To begin with, I am going to give you this very useful FMCGbrochure which has employer profiles of the major players in the industry, links to their career websites and information about their selection process. So anyone who is still applying to companies in this sector either for graduate employment or an industry placement will find this extremely useful.

One of the best things about it is that it has the names of the heads of graduate and student recruitment (it’s a real pain in the ass when you are writing a cover letter and have no idea what’s the name of the person it should be addressed to). I have the names of some other graduate employment managers in companies in other sectors, which I will be posting at a later stage. If there’s a particular contact you are looking for, please give me a shout and I will see what I can do.

Enjoy!

More workers are reacting to the dismal economy by going back for a masters degree in business administration.  Many pursuing that option hope job prospects improve over the next couple of years.  For some, an MBA program is a much better place to sit out the recession than the unemployment line, if nothing else.

Unfortunately MBA programs today do not favor such an option. Even top programs, such as the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, show a drastic drop in recruitment– all across the employment spectrum and financial consulting, where the best and the brightest graduates tend to migrate.

At Wharton, one student who went through the recruiting process last fall, is quoted as saying: “It was an absolute bloodbath. …There are no employers coming — no one knows what to do.” Making things worse, many people in graduating classes are left to secure, full-time jobs and earn an MBA.  Many took on huge debt to finance the two-year program. If read by numbers, MBA programs look like another world compared to last year.

At 77 top business schools, 56 percent said on campus, full-time recruiting was down more than 10 percent in winter.  Only 12 percent estimated that recruiting was down.  46 percent of career services officials said full-time postings were down more than 10 percent versus earlier numbers of 19 percent. 62 percent predicted internships, outside investment banking, will be down 31 percent in comparison to prior numbers. About 50 percent of career offices Sadi job postings were down more than 10 percent in comparison to the prior year of 2o percent.

Internships are also down significantly.  This is important because it is generally believed that internships are the most reliable measure of number of job offers future graduates will receive.  On average, about half of students receive full-time offers after working as interns.  62 percent of schools reporting internships to decrease for first-year students seeking positions outside of banking.  For financial jobs, 50 percent expect a decrease.

Job prospects for international students fare even worse.  the economic outlook for traditionally high growth countries such as India, with its historically close ties to American reasearch universities and the recipient of  U.S. investment in high-tech businesses such as IBM, is faltering, along with the rest of the global economy.  One bright spot in the domestic economy is that many companies already have downsized staff  in antisipation of a slow down.  Many now find they are short-staffed and are overworking existing employees. 

This could have positive repercussions in certain areas of financial services, such as compliance and accounting.  Lower paying sector, such as healthcare, not-for-profits, and government, are showing a slight improvement.  In the meantime, I counsel my clients to stay focused on fundamentals–math and quantitive subjects–no matter what the college major.  High school students should plan accordingly.

There were two really positive articles today in the Independent and Mirror both drawing attention to the fact that companies are beginning to recruit more people onto their graduate schemes.

The title of the article in the Independent announces Graduate Job Market Bounces Back the article mentions that there has been a 7% rise in graduate jobs, however it is still early days; green root as opposed to green shoots.

The article in the mirror is entitled: Jobs! There are still great jobs up for grabs the article discusses how top employers have already started to accept applications for students wishing to start a graduate scheme in 2010. It encourages students to apply early to ensure they don’t miss the deadline. It also provides some useful job application and interview tips.

This is promising news for everyone and not just recent graduates. It implies that organisations are thinking about the long term future of their company and furthermore starting to invest in it. It’s great news that businesses are planning beyond the recession and still recruiting.

Lets hope these “green roots” start to turn into shoots soon!

