Jobs in the finance industry

Jobs in the finance industry by Michael Cheary Are you looking for a career where money really does matter?  Do you pride yourself on having excellent attention to detail, a methodical approach to your work and a mathematical mind? If so, working in finance could be the perfect career move for you. And if youre not sure what the right role is,  we’ve got you covered.Here are some careers to consider in the finance industry and some of our top tips to help you get there:AccountantWhat they do:  Prepare organisations’ accounts, which can then be used to give an overview of their financial status. By tracking all of a company’s financial transactions, any irregularities or risks can be reported, and the business can plan better moving forward.What you need:  The success of an Accountant is heavily dependent upon their numerical ability, not to mention a passion for mathematics and a close attention to detail. A degree is preferable, but not essential, although you will need to have some knowledge of standard accounting practices for most entry-level positions.What you can earn:  Around £22,000 as an entry-level salary, raising to £30,000+ with the right level of experience and specific accountancy qualifications.Perfect for:  People with excellent analytical skills.Our advice:  If you have no previous experience as an accountant, don’t panic. There are many industry-recognised courses which teach the fundamentals of accounting and most have no pre-requisites to get started. An  AAT course, for example, will be a valuable commodity when it comes to finding the right role.How to become an AccountantView all Accountancy jobsBookkeeperWhat they do:  Gather and record the financial transactions of a business, detailing how much money the company makes and spends. This includes processing invoices, calculating profit and loss and managing ledgers to make sure the books ‘balance’.What you need:  An organised and methodical approach to your work is essential, as well as a stron g aptitude for numbers. You won’t need previous experience for many entry-level roles, but being able to use specific bookkeeping software will be preferential.What you can earn:  Starting salary will be around the £20,000 mark, rising to around £24,000 and above for a slightly more experienced Bookkeeper.Perfect for:  People who like to keep everything organised.Our advice:  Developing your skills in industry specific software is essential if you want to become a bookkeeper. Programmes like Sage are particularly popular in the bookkeeping world â€" so experience of using this will be sought-after for most roles and will give you a head-start in beginning your bookkeeping career.How to become a BookkeeperView all Bookkeeper jobsPayroll AdministratorWhat they do:  Ensure that all of a business’s employees are paid correctly, incorporating bonuses, salary increases, overtime, sick pay, pension contributions, maternity or paternity pay and any other factors which may affect month ly salaries.What you need:  The ability to work towards strict deadlines, not to mention excellent numeracy skills. With so many people depending on you to make sure they’re paid properly, attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure are also essential. A degree generally isn’t necessary.What you can earn:  Entry level is around £15,000, rising to around £24,000 once fully qualified and experienced.Perfect for:  People who thrive on responsibility.Our advice:  When applying for entry-level payroll positions, always try and demonstrate (and quantify) the key skills employers are looking for, namely: numerical ability, timekeeping and an organised approach to work.How to become a Payroll AdministratorView all Payroll jobsMortgage AdvisorWhat they do:  Provide people with advice on which mortgage is right for them. You could be advising individuals or entire businesses and provide guidance on one provider, multiple providers or offer products from the market as a wh ole.What you need:  Excellent commercial awareness and a duty of care to provide your clients with the best possible advice.What you can earn:  A Junior Mortgage Advisor could make around £16,000 when they start the position. However, with a proven track record of success, it’s not uncommon to earn £35,000+, especially if your job includes ‘on target earnings’ (OTE).Perfect for:  People who give great advice.Our advice:  It may sound obvious, but make sure you’ve got your finger on the pulse when it comes to the housing market. It’s essential that you know not only the prices within your area, but also how inflation is impacting the local market and how other factors, such as new legislation, could affect mortgage rates.How to become a Mortgage AdvisorView all Mortgage Advisor jobsStockbrokerWhat they do:  Buy and sell stocks and shares on behalf of corporate or private clients. This could either be in a discretionary capacity (managing all investments and making decisio ns on behalf of the client), an advisory capacity or execution only (buying and selling on instruction without input).What you need:  Excellent analytical skills, confidence and the ability to make decisions under pressure. Trustworthiness will also be of paramount importance to your clients. A degree is preferred, but experience in a similar financial capacity could work as an entry-level requirement.What you can earn:  Initial