Posts

How to Encourage Teens to Get Jobs and Save Their Own Money

/in /by

StrategyDriven Professional Development ArticleInstead of allowing your kiddo to laze around the house this summer, encourage your teen to get a job and save their own money instead. How so? Here are a few methods for talking your teen into taking on responsibilities and making their own cash this summer.

Encourage Your Kids to Search for Local Part-Time Jobs

Older teens, around 15 and older, can apply for part-time jobs. Check bulletin boards, encourage them to look at reputable online resources for hiring positions, and take them to fill out applications at local grocery stores, fast food restaurants, or retail shops. There are plenty of places that would be happy to hire a teen for the duration of the summer, on a part-time basis.

Or, for Younger Teens, Set Up a Chores and Rewards System Around the House

If your teen can’t apply for a job outside of the home yet, set up a list of daily chores and offer a rewards system for around-the-house help. Sure, they have the average chores that they should be doing anyways, such as cleaning their room, making their own breakfast, and doing their laundry.

Make it a Rule to Set Back 30-Percent of Each Paycheck

When your kiddo gets a job, even if it’s doing chores at home, you should implement a 30/70 rule. They should put 30-percent of their paycheck into savings, like a lock box or bank account, and then they can keep 70-percent for whatever they need, want, etc.

Help Older Teens with Resume, Job Prospects, and Goals

Older teens need to get a little more serious about job prospects and cash management in general, so help them make a resume for their part-time applications. Then, help them pinpoint both short-term and long-term job goals. For example, where would they like to work as a starter job? But where would they like to end up, career-wise, in the long run? You could even suggest recruitment agencies Boston for start-up opportunities in a plethora of niche markets.

Yes, your teen probably works hard in school, but a part-time summertime job will ensure their summer is productive. AND they still get some summertime downtime when they get home.

Top 8 Languages You Can Learn to Strengthen Your CV

/in /by

StrategyDriven Professional Development ArticleYou can be absolutely brilliant in your field of work and yet miss out on the most lucrative career opportunities abroad, just because you don’t know the right language. Now, what if you are not the absolute best in your field? Most of us are not and that’s okay, but what it means is you probably can’t afford to miss out on any opportunity that could come your way, including that lucrative offer outside the country. As a student, it is important to add as many useful skills to your repertoire as possible because you will probably need them all down the line to broaden your career in this extremely competitive world that we all are trying to work in.

However, a foreign language is something that most of us cannot just learn without some guidance from an experienced teacher. The good news is that you won’t really have to leave your room after a busy week at college or work to go to your foreign language class because you can find a tutor from your laptop using a website such as Superprof. Home tuition is great, but if you would rather take your language classes face-to-face, that option is also there, and the best part is that you will almost always find tutors in any given location on this website. It’s the more time-efficient and cost-effective way to learn just about any language in existence. You can also use a language app such as Duolingo if you have less time to work with a tutor. You can do this anywhere – for example when you’re sat on the train – and it will send you reminders to ensure you keep up with it. Both of the options mentioned above are great ways to learn a language and strengthen your CV as a result.

Here are eight important languages that would very likely help you improve your life.

Mandarin

Most people get it wrong when they are asked what the most spoken language in the world is because they end up saying English or Spanish. However, the right answer is Mandarin (including all the various dialects) because China has the world’s largest population and everyone speaks Mandarin there. Given that China is right now one of the largest markets for just about everything and it’s growing bigger with each passing year, learning Mandarin is definitely a sure shot way to boost your CV and increase your chances of landing a job in a multinational company. After all, it’s a very tough language that in spite of being spoken by over 16% of the world’s population, is hardly spoken by anyone in the English-speaking nations.

Arabic

Arabic is one of the six languages officially adopted by the UN and about twenty nations use Arabic as their national language. However, the completely foreign nature of the language is one of the prime reasons as to why dealing in the Middle-East is a lot more challenging than it should be for businesses originating from other sections of the world. The wealth in the Middle-East has drawn the attention of several multi-billion-dollar companies from all parts of the globe over the years and if you know Arabic, then rest assured that it will instantly put you ahead of the competition when appearing for an interview for one of those companies.

Spanish

The second most spoken language in the world is Spanish and if you plan to work in any of the South American or Central American countries, you will probably need to learn Spanish before going there. In Europe, there’s Spain that you need to consider as well. A lot of native English speakers who know Spanish end up as English teachers in the US, where there’s a big demand for such jobs. While one may argue that the same logic applies to all the other languages as well, Spanish-English teachers are the most in-demand English teachers in the West.

French

Writing French is a lot easier than pronouncing it because there are visible similarities between English and French, but as far as the pronunciation is concerned, it involves a different phonetics altogether. From the perspective of building a career outside the UK, learning the French language could come in very handy since France is one of the premier places to work in within the European Union. Aside from France itself, there are a number of regions around the world which use French as their first language.

