Friday, December 27, 2019

Email, Text Message, Facebook Oh My! Communicating With Candidates in the Age of Overload

Email, Text Message, Facebook Oh My Communicating With Candidates in the Age of Overload Email, Text Message, Facebook Oh My Communicating With Candidates in the Age of Overload Too much convenience can be a bad thing. For proof, look no further than the proliferation of communication methods in the digital age.At first glance, this has been a great development for us all. It wasnt that long ago when phone tag reigned supreme (admittedly, we havent totally vanquished that nuisance just yet). Now, if you place a call and someone doesnt pick up, you can always text them. Or email them. Or hop on Facebook. Or tweet at them.The same holds true for interactions with companies. If you cant get customer service on the line, you can always tweet at the corporate account.As a bonus, the added publicity of the actoften pressures companies to take swift corrective actions to address your woes.The recruiting process is no different. Where once candidates could only send in resumes and cross their fingers, social media, email, and SMS have given them the ability to stay in constant contact with potential employers.The problem is, employers dont alwaysget back to them. Not because employers dont want to stay in anflug with candidates but because the barrage of communication can be hard for any one recruiter to keep up with.It seems a new communication app or platform is popping up every day The downside to this is recruiters and employers need to constantly stay on top of them and adapt so that they are able to get in touch with the candidates using these new communication technologies, says Howie Schwartz, CEO and cofounder of sourcing and engagement platform Crowded. These days, it seems there needs to be a whole entire team dedicated to research and collecting data on where your candidates are most engaged so that your recruiters know where to focus their efforts on.The other monkey wrench is that not all candidates are open to being contacted via the same platforms. Some will gladly welcome a text from a recruiter, while others will immediately blacklistany recruiter or employer attempting to contact them via that channel.With the emergence of any new chat technology comes just one more way for a candidate to ignore you, Scwhartz says. Employers need to have some sort of line that is drawn to ensure they are not crossing over personal boundaries to communicate with candidates.Cutting Through the Noise With a Cross-Channel PlatformIn an effort tohelp recruiters and candidates more easily connect with one another, Crowded has built kooperation for cross-channel communication into its latest release version. The platform currently supports SMS, Facebook Messenger, and email, with plans to add Slack, Skype, WhatsApp, WeChat, and more in the future.For those who are unfamiliar with Crowded, the platform allows candidates to create accounts and advertise their skills and abilities. Based on this information, candidates are matched with potential job s. Employers, too, also receive curated lists of candidates whose backgroundsalign with their hiring needs.The platform allows candidates and potential employers to chat with one another via multiple channels, thereby collecting all recruiter/candidate communication in one central location.One click from your mobile device or messaging platform will start the conversation across any channel with any of these candidates, Schwartz explains.Cross-channel communication via a centralized platform allows employers and recruiters to connect with a variety of candidates in real time.This means a faster, more efficient hiring process for everyone involved, Schwartz says. By wrangling candidates into one channel, you are restricting your opportunities to reach these potential new hires, and you are essentially narrowing your candidate pool.Schwartz also notes that cross-channel communication can make it easier for recruiters to respect their candidates communication preferences.For example a candidate may love WhatsApp to communicate with their friends, but they may wish to use Skype or Facebook Messenger for business and to engage in interview chats, Schwartz says.When all these channels are available in the same place, recruiterswont have to jump from platform to platform just to reach out to different candidates.Given that it looks like new chat platforms will continue to pop up in the coming years, Im starting to think that Crowdeds move may be the beginning of a trend. I sure hope it is. Being a recruiter is hectic enough. Itd be nice if we could bring a little more convenience to their lives.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Tips for Starting a New Job for Introverts

