Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom How SMBs Set Financial Direction

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom How SMBs Set Financial Direction A recent study, The Principal Financial Well-Being Index, found that business owners generally have positive vibes about where they stand financially. Almost half are optimistic about the 2016 economyâ€"and with good reason. Sixty-four percent feel their financials have improved significantly or somewhat from last year, and 74 percent have built a surplus of cash. I askedthree small-business ownersâ€"Sarah Jacoby, owner of dance center Studio 9 in Poughkeepsie, New York; Jenne Myers, CEO of nonprofit Chicago Cares in Chicago; and Vick Vaishnavi, CEO of software firm Yottaa in Bostonâ€"about their financial preparation for this year, as well as their anticipated results. In terms of your business, what does financial success mean to you? Sarah Jacoby: As business owners, we all have our ups and downs throughout the year, but I feel I am successful because, overall, I havemaintaineda flourishing atmosphere as far as cash flow, employees and financial growth. The studio is debt-free and is solidly in the black. Jenne Myers: Although we are a nonprofit, it’s important at the end of the day that we’re in the black, not in the red. Our donors want to have confidence in our financial status, which means that we want to have a surplus. We also place a really high importance on having an engaged volunteer and donor base. The more invested they are in our work, the more they feel responsible for our success, and the more willing they are to contribute and advocate to their networks on our behalf. Vick Vaishnavi: Since Yottaa is in a very high growth market, we measure financial success strictly in terms of maximizing revenue performance. In order for us to do so, we must execute at a very high level across all functional areas of the company. What are one or twofinancial goals you’ve set for your business this year? Myers: Our main goal is to diversify our funding. Unlike most nonprofits, we get about 75 percent of our funding from corporate sponsors. In 2016, we want to continue to diversify our revenue streams, including events, individual giving and grants. While our corporate partners will continue to be key to our success, we want to make sure that we’re more stable and sustainable by having a wide range of funding sources. Vaishnavi: Our financial goals for 2016 are to grow revenue by 100 percent, significantly increase the annual contract values of our deals and double the headcount for the company. Jacoby: I would like to open a fourth location to better serve the large Hudson Valley area. Financially, thisexpansionwill include startup costs, daily operations for the first six months and anyunforeseeableexpenses. I also want to increase my staff and instructor pay and compensation packages. For the rest of the interview, check out the full article on the AMEX Open Forum.

Yelp Resume Writing - Why You Should Hire a Professional

Yelp Resume Writing - Why You Should Hire a ProfessionalMany people think that the process of using a service to generate their NYC resume is very simple. However, you should always be cautious when you engage in such a service as there are several steps involved and there is no guarantee that you will get a good quality resume or even one that is even written properly.The best advice that you can give to people who use a service to write their resume for them is that they should never pay for this service. The fact is that the result that they are getting from the service is not free; there is a price to pay in terms of time.Yelp and Facebook are great services that help people find job opportunities. People use these services to search for jobs within their city. With the help of these services, many people manage to get their foot in the door of the company before actually applying for a job.In order to make sure that you do not waste your time and efforts by wasting money on this , you should always try to get your NYC resume written by someone else. This will only work if you have your own online or offline presence and reputation. If you do not have a professional resume writer, you can get someone who has a professional resume writer to do the job for you.However, with all the responsibilities of business owners today, the issue of resumes is often ignored. It is therefore important that you seek out help from resume writing services so that you do not end up wasting your time. If you end up hiring a professional to create your resume, you will know that you will get the job you want.Using a service to write your resume is something that you should always do and as an added precautionary measure, it is very important that you seek professional help when you have your resume done. If you need to, you can use the services of professional resume writers and they will get the job done right.Many people make the mistake of saying that they cannot afford to hir e someone to write their resume for them, but there is no reason why you cannot afford to hire a resume writer to get the job done right. You should always get your resume written by a professional. With all the responsibilities of business owners today, the issue of resumes is often ignored.The best advice that you can give to people who use a service to write their NYC resume is that they should never pay for this service. The fact is that the result that they are getting from the service is not free; there is a price to pay in terms of time. The better service that you get from a professional resume writer, the more value you will get from this service.

