Generation Hogwash

Generation Hogwash 28 Should Generation Y have even been a thing? This is a guest post by The Recruiting Animal. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines. About seven years ago, when Generation Y began to come of age, there were all sorts of people writing articles about how different they were and how they were going to change the world. But, if they were the good guys, there had to be bad guys and who were those bad guys? Their parents, of course. I say “of course” but, at first, I was shocked. You see, I was raised to think that their parents, the Baby Boomers, were the saviours of the world. Weren't they rejecting their parents' culture? The father who worked too hard and the mother whose life was a social facade?eval I thought so. But, now I learned that the Boomers were the ones who worked too hard. They were the guys who became alcoholics to stifle the pain of conformity. That's why they were all in twelve-step programs. But, their kids, well, they were intrinsic reward junkies. They weren't joining the rat-race. They didn't do things to get ahead. They did things because they liked them. This was a learning moment for me â€" when I saw how shallow generalizations about generations can be. I knew that Gen Y wasn't what it claimed to be. First of all, it didn't refer to everybody in a certain age category. It just meant people who went to university. And, even then, it really meant people whose parents had also gone to university.eval And, it was the same back in the sixties. Things had changed since the fifties. There were a lot more people taking drugs and having sex before marriage and the music was very different â€" but there was no Love Generation. In 1972, when eighteen-year-olds got the vote, Nixon won by a landslide. Where were all the rebels then? They were only ever a small fraction of society who had made it to the front pages because they were entertaining. And when they got out of school most had gone mainstream. Haight-Ashbury was just a flash in the pan. And so was Generation Y. But people who were old enough to know better were going on about how great these guys were. I went after one guy, a “futurist”, who crowed about how tech savvy they were. It was nonsense but he was smart. He got an article in O Magazine and I didn't. But, eventually, we began to hear bad things about Gen Y. Employers said they were arrogant and lazy. Then the economy crashed and instead of taking over the world they couldn't find jobs. That’s when all the “Gen Y triumphalism” stopped. But it isn't over entirely. I was prompted to write this article after reading one entitled, “Kids Can't Use Computers”. Some people still think they know a lot so Mark Scott tells us at length that this isn't true. And just the other day I was speaking to a 47-year-old man who told me that his grandfather is a member of the Greatest Generation. This fellow is a smart guy. I think he's very intelligent but he didn't like it when I told him that the Greatest Generation is a nonsense idea. “Archie Bunker,” I said, “was the Greatest Generation”. But if a guy like that can believe this nonsense, anybody can. So, here’s the lesson. During the Gen Y craze, people were making lots of money giving seminars to Human Resource professionals about how to attract and manage Gen Y. The idea was that they were so different that an ordinary person couldn’t understand them and you had to do something special to reel them in. I remember a recruiting webinar in which we were told how to take a different approach when recruiting the different generations. It was such nonsense it was unbelievable but people were making money doing this. And that means you can too. Remember this statement: There’s a sucker born every minute. I’m not telling you to rob individuals but if a company is going to waste money on somebody â€" and they will â€" why shouldn’t it be you? Pick a topic any normal person can learn about on their own and put it in a presentation and sell it to a company for ten thousand dollars a day. I know you think I’m joking but that’s what suckers always think. The real winners know that knowledge â€" true or false â€" is worth a fortune. About the Author The Recruiting Animal is the author of The Psychology of Job Hunting: Transform Yourself From a Lily-Livered Loser Into A Sales Person For Only Three Dollars. This article is part of the The $10000 7th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest. WebHostingBuzz is a reliable web hosting company with the servers hosted at multiple US and Europe locations and over 30,000 happy customers worldwide. If you want The Recruiting Animal to win, share this article with your friends. READ NEXT: 15 Generation Y Stereotypes To Overcome on Your Job Search

