Does Careers Guidance at Schools Matter?

Posted on March 20, 2013 by b4iapply

Korina Karampela talks to Johnny Rich- the Managing Director of Push and leading expert on higher education and careers- about the importance of careers guidance at schools.

  • There is a lot of information available online about university choices and possible career paths that prospective students can easily access. Is this enough?

In terms of information, there is plenty. We could do with more data, more information, but without helping people understand it, information is just noise. What we need is more advice and guidance. 

Advice is when you put those facts into a context, such as, “The average national drop-out rate is about 17%. The students who drop-out may end up with no degree and significant debts”.

And guidance is when the advice is applied to the individual, such as listening to someone’s concerns about whether they’ll be able to stick out at university and talking to them about the broader context concerning dropping out. And this really matters.

  • If you were able to make one change to improve the quality of careers guidance offered at schools, what would it be?

    Careers Guidance at Schools

    Johnny Rich talks about the importance of careers guidance at schools

More funding, of course! But maybe ‘more funding’ is not a helpful answer to your question. In that case, I would say that careers guidance needs to be more about helping people make a life and not just a living.

It is miserable to think that people spend their entire working lives wishing for the two days a week and the three weeks a year when they don’t work.

With inspirational guidance – which may be little more than the right few words at the right time – a career can be about fulfilling your potential, contributing to the society, gaining reward and recognition for how you spend the every minute of your day.

Doesn’t that sound like fun? And if a rewarding career is fun, why isn’t that always reflected by careers advice and guidance?

Careers advice has a reputation for being dull, for waking people up to harsh realities. It should be the opposite: careers advice should be about raising aspirations and showing the path to achieve them. Sure, you need realistic expectations along the way, but it should not be about putting up barriers.

  • What is the most common misconception that young people have about higher education?

A key misconception is that they don’t understand the diversity on offer. Every student is different and they should embrace their differences when looking for a university that suits them. University league tables are an insidious distraction that end up creating the impression that one-size-fits-all when it comes to student life, and if you haven’t made the grades in terms of their notion of ‘best’, then you are a second-class citizen.

Perhaps it’s also worth mentioning that students often have the misconception about what university can do for them. It is not a magic conveyor belt that spits you out as a fully employable graduate. Higher education is a process in which you must engage and milk it dry of all it has to offer. It’s something you do, not something that happens to you.

  • What are the 3 ‘Dos’ and 3 ‘Don’ts’ young people who aspire going to university need to be aware of?

The Do’s are:

  1. Do choose the university and the course that suits you as an individual.
  2. Do your research to work out which that is. Obviously, you can check out Push, BestCourse4Me, Which? University, Bright Knowledge and loads of other great resources out there. But better than those is to visit universities for yourself.
  3. Do plunge yourself into what student life has to offer whether that’s the academic adventure, the CV-pumping extra curricular activities or the horizon-broadening social life.

The 3 Don’ts are:

  1. Don’t feel you have to go, if it’s not right for you right now.
  2. Don’t live anyone else’s life. It’s your choice.
  3. Don’t be put off by the issue of debt. Yes, it’s bad. But it’s endurable and, if you make the right choices, for most people the rewards outweigh the downsides.

The bottom line: There are many career options available out there. It comes down to good advice and guidance – and research on the part of individual. But it also comes down to living your own life.

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, consultant and speaker. She has worked in senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry for 12 years and has an MBA from MIT Sloan. Her b4iapply blog is recommended by The Guardian for professional development.

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The Power of Resilience

Posted on March 6, 2013 by b4iapply

Everybody’s career has ups and downs. Not everybody though deals with adversity the same way. Some manage to bounce back from disappointments, they re-frame the experience to get the benefits and learnings it brought and they move on. Whereas, others are caught in a downward spiral.

Resilient people are confident, adaptable and resourceful. They have a high level of self-esteem, they are problem-solvers and they have a deep faith that they will prevail in the end.

Resilience though should not be confused with optimism. This is the learning from reading what Jim Collins described in his book Good to Great (worth reading book) as the Stockdale Paradox.