salary may start at around the £24,000 mark, but successful stockbrokers enjoy extremely lucrative salaries and being paid £50,000+ is a realistic target.Perfect for:  People who like to buy low and sell high.Our advice:  If you’re serious about becoming a stockbroker, you need to know the market. Luckily, there are a number of free programs available which use real-time stock-market figures, and allow you to buy and sell just as you would if investing for real. That way you can learn the process and the trends to follow and, if becoming a Stockbroker st ill seems like it’s for you, you can start investing for real.How to become a StockbrokerView all Stockbroker jobsFinancial AdvisorWhat they do:  Offer financial guidance to help clients choose which products are most suitable for their situation. This could be insurance, loans, investments, savings, pensions or any other service which may improve a client’s current or future finances.What you need:  Excellent communication skills and the ability to simplify complex financial options clearly and concisely. You will also need to build an excellent rapport with your regular clients. A degree is not essential.What you can earn:  Entry-level salary is usually around £22,000, rising to up to the £40,000 mark when you have some good experience and industry-recognised qualifications.Perfect for:  People that spend their money wisely.Our advice:  If you want to be a Financial Advisor, don’t be afraid to start small. Becoming a Paraplanner or even working in a Customer Service role a nd working your way up with some vocational training will take you to where you want to go.How to become a Financial AdvisorView all Financial Advisor jobsOther jobs in finance to consider:  Credit Controller, Ledger Clerk, Investment Banker, Financial Advisor, Broker, Actuary, Trader, Financial Controller.Top tipsHere are some of our top tips for finding a job in the finance industry:Be practical â€" Don’t be afraid to start at the bottom. With the right attitude and experience you will quickly work your way up.Demonstrate your skills â€" Pick out the most relevant attributes from the job description and tailor your CV to emphasise them.Focus â€"  Before you get started, its important to give your search a clear focus. Knowing the industry is one thing, but youll need to narrow down your options if you actually want to succeed.Make sure you’re up-to-date â€" Keep an eye on the latest trends and market developments and use any free software out there to help teach you the tricks of the trade.Start learning â€" If you need an extra qualification to back up your soft skills, take a course or sign up for an internship to help take you to the next level.Ready to find your ideal position in the finance industry?  View all finance jobs now.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Getting Started What job suits me?

Should You Promote Your Personal Brand With Snapchat - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Should You Promote Your Personal Brand With Snapchat - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career When building a personal brand mobile marketing is key to increased visibility online. To achieve this it’s not only important to create compelling visual content that attracts an audience, but to also tailor them for your niche. There is still a large number of younger users who use the popular social network, Snapchat, and advertising opportunities are growing here. With content that can reach your target market in a more personalized way, a personal brand can tap into a wider community of people who are mostly aged 25 and younger. With use of special effects, clever emojis, a headline with catchy phrases and images or videos, you can capture the attention of users and draw them into your ads. How can you effectively promote your brand on Snapchat? One way is to bring users into the latest news and events your are offering. Other ways are through targeted and entertaining ads, direct messages, and exclusive offers. Being aware of what your market is desiring and is attracted to will help your personal brand establish itself as an authority on mobile platforms like this one. How to share great mobile content on Snapchat Here are several ways you can start reaching a larger audience: Keep your audience in the loop during an event If you are involved in an offline even or have a new product launch you will want to create a series of branded stories with hashtags that will help your audience to follow along and take advantage of any special offers. Bring in some humor Because Snapchat is geared toward a younger set of users you should think about how to best appeal to their emotions in a way that fits your brand image. Include special effects and funny videos in order to get the conversation going. Create Snap Ads In the midst of your regular snaps you should be investing in advertisements, which look very similar to organic content. This is a good opportunity to include a call-to-action and bring users directly to your sales page or website. As mobile continues to grow in popularity and usage, it is more important than ever to tap into this large market, and to make your personal brand stand out on places like Snapchat. Content that is fresh, original, creative and interactive does well on this platform, especially when GeoFilters on the various locations of your snaps are added.