Alternative careers spotlight series Teach First

Alternative careers spotlight series Teach First University of Warwick Sociology graduate continues her focus on careers in the public, voluntary and charitable sectors with this article on Teach First. Special thanks to current trainee teacher, Patrick Lavery. At Warwick my perception was that students were often under the impression that they must graduate into a corporate role in order to be successful. Given the apparent emphasis on law, finance and consulting, students value a greater visibility of ‘alternative careers on campus.   About Teach First Teach First  is an educational charity that places top graduates in schools in deprived areas with the aim to close the gap in achievement, access and aspiration between poorer pupils and their more affluent peers. The charity recruits and trains around 1,500 graduates per year on its Leadership Develop Programme, where participants qualify as a teacher after one year and graduate with a postgraduate diploma after the second year. Around 60% of participants stay in the classroom for a third year, with others moving into various roles in charity, the public sector and business. What might a Teach First graduate look like? You will be the type of person who has a passion for helping others. You are resilient, able to manage a demanding workload and prepared to self-reflect to improve your practice. You are patient as you get to grips with behaviour management. Enthusiastic as you try to inspire disadvantaged pupils and, show leadership to make lasting changes in and around your setting. Hear from a Leadership Development Trainee and Maths Teacher This week, I spoke to Patrick Lavery, a current Teach First trainee. Although Teach First have a significant presence on campus, this is an opportunity to read about the experiences, benefits and the daily routine of someone working on their graduate scheme.   I am responsible for teaching over 150 secondary school pupils, ensuring every child makes progress towards their target grades. But it goes beyond that: inspiring pupils to achieve, nurturing and guiding young people to make the right decisions, and creating resources to improve pupil attainment in the classroom. Tell me about an average day I begin the day with a morning briefing before teaching four or five lessons. I usually plan classes and mark student work during free periods or after school. Otherwise, I sometimes work lunch duty and often attend after-school meetings. Alongside my day job Schools have lots of extra-curricular opportunities to get involved in, such as school productions or the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. The benefits You are assigned a school based mentor, university tutor and a Teach First Participant Development Lead. Training leads to accredited qualifications; qualified teacher status (QTS)   and a fully funded Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). You are also part of a professional network of  Teach First ambassadors. How is the grad scheme structured? Before starting in a school, I attended a five-week training course called the ‘Summer Institute’. In September, I began teaching a near-full timetable. Additionally, trainees are asked to attend university around six days in the year, as well as three Saturday conferences.  Trainees are assessed by termly observations and a portfolio. We also complete four modules from the university partner, usually a 6,000-word essay. What advice would you give to anyone thinking of applying to the scheme? Think carefully about how much time you are willing to invest in this job. To be honest, it is not easy. The workload and emotional strain can be great. However, it is as demanding as it is rewarding and there are some truly brilliant moments in the classroom that give you a real sense of fulfilment and pride. There is never a dull moment while you are making a difference to young people’s lives: it really is a job like no other! Want to find out more?   Leadership development programme (The grad scheme) The Insight programme (the internship)

Answers for Tell Me a Time When You Failed - Interview Question - Career Sidekick

