Why Remote Working is Crucial for the UKs Tech Industry

Why Remote Working is Crucial for the UK’s Tech Industry A recent report from techUK showed that one in six new hires made between 2009 and 2015 in the UK technology sector were EU citizens. With the tech sector creating twice as many jobs as the non-digital sector, according to recent figures from TechNation, it is vital that businesses can continue to access the tech talent they need. But with Brexit looming many companies are uncertain about future access to candidates from the EU and even the long-term security of EU nationals already working in the UK. A possible solution for businesses who share these concerns, it to consider remote working options. So what’s the best way to implement a remote working policy, and how can businesses make the most of it? No barriers to talent Thanks to today’s hyper-connected world, you can now hire top-notch talent from anywhere in the world. If you’re based in central London and the best person for the job is based in the mountains of Switzerland, remote working makes this hire possible. At Stack Overflow, we have a widely dispersed team. Outside of our US and UK offices, we have people based all over the world from Brazil, to Germany and even Australia, working and communicating via a variety of real-time messaging, file sharing and video conferencing tools. And it’s a common misconception that remote working is only for tech startups. A number of larger and more established UK-based companies such as Thoughtworks, KCOM and the Scale Factory are already embracing remote working. Beyond the UK, there are thousands of developer jobs which offer the chance for developers to live work anywhere. Remote working isn’t just good for your business it’s important for developers too. According to our recent report on tech hiring,55% of developers said that remote working options were a top priority when considering a new job. Assessing the best Offering remote working options can expand your candidate pool exponentially. So how do you ensure you hire the best person for the job? Remote working doesn’t suit everybody, so it’s crucial that your candidates have the right skills and attributes to make it work. Since it’s difficult to train remote employees, it’s important that candidates have prior experience working in a remote setting at least part-time. We recommend screening for this alongside your assessment of their development expertise. It goes without saying that excellent communication is required to ensure remote workers feel part of the team. Since face-to-face conversations with teammates are impossible, they have to be comfortable communicating via all sorts of online technologies from Skype to Google Hangouts. In addition to looking for tech and time-management skills, think about how the candidate will fit in with the way your team communicates. The interview process is key here asking lots of open-ended questions can help give you a sense of how the candidate deals with communication issues. Another trait to look for in the ideal remote developer is the ability to code in a ‘flat’ collaboration model which eliminates traditional business hierarchies by putting the deliverable first. This encourages developers to work together on an equal footing to solve a problem before deferring to a manager, and accommodates the unique competencies and experiences of developers working worldwide. Remote workers, therefore, can’t wait to be told what to do they have to take the initiative and cooperate with their team no matter where they are in the world. Remote management Once you’ve recruited your developers, it’s worth keeping in mind the challenges you’re going to face managing them. When some or all of your team are off-site, there isn’t the opportunity to walk over to someone’s desk for a chat. It’s important to be sensitive to the difficulties your remote software engineers might face. Want to track your team’s progress and ensure that everyone is aligned over multiple projects? The ‘daily standup’ is a simple way to keep the team synchronised. A quick video call (5 to 15 minutes) is enough time for everyone to share their updates and plans for the day and flag any potential challenges. And with a dispersed team, the latest chat tools become more important than ever from cloud-based apps such as Slack to fire a quick message to a team, to tools like Trello, Jenkins and Redmine that are also invaluable for many remote workers. Sift through what’s available until you find the ones that work for your team. And remember, when a team member is out of the office they’re going to miss out on the everyday office banter that traditionally helps to build a strong team. Isolation can be a real issue. But believe it or not, remote developers can join in social events too. At Stack Overflow, we hold remote beer bashes online this means that teams can enjoy each other’s company even when they’re hundreds of miles apart. Distributed teams aren’t for everyone, but as the availability of tech talent becomes less certain, they will become an increasingly relevant option. If you do consider hiring overseas developers to work from home, follow these tips to ensure you’re hiring the right people in the right way and managing them effectively. About the author:  Natalia Radcliffe-Brine, is Regional Manager at Stack Overflow, the world’s largest platform for developers.

