What Would Richard Bransons CV Look like

What Would Richard Bransons CV Look like If you’re looking for an inspirational career path to aspire to, then you shouldn’t have to look much further than London-born entrepreneur, Richard Branson.  StandOut CV has created this infographic to detail his story, from  humble beginnings  to business magnate. As the founder of the Virgin Group, Branson has built a global business empire comprised of over 200 businesses, spanning nearly every sector possible.  From music and mobile phones to airways and train travel, he seems to have found the blueprint for success. Outside of business and generating a personal fortune of over £3 billion, Branson also finds time to run a number of high profile international philanthropic initiatives, as well as raising a family.  But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for Branson. He struggled with dyslexia in his teens and didn’t achieve great results in school. His head teacher famously told him, “I predict you will either go to prison or become a millionaire” At the age of 10, he showed early signs of commercial aptitude when he purchased £5 worth of Christmas tree seeds which he intended to grow and sell on for a tidy profit. However, his plans were scarpered after rabbits ate the whole plot and left him with nothing. Branson’s first successful venture was a magazine aimed at young music fans called The Student launched in 1966. His team worked out of a friend’s basement and managed to land interviews with big names such as Mick Jagger. The magazine proved extremely popular and sold advertising space in order to generate income. Branson then used The Student as a platform to advertise and sell music records by mail order. This was a particularly shrewd move as it allowed him to provide much lower prices than the existing high street stores at the time. The growing success of the mail order business led Branson to open his first record store in Oxford Street in 1971, trading under the name Virgin, because he and his team were all brand new to business. In 1972 he went on to open his own record label; Virgin Records and purchased a large country estate that was converted into a recording studio for fledgling artists. Over the course of the years, Virgin went on to sign numerous successful acts including Phil Collins, The Sex Pistols, UB40 and The Spice Girls. 20 years later in 1992, Branson sold Virgin Records to EMI for £500 million in order to inject some cash into Virgin Airways which he had launched in 1984. In 1979 Branson did something that most of us have probably dreamed of at some point… He purchased his own Caribbean island. In a bid to impress a girl he was dating, Branson arranged for a viewing of the now-famous Necker Island, even though he knew that he didn’t have the cash to buy it at the time. He initially offered $100, 000 against the asking price of $6m and was sent on his way by the unimpressed realtor. However one year later the owner was still struggling to sell the island and ended up accepting Branson’s revived offer of $180,000. And the girl he was trying to impress was his now-wife Joan who he married on the island 11 years later. Branson continued to build the virgin empire by launching Virgin Trains in 1993, Virgin Mobile in 1999 and Virgin Galactic in 2004 with a view to bringing commercial space travel to the masses. Outside of his business dealings, Branson holds the world record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle and even landed a cameo role in the James Bond film, Casino Royale.  In 2006, the Sunday Times reported Richard Branson as the ninth richest person in the UK with an estimated fortune of £3 billion.

5 Life Lessons Every Woman Can Learn From Oprah Winfrey - Classy Career Girl

5 Life Lessons Every Woman Can Learn From Oprah Winfrey There is no doubt that Oprah Winfrey is a huge inspiration for men and women from all over the globe. She picked herself up from the very bottom and ran a successful talk show for almost three whole decades. After this, she now has her own network. The journey and trials of Oprah Winfrey no doubt give us a lot of lessons. Below are just a few that every woman could stand to learn from this great lady. 5 Life Lessons Every Woman Can Learn From Oprah Winfrey 1. Have Self-Reliance If Oprah could stand on her own two feet after rape and a miscarriage before age twenty, we could do a lot. Plus, her talk show aired when this specific genre wasn’t so very trendy. In fact, she was the one who made afternoon talk shows more of a refuge than a space for brawling. 2. Make Your Style Work While Oprah didn’t really have anyone very relatable to look up to in her field, she didn’t bother with copying. Audiences saw her show as a place of comfort in the TV world. She exuded a kind of sincerity that is rarely found in TV anchors or their guests. As a result, she managed to draw some people out in an unprecedented manner. Going on the Oprah Winfrey show was a major honor when it was on the air. And it was all because one woman refused to change herself in order to mimic the top trendy shows of the hour. 3. Remain True To Your Ideals Many women feel forced to express views they do not totally agree with in order to get ahead. However, Oprah has led the way in showing the modern woman just how confident one should be in their values. Even in the very last episode of her show, Oprah took the time to share some of her ideals with her fellow women. These included some very powerful messages which anyone would do well to instill in their lives. [RELATED: How These Once-Poor Women Rose To Success] 4. Do Not Be Afraid To Fail Oprah has insisted on every woman thinking of herself as a queen. A queen has to take many decisions and handle many responsibilities. As such, she does not have time to fear failure. There were several times that Oprah herself failed, but she used that failure as a stepping stone to her success. In fact, Oprah failed first in the exact same field she later excelled in. she was an anchor in Baltimore but was fired from that job. She had to deal with harassment and sexism, just like every other woman does at some point. 5. Change Needs To Happen Oprah has always had a supremely optimistic mind. She has seen the worse of life, and she has made the best of it. One of her sayings is “we can’t become what we need to be by remaining who we are.” This is a way of saying that even when you’re broken, you can rise from the ashes and become something new. This advice from Oprah also lets women know that they have to move and change in order to bring about success. Success could be the change they want to see in the world or the life they want to live. Either way, Oprah tells us that our path is there for us to walk on, not to sit and wait for something good to happen. In almost three decades of a successful show, Oprah has shown us what a woman can accomplish against all odds. For women who are struggling with physical and mental obstacles, Oprah is like a shining light. We would do well to do some research on her and gain as much wisdom as possible.

