Funding Your Business The Four Fs and A Novel Idea

Funding Your Business The Four Fs and A Novel Idea When I started JibberJobber I learned a little about how venture capitalists and angel investors fund businesses.  It was a fascinating journey into a world that seemed exciting and a little dirty/sleazy.  I learned about the Four Fs have you heard about these?  These are the four sources of funding that an entrepreneur should look at before they go to a VC or an angel.  They are: Friends Family Fools 401k I used two of these sources to fund the early days of my business.  It was necessary, and Im forever grateful to have had those sources of funding to help JibberJobber get onto its own two feet. But it bugged me that that is what I needed to do. I had this novel idea that my business should have been funded by get this people paying for it!  Thats what you might call self-funding.  Many companies are not self-funding they rely on continual investments to fund their payroll, rent, parties, etc.  Companies like Amazon, who seems to own the retail world, did this for years. Anything wrong with self-funding? For most of you, starting your own business, getting funding from VCs or angels isnt the right route, and you might not be able to tap into the Four Fs.  So how do you fund your venture (aka, pay your rent and buy food) in the early days? The answer sits in understanding the basic nature of your business, and whether you are offering products (that you are creating) or services. JibberJobber is a  product, which meant that we spent months to develop it before we went live.  A book is a product you spend months writing and editing and preparing for the publisher, and then you have one, or a thousand, or a million.  Your job is to take this *thing* and market it. A service might be something where you charge an hourly rate to do something, like an hour of consulting, a day of speaking, doing a haircut, writing a resume, mowing a lawn.  Typically, you can start doing a service, for money, right now, today, without any investment.  I have plenty of ideas of things you can do in exchange for money today. Is one better than the other?  A product can require a significant investment up-front, with the idea that you could sell it when its made, or you could sell the company if you prove it successful.  Expect to continue to invest in RD.  The payout could be crazy.  The failure could be ruinous. A service might take no money to start, and you could get gobs of money per hour immediately (for example, consulting for $250/hour, or speaking for $5k an engagement).  But you might not be able to sell your company later, no matter how good it performs, because for a while, YOUR ARE THE PRODUCT. When I started JibberJobber I had illusions of grandeur about how much money I was going to make.  All the while, I required investment from family and my 401k.  It took a couple of years before my company was in the black.  A COUPLE OF YEARS.  That was not in the business plan! The same month I started JibberJobber, I had a friend, also laid off, who started a business, but his was a consulting business.  He was billing clients in week 1, and every week since then.  Where I was burning through lots of money, he had very low overhead and was bringing in more per hour than he had ever done. Who was the fool?  Was it me, for not self-funding, or was it him, for going down a path that would not have a big payday (acquisition) in the end? Id say neither were the fool.  But looking back on it now, I wish that I would have figured out how to consult for one to two hours per day back in the early days.  That would have been a way to self-fund. I know a guy who was starting a business while working at the grocery store at nights stocking shelves.  Glamorous?  Hardly.  But it worked for him and his family.  It was his way of finding funding for his venture. Lets wrap this up funding a business can be hard.  But there are many, many options.  You dont have to just hope to get on Shark Tank, or get laughed out of one hundred VC offices. Be creative.  Many of the businesses that we enjoy today were started in someones basement, garage, or even bathtub (ecolabs).  Without funding. With a dream and hope and elbow-grease. Just dont be too proud to consult for a couple of hours a day, or to work at the grocery store at night.  Eventually, your own little business will be self-funding. Funding Your Business The Four Fs and A Novel Idea When I started JibberJobber I learned a little about how venture capitalists and angel investors fund businesses.  It was a fascinating journey into a world that seemed exciting and a little dirty/sleazy.  I learned about the Four Fs have you heard about these?  These are the four sources of funding that an entrepreneur should look at before they go to a VC or an angel.  They are: Friends Family Fools 401k I used two of these sources to fund the early days of my business.  It was necessary, and Im forever grateful to have had those sources of funding to help JibberJobber get onto its own two feet. But it bugged me that that is what I needed to do. I had this novel idea that my business should have been funded by get this people paying for it!  Thats what you might call self-funding.  Many companies are not self-funding they rely on continual investments to fund their payroll, rent, parties, etc.  Companies like Amazon, who seems to own the retail world, did this for years. Anything wrong with self-funding? For most of you, starting your own business, getting funding from VCs or angels isnt the right route, and you might not be able to tap into the Four Fs.  So how do you fund your venture (aka, pay your rent and buy food) in the early days? The answer sits in understanding the basic nature of your business, and whether you are offering products (that you are creating) or services. JibberJobber is a  product, which meant that we spent months to develop it before we went live.  A book is a product you spend months writing and editing and preparing for the publisher, and then you have one, or a thousand, or a million.  