NVQ levels What you need to know

NVQ levels What you need to know by Amber Rolfe Looking for a practical route into work? Try an NVQ…Studying for an NVQ is a great way to expand your knowledge and fulfil your career goals â€" without having to stick to an academic schedule. Whether you’re still at school or you’re already in a job, an NVQ provides all the practical skills and knowledge you need to kick-start your career and break into your chosen industry.To help you figure out if NVQs are right for you, here’s everything you need to know about NVQ levels:  What is an NVQ? An NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) is a work-based way of learning â€" which is carried out at a college, school, or workplace.Each NVQ level involves a range of on-the-job tasks and activities that are designed to test you on your ability to do a job effectively.You may start out by applying your knowledge to basic tasks, and progress to incorporating fundamental principles into a variety of contexts.  What are the benefits of studying for an NVQ? Studyin g for an NVQ is a great way to kick-start your career by learning on-the-job.Here are some of the key benefits of completing an NVQ:You don’t need any formal qualifications to get startedIt proves your practical ability to future employersIt’s a flexible route into your chosen industryYou can learn while you earnYou’ll gain a recognised qualification without any examsHow many NVQ levels are there? There are five levels of NVQ (not including entry level), and each one involves the teaching and application of particular work-based competencies.These include:Entry level â€" Ideal for those without any previous qualifications or knowledge. Teaches the application of basic knowledge and skills on a generic level.Level 1 â€" An introduction to the subject area you choose to study, covering routine tasks and the learning and practical application of basic knowledge.Level 2 â€" Involves carrying out complex work-based duties, and gaining a good knowledge and understanding of a subject . These are performed in variety of contexts â€" involving a combination of individual responsibility and team work.Level 3 â€" The range of duties become vaster, and their complexity increases. Autonomy and responsibility is also more prevalent in this level â€" with some control and guidance needed.Level 4 â€" Provides a specialist and detailed level of learning, usually covering a specific area of work. This level is ideal for those looking to manage others or work in technical roles.Level 5 â€" Involves learning about an area of work on a deeper level, allowing you to understand and respond to complex situations whilst gaining a high level of expertise. Also covers senior management and the training of others.NVQ equivalents Although NVQs are vocational qualifications, they can be measured against a number of other certifications â€" allowing a range of career and education opportunities.Here are the rough equivalents for each NVQ level:NVQ Level 1 equivalent 3/4 GCSE grades D- GNVQ Level 2 equivalent 4-5 GCSE grades A*-CNVQ Level 3 equivalent 2 A LevelsNVQ Level 4 equivalent Higher Education Certificate/BTECNVQ Level 5 equivalent Higher Education Diploma/Foundation Degree  How long does it take to complete an NVQ? There is no set time limit for these qualifications, and you’re free to complete an NVQ at your own pace.However, the first three levels will generally take around a year each to complete.  How will I be assessed? You won’t have to take any exams to complete an NVQ, and assessment is based on your ability to carry out the duties needed to meet occupational standards.Assessors will test you based on:Your portfolio. You’ll need to ensure this contains evidence of the tasks, duties, and achievements you’ve carried out at work.Observation. Assessors will watch you work to make sure you’re capable of completing the tasks and duties involved with your role.The levels you need to meet are based on the national standards of the job you’r e in â€" and each unit will be signed off as and when you meet those standards.  What are the entry requirements? There are no specific entry requirements to study for an NVQ.You can be any age, and are free to start at a level that suits you â€" although you may need to complete a level 2 NVQ before starting a level 3.You’ll also need a job or work placement that allows you to develop the skills needed to complete your qualification.  What subjects can I do an NVQ in? NVQs are available in a broad range of subjects in almost every sector â€" ranging from healthcare to hairdressing.Here are a few of the most popular subjects:Social careTeaching and childcarePlumbingAdministrationBusiness and managementCateringConstruction and propertyITReady to start studying? View all available NVQ courses  Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the

