Jobs in the transport logistics industry

Jobs in the transport logistics industry by Michael Cheary Looking for a career that’s going places?Have you ever wanted to pursue a career on the open road? Or perhaps you have great organisational skills, and want to put your penchant for planning to good use? Do you really like logistics? OK, you get the idea.To help inspire you, here are some roles in the transport and logistics industry you could consider, and our top tips to help you get from A to B:CourierWhat they do: Collect and deliver a variety of goods, usually to a strict deadline. This could range from delivering mail and personal messages locally through to transporting bulky goods, or even moving urgently needed medical supplies cross-country, and everything in-between.What you need: No formal qualifications are required to become a courier, although general English and maths skills will be useful, as will a good grasp of geographical locations. In terms of attributes, reliability, the ability to hit deadlines, and excellent driving/motorcycling/cy cling skills are definitely desirable to potential employers.What you can earn: Around £14,000 as an entry-level salary (depending on hours and location), progressing to £20,000 or so once proven.Perfect for: People who like to deliver (this is not a metaphor).How to become a CourierView all Courier jobsDriverWhat they do: The clue is pretty much in the name with this one. However, what you’ll be driving could range from Large or Heavy Goods Vehicles (LGV HGV), to cars, vans, busses, coaches and more. If you love driving and like the idea of doing it for a living, it’s pretty much a no-brainer.      What you need: First and foremost, excellent driving skills (not to mention a relevant licence and clean record). You will also be working alone for long periods of time, so people that work well individually and enjoy their own company would be ideal. Patience will similarly be a virtue, especially important to bear in mind for anyone who has ever spent more than an hour sitting sedentary on the M25.What you can earn: Around £24,000 on average, although this can rise relatively quickly for those willing to put the hours in.Perfect for: People who like driving in their cars (see also: lorries).How to become a HGV DriverView all Driving jobsSupply Chain staffWhat they do: Plan and organise the production, handling and distribution of products and materials, from manufacturers and suppliers through to customers. You could work as a planner, co-ordinator, manager and a number of other roles in this profession.What you need: To be successful in this role, excellent planning and organisation skills are absolutely essential. You should also enjoy problem-solving, and have confidence in your convictions.What you can earn: Income will start at around £20,000 for the year, but for managers in this sector salaries can rise to £40,000+.Perfect for: People who like to organise other people and processes.View all Supply Chain jobsTrain DriverWhat they do: Drive passe nger or freight trains, either locally or on a national scale. Train drivers may also work on the driving for engineering projects.What you need: Concentration, patience and excellent customer service skills are essential in this role. The ability to react quickly and calmly in unforeseen circumstances is similarly vital. Finally, you must be over 21 years of age to become a Train Driver.What you can earn: The starting salary during training is around £18,000, although this will rise to £40,000 once fully qualified and experienced. Typically, you will also benefit from subsidised or free travel, if you like that kind of thing.Perfect for: People who think cars are overrated.How to become a Train DriverView all Train Driver jobsWarehouse staffWhat they do: Work in warehouses taking deliveries, moving and organising stock, loading and monitoring goods, and picking and packing goods. You could work as a Warehouse Assistant or Warehouse Operative, Warehouse Supervisor, and there is al so the opportunity to move into management. You may also use a hoist, forklift, or other specific machinery.  What you need: To be successful working in a warehouse position, you will need to be a practical person, who enjoys physical work. Good spatial awareness and the ability to work quickly and efficiently will also be extremely important. There aren’t any pre-requisites in terms of qualifications, and many companies offer on-the-job training.What you can earn: Salaries start from around £12,000, with more experienced staff earning somewhere above the £20,000 mark. Bonuses and other incentives are also fairly common.Perfect for: People who want a physical career.   How to become a Warehouse OperativeView all Warehouse jobs  Other jobs in transport and logistics roles to consider: Logistics, Shipping, Import/Export Clerk, Stock Control, Depot Manager.Top tipsHere are some of our top tips for finding a job in the transport logistics  industry:Get hands-on â€" Experience can be vital to break into the transport and logistics industry. If you’re just starting out, internships or work placements are a great way to begin your journey.Demonstrate your skills Pick out the most relevant attributes from the job description and tailor your CV to emphasise them. If you’re looking for a job in Supply Chain Management for example, majoring on planning and organisation within your CV could be vital in demonstrating to the employer that you’re the right candidate for the job.Put the hours in â€" Long hours are generally synonymous with the transport and logistics industry, so make sure to major on flexibility within your CV and make sure you apply the same rule when it comes to the interview.Don’t get caught out with qualifications â€" If you need specific qualifications for the job, be pro-active and start learning. Whether it’s a HGV license, a certificate to demonstrate you can drive a forklift truck, or even a supply chain management qualification, it will instantly make your CV start to stand out.Keep on truckin’ â€" We’re not 100% sure why. We just really wanted to use this line.Ready to find your ideal route?  View all transport logistics jobs now.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Getting Started What job suits me?

