Start Your Professional Career Without a Degree

Posted on April 26, 2018 by John N. Frank

There is often a lot of pressure to get a degree before you begin your professional career. Many professions seem like they require at least a bachelor’s degree when that might not always be true. You definitely need college education for some career paths, like medicine or law, but there are others that you can enter without higher education. You don’t have to enter into a trade as an alternative, either. Before you decide that you’re not going to get anywhere in the professional world without a degree, consider other ways that you could begin a professional career.

Look for On-the-job Training

In some cases, you might be able to find ways to work and train at the same time. On-the-job training could come in a couple of different forms. For example, a paid internship will allow you to learn and also earn at the same time. Some opportunities might be short-term, but others come from employers who want to train employees who can become assets to their company in the long-term. In fact, many employers don’t want to invest in training for employees who aren’t going to stick around. You could find various opportunities for on-the-job training, from accounting to admin.

Find Other Ways to Learn and Train

If you want to continue your education or training, you don’t need to get a full bachelor’s degree or postgraduate qualifications. There are other qualifications to gain and different ways to learn. You might be interested in going to community college and perhaps completing an associate’s degree. You can also find great online resources that help you gain professional qualifications, like the LSBF free Foundation Certificate in accounting. There are evening classes you could take, short courses and online materials. Whether you can invest some money or you need to learn for free, you have choices. Continue reading →

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Why Working For Yourself Could Be Your Best Career Move Yet!

Posted on April 12, 2018 by John N. Frank

Freelancing and self-employment are on the up. More and more people are seeing the appeal of working for themselves, particularly in a tough job market.

While before, being a slave to your job was typical, but now people want more. A better work/life balance, more time at home and more freedom are among the extras we look for in a job. Working for yourself can help achieve this, but are you ready to take the plunge?

Read more about why working for yourself could be great for your career. Continue reading →

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Here’s What You Need to Know During Your Phone Interview

Posted on March 1, 2018 by John N. Frank

Technology is a game changer when it comes to today’s workplace. With the increase in remote employment and the difficulty in finding good candidates to fill many positions, many employers are resorting to more phone interviews to screen candidates before investing time and resources into scheduling in-person interviews.

A phone interview may be a prequel to an in-person interview, but increasingly, phone interviews are the only interview you’re going to get. Here are some tips to help you get through the interview and come out on top.

Be Professional

You should not treat a phone interview any differently than you would an in-person interview when it comes to presenting yourself. Research has shown that wearing more formal attire does influence your level of cognitive processing. You may like the idea of answering interview questions while wearing a bathrobe and gorilla slippers but taking the time to prepare yourself just as you would if you were meeting the interviewer in person is necessary.

Minimize Distractions

At an office interview you would likely be in a small room with a few key persons, facing them and focused on them. Sitting in front of a computer, eating, or petting the dog increases the likelihood that your attention will be diverted during the interview. Turn off devices and other distractions. A glass of water might be okay, but leave the snacks in the kitchen until you’re finished. Make sure young children or pets are secured so that you don’t have to interrupt the interview to remove them.

Be Prepared

Know who you will be talking with, understand their role in the organization, and do your research on the company and the position before your interview. Make a list of job requirements and tailor a few key statements that support your suitability for the position. Understand the company culture and how it fits with your own personal values and behaviors. Doing this homework ahead of time will help keep you from being caught off-guard during the interview.

Be Honest

Being out of sight might give you the feeling that you can inflate your abilities and confidence without giving away any hints of deception through facial expressions or demeanor. Just don’t. You want to make sure that you are presenting your best self, but you don’t want to lie to a potential employer. Little white lies will turn into big red flags if you’re caught.

Ask Questions

Make sure that part of your research and preparation is about the things that you don’t know, and prepare a list of questions that you can ask during the phone interview. Ask about company location, whether you will need to have specific equipment for a remote position, and other things that might be apparent during an office interview but might not be obvious during a phone interview.

Follow these tips to help prepare yourself for your phone interview before you pick up the phone. It’s important to give yourself every advantage, or it may be the last time you hear from them.

 

Meagan Weekes works at Bizset.com as a Content Manager. She enjoys sharing career tips and her broad work experience. She specializes in developing business ideas, career advancement and networking.

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Lessons on Being a Better Boss

Posted on March 1, 2018 by John N. Frank

In many instances, people will get a promotion or work their way up to be a manager, only then to find out that they do not have what it takes to become a manager. It is certainly a skill to be a good boss, and there are plenty of people who do not naturally have this skill. But being able to get the best out of people is what is going to help you in the long-term. It will help to build the business, as well as help people stick at their career, and you’ll all enjoy coming to work.

So if you’re new to management, or think you will be heading that way soon, then what can you do to make sure you’re getting the best out of your employees, but in a way that is conducive and not patronizing? If you have no idea where to start, then you might be looking into the many reasons to do a leadership and management course! That could certainly help you. But for now, here are some tips to help improve your management skills: Continue reading →

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Budgeting Mistakes Your Business Cannot Afford to Make

Posted on February 12, 2018 by John N. Frank

If there is one thing that all businesses need to get right, it is budgeting. However, this is an area where a lot of business owners tend to go wrong. This can cause cash flow issues, which can result in you missing out on opportunities that present themselves. With that being said, read on to discover the common budgeting mistakes that your business cannot afford to make.

