How Tech Companies Can Attract Game-Changing Talent [STUDY]

How Tech Companies Can Attract Game-Changing Talent [STUDY] Close to 8 percent of all workers in the UK are employed by  tech companies, however the future growth of the industry is under threat, due to a shortage of skilled professionals in the sector. There is a similar deficit across the pond in the US, and in 2012, the  President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology predicted a shortage of one million workers over the following 10 years. There are some however, who have a slightly sceptical view on these figures and believe that this talent gap has merely been invented by technology companies as a ploy to relax immigration rules and attract lower-cost talent in the industry. Whichever happens to be true, the same issues still stand when hiring into technology companies, such as finding talent who can have the right skills to compete in tomorrows technology market, expecting much more of them than in the past. Millennial workers are more likely to prefer flexible work arrangements than older employees, meaning a lot are choosing to work as independent contractors.  A 2014 Millennial survey from Deloitte found up to 70 percent of graduates would reject traditional businesses to work independently. Over recent years attention has been drawn to the lack of women working in tech companies.  In 2014, Google, Facebook and Apple (among others) released data showing men outnumbered women two to one, and in technology roles the ratio rises to four to one and higher. But what can tech companies do to attract these millennial and female employees  to their organisations to close the talent gap? Universum completed a study investigating what it is that university students are looking for in future technology employers and how companies can take their responses on board when recruiting graduates. What are university students top career goals? Universum asked university students planning to work in the tech industry what their top three career goals are. The most frequent responses were work-life balance (56%) and security stability (41%). Ways  that some companies are trying to address the demand for work-life-balance, is by building a fun company culture and offering flexible work hours. Respondents were asked whether they prioritise being competitively or intellectually challenged, which received a varied response, depending on region. It was found that students in the US, for example, are much more likely to choose intellectual or competitive challenges over their peers in the APAC countries. Those looking to enter a career in the tech industry did not respond much differently to those in other sectors, other than that they have a desire to become technical or functional experts and are more likely to want a job that allows them to be entrepreneurial or creative. What qualities do university students want in an employer? Students surveyed were then asked what attributes  they look for in a future employer and it was discovered that those aiming to work in the tech industry place the highest level of importance on innovation and attractiveness of a companys product/service lines. Universum’s Iris  is a  Social Media Stock Index named that tracks the social media activity of the 400 largest companies in the US and can help to identify themes in what employer branding messages are sent out from the organisations. It was found that GE use quirky humour in their social media content that will appear to their target market; for example a Badass Machines Pinterest board and Slo Mo channel on YouTube. What do university students look for in a future job? The top response when asked about what would attract them to a job, is the opportunity for training and development (50%), followed by secure employment and challenging work. Secure employment was found to be much more important to students in the US than those in APAC countries, who look for flexible working conditions. A variety of assignments was something that those in Europe and the US think is important in a job. When it comes to those wanting to enter a career in technology, more than half want a creative and dynamic working environment (55%), followed by a friendly work environment (49%). It looks like the pressure is on for tech companies to ensure the workplace is a fun environment to attract these millennial candidates. What channels can employers reach new talent on? The top three channels used by students to learn about potential employers are their website (65%), social media (60%) and career fairs (51%). It doesnt come as much of a surprise that students seeking tech industry jobs  use social media to research employers more than those looking to enter other industries. Though building a social media presence is very important with the rising number of people turning to these channels to find information on the company, the company website is still the first point of call and should not be forgotten about and should still be used to create a positive employer brand that will attract talent. What does this mean for employers? To fill the talent gap, technology companies need to look ahead and identify what skills they will require from their employees in the future and how they would like the company to grow. Employers need to improve their use of digital channels, as this is where they will attract a diverse base of talent. Strategy should vary depending on the region being targeted, as students in different parts of the world consume information in different ways and seek different qualities in employers.  The future of these companies does not just lie on new talent however, and organisations should also focus on training their existing workforce to introduce new skills that will be needed in the years to come. In order for tech companies to optimise their talent attraction on digital channels, they must ensure that their HR and recruiting staff are proficient in using the right tools and skills to carry out the task successfully. In order to create a great employer brand online, there must be collaboration between HR and the marketing team, as they will have the best idea about how to engage the organisations  audience through social media. Image: Shutterstock

