Not unless you go by the name of 'Christopher' and scored a whopping 184,662. The Mole has been speaking to people that know this great man. By all accounts being the first ever 'Mole Travolta' Friday champion is Christophers single biggest achievement in life so far.
"If he achieves nothing else, i'll be the proudest Mum alive" - Christopher's mum on Friday afternoon after hearing the news.
Christopher is also a Mole on TheCareerMole.com and can be contacted directly for career advice, street dancing tips and referrals.
The Mole
TheCareerMole.com
Meet. Refer. Progress
Friday 16 November 2007
Thursday 15 November 2007
Why unhappy workers drink more, smoke and eat fast food
As if you needed to be told... but being in a job that you don't like can really have an effect on your life outside of work. More incentive to make sure you don't get stuck in job that makes you miserable. This article from GMTV this morning... explains the risks
Workers are twice as likely to have sex with their partner, smoke and drink less, and avoid fast food if they have a good day in the office, according to a new report today.Two-thirds of parents spend quality time with their children after an enjoyable day at work, a survey of more than 400 workers by online recruiters jobsite.co.uk also found. Researchers questioned commuters at 20 railway stations across Britain and found people were healthier and less stressed if they enjoyed their job.One in three of those polled admitted they turned to drink after a bad day at work, while more than one in 10 smoked more. Around half the workers said they have a bad day in the office at least once a week, with many admitting it had a negative impact on their health and home life. Consider your options
Cheryl Morgan, Jobsite's career counsellor, said: "Most jobs bring with them their own stresses and strains but this experiment really hits home the impact of having a good and bad day at work." Close to a quarter of UK workers are currently unhappy with their current job, and we are urging people to make sure they are happy at work because there are repercussions on their diet, well-being and happiness.
"There is always a job right for you. If a good day at work is a rarity and a bad day is happening all too often, it's time to take some action."We spend the majority of our time at work and being in a job where you're unhappy will negatively affect the limited spare time that you do get. There's a job out there that deserves you more."
Psychologist David Moxon, who was part of the research team, said: "Unhappiness at work can have a huge impact on your home life and there is evidence to suggest that ongoing unhappiness at work can be detrimental to both the physical and mental health and well-being of workers."Anyone who is currently unhappy should think about their options and consider changing jobs to improve their happiness, health and well-being."
Workers are twice as likely to have sex with their partner, smoke and drink less, and avoid fast food if they have a good day in the office, according to a new report today.Two-thirds of parents spend quality time with their children after an enjoyable day at work, a survey of more than 400 workers by online recruiters jobsite.co.uk also found. Researchers questioned commuters at 20 railway stations across Britain and found people were healthier and less stressed if they enjoyed their job.One in three of those polled admitted they turned to drink after a bad day at work, while more than one in 10 smoked more. Around half the workers said they have a bad day in the office at least once a week, with many admitting it had a negative impact on their health and home life. Consider your options
Cheryl Morgan, Jobsite's career counsellor, said: "Most jobs bring with them their own stresses and strains but this experiment really hits home the impact of having a good and bad day at work." Close to a quarter of UK workers are currently unhappy with their current job, and we are urging people to make sure they are happy at work because there are repercussions on their diet, well-being and happiness.
"There is always a job right for you. If a good day at work is a rarity and a bad day is happening all too often, it's time to take some action."We spend the majority of our time at work and being in a job where you're unhappy will negatively affect the limited spare time that you do get. There's a job out there that deserves you more."
Psychologist David Moxon, who was part of the research team, said: "Unhappiness at work can have a huge impact on your home life and there is evidence to suggest that ongoing unhappiness at work can be detrimental to both the physical and mental health and well-being of workers."Anyone who is currently unhappy should think about their options and consider changing jobs to improve their happiness, health and well-being."