Tips for Starting a New Job for IntrovertsTips for Starting a New Job for IntrovertsIntroductions. Meeting many new people. Orientation groups. Taking part in big welcome lunches. First days at any job can be overwhelming and intimidating. Thats true for anyone- but introverts, who tend to gravitate toward one-on-one situations, and away from big groups, may find the idea of starting a new job particularly intimidating. Tips for Starting a New Job for Introverts Discover strategies that will help make your first week at a new job a success, whether youre introverted, a bit shy, or just feeling nervous about beginning a new role. Say Yes- But Not Too Much It may feel tempting to opt for one of two extremes saying yes to every invite, from drinks to coffee to a welcome lunch to joining the offices softball league or declining all invites. Aim to find a happy medium say yes to things that work well with your personality, and turn down activities far outside of your comfort zone.If y ou despise sports, go ahead and demur the softball league gathering. Do attend your own welcome lunch, of course, and aim to join at least a couple of the work-related social activities that youre invited to. Be careful not to overbook yourself- if you say yes to a work event on a Monday, give yourself Tuesday and Wednesday nights off. Aim for One-on-One As much as possible, steer social interactions with colleagues toward small gatherings. Invite peers to coffee, or join a small group for lunch. Theres likely no tactful way to opt out of a large welcome lunch or a required orientation for new hires, but even there, you can try to focus your attention on just the people sitting around you. Even if youre part of a large group, you can still make it small by speaking to only one or two people at a time.Prepare Your Intro Being on the spot can be an uncomfortable position for introverts- or anyone, really, who doesnt adore being the center of attention. Before your first day at a new j ob, try to imagine and plan ahead for likely scenarios, such as introductions at a team-wide meeting. Practice how youll introduce yourself, from sharing hobbies and personal details to providing an overview of your work history. Find a Private Spot Nearly every office- even those with open floor plans- has a quiet spot, for personal conversations with the doctor, one-on-one meetings, or focused work. Dont feel like you have to find it all on your own ask your new co-workers to point out quiet areas. You can mention that sometimes you need to hide away from the hubbub to get focused work done, and even cite a specific, detail-oriented project that might require your full attention.?Take Time for Yourself Can you develop a work-from-home schedule for a day a week? Do you have an office door you can close? These types of perks can be luxuries, especially for early-career employees. Develop other ways of giving yourself solo time outside of the office, to refresh yourself from big meet ings and constant chatter nearby. If it works with your schedule, you can arrive at work early or depart late. Or, just find a nearby park or coffee shop to visit for a few minutes of solitude. Share Your Preferred Work Style Theres no need to make a big deal of it, but feel free to relate your work style to co-workers, or your manager. You can even mention it casually in your introduction, by commenting that youre while you tend to be quiet during big meetings, you love to connect one-on-one. 137 Watch Now 8 Tips for Starting a New Job

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

12 Companies Offering Student Loan Forgiveness Hiring Now

12 Companies Offering Student Loan Forgiveness Hiring Now12 Companies Offering Student Loan Forgiveness Hiring Now Agonizing over student loans? You are not alone - in 2018, Americans owed over $1.48 trillion in student loan debt according to Student Loan Hero . While that statistic may prompt hyperventilation, it has also motivated companies big and small to offer the next popular employee benefit student loan repayments. Employers see relieving this financial burden as an opportunity to attract talent and retain employees, especially millennials and Gen Zers. Read the ins and outs of 12 student loan forgiveness programs for popular companies.The book publishing company reimburses employees $1,200 annually for student loans, with up to $9,000 available in subsidies. CEO Markus Dohle explained to Cision , With this new benefit for ur employees, we have another opportunity to live up to our mission and help our employees invest in their futures while also making P enguin Random House a happy, productive, and rewarding place to work.Hiring For Creative Marketing tafelgeschirrs Director, Full Time Warehouse Associates, V.P. of Facilities, SEO Executive, Customer Service Advisor & more.What Employees Say Terrific benefits, autonomy on projects, and great growth opportunities.The health insurance company matches employees student loan payments up to $2,000 annually, offering $10,000 of total assistance. By helping ease their financial burden, our employees can better focus on our mission of building a healthier world, says chairman and CEO Mark Bertolini .Hiring For geschftlicher umgang Program Manager, Case Management Coordinator, Engagement Specialist, Customer Service Representative, Senior Project Manager & more.What Employees Say Pay and benefits are good. Opportunity to work remote. Coworkers are friendly and work culture is positive.Live Nation matches $100 of student loan payments a month for employees, with a maximum of $6,000 i n repayment. Live Nations Chief Human Resources Officer Nadia Rawlinson told CBS , Its new, its innovative and it gets out at helping employees realize their life goals, not just professional goals.Hiring For Director of Sponsorship Sales, Senior System and Business Analyst, Digital Planning & Strategy Planner, Special Events Intern, Assistant General Manager & more.What Employees Say Great perks and excellent benefits Casual dress and everyone feels like family.Fidelitys student loan assistance program, which provides up to $10,000 for employees over five