10 Killer Strategies for Getting a Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

10 Killer Strategies for Getting a Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career 1. North Dakota 2. Nebraska 3. South Dakota 4. Iowa 5. Wyoming 6. Oklahoma 7 Vermont 8. Hawaii 9. Utah 10. Kansas You might be thinking, “These aren’t strategies, they’re states. You would be wrong and right. Yes, they are states. But, they are also places that pave the way for a strategic move (literally) to launch your career. Why? These states are well below the national average of unemployment. 3.7% or less: North Dakota and Nebraska 4.9% or less: South Dakota, Iowa, and Wyoming 5.4% or less: Oklahoma, Vermont, Hawaii, Utah, and Kansas You might know that I teach Global Marketing at UCLA extension. Here’s what you learn about great global companies. Objective market research and analysis is the key to success. When global companies consider how to grow their sales or dominate their category: they take a hard look at the world to suss out the most promising geographic markets. They ask: “Where are people who might need what we have?” “Is the market sizeable â€" is there enough potential demand?” “Is the market lucrative â€" do they have the purchasing power?” What is the competition like, would we have a good chance against them? Is the political and economic environment stable? Then, they enter logistics into the equation. Like, “How would we supply them?” “What infrastructure is in place and what would we have to build?” “Would the local customs demand a change in our current products, their promotion, and our approach to distribution and pricing?” No matter what the granular analysis actually is, they are asking this fundamental question: “Is it better for us to be there than not to be there?” Why aren’t you asking the same question? Would you be better off than you are right now? If you haven’t yet signed a mortgage or had a dozen kids: now may be the perfect time to look at all your options. When I began to look for my first job in broadcasting, a coach told me to find a very small market to start in and plan on moving every 6 to 18 months (and that’s if I were successful). I was living in Los Angeles at the time, so almost every market was smaller than the one I was in. I chased every opportunity in towns I’d never seen, in the middle of nowhere I’d ever been. Sent my reel. Made dozens of calls. Kept at it until I got my first break. Because people plan and God laughs: the first gig I got on radio was in the middle of Manhattan. New York City is the only market larger than Los Angeles, and its my hometown. But, the coach was right about one thing: it didn’t last long. It was a great start. Eventually I hosted International Business on public radio, based back in Southern California. So open your map app. Widen your search. Consider the top ten states where companies are hiring. And, don’t be surprised when your prayers are answered, even if your plans make God laugh. Author: Nance Rosen  is the author of  Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at  NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name:  nancerosen

How to Make Your Resume Unique to Who You Are

How to Make Your Resume Unique to Who You Are Some folk will tell you that what makes a great resume is qualifications, experience and knowing how to kiss butt in a corporate sense. However, Im here to tell you the exact opposite and that if you listen to the aforementioned saps, you’re doomed to spend your life reading rejection letters. As far as job prospects go in 2013 and probably from here on out, it’s all about branding â€" as in building yourself, your traits and your personality as a brand the business in question would like to be associated with. And what’s more, this doesn’t mean following any trends or standards whatsoever, but rather making your CV unique to you and you alone. I recently had a run-in with a ‘professional’ CV writing service as I had become overly curious as to what makes them tick and the framework they operate by. I was shocked to find that even to this day it was still something of a “We know what recruiters want to hear” mentality, which quite frankly is a generalization nobody can realistically make. What recruiters want to see and learn about is you â€" the real you â€" which in turn means that you and only you can make the very best CV for you…period. So the bad news is that there’s still no blueprint for penning a perfect CV every time, but sufficient lessons have been learned to highlight a few important dos and don’ts. And with this in mind, here are my own personal picks of the bunch which when combined can take any CV over the edge: Forget Carbon Copies First of all, there’s no way of creating a one-size-fits-all CV for all positions that doesn’t sound like it was written by an automaton…trust me. Not that you have to start from scratch every time you apply for a job â€" Lord knows you won’t have the time â€" but it’s nonetheless vital to tweak and fine tune every CV you email out in accordance with the position and the company. Recruiters can smell generic carbon copies a mile away and there’s really nothing less unique than following suit. Generic No-Nos Speaking of generic, if there’s a single line of your CV that sounds in any way familiar, bin in right now and think of another way of phrasing it. For example, snippets like “goal-oriented” and “highly-driven and focused team player” may be apt, but when recruiters get to the hundredth CV in one day that says the same, yours won’t be looking quite as rosy as you hoped. Get creative with wording, even if technically it doesn’t alter what you’re saying. Use Examples When you’re making the most impressive claims about what you’ve done or can do, try backing them up with actual examples. Or in other words don’t just tell them you’re a born leader, give them an insight into when and where you’ve been able to prove this. Achievements over Qualifications Probably the most important tip of all, you can make your CV instantly stand out as a unique and personal document by favoring achievements over qualifications. Just as has been the case for decades, the first and last thing most folk concentrate on when penning their resume is their impressive string of qualifications and their gleaming work history. But what does this amount to? Nothing but words on paper â€" it’s what you achieved by carrying out these roles that really matters to recruiters. It’s a rare art and will always get you ahead of the game. Phone a Friend And finally, you can describe yourself ‘til the cows come home, but how does the outside world perceive you? Maybe they think you’ve got some seriously attractive qualities you never thought of? As such, never finalize a CV without first speaking to a couple of friends and family members for their own input â€" it can often prove to be the pure gold you’re looking for and always 100% unique. Photo Credit: JorgeMiente.es via Compfight cc By Lisa Morton Lisa Morton had her share of Glasgow staff nurse jobs, and has recently turned to blogging and sharing her job-related insights.

