Whats the Best Wellness Technology

What’s the Best Wellness Technology Technology has been introduced to nearly every aspect of our lives and the health and wellbeing sector is no different. In fact, there are some apps and gadgets that some people swear by to help track their fitness levels, while for some people its a total minefield. So is there such a thing as THE best wellness technology on the market? Here are our 10 corporate wellness experts to give us their views on the must-haves when it comes to wellness technology. Sam Fromson From activity trackers and meditation apps to smart ways to administer prescriptions correctly, the great news is technology is making a real difference to millions of people’s lives.  However, there is a lot of it out there which can make choosing the right solution daunting.   A good place to start is a ready-made platform which brings together a range of technological solutions to provide a single holistic and engaging approach to mental and physical wellbeing.   Not only is this approach easier and more cost effective to implement it’s more likely to appeal a broader cross-section of your people. Sam Fromson, Co-founder of Yulife. Jill King With so much health data being captured by individuals, the best technology analyses  your  health and wellbeing data from multiple inputs, makes predictions about  your  future health and proactively plans a course of preventative measures designed to keep you at your best.  The best technology should also enable a personalised experience, meeting employees where they are on their wellbeing journey, by integrating and analysing employee data from multiple sources, including eligibility files, health assessments, biometrics, interests, platform usage, and more â€" all while maintaining the highest data privacy, security and compliance standards Jill King,  Director of International Markets at VirginPulse. Nick Patel It depends on the individual.   Each person has different needs and goals, and as such, the technology best suited to facilitate their wellbeing will be different.   Also, the rise of application specific technologies, namely mobile apps, makes it hard for one solution to be the “best”.   For example, some users track their activity with a device, their nutrition with an app, and practice mediation with another app.   All three technologies are important to their overall wellbeing.   Fortunately, there is a wide array of consumer technologies they can choose from so there is always something for everyone. Nick Patel, CEO of Wellable. Liz Walker The best wellness technology lies not in the tech itself, but how we use the data it produces. For instance, Unum UK recently did a deep-dive into how customers are using its Employee Assistance Programme offered through LifeWorks. Results showed of those who used EAPs for mental health support, 92 percent felt their condition had improved after using the service, highlighting the effectiveness of EAPs. Knowing its value, employers could take this data and dial-up awareness of its availability, benefits and uses. Technology is ineffective if we don’t mine the data and take the findings to make improvements to fully optimise our wellbeing programmes. Liz Walker, HR Director, Unum UK. Sammy Courtright Advancements in fitness and wellness technology have come so far, there are almost too many awesome new apps and devices to list! When you partner with Fitspot to bring wellness to the workplace, for example, you can access to our state-of-the-art wellness portal. There, you can RSVP for classes, see the schedule, track stats and much more. Plus, when you sign up for a premium portal, you also get access to our innovative wellness partners, whose proprietary technology enables people to take their health into their own hands, 24/7. We’ve partnered with brands that deliver unique and powerful virtual services, directly to your employees. Partners include Whil, which offers virtual mindfulness training; Sworkit, which gives you access to an extensive library of workout videos and plans; and Zipongo, which makes it easy to plan healthy meals, personalized to your diet preferences and health goals. That’s just to name a few! Sammy Courtright, founder and CEO of Fitspot Wellness. Lucy Tallick Other than of course saying RG’s technology, the best tech out there is not going to solve your employee wellbeing goals. Whatever you choose to use will only work if you can create an engaged workforce and this needs to be your first step. By creating an engaged workforce you will find it far easier to gain participation and registration into any initiative you launch for wellbeing. But one thing is key; you need to make sure that whatever you choose is holistic, covering all aspects of wellbeing both mental, physical and financial it has to appeal to all levels and abilities and all of your workforce. Remember, every one of your employees has different wellbeing needs at different times of their journey with you and its crucial that you can appeal to all, all of the time! Lucy Tallick,   Head of Wellbeing at Reward Gateway. Alaana Linney Innovation is strong in the corporate wellness market. Big data and AI are transforming the health assessment model, calculating personal risk and helping to develop personalised health care plans. Mobile and tablet apps are also becoming really important, allowing employers to have a whole workforce view of the health of their employees and empower employees to take control of their own wellbeing using a range of tools and reward systems. Virtual GP and CBT services are also very valuable, minimising time away from the office and allowing remote access 24/7. Alaana Linney, Director of Business Development at Nuffield Health. Joe Gaunt It’s all about individualisation.  