Failing to account for all costs – This is where a lot of business owners go wrong. They leave out certain expenses because they seem insignificant, or they simply use rough estimates to base their budget on. You can find some great advice on forming better estimates here: https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/project-budget-cost-estimation-guide/. If you do this, you are setting yourself up for failure. Small costs will quickly amount over time, and so it is critical that you include all of your expenses. Continue reading →

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Five Perfect Businesses for Introverts

Posted on February 12, 2018 by John N. Frank

Being a people person can help you get on with your business and career, but this doesn’t mean that you have limited options if you prefer working on your own. Below you can find a few ideas for setting up your own business and getting the most satisfaction out of your work, if you are an introvert, and would prefer not dealing with the public.

Working With Animals

If you are an introvert, chances are that you like being around animals more than people. You can start your own farm, or create a pet sitting service. Alternatively, if your skills are on the creative side, you might want to become a pet outfit designer, and create gorgeous outfits for family favorites.

You might not want to focus on pets only, though. Set up your organic honey operations from home, and develop a great relationship with these smart animals. All you need is some beekeeping equipment and loads of patience.

Computer Security Expert

If you would rather talk to your laptop than people, becoming a computer security analyst might be your calling. Your job will be to remotely access clients’ systems and analyzing security details, protecting them from potential threats. You can also become a researcher who uses advanced software to spot new trends in computer security and develop innovative solutions. Continue reading →

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Don’t Let These Enemies Of Productivity Hobble Your Small Business

Posted on February 2, 2018 by John N. Frank

Entrepreneurship is a long, often rocky, usually challenging road that sometimes climbs to dizzying peaks but just as often peters out into worrying valleys. Running your own business is, for most, a dream come true and despite the ever-present obstacles and challenges entrepreneurs near unilaterally agree that they’d never look back.

When you’re just starting out in a small to medium-sized enterprise it can seem like you’re best on all sides by challenges. Motivating your staff, keeping your cash flow healthy, managing overhead costs, maintaining great relations with customers and clients. It can all get a bit much even for a stalwart entrepreneur.

Yet, all of these challenges are so much more manageable when you harness the power of productivity. Maximizing your business’ productivity is the Holy Grail for entrepreneurs and if there were a single, set way of doing it… everyone would be running their own business.

What you can do, however, is nip these common enemies of productivity in the bud before they become a drain on your time, energy and resources that could hobble your business. Continue reading →

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Expansion In Business Is Easier Than You Think

Posted on February 2, 2018 by John N. Frank

If you’re a business owner, you’re probably going to be constantly on the lookout for ways to take your business higher and higher. And expanding your business can happen in multiple ways! So if you want to try making a business more profitable by giving it more exposure or take to networking events to find investors, it’s completely up to you.

However, sometimes expansion is something we want to do, and sometimes it’s a plan we absolutely have to follow through on. Saving a business might require looking for outside help, and when it’s crucial, we can’t afford to fail.

If you’ve found yourself in this kind of position, here’s some advice to help you through it.

Use a Middleman for Your Finances

When you’re seeking out finance, there’s a lot of places to locate sources and find the best deals within them. You probably have sought loans before to get your startup properly established, and thus going back to the bank or the credit union isn’t going to be too much of a hardship. However, it’s not the only place to turn when you desperately need some cash behind you to continue making cash for the benefit of everyone involved. Continue reading →

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3 Simple Ways To Expand A Home Business

Posted on February 1, 2018 by John N. Frank

If you’re running a successful business from home, the logical next step is expanding outside of the house and finding some office space and a few staff members.

But that’s not the best option for some people, particularly if you started a home business so you could fit it around other responsibilities, like raising a family. You can leave things as they are, but you aren’t likely to increase sales and even if you do, you won’t be able to cope with the extra demand.

Fortunately, you can expand a home based business without having to move into a larger premises, here’s how to do it.

Outsource Marketing

If you want to take your business to the next level, you’ll need to increase your marketing output. Doing it yourself through social media is fine for now but it won’t be enough if you’re going to expand.

You don’t need to hire an office and a dedicated marketing team for yourself if you just outsource it instead. It can be pretty expensive so you might have to take out quick personal loans to cover the initial costs but you’ll be able to pay them back fairly quickly once you see a return on that investment in the form of increased sales.

Having a professional marketing team handle your advertising is the easiest way to reach more customers and improve sales. Continue reading →

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An inforgraphic to help you mange yourself

Posted on February 1, 2018 by John N. Frank

The following is a guest post supplied to our site by Fundera.

Who doesn’t love getting to work from home? Most people see working remotely as an amazing benefit.

Though working from home can be a great benefit, once working remotely becomes a part of your regular routine, it can be hard to avoid the inevitable interruptions of this perk.

Managing yourself can definitely be a challenge, but the sooner you can start to successfully self-manage, the more effective you will be at your job.

Understanding both the benefits and potential roadblocks you might encounter while working at home will help you learn to successfully self-manage and will help you establish a work from home routine that works.

Fundera created a guide on self-management tips to keep in mind when working from home. Read on to maximize your productivity if you are working by yourself day in and day out. Continue reading →

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