The Importance of Offering Equal Opportunities to Disabled Employees

The Importance of Offering Equal Opportunities to Disabled Employees Every individual has their own qualities and  can bring different things to a company, so its important to have an element of diversity among your staff. This can be in terms of personality, skills and allowing equal opportunities to everyone who applies. A large number of people are effected by health problems, some of whom would consider themselves disabled.  Its important that these individuals are offered the opportunity to progress in their careers and they could bring many benefits to your business. Here are a few of them courtesy of Burning Nights. A few starts on disabilities Roughly 15% of the worlds population have some form of disability. The rate of disabilities is on the rise, due to people generally living for longer these days. In Asia it is estimated that 238 million people working age have a disability and the unemployment rate is as high as 80% amongst them. Over 60% of people with a disability in America said they would like to work, but cant find a job. What adjustments can be made to cater for disabilities in the workplace? Changes could be made to a disabled persons work patterns/location. Alterations can be made to the work premises to assist the individual. Ensure that information is provided in accessible formats. Support job applications from those with a disability. The benefits of hiring somebody with a disability It provides social opportunities and an income for people with a disability. Diversity in the workplace can help to create better solutions to business challenges. Studies in the US have found that there is a better retention rate and level of absenteeism among employees with a disability. Findings in the UK have observed increased employee satisfaction and better productivity among staff. Read more below. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]

Getting Your Foot in the Door 3 Strategies to Break Into a New Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Getting Your Foot in the Door 3 Strategies to Break Into a New Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Most working professionals have considered trying something different as a career. However, many are unable to successfully switch into a new career path because they lack key insight into the tactics that will get them noticed by hiring managers who can facilitate a significant career move. Instead of going about their job search as they would if they wished to remain in their current field, strategic job seekers ensure that potential employers’ eyes see their future potential, current transferrable skills and personality, and focus less on their past career experiences. After 10 years of recruiting, the below recommendations (coupled with some resiliency, hard work and positive thinking) should result in your ability to positively shape the way employers view you. 1. Build a resume that addresses your change in work, highlights your skills and puts less emphasis on irrelevant job experience. Some employers view job applicants who have non-fitting experience as either unsuccessful or unable to follow basic rules, since most job descriptions specify years of relevant industry experience. It will be in your best interest to confront the background discrepancy in the introductory section of your resume. With clever wording, it’s possible to turn what could be construed as a negative factor and into a positive, compelling marketing statement. For example, if you were a nurse looking to get into marketing, your subject line might be: It is my passion to assist an organization in heightening revenue as an integral part of a progressive, creative marketing team. To date in my career, I have excelled in [unrelated field], and have spent the past year becoming an expert at a multitude of pertinent marketing tactics. When put in the right environment, my creativity, work ethic and resiliency can be leveraged to further any organization’s competitive advantage, regardless of industry or current situation. To get the desired effect, keep the intro friendly, to the point, professional and unapologetic. You can also personalize the resume with your LinkedIn picture as well as your url to your bio. Following the introduction, list your pertinent areas expertise either with bullet points or commas. Not only will this push the impertinent experience farther down the resume, it will place key areas of importance front and center. 2. Timing is everything. Apply to an open-minded employer, not an unreasonable one. The rule of thumb is that the longer an advertisement is up, the more flexible an employer will become. One of the most common mistakes hiring managers make when writing a job description is setting forth too strict background criteria. For a multitude of reasons, their high specificity deters many qualified job seekers from applying to the position (i.e. wanting too much and offering too small a compensation package; or asking for a background combination that is exceedingly rare and insisting on interviewing an arbitrary number of exact candidates, say, five). Regardless, it takes time for the reality that they are not going to find what they want to sink in. Hence, if you don’t match the background and apply the first day, you’re applying into their overinflated expectations. This all changes in about 10 days to two weeks. Once the applications become more sparse and none fit the stringent criteria, that recruitment professional will realize that it’s time to take a different approach. That’s when you come in. By applying to the job after two weeks posted, you’re no longer sending your information to someone who has overinflated expectations; rather you’re submitting that application to an open-minded, occasionally discouraged and much more flexible employer. 3. Utilize additional avenues. Form a relationship with a recruiter who has the right clients and amount of leverage. When headhunters have very trusting clients, they are more likely to be able to pitch a job seeker who has inexact experience. To supplement your search, take some time to get into the good graces of an executive recruiter(s) who has or a relationship with that company. First, find the right recruiters who seemingly have (or potentially have) long-standing hiring contracts with your target employer(s). Due to the fact that headhunters keep client names confidential, you are going to have to read in-between the lines of their job descriptions. Once you see a potential fit, send a brief, friendly email query asking permission to send your resume. Something such as the following should get their attention and warm them up to your way of thinking: Hello ______, Thank you for taking the time to read over my application; my name is Marie Smith and have a situation I thought that someone at _______ (recruiting firm name) could have the expertise to assist me with. While I have strong experience and knowledge in (pertinent skill 1), (pertinent skill 2) and (pertinent skill 3), the past few years I have been in an unrelated field. I do believe that I could perform at or above individuals coming from the same industry, though could use some assistance in marketing myself. If this is something you’d be willing to consider, I’ll gladly send you my information and relentlessly work with you in order to satisfy the needs of your client. Sincerely, Marie Smith Above all, remember to be polite. If you want to gather honey, don’t kick the beehive. In the End Don’t let anyone stop you from switching careers. It’s never easy, but working in a position that challenges you is well worth the effort.

