Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Secretary CV Example 2018s Top Sample

Secretary CV Example 2018s Top SampleSecretary CV Example - 2018s Top SampleCreate This CV ObjectiveTo be productively utilized as company secretary and contribute to the fulfillment of the companys daily transactions. My wide experience in performing clerical duties will make me a very competent worker for the position sought.Personal Information Robert Dickson419 Midway RoadSpringdale, AR 72764(555)-586-4377r.dicksonsampleresume.netDate of Birth May 6, 1979Place of Birth ARCitizenship AmericanGender MaleProfile Summary Superb communication skills Great skills in dictation Excellent knowledge in computer applications Knowledgeable in preparing/organizing meetings and workshopsEducationBS in Office Management Education, 2007Missouri University of Science Technology, Rolla, MOEmployment HistorySecretary to the Prosecutor, 2007 PresentThe Prosecutors Office, Pico Rivera, CA Responsibilities Prepared the materials needed for the conference about Massive Attacks. Negotiated with th e hotel management regarding schedule and discounts on reservations. Recorded and encoded all incoming and outgoing communications and pleadings handled by the Prosecutor. Answered phone calls. Attached the exhibits and evidences submitted by the litigants to the Original Records. Recorded and maintained records involving confidential and classified cases. Performed other clerical tasks.Secretary, 2006 2007GE Real Estate, Norwalk, CT Reviewed the requirements submitted by the clients. Utilized MS excel in posting the accounts and uploaded photos using Picasa. Responded to the inquiries and other needs of the customers regarding their transactions. Prepared drafts for contracts. Provided photos, proof, reports and other related documents to the clients who are interested in buying properties. Executed the daily transactions of the company.ResearchN/ATraining/CertificationTraining in DOSCertificate in Basic Secretarial SkillsAwardDeans List Award, 2006- 2007Professional MembershipT he Judiciary ClubSkillsExpert in writing letters, memorandaMs Word, Excel, Spreadsheet, Adobe, PhotoshopBasic knowledge in trial court proceedings Customize CVSecretary CV Questions1. What should go in the experience section of your secretary CV?In the experience section, list your employment in reverse chronological order, starting with your current job. Put the title of your position, the dates you worked there, and the personenname and location of the company for which you worked. See our secretary CV sample for a good example of how this should look.Under each job listing, add five to eight bullet points describing your responsibilities and accomplishments. Use short, succinct statements and numbers whenever possible. For example, implemented a new software database that improved record-keeping accuracy by 13%.2. What is the best design for a secretary CV?A secretary CV can be simple and conservative or bold and modern with color and graphics. Consider which design reflects the namen you want to convey. Also think about the potential employer who will see this CV. Are you sending it to a 200-year-old law firm or a contemporary architecture company? You can tailor the look of your CV to fit the job.Whichever you choose, make sure the layout is clean and easy to read, as illustrated in our secretary CV sample. Use bold headers for the sections and neatly aligned bulleted lists. Unless you have more than 15 years experience, keep it under two pages long.3. What should your education section look like in a secretary CV?List your education in reverse chronological order with the most recent degree first. As you can see in our secretary CV sample, put the name of the degree and the name and location of the school that awarded it. If you are a recent graduate, you may add the year. Do not put your GPA, but do include graduating with honors. If you have one certification, add it here, but more than that merit their own section.4. How do you list awards on your sec retary CV?When listing awards on your CV, only put down the ones that contribute to your professional profile. This includes academic awards, employee awards, recognitions from professional organizations, and service or community awards. Its best to leave off prizes such as, First Place at Barry Manilow Karaoke Night. Put the name of the award, the organization that presented it, and the year. Take a look at our secretary CV sample for additional ideas about what to write in this section.5. How do you write about hobbies on your CV?The hobbies and interests section is a great place to let employers know a little bit about you. Be sure to put down volunteerism, sports, creative or performing arts, and interesting classes. If you coach a successful team, mention any championships theyve won. If you are really proud of your Barry Manilow Karaoke Night performance, its okay to add that here as well. You can write this section as a short paragraph or use bullet points to create a little list. If you need further assistance, study our secretary CV sample, or use our resume builder for step-by-step instructions.More CV SamplesSalesman CV Science Teacher CV Secretary CV

Friday, December 27, 2019

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Job-Hunting Insights From Jon Stewarts Daily Show Resignation

