Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Workforce 2030 Podcast is on a Roll Thanks to Partner SilkRoad!

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Workforce 2030 Podcast is on a Roll Thanks to Partner SilkRoad! The Workforce 2030 podcast sponsored by SilkRoad is off and running, with several episodes now online. Please check these out and let us know what you think! Episode 1: Disruption in the Changing Workforce In this episode of Workforce 2030, Robert Dvorak, Chief Executive Officer and President of SilkRoad, joins Alexandra Levit to discuss disruptive changes affecting the workforce, today and in the future, as well as the importance of agility and continuous learning in this time of change. Dvorak brings more than 30 years of experience in executive leadership positions in strategic sales and marketing. Episode 2: Mergers Acquisitions and its effect on the Workforce In this episode of Workforce 2030, Jennifer Fondrevay, Founder and Chief Humanity Officer of Day1 Readyâ„¢, joins Alexandra Levit to explore Mergers Acquisitions and its effect on the Workforce. Jennifer works with forward-thinking business leaders, owners and executives to pre-plan their people strategy through the phases of MA so their employees can contribute from Day 1. Episode 3: How, When, and Where to Apply Automation in the Workplace In this episode of Workforce 2030, Ravin Jesuthasan, Managing Director and Global Practice Leader at Willis Towers Watson, joins Alexandra Levit to discuss applying automation and AI to jobs and how organizations can optimize human-automation combinations. Ravin is a global thought leader on the future of work, automation and human capital. He has been recognized as one of the top 25 most influential consultants in the world by Consulting Magazine, one of the top 8 future of work influencers by Tech News and one of the top 100 HR influencers by HR Executive. Episode 4: Agility and Adapting to Change: How to Future-Proof Your Career In this episode of Workforce 2030, Marti Konstant, best-selling author of Activate Your Agile Career, joins Alexandra Levit to discuss agility and how to future-proof and take control of your career by adapting and responding to change. Marti has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is a former technology executive who has worked in Silicon Valley. She now works as a workplace futurist, keynote speaker, top-career influencer, best-selling author and expert in applying agile principles to workforce development.

Personal Branding Interview Robert Scoble - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Robert Scoble - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Robert Scoble, who is an author, tech evangelist, blogger and fully employed worker.   Wearing many hats, Robert has some great advice and insights to share in this interview.   He talks about his career, his favorite interview, the future of branding, blogging and more. You’ve changed companies many times in the past five or so years, including Microsoft, Fast Company, and now RackSpace, which one has had the largest impact on your career and why? Microsoft by far because I got to see the inside of one of the world’s most successful businesses without having PR people or lawyers watching my every step. That way I got to see how Microsoft worked internally. You’ve traveled the world interviewing celebrities and “tech rock stars.” Which one was your favorite and why? Douglas Engelbart because he is the only guy I’ve really found who really is a true visionary. In other words, he showed the world something that they didn’t understand not for another 15 years. I don’t know of anybody else that I could say that about. Where do you think branding is going in the future? What role will technology play in that? The best products are going to get noted. Branding to me, the good brands in the future, are going to cause conversations. So whether it’s Nike by sponsoring Tiger Woods; whether it’s Apple with the iPhone; whether it’s Monster’s PR or Dr Dre’s beats headphones. All these products cause conversations and the more conversations they cause, the more likely they will be successful and have a great brand. What do you like better: video or texts for blogging and why? That’s a hard one because they are both different and used for different things. It’s sort of like which do you like better: hand soap or gift soap? The hand soap is more useful for more times, but gift soap is important too. If there was only one to choose, I would say text because it’s easier to write, easier for use, and it’s easier to read; but video is better for motion and showing you something. You know, I say in one minute of video I can show you what Halo 3 looks like, but I can write ten thousand words and still not do it justice. What do you think your known for the most, and how will you be remembered when all said and done? I don’t know what I’ll be remembered for, but Im known for staying up to date on the latest technologies. You know I was just talking with JS-Kit and that’s what they know me for for being an early bird…they call me a canary in the coalmine.   I do stuff before most other people do. Robert Scoble is an American blogger, technical evangelist, and author. Scoble is best known for his blog, Scobleizer, which came to prominence during his tenure as a technical evangelist at Microsoft. He is married to Maryam Ghaemmaghami Scoble. He has two sons, Patrick, from a previous marriage, and Milan. He currently works for Rackspace and is building a community for people fanatical about the Internet called Building43. He previously worked for Fast Company as a video blogger. He is also the co-author of Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers with Shel Israel.