years, welches so successful that the company created a larger program to help other employers offer loan repayments . As a firm, we continue to support efforts to make student loan debt easier to understand and less of a burden on todays workforce, Fidelity said on their website .Hiring For V.P. Wealth Management Adviser, Alternative Investment Representative, Portfolio Services Senior Manager, Vice President Sales, Fin ancial Consultant & more.What Employees Say Awesome benefits, comfortable working environment. Great leap program if you are college graduates.Since Millennium Trust launched their student loan repayment plan, 20 percent of employees have joined the program. We wanted to create a benefits program aligned with our employee base, John Samaan, senior vice president and head of human resources, told Investment News . The company did not specify what amount it offers in repayment.Hiring For Application Developer, Account Administrator Incoming Transfers, Accounting Manager, Senior BizTalk Developer, Communications Specialist & more.What Employees Say Millennium has great benefits and competitive compensation. Opportunity here for hard workers is endless.Natixis provides its employees with up to $10,000 of student loan repayment over 10 years. Todays student loan burden is tomorrows underfunded retirement problem, so it is imperative for companies to join with policymakers, educ ators and employees to address this critical issue, said John Hailer, CEO of Natixis Global Asset Management in the Americas and Asia, in a press release .Hiring For Bank Petroleum Reservoir Engineer, Investment Strategies Analyst, Junior Equity Trader, Data Scientist, Financial Controls and Compliance Supervisor & more.What Employees Say I had an awesome experience working at Natixis Bleichroeder. The people were great and the environment was family friendly. I truly enjoyed my job.CommonBond is in the business of student loans which explains why their own employees receive one of the best loan repayment plans in the game. The company gives $100 a month to employees loan payments with no limit , meaning contributions continue until debts are fully paid off. The company credits the benefit for helping employee retention and recruitment, saying on their website , In just one year, we have seen a material impact on our ability to on attract and retain employees.Hiring For Com munity Marketing Manager, Director B2B Marketing, Software Engineer, Director of Infrastructure, Technical Program Manager, Associate Product Manager & more.What Employees Say Great co-workers. Company is full of high achievers but people are collaborative. Company works to create a good culture.PricewaterHouseCoopers states on their website, We want to make sure you get your career off to a financially healthy start. Thats why the company provides $1,200 a year towards employees student loan payments, with up to $10,000 of subsidies.Hiring For Audit/Assurance Experienced Associate, GHRS CTA Director, Tax Senior Associate, Marketing Risk Model Senior Analyst, Energy Operations Senior Associate & more.What Employees Say The company has great benefits, great learning experience and clients to help you start your accounting career.When SoFi announced they had funded over $1 billion of student loan refinancing, they also launched student loan repayments for their employees of $2 00 a month, with no yearly cap. SoFi says on its blog that Were proud to be one of the first companies in the country to offer such a perk.Hiring For Office Coordinator, Executive Assistant, Site Leader, Associate Web Producer, Corporate Development Associate Director & more.What Employees Say Great pay and benefits. Great perks. The fully paid health care benefits and student loan pay off assistance is second to none.Abbott offers a unique solution to employees trying to both pay their student loan debt and save for retirement. For employees who are contributing 2 percent of their paycheck to student loan payments, Abbott will contribute a 5 percent match to their 401k savings. Our employees have invested a lot in themselves to earn their way into Abbott, and we dont want student loans to prevent them from beginning to save when time is on their side, said Steve Fussell, executive vice president of Human Resources, on the companys website .Hiring For Technical Writer, Train ing Manager, QA & RA Manager, Coronary Clinical Specialist, Staff Quality Systems Engineer & more.What Employees Say Wonderful company with superior benefits, and a stock that appreciates and good dividend. CEO is excellent.The car dealership company recently announced they would contribute up to $1,000 a year to paying employees student loans. Carvana did not specify if there was a maximum to their repayment plan.Hiring For Buyer, Truck Driver/Vehicle Transporter, Associate Director Marketing Operations, Production Team Member, Recruiting Coordinator & more.What Employees Say Ive been with this company for 2 years now and what I love most is the pay, the great benefits, and the fun work environment.Peloton recently partnered with student loan repayment benefit company Gradifi to offer its employees $100 a month towards their student loan repayments. Gradifis Vice President of People Amy Stoldt said on their website , Peloton understands the strategic benefit of providing a differentiated employee benefit that also assists in attracting and retaining employees in todays competitive environment. Peloton did not specify if its maximum repayment.Full-time employees are eligible to have the remainder of their student loans forgiven after working at a public service job for 10 years. To qualify, employees also must have completed 120 monthly student loan payments.Hiring For Physician Chief of Gastroenterology, Program Analyst, Pulmonologist, Psychiatrist, Branch Manager & more.What Employees Say Dedicated, hard-working individuals. Flexible workplace with acommitment to promoting abalanced lifestyle.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

