All posts in Jobs & Money

Build an awesome resume online with ResumeBaking

by Chris M on August 30, 2011 in Equipment, Jobs & Money with 3 Comments

It’s been a long time since I wrote a resume (CV) and I must be honest, I don’t plan on ever writing one again, I’m too much of a “proof is in the pudding” evangelist. Nevertheless, there are people who need to write resume’s, and being able to write awesome ones is key.

ResumeBaking is a great website, a website which will assist you with creating a resume. The idea behind the application is to assist you in creating a creative resume which won’t just join the piles of resumes on someone’s desk at the back of the HR department, but rather on the CEOs desk right where he can see it.

As you can imagine, the application takes you through a series of questions, gathering all your information so it can build the resume. What’s awesome about the application is that you can download the resume in PDF, DOC, TXT, but you’re also provided with a unique link to an online version, so that people can view it online. Another cool feature is that Facebook and Twitter share buttons are linked to the resume, so people could even share your resume with someone else.

Here are two screenshots:

online-resume
builder

The best part.. the application is free, so you can head on over and give it a try right away, who knows, this might lead you to your next job!

Trapped in your Career?

by Yusuf Mahomedy on August 4, 2011 in Jobs & Money with 2 Comments

The pressing challenges of employment, skills development and the youth are well known. What may not be well recognised, are the generation of professionals that are living out their days in a different career.

These professionals are stuck in careers, other than what they formally studied and trained for. After graduating without securing employment in their field of work, they eventually settled for a position, far removed from their desired career.

While they get a paycheck and experience, they are locked into a different career, with no easy escape. To land a position in your desired career, I suggest that you consider the following:

• Build your professional network and invest in the relationship
• Accept a lower paying position in the short term (yes, it is painful)
• Volunteer after hours, weekends and during holidays
• Revamp your CV, place emphasis on transferable skills and competencies

Are you trapped in your career?

GoDaddy about to be sold!

by Chris M on June 25, 2011 in Internet, Jobs & Money with 3 Comments

Sheesh, now this comes as a surprise despite news last year about GoDaddy looking to sell. I never thought it would actually happen to be honest, they’re the biggest domain registrar in the world, why sell out? Anyway, that’s a debate for another day perhaps.

KKR & Co., Silver Lake Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures are 3 private equity businesses that are said to be interested in buying GoDaddy, and as early as next week!

Reports state that the amount in question is around the $2 BILLION mark! There’s more news on The Wall Street Journal if you’re interested.

FourSquare raises $50 million in funding

by Chris M on June 25, 2011 in Jobs & Money, Networking with No comments

Today, FourSquare announced that they’ve received another $50 million in funding, this followed shortly after their announcement about having 10 million members.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise – See, a lot of these Internet startups don’t have revenue models mapped out entirely. We’ve seen it with Twitter and Facebook, both social networks are incredible, both are innovative and both have millions of users, but the costs involved in keeping them running far exceeds the revenue being generated and therefore VC is required on an on going basis.

It wouldn’t surprise me if FourSquare now worked really hard on a revenue model, something to do with brands or businesses, something to do with mobile payments, it’ll have to be something like that and with mobile payments getting more popular, it would be a perfect time to slot it in. On top of that, businesses are looking for more and more ways to grow in social media, so it ties in perfectly.

What do you think they’ll work on next?

Ten Reasons NOT to start your own business

by Yusuf Mahomedy on June 13, 2011 in Business, Jobs & Money with 7 Comments

A follow up to an earlier post, Ten Reasons to start your own business. A reader commented that I made great points, but they were not a fan of the positive stuff.  Well that was not the intention, to set the record straight, here is the other side for you NOT to start your own business

  1. You don’t have a thick skin for the disappointments ahead.
  2. You are scared to fail. Several times and still start over.
  3. You expect to be the next millionaire overnight.
  4. You suffer from lazititus, allergic reaction to hard work
  5. You flee from risk. You want a guarantee that the business will work
  6. You hate change. You are slow to change. You want others to change
  7. You are starting a business, solely for the money
  8. You worry about what others think about you, your ideas and projects.
  9. You are not passionate about investing in yourself and others
  10. You don’t want to downgrade your lifestyle to build a business

Medical Aid Contributions

by Yusuf Mahomedy on June 6, 2011 in Jobs & Money with No comments

In many companies, when you accept their offer, you are compelled, as a condition of employment to join their designated medical aid scheme.

In the good old days, it was better for the employer to provide this benefit than the employee to make their own arrangements. The employer negotiated preferential rates with the medical aid scheme for the benefit of their workforce. The employer was liable and made the contribution on behalf to the employee.

