Five reasons to become Cisco certified right now

Five reasons to become Cisco certified right now by Michael Cheary Considering a Cisco certification but not sure what it can do for you?If you’re looking to find a job in the technology sector, becoming Cisco qualified could be the perfect way to take your career (not to mention your bank balance) to the next level.Here are five reasons you should become Cisco certified right now:1. You’ll become a certified professional in networkingFirst and foremost, you’ll have an industry leading qualification in the field of networking.Not only could it help distinguish your skills from other people within the industry, it also validates your knowledge to potential employers, demonstrating your expertise in configuring, operating, managing and troubleshooting networks.Essentially, Cisco is the yardstick by which all networking professionals are measured.2.  You’ll be globally respectedThere are roughly around one million active Cisco students studying in 165 countries across the world.By becoming Cisco qualified you’re addi ng a globally recognised and respected set of letters to your CV, which translate your credentials into any language.They may also be your gateway to opportunities away from home, making them a great choice for people looking to travel.3. You’ll be in demandTo put it simply, employers want qualified candidates.In fact, 93% of employers believe that Cisco certified employees are not only valuable to their business, they’re also more knowledgeable than their non-qualified colleagues.*Cisco partners are also specifically required to employ Cisco certified employees. As a result, more businesses see Cisco certifications as pre-requisites for their roles. Becoming CCNA or CCNP qualified means you’ll be instantly in-demand within the industry.4.  You’ll be a specialistCisco certifications allow you to specialise in an area of networking you’re most interested in.That means that as well as pursuing an area you’re particularly passionate about, you also stand out as an expert wi thin your own networking-specific field.With nine different avenues for you to pursue, and an ever evolving range of content around each one, there’s plenty of choice when it comes to deciding which course is right for you.5. You’ll be paid moreFinally, if you’re looking for a career with excellent pay potential, this is the qualification for you.Cisco certified professionals earn as much as 10% more than their peers working within similar roles*, and annual salaries for the top qualification levels can easily reach in excess of £50,000.So if you love technology and want to earn a great salary, look into a Cisco certification today.Ready to let Cisco take your networking career to the next level? Enquire now.*Data provided by cisco.comFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the

4 Transformative ways to make more money

4 Transformative ways to make more money You are not going to make more money by focusing on income. Thats a way to make small, temporary change. You need to make big changes in your approach to your life in order to make big changes in your financial path. Here are four ways to do that. 1. Stop hoping people will pay you to do something good for the world. You do not get paid to save the world. You get paid to compromise.  There are no jobs where you get paid a living wage to learn and do good and live consistently with your values every second of the workday. Those are volunteer jobs. The farther you get from this all-encompassing goodness, the more you get paid. The jobs that turn out really good usually come after years of doing very difficult things to get to that point.  Take, for example, being a Nobel Prize-winning scientist. You spend ten years in school. Then you relocate all over the world to go to the best teaching spots you can get. You write grants and have no idea how much money you will have year to year. You do that for twenty years, then you get a Nobel Prize. If you are the luckiest scientist in the world that year. And, while its true that if you like your work, you make more money, liking work doesnt mean saving the world (or even just doing your favorite pastime) every day. It means contributing something that people around you value. The value is clear because they give you money to do it. And you make more money if you are doing things youre good at. So look for the intersection of what youre good at (theres a long list) and what people pay for (relatively short list.) 2. Work harder on your marriage. Divorce is a career issue because its really expensive. Do you make millions of dollars a year? Reliably? If the answer is no, then you will ruin your career if you get a divorce. Because you will have to support your spouse and kids in the same standard that you would have supported them had you not had the divorce. Which means that you will have to start earning a lot more money if you want to maintain a household for yourself at the same standard of living. Divorce is extremely career limiting: You will not have the option of taking a big pay cut, because you will be responsible for child support based on the job you might not want. And you cant stay in the job youre good at, because that only supports one household and now you need to support two. So the best thing you can do for your career is to take time from the office to figure out how to make your marriage work. Otherwise, the type of job you are able to get will depend on the type of person your spouse is able to marry. And you better hope that person is really rich. 3. Stay on trend but not ahead of trends. A great way to make money is to know the gap between whats available and what people want. This is called trend spotting.  And successful product launches address market openings created by new trends. (The GAP, in fact, is named for the gap in the market between what young people wanted and what their parents wanted.) If you can see trends ahead of others, you can make a lot of money. Being ahead of the curve is risky.  I have found that even in the startup world  Ive not benefited from being way ahead of everyone. But I noticed that Matthew entered the grass-finished beef business with perfect timing. He saw the industry emerging in New York and Chicago, and then when restaurants in Wisconsin wanted grass-finished beef, he switched over his farm based on how people had tried it before him, and now he gets much higher prices for his beef in both Wisconsin and Chicago. Its best to watch the people who are first and then do what they do but with less risk. Which means theres someone who is earlier than you. A leader.  So many self-appointed leaders have no followers, so its really the first group of followers that make the movement; the bleeding edge is not as optimal a place to be as next to the bleeding edge. Another way to think about it: people usually know when theyre falling behind, but too often people say it doesnt apply to them. I remember this happened years ago when I wrote about workplace change:    job hopping creates stability, grad school is wasteful  and being lost in ones twenties is a sign of sanity. People told me not in my industry. But its every industry. And the people who most thought they were immune from these changeslawyers and academics, for exampleare in the industries changing the most. 4. Get good at choosing a boss. When I coach people they often think they are depressed because they dont like their work, but honestly, thats rarely the case with depression. Recently published research shows that its the boss, not the workload, that causes depression at work. This is consistent with research Dan Pink presents in his book Drive  that says that we are happy at work if we have  a satisfactory level of control over what we’re doing, along with a feeling of competence. This workplace situation depends on your boss, though, because you need measurable goals that are challenging but not out of reach,  and its difficult for a boss to make those type of well-defined goals. The way to pick a boss who can do that is to focus on reputation. A good boss will have a slew of people who will tell you how that boss has helped their career. The boss will also have influence with his or her boss so you know youll be working on projects that are important to the company. Too often people focus on the glamour factor of a new job. But youll have way more control over the trajectory of your career if you focus on working for people who care about mentoring you.

