Six extracurricular activities to add to your CV

Six extracurricular activities to add to your CV by Amber Rolfe Wondering how you can add a little extra to your CV? Extracurricular activities are not only a great way to demonstrate your interests and individuality, they also prove to recruiters that you have a range of valuable skills that you could apply to their vacancy.Not sure how they relate to your job search? We’ve already covered whether you should include your hobbies, but here are five extracurricular activities you might want to add to your CV:  SportPlaying sport is a great way to demonstrate everything from team work to dedication, so why not mention it in your CV?Whether you’re a member of your school’s football team, you play hockey at college, or university netball is your thing â€" there are a number of sports you could use to make your skills, interests, and abilities stand out.Just make sure you link them back to the role you’re applying for. If you don’t show how it’s relevant (e.g. how your competitive nature could help you thrive in sale s), adding your favourite sport to your CV could actually be hindering your application.Skills it demonstrates: team work, dedication, fitness, competitiveness, reliability.How to get involved: Most schools, colleges, and universities have their own sports teams and/or after school clubs dedicated to a certain activity â€" so all you have to do is join in. You won’t usually need any previous experience or skills (although you might need some practice to become a team member), so providing you put the work in, it offers a great opportunity to learn and develop.Jobs in sport  Music, drama theatreIt takes a lot to stand up in front of a crowd and perform, and it’s this kind of confidence that recruiters want to see; especially in jobs where speaking assertively is key (e.g. leadership, sales, or customer service roles).And with a range of activities available in music, drama theatre, there’s bound to be something to suit you and your personality. For example, you might be part of a band, music group, or even be a solo artist â€" playing anything from rock to classical.Or, you could be an avid dancer or drama enthusiast â€" whether it’s through taking part in an afterschool club, or even teaching the basics to those younger than you.Skills it demonstrates: confidence, self-presentation, collaboration, attention to detail, creativity. How to get involved: This will depend on the activity you want to do. For example, if you want to be part of a your school’s (or your local) band, orchestra, or music group, you’ll need to be able to play a musical instrument â€" so choosing one and asking your school about how to get lessons is the best place to start. There may also be lessons available for activities like drama, singing, or dance â€" but natural talent and enthusiasm alone are also key traits to have.  Foreign languagesNot only does learning another language make yourself available for roles in teaching, translating, tourism, and more; it can also str engthen your CV in a range of other ways.For example, the dedication and enthusiasm involved with learning outside of your general education will undoubtedly stand out to recruiters.And, with many organisations operating internationally â€" an ability to understand and translate communications from another country is extremely valuable.Skills it demonstrates: lateral thinking, dedication, willingness to learn, problem solving, patience.How to get involved: Although many school curriculums will require students to learn at least one language, the options aren’t always particularly vast. So if you’re looking to learn a language that’s not available at your school or college, look locally for classes or private tutors. Free language apps, audiobooks, courses, and travel are also great ways to boost your learning.Five languages you should be learning right now  Volunteering fundraisingVolunteering, fundraising, or mentoring are all great ways to show how you contribute to society .Whether it’s by mentoring another student at your school/college/university, raising sponsorship to take part in a charitable event (e.g. The London Marathon), or volunteering at your local charity shop â€" you’ll be demonstrating your communication skills, resourcefulness, and willingness to help others.And, if the event you take part in is particularly challenging â€" you’ll be displaying a whole host of other skills, from strength to bravery.Skills it demonstrates: leadership, ingenuity, commitment, entrepreneurship, proactivity.  How to get involved: Research charitable organisations that you’re most passionate about, and get in touch with them directly to offer your services. Fundraising for charities can often be as easy as registering online to allow others to sponsor you for whatever activity you’re carrying out. And, if you want to be a mentor, tutor, or student rep, ask your school, college, or uni about what kind of programmes they have in place.How to find vo lunteer work  Job-specific activitiesAlthough you might not realise it now, many extracurricular activities could be the first steps you take towards your dream career.This is because hobbies that relate to a certain industry (e.g. media, IT, copywriting) often teach you the practical skills and experience you need to be considered for a job.So whether you write for your university newspaper, you do classes in coding, or you’re the student life photographer, you’re showing future employers that you already have the basic abilities and dedication to get started.Skills it demonstrates: writing, creativity, ability to take criticism, IT other technical skills. How to get involved: If you’re interested in getting involved in blogging, web design, media, or anything else â€" see if you can apply your skills to your school/college/uni’s website or newsletter; or ask about afterschool classes and clubs. However, opportunities like this are often fairly competitive, so it’s worth being proactive â€" whether it’s by writing your own blog or building a website.Jobs in the media industryHow to codeShould I include hobbies and interests in my CV?How do I add extracurricular activities to my CV?OK, so you what extracurricular activities to include, how to get involved, and how they make you stand out from the crowd but how do you add them to your CV?Essentially, its up to you. Whether you want to state them in your hobbies and interests section, or youd rather they accompanied your academic experience (e.g. alongside your grades), itll be a great way to demonstrate your suitability.Alternatively, adding an achievements section provides the perfect opportunity to outline exactly what you gained from taking part in extracurricular activities. For example, it could be that you won an award for your contributions to the school newspaper, or your passion for sports allowed you to excel as a team player and consequently win a number of tournaments.To find out more about writing a CV, read our guide on how to write a CV, or download our school leaver CV template.Five of the best hobbies to include in your CVStill searching for your perfect position? 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Office Assistant Cover Letter Sample - Algrim.co

