From Manager to Blacksmith

From Manager to Blacksmith Success Story > From: Job To: Solopreneur From Manager to Blacksmith “Doing the same thing every day really got to me â€" it wasn't whatI wanted to do with my life.” * From Manager to Blacksmith Ever long to ditch your computer and use your hands more? Leszek Sikon did. And though he's had a steep learning curve in terms of his confidence, he's used those natural instincts to move into work that finally feels good. Here's how he did it. What work were you doing previously? I was a manager in the retail sector. What are you doing now? I'm an Artisan Blacksmith, forging hot steel into my own designs. How did you feel in your work before you decided to make the change? Even though I was content with the pay and had opportunities to advance, working in retail, especially in London with long hours of work, simply made me feel miserable. Doing the same thing every day really got to me â€" it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I knew a couple of managers that sincerely enjoyed their work, but it was simply not for me. Why did you change? It was a mix of exhaustion and feeling down. This is where I need to thank my family, who saw through my mask of 'everything is fine' and gently pushed me to change careers. When I told them that I going to be a blacksmith, they supported my decision. The only thing they wanted to know was how I was going to make it work. When was the moment you decided to make the change? Five years ago, after I went to the Hereford and Ludlow College open day and had a first go at being a blacksmith. This was the moment I forged a piece of steel for the first time and actually made something with my hands. I was hooked. How did you choose your new career? I was looking for a place where I could learn how to make something that would last. I went on open days to a couple of engineers' colleges, but nowadays this line of work involves more design on a computer than actual making. Then I stumbled across the blacksmithing course at Hereford. I went on theopen day and that was it. Are you happy with the change? Absolutely. It wasn't an easy task; my mindset had to change a lot. I was a bit of a mess when I started college. I had very little confidence and lots of insecurities, but as I got better this started to change. I think my 'final' transformation was when my first piece, 'Shell Tools', was exhibited in Ypres, Belgium. That was the first time I was finally happy with my work and with my choices; I could see that people were moved by my work and wanted to see more. What do you miss and what don't you miss? To be honest, I don't miss much. Maybe the stable monthly pay cheque, but that's it. How did you go about making the shift? It was almost like ripping off a bandage after I got accepted to Hereford. I gave my notice and asked my boss if he could ask if they were any part-time positions in the Hereford branch. I'm extremely grateful to him because when I moved out there, I had a job waiting for me. What didn't go well? What wrong turns did you take? I think I was a bit too lazy in my first year at school â€" I got a feeling I could have done more. The real challenge started when I graduated last year and then began my own company seven months ago. It was scary going full-time as a blacksmith. The money flow was bad at the beginning as I had to invest in equipment. It was a steep learning curve, but I'm seeing an improvement now in how I manage my time and money. How did you handle your finances to make your shift possible? I had some savings and made sure that I had a part-time job while I was studying. So, when I finally started working as a blacksmith, I had money to buy equipment and even some left for a safety cushion in case I didn't make enough money. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Asking people for help. I'm a bad case of an introvert who wants to do everything himself. What help did you get? Most of all, I appreciate my amazing teachers, especially Peter Smith, Adrian Legge, and Delyth Dole who runs the blacksmithing course. Delyth's passion for the craft and teaching has opened me and other students up to a lot of opportunities. I also had lots of help and encouragement from my family, and am grateful to my manager who found me the part-time job in Hereford. What have you learnt in the process? I definitely learned to enjoy what I do, and gained a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities. Also I'm not afraid to ask for help when I need it â€" most people will help you if they see that you're genuinely trying to change, or to achieve a goal that you've set for yourself. Most important of all was developing confidence that my work was good. Thanks to that I've been able to stick to my craft and ask for an appropriate amount of money for my work. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? If you've got some savings, it will help a lot. Also, don't disregard the skills that you learned in your previous career â€" they might be surprisingly useful. Have a plan for at least the next five years and try to stick to it. It won't work exactly but it will give you a clear idea of where you want to get to. If your work makes you feel down, don't be afraid to change it. Look for something that will inspire you to push yourself and do it. Overthinking things is your greatest enemy. To find out more about Leszek's work, visit www.lsikonblacksmith.com. What lessons could you take from Leszek's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

