The Basics of Anything

Weight Loss Tips – Take Food to Work

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:08:04 +0000

If you go out to work, you have to eat during the day. And if you’re surrounded by fast food outlets, sandwich bars and cafeterias, it’s pretty hard to find something really healthy and low calorie to eat. And it can be even harder to make yourself order it when it’s surrounded by other temptations.

So take your own food into work. Not only can you control exactly what you eat, but also you won’t have to look at all the other tasty things on offer. It’s easy enough to rustle up a salad or some raw vegetables with dips, or some cottage cheese with fruit.

And don’t start moaning that you don’t have time. Look, it’s your choice. If you don’t want to lose the weight, I don’t care. But if you do, you’ll find the time. You can buy in ready-prepared salad, or make enough meals for the week and keep them in the fridge or freezer. Or grab a couple of bananas, a tub of low fat yoghurt and a healthy cereal bar. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Carry Emergency
Suppose you get hungry when you’re at work or out and about – what do you do? Ignore it manfully, or relent and buy something you didn’t mean to eat? Personally I fall into the second camp far too often.

Suppose you already had a handy snack with you though? You could eat that instead of going and buying a muffin or a bar of chocolate. Now there’s a thought.

This is another of those ideas that I’m including because it works brilliantly for some people. However, I’m aware it doesn’t work for everyone. If that snack is burning a hole in your pocket, you may end up eating it when you didn’t need it and still being hungry later. If this is you, skip to the next tip (the next one can’t possibly backfire on you).

However, if you think you could run with this, give it a try. You may find it saves you from all sorts of worse eventualities.

Drinking Water and Weight Loss

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:07:15 +0000

I’m talking about water here, before you ask. They say you should drink around two litres a day, which is roughly eight glasses. You might personally find that your own optimum level is a bit lower or higher than this, but certainly if you drink very little you should find that drinking plenty of water really helps you lose weight.

It seems that water helps to boost your metabolic rate, so you burn more calories. It also helps you to flush out retained water, which will generally reduce your weight by a few pounds. And if you are losing weight, your kidneys will need the extra water to help them flush out all the waste products from converting stored fat into energy.

On top of that, drinking water fills you up so you feel less need to eat. If you’re feeling peckish shortly before a meal don’t have an extra snack, just have a glass of water. And if you’re drinking water, you’re less likely to drink calorific drinks instead.

Avoid Diet Drinks
This seems contradictory. Surely if they’re diet drinks they’ll help you lose weight, won’t they? Strangely enough, no. It’s quite true that they contain fewer calories than their sugar-filled counterparts, but it’s not that simple.

The problem is artificial sweeteners, which these drinks contain in significant quantities. When you consume these sweeteners your body tastes the sweetness and gets ready for a substantial influx of calories. When these don’t materialise your body starts asking for them by feeling hungry, so you’re encouraged to eat more.

In fact, researchers have discovered that people who drink just one diet drink a day are 30 per cent more likely to become obese than people who don’t.

Of course, this doesn’t apply only to diet drinks. They’re the biggest culprit because they’re so sweet, but ideally it’s best to avoid artificial sweeteners in other products too.

Weight Loss Tips – Distract Yourself

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:58:21 +0000

What do you do when you hear food calling you from the fridge or the cupboard? Do you walk zombie-like, with glazed eyes, to the source of the sound? Well, what else can you do?

Anything. You can do anything you like. Just find some way to distract yourself. Make it your automatic reaction when you start thinking about food. Don’t sit there trying not to think about it. Do something else. Go for a walk, do some work, challenge the kids to a game of football, phone a friend, clean the bathroom, wash the car, get the laundry done. In fact anything involving water is generally a good idea. It’s almost impossible to eat while you’re having a shower.