Personal Branding Interview Jill Konrath - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Jill Konrath - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Jill Konrath, who is the bestselling author of Selling to Big Companies, and the author of SNAP SELLING. In this interview, Jill talks about the characteristics of successful sellers, what snap selling is, how to break through the noise and make the sale, and more. What are the characteristics of successful sellers? Good question. The best sellers that I encounter have these qualities: Learners: Theyre curious about learning new things. They read and ask lots of questions. They never get stale. Thinkers: They analyze what they know about a prospects situation, plan out the best way to approach customers, pull together long-term strategies, and change things when they uncover new information. Customer-Focused: They know that theyll be successful if they can help their customers achieve their goals and objectives. This also means the work to acquire business savvy. Resilient: When they encounter problems, they dont fold. Instead, they treat them as challenges that they havent figured out yet. Why did you write SNAP Selling? I believe that were in the midst of a fundamental shift regarding what it takes to be successful in sales. And, there are literally no sales books out there that address this topic. Its caused by a combination of factors. Most important is this crazy-busy issue. Todays prospects zealously guard their time; its their most precious commodity. Every time they encounter a seller, they run through a mental checklist to determine if they should continue or end the conversation. Unfortunately, most sellers dont know how their prospects are thinking and havent adjusted their sales approach accordingly. Nor have they taken into account how their prospects use the internet to search for information about issues, educate themselves on solutions and review feedback on the option. Instead, they still try to set up meetings to better understand their prospects needs and persuade them to use their solution. When everything a prospect needs to know is online, they have no need for the traditional salesperson. However, prospects still need a lot of help. And, the seller who embraces the new way of selling will prosper. What do you mean by SNAP Selling? SNAP is an acronym that stands for 4 key sales success strategies that sellers need to use today. Briefly, they are: Rule 1: Keep It Simple Because crazy-busy prospects cannot handle complexity of any sort, savvy sellers will do whatever it takes to make it easy for make a change from the status quo. Rule 2: Be invaluable Overwhelmed buyers want to work with experts who continually bring them fresh ideas. You, the seller, are now the primary differentiator â€" not your products or services. Rule 3: Always Align This is all about relevance and risk. When you’re aligned with their critical business objectives and core beliefs, people will want to work with you. Rule 4: Raise Priorities It’s an absolute imperative to work with frazzled prospects on their priority projects. With their limited capacity, that’s all they can currently focus on. In SNAP Selling, I focus on numerous strategies that sellers can use to implement these new rules. Being aware of them is simply not enough. And, most people arent even aware of how theyre adding to the complexity or that they sound just like every other salesperson when they approach new prospects. We are all inundated with information now. How do you avoid becoming part of the noise? Were all overwhelmed with information these days, so its a great question. The first thing to do is define noise. From my perspective, its stuff that doesn’t contribute to helping me get my work done. With that in mind, I’d suggest that you: Practice ruthless relevance. By this, I mean that every contact with your prospect must be focused on a critical business issue, a challenge theyre facing, an objective theyd like to achieve. And, if you can send info on something that is a high priority today, then youve really got a winner. (Rule #3: Always Align; Rule #4: Raise Priorities)And heres the kicker: Your product or service offering is NOT relevant. So dont send anything on that. Think small parcel info out. Our natural tendencies as a seller is to give people all sorts of good info upfront â€" so they really know how great we are. Unfortunately, that has exactly they opposite affect were hoping for. Short emails are better than long ones. Send the message over multiple contacts. Only attach one PDF, not three. Only send one link, not five. Only have one purpose per email, not six. (Rule #1: Keep it Simple) Hopefully you get the picture. Its very tied in with the SNAP Rules. And, by providing this good information, you also practice Rule #2: Be Invaluable. How do you locate a decision makers name? That can be really tough too. Yes, it can! If youre calling a bigger company, you need to focus in on which business unit or division you want to get into. This is the due diligence at the front end thats necessary. Once you know that, you can begin your search in earnest. You can do Advanced Google searches: Vice President, Sales General Mills food service to identify possible decision makers. You can also do the same thing on LinkedIn, with a current job search parameter. To find contact information, you might want to use some of the excellent and low cost resources out there: Jigsaw, ZoomInfo, Netprospex are just a few that come to mind. From these databases, you can extract email addresses and contact information. Finally, you can pick up the phone, ask to be transferred to the functional unit (marketing, customer service, legal, manufacturing) within the division. Then just ask for help, saying that youre trying to reach the person who is responsible for the business issue you address. How can you speed up the decision making process without being obnoxious? Heres some good news for you! Any obnoxious, pushy behavior actually sets you back so you dont want to do that at all. I dont believe in closing early and closing often. It simply creates barricades to your success. I always tell sellers that if they really want to speed up their sales, they need to slow down. Its one of my Paradoxical Sales Principles. Here are some things you can do. Focus on their business issues and objectives. I know Ive said that a lot, but you dont have to make a gazillion calls if youre talking to prospects about whats important to them. Leverage trigger events. Identify factors the create opportunities for your business (e.g., new markets, relocations, new laws, expansions, mergers) and pursue those companies. They make decisions faster. Eliminate complexity. Many decisions are simply so overwhelming that people decide that its easier to stay the same. Show them how to make a decision. If they dont deal with product/service decisions like yours very often, they need guidance. Always suggest the logical next step. Before you leave, make sure your next meeting is on the calendar. Between your first bestseller and this book, what have you learned about sales, social media, and how both collide? Selling to Big Companies was written in 2005 when social media was in its infancy. Personally, for business-to-business (B2B) sales, I think LinkedIn is the best resource. There are so many ways you can use it. I love it for researching prospects and finding names. Also, since prospects check you out online, its a great tool to showcase your own expertise via your description, recommendations, answers and more. My customers and my customers customers are spending minimal time on Facebook or Twitter. Im experimenting with both of them because thats my job, but I wouldnt invest a ton of time and effort in this area. Also, I like blogging and YouTube because both of these mediums can be used to attract targeted prospects. I think all small businesses should embrace these because theyre inexpensive, they showcase expertise and that have a huge magnifier effect. Jill Konrath’s fresh sales strategies, provocative insights practical advice help sellers win business with crazy-busy prospects. She’s an internationally-recognized author and popular speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences. Her newest book, SNAP SELLING, has already received rave reviews from industry leaders. Jill’s award-winning first book, Selling to Big Companies, has been an Amazon Top 25 sales book for 4+ years. Her clients include IBM, GE, Microsoft, Accenture, Staples, 3M, Hilton, AAA, Cox Media, Medtronic, UnitedHealthcare, Bombardier, Business Journals and many more. She also publishes an industry-leading newsletter and widely-read blog. Most recently, she also wrote Get Back to Work Faster, a game-changing book showing job seekers how to “sell themselves” in the new economy. As a thought leader, Jill is frequently quoted by top business media such as: ABC News, Success, New York Times, Inc., WSJ, Entrepreneur, Business Jo urnal, Selling Power and Sales Marketing Management.

