10 Steps to Quitting Your Job to Start a Business

10 Steps to Quitting Your Job to Start a Business The grass is always greener. As an employee, you hold a single position and, in exchange for your work, you are paid a salary every two weeks. The downside is that many organizations hire weak leadership, provide almost no chance for amassing wealth, and stifle creativity.  On the other hand, if you were to quit your job and open a business, you would not receive a steady paycheck, though would have the ability to make a significant income while enjoying creative freedom. When someone asks me what I do for a living, I tell them that I run a recruiting firm. However, I wish running a company were that simple in all reality, I hold multiple jobs. Here are 15 things that most entrepreneurs must learn in order to successfully build a business. Your requirements will be very similar: 1) Industry Analysis: If you’re going to quit your job to open a company, you’re going to have to pick the right industry to venture into. This will entail extensive industry analysis to determine things such as amount of competition, strength of those firms and potential revenue generation. Being able to analyze different sectors from a logical perspective (as opposed to emotional) will make the transition from employee to entrepreneur a rewarding one. READ MORE:  How Following  Industry News  Can Boost Your Career 2) Social Media: One of the most efficient ways to get people to find your company on the web is to integrate social media campaigns into your marketing arsenal. Being able to amass followers on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn will give you a significant revenue boost. RELATED:  How to Find People to  Follow  On  Twitter 3) Cost Management: One of the biggest enemies of great companies is over spending. If you don’t learn cost management and become able to operate your company within a realistic budget, you’ll be looking for a job again. 4) Web Development: One of the most significant costs that a start-up will incur is programming a website. Even though an abundance of companies will provide programming services, the effective ones get very expensive and often don’t produce satisfactory results. When it comes to building a website, it’s best that the entrepreneur learn things such as WordPress and HTML in order to get the marketing campaign off the ground without paying upwards of $10,000. Nobody will care about an entrepreneur’s image as much as that individual and it’s helpful for the small business owner to be hands-on. 5) Branding Acumen: In conjunction with programming a website and engaging in social media, it’s crucial that the first time entrepreneur learn how to brand their organization.  In a nutshell, the entrepreneur is going to want to gauge how they want other companies or direct consumers to view their product or service. Adjectives such as competent, professional, knowledgeable, original, honest and hard working ought to be at the forefront. RELATED:  How to Build Your Personal  Brand  [10 Simple Steps] 6) Sales: Regardless of industry, an entrepreneur is going to have to sell their product or service and this is where industry analysis and branding come into play. A small business owner needs to figure out what’s different about its offering and be able to confidentially and clearly express the benefits a customer receives when working with them. Much of sales is trial and error, industry knowledge and self-confidence. 7) Online Marketing: As a small business, it’s a big time saver to be able to have companies find your organization on the web. Being able to implement online marketing tactics (in conjunction with social media) such as search engine optimization and pay per click is going to dramatically increase the chances for success. For an entrepreneur, incoming leads are usually the easiest to convert. 8) Accounting: Once an entrepreneur begins receiving revenue, they are going to have to be able to manage it. Proper accounting will help a small business gauge sales, keep costs down, project future revenue, improve profit margins, put aside money for growth and save for taxes. 9) Recruiting: Upon expanding, an organization is going to need to hire effective, intelligent employees. For a small business owner, recruiting the right individuals can make or break the firm. In order to successfully quit one’s job to open a company, an entrepreneur must be able to put the right people in the right places or risk having to write their resume again. RELATED:  How to Build an Active Candidate Sourcing  Strategy 10) Management and Leadership: Whether it be 3rd party vendors or new in-house recruits, an entrepreneur is going to have to learn how to properly manage and lead those under them. Among other things, this means formulating a vision for the organization, giving consistent and constructive feedback as well as instilling passion in the firm’s employees. In the End: In order to quit one’s job and successfully become an entrepreneur, a person is going to have to be dedicated, willing to work excess hours, resilient and optimistic about a successful outcome.  Anything less and they will find themselves quickly back on the job market.  Prior to sending in that resignation letter, it is suggested that a person be willing to give 110% or it is recommended they stay where they are.

