The Gradlife - How to cope with mental health issues as a student

The Gradlife - How to cope with mental health issues as a student by Lydia Randall Stress, depression and anxiety affect more of us than you might think…In support of Mental Health Awareness Week, we wanted to help break the stigma and silence surrounding the topic. And it isnt just how to talk about mental health at work thats important.So we collaborated with an up-and-coming blogger, Deborah Ojelade,  who shared her experiences of how she coped with being a full-time university student whilst diagnosed with anxiety and depression.The facts 1 in 4 young adults will experience some form of mental health trauma.By the age of 24, 75% of these cases will develop into deeper problems. However, with the proper care, support and advice, it is possible that these numbers will reduce. But it won’t happen overnight.Research also shows that young people are the main bearers of these types of illnesses. With the demand and pressures of life increasing, it isn’t really surprising to see the correlation between the two.So, if youre not quite sure how youre feeling, but you’ve noticed a change in your mood or emotions, whether feeling more stressed, anxious or worried, do not suffer in silence. There is no problem too small or too big. It’s time to speak up and speak out.What was your experience with mental health?My depression stemmed from childhood trauma, followed by a break up at 19 years old, which resulted in me being in intensive care for four months.I had to take time out of university to recover and returned after a year. However, I realised I couldn’t do things as before. I experienced low moods that left me demotivated, overwhelmed and  panicked.Christmas 2014, when I tried to overdose, was my wake up call.What mental health issue did you suffer with?I suffered from depression and anxiety.What was your reaction to the diagnosis?  I think surprise would be the best word to describe my reaction.In all honesty, I never really understood mental health to the degree I do now. Additionally, because of the stigma attached, I thought it was just an excuse to cover up laziness*.How did this impact your studies?Due to treatment I, developed mild memory loss, which in turn affected my concentration levels, and ability to do my work with efficiently.  Being very academic this would often trigger depressive episodes, due to feeling incapable.The group of people I had started university with had progressed, so I didn’t have my usual close friends to share how I was feeling with and was away from my normal health team and family.I became very depressed due to the pressures of university and feeling so alone in my situation, so fell behind drastically with coursework and slept most of the time in addition to eating too much and piling on weight which added to my depression. It was a nasty cycle.How did you cope? Firstly, I’d say my faith was a huge help. But my mum was absolutely amazing too.She never once disregarded anything I was feeling. She did her research and found effective ways to help me get through my difficult periods. She literally did anything she could to be there for me, so I’m extremely grateful.How has your life changed?So much. For a start, I’m extremely cautious about what I give my focus to.I am now aware of certain ‘triggers’ that could cause me to slip into a depressive state.Also, honestly speaking, I’m more wary about ‘normal’ things such as starting a new job. With mental health, it’s a fluctuating journey. Some days you’ll want to question everything. But other days you’ll feel brilliant, positive, and energised.  What would be your advice to anyone in a similar situation as you?Be compassionate and honest with yourselfWork to get to the root of why you are depressed â€" it’ll help to manage your emotionsDon’t be afraid to speak out and tell people how you’re feeling (people you can trust, or health professionals)Don’t feel ashamed or let people shame you for how you’re feelingNever dismiss your feelingsFinally, take some time out, if you need it. Your degree isn’t going anywhere. University will always be there. Do what’s best for you.I also suggest reaching out to the university mental health adviser and making use of any extra help on offer.So remember youre not alone, and it’s not your fault.Be sure to let those closest to you know what’s going on, and make use of all the support you can get.Inform your employer or university of your situation. There are people out there to help you get through your studies so make use of them, and don’t be afraid to utilise their advice.Remember: they can’t understand or support you if they don’t know. So be honest, reach out to them, and it could change your life completely.

Writing a Perfect Resume - Learn How to Write a Perfect Resume For Your Employers

Writing a Perfect Resume - Learn How to Write a Perfect Resume For Your EmployersWriting a perfect resume is something that many aspiring young professionals attempt to do, yet they fail. It is not that they are bad writers or just don't know how to write a resume.Writing a resume is an art form that needs to be mastered by anyone attempting to write one. I must tell you that there are many people who can successfully do it but there are also many who fail. This is a great way to become an expert in this field without having to pay for formal training in the art of writing a resume.One of the best ways to learn how to write a resume is to look for a professional resume writer who will take you under their wing and teach you how to do it right. Once you start writing resumes with them, you will become the master of your own resume writing abilities and you will not want to go anywhere else to find a reliable professional resume writer.To understand how to write a resume, you must firs t understand how the resume gets written. There are a number of steps that are necessary to get the resume from the first draft all the way to the employer's eyes.The first step in creating a resume is to write down a list of all the companies that you would like to work for. Try to list a few companies that have been on your 'dream' list for sometime. Once you have gathered a list of companies, you must take this list and expand on it by adding a personal touch.To do this, you must brainstorm about what it is that sets the two companies apart. You can't just list the company's name on your resume, you must identify what makes the company stand out and differentiate yourself from the others that you consider 'equal' to your goal.The best way to do this is to research the company, talk to the executives and learn everything you can about the company. Most importantly, learn as much as you can about the characteristics of the company that will help you distinguish yourself from the ot her employees.When you are listing the companies that you are considering for a job, don't stop at the first two. Remember that you need to go beyond that two and add more companies until you have a good list of the top companies. From there, the only thing that you need to do is focus on the job and don't worry about the company as much.

