Seven reasons you should learn to code right now

Seven reasons you should learn to code right now by Michael Cheary ‘I think everyone should learn how to program a computer, because it teaches you how to think’OK, so Steve Jobs knew a thing or two about coding.But you don’t have to be a programming expert to see how technology is changing the world around us. The basic knowledge of coding languages is becoming a fundamental digital literacy â€" and one which might not be as hard to learn as you think.To find out more, we spoke to Nell Campbell of the Learning People, one of the UK’s biggest providers of digital qualifications, who gave us seven great reasons you should consider learning to code:1. You’ll improve your career prospectsFirst and foremost, learning to code will help get you hired.Almost every industry imaginable is crying out for Developers, and not enough people currently have the skills they need to get ahead.In fact, studies show that over the next five years an additional 800,000 workers with digital skills will be needed to meet the rising dema nd from employers in Europe alone.Learning to read, write, and understand code will instantly help put you ahead of the curve.2. You’ll earn more moneyCoding is an extremely lucrative industry â€" partly because it’s facing such a huge skills shortage.Starting salaries for Junior Developers usually come in at around £30k, which only increase as you add more coding languages to your arsenal and build your experience.As you progress, your skills won’t just be in high demand â€" they’ll become invaluable. And with Senior Developers earning £65k+ and rising, you’ll never feel underappreciated in coding.3. You’ll keep your credentials freshFrom 2015 onwards, learning to code became part of the national curriculum.Not only does that mean that the workforce of the future is already setting themselves apart, it also means that words like Java, Ruby and Python will start creeping their way into everyday conversations and, if you have kids, worse â€" their homework.Having a basi c knowledge of coding will help ensure you’re able to keep up. At the very least, it will mean you actually know what they’re talking about…  4. You’ll be able to travelAs a Web Developer, you’ll have the opportunity to freelance. And with freelancing, comes freedom.You’ll still have meetings and deadlines, but you’ll have the autonomy to manage your own schedule, and choose to work on the projects which you’re most passionate about.Youll also have the opportunity to take your skills to destinations around the world a great way to get away from the traditional nine to five (see also: fund your travels).5. You’ll improve your problem solvingIf you’ve never considered coding, it can be easy to form misconceptions.But rather than being a set of indecipherable symbols only understood by techies, you might be surprised to learn than it’s much more about finding solutions for issues than coming up with complex algorithms that 99% of people won’t understand.To put it simply, if you enjoy asking questions and solving problems, you’ll gain great satisfaction from a career in web development.6. You’ll have more than a day jobWith coding, the more curious you are, and the more you want to learn â€" the better.A great Developer is inherently inquisitive, and never stops looking for new opportunities to build their skills, even outside of working hours. And with a less rigid working day, you’ll be able to dedicate more time to any side projects you’ve got going on.So whether you want to add some customisations to your blog, build a website from scratch, or even develop a brand new mobile app, you’ll have the skills to pursue your passion.7. You’ll never stop learningFinally, learning to code is a continuous process.Because the technology is always changing, there are always new skill to pick up and languages to learn. If you’re someone who loves learning new things and pushing yourself forward, then you’d make a great developer.Need three more reasons? It’s fast, it’s fun and it’s easy to pick up. And if you’re not interested in something that has those credentials, we’re not sure we can help you…Why study with the Learning People?The Learning People is one of the UK’s leading providers of IT and coding qualifications.They partner with some of the biggest names in tech, including CompTIA and Cisco, and use their expertise to ensure your training is always up-to-date with the latest industry trends â€" meaning you develop skills that are actually in demand right now.And, as all of the training they provide is industry recognised and delivered by expert tutors, you’re guaranteed to get dedicated support whilst you study.Other benefits of studying with the Learning People include:Theyre tech career experts50,000+ students worldwideAlternative to traditional university educationMost in-demand skills for todays job marketAward winning StudentCareTMPartnered with biggest accreditors in the worldExclu sive student benefits; CV detox, NUS, industry events moreFind out moreTo find out more about getting certified, talk to The Learning People today.The Learning People  are leaders in providing careers in tech, through professional online education; specialising in  world-class certifications in coding, project management, IT, cyber security and digital marketing.Find 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

