How to begin Investing with $100

Getting Started

 1. Choose a trading platform

A trading platform with low or no fees is ideal.

If you're in Canada, check out Wealthsimple for commission-free trades. (Highly recommended!)

2. Research into the type of account best for you

If you're in Canada, take a look at my blog discussing the types of accounts best for your savings such as RRSP, RESP or TFSA.

3. Deposit a $100 and wait for money to become available for trading

This may take longer on your first deposit.

If you use this referral link to signup at WealthSimple*, you'll get a bonus of $10 upon trading a $100. That's 10% profit right away! 

Stock Picking

1. Don't put all your eggs in one basket

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Plan your trading strategy with diversification of stocks across different sectors.

As a beginner, my personal advise would be the following Investing plan;

• 30% Individual Stocks (Med-High Risk)
• 30% ETFs (Low Risk)
• 20% Gold/Metal/Bond (Recession Haven)
• 20% Cryto-currency (Very Volatile)

2. Tips for Individual Stocks 

When your taxi driver tells you to buy a stock, it's time to sell it!

Don't chase the popular stocks which have already achieved their saturation point, always do your own diligence by having a look at company's financials such as yearly and quarterly earnings, debts, news and investors analysis. (You can get all this information in a snap on Yahoo Finance!)  

Don't believe the hype!

Heard about a stock which everyone is after? Consider the following!

• Is this just a hype (meme) stock?
• Has this stock already gone up more than 30% in last 3-5 days?
• Is the company even profitable?
• Is the stock at its 52-week high?
• Is it in a downward trend following negative news?

If the answer to any of the above is yes, stay away!

Always invest in the intrinsic value of the company and the pick stocks which you feel are under-valued.

3. Tips for ETFs

Spread the Risk!

Another way to invest in the stock market is through ETFs. ETF is basically a basket of stock, with multiple stocks within a particular ticker.

This is one of the safest ways to invest due to the risk spread over multiple stocks and the fund itself managed by an institution. It's great to grow your investments in a gradual risk-free manner.

The downside to it is that ETFs may charge a small fee as MER % and lower risk means lower return on investment.

There’re a variety of ETFs trading on the stock market and you can find one for every industry. But a good strategy to invest in ETF is by researching its portfolio and looking at its MER %. 

Some popular ETFs with low management fees;

CAD Market

XIC	VCN
ZCN	HXT (non-reg)

Int’l Market

XEF	XEC (emerging)

Bonds

ZAG

VAB

4. Risk Management

Opportunity & Risk come in pairs!

Leaving a little bit of money for highly volatile crypto-currency market is advised with caution as it can offer big returns but can also incur in huge losses. Now you can use your registered savings accounts to buy cryptocurrency via ETFs such as $EBIT, $BTCC & $BTCX. 

Therefore investing a portion of your portfolio in Gold/Bond market is also advised in case there’s a market crash or recession as experienced recently in March 2020 due to corona virus. These are safe havens for investors when they lose confidence in the stock market.

Buying & Selling Strategy

1. Buying

There’re a few different ways to buy a stock on most platforms:

Market Buy - Buy at ongoing Market Price (not ideal due to volatility).

Limit Buy - Buy when the price hits a particular price point BELOW the current price. 

Stop Limit Buy - Buy when the price hits a particular price point ABOVE the current price.

Always use Limit Buy or Stop Limit Buy to purchase at price you feel is right after doing your due diligence.

When’s the best time to Buy?

Firstly, make sure you’ve done your due diligence on a stock and if everything looks good, it's ideal to buy under following conditions:

• When the stock is near its 52-week low,
• When the stock price is climbing and trending upwards,
• When the earnings are due to come out in upcoming days,
• Check out the trend of ex-dividend dates and buy a couple of weeks before the next expected ex-dividend date. 

2. Selling

Just like Buying, even Selling is done in a few different ways.

Market Sell - Sell at ongoing Market Price.

Limit Sell - Sell when the price hits a particular price point ABOVE the current price. 

Stop Limit Sell- Sell when the price hits a particular price point BELOW the current price (stop loss or take profit).

Always use Limit Sell or Stop Limit Sell to make sure you get your desired level of return.

When’s the best time to Sell?

Once your stock becomes profitable, start using Stop Limit Sell to secure your gains. Make sure you keep adjusting it to take in account the price fluctuation while also increasing your gain.