Become Multi-lingual with the Help of Duolingo CareerMetis.com

Become Multi-lingual with the Help of Duolingo â€" CareerMetis.com In my recent article, I wrote about how spending few months in a non-English speaking country forced me to rapidly learn a new language but without the right tools I wouldn’t have gotten far in my quest to learn Spanish.Duolingo is one such tool that was my saving grace during the trip. Thanks to the availability of a Smartphone the ubiquitous Wi-Fi, Duolingo accelerated my ability or learn practice Spanish.evalAs of today, the platform And one more thing..It is completely Ad-Free.We love free apps, but don’t we get annoyed when bombarded with ads? One of the decisive factors that makes any program/application successful is how user-friendly it is. The reason we love most of the applications we use today â€" Microsoft Word,Google Chrome, Android, Facebook,etc. is because they are very user-friendly and easy to navigate.The interface on Duolingo is built in such a way that it allows you to switch between courses and individuals lessons by just swiping around the app.3. LEARN AT YOUR OWN LEISURETo learn a language â€" you can enroll in a night-class, attend a language exchange group or even travel. All these require investment of time money; and you can only do them at set times.The instructors of a Language course at a Community College will not change their schedule from Tuesdays to Thursdays, because you can’t make it on that particular day. They have a set time place â€" so your schedule is at their mercy.However, if you can spare 10 minutes a day and you have Wi-Fi /a Data plan, you can learn anywhere anytime on your Smartphone.4. GAMIFICATIONI strongly believe that with Gamification, you can increase your productivity and learn pretty much anything. Gamification of your courses makes them more fun non-monotonous as opposed to traditional learning.evalWith incentives such as Lingots, Streaks,etc. Duolingo makes the learning process fun. Lingots are awarded for completing lessons. And with the Lingots you win- you can purchase rewards at the stor e.Streaks are nothing but the consecutive number of days that you go back to the app complete the lessons. The longer your streak means the more days you are using the app.I noticed that the longer my streak 5. COMMUNITYThings are always much more fun when you can get your friends involved. You can then create a healthy competition among your friends to see who learns the fastest the most. Talk about positive peer pressure..I was slacking on my Portuguese learning, then a friend of mine told me that she was learning Portuguese too. And she already has about 2000+ XP (Points). My competitive drive kicked in ,and I decided to surpass here.We also bet a wager. I am catching up to her â€" as of today I am 1651 XP. We motivate each other to keep learning.There are also forums on Duolingo.com where you can interact with other global users.There is also a Sub-Reddit where other’s share their motivations, challenges and victories.Are you an avid Duolinguist?What are some other benefits, that I might have missed?If you have not started using the app â€" I strongly recommend you download the app. By spending 10 minutes a day ,you can learn that Foreign language that you have always wanted to learn.Adios!!