Personal Brands Celebrate! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Brands Celebrate! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career By now you’ve probably amazed yourself with your ability to stick to your resolutions! LOL. Don’t worry. Now is NOT the right time to assess how 2010 is going â€" or how you’re doing. The only thing to judge during week two of the year is this: Do you have a clear, crisp, compelling focus for your personal brand in 2010 â€" and are you planning to relentlessly pursue your goals? Have you taken THE PLEDGE? Before your brain hears the refrain of anyone else’s plans, commands or demands: pledge allegiance to yourself, every morning. Pride and joy are yours That’s all you need to deserve a celebration, every day.   Celebrate that you have vowed to overcome any obstacle. Take pride and joy, you’ve joined an elite corps of people living on purpose. Everyday, take the pledge to honor yourself, your goals, and your sense of purpose. With this ritual, you earn the badge of personal branding, and the cascade of success and happiness that comes when you decide how to live your life to its peak. Intention + Affirmation + Determination = Celebration. What’s the point of personal branding? It’s to be widely known, appreciated and paid for the talent, quality, service or accomplishment you decide is authentically who you are and what you want to do. Before you become famous, you’d better decide who you are. Otherwise, you’re going to be known for what other people think of you â€" and what they want from you. There’s an old expression that uses the word “famous” in a way that applies to all of us. The host at a party would use the term, when you were being introduced to a stranger. In hopes of quickly helping the two of you find something to chat about, the host would announce something like, “You’ll be interested to learn that Ellie is famous for her chocolate chip cookies!” Wow. Ellie is writing a novel based on her travels to Sri Lanka and seeking a publisher.   But now because someone else decided what is interesting about her she is about to spend a precious half-hour with a new contact, answering questions about semi-sweet versus milk chocolate chips, and how long to cream butter and sugar before sifting in flour. You never get a second chance What worse: because you never get a second chance to make a first impression, she will be known forever as the chocolate chip cookie lady. She could be standing face to face with the executive publisher of Pegasus Media World, and completely miss the biggest opportunity she’d ever have to be a published author. Plus, the publisher misses out on a best-selling author. What are YOU missing, if you fail to hone and convey a crisp, clear and compelling message of how you would like to be introduced, known and celebrated? You risk being famous for something that OTHER people like about you or want from you. That could be staying in your position as an assistant, when you really are ready to be a director. Being seen as a new college graduate looking for work, rather than a chef deciding on how to best channel your culinary prowess. Name your fame What are you famous for now? When others talk about you or think about you, is it for what you want known about you? Have you known some people for quite a while â€" and they don’t know what you want to do, where you want to go, and what opportunities you are looking for? That’s where the pledge is your greatest asset in creating the life you want. You train your brain to not let a minute go by without helping you find the right opportunities, and stay on your path â€" no matter what distractions there are. Without conscious effort, you won’t let anything come between you and what you visualize as the big juicy prize. You see yourself taking the victory lap with a stadium full of screaming fans who can’t believe their good fortune. Theyre celebrating your success. They got to pay you to do what you most want to do in the world. Before you shut your eyes tonight, crisp up an ideal image of what your personal brand is â€" what you are doing that you want to do more of, or want to do that will actualize the ideal you. Then, wake up in the morning and take the pledge. Put it up on your bulletin board. Tweet it to people who need to know: this is your year and it can be theirs, too! THE PLEDGE: This is my year. I’m fighting for it. Fighting to keep the big, juicy prize in mind so it lands in my hands by the end of this year. Fighting to see and stay on the road, high or low. No stopping for distractions, no matter how attractive. I have no respect for roadblocks: inadvertently or purposely cast in my path. I’m fighting to obliterate my own inclination to please, appease or do anything less than seize the day; every day this year. I’m exploding with energy, but conserving it, too. I vow to plow through walls that surround me and beat anything that threatens to defeat me. I own my ideas, my process, my results and my truth. I own the rights. I own the turf. I own this fight, from round one. I will make it to the big dance with a performance that’s bigger than a personal best. I will cross the line in record time, with a valedictory lap on the track, flashing the victory sign. This is my year. I’m fighting for it! 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.