Answers for Tell Me a Time When You Failed - Interview Question - Career Sidekick Answers for Tell Me a Time When You Failed Interview Question Interview Questions and Answers / https://www.edenscott.com/blog Any time you have a job interview, youre very likely to hear interview questions like, tell me a time when you failed.Im going to walk you through the best way to answer questions about times when you failed, and how to avoid the traps and mistakes that can cost you the job offer.There are  three key things  employers look for in your answer, and some things they definitely do *not* want to hear, so well cover everything.Lets get startedHow to Answer Tell Me About a Time When You FailedThere are three key things employers are looking for when they ask this.1. They want to see that youre accountable and upfront, instead of making excuses.Show them you take responsibility for past mistakes instead of putting the blame on others.2. Next, they want to see that you can learn from your mistakes and use the experience to get better.Everyone makes mistakes, but no hiring manager wants to hire somebody whos going to keep repeating the same errors over and over. That drives them CRAZY.So make sure you show them what you learned from the experience and how you used it to improve.Theres one more key thing they might be looking for too3. Stay on track with your answer and make sure to tell a clear, concise story.Any time they ask a question that requires a story (which definitely includes a question like, tell me about a time when you failed), theyre looking to see whether you can tell a clear story and get from point A to point B without getting sidetracked.So dont let your interview answers ramble on for 5 minutes or go in a bunch of different directions.Keep it on-track and brief.Describe the situation you were in, the choice you made, and how it turned out in 1-2 minutes. Then you can spend 30 more seconds talking about how you used the experience to improve in the future.One more thing youll always get bonus points from a hiring manager if you sound humble, so try to do that as well.Do this by sounding like you appreciate the lesson you learned and are happy to have learned it (even though experiencing a failure is NOT fun at the time)If you do those things, youll have a great answer that will impress the interviewer when they ask you to describe a time you failed.Now lets look at some of the traps, mistakes, and errors that can get you rejected in an interview  when answering this question.Mistakes to Avoid When Talking About a Time You FailedFirst, dont let your answer get disorganized or go on for 3-4 minutes. Remember to be concise and brief!Also, dont make it sound like you learned nothing from the experience, and dont blame others. Always be accountable for what you could have done differently in the failure.Another big mistake: Not having an answer prepared and ready to go. Everyone fails, so dont try to hide it or act like you have no failures. Prepare an example and be ready to talk about it.Also, avoid giving a story that makes you sound careless, or like someone who rushes through things and makes many mistakes in general.Hiring managers arent going to want to hire someone who seems like they rush and make mistakes frequently.Its better to tell a story that shows a one-time mistake or error, rather than a pattern or repeating problem.Finally, one other mistake you want to avoid:I wouldnt recommend talking about a huge disaster.  If you made a massive mistake that cost a past company $2 million, Id keep quiet and find a less scary story.So its a bit of a balancing act Pick a real failure but dont talk about a disaster that severely hurt your company.Those are the mistakes to avoid when answering, tell me about a time when you failed.Next, lets look at some sample answers so you can build confidence and practice.Example Answers for Tell Me a Time When You FailedSample Answer #1:I was managing a project for one of our biggest clients in my previous company, and I was so eager to please them that I told them we could finish the project within 2 weeks. I thought this was doable, but it ended up taking 3 weeks and they were not happy. Looking back, I realized I should have been more conservative in my estimate to the client. I realized that a client isnt going to be upset if youre clear about the timeline in advance, but they are going to be disappointed if you promise something and then dont deliver. So I took this experience and used it to become much better at managing expectations of clients during projects I oversee. For example, on the next project with a different client, I told them itd take 4 weeks and we finished in 3. They were very happy about this.  This example answer does a lot of the things we talked about earlier in the article.It tells a clear, concise story.It shows what you learned from the experience, and even ends with an example of exactly how you used this lesson to improve your abilities.Lets look at one more example answer nowSample Answer #2:In my last job, our CEO gave me a chance to interview and hire entry-level people for our team. I chose to hire someone who seemed to have a lot of potential but also had some red flags or things that worried me. It ended up being a big mistake. They had a poor attitude and dragged the team down until my CEO had to fire them. I learned to be more careful and not rush my decisions and to speak with others on my team who have more experience if Im unsure of something. I also realized how important each hiring decision is, which made me a better manager in the last couple years of my career. Since then, Ive hired 8 other people and never had a bad experience like this again. But it was a great lesson to learn early in my career.The Best Way to Wow the Interviewer at the End of Your AnswerWhen you finish telling them about a time you failed dont just talk about what you learned from it show them with a real example.Notice both sample interview answers we just covered do this.In the first example, the story is that you told the next client their project would take 4 weeks and you fi nished in 3.In the second example answer, the story is that youve hired 8 more people since that failure, and each one has been a success.Its one thing to say you learned a lot from a failure, but an example or story is more powerful.  Answering Tell Me About a Time You Failed Quick InstructionsTalk about a real failure youve had, starting by describing the situation.Explain what happened clearly and quickly.Take responsibility and dont make excuses for the failure.Show what you learned from the experience.Talk about how youve used the experience to become better at your job and to avoid similar mistakes.Dont talk about anything that was a disaster for your employer. Pick a real failure but not anything too costly.Dont share any story that makes you sound careless in general. Its better to share a one-time failure that you quickly learned from and moved past.Be brief and concise. Keep your answer to 2-3 minutes.If you use these steps to answer tell me about a time when you failed, youll have an impressive interview answer that makes employers want to hire you.

