Keep Calm and Carry On

Keep Calm and Carry On The Queen is having a moment. As I write this, Queen Elizabeth II of England is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee â€" 60 years on the throne. Perhaps not coincidentally, an obscure poster designed by the British in 1939 is also having a moment. Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster produced by the British government during the beginning of the Second World War; its aim was to keep the citizenry calm in case the German army invaded. It was almost forgotten after the war until some originals made it onto PBS’ Antiques Roadshow in 2000. Somehow, the poster captured the Zeitgeist of the U.S. at the time, and since reappearing has been selling at a brisk rate as home décor. Jim Moorhead would approve.  He  is the author of “The Instant Survivor: Right Ways to Respond When Things Go Wrong.” He writes about how to survive a personal or professional crisis, using some of the tools and techniques that companies use for crisis management. The first step of his survival system echoes the “Keep Calm and Carry On” philosophy, proving that nostalgia for the idea of keeping a “stiff upper lip” is going strong after more than 80 years. (Unless you’re under 30; then I assume you are being ironic.) Here is Moorhead’s formula for surviving a crisis: Stay Frosty: keep your emotions in check and work hard to stay focused on the facts, rather than how you feel. Moorhead says you should spend 80 percent of your time on working on solutions and only 20 percent of your time trying to analyze what went wrong. Secure support: develop a network of friends, family and resources that can help you understand your situation, find solutions, and give you the emotional and material support you may need. Stand tall: control the crisis, rather than letting the crisis control you. Take personal responsibility for what you may have done to contribute to the crisis. Make good decisions while dealing with the issues and keep your network informed of what’s happening. Save your future: take an audit of parts of your life that need shoring up, and formulate plans to deal with them. Write out a Plan B in case the worst happens. Moorhead recommends a written crisis plan for your life that can detail what you’ll do in case something drastic happens. What would you do if your job ended tomorrow? Your list may include reducing expenses as much as possible, making plans to move in with relatives (or have someone move in with you) or taking your brother-in-law up on his offer of part-time painting work. Once you’ve identified the steps in your Plan B, you can start to analyze which ones you can take or prepare for now. Could you reduce your spending and increase your savings? Is there a room you could make ready to rent out in a pinch? Could you explore the idea of a sideline business that might bring in income if you need it? Developing a Plan B can help you stay calm when the crisis hits. It’s why people buy insurance and write their wills when theyre young and healthy; it’s easier to think clearly when you’re not overwhelmed by bad news. Write down short-term  goals (ask if the kids can stay with your brother), mid-term goals (ask for a loan from my parents) and long-term goals (find a new house that we can afford to purchase eventually.) Make a list of people who can help or agencies to call for situations that may happen, and write down what you feel would be most important to you in that moment (“I won’t ever default on a loan; that would feel like I cheated someone,” for example.) Finally, Moorhead makes some recommendations for your life audit. List the areas in your life that matter like health, job, family, property value â€" and anything else that could derail your life. Take a hard look at how stable the situation is now (have you had a health scare? Is your company struggling to make payroll?) Take some time with your family or spouse to list the steps you might take to deal with the crisis and the personal values you’ll stick to no matter how bad things get. Put the plan away with your other important documents, then take some advice from the Queen: keep calm and carry on.

Guidelines For Writing a Scholarship Application Resume

Guidelines For Writing a Scholarship Application ResumeBefore writing a scholarship or grant, there are many details that are important and these are the guidelines for writing a scholarship application resume. It is very important to be honest with your student loan application. Here are some tips on how to write a scholarship application resume.If you do not disclose all of your financial information, then it is obvious that you are hiding something, and this will mean that you are not an excellent career prospect. Any scammer will take advantage of someone who does not present all of their financial data.There are many things that will determine if you are telling the truth about your financial data. You should be very honest and transparent. Even if you have bad credit history, this does not automatically mean that you are not truthful with the scholarship agencies. There are many people who have bad credit, and yet they are legitimate applicants.Be sure to look up all the differ ent websites for each scholarship or grant that you apply for. They all look very similar but are usually very different. It is not wise to fill out the same application for every scholarship you apply for. That will most likely leave them out.Another wonderful resource is the internet. Most of the information that you will need to complete your application can be found in the scholarship web sites. These are great places to get the basic information that you will need. For the more advanced information, you may want to look online, because this is where you will find the detailed application.This application form will ask you about your level of English knowledge. Many of the scholarships are given to students who are very knowledgeable, so make sure that you disclose this information before your application is submitted.Again, be honest with your scholarship application resume. If you are lying, then your application will probably be rejected. Even if it is not, it will leave a ba d impression, so be very careful.Guidelines for writing a scholarship application resume are vital for any student who is applying for one of these grants. Make sure that you fill out all of the forms as completely as possible. This will help your chances immensely.

