Career Articles & Advice

Activities of Team Building by Lily Morgan

Keeping team building activities and exercises fresh in the workplace can be a real challenge. It takes some thought and creativity to avoid repeating yourself at team meetings. There are many great resources for finding new games and activities. Checking online is always a great way to find a large assortment of information. There are also many team building professionals that can guide and coach you in regards to various skill building and team inspiring exercises or workshops. Whatever you do to increase your team building techniques, make sure you keep things fresh and new.

The use of real life case studies rather than made up ones is a great idea. Use case studies that are provided to post secondary classes for learning. Have your team work through the case study to pinpoint and analyze the various problems and possible solutions. After your team finalizes their choices, have them compare their outcome with the real outcome and see where they went wrong and why. It is a great way to learn analytical skills and brainstorming as a group. Case studies are used everywhere from legal studies to university business studies. They can be found online or via educational resources.

One fun yet interesting activity is the egg drop. It requires that teams of three or four form in order to determine how to safely drop an egg from a specified height without it breaking. The egg must be raw and not hard boiled. Teams can use virtually anything they can think of, even creating an egg parachute if they like. This activity is conducted in high schools and it is always a big hit. It also gets the creative juices flowing. You will likely be surprised by the many different ways to do this your team comes up with.

Fund raising and charity events are always wonderful for team building because they are not directly work related. There is no pressure from the boss; it is just about working together to make a difference for others. Many businesses choose to start their very own charity that often is related to a local or community need. Fund raising also makes it easy to get creative and try out new things and new ideas.

Depending on your workplace, having a career day where parents bring kids in can be both fun and educational. The children will get a firsthand look at how your business runs and the people who make it run efficiently. Many kids never see where their parents work. Change that by having team members bring their children in and share what they each do.

Have the team try something new together. It could be anything from a new restaurant to starting a company sports team. Leave boring and mundane team activities to the boring corporations. Adding an excitement and positivity to the team with the use of activities or games can make all of the difference in your team. The benefits clearly speak for themselves. Make team building activities work for you, rather than against you.

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Article Source: Fun Personality

Where Have All the Good Women Gone? Tackling the Gender Imbalance in the it Industry. by Helen York

According to a recent survey, carried out by Research in Motion (RIM), almost 90 per cent of girls aged between 11 and 16 think that using technology is ‘cool’ and is a regular topic of conversation with friends. In addition, 38 per cent of girls talk about technology, including mobile downloads and social networking, on a daily basis. Great news for an industry experiencing both a chronic shortage in skills and dramatic decline in female workers I hear you cry? Not so. The survey also highlighted that, despite the vast interest as consumers and end users, technology is only considered as a career choice by 28 per cent of girls – compared with 52 per cent of boys.

So, where have all the good women gone? What steps need to be taken to help address this gender imbalance? And what are the implications for the skills shortage in the UK?

From computer geek to computer chic

The IT industry has a serious image problem. For many young women, the idea of working in IT doesn’t top their list of career choices. Thanks to the social stereotype of IT professionals, including their portrayal in mainstream television shows like the BBC’s The IT Crowd, the perception of working in IT is often viewed as dull and uninspiring.

Women are dramatically underrepresented within the IT industry with numbers of female IT professionals declining year on year. In 2007, only 18 per cent of IT and telecoms professionals were female – a four per cent drop since 2001(1).

The negative perception of IT obviously has a role to play in acting as a deterrent for women considering entering the profession. IT is widely acknowledged to be a male dominated industry, which also acts as a barrier for women who can feel intimidated by being out numbered so drastically. Tackling IT’s image problem and promoting the benefits of the industry to women is essential in order to move away from the stereotype ‘computer geek’ to the more realistic ‘computer chic’.

What’s in IT for the ladies?

In reality IT has a lot to offer women and, equally, women have a lot to offer IT. Although the industry is male dominated and associated with skill sets traditionally linked with men, such as a logical, methodical and practical outlook, this is a generalised and outdated view. In fact, many roles within the industry, including web design and help desk technical support, require creativity, communication, team working and problem solving skills – attributes traditionally linked with women.