Quit work for a while to have kids. Your career will be just fine

Quit work for a while to have kids. Your career will be just fine Its a myth that time away from the workforce will undermine your career. This myth is based on outdated ideas of the workplace. And its an important myth to bust, because in todays post-feminist workplace, the majority of women say that given a choice, they would not choose full-time work when their kids are young. Here are some reasons why its safe to interrupt your career to have children. And, in fact, most of this data is relevant to interrupting a career for any reason not just kids. 1. Demographic trends make women ages 30-50 valuable at work. We all know that as baby-boomers retire, Generation X is not big enough to replace them, and Generation Y does not have the experience to replace them. But demographic trends have created a much bigger labor shortage than anyone anticipated. There is a labor shortage in Generation X that no one predicted, and its because of increased fertility, according to James Vere, author of the paper, Having It All No Longer: Fertility, Female Labor Supply, and the New Life Choices of Generation X. He says, The women of Generation X are not only having more children than the baby boom generation, but also supply fewer hours to the labor market, and this makes women who do go back to work more valuable than people could have anticipated. The other contributing factor to the Gen X labor shortage is that Gen X men do not work the long hours that baby-boomer men worked. Instead, those aged 18 to 37 are more likely to view family as an equal or higher priority than work, according to the Families and Work Institute. And the majority of those men are willing to sacrifice pay to spend more time with their kids, according to the Radcliffe Public Policy Center. So it is no surprise that McKinsey Consulting reports that, Finding talented people is likely to be the single most important managerial preoccupation for the rest of this decade. (via 2020resumes) 2. Women adapt to job changes better than men do. Companies might be better off hiring a woman who has taken time off from the workplace than a man who is switching companies. Why? Because high-performing women do better at leaving a company and finding a new one than high-performing men doin general, women keep up their high performance and men dont. This study is based on the finance industry but the findings (published in this months Harvard Business Review) apply to most knowledge workers. And even though women typically have a more difficult time than men navigating in-house politics and finding mentors, these women respond by being better at cultivating relationships outside of the company. Which means that they are in a better position than men to make a switch to another company. According to the study, women start a new job stronger because they are more strategic when planning their careers (due to lacking the boys-club connection). Women took greater care and analyzed a wider range of factors than men before deciding to uproot themselves. So ironically, all the worrying that women do about how to reenter the workforce after having kids probably pays off. 3. Social networking makes on-ramping much easier. Ten years ago, the work it took to maintain a network during extended maternity leave was prohibitive. Dealing with a three-month-old during the day, and showing up to conferences and events at night, for instance, is a route for only the most intrepid of new moms. But social networking tools have brought the moms out of hiding. Generally, the people using social networking tools are outgoing, value-oriented, high performers who were well connected to begin with. The tools are easy to use from home and the strengths of the mommy-blogging network are testament to the popularity of social networking tools among women taking time off from the workforce. In case youre wondering about the power of blogging in ones career, take a look at Carol Wapshere. She took time off to care for family members and then relocated to Switzerland for her husbands career. She started a blog in order to raise her profile in her industry before going back, and it worked and landed her a consulting job , and then a speaking gig at Microsofts TechDays conference. This is not an isolated case. I get emails from women like Carol all the time. 4. The new idea of career means retrieving yours is not all that hard. Most of the literature written about the duress of the on-ramp is by baby boomers who cant stop obsessing about the glass ceiling. Most of the women taking time off to have kids today have no ambitions of breaking that glass ceiling because whats above it is so absurd. That makes taking time off to have kids not as big a risk to them. Look, if you want to shoot straight up the corporate ladder to the CEO position, dont have kids. Corporate life is not changing as fast as corporate press releases would like you to believe. CEOs do not take care of their kids. Someone else does. And the difference between a fathers ability to get to the top versus a mothers is night and day. Men are more likely than women to cope with extreme delegating of parenting. This is not a judgment; its a fact that is sitting right in front of us. But most potential parents today are much less consumed with money and prestige, and more concerned with personal growth and flexibility. So taking a position below the last one is not as upsetting as it used to be. People do not think of a career as a straight shoot up the corporate ladder. Its a winding path, and theres lots of room for children.

