Business Consultant to Polar Expedition Leader

Business Consultant to Polar Expedition Leader Success Story > From: Job To: Freelance Business Consultant to Polar Expedition Leader “I wanted to get out of bed on a Monday morning and really want to get stuck into the day.” * Business Consultant to Polar Expedition Leader Chris Dolder shifted from a City job to leading Polar expeditions. Read more about his dramatic change and the lessons he learnt along the way. What was your role in your old job? Managing Consultant - essentially a senior member of a consulting practice with line-management, business development project delivery responsibilities. What is/are your new role(s)? Assistant Expedition Leader, Polar Expeditions aboard the expedition vessel Explorer, managing ship-board operations for a compliment of 108 passengers, reporting to the Expedition Leader Captain. The role is very varied from being a guide in the field (whether piloting small Zodiac craft or marshalling landings on continental Antarctica, Greenland, Spitzbergen etc) to delivering lectures on board, managing ship-board comms and satellite comms to Canadian HQ and generally overseeing the welfare of passengers (mix of scientists, journalists and tourists). Why did you change? Money can't buy job satisfaction. I wanted to get out of bed on a Monday morning and really want to get stuck into the day. The Polar Regions are inspirational places that few are lucky enough to visit. I get to visit them regularly and guide others to experience places that may ultimately change the way they live their lives. Are you happy with the change? This is my first season, but I expect I'll be very happy - though expect it to be very challenging - dealing with such a large group of people always is. What do you miss and what don't you miss? Won't miss admin two sets of politics (client employer). Will miss the people from my old job - some very intelligent fun people to work with, that's what kept me there so long. How did you go about making the change? A long an arduous road: I'm lucky to have had 10 years of Polar experience, completing two field seasons in the Arctic whilst I was at university first time around visiting Antarctica when I went back to uni in New Zealand. I'm a relatively frequent visitor to the Falklands - it's a great place for wildlife photography so when I visited Antarctica as a tourist I was totally captivated. I applied for a post-grad course in NZ that had a fieldwork element in the Ross Sea Region. Part of my coursework majored on Antarctic Tourism which gave me a good opportunity to introduce myself to expedition operators. When I returned to the UK back to my job I made a concerted effort to apply speculatively to expedition operators - a bit of a war of attrition really - you need dogged determination. I took my powerboating qualifications so I could operate the Zodiac craft used in the Polar regions too. Finally, I got my lucky break when two of my applications made it through to interview. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Making the leap into what you perceive as the unknown. It's easy to stay in a job you don't like and are not motivated by, because it seems too risky to change - to be left out on a limb, worrying about the financials. But really, so what if you don't earn the same amount of money? You can't spend money when you're dead and you can't buy the experience of job satisfaction. What help did you get? My better half was staunchly committed to supporting me - without her understanding I wouldn't have made the change. If there's two of you, radical change requires both of you to have agreed it be 100% committed. Other than that, it's been a lot of hard graft. It's a specialist industry and there's nothing better than networking. What have you learnt in the process? If you want to achieve major change, break it down into manageable chunks and seek to achieve them one at a time. Making the huge leap in one go is extremely difficult. Don't be surprised if it takes months - maybe even years, but if you don't ever start, you'll never ever reach your goal. Cheesey but simple. What do you wish you'd done differently? Nothing - I've met some awesome people along the way for which I'm very grateful. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? I think my situation is likely to be fairly rare, however, if there's anyone out there interested in Polar expeditioning, or any kind of expedition work, there are several things you need: 1) Attitudinally, you have to be made of the right stuff (and getting into the industry is a test in itself). 2) Experience is key, but you don't need everything from the start though this may take time to acquire - perhaps by visiting the regions yourself a few times. 3) Relevant or transferable skills - expeditioning isn't all about having visited a region before, you need to have sharp communications skills (multi-lingual clearly a bonus), practical field skills (e.g. first-aid, mountaineering safety, navigation, boat skills etc). 4) Knowledge of the region (e.g. wildlife, geography, history, politics, climate, culture, peoples etc), though it's not all about regurgitating facts from a book - you need to be able to bring this knowledge to life. There are many steps you can take to get yourself there - what's most important is that you have a plan and start working to achieve it - one step at a time - that's how mountains are climbed. What lessons could you take from Chris's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Accomplishments for Resumes 3 Templates to Simplifly Your Writing