How Startups Recruit with YouTube

How Startups Recruit with YouTube In the startup ecosystem, company culture can be a young teams greatest asset, but amongst the mix of investment funding, cash flow, pivoting, product dev, it is often underutilized.  As a startup, it is key to optimize any opportunity to generate buzz while accomplishing objective goals for your companys growth. In todays job market and startup craze, the recruitment process is a great opportunity to develop your organizations company culture while having fun hiring. I  QUIT! The  most  viral  HR  YouTube  video  from  last  year  came  not  from  the  recruiting  side,  but  rather,  via  the  self ­-termination  process,  in  this  hilariously ­creative  job  resignation  video: With over 17 million views, Marina Shifrin has proven, with some surprisingly ­good dance moves, that YouTube can be an effective tool for generating buzz and accomplishing an objective goal: quitting your job. How  to recruit  with  YouTube  as  a startup: Eventstagram, a London-based social media startup, is leveraging their development teams growth by creating a YouTube video to outline the job description of their ideal Sysadmin/back ­end developer. Dan, CEO of Eventstagram said: We  are  always  looking  for  creative  ways  to  take  normal  business  processes,  like  recruiting  and  marketing,  but  with  a  keen  eye  on  building  our  corporate  culture  and  having  fun  doing  it.  Our  marketing  manager  developed  this  concept  and  lyrics  with  local  London  music  artist  to  create  this  track.  Our  sales  team  took  the  song  and  put  it  to  some  footage  of  some  of  our  work  over  the  past  12  months. During a young companys high ­growth stage, it is the executives role to look for an effective balance of skill ­ set and the ability to grow the company with the right kind of people. Startups need to capitalize on the mobility and agile nature of small teams to push the envelop and get noticed. Rather than going through traditional methods of dividing PR roles and HR roles, the lean CEO aims to accomplish maximum output with minimum input. HR processes can become rigid for large organizations with much liability to mitigate, so it is the startups opportunity to capitalize on this creative vacuum left by corporations with larger pockets. Eventstagram created this video with consumer ­ level software, no budget, and a bit of creativity think outside of the box. How to leverage your exciting social presence to social recruiting: In 2013, contests to win the most awesome, most ­coveted job fathomable was a popular trend in viral HR campaigns. These win the best job in the world campaigns resonated with millions of people with promises of working from paradise locations. Both of these offers utilized video submissions to generate sharable content and magnify the excitement of the candidates amongst their peers. The application of rich media in the HR process proved to be a huge success for the following two companies. Mindvalley, Malaysian ­based online publisher, ran their second recruitment campaign for their Event Management team. Hundreds of video submissions were posted to Youtube seeking offers to jet ­set to exotic island resorts and rubbing elbows with the most inspirational leaders in lifestyle, meditation, and business. Mindvalley also emphasizes the companys corporate culture and encouraged candidates to show their personality in the submission of their 3 ­ minute video. Jauntaroo,  online  travel  destination matchmaker,  made  huge  waves  with  claims  of  the  The  Best  Job  Around  the  World when  recruiting  for  their  Chief  World  Explorer.  Jauntaroo  did  an  excellent  job  of  utilizing the  existing  Youtube  platform  while  continually  re ­directing  viewers  back  to  their  website. The  voting  process  was  handled  through  an  internal  voting  process  hosted  on  the companys  website.  This  is  an  important  lesson  for  engaging  your  audience  while  creating value  to  the  company  through  increased  site  traffic. What are the 5 goals of using YouTube in recruitment and hiring? 1) Understand  the candidates  personality: The typical application packet (CV, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile) can tell you a great deal about a candidate objectively, but nothing conveys someones personality and fit for a company better then seeing them directly. In a world of increasing non ­verbal communication (email, tweets, status updates), YouTube can be the perfect bridge between goals of HR efficiency and creating company culture. 2) Screen candidates  through video interviews: The companies listed above received tens of thousands of video applications, which marked the campaign as a huge success. This successful marketing campaign now lies in the hands of HR to filter and find the ideal applicant. Each of these videos had a good, consumable time limit, all videos had to be 1 ­3 minutes long. The process of creating a video is itself a good screening tool because of the time commitment involved. READ MORE:  The Benefits of Using  Video Interviews  for  Recruitment 3) Enhance  company  value  to  the  public: Organizations  that  succeed  with  their  initiatives,  always  add  value  to  the  consumer.  The  increase  of  video  content  (Instagram  video,  Vine,  Youtube  proliferation)  all  point  to  the  consumers  taste  for  entertaining  but  valuable  content.  The  company  that  finds  new  ways  to  get  noticed  becomes  valuable  and  more  attractive  for  top  quality  applicants. 