From Press Officer to Freelance Journalist Copywriter

From Press Officer to Freelance Journalist Copywriter Success Story > From: Job To: Freelance From Press Officer to Freelance Journalist Copywriter “The 9-5 office culture wasn't for me.” * From Press Officer to Freelance Journalist Copywriter It's been an up and down journey,but Cristina Azorin has got to where she wanted to be. This isher story. What was your role in your old job? I worked as part of a PR team. Our primary collective objective was reputation management. It was a pan-European organisation and so we worked alongside a network of external PR agencies. What is/are your new role(s)? I'm a freelance journalist and copywriter, which means I work autonomously and remotely, on a commission-led basis. Projects vary from regular appointments such as contributing editorial copy to online publications, to ad-hoc commissions such as writing a biography or speech. It's an incredibly diverse and varied occupation by nature. Why did you change? I guess ultimately it came down to three things: wanting to be my own boss, having more control over how I spend my time, and being able to work from home. Although it took me a few years to actually enforce a change, I learnt early on that the 9-5 office culture wasn't for me. It was just a case of figuring out what else I could do.For a long time I didn't even consider freelance work, but then when I started to weigh up the things that were important to me, it all pointed in that direction. Are you happy with the change? I'm happier, yes, but it's by no means an easy ride. Now I don't have the security and the certainty of being handed a pay cheque at the end of every month; it's completely down to me to make my own way. It's a level of responsibility I've never encountered before, and while the move has benefitted me in terms of personal wellbeing, I'm still a long way off from this being a completely sustainable career path. What do you miss and what don't you miss? Definitely the thing I miss the most is the absence of a mentor. It can be difficult working alone sometimes with no one to check things with, bounce ideas off, or help to develop you professionally. I do also miss the comfort that comes with having a monthly pay cheque that you know you'll receive without fail. But these things are balanced by the elements I don't miss about my old life, such as how routine my life was before I made the change, how exhausted I always used to feel, being awoken by an alarm at 7am each morning, and having to pack onto a crowded commuter train to get to the office. There arealways going to be pros and cons to any decision.You can't have everything one way all the time, so you have to prioritise what's important. How did you go about making the change? First I had to resign from my previous role, which I actually did quite instinctively and without giving it a great deal of thought. Sometimes if you stop to think you end up talking yourself out of things, so on this occasion, I just blocked out all the chatter and listened to what my gut was telling me. I started budgeting as soon as I resigned and worked out exactly what I could live on each month. I've so far had no problems sticking to it. People always think that living in London is expensive but actually I find it's quite the opposite. It's amazing how many days can pass and I've barely spent a thing. I'm actually ahead of budget this month. Next, I launched my website to advertise my services so that people could find me. I updated my LinkedIn and Twitter profiles, and from then on it's just been a case of knocking down doors, picking up the phone and seeking out opportunities. It's a slow burn process but these things take time, and every day I feel like I'm achieving something that's moving me in the right direction. What was the most difficult thing about changing? For me, it was having the courage and the resolve to actually go through with it. Making the decision was the hardest part. Once it was done, I just got on with doing what I needed to do. What help did you get? The biggest help I had was in building and launching my website. My partner is a creative director for a graphic design agency, so he had a big part to play in helping me get that off the ground. I've also had such an overwhelming outpouring of support, not just from my partner, but from my family, friends and ex-colleagues, which has been instrumental in keeping me focused and determined. Having people believe in you is a powerful motivator. What have you learnt in the process? One thing I learnt that actually surprised me was how unhappy so many people are in their jobs. When word started to spread about what I was doing, I had so many people confide in me how much they wished they could walk out of their job and pursue something else as well. I've also learnt that there's no such thing as a good or a bad decision. For so long, I stayed stuck in my situation because I was terrified of making a move that would turn out to be a mistake, even though I was already unhappy. I now don't look at things in such a black and white way. You take something away from every experience and every choice you make. I was always so afraid before. I never imagined I'd walk out of a job without having something else lined-up, but given the chance again I'd always make the same decision and I know I won't hesitate to take such risks in the future. What do you wish you'd done differently? I wish I'd had the courage to change sooner, but then if I had done, I might not have learnt some of the things I know today. I honestly do think that all things happen at a set time for a reason, and that if you look hard enough you'll always be able to find the reason and make sense of it. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Be brave. Have a little self belief. Do what's right for you, and don't be influenced by the fears or negativity of other people. Listen to your gut. Find something you love and do it as much as possible. And have a little faith that everything will turn out OK in the end. To find out more about Cristina's services, visit www.crisazorin.com What lessons could you take from Cristina's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Discovering the Top 10 Resume Writing Services on Yelp

