The Pivotal Role of a Modern Day Digital Project Manager

The Pivotal Role of a Modern Day Digital Project Manager Project management doesnt sound like the most glamorous role in the world, and  in truth it often isnt and it can be a thankless task unrelenting job. However, the  role has a pivotal part to play in the modern day Digital landscape and it is becoming an increasingly sought after skill set in both agencies and client side businesses. The skill set required to be not only a highly competent, but a successful digital PM is  diverse and takes a fine balance of mental agility, commercial flair and strategic  nous. If you are the kind of person who thrives on being the main catalyst behind the  scenes, you’ll find an immense amount of satisfaction by embracing the challenges  that every new project will bring. In return, you’ll be able to carve out a great career  path for yourself as the opportunities are endless in this arena and you are worth  your weight in gold to your employers… So what does the current role of a Digital PM look like? No day tends to be the same  as ad-hoc challenges and problems are thrown up off the bat and it encompasses a  diverse array of job duties. However, as a Digital PM at an agency with a business  built around creating the web, youll be crossing over into the realm of a number of  job titles skills in your day to day work, including: Project Manager:  You will certainly spend plenty of time tracking budgets  and schedules, managing scope, creating project plans, calling out risk, and  managing a development team to successful project completion. Youll need  to master the delicate balance of too much process and not enough process  you’ll need to be a flexible thinker to foresee issues, plan contingency plans  most importantly, “make it happen”! Account/Client Manager:  In most cases you are the front lines for client  contact and the conduit between your Technical Team. Some clients are a  pleasure to work with, however as in all walks of life, some can be a more  difficult prospect. This is where your diplomatic skills and carefully executed  expectations that you set out at the outset of the project kick in… Your job is  to keep all parties happy aligned with the overall objectives, even in the face  of delivering bad news when a project is behind time and over budget. You  have to know how to steer projects while always keeping the clients needs in  mind. Youll need to be strategic about when you can handle issues cropping  up, and when its time to escalate before its too late. Digital Strategist:  Occasionally youll find a client who has crystal clear vision  for their project and a perfect list of requirements and implementation  suggestions. However, in the vast majority of cases, youre going to be hand-holding the client through the discovery and design process, to arrive at a  business/technical specification that developers can execute upon and turn  into a reality. Developers will generally have your back on the technical side,  but from a marketing standpoint, the more strategic and knowledgeable you  are around everything Digital, the better, more credible and compelling you  will be. The client knows what they want, but asking the right questions to get  all the answers is crucial to the planning process and improper planning will  always set you up for failure on the project management side of things. Quality Specialist:  QA engineers can test and test again, but youre the  person who owns the clients vision for the end product and you will know for  sure what response you’re going to get from them. Is it up to quality standards  that we all agreed upon at the outset? Does it look good how is the  customer experience looking? Has thought been given to the clients ease of  use when entering content? Youre the key holder who makes the last call on  when a site is ready for client demos, review hopefully a big pat on the  back. As you can see, the modern day PM isn’t just your ordinary project manager  position. Youll get to own every part of the project if youre up to the task and you’ll  take all the plaudits once the project is rolled out. Author:  Leon Milns is the Co-founder and Director at Adam Recruitment, which was borne out of his  desire to launch, build and scale a brand in Manchester London that people view as a talent partner, and also synonymous with hard work and results. Heading up the London office of Adam, Leon has become a specialist in Search, Selection Headhunting in the Digital Marketing sector, over a 15 year career in recruitment. Generally operating at mid to senior level appointments across Digital, Marketing, Advertising Business Development. Image Credit: Shutterstock

