So Many Ideas, Not Enough Time Will I Ever Actually Make The Change

“So Many Ideas, Not Enough Time Will I Ever Actually Make The Change” Help from our Community “So Many Ideas, Not Enough Time: Will I Ever Actually Make The Change?” * Rich is stuck. He's got plenty of ideas for his new career path, but, with a family and a full-time job to manage, he's struggling to make any progress. When you don't have the time to make more money, and you don't have the money to take more time, how do you get started? What's your career history and current job? I'm a Play Ranger. I work for a local authority, managing a small team to deliver play sessions in schools, children's centres and outdoor spaces for children aged 0-13 years. I also do one-to-one work with children who have various social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. I've been working in play for nearly ten years. I've also got a strong background in drama and performance, having completed a degree in Performance, a postgraduate diploma in Theatre and Performance Practice, and worked in a number of children's drama settings. How do you feel about your work? I enjoy aspects of it. I like working with children and young people. The things they come up with and the way they experience the world is fun and refreshing (and often makes me laugh). I like the variety in what I do. The work often taps in to my ability to be imaginative and creative. I often have to think on my feet, come up with stories at a moment's notice, figure out how to encourage even the shyest, most withdrawn children into play. I often find the work rewarding too. There's nothing better than seeing how I've been able to help build a child's self-esteem. But the fact is, there's a time limit on how long I can do this job for. It's a young man's job â€" very physical. And I get frustrated with the admin side of it all, and with the usual office politics that comes into so many people's jobs. There are huge parts of the job that are draining and dull. But, most of all, I'm not reaching my potential here. There's so much more I want to do. I'm ambitious and I want to be in charge of my own destiny. I don't want to just 'work for the man' my whole life. I'm so ready to move on. I need to build something of my own. What would you like to be doing instead? I need to do something creative. It's in my bones. Aside from my family, being creative is where all my satisfaction and fulfilment comes from in life. I've got lots of creative projects on the go and I'm always brimming with ideas. For the last ten years I've been part of a video game design team in my spare time, building a realistic military game that's well thought of by serious gamers. I'm a pretty serious gamer myself, but I've scaled it down recently as I got eye strain from too much design stuff. So, more recently I've turned my attention towards board game design. I like intricate, strategic board games, not the more basic, Monopoly-level kind of games. I've got some really promising ideas and I'm on a huge learning curve finding out about the industry and how board games are developed. I've got loads of experience with games and play â€" I just keep getting drawn towards it. I also write. I'm about halfway through a children's fantasy novel. Storytelling has always been a big part of my play work. I even train others in how to do it well. I've got lots of other stories in development too, but nothing's quite finished yet.I'm a member of a local AmDram group and have written a couple of short plays for the group which have been performed and received well too. I'd be happy working on my own, but I would also enjoy working with and bouncing ideas around with like-minded people in some sort of positive, collaborative, creative environment. I've wondered whether a board games company could be a good fit. But I've no idea how I'd even go about getting into one. What's the biggest obstacle in your way? I've got a huge time / money Catch-22. I've got so many ideas and I'm giving them everything I've got. But time is limited. And I don't know how to make this work pay. I'm a new dad and I've had to reframe my idea of 'free time'. My wife is supportive of my plans and tries to help ring-fence time for me to write and create. But it isn't enough. And until I either have more time to make something profitable (difficult enough in itself), or money to buy myself more time to spend doing it (i.e. reducing my hours in the day job), I can't get anywhere with moving my shift forward. However, reducing hours or taking a career break isn't an option. We've got bills to pay and a little one to support. So, I keep plugging away at it on my own, writing and designing when I can and feeling disheartened that there's no prospect of anything changing anytime soon. I don't want to be a forty-year-old play ranger. I feel so frustrated. I need to create. I'm good at it, and I've got so much to offer. How can I make my shift happen when I'm giving it all the time I've got, and I'm still not getting anywhere? Can you help Rich? Have you been in a similar situation, or are you in the same boat right now? How do you think Rich could move his shift forwards? Do you know anyone in the creative world he could talk to? Share your thoughts in the comments below and click the thumbs-up button to show your support. Give Rich a cheer of encouragement by hitting the thumbs-up button here:

How To Make Rental Living Less Stressful

How To Make Rental Living Less Stressful Not everyone can afford their own home, and even those that can don’t always want the responsibility that comes with home ownership. Those that rent their places of residence have the ease of calling their landlord when something goes wrong, and no out-of-pocket if it wasn’t their fault. Just that simple fact is enough to make rental living less stressful than owning your own home. However, you do still have stress to deal with. Here are three things you can do to help be less stressed in your rental home or apartment, so that you can enjoy your freedom! Keep A Budget Keeping a budget allows you to ensure that rent and all of your utility bills are paid in time. This way you don’t have to worry about shut-off notices or coming home to an eviction notice on your door. Budget in all of your important expenses first- that means rent, utilities, food, car payments, insurance. Then add the more fun and frivolous things- like new clothes, getting your hair done and going to the club. Follow your budget, no matter how tempting that shoe sale is. Spending outside your budget will just lead to stress and debt. Keep Track Of Issues According to Green residential, experts in rental properties, one of the top five complaints by tenants to their landlords is about plumbing or appliance issues. To help take some of the stress out of your life, like waiting for the landlord to send someone to fix the fridge before all of your food spoils, make sure you are taking good care of your home and it’s appliances. You may not own the stuff, but it will last longer if you treat it that way. Plus, that maintenance person works for your whole complex and may take a day or two to get to you when something does go wrong. Why not work towards prevention? When something does break down, keep a log. Track what happened, if there was any damage in the home/apartment, how long it took to get it fixed, etc. This information may  help you when it comes time to move out in case there is any confusion about your deposit and damages to the place. Respect Your Neighbors Hopefully “do unto others” will work in your little rental world. If you are a nice, quiet and friendly neighbor you may be more likely to attract the same. If you have a rowdy neighbor and approaching them yourself has done no good then going to the landlord is a must. Chances are that if they are annoying you, they are also annoying some other neighbors. Don’t fight back, though. If their music is loud, don’t challenge them by turning yours up. You’ll just end up being the one that gets the noise complaint. Here’s a good article on how to deal with noisy neighbors. As you can see, while rental life isn’t always ideal and does come with its own issues, it can lead to a less stressed life.