Discovering the Top 10 Resume Writing Services on YelpAre you tired of reading through all the resumes that are on your screen? Then you can either hire a team to do the job for you can create your own resume. The latter is recommended, as it's cheaper and saves you time and stress.But if you really want to find the best resume writing services then it would be best if you read some reviews from customers before hiring one. This way you will be able to get a better idea of how long the services have been in business and what kind of people they have in their staff.Yelp has recently changed the way how we view business listings online. Not only can you find out about business owner ratings but you can also browse the experiences of other people who have used their services.A few years ago when Yelp was just a fledgling company they were launched by a couple of friends of one guy named Jim Probasco. They would regularly go out and order take-out food for friends and family members, get their reviews and share them with the world on Yelp.It really does work like this, people will write reviews of any place they eat or drink on Yelp. This is great for potential customers because they will have a chance to see what people think about the service before they decide to make a booking at the establishment.Yelp's advertising system works by allowing you to pay to promote your business on the site, which is a great way of promoting your business's name. Also you'll get extra opportunities to promote your business on the site, like you can put your restaurant's name and address into your own profile and a whole bunch of other items too.A recent study has revealed that Yelp has over 25 million users who are currently using the site. So the chances of getting a reliable and quality service are pretty good.However when it comes to the top ten list, you will need to ensure that you research carefully before selecting one of the top Yelp listings. The reason for this is simple , with all the millions of users worldwide there are bound to be a lot of scammers out there just waiting to take advantage of unsuspecting customers.