How to Translate Your Skills Into a New Career

How to Translate Your Skills Into a New CareerHow to Translate Your Skills Into a New CareerIf youre thinking aboutchanging careers, youre probably wondering how to present yourself in the right way in order to make the switch. You also need to make it clear in an appropriate manner - why you are making the change. This can feel like a daunting prospect. Its not easy to translate what you do today into something you would rather be doing or feel is better for you in the long run. On your computer or by hand, make a three-column chart to help you cross-reference your current skills and those required of you in a new field. Label the column on the left Current/Past Skills, the middle one Required Skills and the last one Connections. Then do thisMake a list of your job duties. Before you begin writing information in your chart, create a separate comprehensive list of your current and past job duties. Dont think only about what is required of you in your current or last job or what was /is on your actual job description. What are and were you responsible for on a daily basis? What tasks and duties have you taken on that are outside of what you were hired for? Record accomplishments. On that same paper, list specific accomplishments. They do not have to be quantifiable. Did you save a colleague time by helping him or her complete a task? Did you help compose a proposal that won the company new business? Think of small and big achievements. If youve been recognized informally or formally for a job well done, write it down. Consider skills. Heres where youll think in depth about your skill set and begin using your three-column chart. Look at the list of job duties and accomplishments youve compiled. Brainstorm the skills you use and used in every one of those instances, and write them under Current/Past Skills. The skills could be anything from effective oral and written communicator to Agile developer. Search job descriptions. Now its time to populate your Required Skills column. Use a site with extensive job postings like Indeed to find job descriptions for positions you may be interested in. Read through the sections outlining required or minimum qualifications, as well as those describing the desired or preferred qualifications. What skills is the employer looking for? There are typically generic skills and mora job-specific ones.Look through approximately five job descriptions, and record the skills youve found. Note with an asterisk those youve seen repeated in more than one description. Match your skills with those youve found. Cross-check the Current/Past Skills and Required Skills columns. Are there common skills or knowledge areas? If so, write them down in the third column Connections.You may find only a few matching skills, and thats OK. Its a good starting point to help you see what you should highlight in your rsum and cover letter. If you think youre at a disadvantage for entering the new area you want to pursue, expand your fram e of reference. Do you do academic or volunteer work where you utilize some of the skills those companies are searching for? If you cannot draw any parallels between the skills youve developed on the job and the ones you need for where you want to go, talk to colleagues or family and friends. There may be something youre not recognizing in your personal or professional life that applies to the new roles you seek. It is often easier for someone from the outside to alert you to such things, since what you do each day can be difficult to dissect. If you still feel at a loss after doing these exercises and speaking with close friends or co-workers, look into taking classes or doing some self-study ansprechbar. There are countless resources, some of them free, that can help you gain new skills quickly and onyour own time. Incorporate this information in your online profiles and job application materials after youve started studying. This will show employers that youre self-motivated, a nd it will boost employers confidence that you are familiar with their industry and the types of skills required for a job in their company.Marcelle Yeageris the president ofCareer Valet, which delivers personalized career navigation services. Her goal is to enable people to recognize skills and job possibilities they didnt know they had to make a career change or progress in their current career. She worked for more than 10 years as a strategic communications consultant, including four years overseas. Marcelle holds an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

The Pitfall of Examples of a Good Resume