Reviving Blue Collar Work Why the Trades Need Women - CareerAlley

Reviving Blue Collar Work Why the Trades Need Women - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Its no secret that a career in the trades can be quite lucrative. Nevertheless, few parents and teachers would wish their students pick blue-collar work over a university education. As such, fewer and fewer high schools have been teaching trades and encouraging students to explore career opportunities that veer from the university route. This is doing a disservice to our youth, particularly those who dont necessarily care for a future in academia or behind a desk anyway. It implies that blue-collar work is not a path worth choosing that it is somehow lesser than being an office manager or a financial advisor. Yet this couldnt be further from the truth. It is not lesser or better; blue-collar work is just different different in the same way that a surgeon probably couldnt develop a mobile app but nor could that same surgeontogether custom made bathroom vanity cabinets. Beyond trying to funnel all students towards universities without promoting trades in an equally enthusiastic manner, societys messages tend to discourage women in particular from considering a career in blue-collar trades. It may be considered normal for women to pursue a career in some trades, such as jewelery-making, hairdressing and sewing might be considered normal. However, most women and girls tend to get the odd side-eye or downright harassment and discrimination for taking on a Red Seal Trade, which include jobs such as welding or operating a mobile crane. In fact, male-dominated trades are perceived as so unwelcoming and so socially bizarre for a woman to pursue that by the 9th grade, most girls have literally never even considered a career in blue-collar work. It simply never occurs to most women that they could have anything to do with hardwood floors, custom kitchen cabinets or window blinds at all besides picking one out of a catalogue to decorate their homes. Luckily, there is a long history of women participating in blue-collar work, even if its often been at the beck and call of men. For instance in Europe, the brewing of beer was a female dominated trade for many centuries until cultural norms changed over time. In more recent history, throughout both World Wars, women had to enter the workforce in droves to help build tanks, bombs and more. Today, trade schools are often promoted in so-called third world countries as a way to encourage women to take an active role in the economy and in their communities. Why should the same not be true of Canadian women and girls? Barriers Against Women in the Trades In order to get girls to consider entering blue-collar work such as the Red Seal Trades, social messages have to promote the normalcy of women in trades from early on in a girls life. There are, however, many barriers that prevent older girls and women from considering the trades. These must be addressed in order to encourage future generations of girls to seek out a variety of career options, including the trades. For instance, it has been noted that there seems to be a lack of female role models or mentors who promote blue-collar work and make it seem not only viable, but attractive to girls and women. This plays into the general misconception that women are unwelcome in the trades, which has been socially promoted as a boys only club. While there are associations such as Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) and sponsored initiatives such as the ITA Women in Trades Training (WITT) or the Enhanced General Carpentry for Women (WIST) program, they need more visibility to compete against other career options for women. Sadly, the misconception of trades being for men only is sometimes grounded in reality. Nobody can deny that social norms tend to kennel women into careers perceived as nurturing or service-oriented, such as teaching. Trades are then categorized as dirty and masculine. Furthermore, the existence of CWIT is partially due to the fact that its founders were harassed and humiliated by male coworkers and employers on a regular basis. Some thirty-odd years later, women do play a slightly more prominent role in the trades, but implicit messages against their participation continue. While actual discrimination and harassment are more strongly frowned upon today than they were in the past, they continue to exist today, as do more implicitly discouraging messages. Women in the trades have pointed out issues such as the lack of uniforms designed with womens bodies in mind, the lack of easy access to basic facilities such as washrooms, and the lack of legal persecution of those who do harass female coworkers and employees. Trades Tomorrow These barriers are all the more reason that women and men who are already in the trades should take a more vocal stance against existing problems, in order to encourage a future generation of girls to consider more than the size of the bathrooms glass tiles or the colour of the bedrooms roman shades. Why shouldnt they be the ones behind the cabinet design, or the ones fixing the engine of a car, installing the tiles or putting together the shades? Thats not to say that they have to do any of these things but shouldnt the opportunity to do be offered to them at the very least? The very fact that operating a brewery is often seen as a male-dominated industry today is indicative of the fact that social and cultural norms can change over time. Schools must put as much enthusiasm into promoting blue-collar work as they do into offering the chance of a university education for all. Girls and boys need to grow up believing that a female presence in the trades is completely normal and respectable. With the right social pressures, pedagogical, parental and governmental incentives, in addition to positive, vocal encouragement from existing tradesmen and women, the trades as a whole may one day be revived with an influx of female workers, so long as girls are given the opportunity to consider doing so from a young age. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+

Work at Home Opportunities - Hire a Professional Resume Writing Service to Create Your Resume