Why You Should Consider Hiring a Resume Writing Service in Alameda

Why You Should Consider Hiring a Resume Writing Service in AlamedaIf you're looking for an experienced, knowledgeable and talented resume writer, you should try the services of an Alameda resume writing service. You can start to take advantage of this service by simply going online and signing up for a free consultation. From there, you can begin to make an appointment to speak with a professional resume writer in Alameda. The important thing to remember about these professionals is that they understand what you need from your resume.There are many good reasons to seek out a resume writing service in Alameda. First, as I mentioned earlier, these professionals have a wealth of experience and expertise in this area. Since so many people are using resumes to either improve their chances or position themselves for employment, it only makes sense that the professionals who work with these resumes will be the best in the business.Next, these professionals are professionals and are able to deliver top notch results for their clients. They know exactly what makes a great resume and what makes a resume an absolute disaster. And because of their knowledge and experience, they're able to help you create the perfect resume for your specific needs.Second, these professionals have the skills to put together a resume that is not only professionally written, but also attractive. In today's world, people often look at resumes, and they see the entire picture. A resume is just one small part of the bigger picture. Using a resume as a way to showcase your skills and talents will only attract the wrong type of people.This is why these professional resume writers can help you create a resume that people will notice. Not only do they have the skills to craft a resume that displays your best skills, but they can also provide a resume that captures the attention of the most influential persons in your field. By working with a professional, you're able to get a resume that gets noticed . When you get noticed, that's when you know your resume is doing its job and getting the attention it deserves.Third, if you choose to use a resume writing service in Alameda, you're going to get a high quality product. These professionals have worked hard to produce high quality products for their clients. They not only write good resumes, but they also can handle both online and offline client work. You don't have to worry about taking your resume off of your computer at the last minute and hoping someone sees it. This ensures that your resume is on top of the pile when it comes time to fill an open position.Now that you know the benefits of hiring professional resume writers in Alameda, it's time to learn more about how you can benefit from using these services. You should know that an effective resume is a very important document, and without a good one, you'll have trouble getting hired and advancing in your career. You'll be competing with other candidates who know how to cra ft a great resume, and you'll be left behind.So it's time to take a look at all of the options available to you in Alameda. With the skill and experience of these professionals, you should be able to get your dream job with a high quality resume. You'll be better prepared to compete for the top positions available in your field.

