What Are the Benefits of a Diverse Workplace

What Are the Benefits of a Diverse Workplace There are lots of arguments about whether it makes a difference whether your workplace is diverse enough. If it doesnt affect their ability to do the job, does it matter what race, religion or sexuality your employees are? There is however the argument that people like to see a reflection of themselves in a company. Our panel of diversity and inclusion experts share their thoughts on what they think  are the benefits of a diverse workplace Natasha Broomfield-Reid There are numerous benefits to having a diverse workforce, many of which can be supported with findings from multiple research studies. My top 3 benefits are:  Improved Financial Performance   The McKinsey Consultancy reported that ethnic and gender diverse companies were 30% and 15% more likely to perform better respectively.  Reflecting Customers   Reflecting the diversity of customers and users allows organisations to understand and meet their needs more effectively.  It’s the Right Thing to do   Whether that’s ethically, morally, or corporate social responsibility, having a diverse workforce is the right thing to do. Natasha Broomfield-Reid, Head of Development at Equal Approach. Caroline Stokes I have a marketing background with Sony and Nokia, and know that if you don’t have a diverse team, you end up getting the same ideas that may not appeal to the varied audience you’re marketing to. As I always say ‘from understanding comes growth’ and believe there’s great ROI with a diverse workplace. Caroline Stokes, Executive Headhunter Coach. Founder of FORWARD. Nicola Crawford Having a diverse workforce can benefit organisations in several ways from improved morale, knowledge sharing, forming a rounded team and bringing various set of soft skills to the table. Diversity can also include people’s personal background, culture, educational levels, values, ethnicity as well as gender as sexual orientation. It’s important to have a balanced point of view represented. Nicola Crawford, CFIRM, Chair of the Institute of Risk Management. Joanna Abeyie One of the key benefits of creating a diverse workforce is the diversity of thought which leads to innovation, representative viewpoints of a wider range of audiences and/or service users and ultimately drives competition. Youll only stay ahead and become market and thought leaders if you are ahead of the trends and can make predictions, this becomes a much easier task if your workforce is reflective of all in society and the audiences that it serves. Joanna Abeyie, Managing Director, Hyden, SThree.  Suki Sandhu Other than the obvious, that having a diverse workplace is fundamentally the right thing to do, the business benefits are clear. A diverse workforce brings with it insight into other socio-economic groups, cultural sensitivities and values that gives companies a competitive advantage. The numbers speak for themselves. According to the Centre for Talent and Innovation, organisations rated highly for diversity and inclusion have 57% better collaboration, 19% greater staff retention, 40% improvement on market share and 70% success in new markets. Companies would be foolish not to recognise the business benefits of diversity. Suki Sandhu, CEO and founder of  Audeliss. Charlotte Sweeney Research by firms such as Deloitte, McKinsey and PwC show that companies that are both diverse and inclusive have a positive impact on business delivery â€" such as the bottom line, employee engagement, productivity, motivation and retention. Companies should ensure they are attracting and retaining the best talent into their companies regardless of background. As we continue to see an ageing population there will be as many as five generations in the workplace and the increased global nature of our work means that talent will come from all corners of the world. If companies do not realise that talent comes in many different shapes and sizes they will be left behind by their competitors â€" a diverse world requires diverse thinking. Diverse thinking naturally comes from diverse groups of people. Charlotte Sweeney, Managing Director of Charlotte Sweeney Associates Ltd. Sarah Nahm Diverse groups are likelier to challenge ideas, introduce fresh perspectives, and consider more possibilities, which makes them better critical thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators. But watch out for diversity without inclusion. I’ve seen many well-intentioned programs go south when the stakeholders skip straight to diversity, without first considering whether talent of diverse backgrounds and experiences will be able to succeed at their company. How are your meetings run, whose ideas are considered, and ultimately, who’s getting ahead in your org? Answer these questions with candor, and be willing to do the work to cultivate a culture that sets all employees, equally, up for success. Sarah Nahm, CEO, Lever.