UTSA Resume Writing Guidelines For Better Results

UTSA Resume Writing Guidelines For Better ResultsUtmost care should be taken when writing a UTSA resume and to ensure that the information is presented accurately and effectively, UTSA recruiters require that you follow certain requirements. They must first establish that your education is in fact from the University of Texas System, and they will ask you for proof of this.Of course, there are other qualifications, but the process will start with examining the particular requirements that UTSA requires. In general, your UTSA resume will not just have a listing of your academic record. To make it look more professional, you will have to submit a letter of intent which should clearly explain what position you are applying for.For the purpose of the job search, make sure you include specific details that would indicate that you are a UTSA graduate. Ensure that your UTSA letter of intent includes details about your leadership potential and ability to provide quality customer service. Whe n they review your UTSA letter of intent, you will be asked to give the school details about your progress, and the accomplishments that were done so far.Your presentation part will be a major determining factor in the outcome of your UTSA resume. You should use a nice, nice printer. It is advisable to get your resume professionally written by a professional, and then have it printed on professional paper.It would also be a mistake to include a computer generated type of format for your resume because a lot of people make the wrong choice of font. It is not necessary to use a dot matrix or Arial as the typeface.Quality resumes are usually formatted using Times New Roman or another appropriate format. Try to keep things simple with your UTSA resume writing, and make sure that it has all the details that your employer is looking for.The wording in your UTSA resume is very important. Most of the information that is put in must be in an organized manner, so it would be a good idea to do some research and see how other employers have written their resumes. They will give you the details about how they placed emphasis on certain details that you should consider using in your own resume.Utilizing the right forms for your UTSA resume writing and understanding the various elements that you need to use will help you write your own professional, powerful resume. By using the UTSA resume guidelines, you will be able to create a well-crafted document that will reflect well on you and enhance your chances of getting the position that you want.

How to Reach Out To a Recruiter - Classy Career Girl

How to Reach Out To a Recruiter Wondering how a recruiter can help you? Great question. The truth is that a recruiter can help you and you can also help a recruiter. And we LOVE a win-win here at CCG!!  So the question becomes, how do you reach out to a recruiter to make a great first impression and how can you make their life easier and give them exactly what they want? Well, this question has been coming up a lot so I reached out to our Love Your Career Formula Certified Career Coach, Becky Carlson, to give us some behind the scenes tips! Becky is also the founder of JobSearchSuccessCoach.com. Thanks Becky! Heres what she had to say: First, know the different types of recruiters. There are different types of recruiters. The most popular are recruiters that work for an agency and internally recruiters. Most mid-size to large companies have internal recruiters. You can reach out to these recruiters through LinkedIn and let them know that you are interested in a job that they have posted. Remember that recruiters are looking for someone to fill that job, so if you have the right skillset and are interested they are excited to connect to you. You can also go through an agency and work with a recruiter that places people at many different companies. You will want to make sure that you working with an agency that places people at the companies you want to work at. You usually can find out this information by speaking with the agency or looking at their website. Like I  mentioned, if you are working with an agency recruiter you need to be clear about what type of jobs you want. I always encourage people to add both internal and agency recruiters to their LinkedIn network.   Second, contact them the right way. If there is a particular company you really want to get into, but they do not have a job open right now, I would encourage you  to reach out to the recruiter so you can get them into your LinkedIn network. That way when they are searching in their own network, your profile will come up as one of their contacts. I am an internal recruiter and I will tell you that I pay more attention to the candidates that reach out to me (via LinkedIn) after they have applied to one of my open jobs. They might connect to me on the same day they have applied or they might have already been in my LinkedIn network. Either way, the reason I pay more attention to them is because I know they are really interested in the job and are taking the extra step to have me see their profile and resume. [RELATED: How to Answer the Top 10 Interview Questions] Also, when you send a message through LinkedIn I see it come into my email box if I can see a great candidate come to me before I have to dig through all of the resumes in the database. I will contact them first.   If you have any other questions, definitely reach out to Becky personally!

Sales Manager Job Description - Algrim.co

Sales Manager Job Description - Algrim.co Sales Manager Job Description Template Download our job description template in Word or PDF format. Instant download. No email required. Download Template Using Your Template Follow these instructions to use your new job description template Step one: Fill out all details in your job description template using the provided sample on this page. Step two: Customize your requirements or duties to anything special to your workplace. Be sure to speak with team members and managers to gauge what's required of the position. Step three: When the census of the team has agreed on the description of the work, add in a Equal Employment Opportunity statement to the bottom of your job description. Step four: Check with your legal department, management team, and other team members to ensure the job description looks correct before creating a job advertisement. Choose a job board that's specific to your needs. Related Hiring Resources Sales Manager Cover Letter Sample Area Sales Manager Cover Letter Sample Assistant Sales Manager Cover Letter Sample Area Sales Manager Job Description