7 Tips for Trouncing the Job Competition in an Upbeat Economy

7 Tips for Trouncing the Job Competition in an Upbeat Economy The good news is that the  economy is robust. Employers are in a hiring mode. The bad news is that the competition is fierce. Skilled workers who had to shelter in place at lackluster jobs during the economic downturn are now looking to move. Facing off against ten competitors for every choice job will take confidence and finesse. But you can up your game and impress your interviewers with your passion and self-assurance. It will require doing your due diligence, refining your message and preparing mentally for game day. Use these seven critical strategies to trounce your competitors and land the job in spite of the odds. Add flair to your profiles. When was the last time you Googled yourself? You can be sure employers will use a search engine to look for you. If youve climbed several rungs up the career ladder since you last updated your LinkedIn profile, be sure to bring it up to date. Rework those blanket statements about being creative, hard working and a quick learner. Replace them with actual evidence ofwhat  you created and  how  you demonstrated hard work. Provide concrete examples, not platitudes. Be creative and audacious. Include industry awards, client accolades, objective criteria and any fact that shows third-party validation. Put on your reporter’s cap. Imagine that you are a journalist whose assignment it is to write a profile piece on the person who’s interviewing you. Find out everything you can about her in advance. Check Google, Facebook, and her Twitter feed. Investigate her LinkedIn profile too (but realize that your name will show up under LinkedIn’s “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” feature so only do it once, and take notes). Has she been quoted widely in any articles? Where did she work before he started at this company? Gathering background information like this leads to smoother in-person conversations. Look to your network for a referral. You earn added credibility with any referral you can obtain either from within the company youre applying to or from someone trustworthy who knows both you and the employer. Even if you don’t know the mutual contact well, try to parlay your professional connection into a nod in your favor. Prepare for tough questions. Anticipate fielding at least a few tricky questions in your interview, and know in advance how you’ll handle them. Uncomfortable questions run the gamut, such as: “Why are you looking to leave your current job?” or “Aren’t you too young for this job?” If you have any holes in your career, be ready to explain them. Schedule a dress rehearsal. Rehearse your questions and answers in front of a mirror, a family member or another job-hunting buddy. Learn your answers so thoroughly that you can deliver them in a spontaneous way. Use insightful observations about the industry or ways to offer kudos for recent company successes as lead-ins. Dress for success. Dress appropriately that is, professionally for the interview. Make you interviewer feel comfortable by showing, by your dress and demeanor, that you’ll fit in perfectly from Day One. Enter the interview firing on all pistons. You’ve prepared well and now it’s time to pull out all the charm, professionalism and powers of observation you can muster. Make eye contact. Listen attentively to the interviewer. If there’s a break in the conversation, mention that you have some questions. Put these tips to work and you can land the job! This guest post was authored by Vicky Oliver IslBG Vicky Oliver is a leading career development expert and the multi-best-selling author of five books, including  301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions  (Sourcebooks 2005), named in the top 10 list of Best Books for HR Interview Prep, and  301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions  (Skyhorse 2010). She is a sought-after speaker and seminar presenter and a popular media source, having made over 700 appearances in broadcast, print, and online outlets. For more information, visit  vickyoliver.com. . Image credit.  