Job-Hunting Insights From Jon Stewarts Daily Show ResignationJob-Hunting Insights From Jon Stewarts Daily Show ResignationPopular media is obsessed with the search for the new host of The Daily Show when Jon Stewart leaves it sometime later this year. Beyond speculating on whats next for Stewart and who will replace him, this major late-night transition can provide helpful insights for your own career advancement. Ask yourself some basic questions 1. Can you really afford to resign? Stewart has superstar status, a virtually limitless network within his industry, 19 Emmy Awards, and (presumably) enough money to never have to worry about another paycheck. Simply put He has the luxury of walking from his job at a time of his choosing. Rare is the person with this kind of freedom You may be tempted to resign because you have a strong disagreement with your boss, because you are bored, overworked, underappreciated or poorly paid or because you have some other pain point. Remember, howev er, that employers invariably ask why you left your last position and are inherently skeptical about hiring someone who resigned with no other job offer in hand. Regardless of how well you justify walking away, it can be interpreted as hot-headed, disloyal or overly risky. Even worse, they may erroneously assume you resigned one step ahead of being fired. Dont jump from the frying pan into the fire 2. Whose shoes do you want to fill? Conventional wisdom suggests that your chances for success at a new job are greater when you follow someone who has a poor or mediocre record. It will take comparatively little to look better than your predecessor. On the other hand, this predecessor may leave a situation in shambles, and it may prove difficult to perform an overall turnaround. Whoever follows Stewart will be widely compared to him and measured by his standards of success surely a daunting challenge. Nonetheless, he or she will inherit a well-oiled machine with a solid pool of writers . Given that, the right person may be able to take the show in an unexpected and refreshing new direction. One of the reasons you want to know the circumstances of a job opening is to gauge the stated responsibilities and context, as well as theexpectations you will be inheriting if you take on the role. 3. How do you identify your challenges and successes? Imagine the task of writing Jon Stewarts rsum. Hell presumably forgo a mundane bullet point like this Responsible for watching news streams and movies staring future guests and attending endless meetings with writers. In favor of something like this Transformed lackluster program into must-watch TV for key demographic audiences by conducting thoughtful interviews with key governmental leaders and politicians across all party lines, film and TV stars and leading authors. Mentored a new generation of top-tier talent, including Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, John Oliver and many others. In the same way, your rsum will need to place your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities into the larger context of your accomplishments and the impact they have made in your workplace. 4. What is your reputation? No matter what you hear, a well-composed rsum remains the lynchpin for virtually any job hunt. As the saying goes Your reputation precedes you Any talent agency, producer or network knows quite a bit about Stewart before speaking with him about a potential new role or project. The same holds true for you. Employers routinely scour your LinkedIn profile, Facebook page and Google search results and speak with common connections to learn about you. All this often takes place before an employer even decides to interview you, and it almost always happens before an offer of employment is extended. Make sure you do a good job of curating and highlighting your professional accomplishments online and expunging anything that could be embarrassing or prompt a negative thought about your competence or character. Sometimes it i s better not to get the job of your dreams. Its easy to imagine that Jon Stewart is now thankful he welches passed over for opportunities he was pursuing earlier in his career. In her book, Angry Optimist The Life and Times of Jon Stewart, Lisa Rogak reminds us that he failed to get a spot at NBC when Letterman left Late Night. Stewart was also passed over in his attempt to replace Tom Snyder. Ironically, that position went to the then Daily Show host, Craig Kilborn, thereby creating the opening that Stewart has so successfully filled since 1999. Neither of those roles would have given him the space and freedom he had at Comedy Central to achieve his monumental success. As a job hunter, you will likely encounter any number of ads for perfect positions. Keep in mind that youll never know who youre up against or the real priorities of the hiring manager. It might just be that this perfect job is a bit more perfect for someone else, and another job that offers tremendous potential for you is just around the corner. Happy huntingArnie Fertig, MPA, is passionate about helping his Jobhuntercoach clients advance their careers by transforming frantic Ill apply to anything searches into focused hunts for great fit opportunities. He brings to each client the extensive knowledge he gained when working in HR staffing and managing his boutique recruiting firm.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