You probably overestimate your emotional intelligence

You probably overestimate your emotional intelligence In case you have had your head in the sand for forever, emotional intelligence is what you need if you want to work with other people successfully. At this point, about four thousand studies have shown that emotional intelligence (EQ as in emotional IQ) makes people more successful at work. For you doubters, here is a quick summary list of ten studies from the Emotional Intelligence Consortium. EQ is basically about being likeable. And the truth is that if you are not likeable people wont work with you. Not that your skills dont matter. If you need to learn media buying to do your job, then learn it. You will get hired because of your skills, but you will get fired for your personality. In fact, a study by Tiziana Casciaro at Harvard University showed that people would rather work with someone nice and incompetent than someone skilled but unpleasant. The trouble is that everyone overestimates their own emotional intelligence. To make this point, I found an EQ test that you can take. And, to my chagrin, I found that I also overestimate my own EQ, Not that I am not at the top of the class. I am. But I didnt realize that being good with ones own finances is an indicator of EQ. (I confess that I buy the expensive, pre-sliced fruit almost every day.) At least I admit where I fall short. (Which, by the way, is a sign of high EQ.)

Women, Career, And The Law What You Need To Know

Women, Career, And The Law What You Need To Know The following is a guest post by Kenn Goldblatt.  His bio follows. No matter who you are, or what professional position you may be working in, knowing how the law applies to you as a working woman can be crucial to protecting yourself and your career opportunities. Currently, a majority of women believe that gender discrimination is widespread in the workplace. While there is a growing movement among both sexes to address the problem, you need to know now what gender discrimination is and what you can do about it. Unless you understand your legal protections, you run the risk of being harmed or of making a mistake that can hurt your career opportunities short- or long-term. Gender Issues Matter More Than Ever As a working woman, the emerging political debate of equal pay for equal work is more than just a hot topic. It can well mean a significant difference in your bank account and your style of life and that of your family. Knowing what the law says â€" or is going to say as gender pay differences are addressed in the future â€" will be increasingly important as you progress in your career. It’s not enough to stamp your feet and complain. You’ll need to know what the laws specifically say, and how the courts are applying them as time goes on. Then you’ll need to gather credible, admissible evidence to support your claims if you are forced to go to administrative hearings or sue to preserve your rights. But money issues are only one factor of gender discrimination. Promotion policies and actions are a key factor in determining how and when you may be being discriminated against because you are a woman. If there are significantly more men employed in a given company, if men typically are the employees promoted and/or given raises and bonuses while women are not, gender discrimination is easy enough to document and prove. Knowing how cases have been brought in other companies or industries and what their outcomes were can help you evaluate whether an action for gender discrimination is warranted. Various factors have been identified as gender discrimination. They include: Unequal pay Different interview questions for men and women Diminished responsibilities for women Restroom issues relating to equal facilities, cleaning, and other issues Management conversations that differ for men and women Glass ceiling issues Positional bias directing women to certain jobs Terminations of female employees for complaints regarding bias Discriminatory dress codes or other outdated policies Sexual harassment. Sexual Harassment: Is It or Isn’t It? Deciding what is â€" or is not â€" sexual harassment isn’t necessarily a simple matter these days. A blatant proposition that leaves little to the imagination or judgment is easy enough. “I’ll give you a promotion (or a raise) if you’ll have sex with me” is easy enough to characterize â€" and is clearly actionable as you’ve probably seen in the Roger Ailes publicity this year. What may not be so easy to establish is a pattern of behavior that includes compliments, jokes, and other conversation. If the compliments are off-color or accompanied by questionable gestures and facial expressions, the