Eliminate the Negative in Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Eliminate the Negative in Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Most people dwell on what’s wrong. It’s just a human tendency to discount the positives and accentuate the negatives, whether you’re discussing your childhood, your high school experience or the last job interview (where they failed to see your greatness). The craziest negativity in personal branding is when you speak about yourself and your experiences. Not that you have to be Polly or Paul Positive all the time, that would actually be annoying and create some animosity among us regular people â€" but you do need to have a powerful way of discussing what you do, how you do it, the results you get, and why people come to you in the first place. Then practice speaking positively about yourself and your experiences about 85% of the time you are with ANYONE: your parent, partner, friend, stranger on the bus, and neighbor. Allow yourself 15% of talk time to concede the difficulties in life and mention a dip, lull or mistake in your life: but don’t talk yourself down too long or too dramatically. Here’s an example. As you may know, I am in the “fixing to start” a renovation of my home in Los Angeles. I say “fixing to start” because I spent a good bit of time in Dallas where this expression was introduced to me by the local citizens. Fixing to go about doing something is the “before I get going” time. It’s the collecting your things, or thinking about collecting your things, so you can get in the car and actually go somewhere. So, I am in the collecting magazines, pinning Pinterest, asking friends and family for advice, and ideating on how to convert my mid Century modern into something that looks more like a spaceship with Japanese gardens. I know, it needs refinement, but after all I am just fixing at this stage It so happens that I was standing outside the house ideating, when a neighbor lady came by with a tiny miniature pincher. I leaned down to kiss the dog who was terrified by the 200 pounds of Labrador retrievers standing in my garage. I mentioned that the labs were doing demolition (both are under a year and one-half) in service, I supposed, of my future renovation. The lady said, she was a general contractor, and totally understood where I was mentally, emotionally, physically and probably financially. What a great personal brand, I thought! She totally is focused on her audience (me) and she is letting me know what she does in a very friendly way. Then, she gets negative and blows me away (in a bad way). “You have to watch out for architects. I’ve had four different architects on my last four jobs, and they each went more than 60% over budget. I couldn’t control them!” The neighbor lady lost the job. Right there. Because right before she went negative, I was thinking: “Wow, she lives in my neighborhood on this hill. She will understand the geology issues, the weather, the building codes, the …” She ruined my fantasy and her next gig standing on the street while I was kissing her dog, even after she knew I was a qualified prospect. When are you going negative? Do you get comfortable and too casual? Do you think you are only going after what you want, when you are in the office or on the phone with a referral source or prospect? Don’t you know that all around you are people who could be your next great gig and the job you have always wanted? Or the collaborator or investor you need to jumpstart your venture? Stay positive. It’s the only way we can connect with the personal brand you want to promote â€" and we want to hire. Author: Nance Rosen  is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