Snack As You Cook
I know it’s best not to pick at food while you’re cooking. You do it almost without thinking, and unless you’re making salad or something similar it can scupper your intentions of losing weight. But let’s be realistic here. Sometimes you have to cook and know you won’t be able to resist. So rather than kid yourself you’ll be restrained and then finding that you give in, the best solution is to have a snack to hand for picking at. Have some apple slices, or a raw carrot, or whatever you need to distract you from the food you’re preparing and divert you towards something lower in calories.

Weight Loss Tips – Hands off the Kids’ Leftovers

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:20:23 +0000

If you have kids, you’ll doubtless be well aware of the temptations of leftovers. Sometimes they look so revolting you wouldn’t touch them if you were starving, but sometimes they can seem quite appetising. That untouched fishfinger, those cheese sandwiches, the end of that packet of crisps…

Stop! Have you ever added up how much extra food you can consume in a week this way? And when was the last time you stinted on your own food to compensate? ‘I won’t have much, thank you. I had half a sausage, three crisps, a soggy digestive biscuit and some grated cheese earlier.’

So what’s the answer? How are you going to resist temptation? I’ll tell you. You’re going to remove it. As soon as the children finish eating, squirt washing-up liquid all over the plate before you have a chance to snaffle anything off it. Or if you prefer, scrape it off into the compost, or the dog’s bowl (assuming you won’t stoop low enough to eat from these). Better still, train the children to dispose of the leftovers when they leave the table.

Find Something to Do With Your Hands
This may not apply to you, in which case feel free to move on. But lots of us – especially those of us who used to smoke – find that eating gives us something to do with our hands. You’re sitting around in the evening, your hands aren’t occupied, so you fill them with food to keep them busy. If you’re an ex-smoker like me, this is an especially good solution as it even involves raising your hands to your mouth intermittently.

When I say it’s an especially good solution, what I actually mean is that it’s an especially bad solution. It solves the wanting a fag problem, but it creates another bigger problem.

The answer, of course, is to find some other way to occupy your hands. Take up crocheting or sudoku or check your emails or buy a set of worry beads. Anything that keeps your fingers busy so they don’t need to drag you off to the kitchen to find them something to do.

Weight Loss Tips – Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Fist

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:19:11 +0000

And before you ask, yes, that’s your own fist. No good finding a huge hulking bloke and borrowing his. Then again, look on the bright side, you don’t have to use a two year old’s fist either.

Look, this whole thing is about moderation, and your fist is as good a gauge of moderation as any. A portion of fruit or vegetables is reckoned to be a helping the size of your fist, so this isn’t unreasonable.

If we’re honest, eating a portion of lettuce or watercress bigger than your fist won’t do you much harm weight-wise. Especially when you allow for all the air in between the leaves. And if you’ve left your salad undressed. This rule really comes into its own for things like mashed potato, cake, chips, red meat, steamed sponge pudding,… oh, you know perfectly well when you need to apply it.

CV Guide – Time Management

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:24:31 +0000

It might seem like a lot of additional work to physically improve your employability rather than just enhancing it on paper through effective writing, but it can be time well spent – especially if you have the goal of a specific job in mind.

When not working full-time, improving your employability can help you to stay busy, keep a routine, and prove to prospective employers you really want to work and develop your skills. It also proves you can manage your time effectively.

Gaps in your Employment History will seem less meaningful if you can show you’ve spent your time wisely since your last job or contract. It’s hard to write a positive story if the truth is that you’ve done nothing but sit in the pub since you were made redundant. If you have, change it now by doing something you can talk positively about.

However busy you already are, don’t write off opportunities to improve your employability. If wanting to return to work full time after a career break to have a family, you’d need to manage your family responsibilities and childcare around your new job: prove to an employer you are already a skilled time manager by adding to your skills with an online course.

Motivation
If you have been struggling with motivation, particularly after lots of rejections from employers, you may find the process of writing your CV can help you to get back on track.

Writing your generic CV might highlight obstacles to getting a job that weren’t clear to you before. Past issues can be smoothed out through positive spin, but others – especially current issues – may require practical solutions that you need to work on. Identify the obstacles you need to overcome, the gaps you need to close, and ways you can do so. You may thenjfind your motivation starts to build as you measure your progress against your new goals.