Pro Tips for Interviewing Millennials

Pro Tips for Interviewing Millennials Sponsored by Mighty Recruiter When more than 66 million millennials took the workplace by storm a few years back, employers weren’t quite sure what to make of this new generation of workers. Born between 1980 and 1996, millennials are currently the largest generation in the American workforce. As they began coming of age, this mob of tech-savvy and socially-conscious workers arrived on the work scene armed with a set of expectations for their professional lives that recruiters and hiring managers have never quite seen before. The response to their presence in the workforce hasn’t always been positive. Millennials have been labeled spoiled, bratty, and in need of constant stroking. Fair or not, the reputation of millennials has left recruiters confused about how to handle this demographic. And, more than 15 years after the first Millennials hit the job market, some hiring managers are still left shaking their collective heads at times, wondering what works â€" and what doesn’t â€" when it comes to interviewing Millennials and hiring the best of the best of this group of workers. While experts generally agree that this generation’s values, attitudes, and priorities differ greatly from those of their predecessors, many organizations have attempted to use the same old interviewing techniques when bringing Millennials in for interviews. But there are approaches to interviewing Millennials that can both help you ensure they are a good fit for you and that your company and the role is a good fit for them. Don’t be left guessing how to appeal to the best of the best of this generation. Study these techniques for interviewing Millennials to get the most relevant information from this group of workers. Know What’s Important to Them You know that interviewing Millennials is different than interviewing members of Gen X or Baby Boomers. But why? The short answer: Millennials arrived on the scene with a brand-new set of requirements for their employers and new ideas about how work should be completed. In order to know how to interview a Millennial, you have to know what’s important to them. Here are four things your hiring team should be emphasizing (or consider offering) to attract top-notch Millennial talent. 1. Social impact A study by Capital Group found that 82 percent of Millennials say that they are more apt to take a job at a company that is focused on corporate responsibility. This means companies that not only offer opportunities to give back to the larger good â€" through charitable gift matching or community outreach programs, for example â€" but those that offer investment opportunities (via 401k and other funds) that contribute to the well-being of people and the planet. If your company has a corporate responsibility program, consider adding information about these programs into interview discussions. 2. Stress work-life balance Millennials have reached the stage of life where they now have families of their own and flexibility to raise children, care for ailing parents, or take care of other needs has become important to them. If your company has unlimited PTO, extended maternity or paternity leave, or other benefits that will assist workers in managing all of life’s responsibilities, be sure to discuss them during the job interview. These can be a huge selling point. 3. Emphasize growth opportunities Research shows that unlike Baby Boomers and Gen X, for whom cash was king, Millennials place more importance on opportunities for growth at work. While this can mean outlining a clear path for promotion and advancement, Millennials place greater importance on professional development and other tools for advancement than past generations. 4. Focus on flexibility To many Millennials, the idea that work has to be done at work is archaic. Whereas Baby Boomers and Gen X expected to be required to report to work, Millennials are a highly tech-savvy generation. They’ve grown up with the technological know-how to make remote work and collaboration a no-brainer, which means that anywhere that has a high-speed internet connection could be a makeshift office. If your company offers work-from-home opportunities, these are important to mention when interviewing millennials. Bad Attitude or Bad Rap? 10 Questions to Ask a Millennial Much has been written about the poor reputation of millennials in the workplace but there certainly isn’t unanimous agreement. Besides, judging a candidate based solely on when they were born is both unfair and illegal. The trick to getting to the heart of whether a millennial candidate is a good fit for your open role is to ask the right questions. Now that you know what’s important to Millennials in the workplace, you’ll need to formulate questions that will tell you more about the candidates personal values. Skills-based questions will likely be the same for all candidates but the questions below can help you determine cultural fit. Ask them interview questions that go beyond the normal “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses” questions that generate the same boring responses. Here are some questions to ask your Gen Y candidates that will help you figure out what makes them tick: How do you like to workâ€"alone, or in a small group? What role do you hope to have in five years? Is there a charity that you volunteer for or support? What about this organization appeals to you? Have you ever used our products or services? How often? What was your experience like? What do you like most about living in [town or city]? If you were going to suggest to a visiting friend three “must-see” attractions or experiences, which would you choose and why? Tell me in your own words what problem you believe this position will solve for the company? What appeals to you about working for [company name]? What kind of relationship do you want to have with your co-workers? How do you like to be managed? What are the most important things to you when choosing a work culture? Personalizing your recruiting techniques for Millennials now can’t come fast enough. Having an interview technique that can be adapted from candidate to candidate is a skill recruiters should work hard to hone . . . especially as Gen Z begins hitting the workforce. MightyRecruiter  is an intuitive, comprehensive, and transformative recruiting solution.  Source passive candidates, track and manage applicants,  access an expansive,  Mighty resume database, and take advantage of  Mighty free job postings. Then, hire the most relevant candidates for your jobs, all at  no cost.