Writing a Successful Resume and Cover Letter

Writing a Successful Resume and Cover LetterWriting a successful resume and cover letter does not need to be hard. It is not hard, it is just that you need to be able to take the right steps and write the right things. In order to get yourself on the right track, you need to understand the fundamentals of how resumes and cover letters are written.A good knowledge of how these documents should be written will go a long way to helping you make the most of your career. There are five main things that you need to keep in mind when you begin to write a resume or a cover letter:The content is king - When it comes to making a resume or a cover letter stand out from the rest you need to make sure that the contents are first-class professional. The contents need to be polished and of the highest quality. You need to be able to pull off the impression that you want to give potential employers. The contents need to be professionally written and need to look like they came from someone who has p ut a lot of time and effort into them. Your resume or cover letter should look professional from the start.Take your time and read - This next point is another one that needs to be emphasized. Reading is a big part of learning. You do not want to jump into writing and begin rewriting at a lightning fast pace. There are a lot of mistakes that people make when they try to rush their resume or cover letter writing. It is important that you learn the tips of the professional writing process.Use professionals - Again, this goes back to having good content and being able to use professional skills. Once you have a resume or a cover letter that you think is going to stand out from the rest, you need to make sure that it is of the highest quality possible. A great resume or cover letter will be tailor made to the person who is sending it. You need to be able to find that perfect match.Do research - Remember that writing is an art form and that you need to invest some time in researching the fundamentals of professional writing and professional skills. This means that you need to take the time to learn all about how the basics of writing and resume and cover letter writing work. You do not want to waste your time on something that does not work or that will not help you get the job that you want. You will also want to know what is the best format for a resume or cover letter and how to edit it properly.The most important thing that you can do when you begin to write a successful resume or cover letter is to make sure that you keep all of the basic things in mind. The next most important thing that you can do is to take the time to learn how the formatting and content of a resume or cover letter works. These two elements are what you need to focus on to be able to create the kind of resume or cover letter that will stand out from the rest.Make sure that you write well and do not try to rush yourself with writing your resume or cover letter. The last thing that you want to do is create a resume or cover letter that is not ready to go.

Beat those January blues University of Manchester Careers Blog

Beat those January blues University of Manchester Careers Blog Blue Monday, freezing temperatures, dark nights, post-Christmas bank balances and new diet and fitness regimes are just some of the reasons January can feel like the most depressing month of the year. Add to that the recent loss of Starman David Bowie and Professor Alan ‘Snape’ Rickman makes the start of 2016 seem even worse. It might be difficult but  try to  look on the bright side   things can only get better, and if you are looking for a full time graduate job things can get better right now! I’ve been having a little snoop in CareersLink and spotted that a number of the full-time vacancies being advertised have an immediate start date. Immediate start vacancies listed on CareersLink Strategy and Consulting Graduate Programme 2015 â€" Vacancy ID 46475 Sales and Marketing Executive â€" Vacancy ID 49951 Junior Web Developer â€" Vacancy ID 49990 Design Assistant Internship â€" Vacancy ID 50122 Software Engineer â€" Vacancy ID 48699 Graduate Building Surveyor â€" Vacancy ID 45448 Graduate Trainee Recruitment Consultant â€" Vacancy ID 50162 Trainee Patent Attorney â€" Vacancy ID 49083 Staff Nurse â€" Vacancy ID 49472 Personal Travel Specialist â€" Vacancy ID 49475 Polymer Material Process Technologist â€" Vacancy ID 50224 Forensic Cyber Security Expert â€" Vacancy ID 50205 Content Communications Coordinator â€" Vacancy ID 50177 Legal Administration Assistant â€" Vacancy ID 50135 Trainee Research Executive â€" Vacancy ID 48473 These are just a sample of the immediate start vacancies currently being listed on CareersLink. To search them all just login. Pleas note that CareersLink is a live vacancy system so some of the opportunities listed above may have expired by the time you look. Other sources of immediate start vacanciess Manchester Graduate Internship Programme (MGIP) If you graduated from the University of Manchester in 2015 you can also find out about the immediate start opportunities you’ll be able to eligible to apply to through our exclusive internship programme. CareersLink is the place to look. Graduate Schemes If you are interested in working for specific graduate employers its worth checking their websites directly and some may still be trying to fill their 2015 scheme vacancies. Dont forget that as a recent graduate you should still be eligible to apply for Schemes starting in Autumn 2016. You can search for these application deadlines here. Ad-hoc vacancies Formal graduate schemes only make up a small proportion of the total number of opportunities that exist.   The majority of graduates find work in smaller to medium sized companies (often   refereed to as SMEs) who instead of advertising annually for a new cohort of graduates advertise as and when a role becomes vacant, which can obviously happen any time of the   year. Along with CareersLink     you can use the local press as well as industry specific journals and vacancy portals to find these opportunities. All Careers advice Graduate Graduate-highlighted

