#careersadvice

[kids-worldfun]

How to Help Your Child Find their Passion? We all have passions. An inner calling and talents. Here are some ideas on how you can help your child find what they are passionate about. 

[dinosossi]

When it comes to higher ed, unemployment & employability have become increasingly important to the UK’s recovery programme @Shortlist_Me @Educ_Technology @IoSEorg @BBCNews @BBCWorld @BBCBreaking @guardiannews @timeshighered @DWP @dwppressoffice ow.ly/zNCa50DjIKI

[roysexton]

Looking forward to this conversation tomorrow with my dear pal Nancy Leyes Myrland! Thank you, Lexie Blaner, for sharing this: “Looking for a new role in legal marketing, but wondering how something like LinkedIn can be to your advantage? Interested in learning how you can best utilize LinkedIn for your career research? Join Legal Marketing Association - LMA International’s Careers in Transition with speakers Roy Sexton (ME!) and Nancy Leyes Myrland tomorrow to learn how you can use LinkedIn to enhance your job search”. #lmamkt #careersadvice Register here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lexieblaner_welcome-you-are-invited-to-join-a-meeting-activity-6704146901270315008-arRo (at Saline, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEVDQA7jZ5o/?igshid=9csh2ob582sr

[justtryingandshit-blog]

How to start preparing for a career in the 3rd sector

When I started university in 2010 it was in the middle of an oil boom. Aberdeen is the oil capital of Europe and during that time, full of employment opportunities even if your degree didn’t really specialise in anything particularly oil related. Many students believed that the oil industry was a career safety net and did not take extra curricular measures for their career development during their degree. However, those students who have a moral conscience and/or could not give a damn about the oil industry, our career path was less secure. 

The third sector is consistently underfunded and since the coalition government took power in 2010, the sector has been hit with a series of detrimental austerity cuts significantly reducing the sectors capacity to function efficiently. The sectors reputation of being unstable, short-term, competitive and close knit precedes it, often unfairly. The ability to recruit talented students interested in social justice, making a difference and applying their passion is stunted by this reputation, especially in the hands of shoddy university careers services who have little to no practical knowledge of how to embark on a career in the sector. Social justice and fighting for what you believe in needn’t be a hobby or a weekend protest. It is very much a viable career option, if you know how. As someone who has successfully entered a career in the 3rd sector, I want to show other students how to begin a career in it too.

Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started.

What turns you on? It’s good to do some soul searching about what causes you are passionate about. It could be anything, what makes you angry? What are you concerned about? Have you encountered any issues in your life that could have been changed had there been support in the form of an organisation? Watch the news. What issues stick out for you the most? Human rights? Climate change? Feminism? Race equality? Brexit? Terrorism? For me, identity was key. As a Muslim woman growing up in post 9/11 Britain, there was plenty of issues that I encountered because of my identity. Now, as someone who has taken that passion of wanting to better the Muslim experience of Britain, I have made a career out of it because of the third sector.

Get to know your grassroots.

Once you know what kind(s) of causes you are into, find groups that meet up regularly around your chosen issue. This may seem difficult if you are not a student, however, if you are, there is no better place than university for these groups. Many students dismiss societies because of the petty drama that occurs within them, the workload outside of what is already a demanding degree and that they are lame. Wrong. They may be all of these things, but one thing you should know right now is that having been a part of a society at university on your CV is valuable. It shows that you could prioritise heavy workloads, went above and beyond what was required with you, teamwork, organisational skills, etc. etc. The good news that joining a society is even better for your career prospects if you are thinking about going into the third sector. This is because charities and organisations need students more than students need them. If you are a student propagating their message through the form of a society, this is a huge favour to the charity. They even have dedicated staff (outreach officers) to spread their message to youth, colleges and university campuses.Take for example Amnesty International: if you joined a local university society for them it is considered a grassroots extension of Amnesty International. You are doing their work for them by spreading the message, putting on events, organising talks, attending protests. It looks phenomenal for Amnesty International that there are students out there organising on behalf of the organisation and potentially recruiting more supporters. This is only a net benefit for them. I know many students who were considered ‘unwashed lefties’ at university who joined societies that were an extension of official campaigns such as Stop the Traffik, Save the Children, Green Peace etc. Some of these former students have gone onto work for these organisations after graduating, almost immediately because of the work they put into their societies at university. Setting up or joining a society gets you known by the organisation, provides you invaluable contacts and gives you a leg up from others who are blindly applying for their jobs on offer.

Create a ‘clicktivist’ profile

Nowadays many companies check out your online presence before accepting you into their organisation. If you are a millennial, there is probably no way around this so it’s best to take control of your online image and take advantage of the benefits. Create a public profile on facebook, twitter etc. that you are happy for employers, organisations, fellow activists and general public to view. Once you’re set up, start posting things relating to your interests and causes. Start by posting about current news items pertaining to your cause or interests. Once you get comfortable doing this, start writing a short commentary with every article, get your views out there.

