Top 5 - Money saving apps

Top 5 - Money saving apps by Michael Cheary When it comes to saving money, all of us have our preferred methods. Whether youre a student waiting for the next loan to come in, a recent graduate looking for your first job or youre just trying to feed a family of four every night, making your money stretch as far as possible is one of those life skills we all strive to perfect.If youve tried some of the traditional methods and had no luck, its time to embrace technology. There are literally hundreds of different options available, but weve selected a small sample to get you started.So grab your Smartphone and stand by to start pinching the pennies. Here are five of our favourite money saving apps:5. ToshlA free-to-use, money saving app which helps you keep track of your spending. It visually represents your outgoings with graphs and charts, giving you an easy way to see where your moneys going, and how you can trim the fat.Described as your first step to financial freedom it also has pretty colours. Cost : FreePerfect for: People looking to improve their organisational skills4. CashpointerAre you guilty of continually paying on your card without really realising how much youre spending? If the answers yes, this app is definitely for you. Cashpointer finds your nearest cash point, how much youll be charged for using it, and even gives you directions.That way, if youve only got get 20 to spend, you know when its time to head home (or at the very least, avoid costly card charges). Unfortunately, its not able to tell you if therell be a queue.Cost: FreePerfect for: The card happy co-worker3. 0870This app makes expensive 0870, 0800 and 0845 calls a thing of the past. It turns these pricy digits into local calls, saving you an average of 30p per minute. Its 69p to purchase, but in our opinion, its well worth it.Look at it as more of an investment. One call to an expensive customer services line and youll have easily made your money back.Cost: 69pPerfect for: People who live on their phone s2. Fuel SchoolEveryone thinks theyre a good driver. Fuel School tells you if youre right. Using GPS technology, this app analyses your driving style and makes recommendations on how to be more fuel efficient. Its also good for the environment, so youll have permission to feel suitably smug using it.Cost: 69pPerfect for: People who live in their cars (not literally)1. Nosey ParkerAdvertised as closer, safer, cheaper car parking, this app checks nearly 1.8 million parking spaces, and 14,000 car parks across the UK to find the perfect space for you. Not only will you save money on expensive parking fees, you can also pay by card, which is great if youre not carrying cash.Its slightly more expensive than the other apps on this list, but with parking at a premium in most cities around the UK, it could prove to be essential for some.Cost: 2.99Perfect for: (See above)Honourable mentions: The Family Handyman, Petrolprices Pro, Foodmatic, NHS Quit Smoking app.Think weve missed any? Share th em with us on twitter @reedcoukFind 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

Reasons to Hire Resume Writers With Years of Experience in Resume Writing

Reasons to Hire Resume Writers With Years of Experience in Resume WritingThere are a number of reasons why more people choose to hire writers who have years of experience in resume writing. The reasons include:Writers who have worked on resumes in the past are more likely to have an intuitive feel for how to organize information. They are also less likely to waste valuable space on a resume. The formatting is typically clear and concise, and the job responsibilities are apparent and relevant.For people who are less qualified, writing resumes can be a tricky and time-consuming process because they need to stay at a job that is at a job seeker's level of responsibility. However, hiring a writer with a lot of experience in resume writing can make it a simple process. It can take hours to get your resume organized and formatted and very little time to rewrite and edit the resume.One of the reasons to hire a writer with years of experience in resume writing is because the more experience one has, the more likely one is to become successful. The experts who create resumes do so because they want to help people get into the best jobs. That is their goal, regardless of what one's qualifications are.Because years of experience can make someone seem more qualified, hiring a writer with experience in resume writing can give one the confidence and experience needed to be hired. It is important to remember that hiring an experienced resume writer is like hiring a personal trainer. The writer can make or break a person's chances of getting the job.The resume, as well as the employer, knows that the writer has spent years honing his or her skills and experience in resume writing. It makes the resume look professional-looking. As a result, when a prospective employer comes across a resume that is made by an unknownor inexperienced writer, he or she may be turned off and perhaps even consider passing on the job.The resume is the only way that a job applicant or an employer will know that the person applying or the hiring person is of good skills and is really interested in the position. The more experience in resume writing, the more credibility one develops and the more likely the person is to get the job. Some individuals believe that an experienced writer may be able to do a better job of creating a good resume.The potential employer should see what others say about the writer's writing abilities before hiring the writer. This can help eliminate any other factors other than experience in resume writing that could affect a person's chances of getting hired.

