Thursday, May 28, 2020

How to Protect yourself against redundancy

How to Protect yourself against redundancy by Michael Cheary Is it worth insuring yourself against redundancy?You might think it won’t happen to you, but new research by the Money Advice Service has found one in three of us have been affected by a situation that leaves us without a salary. Often this is a result of losing your job or being unable to work â€" whether through redundancy, illness or an injury that has stopped them working.If you or your partner lost your job, how long could you last before getting a new one? Do you have a plan in place to keep you going?The truth is, probably not. We found only a third of those who had experienced one of these financial shocks in the last five years had some kind of protection insurance in place to cushion the blow. That leaves a huge number of people exposed if the worst were to happen.Protecting yourself against redundancyRedundancy can often come out of the blue, and looking for a new job can take a long time. It’s certainly worth aiming for three months of expens es in an emergency savings pot to help you weather the storm.However, if you struggle to find a new job, you’ll find your savings disappear very quickly. You might be entitled to some state support, but it probably won’t be enough to support you.Types of protection insuranceInsurance is another option. There are a number of insurance policies out there, which will help you manage financially if you are made redundant.One type is short-term income protection. If you are made redundant or are too sick to work for a short period of time, usually 12 months, this type of insurance can help cover mortgage payments and other outgoings.Another choice is mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI). This will cover your repayments for a set period if you lose your job. Payments normally start three months after redundancy and last for the next 12 months.Though widely mis-sold, Payment protection insurance (PPI) could offer some useful protection in the right circumstances. It is designed to cover your loan or credit card repayments for a specified period, usually 12 months, if you lose your job (or are too ill to work) and can’t afford the repayments.When to get protection insuranceIf you have people who depend on your income â€" and our research found two in three UK adults do â€" you might want to consider an insurance policy.The question you need to ask yourself is could you cope if you lost your job? You also need to work out if can you afford to get a policy now. Prices can often be lower than you think, and cutting back on small extras such as a daily coffee or takeaways could be enough to provide you some form of cover.When to avoid protection insuranceIf you have no dependents and work in an industry where there are often vacancies, you might feel comfortable solely building up a savings buffer.Not every situation will be covered by protection insurance, for example voluntary redundancy or if you take out a policy after you know redundancy might be happen ing, so read the policy carefully.On top of this, a lot of policies don’t pay out for the first few months (you can decide how long when you select your policy). So, if you think you’ll be able to find a new job in that timeframe, it might not be worth taking out a policy.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 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. Salariesfeatured

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Assistant Manager Job Description Sample - Algrim.co

Assistant Manager Job Description Sample - Algrim.co Assistant Manager Job Description Template Download our job description template in Word or PDF format. Instant download. No email required. Download Template Using Your Template Follow these instructions to use your new job description template Step one: Fill out all details in your job description template using the provided sample on this page. Step two: Customize your requirements or duties to anything special to your workplace. Be sure to speak with team members and managers to gauge what's required of the position. Step three: When the census of the team has agreed on the description of the work, add in a Equal Employment Opportunity statement to the bottom of your job description. Step four: Check with your legal department, management team, and other team members to ensure the job description looks correct before creating a job advertisement. Choose a job board that's specific to your needs. Related Hiring Resources Assistant Manager Resume Example 5+ Best Assistant Manager Interview Questions Answers Retail Assistant Manager Job Description Assistant Manager Cover Letter Sample

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Make the Most of Summer While it Lasts

Make the Most of Summer While it Lasts It’s a fact that summer is the best part of the year, and in the fashion world we don’t make the most of it. Before the summer has even finished we all release the autumn collection in order to stay one step ahead and to build up the anticipation to give people something to get excited about even as they start to put away their shorts and store the sunglasses in the drawer until next year, preparing us for the long, dark, wintery nights ahead.   Instead of getting yourself into the premature winter blues, we are encouraging you to make the most of summer and make it last as long as you possibly can. One great way of doing this is continuing to wear your shorts and sandals or flip flops whenever you see the sun even if it’s just for the walk from the car to your place of work or while you’re out shopping on a day off. By keeping the summer vibes going, you can ensure that you’re in a much more positive mood which will also make the working day fly by or your shopping trip much more enjoyable. Jumpsuits have become one of the latest must-haves in any female’s wardrobe with all kinds of styles available. There are the relatively plain designs with solid colours for the more elegant look and then you also have the much more ‘out there’ colours like this jumpsuit by E-Label, designed by Icelandic artists, which will portray that summery look and feel which will go great when teamed with this year’s holiday tan.   If you are really desperate to cling onto the summer, then it seems as though crop tops have become the way to go. Perfect for wearing casually for a day at the shops or a bit more smart-casual or a night on the town teamed with a smart leather jacket or blazer, a crop top can help you cling on to summer for as long as you want, (although brace yourself for the evening chill!)   If it comes to September and you are still hanging onto summer throughout October and November, then we think this necklace  has a hint of summer about it, and can be worn throughout the whole year problem solved! Getting the jewellery right, as we all know, is essential; and the right bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces can either give a feeling of glamour, professionalism or of the time of year with sparkled showing off your happy, glowing side along with your suntan. When you get it right, it can even catch some of the warm colours you’re wearing so the whole outfit screams “you’re not going yet summer!”