4) Use  shareable  content  to  drive  marketing  goals: Aside from the HR goals of recruitment, job posts, like Eventstagr.ams, are easily shareable and can go viral because of their short, easily ­consumable format. These short-form videos should make special effort to write a good video title. No matter the quality of the content, the videos title has to be enticing to motivate a click through. 5) Capitalize  on  creative  skill  sets  and  ability  to  create Especially in small, young organizations, cross ­functional skills like media production and social media savviness translate to dynamic and productive teams. The ability to produce rich media shows creative and non ­linear thinking. In todays recruiting and hiring process, companies should branch out from tried and true networks like LinkedIn to create qualified applicant leads and have fun doing it. Its time for your HR team to realize Youtubes dynamic ability to recruit, hire, and create buzz. Author: Russ Garcia is the Head of U.S. Growth for Crowd Reactive. He enjoys writing on marketing strategy, content creation, and social media. A self-admitted domain hoarder and couchsurfer, he loves the ability of the internet to bring people together under common goals. He currently resides in Austin, TX with his dog, Chi.

March Madness sheds light on the real workplace revolution

March Madness sheds light on the real workplace revolution The wage gap, of course, is the gap between men and women. We dont talk about the wage gap between, say, black men and white men because the causes are so visible. Like, most black boys do not grow up with a father, and in some cities 50% of black men have been in prison. But we talk about the wage gap between men and women like it is some Escher  puzzle that we can solve through infinite stories in the media. But in fact, the wage gap between men and women is as big a red herring as the gap between black and white men. Women dont care about workplace stuff and men dont care about home stuff. I know thats a stereotype, a cliche. But its a cliche for a reason. Im right. The issue is that if you take a man and woman who have equal qualifications at work and you add kids to the mix, the womans salary goes down as the mans goes up. We know that this is by choice. Each gender typically makes choices that move their salary one way or the other. Heres how to understand those choices: Unmarried men almost always say they want to share household duties equally. However this is so completely not how it turns out that evolutionary psychologist David Buss says the equality thing is merely a mating call. Men cant be in a relationship today unless they say they want to assume household duties. I actually think men do want to do half. But they want to do half of what they think needs doing. So, for example, changing the sheets on the kids beds does not matter to a guy. The sheets dont have poop on them, so theyre clean. If the sheets have poop on them, the guy has no trouble changing them. He does it immediately. My brothers friend, who is a banker married to a stay-at-home wife and surely does nothing around the house but surely thinks he does, suggests that couples use a chess clock to keep track of household contributions. He says you announce that you are doing a household chore, and you ask your spouse if it is something they care about. If the answer is yes, you hit the clock while youre doing the chore. This experiment would make things look equal. And you can take this beyond household chores. For example, when a mom drops a kid off at a new friends house, the mom stops and talks to the parent and sniffs out the house. The dad says hello and leaves. Yes, thats a stereotype, but there is a ream of hard data to show that on balance, this is true. Which brings me to March Madness. In high school I played NCAA brackets because I wanted to hang out with the boys who did that. It was a way to get them to pay attention to me. When I worked on the trading floor, the betting pools are so entrenched in the culture that there are arbitrage signs for when trading stops to deal with the betting pools. During the NCAA playoffs, if you ask for a bid in the SP pit, miming a basketball shot means that the trading volume is reallly low because the traders are cleaning up their brackets. The New York Times reports that women work more hours at the office than men do. Theres a problem with that statistic too, though. Men think they are working at work just like they think they are doing chores at home. Most of work is social. So women are putting their heads down and knocking out their to-do lists while men are running betting pools. The problem with the data about who works harder at the office is who defines what work isthe same problem is at home, defining housework. At the office, the most important work is socializing. Its the stuff that comes from emotional intelligence and makes you an office politics star. The real work at work is knowing what people need and helping them get it so they give you what you need. The gap between men and women working at work starts in school. Girls work so much harder at getting good grades than boys do that its easier to get into college if youre a boy. And girls work so much harder at doing what they are told to do in college that more girls graduate than boys. The problem is that the work world doesnt revolve around your grades. The work world relies on the same skills boys have been developing the whole time they have been getting sent to the principals office. So what do we do with this information? 