How The Right Content Optimization Can Increase Brand Visibility - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How The Right Content Optimization Can Increase Brand Visibility - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The latest Google search update is now a more mobile-friendly algorithm that keeps up with todays search trends. As social media and technology has transformed the way we find information, the improved method is designed to understand the intent and contextual meaning of a query from portable devices. This is great news for brands as a more intuitive system gives them an opportunity for increased visibility. Should you still focus on keywords? While Google has built a new framework with some of the original search properties in place, it is no longer necessary to include too many keywords inside your content. Instead, focus on what is important to the reader and questions they are asking instead. The goal of today’s brand is to build something of value, and create a great experience for their audience. Content should be high quality with messages that engage a community. There are a few steps you can take to turn your brand’s website into a more visible and active place for visitors to come back to again and again. Revisit your current content strategies Do your articles include more than 50 pages of deep, editorial style stories? Consider what areas can be improved for higher quality. Stay up to date Cover the latest trends in both social media and the Internet within your niche. Create content that focuses on engagement of your readers. This can also include relevant videos. This is a good time to revisit your website and to create a compelling FAQ page that will be picked up in search. Create a buzz for your brand Keep your audience up to date with the latest news and events. Infographics and announcements can also make for some fun and interesting content. Engage in interactive discussions such as Twitter chats and stories on Instagram in order to attract a larger audience. Create a map of your website When the search engine crawls your domain, what do they find? By creating an XML site map you can make it easier for others to find what they are looking for right away. Consider hiring a professional content writer to make these necessary updates. An individual who is familiar with long-tail keywords and SEO could help increase the quality of content on your brand’s website. Your articles should be well researched, unique, and include important facts and figures in a length of at least 2000 words or more in order to be picked up by Google and other search engines.

How Can Child Care Director Writing the Resume Examples Helps Them?

How Can Child Care Director Writing the Resume Examples Helps Them?When it comes to writing the resume, a child care director will certainly require many examples of how can you write a resume, right? After all, when looking for work, one of the best ways to make yourself stand out from the competition is by being able to highlight your qualifications. And so, you can be certain that if you are searching for resume examples, you will find some to suit your requirements.By providing details of your work experience and education, it will not only allow you to highlight your work history, but it will also help in providing information to prospective employers about your skills and experience in the field of writing resumes. This will in turn allow you to appear more professional and knowledgeable, which is quite important to ensure that you get the job interview. And so, if you are looking for examples of how can you write a resume, you can be certain that they will be just what you nee d.{T how can child care director writing the resume examples | to write a resume, right? After all, when looking for work, one of the best ways to make yourself stand out from the competition is by being able to highlight your qualifications. It will then ensure that you get the job interview, as well as help in increasing your chances of getting the job.{T how can child care director writing the resume examples | to write a resume, right? After all, when looking for work, one of the best ways to make yourself stand out from the competition is by being able to highlight your qualifications. It will then ensure that you get the job interview, as well as help in increasing your chances of getting the job.{T how can child care director writing the resume examples | to write a resume, right? After all, when looking for work, one of the best ways to make yourself stand out from the competition is by being able to highlight your qualifications. It will then ensure that you get the job int erview, as well as help in increasing your chances of getting the job.