Book Review Women Entrepreneur Revolution - VocationVillage

Book Review Women Entrepreneur Revolution - VocationVillage When a publicist asked me if I wanted to review Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! by Jenn Aubert, my immediate  response was, “Definitely!” If there is one thing I am enthusiastic about, it is entrepreneurship whether for women or men. I’m a fan of entrepreneurship even for salaried employees because I like to see people have freedom, choice, and opportunity, three things that Aubert argues are increased by entrepreneurship.To write Women Entrepreneur Revolution, Aubert interviewed 100+ successful women entrepreneurs about what works and what doesn’t when you launch a business to design a life you love.As context, Aubert notes that there are eight million women-owned businesses in the U.S. and women will create over half of the nine million new small business jobs by 2018. Many of these businesses will be micro (less than five employees).  Aubert considers all these women to be entrepreneurs, even if purists want to argue otherwise because some people believe only certain types of businesses qualify as entrepreneurial ventures.The first premise of Women Entrepreneur Revolution is that we should all stop limiting our list of female entrepreneurial role models to women who have built million and billion dollar businesses. Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffington, and Sara Blakeley are inspiring but they are not typical. Aubert cites research showing that elite women don’t always make the most useful role models, especially if you are just starting out. Instead, it is easier to identify with and relate to women just a few steps ahead of you.Aubert is a realist who warns that the four  year survival rate for businesses with less than 20 employees is 37%, and the 10 year survival rate is 9%. Also disappointing  is that in 2010, U.S. Census statistics showed that 75% of women-owned businesses earned less than $50K in revenues. To improve the longevity and profitability of businesses, Aubert recommends that entrepreneurs build a tribe to support t hem. Members of a tribe might include investors, a board of directors, other business owners, joint venture partners, mentors, peers/colleagues in related or complementary professions, financial advisors, web designers and other technical professionals, coaches, a virtual assistant, and people who help with self-care or tasks at home so that an entrepreneur  can focus more effectively on  the business at hand.Unlike a  family, a tribe is chosen. Aubert says to decide in which business areas you need to improve, and then find people who can be part of your tribe and are willing to help you learn. She gives lots of detailed advice about how to find the people you need to meet or observe via media.Aubert also includes material about… The psychology of success, How to develop clarity of focus How to create a personal definition of success How to increase your comfort with calculated and thoughtful risks How to keep taking action How to develop self-discipline How to manage energy and time How to be comfortable with self-promotionThroughout the book, Aubert intersperses her own advice with material from her interviews with the women entrepreneurs she interviewed. When reading the book, I repeatedly found myself wanting to know more about the women she mentioned. So I spent a lot of time Googling her interviewees and putting their blogs into my Feedly reader. Because of Aubert’s book, I now have access to the insights of a lot of interesting new women.In each section of her book, Aubert also recommends relevant music, movies, and books, which is a nice creative touch and I appreciate the suggestions.If you have ever considered becoming an entrepreneur (or you are one already), I highly recommend this book.