Sunday, May 17, 2020

How to Monetize Your Website Without Losing Subscribers - Classy Career Girl

How to Monetize Your Website Without Losing Subscribers How to Monetize Your Website Without Losing Subscribers Have you been afraid to monetize your website or blog because you’re worried that if you do, you could drive away your subscribers and reduce your traffic? Put your fears aside! The truth is that you can easily monetize your website in a user-friendly way that won’t send your subscribers running for the hills. That’s right; it’s possible to have your proverbial cake and eat it, too. There are plenty of ways for you to cash-in on good money-making opportunities for your site and also keep your subscribers happy. In fact, if you happen to find the monetization strategy that works best for your site, you’ll even draw in new subs! With that in mind, here are some ways that you can work toward achieving this goal, starting with the three essential basics â€" SEO, quality content and website traffic analytics â€" all of which are vital to ensure successful monetization and a strong subscriber base. How to Monetize Your Website Without Losing Subscribers Create a Strong Monetization Foundation 1. Search Engine Optimization You might be wondering what SEO has to do with monetization. Well, if you want consumers to actually find your website in the first place, so they can help you make money, you need to exist in search engines like Google. Effective SEO strategies can help you enhance your sites visibility. For instance, by identifying keywords that generate high traffic but that have little competition, you have a greater chance of ranking higher in search results. 2. Quality Content Keep your new and repeat visitors interested. The longer they stay on your site, the greater your chances of getting some cash out of it. Engage your visitors. Make the headlines of your content catchy and interesting. Include images and videos when possible. If you want them to find value in your site, you need to show them it exists. When your content appeals to your readers, you can boost the likelihood of inbound links as well as reader sharing. 3. Pay Attention to What Your Website Traffic is Telling You Before you start employing different strategies to monetize, you need to quantify your website’s traffic to gain an overall idea of what type of advertising might work best for monetization. For instance, if your website attracts a significant amount of traffic or a specific demographic, you might find one ad monetization method works better than another. The same is true if, on the other hand, your site has lower traffic and attracts more generic demographics. There are programs that can help you quantify and analyze your traffic. Two good free options are Google Analytics and Quantcast. [RELATED: 4 Ways to Earn Revenue From Blogging] Monetization Strategies that Won’t Drive Away Subs Now that you’ve got the foundation for effective monetization covered, your next step is to apply monetization methods that won’t cost you the subscribers you’ve gained. Here are some great ones: 4. Google AdSense This is one of the most basic ways to make money on your site, and also the most popular and widely used PPC (pay per click) ad strategy. Google Adsense is free and automatically generates contextual ads in the form of text or images, based on the content of your page. You’re paid when someone clicks on the ad. You could be paid anywhere from $0.50 to $5.00 per click.   Plus, if your content targets the highly-valued keywords advertisers bid on, this will earn you more money per click.   This could lead to hundreds to thousands of dollar per month if you’re lucky. Why you won’t lose subscribers: This is an ideal monetization method worth having because it’s easy to integrate and can make you money from new subscribers as your traffic grows without irritating the subs you already have. 5. Sell Ad Space Other types of ads you can use on your site are CPM (cost per thousand) and CPI (cost per impression) Ads. Directly selling ad space can be particularly beneficial to websites that receive a lot of traffic (e.g. 200,000 or more per month) or that target specific demographics. The reason is you’re typically paid very little for each impression, so you might not make much if you have low traffic. Still, it’s worth looking into. Why you won’t lose subscribers: Your site’s visitors don’t have to do anything with these ads for you to be paid. You simply serve the ad to them. You’ll keep your subscribers as long as the placement of these ads doesn’t disrupt the UX. 6. Sell Digital Goods/Services Make money by selling your own digital products. You can make the most money on a per sale basis with these products. What types of products/services can you sell? Music, video, eBooks, and apps are all great examples. You can make whatever product you decide to sell exclusively available through your site or you can make it available in other online stores, like Amazon, eBay or, if it’s an app, mobile apps stores.   Of course, there can be a lot of hidden costs in creating these products, selling and marketing them. Therefore, it’s a good idea to use services that can help you. For instance, if your web monetization goals are via an app, which is very common these days, a company like Appnext can help you boost your sales and generate more income for you. Why you won’t lose subscribers â€" When you know who is visiting your site and what they want, you’ll be able to provide them with the products and tools that will most appeal to them and that they are most likely to buy. Not every sub is looking for something for free. Most of them want something of value and they’ll be willing to pay for it if it’s marketed and presented well. 7. Affiliate Marketing There are thousands of companies and dozens of networks that offer free affiliate programs. With affiliate marketing, you receive a commission from an online retailer by sending traffic to their site or from the traffic you sent generating sales from your referral. This is an ideal way to promote some of the more physical products you might mention on your site. Adding affiliate links to relevant products mentioned in your content can result in interested or curious users clicking these links and potentially earning you some pay. A great example of this monetization method is the Amazon Associates program. There is a massive range of diverse products you can link to on Amazon. Other great examples include Commission Junction and ShareASale. Why you won’t lose subscribers: When you’ve established yourself as someone your subscribers like and trust, endorsing and promoting a product you like and would recommend on your site and your email list will resonate with your site visitors and subscribers. As a result, they will be more likely to click the link and potentially make a purchase, earning you a commission and keeping your subscribers happy and interested. Keep in Mind, Diversification is Important Just like any strategy involving money, remember that it’s better to utilize more than one website monetization method. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Try combining the different methods mentioned above to find out what works best for your site, so you can make the most of your earning potential. As long as you are producing high-quality, relevant and engaging content for your subscribers, don’t be afraid to test out different money-making strategies. Remain relatable, maintain your integrity and always deliver value. Your subscribers will stick around.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