Why Talent Acquisition and AI are a Match Made in Heaven

Why Talent Acquisition and AI are a Match Made in Heaven Hiring the best talent is critical to business success. After all, an organization is nothing without its people. But talent acquisition is not an easy job. It can be fraught with issues, including unconscious bias. Many companies may believe that their hiring practices are fair and free of bias. However, unconscious bias can scupper any formal processes to increase diversity. Increasing diversity isn’t just a nice thing to do… it directly impacts your bottom line. Companies with the most ethnically diverse executive teams are 33% more profitable than their non-diverse competitors. Introducing unconscious bias Unconscious bias is used to describe the innate prejudices that we hold, that could impact decision making when hiring and promoting people. We all hold some degree of subconscious attitude towards race, gender, education, age, wealth, appearance and many other characteristics. Because it’s unconscious, this type of bias can be hard to identify. Unconscious bias training can help, but another effective way to cut it out of your hiring process is to use artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence and recruitment AI can help recruiters in many ways. To reduce bias, an AI can help screen candidates based on ability (and not race, gender or other biased factors). It can also spot patterns in hiring processes that could be harming diversity. When used in this way, however, the AI needs data. Plugging a CV into an algorithm isn’t enough, and neither is a LinkedIn profile. To identify the best person for the job, you need to consider all of their skills, experience, and most importantly, their potential. You’ll never get this wealth of data from a simple CV or LinkedIn profile. Limited data feeds unconscious bias Indeed, limited information on a candidate impacts your entire recruitment process not just your AI’s efficiency. With limited data available, you’re more likely to be impacted by unconscious bias. You’ll be forced to make decisions based off of ‘gut instinct’ and not empirical data. In other words, you’re probably relying on your unconscious bias. Many might jump at that statement, after all, everyone understands not to hire based on gender, race, or any other common prejudice. However, education bias might pass under your radar. The same might go for affinity bias, confirmation bias, and past performance bias. So, to avoid unconscious bias completely, you’ll need to ensure your AI has current data with a sensible aim to have over 100+ data points for all people in your candidate pool.  This should include their skills, competencies, ambitions, experience, client relationships, volunteer work, and so on. Importantly the AI (or machine intelligence) can then add further suggestions to this list based on similar candidates. Someone experienced in social media marketing, for example, might have campaign management, Buffer, and paid advertising as suggested skills. Other uses for AI in recruitment Predicting success: AI can help predict how successful a candidate might be in a role. Again, having a lot of data available is important for accuracy. AI can analyze an individual’s skills, along with cultural fit and other role-specific criteria, to understand who would be best placed for a job. Creating job ads: It also has an impact early on in the hiring process. AI can use natural language processing to highlight where job descriptions might be biased. It can also analyze competitors’ job posts to give recruiters a benchmark for diverse job applications. Similarly, it can delve into hundreds of past job posts, to discover what attracts the most applicants. From these insights, recruiters can move closer to creating the perfect job ad. Automating tasks: Of course, there’s also a plethora of tools that can automate much of the recruitment process. AI can schedule meetings, send emails, onboard new recruits, and even answer questions from candidate via a chatbot service. Taking over a lot of the mundane tasks in a recruiter’s day frees up time for hiring the right talent. Getting talent acquisition ready for AI Most AI tools available to recruiters are plug-and-play. That means they can get up and running with a little initial set-up. Again, the availability and quality of your data must be emphasized. Without the right data, your AI is going to provide limited insights. Think of it like a car, without enough fuel you’re not going to get very far. It’s worth consulting your IT department to understand how any new AI tool will integrate with the rest of your tech stack. You should also consider whether it requires any additional skills that require training or new team members. Speaking of your team, there is a fear amongst some that AI will take their jobs. In contrast, a lot of AI tools are there to simply augment what they already know. It’s there to make their jobs easier and to move them on to more strategic activities. When implementing any kind of AI tool, communicating its benefits to your team is vital. As is alleviating any fears they may have. Make recruitment a breeze with AI AI technology is impacting all businesses, across all departments. Talent acquisition is no exception. There’s a lot of potentials to make the recruitment process ultra-efficient, truly unbiased and fully exploiting the internal candidate pool. By using AI in the right way, and giving it enough data, you can reach the Holy Grail of recruitment: finding and hiring the best candidate without bias. About the author: Rob Hill is the CRO of ProFinda,  a Team and Work Management platform that maps the skills, knowledge, and expertise available across an organizations total talent supply chain of internal, contingent and alumni workers.

