Graduate skills - what are employers looking for

Graduate skills - what are employers looking for by Amber Rolfe Figuring out what companies want in graduates isn’t always easy… However, although the specific skills and experience you’ll need will depend on the role you’re applying for, the same core set of abilities will always be in demand â€" especially those that will allow candidates to learn and grow within their organisation.We’ve already covered what graduate employers really want, but here are the top skills graduate employers are looking for:  Top graduate skills Some of the top skills employers look for in graduates include:Commercial awarenessInterpersonal skillsTime managementConfidenceSelf-awarenessDecision making skillsAbility to work under pressureInitiativeLeadershipEmotional intelligenceCreative problem solvingAdaptabilityFive CV skills employers look for in every jobseekerFive personal attributes valued by employers  What is the difference between hard skills and soft skills?  Hard skills are technical abilities which are specific to a partic ular role. They can be taught, are easily measured or demonstrated, and are often learn through dedicated training.Examples of hard skills: coding ability, foreign language skills, bookkeeping.Soft skills are self-developed attributes, which are picked up through your life and work experience. Whilst they’re not specific to a particular job, they’re vital to have in almost every industry.Examples of soft skills: interpersonal skills, leadership, adaptability.Most employers will look for candidates with some hard skills (depending on the level of the role), which are complemented and enhanced by a variety of soft skills.Hard skills vs. soft skillsWhat are soft skills?Which types of skills are graduate employers looking for? For some roles, it’s likely that you’ll need hard skills. However, every graduate job will require you to have certain soft skills.This is because graduate employers are usually looking for entry-level candidates with a solid foundation that can easily be built on. In other words, you don’t need to have everything â€" but you do need to show them that you have the ability to learn it.And, as a recent graduate, these are likely to be your most prominent skills. Especially if your degree discipline wasn’t veered towards a particular job.To find out exactly what an employer is looking for, read the job description carefully and see if the key skills needed for the role are primarily soft, or are made up of harder industry-specific skills. Then tailor your application accordingly.Applying for graduate jobs  Do I need transferable skills? Transferable skills are a vital set of abilities that can be applied to almost every industry â€" making them valuable attributes for employers.They can be picked up in a wide variety of contexts, whether it’s through education, hobbies, work, or just at home. So not only is it practically guaranteed that you’ll have them, you can also use them to prove to employers that you’re a good fit; even if you haven’t had any direct experience yet.Transferable skills are particularly important for recent graduates, as their studies and/or previous work experience may not directly relate to the jobs they’re applying for.However, the skills you’ve gained could be more relevant than you think.Here are just a few examples of transferable skills:Time managementPrioritisationDelegationListeningCommunicationWhat are transferable skills?  How can I develop my skills?  Although you’re likely to have a range of skills to help you land your dream graduate job, some roles might require candidates to have specific prerequisites whether it’s an industry specific qualification, knowledge of a type of software, or practical work experience.Often, having these additional abilities are exactly what you need to stand out from the crowd.But don’t worry; there are many ways to expand on your skills and learn something new. And it doesn’t necessarily need to be a time-consuming process. Here are a few ways to develop your skills:Take a courseVolunteerGet some work experienceDo an internshipMake the most of your hobbies and interestsHow can I demonstrate skills on my CV?  OK, so you know what skills you have, how to develop them, and what employers want, but how can you demonstrate them effectively?Here are a few dos and don’ts you should always follow when talking about your skills in a job application:Do: refer back to the job description to ensure you’re only including relevant skills.Don’t: forget to include real-life examples that accurately demonstrate your abilities.Do: follow the STAR technique.Don’t: use clichés or buzzwords.Do: focus on how your skills will make you great at their vacancy.Don’t: be vague (especially when it comes to industry-specific proficiencies).Five lines that are killing your CVWhat words should I use on my CV?Six ways to make your CV stand out from the crowdStill searching for your perfect position? View all graduate jobs nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the Graduate CV Interview Advice

