From Big Corporate to the Rugby World Cup

From Big Corporate to the Rugby World Cup Success Story > From: Job To: Job From Big Corporate to the Rugby World Cup “I found myself working long hours and never really switching off in the evenings or at weekends.” * From Big Corporate to the Rugby World Cup For a long-standing sports lover, Dan Gordon's new role working for the Rugby World Cup is a dream come true. He had to argue hard though with his new employers that his previous experience was relevant. This is how he did it. What work were you doing previously? Contact Centre workforce planning at BT:forecasting call volumes and workload to ensure appropriate resources were available to answer the calls. What are you doing now? Leading tournament time Workforce Planning and the Workforce Operations programme providing workforce support services during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Why did you change? Whilst I was an experienced and well respected contact centre planning manager and using a lot of my skills, I was not working in a field that gave me great job satisfaction. This was certainly not something that I'd dreamed of doing when I was young. I decided to look for a role in an industry that was more exciting and aligned to my interests. When was the moment you decided to make the change? On my 35th birthday â€" I decided I couldn't face 30 or more years of the same! Are you happy with the change? Yes! What do you miss and what don't you miss? There was greater long term security and career opportunities within BT and I worked with some great people. I don't miss dealing with the same issues on a regular basis in a world with no real end goal. There was an ever growing impact on my personal life as I found myself working longer hours and never really switching off in the evenings and at weekends. How did you go about making the shift? I started seeking out organisations with a sporting slant and quickly spotted a role at LOCOG - the London 2012 organisers. The role looked to require similar skills to those I already had. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? There was a reduction in my salary and an increased cost of my daily commute, but that was outweighed by the prospect of working somewhere that was more enjoyable. My wife and I worked through our finances to find a way to make it work for us. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Convincing those who had worked at past major events that someone could come from the 'outside' and make a success of the role. What help did you get? My colleagues were very supportive and always willing to answer any questions I had. They could see that my skills were going to bring something new to the team. What have you learnt in the process? That I am able to adapt to various industries and turn my hand to other roles - I worked in an operational role at the Aquatics Centre throughout 2012. My journey has not finished as I would like to move into a stadium or event management role in the future. What do you wish you'd done differently? Nothing, other than wishing I'd realised this was an option many years ago. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Go for it - you won't regret moving away from your old 'normal' day job. What lessons could you take from Dan's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

The #1 Most Important Key to Take Your Career to the Next Level

The #1 Most Important Key to Take Your Career to the Next Level I am so excited to unveil my very first video in my free Female Leadership Secrets training program! This is the one secret  you need to know if you are looking to take your career to the next level. And it is probably  much simpler than you think! I highly suggest that you watch the video now, but if you are reading at work, below are the highlights. Make sure you watch it when you get home from work though! The #1 key is to understand yourself and what makes you satisfied at work. You have to know your  values/motivations, your purpose, your interests, your ideal workday, your ideal work environment and your favorite skills. You also have to know what your unique female leadership strengths are.  There are some common female leadership strengths such as: Collaboration Calm under pressure Attention to detail Openness Intuition Empathy What is your unique female leadership style?  You don’t have to be like a man.  You need to be authentic to develop trust if you want to take your career to the next level!

Avoid these Mistakes on LinkedIn

Avoid these Mistakes on LinkedIn By now, you know that LinkedIn is a great resource for professionals in a job search. It’s a great way to enhance your in-person networking. Like in-person networking, there are right and wrong moves you can make that will affect your outcomes. Here are some mistakes users make on LinkedIn and other social networking sites. Mistake #1: Posting an incomplete profile. If you are in a job search, the one resource you usually have in abundance is time. Take the time to add your previous work experience and the tagline or headline under your picture. That’s the equivalent of your 30-second elevator speech, and it appears every time your photo does. Speaking of photos,… Mistake #2: Not including a picture. You may think you’re protecting your privacy, but a picture is important for a couple of reasons. LinkedIn user Kevin Cormac says, “People believe content more when it’s accompanied by the author’s photo. An online profile with no photo is a missed opportunity to reinforce your brand and engage people.” Don’t forget that many people struggle with names; I always take a look at the photos if I get a connection request from a contact whose name I don’t recognize. If you have a common name, you definitely need a photo. You want to make sure that the “Mary Smith” someone’s connecting with is really you. Mistake #3: Inviting people you don’t know at all to join your LinkedIn network. Again from a post by Kevin Cormac: “You run the risk of them clicking on the “I don’t know” button or “Report as Spam.” As a job seeker you want to expand your network but [choose] quality over quantity. LinkedIn says that your network should represent your real connections. One definition of networking is: “the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people and potential clients and/or customers.” (Susan Ward, about.com.) If you connect with people who have no interest in your connections, career or outcomes, they won’t be helpful to you. You also can’t be very helpful to them. Mistake #4: Not personalizing the default invitation to connect message. Change the “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” message when you send out invitations. Remind your potential connection of how you know each other or where you met. Better yet, add a note about what they’re working on or what you have in common. (“I read your recent blog post on networking, and would like to keep in touch.”) Anything worth doing is worth doing well, and LinkedIn offers suggestions for  Students, Job Seekers, Entrepreneurs, Attorneys, Business Development, Consultants, Journalists and Non-Profits (look for the tips under the More tab and Learning Center.    Log in and improve your profile today. Find more jobseeker tips from LinkedIn here.