9 Killer Questions Candidates Ought to Ask the Interviewer

9 Killer Questions Candidates Ought to Ask the Interviewer You’ve made it to the interview and you’ve prepared for all the questions they are supposedly going to ask you. You go in confident, chest up, and smiling for what feels like forever. They start asking you questions about your background and life stories to illustrate your unique character. You dabble in to your past work experiences, and personal events that define your leadership skills and qualities that make you a perfect fit for the position. The interview is almost over and then they ask you the last question that you forgot about â€" Do you have any questions for me? This is your window of opportunity that you really do not want to miss. Participating in the interview is one factor, but what distinguishes candidates from the others is when they actively participate with the interviewee by asking them questions. Not only does this demonstrate your sincere interest in the position, it also illustrates that you’ve done your homework on the company and the position offered. Regardless if you are more of an extrovert or introvert, there are a variety of questions you can ask in your next interview. Before jotting all of these down, make sure you are comfortable asking the questions you have chosen otherwise your successful interview could quickly turn to an awkward one. Ending your interview as confident as you were in the beginning is an essential element to a successful interview and they will remember your self-assurance when discussing who they want to hire. 9 questions to ask the interviewer: How would you describe the general culture of the company and the workplace? Why did you choose this company? Will there be any form of training provided? What are some of the biggest challenges/successes facing the department currently? What process will be used to evaluate my employee performance? Who will be my direct supervisor? Are there many opportunities for professional development within the company? What is the usual time frame for making the hiring decision? May I contact you if any further questions arise? Many candidates take the wrong path and ask inappropriate questions in their first interview. As tempting as benefits and salary information is to know up front, that should only be discussed after you have been offered the position. Plus, you will be in a better position to negotiate anyways. Not jumping ahead is important because you should be focused on having a great and memorable first interview to be called in for a second. The interview process can be your best introduction to the company and by developing an intrapersonal connection with the interviewee by simply reciprocating in the dialogue; you can stand out among the rest of the candidates. The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable they are and will appreciate the gesture in reciprocating the dialogue. Remember, this is your opportunity to obtain further information regarding the position and the company that you could not get while researching online, so take advantage of this opportunity and make sure it is the right position for you. RELATED: The Weirdest Interview Questions and How to Answer Them Author: Debbie Lawrence is a content editor who primarily writes for an online schooling blog. You can contact with any suggestions, questions, or comments on Twitter here.