How To Find Your Life Purpose To Live A Regret-Free Life

How To Find Your Life Purpose To Live A Regret-Free Life Finding your purpose and then creating a regret-free life can feel daunting to many, especially when you feel the pressure of ‘running out of time.’ At the core, we all want to know three things: That we have a purpose for being here; That our life has meaning; and that we matter enough to leave an impactful legacy. Discovering our purpose in life is directly tied to creating a life full of joy and incredible experiences and connections, rather than regrets, worries and fears. The problem is, it’s not so easy to know what our purpose is, and even when we do, it can be very hard to actually LIVE it. So, here are 10 simple, yet profound, ways to discover your life purpose and begin creating your regret-free life: Flip through magazines. Look for images and words that speak to you even if you don’t know why. It can help you identify your passions and what’s important to you. Maybe even discuss these images with people that are close to you, so that you can talk it to and gain more clarity about why they resonate for you. Doing this can also help you feel like you’re beginning the process of uncovering your purpose and this action takes us out of fear and into focused inspiration. Identify leaders you admire. Whether they are famous or the world’s best kept secret, write out what qualities in particular that you admire and would like to cultivate in your own life. If these are people close to you, ask them questions like, “what gets you out of bed in the morning?”; “What inspires you?”; and “Who do you admire and why?” If they are well-known, read their biographies. You can get so many clues as to how they live their lives. Success always leaves clues about how to live ‘on purpose’. Notice the people in your life. Look for people  who you feel are living ‘on purpose’. See if they’re willing to meet with you to share insights, like: When did you discover your purpose?; How did you discover your purpose?; What are your top 3 tips to living a life of purpose?; What’s your greatest regret? The key here, is to gain clarity and also see how diverse and expansive living a life of purpose (and without regrets) can be! Set a morning routine. It’s amazing how quickly ‘purpose’ can reveal itself to you when you are mindful about being focused in the ‘small stuff.’ When we are purposeful about morning habits, for example, it ripples into other areas of our life. Set up a morning routine for your first hour of waking and start doing this every day. I recommend taking a few minutes to journal about what you are grateful for each day. Be purposeful about the thoughts you hold in the morning, the way that you move and nourish your body, how you speak to yourself and how you engage with others. It is said that how we do the little ‘stuff’ is how we do the big stuff, so if you want to thrive in your purpose-filled life, you’ll feel better about starting somewhere. Clear out your unhealthy habits. Put a priority on health. We need to feel healthy to live a regret-free life on purpose. How much technology are you engaged in daily? How much water are you drinking? Are you spending your time wisely? All of the choices that we make directly impact our sense of purpose and our vitality. Choose wisely. We all know what our bad habits are, work on cutting them out and be gentle on the yourself (a.k.a watch your negative self-talk and be your own cheerleader). Health clears the mental clutter and makes you think clearly, making it easier to discover your life path and feel excited about life. When we’re excited about life, we lead with and that is when those really cool opportunities and synchronistic moments appear. Read books on soul purpose, goal achievement, and mindfulness. When I received those really strong urges to get clear on my purpose, I felt restless and had an unrelenting pull to gain clarity. I devoured as many books on the topic as I could. The key is to move the tips and tricks you learn into action. My top 3 favorite books for people just beginning their soul purpose discovery journey are: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach, and Stand Up For Your Life by Cheryl Richardson. Start small. It’s easy to get swept away in the feeling that everything needs to come together yesterday, but, like all best laid plans, if you bite off more than you can reasonably chew, you will feel overwhelmed and get stuck in analysis paralysis. Once you have an idea of something you want to achieve, try it on for size â€" see if you really do like it before you dive headfirst. Remember: you always have permission to pivot, change your mind, and/or take it at a pace that works for you! Get out of your bubble and meet people. It is definitely not part of our purpose to exist in isolation. We are here to connect and learn from each other. People have ideas and resources that can help you, and you have the same for others (even if you don’t know it yet). To that end, make it your mission to network with people who are doing what you want to do. Not only will you learn from them, you may get an opportunity to jump into the work and see if it feels like something you want to sink more time and energy into. Look for clues. Each of us has at least one ‘problem’ that we feel a deep urge to fix, whether it be helping children, empowering women, rescuing animals, cleaning up the planet, and so on. There are clues in here about how you can make a difference in the world and it will help you to get more specific and how you wish to create meaning in your life. Additionally, you may not even realize it, but people come to you and ask the same thing of you at the core. Maybe they ask you to ‘teach’ them about things, ‘guide’ them, give advice, etc. Noticing this will help you get even more clear about the way in which you are here to serve and contribute to others. Make time. It’s important to make your purpose a priority. I like to have what I call ‘Sacred Sundays’ to go inward and touch base with how I’m living my life and where I want to focus my attention. Give yourself space to put your purpose on the agenda of life. Even one hour a week can help you to feel like you’re moving in the ‘right’ direction. There are so many free resources averrable on the internet dedicated to helping you live an incredible, purpose-filled life. Be sure to Google how to achieve your goal and schedule these steps into your calendar for specific dates and times. Remember, if you’ve been called to gain clarity on your purpose, there’s a reason for that. Take the plunge and have fun doing this. You’ve got this! This guest post was authored by Jennifer Longmore Corporate Professional Life Coach, Jennifer Longmore, B.A.S.W., M.Ed, a former Forensic Social Worker, studied human behavior for many years before getting more in touch with spiritual side of human motivation and consciousness. In addition to having a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a Master’s in Education, Jennifer is also a Reiki Master, a Past Life Regressionist, and an Integrated Energy Therapist.   Longmore is the author of many books on finding your soul purpose including  â€œ365 Wisdom Bombs”; “88 Universal Laws”;  and others.