By setting your profile to public, you will attract the attention of other people in this space, creating a valuable network, getting yourself known within that network and inadvertently building an online portfolio. Start writing a blog about what matters to you and keep at it. Don’t worry about it being popular or gaining traction. The point is to build a portfolio for the right people to eventually look at when they look you up. Consistency is key. If they see you’ve had an active interest in their cause for a consistent amount of time, this is incredibly favourable. They’re called ‘activists’ for a reason.

Build. A. Network.

They say it’s who you know, not what you know. That’s partly true. There’s a reason why employers ask for references from at least two people because your character matters to an organisation. For people who already know you and your character, it becomes easier for them to vouch for you, especially if they work at an organisation that you want to work for too. Networking may be tedious, but the benefits can be life changing. With the internet, networking has become easier. I started becoming interested in my cause around 15. I spent a lot of time on the internet and met a lot of my activist friends through online debating. This was a good way of learning the sector, the big players, the arguments, competitors and key issues. I made contacts with many people who worked in organisations that I eventually went onto work for. They relied on my online character, my profiles, my arguments, my commitment. This all came in handy after I graduated. I remember drunkenly calling an online friend who worked for a think tank and told him I hated working at the opticians. I really wanted to break into this space and he put me forward for an interview. The rest is history. Twitter is activist heaven. Even the Queen is on twitter. It’s probably the most valuable profile you will need to network. Start retweeting things you find interest and relating to your cause. You will often retweet people who work in the organisations you are interested in working for. Start tweeting about things you are passionate about, this will attract other activist who often have a large network that you will want to tap into for opportunities in the sector. Again, consistency is key. This may seem like slow work but think about it like you are planting a seed to eventually eat the fruit.

So, with this advice under your belt you should have a better idea for what it takes to break into the third sector. Don’t worry if you are coming to the end of your university life, it’s never too late to start.

[thehappyhomecook]

What a lovely thing to wake up to of a morning. I received an email from my blog site supplier saying that a new message had been put on my notice board. I was really moved to read this message. It’s great to think that I am influencing people in other countries through my blogging. It makes it all worth while when you get messages like this. My whole reason for starting this blog was to hopefully represent the industry that I work in and love in a positive way by informing and educating people on what the funeral industry is all about. It was just to try and dispel some of the myths and untruths surrounding the industry and stop it getting a bad press. I never would have imagined that by just doing that and talking open and honestly about it would inspire others to start their own careers in the industry. So thank you to all those who have read a blog post by me, watched one of my YouTube videos and been in touch. It really does mean a huge amount. #funeral #funeralservice #funeraldirector #blogger #influencer #youtuber #youtube #blog #writer #undertaker #confessionsofanundertaker #website #simplesite #guestbook #death #deathcare #career #careersadvice #mortician #morticianlife #deathpositive #happy #thankyou (at Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire)

[edducan-blog]

Take that schools!

Charles Ponzi. Bernie Madoff. Benedict Arnold. Richard Nixon. Lance Armstrong. Some copper-bottomed, hall of fame, heavy weight champions of world class liars. Their very names are synonymous with deception, lies, fabrications, flights of fancy and half truths. Notably absent from that list is ‘every school in the UK’. However, and it’s a big ‘however’, this is a catastrophic omission that everyone has been complicit in.

Okay, maybe not ‘every’ school but certainly it’s true that from time immemorial the education system has been comprehensively failing to prepare their young charges with the skills, tools and knowledge to make informed choices about their futures. The guy at my school threw a psychometric test in front of us, asked if we wanted to be lawyers and drifted off into an ante-room, the subject never to be discussed again. Corralled into university courses that serve only to line the universities’ pockets and boost the schools’ stats, there are generations of degree-qualified, directionless, unemployable young adults drifting from hairnet and name-tag to hairnet and name-tag in a series of jobs that on paper they should have left behind. Worthless degrees are almost a cottage industry in the UK and it’s been allowed to happen because of years of schools creating an atmosphere of rank terror that tells kids without a degree they may as well abandon all hope.

Of course degrees are wonderful and schools should rightly encourage ambition, but it’s surpassed that lofty goal and become a rote exercise in getting them out the door so they can pat themselves heartily on the backs and congratulate one another on a job well done. Three years after the fact when these poor, mis-sold kids emerge from Westminster University with a degree in David Beckham and £50 grand of debt it doesn’t affect their stats so why should they give a shit right?