Personal Branding Weekly and the Importance of Fit - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly and the Importance of Fit - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Personal Branding Weekly The title from Jeff Shuey’s post this week, Don’t Get Mad….Get Productive, served as our mantra this week.   From another announcement by Best Buy of bringing employees from home back to the office to the supersized cover photo changes on Google+ and Facebook’s newsfeed change announcements, there was quick a bit of social whining. If you were caught up in all that and you’re ready to get back on track, then settle in and read the posts you missed this week.   Please be sure to comment. We always appreciate your feedback â€" every bit of it! 25 Ways to Brand Yourself and Find New Prospects by Deborah Shane Corporate Career Development Is It Really About You? by Henrieta Riesco Information Keeps Your Personal Brand Current by Phil Rosenberg Home Bound Workers Caught in a Sinkhole by Nance Rosen Podcast #9: Yahoo!s Policy, Personal Mission Dan Black by Dan Schawbel How Blogs Help with Branding by Chamber of Commerce Spring Into Search: Spice Up Your Personal Brand by Heather Huhman Creating Proposals that Sell by Elinor Stutz For Success: Take the Emotions Out of Decision Making by Jason Kleinerman 5 Common Resume Mistakes That Can Sink Your Candidacy by Skip Freeman The Value of Face Time for Your Personal Brand by Kristen Fischer Why Employees Quit Their Jobs by Glassdoor.com Dont Get MadGet Productive by Jeff Shuey Personal Branding is About the Person by Peter Sterlacci Were Never Experts in Our Own Hometowns by Erik Deckers Collaborating With Others Is a Key to Success! by Beth Kuhel How to Handle Rejection from Michael Spinale Coming up this week, we help kick you into high gear with Pete Liebman’s post on how to be incredibly productive every single day to, Henrietta Riesco’s post on dealing with clashing brands, Aaron McDaniel’s article about creating a positive legacy from the start and Peter Sterlacci’s insights on Zen Meditation and Healthy Social Habits.   Make sure you look for these posts and so many other insights we’ll share this week! What have you done to inspire others to speak positively about your brand? â€" Maria Elena Duron The Importance of Fit Engaging your audience isn’t always as simple as creating a basic post that can be used in any situation. Because there are numerous social mediums available, we must always consider that there are several different audience desires that coincide with them.   Basically, social networks and audience channels have different formats and different audience bases, all of which require a unique delivery of content. This means you’ll have to consider all the qualities of each audience. What interests them? How do they interact? Is there only occasional sharing of certain information? Do they prefer visuals? What about the content’s subject material? Etiquette matters Never neglect the importance of social etiquette. The last thing your personal branding strategy needs is to drive the audience away from your content by annoying, upsetting, or even confusing them. So always be sure that you know exactly what is expected of your interactions through any marketing channel.   After all, you don’t want to find yourself guilty of “spamming” your networks and driving them away. Visual boost Then there is the culmination of so many different techniques and strategies, as we often notice in Facebook sharing. All forms of content can be shared, but not all forms are appreciated by every audience. Even here, there are certain strategies that take precedence over others. Primarily, Facebook users prefer pictures and memes, which simplify a message, but that doesn’t guarantee interaction. There is still the need to experiment with your content to see what works with your audience. Visuals matter a lot to social. How can you improve your link’s visibility? [tweet this] Methods would include using tools such as Post Rocket which can turn a regular link into a visual incentive by adding pictures from the site to your link. Space is limited Then there’s the need to deliver a fast and simple message that gains the most visibility. For example, Twitter formats require that you deliver your message quick and short, so there isn’t really much time or space to carry on a lengthy conversation. This means you’ll need to be compelling within the first few words. Additionally, incorporating influential techniques, such as hashtags, allow you to connect with other users of common interest. Google + and Twitter both take advantage of this, just be sure it isn’t the bulk of your shared content. Link to influence This brings up the aspect of links. When and where should you link within your post? Using the right content at the right time, such as video or hyperlinks to your blog, will affect how your post appears to the reader. Do they see the link and have to read further to decide what it means to them? Is it merged into the content effectively? Is it hard for them to find? Reaching through video is extremely popular on various channels, but only when done properly. Be sure that you make your content as shareable, across all platforms, as possible. Are you using a transcript to further repurpose your message and get more mileage from the content you’ve created? Can the content of your video be shared effectively? Is it mobile friendly? There are several qualities needed to help channel the best in your brand. When it comes to your brand’s marketing strategy, the networks and tools available are as various in natures as those who are actively using them. Not all social networks or media tools will work for your brand, but it is ultimately up to you to make the right ones work for your marketing channel. Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of  buzz2bucksâ€"  a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand.   Maria Duron is founder  and moderator of  #brandchat   a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of  branding  that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.

