Pregnant Job Hunting When You Should and When You Shouldnt

Pregnant Job Hunting When You Should and When You Shouldn't 10 Is it fair to prevent pregnant women from only working for a few months? Questions and answers for pregnant job seekers. Over on the Digital Eve Israel mailing list, a reader asked: I would like to know what is the protocol for a woman doing a job search who happens to be pregnant. What legal obligation does she have report her pregnancy, assuming it is not obvious? Likewise, at what point during the interview process should she mention it, as it probably isn't very nice to spring it on the employer after she's been hired/signed a contract? Has anyone been in this situation before? If a pregnant woman needs work, she can't be expected to wait until after her child is born, right?eval Although these questions were about pregnant job search in Israel specifically, the answers are the same anywhere that you're reading this. What does the law say Israeli law in this case (Hebrew) is similar to that of the US or most other Western country in saying that:eval Companies are not allowed to discriminate against pregnant job seekers Pregnant job seekers are not required to disclose their pregnancy. In Israel, the law only requires you do so if that fact is relevant to the position in question e.g. as a security guard. HOWEVER, pregnant employees are required to notify their employer once they've entered their 5th month of pregnancy (so the employer can prepare for maternity leave) So in Israel you can get a long-term job without mentioning your 6-month pregnancy, but when you finally start the job, you will immediately need to tell your new employer what you've been hiding from them throughout the hiring process. Is that really the way you'd want to start a new job? When to job search pregnant With that in mind, here's what I recommend: 8+ months' pregnant Don't even look, unless it's for a job that will begin after the baby is born. Instead, focus on growing your personal brand by building relationships and improving your skills so that you'll be better placed to find work quickly once you're ready to go back to work. And get some rest too! You're about to have a baby and you're going to need it. 5-8 months' pregnant Only look for short-term work, preferably of a kind that could lead to longer-term work later (at the same company, one of their clients, or elsewhere in the industry). By aiming for short-term work that ends comfortably before the baby is due, the pregnancy is no longer an obstacle for the employer and you put yourself on par with anyone else competing for those jobs. 0-5 months' pregnant Job search like everyone else. Don't volunteer any information, but don't make any conscious effort to hide your pregnancy or it will only come back to haunt you. Now what should you do if they ask? How to respond if asked about being pregnant As an illegal question (in Israel, according to the Equal Opportunities at Work Law), you have every right to refuse to answer. Depending on how the hiring process has gone so far and in particular, how the question was asked, you may prefer to respond. In that case, here's what you need to do. Treat the question like any other concern an employer asks about. Try to understand where the concern is coming from and what you can say that will make the concern go away or at least, be reduced as much as possible. Hopefully you've even anticipated the possibility of being asked this question and will have a reply ready. More specifically: Search LinkedIn for an ex-employee of the company and ask them to tell you about maternity leaves there or to refer you to someone who can. Ask friends, family and contacts for their stories of being able to manage the maternity leave transitions to their employers' satisfaction. If you've already been a pregnant employee who successfully returned to work in the past, tell the story of how you and your past employer dealt with the situation. If not, tell one of the success stories you heard in Step 2. In both cases, adapt the lessons to the information you learned about the company in Step 1. Conclusion The hiring process is a time to build trust, and it's important to distinguish between doing the right thing and doing the smart thing. By understanding employers' worries about hiring pregnant job seekers, you can best respond to their fears and emphasize why you're still a terrific candidate for the job who will be worth waiting for after your eventual maternity leave is over. If you liked this article, you'll enjoy Should You Put Age or Marital Status on Your Israeli Resume?. Have you experienced any job search problems related to pregnancy? Share your story in the comments.

