Group items tagged

easy things you can do to raise your employability almost instantly:

Evidence can be any of the following: Powerful stories/examples you can talk about at interview/assessment centres and write about on your CV and application forms Press clippings/reports Awards/commendations Video/Audio Blogs Certificates/Qualifications References (from high quality people/contacts!)

The aim is to get as much experience as possible of for what for most of us is a stressful situation

The mock interview service that most university career centres offer are good to a point but only if you take them seriously

when it comes to CVs and application forms is that its not really about you (!) It’s about the role you are applying for and the company you want to work for

Look at the language they use on their website, look at their objectives and values

try and hit as many of transferable skills as you can with the above three. These include team work, leadership, project planning and management, information skills, communication skills and reflective skills

you will want to  broaden your experience so you can talk about more than just your degree

Consider if you haven’t already volunteering, work placements, work experience, charity work, community projects, and part time jobs

regardless of what the job or person spec says an employer is really looking for three things in applicants: 1) That you can do the job 2) That you will fit in with the organisation 3) You will add more value than you take from the organisation.

Ensure that your application shows the above and that the examples you will be using at interview

Our support extends beyond the classroom, and there are many ways that we help students to become highly employable

With employment fairs, graduate internships, enterprise support and a whole range of careers advice at their disposal, our graduates are ready to hit the ground running and embark on their exciting and rewarding careers, helping to support the needs of the professions

recruiters can easily spot this high volume, low thought approach and it does not reflect well.

every job seeker should read this article before preparing their CV: What recruiters look at during the 6 seconds that they spend on your resume/CV

Prepare a new cover letter for each job application

tailored specifically to the role, department, sector and company that you are applying to

include a reference to your personal differentiators, e.g. the achievements, skills, experience or qualifications that you believe will set you apart from the competition

"[And] it was extremely hard combining family and career," Bell Burnell said, partly because the university where she worked while pregnant had no provisions for maternity leave.

Born in 1922 in the Bronx, Esther Lederberg would grow up to lay the groundwork for future discoveries on genetic inheritance in bacteria, gene regulation, and genetic recombination.A microbiologist, she is perhaps best known for discovering a virus that infects bacteria—called the lambda bacteriophage—in 1951, while at the University of Wisconsin.Lederberg, along with her first husband Joshua Lederberg, also developed a way to easily transfer bacterial colonies from one petri dish to another, called replica plating, which enabled the study of antibiotic resistance. The Lederberg method is still in use today.Joshua Lederberg's work on replica plating played a part in his 1958 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine, which he shared with George Beadle and Edward Tatum."She deserved credit for the discovery of lambda phage, her work on the F fertility factor, and, especially, replica plating," wrote Stanley Falkow, a retired microbiologist at Stanford University, in an email. But she didn't receive it.

Lise Meitner's work in nuclear physics led to the discovery of nuclear fission—the fact that atomic nuclei can split in two. That finding laid the groundwork for the atomic bomb.Her story is a complicated tangle of sexism, politics, and ethnicity.After finishing her doctoral degree in physics at the University of Vienna, Meitner moved to Berlin in 1907 and started collaborating with chemist Otto Hahn. They maintained their working relationship for more than 30 years.After the Nazis annexed Austria in March 1938, Meitner, who was Jewish, made her way to Stockholm, Sweden. She continued to work with Hahn, corresponding and meeting secretly in Copenhagen in November of that year.Although Hahn performed the experiments that produced the evidence supporting the idea of nuclear fission, he was unable to come up with an explanation. Meitner and her nephew, Otto Frisch, came up with the theory.Hahn published their findings without including Meitner as a co-author, although several accounts say Meitner understood this omission, given the situation in Nazi Germany."That's the start of how Meitner got separated from the credit of discovering nuclear fission," said Lewin Sime, who wrote a biography of Meitner.

Chien-Shiung Wu overturned a law of physics and participated in the development of the atom bomb.Wu was recruited to Columbia University in the 1940s as part of the Manhattan Project and conducted research on radiation detection and uranium enrichment. She stayed in the United States after the war and became known as one of the best experimental physicists of her time, said Nina Byers, a retired physics professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.In the mid-1950s, two theoretical physicists, Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang, approached Wu to help disprove the law of parity. The law holds that in quantum mechanics, two physical systems—like atoms—that were mirror images would behave in identical ways.Wu's experiments using cobalt-60, a radioactive form of the cobalt metal, upended this law, which had been accepted for 30 years.This milestone in physics led to a 1957 Nobel Prize for Yang and Lee—but not for Wu, who was left out despite her critical role. "People found [the Nobel decision] outrageous," said Byers.Pnina Abir-Am, a historian of science at Brandeis University, agreed, adding that ethnicity also played a role.