The power of resilience

“Those who didn’t make it were the optimists” said Admiral Stockdale

Admiral Jim Stockdale was the highest-ranking US military officer who was captured as prisoner-of-war during the Vietnam War. He remained imprisoned for eight years and was tortured many times during the period. After his release, he said that he never doubted that he would prevail in the end and that he would turn this experience into a defining event of his life.

When asked who didn’t make it, “The optimists” he said. They were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then, they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”

Most of us will never face the adversity Admiral Stockdale had to go through. Nevertheless,  we will all experience many challenges in both our personal and professional life. What really matters is how we deal with them.

The ability to bounce back is key to success. It is not only about tenacity but it also about adaptability.

We are trained to have plans (business plans, career plans, etc) with key milestones and associated timelines and make them happen. When we don’t meet the timelines, we get disappointed, self-doubt kicks in and we start questioning whether it is worth going on.

We need to be prepared that goals may not be achieved as fast as we wished or not in the exact way we had planned. To be able to bounce we need to believe in our end goal and at the same time face reality and adapt accordingly.

The bottom line: As Stockdale said, “we need to have faith that we will prevail in the end with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of our current reality”.

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, consultant and speaker. She has worked in senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry for 12 years and has an MBA from MIT Sloan. Her b4iapply blog is recommended by The Guardian.

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Why Leave a Job with Grace

Posted on February 18, 2013 by b4iapply

Meet Mary – the marketing manager. She has been working with the company for three years. She recently found out that her position would be eliminated. She was offered a package. Mary was lucky enough to find a job at another company fast. She spent her last day at work sending out emails to everybody she knew (even the president of the company) saying  she wasn’t treated fairly and the company was not worth it.

There is no doubt that people who are made redundant (either due to restructuring or poor performance) feel let down, angry and vulnerable. They try to make sense of it all in their mind; what went wrong, why them, what they could have done differently. Emotions are running high.

Nevertheless, playing the ‘blaming’ game won’t help you in the long-term even if you feel that they deserve to hear your views.

Leaving with grace is a much more preferred option. The world is really small. You will probably end up working again with some of your ex-colleagues. So, it is important to protect ‘your brand’ that you have worked quite hard to build over the years.

If you are in Mary’s situation, here are three top tips:

  1. Work hard until the last minute. Finish up the projects you have been working and give a proper hand-over. People will remember your professionalism.
  2. Frame things in a positive way. Don’t badmouth your boss or any of your co-workers even if you feel mistreated. Remember that whatever you put in writing, it stays in your record. Be careful of what you say and what you write.
  3. Thank your colleagues and keep their contact details. Your social network will be a significant resource for you in the future. Make sure you leave in good terms. Keep in touch with your co-workers (LinkedIn has made this easy).

In parallel, make sure you negotiate the terms of your separation. Some areas to consider:

  • Ask of a severance package (first check what the company’s and the market’s practice has been). In some cases, you may have to seek legal advice.

    When to leave a job with grace

    Never burn bridges!

  • Ask for help finding a job. Some employers may be able to put you in touch with ‘outplacement services’ and also pay the bill.
  • Ask for references. If you don’t feel comfortable to get one from your manager, ask a colleague with whom you have worked well in the past.

Similar principles apply if you voluntarily quit your job. Even if you end up with a much better one, be humble. You never know how things will evolve in the future.

The bottom line: When you leave a job, do it with grace so it doesn’t come back to haunt you. As they say, never burn bridges.

If you have more advice to give on these situations, feel free to share.

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, consultant and speaker. She has worked in senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry for 12 years and has an MBA from MIT Sloan. Her b4iapply blog is recommended by The Guardian.

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How to Unlock Women’s Potential as Leaders

Posted on February 6, 2013 by b4iapply

Korina Karampela talks to the CEO and Founder of Aspire Dr Samantha Collins about women as leaders.

  • How can we unlock women’s potential as business people?

It is up to us as women to unlock our own potential. We can do this by taking the time to figure out what we really want (as opposed to what we should do), overcome the common fears surrounding our aspirations and work through how we will do it and what  support we will need, instead of justifying, blaming or complaining about how it is too hard, it won’t happen, it’s not possible. The very word ‘impossible’ says we can do anything ‘I’ m – possible’.

  • What is the most common misconception about women in leadership positions? 