Acting Resume Format - The Basics

Acting Resume Format - The BasicsIf you are considering how to write an acting resume, here is some general advice that should help get you started. The act of writing your resume will give you something to write about and will help you build a sense of confidence in yourself.First, get your facts straight in your application: The first thing you need to do is make sure that you have all of your career achievements listed clearly on the application. Make sure that you spell them correctly, not capitalize or add accented letters. A one-page resume is fine; the two or three page is best.On top of that, you want to be sure that your acting resume does not contain any incorrect information, misinformation, or grammatical errors. When you are looking for a job, it is important to be well prepared and to avoid any potential mistakes.For the most part, when it comes to your personal details, it is OK to share as many as you want. However, you don't want to put too much information on there because it can lead to problems down the road. It is fine to include a school or college you attended, information about your acting school, work experiences, awards won, as well as professional affiliations and any other noteworthy information.When it comes to the acting resume, it is best to make sure you cover the basics of what you can do and what you are good at. The more information you include, the more difficult it will be to read and understand, so don't try to cram too much into it.One great part of creating a resume is that you can use your favorite photographs to help illustrate your talents. So if you are a great singer, for example, you can show photographs of you singing or dancing. If you are good at playing the guitar, for example, photos of you playing will be useful. The length of your acting resume will depend on how much professional experience you have. Some people who play opposite other actors and actresses may have a short acting resume; others may have a lo nger one. The key is to have a reasonable length, which should not be too long or too short.Acting resumes are meant to help you get your foot in the door and are not a complete resume, and they are also not designed to make a decision. In fact, they should not be used to interview at all.

What are We Trying to Do Here - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What are We Trying to Do Here - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Do you ever ask yourself this question? Do you ever ask yourself this question about your company? Do you ever ask yourself this question about your life? Not to get too philosophical But, these are questions you can and should be asking yourself. If you arent asking yourself these hard questions today then in five, ten, and twenty years you may find yourself wondering and asking yourself this next very hard question. How did we get here? This is a reasonable question to ask, but its not the question you want to ask yourself about your career 5, 10 and 20 years on. It can and should be an introspective question. And, it can be a question you can envision yourself asking and answering today. And, using it as a sounding-board for yourself to set your course and direction today. Career planning requires hard choices. The great news is there are countless resources available to help you guide, consider, evaluate, and make decisions about your career. From mentors to the Sunday paper business section to the daily stream of blogs and books that can help you plan, consider, and put concrete ideas into action. Some of my favorite books that got me thinking and keep me thinking  include Rich Horwath’s Deep Dive;  Jon Acuff’s Do Over;and Greg McKeown’s Essentialism. Each of these are very good reads that I have referred to many times as I seek to answer the questions … What are we doing here? and What are we trying to do here? Standing out in your career requires planning, perseverance and oftentimes patience. At the end of your career, whatever that means, you should not be and do not want to be asking yourself the question of: How did we get here? If you have been diligent all along the way throughout your career and asking this hard question: What are we trying to do here? Then, youll have a pretty pretty good idea and feeling of what you did to get here. Now, go ask that hard question. And, expect a lot from yourself and from your colleagues and your company. But, ultimately this is your question to ask and answer. Good luck! A request for you … Add a comment here based on your thoughts about how you approach your career. Note: I used the collective “we” here instead of using the word “I” for the simple reason that it is rare to do everything yourself. It takes a collection of people to accomplish great things. There are exceptions and there is a lot of hard work required on the part of each individual, but I used the collective “we” here to get people thinking about the possibilities of working together to accomplish more.

