Posts Tagged ‘careers advice’

For the Journey - by Kara

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

My rowing season has just come to an end and with it comes the opportunity to reflect on the past year; the preparation; the successes; and the failures.hwr

This year I was one of the fortunate members of our squad to have won at Henley Womens Regatta - the main competition that we aim for. Yet strangely, the joys of winning for me were far outshone by the accomplishment of a successful seasons training and the progression of the entire squad - the discipline and dedication that has shone through in every crew/squad member.

I think it is important to prepare for every challenge that you may face in the same way as you would prepare yourself for a competition. This means that regardless if you are just starting out or if you are keen to develop your career, then you should approach it with the same discipline and enthusiasm you would a race. If you do the best that you can and do not succeed in the area/position - then at least you have been true to yourself - in that you cannot have done anything better.

Too often people are scared of failure or rejection but if you approach every day as a new challenge and do your best, then you have nothing to fear (except fear itself!). To improve your chances of success in your career is to get some career/interview coaching, invest time into your personal development and listen to others. But most importantly honour yourself and enjoy making the most of the journey!

hwr-2010

Stand out from the Competition – Develop your Interview Skills - by Kara

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Graduate jobs are getting increasingly competitive, with many training schemes getting over 100 applicants per position. Over two thirds of graduate training programmes now list the minimum entry requirements as a 2:1, and with so many applicants of high calibstart-girls-career-laucher they need a way to distinguish them. This explains just how important and competitive interviews have become.

Despite this many graduates will have little or no experience of interviews and will have received little guidance. Believe it or not many will not even be up to scratch with even the most basic of etiquette.

So… what can be done to get ahead of the competition? Coaching from a professional recruiter would be ideal but is often incredibly expensive - especially for students that have been living off baked beans for 3 years!

MyTalentPlace has solved this problem by offering affordable online coaching - with professionals who have no less than 10 years experience recruiting. The service is offered online over Skype, which means that the cost is slashed, and so far it has shown astounding results.

Kerry who went through the interview coaching after failing to get several jobs said “Thank you so much for your help. The interview went really well. I’ve just had a call from the agent to say out of all the people they interviewed over the phone, I am the only one they are considering for 2nd interview - she said I was a delight to talk to! I’ve never had such good feedback before. The interview coaching has really boosted my confidence.”

Grant Crow the founder of MyTalentPlace tells us more about this unique service “The true appeal of this service is that it is offered online. This means that it can be available for students and employees when and where they need it, which is often on evenings and weekends”. He continues “… because all of the coaches we use have worked in recruitment for a minimum of 10 years, they know exactly what employers are looking for”.

To find out more visit www.mytalentplace.co.uk/interview-skills/interview-coaching or contact info@mytalentplace.co.uk.

Where is Entrepreneurialism in our Schools? - by Kara

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Alan Sugars latest TV show ‘The Junior Apprentice’ featured 10 budding young entrepreneurs, selected from 28,000 applicants, to appear on the series as the crème de la crème of young British entrepreneurial talent (with a prize of £25,000 for a venture of their choice). However, after watching the series I was left questioning – is that really the best that we have to offer?Print

Sure - some of these 16-18 year olds had very impressive CV’s that go beyond the average student, but I don’t think they are quite the elite that they are hailed as being. Perhaps this is because very few with enterprising aspirations will have been encouraged and guided in schools and will therefore turn to more academic paths.

With business entrepreneurs viewed as fundamental to capitalistic society, and key to escaping the recession then why are our schools so reluctant to nurture entrepreneurialism? Whilst the media has given the entrepreneur a lot of attention why is our school system not reflecting this? Granted not every kid id going to be the next Richard Branson or Donald Trump, but at the same time our school system will quench any enterprising spirit a child may have, instead focusing entirely on roles in well established businesses.

So – what can be done to combat this? Firstly give your students/children access to some professional careers coaching. This is just as important to those who want to climb the corporate ladder as to those who may want to establish a more unique career path. An advisor with business and recruitment experience, such as those at MyTalentPlace, will nurture students’ ambitions whatever the path they choose. We also need to support initiatives that aim to develop entrepreneurialism in young adults and work to maintain the high profile that it currently has.