Best-Practices in Structuring Recruitment Funnels

Best-Practices in Structuring Recruitment Funnels Sponsored by Perengo A correct understanding of the application funnel helps employers to improve recruitment efforts by optimizing every stage of the process. Looking at how to improve the recruitment process, this lesson will explore: The candidate experience and how to leverage it to attract the right talent The application funnel and how to optimize it for conversions Best practices to improve conversions This article will explain how to increase application rates in your recruitment funnel. Application Funnel: Understanding and Optimizing the Candidate Experience User Flow: A Primer For employers, the user experience is a crucial element to attract the right talent. Online job boards and company application sites need to make it as easy and efficient as possible for job seekers to apply for open positions. Slow loading pages and lengthy application forms can drive potential applicants away. This is where the importance of UX in recruitment stands out. The user/customer experience translates directly into the context of the job seeker. A typical job seeker is someone with little time available to spend. Also, job seekers might have very specific goals and/or questions regarding available positions: Qualification and adequacy: what is the job and where is it located? Personal and financial interests: how many working hours and how does it pay? Ease of application (candidate experience): why and how to apply? Answering these questions up front facilitates the flow of candidates and potential hires through the application funnel, thus optimizing the job seeker experience. Application Funnel: A Lever That Recruiters Can Control Given the current context of job seekers it helps to keep certain aspects in mind when planning an application funnel: Reachability: smartphones are always around. With such a constant availability and high level of engagement from users, employers have a huge number of opportunities during the day of a job seeker to keep them flowing through the funnel. Mobile optimization: job application sites should function equally well regardless of the screen size they’re being accessed from (e.g. via responsive design; etc.). When this aspect is overlooked, applicant drop-off rates increase. Other equally important factors of mobile optimization include single input fields, automatically pre-filled values, step-by-step forms with progress bars, minimal forms, and avoiding drop-down menus. Logical information flow: applicants do not complete application forms for many reasons, dropping out of the funnel as a result. One way to minimize this risk is by establishing priorities in the information flow: the most important info should be requested first and, in the case of application forms, the priority is contact information. This way, if applicants drop off, they can be contacted later and brought back into the flow to continue with the application process.   A/B testing: the application funnel creates valuable data and can be applied to optimize recruiting efforts. By applying A/B testing techniques to the various steps, employers can continually improve both their candidate experiences and conversion rates. A/B testing is especially suitable for analyzing user behavior on application pages and forms. By comparing different versions of these pages and their interactive elements, employers can identify opportunities for improving the candidate experience. Best Practices: Identifying and Solving Issues With the Application Funnel When conducting an application funnel audit it helps to look first at funnel stages with significant drop-off rates. These can be indicative of some type of friction that needs corrective action. Examples of typical friction points include: Poor branding Sourcing problems Usability issues Ineffective hiring process Unattractive job offers These points of friction have a negative impact on the overall efficiency of the recruitment process as well as on the company’s ROI. This is why the funnel requires active management in order to constantly improve recruiting performance. Conversion rate optimization is a continuous process. To optimize mobile application funnels, employers need to: Identify all possible friction points (see above) Leverage available tools for A/B testing and analytics (Optimizely, Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, Perengo, etc.) Create variations of mobile pages and application forms, testing their performance with the A/B testing tools of choice Analyze the data from test results, apply all necessary changes to reduce friction, and continue testing for further improvements A carefully devised conversion rate optimization strategy can improve both recruitment and business goals. About the author:  Mike Kofi Okyere is founder and CEO of  Perengo, a programmatic recruitment platform for performance-conscious recruiters working for high-growth businesses and Fortune 1000 companies. Mike is applying his years of experience in the world of e-commerce and  adtech  to improving the world of recruitment through algorithms and machine learning. Previously, he served as the head of performance advertising for AdMob (SEA/AU NZ), before its acquisition by Google in 2010. At Google, he drove the strategy and execution for mobile display advertising as head of mobile advertising for Australia/New Zealand, and then head of mobile display advertising for Google Asia. Follow Mike  on  his  HR Technologist blog on Medium.