Your job is to take this *thing* and market it. A service might be something where you charge an hourly rate to do something, like an hour of consulting, a day of speaking, doing a haircut, writing a resume, mowing a lawn.  Typically, you can start doing a service, for money, right now, today, without any investment.  I have plenty of ideas of things you can do in exchange for money today. Is one better than the other?  A product can require a significant investment up-front, with the idea that you could sell it when its made, or you could sell the company if you prove it successful.  Expect to continue to invest in RD.  The payout could be crazy.  The failure could be ruinous. A service might take no money to start, and you could get gobs of money per hour immediately (for example, consulting for $250/hour, or speaking for $5k an engagement).  But you might not be able to sell your company later, no matter how good it performs, because for a while, YOUR ARE THE PRODUCT. When I started JibberJobber I had illusions of grandeur about how much money I was going to make.  All the while, I required investment from family and my 401k.  It took a couple of years before my company was in the black.  A COUPLE OF YEARS.  That was not in the business plan! The same month I started JibberJobber, I had a friend, also laid off, who started a business, but his was a consulting business.  He was billing clients in week 1, and every week since then.  Where I was burning through lots of money, he had very low overhead and was bringing in more per hour than he had ever done. Who was the fool?  Was it me, for not self-funding, or was it him, for going down a path that would not have a big payday (acquisition) in the end? Id say neither were the fool.  But looking back on it now, I wish that I would have figured out how to consult for one to two hours per day back in the early days.  That would have been a way to self-fund. I know a guy who was starting a business while working at the grocery store at nights stocking shelves.  Glamorous?  Hardly.  But it worked for him and his family.  It was his way of finding funding for his venture. Lets wrap this up funding a business can be hard.  But there are many, many options.  You dont have to just hope to get on Shark Tank, or get laughed out of one hundred VC offices. Be creative.  Many of the businesses that we enjoy today were started in someones basement, garage, or even bathtub (ecolabs).  Without funding. With a dream and hope and elbow-grease. Just dont be too proud to consult for a couple of hours a day, or to work at the grocery store at night.  Eventually, your own little business will be self-funding. Funding Your Business The Four Fs and A Novel Idea When I started JibberJobber I learned a little about how venture capitalists and angel investors fund businesses.  It was a fascinating journey into a world that seemed exciting and a little dirty/sleazy.  I learned about the Four Fs have you heard about these?  These are the four sources of funding that an entrepreneur should look at before they go to a VC or an angel.  They are: Friends Family Fools 401k I used two of these sources to fund the early days of my business.  It was necessary, and Im forever grateful to have had those sources of funding to help JibberJobber get onto its own two feet. But it bugged me that that is what I needed to do. I had this novel idea that my business should have been funded by get this people paying for it!  Thats what you might call self-funding.  Many companies are not self-funding they rely on continual investments to fund their payroll, rent, parties, etc.  Companies like Amazon, who seems to own the retail world, did this for years. Anything wrong with self-funding? For most of you, starting your own business, getting funding from VCs or angels isnt the right route, and you might not be able to tap into the Four Fs.  So how do you fund your venture (aka, pay your rent and buy food) in the early days? The answer sits in understanding the basic nature of your business, and whether you are offering products (that you are creating) or services. JibberJobber is a  product, which meant that we spent months to develop it before we went live.  A book is a product you spend months writing and editing and preparing for the publisher, and then you have one, or a thousand, or a million.  Your job is to take this *thing* and market it. A service might be something where you charge an hourly rate to do something, like an hour of consulting, a day of speaking, doing a haircut, writing a resume, mowing a lawn.  Typically, you can start doing a service, for money, right now, today, without any investment.  I have plenty of ideas of things you can do in exchange for money today. Is one better than the other?  A product can require a significant investment up-front, with the idea that you could sell it when its made, or you could sell the company if you prove it successful.  Expect to continue to invest in RD.  The payout could be crazy.  The failure could be ruinous. A service might take no money to start, and you could get gobs of money per hour immediately (for example, consulting for $250/hour, or speaking for $5k an engagement).  But you might not be able to sell your company later, no matter how good it performs, because for a while, YOUR ARE THE PRODUCT. When I started JibberJobber I had illusions of grandeur about how much money I was going to make.  All the while, I required investment from family and my 401k.  It took a couple of years before my company was in the black.  A COUPLE OF YEARS.  That was not in the business plan! The same month I started JibberJobber, I had a friend, also laid off, who started a business, but his was a consulting business.  He was billing clients in week 1, and every week since then.  Where I was burning through lots of money, he had very low overhead and was bringing in more per hour than he had ever done. Who was the fool?  Was it me, for not self-funding, or was it him, for going down a path that would not have a big payday (acquisition) in the end? Id say neither were the fool.  