Is Your Message More Negative than You Think

Is Your Message More Negative than You Think Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'RJFgFhkFTEdfKd4Id8lTMA',sig:'ByjlxUOaTY2DLmP8Im7VVguTWlPBhSEK90UAgpmdRUI=',w:'508px',h:'339px',items:'578999811',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Mark Murphy of Leadership IQ is  a New York Times bestselling author,  weekly contributor to Forbes, ranked as a Top 30 Leadership Guru and the Founder of Leadership IQ.  He’s trained leaders  at the United Nations, Harvard Business School, the Clinton Foundation, Microsoft, MasterCard, SHRM, and hundreds more organizations. Leadership IQ recently launched a free product that looks for potential negative messages in your communication. Murphy says “when you’re about to have a difficult conversation, or deliver some constructive feedback or even send an email when you’re slightly irritated, it’s really important to PAUSE and ANALYZE the words you’re going to say.” Negative words can inflame already tough situations. So the company created an app called the Negative Word Analyzer to help you flag and remove any negative words that could make your difficult situation even tougher to handle. Just type or copy/paste your email or speech or script or whatever into the app. It will match your text against the 2,000+ words that researchers have identified as ‘negative.’ Then you can take your email, script, etc. and rewrite it to make your upcoming communication a lot less negative (and thus heated and difficult). Try the Negative Word Analyzer I pasted a recent message I sent to a job seeker who was having trouble with her job search.   I had intentionally written with a “tough love” attitude, so I thought it was the perfect message to put through the Negative Word Analyzer. Here’s what the Negative Word Analyzer returned to me by email just a few seconds later: Your message had 11 negative words. What follows is some tips on avoiding negative words and after that is your message text with the negative words in BOLD. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your message is bad, but changing a few words could make your audience more receptive. Research has identified more than 2,000 words that are considered ‘negative.’ These range from serious ones like abhorrent and abysmal to more mild ones like blunder and complain. And in many workplace settings, these words have the potential to derail your message. Here’s a tip: For every negative word that was flagged, ask yourself whether you’re stating a fact or you’re making an interpretation or communicating an emotion. Maybe there really isn’t another way to say what you’re trying to say, but remember, people generally react poorly to interpretations and emotions, while facts typically elicit much more calm and rational responses. For example, a clear sign that we’ve left the world of facts and entered the realm of interpretations is the use of words like ‘always’, ‘never’, ‘forever’, ‘impossible’, and ‘constantly’. We hear this in phrases including “you’re always late,” “you never get your work done on time,” or “you’re constantly on the phone.” For something to be ‘always the case’ means there is not one single instance where it was otherwise. Arriving on schedule to even one meeting every three years makes the statement “you’re always late” false, and so it’s not a fact. Saying that someone is “always late” is not a fact; it’s an interpretation, and a negative one at that. But being specific, by referencing the time, date, and location of specific moments, events, situations, actions, etc., restricts you to only the facts. By keeping your thoughts and words factual, you’re keeping yourself relatively calm, which means there’s a good chance your words will be heard. And it also means you’re less likely to have your words thrown back at you. Also, why is the word “you” flagged as negative? While not negative on its own, the word “You” often elicits a bad reaction. In conversation, especially feedback conversations, the word “You” is pretty commonly followed by something like …”need to stop doing XYZ” or “…be better at ABC.” Basically, attacks and criticism so commonly follow the word “you” that people just naturally tense-up when they hear it. Your message was: Hi Candidate â€" you obviously have plenty of qualifications. I suspect the problem is you yourself don’t know what you want to do next. Your cover letter, while well-written, is generic and vague â€" you’re asking a recruiter to do the work for you; please look at this list of things I’ve done and try to find a good fit for me in your organization. They don’t have the time or energy for that, and it’s frankly not their job â€" it’s yours. Would you be open to a brief meeting where we can discuss how you can take charge of your direction and next steps? Without a clear fit for specific openings, you’ll be turning in circles for a while. Let me know if you’d like to meet me at one of our career centers to discuss strategy.  Good stuff. Worth a try if you’re having communication challenges.   Find the tool here.

