From Hospitality to Tech

From Hospitality to Tech Success Story > From: Job To: Startup From Hospitality to Tech “I was exhausted, and it just wasn't fulfilling me anymore.” * From Hospitality to Tech When a friend approached Tarryn Gorre with a business idea, she leapt at the chance to make a fresh start. With a truckload of mistakes behind her, she's learning a lot â€" and she couldn't be happier with her new career. This is her story. What work were you doing previously? I was a sales and marketing manager, and then a consultant in the hospitality industry. What are you doing now? I'm the Founder of Kafoodle â€" a food technology software product that helps restaurants manage food and menus for people with allergies. How did you feel in your work before you decided to make a change? I'd worked in hospitality for nearly eight years. Whilst I loved the industry, I was feeling more and more that I wanted to be my own boss and not be answerable to others. Why did you change? The main trigger for me was an opportunity. I'd been thinking about either doing an MBA or starting my own business. As I was thinking, my friend Kim (who is now my business partner) approached me with an idea to develop an app to help restaurants deal with allergies. I knew I could throw my energy behind this and add a lot of value, so we started doing our research. It was only when that research started to show there was a market for what we were doing that we decided to go for it. When was the moment you decided to make the change? It was when I was working with my last client. I just felt that no matter what I did, he was never going to be happy with it. I was exhausted, and it just wasn't fulfilling me anymore. I also felt I wasn't being challenged. I looked back over my last eight years and realised that I was good at what I did, but there was no more scope for me to learn. How did you choose your new career? I think the circumstances almost chose me. I was drawn to this idea because I knew I loved hospitality, so knew I could add a lot of value. It wasn't a hard leap for me, but it is completely different to what I was doing before. Designing a software product wasn't exactly my comfort zone! Are you happy with the change? Absolutely. I have no regrets whatsoever. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss the camaraderie of a large team. When you work for an organisation, you're with a team: you work together and you play together. It sounds like a bit of a cliché, but it can be lonely at the top. If it wasn't for Kim I don't know how I'd do this. I'm so happy I have her to celebrate and commiserate with. I also miss the structure. Running a start-up means there's no one who's trodden this path before. Every day, you deal with what gets thrown at you. Every day is different and each challenge is another story. It would sometimes be nice just to have a job where you know exactly what to expect and you can go on autopilot for a few days! How did you go about making the shift? We had the idea â€" but we needed to do lots of research. Every Saturday for six months, we got together at Kim's house and spoke to as many restaurant owners as we could. My own knowledge of the industry was really useful and together we built up enough research and feedback to know we could make a go of it. The real kicker was taking on a chairman who helped us fund the idea and get things started. What didn't go well? What 'wrong turns' did you take? I can't list them all â€" I'd need pages! I guess the one which stands out most is making bad hiring decisions. We hired a sales manager and after six months, there still hadn't been one sale. I wish I'd dealt with that quicker. However, you do realise that you can't get everything right. That just doesn’t happen. I've learnt not to take it too personally when I make mistakes. Everyone does it â€" that's how we get better. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? I've been a bit of a saver all my life. By the time I got to the point of starting this business, I'd saved up enough money to do an MBA. I spoke to my brother about it (he's a talented and successful investment banker). He advised that I'd probably learn more doing my own business and that it would probably cost less: MBA's are expensive and in addition to the course costs, you also have to fund your living costs for a year. So I had savings behind me, but the main thing was I didn't give up work until we were ready. I carried on in my job for six months whilst Kim and I were doing the research on this. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Probably starting without having any future or plan mapped out. It's daunting and exciting in equal measure, and it's hard getting over that barrier of not knowing what's in store. What help did you get? I use my own network and have four advisors who keep us on the straight and narrow! What resources would you recommend to others? I’d really recommend 'vapour selling', which is where you sell something you haven't created yet. You can go down the long and expensive road of building something and then finding out you have no market for your product, or you could sell the idea, get people to sign up for when it's ready and then deliver to them. What have you learnt in the process? Be prepared to pivot! Our product is a completely different product to what we started off with and it's been constantly revised and developed. You have to be prepared to change and develop your product around feedback, so it really is true that you should go with a minimum viable product (MVP). What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Do your research, test and try things out and see how you feel about them. If you can, test the market and see how it responds. I love my journey and would do it all over again, but it isn't for everyone. I've signed up with ViewVo as a mentor as I'm willing to let others shadow me and learn what the life is like. If it suits then great, but learn about it before you go diving in. Shadowing others who have been there and done that is a message and vision I get on board with. To find out more about shadowing opportunities with ViewVo, visit www.viewvo.com. To learn more about Tarryn's business, visit www.kafoodle.com. What lessons could you take from Tarryn's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why You Dont Want A Mini-Me