But looking back on it now, I wish that I would have figured out how to consult for one to two hours per day back in the early days.  That would have been a way to self-fund. I know a guy who was starting a business while working at the grocery store at nights stocking shelves.  Glamorous?  Hardly.  But it worked for him and his family.  It was his way of finding funding for his venture. Lets wrap this up funding a business can be hard.  But there are many, many options.  You dont have to just hope to get on Shark Tank, or get laughed out of one hundred VC offices. Be creative.  Many of the businesses that we enjoy today were started in someones basement, garage, or even bathtub (ecolabs).  Without funding. With a dream and hope and elbow-grease. Just dont be too proud to consult for a couple of hours a day, or to work at the grocery store at night.  Eventually, your own little business will be self-funding.

10 CV clichés to avoid

10 CV clichés to avoid Are you a solution-focussed, dynamic problem solver with excellent team-working skills and an inspirational leadership style? Oh dear. Thats another rejection you can look forward to. If theres one thing guaranteed to set employers on edge its the CV cliché. Well, I say CV but it applies equally well to cover letters, applications and interviews. Avoid clichéd phrasing at ALL costs. At best it sounds like meaningless waffle and at worst, it comes dangerously close to megalomania. A lose-lose approach. Its easy to see why this tendency has taken hold: management speak, reality shows, self-help guides everyone and everything is telling us to be bigger, better, faster. Youve only got to tune into The Apprentice once in a while to observe some pretty shameless self-promotion on display.  Thats not to say you shouldnt promote yourself: if you dont no-one else will. But strive for content, not cliché. Now those of us who have the privilege to work in the careers and/or recruitment field will have many examples to share far more than I could reasonably include in this post, so Ive tried to select ten of the most common: 1. Im very enthusiastic    great, but the same could be said of my neighbours dog!   Overstating your enthusiasm can make you sound desperate: a bit like those X-Factor contestants who stake their claim to future fame on desire, not talent Oh but I reallllly want it. Enthusiasm alone doesnt qualify you for much. What, precisely, are you enthusiastic about? 2. Im passionate about  this often rides pillion with enthusiasm (see above).  Unfortunately it can make you sound like a 1970s Miss World winner, unless the content that follows is really thoughtful and considered. I shudder a little when I read the first line of a cover letter which starts Ive been passionate about banking since I was 10. Interestedpossibly. Passionate? Im not so sure! 3. Im an excellent team-player and can work independently  this one really sets my teeth on edge, and if I see this in an application form or CV the candidate has to work twice as hard to persuade me. Its just lazy drivel.  Employers do want to see evidence that you can work collaboratively and autonomously, but they wont be convinced by hollow phrases alone.   4. Im dynamic    are you? I really think this is for others to judge: let the evidence do the talking. If youve established a start-up, while working for your degree theres no doubt youll impress employers.  Theres no need to pad your CV out with pointless waffle to prove a point. Generally, claims to dynamism are misplaced individuals who are truly dynamic dont feel the need to proclaim it. 5. Solution focussed    arguably this is less common amongst students and graduates (although excellent problem-solver is a very close relation!) so just consider it a warning for later on.   Whenever I read (or hear) this I am tempted to ask: as opposed to what exactly? No-one intentionally courts failure. I also worry that it sounds a little arrogant; theres a subtle implication that where others see problems, you find solutions. 6. Creative  often found in tandem with problem-solver or visionary. Ive even seen creative thinker appear on one or two CV profiles. I think youre inviting ridicule with this one; youre a graduate, not a professor at Harvard Business School. Beware of using the creative tag too liberally. If you really are a creative individual the evidence will shine through. 7. Extensive experience in (just about) acceptable when summarising substantive professional experience, less so when describing part-time summer jobs or a single internship. Theres really no need to inflate your experience: stand on your own merits.  Graduate recruiters arent looking to appoint executives; theyre looking to appoint you. Yes, youll need some experience but theres a limit to what you can do by 21. 8. Highly motivated  another one to add to the so what pile. Again, whats the alternative?  Youre hardly going to announce your chronic lateness and tendency to pull all-nighters! Employers will generally assume youre motivated by virtue of your application. By all means use the m word, but think noun not verb: Ive proven my motivation for a career in consultancy, through participation in a Spring Insight programme, a Summer Internship and acting as Brand Ambassador for x consultancy. Spot the difference? 9. Reading and socialising  just no.  If you include an interests section (and as aside, please avoid the rather outdated hobbies), make sure it adds value. Reading and socialising are things we all do, a bit like walking and eating. I dont think they warrant a special mention at the end of your CV.  Personal interests can add depth to your CV, but if the content seems contrived or just weird (I can solve a Rubiks Cube in 30 seconds) it wont do you any favours. 10. Curriculum Vitae  this is probably the most common CV cliché of all. Unless youve decided to encrypt the content, I would say its pretty obvious that your CVis a CV. It would be odd to see newspaper above the masthead in newspapers, so why feel the need with your CV? Make your name the title. Own it!