The Pitfall of Examples of a Good Resume Examples of a Good Resume Help Tzu siche are a few secrets that may help you make a winning paper. A cover letter permits you to chat about yourself in the very first person and allows you to tell a story about your experience, your nature and your accomplishments. With the present to draw out your strengths and data, and then being in a position to present them in a manner that conveys professionalism, an excellent writer can easily make sure that you stand exotisch from the crowd. If youre a seasoned professional, a resume headline offers you the chance to call out a couple of your best accomplishments. Your receptionist cover letter examples is among the most crucial parts of your job application. Making your headline applicable to the job that youre applying to is essential. A cover letter is a significant portion of your application practice. If done correctly, a potent cover letter conveys to the possible employer the explanati ons for why youd be useful at the job. What You Dont Know About Examples of a Good Resume Have A Business Identity Just as any other on-line home-based business, its important to get a professional business identity. Communication Freelancing is just one of the locations that are affected by scam. Great Bullet Point Etiquette Heres a list of some points of etiquette you wish to observe. After a couple of clicks, you will be on your way to an amazing new career. Everyone can use a resume title, no matter their degree of experience. Maybe youve been searching for a job for some moment, or are soon likely to be going into the world of the employment seeker. If youre going for an artsy or artistic job, or even just wish to demonstrate that you blow the remaining portion of the competition from the water, you are going to want to consider about your presentation. The Argument About Examples of a Good Resume Be sure that you choose accomplishments for inclusion in your resume, make certain you choose ones that you are able to speak about with self-confidence and authority. The key is as long as youre specific in the way you design your resume you stand a very good likelihood of achieving your desired goal. The above mentioned restrictions are rather important if you would like to entice the Hiring Manager into thinking of you as a way to solve the talent gap inside her team. Irrespective of your degree of job practical understanding, your resume structure is of the utmost importance to making your program stick out. Its more than enough to work hard and heartily in the event you need to establish a little enterprise of your own and find a few clients. Nevertheless, learn to be polite to every and every client even if you didnt figure out how to arrange an offer. A business proprietor who charges an acceptable price is sure to rank higher amongst competitors. Always Offer Excellent Service The sector is extremely competitive. The Ultimate Example s of a Good Resume Trick Many times theres a unique format required and if you dont refer to resume examples then you may not know that requirement in any respect. Directly copying a CV template isnt always the ideal solution as it isnt always tailored to the demands of the candidate. Ensure that whatever builder you select has professional looking templates which are free of grammatical errors. The general CV template and ideas concerning the specific CV design and CV layout ought to be only a last consideration. Where to Find Examples of a Good Resume You can take advantage of the services and products provided by firms intending to help new entrepreneurs run successful businesses. There are quite a lot of websites for craftsmen of any sort. As you abflug out in pursuit of a new career you may have several resumes because youre targeting an assortment of organizations and or industries. After the company is big, the charges will be higher because of the enormous expenses which come along with it. Get the Scoop on Examples of a Good Resume Before Youre Too Late Its also beneficial to bring a peek at their site. If you may fit all your important and pertinent details on a single page, thats fantastic, but dont be worried if youve got to go on to a second sheet of paper. If you wish to make a great impression on an employer looking at bad resume examples might be fantastic tool for you. Developing a great resume is the ideal way youre able to make that first impression. How to Find Examples of a Good Resume Online Change career resume examples demonstrate that you should begin with personal info. Some resumes are reviewed by many distinct employers and dont give them with the information that they are looking for. Resume examples will reveal to you just what type of information is necessary and the format it is required in. Including examples of work that youve done previously is an extra advantage. Top Examples of a Good Resume Choices If youre talking about an activity you are involved in, utilize the present tense. Find out more about the skills you require for your fantasy job and after that work at having them. Every time you submit an application for a job employing an inadequate resume is an expected job lost. To start with, make sure freelancing wont block you from studying.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Kerrilyn Cramer - Tennis Official, Chair Umpire