Strong Employer Brands Pay Attention to Corporate Social Responsibility - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Strong Employer Brands Pay Attention to Corporate Social Responsibility - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke with Kellie A. McElhaney, who is a professor at UC Berkeleys Haas School of Business and one of the main brains behind the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative that is spreading all over the world.   When it comes to employer branding, successful corporations are able to bridge their brand and that of a noble cause together.   Kellie talks about what CSR is, why most companys fail to do a good job with CSR, how companys and their employee can get involved today and the impact all of this has on Gen-Y. How do you define corporate social responsibility? I define CSR as a  business strategy linked to two things:   1) a companys core business objectives and 2) a companies core competencies, designed to both provide positive financial return to the company, as well as positive social/ environmental return to society. Why do most companies fail to pay attention to social responsibility and what are the drawbacks when they dont incorporate it into their corporate strategy? Companies fail to engage in CSR because they do not see the inherent business value in CSR as part of their overall corporate strategy (reputation enhancement, operational cost savings, talent attraction/ retention, brand differentiation, access to new markets, customer loyalty, license to operate in new countries/ communities.   When CSR is not integrated in to or linked with corporate strategy, it is one of the first things to get cut when profits are down or new leadership comes on board.   It is viewed as extraneous to the business. [youtube=http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=psyDl7aspyQ] What are your 7 Principles of Branding CSR? Know thyself (link to your business objectives and competencies. Get a good fit (select an issue/ cause for which you own part of the solution) Be consistent (one deep cause throughout the company over a long period of time) Simplify (simple easy messaging, like Pedigrees Help Us Help Dogs) Work from the Inside Out (engage employees throughout the company) Know Your Customer (some segments are much more ready for this, ie Millennials, Women, LOHAS) Tell Your Story (stories trump facts 10 times out of 10) What are your top 3 tips for branding your company as great place to work? Engage employees in developing your CSR strategy, have CSR Councils, Committees, subgroups, etc. Tell one good story of one example  of how your employees have harnassed the power of your business to make the world a better place. Let your employees act as brand ambassadors and tell why you are a great place to work. What impact does CSR have on millennials? 79% want to work for a company heavily engaged in CSR 56% will refuse to work for a company who is not at all committed to and engaged in CSR. Over 80% will switch brands if no CSR. But more importantly, Millennials will blog, YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook about YOUR company and why you are or are not engaged in CSR- they spread their views on CSR virally.   They can make or break youyr brand in this space. Kellie A. McElhaney is the John C. Whitehead Adjunct Professor and the Founding Director of the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Shes also the author of   Just Good Business: The Strategic Guide to Aligning Corporate Responsibility and Brand.   In 2003, she launched the center, which has helped place corporate responsibility squarely as one of the core competencies and competitive advantages of the Haas School. McElhaney teaches courses on Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility and was named a “Faculty Pioneer” by the Aspen Institute in 2005. She consults to several Global 1000 companies in developing integrated CSR strategy, bridging her academic focus with the practitioner world.

Tips on What You Should Include in Your Resume Writing

Tips on What You Should Include in Your Resume WritingWith the ever increasing need for more people with information and expertise in the field of biotechnology, it is only natural that so many resume writing courses are springing up around the country. But, how do you know which one to attend? How do you know if your skills will be of the right caliber for the course? To give you some insight, here are some tips on how to choose the right program for your own career goals.First, you must consider your current academic standings, your undergraduate experience, and your professional experience in order to decide what course will best suit you. Some students choose a more specialized degree such as a PhD, while others might be looking for something a little more general like a B.S. In some cases, students have the experience of working in a management position while at college and thus might want to focus on choosing a curriculum that takes that into account.Next, you should focus on w hat kind of education you need to complete your degree, which is related to the type of discipline you wish to pursue. For example, if you are interested in the philosophy of biology, then you will be better served by learning about the philosophy of organic chemistry. That way, you will be better prepared to work in a biological laboratory, for example.After that, you should decide if you want to stick with your current career path, or if you would like to explore a new one. If you are interested in a new career path, then you will need to narrow down your choices based on what your interests are. For example, if you are a violinist and enjoy planning events, then you can choose a curriculum in event planning that offers courses in marketing and event production.However, if you are interested in a more technical career such as biology, then you will need to study more of the biology, specifically the biology of viruses, bacteria, and parasites. A few of the studies offered by this program might include but are not limited to, an introduction to evolutionary genetics, development of vaccines, and molecular biology, which deal with life forms that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Other courses might include but are not limited to, learning how to design scientific experiments, learning how to conduct research, and courses on the practical applications of the sciences.Aside from the actual curriculum, you might also want to think about whether or not you need additional courses on bioethics. Most students take courses on ethics because they find it so interesting. This helps them to learn about ethical issues in the area of biomedical science, which is a very important part of this field.Finally, you should consider whether or not you need to take any courses on general administration. General administration can be seen as one of the more important studies in the field of bioethics. It teaches students about the federal and state laws that govern healt h care and medical research, as well as how to interpret medical reports from the media.By doing all of these things, you should be able to choose a program that gives you the level of education you need to get your foot in the door of a career in biotech. When it comes to your resume, make sure to include all of the necessary courses mentioned above. Also, always look for a program that has a strong reputation among the other graduates from the same school.