8 Simple Productivity Tips to Get Your Working Day Off to a Good Start - Classy Career Girl

8 Simple Productivity Tips to Get Your Working Day Off to a Good Start   Eat right. Get enough sleep. Do some exercise. Those are the top tips that you’ll find floating around on the internet all over the place while you’re searching for the answer to raising your productivity levels each morning. Although all three of those things will really help to boost your productivity, the problem is that they are long-term solutions and are far easier to preach than they are to put into practice. So, for those looking for small and simple habits that they can put into action tomorrow morning, we’ve got a few simple tasks that you can put into practice straight away. 8 Simple Productivity Tips to Get Your Working Day Off to a Good Start 1. Relocate Your Alarm Clock   If your alarm clock is right next to your bed, the temptation to hit that snooze button multiple times in the morning will be all too great. Place your clock on the other side of the room and you’ll be forced to get up to turn it off. And once you’re up, you may as well just get on with the rest of your day!   2. Ease Yourself Into The Morning While it is important to put your alarm clock out of arms reach, it’s also important to not rush into the start of your day. Rather than setting your alarm for the latest possible time that you can get up, set it for ten or twenty minutes earlier. Give yourself enough time to get ready without needing to rush and you’ll find you arrive at your desk feeling ready to go rather than like you’ve just run a half marathon. 3.  Tackle The Most Challenging Task of Your Day First   It’s so easy to head straight to the simple things on your to-do list. You feel like you’re getting loads done as you’re constantly ticking things off but, as the day starts to go on and your energy levels drop, you’ll find yourself unwilling to approach the trickier parts of your list. Start with the hardest piece first thing in the morning and things can only go up from there. 4. Drink a Glass of Water Before You Head to Work A glass of water first thing in the morning will fire up your metabolism and aid your body in flushing out any toxins.   [RELATED: 4 Common Productivity Tips That Are Actually Wasting Your Time] 5. Plan a Mid-Morning Break If you don’t already have scheduled breaks in your working day, then as soon as you get into the office set yourself one. Planning a mid-morning break will give you something to aim for which will push your productivity levels through the roof.   Use your break to refuel, go for a walk (even if it is just around the office!), have a healthy snack and make the most of the time you’ve got to have a quick catch up with a colleague. You’ll find yourself feeling refreshed and ready to carry on with your day upon your return to your desk.   6. Avoid Your Inbox Until You’ve Completed an Important Task   It is so easy to get sucked into the abyss that is your inbox. But it will hit midday and you’ll have found you haven’t done anything on that hefty to-do list of yours. Avoid it entirely until you’ve completed at least one task. Then limit the time you spend on your inbox admin to ten-minute intervals throughout the day. 7. Prepare The Night Before Pack your bag, pick your outfit and make your lunch before you head to bed. Not only will you be able to go to sleep without stressing about all the things you need to do as soon as you wake up, you’ll also give yourself a few extra minutes in bed as you won’t have to squeeze extra tasks into your morning routine. 8. Start Each Day With a Stream of Consciousness   Even if you’re not a big writer, pick up a pen and paper (rather than your phone) each morning and simply write down whatever comes into your mind. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a to-do list, a recap of a dream you had or a fictional piece of writing.   You’ll find that as time goes on you find it easier to write each day and the act of physically putting pen to paper will help to engage your brain from the get-go. We don’t always get the day off to the best start and our days are full of distractions and waiting for the clock hand to hit six. Unfortunately, this results in a larger pile of tasks to do the following day. By following these steps, next time you hear the alarm clock go if the morning, instead of the feeling of dread in your stomach, you’ll feel eager to start the day.