Health is such a personal thing and it’s important that companies allow for this.  My top tip is to use technology as an enabler and use it to enhance something you know you already enjoy, which is health related and compliments and encourages healthy behaviour. If a person enjoys exercising at the gym try adding an on demand virtual training session, such as Les Mills On Demand for the times you can’t get there on time or are travelling with work.  If mindfulness and time out to reflect and decompress one’s thoughts is important there are a number of great apps for this such as Headspace and Calm.   The clear takeaway is that wellness and health must be personal. Joe Gaunt, CEO of Hero Wellbeing. Shaun Bradley The best technology is one that is available at the right time and right place. For example, if you offer your employees an Employee Assistance Programme that’s only available from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, no matter how good the technology is, if you need it on a Sunday, it won’t solve your issue. Push Doctor is a good example of technology in this field. The platform is there when you need it and available wherever you want to access it via a laptop, phone, or tablet. Shaun Bradley, Director of People at  Perkbox. Ruth Tongue There are so many different apps and wearable technology gadgets nowadays, its hard not to get overwhelmed by them all.  At Elevate, we love recommending the  CALM  app for daily and sleep meditations. We also love  Fitbit  and  Myfitnesspal  tracker for encouraging physical activity and weight management, and DrinkLess for recording your weekly alcohol intake. Nutrifix is also a great new nutrition app to help make decision-making easier when it comes to eating out. Ruth Tongue, Co-founder of Elevate.

Careers in Publishing event 30 April, 2.30-3.30pm University of Manchester Careers Blog

Careers in Publishing event 30 April, 2.30-3.30pm University of Manchester Careers Blog Careers in Publishing Event ID is 1537 This session, led by a publishing professional, is an opportunity to find about the diverse opportunities in publishing for graduates, routes in, work experience, what employers look for and recent developments in the sector. You’ll also have the chance to ask questions. By attending this session, you will: Develop a good overview of the publishing sector and career opportunities and roles for graduates; Learn about what publishing organisations look for in graduates, including relevant skills, qualities, work experience and qualifications. Find out how the sector is changing in the digital age, including the use of social media, e-books etc Learn where to look for job opportunities and work experience and get tips on how to impress publishing recruiters Have the opportunity to put your questions about careers in publishing to an experienced publishing professional Time 14:30 15:30 Date 30th April 2013 Venue Learning Commons Training Room, Alan Gilbert Learning Commons. Sign up is essential. Please make a booking through the following link http://bit.ly/VvI3Yh All Media

Personal Branding Weekly - Stand Up to Stand Out - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly - Stand Up to Stand Out - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I did say that you need to stop doing it yourself. This week I wrote that you have to get out of the mindset of “do it yourself” when it comes to networking. Yet, one thing you can do yourself is stand up to stand out when you network. Get off your rear!   I mean it. I was at a networking event this week and walked in to see many people just sitting and eating enamored by their phone. And, I had three thoughts go through my mind: #1 either you’ve paid for a really expensive snack (since all you’re doing is sitting there and eating instead of meeting people and networking) #2 there’s no one here worth meeting #3 you’re holding court (expecting that people will come to see you and network with you while you stay on your seat â€" like a king/queen on her throne) I don’t care that you were on your phone.   I’m an active networker who’s up-to-speed with online and offline networking and realize that real time conversations, information and connections are happening even when the online and offline worlds come together. Yet, to sit and ignore that you’re at a networking event. What is that? If you want to stand out, stand up.   