2013 Salary Survey Engineers Ride the Wave

2013 Salary Survey Engineers Ride the Wave 2013 Salary Survey Engineers Ride the Wave With global health and energy challenges rising, the demand for engineers continues to grow, and thanks to an improved economy and a declining unemployment rate in the U.S., engineering salaries continue to rise as well. For the third consecutive year, respondents to the 2013 Engineering Income and Salary Survey, conducted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), reported an average increase in salaries over the previous year.A total of 10,627 engineers from the U.S. responded to the online salary survey between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013, providing insights into salaries and the job market. The survey data revealed that the average total annual income, including bonuses, for an engineer in the U.S. was $104,303, nearly 0.8% higher than the $103,497 figure reported in the 2012 survey and almost 4.5% mora than the $99,738 figure reported in the 2011 survey. Thats a nearly 5% increase over three years.According to the 2013 survey, about 75.6% of all respondents indicated a base salary increase in the past year. Out of 10,627 respondents polled in the survey, 1,777 engineers (16.7%) said they changed employers and 1,892 (17.8%) got promotions.Income by length of experience (full-time salaried only).Job ExperienceThe engineers who saw their salaries increase consistently were those with increased engineering experience. The zentralwert income of full-time salaried respondents increased regularly from $55,000 for those with under one year of experience to $130,000 for those with 25 years of experience or more.Also, engineers who continued to pursue higher education received higher compensation. Full-time salaried respondents holding-gesellschaft doctoral degrees in engineering have a median income of $118,000. Those with an M.S. in engineering earn a median of $95,000 and those with a B.S. in engineering earn a median income of $85,276. Those holding a doctorate in engineering earn a median 38.0% more than those with a B.S. in engineering. Finally, full-time salaried survey respondents holding an M.B.A. or an M.B.A. and an M.A. or M.S. have higher median incomes than those holding an M.S. in engineering.Job LocationLike the last two years, engineers in the Pacific Southwest States took home the highest median salary of $110,000. The South Central States ($105,000) were second, followed by the Upper Mountain States ($98,005). The lowest full-time salaried median incomes were found in the Central Plains States ($87,525), the Pacific Northwest States ($90,000), and the Great Lakes States ($91,000).10 highest incomes by metropolitan area (full-time salaried only). Per metropolitan area, the highest full-time salaried median income was found in Wichita, KS ($129,500) Albuquerque, NM ($127,000) Ventura, CA (126,000) Bakersfield, CA ($125,386) and Houston, TX ($124,000). The lowest full-time sal aried median incomes found were in Fort Lauderdale, FL ($59,125) San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA ($68,250) Des Moines, IA ($68,300) Nashville, TN ($70,081) and Duluth-Superior, MN-WI ($71,100).Job DisciplineJob discipline played a key role in what salary engineers took home and like last year, respondents working in ocean engineering received the highest full-time salaried median income ($137,763). This group is followed by those in minerals and metals ($133,500), offshore ($132,258), petroleum ($130,000), computer ($124,000), fire protection ($123,000), and nuclear ($119,000). Mechanical engineers reported a median income of $100,000. At the other end of the full-time salaried median income spectrum are those employed in optical, plumbing, corrosion, geotechnical, civil, and agriculture (all between $68,354 and $80,000).The highest full-time salaried median incomes of the 27 industry groups studied were received by respondents employed in petroleum/natural gas products ( $120,000), communication services ($120,000), utilities pipelines ($119,050), and food, beverage, and tobacco products ($112,349). Those receiving the lowest full-time salaried median incomes are employed by a state government ($76,000), transportation services ($76,900), private practice ($80,000), local government ($88,000), and fabricated metal products ($88,590).Engineers with a P.E. license reported a median income of $104,132, up more than 4% from 2012. Engineers with no professional registration or certification reported income of $98,000. For engineers who reported an additional license or certification, such as environmental or land surveyor, median income was about $5,000 more than a P.E.Job SkillsOverall, ASMEs Engineering Income and Salary Survey showed that 2012-2013 was a good year for mechanical engineers. As the worlds population increases, so will the demands on the next generation of engineers to provide solutions for global challenges. Mechanical engineers will b e at the forefront of solving these problems.According to ASMEs President Madiha El Mehelmy Kotb, to show that mechanical engineering is an exciting career, We need to communicate the things engineers do and the impact they have on everyday life. There is a footprint of mechanical engineering in almost everything we do in life. Its important to remember that and celebrate that.Kotbs advice to young students considering a career in engineering is The future is waiting for them. Billions of jobs, well-respected and stimulating job opportunities are waiting for them to conquer. It takes hard work to succeed in anything that we do and the engineering profession is no exception.Download the executive summary of the report and look out for new additions, including a salary calculator, in ASMEs 2014 salary survey. For Further DiscussionIt takes hard work to succeed in anything that we do and the engineering profession is no exception.Madiha El Mehelmy Kotb, President, ASME

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Release or Waiver Agreement FAQ - United States