Adding Story Telling to the Interview Process - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Adding Story Telling to the Interview Process - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Story Telling? Story telling is a very compelling way to inform the interviewer that you know your stuff. The purpose of telling stories is to get you to talk about your most memorable accomplishments, biggest challenges, the ways you deal with conflict, and how you recover from a stumble. If you answer every question in an interview with a story, it shows that you have demonstrated your expertise in a real world setting. Over time, you will want to build up a library of stories that, at a moments notice, you can pull off the shelf and share. The stories in your library should be constructed to have three sections: Clearly state the problem Describe how you solved the problem Describe the outcome What stories should you have at your disposal? Step #1 â€" Look at the responsibilities section of the job description Take each responsibility listed in the job description and create a story that talks about a situation where you demonstrated the documented skill. Write out each story then rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse some more. You will want to be able to tell the story in a very conversational manner. You want it to sound natural. What if you have not actually performed the tasks or roles described in the job description? Find a situation where you performed similar responsibilities. Start the story out by saying: I have not been in that exact situation, but let me tell you about the time I did something similar! Step #2 â€" Standard interview questions Prepare a story for each of the following common interview questions: What is your greatest strength? What is you greatest weakness? How do you handle stress and pressure? Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it? How do you evaluate success? Why do you want this job? Why should we hire you? What are your goals for the future? Tell me about yourself. These questions came from About.com Career   Job Searching section Step 3 â€" Be prepared for Behavioral interview questions Behavioral questions are best answered in story form. Some sample behavioral questions: Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem. Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it. Give an example of a goal you didnt meet and how you handled it. Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it. Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure. How do you handle a challenge? Have you been in a situation where you didnt have enough work to do? Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it? Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it. These questions and more can be found at About.com Career Job Searching section Interview preparation You will want to practice telling your stories in front of a mirror. Remember to smile! Pay attention to your facial expressions as you tell each story. Your delivery should sound natural and unrehearsed. Print out each question that you have prepared for, along with a short description of the associated story. Use large fonts with a lot of white space to make it easy to read. Bring this into the interview and be prepared to take notes on how well each story was received. If you are unsure which story to use to answer a particular question, repeat the question back to the interviewer by saying, “I want to make sure I understood you correctly. What I heard you say is…” This gives you a chance to gather your thoughts and scan your list of questions and stories in order to pick the most appropriate. Over time, your library of stories will grow and you will get better at retelling them. Each time you tell a story, pay attention to how it was received. Did the interviewer enjoy the story? Did the interviewer display positive body language? The more you practice sharing your stories, the more natural you will become in telling them. Are you ready to tell your story? Marc Miller â€" Career Pivot Check out my book Repurpose Your Career â€" A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers Do not forget to follow me on Twitter or FaceBook