New Habits for the New Year

New Habits for the New Year It is that time of year again when thousands of people sign up for gym memberships, resolve to eat healthier, or commit to better themselves. And yet, most will not follow through. It takes about 30 days to form a new habit and those first 30 days are difficult, but dont give up. Be Bold. If you are stuck in a rut and want to take action to change this, my post 4 Ways to Turn Over a New (Years) Leaf In Your Career has some suggestions. Actionable Steps Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter wrote about How to Turn 3 Career Resolutions Into Reality. She provides actionable suggestions on how to accomplish results for these three resolutions: Your Resolution: Get a Pay Raise Your Resolution: Get a Promotion Your Resolution: Find a New Career Less Mediocrity I joined Sam Fiorellas movement to accept less mediocrity! To me, it just makes sense to hold myself and others accountable to a higher level of delivery! You can learn more about Sams pledege on   Sensei Blogs:   Only One Resolution- Accept Less Mediocrity This is his (our) pledge in a nutshell: I’m going to question, demand and expect more of myself and everyone around me. Regardless of the outcome, I’ll know there were no stones left uncovered, no thoughts left unexplored and no sentiments left unexpressed. No regrets. 3 Words Or perhaps Chris Brogans post My 3 words for 2013 will inspire you to stay focused on just 3 themes in 2013. I love this and wrote about it last year. Chriss words provide him with focus for his goals and efforts! My 3 words for 2012 were: Persistence. Performance. Deliver. (They were on my wall all year long, until the cat tore them down a month ago.) My 3 words for 2013 are: Connection. Reflection. Direction. Connecting people is something I love to do and need to do more of! Reflecting on what my key strengths are and where Ive been successful and what I can do better will help me stay focused and have clarity. Finally, Direction is the path I want to take my business and services in. Ive waffled here and I hope 2013 will be the year I do it! Happy New Year to you all!