How To Protect Your Small Business

How To Protect Your Small Business When you build your very own small business, the looming potential threat of someone or something being able to destroy all of your hard work can be quite worrying. Establishing ways to protect your company and assets is an important step to ensure ultimate long term success, but it can seem somewhat impossible to cover all bases. However, figuring out where to start needn’t be as difficult as you might think, as there are a few top tips that can help you to discover the best ways of protecting your small business to prevent and possible damage in its lifetime.   Digital Threats   There are so many potential digital threats that your business may encounter, so searching for some kind of security to protect yourself and your data is highly recommended. It’s likely that you have stores of customer information in some kind of digital format, and it would be disastrous if an outside source could gain the chance of unlawful access and distribution. Setting up your own dedicated IT security team in house may not be a feasible option for most businesses, but luckily people like USWired have got you covered they can act as an extra platform of professional support and protection when you need it the most. Installing some kind of firewall on every device inside your office environment should be high up on your priorities, as they will block suspicious traffic and reduce the chances of your network hosting a harmful virus. Physical Threats   The chances of your business encountering some kind of physical threat should be prevented with the same dedication, as the potential damage could be just as serious. Risks can come in many different forms, from being broken into to being the victim of a natural disaster, but there are so many ways you can help your business to stay out of harms way. To deter the chance of robberies or unlawful entry to the premises, it’s a good idea to install some kind of CCTV system that will both act as a physical deterrent when spotted whilst also being able to record every single second. You can even access some CCTV system footage live from your phone when you are in a different location, so you can keep tabs on security even when you are not around. If you’re in an area that’s prone to flooding or any other type of extreme weather, then invest in some kind of protection that you can use should the worst happen. Carry out some research and identify the threats in your local area so you c an take the right steps to stay safe.  Being able to protect your small business is so important, and the safety of your staff, equipment and reputation should be paramount in everything you do. Make an effort to evaluate the different digital and physical threats that your business might encounter within its lifetime and invest in the right kind of insurance to gain compensation if the worst were to happen.