So, no-one recruits at Christmas Wrong! University of Manchester Careers Blog

So, no-one recruits at Christmas Wrong! University of Manchester Careers Blog Just a quick blog post to point out that weve had over 100 new ads uploaded to CareersLink in the past week and thats full-time jobs, not part-time Santa jobs. Some of the ads look like employers are re-advertising graduate scheme roles, so if you want to get on one of those prestigious training programmes, all may not be lost. Are these jobs worth having if they have to re-advertise? Yes! Its probably not that these employers havent had any applications. Its more likely that they havent had the quality they wanted. In a tough job market, too many people bang out as many untargeted applications as possible, in the hope that one will stick. If an employer isnt a big household name, applicants may be more tempted to dash off an application without doing much to find out what the employer is looking for. If you take the trouble to research the employer and the job, and show how you can meet their needs, youll stand a much better chance than someone who boasts about making over 100 applications. Im still sceptical what kinds of jobs are you talking about? McKinsey (looking for Russian speakers), GCHQ (theyve got an outpost in Yorkshire who knew?), GSK (a few opportunities still open until 11th Jan), Samsung (PhD or Masters with work experience in Chemistry, Physics or Engineering), BBC (Future Media Research Technologist), Adelphi (healthcare marketing and communications) and a load of others. Of course, if youre smart, youll pay close attention to the ones youve never heard of, who will probably get fewer applications than the big names. Show youre keen and apply before Christmas and you could start the New Year with an interview lined up. Have a great break, when youre not applying for jobs see you in the New Year. All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate applications Applications and interviews job market jobs

Ultimate Job Interview Preparation Checklist - Career Sidekick

Ultimate Job Interview Preparation Checklist - Career Sidekick Ultimate Job Interview Preparation Checklist Interview Preparation / https://www.edenscott.com/blog This pre-interview preparation checklist is going to show you exactly what to do before your interview to walk in confident, over-prepared, and ready to get hired.If you have interviews coming up, this will help you immediately.Lets get startedJob Interview Preparation Checklist:1. Research the companyMethods to research the company before your job interview:Their websiteGoogleGoogle newsLinkedInYouTubeAlso find their competitors. I like to use similarweb.com for this. (note: this works best for finding competitors of large companies).What to look for when researching (e.g. questions you should be able to answer before your interview!)Whos their CEO?When and why were they founded?Where is their headquarters?Do they have multiple locations? Where? (just get a general idea)What do they sell, how do they make money?Do they have a mission statement? What is it?How many employees do they have? (get a general idea is it less than 200? thousands? more than 1 0,000? etc. You can usually find this quickly on LinkedIn).Okay, thats how to research a company before the job interview.Lets move on to the next part of the job interview preparation checklist2. Review your own resumeIf they invited you to interview, they liked something on your resume! So theyre probably going to ask about certain pieces.Theyre also likely to ask a question like, tell me about yourself, and youll need to be ready to walk them step-by-step through your recent experience and accomplishments. So make sure youre familiar with your own resume before going into the interview.And if its a phone interview, print out your resume and have it in front of you.3. Think about facts, figures and accomplishments you can talk aboutHiring managers love this stuff. You should already have this on your resume, but either way prepare specific stories and facts/metrics you can share.Dont just say in my last job I was responsible for ___.What did you accomplish? Give exact data. Did y ou exceed your goals? By how much?Did you help the company make money, save money, save time, etc.? How can you quantify this? Thats how to impress them and get noticed.4. Find out who youre speaking withIf possible, research the people youll be speaking to. Check out their background on LinkedIn. Are they more of a technical person, or do they have a background in HR, etc.?This will help you anticipate what types of questions they will ask.If you dont know who youre going to be speaking with, ask whoever scheduled the interview for you. They