The Senior Series Interviews. Out of Town and Out of Pocket.

The Senior Series Interviews. Out of Town and Out of Pocket. Todays Senior Series post was written Rob Pitingolo, one of the 5 amazing college seniors picked to be mentored and prepped by me for their first job and life after college. Around this time last year, my peers often reminded me how lucky I was not to be graduating into a harsh employment environment with them. The unemployment rate was about 7.7% at the time. Now, it stands at 9.7%. Maybe I wasn’t so lucky after all? It doesn’t help that I’m a college senior in a city and state where the employment market is even bleaker than the national numbers suggest. I’ve read my share of “tips” for college seniors looking for an entry-level career. One piece of advice that seems to make every list is: “be willing to relocate”. This certainly isn’t a problem for me. My career search is focused in a few specific cities, but I’m willing to give any city a shot if the right opportunity presents itself. Willingness alone might not be enough, as I’ve discovered. I was thrilled when I was recently called to interview with an organization I greatly admire for a position that seemed like it would be a great mutual fit. Unfortunately, the interview was 350 miles away, and my heart sunk when I learned that the organization doesn’t reimburse for travel expenses. It was a dilemma. I would have to spend about $200 to attend the interview. Nicole has written some outstanding posts here at Ms. Career Girl about budgeting and being financially responsible. I like to think I’m financially prudent; but the interview would be an expenditure I hadn’t budgeted for, so I needed to seriously weigh the likelihood of receiving an offer against the cost of travel. With encouragement from friends and colleagues, I booked a flight. I never go into an interview unprepared; but given the circumstances, I wanted to guarantee I did everything right for this one. I composed a writing sample specifically for the interview to highlight the exact skills the organization was looking for. I practiced answering mock interview questions that I expected to hear. I prepared to relate my work and school experience to the projects I would probably be working on. The day of the interview I skipped all of my classes and traveled the 700 round-trip miles. I left the interview feeling good, albeit exhausted. I hadn’t been stumped by any of the questions. I felt calm and confident. I had no reason to think I’d blown my chance for the position. They hired someone else. In the job hunt, it’s certainly true that you need to “spend money to make money”. I don’t know of any professionals who wouldn’t advise a college senior to go into an interview with a good suit, for example. But a good suit is an investment. Once you own a suit, and you take care of it, it becomes a valuable piece of your identity as a professional. If you ever decide to take on the life of a nomad and wander the globe, you can always give it to someone else in need. Travel is different. It’s expensive and it’s a one-time deal. If you travel for an interview but don’t receive an offer, you really can’t recover what you spent. The experience concerns me as an out-of-town applicant because many of the entry-level opportunities I’ve found intriguing are in another part of the country. Between a market flooded with young talent and many firms cautious about hiring, let alone spending on entry-level recruiting, I fear it could put out-of-town applicants at a disadvantage. Here’s hoping that I’m wrong, and my experience is the exception rather than the norm. Whatever the case, it’s a lesson I hope my fellow college seniors can take something from.