Make life more stable with more frequent job changes

Make life more stable with more frequent job changes It used to be that finding a good paying career was the path to adult-life stability. Those days are over. What we think of as stability has to change, and how we get to that stability has to change. Heres a summary of the new employee of todays workplace: Most will change jobs every two years. Most will start their adult life by moving back in with their parents. Most say that money is not their number one concern in evaluating a job. You think its a recipe for instability, right? But what else is there to do? Work at IBM until you get a gold watch? There are no more jobs like that companies are under too much pressure to be lean and flexible (read: layoffs, downsizing, reorgs), so workers have to be, too (read: constantly on the alert for new job possibilities). In fact, stability is a big goal for new workers today, precisely because the old paths to stability dont necessarily work. For example, staying in one job forever is todays recipe for career suicide. At the beginning of ones career, it is nearly impossible to find something right without trying a bunch of options. After that, you will experience more personal growth from changing jobs frequently than staying in one job for extended periods of time. And if you change jobs frequently you build an adaptable skill set and a wide network which are the keys to being able to find a job whenever you need to. Another example of the fact that common paths to stability no longer work: Professional degrees used to be viewed as a safe path, but now they box you into uncomfortable spots. PhDs are having lots of trouble finding work due to the documented glut of qualified candidates, and the MBA is not a huge help to your career unless you go to a top-ten school. Doctors are having a hard time working a schedule that accommodates kids and pay back school loans, which is creating a surge in interest in the field of opthalmology probably not what your parents had in mind when they were encouraging medical school. The lack of stability is affecting people across the board: All well-educated workers, even those at the top, are at much greater risk of economic reversals than they used to be, wrote Jacob Hacker, professor of political science at Yale. Finally, tried-and-true paths to financial stability are no longer reliable either. This is the first generation that will not do better financially than their parents. Anya Kamenetz describes in her book, Generation Debt, that young people today are in a much worse financial situation than their parents were, so the expectations for stability have to change. This financial situation is due to increasing college costs and decreasing parental ability to foot the bill. And real salaries are decreasing for entry level jobs. So new workers start life with more debt and less ability to pay it than their parents generation. So its not surprising that the new vision of stability is not a house, two kids and pension. Most young people are priced out of housing markets in the cities they want to live in, like Boston. San Francisco and New York are seeing an increase in one-child families because people cant afford two, and there are no more pensions. Period. The goals are more fluid and they do not focus on old tropes of financial success like a house and a 401K. Key values today are time and relationships. Stability means knowing you can get yourself work that is fun and accommodates those values. The stable people are those who can manage to consistently get work they enjoy that pays their bills. It used to be that you worked really hard and paid your dues so you could retire rich and do what you love. But we know now that most people dont really retire, so paying dues in order to get that is nonsense. Stability is knowing you have a life where you can do what you love, during your whole life, not just at the end. The new way to find a good job one that creates this stability is to change jobs. A lot. And to keep an open mind about what a job really is, because what it is not is a lifelong commitment to one company. Here are ways to use frequent job changes to create stability in your life: 1. Build up a strong skill set quickly. Go to a job to work on a great project, and leave when your learning curve flattens out. The faster you build up your skills to create an expertise, the faster you will be able to set yourself apart from everyone else, and find good jobs quickly. 2. Get good at making transitions. There are moments in a persons life that typically throw everything out of whack because you cant continue working in your job. Sickness, relocation, unexpected wrenches in ones plan. When you are used to changing jobs, and you have taught yourself to deal with work transitions, then when your personal life requires huge transition, your work can accommodate that instead of get in the way. Changing jobs will be easy. 3. Make the most of the in-between-jobs time. You can use job changes to make transition less risky. Its very hard to know if youll like something until you try it. If you have been in corporate marketing for ten years and you want to try entrepreneurship, that feels like a big risk. But if you think you might like to start your own business but youre not sure, taking a pause in between jobs to try this new business isnt such a risky move at all. 4. Get out of paying your dues. The idea of paying dues worked fine when there was actually payoff (think: Retirement communities in Florida funded by pensions.) But today paying dues doesnt have nearly the payoff it used to, and in fact, creates instability by creating unreasonable expectations for a job you become overly invested in. So get out of paying dues by changing jobs frequently. Laura Vanderkam, workplace reporter for USA Today, wrote a book called Grindhopping about how to hop from job to job as a way to avoid paying your dues. 5. Keep your finances in order. As long as you keep your overhead down, so that you dont need a salary that requires 100-hour work weeks, then job hopping is actually a way to ensure financial stability. You know you are not going to stay at a job forever, and you dont know when it will end. But you will always able to get work when your needs or your companys needs change if you are good at changing jobs. This wont be true, however, if you are a financial mess and have enormous overhead. The best financial security today is to have great job hunting skills that never stop. Go to the best job, do it until you find another best job. This is the kind of person who will always be able to get money when they need it. And dont let people tell you that job hoppers will get penalized in the marketplace. Generation Y is job hopping every other year, and they are in incredible demand throughout the workplace. Demographics are shifting, and forcing hiring practices to shift as well. Take advantage of this. Create a stable life by getting good at changing jobs.