The Parents Guide to Year 6 SATS

The Parents Guide to Year 6 SATS All state primary school children are examined at the end of Key Stage 1, and Key Stage 2. This is done via a Standard Assessment Test (SAT). The SAT examinations help to identify a student’s key academic strengths and weaknesses, and help local authorities and the government to determine which schools are struggling or doing well. In some cases, secondary schools will base year 7 set information on year 6 SAT scores. Children are tested on what they have learned over the course of their school years; and the examinations cover topics such as reading, maths, punctuation and grammar. This is the most comprehensive parents guide to year 6 SATS.The year 6 SAT examinations can be a highly stressful time for both parents and children.  As a parent, it is important to realise that these tests do not involve a pass or fail, they are just a way of determining how well your child has understood the information they’ve learned at primary school. The more relaxed both you and your child are , the better they will perform.In this blog, we’ll provide you with some key dates and information on the current (2015) SATS, which are being taken this week; and give you some information on next year’s updated format. We’ll also provide you with practice questions and key revision tips, to help your child maximise their performance in these exams. This is the ultimate parents guide to year 6 SATS.Key Stage 2 Examinations 2015The current Key Stage 2 SAT examinations are being taken this week. Below we have listed the testing order. If your child is ill or unable to sit an exam, they will be able to sit the test within 1 week after the original date.Science TestingWhile there are no official science SAT tests, every two years the government will choose five children from every school, at random, to take a science test. This is known as science sampling. Schools are legally obliged to take part if chosen.Teaching AssessmentAlong with the standardised tests, students will also undergo ‘teacher assessments’.These are assessments made by the pupil’s teacher, rather than a formal written test. Tests such as speaking and listening are the most commonly assessed by teachers, and the results of these can sometimes be passed onto the child’s  next school, in order to further aid their educational development.In the event that there is a clash between your child’s SAT results and the teacher’s assessment of the child, then it is the teacher assessment that will take precedence.ResultsYou should receive your child’s results in July 2015. At the end of year 6, the minimum expected mark is a level 4, with a level 5 exceeding expectations and a level 3 being below them. Particularly gifted students have the option of taking level 6 papers. Always remember that what matters is that your child did their best. For some students, a level 3 can still be a fantastic accomplishment.Key Stage 2 SAT Examinations 2016As of the summer term of 2016, there will be s ignificant changes to the SAT papers. The tests will reflect the new national curriculum, and are expected to be more difficult. The mark scheme is also set to change drastically.The 2016 Key Stage 2 SAT exams will test students in Reading, Maths, Punctuation, Spelling and Grammar. Below we have laid out the typical format for each of these examinations.ReadingThe reading test will consist of a single paper, with one 800 word passage and two 300 word passages. Your child will be given 1 hour to complete the exam. The questions will include the following:Responses: In this section, students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of literary techniques and comprehension. For example, they might be asked to provide a short, basic response based on information found in the passage, ‘Where does the man live?’ or they might be asked more difficult questions such as, ‘How does the writer portray a sombre attitude?’Ranking: In this section, students will be given a list of events and will be required to re-arrange them according to the order in which they occurred in the passage.Identification: In this section, students will be asked to identify certain words that demonstrate how the writer feels about or portrays events in the passage. For example, you might be asked to identify one word that describes the weather.Spelling, Punctuation and GrammarThis examination will consist of two papers: an oral spelling test consisting of 20 words, and a grammar and punctuation paper. The latter paper will take 45 minutes to complete, and involves the following type of questions:Identification: In this section, students will be required to identify grammatical devices such as adjectives, pronouns, verbs and adverbs.Responses: In this section, students will be tested on their understanding of punctuation, and their ability to utilise this knowledge in constructing fluent sentences. For example, your child might be asked to complete or rewrite a particular sent ence, or they might be asked to identify what is missing from certain sentences; and then asked why what is missing is important.MathsThe mathematical examination will consist of three papers. Paper 1 will test the student’s arithmetic, whereas paper 2 and 3 will test their general mathematical ability, problem solving skills and mathematical reasoning.Paper 1: This test will consist of a series of fixed responses to arithmetic based questions, such as long multiplication and division. It will be 30 minutes long.Paper 2 3: These tests will consist of a wider variety of questions, including multiple choice, mathematical explanations and reasoning, tables, charts and true or false based questions. Each paper will be 40 minutes long.Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling    Mathematics     Top Revision TipsIn order to ensure that your child performs to the best of their ability during the SAT examinations, you can use our top revision tips:Purchase past practice papers. Although the cur riculum will be changing in 2016, practice papers are still a fantastic way for you to gain an idea of how your child is likely to be tested.Create a revision schedule. This will help you to stay organised and disciplined, and allow your child maximum use of their time in the build up to the tests. If you stick with a structured plan, you will be able to recognise what topics you have already covered, and what topics you still need to cover.Allow plenty of breaks. It’s really important not to overwork your child, particularly for tests such as the SAT which are not marked on a pass or fail basis.Stay positive. The most important piece of preparation advice we can give you is to make sure that your child is positive and relaxed about these tests. While the SAT scores are often a good reflection on how much your child has learned at primary school, a low score is by no means future defining. Don’t let it worry you, and certainly don’t let it worry your child.   This entry was po sted in Resources, Testing. Bookmark the permalink. Jordan Cooke Good Paying Jobs That Nobody WantsHow to Become a Solicitor â€" Useful Resources