Release or Waiver Agreement FAQ - United StatesRelease or Waiver Agreement FAQ - United StatesDefinitionsWhat is a release agreement?A release agreement is an enforceable promise notlage to proceed with a legal claim in exchange for money or other compensation. Essentially, a anlass (the releasee) gives money or other consideration to a second party (the releasor). In exchange, the releasor agrees not to sue, press charges, or otherwise take legal action against the releasee. Who is the releasor?The releasor is the party who is releasing a possible claim in exchange for something of value.Who is the releasee?The releasee is the party who is being released from a claim or possible claim.What is consideration?Consideration is the compensation that the Releasor receives in exchange for releasing the claim.What can be offered as consideration?Commonly, money is offered as consideration. However, other goods and services can be offered as consideration as well. For example, Party A could agree to release a claim against Party B in exchange for company stock, a motor vehicle, or even a used lawnmower. Usually, as long as both parties agree to the consideration and the consideration is something of value, the consideration will be acceptable. However, if the consideration is later found to be less than expected, defective or damaged, or performance was made improperly (e.g. where consideration is a service), courts may find there to be failure of consideration and the contract may be held unenforceable.Who is the activity provider?The activity provider is the person or organization that will be providing the participant with access to the activity in question. The activity provider can be an individual or an organization. For example, if Bob Smith was a tour guide who represented himself and provided mountain tours, the activity provider would be Bob Smith. However, if Bob Smith was an employee of and was representing the Nature Walk Touring Company, the activity pro vider would be Nature Walk Touring Company.Activity Waiver and ReleaseWhat is an activity waiver and release?The activity waiver and release is an agreement between two parties that releases the party providing an activity from liability claims from the individual wishing to participate in the activity. The participant is required to give up all future claims against the other party, so care should be taken to ensure that the participant is fully aware of his or her rights.Who can use the activity waiver and release?The activity waiver and release can be used by any business or individual that allows others to participate in activities that are potentially dangerous. For example, an amusement park might require visitors to sign an activity waiver and release before boarding a ride, or a paintball course might require customers to sign a waiver before competing in any paintball activities.Of course, these are just a few examples. The activity waiver and release can be used as all of the following and moreA biking waiverA boating, rafting, or kayaking waiverA bungee jump waiverA camping waiverA hiking waiverA hunting waiverA snowmobile, quad or dirt bike waiverA sports waiverA swimming waiver or swimming pool waiverA trampoline waiverA zoo waiver or petting zoo waiverWill courts always enforce an activity waiver and release?Generally courts will respect the waiver agreement reached between the parties however in some circumstances a court may be unwilling to enforce a waiver agreement. This is especially the case in situations where they find the agreement conflicts with public policy (i.e. parties performing essential services to the public are expected to fulfill their obligations to the public and cannot waive liability by using a release) the releasees conduct amounts to gross negligence (i.e. the releasee cannot waive liability for conduct that rises to the level of gross negligence) the release contains ambiguous language (i.e. the document does not clearl y and explicitly communicate the intention of terminating the releasees liability) the releasor is not aware of the release and cannot reasonably be expected to be aware of it (i.e. the waiver clause in the document appears in such a way that it is unlikely to be read by the releasor) the releasor lacks the capacity to contract away his or heror another persons-claims (i.e. if the releasor is a minor or the releasor is lacking the mental capacity needed to sign the document) In such circumstances, courts may interpret activity waiver and release agreements strictly against the party that benefits from the release. Accordingly, it is essential that the releasing party is fully aware of the rights being waived.Damage to Personal Property ReleaseWhat is a damage to personal property release?The damage to personal property release is a general release tailored for the possible civil claims following damage to the releasing partys property. The releasing party is required to give up al l known and unknown claims against the other party, so care should be taken to ensure that the releasing party is fully aware of his, her, or its rights.What is personal property?For the purposes of this release agreement, personal property refers to anything that you own. Shoes, jewelry, vehicles, televisions, and houses are all examples of personal property.When would I use a damage to personal property release?A damage to personal property release is used after damage has occurred to someones personal property. The person who caused the damage (the releasee) agrees to compensate the person whose property was damaged (the releasor), and the two parties sign the damage to personal property release when they reach an agreement.Does the compensation offered have to match the value of the damaged property?No, the compensation offered in a damage to personal property release does not have to match the value of the damaged property. For example, if your friend accidentally broke your te levision, you might choose to give your friend a break and accept monetary compensation that is less than the cost of the television. At the saatkorn time, your friend might feel terrible about breaking your television and offer you more money than the TV is worth as a way of apologizing. Usually, the compensation can be worth any amount, so long as both parties agree to it.Can I use a damage to personal property release for damage that occurred to my vehicle, or should I use a motor vehicle accident release?If damage has occurred to the vehicle as a result of a collision with another vehicle, you should use the motor vehicle accident release. This is the case even if you werent in your vehicle at the time of the collision. For example, if your vehicle is parked on the street in front of your house and somebody collides with it, you would use a motor vehicle accident release.However, if the damage to the vehicle is not caused by another vehicle, you should use a damage to personal p roperty release. For example, if your neighbor chopped down a tree and it fell on your vehicle, you should use the damage to personal property release, as the damage was not caused by a motor vehicle accident.Debt-Accord and Satisfaction ReleaseWhat is a debt-accord and satisfaction release?A debt-accord and satisfaction release is an agreement to accept less than is legally due in order to reach a settlement. The releasing party agrees to release any claims they have to the debt in exchange for agreed upon compensation. Please note that this document should only be used when there is a genuine dispute over the actual amount of the debt, such as disputes over the value of services provided.When should you use a debt-accord and satisfaction release?A debt-accord and satisfaction release can be used in any number of situations where there is a dispute over the amount of money owed. For example, lets say that the ABCD Lawn Company did some landscaping work for Bob Smith. The ABDC Lawn Company gives an initial estimate of $500. However, the final bill comes to $1,000 and Bob Smith is not impressed with the work of the ABCD Lawn Company. He refuses to pay $1,000. In order to settle the debt, the ABCD Lawn Company creates a debt-accord and satisfaction release where the parties agree that Bob Smith will pay the ABCD Lawn Company $500.Debt-Partial Repayment ReleaseWhat is a debt-partial repayment release?A debt-partial repayment release is a general release tailored for use as a debt settlement between two parties. The releasing party agrees to accept less than they are legally due as a trade-off for reaching a final settlement. Please note that this document would normally be used for disputes resulting from the sale of a good.General Release of ClaimsWhat is a general release of claims?A general release is a broad release from all possible civil claims resulting from a dispute. Since the releasing party is giving up all known and unknown claims against the other pa rty, care should be taken to ensure that the releasing party is fully aware of his, her, or its rights. The general release can be tailored for many different situations.Motor Vehicle Accident ReleaseWhat is a motor vehicle accident release?A motor vehicle accident release is a general release tailored for the possible civil claims resulting from a motor vehicle accident. The releasing party is required to give up all known and unknown claims against the other party so care should be taken to ensure that the releasing party is fully aware of his, her, or its rights.Mutual ReleaseWhat is a mutual release?A mutual release is a general release tailored for use when each party claims that the other party is to blame for the injuries or damages that they have suffered. Since each party is giving up all known and unknown claims against the other party, care should be taken to ensure that the parties are fully aware of their rights. Normally, each party simply releases the other party from future liability. However, if one party is more at fault, that party can be asked to give extra consideration (compensation).Can one of the parties receive compensation with a mutual release?Yes. One of the parties can receive compensation with a mutual release. If you wish for one of the parties to receive compensation through the mutual release, that party should be listed as the First Releasor.For example, if Susan and Peter are backing out of parking stalls at the same time and collide with each other, they are both at fault and they may want to sign a Mutual Release. If Peters vehicle sustained no damage and Susans vehicle sustained $100 worth of damage, the parties might agree to split the cost of Susans repairs. In that case, the parties would sign a Mutual Release Agreement stating that Peter will offer $50 in compensation to Susan.Can both of the parties receive compensation with the mutual release?No. LawDepots automated mutual release only allows for one of the parties t o receive compensation.Personal Injury ReleaseWhat is a personal injury release?A personal injury release is a general release tailored for the possible civil claims resulting from an incident causing an injury to the releasing party. The releasing party is required to give up all known and unknown claims against the other party, so care should be taken to ensure that the releasing party is fully aware of his or her rights.What is a personal injury?A personal injury is an injury caused to ones body, mind or emotions as the result of an accident. The injury can be physical or psychological.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