When Writing a Resume - Tips That You Need to Know

When Writing a Resume - Tips That You Need to KnowWhen writing a resume, there are so many things to consider. Whether you're trying to land a good job or get the most out of your degree, you need to be careful in what you put on your resume. There are many things to avoid, especially if you have already had the degree before and your college is unable to release it. In these cases, the best thing to do is to not mention your previous education and start over from scratch.You may have used any references to college coursework when writing your resume. Before the year 2020, however, this is not the case. For example, mention the courses you took in high school and the school you attended. Nothing about the college itself. You may still mention the college if you have taken part in an internship or other extracurricular activities associated with the school.Do you know when writing a resume that the time period of your degree is important? By listing the date your degree was earned, yo u may find yourself lacking when writing a resume. A lot of people don't realize that the date of your degree does not necessarily determine when you finished the course. This is why listing it with the first time you enrolled is much more helpful.Don't talk about your job experience if you haven't worked there. If you don't have any experience with that particular field, simply state your interest in working in that field. This will help to ensure that your resume does not look unprofessional. List your work experience as if it is related to the job you are looking for. You may also state your work experience in case you want to apply for a job that requires work experience.If you have any training or certifications in several different areas, list them all. You do not want to put in all of your interests and talents in one section of your resume. Instead, put them all in one section and then break it down into the relevant sections.Do you remember when you were in bad college year s? Then remember that these may still be relevant if they are included. For example, if you have a business degree, then you may mention that fact. Keep in mind that the bigger the business, the more likely it is that you'll be hired.Do you know when writing a resume that you should also include the type of job you want in the beginning? This way, the employer can easily assess your qualifications. If you are looking for a clerical job, include the type of position you are seeking in the beginning. The employer will more easily find what they are looking for if they know what type of position you are looking for.These are just a few of the tips when writing a resume that you should know about. These are some tips that will keep you from looking unprofessional and keep your resume from looking unprofessional. Consider all of the tips and make sure you write your resume correctly.

Why Focusing Solely on Your Job Limits Your Career Potential

Why Focusing Solely on Your Job Limits Your Career Potential Imagine you’re hard at work and things are going well. Someone comes by and asks you the best way to spend the next 15 minutes of your day. How would you answer? You’d probably say, “stay focused on the job”. After all, there’s a lot to do, you’re an achiever, and you’re in the flow. It’s all about producing quality results quickly and reliably. Oh, and being creative and collaborative at the same time. Most of the time, that’s exactly the right answer. But, if that’s your choice every time, it can become the wrong one. How seemingly right choices can lead you astray Let’s put this in the context of a decision tree. The right branch is “stay focused on the job” and the left branch is “do something different”. At each point in time, “stay focused” seems like the right thing to do. But always making the short-term right decision will land you all the way on the right side of the tree when your objective is to get to the top. So, just as your strengths taken to extremes become your weaknesses, making the same choice time after time can also lead you astray. Your strengths taken to extremes become your weaknesses. Why focusing solely on your job can derail your career In my experience, there are seven reasons why staying focused solely on your job can derail your career. Here they are along with suggestions of what to do differently. Productivity We tend to be more productive when we take breaks. Since productivity is an important part of delivering results, you’re better off doing something different on a regular basis to refresh your thinking power and energy banks. Here’s where my mother’s concept of a “mini vacation” comes in handy â€" take a 2-5 minute break where you get up and walk around, or close your eyes and imagine you’re in your happy place. Or it could be scheduling time to think about something not related to work, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. I always feel more refreshed when I come back to the job after a break. Do something different on a regular basis to refresh your thinking power and energy banks. Resilience We all have setbacks when it comes to our careers. If your sole focus is on your job, then career setbacks will be more of a struggle to bounce back from. That’s why it’s essential to have more going on in your life than just work. What other outlets do you have in your life? Whether it’s family, friends, hobbies, physical activities, or other interests, make sure you carve out time for the rest of life beyond work. Creativity and Innovation Technology is driving the pace of change ever faster. So, there are big rewards for people who can come up with creative ideas and innovative approaches for finding solutions, serving customers and staying ahead of the competition. When you focus solely on your job, you give up the chance to learn from what’s going on in other arenas and think broadly about how this could apply to your part of the world. Giving yourself a change of scenery and the space to think and imagine can spur creativity, rather than being busy all the time with the tasks of your job. You could couple this with another activity like having coffee with someone you haven’t seen in a while to talk about what they’re seeing in their business. Or taking a walk and letting your mind wander and make new connections. Do you make time to think, to be in new environments, or to gain different experiences? Being Interesting There’s nothing more boring than someone who only knows and thinks about one thing. And that applies to their work, no matter how interesting that work may be. Sooner or later, people get bored by the “one trick pony” and want to move onto something (or someone) new. Just as with spurring your creativity, being interesting starts with having a variety of interests, experiences and outlets from which others can get ideas and inspiration. Being Interested When you have more on your mind than just your job, you’re also likely to be more interested in the work you do. Just as listening to your favorite song on replay all day, every day, would become boring, focusing solely on your work can quickly become too much of a good thing. What activities could you add that would take your mind off of work so you come back refreshed and with interest? Staying Connected Having worked in a job that takes 110% of your concentration just to stay on the horse, I can tell you that unless you make a conscious effort to focus on something beyond the job, you will lose touch with people. Those relationships and connections are an important part of being successful in your career. On the home front, this applies doubly. One colleague ruined his marriage by focusing solely on his job, and in the aftermath, he ultimately lost that too. If you’re strapped for time, you’ll need to be more discerning about who you want to stay connected with. But do stay connected. It will be a source of support, inspiration, creative ideas and future opportunity. Being a Role Model Several former colleagues were self-professed workaholics who dedicated their entire lives to the job. No family, no known hobbies, no distractions. While that commitment helped them advance initially, they were the ones who tended to plateau in mid-career for all the reasons above. They also were not seen as great role models by the next generations. Younger team members couldn’t relate to these one-dimensional colleagues, and certainly didn’t want to be like them. This made the juniors less positive about staying in the business and also less interested in working for those people. What will you do? Whether it’s for your personal benefit or the good of the team, don’t make the mistake of focusing solely on your job. Instead, make the conscious choice to live a rich life, filled with multiple interests, opportunities and joy. What adjustments do you need to make to live a full and rich life, and improve your career prospects at the same time? Leave a comment to let me know.