How to Deal With Frustration (VIDEO)

How to Deal With Frustration (VIDEO) In todays episode, I tell you about how to deal with frustration. I get a lot of emails from readers and they are all frustrated about something, usually their career. Thats why I thought it would be a good idea to do a video today about how to deal with frustration. Tune in to learn about how to deal with frustration: Heres what you will learn about frustration in the video: First, understand that frustration is good! It means that you think you could be doing better than you currently are. This is positive because it means that the solution to your problem is very close and you are on the right track! But, what you are doing now isnt working and you must change your approach in order to achieve your goal. How to deal with frustration? Get input from someone else about your situation, find a mentor, ask a friend or family member or read a book about the subject matter. Ask them for input on how you might the able to get to your desired goal. Figure out how you can take simple steps every day to get and create an action plan where you will actually ENJOY doing what you are doing and it will become less frustrating and more exciting. How do you deal with frustration?

Paralegal Potential 6 Great Industries for Your Career

Paralegal Potential 6 Great Industries for Your Career When you think of working as a paralegal, you typically think of law offices. You might be surprised to learn, however, that paralegals work in a variety of different fields, not all of them law.Let’s start with the obvious and then move on to a few not-so-common opportunities you may not have considered.1. Law FirmsevalevalIt would be weird if a law office wasn’t the first association you made when thinking of a paralegal career, at least according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Okay, so they don’t mention anything about being weird, but it is certainly no surprise that their data Paralegals now have the ability to pursue and succeed in self-employment. Websites like Upwork, FlexJobs, and SkipTheDrive provide a platform that gives paralegals the choice to work with small firms, solo lawyers, virtual attorneys, or all of the above!As a self-employed paralegal, you can also determine whether you work part or full time.Lawyers and businesses may hire a self-employed paralegal rather than having one in-house for a myriad of reasons including:They don’t always need full time help. Having a trusted, experienced paralegal that they can call on when they need help is an important aspect of their success.They may not want to or be able to afford to pay a full time paralegal. When it comes to having a full time employee, it’s not just a salary that they worry about. They also have to consider overhead costs, equipment costs, workers’ compensation insurance, health insurance, and other factors.As a self-employed paralegal, you work from your own space and have the option to work for multiple clients. Even with handling your own taxes, it can be a very rewarding career choice.4. TeachingevalColleges that offer paralegal studies programs need educators. The credentials that each college requires from their teachers largely depend on the type of programs they offer. For instance, an institution with Associate degree programs in paralegal studies may prefer t o hire those with a Bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies or an Associate’s degree plus several years of experience.To find teaching positions, do some research to find paralegal studies programs in your area or online. You can then either visit that college’s employment section on their website, or use a job board service like Indeed.com to save a job search for teaching positions related to paralegal studies.5. Human ResourcesevalIf you’d like to take a different route that will utilize the skills that you’ve developed, consider Human Resources. Your experience as a paralegal has made you a proficient researcher, and you’ve likely interacted with a plethora of clients. Transitioning to a Human Resources department is often a natural fit for paralegals.6. Business AnalystSimilar to paralegals, business analysts have strong computer and communication skills. They are paid to consider the needs of a business and determine how changes in that industry will affect it. The information collected is then used to create reports and presentations for business owners or shareholders, which should be familiar territory for many paralegals.And That’s Just the Beginning…The training you have as a paralegal is invaluable to a multitude of industries. Almost every industry has a need for paralegals in the traditional sense, and your skills as a paralegal can make it easy for you to fit into number of other careers.If you received educational training through a paralegal studies program and you’re struggling to find a job, reach out and contact them. Ask to speak with someone in their career services department. A career services specialist can look at your resume and may be able to help you find open opportunities that best fit your skills.

Post-Grad Life The Benefits of Attending Career Fairs - Sterling Career Concepts