Personal Branding Interview Alaina Love - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Alaina Love - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Alaina Love, who is a consultant, speaker and author of The Purpose Linked Organization.   In this interview, Alaina talks about what people want in an employer, why having a sense of purpose at work matters, how managers build top talent and much more. From the applicant perspective, what do most people want in an employer? Most people are looking for more than just a job; they want to find a home within an organization, where their skills and passions have an outlet. That means applicants are looking for an environment in which they can accomplish meaningful work, be fairly rewarded and recognized for it, and have an opportunity to grow. In our experience, it’s also important for applicants to find an employer whose value system resonates with their own. If there is an outlet for employee skills, individuals develop confidence in their work; when there is an outlet for employee passions, they feel a sense of excitement and vibrancy about their work; and when employee values are aligned with the organization’s values, it builds a level of trust between individuals and their employer. Working at the intersect of these three skills, passions and values is the zone of peak performance. Why should employees care about having a sense of purpose while working for a company? Most of us devote more than 84,000 hours of our lives to work! That’s way too much time to spend not feeling relevant or fulfilled. Companies should also care about employees having a sense of purpose, because that’s when passions shine through and the organization reaps great benefits from employees’ discretionary efforts. That ratchets up the ROI in human capital significantly. How do managers discover and support the best talent in a company? What perks to high-potential employees get? The best way for any manager to discover and support talent in an organization is to first create an environment where employees can flourish. That means being devoted to creating a culture that encourages the alignment of skills, passions and values to work roles. In that environment, talent will shine through; the manager will not have to go searching for it. The second important step is for managers to develop a deep understanding of each person on the team and what they can contribute, which requires that managers maintain a dialogue with their employees, to discover what they are passionate about and how they would like to contribute to the organization. The most motivating perk that an organization can provide to high potential employees is investing in their ongoing development and then giving them an opportunity to make a contribution. When this winning formula is applied, success follows, with all of its tangible and psychological rewards. What happens if you accept a job and then after a few months, you figure out that you arent passionate about it. Should you keep working there or quit? Our first recommendation in such a case would be for the individual to deeply examine why they are unhappy in the job. Many people spend much of their work life floating from one position to another, without doing the “inner work” first. Taking time to understand your own passions and skills makes it much more likely that you are able to discover an outlet for them in your work. A person in this situation needs to be able to describe how they would change the job to make it more fulfilling. It is then important and beneficial, (for both the individual and the company) for the person to have a discussion with their manager to explore how the job might be re-shaped. Ultimately, when we work from our passions, we each leave our own unique mark on the job; so that no two individuals will do the same job in exactly the same way. Since organizations have a vested interest in maximizing each person’s contribution, smart managers will welcome this dialogue. We see the option of leaving the job only as a last resort. Can you talk a little bit about your passion profiler and explain some of the archetypes? The Passion Profilerâ„¢ is a groundbreaking tool that identifies and measures ten unique passions, examines how those passions relate to one’s work, identifies one’s affiliation to their organization, measures an individual’s propensity to reflect contemplatively, and predicts the impact that one’s passions will have on organizational knowledge. The instrument, offered online, is grounded in the field of positive psychology and based on the concept that we each carry an inner purpose that becomes expressed externally as our passions. We describe the passions as “archetypes”, which are profiles such as: the Builder, the Creator, the Teacher, the Transformer and others. Each of these archetypes plays a unique role in the work environment and impact how teams operate, how knowledge is created and utilized and ultimately, how business results are generated. Our book offers readers access to the Passion Profilerâ„¢, which will provide a special report highlighting their top three passion archetypes. Through the book, individuals may then explore how to apply those passions to their work. - Alaina Love is a consultant, writer, speaker, and the president of Purpose Linked Consulting, a leadership and organization development firm. Prior to founding PLC, Love spent more than twelve years at Merck Co., Inc. where she was executive director of human resources (worldwide), a research scientist and clinical researcher. Love now provides a broad range of leadership, team and organization development services to clients around the world, including The Passion Profile, a comprehensive tool used by PLC to assess individuals work-related passions. She is co-author of the McGraw-Hill book, The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results.   She is also a BusinessWeek.com management columnist.