3. Realize Your Gains & Reinvest

Pay-tience gets you Paid!

Monitor how your stocks are performing either through an excel spreadsheet or through Yahoo Finance where you can get a live snapshot of how your stocks are doing and get the latest news regarding your stocks.

Never sell due to the emotion of losing money and never buy due to fear of missing out. Control your emotions, be patient and focus on the financials.

Realize your profits and reinvest according to your initial investing plan to rebalance your portfolio.

Remember, you only lose money on a falling stock when you sell it!

More to follow... What's your best investing tip?

Nauman Wasif

*Wealthsimple Trade is Canada's first $0 commission stock trading app – sign up now and we'll both get $10 to trade.

https://my.wealthsimple.com/app/public/trade-referral-signup?code=YLBESW

The information in this blog is for knowledge sharing only. Please do your own due diligence before taking a position in any market.

I may update the content of my posts from time to time to make them look better and understandable likewise my thoughts and opinions may also change as the market conditions evolve.

The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other individual, business entity, or organization. The views expressed by visitors on this blog are theirs solely and may not reflect mine.

Savings Canada: RRSP, RESP or TFSA?

A Beginners Guide to Saving Strategies in Canada

RRSP - Registered Retirement Savings Plan

What is it?

According to Government of Canada; 

An RRSP is a retirement savings plan that you establish, that we register, and to which you or your spouse or common-law partner contribute. Deductible RRSP contributions can be used to reduce your tax.

Pros:

1. Tax Benefit - Whatever you put towards your RRSP, it'll be deducted from your taxable income for the year, so you would be paying lower tax.

2. Employer Programs - Many employers offer RRSP benefits where they would match your contributions up to a certain % or $ amount. (FREE MONEY)

3. No tax implications/penalties as long as you do not withdraw it. 

4. Funds can be used to put towards mortgage down-payment without any penalties, but will need to be paid back into the RRSP.

Concerns:

1. Money locked in until retirement, penalties imposed upon early withdrawal.

2. Tax implications upon withdrawing from it post-retirement, at the income tax rate applicable at the time of withdrawal.

3. Contributions limits apply based on your income from previous year.

RESP - Registered Education Savings Plan (for Parents)

What is it?

According to Government of Canada; 

A registered contract between an individual (the subscriber) and a person or organization (the promoter). The subscriber generally makes contributions to the RESP, which earns income, paid in the form of educational assistance payments to one or more identified beneficiaries.

Pros:

1. Government Grants & Contribution - A $500+ government grant to get you started and the government matches 20% on the first $2,500 contributed annually to an RESP, to a maximum of $500 per beneficiary per year. The lifetime maximum per beneficiary is $7,200, up to age 18. (FREE MONEY)

2. No tax implications/penalties while the fund is being accumulated. 

3. Great way to plan ahead for higher education of children.

Concerns:

1. Money locked in until child's admission to a recognized educational institute.

2. Tax payable upon withdrawal, at the income tax rate applicable at the time of withdrawal.

TFSA - Tax-Free Savings Account

What is it?

According to Government of Canada:

The TFSA program began in 2009. It is a way for individuals who are 18 years of age or older and who have a valid social insurance number (SIN) to set money aside tax free throughout their lifetime.

Contributions to a TFSA are not deductible for income tax purposes. Any amount contributed as well as any income earned in the account (for example, investment income and capital gains) is generally tax-free, even when it is withdrawn.

Pros:

1. No Capital Gains Tax!!

2. Can be withdrawn at anytime without any tax implications.

3. Can be used as a rainy day fund or towards an individual savings goal!

Concerns: 

1. Contribution limits apply, after which taxes and penalties may apply.

2. No free money here! You're contributing from your income after tax.

What's the Best Investment Strategy?

Don't put all your eggs in one basket and invest in all three of the above!

Once you've decided on your savings strategy, check out my latest blog on How to begin Investing with $100.

A great platform to trade commission-free is WealthSimple, Canada's first $0 commission stock trading app – sign up now and we'll both get $10 to trade.

https://my.wealthsimple.com/app/public/trade-referral-signup?code=YLBESW

Relocation; Career Lifeline or Suicide?

Getting out of your comfort zone. Fear of unknown. Starting all over again. Leaving everything behind. It's not as it looks like. Costly and lonely. Difficult to adapt! These are all the things people think and say whenever faced with the question of relocation.