The People You Need In Your Business

The People You Need In Your Business So you’re starting a business. Excellent! There’s very little out there that’s quite as rewarding as having a business of your own. Remember that no matter the size of your business, you need a strong organizational structure to operate properly. It’s the best way to work efficiently. But what does organizational structure mean? It refers to properly delegating certain tasks to certain departments and making sure they all work in harmony towards a common goal. So what departments do you need, and why? The Boss That’s you, right? You’re the administration. You need to oversee employees and implement company directives. Company directives you’ve written, of course. You’ll also need to interview and hire new employees for the company.You’re the go-to. People will probably request holidays and sick leave from you, too, unless you get other administrative help. The Producer/Creator So what is your product? If you’re building chairs, you need a production department that focuses solely on making chairs. Are you making video games? You need people who can design and program video games, as well as produce the art for them. If you’re offering an online service, you need people to make the website and communicate with clients. People who start their own company often imagine themselves taking on these responsibilities. But the fact is that you will be spending a lot of time on administrative duties. You know, boss stuff. Your attention will be split in a way that isn’t fair to you, your employees, the product, or your customers. The Accountant / Financial Controller Fiscal year. Revenue. Sole trading tax. PLC. Audits. Earnings per share. All of this stuff should really be the worry of a specialist. Accountants are the ones who deal with this. The accounting department handles the bookkeeping for a business. All revenue, expenses and company equity are tracked by the accounting department. They make sure your company is paying the right amount of tax by making all the initial arrangements with the government. Accountants may also prepare income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, etc. Basically, all the stuff you needn’t deal with yourself. As the ones dealing with the money, they may also deal with ordering inventory for production when needed. Image Source; Image Source; Image Source: Image Source

What international students should know about starting University

What international students should know about starting University This post was written by an external contributor. The first term of university can be a tough time for international students, so Stephanie Fung gives her life hacks to help you get to grips with the UK as quick as possible Starting university is an incredibly exciting adventure, full of opportunities and new places for you to explore. However, for international students thousands of miles away from home, it can be equally nerve-wracking. If youre feeling stressed out about dealing with so much change in a foreign clime, heres a list of top tips that will help you get settled in. Buckle up, cos its going to be one heck of a ride. Bank Account One of the least exciting but most important parts of beginning university in the UK is sorting out your finances, especially if it is your first time studying in the UK. Sometimes, all the partying, online shopping and late-night pizza nights get out of hand and you are left with nothing. Therefore, it is definitely useful to get a good student bank account! Banks such as Barclays and NatWest have the best overdraft facilities and, believe me, these are the ones you should be going for. You dont want to be hit with a £10 charge for dipping in that overdraft a.k.a the student lifeline. So  do your research! With the right bank account, you will be able to keep track of your finances more clearly, and spend your money more wisely. Student perks Student Oyster and Railcard One of the most exciting things about studying abroad is being able to explore everything the UK has to offer, from  the beaches of Cornwall, the beautiful sceneries of the Lake District to the hiking trails of Scotland. With a 16-25 Railcard, for £30 a year, you will be able to travel around the UK and get 1/3 off any Standard Anytime, Off-Peak, Standard Advanced and First Class Advanced train tickets! If youre   studying in London, you should also consider applying for the Student Oyster card for £20, which gives you a 30% discount off the price of adult-rate Travelcards and Bus Tram Pass season tickets. You can also add the Railcard discount to the Student Oyster card (if you have both) and get a 34% discount on off-peak pay as you go fares and off-peak daily caps. Bargain! Unidays Bless whoever invented Unidays, because it has saved many students’ wallets. When you register with Unidays with your University email, you will be entitled to exclusive student discounts from top brands ranging from Topshop and ASOS, to electronics such as Apple and Microsoft. NUS Extra Card For £12 a year or £32 for 3 years, the NUS extra card gives you exclusive discounts on many brands such as ASOS, Co-op or Odeon that can be worth up to £500 a year. If you have a student bank account with Lloyds or Bank of Scotland, you will also be eligible for a free NUS Extra Card for one year! What are you waiting for? Get stuck in Some of you might be a little nervous about your first term of uni because of all the stories you hear about people going out to drink, club and party every night, and those who dont join in being deemed ‘party poopers’. But just remember being a fresher isnt all about drinking and partying, its also about joining fun and exciting societies, making new friends and getting to know a new city. I know it can be challenging, especially to those who may be shyer than others, to get out there and socialise with complete strangers, but trust me, it will all be worth it! You should really utilise your time well during first term, making the most of all the opportunities offered. Many universities, for example, will organise trips to the city centre to help you familiarise yourself with the area youll be studying in for the next three to four years. Working in the UK If you intend to stay in the UK post-graduation to work, start gaining work experience through placements and internships, and do your research on applying for a Tier 2 Work Visa as soon as possible. Three years might feel like a long time, but trust me, it passes by like lightening. Understanding how the work visa works is important, as not every company can or are willing to sponsor international students. Again, research is so important and if in doubt, talk to your university career adviser who is not only experienced but will also be able to give you constructive advice and help with your applications. Websites such as Student Circus are incredibly helpful, and will guide you towards the companies and schemes that will  sponsor a Tier 2 Working Visa. And dont forget to use  Debut  to keep on track of all the latest  internships, placements and graduate jobs! Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