9 Easy Ways to Start Eating Healthier

9 Easy Ways to Start Eating Healthier As many of you know, I grew up being overweight.   It wasn’t until after many fad diets, trips to the gym, and diet pills that I finally learned how to effectively lose weight. The secret? It’s what you eat. 80% nutrition and 20% exercise.   You can exercise all you want, but if you still continue to eat unhealthy foods, don’t expect any results. Have you decided that you want to start eating healthier?   If the answer is yes, follow these 9 easy steps to lead you in the right direction! Always eat breakfast. It doesn’t have to be a grand feast! Just as long as you have something in your stomach that will help fuel your day, you’re good.   Studies show that breakfast is very important in maintaining a healthy weight and leads to increased concentration at work (or in the classroom). Examples: Any whole grain cereal with low fat or skim milk (or lactose-free milk, if you’re lactose intolerant like me!) Scrambled eggs (if you’re up for it, make an omelet with ham and peppers!) Whole wheat toast with peanut butter Greek yogurt with granola Oatmeal (not the kind that has a ton of sugar) with fruit like bananas, blueberries, and strawberries. GRILLED or STEAMED, not FRIED.   When you’re making yourself a meal, always opt to grill or steam your meats and veggies instead of frying them.   That’s self explanatory.   This is also helpful when you’re out at a restaurant and want a healthier dishâ€"look for dishes that specifically grill or steam their meats and veggies.   Grilling can be very tasty, too!   And if youve never used a pellet grill, you may want to check out the best budget pellet grills as an option to the traditional gas or charcoal grills. Salsa as a dressing alternative. This one is my personal favorites and one that I practice frequently.   Many people who order salads think that just because it’s a salad, it’s automatically healthy. Wrong!   Replace your salad dressing for salsa instead.   Salsa ingredients include tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper. Talk about fresh! Bring healthy snacks with you to work. I get random pangs of hunger while I’m at work.   My first instinct is to go get a greasy and calorie-laden snack in the vending machine.   Prepare for this by bringing snacks with you to work every day or leave some in your desk.   It’s a money saver, and you’re more likely to eat what you’ve brought with you than to buy something at the office. Examples: Almonds Carrots Celery Whole grain crackers Any fruit (apples are my favorite…they fill me up really fast) Fruit smoothie Yogurt Chug! Chug! Chug! Most of us don’t drink enough water each day.   There’s also this myth that drinking water can make you gain weight because of increased water weight.   In fact, you hold on to a lot of water weight because you don’t drink enough.   Well that doesn’t make sense, Vivian.   To give a better example, here is what your body is saying when you’re not drinking enough water: Hmm, looks like I won’t be getting a lot of water today. I have to hold on to the water I already have so I won’t dehydrate! And this is what your body is saying when you are drinking enough water: Wow, I get a lot of water! Looks like I don’t need to hang on to the excess water I already have.   I will be getting more! Replace sweets with a fruit mix or a smoothie. Got a sweet tooth? Fruit has sugar in it too! Satisfy your sweet tooth with a healthier alternative, like a fruit salad or a fruit smoothie.   It won’t give you that guilty feeling either, like the one you have after you eat a huge piece of cake. Slow down! Hey, where’s the fire?   When I went to France, one thing always captured my attention: the way the French eat.   They eat very slowly, savor each bite and taste of food, and enjoy their meals.   As a result, they don’t each as much food as we do.   Next time, really sit down and enjoy your meal.   Slow down the rate at which you are eatingâ€"you’ll become fuller while eating less food. If you don’t buy it, you won’t eat it! It’s simple as that.   If you don’t buy it, it won’t be tempting you in your pantry, and you won’t eat it. Step away from the sodas.   Sodas do not have any nutritional value to them and neither do diet sodas.   Even though diet sodas have no calories, studies have shown that drinking diet sodas actually cause many people to gain weight.   Why? In a nutshell, diet sodas do not satisfy your body’s craving for actual sugar, so you satisfy that craving by eating/drinking something else with sugar. There you have it folks! Follow these easy steps to a healthier you! Hungry to learn more? You can always take classes to get a Master degree in Nutrition and Wellness. It will help you understand the nature and role of nutriments and the how they work in your metabolism. You will learn about the pathological and psychological impact of obesity through the life cycle as well as treatment to fight it. This program has been developed online to simplify the learning process and help students manage their daily activities while studying. Do you have any tips for healthier eating?