10 ways 2018 will be the year of finding a work-life balance

10 ways 2018 will be the year of finding a work-life balance The beginning of a new year often sparks a yearning to make the changes  youve been wanting to for quite some time. These typically relate to being healthier, getting fitter, starting a new hobby, learning a new skill, or advancing your career. But if theres one key thing you should be focusing on in 2018, its a better work-life balance. Get this right and the rest will follow youll be healthier, happier and more productive at work. This year is about discovering a balance that works for me, keeping me healthy and happy without compromising my desire to continue surprising and challenging myself on my career adventure. Heres how I plan to do this Schedule me-time I enjoy spontaneity, but lately I have found equal pleasure in organising myself, which those who know me probably won’t believe. With an apparent endless to-do list, I have recently been feeling guilty about stopping work before 11pm to relax before bed, which is pretty absurd. To bat this guilt away, I want to try booking in time for myself every day. This may be in the form of meeting up with friends, spending time with my boyfriend, or very simply doing something which I enjoy like reading or watching TV. By planning when I do this I hope to be able to truly enjoy it, rather than constantly feeling like the ghost of hard work is spying on me. Set regular and achievable goals I used to keep goals in my head, a broad idea of what I want to achieve in different areas of my life but never really knowing exactly how to get there. My goals felt so much more real when I began writing them down and thinking properly about what I want to achieve. To anyone looking for a planner, I highly recommend action diaries or bullet journals. Both help you organise your life as well as encouraging you to write weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. You write annual goals, but also mini aims within these to help you reach the ultimate objective. For example, one of my goals is to excel in my journalism course and a mini goal is practising shorthand every day. Plan activities to look forward to The day-in, day-out routine of work, study, and life organisation can be knackering, but one motivation technique which helps me is to plan fun activities to look forward to. This is important for your mental wellbeing, no matter how busy you are. I always try to make sure I can look back on my weeks and pinpoint the fun I’ve had. These plans don’t have to be expensive. Hang out with friends, visit family, spend time in the fresh air. Being away from your work desk and out of your routine can make a big difference. Use the Pomodoro technique to become more efficient I discovered this simple time management technique last year and haven’t looked back. It’s helped me to get more work done in less time, therefore finding a better work-life balance. The Pomodoro technique is working solidly for 25 minutes, then having a five-minute break before starting work again. Or if you have a short task to complete, simply working for 25 minutes. This means avoiding answering your phone, going on social media, or doing anything else apart from the task at hand. I began using this at work, then expanded it to studying and work I do at home because it was so effective. Get up earlier As a definite night owl, this is not one of my favourite things, but it is something I want to work hard at achieving in 2018. Currently I leave myself just enough time to get ready for work, but I plan to start getting up an hour earlier than I do and study for a while, freeing up more time in my evenings. If you’re like me and mornings hurt, find a way to motivate yourself to get up earlier. Maybe reading for ten minutes before getting up or preparing a tasty breakfast will help. If you already have to get up ridiculously early for work, think about how else you could use your time effectively, for instance getting some work done during your commute. Make a study plan Studying alongside working is a bit scary, but before I started my course I decided the only way to do this would be to organise my study time and start revising early. To plan my studying around my job, I work out what I need to get done every week and then make a quick timetable on a Sunday night depending on what my week looks like. As far as possible, I try to avoid working on Sundays as it is my only day off. If you are studying or balancing lots of commitments, try to broadly stick to your aims but don’t beat yourself up if don’t get there sometimes. Ensure high productivity during the working day Over Christmas, my mum told me about her old boss who demanded that everyone be out of the office by five o’clock because he wanted to leave and didn’t think anyone should need to dedicate more time. Apart from thinking that this manager was cool, I realised that what he said made a lot of sense. You should be able to do your job in your contracted hours, and why work for longer if you’re not getting paid? Being as productive during your working day as possible will prevent you needing to stay later than your allotted hours, therefore giving you more free time. Having recently started a new job, I am determined to be as productive as possible. The Pomodoro technique mentioned above helps, as does taking a few minutes at the start of your day to plan what you will achieve in the rest of the working day. Keep an achievements diary If you’re a workaholic or a perfectionist, leaving work alone might be difficult. Maybe you write unrealistic to-do lists and then when you haven’t ticked off all the items at the end of your day, you can’t possibly go to bed feeling good. To combat this, I plan to write three positive things I have achieved that day. Maybe I overcame a challenge at work, wrote a piece of content I’m really proud of, or just made a damn delicious dinner. Whatever it is, however big or small, confirming the amazing things you have achieved in your day will help you feel satisfied with yourself. Spend a bit less time on social media I love social media. I know the negative effects it can have and have been a victim of them myself, (we probably all have) but I also know the positives it creates and the opportunities it gives us. However, sometimes social media is a way I put off doing something I’m too lazy or reluctant to do, and this is what I want to get rid of in 2018. To do this, I have told myself to always have a reason for visiting social media before I go on it. This could be as simple as I haven’t checked my Twitter feed yet or as specific as I need to share that article I’ve just written. All I want to avoid is mindless scrolling. Another technique I’m using is to switch off push notifications on all channels apart from Messenger. Put my health and happiness on par with my career Lastly and most importantly, I want to work on developing a more equal view of my priorities. Health and happiness should be top, but it’s easy to place these behind working for a successful career. What I want to achieve is a healthy lifestyle which strikes balance and therefore makes me happy and more successful overall. As well as my above changes, I am working to ensure I have a healthy diet (one that allows me to eat what I want in moderation), exercise regularly, and get around seven hours sleep a night. I will aim to stop working around an hour before going to bed where possible, and ensure I always have lots to look forward to. Here’s to a more balanced and very exciting 2018! Remember that finding your work-life balance is personal to you. You need to decide what you want it to look like and you need to make sure you achieve that â€" you deserve it! Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Summary Sunday Keeping Up With Job Search Trends