7 Content Ideas for Personal Branding Success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Content Ideas for Personal Branding Success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Save time creating the content you need for personal branding success using the following 7 content themes, or timeless content categories. The best way to build your personal brand is to consistently provide helpful, relevant content to others in your field. This approach attracts search engine traffic as well as both the experts and newcomers in your field. Consistent branding visibility is necessary because you never know when a prospective client or buyer is going to be ready to buy. But, where do you get the ideas for creating a constant stream of content-filled articles, blog posts, podcasts, teleseminars, and videos? Thats where categories of content ideas come in. The power of content categories You dont have to start writing with a blank screen if you think in terms of content categories that you can frequently return to and address from different perspectives. Lets face it; the hardest part of writing is coming up with a topic, or basic idea, for content marketing articles, blog posts, podcasts, SlideShare presentations, white papers, or videos. Once you come up with the basic idea, however, its usually easy to identify the key ideas and start planning and writing your project. Thats why the 7 content ideas, listed below, are so useful. They eliminate the empty screen syndrome. They reflect universal content themes common to every field and every type of product or service. Use the following content ideas to provide a broad context you can address over and over again from different perspectives, in different media, with varying amounts of detail. 7 key content ideas Buying information. Your prospects are risk adverse. At every step, theyre concerned about making an expensive mistake. As a result, theyre hungry for information that will help them make an informed, safe, buying decision. The more How to Buy Right content you share, the better. Questions to ask. One of the best ways to create helpful buying content is to empower prospects by sharing questions. There are two categories of questions; questions for prospective buyers to ask themselves and questions to ask while shopping the competition. These questions help prospects pre-qualify themselves and permit you to emphasize the benefits of buying from you. Mistakes to avoid. Another content category that empowers prospects while emphasizing the importance of buying from a trust brand is to describe the mistakes that youve seen clients and customers make in the past. Often, of course, these mistakes were the result of putting short-term savings ahead of shopping for long-term value. Sharing these mistakes emphasizes your expertise and experience. Trends. Whats happening in your field? What are the trends affecting your clients, customers, and prospects? Often, changes take place so slowly theyre barely noticeable. Providing content that alerts your market to the changes taking place enhances your brand as a source of information. Your content can be as simple as 7 Trends Affecting Your Future Profits. Concerns and challenges. Trends, of course, describe change, and change often requires interpretation. Interpreting the significances of recent trends offers an opportunity for you to alert prospects to the consequences of the changes. This adds urgency, encouraging prospects to prepare for the future by taking preventative action now. Terms. One of the biggest challenges your prospects are dealing with is mastering the vocabularies associated with rapid technological change and advancement. You can build your brand by introducing the vocabulary your prospects need to know to confidently discuss their goals and objectives. Content options can range from a simple word of the day to a list of the Top 10 or 20 terms in your field, with short definitions emphasizing their relevance. Resources. Another important category of content ideas involves curating, or sharing, content created by others. Filtering and selectively sharing the most important ideas in around your topic reinforces your expert personal brand. The more resources you share, the more youre viewed as an expert. Information can range from published books to online links to articles, blog posts, and upcoming events. Putting the 7 content ideas to work Heres a simple 3-step approach to putting the 7 content ideas to work building your personal brand: Make a list of the 7 key content ideas. Place each idea at the top of a different page in your idea notebook, or a different sheet of yellow lined paper. You can also create a 7-column table in a Word.doc, or create a mind map. Brainstorm possible titles for each content idea. Expand your list of the 7 key by coming up with titles and different ways to approach each category of information. One way to do this is to approach each content idea from the perspective of a different market segment. Add deadlines for each content idea. The best way to take full advantage of these 7 content ideas is to create a deadline for creating content based on each idea. Adding a deadline converts an intention into action. Committing to write a How to Hire a Personal Branding Coach blog post by November 15, for example, increases the likelihood that youll successfully take action. Content tips Here are some final tips for working with list of the 7 basic content ideas: Work as quickly as you can. Dont analyze or self-censor your work when expanding your list of 7 content ideas. Come up with as many different ideas as you can for each topic as you can. There will be time to evaluate them later. Think back on your previous clients. Think of the different stages they went through before buying and selling your product or service. Think in terms of how you can apply the 7 content ideas to different personas, or target markets. Dont focus your content exclusively on first-time buyers. Consider applying the 7 content ideas to prospects at different experience levels. Think in terms of writing to advanced users or dissatisfied users who arent getting full value from their current investment.