Check Yourself Are Your Recruitment Expectations Totally Unrealistic

Check Yourself Are Your Recruitment Expectations Totally Unrealistic Everyone wants to recruit the best and brightest for their business, but you need to be realistic about how attractive your business is to potential recruits.  If you think youre Apple, but youre actually Argos then youre going to find it very difficult to hire and retain the talent youre hoping for. We worked with a client who was looking to add a senior leader to their team.  They interviewed some really strong candidates who ticked every box of the brief and would have been perfect for the role, but quickly rejected them on the grounds that they weren’t cool enough.  This would have been completely understandable if the company itself was cool, but they really werent.  They were an excellent business with a strong knowledgeable board but nothing about their people, culture or branding was, or would appeal to someone who was cool.  They were completely unrealistic as to what sort of candidate they could attract. We sat down with them and had a very awkward but frank conversation about their image of themselves vs their external image.    We experienced the grieving process; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance.  Once the truth had been accepted, we could put a plan in place to get them to where they wanted to be*.  In their instance it was how to have a trendier image, but one could easily substitute this to wanting to hire more experienced candidates, higher performers, increase your grad intake, retain more of your staff etc. These are some of the questions and points that we challenged the client on: If you interviewed your existing workforce, how many would you take on?  Depending on this answer you may have to make some changes internally so that the business is more aligned to the hires you want to make. What are your future plans (be honest); if it is high growth then you will appeal to ambitious, hungry candidates.  If you are going to stay the same then that profile will very quickly leave the business.  Are you better hiring ‘steady eddies’ (and vice versa)? What does your current basic salary and package attract?  Do you need to increase it?  What budget do you have for this?  Can you afford a recruitment fee on top, or use that fee to add to the base directly?  Would this be a false economy if it takes you away from fee generating? Do you only take on graduates?  Why? Have you considered ex industry professionals? Have you considered allowing people to work from home or part time?  You can attract candidates that may not have considered your company before, or may normally be above your budget, but would be flexible if you offered this. Is there someone internally that is stopping you getting your ideal profile?  If so, how can you manage this? Do you need to change the person that conducts first round interviews?  Is there someone that will sell the business better, or someone that will connect with your desired profile better?  Could the current 1st round interviewer put your desired profile off (too aggressive, too generic, not engaging, not enough gravitas etc) Do you split new business and delivery?  Will this open up a new pool of candidates? Are you based in the right location to attract the people you want? What management/leadership team is in place and is this adequate? Do you need to change it? What training and or/expectations are in place for trainees, consultants, managers, and Directors?  There is no point taking on a junior if there is no one to train them and expect them to bill £400K in first year.  Similarly, do you have unrealistic expectations for a Director hire, and do you offer training for them to plug their skills gap? Understand where the glass ceiling is and plan around this (or move it).  I.e. there no point hiring a principal if there is nowhere for them to go in the business.  They will leave within a couple of years.  Either recruit at a more junior level to enable them to progress, or structure the business differently to enable the principal to progress. If you have a business that is perfectly aligned to the kind of hire you want to make then that’s fantastic, but in my experience even those firms consistently take a frank look at, and reinvent themselves throughout their evolution.    The ideal profile in your first year of growth is likely to be very different to the one you need now (and the type of person your business appeals to would have changed dramatically) and so it’s vital that you recognize this and adapt. *In the case of the company we were working with they moved their office from a basement in the city to one with windows in a vibrant part of the west end, they introduced flexible working and removed one of the leadership team who was holding the business back from becoming who they wanted to be.  The culture didnt change overnight, but they had showed enough intent through these actions that they secured a Sales Director who was cool enough and could see the journey that they were on, and the opportunity this presented.  The Sales Director had an excellent senior level network and has become the main rainmaker for the company which has meant that they can be more open to hiring candidates that focus on delivery if they fit the new company culture, which has increased their potential hire base. About the author: Michael Bowden is Partner at Bowden Mayes â€" a specialist recruitment company focussed on helping recruitment businesses attract senior management and next generation talent. Image credit: Shutterstock

Writing Resume Gifs

Writing Resume GifsWriting resume gifs can be a frustrating task, especially if you have to do it by hand. This is why there are several ways to automate the process so that you can get your resume to the top of your pile without the pain of writing it yourself. The following tips will help you use a resume is to quickly land that job you've been waiting for.First of all, ask the company what types of resumes they receive. They should be able to give you a breakdown of which resumes are short and which are long. Remember, the company needs to process the resumes as quickly as possible, so a long resume might just cost them valuable time. Also, it is wise to not take more than a minute or two to write your resume because this could be all the extra time that is needed to write your resume gif.Once you have the company's recommended amount of time to fill on your resume, you can start to formulate the outline of your resume. Think about the details you need to include in your resume, a nd then brainstorm in order to come up with the best answers. Keep in mind that you don't want to ask yourself the same questions over again, because this would take you much longer to come up with the right answers.Now that you have the outline completed, you should write your resume from the top down. Start with the biggest points, and work your way down the list. If you get bogged down or need help when you are using a resume in, take out a piece of paper and jot down your thoughts before moving on.Start adding in the type of career you have, and the last few pieces of information you should include. You may want to consider including skills and certifications, past experience, and employment history, if applicable. You may also want to include a letter of interest and how much you're looking for the position. When you're ready to begin writing your resume, make sure you have all of the needed information at hand. Start with the headings and then go down through the resume in a l ogical order. Write your resume gif down first, then turn to the next section, so that you don't forget the information. Never be afraid to add in your self-introduction so that your resume is effective.Remember, a resume is a living document, so don't make the mistake of trying to cram everything down before it has a chance to air. Use each section in your resume gif in the same manner, and then throw out sections that have nothing to do with your job description. Save the sections that are relevant for your future employer so that they have an idea of where to look for the relevant information.Don't forget to give your resume a title, so that your resume gif flows nicely. Give it a catchy title and you will find that you will be able to reach people who are most likely to use your resume to determine if you're the right person for the job. All in all, writing resume life should be a breeze, and you should be ready to submit your resume as soon as you are done with it.