It's not all that bad. In fact, it's not bad at all! It's exhilarating! 

This is the third time I have temporarily relocated to a whole new city (country in fact!), thousands of miles away from my last comfort zone. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me!

New city is a new challenge, a new opportunity. People call it struggle, but I call it experience! 'Moving' gives you another shot at life. A new city is a new you, a place where most don't know you and you can be whatever you want! It's a brand new start to your new life and you got two options. First, to accept it as a struggle, and work hard to make your impact while holding on to your roots and adjusting your new world to suit yourself. This approach is a more lonely, but widely used approach where people look back at everything to compare and find positives/negatives of which place is better.

The second approach, however takes a little lighter stance to the situation, where new city is full of fun, people and opportunities waiting to be tapped. Instead of adapting the city to yourself, you adapt yourself to the city, its culture and customs! Instead of appreciating your past and trying to find opportunities (or people) to connect with your past, you try to filter them out to find the locals who've lived in the area all their lives, to learn from them and get involve in what they're doing.

The exact same approaches can be used with your career! You can either continue doing what you were, and find similar like-minded people to work with, because that's what you've been good at and that's your comfort zone. Or, you can enjoy a brand new start to your new life with something you always wanted to do and couldn't, or something which suits best to the environment you're thriving in! Always be open to new ideas, meet new people everyday and observe what's best for the business within that local environment.

Most importantly, a new location gives you another opportunity to avoid the mistakes you did in the past, emulate the successes of people you've been inspired by in your past, in a new setting and give a great first impression to the stakeholders in your new life! 

This is +Nauman Wasif, tell me what you think!

Recruitment & Selection: East vs West

After 5 years of work experience, with 15 different job roles in around 10 different organisations, and 100s of job applications/interviews in the West, here I am in a completely different world of corporate practices (or in some cases, malpractices) in the ever colorful East. In my opinion, it's quite interesting how HR practices vary from region to region, some of which I would like to document here.

1) Job Listings;

Age Discrimination requiring Payment upon Application

Moving from West, where adverts are role specific free of any kind of gender, sex, age, race discrimination, it's an entirely different scenario in the East.

Here in South Asia, the listing is majorly person specific, and almost all vacancies would list at least some sort of a discriminating criteria. Gender and age discrimination is widely found, however in some instances might only encourage member of a certain religion or resident of a certain area to apply for a particular job.

2) Job Applications;

Job listings in the West, despite being more fairer in defining candidate eligibility, then creates the biggest barrier when applying for that role, with mostly long winded application forms, almost demanding life long history of work experiences and skills, where every form is different! This creates unnecessary inertia for candidates and in some instances almost puts them off from applying for the advertised position. Some might argue, after such an investigation, employers can probably guess your age, gender, race etc by evaluation of your application form.

However, here in the East, most organisations will only demand your CV/Resume to be able to process your job application, and the first time where you'll fill a form, will be at the first interview. Websites and platforms such as www.rozee.pk, are majorly used to source candidates based on a unique application form, by both large and medium enterprises, streamlining the selection process.

3) Interviews;

While the East offers a fast-track to the interviews due to quicker application form processing, it can take months to get through the interviews (and a massive fuel bill due to number of visits). Almost everyone with a degree (minimum Masters) will get called for the first interview where you'll be asked to fill an appalling application form which will cover your whole life history. 

It's not just a typical knowledge and skills evaluation form, but in this form, the mandatory fields will include a candidate's age, gender, religion, sect, father's name, father's occupation, number of siblings, job occupations of siblings and other personal information on which the individual has no control over, and which in no way influences the ability of a candidate to perform in the workplace. 

After this beautifully crafted personal investigation form, you get to meet someone you think is the HR manager, department head or CEO, however you usually find out later that it could be one of the interns or company secretary taking your first interview. Then you get forwarded to HR executive, who, in case of approval/disapproval, forwards you to the HR Manager, who then forwards you to Department Head, then to the CEO (regardless of approval or disapproval as no one within that chain has any authority to hire or fire, apart from the CEO). Before every meeting there'll be a delay correspondent to the position of the interviewer, starting from 10 minute delay on first interview to 45 minute delay on final interview with the owner/CEO.