might not be able to tell you, but theres no harm in asking.Ill cover more about how to prepare for the questions youre likely to face later in this interview preparation checklist.5. Prepare great questions to ask themHere are the 105 best questions to ask in an interview.You should have a mix of questions about the job, the group/team, and the company.Dont ask about things like salary, benefits, working hours, etc. Itll make you seem more con cerned about this stuff, and less concerned about the actual job.Employers want to hire someone who is focused on coming in and helping them succeed. You need to play the game if you want to get hired.Let them bring up salary, benefits, etc. (usually after a couple rounds of interviews once they know theyre interested).You might be reading this thinking I dont like this advice. I want to ask.6. Think about previous interviews and questions they askedIf this is your first interview with a company, you can skip this step.If youve had other interviews with this company think about what they asked you and seemed to emphasize. If they asked you multiple questions about a topic, its likely to be something they care a lot about.So if youre speaking to somebody new in this interview, expect similar questions. Dont assume youre safe just because someone asked you about a topic in a previous interview. You will probably be asked again.7. Review the job descriptionWhile were talking about know ing what theyre likely to ask I want to mention another place to get clues about what to expect: the job description.This is one of the most important parts of any job interview preparation checklist. Go read the job description and see what they mention most often, and what they emphasize or mention first in the bullets and requirements.Those are also things youre likely to hear a lot of questions about, so practice those topics the most!Now, The Most Important Part Of The Interview Preparation Checklist8. Prepare for the common questionsEmployers ask a lot of the same questions in every industry. Practice so that youre not caught-off guard by anything in the first 5-10 minutes.Here is a free download of the top 30 questions to know.Questions you NEED to be able to answer if you expect to get hired:What do you know about us?Why are you job searching right now?Why did you apply for this job?Why did you choose this career path?Why are you interested in this particular job?How did you hear about this job opening?Why should we hire you?What are your strengths?9. Be ready to explain any previous job changesQuestions like why did you leave your last position? are extremely common.So be ready to explain any past job changes, layoffs, promotions, or other moves youve made either within a company, or between companies.So as a final step, pretend youre the hiring manager looking at your resume, what would they ask about your work history? Thats what to be ready for!Example: Lets say you had a Manager position, and then changed companies and became an individual contributor and no longer managed anyone. Theyre probably going to ask why.Its not bad that you made this move, but its bad if you cannot explain it. Maybe it paid more. Maybe management isnt your strength and you wanted to develop other skills, etc. But be ready to explain!Final Interview Preparation Steps10. Get your outfit readyMake sure your clothes are clean, professional and wrinkle-free.Dont wear anything distracting like big earrings or bright colors/patterns.And dress a little nicer than you think you need to.If the employees at a company wear jeans, it doesnt mean you should wear jeans to the interview. The interview is not the same as a regular day at work. Dress well! If you have any doubt, wear a suit.11. Map out how youll get thereIf youre late, you will not get hired. So make sure you know how youll get there, and prepare to leave enough time.If youre taking a train, or driving a new route, or commuting some other way to get to the interview, make sure you know how youre doing it.And if this is a very important interview, you could even do a trial-run. Make the commute a few days before the interview to make sure nothing unexpected happens.What next?Using the steps above will help you feel more confident walking into your interview, and youll make fewer mistakes that could cost you the job.Use this checklist to review before each interview. One cool thing that youll notice a s you go a lot of these steps get easier, or dont need to be repeated as you go on more interviews.As a final note:If you want to gain an even bigger advantage in every interview you go on, I put together a step-by-step interview guide with ALL my best strategies and tips in one single place. You can get more details here.