Attend A Job Fair Successfully With These 6 Most Important Tips - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Attend A Job Fair Successfully With These 6 Most Important Tips In the competitive job world of today, it has become almost impossible to find a job in a company that you like or even find a decent job anywhere at all. No matter how educated a person is, he still finds it difficult to make his ends meet by acquiring a job right after graduation. But, job fairs seems to be just the right platform for students or fresh graduates to avail a wonderful opportunity of meeting several recruiters under one roof. Since meeting with the recruiters is a critical part of the job search process, career fairs offer job seekers a wonderful and a unique opportunity to make successful connections that seem impossible when submitting a resume. Below you will learn some useful tips that will help you get the most out of career or job fairs and to increase your chances of landing a great job: Pay Special Attention To Your Appearance What you wear is really important when going at job fairs,as they include fairly large number of people giving you a wonderful chance to stand out by your well-chosen wardrobe. Not dressing up professionally simply leads you to a hurdle that is tough to overcome. Do not give anybody a chance to complain about your wrinkled tie, inappropriate jewellery or un-ironed shirt. Arrive Early At The Fair Since the recruiters are fresh when the job fair starts, it is the best choice to reach early to attract the most attention. You should be ready to fill out applications for the employers and prepare to answer some short interview questions on the spot. You might also find the recruiters in a pleasant mood in early hours, as they would feel tired and exhausted meeting so many candidates by the end hours of the job fair. Complete Your Homework Before The Job Fair Mostly, the information regarding having a booth at a job fair by several companies is made available to the participants with whom you are required to pre-register. Visit those recruiters first who are hiring people with your skill sets and always have several copies of your resume available. Always bring a pen or a highlighter to mark the places you need to visit first. Mark off the companies that you speak to so that you can remember to follow up after the event. Answer Questions About Yourself The majority of the recruiters start the conversation by asking about you. Always be prepared to state a brief statement about yourself and why you are interested in the specific organization; they would never like you stumbling around on this. Since you do not have enough time to make an impression, therefore, be concise. Learn As Much As You Can About The Company Always invest good amount of time to learn about the company and the opportunities it offers in advance. You will come across to the employer in a much better way if you know the types of positions they are looking to hire for. Simply search online, and review the list of the companies attending the job fair. You can even select only the top ten or top five companies if you do not have enough time to search every company. Follow-Up With The Recruiters Soon after you meet the recruiters, make sure you follow up with them. Asking for the business cards and later sending thank you emails is a great way to attract the recruiters. Job fairs are an excellent way to discover new companies and getting proper career advice. They even play an important role in building candidate’s confidence. It is no less than an adventure and surely a great way to maximize your involvement in career related events. Author Bio: Alisha is a consultant and a professional assignment writer. She also helps students who have passed their college in choosing the right field to start a good career after graduation. You can contact her on Facebook.

Question What makes you happy at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Question What makes you happy at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Id really like to know what makes you happy at work? What does it take? What do you do? What is it that makes your workday better? Please write a comment to this post. Im looking for inspiration for the Happy At Work Book which, incidentally, will be finished soon. Ill write the last chapter this week or next week at the latest and I only started writing it a month ago. Sometimes I scare myself :o) 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