1. Stop treating men and women the same. Theres a great letter in the Princeton alumni magazine to women in Princeton: get married in college, which is where the pickings are better. I like the letter because its a warning to the next generation: dont be mislead by older people telling you that men and women can do the same work: at home, in the office, or in school. In each stage of life, men and women care about different things. [Note: Princeton removed the link from their site. But there is conversation all over the Internet about it anyway. Heres a discussion at NPR.] 2. Understand the different stages of life. For women, when they turn 30, its time to have kids if they want them. Men can start a new career when theyre 30. Women cant. You cant start two new careers at once, and having a kid is starting a new career for women. Not men. 3. Accept that this is a problem inherent in school. School teaches that linear progression is important. And that high achievement through ranking and competition is important. Using your intelligence to gain influence and or money is important. None of these things happen when you scale back your career to have kids. None of these things happen when your husband thinks the bathroom is clean and you dont. School teaches girls that the things women value and the choices women make are largely not valuable. At least not as valuable as ranking and influence and money and achievement. The real gap here is between the values we teach kids in school and the values we reward in the work world. We really do value what we choose to spend time doing. Women make choices that are not a linear  progression  from what we learn in school. Which means that at age 30, there is a crisis: women have been high performers their whole lives and they realize, often, that they dont care enough about that contest to keep winning at it. The real workplace revolution is not happening at work. Women today reject our chronically unbending and incredibly demanding corporate culture. Most women dont want to get past the glass ceiling. Which means that the real revolution begins in school, where we have to start teaching kids that there is a wide range of paths in adult life, and many of them have nothing to do with book  knowledge and high IQ. Until we start doing this, women will always feel regret and disappointment when they stop being high achievers in order to make decisions more consistent with their values.

Most Promising Freelance Careers for Tech Lovers - CareerMetis.com

Most Promising Freelance Careers for Tech Lovers Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comBack in the old times of 9-5 jobs, with conventional schedules and even more common routines everything seemed to run smoothly; however, truth is that a good percentage of people sought their way out of the office for the most creative myriad of reasons: having children, comfort, avoiding public transport, feeling trapped at the office and so on.Freelancing has not only given an opportunity to those who wanted to try something different, but also to those who couldn’t find a job that matched their skills for an adequate income.1. Mobile DevelopmentevalWith advancements in social media and the constant thrive for new promising means of mass audience engagement, many companies put their bets in developing smartphone or tablet applications. Besides having a broad knowledge of software development, it is also essential to count with a background in graphic design to make the different stages of the app creation process a smoother one.2. UX DesignerevalUser ex perience design, shortened as UX Design, is the name given to the process of enhancing user satisfaction with a named product, improving its usability, accessibility and overall interaction between user and product. Perhaps the most valid example of this is how mobile devices have considerably improved web browsing over the last 3-5 years in comparison with the first approaches to this behalf.3. Web Designer Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comHere is something that we cannot label under a sole profession. From photographers to chefs, passing through gamers, scientists and more, all of us have reached a point in which we want a compelling insight prior getting our hands on a new product: mostly if the referred product happens to be innovative and with a broad technological background.evalProduct reviewers have found their niche on YouTube or Vimeo, recording videos of the latest developments in technology; some of these reviewers getting as much publicity as to be taken as proven references by authority websites on the topic they are covering.All that’s needed is a good video camera, secure internet connection, putting away shyness, and sharing worldwide your knowledge and experience with the latest advancements in technology to date.6. Freelance InstructorEver wondered why so many people are offering a variety of courses through platforms like Coursera, Skillshare, etc.? The reason is simple: with an initial big effort you end up earning a passive income from people that buy your courses.Yes, it’s true that you only earn a percentage of money if you work on said platforms, but also you are guaranteeing a certain amount of audience coming to visit what you have to offer, even if you are a new player in this field.evalYou can always sail on your own by creating a website and selling your course through there: there are many inspiring stories of people who made up to six-figure income by selling their courses and helping users worldwide.It is not needed to teach some NASA-tech related issue but to provide an interesting point of view and to teach about something you know you ace. Creativity is a must if you decide to engage at a crowded niche such as Photography, Graphic Design, etc. â€" but in the end? Worth the effort no doubt.