Work Ethics You Can Learn from Millennials

Work Ethics You Can Learn from Millennials Poor millennial. When they’re not being blasted by Simon Sinek as participation-trophy whiners with an alcoholic-level addiction to WhatsApp, they’re being told by TIME that their failure to afford house prices  means they are developmentally stunted. But as millennial superstar Taylor Swift wisely pointed out, haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate. And millennials have good reason to shake criticism off, because it turns out that they kind of have this whole career thing sussed. Here’s what you should be learning from them: 1.Education shouldn’t stop at school For those convinced that there are more flakes amongst millennials than in a Mr Whippy ice cream van, the following statistic is a favourite: one in five millennials brazenly admit their intention to take a career break. The reason for this lay about behaviour? To undertake further education or training. millennials are almost unanimous (93%) in both their desire for lifelong learning and their willingness to invest their own time and money into it. Perhaps millennials are just intellectual snobs. Or perhaps they’ve taken on board the advice of reports like this one, which points out that because technology is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, the business world requires a workforce with adaptable and update-able skills. Only those who constantly nurture their knowledge base, through lifelong learning, will succeed. 2. A work-life blend works both ways A shocking 95% of millennials have the temerity to claim that finding a balance between work and life is important to them. They undoubtedly expect to spend time with friends and family and indulge in hobbies and everything. Even more annoyingly, they’re completely right to do so, because workaholics are almost always less productive, efficient, and innovative than their colleagues who work sensible hours. Millennials have picked up on the fact that the same technology which allows 70% of them to check their emails outside the office would allow them to work from home (which three-quarters of them would like to do). Bosses, who like the former but forbid the latter, would do well to read the multiple studies that show millennial are correct in their assessment that such flexibility would make them work harder and achieve more. 3. Travelling is good for you The ‘gap yah’ Millennials may be one stereotype that is somewhat justified: almost four in ten millennials want to take time off work to travel. Moreover, 86% of them list a company’s holiday and time off policies as one of their top considerations when applying for jobs. Fun fact: taking your holiday allowance makes you more likely to receive a bonus or a raise. Really. Part of the reason may be that so-called ‘work martyrs’ tend to become so stressed and unhappy that they’re not particularly effective employees. And while some millennials undoubtedly spend most of their career break at the bottom of an alcohol bucket in Koh Pha-Ngan, many more use the time to gain global experience, learn new languages, build their confidence, and be inspired by different cultures and ideas. 4. Change is a good thing It’s true that millennials are job-hoppers: two-thirds don’t wish to stay longer than two years in a single role, and barely 16% expect to keep working for their current employer for the next decade. Like the heartless capitalists they are, millennials seem happy to leave corporations in the lurch just because another business values them more (the average job-hopper gains an 8-10% increase in salary). Some mercenary types even point to evidence that staying longer than two years at any one employer results in 50% lower lifetime earnings, probably because job-hoppers have more varied experiences and skills, as well as larger professional networks. 5. It’s all about me Many millennials seem to be under a delusion that employee treatment and satisfaction should be an important consideration of any business. One-quarter of them even name it as the most important element of long-term success. Gallup (undoubtedly staffed by millennials) had the gall to run an in-depth study on the matter. They concluded that millennial were spot-on: the yearly cost of employee disengagement was $450-550 billion in the US alone. 6. Values are important Entitled enough to think being true to their moral compass is necessary, more than half of millennials are unwilling to ever work for an organisation that does not share their personal values. The same proportion has refused to undertake a task they felt conflicted with their personal ethics. Amongst millennials in senior positions, these figures rise. Those who think millennials should just suck it up might want to look into the business costs of a negative, unmotivated workforce. Studies show that happy employees really are more productive employees, which is something for everyone to smile about. About the author: Beth Leslie is a professional career advice and lifestyle writer.  She is currently a writer and blog editor for Inspiring Interns.

Easy and Simple Resume Write

Easy and Simple Resume WriteSimple resume writing, is very important to be able to achieve your goal of getting a new job interview. Here are some tips on how to do so.Basic resume basics are the core of all a resume. It should contain your name, contact information, work experience, education and training, and any references. No resumes can say that they do not need to list your educational and employment history. This should be included because a potential employer would like to know what kind of applicant you are.The first thing to consider is a brief statement of what you want to convey to the employer. Be as detailed as possible. If you are applying for an entry level position, be sure to list your educational goals. A person who wants to have a higher paying job for life may not be in a place where they can get promoted to a higher level.It's important that you set a goal for yourself and then see how far you are willing to go in order to reach it. For example, if you want to b ecome a General Manager, don't say you want to be a General Manager for life. Just write the goal you want and see how far you want to go.Writing a resume is often a common mistake. A lot of people seem to be writing a letter that will get them their dream job. By doing this, they're simply letting the employer know they are looking for something. In addition, this is most likely not the kind of resume to a prospective employer will read.When you do receive a resume, don't go ahead and read it right away. Think about what the wording says and if there are any parts that look odd or make you uncomfortable.This article covers a few things that should be in the resume: education, training, employment history, and information relating to the specific position you are applying for. It is important to be specific, but it is also important to remember the bottom line is that your resume must stand out from the rest.You want your resume to be different than others, but with certain characte ristics. Simple resume writing can help you accomplish this.