Friday, May 8, 2020

One Year Down Maggies First Year Job-Free - When I Grow Up

One Year Down Maggies First Year Job-Free - When I Grow Up Live What You Love by MadeByGirl On June 1st I reached a major milestone in my business. It was one year to the day that I sat down each morning with nothing on my work plate except Maggie Rose Interiors. One year and one day since Id last spent time in a cubicle. A year that went by incredibly fast. Im Maggie Morgan, an interior decorator in Seattle and a past (and sometimes recurring!) client of Michelles a When I Grow Up Alumna. I left my day job in 2011 to pursue my business endeavors full-time, after several years of blogging and more than a year of planning and saving my pennies. And now its already been a whole year of trying my hardest and succeeding and yes, at times failing. As I reflect on my entrepreneuriversary, I wanted to share some of the things Ive learned in the last year, particularly with you who may be considering such a leap. 1. Success is not handed to you. This should be obvious, right? Well it is and it isnt. I was lucky enough to have a great kick-off to my full-time work my apartment was featured on a huge decor blog, I started a regular guest blogging gig, I got a couple clients right off the bat from the extra exposure but I knew hard work was ahead. You dont start a business without an expectation of hard work. What I DIDNT expect was that it doesnt get easier. Sure, you learn to do things better and the tasks that once seemed daunting become routine. But as an entrepreneur, youre always adding more to your plate. There are new things to learn. More daunting tasks to tackle. And success isnt awarded to you once youve logged a certain number of hours.. We all define success differently, but it comes hand in hand with hard work. 2. Save more money than you think necessary. Wed been in a tight financial spot for a year leading up to when I quit, living paycheck to paycheck and not saving anything (thanks economy and a lay-off). And only six months after my boyfriend found steady work again, I put in my notice. I have minor regrets about the timing, and only because it made things very tight the first few months (were still on a budget, but things are more comfortable now). More importantly, I didnt have extra money to spend on the business. I havent had the opportunity to travel to conferences or industry events, for example, both of which would be a great boost for my business connections. Of course, had I stayed at my day job another day I might have actually exploded from stress, so there is that trade-off too. 3. A support system is key. Since the majority of my work load is internet-based, it can get pretty lonely hanging out day after day in my one-bedroom apartment (aka Maggie Rose Interiors Headquarters). Ive been lucky to connect with other biz-owner ladies and bloggers, mostly through Twitter or through the blog, and they have been an amazing source of support and encouragement. Not that my other friends and family havent been, but its so helpful to open up about the challenges of owning your own business, finding clients, getting clients to PAY, and hearing, I know exactly what you mean in return. It makes me feel a little less lost at sea. And as a bonus, I get out of the apartment and enjoy fresh air and coffee. It helps that they have the same flexible schedule! 4. There is so much to be grateful for. While I want to be honest about the challenges of unsteady income, having to learn something new everyday, and not knowing where the next paycheck is coming from, I have to admit that I think it is awesome that I get to do what I do. My work is exciting to me and something I love doing. I get to play with fabrics and colors and find beautiful furniture and help create a home for people! That is an amazing thing! I even love the business side of it, which is why I know Im an entrepreneur strategizing marketing and doing projections are still exciting to me. Even during a really slow month when Im freaking out I know I wouldnt go back to my old job. That helps me keep a grateful attitude even when Im having doubts and fears. 5. Confidence comes with practice. The first month I was doing the business full-time we met some friends-of-friends at a party or something and for the first time when someone asked me what I did for a living, I got to say I own my own decorating business. It felt so foreign and I felt like a fraud! Even though Id been registered as a business for more than a year at that point. I still didnt feel like a REAL decorator. And giving my first estimate to a potential client was a disaster Id only done flat-rate e-decorating before that and had no idea what to charge. For three rooms for ALL new furniture and lengthy management and install I quoted $750. Gah, Im so embarrassed now that is DIRT cheap. I didnt get the job (surprise surprise) but I eventually learned to be more confident in my abilities. After a year of estimating Im much more efficient and Ive learned to suss out what kind of project it will be (high  maintenance  with lots of changes, quick and to the point, surprise el ements that will come up). I still get nervous when I send off a quote, but at least I know that its an educated and thoughtful number. Now when I tell people Im a business owner and decorator it feels natural, and Im ready to hand over my card. 6. Youd be amazed at what asking get you. Im a pretty shy and introverted person by nature. I dont like to bother people or feel like a pest. But when faced with the reality of bills to pay and goals to reach, Im learning to set that aside. Im constantly amazed by the opportunities that come from asking for something in a friendly way. A guest post. An interview. A sponsor. A feature in a magazine. Its remarkable! And not once has anyone ever been nasty or rude when Ive asked. Sure, Ive gotten no reply at all to requests before, but thats the same as if I hadnt asked, so Im really no worse off. Anytime Im fretting over asking or pitching something I try to remember this. Just ASK. Thanks to Michelle for letting me take the time to reflect on the last year and share my experiences. Its been quite the journey and Im excited for whats going to happen in Year Two! To read more about my decorating services and/or check out my affordable e-books, visit my website at Maggie Rose Interiors. Maggie Morgan is a decorator and owner of Maggie Rose Interiors. She writes the interior design and lifestyle blog Maggie Rose. She believes that the best interiors are a reflection of the people who live there, with a mixture of styles and colors from all walks of life. She lives and works in Seattle.