Accomplishments for Resumes â€" 3 Templates to Simplifly Your Writing Accomplishments for resumes make most people tear their hair out during job searches. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.Potential employers want to know that you crushed your job duties whether you:Saved the company.Increased sales or beat your sales goal.Cut year-over-year expenses.Gave customer service that drove a Net Promoter Score skyward.Delivered your duties and responsibilities.However, you might not remember what you accomplished. Or you might not feel comfortable “bragging.”Thus, the need to share your accomplishments can make crafting your professional resume a challenge.You might wonder how you’re ever going to write bullet points for the accomplishments sections of your resume.Don’t worry â€" this post will show you how!Keep Accomplishments for Resumes SimpleTo start, I know that many career writers recommend that you use the “situation, action, result” model to write your accomplishment statements.While that’s sound advice for describing your results in an interview, it’s not a practical template for accomplishments for resumes.Why? Because it often results in text that’s too long for the limited space you have on your resume.So, to keep the resumes I write to two pages, I usually omit the situation and focus on actions and results.Build Your Resume Accomplishment StatementsTo find natural patterns for you to use when writing accomplishment statements, I looked at several of my clients’ resumes. In doing so, I saw that most of the accomplishment statements I write use one of these three parts-of-speech templates:Verb, Noun.Verb, Adjective, Noun.Verb, Preposition, Noun.I could see that I almost always activate one of those core templates and then build on it. Check out the progressively embellished examples below.Example 1: Verb, NounTemplate: Introduced Agile.First Add-On: Introduced Agile to product development team.Second Add-On: Introduced Agile to product development team; reduced average MVP cycle time 36%.Introducing Agile into a company or functional area is an accomplishment all by itself. In this case, I first built on the template by adding the functional area’s name. Then, I added the most important result obtained.Example 2: Verb, Adjective, NounTemplate: Created $10 million business.First Add-On: Created $10 million business unit; achieved highest margins in company.Second Add-On: Created $10 million business unit in less than two years; achieved highest margins in company.Again, creating a $10 million business is a signature accomplishment that can stand alone. In this case, I built on it by noting that the business unit also achieved the company’s highest margins. Finally, I pointed out that all happened in less than two years.Example 3: Verb, Preposition, NounTemplate: Promoted to Vice President.First Add-On: Promoted to Vice President in 18 months.Second Add-On: Promoted to Vice President and General Manager of company’s largest division in 18 months.A promotion to VP is a singular enough accomplishment to stand on its own. In this case, I added the speed of the promotion. Then, I put a cherry on top of that â€" the company’s largest division.Accomplishments for Resumes Need a ScaffoldingIf you’re not a professional resume writer, you don’t write accomplishment statements every day. So, go easy on yourself by using these simple templates.They’re your scaffolding. Start at ground-level with the most straightforward template, then add elements and start climbing!How to Find Action Verbs to Start Your Accomplishment StatementsYou probably noticed that each of my templates starts with a verb.If you have a job description, use thisparts-of-speech parserto identify the verbs it contains. It takes about a second. Then, as you scan through the results, you will likely find verbs you can use to enliven your resume.Plus,per research, replicating some of a company’s language helps you get job offers.No job posting? Then use this list ofmy favorite resume verbsto get yourself started. Ask yourself, “What action did I take? On what? What results did I obtain?”More ExamplesThe three templates I shared will get you started on accomplishments for your resume. Then, if you want to see how you can build further on those patterns, click through to mysample resumes.Image: blanche 2019 2020, Donna Svei. All rights reserved.Donna SveiDonna Svei, an executive resume writer and former C-level executive, retained search consultant, and CPA, writes all of AvidCareerists posts. She has written for and been quoted by leading business, general, and career media outlets, including Forbes, Mashable, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Lifehacker, Ask.com, Social Media Today, IT World, SmartBrief, Payscale, Business News Daily, and the Muse. Let her background and experience inform your job search strategy and decision making.Learn more about Donnas executive resume writing service or email Donna for more information. Resumes â€" Accomplishments (2 Posts)