New Article Reveals the Low Down on Human Voiced Resume and Why You Must Take Action Today

New Article Reveals the Low Down on Human Voiced Resume and Why You Must Take Action Today Where to Find Human Voiced Resume The process for setting work aims isnt restricted to a single dialog at the start of the verarbeitungsschritt phase. Working part-time is quite popular among them, and they generally opt to work in retail or hospitality. Start by choosing the security or sign template you are going to want. You will also need to hope that its set up using the right format. A HR manager may take just a few seconds to scan the peak of your resume before choosing which pile to set you in. From that point, certainly you are able to find a mere email address. You dont need to give up your salary info, not merely as its personal info but in addition since its irrelevant. Use the search bar at the surface of your LinkedIn homepage to search on the mixture of the company name and the work title your manager is probably to have. You dont get the job done for the organization and youre not liable for reading its job ads. You know it turned out to be a huge account for your business. You may also utilize Google and the firms own website to search for the name of your hiring manager. Human Voiced Resume - Dead or Alive? Decide what schrift of Business Pain it is possible to solve for employers. Its very simple to drop sight of the simple fact that Business Pain is specific. Work needs to be more than merely a way to pay the rent. A speedy story would put to rest our doubts your Negotiation Skills are really Excellent. A good deal of resumes supply you with the resume-owners name and contact information, then dive right in their career history. You may answer them all in your Human-Voiced Resume but you need the answers in your thoughts, first. Examples of resumes are among the absolute most productive strategies to be certain that youre writing one which is good and thats correct for the specific job youre applying for. It is quite easy to tra ck down examples for resumes which are job specific. If your job-search strategy is working, stay with it Certainly, the conventional approaches continue to be a terrific resource, too. What her method does is make you consider how youre able to be effective in the job that you are applying for. Then use the STAR method to spell out the context of your work, your actions, and the way in which your actions had positive influence on the organization. Positive outcomes that could result include securing the role, networking in the business, and putting yourself in position for different opportunities that may emerge. If youve ever applied for a corporate job and had to experience an on-line application procedure, you know that it can be somewhat impersonal, and youre going to get rid of the capability to stick out among applicants. Your resume must demonstrate that youre human. Youve got to customize your resume to ensure it is very clear that you fully grasp the organization youre reaching out to. You hardly receive a response. In the event that you have plenty of knowledge which you making an attempt to fit into one page then it really is fine to reduce into the margins. In most instances, job hunting involves lots of waiting. You arent likely to obtain work that manner. When it is not working, it may be time to step from the box and try something new Simply take the opportunity to read the work description completely and do a little bit of research on the business and the man to whom you will be sending your resume. You would like your hiring manager to realize how youve already solved problems previously. Also, some business will require proof of accomplishments once youre offered the job. In case you want to capture the interest of their hiring manager, you will need to supply them what they want. Youre likely to ignore the mojo-crushing automated recruiting website and accomplish your hiring manager directly. Its very important to the hi ring manager to find out what youve accomplished as a professional, but in addition, it is crucial for them to find an awareness of who you are as an individual. The aim is to find the job. You wont ever receive a hiring managers attention like that. As you start searching for jobs as a medical assistant, bear in mind that success is dependent on your capacity to research.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Make the Leap One Entrepreneur#8217;s Story of Turning Passion Into Profit