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why You Don't Want A Mini-Me Admit it: You would rather work with people who are pretty muchjust like you. Its human nature to feel more comfortable with people who share common traits, habits or values. But there is real danger in surrounding yourself with a bunch of mini-mes. Research shows that homogeneity can lead to individuals underestimating the actualcomplexity of tasksfacing a group because they assume that others behavior is more predictable than it actually is, says Evan Apfelbaum, the W. Maurice YoungCareer Development Professor of Management andan assistant professor of organization studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Why? Apfelbaum explains that those in homogenous groups tend to believe that because others look like them, they are like them in terms of having similar perspectives, knowledge and behavior. This assumption of like-mindedness feels comfortable; it caters to our basic human need for social acceptance and inclusion. But it also createsblind spots in our judgmentsand behavior, he says. We underestimate the potential for seemingly similar others to have substantively different perspectives and ideas, which can lead us to make oversimplified, perhaps even, objectively inaccurate, assessments in these contexts. A Harvard University study further underscores the problem of collaborating with those who have similar backgrounds. Specifically, researchers found that venture capitalists tended (read more here)

A Recruiters Social Media Checklist

A Recruiters Social Media Checklist Using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other social network is a great way to improve your recruitment efforts.  If  youre looking for potential candidates, want to screen existing ones or just get your name out there, there are certain ways to make sure youre using social in the right way. You should ideally access your social media platforms everyday- this way youll recognise any new opportunities right away. In an ideal world you should respond to tweets or comments within one hour, after all, its all  in the public eye so its in your best interest. Engagement is the most important part of using social media, so dont forget to be actively engaged with all your followers and friends. To make this easier,  Buffer have created this handy checklist for your social media. What should you being daily, weekly and monthly? Daily: Reply to everyone responding  is important. Its called social media for a reason! Check your mentions Monitor for keywords this is great for checking out whos talking about certain subjects. You may even find your next client. Schedule your updates this keeps things simple. use a tool such as Buffer. Check out other profiles Curate content to share Advocacy Engage with MVPs find accounts that you want to engage with, and start a conversation! Follow back Connect with one new person Weekly: Check your stats Engage with influencers engaging with influencers means your name will be out there. Dont be afraid to converse with the big-dogs! Engage with partners Weekly goals check-in Hold a strategy session Attend chats, hangouts etc get involved in the online community that surrounds your industry. There are multiple tweet chats and hangouts that you can join! Update your social media ads If your using social advertising to help your online recruiting efforts, this is the time to update them. Monthly: Perform a social media audit Goal-setting set yourself social goals for the next month. Come up with new experiments Plan ahead for the next month How do you manage your social platforms? Let us know below in the comments! RELATED:  How to Recruit with Social Media Like Capgemini