Small Business Challenge Finances - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Small Business Challenge Finances - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The first post in this series regarding small businesses was  titled Big Challenges for Small Business Owners  and in it we examined the three biggest challenges  owners face: people, finances, and time. In the The Small Business People Puzzle:  Part 1 and Part 2, we looked deeper into the challenge of finding, selecting, attracting, orienting, training, motivating, and retaining the right people to ensure a small business  has the human resources to be  successful. Now, let’s examine the big  challenge of finances. My Big Challenges post suggested some specific actions for establishing necessary financial reporting. It emphasized the need to take actions involving timely financial accounting inputs from all employees (it’s not just about expense reports!), a simple financial reporting methodology such as through QuickBooks ®, and owner discipline to review such reports consistently. While financial reporting and review are important foundations for operating your business, cash flow is by far the most important. Without money to pay vendors, employees, etc., a business will grind to a halt… especially when experiencing significant growth or during a financial market disruption (remember 2008?). Let’s look at some ideas for handling short term cash flow shortages and long term business financing. A great place to start is to review an article in Business News Daily titled 15 Creative Financing Methods for Startups by David Mielach. Your business need not be a startup to gain funding from one or more of the methods Mr. Mielach outlines, which include: Friends and family Credit cards Angel investors Selling assets Product presales SBA loans Bank loans or lines of credit In addition, an Intuit article titled 4 Small-Business Financing Options You’ve Probably Never Heard Of suggests these additional sources: Kabbage Guidant’s iFinance On Deck Capital Upstart If you are a business owner who has never had and doesnt currently  have financial management or cash flow issues, you have the luxury of ignoring your need for financial reporting and cash flow management at the moment. But, as you know, disruption in national financial markets or from industry competitors could happen at any time and   thus undermine  your luxurious lifestyle. Additionally, if you plan to grow revenues significantly you should be forewarned that it is classic for a business to experience cash flow issues during a period of significant  growth. I want you to be successful by addressing the big challenge of financial management in your business. If you wait until a major disruption occurs or you wake up to find your cash position is in crisis, it will cost you far more to put out your financial fire. Please take time now to be proactive and you can sleep easier at night knowing your business is properly prepared.

How To Find Seattle Tech Jobs - VocationVillage

How To Find Seattle Tech Jobs - VocationVillage It isnt a mystery how to find Seattle tech jobs, but there are so many avenues to explore, it can be overwhelming. The Washington State Department of Commerce says that the information and communication technology industry in Washington State includes 14,000 firms, 200,000 jobs, $22B in payroll, and median wages of $110K-$140K. Seattle is the epicenter of the Washington State tech industry.Here are some resources to help job seekers find a tech job in Seattle, alphabetized because that seems like the simplest way to list them. When possible, I linked to Seattle-specific searches. These sites offer job listings, education/training opportunities, and links to networking events.This list skews toward software industry jobs because so many of my coaching clients work in software development in technical or management roles.CrunchBoard by TechCrunchDice SeattleeConsultants List of High Tech Companies in SeattleGeekWireHacker NewsIndeed.com Software Jobs in SeattleLinkedIn Software Jobs in SeattleSeattle Networking Guides List of Technology Science GroupsSeattle Startups List I noticed that Amazon and Starbucks are listed here so their definition of startup is extremely loose.Puget Sound Business Journal Seattle Technology News and Seattle Technology JobsSeattle Times Job Board (Software Jobs)Seattle Times Technology A good site for tech news.Seattle 247 Focuses on Seattle internet companies, especially startups. Has a huge list of tech companies, a JobBoard, ShopTalk, and a Calendar of Events.StackOverflow A great place for software developers to learn and network.Venture Beat Not a job search site but a great site for tech news; subscribe to channels related to your specific tech interest.VentureLoop Jobs at venture and seed capital backed companies.VocationVillage.coms List of Seattle Recruiters See the Technology section.Washington Technology Industry Association Statewide association of technology companies, boasting 800+ member companies. Offers educa tion, leadership skills development, and professional networking for tech professionals.Back To Seattle Careers