Veterans Resume Writing Center - Looking For An Online Job?

Veterans Resume Writing Center - Looking For An Online Job?Florida Veterans Resume Writing Center is a career center for veterans who have served in the Armed Forces. There, they will get the opportunity to gain skills and develop new job skills as well as acquire a sense of pride. So, if you are a veteran, you should look into this career center.One of the most important things that you can do to make your Veteran's resume stand out among all others is to make sure that you write a resume that will be concise yet meaningful. You can do this by utilizing the concepts of personal branding and professional branding. A concise and meaningful resume is going to help get you that job you are seeking, and will also help other people around you know who you are.Your Florida Veterans resumes writing center can help you get started in writing your resumes for military service. They can help you with a variety of situations. A number of military personnel are struggling with the transition aft er being in the military for many years. They are getting jobs that require them to work with younger individuals and new people.It can be difficult for some to put their own unique skills and knowledge to use when working with younger individuals. They are also finding that their military skills are becoming obsolete when it comes to the job market. This is a big problem that is faced by many veterans. The Veterans resume writing center can help Veterans adjust to these different changes by helping them go through a process that is called career counseling.One of the most common problems that Veterans will encounter when looking for jobs is that the company they are applying to will not want to hire them because they have been in the military for many years. The Veterans resume writing center can help to correct this problem. Their professionals will work with the company to try to convince them that it is in their best interest to hire them, regardless of their military experience . This can help you get your next job while still maintaining your security and dignity.In many cases, Florida Veterans resumes writing center is needed by companies that are trying to hire veterans for jobs that are not within their own industry. Military personnel are often hired on contract to fill positions within the company. These contract personnel can fill the various administrative and clerical positions that are often found at this level. These positions include such jobs as a secretary, receptionist, file clerk, and other similar positions.If you are trying to find a job that requires a certain level of skill that is not always available to you, you should consider a job that requires a lot of travel. This may include jobs such as an airport worker or a flight attendant. One of the key benefits of working for a reputable Veterans resume writing center is that you can be sent resumes for jobs that require you to travel away from home. This can be an excellent way to ensure that you are getting those jobs that are offered to you when you apply.The Veterans resume writing center is there to help Veterans get a good job while also developing new skills. In many cases, their services are used to help Veterans get jobs that require a great deal of travel. This is a huge advantage for them to have, and you should take advantage of it.

On the Move Again Best Cities for Job Seekers

On the Move Again… Best Cities for Job Seekers Looking to move for work? Here are 4 things to consider. Maybe you’ve been at your job for years and you’re mulling a career change. Maybe the city you live in is starting to seem too small â€" or too big. Maybe you’re just starting out in the work force. Whatever the reason, when you’re in the job market, it pays to cast a wide geographical net. Nationally, the unemployment rate is holding at less than 5% â€" down from a 2009 high of around 10% â€" and the job market is seeing steady growth. Still, certain cities have stronger job markets than others. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth between 2012 and 2015 occurred mainly in several key areas: community and social service; computers and mathematics; health care practitioners and technicians; construction and extraction; and art, design, entertainment, sports, and media. I recently e-mailed with Sam Radbil, whose data analysis team at apartment-hunting website ABODO has compiled a report on the best cities in the country for job-seekers. “Most of our audience is Millennial renters and young professionals,” he told me. “We wanted to see where the jobs that interest them the most are concentrated, so we looked at job concentrations in major cities for the country’s fastest-growing occupations. What we found was sometimes surprising â€" it’s not all Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and New York.” You can read ABODO’s complete report here. But a few trends really stand out and Radbil openly shared them with our readers here: Community and Social Service Jobs Are Growing Fast. If you’re looking for work as a counselor or social worker, you’re in luck: Social Service is the fastest-growing job sector in the country. Over the last three years, employment in the field has grown more than 14%. The cities with the most jobs in the field are spread across the country, but the three top metro areas â€" Philadelphia, New York, and Boston â€" are all on the east coast, with concentrations well above the national average. For Tech, It’s Not All Silicon Valley. True, San Jose’s concentration of jobs in computers and mathematics is 4.3 times the rest of the country’s. And sure, San Francisco comes in at #2 with 2.7 times. But according to Radbil, tech hubs are popping up elsewhere. “Our data show that cities like Austin, Dallas, and Nashville are increasingly popular places for tech jobs,” Radbil said. “Austin has more than twice the average concentration of jobs in computers and mathematics than the rest of the country. As Silicon Valley becomes saturated and cost-prohibitive, cheaper cities across the country are situating themselves as major tech hubs.” Want a Job in Construction? Move to Texas. Eight of the top 10 cities for construction jobs are in the West or Southwest, and five are in Texas. Houston, with a construction job concentration 1.5 times the national average, leads the way, but Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas aren’t far behind. “Texas has one of the fastest-growing populations in the country,” Radbil said. “Major cities â€" especially San Antonio and Austin â€" are experiencing construction booms related to housing. And Houston has always been a hub for the energy industry.” Entertainment is Increasingly Diversified Jobs in the arts, entertainment, sports, and media are unsurprisingly centered in Los Angeles and New York, which show job concentrations at roughly twice the national average. Increasingly, though, cities between the coasts are becoming viable cultural centers, capable of sustaining high growth in the field. “In a lot of ways, our map for this job market looks like a cultural ‘heat map’ of ‘cool cities in America,’” Radbil said. “You’ve got San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Nashville. But you’ve also got a city like Columbus, which â€" who knew? â€" has more fashion designers than anywhere in the country other than New York or L.A.” Ready to make your move? Studies like this one are by no means a predictor of the future, but they can provide a useful framework for job-seekers looking for a place to start. If certain cities have a higher concentration of jobs in your field, why not start with them? No job search is a pure numbers game, but identifying hot markets is a smart move that will position you for success. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class now and get the most comprehensive job search system available!