What Can You Dump Today to Be More Productive - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What Can You Dump Today to Be More Productive - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Using the 4Ds of Time Management can help you become more productive. But, there is a cost. While you may be respected for your time management skills you may not be very well liked. Be aware of this when you apply The 4D’s to your business and personal time management efforts. What are the 4Ds of Time Management? They are, in the order of use: Dump Delay Delegate Do The 4D’s in the Real World I had a manager many years ago that followed the 4D’s religiously. It was both annoying and infuriating. Because his first instinct was to apply the First D which included ignoring the request, task, comment or whatever it was. His passive / aggressive “ignore” caused a lot of consternation (and eventually his job). Because he was so fixated to his 4D mode of  thinking it became amusing … and we started having fun with it. Perhaps that’s another post. Why Do I Mention The 4D’s? I mention these because when used in a more professional manner they can be helpful when deciding where to spend your time. Just use them in a respectful manner. Sometimes you might need to explain or remind people how you determine which tasks you take on. There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. ~ Peter Drucker When Should You Use The 4D’s They are actually a very effective tool for managing your time. You can use other models of time management, including David Allen’s GTD and Stephanie Winston’s TRAF, in addition to using The 4D’s. Use what works for you. There is no set model that works in every situation. As noted above, use a model that works for you. Help people know how you manage your time by telling them how you prefer to use your time most effectively. When you do you will stand out in your career. When you help others to help you there is a combined effect where everyone can become more effective. Putting The 4D’s to Use I’m not an advocate for taking on too many projects or for not handing things off when it makes sense. However, I am an advocate for getting things done. The secret to getting things done is to act ~ Dante Alighieri Sometimes you just have to take on the 4th D and get things done. The world would be a better place if people spent a little more time doing and a little less time looking for excuses by hiding behind the first 3 D’s. In the end what you dump will be a reflection on your career. Choose Wisely!

Writing Objective For Resume

Writing Objective For ResumeWriting Objective for Resume is important if you want to make your resume appealing and impressive. To get your objectivity corrected, you will need to consult a professional resume writer. You might be given a rough draft of your resume and the goal of the resume writer is to turn it into an impressive resume.It is also advisable to hire a professional who knows how to use Objectives to effectively format the resume. You can make mistakes when it comes to putting the Objective for your resume because you do not have proper direction. Hence, hiring a professional resume writer is worth the investment.It will save you the time and effort if you have properly planned your objective for resume. You will not have to do it yourself unless you are confident enough about the direction of your resume. The right way to write a resume objective is to let the resume writer do it.Having a clear and concise objective is not really all that matters. A clear objective ca n sometimes make it appear confusing and not very interesting. Having a compelling objective can help make a resume really stand out from the rest.If you want your objective to be compelling, you will have to write it well. In fact, you must know how to write one well so that you get it done the right way. You should use facts and figures to give a positive and sound interpretation. You can include your job experience and achievements in your objective and see how it can change the attention of the reader.The objective for resume should be based on facts and figures. It should include important information about your previous jobs and why you should be considered as the best candidate for a new job. However, the information should be simple and it should not be longer than three or four sentences. For example, 'As a sales representative in international markets for technology companies, I have gained valuable experience of my career.'Objectives for resume can be included in your CV as well. That is, you can keep them at a page in the CV. To make sure that you have an interesting and compelling resume, you should only write about your experiences and achievements.There are many ways to organize your resume so that you can find it easily. You do not have to take advantage of any of them and you can go about writing one on your own. Use objective for resume as a guideline to help you do it the right way.