Coachology Creating a path through your twenties

Coachology Creating a path through your twenties The transition from the end of school to the beginning of adulthood is very hard. Today that transition lasts longer than it used to, because there are so many choices and so few tried and true career paths if any that work anymore. Here are five things to keep in mind to make the transition into adulthood a litte easier: 1. Dont expect things to fall into place too soon. Today most people use their twenties as a time to search, and then settle down around age thirty. Its a smart thing to do given the wide range of choices there are for young people today. Its a great idea to use your twenties to explore as long as you dont berate yourself for not knowing what youre doing. In fact, its only a very small percentage of college graduates who know what they are doing with their lives when they graduate. Most start figuring it out when they leave college. 2. Take some risks. Maybe youll move a bunch of times before you figure out the place that will make you most happy. And youll probably change jobs three or four times to find something you like. Exploration is common in a wide range of arenas and smart. Its the only way to really know what you like, and this is the time to do it. When you are living in a dump and you hate your job, you can reframe your situation in a way that acknowledges that you are a living in a time where you are trying things to see what works nothing is permanent and you learn from bad choices. 3. Lookout for depression. One of the demographic groups at highest risk for depression are people in their early twenties. This is because the transition to adulthood is so difficult. And the time people often feel depression is about a year after graduation, when their work life turns out to be much less interesting than anticipated, and college friends are scattered geographically and making new friends is difficult. Depression is a treatable disease, if you get treatment. Depression is serious its not a time to rely solely on friends and family. Call a professional. 4. Calm down about your debt. Yes, young people today start out life with more debt than ever before, but this doesnt have to be a road to disaster. Think in terms of workarounds. For example, most likely your version of the American dream is not about money, so you can fulfill your dreams while dealing with debt. And while you probably want to do work that fulfills you, you dont have to starve doing that CollegeSurfing Insider gives examples of how you can pair soul-filling work with good-paying work to find a career that will make you happy. 5. Surround yourself with mentors. One of the most important indicators of how good you will be at getting what you want in adult life is how strong your network of mentors is. One of the Mentors can be a wide range of people. Your parents count. Your friends count. And your parents friends count. But you need to start roping them in early. Mentor relationships require cultivation, and the earlier you start the more support youll have getting through your twenties. So what about Coachology? Hallie Crawford is a career coach who works a lot with young people who are just starting out in their work life. She is donating 90 minutes of coaching (over the phone) to help someone get themselves on track, in terms of where they want to go and how they can get there. You dont need to set your path in stone, but its good to have some path in mind, even knowing that it will change. Hallie can help you find your path by understanding yourself a little bit better in terms of your career. To get a better sense of Hallies ideas, check out her blog. To get free coaching from Hallie, send an email to me by Sunday, March 18, with three sentences describing what youd like to get from working with Hallie.