Tuesday 13 November 2007
The perfect ... industry
Don't settle for a job you don't love. Find the perfect industry to stimulate your mind and nurture your talents - and you'll never look back
This article from the guardian careers section sums up the Moles thoughts very well. Always seek advice - why not ask a Mole, someone who really knows what it is like to the job that you want. Network; it really is a great way to find opportunities, particularly as many aren't advertised. Most importantly - it's never too late to change. Life is too short to do a job you hate. You have the power, and the now the tools, the help you change your career.
1. Seek careers advice. “Our career paths are rarely fluke,” says Rebecca Tee, a careers expert objective outsider can help us evaluate those decisions and determine what we want from our working lives.” If you have graduated within the last five years, your university or college careers service is an invaluable source of reference material and information on graduate opportunities as well as job vacancies. Or speak directly to people doing the job you want to do.
2. Start networking. As the chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, Carl Gilleard is a firm believer in the power of networking. “Seek advice from those who are knowledgeable about the industries you’re interested in and make use of any existing networks you have such as peers, friends or via online networking sites, such as http://www.thecareermole.com/. Contact professional bodies as they often employ information officers or training advisers and may have a local branch you can join. Short courses and events like career or trade fairs are also a great way to meet people.”
3. Get some work experience. Work experience won’t make you rich but it will give you an invaluable insight into a working environment. Look for schemes such as those offered at Publicis Blueprint, one of the UK’s leading customer publishing agencies, where mentors are assigned to offer advice and training. “Work experience gives you an idea of what to expect before you commit to full-time employment,” explains Blueprint managing director Alastair Young. “It also shows a level of determination and allows you to develop employability skills that are very desirable to potential employers.”
4. It’s never too late. Embarking on a new career isn’t just for recent graduates. Unexpected events later in life can upset your career progression — don’t view this as a crisis, see it as an opportunity to get the job you always wanted. Similarly, if you’re feeling stagnant, greater opportunities for studying and retraining as an adult should encourage you to take the leap.
The onus is on pinpointing the things you love doing and building those interests into your working life.
This article from the guardian careers section sums up the Moles thoughts very well. Always seek advice - why not ask a Mole, someone who really knows what it is like to the job that you want. Network; it really is a great way to find opportunities, particularly as many aren't advertised. Most importantly - it's never too late to change. Life is too short to do a job you hate. You have the power, and the now the tools, the help you change your career.
1. Seek careers advice. “Our career paths are rarely fluke,” says Rebecca Tee, a careers expert objective outsider can help us evaluate those decisions and determine what we want from our working lives.” If you have graduated within the last five years, your university or college careers service is an invaluable source of reference material and information on graduate opportunities as well as job vacancies. Or speak directly to people doing the job you want to do.
2. Start networking. As the chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, Carl Gilleard is a firm believer in the power of networking. “Seek advice from those who are knowledgeable about the industries you’re interested in and make use of any existing networks you have such as peers, friends or via online networking sites, such as http://www.thecareermole.com/. Contact professional bodies as they often employ information officers or training advisers and may have a local branch you can join. Short courses and events like career or trade fairs are also a great way to meet people.”
3. Get some work experience. Work experience won’t make you rich but it will give you an invaluable insight into a working environment. Look for schemes such as those offered at Publicis Blueprint, one of the UK’s leading customer publishing agencies, where mentors are assigned to offer advice and training. “Work experience gives you an idea of what to expect before you commit to full-time employment,” explains Blueprint managing director Alastair Young. “It also shows a level of determination and allows you to develop employability skills that are very desirable to potential employers.”
4. It’s never too late. Embarking on a new career isn’t just for recent graduates. Unexpected events later in life can upset your career progression — don’t view this as a crisis, see it as an opportunity to get the job you always wanted. Similarly, if you’re feeling stagnant, greater opportunities for studying and retraining as an adult should encourage you to take the leap.
The onus is on pinpointing the things you love doing and building those interests into your working life.
Monday 12 November 2007
How to ... Be Happy
As it's Monday and you might be feeling a bit down after a great weekend, The Mole thought you might like some advice about staying happy at work. TheCareerMole.com can help you find the right job for you; but once you are there you have to make sure you stay happy. This article from the The Times , provides some helpful tips to keep you going....