The crazy thing is I thought people would care about this, that they would share my outrage so I asked the schools, the parents, the LEAs, the MP, even the local paper to try and help me raise awareness, I assumed that this is an issue that they would want to solve. Turns out they really didn’t. The schools were defensive, the parents in denial, the LEAs resigned, the MP ineffectual and the local paper more interested in generating revenue than news. So now I resort to huffing and puffing on the internet like so many other frustrated keyboard warriors.

Working in recruitment and as an academic advisor I see both sides, I hear employers lament the lack of quality and I see schools making great claims about how wonderfully they’re performing. Ofsted estimates about 70% of schools are failing to give the right quality and amount of help in careers advice, The Sutton Trust concurs, as does the DfE, the LEAs and employers. In fact the only people who disagree are the schools.

Microcosmically the area I live in, I’ve contacted, spoken to or met every secondary school in the Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East regions. Several times. With the exception of private clients and a few bold schools this has yielded almost no work. Because ‘they do all this already’. Not with outside providers you understand, heaven forefend they actually engage experts in the field, no, no – they simply draw on the wellspring of their already overstretched faculty, who by the very nature of their profession, are only qualified to tell students about accessing a career in teaching. My business partner, a qualified teacher, holds qualifications in teaching English as a second language, the fundamentals of college counselling and a PhD from Columbia University and me with 14 years of getting people jobs, writing CVs, interview coaching, developing professional comportment and networking skills should quite rightly defer to a 23 year-old graduate who’s somehow ambled arse backwards into the position of Head of Careers. As well they should, given their background in teaching Geography.

Conversations I’ve had include gems like, ‘60% of our students go on to Russell Group universities.’ What about the 40% that don’t? I presume it must be even more exciting, so much so they couldn’t bring themselves to tell me. The Chair of Governors of a free school described our offering of careers and university advice as the ‘latest fad’. Yup, apparently preparing students for life after school is a passing whimsy. One school’s quick to assure me when I make contact they are on top of things because they have their DT teacher on the case. Phew. Without knowing what we can offer, the schools dismiss outside help without a second thought, such is either the level of arrogance or the wilful ignorance of how badly what they’re doing is regarded by anyone who actually knows what they should be doing. When we offered to host free seminars to let parents and students know they had options they would return to their blank-faced, unblinking menhir like ‘computer says no’ response. Unassailable, unreasonable and completely unwilling to loosen their stranglehold – the mentality seems to be one of, ‘I don’t care how badly we’re doing it, we mustn’t let anyone else try and do it better.’

We conducted a survey asking people their feelings on the provision available and what became clear was the amount of trust conferred to schools, trust that’s not been reinforced by facts or even anecdotal evidence just blind faith. We collectively have allowed them to enjoy this feted position as the guardians of our children’s futures and ceded responsibility but haven’t held them to account when it starts to unravel. They employ antiquated techniques, hangovers from a bygone era and hope that by giving kids access to a few links detailing what jobs exist they’re fulfilling their obligations. It’s beyond reckless, it’s borderline criminal.

So what can be done? Lobby the schools, push them to explain how and why they feel a woodwork teacher is the best person to tell their children how to access a career in bio-engineering or arts administration or how to study overseas, or get grants and scholarships to work in molecular biology. Ask them what qualifies them to tell kids how to write a CV or how to interview. Or how to get work experience and conduct informational interviews. Or network. Or how to construct an application for an apprenticeship or job or university personal statement. Ask them to prove that they’re one of the illustrious 30% of schools that are getting at least some of it right. If they can’t answer those questions then speak to your MP. Or read my book.

[mahawakamara]

I have been attending @beamtalks since it launched last year , it's an amazing platform for Sierra Leonean women.... to come be inspired and learn from the Best a big congratulations to @mkamara2 , for taking such as bold step, looking forward to this session This platform is #Repost @beamtalks with @repostapp ・・・ Are you a Sierra Leonean woman looking to get inspiration from your sisters? If so, you need to be at #BeamTalks on the 16/03/2017. Smiling Through Light’s new initiative will showcase the diverse career routes taken by Sierra Leonean women living in the UK. The event will provide a space where role models can discuss their achievements, experiences and challenges with a new generation of change-makers. Due to the venue, you must REGISTER to attend this event. To avoid disappointment please register here: http://bit.ly/beamtalksmarch #beamtalks #women #sierraleone #sierraleonean #africa #african #mindset #success #career #brand #careersadvice #business #startup #jobs #makeithappen #entrepreneur #motivation #inspiration #rolemodel #video #photography #quotes #bbcfocusonafrica #freetown #blackgirlmagic #blackgirlsrock #ilovesalone

[environmentaltechnologists-blog]

Further Eduction

Click to read about university courses based in Northern Ireland which relate to your Environmental Technology A-level