Summary Sunday Keeping Up With Job Search Trends Job search changes, just like everything else. Are you staying up-to-date on job search trends? If you are using old, outdated job search strategies, this could hurt your chances of landing an interview or a job. This is why, every week, I share a summary of the most popular articles Im sharing on social media. Theres so much information out there, its hard to know whats good and whats not so good. COVER LETTERS As Technology Changes: Is a Traditional Cover Letter Still Necessary? by Jobscan | YouTern I want you to read this article, so I wont spoil it for you. The answer may surprise you. Cover Letter Trends: Introducing the E-Note by Wendy Enelow | SHRM Enelow writes:   Here are five of todays trends in job-search communications. After youve read these trends, take the time to understand how you can incorporate the recommended strategies and actions to transform your HR job search letters from the past into modern communications. JOB SEARCH To Be Hired: Be Found Where Recruiters Look by Susan Joyce | Work Coach Cafe You need to make sure youre easy for recruiters to find. And this requires you do more than posting your  resume to online job sites.  While this was written in 2015, it is more important today than it was then. When you understand how recruiters search for candidates, youll be better at positioning your qualifications! Change Your Story, Change Your Life by Dr. Maria Phalime If you read only one article, I hope it is this one! How you tell your story (verbally and in writing) is so important and determines how you are perceived! Dr. Phalime says: You have a choice about how to interpret the facts of your life. You shouldnt just blurt out or summarize the facts. You MUST convert them into the right story! JOB INTERVIEWS 3 Must Ask Questions Candidates Must Ask at Every Job Interview by Simply Hired | YouTern There are lots of questions you should ask during your job interview, but always make sure you ask these three! PERSONAL BRANDING Personal Branding for Job Hunting: A #Bufferchat Recap by Buffer Twitter chats are oh so much fun! You can learn a lot AND meet great people! So when I saw Buffer was hosting a Twitter chat about personal branding, I was excited! This is a summary of key points made by people during the chat. I hope you find some new people to follow and learn from. And by the way, I was thrilled to see one of my tweets highlighted in this summary, but thats not why you should read it! CAREER 6 Emotional-Intelligence Job Skills Everyone Will Need in the Next Few Years by Lolly Daskal | Inc. Emotional intelligence is what enables you to hold on to your job. So, it is well-worth your time to learn as much as you can about the skills that will help you survive and thrive in your career! FUNNY OF THE WEEK So this happened this week- Anthony Scaraucci started following me on Twitter. And these are some of the responses I got!

Resume Writing Services - The Nicest Place to Live and Work

Resume Writing Services - The Nicest Place to Live and WorkWhen you need professional resume writing services Des Moines Iowa is the place to turn. Des Moines offers the most widely known business resources in the state and is known for its strengths as a business community. If you are looking for resume writing services Des Moines Iowa is the place to turn.The most popular businesses in the state are high-tech, knowledge based, multinational corporations that rely on research and development, technology and trade for their success. The economic development of the area is a mainstay in the economy of the state. In recent years it has been recognized by the Governor of Iowa as a top place to live.One of the most well-known businesses in the area is IBM. They have been in the area for over 100 years. Most of the company's research and development is centered in the area. They have some of the best minds in their employ and many graduates return to work for the company.There are also la rge tech firms in the area that have not only expanded into computers but also into other industries. Hewlett Packard, Dell, AT&T, among others has many locations throughout the state. Many of the world's most popular technology companies have grown here in the past few years.It has become quite a hub for many large corporations and smaller companies to work together. In addition to these, many new technology startups have opened their operations here as well. Many of these firms thrive on the strength of their technology and if you have skills that can benefit the local community and clients, this is the perfect opportunity for you.The many of the area's local professionals have many skills that would benefit your potential employer. Whether you are a recent college graduate or a longtime business professional, the local industry has a field full of new and experienced professionals to hire for the positions they have available. In addition to resume writing services, many of t he local firms offer research, service, project management and accounting services.You may even be able to find local self employed individuals who can offer their services to your employer. The many services of the area are designed to help those with professional experience to find jobs they are qualified for. Such services range from individual consultation to group training and coaching.The Des Moines area is known as a skilled and professional place to live, work and raise a family and the resume writing services are available to help you move forward. You can even make a difference in the future of this amazing state with the skills and talents you have.