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10 tips for happy self-employment: part 3

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Here is part 3 – tips for self-employment based on our fourteen years of self-employment.

  1. Have a distinctive niche/personal brand
  2. Make time for sales
  3. Structure your diary
  4. Believe in yourself
  5. Be flexible – have a plan A, B and C
  6. Plan ahead but be present
  7. Take your ‘work head’ off at the end of each day
  8. Make time for holidays
  9. Plan tasks to match your energy
  10. Have a financial cushion

What would you add? If you are thinking about self-employment, let us know if we can help.

10 tips for happy self-employment: part 2

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Here is the second of three parts with tips for happy self-employment. We have been self-employed for over 14 years, and were employed for ten years before that, so can see work from both sides:

  1. Make technology an enabler
  2. Have a good support system
  3. Do ‘wants’ not ‘shoulds’
  4. Get a virtual PA
  5. Apply the 80:20 rule
  6. Go for ‘Bull’s eyes’ – make the most of the time you have
  7. Be courageous/fearless
  8. Ask for help/support when you need it
  9. Ask for feedback
  10. Never stop learning

What would you add to the list?

10 tips for happy self-employment: part 1

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Official stats out this week show that more and more people are choosing self-employment.  I have been self-employed for over 14 years – here is part 1 of 3: tips for happy self-employment:

  1. Design it around your values – what is important to you
  2. Delegate the bits you hate/aren’t good at
  3. Make time to think, reflect and plan
  4. Invest in your skills
  5. Make time for breaks
  6. Have a separate work space
  7. Maintain clear boundaries, time and space, if you work from home
  8. Switch off your Blackberry/Ipad/Iphone
  9. Invest in your knowledge
  10. Get a coach/mentor

Part 2 next week will share 10 more tips for happy self-employment.

Have you read our Career Strategies bulletins? Follow this link for more useful advice:. Topics include work of passion, career vision, flexible working.

http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

Back to work blues?

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Kids go back to school next week and August is over.  I find that people spend time reflecting on holiday and come back to work in September inspired to make a change. It is easy to get swept up in the busyness of everyday work and forget to follow through on your resolve.

There is nothing wrong with staying doing what you have been doing. Or is there? 55% of people want to make a career change but only 5% do at the moment. What are the consequences of staying in the wrong job? Here are 11 from our research:

  1. You feel stressed and out of sorts
  2. You feel unfulfilled and that you are not realising your potential
  3. You send a bad advert to your kids about making work happiness and fulfilment a priority
  4. You feel empty
  5. You get depressed
  6. You fill the gap by shopping, eating/drinking too much
  7. You grump at your partner/family
  8. You resent those who are happy at work
  9. You beat yourself up for staying in the wrong career that isn’t you
  10. You dread Monday mornings and it gets worse every week
  11. You are so tired by Friday that you don’t enjoy the weekend

So stay or go? Feeling energised in your work makes a HUGE difference to your life, all areas of it. Taking the first step can be the hardest, but if you don’t take it, nothing changes.

What have you got to lose by exploring options? Don’t be down and out.

Get in touch – we would love to hear from you:

What impact GCSE grades?

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A clutch of new GCSE certificate holding 16 year olds appear on the market today, perhaps heading to do ‘A’ levels, get a job,  do an apprenticeship, or remain a NEET.  But what are their prospects?

The following facts are from Cedefop.

80 million people in the EU have a low level of skill.

Young people 15-24 are projected to experience only moderate increases in high level qualification. Low skill can affect confidence and lead to social exclusion.

There is a decline of 7 million jobs between 2010 and 2020 for those with no or few qualifications.

The EU target for lifelong learning for 25-64 years old is 15%. In 2008 it was only 9.5%, a large shortfall.

Between 2010 and 2020, the number of jobs for those with low/no formal qualifications declines rapidly by 12 million.

More people looking for fewer jobs means that employers have the pick of the crop and future jobs also require more skills and knowledge than jobs have required in the past.

The message is clear. Skill up. Now.

Without this the wealth polarisation and chasm between the ‘haves’ and ‘have not’s’ will get wider.

For more Energise insights and tips on careers, self promotion and smart living and working, click on this link below:

http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

Career choices – what is a safe bet?

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‘A’ level results are out today. For young people and their parents, that is one milestone out of the way in an uncertain world. But when it comes to career choices, what is a safe bet these days?

Part of our job is to look at emerging careers, skills of the future, work trends and what employers need/want. If you are going to choose a career, or change career, you want to minimise the risk and make a considered choice, right?

So that means you need a clear strategy and plan rather than simply falling into it by chance.

Here are 8 sound career choices to consider:

  1. Managing information: Content and information is growing exponentially and we need people and tools to manage it or our heads will explode from overload
  2. Digital: We are in the digital age so a good bet as a career choice. It is definitely going to grow not shrink.
  3. Health: We have an aging population and mental illness is on the increase, so lots of opportunities here.
  4. Managing risk: Since some countries and companies have not done this enough, it will swing the other way and we will probably end up doing it too much.
  5. Stress management: Stress is on the increase so any professions that help people to manage it are good options.
  6. Time management: Jobs that help people to save time will grow e.g. a virtual PA for small businesses.
  7. Customer service: Ultimately with the whole world able to compete in many markets, what make you better than your competitors are how you care for your customers.
  8. Creativity & innovation: Humans have been around for a long time now and so it is harder to be original but we need smart creative innovative thinking to solve business and the world’s problems, so get your thinking caps on.