Start an Email List - How to Decide Which System is Right for You - Classy Career Girl

Start an Email List - How to Decide Which System is Right for You Email is still the most powerful way to communicate online. Every day, people check their inboxes multiple times per day. Don’t you? People sit in front of a screen refreshing until they get that gratification of knowing someone else in the world cares about them. It is crucial that you start your email list today.  Your potential clients are waiting to get your email. They need your help so the first thing you must get out of your head is that you are bugging them by sending too many emails. One of the biggest mistakes new entrepreneurs make is not emailing enough. Don’t worry about people unsubscribing! Remember, when people unsubscribe it is good! You only want committed people on your list. A prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times before they take action and buy from you. That means you can’t just send one email and think people are going to buy from you. Your email should be focused on building a relationship. Since you have surveyed your audience already, you know what your readers are looking for. How to Decide Which System  to Use to Set-Up an Email List 1. Beginner You are a beginner if you are just getting started. You have little cash hanging around and no customers yet. You just want to get the hang of this email list and online marketing thing and need a place to start a list. You dont already have any contacts to import and are ready to change the world! Start with  Mailchimp.com. 2. Advanced You are advanced when you want to segment your customers and charge higher dollar amounts. You want your email list and your store all in one place so you can track who is buying and do more consistent follow-ups. This is also when you want an e-commerce shop and want to appear more “professional” for your customers when accepting all credit cards (not just Paypal anymore). Start with  1shoppingcart.com. 3. Rock Star You are a rock star when you have consistent cash flow and want more systems in place to track and follow up with your customers. This is also when you have the time to implement this system as it involves lots of training and new processes. You will need to hire someone to help you use this system because you need to focus on revenue generating activities. You have a business to run so leave the technical stuff for the experts! Start with  Infusionsoft.com. Disclosure: If you purchase through the links above, I will receive a commission. I only recommend resources that I use myself so feel free to ask me questions! -Anna