Today I was asked by a young entrepreneur whether I regret taking on a role in a small entrepreneurial business.  This young entrepreneur wants to know whether he should take on a role with a start-up and these are the questions I asked him. If you are tossing up between a conventional grad program versus a start-up leadership role, ask yourself:

• Is the business idea really viable?
• Is the business treading new ground or is the concept proven (even though innovation seems more diserable, proven concepts are much more successful)?
• How fierce is the competition in the industry and can you avoid a price war by differentiating on more than just price?
• Do you want a big name company behind you or is that insignificant?
• Do you want to specialise in one small area of business or do you want broader but less specialised business experience?
• Can you survive pay cuts and potential redundancy without much notice?
• Do you have a contingency plan if the company goes bankrupt?
• Will your reputation be severely harmed if this business fails?
• Is the team the kind of people who always want to win, never procrastinate and are fun to work with?
• Are you running the business for ego, to make money or because you love business? (guess which motivating force is most successful)

It is our job as entrepreneurs who are raising private money to learn how to direct energy, other people’s energy, into vehicles that produce more income for us and for them. It is all about managing the energy. You have a choice when it comes to raising private money for real estate: you can put your energy and time into a deal or you can put in your money into a deal. The goal is to put in your energy with someone else’s money. But how do you do that if you are paralyzed by fear?

The number one fear of real estate entrepreneurs is that they can not do a multifamily deal because they do not have any cash or credit. The other fear is that they are going to run out of money or not have enough money to close the deals. No matter where you look, it always comes back to money. You have to remove that fear.

In order to remove that fear, you need to empower yourself with terminology that has powerful connotations. Begin by referring to yourself as a real estate entrepreneur instead of a real estate investor. An investor is someone that brings money to the deal.

If being an investor means you have money and you really do not, then subconsciously your mind says “Who are you kidding, you’re not a real estate investor! You don’t have any money and you don’t know what you are doing.” That little voice strips you of your self-confidence and you are already out of the game. It is a natural defense mechanism because you are out of your comfort zone.

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, bring deals to the money. They use other people’s time, talent and resources to achieve their vision. You are the dealmaker. If you declare yourself an entrepreneur from the outset, everybody understands your role; there is no confusion. You are not expected to have any money. You are expected to bring all of the pieces together and make the deal happen.

If you remember that mindset is one of the most powerful tools you have, then you will be able to overcome your fears and insecurities. The words that we use to describe and portray ourselves are very powerful and can either lift us up or limit us. In the world of multifamily investing, the words you choose can make or break the deal.

graduate career advice

Salary Advice

Lance Edwards is living proof of his mantra that you don’t have to “graduate” from single family to multifamily – you can start with multifamily; using none of your own money and not dealing with tenants and toilets. For FREE information, visit http://www.ApartmentWealthMachine.com.

graduate career advice: Career Guide

graduate career advice: Career Advice

Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com

You do not have to spend a gold mine on your marketing strategies for finding investors for your multifamily deals. In fact, there are some very effective ways to market your multifamily deals and not spend a dime doing it. There are four very effective and, better yet, free means of marketing your multifamily deals. These methods employ the use of referrals, charity organizations, networking and keeping an eye on your competition.

The most effective marketing strategy you have available to you is your referrals. This strategy that is used throughout the business world is also applicable to what you are doing. Referrals are absolutely fabulous at bringing in new investors.

Why are referrals so effective? Simple. People trust information that is given to them by their friends and colleagues. When you are shopping around for a physician, dentist or mechanic what do you do?

You ask around. Some people may rely on the Yellow Pages but the majority of people want to hear it from people they trust that a certain person or business is reputable. This is why it so important for you to begin building your reputation and for you to work with reputable contractors as well.

Your reputation precedes you and when people are pleased with you and the work you do, word will spread like wildfire. Never underestimate the power of referrals and never dismiss the importance of a stellar reputation to help you build your references.

Another free marketing opportunity for your multifamily deals is helping out at a charity fundraiser. If you sit on the board of any charitable organizations, you have a great pool of potential investors at your fingertips. You are able to get in touch with people that have money and money that they are looking to invest.

Good old-fashioned networking is another free marketing method. Network with fellow members at clubs you belong to. Reach out to those people that are in your focus groups. Take the opportunity when you are at work and hanging out with colleagues at the water cooler to let them know about your multifamily property deal and see if they are interested or if they might know someone who would be interested.

Another method of free marketing that is sometimes overlooked, is spying on your competition. Find out where they are getting their money and how they are funding their deals. Use your network to do this.

All of the strategies mentioned above are effective and cost you nothing. Take advantage of these strategies and put them to work for you. You will be pleased with the results and at the money you save.

graduate career advice

Employment Advice

Lance Edwards is living proof of his mantra that you don’t have to “graduate” from single family to multifamily – you can start with multifamily; using none of your own money and not dealing with tenants and toilets. For FREE information, visit http://www.ApartmentWealthMachine.com.

graduate career advice: Salary Advice

graduate career advice: Employment Advice

Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com

You have created your multifamily property investment product to sell. But if you cannot market your product effectively, you will not have any sales and, in this case, you will not raise any private money.

