How Much Does it Cost to Live and Work in the UK

How Much Does it Cost to Live and Work in the UK Did you ever stop to think about how much having a job actually costs you? Heres a clue: It aint cheap. Think about how much you spend on your train tickets or petrol, how much you fork out for your daily lattes and those overpriced lunches at the organic cafe round the corner from the office. Before you get your spreadsheets out, have a look at this infographic compiled by Guardian Jobs on the price of living and working in the UK. Some of the key findings: The average salary in London is £33,899, the  average salary in the UK is 26% lower at £26,978 The average person in a job has spent 8 years, 7 months and 2 hours of their life working The average annual cost of peak-time train pass with tube travel is a whopping £6,000 A coffee from Costa, Starbucks or Caffe Nero will range from £1.40 to £2.50 If you made instant coffee instead, you could save £888.61 annually A daily sandwich will on average cost £2.49 at Pret a Manger If you make your own sandwiches you could save £261 Finally, the average monthly rent in the UK is £713, in London its £1,202 In conclusion, if you want to save money for your retirement make sure you make your own sandwiches, sip Nescafe, get a bicyle and live far away from London RELATED: How the UK Economy Affects Jobseekers and Recruiters. Brought to you by Guardian Jobs.

15 Inspiring Brands or Personalities Worth Emulating - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

15 Inspiring Brands or Personalities Worth Emulating - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The following answers are provided by members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the worlds most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. 1. Elon Musk Elon Musk is Tesla. He conveys the same core concepts as his brand at all times. Whether youre reading his personal Twitter or Teslas brand-owned platforms, you can see that the organization is focused on their key messages: cutting edge tech, environmental responsibility, forward-thinking practical political strategy. Any brand can borrow and benefit from that example of pure focus. Brennan White, Cortex 2. Taco Bell What I admire about Taco Bell is the way its wildly succeeded at getting customers engaged in its social media campaigns. The company introduced an innovative set of emojis that made it easy for customers to post their own content to social media pages. Taco Bell has figured out how to recruit customers to help with marketing, which creates lots of viral campaigns. Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting 3. Neil Patel Neil Patel has so much ownership of knowledge when it comes to the digital marketing space, hes basically become a pseudo-celebrity among young marketing professionals. Look how he demonstrates thought leadership in the content he creates. Its never fluff. Hes always creating value. Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now 4. Michael Kors Michael Kors has done a great job with branding. Theyve managed to combine their product with thoughts and images to put forth the idea that their product is associated with aspirational concepts. It has really pushed them forward in their niche, which is quite admirable. Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance 5. Jeff Weiner Jeff Weiners authenticity has been a beacon of how brands and individuals should craft their personal brand. Jeff stays active on social media and shares true experiential content about his life and his career. Watching Jeffs authentic approach and following his style should help others craft a relatable brand that the public can identify with. Marcela De Vivo, Brilliance 6. Gary Vaynerchuk Gary Vaynerchuk puts his entire entrepreneurial journey out there, via social media and his daily vlog. He isnt using things like fancy cars and stacks of cash to attract his audience. Hes showing firsthand that putting in the work is the gateway to success. The market is saturated with fake entrepreneurs trying to lure people in with flashy objects. Vaynerchuks approach is authentic. Jonathan Long, LAWYE.RS 7. Steve Jobs While Steve Jobs may be long passed, his approach to branding and design, and his commitment to his company and its hardware and software platforms, is nearly unrivaled. Steve put the product first, sometimes before the consumer, believing he knew, even when he didnt, what the consumer wanted. This strategy led to Apples best years, and his tactics, while harsh, were often successful. Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker 8. Ellen DeGeneres Ellen DeGeneres has a great personal brand that is centered around humor and being a good person. We can all learn from her how to not take ourselves so seriously and create a greater vision for our businesses that help other people. Jared Atchison, WPForms 9. Supreme The clothing brand Supreme has used scarcity as its core branding strategy, attracting celebrities to endorse the product (Supreme has never paid for a celebrity endorsement) because the product is so exclusive and hard to access. As a result, they landed a collection with Louis Vuitton, a global brand who wanted in. Consider small product runs to generate hype around your brand. Diego Orjuela, Cables Sensors 10. Oliver Reichenstein Im constantly impressed by Oliver Reichenstein, a founder of iA inc., a design consultancy. iA uses a mix of branding techniques: great work, deeply thought-out content and popular conference talks, plus sidelines like the popular iA Writer app. iA eschews almost all the bells and whistles of modern online branding and focuses on the fundamentals: great work and truly influential content. Vik Patel, Future Hosting 11. Dave Portnoy The Stool Presidente has done such a brilliant job of creating a persona that has made him loved by millions. This in turn has driven the wildly popular Barstool brand. He found a way to appeal to the common man in a way not many brands have yet realized. Hes created an army of sports fans by making them feel a part of something. Brick by brick, he branded Barstool to salt-of-the-earth people. Scott Kacmarski, Reps Direct 12. Andy Frisella Andy Frisella is a 100 percent straight shooter who tells things exactly how they should be told, regardless of feelings or political correctness. He leads by example in all aspects of life and is an all around kick-ass human. He has built an amazing company and provides a ton of value on his social media and podcast, The MFCEO. He truly did start from the bottom and has worked his way to get to the top. Jason Applebaum, Egear Media 13. Kevin Winston Kevin Winston has been a mainstay in LA for over a decade, leading the largest digital networking group in Los Angeles, DigitalLA. Hes also the creator of Silicon Beach Fest. Kevins consistent and unique personal brand, combined with his penchant for red, makes him quite a magnetic personality in a sea of sameness. Kevin is always wearing red. Always. Red is Kevin Winston and Kevin Winston is red. Robby Berthume, Bull Beard 14. Pat Flynn Pat Flynn branded himself as the crash-test dummy of online entrepreneurship. He observed what was going on in the internet marketing space when he first got started, and decided to take things in a new direction. Instead of hiding behind the anonymity of a blog or website, he embraced transparency. And, he’s done quite well for himself. Erik Bullen, MageMail 15. Grant Cardone Uncle G has a strong following because his message is raw and real. He tells you things that you dont hear much on social media, and shows you examples through his life. The man changed my thoughts on sales, money, investment and life. I think a lot can be learned from how he approaches his personal branding on social media, Grant Cardone TV and books. Richard Fong, Bliss Drive