New Year Insights from 7 Top Executives and Leaders

New Year Insights from 7 Top Executives and Leaders I love the start of the new year. It’s pristine territory. Like being the first one to make footprints in freshly fallen snow. Or being the first person in the household to crack open the Sunday paper (and yes, I still love reading the Sunday newspaper even though I get most of my news digitally these days). What matters, though, is turning this fresh start into a year that fulfills its promise. With that in mind, I asked a handful of highly successful people who I know and respect to answer the following question: “What are the most important things you do at the start of the new year to set yourself up for your best year ever?” Here are the executives and leaders I asked and what they said.   Michael Crow President of Arizona State UniversityOffice of the President ASU | Twitter | Facebook President Crow is one of the most visionary and innovative leaders I know. Named one of TIME’s Top 10 College Presidents, he is guiding the transformation of America’s largest public research university into a new model for higher education. His answer demonstrates yet again that he is about innovating, getting things done, and breaking new ground… not simply making sure the trains run on time. Michael's answer: “I outline a specific unique objective for the year… like a fresh start.  2014 is done.  2015 is here.  What can be accomplished this year that we would not have pursued in 2014 because either circumstances have changed or new things can be done. Otherwise we are all just running railroads on metal tracks and on a strict schedule.”   Phil Francis Former Chairman and CEO of PetSmart, Inc.Forbes profile Phil rose from humble beginnings (he grew up on a farm in rural Illinois) to turnaround and lead a Fortune 500 company to great success as CEO and Chairman. I respect Phil tremendously for his candor and common sense.   And he has retained his humility throughout his business success.   As such, it is unsurprising that his business card and LinkedIn profile currently read, “Community Volunteer” and that his new year preparation focuses on ethics. Like Phil, we all have those pivotal moments of deep learning that are useful to remind ourselves of each year to make sure we stay on track.   What are yours? Phil's answer: “Re-read on Jan 1 lecture notes from the best class ever in grad school. It was Business, Ethics, and Public Policy. This in 1970 before every one had such a course title. We read 10 varied paperbacks, and wrote a paper. I funded a lecture series in the profs honor.”   Joie Gregor Managing Director, Warburg PincusWarburg Pincus | The Miles Group Joie is remarkable on many fronts, and particularly for her superb judgment and acumen about people and opportunities.   Throughout her tenure at IBM, as Vice Chairman of search firm Heidrick & Struggles, during her time at the White House and today at Warburg Pincus, Joie is the consummate professional. Not only is she expert at identifying leadership talent, she is a role model for great leadership as well.   And it is no surprise that her new year planning begins early and with rigor. Joie's answer: “I start thinking about the New Year in August and start executing my plan in October. As crazy as it sounds, my year-end is well a head of everyone else’s. I came up with this idea when I was a rookie IBM sales/marketing person and I wanted to be the very best at my trade.  I have never altered this my approach, but have refined it over time. To be really honest, I actually become obsessed on the New Year in January of the previous year! So, what does that mean? As an individual, I intensely focus on the quality of my work and how I am finishing up any client projects while writing down my goals for the following year. Typically, I have made my personal goals by end of September, October would be very late for me. I ask my clients how they feel about work to date and things they would like me to change. In turn, I push them very hard on decisions they may have put off. I characterize the last three months of the year as client satisfaction time â€" it is when I do my most thoughtful BD work. It is about personal touch. Actually, by early November I am well into the process of teeing up my entire first quarter and beyond for success. As a leader of teams, it is much the same. Encourage them to get out a head of the field. Never count on the 4th quarter to make your numbers! Hit them early and use the end of year to seal up customer/client relationship. Finish strong but with a keen eye on sustaining relationships. I believe great businesses and leadership teams are in it for the long haul. Creating value never stops. So, you have to listen, learn and plan while executing. The art of multitasking. However, develop a plan that is realistic but a stretch. As you know, you must “reach” for a new level each year. Helping teams visualize new and creative ways of going to the market is so important.  It has to be exciting yet hard! The drive for excellence is just plain hard. That is what keeps you coming back…”   Markos Tambakeras Former CEO of Kennametal Inc.Forbes profile Markos brings a truly global perspective, having more than 30 years’ experience in managing global manufacturing, sales and technology companies across Asia, Europe, South Africa and the US.   