Whereas, in my experience of the West, when you're called for an interview, it's mostly a make or break moment. It's usually straight to the point, where the telephone operator will usually advise the candidate beforehand on the format, structure and criteria of the interview and you'll be met and navigated into the organisation with the help of an employee on your first visit. The interview may include some out-of-the-norm activities, role plays, psychometric tests and checklists, where the candidate might feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable through the process, but it mostly would be strategically linked to the kind of work you'll be doing or the environment you'll be operating in.

4) Feedback/Decision;

Speaking from personal experience, the better employers in the West will usually give you a call back to give feedback on the interview and gently explain why the job will be/will not be offered, however there can be considerable delay in getting back due to administrative barriers or until the successful candidate has accepted the offer.

However, there's no such thing as feedback in the East, and certainly not when the candidate is unsuccessful. Even when the candidate is successful, the HR executive will wait until the candidate calls to inquire about its application status, and then the candidate will be called for a final 'interview' to give details on the offer.

5) The Offer; 

Job Advertising in the UK

Now, in the West, when an opening is advertised, it'll usually display the kind of compensation a candidate can expect, displaying figures within a shorter range with reasonable levels and working hours. When the job is offered, the compensation is mostly firm and not negotiable so it's 'take it or leave it'.

In the East, this is a more complex stage of recruitment and selection, especially when it's a career job. The advert will show salary ranges from ranges going lower than minimum wage to peak ranges, where sky is the limit, in order to attract everyone to apply. After various interviews, trials and meetings, the offer is usually presented by the top person in the hierarchy, which will usually be one of the most ridiculous you'll ever hear! (sorry, I've not had a decent offer yet!)

The offer will be followed by various examples about people working in the company, company background, the riches of the owner, training opportunities, the foreign presence with chance to travel, personal acts of generosity and working environment, to encourage the candidate to accept the offer. Even then if the candidate think it's too low, the focus will shift on the individual with scrutiny over candidate's lack of past experience, incompatibility of it's educational background, lack of proper skills, unsuitability to deliver within the current areas of expertise etc, which would usually end with a challenge for the candidate to find an employee within the organisation who's not happy or find a better company who'd pay better!

6) Working Conditions;

In the West, the hours of work, holidays and performance standards will be defined on the contract which you'll be expected to work and manage flexibly working accordingly. However, in the East, there's no such thing as fixed working hours and you'll be explicitly told that if you can't work overtime and on Saturdays (without a premium), you're no good for the organisation. Working hard has a whole new meaning, which actually means working 14 hours a day and 6 days a week without any defined criteria for growth, premiums or performance related benefits.

Working environment however, will be more social and informal within Eastern settings with people taking a calmer approach towards work, more socially integrated with activities like meal shares in lunch hour and cricket matches on weekends among the colleagues, like a big family. Contrary, in the Western settings, work is done more seriously in a fast pace with high emphasis on quality and performance.

Conclusion

What I have presented above may just be my personal experience, and things might be different out there, however it largely depends on the type of industry you're operating in and the level of roles a candidate is seeking. Personnel function is largely handled by people who're dealing with people to add value to a business, and with various different types of people from different backgrounds,cultures and education levels around the World, Human Resource is one area of business which is most influenced from region to region. 

You can guess a lot about the HR practices of a place by the people operating it!

Stop Discrimination. Promote Equality!


This is +Nauman Wasif, tell me what you think!

Need business advise? Visit www.nwhworldwide.com and get in touch!

5 Reasons why retail jobs are not all that bad

Part time retail jobs, no doubt, can be one of the most hectic and regrettable jobs anywhere in the world. But after spending my last 4 years under the green neon lights of one of the largest retail stores in the UK, I've discovered it's not all that bad.

1. The Experience;

While all the other organisations are juggling between skills and experience of applicants, retailers hire the character. A chance is given to everyone who is trainable, and is retained as long as the work ethic is consistently positive.

I was given the opportunity, and trained until I was absolutely confident with people. Then I was multi-skilled and trained on other functions of the business. And then, when they saw I still have a life, they trained me on other departments totally unrelated to my contract and given further responsibilities and expectations. The customer, management and colleague interaction offers a great learning experience of the dynamics of the work force.

2. The Social Circus;

While the interactions provide a learning experience, it also creates an environment of patience, tolerance and understanding of human kind, because on a customer facing role, you pretty much get to see every type of human living out there. Not to mention the friendships and relationships you make within your workplace, it's an ideal place for social enthusiasts.