How to Phrase Skills Gained From Research

How to Phrase Skills Gained From ResearchThere are a few things you can do when you're first starting out with resume writing how to phrase skills gained from research to give you the edge over your competition. By being able to modify your resume, the rest of your job search will be easier and quicker than it may have been if you hadn't been proactive about doing a little extra research on your own.Before you start adding in skills from research, you should know that it can be tough to figure out exactly what you need to use in your resume, or what kind of information is going to be acceptable. For this reason, a little more research into your field may be in order. The following pointers will give you a heads up on how to phrase skills gained from research to give you the advantage in your job search.It should go without saying that you should have at least a minor background in your research area. However, you can make an impression by being concise with the information you includ e in your resume. You don't need to write pages upon pages of material. At the end of your resume, it should only require one to two sentences to give an idea of your career goals.When you are trying to include information about your research experience, be sure to make it as relevant as possible. It may be tempting to mention the name of the project manager, but it's best to stay away from them. Instead, give a few key phrases that best describe your specific experience or skills, such as:It may be tempting to list your work experience as a team member, but doing so may alienate some of your clients and may cause potential employers to make assumptions about your ability to work alone. In order to avoid this, you may want to consider including just a single sentence mentioning your research experience: 'Team member.' While this may seem like very little, it may get the point across to the person reading your resume.Now that you know how to phrase skills gained from research to help you get the edge on your competition, you should begin to think about the skills that you wish to highlight in your resume. If you have a love for people and the working environment, perhaps you may want to include words like: friendly, sociable, and passionate. It is important that you tailor your resume to suit your needs, as it can make the difference between you land the interview and not.You should also be careful to not leave out any necessary professional skills on your resume. Your interviewer will be looking for someone who has excellent communication skills, strong leadership skills, and a good working knowledge of the skills you have acquired during your career.In addition to making sure that you aren't leaving anything out on your resume, you should take the time to learn as much as you can about the skills you are hoping to highlight. There are many ways to learn about these skills, and this should be a focus for you in your resume writing.