A large proportion of roles within IT are either project or shift based and are compatible with working from home. This level of flexibility should act as a major incentive for single mothers or women with existing commitments. In addition, the salary on offer to IT professionals is increasing substantially. According to recent research carried out by Salary Services Ltd, the average salary on offer to the IT professional in the fourth quarter of last year rose by over two and a half per cent, the same as in the second quarter and up from just under two per cent a year earlier(2).

Why we need to encourage more women into IT

The Government has openly recognised the skills shortage impacting on the IT sector but has so far only offered generalised solutions to the problem. The Blue Card scheme, for example, was a Government recommendation aimed at plugging the skills gap by using skilled foreign workers. But what about exploiting the existing capabilities at home? What about recognising the problem, offering tangible solutions and giving people, especially underrepresented groups, the support and funding they need to train for a rewarding IT career in an industry experiencing a skills shortage?

It’s essential that we begin to address the gender imbalance as a means of plugging the skills gap and sustaining the UK’s industry and economy. Through portraying an accurate image of the industry, and challenging the way training is funded, this can become a reality. Having more women working in technology sectors, with a diverse range of skills, backgrounds and outlooks, will move the industry forward into the 21st century and put the UK back at the forefront of IT innovation.

Moving forward

Currently, only 15 per cent of applicants to computing degrees, and 10 per cent of A-level computing students, are female(3). This imbalance is mirrored throughout the industry and has a significant role to play in the skills shortage. Women have so much to offer an industry in desperate need of rejuvenation but to make moving into IT a feasible option for women the financial support has to be available.

At the moment access to grants in England and Wales is limited and much of the Government’s budget for adult learning is channelled through employers. This means that women, perhaps single mothers working in one sector but wishing to retrain to improve their prospects in another, are unable to make the move through the lack of financial support. Yet, if this was readily available, many women would be in a position to become career changers and enter the IT industry with the skills and qualifications needed to reduce the impact of the skills shortage – saving the Government goodness knows how much in the long term!

We’re in major need of new talent, fresh ideas and approaches – through encouraging women into the field we can ensure that the UK’s technology sector can compete in a global market and address the skills gap. Challenging traditional stereotypes of IT professionals, and of the industry itself, through positioning the sector as one of choice for women is a sure fire way to make this a reality.

(1) - e-Skills UK, Technology counts: IT and Telecoms insights, January 2008
(2) - According to Salary Services IT salary survey, March 2008: salaryservices.co.uk
(3) - e-Skills UK, Technology counts: IT and Telecoms insights, January 2008

Helen York, Careers Consultant, Computeach - With over 40 years of experience in the IT Training Industry, Computeach provides innovative and truly blended learning solutions to a wide range of customers. For more information visit - www.computeach.co.uk For interviews, images or comments contact: Rosie Guise, Marketing, Computeach International Ltd, Phone: 01384 458515, Email: rosie.guise@computeach.co.uk

Article Source: Fun Personality

Stretching Your Life to the Max through Self-Improvement by

Most people look back with regret when they look at their lives. They see how many opportunities were squandered because they were not willing to push harder. This may be you currently but it can change. This can happen when you use a self-improvement course that unlocks your hidden potential. This hidden potential could be the difference between being successful or failing in anything that you do. If you put your mind to it, you could accomplish whatever you want in whatever field you want to.

Each person has a fixed amount of time on this earth. What each person does with that time is up to them. Self-improvement can help because it allows you to look at yourself very clearly and see what you may want to reshape within your life. Many people want to change but do not know how. You can follow a course for this and it will talk about steps to do that.

That is where a self-improvement course can be critical to your success. An example can be the steps is the Activation Reconditioning Stimulus process (ARS process) for short. There are many different self improvement processes that one can undertake. With the ARS process, the key is that it is a 90 day program. It helps you learn about the particular steps of self-improvement and how to implement these into your life. The end of the 90 days should present you with new habits so that you can live your life more fully. 90 days is a short enough time period that you can see the end because it can be difficult to make changes in ones life but long enough to establish these new habits as permananet.