15 Quotes to Get Your Head in the Right Place at Work Marla Gottschalk

15 Quotes to Get Your Head in the Right Place at Work Marla Gottschalk Photo by Norbert Levajsics on Unsplash Not every day can begin with unbridled enthusiasm. We all have days when our emotional status is just not in the right place. Personally, Im never sure about the root cause of my malaise. It could be anything I suppose, a stressful interaction that has lingered, a bad dream or the cheesecake I had last night for dessert. However, it can spell trouble for my day. Changing the dynamic, becomes the first order of business. Sometimes, I opt to read New Yorker cartoons.   Sometimes, I call a trusted colleague or friend. If all else fails, I read quotes about work life, career and inspiration. Here are some of my favorite mood changing quotes. I hope they offer you what you might need to impact your day for the better. Choose a job you love and youll never have to work a day in your life. Confucius Its not the load that breaks you down, its the way you carry it. Lou Holtz Do your work with your whole heart and you will succeed there is so little competition. Elbert Hubbard All things are difficult before they are easy. Thomas Fuller The harder I work, the luckier I get Samuel Goldwyn Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people dont recognize them. Ann Landers The secret of getting ahead, is getting started. Mark Twain It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves. William Shakespeare When we no longer can change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. Viktor E. Frankl There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there. Indira Gandhi Study the past, if you would divine the future. Confucius A career is wonderful, but you cant curl up with it on a cold night. Marilyn Monroe Food, love, career and mothers, the four major guilt groups. Cathy Guisewite Believe you can and you are halfway there. Theodore Roosevelt Change your thoughts and you change your world. Norman Vincent Peale Share your favorites in the comments section. I am sure I have missed more than a few classics. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist who focuses on empowering work through the development of a strong foundation. She is a charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program. Her thoughts on work life have appeared in various outlets including the Harvard Business Review, Talent Zoo, Forbes, Quartz and The Huffington Post.

Job Interviews What Everyone Loves and Hates Most about Them

Job Interviews What Everyone Loves and Hates Most about Them Most of us are not locked into tenured positions within financially (or bureaucratically) stable companies; indeed, most of us are now struggling to restructure our resumes and cover letters to land that one-in-a-million job.   And because of this current economic depression, any nine-to-five job these days, whether it be slinging DVDs at Blockbuster or running the corporate mainframe, can now be deemed a one-in-a-million opportunity to make a living. But keep the faith, ye persistent, yet, unemployed one, because while we writhe and wriggle endlessly re-writing resumes, our future employers are also sweating, restructuring what they look for and how they interview as they try to fill these limited-time-only positions. For both the interviewee and the interviewer, the job interview is like a blind date. The only information one has about the other is limited to tidbits of facts collected from recommendations, resumes, or profiles on Facebook.   Neither party truly knows the other, and from the jump, there is only a minimal emotional investment and, therefore, nothing really to lose. So, interviewee, fear not the job interview. In fact, the job interview is less about intimidation and more a function of building personal relationships between potential incoming employees and already-established, team leaders.   While the process is just as tedious for the employer, â€" who most often than not must plan recruitment meetings, delegate hiring responsibilities to other members of the companys team, and reevaluate qualifications for new recruits â€" the job interview process provides an opportunity to heighten employee solidarity and duty efficiency. As an interviewee, you may experience a more hate then love-filled relationship with the job interview experience (that is until you receive the long-awaited, “Youre hired!” phone call, then somehow the love pours back in).   The tediousness of the endless revisions and fine-tuning of the resume and cover letter is enough to throw even the most level-headed and rational person off kilter.   Then, as you wait your turn in the lobby, clutching onto the resume you re-wrote five times for this specific position, anxiety sets in and the sweat from your palms stains the ivory-toned paper you choose particularly from Kinkos. And to top it all off, after your name is finally called, and you seat yourself in front of your potential future boss, you must now fight through the intimidation and nerves to successfully sell yourself and your skill-sets to a complete stranger who holds the viability of your financial future in his/her hands. But quell those nerves.   Because once you are able to swallow the fear and realize that these interviewers and potential employers are just people, too, there is, indeed, much to love.   With every interview you experience, whether passed or failed, comes the much needed practice in solidifying your sense of self and confidence.   And the more companies you interview with, the more exposed you are to different work environments and the more likely you are to find and land a position with a company that suits your work habits and desires best.