Case Study Interviews University of Manchester Careers Blog

Case Study Interviews University of Manchester Careers Blog If youve ever been to a management consultancy interview, youve probably encountered the case study. Theyre also used for a range of jobs to probe your commercial awareness and business problem solving ability, and they can be challenging if you dont know how to approach them. I blogged about this last year on the old postgrad careers blog, but as its still relevant to those of you going for consultancy this year, heres the recycled version. However, Ive also added some new resources to investigate for further support (see the end of this post). What is a case study interview? In a case study, you are generally given a business problem, but one where you wouldnt be expected to have a ready-made answer. For example, it might be a company trying to decide whether to launch a new product or expand into a new market; a private equity company trying to decide whether to acquire a company; a very brief description of a companys business model (no financial figures) where you have to advise them why their profits are declining. For strategy consulting, the problem may be expressed in a purely descriptive way no detailed figures, tables or graphs to pore over, just a statement of the fundamental problem. How to tackle a case study interview The aim is to get you to talk through how you would tackle the problem, the assumptions you would make (often financial) and to come up with a thought through, rational response, based on facts and figures, rather than your gut feel. An interviewer is normally there not only to note your answer, but to give you further information when you need it and sometimes to prompt you with questions. The trouble is, the interviewer wont lead you through the problem its up to you to put a structure to the case study. A common problem Coming up with a structure seems to be the part which stumps many people. Having extensive financial and business expertise, or spending your life delving into specifics (like most researchers) may just lead you off-track, as you ignore the big picture and get distracted by the detail. A presentation by Boston Consulting Group last year to our PhDs showed how this can happen. BCG gave a clear structure which could be used to tackle a case study, and then role-played it, getting suggestions from the audience. We got there eventually, but many of the suggestions were far too detailed, ignoring the simple structure suggested. Contrast this with an arts undergrad with whom I used the same case study recently. With a pure arts background,  no business experience and only a vaguely remembered economics GCSE to draw on, she was able to make a much better attempt at the problem by sticking to the big picture and using the suggested structure. One solution You dont have to follow this method but the approach which BCG suggested does seem to work for many problems, and avoids you casting around aimlessly for a solution. Take a minute before diving in. Clarify any points you dont understand. Re-cap the problem back to the interviewer, to make sure youve got the right idea. Work out how youre going to structure the problem, preferably showing your approach on a piece of paper makes it easy to refer back to, shows the interviewer where youre going with the problem, and keeps you from diving down into the detail. The simple structure they suggest for unpicking business problems is: My attempt (!) at a worked example For example, if the problem is Should company X try to expand into market Y?, you would need to understand the market first. You may be able to make a good guess at market trends from common sense or your knowledge of current affairs eg. in a recession, people may not be investing in new cars, but might be treating themselves with small luxuries (such as chocolate bars!). You can discuss your assumptions with the interviewer and if youre lucky, they may tell you that you can assume that certain markets are growing by Z% or just let you run with your assumptions. Again, you can use your common sense to think about who the competitors might be and who might be the customers. You could also suggest ways you might test out these assumptions. You wouldnt be expected to know details of obscure markets, but demonstrating a general interest in and awareness of the world of business is a definite plus. On the financial side, you can either bring in money (revenues) or spend it (costs). If youre bringing in more than youre laying out, and its a reasonable return on what youre spending, it could be a sound financial investment. So, on the expand into market Y problem, How much are you likely to be able to sell in market Y if you were introducing a new car to market Y, how many people in that market are likely to buy a new car, how often and what proportion might buy your car, given the competitors. How much are they likely to pay for that car? That gives you the total revenues you are likely to receive. What are the costs of say, investing in a new manufacturing plant in the country in which you want to expand? These are the fixed costs they will stay the same no matter how many cars you sell. With a bit of luck, youll probably get some help from your interviewer here. What will it cost you to make each car labour, raw materials etc? These are the variable costs as they will increase with every car you make. Again, you might get some help from the interviewer with estimating a rough figure. Youve already come up with an estimate of the volume youre likely to sell so you can work out the fixed + the variable costs. So, how much more is going to come in than is going out, and is it a reasonable return on the effort of expanding into a whole new market? Of course, there are a load of complications you could add in but keeping it top level is more likely to be successful. Tips from BCG Use a systematic approach, rather than a shopping list Turn concepts into equations (however, using simple addition, multiplication and percentages, plus some nice round numbers, will get you a long way. It does help if you get your sums right though ) Apply logic rather than worrying about quoting detailed facts. Dig deep into the problem but periodically step back to keep the overall problem in sight. Keep up a dialogue with your interviewer like a maths problem at school, youll get more marks for showing your working. Structure is key then lots of practice. Further resources If you have a case interview coming up soon, I hope youve been practising! Case study interviews for the major consultancy firms are not the sort of thing you can do with a couple of afternoons brushing up on a few techniques. However, if youre playing the long game and starting to think about applying next year, here are some good starting points: Books in the Careers Resource Centre these include the Vault Guide to the Case Interview, Case Interview Success and Mastering the Case Interview. Ive also read good things about Marc Cosentinos Case in Point book (though I dont think we have that one) Video and online resources Victor Cheng, a former McKinsey consultant has an extensive website, CaseInterview.com, with lots of articles on handling case interviews. He also encourages you to sign up to access his videos and weekly e-mail advice letters. Ive done this and can confirm that theres no sign of any spamming if you sign up just the weekly e-mails which pop into my Case studies folder. The videos are taken from a full day course on case interviews, so they can be a bit slow (the intro is 18 minutes, and really doesnt cover very much if youre itching to get into talking about interview technique). However, I assume they do speed up though to be honest, no, I havent sat down to watch them all! If you are seriously considering going for jobs which demand case study interviews, Id strongly recommend getting together with others in the same boat and practise, practise, practise good luck! All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate Applications and interviews Interviews