Overall, we need to ensure that our education system and careers advisors are able to provide support for those with a more entrepreneurial spirit and that in general they are up-to-speed to provide support for whatever career path their students choose.

Identifying and Using your Strengths - by Kara

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

I have just read a blog post by Scott Adams, writer of the Dilbert comic strip. He suggests that to have

Piecing together your skills for business

Piecing together your skills for business

more than the average career success you have to be the best at a specific thing, or in the top 25% at 2 or more things (with the latter being far easier to achieve). So… his ability as a comedian and his ability to draw along with his extensive knowledge of the office environment enabled his success in making comic strips.

Following on from Grant’s post on ‘What it takes to be Excellent’ which suggests that it takes 10,000 hours to be world class in any area, I wonder how long it takes to make the top 25%? My guess is often a lot less, and depending on your natural ability you may already be there! What is important is to be able to identify these strengths and to work on any that need boosting.

But is it really that simple? I would suggest that the biggest challenge is perhaps not that of becoming the top 25% in different things, but it’s finding a way to utilize these strengths. Having a strong sense of business, the ability to network and ask for advice are key to being able to achieve this.

So… what are your 3 strengths?

Please also reply to others to suggest how they can use their strengths to help them become successful!

Establishing Life Goals - by Kara

Friday, April 16th, 2010

I’m sure many of you have read about writing down 101 goals that you want to achieve in life. I never thought I would be an advocate of it (the thought of sitting down and writing this out seemed pretty cringe worthy and pointless to me) - however, my cousin who has been staying with me made us sit down and do it… and it actually started to make sense! You need to think about what is important to you and identify your goals in order to achieve them. What if your goals change? - was my natural reaction. Well, let them - they will, review your goals every year and allow for this. The most important ones tend not to.personal-vision1

So… thinking of 101 goals is quite a lot to get your head around. There will be some that come to you instantly but after that you’ll really have to start thinking about it! One way to tackle it is to think of different categories; travel; food; finance; work etc. Or you could try thinking chronologically – what you are likely to do and when? A third way would be to try and list them in order of importance, some might seem essential to you and some are just a nice to have.

I thought about not only what I would like to have achieved if I was looking back at my life, and in the process also identified the things that weren’t as important to me. For example, I know that I like adventure and would like to complete some major challenges, but for me the nature of these weren’t as important as the process. When I was younger I thought one day I would row across the Atlantic, but I actually don’t think it would matter if it was that or cycling across the US or climbing Kilimanjaro, it would be the process rather than the outcome that matters to me.

When considering these aims it highlights how important identifying your motivations are when it comes to deciding your career. You need to understand what is important to you in order to identify a career that suits you and enables you to achieve your life aims. This global perspective can be invaluable when making career decisions.

Finally, I would suggest that you put some on there that will challenge you! It doesn’t matter if you don’t achieve them – the list will remind you to try!

Which way does the girl spin? - by Kara

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Take a look at this article, the direction in which you see the girl spinning is supposed to predict the side of the brain that is most dominant. Some people can see both, and some can only see one way no matter how hard they try. I can only see anti-clockwise!

What do all these psychometric tests mean?

What do all these psychometric tests mean?

So… what can you extrapolate from your results? Well… some would say that this may guide you on some of your career choices, similar to psychometric testing which finds character traits you possess and tries to match that to a potential career. However, at MyTalentPlace we think that approach to careers advice sucks. If I took the advice when I was younger that I was right brain dominant and thus more creative and followed a career based on that, I would have missed out on some fantastic opportunities to study statistics and sciences which have developed my analytical skills and I would not have missed for the world. Or, if I had taken the results of my school psychometric assessment and become a zookeeper! - I may never have fulfilled my ambitions.