Watch your credit score. - Classy Career Girl

Watch your credit score. After the financial crisis in 2008 precipitated large scale unemployment, employers began to use credit card scores to filter out the large number of people applying for limited positions. Unfortunately, what this means is that if you have a bad credit score, it can prevent you from climbing out of debt and getting back on your feet. In other words, a bad situation can get worse. It’s not uncommon for a company offering a job to screen applicant’s backgrounds. This screening process includes checking criminal history and credit history.  Additionally, credit history  may also be used to decide on promotions. A bad credit history can prevent you from getting job or prevent you from moving up in a company regardless of how well you’ve done your job. These credit histories can be as revealing as x-rays. Your personal history is no longer personal. Currently, only eight states prevent employers from using credit history in this way: California Connecticut Hawaii Illinois Maryland Oregon Vermont Washington If you don’t happen to live in one of these eight states that have strict laws on employment discrimination, your only defense against an invasive scrutiny of your past is to refuse permission. This, however, is self-defeating since it means that you are unlikely to get the job. Your only possible reprieve is that federal discrimination law prevents credit card checks when the advertised position does not call for any cash handling work. However, this makes it difficult to get a good position because most executive positions require some interaction with company revenue or expenses and even sales clerks have to count the register at the end of the day. What Shows Up On a Credit History? Employers like to use credit cards to screen out job applicants or candidates for promotion because credit history can be very revealing. Here is a brief list of what shows up on a credit card: Delinquencies Bankruptcies Judgments Liens Loans Mortgages Credit-card accounts However, many of the items listed may not even be accurate. Perhaps, you purchased an expensive item, fell behind in the payment, but then eventually paid for it in full. However, the credit report may only show that you fell behind in payment and was not updated to indicate that the debt was completely satisfied. Fixing the Mess How do you get a job that you are fully qualified or get a promotion that you deserve if you have made some poor decisions in the past that are now clearly spelled out in excruciating detail on a credit card report? You have three choices. One option is to get a copy of your credit report and ask the creditor to clear up any errors and then file a report with the three credit agencies. However, this is slow, long-drawn out process because the creditor may not respond quickly. A second option is to hire a financial consultant  to help clean up all errors on your behalf. Since the work is handled by experts with industry-wide connections, it gets done fast. Finally, the last option is to wait 7 years for your history to be erased, but this is not much of a choice if you need a job right away. Todays post is written by  Kevin, an account director at for a boutique investment firm and has been working within finance, marketing and public relations for over 8 years.  