Whether you look at the ARS process or any other self improvement process, it must be about unlocking your hidden potential. You cannot remake everyones life but rather you must first start with remaking your own life. The ARS process focuses on the fact that remaking your inner mind will transform your outer world.

There is a call to action for you within this article. Pick up a self-improvement course such as one focusing on the ARS process. Take this home and put it into action. The courses offer the materials and steps to make a difference in unlocking your hidden potential. It is then up to you to follow through. You can make any change within your life as long as you are willing to have an open mind and take ownership of the outcome.

Ray Subs is a public relations specialist working with Dr. Imagine That. For more information about hidden potential visit www.drimaginethat.com

Article Source: Fun Personality

Three Keys To Self Improvement And Motivation by Deborah Schaefer

What are the three keys to self improvement and motivation?

1. INSPIRATION
Inspiration is critical to staying motivated and improving oneself. If you are not interested in your business, your motivation level will never be high and you will not be able to sustain interest for very long.

Take an honest look at your inspiration level. Are you excited about going to work or is it an obligation? You would be surprised at the number of people who choose a business that looks good on paper, but in reality does not interest them in the least.

These individuals will grow weary and uninterested pretty quickly because they have no inspiration or passion to sustain them during the difficult times they will encounter as a small business owner.

If you do not like your work, then think how you can re-focus your small business to better match your needs. Or consider making a change entirely. Without inspiration, there will not be motivated to even try self improvement.

2. SETTING GOALS
Short and long-term goal setting is vital for any business owner. If you do not set goals, you would have no definite purpose on which path of self improvement to take.

How could you possibly be motivated if you were unsure about the direction of your company?

Take the time to put your goals in writing. A business plan may sound daunting, but it is really nothing more than goals, strategies, implementation and a budget. Write your own business plan and update it at least annually.

Include “mini-goals” that can be accomplished in a matter of hours, days or weeks as well as the more ambitious “grand-goals” that may take years to complete. Refer to this plan throughout the year.

But can a business plan really help motivate you? Of course. Written goals will make you feel more professional and certainly more connected to your business. It will also free you from having to reinvent your business goals every single day.

3. NETWORKING
Another key factor in getting and staying motivated is networking with other small business owners. No one person knows all the knowledge.

However, when a number of people begin working together, the challenges will just be there waiting to be conquered.

In fact, the isolation of working alone is of one the most difficult parts of being an entrepreneur. You can never be on your way to self improvement without the help of others. Mutual support is motivating.
Make it easier on yourself by connecting with others either in your community or online. Even when businesses are not related, you will often find common ground and ways to work together.

Many successful entrepreneurs report that finding the right networking group was a turning point in the growth of the business. Working together, a networking group can help its members generate more qualified sales leads and solve problems faster and more efficiently.

Sharing ideas, expertise and experience is also an invaluable aspect of motivation and self improvement.
Your own personal team of business owners will help re-energize you when the burdens of running your own business seem too much.

With your networking team to rely on, you can accomplish more in less time and probably have more fun in the process. You will feel motivated to accomplish self improvement when you know you are not alone.

Deborah Schaefer, publisher of http://www.SuccessOrate.com
the Personal Development Planning Center, is living her passion by helping people improve their lives through her informative, inspirational and motivational writing and resources.

Article Source: Fun Personality

Newbie Articles: How Does A Newbie Write Fast And Make Money? by Sherry Summers

Writing content can be fast and easy. You may be judging yourself too harshly by forgetting that every writer can attract a loyal following. It’s not about perfection, it’s about personality.

Every successful website owner will tell you that it’s better to have a small and loyal audience when it’s a targeted audience. If you use the Internet frequently, you know this as well. You like to revisit certain sites because they deliver what appeals to you in their articles or content. Articles are what satisfies your hunger for information and knowledge.