Interview Story Telling - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Interview Story Telling - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The other week, my blog post encouraged individuals to focus on Four Words during their interviews to help communicate an image or personal brand. As we discover which four words we wish to weave into our conversations with prospective employers, we now shift our attention to how to insert these words into conversations without forcing the themes. The first step is accepting that job interviews are not about answering questions; your resume does most of the answering of the basic questions about your skill sets and abilities. Interviews are about telling stories and communicating desired messages to a hiring committee. When interviewing, you should strive to communicate how you would be a great fit for the organization and the position.   This requires the ability to tell a storytell. Two recent articles drive this point home: Undercover Recruiter: Dont Give Answers, Tell Stories Marketplace: How to Interview Better Than 99% of People In addition to the tips shared in the articles, how can you be an effective storyteller in your next interview? USE EXAMPLES: During the interview process, you will be asked to Share a time when or Provide an example where”   This is the perfect time to tell a story.   Stories need to have a beginning that sets the stage, action items, and final outcome. Set the Stage: When sharing an example, be sure to provide a setting.   How many people were on the team?   What was the goal of the project? Was this a work or outside activity?   In 20-30 seconds, you should be able to convey the main setting points of your example.   Do not deluge the interviewer with minutia; hit the pertinent background points in order for the interviewer to understand the lay of the land. Action: In this part, be sure to communicate your contribution/action.   What did you do?   What part of the project did you own? How did you approach the client?   What suggestions did you make to further the discussions?   In short, the interviewer needs to hear from you as to your actions/efforts/contributions.   In this step, you can weave some of your branding themes into your example. Results or Outcomes: Every story has to end, so make it a memorable one. What did you learn from that experience?   How did your activities achieve a specific goal or influence an outcome?   What would you do differently next time?   The interviewer wants to know how you have developed to become a better individual because of this example. Again, this is an opportune time to weave some of your four words into your story. For example, I recently interviewed for a role that required the ability to reach out to clients for new business. Because of this job requirement, relationship building was a key attribute for success in this role and one of my four themes that I wanted to communicate during my meetings.   During one interview session, I was asked what my first job was no lie, the committee wanted to know about my first job.   I could have told them in five seconds that my first job was a paper route when I was ten years old â€" instead, I told a story. My first job was a paperboy when I was 10 years old.   In addition to delivering the daily paper, the role required me to visit each customer and collect the weekly amount for the paper delivery.   Collections were a key aspect of the job as without the collections I would not get paid.   As I made my rounds to my clients, I tried to get to know each customer and often engaged in small talk while the monetary transaction took place.   I discovered the families where I had developed a stronger relationship were the clients whom I knew their preferences â€" paper inside the screen door or send through the mail slot section by section, collect on Sundays when the Giants were not on television (I grew up in Northern New Jersey), etc.   In addition to knowing these clients’ preferences, they were better tippers during the weeks and holidays and were more forgiving when their paper was late or wet.   The paperboy role taught me the need and the power of taking the time to develop a conne ction, or relationship, with clients.   The better I knew my clients, the better service I was able to provide and the better business I was able to generate.   The key to this answer is to connect the story to a desired skill set needed for the position. By relating the stories and examples back to the core competencies of the job, I communicated an image instead of just providing  answers to questions. The next time you head into an interview be memorable by relating stories that weave in your Four Words. Author: Kevin Monahan  is the Associate Director of the Notre Dame Career Center.  In this role, he leads the center’s  employer relations efforts in addition to coaching  young professionals in career management and career change capacities. He combines career consulting services with employer outreach to help find opportunities for both constituencies.  He is the author of the  Career Seeker’s Guide  blog.