Six Dynamic Ways to Serve Your Clients - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Six Dynamic Ways to Serve Your Clients - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Client service, broadly defined, means supplying your customers with what they want, when they want it and how they want it, in a friendly and professional way. Client service is a vital ingredient in any business. In fact, a good service interaction can hike business-to-business transactions by 62 percent. It can raise business-to-consumer transactions by 42 percent. So delivery of great client service needs to be on your mind for both growing your business and robust retention rates. But what are the best ways to deliver dynamic service to clients? Here are six. Always Available Wins the Game Clients like to know that people are available to them â€" always be available to respond to their needs, whether they are asking about shipment dates or product features. Answer phone calls, e-mails and texts as quickly as possible, but certainly within 24 hours. If a client is asking about something you need to check on, whether it’s product specifications or a billing date, don’t let that stop the quickness of your response. Tell the client you need to take a thorough look at the spec sheet once you’re back in the office, or you want to touch base with the accounting department. Then, of course, follow up with the answer. Clients will appreciate knowing their needs are on your mind. Listen to Their Needs, Not Your Quota The best client service comes from people listening to other people. All businesses have needs. Products and services are purchased because those needs are filled. If your company is offering goods and services that interface only with certain software, for example, it might be a genuine problem for companies that have already invested in a different software type. Rather than suggesting that the client change something they have already put capital and training time in to, listen to why they use it. Could your product be reconfigured to fit what they already have? If so, you may come to be seen as a client service star. Use a Business Phone Answering System Quick response to a client often takes place over e-mail or even text. You may not be in a place where you can comfortably take a call during the day, especially one where you want to lay the groundwork for even better customer service, like listening attentively and taking notes. You could be in meetings, on a call or walking through a plant floor. Clients themselves may also be out of the office and not always reachable by phone. But a direct conversation will often yield insights and data that purely electronic communication can’t. It can be perceived as warmer and friendlier to communicate by phone than by e-mail as well. For those reasons, telephone communication needs to be part of your business plan. A business phone answering system answers all your calls and makes sure you never miss one, professionally and accurately. It reassures your clients that they can reach you anytime and anywhere. Train Your Staff All staff providing support to you needs to be trained in their role toward clients. They need to be able to answer questions that don’t need your attention, for instance. Make sure you have touched base regarding business etiquette, too. Emphasize the need to be polite and not as casual as you’d be with friends. This is especially important if you have a young staff who might think social media rules apply in business. Not all of them do. Also, make sure your staff knows to be available to clients for their level of support. The 24-hour rule needs to be in effect for them as well. Be Thoroughly Familiar With Your Product Don’t expect a client to be impressed if they ask a routine question about your product or service, and you can’t answer it off the top of your head. Yes, there may be times when a question requires specialized knowledge, and you’ll need to check. But you should be familiar enough with your product that answering most questions is second nature to you. Product familiarity is in part a matter of experience. But if you’re just starting out or provide so many products that keeping up is a challenge, take the time to familiarize yourself outside of work. Study the products like you’d study for a test until you know them backward, forward and upside down. That way, you’ll be able to speak expertly about what you can provide. Put a Feedback Plan in Place A continuous feedback loop is ideal for driving better client service. Clients tell you how well you met their needs. If everything is fine, great! If there are areas in which you need to step up your game, you will know about them specifically. Then, you strive to improve in the areas where they’d like to see improvement â€" and the feedback loop continues. Ideally, a feedback plan gives real-time feedback. Just delivered a major new system? That’s a good time to ask for feedback about timing, knowledge, quality of service and so on. If you’re going to ask for feedback, though, be sure to do it right away. Otherwise, clients may not remember their experience as well â€" and it can be annoying having to provide feedback after the fact. Customer service is an important part of any business. Use these tips to help your company excel with it.