Move around, meet people, introduce yourself and join in (listen in first) to conversation. Use your phone to locate if there’s anyone from your online network at this offline event. Look up people on LinkedIn so that you can get a sense of who they are before you jump into a conversation with them. For your personal brand to stand out and to be memorable, you will first need to be visible. [tweet this] And, you can do that by standing up and “working” your network. Next networking event, I challenge you to stand up.   Give up the grip, grin and graze and focus on the grip and grin.   After all, you can eat later.   You didn’t really go there for the food did you? Here are some other helpful tips to make sure you’re managing your personal brand well: Photographs to Enhance Your Personal Brand  by Debra Benton Workplace Meetings: Hate ‘Em, But Can’t Live Without ‘Em  by Skip Weisman The Second Biggest Mistake You Are Making  by Nance Rosen 5 Tips for Making More Effective Meetings  by Ceren Cubukcu Résumé Keywords Are the Keys to Be Found  by Alex Freund Do Goals Bring Happiness?  by Elinor Stutz 10 Ways Social Media Just Cost You That Job!  by Skip Freeman 6 Job Search Tips for Millennials  by Money Crashers The Burden of a Timely Thank You  by Maria Elena Duron Innovate, Disrupt, Commercialize â€" Not Necessarily in that Order  by Jeff Shuey Build Better Twitter Engagement for your Personal Brand  by Susan Gilbert The Real Deal About Passive Income  by Leslie Truex State Your Career Goals in 20 Seconds for Success  by Beth Kuhel How Super Stars ACE the Job Interview!  by Skip Freeman Battling Age Discrimination â€" Young and Old  by Marc Miller

Can You Have a Work-Life Balance These Women Say Yes All You Need is a Social Media Account

Can You Have a Work-Life Balance These Women Say Yes All You Need is a Social Media Account We’ve all heard it before â€" it’s impossible to have it all. Your daughter has a soccer game at 3 o’clock and you want to watch her score the winning goal, but your boss expects to see you at your desk until 5. Your son’s school starts at 9 o’clock but you have to be at work by 8. You can’t physically be in two places at the same time. Successful career or active family life? You’ll have to choose. Or maybe, with a little help from technology, you won’t. Entrepreneurs and mothers Marjorie Lynn and Kathy Meadows get the challenges of balancing family with a successful career. So when they launched their company, #DitchTheCanTM(DTC), they decided to create a business model that would give female entrepreneurs access to an endless warm market (and, therefore, an unlimited money-making opportunity), but also afford them the flexibility they weren’t seeing with corporate jobs. This is how Social Network Marketing was born. “With Social Network Marketing we are really just taking something that women do already â€" promoting products we love to our social networks â€" and allowing people to monetize it,” explains Lynn. “People try our energy drink, KAOS Gold, and love the taste. They love that it has less sugar and calories than other energy drinks. Promoting it is a natural next step. We think we should pay them for that.” DTC goes a step further. Anyone who joins the company gets free access to their innovative online-based learning platform, Social Network Marketing University (SNMU). SNMU not only covers strategies and tips for how to market on social media, but also makes recommendations for how business leaders can provide support and guidance to their networks. DTCMovement.com has all the information women need to know to get started with both DTC and SNMU. Those preferring to stay connected by texting can simply text “DTC” to 75309 for directions on how to join. “We wanted to make it as easy as possible to get started,” says Meadows. “There are so many women out there who are ready to put in time and work hard for their careers. They just don’t think this should mean being unavailable to their families Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. Women today are not accepting the workplace barriers of their mothers’ and grandmothers’ generations, yet there are so many businesses out there that still operate with inflexibility. DTC gives women the opportunity to be their own boss and set their own hours, so they can fit in the stuff that really matters. I know that phrase is overused, but what better way is there to say it? With DTC, you can work from anywhere, you decide your own hours, decide your income level, and all you need is a social media account.” Meadows bases her advice to young female entrepreneurs wanting a work-life balance on her own experiences: “A good balance of work and family is what makes me happy. It’s all about fulfilling personal goals while making sure your family’s needs are met, too. Your life changes and evolves as your priorities change. When you’re young, you thrive on an independent lifestyle and when family comes along your dreams make a dramatic shift. Make sure you recognize that life shift. With DTC, we want to allow women the flexibility to have that balance.” Why wait any longer? Get started at DTCMovement.com and get that balance back. This blog post was brought to you by  DTCMovement.