TMI When Too Much Personal Info Kills Your Job Prospects - Pathfinder Careers

TMI When Too Much Personal Info Kills Your Job Prospects - Pathfinder Careers TMI: When Too Much Personal Info Kills Your Job Prospects While on the job hunt, employment seekers engage in a touchy balancing act of providing enough information about who they are to employer so the company can get to know them, while at the same time not crossing a line into the realm of TMI (otherwise known as “Too Much Information) where a few details lead down a road of questioning ends up being more personally revealing than originally intended. You do NOT want to go there, trust me. It’s a tough situation to manage and requires a certain knack to get comfortable and in the ‘zone.’ The most important thing is to be as up front as possible, while at the same time keeping your own counsel about not saying things that could potentially impact how an employer perceives you. To that point, I was recently asked by a job seeker about how honest you need to be in your cover letter and in the interview itself. First, let start out by saying: You should ALWAYS tell the truth, no matter what, in ALL aspects of the job search. If you don’t, it WILL catch up with you eventually. Now how MUCH you tell, beyond the scope of the original question or job abilities, is what gets a lot of well-intentioned people in over their heads. Extraneous, irrelevant information can effectively sink them in the long run. Here’s the truth: We all want to come across as likable in the interview or in our cover letter. Psychologically, when we meet people, we want them to like us, but like dating, you don’t want to dump your dirty laundry out there for everyone to see and pick through before we have a chance to sell our best attributes first. Instead, use this general rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t walk up to a complete stranger on the train, airplane or bus and tell them about something really personal about yourself, then you probably want to apply the same concept in an interview with a prospective employer. Stay focused on what they specifically ask about, NOT what other things you’d like to add. The trick, however, is that interview questions are notorious for being dangerous paths to walk down depending on how you answer them. Simply by what you say, a new line of questioning opens up new doors, and can quickly become very personal. Some of those doors you do want to keep closed. Not that you have anything to hide, mind you, but more because it isn’t OF CONCERN to the employer… that information has no bearing on your ability to do the job. Keep in mind that you want to answer the question in a satisfactory manner while not divulging extraneous information that has no relevancy to either the job itself, your ability to do the job, the interview situation, or the prospective employer. Sometimes, the questions you get tossed in an interview ask open-ended yet specific things, like, “Tell us of one of the biggest mistakes at work you’ve ever made, and what you learned from that mistake.” Ouch! Time to de-construct such a question and think about how you might answer it without sinking your chances by being too honest. Failure, no matter how we handled it, is not easy, and being asked to talk about it in an interview is uncomfortable and often painful. You want to be honest, but at the same time, you don’t want to end the response to the question in a down note, so the key is to take a negative and turn it into a positive. That’s actually what an employer is looking for: they want to know about your ability to overcome adversity, not just to get some guffaws over someone else’s mistakes. If you get this type of question, you definitely don’t want to leave it ‘dangling’ by citing a failure and not having some kind of outcome that shows that this failure led to the advancement of your professional knowledge, skills, or development. You want to show that you learn from your mistakes. People who can ‘nail’ interviews are adept at providing compelling stories that provide specific examples of both their successes and their failures (and how they overcame the failures). It’s always easy to talk about successes, but the negatives are much more difficult, and oftentimes, people feel compelled to try and ‘explain away’ what actually led up to the failure. This is often where a lot of extraneous information gets disclosed, and if you feel obliged to try and provide additional background to set the stage… STOP. Focus on the outcome, not the precipitating factors. Once you’ve done that, you will be able to easily navigate around the TMI pitfalls that can happen during the interview process. Know that the ‘mistake’ question mentioned above shouldn’t be a surprise to you… and neither should be a “weakness” query or anything else that might probe your failures. These might be direct attempts from the prospective employer to poke at you in hopes of seeing how you react. Remember, if you feel the need to try and ‘explain away’ anything, you are starting to move onto thin ice and are at increased risk to flail around and start adding in information that isn’t pertinent to the end results to help diffuse blame. Again, focus on outcomes, which will keep you on track to answering the question within the framework set up by the prospective employer. Try using a technique used in the television news business: sound bites. These are short, succinct, concise and complete responses, and that is how you need to think about your answers in an interview. Putting yourself in that mindset will help you avoid getting into personal territory and accidentally saying too much about yourself! Don’t sink yourself by providing too much TMI!