One Thing to Remember
- If positive spin can’t redeem the poorest aspects of your CV, you may need to take action.

CV Maintenance – Be Prepared

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:18:58 +0000

Boy Scouts and Girl Guides may have years to go before they need a CV, but they have the right idea: Be prepared. In an uncertain climate, you need to be ready to act fast. However great you may be in your current role, when that stomach-dropping redundancy letter falls on your desk and you’re up against 50 similarly-qualified colleagues to find a new job as of Monday, you’ll be glad you were better prepared than they were for the task.

The same applies in positive situations, for example, when you’re introduced to a company director late on a Friday night and discover he needs to fill an urgent vacancy, and would consider you if only you could email your CV to him at home by Saturday morning. Trying to write an inspired CV at midnight (or worse, at 7 a.m. with a hangover) isn’t the best start, but if your generic CV is up to date then you only need to edit.

Being prepared might not earn you a CV-writing badge, but you can take comfort in knowing that you are ready for any opportunity that comes along. An effective, targeted CV takes a fraction of the time to prepare and send when your generic CV is bang up to date.

CV Maintenance Tips – Incorporate Feedback

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:18:24 +0000

You don’t have to ask for feedback on your generic CV every six months, unless you want to, of course – and your contacts are extremely understanding. However, you should always get feedback if you can on a targeted CV before you send it out -and afterwards if possible.

Whenever you get feedback, don’t just update the targeted CV. If you think it is sound advice from a trusted source, update your generic CV at the same time. Add notes in a different colour if you think the feedback applies only to a particular role or industry; change the actual text if it’s a universal comment and one that you agree with.

It is important only to make changes you agree with: each person will have a different, usually subjective, opinion. CVs are like Marmite – aspects that some people loathe, others will love. Don’t feel you need to bend with the wind by incorporating every single comment you get, however contradictory.

If you aren’t chosen for interview, it’s worth making a quick call to see if you can find out why. Take great care not to sound defensive and make it clear you are merely trying to improve your CV, not having a go at someone for not asking you to interview! Not all employers will have the time or inclination to be helpful -and many will have already binned your CV by this point – but some might give you valuable feedback, so it’s always worth making a polite call if you can. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Recruitment agencies especially are worth calling: don’t just ask for feedback on your CV but also check whether there are any other positions they could put you forward for.

If you get the interview and are then offered the job and accept it, that’s great. But don’t pass up on yet another great opportunity for feedback. You’ll probably get the most detailed answer of all from a new employer and/or boss as to what they liked or didn’t like about your CV, and your interview style. Ask as soon as you can, so it’s fresh in their mind as well as yours. Be sure to note their comments in your generic CV and bear them in mind when it comes to your next application – especially if you apply for a promotion or new role internally.

CV Tips – Personal Statements or Competency Statements

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:14:42 +0000

These are terms you may also come across when applying for jobs. You may be asked to submit a personal statement or competency statement – with or without your CV.

Any good CV will already contain the basic ingredients for this statement. Unless instructed otherwise, it is normally a summary of the fields in which you are experienced, proof of your skills and competencies, and the direction you wish to head in your career.

To start creating your statement, try combining the Profile and Objective from your targeted CV – but of course don’t leave it worded exactly the same if you are submitting your CV at the same time. Some rephrasing will be needed, with possibly more detail.

Personal or competency statements, like CVs and covering letters, should be written with a specific role and employer in mind. This ensures you focus on the competencies and skills most relevant to that job and that company, especially if you have limited space.

If the statement needs to be a specific length, edit it down or up from your starting point accordingly. Be as concise as you can when editing down, and when you really can’t make it any shorter, think about deleting the least relevant points.

Editing up means adding relevant examples as proof of your skills, not using extra words (fluff) to say exactly the same thing as you did before.