How to Start a Successful Career in SEO CareerMetis.com

How to Start a Successful Career in SEO You’ve read lots of online SEO resources, listened to hundreds of SEO-related podcasts, and watched the videos by prominent SEO experts.Now, you’re strongly convinced that you belong in the SEO industry.evalAll you need to do is create a solid resume, register on relevant platforms, change your title on LinkedIn and… wait. Right?Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. SEO is evolving at an astonishing pace, so the rules have changed. Even though entering the industry may still be easy, gaining a solid competitive advantage has become extremely challenging.So, what does it take to crush it in SEO?Let’s find out!1) Choose the Right Path for your SEO CareerevalWhen pursuing a career in SEO, you need to keep in mind that there are different career options for you to choose from.The first is, of course, working as a freelancer. This means that you will work for yourself, from home. The most interesting thing about this career path is that you can choose how your career will develop a nd what industries and clients you will work for.Second, you can work at an SEO or digital marketing agency, building and managing SEO projects for their multiple clients.evalFinally, you can work in-house for a company, in almost any industry, which has a website and wants to hire a full-stack digital marketing team. No matter what career option you decide to pick, it’s always a good idea to specialize in a particular niche. The SEO industry is complex and, logically, its practices vary. You don’t have to be an SEO expert to know that keyword research or link building won’t work the same for fashion sites and IT clients.2) Level Up your KnowledgeBefore you even think of seeking for an SEO job, you will need to research the industry to see what your roles and responsibilities are. You will need to familiarize yourself with some key SEO-related concepts and terminology, including search engine crawlers, keyword research, link building, SEO analytics, inbound marketing, white/bl ack-hat SEO, etc.You will also need to understand the different aspects of SEO, such as technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, content marketing so you can choose the field you’re most interested in.evalIn addition to SEO, it’s also good to familiarize yourself with the digital marketing practices that intertwine with it, such as PPC, social media marketing, PR, email marketing, web design, etc.3) Follow the Right Blogs to Stay UpdatedWhen you google “SEO,” you will see that there is a plentitude of resources out there. Still, don’t trust them all. You will need to start with the most reputable sitesand some of them are:Google Webmaster Central Blog â€" this is Google’s blog, where they share the latest news about their updates, indexing, ranking, etc.Search Engine Journal covers a wide range of news, insights, and guides for search marketers, related to SEO, PPC, content marketing, and social media marketing.The Moz blog provides a bunch of actionable tips on SEO and content marketing, for both beginners and seniors.The Dibz blog, where you can find a lot about link prospecting. They recently published a comprehensive series of articles related to link building in different sectors, including a guide to link building for travel websites, fashion sites, business sites, and so forth.The SEMrush blog covers a bunch of topics related to SEO, PPC, and content marketing.The Yoast SEO blog, which is a great resource for WP SEO and technical SEO.4) Invest in SEO CoursesThere are also many SEO courses and certifications, both free and paid, you should consider. Here are a few awesome places where you can find the right courses to boost your knowledge:SEMrush academy â€" provides a bunch of free courses on SEO, SMM, PPC, and content marketing.Udemy offers a wide array of free and paid courses on SEO, Google Ads, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, Google Analytics, growth hacking, public relations, etc.Yoast SEO training also has a bunch of courses related to structured data, multilingual SEO, technical SEO, content SEO, as well as all-around SEO training programs. The price of the courses varies and the introductory course for beginners is free.The SEO Playbook is one of the most valuable SEO courses you will ever find. It includes 14 hours of video training, detailed training modules, comprehensive and practical video lectures, as well as access to all the templates. Most importantly, you’ll get access to their private Slack channel, where you will be able to share thoughts and network with other students.eval5) Invest in SEO ToolsWhen starting a career as an SEO marketer, you will be a jack of all trades. And, to stay on top of your practices, track your progress, and