5 Tips to Get a Headstart on a Good Financial Future - CareerAlley

5 Tips to Get a Headstart on a Good Financial Future - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Having a solid financial path is key to long-term success. Unfortunately, many people get a jump start on their finances too late because they are not sure where to begin. Here are five ways that you can get a head start on financial planning so that you can have the future that you want. 1. Start Building Up Your Credit Early One of the determinants for getting any loan is your credit score, but you cant have a score without first establishing some sort of credit. One of the biggest factors that goes into your credit score is how long you have had your trade lines open, so the sooner that you can open a credit card or take out a loan, the better it will be for your credit. You should always build credit responsibly and balance taking risks by doing secure things, like balancing out an unsecured loan with a credit card. source 2. Land a Job This seems like a no-brainer, but one of the best things you can do to be financially successful is to have a reliable source of income. Even if you arent planning on staying with a job for the long haul, having a steady source of money coming in will help you start to establish those lines of credit and will help you become more financially independent. Sometimes, jobs that you take on to get just a little bit of cash on the side can end up opening the door to your career, like how freelance writing can awaken a passion for journalism or how renting out an Airbnb can help you make your way into the hotel industry. Taking initiative over your finances is one of the hallmarks of a responsible adult, and its really never too early to start. Planning today will help make sure that tomorrow will be a good day. Tweet This 3. Start Saving for Retirement Even if you are still in college or havent even made it to thirty yet, it is still immensely important to start saving for retirement. The retirement of your wildest dreams is possible, and it becomes more achievable the earlier that you start to put your money towards it. This is especially important if your current employment situation doesnt offer much in the way of retirement planning. That means that it is up to you to responsibly set aside that amount of money for your future. Furthermore, Americans number one financial regret is that they did not start saving for retirement earlier. Dont be like the rest of the country; start saving while youre young and youll be thankful when youre older. Photo by Ruth Enyedi on Unsplash 4. Take Out the Least Amount of Student Loans Possible When youre starting out as a freshman in college and youre not sure what the future will look like, it is tempting to let a lending institution talk you into an ample amount of money so that you wont have to worry about being in debt with your institution. However, this is incredibly dangerous because starting off with a mountain of student loans sets you up for the inability to have the financial future that you want. Take out what you need and what you need alone and you will thank yourself for it later. Photo by Lubo Minar on Unsplash 5. Take Risks While You Can, but Be Ready to Fail This means that while you still have money in your pocket, invest in the occasional risky stock. Try out a career shift before you lose the ability to learn new marketable skills. Who knows, the risk that you take today may pay off tomorrow. However, you should always have a plan in case things go awry with this risk, like a rainy day fund. Knowing exactly what your potential employer seeks in an employee is going to be one of your strongest weapons. You must focus not on selling yourself, but on selling the version of yourself that will do the job. 8 Things That Differentiate You From Other Candidates Taking initiative over your finances is one of the hallmarks of a responsible adult, and its really never too early to start. Planning today will help make sure that tomorrow will be a good day. Balance is key when working on your financial future, so be sure that everything you do, you do responsibly. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search