5 Job Search Scenarios That Shouldnt Come As a Surprise

5 Job Search Scenarios That Shouldnt Come As a Surprise Dont let these five job search scenarios catch you off-guard! When you are new to job search, you may feel like you are regularly faced with requests and unfamiliar protocol. Dont let requests from a future employer surprise you.     As a new job seeker, your challenge is to respond to new situations as adeptly as possible. Experience is the best teacher, but you dont have time to monkey around when it comes to your job search. Youll need to learn as much as you can, as quickly as you can, so youre not caught off guard by unfamiliar job search scenarios and demands. There may even be some instances in which you decide not to comply with the requests of a future employer. You must carefully weigh the pros and cons before you decide because your decision not to comply can eliminate you as a candidate for the job. Are you ready to handle these five unexpected  requests  during your job search? 1. Wed like to schedule a video interview. If you havent experienced this yet, expect to hear this request soon. Organizations use video interviewing to save time and money. It enables the interviewers to review your answers at a time that fits with their schedules. The video can also be shared and reviewed more than once to help the interviewer evaluate the applicant. There are many different tools and procedures used for video interviews today. Skype interviews require that you have a Skype account. Be sure to set one up today to become familiar with how to use it. Organizations use tools that can either record your interview live and some software will pose a question and when you are ready, your answer is recorded. Sometimes you can review your answer, and sometimes you cant. The trick is to always read and follow the instructions provided so you understand how the interview will work. The basic rules apply to all video interviews: Dress as you would for an interview, look at the camera and make sure you are in a location free from distractions and loud noises. If you have questions, dont be afraid to reach out to the interview coordinator. You can learn more by reading Are You Ready For Your Video Interview 2. Take this personality assessment. Organizations are putting more focus on finding candidates who fit the companys culture. Rather than leave the assessment to the interviewer, some companies have turned to online personality assessments. Based on the results of your assessment, you may or may not be selected to move forward in the interviewing process. However, you dont want to fudge your answers. Fit is a two-way street. The better you fit, the greater your chances of success in the role. When answering personality assessment questions, dont overthink the question. Go with your gut or the first answer that pops into your head. You can learn more about finding the right fit by reading Find The Right Company Culture 3. Youll be interviewing with 10 other candidates at the same time. During a group interview, companies with numerous candidates may schedule all the candidates to interview at the same time. One medical company asked a group of scientist candidates to work together to solve problems and present the solutions. This scenario tested teamwork skills. Another organization brought candidates together for a sales position and asked each candidate a question while the others listened in the same room. In this interview scenario, the company wanted to evaluate candidates ability to sell their qualifications compared to the competition. 4. Please give us permission to run a credit check. It isnt unusual for companies to ask permission to run a credit check for roles in finance or accounting. In such roles, you will have access to other peoples money. In these instances, a company is using your credit score to evaluate how you manage your own finances. In the case where your credit is poor, the hiring managers may feel that you are at risk for mismanaging clients money or the organizations money. But asking for your credit history isnt limited to money-handling roles. To protect your credit history, only provide permission to run a credit check if the company is ready to extend an offer. Too many credit checks can have a negative impact on your credit score. 5. Please provide your W-2. Your W-2 is the form an employer provides to show how much you earned for the year. When you file your taxes, you use this information to show your earnings. So why would a future employer ask to see this? In positions where you earned a salary and commission, your W-2 provides proof of the total income earned, rather than taking your word for it. Candidates pursuing sales roles are more likely to experience this request. However, other types of professionals may be asked to supply this information as well. When providing any information which contains your Social Security number, it is important that you trust the person requesting the information. Organizations typically wont ask for a W-2 until later in the interviewing process, but you should always take steps to protect your Social Security number and other identifying information. To learn more about providing your W-2, read  Would Your Provide Your W-2 This post originally appeared on USNews World Report On Careers

Give me a Chance

Give me a Chance I frequently run into people who say I know I could do the job ifthey wouldjust give me a chance. Whyarent they arent giving you the chance? Are you perceived during the interview as: Requiring high maintenance Needing extra time to get the job done Being a know-it-all Having all the answers Too unsure of your own abilities Carrying the emotional baggage of job loss Angry Un-real Desperate for any job Being set in your ways Looking for your next lifetime job Just wanting to do the bare minimum Demanding An awkward communicator A complainer A victim Wanting too much Even though they may say after the interview that you were not selected because you didnt have enough _________________ (fill in the blank), generally that means you didnt hold up to what they thought you were on paper. The good point here is that the resume worked its magic. The opportunity for improvement is that you need to work on interviewing skills. Do not confess your true weaknesses in a way which will disqualify you. Well never truly understand why we werent selected for a job. Quite honestly, a lot of hiring decisions are just based on gut reaction. So what will it take for you to leave the interviewer with the right feeling? They must believe that you can do the job as they want it done. You must be perceived as easy to get along with and they have to see that you have a proven track record of success, not mediocrity. The employer wants someone who will be a good investment. In one of my favorite movies Jerry Maguire Renée Zellweger says to Tom You had me at hello. What can you do in the interview to grad em? Or as Cuba Gooding Jr. would say Show me the money!