Finding a job that you like is clearly important to your workplace happiness, but it isn’t always easy – and even when you do there will still be times that you’re not happy. Obviously the best way to cheer yourself up is to turn Super Trouper up to 11 and dance around the room for five minutes, but if you don't have an Abba-friendly workplace you might like to try these suggestions instead.
1. Keep things in perspective. “Your work experience is a very big part of your life, but it’s not your whole life,” says Michael Chambers, the managing director of Bacs, the payment processing house. Remind yourself of the positive things in other parts of your life.
2. Recognise the possibility of happiness. “We very often fail to recognise the rich sources of pleasure and meaning that are right in front of us at work,” writes Tal Ben-Shahar in Happier (McGraw-Hill, £12.99). “To turn a possibility [for happiness] into a reality, we first need to realise that the possibility exists.”
3. Change your focus. If the daily grind is getting you down, look at the big picture and remind yourself why you took the job – for example, that you share your organisation’s goal of reducing poverty or that gaining experience at this firm will help you to land your dream job. On the flip side, if it’s the big picture that is getting you down – say, you feel that helping your company to get richer isn’t your goal in life – try concentrating on individual tasks that you can do well. Don’t underestimate the satisfaction that can be gained from getting little things done, whether that is finally clearing out your inbox or resolving an irritating administrative problem.
4. Surround yourself with happy people... even if that means making other people happy to do it, says Marc Woods, a motivational speaker. “People react well to you helping them, and being around happy people does rub off.” He also suggests finding a mentor who enjoys his or her job and can offer support dealing with your emotional state as well as with technical issues. And steer clear of moaners: just as positive people will help to keep your mood up, colleagues who spend their days complaining will inevitably bring you down.
5. Accept reality. Look for the opportunities that change will create rather than focusing entirely on the immediate negatives. “I had bone cancer and had a leg amputated at 17,” Woods says. “I could have said ‘woe is me’, but instead I sat down and thought ‘right, this how it is now, what can I do with it?’ (In his case that turned out to include winning four Paralympic gold medals).
6. Do the best you can. “If you know that you have done your job as well as you can, it can give you a sense of wellbeing even if things don’t work out quite as you’d hoped,” Woods says. “Take pride in doing your job well.”
7. Balance. Overwork and stress frequently lead to anxiety and unhappiness. Make sure that you have enough time to yourself for exercise, a social and family life and relaxation, Chambers says. Keeping a balance will also help out in those inevitable times when you are required to work longer or harder than usual.
8. Take a break. If everything is getting too much, get away from the environment that is making you unhappy, Chambers suggests. “Take a moment on your own to go for a walk or ask
9. Take control. If something at work is making you unhappy, don’t wait for someone else to solve the problem – fix it yourself. “Take personal responsibility for things that don’t quite work or could be done better,” Woods says. “Managers like proactive people, so you could get a promotion, but at the very least it will improve your own job and help you to be happy.”
10. Be honest with yourself. Are you unhappy because you are in the wrong job? “Listen to your unhappiness,” Chambers says. “Can you resolve it in the current environment or is it a signal that it’s time to move on?” If you’ve done all you can to improve your mood and you’re still unhappy at work, it’s probably time to find something new. “Many [people]... are enslaved by their jobs, not because they have no choice, but because they have made a choice that made them unhappy,” Dr Ben-Shahar writes.
Finding a job that you like is clearly important to your workplace happiness, but it isn’t always easy – and even when you do there will still be times that you’re not happy. Obviously the best way to cheer yourself up is to turn Super Trouper up to 11 and dance around the room for five minutes, but if you don't have an Abba-friendly workplace you might like to try these suggestions instead.
1. Keep things in perspective. “Your work experience is a very big part of your life, but it’s not your whole life,” says Michael Chambers, the managing director of Bacs, the payment processing house. Remind yourself of the positive things in other parts of your life.