How to Write an Attention-Grabbing Cover Letter - CareerMetis.com

How to Write an Attention-Grabbing Cover Letter Source : Unsplash.comIn my second year of college, I spent the summer working at Walt Disney World, Florida. It was a three months long internship that included a short seminar on business communication skills. In this seminar, we learned how to write cover letters, prepare resumes and create business cards to use for networking, among other things.The following year, I started applying for jobs and wrote numerous cover letters that were successful in fetching many interviews with a variety of companies.Later in my career, I have been taught cover letter writing by others. Looking back, I realize that cover letter writing initially posed several challenges that I could overcome due to my learning.evalBefore I share my learning, let me outline the challenges that I faced whenever I wanted to write a coherent cover letter.First, I did not know how to format the letter.Second, I did not know how to organize the letter into paragraphs.Third, I did not know how to customize the letter for a specific job posting.Fourth, I did not know how to stand out from other applicants.Fortunately, I now know numerous techniques to overcome these challenges.Job PostingevalTo discuss these techniques, let’s use the following hypothetical job posting:Customer Service Representative wanted for a large e-commerce company serving North America and parts of Europe. Requires work in a 24/7 call center in 6 to 8-hour long shifts. Base salary plus commission for successful sales over the telephone. Requires working evening, weekend and overnight shifts as per schedule. Previous customer service experience desirable but not required. Should be fluent in English. Please send cover letter and resume to [emailprotected]evalFormattingMy first challenge, as I mentioned, was how to format the letter. A simple rule of formatting, which I follow, is to keep my address on the top left and the hiring manager’s address below that but aligned left.Three ParagraphsMy second challenge was how to org anize the letter into paragraphs.I will discuss the three main paragraphs of the letter and then give you some tips about how to format the letter.evalThe first paragraph must contain three elements: a clear mention of the position that you are applying for, outline of skills that are relevant to this position and a strong statement that you are well suited to this position.The second paragraph should add more details about these skills. You can follow one of two strategies to add these details.Strategy 1Add a descriptive sentence for each skill mentioned in the first paragraph.evalStrategy 2Refer to the skills required in the job description and demonstrate how your skills match these requirements. You can create a small box, for example, where the requirements are listed on the left column and your matching skills are listed on the right column.The second strategy is more direct, while the first strategy indirectly explains why you are a good fit.The third paragraph is the closing paragraph. It is important to mention here that your resume is attached, to provide more details about your skills and experience.This is also a good opportunity to add a few soft skills that are relevant to the job posting. Even if you are a technical professional, such as a data analyst, do not neglect to highlight your soft skills.Close the third paragraph in a positive note. Provide your phone number and tell them that you hope to hear back soon.Customizing the LetterMy third challenge was how to customize the letter for a specific job posting.evalSome customization techniques have already been shared in the previous section. Such as the strategy to demonstrate how specific skills match the job requirements. There’s a lot more you can do, however.A few more customization techniques are as follows.1. Tone of the letterWhile you might assume that all cover letters should have a formal and serious tone, this is not necessarily true. In some cases, a more conversational tone may be preferred if the company has an informal work culture.If you happen to be applying for an