Post-Grad Life The Benefits of Attending Career Fairs Post-Grad Life: The Benefits of Attending Career Fairs As you’re preparing for your final few months on campus, it’s time to start thinking about making your next big move. You can scour the job boards, ask friends for references and go door-to-door with your resume. Or you can post up at a career fair right on campus! Colleges typically host job fairs to provide students with the opportunity to meet with various prospective employers in one place. In the time it takes you to fill out a single application online, you may be able to meet with a handful of worthy prospects willing to help launch you into your career. Showing up with enthusiasm may be the first step to a promising profession. Preparing for Your First Career Fair Got a few upcoming fairs that you want to attend? Here are some things to consider: Be ready to sell yourselfâ€"In the days leading up to the fair, make sure that you’re practicing your “elevator pitch”â€"what you’ll present to employers in the first minute or so you meetâ€"out loud alone and with friends. Be prepared to explain your background, skills, accomplishments and goals in only a few sentences. Dress to impressâ€"What we wear has a bigger impact on our success than you might imagine. Research shows that how you dress affects perception of your success, trustworthiness, authority, intelligence, financial success and suitability for promotion. Not only that, but it can also affect your behavior and make you feel more confident. Needless to say, it pays to put a little work into your outfit when you head to a job fair. Have resumes on handâ€"Take the time to perfect and update your resume, showcasing your latest jobs as well as any pertinent awards or accomplishments. Before you head out the door, print out a few copies on some high-quality resume paper. Your potential employees will notice the time you spent on the little details. Why It Makes Sense to Attend Career Fairs Evidently, it takes a little bit of effort to prepare for your job fair debut, so you might be asking yourself if it’s worth your while. By and large, career fair attendees come away with an overall positive experience, even if they don’t land an armful of offers. You’ll broaden your horizonsâ€"Think of a career fair as an upbeat, self-guided tour of all your region’s biggest and best employers. While you may have had one company, job title or industry in mind when you went in,  the event may open your mind up to the many unique opportunities that surround you. Try to go into any job-related event with an open mind without a pre-commitment to any one job. You’ll get plenty of face timeâ€"Did you know that the experts estimate that about 80 percent of all job offers come through networking? That means that a good majority of the jobs on the market aren’t published at all, and to get access to them, you have to meet people in the biz. Creating personal, face-to-face connections with potential employers ups your chances of getting a job and helps you hone your communication skills. You’ll amass cool, free stuffâ€"Have we mentioned that most employers show up at career fairs ready to give out amazing promotional items? We’re talking about much more than just free pens and stickers. These days, companies shower prospects with cool swag like speakers, headphones, phone chargers, backpacks, fidget spinners and PopSockets featuring their logo. You might also come home with some free snacks and beverages if you stop at enough booths! You’ll meet others in your fieldâ€"We all know that networking is invaluable to solidifying a good career, so anything you can do to meet with others who work in your desired field makes good use of your time. While you’re meandering through the different booths, if you happen to see others who seem to be interested in the same companies as you, try to strike up a conversation. You might just make some friends while you’re there! Of course, take advantage of this time to talk to employers who have been working in your industry for a while to get some one-on-one advice. You’ll get VIP accessâ€"When you attend job fairs, you’re often put in touch with industry experts, recruiters and educators who can be of great value to you as you advance through your career. These are the people who can open up doors to opportunities and events that will help you better market yourself, including networking events, seminars, workshops and industry-specific events that will get you into your field’s inner circle. It’s excellent practiceâ€"Spent hours at a career fair only to come away empty-handed (minus the awesome company swag)? All is not lost! Unbeknownst to you, you have spent several hours practicing some of the most important skills of adulthoodâ€"confident communication, an appropriate enthusiasm for self-promotion and a stronger understanding of exactly what you want out of life. Remember that even if you don’t receive a follow-up after the fair, employers will likely keep your information on hand for future opportunities. Is it Worth the Effort to Attend Career Fairs? Yes. As you can see, taking the time to polish up your resume, pick out a nice outfit and mingle with some potential employers can be well worth the extra effort! We’d recommend partnering with a close friend or a colleague in the same field or major as you so that you feel less lost going in. Along with plenty of smiling, active listening and enthusiasm, you’re likely to come away from your next career fair that much closer to a solid job offer!