8 places to live while you work a graduate job in Birmingham - Debut

8 places to live while you work a graduate job in Birmingham - Debut So youve managed to sort a graduate job in Birmingham? Great. Here comes the rest of your life. Now, dont be too sore about not moving to London like all your accomplished graduate friends. Listen friends, Birmingham has been on a crazy upwards swing for the longest time. And it doesnt seem to be stopping any time soon. That being said, its the perfect place to find your feet as a fully-functioning adult with a graduate job. And part of that is finding a place to lay your weary head to rest. Me being Debuts resident Birmingham expert, heres a handy list of place to live while hone your craft at a graduate job in Birmingham. Selly Oak Avg. 1 bedroom rent (per calendar month): £532 Selly Oak is student-central, the primordial ooze from which most University of Birmingham grads like myself emerge. Selly is famed for a lot of things, not all of them positive, but one is them is the sheer number of affordable rented properties available, many newly built. Landlords have flocked to this area faster than rowdy first years can move out of halls and become respectable second years, meaning that supply seems to always outweigh demand. The area itself is youthful, vibrant, full of specialist food and alcohol shops, and just 10 mins from the city centre. Perfect if you arent ready to say goodbye to the student life just yet. Harborne Avg. 1 bedroom rent (per calendar month): £541 Older students who are tired of Selly Oak will head for Harborne, just a stones throw away. And its no wonder, its what people from further north from here would refer to as dead classeh. Plenty of artisan pubs and fancy brunch spots to occupy yourself with here. But crucially, its not going to break the bank. Only slightly more expensive on average than Selly Oak, the trade off is being slightly less well connected but getting a noticeable higher quality of house in the bargain. Digbeth Avg. 1 bedroom rent (per calendar month): £749 Shoreditch, meet Digbeth, your Midlandsian cousin. A hop, skip and jump from Birmingham New Street, youll find this fiercely gentrified industrial quarter. We hope a graduate job in Birmingham pays well as its pricey as hell to live here. But at least youll never be bored. With all kinds of entertainment waiting in re-purposed warehouses and side streets, from the famous Custard Factory to the infamous Rainbow, its constantly lit. Jewellery Quarter Avg. 1 bedroom rent (per calendar month): £650 Like Digbeth, its central and a little on the pricey side. The Jewellery Quarter has become something of a hub for young professionals. The converted factories in this district house a whole host of new build flat, and great bars and restaurants orbit the residential areas. If youre after cheap drinks and loft living, this is the place. Its well suited for anybody doing a graduate job in Birmingham. Bournville Avg. 1 bedroom rent (per calendar month): £578 Bournville is an idyllic village purpose built workers of Birminghams Cadbury factory. That factory now also plays host to Cadbury World, the UKs premier chocolate-themed amusement park. Needless to say, that is plenty of fun weekend plans already made. The train station is on the mainline into town and just 12 mins out, but why is that important when you can literally live somewhere that literally smells like chocolate? Kings Heath Avg. 1 bedroom rent (per calendar month): £502 Kings Heath is a little off the beaten track. Its accessible mostly by Birminghams buses which are well, bad (good thing Ubers are cheap and plentiful here). However, its a real hidden gem if you can get past that. Kings Heath features a modern high street where independent shops and chains sit side-by-side and there plenty of side streets with more of a hipster vibe. The crown jewel has to be the Hare and Hounds though, one of Birminghams best loved small music venues. Moseley Avg. 1 bedroom rent (per calendar month): £523 Voted the best place to live in the UK by the Sunday Times in 2016, Moseley is a unique village with an artsy vibe. Its affordability is only matched by its attractions; great pubs and parks. Moseley Park itself is home to both Moseley Folk Festival and its Jazz and Soul Festival. Its the perfect place to escape to after a long days work. This is probably your best chance to live a life like the one you read about in the Guardian. Wolverhampton Avg. 1 bedroom rent (per calendar month): £422 Okay, so its not technically in Birmingham, wise guy. But, its a cheaper option. And if you had to pick somewhere to commute in from, it might as well be here. Its well connected to Birmingham by a speedy and frequent Virgin Trains service and a brand new tram line that goes right from centre to centre in 40 minutes. All that aside, Wolverhampton is a neat city with plenty of Midlands charm to rival its big brothers. If you can get into supporting the Wanderers and sampling a whole host of bars and galleries on the comeup, this is the place for you. See our available Graduate jobs in Birmingham. Images via Birmingham Mail / Wolverhampton Express and Star Connect with Debut on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for more careers insights.