When it comes to events or celebrations, the retailers are probably one of the most enthusiastic businesses, may it be football world cup, valentines day or diwali. The differences and diversities are ignored when the fish is half price on Good Friday!

3. Flexibility and Job Security;

While being one of the most ruthless and cruel organisers of 'human capital', they absolutely can't afford to let an efficient member of staff leave, that's why they are known to offer great flexibility to not too hard working individuals, mainly students. 

The flexibility and job security offered ensured that I don't run away else where, even when I had two other jobs in the working week in addition to university commitments. Maybe I was that good that they didn't let me go, but I think they must have forgot to tell me that!

4. Growth opportunities;

Despite the numerous number of people complaining about lack of opportunities within retail, the born leaders and those with extraordinary people skills always manage to go up the hierarchy by hook or crook. There's opportunity to shine for those who are gifted and not afraid, because it's not particularly an easy environment to grow. 

The current managers have been through the system, the journey makes them hard, and they make sure their successors don't have an easy ride too, therefore only the tough ones are able to succeed. Saying that, it doesn't always appear to be one desirable place where one would like to see itself, or maybe that's what they try to show.

5.  Peace of mind;

The body aches, but once the card is swiped out, everything is history. You don't ever carry any work with you home, apart from the horrible feeling of being back in the day after, and your rate of pay is not dependent on any pointless target, you always get paid for the work you do! 

I've worked under various different managers, and I think leadership is one of the biggest factors which influence worker satisfaction, loyalty and performance. I may have been really lucky to experience the points mentioned above, but I can guarantee if I was to debate this sensitive topic myself, I can write a book!

This is +Nauman Wasif, tell me what you think...

7 Tactics to Outsmart the Competition

This article is greatly influenced by Richard D'Aveni's 7S framework where he proposes the tactics for firms to gain temporary advantages in the marketplace to stay ahead of the competition, highlighting the velocity of competitiveness and change experienced by businesses in today's day and age.

As this blog takes inspiration from management theories and business practices to suggest ways to develop oneself personally, the approaches suggested by D'Aveni (in brackets) will be reflected here as personal traits to gain a competitive advantage to beat the competition.

1. Connections (Stakeholder Satisfaction)

While keeping stakeholders satisfied is an ultimate goal for any business, maintaining a healthy relationship with your connections and adding value to it by networking further should the goal for every person out there competing to achieve growth. This will result in great opportunities for personal and professional growth, giving you a head-start in any field, as businesses and projects are run by people with whom you would ideally want to connect with!

2. Reputation (Strategic Soothsaying)

It's important to build a strong reputation and be popular for what you do best, by communicating your personal brand to the targeted audience while ensuring the positive word about your performance is fluid enough to reach potential clients. Optimize what you say!

3. Action (Speed)

Personal flexibility and adaptability to develop new skills, outside your comfort zone, with the urgency of taking action can boost personal confidence and capability to outsmart the competition. There might be failures, but if you fail fast enough, you'll succeed quick as well. Just do it!

4. Lead (Surprise)

Don't be scared to take up an approach out of the norm, while 'stability' may appear to be a desired state, it's counter-productive in competitive environments. Therefore, instead of following the crowd, take a direction where you're able to lead from the front. Embrace instability and make the most of it!

5. Innovate (Shifting the rules)

This approach is by far the most effective, where innovation can change the way things are done within your field, leaving the competition confused. Always find newer and better ways of doing things and create disruption to influence a response from the competitor!

6. Broadcast (Signalling) 

You may have the best qualifications and extensive experiences in your chosen field, but if it's not being promoted within your competitive circle, you're losing out on potential opportunities by not maximizing your competitive advantage. Be bold and be seen!

7. Multi-skilling (Simultaneous and sequential strategic thrusts)

Planning to sustain your competitive advantage for a longer term would need strategic thinking into diversifying your skills and competencies in more than one area. Not only will it enable you to generate a secondary income stream and stay one step ahead of the competition, but it'll also provide a contingency plan and position you to surprise the competitors.

These initiatives are assumed to provide only temporary unsustainable competitive advantages due to competitor's habit of catching up quickly with best practice in today's hyper competitive markets. However a series of temporary competitive advantages will provide momentum to sustain a competitive edge and enable you to be the smartest person in the room.

This is +Nauman Wasif ... Tell me what you think!