How to Write About Growth in Resume

How to Write About Growth in ResumeWriting about growth in resume can be quite a challenge. You have to include things like your achievements, activities and so on, but there are other things that you should also include.One of the most vital elements is your education. This will surely help people get a better idea about you. In addition, if you have any particular activity that you performed, you can put it into the section of achievements.Writing about your job is quite essential. Include the complete information about the job. This will also be helpful for people who will be reviewing your resume later. Any activity you did while working will also be included in this section.You can also give some good reference in this section. Even though there is no need to include something like this in your resume, you can put it here so that people will know what to expect when they will interview you. Similarly, you can also include your views and opinions regarding certain particular even ts or issues.When looking at your work, you may come across a time when you have misfortunes and failures. You can put this under mistakes. But what exactly does it mean? If you are looking for an application which will help you analyze mistakes you may include it in the sections of things that can be sorted out.Writing about growth in resume also depends on the tone you have chosen to write. If you choose to write about your career achievements, you may not write about your personal life. You should think about the fact that this is a person's perspective of things. If you want to include personal issues in your resume, then you may want to write about it.Writing about growth in resume is something that is quite crucial. It is very important to be able to include all the aspects you may want to include in your resume, especially if you do not have the time to check every single aspect.If you are determined to make sure that you include all the aspects of growth in resume, you can t ry using the right resume template. Using a template is one way of ensuring that you will only look at the right parts of your resume. However, there are still things that you should consider doing before using a template to help you with your writing.

11 Essential Tools to Become More Productive in Office

11 Essential Tools to Become More Productive in Office Many people want to increase their productivity in the office. But they do not have any knowledge how to do it. Some people assume that they have to use tools and apps to make one productive. Well, this assumption is quite right in many cases.Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comDifferent tools are quite essential and efficient in maximizing the productivity of a person at work. These tools can make things easier for you and you would be able to complete your main projects on time. Today, we are going to talk about these tools.There are total 11 essential tools that every office worker can use to become proficient and proactive. These tools are explained below:1. Omnipresent capture deviceevalevalThis is an imperative aspect of being productive. It is to ensure that you have any particular way of capturing the inputs in your life. If you have any idea or a thought regarding the project on which you have to work, then it will be easier for you to complete the project proficiently.Therefore, you have to capture some things regarding your project to process them later. Some geeks used to take a GTD NoteTaker with them.You can also use it or any other capturing device like the ones mentioned below:Paper PenSmartphone with Any notes app3×5 cards2. Task manager OR Project managerThe task or project management of any type is quite imperative to ensure that you are getting things done in the right way. It is quite difficult to work on something about which you do not have sufficient stuff.To complete a task, you have to get a lot of things done in an organized manner.If you want to perform better then you have to use any of the following apps:EvernoteRemember the MilkThingsToodledoOmniFocusTodoist3. BoundariesIf you want to become productive and stay productive, then you have to set up your boundaries. You should secure your time and energy so that you can work on the tasks that are imperative to you.evalTo get the things done that are more imperative, you have to keep and set your boundaries. Thus, you would not be able to get carried away or go far from your objectives.4. Understand when how to say “No.”When you will be clear-headed that what you want and what you don’t then you could easily understand that when and how to say “NO” to other less imperative tasks.If you want to stay focused and perform well then you have to keep the most important things on the top of your working list and put the less important things at the bottom.Start from the top to the end. This is a good approach to achieve your goals.eval5. Set sensible deadlines expectationsevalFor every office worker, it is a good thing to set up sensible deadlines and expectations. For each task, you have to set a deadline. Always do light planning instead of exact planning.With light planning, you would be able to set realistic expectations only that many jobs demand.6. CalendarWe all use calendars for the tough setting of our lives. We make use of it to set up the due dates and reminders for the tasks that quite date responsive.You can either make use of digital calendar or analog. It is a good option to have a digital one as you can mark things on each day and you will be able to move things around in a simple way.7. A great scanner or label makerYou can use one or both. If you have a scanner such as the ScanSnap S1500, then it can change the way that you file up the things. You only need to scan all your documents in and then put them in the normal document folder.After that, you have to run text searches if you want to locate something simply. However, if you are still doing paper filing, then it is good to have a label marker. You could easily bold the main and important points with it.8. InboxesThere was a time when people didn’t have inboxes due to which they were not able to work better. However, the time has changed now and inboxes are used to have places for incoming information and important projects to position.Due to this reason, you can now process that information and important projects afterward. Inboxes are of various types like the following:An inbox section in your taskA physical, paper inboxVoicemail boxEmail inbox9.Expertise in an operating systemYou can be good and proficient as the tools you use. You can get some good software or systems in place to carry your efficiency efforts. There is no need to work on an operating system that is tough for you.evalYou have to get expertise in an operating system to save time and energy to get things done well.10. Proper HeadsetsAt present, many businesses and call centers are making use of headsets. They are an ideal tool to be used in all types of offices. They are not just used for entertainment but office work as well. They are utilized to enhance the performance level of workers.The task workers could easily switch between communicating with the clientele or colleagues to focus on a particular task. Headsets can assist these task workers equally. They provide crystal clear sound for all the parties.Not only that, they offer a good and improved professional experience. Wireless headsets are commonly used in all industries as they free hands of the workers due to which they can do multitasking.11. Office document softwareIf you want to get things done properly, then get office document software. It is a must to have the capacity to make documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can make use of any free suite like the Office Web Apps or Google Docs.eval