Make the Leap One Entrepreneur8217s Story of Turning Passion Into Profit Growing up as a gamer (JRPGs are my thing, personally), I often dreamed about how I could parlay my love of Final Fantasy and Suikoden into a viable career.As you can probably guess, I never did figure out that secret.Sure Im happy being a writer, but I still lose weekends to the Persona series on the regular.Someone whodidfigure out the secret to turning a love for video games into an actual career is Levi Haag, an eSports journalist who launched MoreMOBA, a website dedicated to the multiplayer online battle arena(MOBA) genre of games, which includes such smash hit as League of Legends and DOTA 2.If youre a regular player of MOBAs, you probably think Haag has a pretty sweet gig, and I dont blame you. ButHaag isnt just afigure of inspiration for gamers Hes a good example for entrepreneurs (would-be and otherwise) of all stripes. Who doesnt want to turn their passion into a thriv ing geschftlicher umgang?We held a QA session with Haag to learn more about how he abfluged MoreMOBA and the advice he has for entrepreneurs who want to tread a similar path.Recruiter.comWhy did you start MoreMOBA?Levi HaagI started the website when I noticed that there were other websites that would skim the top of the news about MOBAs and some that would cover one or two of the games but to get all of the news, I needed to visit two or three websites. I knew that if there were a website that covered all the games, then I would visit it and there had to be other people who felt the same way as me.RCHow did you decide on the niche for your business?LHMy websites niche welches a matter of watching the trend and realizing that the foundation was built. The ground floor was empty, so I was able toclaim some valuable space as my ownRCDid you run into any challenges getting the site off the ground?LHThe biggest challenge for me was I never appreciated how much work goes into the detail s. Every photo needs to be cropped and resized, all the sources need to be cited, the facebook inc and Twitter accounts need someone to watch them, and there needs to be planning for everything. I usually dont plan things out, so it wasnt as easy to get 30-, 60-, and 90-day plans together.RCWhats your background like? Did it help you get the site off the ground?LHI studied broadcasting and writing while I was in school. I went in with the dream of becoming a writer for television. I worked on some news shows and even a soap opera, but never really loved it like I thought I would.When I wasnt in class or on a television set, I could be found playing games with my roommates. Halo 2 was released while we were in school, and together we formed a team H8ers, named after our dorm apartment number. We were all ranked in the top ten of the national leaderboard, and that was the start of my love for eSports. I never played on a team like that again, and I never considered making it into a j ob. But my passion grew,and as the scene got bigger, there was even more for me to watch and love.RCWhat role does your passion play in running the site?LHPassion is important because it keeps you coming back, even when its not easy. Starting a website was easy but keeping it going took passion. I loveto talk about the games, and I knew there were plenty of things I could talk about, but I didnt anticipate how much time it would take. Without passion, I would have given up after a month.RCHow did you know it was time for your hobby to turn into a business?LHI think a hobby turns into a business when you realize that there are people out there who are willing to consume what you produce, and you make plans to produce for the purpose of consumption.There are plenty of businesses that fail, so dont worry about the first check, or even your first customer. If you are passionate about what you are producing,its just a matter of finding the right audience.RCWhen did you start to feel lik e your site was really starting to takeoff?LHThe first moment I knew we would be successful was when the site was shared on Reddit by a community member. It made me realize that there are people who read my website besides just my friends that the things I wrote were being read by people all over the world. Its one thing to see the numbers, but its a whole other thing to see the actual people.It was also encouraging to see traffic from ESPNs newly opened eSports section coming to my website. That made me realize that I wasnt as small as I thought. IfESPN was looking at my website, who knows who else was checkingit outRCWhats the big-picture plan? Where do you see MoreMOBA going?LHI see my website as a hub for news in the MOBA world. Right now, there are websites like ESPN and GosuGamers that cover just the eSports section of the games, but there are plenty of people who want to know when the latest patch will come out, when a new character might get released, what the rewards are a t the end of a season, or whats going on in some of the other games besides the one they already play.Thats where my website comes in. I want us to be the first place people go when they want a quick recap of the past weekends games or a glance at what the newest update to a game will bring. When they want to know what the latest Heroes of the Storm meta is, or which team won the Smite World Championship, I want them to open up MoreMOBA.RCDo you have any advice for readers who might alsowant to turn their passions into businesses?LHMy best advice for anyone looking to turn their passion into a business is to get the support of the people around them and then make the leap. Keep yourself accountable, and dont wait for a formal invitation.Ive known people who are incredibly talented, but who are so afraid of failing that they fall into the trap of waiting. There are plenty of stories of people who could have bought but didnt shares of Apple and Microsoft, and they all share the same sentiment I should have taken a chance.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