3 Thoughts on Search Committees Avoiding Split Decisions CareerMetis.com

3 Thoughts on Search Committees Avoiding Split Decisions â€" CareerMetis.com The search committee has interviewed five great candidates. Everyone liked someone a lot. Now it’s time to make a decision. Everyone on the committee has a vote and uses it to support different candidates. Now what?I once did a pro-bono project for a non-profit organization to find an executive. My role was to help the board of directors manage the process and arrange interviews. The board had run ads and had a stack of resumes. The board chair gave a copy of all thirty resumes to each board member. They pledged to spend the weekend reviewing resumes and scoring the candidates.“What criteria are you using to score the candidates?” I asked.evalIt was soon evident that the board had not discussed any elements of their decision-making process. While they had drafted a position description, they had not compiled a scorecard or established a method for evaluating the candidates, much less a process for arriving at a consensus decision.One person does not make most hiring decisions. Formal search committees or groups of decision-makers work together to interview and evaluate candidates. Then comes decision-making time, and the committee learns it was unprepared from the beginning to arrive at a consensus. It realizes it has no plan for what to do next.Even in the rare instances where there is a single decision maker, they need to think in advance about how they will decide.Here are three thoughts on deciding how to decide and avoiding split decisions.1. What is the basis of the decision?evalMost hiring decision makers will say they are trying to decide who will be the best fit in the job. But what does that mean? It can mean something different in every hiring situation.Examine the position description of the role you’re trying to fill. What are the three key things the candidate must be able to do? What do you consider proof that they can do it? What indicates a person will be a good personality fit or corporate culture fit? What additional skills, experienc e or education would be helpful to have?When I evaluate candidates, I score them this way:eval#1 key thing they must be able to do â€" 25%#2 key thing they must be able to do â€" 25%#3 key thing they must be able to do â€" 25%Personality/Cultural fit â€" 15%Extra benefits the candidate brings â€"10%The goal is not to find candidates who hit a perfect score of 100 percent. If a candidate meets about 70 percent of the client’s criteria, then I want to discuss the candidate with them. Candidates with the same total score, even very high scores, will not have the same combination of strengths. Often, I discover accomplishments and experiences that will prove to be valuable to the client that deserve emphasis but were not part of the original criteria. That’s why a human recruiter will always be a better evaluator of talent and potential matches than a computer will ever be.Whether you are a sole decision maker, a search committee, an executive management team, a partnership member, or a recruiter, you will benefit from thinking in advance about your decision criteria. Ultimately, the right choice may not be the candidate with the overall highest score. The best fitting candidate will have a combination of the right things that make them the one to choose.eval2. Who gets to decide?Committees are great for making group decisions and getting things done. Who are we kidding? No, they aren’t. However, they are the best option when you don’t want purely authoritarian rule.Every pyramid has a peak. The person at the top of the decision-making pyramid should consider who needs to be involved in the process, why they should be included, and what their roles will be. What is the purpose of having a candidate interview with each of these individuals?First, set expectations for what the interviews are supposed to accomplish. Help people understand their role. When asked to conduct an interview, most people expect to examine a candidate’s experience and skills in det ail. Interviews are often fundamentally hostile, with the interviewer searching for reasons to say no. They expect to be able to reject a candidate.People asked to meet a candidate have a different set of expectations. “I’d like you to meet Sally. I’m thinking of hiring her,” conveys a very different meaning than being asked to interview her does. The more you clearly express the purpose of having people meet candidates, the better they will structure productive conversations to achieve those objectives.Distinguish the roles and responsibilities of interviewers of early-stage candidates and delineate those from the roles and responsibilities of people who are asked to meet with finalists. Think twice about whether courtesy interviews are essential. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that small companies or small teams need to involve everyone in the process.Some companies feel it is crucial to have subordinates interview potential new bosses. Think about the “wh at ifs” before you commit to that. What if the weakest performer on the team rejects the candidates? What if there is a split decision? Meetings between a finalist and their presumed subordinates are sometimes better handled in a less formal meeting, such as cake and coffee as a group.Next, set clear expectations about what their opinion will mean. “I liked the candidate,” may be enough to support a decision to hire. “I didn’t like the candidate,” should require more information, more reasoning, and a discussion about what if the person is hired anyway.3. Agree to DisagreeTalent shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent involve multiple decision makers. Even when limited to three or four judges, the shows don’t require a unanimous decision. The key to their success is they have agreed IN ADVANCE what the rules of decision making will be. None of the judges expects to accept or reject a contestant singularly.evalHiring committees need to do the same thing. Agr ee in advance what the rules of decision making will be. Agree who will have an absolute veto. Agree who needs to be in agreement to make the answer yes. Agree on how the participants who don’t get their preferred outcome will handle the situation. For instance, no one should feel they have license to tell a new employee they didn’t support their hire. Once a candidate accepts the role, they are on the team and should be made to feel welcome. No employee wants to know they were the second or third choice, even if they were.Examine your company’s decision-making process. Is it helping you hire the best talent available? Or is it hindering you? Are you consistently able to land your most desired talent? Or does your process burden you to the point that you only get to hire the last person standing?