meet clients’ needs, you need to invest in the right toolset. For starters, here are a few free SEO tools that may serve as your starting point:Google Webmaster Tools â€" the suite provided by Google is the backbone of your SEO efforts.O pen Site Explorer by Moz â€" lets you see what sites link back to you, identify broken links, and see the domain authority of any page.Broken Link Checker â€" a free tool that lets you identify any broken links on your site.Majestic SEO â€" helps you view the backlinks to your site.Page Speed Test by Google â€" allows you to test the speed of your pages and gives tips on how to improve it.Spider View Simulator â€" lets you see how search engine crawlers view your site.Google Trends â€" may be super-valuable in your keyword research campaigns.Backlinko’s Brian Dean has compiled an awesome list of free SEO toolsthat may serve as your solid starting point.6) Build ExperienceIn SEO, theoretical knowledge is important, but it means nothing if you lack experience in the industry. The problem is, you won’t be able to attract a client or find a job if you have zero experience in optimizing for search engines. This sounds frustrating, I know, but luckily, there is a solution to this prob lem.1) Look for an internship at an SEO company.As an intern, you will learn some core SEO concepts and see how the terminology and the theory you previously read about works in practice. You will also get some valuable tips from the industry experts, see what SEO tools they use, understand how different aspects of SEO work together and have an opportunity to work on actual projects, for actual clients. And, when the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, you will finally be able to determine what part of SEO you’re passionate about.These are all valuable experiences that will help you land a perfect job in the SEO industry later, as well as make numerous valuable connections. Who knows, maybe the company you’re volunteering at will offer you a job when the internship ends. This is why you need to reach out to them carefully and stand out as an intern applicant, irrespective of your minimal experience.2) Register on freelancer platforms.There are many boards for SEO freelan cers that will help you find your first leads and get hired, including:UpworkFreelancerFiverrSimply HiredPeople per hourLinkedIn JobsevalThe only problem with these networks lies in the fact that there are millions of freelancers registered there. Therefore, the competition is massive, especially for SEOs with no experience. To attract clients and get them to choose you, write a detailed description that would build trust with them. You should also emphasize your industry skills, education, and the courses you attended. Add a photo to humanize your profiles and always keep your information consistent across all freelancer boards, social networks, and your website.Original Image Source â€" Depositphotos.com7) Polish your resume.When seeking a job as an SEO specialist, you need to write a powerful resume that will grab an employer’s attention. It needs to be visually appealing, informative, and reader-friendly. Otherwise, it will be thrown away. Stats back me up on that. Namely, res earch says thatit takes about 6 seconds for a recruiter to read through your resume.Here are a few tips that may help you:Remove your photo. This is one of the most common mistakes candidates make. Experienced companies won’t make their hiring decisions based on your physical appearance.Emphasize your education and skills. Make a brief list of all relevant courses, training programs, and industry experiences that may be relevant to a recruiter.Highlight your soft skills, as they’re an immensely important factor determining whether you’re the right match for an organization.Never lie. You haven’t taken any courses on social media marketing and PPC, but adding these skills to your CV may boost your chances to land a job, right? That’s wrong. When looking for a job at a digital agency or a company that already hires an experienced team of digital marketing specialists, remember that they will ask you questions. And, if you don’t know how to answer them, you will be immediat ely removed from their list of potential employees. That’s logical, as no one wants to hire a candidate that lies right from the start. Instead, be honest, emphasize the skills you have and emphasize that you’re eager to expand your knowledge and advance your skills in the future.8) Establish a Solid Personal Brand in SEOOnce you learn everything you need to know about SEO and invest in the right tools, you need to attract your first clients.No matter if you’re pursuing your career as a freelance SEO specialist or you want to work at an SEO agency, your goal is to increase your industry authority and get yourself