Work at Home Opportunities - Hire a Professional Resume Writing Service to Create Your ResumeResume writing services Knoxville TN can help you with your resume and other documents. These are not only used to get a job, but to enhance your CV by providing advice on how to write your resume.Some may wonder why they need to hire a professional company to do this work for them and no one will do it. It is because many local job sites take credit for the work of other companies and this can be considered stealing. If you want to get the most accurate information about local resume writing services Knoxville TN then you should ask around.You can always ask local residents who may have done a service for resume writing services and who can offer tips on where you can get a quality writer to write your resume for you. Just remember that a good resume can increase your chances of getting the interview.If you are just looking for a way to boost your job search then you should think about this. You will also find some free advice and a free CV template online. You may be able to download these for free, just to try them out first.If you are unsure about certain jobs then you may need some prior experience. The skills to write a resume are not the same for everyone. So you should not worry if you need this level of experience.Maybe your employer needs an understanding about your work ethic or your dedication to your employer. These things will give you the edge over other people applying for the same job. You will also know that they want to keep the most talented person in the area for their job.Now you know that you need a resume to get the interview. You should consider hiring a professional resume writing service for your resume.It is important to have a strong resume to get the interview. A less than impressive resume can turn an applicant off at the process. So always be sure to research local resume writing services before you decide to go ahead with the hire.

Writing Incoming On Resume

Writing Incoming On ResumeWhen you are writing incoming on resume, it is important to make sure that your resume will showcase your skills in the right areas. To help your resume stand out and highlight your capabilities, it is important to write an outgoing resume that fits the job opening. This will make it easy for employers to read and evaluate your resume and decide whether or not you are a good match for the position.First, it is important to determine the job opening. This could be a specific location such as nursing, construction, sales, accounting, etc. Next, you need to determine which skills you have that are best used for this job.Writing your resume is an art, and one that requires practice. For example, the body of your resume should have the skills and qualifications that are needed to do the job. You may need to ask for permission to highlight the particular area of skill that is the most relevant to the job.Your resume is one part of your outgoing package. This packa ge includes the CV, cover letter, contact information, and perhaps other related materials. This package should clearly indicate what skills and capabilities you have that are the most suited for the job. This will help determine if your resume is the perfect match for the position.After you have determined what your needs are, the next step is to identify which areas of your resume are the most relevant to a first-entry level job. These would include developing an overall business plan, explaining your strengths and weaknesses, and developing a business plan.Once you have established which skills you need to focus on, then focus on outlining how you can demonstrate your skills. Your resume may focus on sales skills, customer service skills, or marketing skills. It may also highlight your strong leadership skills, your communication skills, or your time management skills.Once you have focused on your skills, you will need to write your resume in a manner that is easiest for readers to understand. Here are some tips on writing incoming on resume:

The Upside to Writing a Resume No Experience

The Upside to Writing a Resume No Experience The Hidden Treasure of Writing a Resume No Experience Do not invent a work history that you don't have. It is possible to consist of odd jobs which might or might not be associated with your intended job profile. Under that topic you would chat about a couple of jobs you held before that highlight your abilities in that region. Therefore, when you sit down to compose your first resume, attempt to consider your prior jobs in a new light. Life After Writing a Resume No Experience A free resume review may give you the confidence required to attack the work search with total force. The business information ought to go on the left side of the webpage, and ought to incorporate the business name and the name of the contact person. You are also able to get a feeling of the internal language used within a specific industry or company. Even in the event you don't know the individual that well, request their input. Even if you believe you r teaching experience is minimal, it's likely greater than you believe! The most essential part of an internship resume is making sure the abilities and experience you do have, while you might be very early in your career, are great for the job which you need to do. While comparing the JD, you shall locate the essential skills needed for your intended job. If you continue seeing a skill or tool mentioned you don't know a lot about, start looking for free or low-cost on-line courses on the topic to bolster your skill collection. The Lost Secret of Writing a Resume No Experience Many times it is possible to secure that practical experience and become paid at the exact same moment. You know to what extent your time could be worth. When you do good work, you are going to observe that the amount of referrals you get from happy clients is sufficient to keep you with a lot of work (a lot of the moment!) In case you have any part-time work, that will go a ways towards a good experien ce section. For instance, if you're a social networking expert, be certain to also list the various social networking sites you've got expertise in. Focus on what you could bring to the job, and the way your talents will translate into success for the business. If don't have any teaching experience, you must prove to your potential employers that you're a master in your chosen academic area and you have the capacity to instruct. Now you need to know how to compose a resume with no experience that's compelling and distinctive, ideal for a high school resume or a beginner's resume for teens. The Secret to Writing a Resume No Experience Any formal letter like a cover letter should incorporate a date of writing. Of course if you're asking for a particular job, it's simple enough to amend a resume to incorporate an objective that matches the work description. A good summary is important for any resume, but it's even more vital for someone without a lot of experience. Whilst you write your summary for your resume, attempt to consider what you want them to discuss with you, and what exactly you desire an opportunity to discuss.