Rosalind Franklin used x-rays to take a picture of DNA that would change biology.Hers is perhaps one of the most well-known—and shameful—instances of a researcher being robbed of credit, said Lewin Sime.Franklin graduated with a doctorate in physical chemistry from Cambridge University in 1945, then spent three years at an institute in Paris where she learned x-ray diffraction techniques, or the ability to determine the molecular structures of crystals. (Learn more about her education and qualifications.)She returned to England in 1951 as a research associate in John Randall's laboratory at King's College in London and soon encountered Maurice Wilkins, who was leading his own research group studying the structure of DNA.Franklin and Wilkins worked on separate DNA projects, but by some accounts, Wilkins mistook Franklin's role in Randall's lab as that of an assistant rather than head of her own project.Meanwhile, James Watson and Francis Crick, both at Cambridge University, were also trying to determine the structure of DNA. They communicated with Wilkins, who at some point showed them Franklin's image of DNA—known as Photo 51—without her knowledge.Photo 51 enabled Watson, Crick, and Wilkins to deduce the correct structure for DNA, which they published in a series of articles in the journal Nature in April 1953. Franklin also published in the same issue, providing further details on DNA's structure.Franklin's image of the DNA molecule was key to deciphering its structure, but only Watson, Crick, and Wilkins received the 1962 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their work.

Nettie Stevens performed studies crucial in determining that an organism's sex was dictated by its chromosomes rather than environmental or other factors.After receiving her doctorate from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Stevens continued at the college as a researcher studying sex determination.By working on mealworms, she was able to deduce that the males produced sperm with X and Y chromosomes—the sex chromosomes—and that females produced reproductive cells with only X chromosomes. This was evidence supporting the theory that sex determination is directed by an organism's genetics.A fellow researcher, named Edmund Wilson, is said to have done similar work, but came to the same conclusion later than Stevens did.Stevens fell victim to a phenomenon known as the Matilda Effect—the repression or denial of the contributions of female researchers to science.Thomas Hunt Morgan, a prominent geneticist at the time, is often credited with discovering the genetic basis for sex determination, said Pomona College's Hoopes. He was the first to write a genetics textbook, she noted, and he wanted to magnify his contributions."Textbooks have this terrible tendency to choose the same evidence as other textbooks," she added. And so Stevens' name was not associated with the discovery of sex determination.

the first wife of Albert Einstein should be in this list. People know so little about her, and I think she deserves to be known. 

Vera Rubin, for accurate studies discovering dark matter.

How sadly ironic that the very woman who set the stage for the  DNA structure discovery, which in 1994 helped make it possible to genetically test and confirm BRCA carriers like Angelina Jolie and me (with familial cancer holocausts generation, after generation, after generation), did not have access the test that could have saved her life so she could go on with the research she loved and win a Nobel Prize.

Experience Project The Experience Project is a site that focuses on the common human experiences. The site features a wide variety of Experience Groups, including one for people seeking writing buddies. It's simple and free to join the site and group. Members can create or respond to posts seeking writing buddies.

CoWriters.com If you're looking for someone with whom you can collaborate on a project, CoWriters.com is the place for you. While this site is brand new, the concept is great. The site is free to join, and you can find collaboration partners, sources for stories and more.

Writing Groups If you prefer face-to-face interaction, you might consider joining a local writing group. You can check your local paper or Craigslist for a group in your area, or you could check out the local writers' Meetup groups. This will allow you to meet several writers in your area, and can increase your chances of meeting a buddy who's right for you

Lack of support and interpersonal conflict

Boredom

Do you feel run down and drained of physical or emotional energy? Do you find that you are prone to negative thinking about your job? Do you find that you are harder and less sympathetic with people than perhaps they deserve? Do you find yourself getting easily irritated by small problems, or by your co-workers and team? Do you feel misunderstood or unappreciated by your co-workers? Do you feel that you have no one to talk to? Do you feel under an unpleasant level of pressure to succeed? Do you feel that you are not getting what you want out of your job? Do you feel that you are in the wrong organization or the wrong profession? Are you becoming frustrated with parts of your job? Do you feel that organizational politics or bureaucracy frustrate your ability to do a good job?

