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Hi, I'm Andrew, the founder of Gradkin - A Branding and Networking platform to connect Candidates with Employers. On Gradkin's Blog we draw on the experience of many professionals to share their knowledge and establish this site as the premier careers resource in Asia. Feel free to share your thoughts to enhance the learning experience for all. Cheers.Social Media
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Monthly Archives: October 2010
How to Viralize Your Company’s Culture One Team at a Time
The British scientist Richard Dawkins coined the word “meme” in The Selfish Gene (1976) as a concept for discussion of evolutionary principles in explaining the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. Examples of memes given in the book included melodies, catch-phrases, beliefs, clothing fashion, and the technology of building arches. If Dawkins lived today, I’m sure he would have included Lolcats on his list.
Creating and spreading memes
Some types of viruses become successful organisms because they are simple and adaptable enough to be able to survive in a hostile environment long enough until they shelter in a host that lets them to replicate. For your memes to go viral you need to do the same thing: your meme has to be catchy or tempting to survive long enough and spread. It also has to be simple to adopt -so use the KISS method: Keep It Simple Stupid-.
Posted in Career Wisdom
Tagged change, cultural change, ideas, meme, memes, organizational culture, Richard Dawkins, selfish gene, spread, start change, teams, viral, virus
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NCC Employer’s Survey on Hiring Requirements
In a previous post I made public the views of thousands of NUS students about their career requirements. This article leads on from that and elaborates on what Employers consider in their hiring strategies.
As per the survey conducted last year, … Continue reading
You Are Not Your Title
You can argue whether people change or don’t. But I’m pretty sure of something though. People’s essence, barring exceptional circumstances, remains the same throughout life, but there are manifest behaviors and characteristics that do change over time due to what we experience … Continue reading
NUS Students’ Survey on Careers
The NUS Global Talent Forum took place again this year with some interesting findings from the Students and Employers Survey. The study was conducted in December 2009, and while the results could have been made public in a more timely … Continue reading
Posted in Employment Market, Generation-Y, Professions
Tagged first job, Gen-Y, graduate salary, job-seekers, NUS, salary, social media, work-life balance
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Young Employee – Old Company: How to Stay Motivated and Drive Change in an Outdated Environment
Being a Gen-Y employee working for a company that still lives in the 20th century and where senior managers mistake Blackberries with Star Trek Tricorders can be a towering challenge.
Old company doesn’t mean that they’ve been in business for hundreds of years. Longevity here is not a factor, what I refer to is the way that business is done. There are companies that have been around for ages but their culture has been forged with cutting edge knowledge and tech. On the contrary, some start-ups’ organizational cultures seem to be founded on some medieval scriptures. Somehow, old companies tend to be a retention magnet for “old people” (leave age aside!).
Old companies often move at a pace that to you, may seem like bullet time. It’s not infrequent to see people complaining about how certain tasks consume their entire weeks. Strikingly, you can get those things done in 2 hours, which leaves you wondering if you are either Flash or there’s a time dilation field surrounding your desk.
“No Reservations” – Personal Branding
As many of you know, Gradkin has teamed up with NUS’ Radio Pulze to deliver a weekly show on Careers for young people. Last week’s show covered Personal Branding and how it’s relevant in today’s age.
It’s a buzzword we’re hearing … Continue reading
Posted in Career Wisdom, Personal Branding
Tagged blogging, NUS, personal brand, personal branding, radio pulze
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When Getting Promoted Can Make You Your Worst Enemy
Getting close to be promoted, if not appropriately handled, can become a threat to your current employment status.
Let’s Welcome Fernando!
Hi Everyone, I am very pleased to announce that Fernando Tarnogol will be officially coming on board the Gradkin team as a regular blogger. Some of you might have read his previous riveting content for Gradkin’s Blog, but for those … Continue reading
8 Ways to Make Facebook Your Friend – Part 2
Let’s continue on from Part 1 shall we?
5. Become a content provider – this point is a corollary to the previous one. Rather than flood your news stream with inane remarks that add no value to people’s lives, provide … Continue reading