jokes are suggestive or dirty, and the conversation is designed to move toward sexual references or suggestions, you may have an easier time of establishing your case. But simple compliments that your hair or clothes are attractive may fall into a gray area making harassment difficult to prove. A key factor to weigh in your determination is whether the attention makes you uncomfortable and what the reasons for that discomfort may be. Another is whether you have pointed out to the offending party that the behavior makes you feel uncomfortable. Sometimes a discussion with the person is enough to bring the behavior to a halt or for you to understand that no harm is intended. Evaluating who is being “nice” and who has an agenda to manipulate you is a skill that you need to cultivate and master. More Subtle Issues The more subtle gender harassment can come in various forms and to varying degrees. When girls and women do not have the same opportunities as boys and men for education, meaningful career entrance and/or advancement, political influence, and/or economic advancement, gender harassment may be operating. And when verbal and nonverbal behaviors convey insulting, hostile and degrading attitudes toward women complaints or legal action may be warranted. Here again, knowing the law and how and when to complain can make the difference in prevailing or hurting your career and getting a reputation as a troublemaker. Such gender discrimination can clearly create a hostile work environment for which legal action is not only warranted, but protected by law. Knowing Your Rights is Part of Your Professionalism You don’t have to be a lawyer to stand up for yourself or your coworkers when it comes to gender discrimination or sexual harassment or hostile work environment. But you do have to know what the law says and how it is applied in the situation in which you find yourself. As you grow and mature as a professional, understanding what your rights are, and how you go about asserting and protecting them should be a key part of your professional development. As women gain more acceptance and responsibility in the workplace, and assume an increasingly larger proportion of the management and leadership roles in the workplace, asserting their rights to protect themselves is just one more professional skill they will need to develop and improve. Author Bio Kenn Goldblatt is the author of The Pro Se Litigant’s Civil Litigation Handbook designed to give average readers an understanding of the civil litigation process from pre-litigation investigation through trial on the merits and beyond.   Image credits Main   Harassment

What Are the Absolute, Unbreakable Rules of Resume Writing?

What Are the Absolute, Unbreakable Rules of Resume Writing?The absolute, unbreakable rules of resume writing are simple: don't lie. Even if you have a well-formed and well-written resume, your resume is still false and therefore should be thrown away immediately. And the absolute, unbreakable rules of resume writing? Writing a good resume doesn't mean that it can't be modified in some way so that it is not so convincing.Resume writing is about marketing. So the first thing to keep in mind is that you should never 'steal' from other people's resumes.Now, there may be some exceptions to this rule (for example, you will want to adapt a resume from an employer to use as a template for your own), but the majority of people can't get enough of other people's resumes. They may not even remember the details of the resume. But when they see the cover letter, they know right away who it came from.That means if you want to grab a potential employer's attention with your resume, you need to incl ude an actual list of credentials for that job position. If you haven't looked at those before, go ahead and do so now!If you want to find out more information about how to create a great resume, you should go ahead and read up on resume writing. You will learn some great resume writing tips, and most importantly, you will learn what to avoid when creating your own resume.After you have reviewed your resume, and there are no errors, congratulations! Now you can use the tips you learned in your resume. If you have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.What are the absolute, unbreakable rules of resume writing? These are: when you are writing a cover letter or a short summary, avoid the temptation to add anecdotes and phrases that have been picked up from other resumes.What are the absolute, unbreakable rules of resume writing? You have heard the saying, 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!' But if it is something that needs to be told, you should use it.