When Writing a Resume You Should Always Use (Blank) Verbs to Describe Your Achievements

When Writing a Resume You Should Always Use (Blank) Verbs to Describe Your AchievementsWhen writing a resume, you should always use (blank) verbs to describe your accomplishments. There are many good reasons for this and if you don't understand why this is so, read on. But remember that it is your job to explain why you got the position you were applying for in the first place. A better way of getting your point across is to use what are called 'blanks'.Blank verbs can be used in all situations when you are writing a resume. If you think about it, there are only two ways in which a resume can be presented to a hiring manager and you can use either of these two forms of verbs: (A) You describe what you did or where you worked, (B) you describe what you accomplished, whatever it was, in your job description. Obviously, they are not exactly the same thing.Blank verbs describe your ability to do something rather than to do something and they show a clear result. When writing a resume, yo u should always use (blank) verbs to describe your accomplishments in your job. By using (blank) verbs to describe your accomplishments, you will create a much better impression on the hiring manager than you ever could if you used (A) or (B).When you are writing a resume, you should always use (blank) verbs to describe your accomplishments, even though those words might sound odd to you. Why? Because if you don't use them, no one will.The only way to really get some real power out of (blank) verbs is to put them into writing. You can write it all yourself and you can use the templates available online to make it happen. Or, you can use an online resume writer to automate the process so that it will work for you.When I say 'automate' I really mean 'automate' and it's positive that they are available on the internet. They are called resume writers and they allow you to automatically apply to any information you have in a preformatted format.Many online resumes are preformatted with t he keywords that the hiring manager usually uses. So if you use these, you will create a much better impression on them than you ever could by simply using (blank) verbs. It makes sense to me and I've used it myself.So you see, when writing a resume, you should always use (blank) verbs to describe your accomplishments and I'm quite sure you can come up with a lot more creative ways to do it as well. Just take the initiative and let them write for you!

Special Announcement Find My Advice In Whole Living magazine!

Special Announcement Find My Advice In Whole Living magazine! There is no passion to be found playing small-in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. Nelson MandelaHaving just returned from a trip to Africa, I found these words from Mandela even more inspiring and relevant when it comes to making a great living in a challenging economy.To help you achieve your potential, Im very pleased to announce the launch of my new Career Path column in Whole Living magazine (formerly Body Soul).  In it you will find uplifting yet straightforward and tangible advice to create the career and the life youve always wanted.  Further details are included in this  press release.Common questions about changing jobs and addressing job security concerns can be found in my print column as well as online with my weekly posts on the new Whole Living Daily blog.Dont settle for less.  Pick up your copy of the June issue of Whole Living on newsstands and log on to WholeLiving.com/blog today.Heres to you making a great living!

Book review Feel the fear and do it anyway - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Book review Feel the fear and do it anyway - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog This book is about the fears that we all have in our lives to some degree. Fear of failing. Fear of succeeding. Fear of decisions. Fear of aging, of loss or of helplessness. The books basic premise is, that your aim should not be to get rid of your fears. You should feel your fear, but not let it stop you from doing things you really want to do. The book describes three levels of fear. The first level is the actual event that you fear say losing you job. The second level is the deeper fear, triggered by the first level eg. rejection (if being fired would make you feel rejected). Beneath that on the third level theres only one fear: The fear that you wont be able to cope. If you knew in advance that you could take it, there would be nothing to be afraid of. So all fear reduces to fear of not being able to cope. This is interesting, because this means that the best way to handle your fear, isnt to make your life safer its to increase your abilities, or your faith in your abilities. The more you know you can handle, the less reason there is to fear. This point is illustrated with several stories of people who have diminished their lives time and again, to keep safe. This doesnt reduce fear, quite the contrary, these people lived in perpetual fear. When some catastrophic event interfered with their reduced existence (say the death of a spouse), some of these people found that they were forced to reconnect with life, and that they could cope. And this reduced their fear. The book also emphasizes positivity as a way to reduce fear. The book argues that you need to constantly train your positive thinking, or youll revert to negative thinking. Theres also an excellent chapter on decision making, which argues that many of us see a decision making process mostly in the light of what well lose or risk in each alternative before us. To reduce the fear (or discomfort) of making a decision, we should realize that all options are good, and that no mater what we choose, its still up to us to make it work. The book contains many illustrative stories and exercises you can try yourself. I found it informative, entertaining and thought-provoking, and I recommend this book to anyone interested in the mechanisms that hold people back from growth and change. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related