The Recruiters Guide to Chrome Extensions

The Recruiters Guide to Chrome Extensions Sponsored by MightyRecruiter If you already use Chrome Extensions, you know they are an easy, inexpensive way to streamline your most frequent recruiting tasks. If you’re new to the world of Chrome Extensions, then welcome to your new favorite way to make the most out of your workday. Chrome extensions are small programs and workarounds designed to optimize the Chrome browser. Extensions can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store, most of them for free. The extensions listed below, for example, can simplify typical recruiting tasks such as accessing contact information for passive candidates or keeping track of all the projects across multiple platforms. Once you’ve downloaded the extension, an icon will appear in the top right corner of your browser. Just click on the extension icons when you want to access them and begin saving time. Take a look at the extensions below. And, if you’re already a practiced Chrome Store shopper, you might want to consider adding these to your repertoire. 1. Talent Management From MightyRecruiter, MightySourcer is designed to help recruiters learn more about passive candidates. Once you’ve found a candidate on a platform like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, you can use MightySourcer to quickly access additional information, such as skills, work experience, education, and contact information. Other extensions designed to help you build up talent pools include Hello Talent, an extension designed to manage your talent pipeline, and Hunter, which finds email addresses, professional titles, and more from anywhere on the web with a single click. 2. Time Management Limitless is a time tracking and productivity tool allows you to switch between devices so that you can use your phone to continue working on a project you started earlier in the day on your laptop. It includes a dashboard that makes it easy to see how you are spending your time, and it can organize your links by topic. Other extensions that can save you time and eliminate distractions include Taco, a tab page designed to keep you on top of projects across multiple project management platforms simultaneously; Last Pass, a free password manager that automatically generates strong passwords and stores them in an organized, encrypted vault; and Adremover, one of several extensions designed to block online ads, pop up and trackers. 3. Communications Management Up your social media game with Buffer. This extension allows you to share content for example, the article you are currently looking at on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more, with just one click. In addition, it will time your posts to release throughout the day for optimal visibility and track responses and re-posts. To make sure the communications you are sending out on social media, as well as those you are sending in more traditional formats, are as perfect as possible, consider downloading the Grammarly extension, which is designed to polish your written communication, and, if you are recruiting for tech jobs â€" and aren’t all jobs tech jobs these days? â€" download Sideways Dictionary, a glossary of tech terms defined using non-technical analogies to help you craft the perfect tech job description. 4. Manage Your Chrome Extensions Once you get started with Chrome extensions they can become addictive, and you can easily end up with more than you can keep track of.  Suddenly, your time savers become time wasters. The solution? A Chrome extension to manage your Chrome extensions, of course. Custom Chrome Extension Manager does just that by organizing your extensions by function type. About the author: MightyRecruiter  is an intuitive, comprehensive, and transformative recruiting solution.  Source passive candidates, track and manage applicants,  post free jobs, access  MightyRecruiters resume database, and hire the most relevant candidates for your jobs, all at no cost.