The Best Interview Follow Up Checklist - Work It Daily

The Best Interview Follow Up Checklist - Work It Daily Knowing how to follow up after one or more interviews can be confusing, even for the most savvy job seeker. Related: The Secret To A Great Follow Up After An Interview Here is a checklist of things you can do to leverage your post-interview activities and gain interest from potential employers. 1. Find Out The Next Step You must always ask what the next step is. One of the most discouraging situations is to believe an interview went well â€" only to hear nothing back from the company. One way to hedge against this is to get a verbal commitment as to the next steps. If the company says they will contact you no later than next Wednesday â€" you know you can safely follow up on Thursday if you have not heard back from them. 2. Don’t Think The Worst If you have not heard back from the company you interviewed with, please don’t assume they are not interested in you and never ever act annoyed or defensive. Leave short, friendly, professional messages confirming your continued interest. 3. Use Your Common Sense Don’t pester â€" but be persistent. Try to use your intuition based on the people and the corporate culture you are dealing with to know how aggressively to follow up after a job interview. Some companies love aggressive post-interview follow up, as it is part of their culture. Other companies might find it off-putting. 4. Leave A Great Follow Up Voicemail You can say something like: “Hi Mr. Brown, this is Mary Elizabeth Bradford. It’s Wednesday morning and I am following up on our initial meeting, and I'm very excited to connect back with you. I will be in the office all day today; my number is 212-555-1212. Thanks and I really look forward to speaking with you again.” Don’t tell them you will call again if you don’t hear back from them. They may wait for you to do just that! 5. Send A Thank You Letter I find that hard mail is much preferred over email for thank you letters. The best way I have found to write powerful thank you/after-interview letters is to mirror, match, and repeat back a summary of key points you discussed in the interview. To do this right, you will want to be taking short notes during your interview. The primary things you want to pick up include their main challenges, the kind of person they are looking for and anything positive they shared about you and your potential candidacy. Keep your letter short â€" under 200 words. Yes, you read that right! 6. Include A 'P.S.' In Your Follow Up Letter Do you know what always gets read in a letter? The P.S. or postscript. If you have occasion to write one, it’s a good idea. Just be sure what your P.S. says is meaningful enough. No soft statements like, “P.S.: Did I mention I am a team player?” 7. Send A Follow Up List Of Short Testimonials References, endorsements, and testimonials almost always have a greater impact than any other piece of information we can give a potential employer. That’s because they come from a third party perspective, which legitimizes you and authenticates what you are probably communicating with them yourself. It builds trust very rapidlyâ€"more rapidly than any other way I know. Suffice it to sayâ€"having a page of testimonials you can use as a “leave behind” or attach with a post-interview thank you letter is one of THE WISEST moves you can make in your job search. It will “seal the deal,” so to speak. These tips have helped thousands of job seekers reach their career goals easier and quicker and I know they will help you too. I wish you every success in your job search. Want to learn more about interview follow up? Check out Interview Follow Up Tips, Scripts Letter Templates For Cold Calls, Follow Ups, Thank You Letters, Networking With Companies Recruiters. Related Posts How To Answer 7 Of The Most Common Interview Questions Top 3 Tips For Phone Interviews How To Ace The Panel Interview Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!