noticed by your potential recruiters.And, to do so, you need to build a solid personal brand around your name.evala) Increase visibility by optimizing your social channels.Whether you’re looking for an in-house or freelance job in the SEO industry, social networks will be your super-helpful sidekick.Start by optimizing your LinkedIn account. This is the largest prof essional social network that will help you put yourself in front of relevant clients or companies in your industry.Just like with your resume, your LinkedIn profile needs to be fully optimized to emphasize your key skills and competences:Add a professional-looking photo of yourself.Create a brief, but informative summary to build trust with followers.Add your education information and industry experiences. Encourage your colleagues and followers to endorse you for relevant skills.Connect with relevant people in the industry and potential candidates only. You don’t have to know them personally, but make sure they’re serious. For example, connecting with one of those people who have confused LinkedIn with Tinder will only waster your time and may even hurt your industry image.As for other social media channels, use them creatively. Facebook is, for example, an amazing place for building a solid online community. You could join relevant groups and use social listening tools to trac k important conversations and participate in them. By sharing valuable content (both from your site and other resources), helping potential clients, and interacting with other digital marketing specialists, you will increase your exposure and boost your authority.b) Create and optimize a personal website.No matter how personalized they are, all social media accounts look alike. This is where building a personal websitemay be the right idea. This is a great place to tell your story, reflect your uniqueness, and stand out in the sea of other people in the SEO industry. Above all, when creating a website, you can control what your potential clients or recruiters see about you.For starters, you’re an SEO specialist, so make sure your site is well-optimized. If your site is spammy, slow, or unattractive, why would anyone hire you to optimize their site? Observe the sites from the biggest SEO industry players like Neil Patel, Rand Fishkin, or Brian Dean to see what optimization tactics they use.Some of the key steps to take is creating a clean and responsive website design that will provide exceptional user experiences. Simplify your navigation, create catchy CTA buttons, make your social buttons visible, and eliminate all distractions (spammy ads, auto-play videos, fishy buttons, etc.) that may hurt your authority.As your experience in the industry grows, you can add the “My Portfolio” section to your website, where you would boast your previous work. To build trust with potential clients, you can add your current clients’ logos and names to your site and even create case studies to show how you helped them achieve a certain goal.c) Start bloggingIn the SEO industry, blogging is the validation of quality. By creating informative, well-researched, helpful, and fresh content on your site, you will gain readers’ trust and prove that you really know what you’re talking about. Your blog should be a valuable resource for both SEO specialists and your potentia l clients, a place they would visit regularly to learn more about the industry.Sure, to increase your credibility, you need to leverage the abovementioned link building. In other words, by publishing original articles on reputable sites in the SEO niche, you will soon boost your traffic, increase your online exposure and, above all, increase your credibility.Over to YouPursuing a career in SEO is not easy. This is an ever-growing industry, where you will face lots of competition. This is why you need to advance your career wisely.Start by setting clear goals and know what exactly you want from your SEO career.Then, work on your skills and experiences. Read the right blogs and invest in valuable SEO courses to boost your overall familiarity with the industry. Then, start experimenting with different SEO tools to see how they work and what results they deliver. If your friend or a family member has a site, ask them to practice it.The next logical move is applying your knowledge in rea l-life. Reach out to a local SEO company and ask them whether they’re looking for a dedicated intern. This is also when you should register on multiple platforms for freelancers and land your first clients.Finally, no matter if you want to be a freelancer or you’re looking for an in-house job at a company or an SEO agency, always work on your personal brand. Optimize your social channels, build a gorgeous website, and start blogging to position yourself as an authoritative resource.Hope this helps!