He has put his business savvy and relationship building abilities to work across a variety of organizations, whether managing turnarounds or growing domestic companies into global players. But what I most admire about Markos as a leader is that while he is capable of the “iron fist”, it is always accompanied by the “velvet glove”. Markos' answer: “The answer to your question is influenced by the stage of my life. These days I approach the new year differently from my 30's, 40's or 50's. I am now 64, so at the start of a new year I spend time reflecting on the past year, but also my life so far the good, bad, ugly and unfinished. Time has become a factor. However, while my priorities have changed, the approach has not changed much over the years. I try to set three goals. I try to make them meaningful and not easy to accomplish. One goal is personal for myself. One for what I will try to do for or with my family. One for what I will try to do for others. I also set deadlines and I do not let myself off the hook.”   Gary Tooker Former CEO of MotorolaForbes profile | Wikipedia article Gary is someone I can count on to tell me what he honestly thinks, even (and perhaps especially!) when I don’t want to hear it.   That has saved me from many a potential disaster, for which I will always be grateful. In addition to rising to the top ranks as a business leader, Gary was also elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest U.S. academic endorsements.   Gary’s courage and wisdom are time tested and his years of experience have not tempered by even one bit his positive and encouraging approach to life.   Long may it continue! Gary's answer: “I am not much for New Year’s resolutions, but more for a philosophy of life.   (And it has got stronger through the years!) It goes something like this:   As my kids and everyone close to me knows, my glass is always half FULL, never half EMPTY! I learned at the young age of 12 when my Dad took off with another woman and left Mom (who had debilitating arthritis and had never worked outside our home) and I to basically make it on our own, that life is what you make of it.   Mom said, “We are going to make it and you are going to graduate from college!”   She never wavered from that, even as I wanted to quit school a number of times and go get a higher paying job to do more to pay the bills and let her quit work.   She worked until she was 62 and lived until she was 89. I had a much better role model growing up than my Dad would have been. He was the owner of a small grocery store here in Phoenix that I worked for from age 13 to 20 all the way through high school and engineering school at ASU and full time all summers. Everything, meeting Diane by total accident, and particularly those things that seemed very negative at the time, i.e. losing our first baby (ectopic pregnancy), not getting an early promotion I deserved and expected, prostate cancer at 54, heart attack five days after retiring, etc., etc. have been positives in the long term.   If you work hard and have a positive attitude, life turns out fine thank you, regardless of what comes. My life has had so many, many great years that I could not even expect this next one to “be the best one ever” but it doesn’t matter, since whatever it brings I/we’ll deal with it and things will turn out just fine in the long run! To let you know how much people understand this about my attitude, Diane’s older sister got the biggest kick out finding two bar glasses for me this Christmas.   They have a line across them halfway up.   Below the line is the word PESSIMIST and above the line it says OPTIMIST!”   Craig Weatherup Former CEO of the Pepsi-Cola CompanyForbes profile | Businessweek profile Craig is, simply put, a person of integrity and a great human being.   Back in my corporate days, we urged people to “do the right thing”, and it’s wonderful to watch a leader like Craig consistently living by that credo. While Craig’s marketing prowess is well documented through his success in the ‘Cola wars’, it is his wisdom and humanity in working with people that stands out, whether in business, non-profit or spiritual fields. Craig's answer: “I start every year by sitting down and getting on paper my goals for the year. These are the goals that I feel will make me the most complete human being I can be, and therefore the best leader I can be. Given there are no “time outs” for leaders, I look for goals that make me complete from an (a) intellectual, (b) physical, and (c) spiritual standpoint. I found over many years on my journey to CEO that by focusing on my completeness as a human being my career took care of itself. The one caveat is that success requires a commitment to living very intentionally into those goals. My other practice, again recognizing you have “to be on” every day as the leader, was/is to reaffirm the practice I would use to insure that I was grounded and ready for the day. In my case an intellectual, physical, and spiritual routine.”   