Tips on Writing a Writing Target Senior Team Leader Resume

Tips on Writing a Writing Target Senior Team Leader ResumeIf you are seeking a writing target senior team leader resume, then you should focus on making it something that is all your own. After all, it is a highly sensitive matter that has to do with your personality and your professional skills. Here are some tips on how to make a successful writing target senior team leader resume:Use a title: 'Team Leader'Senior Team Leader'. This is your personal name; therefore, it will be an excellent boost for your personal self-esteem. You can also go for 'Team Manager', 'Direct Leader', or 'Team Administrator' - whatever you feel best suits you.Write as the manner you would talk: when you write, try to reflect your true feelings as you talk. You might write about a situation or an incident in which you had an impact on. For example, if you were present during a meeting, you could write about how your presence played a part in the decision that was taken.Interview yourself: Do not just write the material down, then sit in front of the computer. Try to recall a time when you spoke or appeared in a meeting. Come up with as many points of view as possible - as different as possible. And then, reflect them into your writing target senior team leader resume.Write in a professional way: Try to avoid confining yourself to writing simply as a team leader. This may well work out well, but it may not work well for you. So, be practical, do not become a one-man band. Follow the guidelines and select only those topics that would be relevant to your career goals.Generate a few samples: Include samples of your writing skills for other positions and situations. You can either create them yourself or you can ask someone else to write them for you. A good friend, colleague, or a relative who is already in a managerial position could do this. It would help you get an idea about the kind of material you should produce when writing your target senior team leader resume.Put in the basics: J ust in case your basic information (title, company, position, etc.) is incomplete, then you need to put in a brief explanation on the missing facts. Here is where your creativity comes in - you can add a couple of facts to your subject. Remember, your resume needs to show the real you - which means that you should not be misleading others.There are many more tips that you can follow in order to make your writing target senior team leader resume one that people will enjoy reading. Keep these in mind, and you will be able to write a good resume for yourself. After all, who does not want to prove their worth and show their strengths through their writing skills?

Insights Into The Secret Lives Of Recruiters

Insights Into The Secret Lives Of Recruiters Inside the Secret Lives of Recruiters Photo credit: San Diego Shooter via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND From the outside looking in they often seem cryptic, crazy, or an enigma. As a candidate you may have been contacted by one.  Or theyre working on a job opportunity for you but have gone radio silent.  And you wonder if theyve forgotten you or just havent heard back from the client. In a prior post  How Recruiters ThinkWhy Your Phone Isnt RingingAnd Why It Might Not Be You  I give you some of my insights into the recruiter world and how you might navigate it effectively. In this post I take an article I read  Top 17 Songs Every Recruiter Can Relate to   and analyze each of the 17 Songs to give you an extra sense of what youre dealing with.  And for recruiters reading this, you can probably recognize many of these situations.  I wont cover all the 17 but pick out some highlights. Inside the Secret Lives of Recruiters #3 Going directly to the hiring manager behind the back of HR (or the proper recruiting channels). The best recruiters know that the deal is made with the hiring manager, not HR.  HR (or the designed recruiting process) is what is in place to make sure HR is kept in the loop and can make sense of things.  It is not for the benefit of the recruiter, or for that matter the candidate. HR generally has way too many applications to process.  But the hiring manager is often not adept and doing effective screenings.  So if your ea good recruiter you satisfy the HR person and at the same time do what you can to develop a connection with the hiring manager so your candidate moves to the top of the list. As a job candidate working with a recruiter, having someone who is good at what they do, and is getting in front of hiring managers, can improve your chances from 1 in 50 to 1 in 3 (by eliminating the competition other than the other 2 candidates your recruiter supplied to the hiring manager). #5 Sifting through rubbish applications. Dealing with sucky resumes and job applications.  And often the insane follow up expectations that candidates have (twice-a-day follow up is too much).  Recruiting is often a volume game.  But that volume can at times be overwhelming.  And sorting through bad resumes can seem like youre looking for a needle in a haystack. This is where a good resume writer can be worth their weight in gold.  Get a resume that is well written and you jump from #80 of 200 to #5 or #10.  And if you can not annoy the hell out of your recruiter, theyll do their best to put you at the front of the line. #7 Everyones replaceable. Recruiters love it when they find the perfect match.  But often that perfection is a smokescreen for dysfunctional, unrealistic prima donnas.  And if the perfect one falls through, they often find another gem. As a candidate you need to make sure you dont oversell yourself.  If youre remaining in the same industry and working with the same people you have in the past.  And assuming you did an awesome job.  You will likely be able to find yourself at the top of the candidate list.  And if the numbers work, youre often in. But what if youre looking in a new industry?  Or looking to work for someone who doesnt know you or your great reputation?  Well like someone selling their house, you view yourself higher than someone with no experience with you would.  For them youre a scary unknown, not a must have hire.  So recognize that when youre making your pitch. #9 The Pile of new requisitions to work. This can be perfect timing for the candidate.  Youre in demand.  More opportunities than people to fill them.  But be careful with this situation too.  The mass hire to fill the team for a new project often means they hire many undesirablespeople who are unemployed for a reason. Basically they were let go from other companies due to incompetence or drama. So before you say yes to an opportunity that was way too easy to land, know it just might be that way for a reason.  So that is the time to evaluate it a second time. Bonus Secret So given the insights already mentioned, whats one thing I can do to boost my chances (assuming I have a solid resume and theres an available position the recruiter would be placing me in)? Recognize that recruiters are people too (check out the rest of the Songs to get a sense of what they deal with on a daily basis.  It may give you a new perspective and allow you to connect with recruiters better and develop a good rapport.  And by doing that the recruiter will often work harder on your behalf than they would if you were a pain in their butt. Enjoy!