Whilst psychometric profiling is probably the most widely adopted form of Careers Guidance in UK schools, we have to question just how much you can tell from a multi-choice questionnaire? In our careers advice services we adopt the approach that the qualities and motivations of an individual have to be explored from all angles - in the business world this is known as 360 degree profiling. The process involves feedback from parents, teachers and peers and most importantly explores the motivations and aspirations of the student. The result? - students not only have an idea of the career they want and the ways to go about achieving success on that career path, but also helps develop their self-insight and understanding of what is important to them. See this video testimonial from Lottie who has been through the process.

Sure it’s fun to take these tests - it may give you some ideas and make you think about your characteristics (whether you agree with the results or not!) - but when its something as important as your career you want substantial foundations that you can build your success on!

What we can learn from the Concorde fallacy - by Kara

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The Concorde fallacy, also known as sunk cost fallacy, refers to the irrational influence of costs that have already been incurred and cannot be recovered. It is so-called due to the British and French governments continuing to fund the Concorde project long after it was determined that it would never yield a profit.

It can be illustrated by the feeling when continuing in a hopeless investment that “I can’t stop now, otherwise what I’ve invested so far will be lost” (it is also known as “throwing good money after bad”)

So what does this have to do with your career? Well, sometimes you should disregard the sunken costs in a decision. I’m sure many a restaurant owner will have come across the predicament that their restaurant is loosing them money but they don’t want to close as they have invested a lot in it. Their projections for the future may be bleak and yet they keep plugging away. Why? because they have invested and lost a lot in the venture (large sunken costs), which influences their rational decision making.

There may be situations that aren’t as clear cut. For example if you have completed half your degree and you decide that you want to quit and get a job that you don’t need a degree for, then the sunk cost fallacy would suggest you quit (as not to spend any more time and money on a degree you don’t want. However, it is useful to have any degree behind you, especially if you are unsure exactly where your career will take you. Therefore, in this situation the sunken costs are important, as the further costs to get the degree qualification are less than they would be if the individual decides to get a degree later in life (and their course credits have expired).  However, there are situations where you should ignore the sunk costs such as in this video example where a girl wants to change her degree subject. Over her lifetime the costs she incurred by changing her course will be insignificant compared to if she chose not to pursue the career path she wants.

What can you learn from this? I would say it is important to be aware of sunk costs. Try considering your decisions with and without the influence of the sunken costs before you make up your mind. Ultimately what matters is your future and you don’t want to be throwing your money away!

Facing Tough Career Decisions - by Kara

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Sometimes career decisions can be hard. I’ve been reading Heston Blumenthal’s autobiography in his Fat Duck Cookbook and it struck me that the brave decision he made in his early days as a chef had a powerful influence over his eventual career path.

As a self taught chef up to the age of 18 he applied for several apprenticeships in professional kitchens a step that he claims could have ‘steered his life in a different direction’. With no professional training his success rate was low and only one accepted him, however it was one of the most prestigious of his applications. And so he started work at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons on a week’s probation.

Heston thought that he would get the chance to see the formulation of some of the dishes from start to finish, but in reality as part of the well run kitchen his role was to prep the ingredients, with his first job being top and tailing vast quantities of green beans! At the end of the week he was offered the apprenticeship and had an incredibly difficult decision to make. If he accepted the offer it would look great on his CV and make it easier to get PR to open his own restaurant. What it wouldn’t be though, is quicker, he felt it would be “like a climber preparing to scale Everest” he “would be spending an awful long time acclimatising in the foothills” as there would be no possibility to see the composition of a dish from start to finish (at least for a few years). His gut was telling him to turn it down, whilst his head said that he shouldn’t pass on such an offer. He followed his gut and turned down the offer, which meant that he spent the next few years in what he deemed undemanding jobs such as a credit controller and as a repo man, in order to finance his culinary explorations and summer trips around the renowned restaurants in France. The only other professional training he had was spending 3 weeks at Marco Pierre White’s canteen just before opening his own restaurant in order to prove to himself that he could work at the speed required for service. From this he has become one of the most celebrated chefs and restaurant owner in the world, with his restaurant ‘The Fat Duck’ receiving three Michelin Stars.