The day’s events, stretching from the Barbican Centre, to Senate House and the Hotel Russell, marked an extraordinary day for all concerned.

With a cast of more than 2,600 graduates and guests, a member of the Royal Family, and friends and family gathered around 35,000 computer screens across the world – the 2011 London Graduation Ceremony was a truly momentous occasion on an unprecedented scale for the University of London International Programmes.

“If you really cared about kids, you wouldn’t worry about the salary.”

“If you managed your time at school, I bet you wouldn’t need to plan lessons and grade on the weekends.”

“You’ll never be a truly great teacher until you have your own kids.”

“Why do you make them read so much and write so many essays? Why do you give such hard grades?”

“I pay taxes in this district, so technically you work for me.”

“Ohh, you teach kindergarten. That must be fun — playing and singing all day.”

“Why are you so strict? They’re just kids.”

“How hard can it be? You have all summer off.”

“Teaching is nice, but don’t you want to be more successful and make more money?”

Teachers who spoke to The Straits Times on condition of anonymity said it was impossible to meet the ministry's English "must-pass" target in two years. Habibah said they aim to prove sceptics wrong. Her agency is named Padu, or the Performance and Delivery Unit. Starting in November last year, some 14,000 teachers have been enrolled on crash courses in English. After school hours, they take lessons online and attend classes taught by teachers from the British Council and English university lecturers. Upon finishing 480 hours of studies, they are reassessed. Those who fail are redeployed to teach other subjects.

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad has called for a return to teaching science and mathematics in English, a policy introduced by him in 2003 and scrapped by Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009. Such flip-flops, said Dr Kua Kia Soong, an educator, have hurt students. "They have affected students' concentration in grasping the language," he said.

36% of pupils in HMC schools across the UK received help with their fees.

"Tony Blair, opening a London Academy in 2005, talked of the different ways in which parents could transform their child's education. "Examples included moving house in order to access a better school and employing a personal tutor - one quarter of all parents in London pay for private tuition in the course of their child's school career.

Around 520 of ISC schools offer A-Levels and, out of these, 123 schools helped prepare A-Level pupils at maintained schools for entry to Higher Education

Examples of types of partnerships and collaborative activities include: - Sharing knowledge, skills, expertise and experience with state schools Working together with state schools on projects to improve the quality of teaching and learning Hosting joint lessons with local schools Holding open sports’ coaching sessions Providing work experience for disengaged 14-16 year olds Lending minibuses to local scout groups Giving careers’ advice to 18 year olds Running collaborative workshops for everything from creative writing and singing to science experiment Opening up drama, music and sports facilities and hosting cultural and sporting events.

Six Steps are Involved: Clarify your teaching responsibilities.Reflect on your teaching goals, philosophy and style. Consider using the Teaching Perspectives Inventory (available in the Teaching Porfolio Resources section).Organize the material to support your purpose and the evaluators' guidelines or needs.Write the statement of philosophy.Select and append your best evidence, connecting it to your statement of philosophy. You want to provide enough evidence to convict you of the charge of excellent teaching. Show your draft to a colleague or instructional developer.

have you stagnated, using well-honed skills on a repeated basis but without adding more personal value within the workplace?

Break down the elements that have enabled you to be successful. Highlight your key strengths in your current or most recent role.

take the courses that you need to bring your skills up to speed

skills needed to actually perform the functions of the job

Keep your professional accreditations current

Attend industry conferences to understand what is driving your sector, and how your skills might need to be adapted to play a role in the future.

Are you up to date with the tools and techniques that are being used by the forward-thinking firms winning the business?

Be honest in your assessment and identify both your strengths and any gaps that need to be addressed.

Be clear about if and how the sector is growing and whether your expert knowledge is in demand or could even command a premium.

Have an understanding of how competitors do things, as this could be used to good effect in a new role (taking into account any non-disclosure agreements, of course).

In many industries there is now a need to demonstrate expertise with a strong online presence

Smart use of technology has become a major part of roles at all levels of an organisation. You should be able to demonstrate that this is an area you are comfortable with and can use to advantage in your role

Achievements are as important as skills. Having yours off pat is essential, as is being able to demonstrate how you could repeat your success.

Look at all the elements you have broken down, and take an honest look at which are transferable to a new role and have the greatest value in today’s job market. It is these that you should be prioritising on your CV during your job search or highlighting on your LinkedIn profile.

a key component of your job search: whether you should be focusing on roles where the likelihood of success is based your technical skills, or if you should be targeting employers where your sector and competitor knowledge is of greater interest.