advertising, marketing or sales job, a funny cover letter might help you stand out among the crowd of applicants. So before writing your cover letter, judge the company culture from the job posting and by doing some research on the company.Set the tone of the letter accordingly.eval2. Overall frame of the letterMost of us do a variety of things throughout our life and you are probably not an exception. You know your background well, but outsiders cannot understand you in the same way. You’d be surprised that even after you drop off a resume at someone’s office, they might struggle to judge whether you are appropriate for a position.So, you need to take the initiative and frame your cover letter in a way such that the reader can quickly grasp your skills. This might sound easy but it is not, since you only have one opening paragraph to introduce yourself to the reader.3. Length of the let terAlthough I have discussed a three-paragraph cover letter above, the length of a cover letter can vary. For an entry level marketing position, for example, two short paragraphs are often all that is needed. If you are applying to teach at a local college, however, you may need to write five paragraphs.This is because a college would like extra details about your teaching and publishing experience. So, I would recommend that you stick to a three-paragraph cover letter for most positions, but vary the length if it is appropriate for a position.4. Use of colour and fontA black, 12-point, formal looking font (such as Times New Roman) is appropriate for most positions. In some cases, however, variations might win the day for you. Many hiring managers in the advertising, marketing or sales industry like to see more modern looking cover letters.For example, you can use a trendy font like Book Antiqua or Trebuchet. You can, similarly, use a different color for the header section while mai ntaining a black font for the rest of the letter.Standing Out from the CrowdMy fourth challenge was how to stand out among a pool of applicants. This was the most difficult challenge, because it is hard to get a definite solution. It is easy to stand out, of course, if you have skills that are so good that you automatically become a top-notch candidate.What do you do, if you don’t have those exceptional skills?A few techniques are as follows.a) Use a catchy opening lineIf the opening line of the letter is striking, the reader will perhaps pay a little more attention to your application. If you are a strong candidate in terms of skills, this may lead to an interview opportunity and even a job offer.Be careful before writing an outrageous opening line, however, unless the job posting also has a conversational and humorous tone.b) Be convincing From the first line of the letter, your goal should be to convince the reader that you are indeed the right person for the job.If you write t he letter with a convincing tone, you are more likely to make the reader respect and trust you.c) Highlight an unusual skillTry to come up with a skill that you possess, which is unusual yet relevant to the position. In one sentence, highlight this skill along with an example of how you have applied it.For example, you might have a passion for design and you may have created your high school logo. For an accounting position, you could add this skill and explain how this helps you format and colour code your spreadsheets.d) Use quality stationeryIf you are submitting a paper copy or printed application, make sure you choose high quality paper. This will increase the chances of standing out, because many applicants use plain white paper.ConclusionThe cover letter is an opportunity to introduce yourself to the hiring manager. The resume has a more rigid format, so you do not have as much room for expression. It is, thus, important to make use of this letter and make a persuasive case f or why someone should hire you.Finally, make sure not to repeat the same information on the cover letter and resume. While the resume presents facts about yourself as a candidate, the cover letter should ideally take this information to the next level through elaboration and additional insights.