8 ways to achieve work-life balance

8 ways to achieve work-life balance 8 ways to achieve work-life balance The idea of a balanced work-life relationship seems totally unachievable to many of us. Either were in balance or were not. However, it would be much more useful to think of work-life balance as a spectrum, rather than an absolute. Chances are, none of us are ever going to feel like weve nailed the perfect balance. But if we approach it in a something-is-better-than-nothing fashion, we can put small actions into practice and enjoy individual, encouraging successes. At the end of the day, work-life balance simply boils down to time and what we do with it. Helen Taylor, head of HR at global office broker, Instant Offices, offers a few tips that will hopefully help you to achieve a better, and balanced, 2015. 1. Prioritize balance If work-life balance is what you want, you need to make it a priority. If something is a priority, you will be able to make the tough calls and sacrifices that come with the territory. Understand that achieving the elusive work-life balance will be difficult so when you are faced with challenges, youll be less likely to throw in the towel. 2. Understand your personal utility curve The utility curve describes an economic theory whereby the amount of money we spend on a product or service is not always directly proportional to the satisfaction the product or service provides. Now apply that to your work-life balance strategy. Think carefully about how much you spend and on what. Is working the extra hours worth it to achieve a more luxurious lifestyle? Sometimes shorter workdays and an economical car are part of a more effective recipe for overall success and happiness than a Porsche and 14-hour workdays. 3. Work smarter In a world where multitasking reigns supreme, it can be difficult to focus on one thing at a time. However, multitasking may actually be detrimental to your overall time management. According to Harvard Business Review, when you divert your attention away from one task in favor of another, it will take you roughly 25 percent longer to complete the initial task as a result of switching focus. Do your best to tackle one task at a time, and be fully present when doing so. This will help things run smoother and faster. 4. Plan, plan, plan At the beginning of the week, take note of everything thats happening or needs to happen that week: events, errands you need to run, etc. Looking at the bigger picture will give you a better idea of where you can save time. Youll be able to group tasks together and shorten the time you spend on things other than your personal life. Put both personal and professional activities on your calendar, including travel time, workout time and blocks of time to get your think work done. 5. Save time where you can Take a moment to assess your daily life. Is there anywhere you could save time? For example, if you spend a long time on your daily commute, investigate alternative routes or modes of transport. Employees in the United Kingdom are now entitled to ask for their working hours to be adjusted according to their personal requirements. This creates room for staggering working hours in order to avoid rush hours and save time spent commuting. 6. Schedule downtime It may sound crazy, but if you leave relaxing to when you are done with everything else, you will never relax. If you consider downtime a priority (and a fundamental aspect of a well-balanced life), it belongs where all your other priorities do â€" on the calendar. Many extremely successful people swear by this practice. 7. Outsource the small things Some things just arent worth doing yourself. Certain errands like mowing the lawn and cleaning the car can easily be outsourced â€" costing you less money than the time and effort is worth to you. All these things take up time you could be spending relaxing and ensuring you are as effective as possible at your work. Plus, youll give work experience to the local youth in your neighborhood! 8. Eat well, sleep well and exercise Its a cliché but its true. Looking after yourself is key to having a balanced life. Your body is your biggest tool. And if you dont take care of your tools, getting anything done takes longer, and youll put your work-life balance in jeopardy. Pick one or more of these strategies and change your behavior. Remember, if you keep doing the same thing, youll get the same result. Try something new to find your work-life balance!

Career Help Fail Forward and Fail Often - Hallie Crawford

Career Help Fail Forward and Fail Often This is a continuation of my response on the Wall Street Journal article, written by Dilbert, creator Scott Adams, How to Get a Real Education. Fail Forward. If youre taking risks, and you probably should, you can find yourself failing 90% of the time. The trick is to get paid while youre doing the failing and to use the experience to gain skills that will be useful later. I failed at my first career in banking. I failed at my second career with the phone company. But youd be surprised at how many of the skills I learned in those careers can be applied to almost any field, including cartooning. Students should be taught that failure is a process, not an obstacle. In career transition, failure is a requirement. Youre going to look into and research jobs that arent a fit for you. Youre going to forget to bring your business cards to a networking event. Youre going to take a class that turns out isnt interesting. The key is to try new things, and dont be afraid to do so. In doing so, you will find your way. If you dont try new things, youll never get to there. So go ahead and fail, as long as you’re moving forward, by making sure youre learning from each of those failures. Dont be afraid to try something new. Dont be afraid to talk to a stranger about what they do to learn more. Its all part of the process. Good luck, I hope this is helpful to you! Career Help Coach

Resume Writing Process For High School Students

Resume Writing Process For High School StudentsHigh school students, like all other students, spend a great deal of time honing their professional and personal skills through the program of their chosen school. The need to meet the needs of prospective employers is as important for high school students as it is for college students. For this reason, they must work at preparing a resume that will draw attention from a potential employer.One of the most important steps in resume writing is to hire a professional resume writer. High school students must choose one or more specific schools or individual career counselors who can help them with resume writing. Many high school graduates have found the employment that they have desired, but do not have a basic understanding of how a resume is developed. Most schools offer a variety of career development activities, and many career counselors assist students in designing and writing a resume.Recent high school graduates can benefit greatly from a career development program. This will enable them to get a proper set of career advice on how to go about designing a resume. Personal interviews are the second most important aspect of resume writing for any high school graduate.Personal interviewing will consist of reviewing the resume that the student has written, and determining what should be changed or improved. These discussions will help the student to develop his or her resume. Personal interviewing is a valuable skill that is sure to come in handy in every career.Resume writing for students is a field of study that must involve a certain amount of formal training. Students should be careful to distinguish between what is necessary and what is just style.When the students begin to develop their resumes, they should make an effort to review their qualifications to determine if they are qualified to contact a potential employer. They may wish to call each potential employer directly or mail a letter to each employer to which they have applied.Resume writing is an important part of the high school curriculum. It will prepare the student for the future. It is up to students to examine their abilities and talents and determine what kind of education they would like to receive.