Creativity The Secret to Success in Industries Like Marketing and PR -

Creativity The Secret to Success in Industries Like Marketing and PR - Formal education, technical experience, systematic processesall of these things have a role in business, but it’s unwise to assume this is where success begins and ends. If you want your marketing or PR efforts to thrive, you’ll need some creativity. The Role of Creativity  In a business world where objective measures and technical skills get a lot of focus, it’s easy to forget about the more subjective measures of skill â€" such as creativity. But when you drill down to the heart of marketing and PR, it’s clear that creativity plays a vital role in business success. Without creativity, businesses would be bland and dry â€" lacking innovation and excitement. They may still turn a profit, but there would be nothing compelling about the brand’s image or identity. Creativity is what pushes businesses forward and keeps organizations from becoming stale and out of touch with the marketplace. The problem is that many companies only have it in small doses. Learning to increase the presence of creativity will yield extremely positive results.  Tapping Into Your Creativity  Every individual and organization has the potential to think creatively. Most simply don’t take the time to think about things in a new way. It’s easy to get trapped in boxes and assumptions, which create self-imposed rules and limit possibilities.  â€œWe also tend to be overly optimistic that what seems to be working right now will always produce the same results,” PR Consultants Group explains. “It isn’t until we see a drop-off in business, a new competitor taking away market share or some type of business calamity that we wake up and try to start thinking creatively.”  If you’re interested in finding greater success in an industry like marketing or PR, there are some practical steps you must take. Here are a few tips:  Surround Yourself With Diversity  One of the biggest benefits of surrounding yourself with diversity is the fact that it enhances creativity on multiple levels. But we’re not just talking about racial or ethnic diversity â€" there’s also value in diversity of thought, experience, knowledge, education, and extra-curricular interests. If you want to increase your level of creativity, you have to get out of your comfort zone. The more you’re around people who think differently than you, the greater your chances of sparking new and fresh ideas.  Change Up Your Environment  Have you ever heard of businesses or entrepreneurs taking creative weekends or “idea” retreats where they go away for a period of time and focus on generating new thoughts? “My feeling is that these can indeed spur creativity, especially if they are held off-site. Simply changing the physical environment has been shown to significantly help creativity,” Michael Noice writes. “Moving outside the businesss familiar walls also helps brainstormers get outside their familiar thought patterns.” Take a Different Perspective  One of the reasons creativity often feels elusive is that we continue to look at problems in the same way that we’ve always approached them. If you want to spark creativity, it’s best to take a different angle or perspective. For example, try looking at a solution and then working backward towards the problem (rather than in the opposite direction). By flipping the way you view an issue, you give yourself the chance to see it in a different light. Embrace the Weird and Impossible When someone tells you that you’re thinking in a weird or impossible way, you’re probably on the right track. Being willing to embrace strange ideas in the pursuit of innovation is the true mark of a creative thinker. Don’t let others deter you from being a little outlandish in your thinking from time to time.  Remove Something Necessary  â€œSometimes, the best thing to do to  boost your entrepreneurial creativity is to take  something most people see as ‘required’ and remove it completely,” entrepreneur Aubrielle Billig writes.  â€œWhen you take away something you think you need, you’re forced to come up with another way to make that idea work.” You don’t always have to come up with a revolutionary idea to generate some creativity. As you can see, it’s often about seeing things differently. Little exercises like these can change the game.  Find Your Balance  Proficiency in marketing and PR requires a clean balance of technical skill and creativity. As you seek results in your field, be sure you don’t discount the importance of the latter. It’s nearly impossible to be successful without it.