In order to market your product successfully, you must first recognize that your private investors are only interested in themselves. This is where the “What’s In It For Me” technique comes into play.

What’s In It For Me

This technique goes by the idea that there are two things involved in marketing any product. Those two things are features and benefits.

Features: These are the things that make the benefits true. They allow you to produce the benefits. The features contribute to the benefits.

Benefits: The benefits are in the Four-Part Formula and include control, low risk and high return.

For example, let us look at the benefit of Control. One of the features of control is having a recorded first lien. Another feature is a controlled release of monies. Yet another one is the ability to intercede. These are all features of control and that is what the investor is interested in. Telling them how you are going to give them control helps convince them that they actually will have control. The way you promote control is by demonstrating it through its features.

The benefit of Low Risk is the fact that your multifamily deal is secured by real estate. The feature you offer to your investor is the experience of your team. This contributes to the feeling of low risk. You can further this security by bringing in extra collateral of a blanket mortgage.

To demonstrate the benefit of High Return, you will need to show your investor that the return they will receive from the deal is higher than what they indicate to be a good return on their Profile Sheet. Find that benchmark of what they consider to be a good return and then either match it or beat it.

You need to start with the reason why they need the money. The more you can speak to the potential investor’s reason why, the more money you can raise and the less return you have to pay. Once you determine their reason why and then explain to them how you will enable them to meet their reason why, you can then explain all of the benefits to them.

Only after you address the benefits of control, low risk, and high return do you then present the features to prove how you are going to deliver those benefits. So your process is simple: start with the reason why, discuss benefits and then the features.

You need to be sure that you do not spend the bulk of your time promoting features and neglecting the promotion of the benefits. Just remember to always have the investor’s perspective of “What’s in it for me” at the forefront of your thoughts and you will be able to address their questions and concerns and successfully market your product.

graduate career advice

Graduate Vacancy

Lance Edwards is living proof of his mantra that you don’t have to “graduate” from single family to multifamily – you can start with multifamily; using none of your own money and not dealing with tenants and toilets. For FREE information, visit http://www.ApartmentWealthMachine.com.

graduate career advice: Medical Transcription Jobs

graduate career advice: Career Planning

Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com

According to research released today, teenagers are, unsurprisingly, spending more and more time in front of the computer.

The research, published by Childwise, found that a third had their own blog and over two thirds a profile on a social networking site.

So what does this trend potentially mean for the future of UK online business media? What are the opportunities?

Business catch up

Industry niche B2B sites must modernise their online presence or they’ll struggle to attract new staff and readers. To us, business media is such a dynamic and exciting area which serves such an important function. Yet, given the size of the industry, the online presence of many business media sites is still playing catch up.

Making UK online business media sexy

The first port of call for any future graduate or teenager researching careers or work experience is to uncover industry titles relevant to them or, more often that not, simply to “Google it” . Online UK business media must catch up with these social trends by:

1. adopting developments in social media quickly to attract the next generation and cream of new talent
2. raising its profile at UK universities, career fairs and the world wide web (WWW) generally
3. supporting the Digital Britain Report and promoting the best young UK talent in UK business media – creative, sales, production or technical

Opportunities

There’s such an exciting opportunity right now to raise the profile of UK business media and make it more appealing to the best emerging new talent. It is a reason why we launched this:  to start building the profile of UK online business media.

This year we hope to begin profiling the latest talent in UK online business media and we’re accepting recommendations and case studies. Feel free to post below and one of the team will be in touch!

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• Why Is Your Business Ignoring Social Media?

It’s quite the norm these days to have graduated from either an old or new university. Many, including myself graduate with little or no relevant industry experience.

The age-old catch-22 of not being able to get a job requiring experience when no job takes an individual on to get that experience.

Even the most basic of I.T. roles requires experience. I don’t understand why even “first line support” requires experience of Active Directory when surely to the right candidate this can all be learnt within 10 days or less.

My only hope is that future job adverts can provide more leeway and less rigidity in what they want from a potential candidate.