Will it ever stop raining? We’re certainly wondering in London and we’ve also had more snow that usual. But the weather has been a lot worse elsewhere. You are probably well aware of the way in which weather and your life can interact to cause what you consider good or bad results, but have you thought about the influence weather could have on your career? Read More »

If you want to find and develop a satisfying career, you need to create a solid strategy and an important part of that is your personal SWOT analysis.

What exactly is a SWOT Analysis? It’s just an (honest) evaluation of your own strengths, your weaknesses, the opportunities which present themselves and finally the threats which might just get in the way of your success. Read More »

I think most people will agree, it certainly isn’t my idea of fun and so my plan is to make it easier for you, by creating software where you just have to fill in the blanks.

It’s interesting – when I graduated back in the depths of one of the past recessions, everyone said “If you are good at languages, why not learn a computer language?” Well, I don’t think anyone actually said it to me, but I know that I read it all over the place.

Personally, I can’t see the connection and I was certainly never drawn toward computer programming and I doubt if I’d have the patience for it. So, this means that when it comes to creating software, I have to rely on a programmer and so there have been delays. But I am sure it will be worth it in the end – it will be very cool.

In the meantime I’ll just stick to speaking Chinese with a Belfast accent, a very useful life skill.

I promised I’d update you on some new developments today and there are two main areas I want to talk about. One is a slight change in direction and the other is an update on products.

The change in direction isn’t really a change – I’m just putting more emphasis on it now, because of the state of the economy. My main focus is career change and for me, that has always been about job satisfaction. But it has always been clear to me that unless you have a very strong vocation, you are unlikely to get all that you want from a job in one place, that is in one job or career. Read More »

Over the next few days we’ll take a look at a few steps you can take to keep your job, while everyone around you is losing theirs.

Okay, the first way to keep your job is to increase your productivity. It’s easy to become frozen into a state of inaction in a crisis situation, but that isn’t the best way to deal with the current economy. While you could think there is no point in working hard, after all, you’ll probably lose your job anyway – so why bother, it’s much better to have a positive approach.

If you show some initiative and make a point of doing your best, it won’t go unnoticed.

If the boss does have to let some people go, he’ll be reluctant to get rid of his best workers – so become one of them.

And in the worst case scenario, whre the company does go bankrupt and no jobs are saved, you’ll at least get a great reference and that will go a long way to getting you hired again.

The free software is now ready for you to download. You can use it to keep a track of all your
job applications to make sure you get them in on time and that your contacts are following up effectively. you can access it at:

Track Your Job Applications

There is a screenshot on that page, to give you a quick look at what it can do and there is a pdf in the zip file which takes you through the use of the software, step by step.

Enjoy using it!

Waller

Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions? Even if you haven’t, you are probably like most people, who at least think about improving their lives in the coming year. Often with a career change or at least a better job.

But with the world in the grip of a huge economic downturn, it’s hard to believe that this is going to be achievable.

However, there is a lot you can do if you want to ensure that your life gets better and not worse during the recession.

One very positive step you can take is to enhance your skills. Traditionally, a lot of people go back to college to ride out a recession, with a view to coming out more qualified at the end and in a stronger position to get a new job when the economic climate is more favourable.

But not everyone can afford to go back to studying full-time. Don’t let this put you off – there are hundreds of opportunities out there which are affordable and in some cases free, depending on your circumstances.

Take a look at your profession or the industry in which you are currently working, or your past jobs if you are out of work. What are the most important skills at the moment? That is, the skills which employers are looking for and will pay for. If you want to get hired or stay hired during the recession, it is an excellent idea is to become highly skilled in the most in-demand areas.

So take a look at what is going on around you, in your own industry or other industries where your skills would be valued. Then get really good at what you do, become an expert in your own area and hone your transferable skills to ope up new opportunities.