How to Give Yourself a Boost When Your Personal Brand Takes a Confidence Dip - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Give Yourself a Boost When Your Personal Brand Takes a Confidence Dip - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Part of promoting your personal brand effectively is to radiate a confidence that draws people in and makes them want to find out more about you. Then if theres a fit between what you provide and what they need, hopefully they make the investment to hire you, or recommend you to someone who can. When youre feeling low But what if youre just not feeling very confident these days? What if youve already cut your business operations to the bone and still wont be able to make payroll unless a new client lands on your doorstep tomorrow? Or what if your job search has gone on longer than you had hoped, and with your bank account dwindling and bills piling up, youre ready to take a job as an overqualified intern to the worst boss in the world? How do you get out there and talk up the strengths of your personal brand to get potential employers and clients to fall in love with you when youre just not feeling the love yourself? While there are no magic words to make that next job or client materialize overnight, there are ways to give yourself a quick confidence boost so you can get back out there with renewed vim and vigor. Four ideas to move you in the right direction: 1) Get some exercise. Releasing endorphins and getting oxygen to your brain through aerobic exercise will make you feel better physically, which will automatically lift your spirits. You dont even have to run a marathon. A brisk 30-minute walk where you pump your arms and breathe deeply should do the trick, or if you prefer, take a spin class and really get into the pulsating music. Once youve showered and had a healthy snack, youll feel amazing and ready to tackle anything. 2) Journal an achievement. Think about a success or accomplishment you had that you felt especially proud about. Take yourself back to that moment and write out what happened, either on your computer or long hand. Chronicle not only what you did to create the result, but also how you felt, and especially the positive feedback you heard from others. The more detail you give, the more vivid the memory will be and the more youll actually begin to feel those great emotions you initially experienced. 3) Celebrate, but dont commiserate. Get together with a group of friends and plan a fun event together. Go to a comedy club, have a pajama party, plan a long bike ride and a picnic in the woods. You dont need to blow a lot of money to have a good time when youre with people you really like. But enjoy the moment and dont use the time to replay every obstacle youve encountered and start feeling sorry for yourself all over again. Give yourself permission to take the evening or the day off from your worries. 4) Test out afformations. This is one of my favorite exercises. My friend Noah St. John, author of The Secret Code of Success, penned the phrase afformation which is a very powerful twist on what most of us know as affirmations. An affirmation is a phrase you repeat to yourself that describes the state you want to be in, such as I am rich or I have a great job.   The rationale is that what you say you will eventually believe, and then ultimately will manifest. Trouble is, Noah says, that our brain never quite believes what were saying, the affirmation doesnt stick, nothing changes, and we get more depressed than ever. Instead, he teaches afformations, where instead of statements, you ask yourself questions, such as Why are people beating down my door to work with me? or Why is money suddenly pouring in? When you ask a question, your brain automatically goes into problem-solving mode to find answers. Make a list of all the ones you come up with. Some might make you feel good (Because Im the absolute best at what I do), some might make you chuckle (Because I bribed every single person in the company to sign my praises) and some just might lead to new strategies that you can use (Because I wrote a kick-ass cover letter that the hiring manager could not ignore). Keeping up your confidence takes energy, and pretending to be confident when youre not can be exhausting. Rather than continuing to grind away and looking for external sources to boost your spirits, try one or more of these activities to raise your confidence levels from the inside out. Author: Liz Lynch is founder of the  Center for Networking Excellence and  author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online (McGraw-Hill, 2008).   She writes, speaks and consults to experienced professionals on  how to seamlessly integrate social media and traditional networking to save time and accelerate results.

Five Things Ive Learned in The Big City

Five Things Ive Learned in The Big City Five things Ive learned in the big city? I know what you’re thinking, this list should be more like 100. Two days ago, I celebrated my first year anniversary in Chicago. This year has been crazy, to say the least, and living in a big city has certainly added to the list. After living 4 years of my life in Des Moines, Iowa for school, big city life was welcomed with open arms. Being in your 20s in a big city is exciting and fun and every day, some character on public transportation will likely make you smile. That said, big city life comes with certain responsibilities, precautions and every now and then misery. Here are five things I’ve learned in the big city: 1. Be open-minded.  Unfortunately, open-mindedness has taken a narrow definition in our current societal climate. However, I would like to bring the definition back to its roots. Being open-minded means that you are willing to listen to people with different and sometimes even opposing viewpoints from your own. With the big city full of diverse people, it would be a travesty not to take advantage of this by only being around people who think the same way you do. 2. Take your time making friends.  While you might want to be friends with every Tom, Dick and Harry as soon as possible when you move to a new city and especially a big city, don’t do it. The lessons your mom taught about choosing your friends wisely wasn’t just for 1st grade. It’s easy to get lonely in a big city when you’re new and it certainly happened to me. But it is also an opportune time to get to be friends with yourself and although that’s a cliché, it’s an important friendship. Trust me. 3. Do not get lost in the crowd.  While I certainly mean this literally too, the figurative expression is what I’m going for. While you have to be open to others opinions and expressions, do not let your principles and your life become a sole function of the people around you. Have an opinion that is your own. I will say I learned this lesson a long time ago but it’s not just about having an opinion but having the courage to express it despite what others may think. The big city is full of people with opinions so if you can survive with a few of your own â€" congratulations! 4. Do not keep up with the Joneses.  Having had the experience of not going to law school, job hunting, freelancing and working at a start-up, to say I haven’t felt the brunt of the economy, would be a huge lie. Many of us have.  Then there are all your friends on Facebook or maybe who live in the same city as you, who are splurging like they are six-figure earners. Do not fall into that trap it does nothing for your self-esteem or the credit card debt that you’ll likely rack up. I would love to be going to Gucci and Sacks Fifth Avenue and drinking champagne whilst shopping as much as the next girl. But I can’t afford it. I’ll shop the sales rack at Macy’s on a good day and Marshalls, TJ Maxx and moderately-priced local boutiques, thank you very much. 5. Breathe, Stretch, Shake…and let it go.  What do I mean here? I mean the big city is full of jerks. You will meet them on your train, at your workplace, in your neighborhood, etc. It is almost impossible to get away from them. You will be having the worst day of your life and some rude person will inevitably make it even  more terrible with their attitude. (Don’t forget to not be that rude person). Breathe and let it go. If you can manage a few laughs at the end of the day, well, you’ve learned a life lesson too. There are things I would love to add this list like get familiar with the transit system, check out all the FREE things to do in your city, be nice to everyone in food service, etc. But I figured the things you can’t (or shouldnt) look up on Google, might be the most important. Do you live in a big city? What are the most important lessons you’ve learned? Or did you move to a new city recently, what lessons are you learning?

