Week six early starts, nearing the end and the inevitable art of the fist-pump

Week six early starts, nearing the end and the inevitable art of the fist-pump by Michael Cheary Week six: early starts, nearing the end and the inevitable art of the fist-pumpWith only a few short weeks of work left at reed.co.uk, our interns understandably have mixed emotions heading into week number six. There was little time to think about these emotions, however, mostly because this week included lunch with the Chairman of reed.co.uk.N.B. If you’re not a fan of  hand gestures, look away now…AndrewI always thought I’d be the person to shout to people, ‘I’M LIVING IN LONDON FOR 8 WEEKS!’ anytime a smidgen of eye contact was made.  Yet, as of this moment it still hasn’t quite hit me.I’m not sure if its due to the fact that walking to King’s Cross every morning has become such a natural custom, or due to the fact that I have become in tune with what I consider the city’s daily routine from the way people expertly ‘jaywalk’ with reckless abandon, to how the pub is a required evening ritual to unravel the tangle of life’s stre ssors, and to how commuters manage to delicately waltz through the crowds of the underground with considerable grace.  Hey, I even managed to stop wearing flip flops!Whereas I used to always involuntarily double take every time someone spoke, now hearing an American accent manages to catch me by surprise.  (On a side note, my mental thought process has started to take on its own Anglo-American accent).  It’s almost a shame that it’s taken me the entirety of this internship to finally get used to being here.This week also included lunch with James Reed, chairman of REED Global.  Usually the thought of a meal with a global firm’s chief executive incites uncomfortable sweating, but to my (and my armpits’ relief), we had the pleasure of meeting a down to earth man who had nothing but sharp banter, charming humour, and profound advice to offer us about life.  So needless to say, a lunch in the presence of wise mentorship and a group of friends that I feel like I have known f or years is a refreshing and delightful change to my daily slew of slightly depressing salads.As the internship starts to wrap up, it’s hard to think that in less than a few weeks’ time I’ll be back home in California, where I no doubt will have to adjust back to the lack of red double decker busses and captivating culture to which I have grown so accustomed toMaybe that’s when it will finally hit me that I spent my summer in someplace special.Stephanie4 words. Selfies..with..Mr..Reed!Now who could say they had the pleasure of taking their CEO out for some Italian lunch? Honestly, the initial thought of going to lunch left me with so many thoughts running through my mind. Although the deepest question still lingered…What do I order?You can’t go too heavy, and risk getting sleepy after 20 minutes. But go too light, and you’ll finish before everybody else, intensely staring at their plates until the meals conclusion. I decided to play it safe pasta.After the internal ba ttle of choosing from the menu was conquered, it was on to some questions. As Andrew shot the first bullet, we all began to bounce off each other and ask Mr. Reed questions about work, inspiration, motivation and even travel. His responses were extremely insightful and I certainly left with a new outlook on achieving career goals.After the lunch, we all took a leisurely stroll back to the office together. Each step we took built anticipation for the moment we had been waiting for. It was picture time. As we took turns to stand in front of the reed.co.uk logo, we spontaneously chose a fist-pump in our photos which kind of caught on.Well, kind of…AllyThe interns and I have taken to some earlier starts than usual, owing to certain project deadlines insisting themselves upon us. The phrase ‘crack of dawn’ does not apply to the early morning intern. I know because I’ve woken up before the moment at which the crack of dawn is supposed to