SAS In Action The Top Three SAS Missions

SAS In Action The Top Three SAS Missions The British SAS is one of the formidable and highly respected Special Forces in the entire world. Over the years, they have developed a reputation for incredible professionalism, efficiency and courage. In order to join the SAS, and take part in SAS Missions, you need to be amongst the most elite of the elite. You need to be the best that you can be. In this blog, we’ll look at in detail at the SAS in action, as we count down the top 3 SAS Missions!Top 3 SAS MissionsIranian Embassy Siege: 1980 This was the mission that first catapulted the SAS into the public eye, and was a roaring success. On the 30th April 1980, 6 terrorists stormed into the UK Iranian Embassy and took 26 hostages; demanding amongst other things for the release of Khuzestan. After 6 days of negotiations, the SAS stormed the building. Well drilled, and primed for battle, the SAS soldiers swiftly eliminated 5 of the terrorists; before capturing the 6th. While this resulted in the death of 1 hostage, the team worked extremely efficiently to take out and exterminate the terrorists in the embassy. For the first time, the public really became aware of the SAS.Sierra Leone Hostage Rescue Operation: 2000 On August 2th 2000, 11 men from the Royal Irish Regiment were captured by a group of Sierra Leone rebels, known as ‘The West Side Boys’. Although some of them were released following negotiations, threats were made against the remaining hostages’ lives. The SAS stepped in to help. With the aid of missiles and machine-gun fire, the efficient troops cleared the rebel buildings; before extracting the hostages. While 1 SAS Soldier was lost in the skirmish, at least 18 rebels were captured; and another 25 killed. All of the hostages were rescued alive.Indonesian Coup: 1962 In 1962, Indonesian rebels violently reacted against Britain’s attempts to form a new state: Malaysia, that was to be made of up of several Southeast Asian Colonies. Thousands of rebels remain in Indonesian towns, causing ri ots and danger. As a result, the SAS were sent out to patrol. This significantly escalated when Indonesian rebels crossed safe borders, to try and repel British troops. As a result the SAS took the fight to the rebels. Forcing them back with helicopters and infantry; the SAS success led to the tyrannical president Sukarno being deposed as leader; and signalled the end of the conflict.Other Products You Might Be Interested InWant to join the SAS, and take part in SAS missions? We’ve got the guide for you. Full of insider tips and advice, this is the ULTIMATE guide for anyone wanting to join the SAS! This entry was posted in News. Bookmark the permalink. Jordan Cooke Find A Job You Love; Career ChangeMedical School Interview Questions And Answers 2016