Use About.me to Showcase Your Resume - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Use About.me to Showcase Your Resume - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Would you like to showcase your top resume skills and make more connections? There are several personal portal websites that can help you do that: About.me, Vizify and RebelMouse are just a few. If you like the simple, better approach, then About.me is the right service to incorporate into your job seeking efforts. The website, which is based out of San Francisco, includes an easy-to-use platform where your experience and achievements can be displayed all in one place. The benefit of an About.me page is that users are able to create a one-page summary with a large sized photograph about who you are and how to contact you through social media, a website, and email. This provides a simple access point to your online identity that is beautifully displayed on a computer and mobile devices. This free service also allows you to measure and track different page metrics, like number of visitors and who views your page. How to get started Setup is fairly quick and easy with About.me. Upon arriving at the website, you will first be asked to enter your full name and email address. Once you fill out the necessary information, choose “Create Your Page,” and then get started with customization. The next steps are very important in order to make your profile and skills stand out from the rest. • Click and drag your biography to a prominent place on the page • Edit your page to include a custom background • Add and connect your active social networks and fully complete your biography and contact information along with website links • Use Explore Pages to connect with other users who have similar skills • Compliment users and tweet about their page for social engagement • Create a list and include new connections • Be sure to thank others who compliment your About.me page As you showcase your skills on About.me new connections are sure to appear as this service has become very popular. Be sure to login each day to check on any new compliments and followers. It won’t be long either before your other social networks start to grow as you share tweets and Facebook posts about your activity. This is a great way to let prospective employers know that you are not only social media savvy, but is also a good place to share your skills and links to important networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

How to Write a Summary For Resume

How to Write a Summary For ResumeWriting a summary for resume is an important part of the application process. But how do you write a summary for resume that will be compelling and persuasive? What makes this specific kind of writing interesting to hire managers and recruiters? The following article provides some tips that will help you when writing a summary for resume.o A summary is a quick overview of your entire application. It's basically your most basic information summary. While writing a summary for resume, you want to make sure that it is brief and to the point. In a nutshell, you want to have the basic facts before you go on to the rest of your resume. If the hiring manager is not certain of what you are offering them, they may dismiss your summary for resume altogether.o It is important to write a summary for resume as a written response to a recruiter who has called you or who you have been talking to over the phone. They will want to hear your personal history from you i n as much detail as possible.o One way to get around this is to take your summary and rewrite it into a questionnaire for the employer. This gives the reader something tangible to read and review. This is one way to avoid a rough and tumble interview.o You can also use a more formal format for your summary. A written letter or an email can be very effective and it will show that you are serious about your career.o You should not be afraid to tackle your summary for resume. Most of the information you have not included in your application already can be included in your summary. Plus, you might come up with new facts that you didn't think of before. By including your personal story as well as details of your past work experience, it will help your potential employer see that you are an asset to their company.o Lastly, write your summary for resume for someone who needs a little more convincing than just your resume can supply. You might even want to consider presenting your summary f or resume to your supervisor if they have a professional opening that you think could benefit from your skills. Do not underestimate the power of your resume. They can make or break you.In summary, writing a short information summary for resume is your basic overview of your entire application. To make it more appealing to a hiring manager, you might want to try a questionnaire-style format or you can write a more formal letter for your boss. You can also present your summary for resume to your supervisor if they have a professional opening that you think could benefit from your skills.