That said, articles provide quick financial benefits for the website owner or article marketer.

The two major benefits that articles provide are:

1. Getting your website or blog high in the ranking in search results for keywords and keyword phrases.

These keywords and phrases should target or specifically relate to what is typed into the search box by the user. They will provide traffic to your site when they are recognized as having value and are linked to your site from another site or newsletter. These create backlinks and backlinks tell search engines that your site provides quality content that has the confidence and trust of other quality sites. This pushes you up the ladder of placement in search results.

2. Articles benefit the website owner because they attract direct traffic.

When readers like the content, they tell their friends, family and peers and recommend your site to them, providing even more of targeted traffic. This is where you make money. You get more sales volume if your visitors have trust and believes in your content. Your product or services are much easier to market when visitors feel they know that you know what you are doing and talking about.

I think we have established that articles are very important to you and to your online income and that quality articles are crucial to keep ahead of the competition. However, there is one major hassle for many website owners: The hassle of actually writing articles.

Many website owners would rather spend their time on marketing but, unless you’re a big time company you don’t have the necessary resources to hire a pool of article writers. If this is you, a word of warning here. Stealing or copying of articles written by someone else is theft and could easily get you into legal trouble. You could end up with a hefty fine and even jail time! Don’t do it. Smart writers keep tabs on their work and you will get caught.

So what are the legal options to using the writing of others?

If you detest writing articles and you think you can’t afford to hire others to write for you then find free articles that you can, at least, rewrite to give them your spin, that is, add your personality. This can be accomplished by simply changing a few words, adding a sentence or two, etc.

The first place to look for free articles is in the public domain, that is, the Internet. Just search on line for public domain articles in the niche you are targeting. You should not have problems with copyright infringement and be subject to the subsequent penalties and fines because public domain articles are articles freely given to the public for public use.

You can do whatever you want with public domain articles. You can place them on your site, name them as your own, put them in a newsletter. The decision is yours. Always remember though that you will have to choose articles that are very relevant to your site.

The downside to public domain articles is they are free for anyone to use. This means that many of your competitors will have access to them as well. Since every site needs to be original and unique, even though you have the same niche, this could be a big drawback. Why would a visitor stay on your site when the same content is all over the Internet? This is why rewriting is necessary. You must stand out from your competitors by writing with your spin to each public domain article. Do that and you will be different.

Another way to get free content is to allow other sites or writers themselves to submit articles to your site that directly relate to your niche. You should require that the articles be your work and not be published on any other site. In exchange for exclusivity, guarantee them a link back to their site or product offer. This will enhance your existing content. However, such articles should not be a major source of your content else most of your content would be leading to other sites through the back links. This pushes your readers away from your site. Not the right idea at all.

The best approach is always to have your own articles dominate your content whether they are totally original or edited by you to reflect your knowledge on the given subject.

One easy trick is to add a paragraph at the beginning of a public domain or submitted article, giving your opinion of its content, and again at the end, summarizing your opinion. This will change how search engines index the article and may make your version stand out. Make sure you use proper keywords and keyword phrases in the paragraphs you add that relate to the topic of the article.

There are many freelancers who do part time and freelance article writing jobs that charge minimal fees. You can get outstanding articles that have all the keywords and keyword phrases that will provide what people are searching for through the search engines drawing them to your site. You can get a quality article written exclusively for you for as little as $5. You provide the subject of your website or product offer and the writer does the rest.

The few bucks you pay for these articles could be financially worthwhile because they can drive traffic to your website or offer and people will buy. You hold copyrights to the articles and you will be able to use them any way you choose. You can even rewrite them a bit to add your personality.

There is no question that articles are a fast and cheap way to build your business, drive traffic to your site, and put money in your pocket rather quickly.

Jim DeSantis is an Internet Reporter who provides a free tutorial that will show you a fast-start to article writing and marketing. Get “Newbie Article Secrets” - here - http://www.jim-desantis.blogspot.com - No email or newsletter signup are required! Check out more on or product offer

Article Source: Fun Personality