5 Networking Tips To Help You Do It Better

5 Networking Tips To Help You Do It Better Networking is one of the demons job seekers dread, avoid and start too late.  But if you keep these five networking tips in mind, youll find there are opportunities to network, the right way, everywhere.   The truth is when you network you arent looking for a job. Youre seeking information. And lets agree to stop calling that one-on-one meeting an informational interview. It isnt an interview at all. Its a conversation. Its a meeting. You dont want to use the term informational interview because: The word interview sounds like a job interview, which it isnt, and it scares the people you are reaching out to Only job seekers and career coaches use this term Finally, it reeks of, hire me, Im looking for a job. Here are networking tips to help you do this better! Be Clear and Sincere Your request for a conversation must be sincere and free of hidden agendas. You will not ask for a job, you wont even mention the word job during your conversation. In all honesty, you dont even know if you want a job there yet. You need to get the insiders perspective, advice and information first. To help you secure the meeting, phone call or chat, make sure youre crystal clear about the types of questions and topics you plan on covering. Remember, your goal is to acquire information, advice or recommendations. You can use this list to develop your networking meeting questions. When you email someone, include a link to your LinkedIn profile and your value proposition. Your value proposition is focused on the needs of others and speaks to how you can help potential employers. It describes the problem or problems you solve. For example, a value proposition may read like this: Inspiring new business growth for small business owners by helping them target and engage with the right audience on social media platforms. Tap Your Friends Friends Your friends would like to help you, but they usually dont know how. Do the heavy lifting and research who your friends know. Look on Facebook and LinkedIn to see who is in their network and ask your friends for an introduction. After youve done your research, email your friend and ask for an introduction. Remember to explain exactly why his or her contact is of value to you in your quest for information. And by all means, make it easy to forward your message along. Explain briefly why you want to meet this person and a concise summary of you. It will make it much easier for your friend to take action. All they need to do is forward your message with their own brief note! LinkedIn Groups Are Valuable An underutilized resource  within LinkedIn is Groups. Have you paid attention to who is posting discussions within the LinkedIn groups you belong to? Sometimes these discussions are questions, other times, they provide information. You can use LinkedIn groups to begin a dialogue with someone you want to connect with. Just review and read a posted discussion and ask a follow-up question to what they shared. Generally, people who share information are open to conversations. If you want to connect with someone, but have no mutual connections, carefully research the groups this person belongs to and join some of them. Once you share a group, you can reach out. This is a little known secret and one of the best reasons to be active in groups! Request To Connect on LinkedIn Almost any message is better than the default message LinkedIn sends. Take one second and insert your own words to personalize your reason for wanting to connect. Your message is limited to 185 characters, so you are forced to keep it short and sweet. Arnie Fertig, career counselor, On Careers blogger and owner of JOBHUNTERCOACH, recommends including these three elements in your LinkedIn introduction: 1. How you know or found the person youre inviting. 2. Explain why you want to connect with him or her. 3. Present your offer of reciprocity. Email may be a better option for reaching out. Not everyone checks LinkedIn but you do know they will be checking email. Keep  In Touch Once youve connected or met with someone, keep in touch. Serving as a conduit of information is one way you can maintain your relationships. Plan on sending your new networking contact an interesting article or send congratulations along when you hear about their companys news. Your goal is to reach out at least once every quarter. Youre nurturing your relationship and staying top of mind. To see more ideas on how to stay top of mind, read this: Nurture Your Network with These 11 Ideas The bottom line It is the strength of your relationships that will help you learn about future opportunities and meet new contacts in your career field. This post originally appeared on US News World Report