Eliminate The Negative - A Fresh Job Search Approach

Eliminate The Negative - A Fresh Job Search Approach Eliminate The Negative A Fresh Job Search Approach A lot of people are unhappy at work. It might be a micromanaging boss or crazy coworkers. They know they want to leave, and they want to leave now. The problem is they don’t have a clue as to what they want to do next. If they do want to stay in a similar position, there’s the question of what type of company? Would a smaller company be better than a large corporation? Or vice versa? The trick to getting unstuck is to change your approach. Instead of trying to figure out what you do want, decide what it is you don’t want. Begin by listing all the jobs you’ve held. Next, consider every aspect of each position. Write down everything that you didn’t enjoy, things that made you unhappy. Pretty soon you will see some patterns, patterns that will help you define your new job. The following checklist is a jumping off point. Add your own ideas. Your answers will help you refine your job search. What skills have you used in your previous positions? Which adaptable, transferable and job-related skills? Which of your daily activities didn’t you enjoy? What type of people did you work with? Strong, assertive individuals? Creative sorts? Which personality type drove you crazy every day? What type of atmosphere did you work in? Fast-paced, goal-oriented, driven? Relaxed, easy-going, go-with-the-flow? Does the phrase, “There’s nothing that can’t be done tomorrow” make your hair stand on end? Were you in a position of authority? Did you have a lot of responsibility? Did you enjoy being in charge? Are you tired of being responsible for everyone else’s work? Did you work in a structured environment or was there a lot of flexibility? Did you hate seeing your colleagues come and go as they pleased? Or did you promise yourself you’d never work on the weekends again? Were you autonomous? Or was your boss a micromanager? Do you prefer direction or do you want the option of prioritizing your own work? Did you most often work by yourself or as part of a team? Did you like collaborating? Or do you prefer to work on your own? How was the office set up? Did the “open office” environment make it impossible for you to concentrate? Or did you feel claustrophobic in your cube? As you work on your list, your values will begin to emerge. It will become clear what’s important to you. Maybe you enjoy working alone. Perhaps you need to work in a relaxed, flexible environment. On the other hand, a go-with-the-flow culture might drive you crazy. When reviewing your list remember it’s essential to be honest with yourself. This means eliminating any values you think you “should” have. Maybe you come from a family of accountants. But, you find sitting in a cube crunching numbers sucks the life out of you. Now is the time for you to be truthful. Focus on what’s important to you. What ideas or values do you want to be reflected in your next position? As you go through this process you may find that some of your values conflict with one another. If that happens you’ll need to make a choice. For example, if working for a CPA firm drains you, you may want to explore accounting positions in a corporate or nonprofit environment. If making more money is important but so having a flexible schedule you’ll need to look for a job that satisfied both. If you can’t find that you may have to decide what is most important right now. Take your time. Think carefully about each answer. When you’re finished with the process use what you’ve learned to write a brief statement or even a list describing what you don’t want to do on your next position. At this point you probably already have a good idea of what you do want. Sometimes the best way to uncover the positive is to eliminate the negative. If you’d like to work with Annette Richmond, a certified resume writer, certified LinkedIn Profile writer, and former recruiter, please  schedule an introductory call  to discuss your needs.     You will be able to access Annette’s calendar to choose a day and time that works for you.

Resume Writing and More

Resume Writing and MoreIn order to be successful at your job, you will need to learn about resume writing and more. This includes everything from speaking in a certain manner, to how to write your resume, and what to include in your covering letter. So, why is this so important?In fact, job seekers often find that these details can be important enough to how they write their own resumes. You want to make sure that the person reading your resume is the one who is hiring you, not some faceless HR rep. The latter may seem kind and nice, but the reality is that they don't have the information that you do, so they need to make sure that they use the correct tools.Paper resumes are also prone to errors. They can be easily misspelled or mixed up. But even when the spellings are correct, it can cause potential employers to think that you were hired before you were. That can be even worse for your morale than being sent on a job that was never meant to be.You may be thinking that getting thro ugh the resume writing and more process with as little hassle as possible is a good idea. After all, you're applying for a job and the last thing you want to do is spend all day trying to figure out how to write it. It's important to get this done in a timely fashion though. This way you can be sure that your application will get to the top of the pile, and you won't have to spend hours trying to get to the front of the line.Of course, the best place to find a resume writing and more service is the internet. Your local library may also be able to provide you with a resume for your company, if you have a need for it. That said, most people prefer the internet to just about any other option.There are so many different websites out there that provide different services, but few provide the same results as others. Some may just tell you that you need to add an error correction section to your resume, while others may tell you that you need to do a complete overhaul of your entire docume nt. The best thing to do is go with a service that offers a variety of services to their clients.The most excellent thing about the internet is that it makes it possible for anyone to find the resume writing and more service that works best for them. That is especially true if they can search and compare the results without ever leaving their house. No longer are you required to drive to a library or bookstore to get information.More than anything else, you want to make sure that you are able to ensure that your resume is going to be the best it can be for that person's life. This can help to keep your resume in good standing and ready for any job opportunity that you may be considering. This can then allow you to spend less time and energy on job hunting, and more time working.