Discover What Executive Resume Cover Letter Writing Services Can Do For You

Discover What Executive Resume Cover Letter Writing Services Can Do For YouMost people want to know what executive resume cover letter writing services are and why would you hire one? The answer is actually quite simple. Executive resume, cover letter writing services give you an opportunity to improve your chances of getting hired. That's the best way to put it, they are there to help you win.This is because there are many people out there that do not take the time to properly outline their resumes cover letters. These people do not take the time to write a great letter. This can be extremely frustrating, especially when you consider that your cover letter can be the biggest determining factor of whether or not you get hired or not.In fact, some of the top companies in the world pay a lot of money to top companies for the use of their talent and for their dedication to helping those that are in need. They want to provide these employers with the best resumes on the market.However, i f they can't find the right applicant, then they do not have to spend any money on anything. This can be detrimental to their reputation and also be financially difficult. You would not want them to go out of business because they did not provide you with an executive resume cover letter writing service.Your goal as a prospective employer is to get the most qualified candidate for your job. You want to be able to see that person's resume, what skills they have, and how these skills relate to the position you need them to fill. In order to get this information, you will need to make sure you have an executive resume cover letter writer.With these services, you are dealing with a professional person. This means that they have studied the resume writing field and they have a background in business and in this industry. If you want to improve your chances of getting hired, you should consider these services.You will want to think about the amount of work that would be involved with each service that you would want to take advantage of. However, you will want to think about this seriously because you want to make sure that you get the best results. After all, you want to know that you will get the best results for your money. You need to consider everything that you would want to make sure that you are working with the best that there is to offer.As you can see, there are many advantages to working with executive resume cover letter writing services. You will be happy that you took the time to find someone who can make your life a little easier by giving you the best cover letter possible.

Dressing For Success A Simple Guide For Freelancers - CareerMetis.com

Dressing For Success A Simple Guide For Freelancers Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comAs a freelancer, you have a little more flexibility when it comes to your workplace dress code than the average office. However, with more choice comes a lot of headaches â€" and there will be times when you wish you had the strict rules of businesses like legal firms and accountants in place.On the one hand, you want to ensure you are always looking professional when working with clients, but at the same time, you don’t want to overegg the pudding. Well, if these issues sound familiar, you have come to the right place.In today’s guide, we’re going to take a look at the clothes every freelancer should have in their wardrobes â€" and when to wear them. Let’s get started with the basics.1. Always get dressedevalevalFirst and foremost, make sure you are getting dressed every day, whether you are planning on seeing clients or not. Getting out of your PJs every morning and treating your work from home life the same as you would an office job is an excell ent way to get into a professional mindset.Also, you never know who might decide to pay you a visit â€" it might be your mum, but it also could be your next big-paying client.2. MeetingsMeetings with clients can be a tough call unless you already know something about them. However, if you think ‘more business, less casual’ it will go some way to ensure you are heading in the right direction. The idea is to look professional, but without trying too hard.For example, a simple business suit will generally be OK for a first meeting, but turn up in a three-piece, and your potential client might feel like you are overcompensating for something. Don’t forget, the central aim of meeting a customer is to secure their services, and they are more likely to play ball if they trust you.3. Working in a client’s premisesOnce you have secured your customer, make sure you understand the basic dress code of their offices if you are being asked to come in and pay them a visit. It’s OK to ask them â€" just ring ahead, or even pop in unannounced to say ‘hi.’Different companies have very different rules and dress codes â€" a young, fresh-thinking startup might be happy to allow their workers in wearing Dickies shirts and Adidas trainers. But an accountant’s office will almost definitely be wearing professional attire from 9-5.The point is â€" dress to fit in with the companies you are working for.4. The Perfect WardrobeevalAs you can see, your collection might need to be a little more extensive than the average office worker’s, as you will be encountering many more business situations. Ensure you have a couple of suits or dress suits in your wardrobe, and also put a big focus on smart, simple business wear.There will be occasions where you can wear what you like, and there is nothing wrong with adding a healthy dollop of creativity into the mix, particularly if you are in a creative industry. Just be careful that you stand out for the right reasons â€" your talent s â€" rather than your dress sense.