Office Assistant Cover Letter Sample - Algrim.co Office Assistant Cover Letter Template Download our cover letter template in Word format. Instant download. No email required. Download Template Related Hiring Resources 10+ Office Assistant Interview Questions To Get Hired With Medical Office Assistant Job Description

The Right Home Office To Perfect Your Side Hustle

The Right Home Office To Perfect Your Side Hustle You need a side hustle. You’ve already got a passion and an idea. Now it’s time to turn your inspiration into extra income. Job security is at an all time low and no matter what you do, it’s unlikely that you’re going to have a single, full-time career for your whole life. It might be a lay-off, it might be your own choice, but at some point in your life you are probably going to work in the gig economy, hustling to pay your bills and find new clients. You Need Extra Income The biggest reason people start their own side hustles is because they need extra income. Not only are wages stagnating while the cost of living keeps going up, especially in major cities where rent is gobbling up a higher percentage of income every year. Gone are the days when the 30 percent rule was relevant. Add student debts or the cost of childcare and it can be tough to make ends meet with one job alone. There’s also another good reason to add an extra income. A side hustle makes you more financially resilient and less reliant on your employer. When you have a side hustle, you’re not risking everything on one job. Get Started Now The time to start is now. Take your idea and put it into action. Start with market research. Are there customers out there hiring people offering similar services or buying similar products? Do you need to appeal to a broader market or do you need to specialize to stand out from the crowd? When you first start, you may need to make adjustments as you go along. When you start your business as a side hustle, you give yourself more risk tolerance. You’ve got room to learn from your mistakes. Brand Yourself Get your website up and running. Make profiles on any third-party websites that are popular with people buying what you’re offering. Find a name for your brand that’s memorable and that communicates the right message, whether that’s authoritativeness, trustworthiness, or creativity. Optimize Your Home Office When you’re working on side hustle from home, you need a workspace that’s optimized for productivity. After a long day at a regular job, you need to get back into the zone to focus on your own business. Get a new desk where you’re comfortable and that facilitates that kind of work you’re doing. You need desk drawers that facilitate multi-tasking and getting multiple projects done simultaneously. You’re going to need a great desk chair that won’t leave your back hurting every day. And you need to implement a decluttering regime to keep yourself focused at all times. Side hustles shouldn’t take all your free time away from you. But you’re going to have to learn how to be more productive than you’ve ever been at the office. Don’t Look Back Learn from your mistakes, always evolve your business, but never look back. Once you start earning extra money with your side hustle, you won’t regret missing out on all those evenings you could have spent binging Netflix. It’s a new way of life for a new economy. You can get your side hustle going right away. Never let a day go by where you don’t put energy into your passion project.