So 8 good options re safe bet career choices, whether you are embarking on your career or wanting a career change.

If one career route is not for you, then a portfolio career could be the answer – a career with many strands.  Click on this link to read more:

http://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/article/3899124/what-is-portfolio-working-and-why-is-it-growing-/

Career change fear?

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Career change can feel like a big step at the best of times, and especially in a downturn. Career change fear is normal. So why does it feel so daunting? Here are 15 reasons:

  1. The outcome is unknown
  2. The job market is uncertain
  3. The world of work is changing fast
  4. Change makes many people feel uncomfortable
  5. Career change often affects other people
  6. Familiarity is comfy
  7. It can lead to moving home or a change of school which is a big upheaval
  8. It is a lot to think about when you are already busy
  9. You have to deal with the fears/views of other people
  10. You don’t know that you are making the right decision
  11. People often feel bad because they cannot crack it by themselves
  12. It is hard to see your own skills
  13. It’s a big change which affects many things
  14. The news is full of doom and gloom
  15. New employment can change your employment rights re redundancy which affects your perception of security

Taking time to plan, evaluate the options, getting expert support and having a plan A, B and C helps career change fear. Our Energise bulletins have lots of tips to help you on your journey – click on this link to read Energise Career strategies, Self-Promotion and Smart living and working bulletins.

http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

What’s your competitive advantage?

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In times of high unemployment, frozen or restricted recruitment and a high degree of competition, you need to have a strong competitive advantage to be chosen.

Here are 14 tips to help you stand out from the masses and be chosen now and in the future:

1) Skill-up. Invest in your skills – take responsibility for developing yourself and keep your skills up to date. Skills have a shorter shelf life than in the past and you need more skills than before to be chosen.

2) Connect: Create, build and keep in touch with your network. Support them and they will support you.

3) Be visible. The world is increasingly going on-line. Social media is key for visibility – embrace it.

4) Unique brand. Be clear about what makes you unique; your life and work experiences, skills and qualities combined are a unique combination. Who are they useful for? Be targeted.

5) Be pragmatic.  It is great to have an ideal, but have a plan A, B and C in challenging times.

6) Set goals. Have a clear SMART goal for where you want to be and break it into small steps for a busy world.

7) Be proactive. Make your success happen by asking for introductions, sharing ideas, developing thought leadership.

8) Be strategic in approach. Look at market trends, skill shortages, new careers to stay one step ahead. Have a vision and a plan to get there.

9) Review. Everything is changing fast, the whole world are now your competitors, technology is replacing many jobs.  Keep up with the changes – don’t get left behind.

10) Be confident: in who you are and what you have to offer – this can make a huge difference to success.

11) Be creative. How can you overcome employer objections e.g. ‘not an exact fit’, ‘expensive vs. younger candidates’ and get experience of a new area without having a job?

12) Be smart. Get support. We would love to help,

13) Be targeted: Don’t scatter your efforts and dilute the potential results. Do your research and go for a ‘bull’s eye’.

14) Be responsible: Take responsibility for your career and development, don’t leave it to someone else.

Recommended reading: Lynda Gratton “The Shift” and Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn) “The start up of you”.

 

Are you at the end of your tether?

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We are finding stress on the up with people at work, and with the heat and pressure of uncertainty, it can be wise to make a move elsewhere.

There are many reasons for changing career for something better; here is a compilation from the various people we have worked with.

  1. Redundancy
  2. Early retirement
  3. Need to fund retirement
  4. Dislike of politics
  5. No career progression prospects
  6. Fed up of doing more for less
  7. Desire for variety
  8. Partner moves job/location
  9. Shrinking prospects
  10. Sacked
  11. Hunger for broader/more diverse role
  12. Boss staying put so prospects blocked
  13. Kid on the way – need more money
  14. Young family – need a pay rise to support
  15. Increased competition
  16. Fancy a change
  17. Desire to focus work on what enjoy
  18. Want to line own pockets from effort put in
  19. Changing values over time
  20. Need more money
  21. Want more satisfaction from work
  22. Burning ambition to have own business
  23. Feel bored
  24. A merger
  25. Divorce
  26. Partner made redundant – need the money
  27. A big birthday – catalyst for change
  28. A change of boss
  29. Your role changes without you having a say
  30. You need/want more flexible work
  31. Having kids – need more flexibility
  32. Company moves their office base too far away from your home e.g. BBC
  33. You see someone making a successful career change so think that you can too
  34. Someone dies who you are close to and it makes you revaluate
  35. You inherit some money which gives you choice
  36. Your children leave home freeing you up

Which can you relate to? If you are at a career crossroads or know someone who is, our Energise bulletins provide free insights and tips to help you when changing career:

http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

What do our clients think?

http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/energise-client-testimonials/

Copywriter to rocket scientist?

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A change in career can be a step or a leap. I was pondering how dramatic the career changes of my clients have been. They have been really varied – here are 3.

From design management to explore cheese holidays in France:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106787631322.html

From advertising to charity:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106786590378.html

From market research to face workouts:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1108092201346.html

What is the most radical change in career you have heard about? Do share it.

If you are pondering a change in career, our bulletins are full of insights and tips:

Previous bulletins:

http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

Opt in to receive future bulletins:

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1102862873131&p=oi

We especially LOVE helping people change career who do not fit in a box, who need to reposition themselves and who know they want something different but don’t know what.

Follow us on Twitter: talentliberator