Combat Age Discrimination with Strategic Relationships [Updated] - Career Pivot

Combat Age Discrimination with Strategic Relationships [Updated] - Career Pivot Combat Age Discrimination with Strategic Relationships? Have you used a strategic relationship to combat age discrimination? We first want to look at what we mean by age discrimination. Most of you reading this are over fifty years old and probably have had tocombat age discrimination. I have heard it many times where someone has said, “I walked in the door for the interview, the expression on the face of the interviewer said it all. He/She is old!” They are probably thinking one of the following: They will never be able to keep up! Their skills are out of date! They will not be able to get along in an office filled with younger people! They are out of date in this world of Social Media! Why do they think that way? I want you to go back to your first memories of your grandparents. Over the years, did they slow down? Did they not understand the younger generation? Many of our biases are based on our own experiences. Could you see your grandfather working next to you? My guess is probably not. If the hiring manager is in his thirties and sixty-year-old walks in, his thoughts will be shaped by his life’s experiences. Strategic Relationships How do you combat age discrimination? You take the fact that you are older out of the equation. It all comes down to having strategic relationships. This is how you combat age discrimination! If you walk into the interview, and this is the first time the interviewer forms an opinion of you, well… you are in trouble. I have previously written about a Targeted Job Search. This is where you target the company and not the position. You develop strategic relationships with the target company with the idea that they call you when a position is available. I had a discussion recently with a friend, Tom, who is over sixty years old. He had his own business for the last twenty years, but the recession had wiped out his customer base. He was now looking for a job, and it was not going well. He had a few interviews, but everyone told him he was overqualified. I told him his next job would probably be based on a strategic relationship. His eyes lit up as he had just completed a six-month contract that came through a lifelong contact, a small business owner. The small business owner had hired some twenty-somethings to do a project. He was very unhappy with their work and he called Tom and said are you interested? That small business owner did not think of Tom as his grandfather. He was not concerned Tom would not be able to keep up. He knew Tom! Weak Ties When I left the high-tech world the first time and got certified to be a high school math teacher, my strategic relationship was with my chiropractor! My chiropractor knew me well and knew my values. More importantly, she knew a lot of people. Strategic relationships can come from anywhere in your life. My chiropractor is a weak tie. A weak tie is a relationship that could have been dormant or someone that you have a loose connection with. I saw my chiropractor every few weeks but would I call her a close friend? No. The advantage of weak ties is they know people that you do not know. If you want to learn more about weak ties check out my postâ€"Discover the Power of Weak Ties After 50. Has Your Network Aged Out? A common theme with many of us in the 2nd half of life is our network has supported us throughout our careers. Many of our career moves were presented to us by mentors or peers. As we grow older so do our mentor and peers. What happens when those people retire, leave positions of responsibility or worse die? Our network withers and the strategic relationships that supported us through the years disappear. If you want to combat age discrimination you need to be ever vigilant on building relationships. More importantly, you will want to build those relationships strategically at your target companies. You can read more about this topic in my post â€" Search Aged Has Your Network Aged Out and Abandoned You? Strategic Relationships are Nothing New Most of us have been building strategic relationships throughout our career. We did not think about it, we just did it. Now that we are in the 2nd half of life, we can no longer let it just happen. We need to be purposeful in building relationships if we want to propel our careers into our 60s and 70s. Every interview I have had in the last ten years has been acquired through a strategic relationship. When I walked into the room their initial opinions had already been formed. This is nothing new. Are you ready to be strategic in developing relationships to combat age discrimination? Let me know what you think with a comment below! Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Book review Non zero - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Book review Non zero - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog About half a year ago I posted some really big questions. Questions that may too big for an answer, but which must never the less lie at the foundation of any world view. Non zero by Robert Wright (bearing the somewhat grandiose subtitle The logic of human destiny) is one of the most interesting books Ive ever read, AND it tackles two of those questions in a thorough and readable way. The question it examines is this: Is the evolution we see all around inevitable or just a random development? The book is in three parts, with part one examining the evolution of human culture. Is it safe to say, that humankind has evolved in the direction of higher complexity? Clearly, Wright finds this notion obvious, but he still presents many detailed arguments for why this is so. Good reasons are necessary, because its long been unacceptable in academia to argue that one culture or society is better or more highly developed than any other. This is mostly beacause similar arguments were abused by fascism and imperialism (among other -isms) to argue that its OK for an advanced culture to conquer a less advanced one. Wright patiently and elaborately (and wittily) argues his case, and left no doubt in my mind that theres been an overall continued development towards cultures of higher complexity throughout most of human history. And