Does this hold valid in 2011?

As an employee you are entitled to the same tax deduction, whether the medical aid contribution is paid by your employer to a designated medical aid scheme or directly by you to an external scheme.  Employers rarely offer their employees a choice of medical aid schemes, sometimes you are stuck with one scheme that does not deliver value for your pocket.

Of course I could be wrong.

What do you think?

 

Where did your Life go?

by Yusuf Mahomedy on May 31, 2011 in Jobs & Money with No comments

One day you are going to wake up and wonder “Where did your life go?”  It seemed like yesterday that you were in grade 12, celebrating your 21st, getting that first job….fast forward and how has your life turned out? What happened to those dreams?  For most people, their dreams have long been discarded and they have settled for a life of convenience over fulfilment.  What about those talents that your teachers used to praise? Those talents that could have opened the door to greatest, were closed in favour of being an “average, meets expectations” employee.

While your career may not be a priority, the quality of your life is invariably influenced by the trajectory of your career. We often underestimate the extent to which our careers contribute to our financial standing, mental and physical wellness and relationships.

Today is one day. You can still change the journey ahead.

 

I love LinkedIn’s up selling

by Chris M on May 26, 2011 in Business, Jobs & Money, Networking with No comments

I’ve been spending more time on LinkedIn recently, it’s a great business networking and skills searching tools, and is far more useful than Facebook will ever be in that sense.

One thing I’ve started using recently is the feature which allows you to see who’s viewed your profile. It’s nothing new and it’s easy to setup (simply go to your settings and look for the “Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile” setting. If you allow others to see when you’ve been on their profile, you’ll be able to see who’s been on yours.

Another really awesome feature is the ability to see just how active your profile has been, this can be done from the right hand column on the website. It shows you how many people have viewed your profile in the last 3 days as well as how many times your name has popped up in searches, here’s an example of mine:

There is also the ability to see graphical representation of when people have been visiting your profile as well as when people have been finding you in search results. Here’s an example:

Anyway, I’ve gone way off topic, what I wanted to point out is the way that LinkedIn market their paid for services (Personal Plus, Business & Business Plus). Whilst you click around the site, the sidebar changes, but there’s one specific sidebar which shows the scenario below and I think it’s one of the best up-sale strategies I’ve ever seen. It’s not completely unique, but the way they’ve grayed it out, but put the strong call to attention right there as well as really resented you with darn right useful information you could unlock if you just paid a small fee every month:

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Anyway, that impressed me and LinkedIn was on the mind, so this post grew ;)

You can catch me on LinkedIn by clicking here.

Tax Deductions for Salaried Employees

by Yusuf Mahomedy on May 23, 2011 in Jobs & Money with 7 Comments

These days, the fiscus has trapped salaried employees in a golden cage, without much room to reduce their tax liability.

However salaried employees are entitled to a tax deduction in respect of

  • Bad debts allowance
  • Medical and disability expenses
  • Retirement fund contributions
  • Travel expenditure against travel allowance
  • Wear and Tear
  • Home office expenses
  • Legal expenses
  • Donations

But before you run to deduct the above items in your tax return, you have to satisfy various criteria and be wary of the limitations on the quantum of the deduction. With tax filing season not far off, I suggest that you organise your tax affairs and get professional assistance, where required.

Linkedin and Your Career

by Yusuf Mahomedy on May 16, 2011 in Jobs & Money with 2 Comments

Linkedin is one of the biggest online business networks for enhancing your personal brand, building your career & marketing your business. When I last checked, there were over 1 million South Africans on Linkedin.

Here are 7 quick ways to use Linkedin, for free to accelerate your career:

  • Prepare a rich online resume (profile) of your qualifications, skills, experience and accomplishments. Don’t forget to update your profile when changes occur.
  • Connect with executives, decision makers and specialists, in companies that you are targeting for your next job…before you apply. I suggest that you build the relationship with them instead of bombarding their inbox with requests for job opportunities.
  • Connect with HR, recruitment agents & talent scouts in your industry.
  • Find targeted permanent, temp and contract positions by joining Linkedin professional, industry and subject matter groups.
  • Get recommendations for your work from your boss, co-workers, customers and external parties. Don’t underestimate the power of social proof, what others say about you and your work, can push your job application ahead of the crowd.
  • Use Linkedin to dig up valuable information about employers: markets, workforce size, who is moving up or out of their company, job titles, positions and more.
  • Demonstrate your expertise by raising questions, providing solutions and insights to others in your field of work.

To expand your network, connect with me on Linkedin here.

Have you used Linkedin to land a job?

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