occur. There is no crack it’s like stead ily adding milk to cold black tea. Gradual and sad.We’ve all been lied to.Still, the early starts have done their job. In the silence of an empty office all one can really do is work in silence. Silently working. Well silently, and smugly. Especially when nodding to one’s co-workers who come in at laughable hours such as 8:30 or even 9:00.At any rate we’ve managed to send out surveys that will provide glorious information for our project on Generation Z. You most likely will have heard of this survey, seeing as it’s swept the globe faster than the globe can even spin (that’s one axial rotation per day for those whose fingers are whipping away to the nearest Google search).We’re considering buying extra server space worldwide just to handle the incoming traffic of responses. We’ll consult the budget later I reckon.Let me just take this nap first.ConnorWeek 6 has come to an end, meaning my time left here at reed.co.uk has dwindled down to just two more weeks. This, regre tfully, means that after this obviously wonderful piece of literature, there is only one blog to go. Don’t worry, we’ll get through this together.This week was a short one, both literally (because of bank holiday) and figuratively. I am perpetually developing my skills and am noticing the time required to not only complete my daily tasks, but learn new ones, has diminished. At the end of this week, I discussed with my superior (who has demonstrated exceptional patience throughout my time here) different ways in which I can improve my performance, which tasks/areas I want to focus more on, and which I would like to stray away from.One of the concerns I have had in this internship so far is not being sure that what I am doing will necessarily be applicable in my future. As you can imagine, I want to concentrate on those tasks/skills most relevant to my career. After expressing this concern with my superior, she was able to shed some light on how exactly I could apply the knowledge I have developed from each of my assignments.Going through the list of all my assignments, to my surprise, I was actually able to derive, from every one of them, a significant learning purpose; some way in which I could utilize that knowledge and apply it in my future endeavours.The latest lesson learnt during my time here at reed.co.uk.YaseenIt seems so long since I first walked in to reed.co.uk’s office, wide eyed, and suited from head to toe.  It has now been 7 weeks and my last week is flying by.Our largest projects are all due during the last week. The pressure is on, and I am proud to report that these interns mean business.  What did you think? That we would crumble under the pressure, that we would give in to your plan and beg for mercy, beg to cancel some projects.  NO.  Not us. Is that all you have reed.co.uk? We shall prevail.  We will do whatever it takes. This team has an unstoppable inertia, and being a part of it has been an absolutely delightful treat.I don†™t mean to be so emotional, but I can barely hold back the tears as I imagine leaving warm and sunny London for cold and rainy Los Angeles.  Once you’re done re-reading that statement, I’ll start being serious again, and seriously, I do not understand why anyone would be sad to leave London.  It is unreasonably expensive, unnecessarily cramped, and ever so gloomy, but for some unthinkable reason this city has managed to charm me off my feet.  I am almost more depressed that I am going back to a city where people smile all the time, I have started to almost enjoy the gloom.On a less dismal note, this marks the end of my Eurotrip. If I am not back to write my blog next week, please, my lovely audience, know that I went out with a smile on my face and a reed.co.uk mug in my hand.Until next timeThe interns have finished week six. Stay tuned to see how they get on in their last few weeks.  Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Adv ice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Career Development Features

