM in the late 1970s. This thing we call personal brand did not exist. What did exist was your reputation. Your reputation was largely established by the good work you did. Your colleagues experienced working with you first hand. I was raised to believe that if I worked hard, kept my nose clean, and obeyed the rules I would be rewarded accordingly. I was going to work for IBM for 30 years and then retire off into the sunset. The problem was…they moved my cheese in the 1990s. First, there was the rise of the Internet and then Social Media. Rather than competing for work with people in my company locally, I was competing for work worldwide with people both inside and outside of IBM. I was first introduced to the concept of personal brand in 2009, when I picked up Dan Schawbel’s Book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. The concept of personal branding became clear when I read the following quote: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room” â€"  Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon The kicker is that, in our hyper-connected world, people may say things about you when you have never been in the same room, city, country…or even continent! The dirty little secret is that we all have a brand…whether we like it or not. Personal Brand â€" We All Have One I hear from a lot of folks my age: I am not a brand, but a person! My response is: Get over it! This is why I wrote Personal Branding for Baby Boomers â€" What It Is, How to Manage It, and Why It’s No Longer Optional. It is a step by step approach to defining your personal brand and then implementing those steps so that you can easily be found. Step 1 is to define your personal brand. How do you want to be perceived? Remember that, in the past, people only experienced you face to face. Now, people connect with you online. You need to define how you want to be perceived and then manage it. This is no longer optional. Marc Miller is the founder of Career Pivot which helps Baby Boomers design careers they can grow into for the next 30 years. Career Pivot was selected for the Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career. Marc has made six career pivots himself, serving in several positions at IBM in addition to working at two successful Austin, Texas startups, teaching math in an inner-city high school and working for a local non-profit. Learn more about Marc and Career Pivot by visiting the Career Pivot Blog or follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook. Id like to thank Marc for this post and let you know that I have read and reviewed his book as well! If youre a Boomer or know a Boomer, please, check out his book!

Student Paramedic Training Everything You Need To Know

Student Paramedic Training Everything You Need To Know Working as a paramedic is an exciting and rewarding career. It is one of the most challenging roles available, and you will be placed in situations that are emotionally straining, and require you to demonstrate resilience and fortitude. In this blog, we’ll look at the student paramedic training process, so that you can get some idea of what is required of candidates before they become qualified paramedics. The Student Paramedic Training CourseIf you are a student, you’ll train to be a paramedic over five years. Your training will be split into modules and combine lessons with practical placements and workshops, so knowledge gained in the classroom can be put into practice on the road.The course covers everything from driving an ambulance to advanced patient assessments. Successful candidates will complete an introductory course of nine weeks, which includes three weeks’ driver training. During this time you will cover the theoretical and practical skills elements which will all ow you to undertake duties on an emergency ambulance with a paramedic.Once candidates have successfully completed their consolidation period, they will work alongside a paramedic as a paramedic apprentice â€" working 37.5 hours per week averaged over a 12-week rota, covering 24 hours, seven days per week, 365 days per year.Apprentices will complete a Foundation Year (year 0) during which they will be required to complete an access to study module, as well as ongoing assessments in practice of their clinical and communication skills and attitudes and behaviours. Those who successfully reach the standards required in practice, and complete the access module, will be registered for the Foundation Degree in Paramedic Science in September/October. Student Paramedic Training Foundation DegreeThe Student paramedic training Foundation Degree runs over a four-year period, on a part-time basis. This is mainly on a distance study mode with clinical placements to consolidate learning and develo p specific practice competencies; clinical placements will take place in both an ambulance and non-ambulance context.Students should be aware that the course equates to 240 academic credits â€" 120 at level 4 and 120 at level 5 â€" and that every credit requires a minimum of 10 hours of student effort. Although time required to complete study will vary, students should be aware that between seven and 16 hours study will be required by the average student per week in their own time.Through the course, you will have the opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and competencies that underpin practice across the paramedic science field. The approach of the degree is inter-disciplinary, with opportunities for specialisation where appropriate.The qualification is attuned to the NHS modernisation agenda, the Knowledge and Skills Framework and the Health and Care Professions Council’s (HCPC) standards of proficiency. The Foundation Degree in Paramedic Sciences has been approved by the HCP C, which means that on successful completion of the award you will be eligible to apply to the HCPC for professional registration as a paramedic. Student Paramedic Application FormsApplication forms can normally be obtained either by visiting the website of the relevant NHS trust you wish to join, or by telephoning the recruitment line. You will find that many NHS trusts don’t recruit that often so it is important that you keep monitoring their website for recruitment updates â€" you do not want to miss a recruitment opportunity!The application form must be completed in full; CVs are usually not accepted. The ‘Personal Details’ section is relatively straightforward to complete. Perhaps the two most important sections of the application form are those relating to the ‘Reasons for Applying for this Post’ and ‘Experience and Personal Skills‘. If these sections are not answered satisfactorily then this will result in a failure to be short-listed for the interview. It is im portant that you read the ‘person specification’ for the role you are applying for prior to completing this part of the application form.When responding to these types of question you should provide details of your experience and training to explain why you are suitable for this post. When describing your current or previous work experience, you should specify your responsibilities, rather than those of your department or team.Address all the criteria on the person specification, showing how you meet each one. You should mention experience, skills, achievements and knowledge gained, not only in past employment, but also through other activities such as voluntary or community work, experience in the home, and leisure interests. You should, where possible, give examples of specific situations that you have come across and how you have dealt with the situation and the people involved. Become a ParamedicIf you’ve found this useful, then you’ll be delighted to know that we have a n entire book on How To Become A Paramedic. Jam packed full of tips on student paramedic training and more, this is the ultimate resource for aspiring medical professionals. This entry was posted in Assessment Centres, Job Competencies. Bookmark the permalink. Jordan Cooke Pass the Australian Police Officer Tests â€" More Types of QuestionPassing the Australian Police Officer Tests â€" The Computer Skills Tests