Kerrilyn Cramer - Tennis Official, Chair Umpire Kerrilyn Cramer Tennis Official, Chair UmpirePosted October 13, 2011, by Jordan Huidekoper Every now and again when players are misbehaving, or the match is particularly close or tense for some reason, I feel some preskoranvers, but I dont think its any different to any other job, I just have to deal with it. Kerrilyn has been a tennis official since 1988 and now works as a chair umpire and has the final say during a tennis match. Kerrilyn has officiated at all four Grand Slams Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. When she did this interview she welches working at the Sony Ericsson Open tournament in Miami where many of the top ranked players are competing, including Roger Federer and Justine Henin. Why did you decide to pursue a career as a tennis official? It actually started as a hobby. When I was 16 I joined the local umpires association (Tennis Officials Australia) and it was basically something I did on a few weekends. During this time I was fortunate enough to work each year at the Australian Open as a line umpire. After seven years I started to do chairs and found myself taking weeks off work for my umpiring duties. Suddenly I was missing too many days of work to still consider it as a hobby, so I resigned from my job in 2001. At the time I was working for local government in customer service and for the last two years I was there I managed to get extra time off work to build up my hobby, to the point at which I could say I felt confident enough to know that I could get enough work to keep me going. What training is required? Initial training involves a couple of days at seminars where people learn the rules of tennis, as well as a couple of hours on the court to learn the basic techniques. From there people are able to join Tennis Officials Australia and do local tournaments where they are watched and evaluated to see whether they can move up the ranks. Once you get to a point where you are doing chairs in Australia you can proceed to an international level. The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Womens Tennis Association (WTA) run international schools. These schools run over two or three days and involve an exam and a practical component where participants get up in a chair and are evaluated on how they officiate a match. Level 1 school is done by the national association soon after you start. After completing level 2 school people get their white badge and can umpire small professional tournaments and top-level junior matches. Successful completion of level 3 school awards participants with a bronze badge and qualifies them to officiate early rounds of the Australian Open and other professional events. After that, a committee made up of a representative from each of the tennis bodies controls an officials career progression. At the end of each year this committee looks at the work people have done, evaluations theyve received throughout the year, and then decides who is eligible for a promotion. They can promote people to silver badge, which is where I am at now. The final level is gold badge and entitles people to chair the finals of the Grand Slams. Is a gold badge a promotion something you are looking forward to? I cant apply to become a gold badge, someone else makes that decision. Id like to reach that level one day, but its not something that I have a lot of control over. My belief is that if I keep doing the work and keep performing, then a promotion is a consequence of that performance. What are your responsibilities as a chair umpire before a match? Before the match I have to organise the score card or computer at professional events we conduct our scoring with a small PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). I also make sure I have all the necessary equipment, know who all the players are, and sometimes theres a little bit of paperwork. Then 10 to 15 minutes before the ma tch I go out and make sure the court is in order, check the nets, see whether the ball kids are ready, test the computer and scoreboards, and ensure that the players have chairs, towels and drinks. Once the players come out on the court, the coin is tossed and I make sure they are aware of the match conditions including the number of tiebreak sets, the number of challenges allowed with the Hawk-Eye system, and when the balls are going to be changed as these can vary from tournament to tournament. Once that happens I get up in the chair and the match can start. What do you do during a match? A chair umpire is responsible for chairing and controlling the match, and my main job is to call the score. I have final say on line calls and the ability to overrule line umpires, so I have to keep an eye on every single call. I also ensure that the players adhere to the code of conduct making sure they behave and play within a certain amount of time and sometimes I need to make crowd announ cements to keep spectators under control. Do you find youre under much pressure during a match? I think its like any job the more I do, the more comfortable I feel and the less pressure there is because I am more confident to handle any situation that may arise. Nine out of ten matches are sicherheit and I feel comfortable that I have complete control over what I am doing on the court. Every now and again when players are misbehaving, or the match is particularly close or tense for some reason, I feel some pressure, but I dont think its any different to any other job, I just have to deal with it. What is the most memorable match youve officiated? One of the biggest matches Ive ever done was the time I umpired Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis two years ago at San Diego. It was the first time I umpired two players who had been ranked number one in the world and it was a nice thrill. This year at the Australian