5 Ways Women in Tech Can Beat the Odds

5 Ways Women in Tech Can Beat the Odds These are tough times for women in technology. Female workers are flooding out of tech company jobs, a phenomenon blamed in part on the industry’s patterns of sexism. A recent Center for Talent Innovation study found that women in science, engineering, and technology are 45% more likely than male peers to leave their industries. Many cite a feeling of being stalled in their careers and excluded from their workplace’s culture; a whopping half say their coworkers believe men have a genetic advantage in math and science. And 44% agreed with the statement, “A female at my company would never get a top position no matter how able or high-performing.” Meanwhile, a gender discrimination trial now under way has highlighted the ways female employees can be shut out of high-level positions in Silicon Valley. Reddit interim CEO Ellen Pao is suing her former employer, venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, alleging that senior managers systematically excluded her and other women from promotions available to less-accomplished male colleagues. Though it’s unclear whether Pao will winâ€"the bar is high to prove gender discrimination, and the firm is arguing that she simply was not qualified for the roleâ€"her story has undoubtedly struck a chord among many women with experience in the tech world. If these scenarios resonate with you (or someone you care about), there’s still some good news: Despite the odds against women in technology, both research and anecdotal evidence suggest there are approaches female techies can use to rise up. Here are five of them. 1. Be Assertive, Not Aggressive Most women in tech are pretty used to holding minority status at work. But that doesn’t make being the only female among many male peers any easier, says Kellye Sheehan, a Hewlett Packard senior manager and president of professional association Women in Technology. “A lot of times I would be the only woman in the room, and I would notice patterns of male colleagues testing me,” Sheehan says. “One once tried to steal my employees and give me bad business advice.” Being put in that sort of situation can feel like a Catch-22: If you fight back, you might be seen as overly sensitive or shrill, but if you do nothing, you could come off as weak. Indeed, a recent study suggests that women with more “masculine” traits like self-confidence are seen as more competent than stereotypically “feminine” womenâ€"but they are also seen as less “socially skilled” and therefore suffer backlash effects. The good news? The researchers found that when a “masculine” woman also exhibits social grace and self-awareness, she gets more promotions than other women and men. So while both men and women should of course keep it classy when they stand up for themselves, women have even more to gain by doing so. As for Sheehan? She held off on responding right away and chatted with her husband, a fellow engineer, about how he’d handle the situation. He suggested she “throw a brushback pitch,” a move pitchers make in baseball to get batters to stop crowding the plate. That advice worked out, says Sheehan. “In front of the group I said, ‘No, you can’t have Joe and Tom, and here’s why your advice doesn’t make sense,'” she says. “I spoke plainly and wasn’t overly aggressive and he stepped back immediately and said, ‘No harm meant.'” 2. Dream Big A common mistake that female entrepreneurs make, says Women Who Code CEO Alaina Percival, is getting too hung up on the plausibility of their ideas. It makes sense: Being prepared with facts and figures seems like an important defense against those who don’t take you seriously. “Women pitching to investors can be overly analytical, focusing more on reality than their vision,” says Percival. “The truth is you have to embrace a kind of ‘fake it til you make it mentality’ in tech. If you say your idea is worth 100 million dollars, an investor won’t ever imagine it as one billion.” In fact, pitching yourself as a risk taker can really be a great move for women leading startup companies, a new study suggests. Researcher Sarah Thébaud of U.C. Santa Barbara found that switching a male name for a female name on a business pitch made people rate the idea lower, suggesting a bias against female entrepreneurs. But when she did the same experiment using proposals for especially unusual or novel startup companies, that bias was reduced significantly. Such a finding is not immediately obvious. You might think that if a woman presents “a business idea that’s particularly risky, it might further undermine her ability to gain credibility and support,” says Thébaud. But instead, she found, “innovation signaled possession of the stereotypically ‘entrepreneurial’ traits and abilities women are otherwise perceived to lack.” The takeaway? Don’t be afraid to share your bigger visionsâ€"they might just earn you big money. 