Career Management 3 Ways to Build Your Professional Brand - Hallie Crawford

Career Management 3 Ways to Build Your Professional Brand Is your career one of your best assets? You might feel that your career is important to you, but how often do you nurture your career? When we treat our career as any other asset, we understand the importance of career management. Part of career management is having a strategic career plan. Remember that a strategic career plan is your map to your career goals and that is involves three important factors: Define your career aspirations Build your personal brand Develop a plan In a previous article (link to the article above on define career aspirations) we discussed how you can start to define your career aspirations. This article will focus on how you can build your personal brand. Do you have a personal brand? In short, a personal brand represents the value that you are able to consistently deliver to those whom you are serving. All business professionals should have a personal brand, but statistics show that this isn’t the case. Studies show that: Less than 15% of business leaders have a solid and defined personal brand Less than 5% are consistently living by their brand This is startling news, especially when your personal brand is such an important piece of the map you need to reach your career goals. If you can’t define your value, how can you prove to others that you deserve to keep moving to the next level in your industry? (For more information on this topic, Watch our Free Webinar: 3 Keys to Unlock YOUR Strategic Career Plan) To define your personal brand, you must be clear about who you are as a business professional. Consider the following : Your values and passion. For example, what got you into your industry? What do you like about your job position? People are interested in these kinds of details. This is a part of your story and your brand. Your strengths, education and experience. What about you stands out from the rest of the professionals in your industry? What measurable results do you achieve for your listener? For example: I help people find a job that makes them want to jump out of bed in the morning. The results benefit my clients. Your personality type and soft skills. Employers and prospective clients want to know details about your that make you unique. This has to do with skills that aren’t teachable, such as being driven or connecting well with others. For each area listed above, try to identify three things about yourself and journal about them. If you find you are struggling with this exercise, talk to trusted friends and family members to give you a jump start. Ask them questions such as: What are my top three strengths? What do I do better than anyone else you know? What three adjectives come to mind when you think of me? Now that you have a better understanding of who you are and what you have to offer, it’s time to start forming your branding statement. Your branding statement is composed of three parts: Who, What, and Why. Who: Who do you serve/who is your target market? What: What unique value do you provide? Why: How do you deliver and why should they believe you? Note: The second and third components of your branding statement are your unique selling points. When forming your branding statement, it’s important to keep a few things in mind: Write and speak in an authentic tone of voice. You want to make sure your brand matches your personality and that you feel natural using it in professional and networking settings. Practice until you have committed it to memory. Make sure that your branding statement is simple enough that you don’t have to look at a piece of paper to talk about yourself Make sure you are enthusiastic and smile! Now that you have a personal brand, it’s time to share it with the world. Make sure to include it in: Your resume and cover letter. For example, it could be part of your professional profile or summary or qualifications. Your LinkedIn profile. Make sure you include results that you would bring to a potential employer or client. It is also appropriate to use it on other social media profiles that you use professionally. Your email signature. Yes, this is a great way to communicate your brand. Include it in your professional email address that you use for your job search. The more you use your brand, the easier it will be to stay true to your branding statement. Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate yourself and your brand every so often and make sure that your branding statement is still true to who you are as a business professional. Make adjustments if necessary to make sure that you are communicating the image that best represents you to the world.