How to Ease Back Into Work After Maternity Leave - Classy Career Girl

How to Ease Back Into Work After Maternity Leave Being a new mother is a life-changing experience and a full-time job. And while nobody denies that new moms have their plates full, and the entire family dynamic gets a complete makeover, few have found the perfect balance between having a child and having a career. If you entertain the thought of going back to work or hunting for a new job after you took maternity leave, you may find yourself in a world of trouble because each woman has to deal with her own challenges and one size never fits all. So to help you out, we recommend creating a project management plan. How to Ease Back Into Work After Maternity Leave TIP: Adapt Project Management Decision Making to Your Personal Situation This may sound cold and cynical, but after staying home with the baby, getting back into your working game may be frightening on so many levels. What if you lost your skills along the way? What if the working environment will frown upon you leaving early? And what if the little one at home will be affected by your leave and develop separation anxiety or an attachment disorder? Such questions can tear you apart and can make the decision ten times harder. In truth, there is no right time to go back to work after you had the baby. Your decision, however, should be based on four key concepts that are also relevant when you have to decide whether or not to implement a new business project. 1. Emotion You won’t really know how you will feel being away from your baby until you are, and that is perfectly fine. Thoroughly analyze how you will feel letting the child in the hands of someone else. You should also analyze how you will feel if you continue to stay at home instead of pursuing your career. A pros and cons list may seem obsolete, but it will give you a clear idea of what is important to you emotionally. 2. Finance Can you afford to stay home? Can you find a job flexible enough to ensure you a comfortable income without keeping you away from your baby from here on end? How much money do you really need to make? What type of job do you really need? What is available out there for new moms? Are there other alternatives to consider? Is it enough to take a part-time job and share your opinion for good money for instance, or do you need a full-time job to cover all expenses? [RELATED: How to Pay Off Six Figures of Debt] 3. Logistics Who is going to take care of the little one while you are at work? Can you afford/trust a sitter given the budget you envisioned and the emotional burden you have to deal with? Can you find a job that allows you flexible schedules or encourages new mothers to get back into their game? 4. Product In this case, the product is you and your way of selling yourself to the marketplace. One tip to consider is to capitalize on your skills as a mother and transfer them to a new working environment. You can certainly rock multitasking, gained a stellar attention to detail, social skills, and time management skills and so on. Add compassion, patience, tolerance, understanding and creativity in problem-solving and you can build a rock-solid resume to hunt for the job you decide you want. In our day and time, employers value transferable skills even more than technical ones. Implement “Project You” As a piece of advice, try to get this decision through a SWOT analysis â€" just like you’d do if you were to implement a new project at the workplace. Better yet, take each emotional, financial and logistical aspect of your decision through a SWOT analysis. Analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats will break everything down in the smallest of details and help you look at things from a different perspective. If the results point towards you going back to work, then it is time to put the papers aside and get some action going. Remember, in life as in business, a failure is not a catastrophe, and a setback is an opportunity to change perspective.

Master Data Information is for Every Business

Master Data Information is for Every Business Every business no matter however complex or simple its structure is has its own discipline, set of practices and use of technologies which help in creating data and manage it effectively at the same time. It is a daunting task to manage the data which keeps on adding the piles which needs to be managed well. Master data info enables the organization to summarize the data and convert it into knowledge. It is important for the business owners and its stakeholders to maintain consistency, accuracy, uniqueness and accessibility while maintaining huge volumes of data. This leads to the smooth functioning of the firm and make sense out of the data which is assembled. Master Data info catches up with the speed with which the data is created while it even meets the modern day practices, as people are accustomed to get information instantly. The people become highly dissatisfied when they have access to the information which they do not need and is not useful while making important decisions. Master data maintenance is the key to the performance of operations in every business unit, while the information which is considered as Master Data may vary from one industry to other or one company to other. Who would like to use Mater data and for what? Master Data is being used by the CFO to the Marketing Manager, Accountant, Sales person, IT person, Purchaser of the organization to maintain a single view of the customer information. Master Data info helps the businesses to carry out the best level of financial control by facilitate planning and budgeting through provision of timely information. Every organization needs to Anchor outstanding customer service by maintaining the consistency, security and integrity of the business data. Master data information can facilitate better productivity and enhance the investment opportunities in the markets. Data must always flow the point of need and Data governance makes your organization get control over the same. Master data info saves a lot of time of the data analysts spend in preparing and correcting data which they can now use for analyzing it. There are times when speed is equally important as accuracy, as the business needs to implement decisions quickly whenever the need for it arises. The use of latest technology in Master data info enables the people of the organization, processes and systems to engage well with each other in the most optimum way for the survival of the modern day businesses. One is able to successfully execute and run the business even where the organization maintains diverse environments and its various departments have a unique way of looking at the product and the customer. In Summary The organizational heads gets an accurate view of the companies which they do business and find a way to enable data which can fulfill the corporate strategies. It enables building the organizational structure where the people of the company follow a standard set of definitions when they are working with even the most complex data. Overall it will improve the capability of organization and solve the business problems in order to achieve desired results.