7 Simple Steps to Create a Personal Brand People Want to Work With

7 Simple Steps to Create a Personal Brand People Want to Work With The goal of a personal brand is to create an identity that others will respect and find valuable. More importantly, your personal brand should help keep you employed.If you do it right, personal branding can turn you into an in-demand resource. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to never have to worry about money or work again?evalThat’s what the steps below will teach you. They’ve worked for me, and I’m sure they’ll work for you, too.If you follow these simple steps, you’ll be able to create a personal brand people want to work with over and over again!1. Become a marketerThere are several marketing basics that will help take your personal brand to the next level, but there are 2 particular traits you should focus on.Marketers are public. We’re always interested in how our brands are perceived, and trying to get in front of more people. Marketers are also growth-oriented. We’re always trying to improve, grow our numbers, and earn more publicity.These two traits are so importan t, because people need to be able to find you. And because people generally want to work with others who know what they’re doing. Being public allows you to be discovered, and focusing on growth naturally makes you look better once you’re found.There are several ways to be public, such as by being active on social media, guest blogging, advertising, or creating content and optimizing for search. Focusing on growth will mean paying close attention to your analytics, engagement, and conversions.2. Be consistentBefore people will work with you, they need to understand who you are, what you do, and your personal brand’s voice. They’ll only be able to understand all of this if you’re consistent!evalMostly this means homing in on a particular niche. I’ll often come across people who try to be funny, then hip, then professional, then overly friendly. It’s confusing at best.Whatever your industry or niche, choose one voice, and use it consistently. Once you have your voice dow n Combine that with a consistent voice, and people know what they’ll get by working with you. That’s always promising!3. Focus on your logoA lot of people use a profile picture in place of a logo for their personal brand. Unfortunately, your profile picture can give off the wrong impression without you ever knowing. But a good logo can convey a massive amount of positive information.We all infer meaning and associations through colors, fonts, and shapes. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but the brain actually processes imagery 60,000X faster than text. How’s that for powerful?Spend time creating a design that’s both uniquely you and shares the voice of your personal brand. Simple tools like GraphicSprings are great for creating good-looking logos without needing to hire someone.As a quick reference, Baskerville and Georgia fonts test as the most trustworthy, while Verdana tests as the easiest to read. Serif fonts are seen as more professional, while sans-serif are se en as more innovative.Oranges are associated with joy, yellows with happiness, reds with passion or love, and purples with royalty or ambition. Greens and browns are associated with nature and money. Golds, whites, and blacks are associated with professionalism, and blues with stability.These aren’t hard and fast rules to live by, but you should consider these general associations when designing your logo.4. Use social proof to your advantageSocial proof â€" what other people say about products, services, companies, etc. â€" is consistently one of the most important factors influencing buying decisions.People want proof that working with someone is going to be a good decision before they commit. So prove it to them!evalHave you, as a personal brand, already worked with someone or some company? Then the public should know about it! On your website, portfolio, LinkedIn profile, or whenever people go to learn about you, there should be a section with every brand you’ve worked with. Quotes or reviews of your work to share on your site can go a long way, too By showing people that others have already worked with you, and have had good experiences working with you, you show the world you can be trusted.If I know a lot of people and companies have worked with you before, I’m far more willing to work with you. That’s social proof at work!5. Don’t say that…Think before you speak â€" or type. If you wouldn’t say it to the face of someone else’s child, you probably shouldn’t put it online.evalPeople want to work with those who can keep themselves accountable. If you rant on Twitter or even make snide remarks in emails, you can easily be perceived as more of a liability than a helpful resource.As a personal brand, what you say and do are very public, which often means your words and actions are permanent, too. Saying something rude or distasteful can ruin your entire career! And has for many.Instead, you want to appear well-mannered and level-headed. Peop le need to know that working with you is going to improve their situation. So take a moment to really consider your words before releasing them to the world.6. Share new and relevant contentWe all want to work with people we know will help us grow. That’s part of the reason it’s so important to be active online, because every post is an opportunity to prove yourself!Once you’ve chosen your niche and found your voice, start sharing industry-leading news, tips, insights, and research. This helps establish your personal brand as an industry leader, and will (slowly) convince people that your judgment and expertise can help them.You could start by creating and sharing original content on your blog and social media profiles. You can also subscribe to (or write for) the leading publishers in your niche, and then share what they publish, maybe with your own 2 cents attached.In most cases, a combination of these 2 options is best. The ideal outcome is for people to develop a habit of referencing you. Maybe they subscribe to your newsletter, or grow to anticipate your morning post.Continually sharing new and relevant content will help create a personal brand people want to work with by proving you’re an expert. Who wouldn’t want to work with an expert?7. Never stop learningAs Einstein famously said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.” Like muscles, when you stop exercising and pushing the mind, it starts to atrophy.Learning, in one way or another, is the key to growth and success! But more importantly (in this context), people want to work with others who keep trying and growing and improving.In other words, people want to work with those who keep learning. So read as many books as you can get your hands on. Reach out to other experts you’d like to learn from. Take a course, or earn another degree.Just don’t become content or complacent! Learning is the key to growth, and continually learning is what will help you create a personal brand people want to work with.