Russian

The Russian language is another very important and widely spoken language within the EU territory. The main reason behind the widespread nature of the language is because a number of the independent nations in the region only came into existence after the Soviet Union broke down. While the politics might have changed, Russian is still the dominant language in areas such as Latvia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. If you ever need to work in Russia or the nearby locations to boost your career prospects, learning the language would make you more acceptable to the 250 million+ Russian-speaking population there.

Sign Language

Learning sign language, or at least the basics of it, is a life skill that should come in handy in more than just one situation. Even just from a professional perspective, it opens you up to a whole new range of job opportunities such as teaching disabled children, acting as an interpreter at a number of government and private agencies, and working as an audiologist. If you are a therapist or a counsellor, learning sign language is particularly important as it will allow you to communicate with and provide help to people who are mostly unable to express their feelings in any other way.

English

If you were born and brought up in the UK, English is possibly not something that you will ever have trouble with. Then again, not everyone who lives in the UK was born there. If you happened to have migrated here from some other country where English was not the first language, then this could be a very big problem. While English may not be among even the top three most spoken languages in the world, rest assured that it is the language of the internet and the easy to learn nature of the language has also made it more internationally accepted than any other tongue in the world. Almost everywhere in the modern world, most people understand at least a few common English words, but despite Mandarin being spoken by over 16% of the world’s population, it is very unlikely that you will find too many people in the UK that understand a word of it! Therefore, take some time out to learn a bit of the English language and if possible, master it. Learning English will also make it easier for you to learn other languages such as French and German.

Latin

The final entry on this list is a somewhat controversial one because some people are of the opinion that Latin is a dead language and there’s no point in learning it. While there’s some truth to Latin being (almost) dead, that’s precisely why you should consider learning it. While you won’t be holding business seminars in Latin, knowing this rare but extremely potent language instantly makes you a member of an elite group. However, what makes Latin the most useful language to learn is the fact that if you have a good hold of it, you will be able to learn other languages such as Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Romanian quite easily and much faster. Latin is the parent language from which a number of these modern languages have evolved and it is also the most complicated one of them all.

Communication is one of the keys to success in work and life in general and learning even just one of these languages is like getting one of those keys for yourself.

Where Do They Go To Get Business Advice?

/in , /by

StrategyDriven Big Picture of Business ArticleBusinesses operate at a pace such that they grab for help wherever it is available. More often than not, they reach toward the wrong resources, the untied advisors and sources that send them down rabbit holes.

It is lonely at the top. There are many demands upon entrepreneurs and senior management of companies. Each organization is confronted with challenges and opportunities, both real and perceived. It is tough to tackle all the obstacles and feel that substantial progress is being made.

Businesses spend so much time on momentary pieces of their puzzles that they neglect long-term Strategic Planning and miss potential successes. Costs of band aid surgery and make-good work cost six times that of planning for business on the front end.

The need exists for comprehensive business ideas and growth strategies. The need is ever-present for interfacing with senior executives and updating management skills, to avoid burnout and stimulate the seasoned professionals toward new heights. Top management regularly needs the creative inspiration to take the company to new heights. Cutting-edge executives (the very top and those about to take the mantle) need seasoned advice and inspiration.

Here is where they go to get ideas, strategies and help, in the order where they commonly go. The lower numbers represent introductory resources. The highest numbers are where they should be reaching.

1. Hearsay and third hand

  • Comments heard at parties and networking functions
  • Uninformed sources
  • Friends of friends
  • High participation networkers
  • Research and surveys

2. Special Interests

  • Websites containing educational material as a way to sell services
  • Surveys and their feedback

3. People Selling Stuff

  • Vendors who distract you, using expressions like “funding to grow your business.”
  • Online marketing firms
  • Internet solicitors and sellers
  • Website consulting

4. Internal Management

  • People you work with
  • Mid-managers and supervisors
  • Corporate leadership

5. Niche Experts and Consultants

  • Trainers
  • Freelance consultants, per industry niche
  • Banking, insurance benefits, human resources, etc.
  • Technology consulting firms
  • Researchers

6. Educational Programs

  • Speakers
  • Seminars
  • Panels at forums
  • Workshops
  • Conferences
  • Webinars
  • Material published or broadcast in the media

7. Books

  • Articles excerpted for meetings
  • Blog material posted online
  • Thin self-published books by people seeking to establish a platform
  • Online articles and blogs
  • Serious books in libraries
  • Cutting-edge books with original material

8. Advocacy Groups

  • Business clubs
  • Chambers of commerce
  • People with whom you work in community and charity leadership roles
  • Boards of directors
  • The Better Business Bureau
  • SCORE
  • Small Business Development Center
  • Trade industry groups
  • Associations
  • Political action committees
  • Community alliances
  • Professional alliances
  • Consortiums of business
  • Cross-industry cooperative initiatives

9. Mentors

  • Pier advisory groups such as Vistage, Silver Fox Advisors
  • One-on-one coaching
  • CEO roundtables
  • Corporate heir apparent training
  • Programs such as Shark Tank, Fox Den, Ted Talks
  • Leadership programs

10. Senior Business Advisors

  • Professional service firms, including lawyers, accountants, marketing, public relations, quality management

11. Major Business Gurus

  • Track record experts with many years in advising strategically

About the Author

Hank MoorePower Stars to Light the Business Flame, by Hank Moore, encompasses a full-scope business perspective, invaluable for the corporate and small business markets. It is a compendium book, containing quotes and extrapolations into business culture, arranged in 76 business categories.