2. Recognise the possibility of happiness. “We very often fail to recognise the rich sources of pleasure and meaning that are right in front of us at work,” writes Tal Ben-Shahar in Happier (McGraw-Hill, £12.99). “To turn a possibility [for happiness] into a reality, we first need to realise that the possibility exists.”
3. Change your focus. If the daily grind is getting you down, look at the big picture and remind yourself why you took the job – for example, that you share your organisation’s goal of reducing poverty or that gaining experience at this firm will help you to land your dream job. On the flip side, if it’s the big picture that is getting you down – say, you feel that helping your company to get richer isn’t your goal in life – try concentrating on individual tasks that you can do well. Don’t underestimate the satisfaction that can be gained from getting little things done, whether that is finally clearing out your inbox or resolving an irritating administrative problem.
4. Surround yourself with happy people... even if that means making other people happy to do it, says Marc Woods, a motivational speaker. “People react well to you helping them, and being around happy people does rub off.” He also suggests finding a mentor who enjoys his or her job and can offer support dealing with your emotional state as well as with technical issues. And steer clear of moaners: just as positive people will help to keep your mood up, colleagues who spend their days complaining will inevitably bring you down.
5. Accept reality. Look for the opportunities that change will create rather than focusing entirely on the immediate negatives. “I had bone cancer and had a leg amputated at 17,” Woods says. “I could have said ‘woe is me’, but instead I sat down and thought ‘right, this how it is now, what can I do with it?’ (In his case that turned out to include winning four Paralympic gold medals).
6. Do the best you can. “If you know that you have done your job as well as you can, it can give you a sense of wellbeing even if things don’t work out quite as you’d hoped,” Woods says. “Take pride in doing your job well.”
7. Balance. Overwork and stress frequently lead to anxiety and unhappiness. Make sure that you have enough time to yourself for exercise, a social and family life and relaxation, Chambers says. Keeping a balance will also help out in those inevitable times when you are required to work longer or harder than usual.
8. Take a break. If everything is getting too much, get away from the environment that is making you unhappy, Chambers suggests. “Take a moment on your own to go for a walk or ask
9. Take control. If something at work is making you unhappy, don’t wait for someone else to solve the problem – fix it yourself. “Take personal responsibility for things that don’t quite work or could be done better,” Woods says. “Managers like proactive people, so you could get a promotion, but at the very least it will improve your own job and help you to be happy.”
10. Be honest with yourself. Are you unhappy because you are in the wrong job? “Listen to your unhappiness,” Chambers says. “Can you resolve it in the current environment or is it a signal that it’s time to move on?” If you’ve done all you can to improve your mood and you’re still unhappy at work, it’s probably time to find something new. “Many [people]... are enslaved by their jobs, not because they have no choice, but because they have made a choice that made them unhappy,” Dr Ben-Shahar writes.
Friday 9 November 2007
Friday Night Mole - Dance Off Time
Help The Mole warm up for the Friday night out. Throw some shapes and post yours scores to have the dubious honour of becoming our first ever 'Mole Travolta' Friday champion. Oh yes - what an honour, and it could be yours.
Friday 2 November 2007
Why should i develop my business network?
Hello All
As if we needed to be reminded about the power and value of social networks like Facebook and business networks like TheCareerMole.com we came across this great article about business social networking that summarises it all perfectly.
Make sure your Mole Profile is up-to-date and doing you justice and you can make new connections with talented candidates you can refer. You can also meet other Moles and discover new friends and opportunities by adding them to your 'Mole Network'. Login, invite your friends to join and see which of your friends and colleagues are already using TheCareerMole.com.
TheCareerMole.com
Meet. Refer. Progress
As if we needed to be reminded about the power and value of social networks like Facebook and business networks like TheCareerMole.com we came across this great article about business social networking that summarises it all perfectly.
Make sure your Mole Profile is up-to-date and doing you justice and you can make new connections with talented candidates you can refer. You can also meet other Moles and discover new friends and opportunities by adding them to your 'Mole Network'. Login, invite your friends to join and see which of your friends and colleagues are already using TheCareerMole.com.
TheCareerMole.com
Meet. Refer. Progress
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