How to Develop a Remote Employee Onboarding Process

How to Develop a Remote Employee Onboarding Process A company that invests time in a quality onboarding process is 25 percent more likely to retain its workforce while seeing an 11 percent increase in performance, according to Christine Marino, the Chief Revenue Officer of Click Boarding. If you operate a remote business, the question is not whether you have an onboarding processsâ€"the challenge is finding an efficient method for bringing a new remote employee onto the team. Without interacting face-to-face, what are the most effective methods of sharing information, facilitating introductions, and monitoring their first few weeks? When it comes to both traditional and remote onboarding, the philosophies are much the sameâ€"to make employees feel welcomed by the team, prepared for their first day and confident in learning the basics of their new role. The only difference is that, instead of an office environment with human proximity, remote onboarding uses a virtual interface to bridge the distance gap. Use the strategies below to create a remote onboarding program that integrates and connects employees based on the same strategies of traditional onboarding. Facilitate a New Hire QA Traditional: “It’s a good idea to clarify the position of a new hire, as well as [positions of] the other team members whose work is closely related…and how projects will run. Employees who know what to expect from their company’s culture and work environment make better decisions that are more aligned with accepted practices of the company.” â€" BambooHR Remote: Formalize expectations with a video QA on day one. A video call connects the two of you and makes it easier to facilitate a simple QA between yourself and the new employee. They can ask any initial questions they have, and you can discuss the core values of your organization and how they relate to this position, underscoring the requirements of their role. Introduce Your Tools and Communication Styles Traditional: “If you’re a high-tech organization that…uses social media and talks about innovation…that’s great. But if on a new hire’s first day, you hand them 15 different forms to fill out, your employment brand message has just died. So technology can be an effective way to socialize a new hire into your company’s organizational culture.” â€" Cielo Talent Remote: Consolidate initial paperwork and weave company communication tools into the onboarding and paperwork process. Start by formalizing the paperwork through a digital format. You can get signatures via DocuSign, or a similar platform, even for legal work papers like W9s or 1099s. The key is sharing all paperwork via your company communication tool, whether that’s Slack or Gchat. This gives the new hire a chance to use the platform and get used to this form of communication, which is critical on a remote team. Connect them to all the digital channels where they’ll need to communicate with employees, giving them time to skim through old conversations, project timelines, whatever is important for their position. Get Introductions Rightâ€"and Be Thorough Traditional: “Any new hire will be focused on getting their first day on-the-job rightâ€"but existing employees should have the same attitude toward welcoming a new hire. So make sure that your new hire meets the key people they’ll be working with.” â€" The Office Club Remote: Schedule at least one video call for each day of their first week. Connecting employees is even more important to a remote team than a traditional one, where regular communication is necessary for completing projects. New employees will also need to ask questions regularly, and introductions help them become familiar with everyone while getting comfortable talking with their co-workers. Schedule these calls throughout the week, starting with the people they’ll be working with most. You can even group people together for each call. The key is to avoid overwhelming them; one call a day is likely enough. Create Their Personal Success Plan Traditional: “Identify each individual’s authentic strengths. These encompass people’s skill-sets, but also their demeanor [and] attitude. By identifying key aspects of how individual employees operate, you can personalize the onboarding process and build a long-term plan concerning how and where to fit [a new hire] into the overall company.” â€" When I Work Remote: Customize a long-term onboarding process. The final part of this onboarding process is critical to keeping them engaged and excited about the position: creating a custom onboarding plan to help guide their first few months. This will take into account how this employee learns, performs and wants to be managed. This onboarding plan will: Set expectations Facilitate goal setting Introduce initial projects Cement who to report to Specify deadlines Formalize review periods and process To customize this plan, hold a behavioral interview with each new hire to determine their various skills and mindset: “It’s easy for candidates to recite their job history and learned skills in an interview. But how did they react in various situations? What kind of specifics can they offer regarding their achievements? How do they tailor their work styles to manage change? You need to ask questions that get down to the finer details of candidates’ behavior,” explain HR experts at Insperity.  The information learned here will help you build this personalized plan. Use Traditional to Inform Remote Like in a traditional workspace, remote employees need to meet their co-workers, interact face-to-face, and get a sense of how they fit into the organization and what is expected of them. Use these tips to equip new hires for long-term success with your organizationâ€"whether they’re in the next state over or across the world. About the author:  Jessica Thiefels  has been writing for more than 10 years and is currently a professional blogger and freelance writer. She now owns her own business and has been featured on Forbes. She’s also written for StartupNation, Manta, Glassdoor and more.

MS Word Resume Template

MS Word Resume TemplateThere are several types of MS Word resume templates. They can be used for resumes, cover letters, e-mails, memos, and more. The best way to choose which template is right for you is to learn all about the different types of templates so that you can customize them to work with your personal style.A Microsoft Word resume template is a collection of documents that can be easily changed by changing just a few small parts. All you need to do is to find out the exact format that you would like to have it in. Word can either be used on Windows computers or it can be used on a Mac, and if you want to use it on a Mac then you will need to download the software, but it is usually easier to use if you just download a free version of Word.To get started with using the Word resume template, the first thing you will need to do is to get a blank text document. This is usually an A4 sized sheet of paper. You will then need to get some paper, including two one-inch wide by one -inch long pieces of the right kind of paper.Next, you will need to search for a Word resume template in either a Microsoft Word download site or a free Word template site. Many of these sites have hundreds of different templates to choose from. It is best to go with one that is compatible with the version of Word that you are using, unless it is too advanced for you to use.Selecting a Microsoft Word resume template is a relatively simple process. First you will need to select the type of template that you want to use. This can either be for the part of the resume, the cover letter, or both.After choosing a Word resume template, you will then need to copy the document to the correct location. Usually this is a blank document on your desktop. You can then highlight the area you want to change and then hit the delete key.After doing this, you can then find a new selection and copy the document. You can then replace the highlighted section of the text with the one that you want. You sh ould keep in mind that Word will use the word wrap option that is available in many versions of Windows. If this is a word processor that you open up using Word's menu, then the Word selection option is usually located at the bottom right hand corner of the document.If you are looking for a Word resume template that is more sophisticated, then it might take a little bit more work. There are Word templates that allow you to have different sections of the document. These include: the information you want to include, information about yourself, information about the company, information about the role you are applying for, and even information about your references.