whats more, societies are getting better. We may not believe that we have the perfect society today, but when we conquer other nations, we at least dont cut of the enemy soldiers genitals like the ancient greeks did. And this is cause for great hope. A common view these days seems to be, that the world is getting worse. Crime, poverty, war, global warming, pollution, technology and much more all threaten us, and make the world unsafe and unstable. But looking back at human history, Wright argues that it is precisely these kind of influences that have driven the evolution towards higher complexity. The main factor has been non zero cooperation. This is taken from the notion of zero sum versus non zero sum games. A zero sum game is one in which I have to loose in order for you to win. Tennis and chess are zero sum games. A non zero sum game can have many winners (or many losers). Business is a non zero sum game since if we do business we can both gain. Wright argues that non zero sumness can be found everywhere even in situations that look decicededly zero sum. An example is war. War is very much a zero sum game, but it sparks lot of non zero sum situations around ir. When threatened by war, a nation might choose to band together with its neighbours, so that they can defend themselves together. Thus these nations become closely linked in a non zero relation, creating a higher level of complexity and development. Not only war but any external threat may cause non zero sum cooperation among groups of people. Technology is maybe the most powerful driver of human culture. Every time we gain a new technology, we gain new ways of playing non zero sum games. Wright examines some of these technologies in detail, and I found the discussion of how money as a technology has enabled many new kinds of cooperation especially interesting. Interestingly, the internet is shaping up to be the ultimate medium of non zero interaction. The really interesting consequence here is that Wright sees hope even in the extreme pace of technological progress and in war and other external threats. Not that war is a good thing, but war inevitably sparks new non zero relations. The second part of the book looks at the evolution of life, and once again seeks to establish that there is a constant, overall development towards life of a higher and higher complexity. One again, non zero cooperation can be seen as the driving force, and can be the explanation for many of symbiotic relations we see. Even on cellular level, it looks as if cells are actually a collective of several different life forms, who are working together for mutual gain. Non zero sumness built into every single cell of every single life form. The third part of the book is short, and is dedicated to the question of now that weve established that there IS a direction to both the development of human culture and of life itself, can we say anything about the purpose of this development? Wright has no answer, except to point out, that the notion that there might be a purpose can not be ruled out scientifically. Its not a ridiculous notion. The ideas put forth in this book are crucial for all of us and are examined in a way that is both extremely well researched and thorough AND extremely entertaining. And the conlusion is that cooperation pays. That it is better to work together than against each other. That in the end, the person or culture that understands the best how to play non zero sum games will win. And that is a message of great hope. I cant recommend this book highly enough!! Interestingly, another book, The fifth miracle by Paul Davies, also examines evolution and arrives at the conclusion that there is no fixed direction to evolution. The issue is till very much open, and I recognize that its completely a matter of belief when I say that Im with Robert Wright on this one. It feels to me as if the world is developing towards a higher level of complexity and beauty. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Resume Writing Examples - How to Write Better?

Resume Writing Examples - How to Write Better?Writing effective resume writing examples would be very beneficial to any company who is doing resume writing. Instead of just hiring a new employee, it can also be used as an opportunity to get updated about the former employees. The goal of resume writing is to get the applicant accepted as part of the organization so that they can work in your company for a long time and experience more positive things about the company itself.In order to make the job applying easier, one can use active, dynamic verbs and adverbs. For example, instead of the usual verb 'apply' the possible options would be 'applied for'apply for a job'.When you are looking for ways to enhance resume writing examples, it would be important to get into the psychology of the employer. The job applicant should be able to state the skills he or she possesses and how they will help them improve in the company.During resume examples, it is best to state the skills that are re quired for the position that is relevant to the job. When the job involves services and/or production, it is important to emphasize those skills. The ideal is to write a description of the job duties but to add those skills that are relevant to the position.It is important that the resume writing examples include the examples of the job and the relevant skills. There are many companies that still depend on paper resumes and the old-fashioned, cumbersome methods for job applications. But by choosing more current, easier, and professional methods, it is important to show that you are able to communicate with the employer in a friendly manner.During resume examples, it is important to include examples that are related to the job. Most companies still use the forms because people can easily find the formby searching using a computer.The passive voice is still prevalent in most professional resume examples and it can be used for several reasons. One way is to show the skills of the job t hat are relevant to the job. It shows that the applicant can do the job if they apply to the job.It is important to make the example very specific and strong active verbs and adverbs. They must be different from the commonly used active and passive verbs.