15+ Best Data Entry Interview Questions - Algrim.co

15+ Best Data Entry Interview Questions - Algrim.co Getting hired as a data entry specialist isn’t just any job, its one that you should be proud of. In order to help you get on your way to landing your future gig, I’ve put together some of the best practice data entry interview questions and answers I gathered while speaking with hiring managers who are looking to place this position. Lets first talk about the position and then we’ll go into the interview questions. First, data is becoming increasingly more important for technology organizations as well as growing companies across the US. Its because as consumers and customers start to consume more information and request more solutions from their providers, they leave behind a footprint. This footprint is oftentimes in the form of data. Or, vica versa, where the request of solutions relies on data that may not actually be digitalized yet. This where someone on the data entry side can really help to empower a business and its future potential. Understanding that while you r role, maybe seeming mundane and repetitive to some, is actually a very important one. And with a single slip of the keyboard or the inaccurate entry, you could potentially set off a series of events for a company that could lead to turmoil. Before we go into the interview questions I often times like to provide short videos on the position for which you are trying to be hired for. Sometimes its helpful to see how others are speaking about the role so that way when your future hiring manager is having a discussion with you, there’s already some type of tone and communication style which you can emulate to deliver a secure, honest and confident stance on your desire for the position. Data Entry Interview Questions Table Of Contents 1. How would you describe the role of data entry? 2. What makes you passionate about such a role? 3. How do you think data entry helps our company? 4. What are some of the best qualities in a good data entry specialist, controller or operator? 5. What are some of the fundamental skills required for data entry? 6. What does the term WPM stand for and why is it important to this role? 7. What types of departments do you think benefit from data entry? 8. How would you say your job is impactful to our success here? 9. How do you handle dealing with sensitive information? 10. What would you do in the event that you made a mistake? 11. How would you handle needing to increase your pace? 12. What are some of the core metrics you should be following? 13. How would you report your success to your manager? 14. What are the pieces of software you are comfortable using data entry with? 15. What are some bad qualities that we should avoid when we hire for this data entry operator role? 16. Tell me about a scenario which you were doing data entry and something went wrong. Data Entry Interview Questions & Answers 1. How would you describe the role of data entry? Data Entry is the process of which a computer cannot physically understand or interpret data which has not yet been digitalized yet, and so a human must help to interpret and ingest a large amount of data into some type of database, spreadsheet, format or another storage mechanism. Usually, these storage mechanisms are on a computer. 2. What makes you passionate about such a role? I have a passion for wanting to help the business in ways where others might find jobs a bit repetitive. I find that the process of which I’m able to get extremely focused and do something which I can have incredible amounts of detail towards makes me really happy. Yes, this is a somewhat unique quality or trait, but I truly enjoy that type of a work ethic. I also realize just how much these roles can help businesses and that makes me really happy as well. 3. How do you think data entry helps our company? Companies of all sizes need cleansed, historical, and unique data to run their operations now. From needing the data to offer their solutions. To making business decisions. Without the data entry role there might not be enough information to provide either the internal leaders the right insights or maybe our customers with the things they need to strive. Data Entry helps businesses by being able to fill those gaps. 4. What are some of the best qualities in a good data entry specialist, controller or operator? The best qualities in a data entry specialist are someone who has extremely close attention to detail, who is focused on the work they are doing at all times, has the ability to think about their pace, has the ability to self-manage and is always aware of their surroundings. 5. What are some of the fundamental skills required for data entry? Fast typing skills are an absolute must. Clear communication skills are also an absolute must. And though it is not a skill, I believe having honor in the work and being honest about the work that’s in progress is also a fundamental component to doing great work. 6. What does the term WPM stand for and why is it important to this role? The term WPM stands for Words Per Minute. It is the measurement of how fast a Data Entry Operator can input words or potentially numbers into a computer. It is obviously very important for this role because it deciphers the overall pace and ability to achieve goals in a timely manner. 7. What types of departments do you think benefit from data entry? There are many departments which can benefit from having a Data Entry Specialist, Operator or Clerk. The first would be the accounting department, who is always dealing with large data sets that are unique and custom to the business. The second would actually be the product or software departments, those who may need data entry to provide big data insights or fix scenarios of which data gaps have occurred. There are many departments who can benefit from this role but these two provide one very unique department and one more common. 8. How would you say your job is impactful to our success here? Depending on which department I am helping to push forward, my role helps provide insight or fill missing puzzle pieces that help others achieve their goals or remove roadblocks. 9. How do you handle dealing with sensitive information? I’m comfortable dealing with sensitive or potentially secure information. I do this by making sure I am complying with any of the regulatory standards that we have when handling this type of data. Whatever those regulations may be, I am ready to follow them. The shredding and absolute disposal of any written information or printed information is definitely the most common one. 10. What would you do in the event that you made a mistake? This is where the focus is important. In the event I make a mistake I want to correct it quickly before it is potentially forgotten about and then lost into the ether of data further. 11. How would you handle needing to increase your pace? I like to use an hourly timer and some type of benchmark to understand my own pace. So when I need to increase, I tend to take a deep breath, try to understand where I am seeing some friction in my process and try to focus in on the overcoming of that piece of friction. This usually helps me to pick up my pace and achieve goal. 12. What are some of the core metrics you should be following? Depending on the data, core metrics I should be following would be WPM, number of sheets or data points which have been entered in an hourly period as well as weekly figures to this same thing that match our company goals. 13. How would you report your success to your manager? I like to report success to my manager on a weekly basis. I can do this by following my core metrics and reiterating them via a small snapshot send on a potentially a weekly or bi-weekly amount. I’ve found this to be really effective at being transparent and also showing leadership. 14. What are the pieces of software you are comfortable using data entry with? Primarily, the pieces of software I should be familiar with would be Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Terminal and maybe some type of database. But that database would be dependent on the company and if that’s helpful. 15. What are some bad qualities that we should avoid when we hire for this data entry operator role? It’s incredibly detrimental to this role when someone doesn’t take pride in what they’re doing. That starts to have a decaying effect over time and the result of which is poor Data Entry or just simply a disregard for what they’re doing. This creeps up on the business as a whole. It’s not good. The increase in errors can lead to judgment mistakes made by the business. And that all came from a single Data Entry Specialist or Operator which simply didn’t take pride in what they were doing. 16. Tell me about a scenario which you were doing data entry and something went wrong. I remember I was in a previous position that required heavy amounts of Data Entry. We were entering into databases large amounts of unique mathematical data based on personal information. This was going to be used to quantify and complete a data set which our business was then going to be able to resell. I can’t speak too much about this data but I hope that gives you enough knowledge of what type of data we’re talking about here. I remember I accidentally made a mistake, around 100 rows worth of data was incorrect. And unfortunately, we didn’t find out until I was mostly complete with my tasks for the week. Going backward wasn’t really an option. Along with my manager, we made calm and clear expectation management and communication not only with our team but with the rest of the company. I took full responsibility for the mistake. Because we couldn’t go backward the only thing we could do was to dump the information from that week that was entered and do it again. Because we couldn’t do that and also lose that weeks worth of data entry, I came up with the idea of splitting that data insertion into a series of chunks and evenly distributing it throughout the team. The team was incredibly helpful and adhering to the fact that the mistake was made. We were able to overcome the problem within the week and everything was cleared. Preparing for your interview The best thing you can do to prepare for your interview as a Data Entry Operator is to simply know the business. If you can spend a little bit of time getting to know the inner workings of the business, what they’re annual goals are and putting together some simple points on how you might see yourself fitting in with those, you should be absolutely fine. Remember that clear communication and honesty will take you extremely far in this particular role. Hiring managers who are looking to place a Data Entry role are specifically looking for people they feel they can trust. If your communication style isn’t presenting that, then you might be finding yourself on the job hunt again. Being able to hold yourself in the conversation and show that you have enough passion for the position to have looked up the companies latest news events and/or publicity will truly help you stand out. Good luck with your future employment and remember to be yourself. Related Hiring Resources Data Entry Job Description Sample Data Entry Cover Letter Sample