We can all produce creative, original work. Heres what holds people back

We can all produce creative, original work. Heres what holds people backWe can all produce creative, original work. Heres what holds people backAdam Grantis an organizational psychologist, the top-rated professor at Wharton, and the 1 bestselling author ofOriginals How Non-Conformists Move the World. He recently sat down withSrinivas Raoon theUnmistakable Creative podcastto discuss why our assumptions about original thinkers are so wrong, and how we can avoid the common mistakes that prevent people from achieving their creative and professional goals.SriniInOriginals, you shed light on some things that people might have misperceptions about. Is there a way we could look at the framework of the book, and then go into the impact-based actions?AdamI walked in thinking that to be an original person in the world, a non-conformist who drives creativity and change, you had to be four things I thought you had to be a risk-taker you had to be full of confidence you had to have great ideas and you had to be the first mover. I discovered that all those things were wrong.Not only wrong, but backward. It turns out that most of the original people in the world, whether youre looking at Nobel Prize-winning scientists, successful entrepreneurs, or creative musicians and artists, they have the opposite traits in common. Theyre leid daredevils- theyre pretty risk-averse. Theyre cautious. They feel the same doubt and fear that the rest of us do- they just harness it as motivation, as opposed to being paralyzed by it.They have bad ideas. In fact, they have mora bad ideas than the rest of us. Thats how they get to true originality- they generate enough volume to get variety and stumble on something new. Theyre not first movers- theyre procrastinators. They start things early, but they are deliberately slow to finish because they know that good ideas often take time to develop.Those discoveries really turned upside down my understanding of what it took to be original. It made me rea lize that original people are not as different from the rest of us as I thought. Lots of people have original ideas- they just dont generate enough variations on them to make them promising. They dont know how to judge whether an idea is any good. They need insight on how to speak up effectively and get heard and gain allies. Everyone has the potential to do something original- the hard partee is developing the knowledge and skills and confidence to give it a shot.SriniIf youve ever seen an interview with venture investor Chris Sacca, he talks about this concept called the inevitability of success. He says that every person hes invested in that has been a big success has believed that their success was inevitable.AdamThe data I have dont track perfectly with Chris experience, in the sense that more often, the people who do original things in the world had convinced themselves of the inevitability ofeffort. They say, I feel like I have the capability to do something important. I dont know whether Im going to succeed or not, but I cannot live with myself as somebody who didnt try. Thats the way they overcome the paralyzing fear that freezes a lot of us.Everyone has the potential to do something original- the hard part is developing the knowledge and skills and confidence to give it a shot.1Elon Musk told me that he was convinced that Tesla was not going to succeed. He was sure that the first few SpaceX launches would never get off the ground. I was struck. I asked him, How did you find the motivation and the courage to do it anyway? He said, It was too important to not try. There was no inevitability of success there. In fact, in his mind, it was much more an inevitability of failure. He just felt like the mission mattered so much. He has this tremendous desire to create a sustainable future for humanity, and space flight is a big part of that.I would add that I think people have the relationship between confidence and success backward. You think you have to be one of these brash people, full of conviction, in order to achieve success. But confidence is actually won through success. A lot of the entrepreneurs who are doing crazy things in Silicon Valley are not different from you. Theyre not smarter than you- they just tried when you sat still. Then you do try and you succeed, and youre like, Hey, maybe I can do this after all. Your confidence grows in proportion to the things that youve accomplished.Too many people are waiting around for that magic moment when all of a sudden, they feel like, I can do this. What they should do is charge forward anyway, with plenty of doubt, and know that if they achieve some success, thats where their confidence is going to build.SriniWeve talked extensively about the confidence piece. What are the misperceptions that we have about risk and success?AdamMy favorite study on this looked at entrepreneurs who have a choice. When they have an idea for a business, they can either quit their jobs- which is what the risk-seeking entrepreneurs do- or they can play it safe, hang on to their day-to-day work and salary, and start the business as a hobby on the side. If you look at a nationally representative study of thousands of American entrepreneurs, it turns out thatthe second group is 33% less likely to fail than the first group.There are lots of entrepreneurs who are swashbuckling pirates, but those are the ones who screw up a lot. The ones who make smarter choices say, You know, Im going to walk the edge of a cliff. Im going to triple check my parachute, and then have a safety net at the bottom. Also, instead of feeling rushed because theyve made a full-time leap to get a product to market and start bringing in revenue, they feel like they bought themselves the time and the freedom to really do it right.SriniI have to have you talk about the Warby Parker story. What are the lessons you took from that?AdamAt my first class at Wharton, Neil Blumenthal came to me, and he said, Im thinking a bout starting this company with three friends, to sell glasses erreichbar. I thought it was just insane. Who would ever buy glasses online? You have to go into the store and try them onOne of the things that they did really cleverly was change their pitch over time. They had so many people tell them, Look, if this was a good idea, someone would have already done it. They had to show them how many domains were really slow for that to happen, so they went and said, Were going to do for glasses what Zappos did for shoes. All of a sudden, people are like, Oh yeah, I didnt use to order shoes online, but now I dont even think twice about it. Maybe the same thing could happen for glasses.GQeven called them Netflix for eyewear.I overlooked the power of taking an original idea that was unfamiliar, and making it familiar by connecting it to a concept that people already understood. One of the big mistakes that I made was that I thought it made them sound derivative.SriniLets talk about the my th that is the first-mover advantage. Theres so much interesting research you came up with that dispels that.AdamThe day before Warby Parker launched- actually thenightbefore the company launched- they still did not have a functioning website. Its like, You guys, you realize this whole business is just a website. Thats literally all it is I thought they were toast, because they had spent six months dragging their heels, just trying to name the company and build the brand in a creative way. Meanwhile, they had all these competitors arriving on the scene. They missed their first-mover advantage- theyre screwed.Then you look at all the research, and you see that most of the time, first movers have a disadvantage, not an advantage. You see this in almost every domain- in 50 different product categories, in over 500 companies. People think that to be original, you have to be first. You dont. You just have to be different and better.Its much easier to improve on someone elses idea than it is to create a market from scratch. Youre the first mover you have to get people used to the idea of doing something completely new. Somebody else can swoop in and say, Hey, you just created a market for me. I can dramatically improve on your technology- were making the product far more user-friendly. I think its one of the reasons that Facebook succeeded where Friendster and MySpace failed. Its one of the ways that Google was able to enter after AltaVista and Ask Jeeves and Yahoo.Im not saying you should wait to be the last mover- thats not smart either. But dont rush to go first thats not what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.SriniAwesome. Lets look at the actions for impact that you talk about at the end of the book, so that people can start thinking about how they might apply this in their own work.AdamWhen I work with entrepreneurs, leaders, and students, they just do not have enough ideas. So the first and most important application here is to triple your output. They ll say, But Ive run out of steam. I already love my third idea. I will come back and say, Ive yet to meet an original person who only had three ideas. I think that a lot of people feel like, After Ive generated a few ideas, I just run out of possibilities Butthats the moment when you are ready to be original,because youve freed yourself from the most conventional ideas that came to mind first. So when youre trying to solve a problem or come up with a creative insight, whatever your normal target number of ideas would be, I would say triple it.Its going to be harder- you may have to procrastinate for a few days, or at least a few hours, and work on something thats a little bit mindless, to let some unconscious processing happening. Thats where youll often improve your ability to do something truly new.SriniThats interesting to me, because I write a thousand words every morning. I was just thinking about 2013, which was the most prolific year I ever had, and I realized it was entirely due to output, not quality. In fact, 90% of what I write is unusable. But in that period, I self-published two books, produced a conference, and produced more than 100 episodes of a podcast.AdamKurt Vonnegut had this great distinction between bashers and swoopers. Bashers are the people who write perfect sentences one at a time- they dont move on until theyve nailed each one. Swoopers churn out a bunch of thoughts, and then they go back, and they treat editing and revising as a separate process from generating.I dont think anyone should ever be a basher. If you look at all the evidence thats come out in the past few decades on what it takes to be original, it consistently says that quantity is the best path to quality. As a basher, yes, you would churn out maybe a few things that are perfectly done, but their odds of being novel are lower, and you generate a lot less output. As a swooper, you can get a lot more done and be every bit as original. Why not go that route?Another thing that is important for the practical perspective is that so many entrepreneurs and creative people only talk about the positives of their ideas. I loved the example ofRufus Griscom, who pitched his startup by telling investors, Here are the three reasons you shouldnotback my company. That approach ended up being wildly successful. We were trained to address arguments in debate class, but we forget to do it when it comes to pitching new ideas because we just get so excited about them. Were worried that other people are going to see the holes, and we dont want to make that any easier. But if youre pitching it to anyone who is interested and knowledgeable, theyre going to see all the flaws that you do. You can show that youre balanced and honest and self-critical by saying, Look, I have this idea. Heres why I think its promising. I do have two or three big concerns about it, and I would love to chat about how you would go about addressing them.If you ask for the advice of your audience, you can actually engage them in a joint problem-solving dialogue, which is a much better way to present your ideas than this adversarial, No, all of your objections are wrong approach that a lot of entrepreneurs and creators get stuck in.Weve learned so much from high-reliability organizations on this. If you look at space flight organizations, nuclear power plants, hospitals, airlines- anybody who has to maintain consistent performance where the costs of errors are devastating- what you see is a tremendous preoccupation with failure.You want an environment where its unsafe tonotspeak up about problems and issues and flaws that you see.It would be really great if more organizations worked that way.I think that kind of tempered radicalism is what a lot of originals have to master. Because if you have a wildly creative idea, the more transparent you are about what your ultimate vision is, the more people are going to think that youre ridiculous. If you can set up some more moderate m ilestones along the way, then as you make progress, you can start to unveil whats really in the Trojan horse.SriniIf we all have the capacity to do original work, why do you think we see such a wide spectrum of achievement when it comes to human performance?AdamI think a lot of it comes down to a combination of fear and futility.The fear part is being worried that youre going to look stupid or embarrass yourself in some way,and not realizing that in the long run, the regrets you have are the chances not taken- those are the things you wish you could do over the most. Then futility being, I dont believe that anybody is really going to hear me or take this seriously.Elizabeth Gilbert had a great observation about this. She said, All these people are going around saying, Im not creative- but thats a bad sentence, an irrational thought. Because every person is unique in one way or another. Imagine substituting Im not creative with Im not curious. You would laugh at that statement.Even i f you feel like youre not curious, you can wake up tomorrow morning and ask questions that youve never asked before, or wonder about something thats always intrigued you, but you never pursued. Once you realize that curiosity is a starting point to being creative and doing something original, you realize that we could all do a little bit more of that.SriniIn terms of communicating your original ideas to another group of people, how do you enroll people in what you believe?AdamTry to get more exposure for your idea. The evidence suggests that most of the time, it takes 10 to 20 exposures to an idea before people are really comfortable with it. And the more original it is, the more they need to get their minds around it. So when your boss goes and shoots down your idea, go back a few days later and say, You know that idea that you shot down on Tuesday? Ive been thinking a lot about your feedback- you gave me some great advice. Heres a different way of thinking about it. Whats your tak e on this?Another thing is that sometimes, you have to hide what youre really after. Elon Musk had been thinking about Mars for a while, but when he recruited engineers to join him at SpaceX, he didnt mention Mars, because people thought it was crazy Whats this guy from PayPal going to do to get us into space, let alone colonize another planet? He became what researchers call a tempered radical, somebody who has an extreme idea but couches it in more moderate language. He says, Look, I want to get a private commercial vehicle into space, and then eventually get it back. Once they prove they can do that, now Mars does not sound so far-fetched.This conversation has been edited and condensed.Click here to listen to the full version on the Unmistakable Creative podcast.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