Ask the CHO Implied overwork - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Ask the CHO Implied overwork - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Office Lady asks this question: I have a question, can anyone help? On our contracts, we are supposed to work 39 hours a week (excluding lunch hours). So we all come in at 9 am and leave at 6 pm. But since we are supposed to work 39 hours only, we supposedly can leave at 5 pm one day of the week. But of course nobody does and everyone works until at least 6 pm five days a week. According to instructions, ?of course??? we can leave at 5 pm one day of the week?.we just need to inform our supervisors first. I of course also work until at least 6pm everyday, but sometimes, there are things that I wanna do that I want to leave early for. Should I really not ask even though I am entitled to it? :( Im fairly sure that this kind of situation is quite common. The rules say work X hours a day. Practically everyone works more or way more. You can stand up for your rights, but then run the risk of hidden punishment you may be passed over for a promotion or a raise the next time around, because youre obviusly not as committed as the other people who work more than you do. This is of course total bullshit, as I pointed out here, here and here. So what to do? Heres one suggestion: Im a big fan of getting things out in the open where you can deal with them. What would happen if you raised the question at a department meeting? Say it like it is: You know, Ive been wondering about how to handle this situation. According to the rules, we can all leave at 5 one day of the week, and sometimes I want to do this. However, I see the rest of you guys working and that makes me wonder if maybe someone would resent the fact that I left early. Also, I would feel like I took advantage of you guys, if I take that hour off that you never do. How could we handle this situation? Could that work? Is anyone else out there in a similar situation? How do you handle it and what would you suggest? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Employ Yourself But Know Pitfalls As Well As Benefits

Employ Yourself But Know Pitfalls As Well As Benefits Employ Yourself… But Know The Pitfalls As Well As Benefits Taking the leap to employ yourself can be a solution to an endless job search. While the economy is continuing to grow and employers are cautiously hiring more employees, the level of jobs still hasn’t reached pre-recession levels. That means a lot of people who used to have jobs are still out of work… Either they are still looking, or have given up altogether. Statistics show that many great companies were born in the ashes of languishing economic times, and many people get tired of waiting to be hired… so they start their own company or launch a consulting agency. Running your own business has many rewards. There’s nothing better than working for yourself as a small business owner, I have come to love my work in a way I could have never imagined. The money you make is your own when you employ yourself. If you employ yourself, you make your own hours. Commute times are minimal, as many businesses start out based in the home. You get to call the shots on where to go and what to do, and how to get there. Opportunities abound everywhere â€" you just need to know where to look. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. There are downsides too when you decide to employ yourself. Here are some pitfalls you should be aware of before jumping into the entrepreneurial pool feet-first: 1)           It’s lonely. There’s a certain amount of culture shock that happens when you move from a busy office and employ yourself. Suddenly, you are surrounded by “me, myself, and I.”   Over time, you’ll grow accustomed to the solitude, but initially, it’s definitely something to get used to. 2)           If you are going to do your business right, you’ll be working harder than you’ve ever worked in your life. Clocking in for someone else might seem mind-numbing, and you may resent additional “need you to work late” requests, but when you are a business owner, the clock never turns off.   You’ll be up early and going to bed late. Sometimes, in the night, you’ll get ideas and need to write them down. Expect insomnia as you try to puzzle your way through challenges. 3)           Best. Advice. Ever.   “If you can avoid it, don’t add overhead costs like leasing office space.”   Sure, having your company sign hanging over a door and having customers walk in sounds like a dream come true, but that comes at a cost. Most new companies are service-based, so ask yourself: do I really need to have a separate space? The stigma of “home-based businesses” is starting to wear off, but do be aware if you need to have client face-time, you need to have a strategy of where that is going to take place. (Hint: many people who are self-employed use coffee shops, or rent executive office suites by the hour) 4)           Create a plan. And stick to it. Too many businesses launch without a clear sense of direction or purpose. Do research on how to develop a mission statement, business plan, marketing plan, and a plan of work, and put serious thought into your company infrastructure in terms of workflows, processes, and efficiencies. This will be the backbone that will support your entire operation. 5)           Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you were the best chef in the world but didn’t have a lick of business sense, how long do you think your restaurant might stay open? Most people can’t do it all, so don’t be afraid to ask for help or hire in the people who can do the stuff you don’t like doing or don’t know how to do. Take the time to find the right talent/provider. In the long run, you’ll be further ahead. If you going to employ yourself, you should be aware that its not a failure to realize you arent good at one particular area of running a business! 6)           Taking on too much. It’s a very instinctive thing to scramble and say “yes” to everything, but know your limits. If you are too indiscriminate with the volume of projects you take on and don’t manage your time effectively, you’ll have zero results. It’s good to be open to new opportunities, but never lose sight on what you can actually deliver. 7)           Being inflexible. What starts out as your business model can and WILL evolve. Part of it is experience, but changing market needs and business opportunities can provide a wake-up call that the original purpose might not be the best course to pursue.   Be willing to adapt and have fun… after all, isn’t owning your business all about doing what you love? Becoming unemployed has opened the door to many people for launching their own businesses, and by being aware of the benefits as well as pitfalls, they can navigate through the first 5 years which are considered to be critical as to the company’s longevity and viability in the marketplace.