There is a new generation of women whose definition of success encompasses in all three dimensions that matter to them – work AND home AND giving something back. 

A lot is written about what can be done to get women to the top. Yet, one fundamental factor is NOT being addressed; what women want to achieve. Do women actually want to be at the most senior levels of their organizations? The majority of women (61.6% of them) simply do NOT want to be on a board or don’t know if they want to be on a board of an organization.

  • Tell me what the purpose of Aspire Foundation is.

The Aspire Foundation has the goal to positively impact the lives of 1 million women and girls by 2015.We provide 6 month pro-bono mentoring programs that match women who work in charities, nonprofits, social enterprises and entrepreneurial ventures with senior women mentors in the small business and corporate world.  

“87% of business women believe it is important or very important that their corporation in some way gives back to the community and the wider world.” (Aspire Survey 2011, ‘A New Generation of Women Leaders’). The Aspire Foundation provides a practical way for women in business to give back, learn and grow, and be part of a global network of women in leadership.

  • What are the 3 ‘Dos’ and 3 ‘Don’ts’ that women who aspire to be leaders need to be aware of?

    The CEO and Founder of Aspire talks about women as leaders

The Do’s are:

  1. Do have a big dream and vision of success.
  2. Do expect obstacles and opposition. Learn to overcome them.
  3. Do connect with like minded people who will support and challenge you to do and be more.

The Don’ts are:

  1. Don’t try to change your innate styles and strengths. It will come off fake and make you unhappy.
  2. Don’t get bogged down with ‘to do’ lists and working all the time because you’ll lose the big picture and end up ineffective.
  3. Don’t procrastinate on life. If you want family, friends, community, make it part of your career now!

The bottom line: It is up to you to unlock your potential. Define what you want to achieve (both professional and personal), overcome what holds you back and go for it. Be authentic to your leadership style and your values along the way.

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, coach and speaker. She has worked as senior pharmaceutical executive for 12 years and has an MBA from MIT Sloan. Her blog b4iapply is recommended by The Guardian for professional development.

 

Posted in Career Advice, Interviews, Personal development, Professional development | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Small Words With Big Impact

Posted on January 22, 2013 by b4iapply

Language is powerful. Just as any tool, it can work to our advantage, or it can have negative effects. We frequently use some small words without realizing the big impact they have (not always the desired one though) on other people’s behavior. 

We can express our thoughts in a more positive way by making some minor changes in the language we use. When you will start using the words below, you will notice that people are willing to listen to your feedback, they feel more confident and performance improves.

These words are:

  • Do (vs. don’t). Do you remember how many times you have been told as a kid NOT to do things? e.g. Don’t touch this. What did we do? We touched it. Similar habits apply in business. Most people prefer to phrase things in a negative and not specific way. Be different. Communicate what you want people to do. e.g. Say ‘I’d like you to be here 5 min before the meeting starts’ instead of ‘Don’t be late.’
  • And (vs. but). When we are given feedback, we are all waiting for the BUT. We don’t pay much attention to what is said before.We are trained to focus on the negatives. Remember this when you give feedback to people. You will have better results when you use the word AND instead.
  • When (vs. if). Imagine you say to your team: “If you manage to increase the sales by an additional 5% this month, I will treat you to a nice dinner.” Although it is a SMART objective, the word ‘if’ implies that the event might happen but you don’t really believe it. Let’s assume that you use the word when instead. The meaning of the sentence changes; You now communicate to your team that you believe it will happen.

There is another small word that can have a big impact particularly on ourselves.I want

  • Want (vs. should). This is my favorite. Are you aware how many times we use the word ‘should‘ in our every day life for both work and personal matters. It shows determination and sense of responsibility. It also shows lack of excitement or desire. I suggest we start using the word ‘want‘ instead. e.g. I want to learn Chinese vs. I should learn Chinese. Do you feel the difference?

The bottom line: Be aware of the impact the words you are using have on other people (and even on yourself). Minor changes can go a long way.

Are you aware of any other small words that have big impact? If yes, please share.

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, coach and speaker. She has worked as senior pharmaceutical executive for 12 years and has an MBA from MIT Sloan. Her blog b4iapply is recommended by The Guardian for professional development.

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