CareerPro Profession Resume and Writing Service

CareerPro Profession Resume and Writing ServiceIf you are looking for a careerPro profession resume and writing service to help with your resume's, I'm going to share with you a few tips that will ensure that you get the most professional looking and completed resumes. First, use a careerPro professional resume writing service to ensure that your resume is as impressive as possible. A professional service is not there to fill your resumes with keywords and phrases that are designed to make your resume look like it was prepared by a student.The resume service at CareerPro.com is professionals. The company has a team of professionals that can work with you to create a professionally formatted resume for you. Their team of career experts has created a structure that you will be happy with. You can request a resume sample or a resume template from them or hire a separate professional to write your resume for you.When you do decide to work with a professional service for your resumes, be sure to stay on schedule. If the resume was due in six weeks, your professional service should have your resume on their desks by the end of the month. So if you have a deadline for your resume, your service can help you meet it.Your professional service can also provide the resume samples that you need to be sure that your resume looks professional. You can ask for some sample resumes from the company that you work with. You should know that each resume is submitted individually to the company, so they will have a copy of your resume for you to review before they send it out.The other thing that a professional service can do for you is to come up with a cover letter and resume that you can customize to fit your needs. There are templates that you can download from the website, and you can customize the letters so that they match your background, experience, and your education. You can also print your customized letters out and give them to your potential employers when you submit y our resumes.You can contact CareerPro.com for all of these services. They are the only professional service in the business that provides this type of personalized service. Their team of professionals understand that everyone's goals and career goals are different. They will work with you to help you achieve those goals.CareerPro.com is the best place to look for a professional service that can help you with your resumes. The team at CareerPro.com has years of industry experience and can craft professional resumes that look professional, but that also suit your unique needs. They have writers on staff that have worked with every type of position imaginable.You can work with the writers at CareerPro.com to design your professional career in just the way that you want it to look. No one can match the work that the writers at CareerPro.com do when it comes to helping their clients to create and manage their professional careers. You can work with them to create professional resumes and cover letters that can help you get that job that you've been looking for.