Quitting your Job- without burning your bridges

Quitting your Job- without burning your bridges Quitting your job (without burning any bridges) Do you daydream about the day you get to tell your boss everything that he is doing wrong? How you could do his job ten times better with your eyes closed? Then, after you’ve read him the riot act, you arrogantly say, “Oh, and I QUIT!” Too often we speak before we act and then regret it later. Whether it is a spontaneous decision to leave, or a well-thought out conclusion, quitting a job can be a struggle. Another point to ponder is that with downsizing, job-hopping and mergers common, you never know when you may run into your old boss again. “Leave the emotional issues at home” advises Mark Katz, managing partner at a Detroit-based executive search firm. He recalls a woman who learned the consequences of burning bridges the hard way. When quitting her job at an advertising agency, she told her boss everything that he, and the company, were doing wrong. “She just felt that the organization didn’t know what they were doing and told them so,” he says. Her tone was “very condescending and hostile”. Two months later he received a call from the woman: “You have to find me another job and fast!” she said, according to Mr. Katz. Her old agency just announced it was buying her new one. Worse yet, her former boss would likely be running her department again. She feared he might lay her off or fire her. If not, she was certain her hasty and hostile departure would make a future relationship very difficult. She was back to square one, looking for another job… again. This is a reason Mr. Katz suggests to clients not to alienate co-workers or former employers. Even when you know you are in the right, restrain yourself. There are several different reasons you could give, for example: even though you’ve enjoyed working at the company, you want to take on different challenges, expand your potential at ABC Company or given more responsibility. Even better, if ABC Company happens to be located near your family, you can almost guarantee that your boss will understand and even give you a reference. Emphasize the lure of the new company, not the flaws of the old one. Above all, make sure to avoid blaming your boss and the company for your departure, even if you have to bite your tongue not to say what you really feel. Thank your boss for providing you with a rewarding experience and emphasize how much you’ve learned from the job. You may want to either write down what you want to say to your boss, or role play with a family member or spouse. Take notes if you need to and bring them to the meeting. It’s important to be upfront and let them know you are leaving. Give everyone involved a copy of your resignation letter. This signals your determination to quit and lessens the likelihood of a counteroffer. What happens if they counteroffer? Chances are, your reasons to leave will outweigh what the company may offer you. Further, it may not be such a good idea to stick with a job where the boss thinks you want to leave. Consider the case of one of Mr. Katz’ clients, a sales rep. After he told his boss his decision to leave, the boss countered with an offer of promotion and small raise. The client decided to stay and soon after regretted his decision. His boss immediately started to take over some of his top accounts and developed a relationship with them. He feared that even though the man said he would stay, he might still quittaking their larger accounts with him. The boss began reassigning his accounts and shrinking his responsibilities. What happened next? You guessed it. The promotion never happened and the client was left much worse off then he was when he decided to quit in the first place. He couldn’t go back to the company that hired him in the first place and he could no l onger boast of a large account base to potential employers. The moral? Stick with your gut instinct. If you are fed up enough to go, then follow through with your decision and leave. Lastly, be sure to wrap up any loose ends you may have at your current company. Offer to train your replacement and show them the ropes. Do not bad-mouth the company to any new employees or other companies. Word travels fast and you never know when you may need a reference…. even if it’s in 10 or 15 years! Until next time, Erin Kennedy