Hank’s latest book functions as a ‘PDR of business,’ a view of Big Picture strategies, methodologies and recommendations. This is a creative way of re-treading old knowledge to enable executives to master change rather than feel as they’re victims of it.

Power Stars to Light the Business Flame is now out in all three e-book formats: iTunes, Kindle, and Nook.

Online or On Campus: Pros and Cons

/in /by

There is no doubt that the internet has played a big role in changing the way we learn. Many people are not engaging in courses which are taught solely online. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should discount traditional learning environments entirely. In this blog post, we are going to weigh up some of the pros and cons of online learning versus on-campus study.

Studying Online

In the pros column, you can certainly put flexibility. You have the option to study courses which are based miles away from yourself and even in other countries. You can also fit your learning around the other commitments in your life such as work and family. As time goes on, you also have more and more options of what you can study, whether this is an online language class or something more specialised like an MSN degree online. Essentially, the choice in your hands.

On the downside, you have to be motivated and disciplined enough to study in your own time. There is also a degree of isolation involved as you are not face-to-face with teachers and other students – but improving communication methods are making this easier. Depending on the course and educational institution you have chosen, you may find that there is a lag time in asking your questions and having them answered again.

Studying On-Campus

Now let’s look into the pros of studying on-campus. If you find that you learn better in groups and face-to-face, this may be a better option for you. Help is readiliy available and when you are in a learning environment, you can simply raise your hand when you want a question answered. You also may want to engage in the social side of learning in a real life environment.

The obvious downside is that you don’t have the freedom and flexibility to set your own schedule, and you also have to be located close enough to your univerisity or school to get there easily. You may find that you have to put other aspects of your life on hold to complete your course – particularly if you are faced with a long commute. As well as this, on-campus study can end up being the more expensive option of the two.

Ultimately, the choice is up to you when it comes to studying online or on-campus. Essentially, you should weigh up the pros and cons just as we have in this list. Look at the different courses that are available in the area which you are interested in. Work out how best you are going to fit in the other commitments in your life. But there is no doubt that no matter what choice you make, further study is something which could end up enriching your life in many ways. You could find that you spark off a new passion or discover a career path which is more suited to you.

Why Career Progression Starts with Self-Improvement

/in /by

We are not always happy in our current job, and want to make changes that will improve our lives, self-esteem, and bank balance. However, to successfully improve your career, you’ll need to adapt a new approach and attitude. Instead of waiting for the opportunity to knock, you have to get proactive and search for ways of improving your knowledge, getting extra work, promotion, or new qualifications. Below you’ll find a few tips.

Talk to Your Manager

You will never get that promotion until you ask for it. It is important that you let your employer know about your ambitions, and ask for advice. You might not want to go straight to the point and ask for a promotion, however, if you ask what type of extra work you can take on to help them out, it can help. You might want to volunteer for new projects or get advice on how to secure more qualifications.

Discover the Next Step

It is also important that you look through your strengths and limitations, so you can determine which future careers will suit you. If you cannot stand stress, working as a stock broker might not be for you. If you are not sure what career suits you, it might be a good idea to improve your self-knowledge and get a better understanding of your personality. However, if you have good people skills, you can be a direct marketing expert, customer engagement officer, or even a nursing practice leader.

Take Your Qualifications Further

When it comes to progressing your career, you can’t simply sit back and wait for your chance to train with your current or future employer. You will sometimes need to take the first step. Overcome your fears and search for online courses that will help you improve your skills and knowledge. You can find a course suitable for your plans, such as an rn-bsn online that can be completed online. Once you have the qualifications and knowledge, you can meet the expectations of your potential employers better.

Request Training

Sometimes the best approach is the direct one. If you want to get that management job, you can ask your employer for further training. Find a position that is in high demand and needs qualified workers. Offer your employer to complete the training for the unfilled position. If you present yourself in the right way, you might even get your workplace to fund a part of your course, or offer you a low interest or interest-free loan for the duration of the training. This way, you can get time off to prepare for the exams and show your commitment towards hard work and your employer.

Whether you are a nurse or an office worker, you will need to start with your own personal development before you can make a career progression plan. Learn as much as possible about yourself; your skills and limitations, and find the career path that suits your needs and your employer’s. Don’t wait for the opportunities to come across; become proactive in finding them.