The Best Productivity Hacks of Startup CEOs CareerMetis.com

The Best Productivity Hacks of Startup CEO's â€" CareerMetis.com It is a very common situation â€" when you are working in a growing company and don’t have time for your personal life. It’s a pity, but many CEO’s of successful startups also faced such an issue. They were in charge of everything: marketing, strategy, sales, hiring process, investments and even much more.However, we all are limited to only a limited number of tasks and decisions we can make every day. And, falling under dozens of time-consuming tasks they were forced to develop different habits which made their work more productive. Some of them may seem strange.evalFor example, Mark Zuckerberg wears the same shirt every day and John Chambers, the CEO of Cisco, takes a bath after each meeting Mikael managed to start one of the fastest-growing startups Unsplash, which right now has more than 1 billion photo views per month.Write down everything â€" idea, task, thought, anything which will come into your mind, this will help you not to forget something really important.Automate anything you repeat â€" there are a lot of repetitive tasks that are possible to automate. Try to search for tools and scripts online to make these tasks less time-consuming.Remove any chance for interruption â€" if you are doing something important and need to be focused on any single thing try to remove everything that interrupts you: social networks, phone calls, sounds, notifications. Think of interrupting things which you don’t need at the moment.2) Kristy Winter, Essayontime CEOKristy is the co-founder of a popular academic writing platform which delivers quality papers for the UK students. Her team started with a small local group of writers and quickly grew into one of the largest professional academics services in the world.Use fewer tools â€" Figuring out a new tool or switching tools takes time, it is better to find tools which combine different tasks under one single interface.Start your day with quick wins- If you can do anything fast and know how to do it, it will be your win. The positive start of the day will make it even more efficient than you expect.Maintain good health â€" A healthy life starts with removing bad habits, dieting and developing an active schedule. Try to start with these three and proceed to other healthy activities like sports, good rest and other things.3) Auren Hoffman, SafeGraph CEOAuren has already started and sold five companies, and he never rests on his laurels; he moves forward, and these three things help him to be even more productive.Do fewer things -The real winners are the ones that do fewer things, but they are doing them great. If you are great in planning â€" then plan, if you have good taste â€" work with designers. If you are not good in writing â€" pass your task to another person.Don’t multitask -Focus on one task; multitasking is a bad habit when you need to make an important step or decision.Say “no” to almost everything â€" In our world each day you will see dozens of opportunities. However, no t all of them worth your time. If you have been invited to a meeting, conference, presentation try to think if you need it and does it worth your day.4) Matt DeCelles, Co-Founder of William PainterWhen Matt was asked how to be productive, he just answered that you should do what you love. But, he has a little bit more tricks to share:Prioritize the most important task â€" it is better to do the most important and most influential job first because it may depend on your future.Delegate â€" If you stuck at doing something, chances are there is someone out there that can probably do it for less than $5/hr. Check out Fiverr, Freelancer.com or Upwork.comUse a post-it note to record the three most important things â€" this will help you to set goals and plan your future actions.Productivity is very important for any fast-growing business, and without developing efficient, productive habits, you may fall under all the tasks and opportunities which you otherwise can delegate or ignore.

Mastering a Career in Social Media - CareerAlley

Mastering a Career in Social Media - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Are you an avid Facebook user? Do you enjoy keeping friends up to date on your activities with multiple Twitter posts? Do your pins get re-pinned on a regular basis from Pinterest? You just might be able to turn your love of social media into a career. Career Options for Social Media Fans You can begin as a content writer for social media sites and work your way up to manager and finally to strategist. There are also other jobs in between these options that range from providing the content to organizing it to incorporating social media into an entire marketing strategy. The different jobs require various experience or education and provide different levels of income. Starting at the bottom is the content writer that can earn between $14,000 and $60,000 annually based on experience and the job demands. Public relations managers and social media strategists can earn six figures in the larger cities. How to Get Started If you want to know how mastering social media can turn into a career, you have to get away from your computer and meet the professionals. Attend events, conferences, and seminars on social media. Dont just sit in a corner and listen; use these opportunities to network. Pick the brains of those who are successful to find out what they did to get where they are. Social media is just beginning to be viewed as a viable career choice. Because of this fact, there arent a lot of training guidelines and requirements to go by. Instead, it is more important that you stay updated on changes in the industry. Know the latest technology and news about social media. You must know them in-depth, understand the newest tools and applications. You must know what is current, but also where social media is headed. Of course, some standard education will put you ahead of the game. A background in marketing and public relations or even journalism can give you an edge over the competition. Perhaps the best advice for people who want to have a career in social media is to develop a strong online presence on social networks. By creating networks and demonstrating your ability to gain a strong following, you can show your skills to potential employers. Finding Jobs Put your contact information on your sites to make it easy for people who stumble across your profiles to contact you. Join groups and establish strong profiles on networks such as LinkedIn to enhance your visibility. Also, dont be afraid to approach potential employers. See a company that youd like to work for that either doesnt have a social network nor has one that is ineffective? Send them a message and let them know how you can help them. You have to be able to tell companies why social media is important and why you are the right person for the job. As social media continues to grow and develop more credibility, more businesses and organizations will increase their interest in it. This means that there will be more jobs for people like you. About the Author: Joyce Morse is an author who writes on a variety of topics, including SEO and social media. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search.Joey Trebif

Is your job becoming a conveyor belt out of control -

Is your job becoming a conveyor belt out of control - Does it seem like your job has turned into a conveyor belt out of control? It might be a good time to get your resume revamped and your online presence ready to impress! photo by Thomas Hawk