Finding Your Career in the Medical Field - CareerAlley

Finding Your Career in the Medical Field - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Just like every industry and career choice, healthcare professionals look for resources to help them boost their medical careers. Findinguseful articles about the practical aspects of a medical career, looking for advice on running a medical practice, earning more income, boosting productivity or getting a better job can be challenging at times. Many jobs in the medical field either require or offer certification. Even if it isnt a requirement for graduation, completing a certification program is always a good idea. Tweet This There are several approaches that medical professionals can take to enhance their careers additional training, finding medical jobs or researching medical practice resources. There are universities that specialize in providing online education (such as online FNP programs). Medical Jobs: These services provide job listings for doctors (Doctor Jobs) of all specialties (MD, DO, PsyD, OD, DPM, DVM, PharmD and more), nurses, and all other healthcare providers. You can also find job listings for staff members of doctors offices, hospitals, and operating rooms. This is further broken down as follows: source Physician Jobs: Listings of jobs found under this category include Infectious Disease Physician, Internal Medicine Physician, Med-Peds Physician, Nephrologist, Neurologist, Palliative Care Physician, PMR Physician, Critical Care Physician, Surgeon, Radiologist, Sleep Medicine Physician, Psychiatrist, Chief Medical Officer, Family Practice Physician, Cardiologist, and Hospitalist, just to mention but a few. The Medical Science Liaison Career Guide: How to Break Into Your First Role Price: $40.37 THE MEDICAL SCIENCE LIAISON CAREER GUIDE: How to Break Into Your First Role is the ONLY Guide that teaches you what you need to do to effectively break into the highly competitive Medical Science Liaison career. Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 Medical Office Jobs: Listingsinclude Patient Coordinator, Patient Service Representative, Health Information Management Clerk, Medical Records Clerk, administrative assistant for Medical Practice, Laboratory Assistant, Urgent Care-Family Medicine, Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist, Medical Claims Processor, Aesthetic RN in prestigious medical SPA and Medical Receptionist. Practice Resources: These are resources that offerHealthcare providers (who own practices) easy access to resources that will help make their practices successful. Practice resources provide support tofind opportunities (such as purchasing a lucrative medical practice or subleasing office space). There are also resources for finding companies that providemarketing for your practice and managing your practices reputation. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash Practice resource services include medical office designers, medical equipment and supplies for sale, top EMR companies, insurance agents who specialize in malpractice and disability insurance, health care and employment attorneys, and financial advisors. You can also find medical billers, transcriptionists, answering services, and laboratory coats at affordable prices. These are just a few of the key resources that are provided. How You Benefit from These Services: For medical professionals, one ofthe most stressful and challengingparts of their job is all of the aspects of managing their practice. Usinga one-stop servicethat enables you to find all of the services in one place. Depending on your needs, many of these firms offer discount packages for those that are looking for yearly subscriptions or are posting multiple jobs.This is why a growing number of medical practices and ambulatory surgery centers have decided to outsource their medical billing. While some practices and physicians might be hesitant to make the switch, there are many benefits that can make a practice run more efficiently and effectively. Post jobs or browse medical jobs from top employers (there are typicallythousands of job listings for doctors of all specialties). Easy access to a wide range of the top practice resources for.Healthcare providers who own a practice. Relevant articles Find Skilled and competent professionals Hiring back office support allows Physician to focus on theirpatients What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Tips for Getting Your Dream Job When You Have Been College Bound

Tips for Getting Your Dream Job When You Have Been College BoundWriting a resume is an important first step in getting your dream job. A college degree, even one that was obtained while not attending college, can be recognized by most employers when used correctly.Job seekers who are interested in getting their dream job should take time to learn all they can about what it takes to write a resume. It is helpful for job seekers to prepare resumes for every job they are applying for. However, no matter how many resumes you submit, the probability that your resume will get you an interview is still small.So, what can you do to improve your chances of getting hired after submitting so many resumes? The first step is to know how your college career fared when you were still at college. Some students get so stressed out and frustrated with what they have to offer in terms of career options that they never make it to the interview stage.Most college students who are facing that uphill battl e are afraid to reach out for help. They are embarrassed or simply don't know how to go about getting their share of that elusive interview. But, you don't have to be that way.There are a number of websites, particularly online resume writing service, that offer assistance to undergraduate college resume writers. They can guide you through the necessary steps to ensure that your resume gets a second look.This is particularly helpful if you want to write the resume based on your own interests and abilities. As a result, you will receive an unbiased analysis of your skills and knowledge that you would not have had otherwise. This also means that you can work as hard as you want to when it comes to your professional goals.There are professionals that specialize in helping people who are still in college get their college career back on track. That can mean applying for a few different jobs so that you have different experiences under your belt. In the process, you will be able to show employers that you have learned from your mistakes.If you are just finishing your degree and are worried about getting your dream job, it is important to know that it can be easier than you think. Take advantage of what you have learned throughout your time at college and use that knowledge to your advantage. When you start to feel like you may be on the wrong track, take a break and learn about the basics of writing a resume.