Free Resumes Templates - How They Help

Free Resumes Templates - How They HelpFree resumes templates are frequently being used by numerous companies in a bid to improve the productivity of their employees. The main aim behind this is to increase the performance of employees and thus, enhance the output of the company. The other main reason behind this is to decrease the redundancy and attrition rate.The idea behind using free resumes templates is to make the entire process easier for the employer. While working with an employee, the employer will have to get an employee's resume for every new employee. This will include the reason why the employee is applying for the job, his current or previous work experience, as well as, the reasons for which he was hired.The most obvious advantage of using a free resumes template is that it saves a lot of time. Instead of having to create the resumes from scratch, one can simply input the required information in a template. Once the information has been entered, the employer can simply print the resume and then proceed to the next stage. It is as simple as that.Many companies opt to use these templates due to the fact that they have no access to paid-for software applications. All the hiring procedures involve manual labour, and therefore, can easily become dull. By having the information ready and available, the hiring manager can focus on other important aspects of the job such as creating the pay table and matching salary to the requirements of the position.This is a huge advantage for the company and also for the numerous people who end up writing the resumes. When it comes to manual labour, people become fed up with the repetitive nature of the tasks. The employee who goes in for a paid application tool will be given a whole array of options to help him or her to produce the best resume possible.It is not surprising to find out that many companies use these tools to save money when it comes to providing manual labour. Since a template can be produced within a few minutes, the company can save a significant amount of money when it comes to hiring new employees. In addition, since the applicants will be provided with the templates, the work of compiling the resumes becomes less complex.Not only can the applicants benefit from the tool, but also the recruiters who need to know all the available details about the applicants. The database will be accessed by the individual from the computer instead of needing to go in person. This is convenient as well as time-saving.In conclusion, free resumes templates are a great help to any business or organisation in various ways. The fact that there is no cost attached to these templates makes them a great benefit to every company. Using a template ensures that the process of hiring a new employee is simplified, and as a result, the overall productivity of the business increases.

