The time surrounding graduation can be exhilarating, yet terrifying. Making the move from an educational setting to an occupational one can be intimidating. In order to enter the workforce with confidence and an edge, it is vital to select an appropriate job. This first job can act as a cornerstone for the rest of your career, so select carefully.

 
Even before graduation, great attention should be focused on researching the field into which the graduate wishes to enter. There are often internships available that provide field experience, resume materiel, and network growth for the individual. By taking on an internship while still in school, it is possible to fully evaluate the full requirements of the job in addition to the general professional market. Although sometimes unpaid, there are a great number of internships available to college students as well as those who have recently graduated. Very frequently, internships can lead directly to actual employment with an organization.

 
Entry level jobs are a great way to step into the post-graduation professional world. Every industry has several options available to interested graduates who are looking to break into this professional world. Some examples include executive assistant, copywriter, and marketing assistant. These jobs may require long hours without a great deal of compensation, but they often lead to additional job opportunities. By taking one of these entry level jobs, access to other (successful) members of the workforce is found. However, graduates should make an effort to apply for jobs that are not always within their comfort zone. A great interview or strategically utilized connection could ease the way for a higher ranking job. Perhaps the greatest tool to anyone new graduate is the ability to network within the desired field. It’s often said that “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”.

 
By working at one of the lower levels within an industry, a graduate will also have the benefit of learning about the field or specific company from the bottom up. This will provide valuable insight into the way that the company functions. Most importantly, this will provide the employee with the ability to empathize with the full staff within the ranks of the business. Often employees at the highest levels of industry are without the understanding of what it is that makes the full system work, as they are only exposed to the top few layers of the business.
Making the transition from college to career is not always as simple as it sounds. In an effort to make this process easier, graduates should take the time to research their desired field, take advantage of every opportunity to network, and seek out all available jobs within their target industry. An executive assistant could be exactly the first step needed in a successful professional career.

At a time when we are more concerned than ever before with looking good and as youthful as possible, it can be easy to become influenced by what we see on social media in terms of living up to modern day ideals of beauty. More people than ever before are seeking teeth whitening treatments in Turkey or regularly booking Botox in London, for example. While looking like your favorite international celebrity is one thing, the true reasoning behind confidence and happiness comes from within and is far more about what you think and feel about yourself.

Building self-esteem can be a challenge but should be something that we make a priority in a bid to combat the wide range of social problems we are facing today with more and more people taking drastic action to make themselves feel better through physical changes alone. While your body will age, keeping your mind confident becomes the greatest asset we have, which is why embracing your imperfections is so valuable to your overall wellbeing.

1. Stop criticizing yourself

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is that of being able to handle our own inner critic. The things that your inner critic focuses on and tells you is what ultimately leads to you having a lowered self-esteem and more likely to do things simply to gain acceptance. Through creating a stop phrase and getting out of the cycle of putting yourself down you will soon find that your thoughts are far quieter and you will be more confident as a result.

2. Be healthier in your methods of motivation

As a society we seem to have lost track of what it means to be motivated in a healthy way – a way that is not fuelled by what we see on social media. When you feel like you are lacking in confidence or are finding it hard to keep eating a healthier or exercising more, remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing and the benefits you will reap as a result of doing so. This will allow you to gain more focus and your inner critic will be silenced that little bit more.

3. Appreciate yourself regularly

It’s easy to get yourself into a negative mind-set after a hard day at work but become extremely difficult to crawl out from, which can hinder you from feeling content and happy about yourself on a day to day basis. Something that you can do to get yourself out of feeling down and less positive is to take a two minute self-appreciation break and tell yourself 3 things about you as a person that you value. It can be as small as the fact that you are kind and helpful person. Doing this on a regular basis will allow you to put into perspective the things that are great about you on a deeper level than simply looking at your appearance, for example.

4. Make gratitude part of your attitude

You may have already heard about the phenomenon that is taking over the internet at the moment and that is the power of gratitude and how it can be significant in improving your life. Through taking the time to take five minutes out of your day and think about three things that you are grateful for in your life and about yourself, you will find that you will find it easier to have a more motivated approach to life and thus feel happier.

5. Do what’s right

Simply put, doing what is right for you is always going to be something that we as individuals should focus on. Whether that means getting up from the sofa and heading to the gym or stopping feeling sorry for yourself and getting motivated to make the most of a situation that you have, taking steps to improve your wellbeing and happiness is the ultimate mood enhancer and will make you feel that much more confident in yourself and your abilities.

There are two main factors that businesses want to look to when it comes to reducing their costs and increasing their revenue. These are Six Sigma processes and project management. Interestingly, many people align Six Sigma and project management as being the same thing, but they are actually quite different. Here, we’re taking a look at the two differences, and why you should consider project management or industry recognised Lean Six Sigma training courses.