Take Charge of Your Annual Performance Review

Take Charge of Your Annual Performance Review According to a recent survey by Mercer HR Consulting, mentioned on the Compensation Force blog, salary increases in 2007/2008 will average 3.5% and be approximately 5.7% for top performers. One of the best ways to ensure that your performance is rated on the high end of the scale is to take ownership of the performance appraisal process. By documenting your achievements each time you complete a significant project, milestone, or job task, you maximize the chances of your accomplishments being recognized at review time. Make sure to quantify your achievements by showing how the projects you managed helped make money, save money, save time, maintain the business, or grow the business and use numbers, dollars, and percentages whenever possible to validate your accomplishments.Ideally, you are receiving feedback on how you are doing against your job goals throughout the year, but in reality, this doesnt always occur as frequently as most employees would like. By consistently recording yo ur successes throughout the year, you can improve your chances of garnering a more lucrative increase at review time

The Pros and Cons of the New LinkedIn Endorsements Feature

The Pros and Cons of the New LinkedIn Endorsements Feature LinkedIn just introduced a new feature called LinkedIn Endorsements that allows users to endorse connections for a skill they’ve listed on their profile or recommend one they haven’t added yet. This is different than the Recommendations feature where users can request a written recommendation that can be posted on the users profile. Im on the fence about this new feature and Ive been pondering the pros and the cons for job seekers or anyone trying to manage their career. Here are my observations.The ProsA job seeker can quickly build their reputation for having skills relevant to their job function and industry without putting a great imposition on their contacts.Having skills endorsements may help with profile optimization and SEO making it easier for people to be found.Colleagues can recommend additional skills that may be added to a users profile. This is a nice way for people to help each other build a more digitally distinct presence and generate additional interest from rec ruiters and employers.Endorsements help job seekers by offering more regular prompting to examine the skills section, an area of the LinkedIn profile that has become increasingly more important over the past few months.The ConsEndorsements might not be viewed with the same street cred as recommendations. Someone willing to give you a recommendation is really taking the time to advocate for you and document specifically the value you bring to an organization. Someone offering an endorsement is basically checking a box.The endorsements feature may not be in synch with the LinkedIn culture. The feature in some ways mimics a Facebook Like. But on Facebook users like a company or product. This is consistent with the Facebook culture of sharing. But on LinkedIn you are liking a person. It just feels a bit contrived to me.Users may get bombarded with requests from people asking for endorsements since LinkedIn has made it so easy to keep clicking on user profiles to make requests. What used to require some effort on the part of the requester has been automated to the point that hundreds of requests could probably be sent out in minutes.Endorsements may actually erode the networking process rather than build it. Authentic relationships are built over time. You need to feel very confident in your relationship with someone in order to request a recommendation. I dont believe there is the same level of entry for requesting endorsements.Endorsements smack of a you scratch my back Ill scratch yours mentality. Just because someone gives you a recommendation it doesnt mean that it is appropriate to return the favor. But with endorsements those lines may be blurred.   Be prepared to see a lot of reciprocal endorsements on LinkedIn over the next few months.I guess the takeaway here is that LinkedIn Endorsements may be able to add value to a user profile but they need to be used intelligently and in conjunction with the Recommendations feature which remains   one of my favorite LinkedIn differentiators. You can click on the link to learn more about LinkedIn Endorsements. What are your thoughts?