Statements can be written as one chunk of prose, or split into shorter paragraphs, or even divided up under individual competency or skill headings. If you are not given specific guidelines, the choice is yours – but bear in mind that one solid chunk of prose can look off-putting.

The best advice is to try laying it out in several ways to see what looks right. Paragraphs are likely to work best for shorter statements, while breaking up text with headings would make a longer statement more readable,

What to Include In a Covering Letter

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:51:33 +0000

1. State why you would like to work for this particular company
It might be due to:
- reputation
- culture
- performance
- feedback from acquaintances who work there
- personal interest in/passion for their products
- location
- opportunities for progression
- concern for the environment
- any other sensible reason you can think of.

2. Add any other important details that aren’t already in your CV
You may wish to:
- explain that you are about to relocate or are willing to do so if needed
- give details of your current salary – only if specifically asked for
- confirm that you have a valid driving licence
- mention a relevant training course or qualification that you are due to start very soon
- be creative and add a testimonial from one of your appraisals or references.

3. Say what response you would like from the recipient
This might be:
- an interview for the job advertised (do mention if you are unavailable, for example, away on holiday)
- an initial conversation with someone about potential opportunities
- written details of current vacancies
- your CV to be kept on file
- your CV to be forwarded/recommended for consideration, if sent to a personal contact
- anything else you would like them to do.

4. End your letter with any action you intend to take (if you do intend to)
Let them know that you:
- are going to telephone next week to check your application has arrived safely
- will wait to hear back from them
- welcome the chance to discuss further at interview
- look forward to meeting them.

Good
I’m writing to apply for the role of restaurant manager at Munch Soho.

I have seven years’ experience running restaurant franchises and my inspired team leadership and enthusiasm creates a great working environment. I’d welcome the challenge of managing a larger restaurant, and I can relocate to central London immediately if desired. I look forward to discussing further at interview; I’m on holiday from 13-20 September.

Tony Bellifull
All the key points are included, but there are a few things t that need to be added:

- where you saw the job advert (recruiters love to know how effective each ad is)
- more evidence of skills mentioned: concrete examples
- refer the reader to the CV you’ve included
- holiday notice seems a little abrupt at the end.

Better
I’m writing in response to your recent Times advert for a restaurant manager at the new Munch Soho. I have seven years’ experience running successful restaurant franchises: Zaza’s in Uxbridge and more recently Babel in Brighton. My inspired team leadership and enthusiasm creates a great working environment, as you can see from my CV. I’m now looking to manage a larger restaurant, with scope for progression. Munch in Soho would be perfect, especially with its strong focus on healthy foods. I can relocate to central London immediately if desired. I look forward to discussing further at interview; please note I’m on holiday from 13-20 September and won’t be available during that time. Yours sincerely,

Tony Bellifull

This is an improvement, but you could make some further refinements:

- Be specific about the date of the advert you are replying to.
- Sell yourself harder: mention more skills, offer tasters of the proof in your CV.
- See whether including a quoted reference or testimonial might make you stand out.

Best
I’m writing to apply for the role of restaurant manager at Munch Soho, as advertised in The Times on Sunday 16 February. Seven years’ experience setting up and running profitable restaurants, firstly Zaza’s in Uxbridge and more recently Babel in Brighton, has fine-tuned my commercial awareness. Inspired team leadership and enthusiasm make my restaurants an attractive place to work or eat and, as you will see from my CV, this has kept staff turnover low and customers coming back.

To apply my skills at a larger restaurant, within a fast-growing chain where there is scope for progression to regional manager, is my ideal next step. The opening of the largest Munch restaurant in Soho would be perfect, especially with its strong focus on healthy foods – a real passion of mine. I am able to relocate to central London immediately if needed.

My previous manager described me as having ‘a potent mix of marketing skills based on astute customer insight’: I’d love the chance to elaborate on the added value I can bring to this role and the all-important marketing of your new restaurant.

Please note I’m on holiday from 13-20 September but would be available for interview at any other time.

Yours sincerely,
Tony Bellifull