Professional Resume Writing Services in Denver

Professional Resume Writing Services in DenverIf you want to put together a great resume, the best professional resume writing services in Denver can help. These professionals will help you develop your best resume, and can even give you the attention that you need to polish it up. They also know that when they do this for you, you'll be more likely to pass the companies that are out there to hire new employees.When you are looking for the best professional resume writing services in Denver, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. First of all, there are so many things that can go wrong when you're trying to put together a great resume. For this reason, it's very important that you hire the right professional and that you have done your homework before you do.You need to get your resume to the companies that are looking for new employees together with all of the information that they require. You also need to make sure that you have covered every single one of the topics that are in the requirements, so that the people that you are sending your resume to get the best information. With the help of the best professional resume writing services in Denver, you can give them the information that they need and get it sent out to the people that you are aiming for.You can even get them to write a sample for you that you can use as a guide for your own resume if you would like to customize it a little bit. Of course, when you are looking for the best professional resume writing services in Denver, you should be sure that you are going to get a lot of different services that you can choose from. Make sure that you have talked to several different professionals and see what they can offer you.If you decide to hire the best professional resume writing services in Denver, they will have the experience and expertise to help you achieve the results that you want. It may take youa little longer to get a great job through these professionals, but the results will be worth it. You can be certain that the way you look at your resume and the way that you communicate your goals will show through.The best professional resume writing services in Denver can also help you craft a professional cover letter that is sure to impress your potential employers. There are two other things that you should be aware of when you are looking for these professionals. The first thing that you should do is make sure that you are going to get a lot of different companies and try to see what each one has to offer.The second thing that you should do is to ask for the rates that you can get and compare them with the rates that you have been quoted by the best professional resume writing services in Denver. In addition, you should see if the rates that you are quoted are a good deal higher than the rates that other people are quoted for the same services. Make sure that you are getting the most professional services available for the lowest price.When you have a profess ional resume writing service in Denver looking over your resume, you can feel confident that it will be top of the line. With the help of a professional, you can take the best advantage of all of the information that they have in your resume, and you can prepare it for all of the applications that you are sending out. This means that you can take advantage of all of the benefits that can come from having a professional to work with.