Summary Sunday Career Management

Summary Sunday Career Management As you know, your quest for a job takes more effort than it ever has before.   So does holding on to a job!   This weekly round up of posts is focused on tips, advice and recommendations on how to be the best employee you can be and how to safeguard your future! 20 Questions Smart Employees Ask Themselves by Nance Rosen on Dan Schawbels Personal Branding Blog I double-dog-dare you to ask yourself these 20 questions.   Heck, if you even ask yourself 10 of them, I am sure you will be better off! The questions fall into these categories (not to scare you off). I hope you will go have a look! Job mastery Communication with my boss Relating to others and gaining visibility Cultural sensibility, belief and belonging Good judgment and resourcefulness You Cant Run From Your Shadow from Frank Sonnenberg Personal Reputation Management is so important.   We take for granted the good things people say and know about us. Sonnenbergs post should help you understand how you can better gain control over how you are perceived, because, YES, you control that! Are You Sabotaging Your Career from Fast Company See if you are making any of the 5 mistakes highlighted in this article! Have you recently started a new job? What will you do to start becoming an invaluable employee?

A Fresh Resume Is a Vital Part of Getting a New Job

A Fresh Resume Is a Vital Part of Getting a New JobFor those who are looking for a new job, a fresh resume is very important. The resume is your most powerful weapon to get the job you want. One wrong move could mean the difference between a new job and a much longer commute. It's important to be confident in your skills, the skills you will need to get the job.One way to get the best out of your resume is to identify the most important information the potential employer needs to know. Some people may think the information is up to them to write on their own. While it's true that it's your job to fill out your resume, it's a mistake to fill it out without knowing what the employer is looking for. Use your current job and experience as a guide to help you put together the most important information.For one's job it's job safety for you to know exactly what the employer is looking for. If you don't have enough experience, or you don't have good skills, you're going to come across as a qualified candidate. How do you get the most from your resume? The answer is to take time and effort to get as much knowledge as possible on specific topics on your resume.As you read through resumes to see what they want, keep the areas where you are weak, or may need some work, in mind, and know what you are going to write on your resume. Then include only the information the employer is looking for. Now your resume can come to life, with the knowledge you've gained and other relevant knowledge.One area that is a great way to get to the point of what the employer is looking for is to know what type of skills you are bringing to the job. Maybe you need to add more of a specific skill. Instead of saying, 'Have been a secretary at my previous job' tell them what you do now. Then there are a number of other skills that would make sense, such as, 'I have experience as a trainer'I have experience in customer service.' These skills are often times what the employer is looking for, even i f they didn't specify.Write down everything that comes to mind that relates to your specific need. Often times it's a case of organizing all your information, then making sure it's placed where the employer can find it. It's also a good idea to break down your information into logical sections, then fill in the relevant sections.Sometimes simply learning something from another position that was similar to your current job can benefit you. You can have ideas on how to improve on your skills, as well as other ideas about what you can do that will help you get the job. Make sure you have a strong grasp of your skills, but also get ideas from others that relate to the job. So once you have the basic skills, take those ideas and add them to your resume, so you can come off as much more knowledgeable.A fresh resume is a vital part of getting a new job. Use the tips above to create a well-written resume and get you ready for your next interview.