Pulling Your Business Back After A Quiet Quarter

Pulling Your Business Back After A Quiet Quarter Every company experiences peaks and troughs when it comes to sales in their business. The market is always shifting, and you have to shift in order to keep up with the industry. It’s about adapting in order to remain relevant to the target market. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should shrug off a quiet quarter as if it was no big deal. You need to get to the bottom of the problem. You need to think about why your company wasn’t as successful as you hoped. Perhaps it’s time to make some improvements to your business so that you can get back on top. Here’s some advice on pulling your company back after a quiet quarter. Return to the business plan. Every business plan needs updating eventually. You probably put a lot of effort into the details of your initial plan, but the market is always changing. That means you need to revisit your business plan on a frequent basis to make improvements where needed. It’s not just about accounting for changes to the external business landscape it’s about accounting for the internal changes to your business too. If you want your company to grow and evolve so that you can increase your sales then you need to return to the drawing board regularly so that you can make the necessary updates. Reassessing your objectives is key to growth. You might’ve had a quiet quarter because you didn’t take any steps forward with your business. Standing still in a fast-paced business world is the best way to get left behind. You need to keep thinking of newer and better ways to do business in your company. Don’t let the business plan gather dust again. Improve your digital marketing strategy. If your business isn’t seeing the same influx of clients then it might be time to update your marketing approach. In the modern age, it’s all about digital marketing. You can’t reach all the potential clients in your market if you haven’t mastered the art of advertising your company online. If you’ve had a quiet quarter then it might be time to reinvent your marketing approach. Are you really doing everything in your power to reach the consumers in your target market? You might want to rethink your social media strategy, for example. Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can be very powerful tools for a modern business if used correctly. Think about the content you share are people engaging with your posts? You might want to share more relevant information. Take a look at what’s trending on different social media platforms, and find ways to relate to those current topics in your posts. If you want to develop a successful digital marketing strategy then you also need a good understanding of SEO (search engine optimization). Consumers browse online for everything they need in the digital age. That means you need to target your potential clients on search engines such as Google and Bing. With the right content, your business’ website can impress the algorithms of a search engine and climb the rankings to show up at the top of search result pages. Of course, search engines update their algorithms frequently, so you need to work hard to make sure your website is relevant in terms of the latest requirements. You need not only good keywords but responsive design and professional content. You might want to check out this software development company to help with front end or back end development of your website if your business is struggling to get the traction it deserves. It’s important that you update your online approach if you want to pull your business back after a quiet quarter. It could be a much-needed push in the right direction. Use enticing deals to draw people in. It’s time to start turning heads in your target market. If you’ve had a quiet quarter then potential clients aren’t paying attention to you. You need to reel them in with great deals. There are smart ways to offer great deals without hurting your business’ profit margin. For example, you can discount without discounting; you could reward customers who make an expensive purchase by giving them a discount off their next expensive purchase. That way, you’re giving them an incentive to return to your business in the future. It’s all about giving your business that extra edge over the competition. You could even offer discounts to customers who refer your business to their friends. Referral schemes help to promote rapid growth. Make a better financial plan. We talked about rethinking your business plan in terms of new objectives and new projects, but you might also want to return to the drawing board in terms of your financial plan. If your business is going to grow in the next quarter then you need to invest more money into it. You need more employees, better resources, and perhaps even bigger offices if you want your company to grow. That will cost money. Obviously, increasing your sales is a good way to flesh out your bank account so that you have more spending potential, but it’s not the only way to increase your profit margin. If you cut overhead costs then you could increase your profit margin and have more available money to invest in your business. Making a more cost-effective financial plan for your business doesn’t always mean that you need to lay off employees or compromise in terms of resources and projects. There are ways to save money by making a more efficient workplace. For example, you could insulate your office walls and windows to better trap heat in the office. That way, your energy bills will be cheaper each month. You could also go paperless; not only will you save a lot of money but everything is becoming digitized in the modern world of business anyway. If you start thinking of more effective ways to spend your money in your company then you’ll have more funds available to spend on important investments.

67 Get a Job - Resumes Communications - Jane Jackson Career

67 Get a Job - Resumes Communications - Jane Jackson Career So many listeners ask me about specifics regarding the job search or career transition process so Ive recorded the next 7 podcast episodes just for you!From Episode 65 through to Episode 71 I’ll discuss each of the essential steps to take control of your career or your job hunt.Each episode will cover one step of the process.I was recently honoured to be interviewed by podcaster and branding specialist, Ryan Rhoten on his Brand New You Podcast and we talked about my book, Navigating Career Crossroads in great detail. The 7 episodes of this JOB SEARCH SERIES feature our in depth discussions about each step.In this episode let’s talk about resumes, your verbal pitch and how to use LinkedIn most effectively during your job search.If youd like to find out how to craft a powerful resume to attract your target employer, book an exploratory chat with Jane now!