Graduate Schemes The First Step Towards Your Career - CareerAlley

Graduate Schemes â€" The First Step Towards Your Career - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. A graduate scheme is a structured program of work designed for those who have just left university and want ongoing training in a real work environment, often with the opportunity for a full-time job at the end of it. Internships can be a risk, you often do not know the level of training you will actually be given, and a lot of the time can end up as the office tea-maker. University and College serves well for theory, but employers continue to assert that graduates are falling short of practice and real experience. Graduate schemes are a formal way to apply studies to on-the-job development, over a course of anything from three months to two years and usually pay relatively well. Application for graduate schemes can be very competitive, with only 12-15% of students getting accepted in highly sort-for positions. The long and formal recruitment process happens over several weeks (sometimes months!) and can incorporate interviews with several senior staff members, psychometric testing, and work-based assessment days. The starting salary for those on a graduate scheme is typically much higher than the average starter wage, and definitely higher than internship wages. To practice for the assessment tests youll face as part of the interview process, go to JobTestPrep But, whilst graduate schemes have always been the ultimate achievement for ambitious undergrads, low recruitment rates and the recession are forcing many to question their value. It might seem as though graduate jobs arent all that different from a regular non-graduate job. Most entry-level positions focus primarily on administrative and clerical skills, allowing first-time employees a glimpse into an organisation with relatively little demand. Employers look to develop soft skills, such as written communication, and encourage creative thinking. Graduate programs are often very broad, allowing trainees to get a feel for an organization or company before choosing to specialise. All things, arguably, youd get from any first foray onto the career jungle gym. Graduate schemes have some superb benefits. Getting a foot-in-the-door at a big company and working alongside influential and like-minded people means huge potential for professional development. Chances of continuing your career at the same company are increased if youve done their graduate scheme, and if they dont take you on youll at least have a killer reference for the next step of your world domination. Its competitive. Youll be working long hours- no simple nine to five- and will probably be expected to travel a lot, or even move to a different city. It really will be a case of proving your worth, of working from the bottom up. Even getting onto a good scheme takes so much time and effort that it might not be worth jeopardising your important final year studies to focus on filling out applications. Essentially the point is to think through carefully what you want. Decide for yourself if a graduate scheme is the right fit for you- whilst job security and the lure of a big name company might be appealing, ask yourself if its an organization you believe in and want to grow with, and look at other options like volunteering and apprenticeships for ideas about alternative career paths. The world of work is no longer a lifelong commitment to a job you start at 21. Companies value the varied and comprehensive skillset that comes with embracing new challenges, identifying and improving your weak spots, and innovative thinking. You dont need a graduate scheme to teach you how to be a great and satisfied employee- but often the structure they provide can help. Remember, if you would like to practice for assessment tests youll face as part of the interview process, go to JobTestPrep This post was guest-authored by Milestone Operations, the U.K.s leading HGV jobs recruitment agency. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Also take a look at: 8 Reasons Why You Wont Be Hired (And How To Get Past Them) Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif

Go From Zero To Sixty With Your Business Model

Go From Zero To Sixty With Your Business Model What’s more important: speed of service or level of quality? Hopefully, you’ll combine both concepts to create something that your customers and clients can rely on and trust. But today, we’re going to focus on speed. How can you make sure that your business is delivering a fantastic turn around speed and that customers aren’t kept forever waiting for a product that they want to purchase or a service they want to use. There are a few ways that you can build up speed in your business. Aiming For Automation We’ve talked a little about automation before, but it is worth pointing out that many of the processes in the business world can be automated. This includes paying invoices in your business, but that’s not going to impact your customers so what will? Well, you can think about automating receipts of purchase. This is an easy form of automation that should exist in every business model. When a customer buys a product from your company, they want confirmation of this. They want to know that the purchase or transaction was handled smoothly. With an automated email system, this always occurred regardless of your input, instantly after purchase. Or, how about automating content released by your business. Remember, your customers care about more than just the product that they buy. They want to know about your business and stay up to date with the latest information. Automating content publication, you can make sure new information is released like clockwork. Managing Your Services You may want to think about connecting as many of the services in your business on one, tightly operated platform. With field service management software, you can do this and make sure that your business model is running smoothly, guaranteeing that response times in your company are very rapid indeed. Providing real-time mobility with a solution like this is an idea for large companies that have multiple processes occurring at the same time in the company model. With software like this, each one can be sped up at the same time. Using Outsourcing Companies Of course, ultimately, if you want to speed up the service you are providing your customers, you need to think about outsourcing. With outsourcing, you can pass off some processes or jobs in your company to another business. They’ll handle this area of the production, freeing up your employees and staff for other roles. The right outsourcing company can provide you the tool you need to streamline the workings of your business. An example of this would be logistics. You might not have the knowledge skill or experience to successfully handle rapid deliveries in your company. A logistics business can so if you use their service, you can make sure that your customers are getting the products that they want as quickly as possible. Killing any delay in the delivery after the order will keep your customers satisfied, ensuring that they want to continue making a purchase from your business. We hope you find this advice helpful, taking your business speed to the next level.