Hottest Career Options for the Year 2013 - CareerAlley

Hottest Career Options for the Year 2013 - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. If you are an enthusiastic and eager job seeker who is looking to embark on a new career in this economically unstable situation, and feeling jittery, then you need not worry. We present to you some of the best career options to choose from. These careers are relevant to your education as well as suit your interests. Do not look out for an astrologer or a tarot card reader to help you out in making your career choice. Instead, you can definitely rely and trust us. We are here to suggest you some of the best and hottest career options that you can choose in this year. So, get ready to discover some of the most amazing careers that will continue to be in demand for at least next ten years. Technical jobs will continue to be the most highest paid jobs and their demand will continue to grow till the year 2020. Software developers have great career prospects, especially in this technologically driven world. Software jobs promise a lucrative salary package, though one needs to be constantly updated with the current technological advancements. For example, the lowest salary of a software engineer is close to 55,000, and the maximum remuneration offered can go up to $132,000 depending on the individuals skills and experience. In the recent years, this growth is expected to grow by about thirty percent. No wonder then that the young computer savvy generation is more passionate to make computer careers. It promises them good career growth and satisfies their technological passion and interest as well. The other best options in this field are network security specialist, network administrator, system analyst, database administrator, etc. Medical field is yet another area that has a great potential and offers huge scope for growth as well. Those wishing to make career as dental hygienists will have much greater scope. With the growing awareness and importance about health care, these professionals will continue to be in demand. They basically guide the patients about oral hygiene, dental care and assist in removing dental tartar, taking out x-rays, etc. This field is expected to see the highest growth and provides better career longevity. If you are the person keen on improving the lives of other people, biomedical engineering is definitely a good option. The job opportunities will grow by about sixty two percent in the coming decade. Medical assistants is yet another career option to watch out for. The medical providers rely on these assistants for their daily routine activities. For example, providing basic care to patients, scheduling their appointments, maintaining their financial records, updating their medical d ata, etc. If you have excellent communication skills and like to advise people on making their financial decisions like investment recommendations, deciding their financial goals, then taking up a career option as a personal financial advisor suits you the best. The employment rate for these professionals is expected to grow by about thirty two percent in the coming ten years and assures huge job openings. The other careers that you can choose from are education, tourism support, healthcare, legal careers, etc. All these career options offer great compensation. Make sure that you have all the necessary degrees and stay abreast with the latest training and certifications. Therefore, whether you are a novice struggling to make a career, or an individual striving for a job change, if you want to sky rocket your career, it is essential that you choose the right career option. So, get ready to give a better direction to your career and make sure that you reach greater heights. Best wishes for becoming successful in the career of your choice. Author Bio: Brought up in San Diego, Ellena Reid is a proficient technical writer who also holds state-of-the-art expertise in technical editing. She is acknowledged as a significant contributor of Aroj.com, which renders helpful information on resume and cover letter writing, several career options, etc., assisting the job seekers to find winning paths for successful careers. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Visit me on Facebook

Best Company For Writing Resume - How to Write a Resume That Will Get You Your Dream Job

Best Company For Writing Resume - How to Write a Resume That Will Get You Your Dream JobIf you have a knack for writing, then the best company for writing resume is surely a career site. Resume is the most essential component of the job application process. Many job seekers get confused about which resume format to choose.Today, there are various techniques available that can help the writers write different kinds of resumes. So, if you possess a certain expertise in this field, then it will be an added advantage for you. Let us see some of the more popular resume formats.This is a good composition that contains an important section on education. The writer should include course details like subjects taken, grades earned and so on. The author should also include salary information like average annual earnings and the target salary that they wish to attain. And also include a clear explanation of qualifications.This one is a good composition and a great way to show that you have relev ant work experience. All the points listed in the resume must be well specified and grammatically correct. It must also contain the employer's contact information, academic background as well as references. Check out the author's job history in the field of service or education and write them down for reference.This one has a section of description about certain skills that the candidate possesses. It must be provided from the word go. Try to include specific information like the achievements, leadership capacities and so on.This is an important section that includes skills, education, work experience, education and so on. Try to provide specific information that pertains to the applicant's specialty. This one is much like a 'bible' when it comes to writing resumes.These are the sections that include various experiences and skills that the candidate has obtained. These include industry work experience, technical knowledge and so on. Try to include specifics that relate to the positi on you are applying for. It should also contain information that relates to the individual qualifications.The above mentioned are some of the popular resume formats. But there are many more such as the organization and community writing resume and so on. These are some of the more popular resume writing formats that job hunters may try to consider for their resumes.