3. Don’t Promiseâ€"Surprise Conventional career wisdom is that you should always underpromise and overdeliver when trying to impress at work. That may seem especially true for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, who already have to overcome beliefs that they are less competent as leaders. “You’ll often see, in a meeting of equal engineers, that women are asked to take notes,” says Percival. “Or when discussing a new position, people will use gendered language and say, ‘We need to hire a really awesome layout guy.'” As a consequence, women may feel they have to do additional work to get the same recognition a man would get. But all extra effort is not created equal: Recent research suggests that you aren’t helped by going above and beyond what you commit to doing. That’s because the very act of making a promise mutes the potential happiness your boss or client will feel when you deliverâ€"even if you exceed expectations. The solution, according to study authors Ayelet Gneezy of U.C. San Diego and Nicholas Epley of University of Chicago: When you really want to impress, hold back on making any promises and just surprise people with your finished product. 4. Brag Better It is often said that women in technology need to be better at “selling themselves” to compete with male peers, who typically find it easier to trumpet accomplishments. But that is easier said than done. “Women are culturally expected to still come off as especially humble,” says Percival. “That makes it hard to overcome the embarrassment associated with bragging.” Sheehan agrees: “We stay quiet and hope that if we work hard and have lots of output, we will get promoted.” The problem is that staying silent about your accomplishments often means you’ll get passed over, as others are rewarded with more responsibility and higher salaries. Of course, the idea of boasting might make you uncomfortableâ€"and rightfully so. (One of the criticisms Ellen Pao faced from her employer was that she was arrogant.) One way to overcome your discomfort with bragging is to do it in writing, suggests Sheehan. You could send your boss an email, for example, documenting your team’s successes for the year, making it clear that you played a leading role. The benefit of email is that you can have a few trusted friends or colleagues read over it first, to help you fine-tune your tone. And worst-case scenario, if you ever find yourself having to prove you were the victim of discrimination, it can’t hurt to have messages about your accomplishmentsâ€"as well as your boss’s responseâ€"in writing. 5. Find Sponsors, Allies, and Resources Many accomplished women in tech cite mentors and “women-helping-women” channels as key factors in their success. But getting ahead takes more than a little networking or advice. Having good relationships with your colleagues in general and garnering support from higher-ups makes a huge difference, says Sheehan. “A mentor is someone who will teach you and help you learn and grow,” she says. “A sponsor is someone convinced of your abilities high up in the organization who will advocate for you when you are not there.” A key factor in winning the support of bosses and coworkers is showing you are a team player and have a thick skin. Society teaches women to be sensitive to criticism, Sheehan says, so it’s especially important to show you are the bigger person after a disagreement. You might even want to take a page from the stereotypically male playbook and invite a difficult colleague (plus a group, if that’s less awkward) to grab a beer after work, which could allow you to hash things out in a more laid-back way. Finally, consider the power of new female-friendly initiatives sprouting up all throughout the tech world. Half of women who leave the science, technology, or engineering industries keep using their training, whether at a startup, government or nonprofit job, or working for themselves. That suggests that opportunities outside of the box are growing more common. For example, there’s PowerToFly, a company that matches women in technology with jobs they can perform remotely. Cofounder Katharine Zaleski has explained that she created the business in part because she felt biased against mothers in the workplaceâ€"until she became one herself. “There’s a saying that ‘if you want something done, then ask a busy person to do it.’ That’s exactly why I like working with mothers now,” she wrote this week in a FORTUNE commentary. “If they work from home, it doesn’t matter if a kid gets sick.” If you have tech skills you want to improve or showcase, there are engineering schools explicitly for women, such as Hackbright Academy, and contests like a new hackathon restricted to female entrantsâ€"starting today, March 6â€"in which women can compete for prizes like a MacBook Air or iPhone 6. And when all else fails, don’t overthink it. As Kelly McEvers at NPR wrote, perhaps the best way for women in tech to approach obstacles isn’t to “Lean In,” but “Lean To The Side, And Let It Pass By.” If you’re tired of all the unsolicited advice given to women in techâ€"as well as the balancing acts you’re asked to performâ€"just take a breath and remember you’re already beating the odds. Read next: The 5 Best Ways Men Can #LeanInTogether to Help Women Get Ahead