Tips to Get Your Resume Done on a Day When Youre Generally in a Relaxed Mood

Tips to Get Your Resume Done on a Day When You're Generally in a Relaxed MoodIf you're having a terrible time writing a resume then it's likely that you are experiencing a bit of difficulty. The good news is that writing resumes does not have to be a nightmare. With the right approach and some helpful tips, you can get your resume done on a day where you're generally in a relaxed mood. Here are some pointers to help you get started!The very first thing you want to do is pick up a standard resume format or cover letter. After you have it printed out, take a break for a bit and read it over carefully. Try to figure out what information is missing or what is incorrect. You don't want to ruin your entire resume if you leave a few things out! Also, be sure to also include all of the necessary information.Be sure to check the cover letter for grammar and spelling errors as well. If your cover letter is not correct, your resume may not get read in the first place! Remember, you want your re sume to stand out from the crowd, so check it over before it is submitted to employers!Have a brief explanation of yourself ready to go at this point so that you don't have to rummage through your file for a few minutes to find your resume. It will save you time by showing the employer that you are at least somewhat presentable. Make sure you have a very professional and engaging cover letter too so that your resume stands out from the rest.In addition to a great resume, you want your resume to make an excellent appearance in the eyes of your potential employer. Try to avoid including your resume on the Internet if possible. Many employers are very paranoid about who is stealing their applications. You need to ensure that your resume stays within the bounds of what is allowed on theInternet.You can usually do this without any problems simply by avoiding using certain website for your job searches. This means that you can avoid appearing on job sites that you are not allowed to use! Also, try to keep your resume to around 2 pages in length. Even though your resume will look professional and professionally formatted, you don't want to have a resume that is too long and that isn't read!Don't worry about having all of your facts straight on the job search as much as you should. It is a common tendency for people to skip a step here or there when they are trying to polish up their resumes. Just be sure to fill in all of the relevant details so that it meets your expectations and your employer's expectations as well.When your resume is completed, and all of the required information has been included, save it and submit it to a variety of employers. It is always best to send copies of your resume to more than one employer in case they are interested in you. Then, if they want to meet with you, you will know that they are aware of your qualifications and that you would be someone who would be worth meeting with.