Dr. Shu Chien Professor of Bioengineering at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the US on scientists and engineersChien Lab Dr. Chien is one of the founders of the field of Biomedical Engineering, an inter-disciplinary field that came to its own about 30 years ago, but is now one of the most popular college majors.   Under his leadership, UCSD has become #1 in the field. He is that unusual combination of great research scientist and great people leader, and one of only 11 scholars who are members of all three U.S. national academies: the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Chien is also a great father â€" yes, he’s my Dad â€" and one of the wisest people I know! Dr. Chien's answer: “At the start of each new year, I make realistic goals that are  achievable and  yet  challenging, i.e., goals that need efforts to accomplish and will yield results that are meaningful. This is with regards to the profession. There are also goals for the family and for oneself, including health and wellbeing. I am not too big on New Year resolutions. While this is a landmark time for each year, we should constantly review the situation and set ourselves up for our best time for the day, the week, the month, the year, and beyond. There is a Chinese saying: ‘Plan the day in the morning. Plan the year in the spring’, with the spring representing the start of the four seasons and hence the year (???????, ???????).” May you have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, and one that is further inspired by the insights shared by these highly successful people who have been there, done it, and continue to advance. My thanks to Michael Crow, Phil Francis, Joie Gregor, Markos Tambakeras, Gary Tooker, Craig Weatherup and my father Dr. Shu Chien for sharing their wisdom. It is my privilege to learn from you all year long.

Career Resume Writing - Writing a Perfect Resume in Buffalo NY

Career Resume Writing - Writing a Perfect Resume in Buffalo NYA career resume writing buffalo, New York is one of the most helpful tools when it comes to generating a perfect job interview. Writing resumes for your job hunting activities is one thing that you do not want to leave to chance. A career resume writing buffalo, New York can make or break your chances of landing that new job you are looking for.A career resume writing buffalo, New York can bring about a lot of benefits to you as well as your boss. The truth is, writing resumes are more than just a basic activity required by the workforce today. Many employers are looking for certain traits in their applicants in order to get that perfect employee for their company. These traits include the following:Understanding the applicant's ability to lead means that the resume should be written accordingly. When you are hiring a new employee, you should be able to judge whether the applicant would fit in the position or not. Some app licants do not think too highly of their work habits or responsibilities so they feel no need to document them on their resume. If the employer finds these aspects lacking, then the employee would not stand a chance of being hired.In this case, the applicant should list all their achievements and past accomplishments. This is the first and the most important part of the job application. It also serves as the basis for the employer to evaluate whether the applicant could be compatible with the company's vision and mission. All these should be detailed and accurate. There should be no room for editing mistakes in the resume as this could affect the chances of landing the new job.There is no limit to the skills and talents, an applicant can demonstrate to the prospective employer. The only thing that needs to be checked here is how they could be useful to the specific organization or department. For example, if the applicant has been in management training, then there would be little r eason to document that since the employer would probably not need him anyway.When it comes to education, the employer might have some questions regarding his or her current employment. How does he or she stack up against the group of recent graduates in terms of their work ability and flexibility? A career resume writing buffalo, New York can help answer the employer's questions here. It can provide a copy of the latest school year transcript and even the exact school location.One of the things that the employer does not look for is a personality test when it comes to a career resume writing buffalo, New York. These tests are usually very similar and the fact that a person is known to score well in it is no reason to use the result in lieu of some other information. It is common sense that a test that came out the week before the interview could provide the needed information to the employer. The same goes for the test results that come out three months after the interview.Real life experience and talent, which can actually be obtained through other means, are some of the information that would be best to document in a career resume writing buffalo, New York. They will help provide details about previous job positions, special talents, and other relevant details about a person's personality. The only thing that the employer should be concerned about here is how the candidate can help the organization accomplish its mission.