All Eyes On Blankfeins Bonus

All Eyes On Blankfeins BonusAll Eyes On Blankfeins BonusNo word yet on how much Goldmans head honcho will bank in incentive pay for his services in 2009, but some say Lloyd will be taking home $100 million, while others say hell get nill. Chances are the number will lie somewhere in between, likely much closer to the nine-digit figure than the single-digit one.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Heres why I cant stand the phrase, I dont disagree

Heres why I cant stand the phrase, I dont disagreeHeres why I cant stand the phrase, I dont disagreeI dont often drop the words pet peeve, but I cant hold back when I discuss the next topic.Here it goes I groan when I hear people (leaders or otherwise) use the phrase, I dont disagree.What people mean is, I am leid willing to admit you are correct. So I will instead say I am not opposed to what you are telling me.Yuck. Why is it so hard to tell people they are right? Does it make you, in turn, wrong to give someone else validation and a little time in the sun?No Not even a little bit. In fact, the move makes others feel valued.And especially for leaders - yes, you are allowed to let other people look smart. You will gain someones trust and show you are comfortable giving the person the credit.From now on, toss I dont disagree into the dustbin of worn-out expressions.I agree with you.Let someone be right. It will be OK.rantover stillpeevedThisarticlefirst appeared onDannyhrubin.com.