Preparing For Life at University - The Next Step

Preparing For Life at University - The Next Step Preparing For Life at University â€" The Next StepAs you get ready to finish secondary school, the thought on most students’ minds is what do I need to do to prepare for university? How am I going to pick the right university for what I want to do? What do I need to do to ensure I have a good chance of being accepted?Higher education is becoming a popular choice amongst youngsters who are leaving school Despite the raise in tuition fees, we are seeing more and more people choosing to opt to continue their education. The important thing to remember is that it is a massive leap from secondary school to higher education, and becoming a fresher is no easy task.The first step to this is to start looking early. Some people start looking when they start secondary school. However, you do not need to start quite so early. In many cases, you need to start looking in your second to last year. It is generally not the best idea to wait until your last year to start looking and preparing. Many u niversities require A-level exams.You need to have the time to prepare and study for these exams and if necessary retake them before you need to submit the grades and your applications to the relevant university. There are a few steps that can help you prepare.  This blog will cover some of the most crucial things to consider when preparing for life at university.Choosing a UniversityThe first step is to actually choose a university. Preparing for life at university is easier when you know what university you want to go to. Consider what you want to do. Certain universities are going to be better for degrees focused on Science, while others are better for those looking into the Arts. You are going to want to look for a programme that is going to offer you the best education in preparation for entering the job market.In order to understand which programme is going to work for you, you need to have a clear idea of what your chosen career or field of study requires. To obtain this info rmation look at job postings and do not be afraid to call companies and ask what they look for. You may be surprised at what you discover and it can make a huge difference in the types of programmes and universities you consider.  Once you have chosen a university, you need to consider what it is going to take to increase your chances of being accepted. Look at what the entrance requirements for the university are. Here are some tips to help you:Talk to the administrative staff at the university.Take a good look at what they require as far as A-level exams go.Keep an eye on deadlines â€" you want to make sure that you can have everything completed by the appropriate deadlines.Of course, choosing a university will all depend on your UCAS applicaton, and which universities accept your application. If you aren’t quite at the UCAS stage, or you would like more information about applying to UCAS, click on the image below.Understanding DeadlinesKnowing when the deadlines are is not ever ything you need to know about deadlines. You also have to understand what the deadlines mean and why they are so important. Getting your application into the university on time is actually the culmination of all your efforts. The first step to making sure you have everything is to make sure you have your A-level exams completed.Exams are generally proctored at certain times of the year. You have to make sure to take the exams far enough ahead of your application deadline that you can obtain the results and retain them if necessary and have the new results in time to include in your application.Filling Out ApplicationsOnce you have everything gathered, it is time to fill out the application. Many applications require essays in addition to the standard basic information and exam scores. Answering these essay questions can be the deciding factor on your acceptance so it is important that you study previous application questions and look at study guides that tell you what universities a re looking for in answers.Make sure that all the information that you present in your application is correct and that everything is filled out. Many universities will not let you know that an application is not correctly filled out. They will simply inform you that you have not been accepted. Go over every field and make sure everything is filled out and that it is correct.While you might have your heart set on a particular university or programme, it is a good idea to have several back-up options in place. You can always turn down multiple offers, but failing to get into the first university you have on your list and then trying for the second can leave you scrambling. It does not take that much more time or effort to fill out multiple applications at the same time.Most of the time, universities will all have application deadlines around the same time period but this is not always the case. Make sure that you fill out all the applications and get them in on time. It never hurts to submit your application early if you have everything together.For more information on how to work through an application form, click on the application form image below to be redirected to How2Become’s “Ultimate Guide to Completing an Application Form“.Preparing for life at university â€" top 6 tipsWhether you are just about to, or thinking about heading off to university, you need to be prepared! Don’t be fooled by the initial excitement that comes with starting university. Fresher’s Week may seem like the ultimate place to be, but if you haven’t prepared for the actual realities of university, you are definitely in for a surprise!There is plenty of things that you can do leading up to student life at university. Below I have put together 6 top tips for starting university.1. What to take For the majority of you, this will be the first time you will have ‘flown the nest’ and moved out from your parents’ house. It is really easy to get lost in the world of buying anything and everything because you ‘think’ it might come in handy.Think practicality! Don’t buy stuff that you are not going to use. Don’t buy stuff if you have nowhere to put it. Try to find out what is already available to you, and go from there. If you have roommates, you don’t all need to bring a microwave! One will do!2. Student bank account When it comes to student life, there is lots of opportunities that you should take advantage of. One of them being a student bank account. A lot of banks offer a free overdraft of up to £3,000, an incentive such as a student railcard or discounts on broadband!3. Student essentials There are lots of things that are essential in student life. Laptops, books and stationery are all some of the most obvious but invaluable essentials for anyone preparing for life at university. There are also lots of other things that you can consider which will be a huge benefit to you. Looking into purchasing a student travel card will allow you to save on train fares by up to a third.Another thing all students should look into is the NUS Extra Card. This is a discount card which provides offers on loads of things including entertainment and eating out!4. Learn to cook Do not be one of those students who leave home for the very first time without knowing the basics of cooking. As a student, you will need to learn some basic cooking skills. Nothing extravagant, but enough to get you by!There are loads of easy, simple, cheap recipes at your disposal on the internet so use them!5. The importance of bills You’ve now entered the big wide world with lots of bills to fork out for. Remember that everything comes at a cost. From your hall fees, to utility bills, to internet access… Although a lot of student accommodations include these in their price, you should double check these anyway! If you are moving to private accommodation, it is more than likely that these bills will NOT be included, and therefore you will need to factor these expenses into your student loan.6. Student jobs Bagging a part-time student job will come in very useful. Not only will it allow you to earn some extra spending money, but it’s a great way to meet new people â€" especially if you get a job on campus!Not to mention, this will look great on your CV!Additional Requirements and Following upSubmitting your application is just the first part of the process. There are some universities and colleges that have additional requirements. In many cases, they may require an interview. This is designed to help them narrow the field and is most often used when there are only a few spots available in a particular area but a large number of applications.Individuals who pass the initial requirements come in for an interview. There is usually a panel of administration from the university and they will ask questions. They may not ask questions related to the field. They may ask about hobbies, community service or even musical interests.It is als o important that you follow up during each aspect of the process. You want to make sure that your application was received and where it is in the process. The internet is a great tool for the entire process. Many universities now place all of their application requirements online as well as their applications. In some cases, they even have a site that you can log into that will show you where your application is in the review process.Applying for university is not difficult if you remember to start early, get everything in on time, and do what you need to do to handle everything from the application to the interview. It all starts with taking a little time to research the various universities and their requirements. This entry was posted in Career Advice. 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Two Tips to Working Remotely - Hallie Crawford