So, what is the moral of the story? For many chefs turning down such a prestigious apprenticeship would have been a bad decision. However, it depends greatly on the long term goals of the individual. I think what can be taken from this is that you need to take note of your gut instincts in the career decisions you make, and keep your long-term goals in mind. You shouldn’t take an opportunity based on the sole fact that it is a great opportunity, it needs to be a well considered decision. There may be sacrifices you have to make (such as Heston’s working as a credit-controller to finance his culinary explorations) and thinking about your long and short term motivations is always important.

What we can learn from the Concorde fallacy

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

The Concorde fallacy, also known as sunk cost fallacy, refers to the irrational influence of costs that have already been throwing-money-away-bankruptcyincurred and cannot be recovered. It is so-called due to the British and French governments continuing to fund the Concorde project long after it was determined that it would never yield a profit.

It can be illustrated by the feeling when continuing in a hopeless investment that “I can’t stop now, otherwise what I’ve invested so far will be lost” (it is also known as “throwing good money after bad”)

So what does this have to do with your career? Well, sometimes you should disregard the sunken costs in a decision. I’m sure many a restaurant owner will have come across the predicament that their restaurant is loosing them money but they don’t want to close as they have invested a lot in it. Their projections for the future may be bleak and yet they keep plugging away. Why? because they have invested and lost a lot in the venture (large sunken costs), which influences their rational decision making.

throwing-money-awayThere may be situations that aren’t as clear cut. For example if you have completed half your degree and you decide that you want to quit and get a job that you don’t need a degree for, then the sunk cost fallacy would suggest you quit (as not to spend any more time and money on a degree you don’t want. However, it is useful to have any degree behind you, especially if you are unsure exactly where your career will take you. Therefore, in this situation the sunken costs are important, as the further costs to get the degree qualification are less than they would be if the individual decides to get a degree later in life (and their course credits have expired).  However, there are situations where you should ignore the sunk costs such as in this video example where a girl wants to change her degree subject. Over her lifetime the costs she incurred by changing her course will be insignificant compared to if she chose not to pursue the career path she wants.

What can you learn from this? I would say it is important to be aware of sunk costs. Try considering your decisions with and without the influence of the sunken costs before you make up your mind. Ultimately what matters is your future and you don’t want to be throwing your money away!

Make your resolution last! - by Kara

Monday, January 4th, 2010

If you haven’t had time to make a New Year’s resolution yet – it’s not too late! It is important it is achievable so you stick with it – think tortoise rather than hare. If you think them through, then resolutions should be life changes that last longer than a year (rather than fizzling out at the end of January!). Here are some ideas to help you achieve 5 popular resolutions:

  1. Make yourself attractive to employers – whether looking for a job or wanting a career change, make sure you get up-to-date advice on your career. Use our career resources database – free videos, downloads and podcasts!
  2. Get yourself in shape! – join a sports club, sign up for classes or make your own club. It is a lot easier to exercise with other people, as if you commit to other people you are less likely to let them down. Do not simply join a gym on your own, as often you will have to commit for a year – and it’s a hefty fee if you get bored.
  3. Ditch your scales. If you want to make a resolution to lose weight – first of all change the way you think about yourself – think in terms of shape rather than weight. Muscle weighs 3x more than fat, therefore to get more toned you may actually get heavier on the scales.
  4. Make some savings or investments. You never know what life is going to throw at you - so see where you can cut back, and put aside the money you have saved. Simple ideas include – taking lunch to work and not buying take away coffee. You could try cycling to work and save a fortune on travel.
  5. Ask for help. This may sound easy but it can make your life a lot easier. Try to analyse a problem or situation and if there is someone who may be able to help it can save you a lot of time and hassle. If you need help in your career take a positive step and get a career advisor now to improve your success rate.

It is important that you see the changes as improving your lifestyle, decide on a small change and stick to it! If you can make it part of your daily routine and it will soon become habit.

Good luck for prosperous 2010!