Happy First Birthday, Debut! 10 of our favourite first year facts - Debut

Happy First Birthday, Debut! 10 of our favourite first year facts - Debut 525,600 minutes. How do  you  measure a year? Since its Debuts first birthday, we decided to celebrate by crunching a few fun numbers. Weve learnt a lot, grown, had our highs and had our lows. It has been so gratifying seeing Debut grow, founder and CEO Charles Taylor said. What started out as a simple idea born out of graduate scheme application frustration has turned into a full-fledged, driven company. It has been an amazing first year, and I look forward to seeing what the next year brings. We are so looking forward to another year of amazing memories, but for the moment, here are our fave first year facts. *Bonus Fact: Its also our COO Michele and Head Developer Tomass birthdays too! Happy birthday fellas 1. Its pretty much a 50/50 split between male and female users The Debut app user base has 47% of its users who identify as male, and 45% who identify as female. The rest of the users on our app (8%) either declined to declare their gender, or just preferred not to say. Considering Tinder has just introduced 37 new gender identity options on their app, this isnt surprising. We here at Debut are always trying to learn how to be more inclusive. If anyone has any suggestions as to how we can improve that, let us know! 2. Weve got 152 nationalities on our app   Broken down, the top ten nationalities are British Indian Chinese Italian Romanian French Nigerian Irish American Malaysian Were so excited to see a truly global interest in the Debut app. Currently, all roles are UK-based only, but watch this space. Accessible graduate careers should be for everybody, after all. 3. Weve grown Team Debut from a lean team of three to a team of 11 and counting   “It started out with just Charlie, our CEO and  founder, Matt, our Marketing Manager, and I in a shoe-box office,” comments COO and co-founder Michele Trusolino. “We’ve had to move offices four times in a year! A good problem to have, I think.” The core team as it stands: Charles Taylor, CEO and founder Michele Trusolino, COO and co-founder Cristina Astorri, Senior Marketing Director Matt Thomas, Marketing Manager Jacob Binkin, Senior Partnerships Manager James Kemp, Senior Partnerships Manager Sonal Chauhan, Partnerships Account Manager Olga Kardasi, Partnerships Account Manager Victor Davies, Partnerships Account Manager Brenda Wong, Social Media Community Manager Tomas Rodriguez, Head Developer Alex Ekong, Journalism Intern Not to mention our crack team of developers, consultants, PR managers, designers, our twelve amazing student writers and more. The phrase goes it takes a village to raise a child, but really, it takes a village to run a company, by the looks of it. We couldnt have gone through this year without these guys. 4. Speaking of writers, weve published 93,544 words on the Debut website so far   Since we started the Debut Student Publisher Network to create the best student and graduate careers website, weve been  hard. at. work.  Considering we only started the programme in September, the majority of these words were written in the last three months. Weve got twelve amazing student writers who work with us on a regular basis. A huge shout-out to them, and if you want to follow them on Twitter, heres where to find them. 5. Weve worked with 50 Times Top 100 Graduate Employers this year   You may have heard of some of them: Microsoft, LOreal, Bloomberg, Vodafone, Arcadia, Siemens, Fujitsu the list goes ever on. We couldnt be more grateful for the leaps of faith our employers have taken with us so far. Were looking forward to doubling, tripling,  quadrupling the number of companies we work with next year. 6. Users have spent over 1,332 hours playing games on the Debut app   This year we launched two games on our app in conjuction with Deutsche Bank and LOreal: Agile Minds (currently live!) and The Seeker.  Users have collectively spent nearly two months of time on our games some even winning internships when they get to the top of the leaderboard. 7. We recognise 616 educational institutions on our app   Thats a lot of universities!  The universities with the most amount of students registered on the Debut app are the University of Warwick, followed closely by the University of York. 8. And over 170 subject areas   The top two subject areas our users are studying are Business Studies (first place) and Law (second place.) Popular subjects also include Economics, Accounting, and Computer Science. 9. The most requested job roles from our users are actually art and design jobs   63% of our job requests have been for more creative careers, such as designer jobs or jobs in creative industries. This is followed by more jobs in STEM, making up 23% of our job requests. This is something were absolutely looking into expanding in our second year, and we love how diverse our users are when it comes to their dream job. 10. Despite investing in his own table tennis paddle, our COO Michele has come dead last in  both table tennis leagues weve held   Ah, poor Michele. We dont think he ever learns. See above GIF for one of his attempts. Its been a truly fabulous year of connecting students and graduates to their dream career opportunities. Happy first birthday, Debut. Heres to many, many more! Feature Image © Unsplash Images   ©  Giphy Download the Debut app and  get Talent-Spotted by amazing graduate employers! Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter

The future of leadership - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

The future of leadership - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog This Fast Company article on leadership according to Harvards Ronald Heifetz is ancient (from way back in 1999) but very true. A few choice quotes: The real heroism of leadership involves having the courage to face reality and helping the people around you to face reality. Mustering the courage to interrogate reality is a central function of a leader. And that requires the courage to face three realities at once. First, what values do we stand for and are there gaps between those values and how we actually behave? Second, what are the skills and talents of our company and are there gaps between those resources and what the market demands? Third, what opportunities does the future hold and are there gaps between those opportunities and our ability to capitalize on them? Now, dont get the wrong idea. Leaders dont answer those questions themselves. Thats the old definition of leadership: The leader has the answers the vision and everything else is a sales job to persuade people to sign up for it. Read the whole article here. I long to see more of that kind of leaderhip in companies, and fortunately it is becoming more and more common. 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

How to Confidently Give a Presentation - Hallie Crawford

How to Confidently Give a Presentation Certified Career Coach, was honored to have her article, 10 Ways to Make Giving a Presentation Feel Less Like a Nightmare featured on Yahoo! Finance. You straighten out your shirt, get a sip of water, take a deep breath and try to calm your shaky hands. The program coordinator introduces you, and its show time. You stand up and try to start but no words come out. Then you wake up. Most of us have experienced this performance-related nightmare or something like it. In high school or college, it was centered around tests or studying. After that, nightmares about giving a presentation to a client or something similar can at worst wake us up at night or make it hard for us to fall asleep. Unfortunately for many business professionals, giving a presentation can feel like a nightmare and cause anxiety and stress. Among employed professionals, more than one in five said that they would do anything to avoid giving a presentation, even faking an illness, according a study by Prezi, a presentation platform. Even if fear of speaking isnt an issue, you may feel that you dont really know how to give a great presentation. In the survey, 70 percent of participants said that presentation skills are critical to career success. If you fall into either category avoiding presentations like the plague or feeling like your communication skills could be improved here are 10 ways you can improve.