Two Tips to Working Remotely Many American workers accomplish at least some of their work tasks remotely. Working remotely has many advantages, but it also has unique challenges. In fact, a recent Harvard Business Review study found that remote workers feel “shunned” and “left out” when it comes to office politics. If you work remotely, what can you do to still feel part of your organization? 1) Take the initiative to communicate with your team. Just because you have a remote desk doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of your team or department. Many teams use apps such as Slack to keep in touch. If your team currently doesn’t have a set way to stay in touch, take the initiative to research some options that would work for your team’s needs. Then, determine an implementation plan for using it and how it would not only benefit yourself  but everyone else on the team. Schedule a meeting with your manager to discuss your research and your plan. If your team already has a way to keep in touch, ask yourself how often you reach out to your teammates? Just as you would have small breaks throughout the day at an office to chat with your coworkers, schedule a few small breaks to reach out to your coworkers for a chat. You may also find it practical to offer meeting for lunch or drinks after work from time to time. Taking the initiative will strengthen your work relationships and help you feel more like a part of your organization. If after taking the initiative to reach out you are still struggling to connect with your coworkers, consider our free presentation, “Dealing With Difficult Coworkers or Employees” to learn how to better manage professional relationships. 2) Set goals for yourself. If you are working remotely, then you most likely are able to accomplish your tasks without needing constant supervision. This means that you will need to foment some of your own personal growth on the job. Analyze the tasks you currently are in charge of and determine if there is a way to be more efficient or use a different method to enhance your skill set. You could also reach out to your manager and ask if they have any feedback about your work. Ask them if there are any other tasks that you could handle remotely. You may find it helpful to compile a list of tasks that you think you could handle and ask for a trial run of the new tasks. This would allow you to take on more responsibilities and continue to grow in the organization.