Freelance Writing Resume Tips

Freelance Writing Resume TipsHaving a professional resume that impresses a potential employer is essential but not enough to persuade them to come and interview you. Your next step would be to effectively present your talents and skills as a freelance writer in the most convincing manner possible. The following article looks at some of the factors you can take into consideration to have a good appearance on your resume.You need to be able to effectively present yourself on your resume. This is very important, because your first impression is usually what gets you hired. A prospective employer may have just seen your resume and may not even know anything about you at this stage. So you need to present yourself as well as possible.You need to make sure that you're putting your best foot forward. Whether you're taking this role as an unpaid worker or part-time freelance writer, the presentation needs to be professional. Make sure that you get your spelling right, that your grammar is pe rfect, and that you have covered all the key points that are to be included on your resume. If you're required to submit additional documents such as a CV, then ensure that you produce them in a professional manner too.Writing your own resume is a chore that many of us take on ourselves, and so it is understandable that we would forget certain points and miss out on vital information. Unfortunately, that can cost you a job if you don't make an effort to catch up with the latest developments in the freelance writing industry. Most companies still require you to put your resume on the web. That's why it's worth getting your resume format right the first time. If you haven't updated it for some time, then you will likely find it a lot harder to impress your prospective employer.First impressions count for a lot when it comes to landing your first job positions. That's why it is absolutely crucial that you impress the best that you can when it comes to your writing abilities. Be thoroug h when putting together your document, and be sure to include all the relevant details that a potential employer is likely to ask for.With a resume template to follow, you can rest assured that you'll have an outline of your experience and accomplishments that can easily be searched through. You can also get a heads up from your potential employer about the type of writer that they need on board at the company, along with any special skills or achievements that they may have heard about. This will help your chances significantly in securing that first contract.It's always nice to have a portfolio to show potential employers that you are an expert in your field, and one that you have been putting in the hard work to establish yourself as a freelance writer. Make sure that you carefully go through your portfolio before sending it to a prospective employer. It's going to be the final element of your online writing portfolio that your prospective employer is going to take time to look a t before making a decision on whether or not they want to hire you for the job.Following these tips will help you to convince your potential employer that you are indeed the freelance writer that they are looking for. And if you do in fact land that dream writing contract, then you'll be in good shape as far as your career is concerned.