Open was one of the best matches Ive ever officiated it was a quarter-fin al between Ana Ivanovich and Venus Williams. Who was your sporting hero? I was a big fan of Pat Cash as a teenager. Steffi graph is another player whom I admire because shes got a great record and was an amazing player. Do you ever get starstruck? Its a great environment to be in and I certainly have had some pretty cool experiences. Its sometimes nice to think that Im in a foreign country and Roger Federer is dining at the same restaurant. But I am constantly coming into contact with well-known tennis players, so its not such a big deal any more because Im used to seeing them. At the end of the day theyre just people, it doesnt matter how much money they earn or how many magazine covers theyre on. The vast majority of tennis players that I deal with day-in and day-out arent tennis superstars, theyre just people who earn a living playing tennis. How much travel is involved in your job? For the past seven years Ive travelled approximately 30 weeks each year. Overall I do enjoy the tr avel, but sometimes it becomes a little bit of a chore. I try my best to see more of the places that I visit rather than just spending all my time on the tennis courts. This job provides a great opportunity for travel and allows me to meet people from all over the world. Ive had some amazing experiences and I get the option to go to places that most people might never get to see Ive been to over 40 countries so far. As long as I enjoy my experiences, Ill keep doing it. How are you involved with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour? I am now contracted to work with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour for most of the year. The WTA has recently changed the way they employ officials, which brings them in line with the ATP tours and the Grand Slams. In the past they employed people for each individual tournament, but the WTA wanted to continue to evolve as a professional organisation and this is the first year that they have contracted officials to work for them for a number of weeks. This change doesnt really change my schedule, but its a nice compliment to be asked to be involved in this new system, and it offers a little bit more job security. The tour has a small group of officials who travel and work at the vast majority of events held throughout the year. This higher level of consistency means that the officiating improves and the players have more respect for the umpires. Is it common for officials to have another job outside of tennis? Line umpires usually have another job when they start out because they are doing it as a hobby and need another source of income. At the level of chair umpire when people have their bronze badge, probably 50 per cent of them would have another job. But it is very hard to hold down another full-time job at a silver or gold badge level as there are too many commitments. However, I sometimes do some temp work at the end of the year when I have a few weeks free. What is your advice for people who are interested in becoming a tennis official? The great thing about tennis umpiring is that when you start out you dont have to make it your career. This schrift of job generally starts as a hobby for most people. So if you like tennis and want to get closer to the action, its a great opportunity. Then if you want to continue to make it your career, there are plenty of people who are able to give you help and advice. Its a long apprenticeship, and it takes at least eight years to reach a gold badge level, but if you like travel, and you like tennis, it may be the job for you.Personal Trainer CourseStudy modeOn CampuszugnglichPayment optionsPayment planCourse guide+ FREE eBrochureEnquire Online Enquire OnlineFitness ResourcesGroup fitness instructor/programmer sample cover letterSports coach resumeCareer Insider StoriesDamien Kelly - Fitness Studio Owner & Exercise ScientistBrett Lee - Australian Cricket PlayerShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessEddie Betts - AFL PlayerInterested in becoming a?Rehabilitation CounsellorPers onal TrainerCommunity Health WorkerSports AdministratorFitness TrainerPopular Career Searchescost and duration of cert 3 and 4 in fitness coursehow to become a zumba instructor in australiahow to become an aqua aerobics instructor in australiagovernment funded fitness coursesexercise physiology tafe coursesFitness CoursesBachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Exercise)Enquire Online Enquire OnlineDiploma of Sport and Recreation ManagementEnquire Online Enquire OnlineComplete Personal TrainerEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate IV in FitnessEnquire Online Enquire Online Jordan HuidekoperJordan is a writer and photographer with a keen interest in personal growth and development.Related ArticlesBrowse moreFitnessCalling all fitness freaksAre you a fitness fanatic whose idea of a good time is a thigh-burning spin class followed by 200 ab crunches? Do you have energy and drive to spare? Are you a good motivator who enjoys working with people?FitnessFixated on fitnessWhether you pi cture yourself muscling-up your fellow mums or working your way onto Australias sporting fields, a career in the fitness industry can be as dynamic as you make it.Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE)A career in sport will take you placesEver wondered what a qualification in the sports industry can really do for you?