The Benefits Of Working As A UK Train Driver 2017

The Benefits Of Working As A UK Train Driver 2017 With all of the recent negativity surrounding the current UK train driving industry, here at How2Become we thought that we would share some POSITIVE news! That’s right, it’s not all doom and gloom on the UK railways, and there are still plenty of reasons to become a train driver, as we’ll elaborate on in this blog.Without further ado, let’s explore some benefits of working as a UK train driver.The Benefits Of Working As A UK Train DriverGreat WagesRecently it has emerged that Southern rail drivers have rejected an offer for £75,000 a year. Without going into the details of the dispute, which you can find chronicled over at traindriver.org, it’s fair to say that this is an enormous sum of money. In the wake of the Southern Rail mess, train companies are now doing whatever they can to ensure that their drivers are contented and not thinking about going on strike. With this mind, it’s fair to surmise that train drivers in the UK will reap the professional benefits of this â €" and this includes pay rises. Although not every single TOC will be going to the lengths of Southern â€" who are in a quite desperate position, it stands to reason that every TOC who fears falling quite as far as Southern have, will be doing whatever they can to keep their drivers happy. At the moment, the great pay is one of the biggest benefits of working as a UK train driver.Making A Genuine DifferenceIt’s fair to say that train drivers, and TOCs, don’t exactly have a glowing reputation amongst the general public at the moment. This is more than reasonable, especially since the majority of people simply want to get their train to and from work, without having to worry about the political machinations of a train operating company. Therefore, the anger of the general public comes from feeling as if they have been let down by train drivers â€" many of whom make more money than them, and train operating companies for allowing driver demands to impact upon the service.With all t hat being said, train drivers themselves have a pretty unfair reputation. The vast majority of train drivers are not the greedy or lazy individuals that the public makes them out to be, and they really care about their job. Working as a train driver requires you to have a genuine level of care for the customer â€" passengers in this case. Every time you drive a train, you are responsible for hundreds of lives. The level of responsibility that comes with the job means that you can’t afford to switch off even for a moment. Furthermore, drivers are required to interact with passengers on a regular basis, strengthening the driver-passenger relationship. Here at How2Become, we fully encourage anyone thinking about the benefits of working as a UK train driver, to do their utmost to get the job. Changing public perception starts with you!Opportunities For GrowthOne of the biggest benefits of working as a UK train driver, is that it brings almost endless opportunities for development, gro wth and progress. This doesn’t just apply to working as a driver either. TOCs are well known for ‘taking care of their own’ so to speak, and for this reason it is candidates who apply from within the company that are most likely to be successful in job applications. For example, it is not uncommon for a person working in a manual role â€" such as Train Platform Assistant â€" to progress up to Train Conductor, and then eventually make the jump to Train Driver. Beyond this, it is the ambition of many Train Drivers to work for prestigious companies such as Eurostar. So you see, applying for a job with a TOC can have enormous benefits. Jobs are admittedly hard to come by, with strict application deadlines and huge competition on all fronts, but once you get a job with a train operating company then you have a fantastic career ahead of you.Fulfilling A Lifelong AmbitionThis benefit is a little more subjective, but for many of the older generation working as a train driver is a drea m come true. Although less the case nowadays, there is an enormous community out there who are extremely passionate about all things trains â€" especially since electric trains were one of the first big modern inventions that many of them experienced. If you are one of those people, then stop waiting around, and apply for a train driver job today.Improving Your SkillsOne of the other big misconceptions from the public towards train drivers, is that drivers have an easy role. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that train driving is so complex and difficult, that drivers need to train in a huge variety of skills before they are allowed to take the controls. Areas such as concentration, problem solving, customer service and multi-tasking are all fundamental requires for a train driver, and translate over to a wide range of alternative careers. This means that you don’t necessarily need to stay working as a driver for the rest of your professional life. The expe rience you pick up from working as a train driver will be valued by any potential future employer. This entry was posted in Train Driver, Career Advice. Bookmark the permalink. Jordan Cooke Fire and Rescue Service Behavioural Styles Questionnaire ExamplesWhat Are the Different Armed Police UK Units?

Aaaaaaand Action - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Aaaaaaand Action - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog When I got up this morning, I had no idea that Id end up on the set of director Thomas Vinterbergs next movie Dear Wendy. I had a meeting at Filmbyen (Film city), and suddenly, there I was, standing right behind the directors tent, while they did a re-take of one of the films final scenes. The film is set in West Virginia, and theyve built a real slice of america right outside Copenhagen. It was fun to get a glimpse behind the scenes, and to get a sense of how Vinterberg directs his movies. Theres a picture of the back of the set on the photoblog. Notice the american style water tower. 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