Individual Processes

Six Sigma and project management each have their own individual processes which is one of the things that sets them apart. Six Sigma follows Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. Project management on the other hand follows initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing. While the processes are somewhat similar, many businesses need to be reminded that they are not interchangeable, and teams will need to understand the main benefits of each to decide which to use in a particular situation. This is where project management and separate Lean Six Sigma training can come in handy.

What Is Project Management?

Project management is the part of a project that is concerned with cost control, and actually getting the project running and managing it while it is. It looks at all of the different components of a project and how it is performing within each of these components. While there are a number of best practices that can be implemented with project management, general project management does not use any form of methodology and comes without much discipline, until a particular process is implemented.

What Is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a particular methodology that is used to reduce variance and help to eliminate a number of defects. This can help to provide a variety of data to justify exactly where and how to make changes to the project management process that the business has implemented. However, where project management doesn’t need much of an in-depth knowledge or management process, Six Sigma is highly structured and demands some form of long-term commitment in order to help ensure that the entire process is carried out properly, from start to finish. As a whole the Six Sigma project management methodology will provide all of the information needed to make accurate and in-depth decisions and improvements to the entire project management system.

The Breadth & Depth Of Six Sigma

One of the major differences between Six Sigma and project management is the depth and breadth of the Six Sigma management process. Six Sigma is generally based on hard financial data and the idea of savings, whereas standard project management doesn’t focus on cost savings or any kind of financial data. On top of this Six Sigma implements various process control strategies, and continuous improvement processes in order to keep up with organisational development. Six Sigma is a systematic approach whereas typical project management tends to be focussed on the overall, distant goals of the entire project. Six Sigma can be difficult to implement, but it can truly help when it comes to overall cost savings, and project efficiency. It allows the appropriate tools to be targeted at the most important parts of the projects, in order to provide significant change to an entire organisation, therefore offering more than typical project management practices can.

When we land our first job out of school, all we care about is making money. We are happy to get a paycheck no matter how hard we have to work to get it. But as time goes on and we get older, something changes. Our priorities shift, and we want a career that fits into the life we have built for ourselves. No longer do we care as much about climbing the corporate ladder. We have realized that becoming a high-powered executive takes its tolls on our personal lives. Of course, we still need that paycheck, but our lifestyle is more important.

People are turning away from their original “dream” jobs in pursuit of one that suits the lifestyle they want. Unfortunately, the two are rarely the same. Our dream job may not allow us to live a healthy and balanced life. Flexibility, location, stress, and satisfaction are just a few of the traits of a job that you should consider. So how do you find a job that fits the bill? Here are my top tips to find a job that suits your lifestyle.

1. Figure out what you don’t like about your current role.

If your current job doesn’t allow you to live the lifestyle you dream of, what are the reasons? You should identify specifics about your current position that do not allow the lifestyle you want. Does your job require a lot of travel? Does your job not have a set schedule or require a lot of overtime? Is your boss not flexible on vacation? By identifying what you don’t like about your current role, you will be certain not to take a new one with the same issues.

2. Know what you will be willing to negotiate…and what you won’t.

I wish I could tell you that the perfect job is out there waiting for you. While there are a lot of opportunities and you can definitely improve your current situation, you may not find a role that is 100% what you’d like (at least not at first). Before ever stepping into an interview, know what you will be willing to negotiate on and what you absolutely will not. For example, you may take a little less salary, but you absolutely need six weeks of vacation. Or perhaps there is some wiggle room on working the occasional weekend, but you have to be able to work from home twice a week. With your negotiables and non-negotiables in mind, you will be prepared and won’t waste your time if a company won’t budge.

3. Come up with an action plan

If you want to land a job that allows you to live a certain lifestyle, you need a plan with steps to get there. What job positions would allow you to live the way you want to? Will you need an advanced degree? Will you need other types of training? Would you need to relocate? Come up with your action plan, and set goals and milestones that allow you to realistically achieve the result you desire.

4. Research the companies you may want to work for.

Now that you know exactly what you want out of a new job, you will be able to research the companies in advance of applying for a position. With the power of the internet, you can research company policies and even find reviews from other employees who work there. Figure out what the corporate culture is and what values they care about. Find out if they are willing to give you what you need in order to live the lifestyle that you want.

Most of us have to work to live, but working doesn’t have to mean that we don’t have a thriving lifestyle. Life is short, and we shouldn’t waste it in a job that doesn’t allow us to live the way we want to. Luckily, today’s workforce allows us to change our minds. The career that you chose for yourself in school doesn’t have to be your career for life. As your life changes, your job may have to change in order to accommodate it. Make a plan and go after the lifestyle you want and desire.