Tips For Working With A Bad Boss

Tips For Working With A Bad Boss No single boss is the same. Some are good while others a plain useless. Therefore, it’s important you know what to do when you encounter a bad boss. There are steps to take to ensure you come out ahead. Here are a few tips for working with a bad boss which will let yourself get back to the important stuff, like actually working. Remain Flexible Stay open-minded when conversing with your boss. Listen to their ideas and respond appropriately. Give them a chance not to have a conversation with you and remain calm regardless of the situation. You must be willing to give someone a chance before you label them as a bad boss or person. If that doesn’t work, then it’s time to move on to the next steps. Speak Up Speak up and let your boss know how you feel. Ask them to listen to you and your ideas. Remind them that you are here to help the company and want to contribute to the overall goals of the team and business. If you don’t speak up, he or she may have no idea you’ve been feeling neglected and irritated at the situation. Have a conversation and see if you two are willing to get on the same page. If you must, talk with a boss higher up or human resources to get your voice heard. Know Your Rights You have rights as an employee, and it’s important you stand up for those privileges. For example, if you’re in construction, there are safety measures your boss must take to protect you. New York construction stairway accidents occur far too often. Bosses need to start being held accountable for the safety of their employees, which is what attorneys like MSL Legal are for in this case. Accidents are especially prevalent in the bigger cities. This also goes for how you’re treated in the workplace. Demand respect and hopefully it’ll be reciprocated. If it’s not, then you may need to report it. Don’t Panic Don’t panic and get all flustered. Do what you can and then start brainstorming other options. Remain calm so you can do your work and not let your boss get under your skin. Talk to a co-worker and see if they feel the same way. Brainstorm ideas for trying to make it a better work environment while you’re there. Start Looking for A New Job If nothing else, start searching for a new job. Sometimes bad bosses can’t be fixed. You may do everything in your power and yet he or she still acts like a child. If you can’t work with your boss, then it’s probably time to start looking for new positions within the company or outside at a new firm. Start the search early enough where your relationship with your boss doesn’t get too bad before you leave. Conclusion Don’t let a bad boss get you down. Take appropriate steps to try and compromise with them. If that doesn’t work, stay positive and look out for yourself. Use these tips for keeping your composure while working with a bad boss. Image credit.

Resume Writing of Interest

Resume Writing of InterestWriting a resume letter of interest can be a lot more effective than creating a resume that is not written at all. Resume writing is a skill that can be developed through practice and experience. It takes a lot of time and effort to construct a good resume but the rewards will be worth it if you do it.It does not take a lot of time to write a quality resume that impresses your future employer. Creating a resume of interest is easier and faster but still requires some amount of effort.A resume with letter of interest is basically an application form. It is not the same as an actual resume where the person filling it will be asked to type their information in.You are not going to make this type of application form for yourself. You will be using it to write a letter of interest to your future employer. It will be a letter that the future employer can use to evaluate you.If you take the time to write a resume of interest and you make sure that it has the correc t format then you can make the letter even more effective. There are a few key points that need to be kept in mind when writing a resume of interest.The first thing that needs to be done is to put down some specific goals that you have. The goal should also be something that you would want to achieve when you reach a specific job. You can also include some details about yourself.In the second section you should start with a brief paragraph about yourself and your accomplishments. The rest of the letter should contain some type of information about the type of job that you are applying for.There are two ways that you can get a resume written of interest. You can either use a professional service or you can use free resume writing services that are available on the internet. Make sure that you take the time to practice so that you get a resume of interest that is not only compelling but also very professional.

Wall of win at IKEA - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Wall of win at IKEA - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Last week I did a workshop on Leading With Happiness for all the managers at an IKEA warehouse in Copenhagen and I have to say that it was an absolute pleasure. Like any other company, IKEA is facing many challenges and changes but this international group of 40 managers were clearly completely on board with the whole idea of happiness at work. And while I was there, I stumbled on their wall of win an entire wall of positive customer feedback, naming specific IKEA employees whove gone above and beyond. What a simple but great way to celebrate your employees good work. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Contest Time Win $100 #EWS2014

Contest Time Win $100 #EWS2014 2 Flares 2 Flares Disclosure: Post sponsored by Spherion, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure. Feeling lucky?  Im giving away a $100 American Express Gift Card and all you have to do is take a quick quiz. Ready for more details lets go! In conjunction with releasing Spherion’s Evolution of the Worker infographic, Spherion is also releasing a new “Job or Career?” quiz to provide workers more information about their own “job or career” mindset. The quiz is designed for consumers, HR professionals, employers, candidates and others who want to educate themselves more about applicable career topics.  Because you spend most of your waking hours at work, it’s important to know if your daily commitment to your job or career is fulfilling your work goals. This quiz, based on 15 years of research conducted by Spherion, will help you figure out if you are in a job or a career, and what steps to take to better improve your work life. How can you win? By taking the quiz on this site, you will be entered to win an American Express gift card! Simply post your results from the quiz as a comment on this post to enter.  I will pick one comment at random to win, using a random number generator. Taking the quiz will also enter users to win one of three Career Boost Business Packs from Spherion that include an iPad Air and an assortment of other office essentials to help on their path to success! How to enter/take the quiz? So simple.  I have embedded the quiz below.  Feel free to take it right here on Corn on the Job ORRRRRRRRR you can simply click this link to take your quiz  bit.ly/EWS14 REMEMBER:  You must comment on this blog with your score for a chance to win the $100 American Express Gift Card Additional content is available on www.boostyourwork.com. The site includes tips on mapping out a career path, ideas for workplace success and ways to transition your current job into a career. Disclosure Language: Spherion partnered with bloggers such as me for their Emerging Workforce Study program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any idea mentioned in these posts. Spherion believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Spherion’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.