10 Things they never told you at University...

Right, the good news is that I am finished with my Masters in MSc Management.
The bad news, welcome to the real world! 

The reality in fact, compared to the university, is very different. A few things which the university didn't bother telling you;

1. There's a special set of skills required to get passed the computer, in the hunt for the graduate job you came to university for! (Forget about teaching you it!)

2. There are no Passes or Merits in real life. If you don't get a Distinction/First Class grade, you don't get paid. Certainly no extensions!

3. Not a single employer will ask you about the time spent at university, while you were enrolled into the university. They'll always ask you about the time spent outside the university gaining work experience. While enrolled at the university!

4. There are no such things as breaks, holidays, vacations or development weeks in real life.

5. The need to network and talk to right people to have any chances of success outside the university gates.

6. No one is interested in what you know or how many sources you've used in your time at university, it's all about who you know and what you've done! That's why they call it "academic," meaning not of practical relevance; of only theoretical interest. That's right!

8. There's no such thing as Word Count in real life. It's either a work of quality or crap.

9. You'll be forgotten as soon as you finish your final assessment... forever!

10. There's no job waiting for you to graduate. If you're not good at looking for one, create one!

Also, no one will penalise you 25% of your final mark for missing out on number 7!

This is Nauman... What do you think?

5 Ways You Can Establish Your Personal Brand Online

Branding, one of the most important aspect enabling businesses to differentiate themselves from others to win customers. Likewise, in these competitive times, you need to realize you're no less than a business, if you're trying to generate value for yourself. 

Without going into why is creating you personal brand so important (another potential blog topic), I would like to pin some of the things which one should at least do to make an impact;

1. Set Objectives

Like everything else, evaluate what you would like to achieve from your brand, what would you like to be known for, and who your audience is for each objective! 

While, over time objectives can change, so does your online activities, and they must always be consistent with what you want yourself to be known and respected for!

2. Online Presence

I can't stress more how important it is to think like a business, and get yourself where your customers are, ONLINE!

It's absolutely essential in modern age to create your online presence through social media, work portfolio, blogging or networking.

When your customer, which can be your prospective employer, friend, future partner, whatever your objectives are, look you up online, you should be the first one to appear on search results (just how businesses are trying to achieve with SEOs!)

3. Segment your Content

It's great to be present everywhere, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, even Match.com, but don't, please don't end up writing your blogs on dating website, your dating profile on LinkedIn or your Facebook rants over Twitter!

Customize your content for different audiences, usually your professional expertise on LinkedIn and Blogger while positive personality traits must be echoed on personal Twitter and Facebook profiles (with bedroom skills shared on dating platforms, yes, you're selling yourself everywhere!).

4. Engage and Connect

It's all good having optimized online presence and creating a great impression, however, the best way to communicate this is through effective engagement!

Always remember, social media is not broadcast media, its ENGAGE media that's why it's called social. Broadcasting a great personality and reflecting great value, without connecting with others, is just like going to a high school reunion and sitting in the corner playing with your iPhone 5. Communicate!

Best way to do that is, get involved in groups and topics you have an interest, experience, knowledge or expertise in, and it's easier to do that online than skimming over groups in a reunion to find your old friends.

5. Manage your eFootprints

This is what EVERYONE needs to do! Manage your electronic footprints - wash your hands and delete the evidence, simples!

While it's common sense not to leave behind any content which can negatively affect your brand, it's also important to discover and adopt new platforms quickly. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc are here today, gone tomorrow, and while you're putting your efforts in enhancing your profile there, the world's moving on to bigger and better things!

Tip: Create your own blog, that's your own platform and therefore will always be. Think long term!


This is +Nauman Wasif, tell me what you think....

4 Techniques to Get a First in Every Business Assignment

The Winning Formula!

1. Answer the Question
Copy and Paste the assignment brief on Word and split the brief into separate sub-headings. That way, you won't miss out on any part of the question hence compelling the assessor to pass you.

2. Library is Useless

Books are outdated the day they're published! The only resource you'll ever need to complete a first class business/management assignment is a computer connected to the internet. Journals, Newspapers, Magazines, Lecture Slides, Google, Blogs etc give you brownie points. The more you use them, the better!

3. Loads of References
Most important! References make up the bridge between you and that First/Distinction grade you want it so bad. Ideally, depending on the field of topic, you should be able to connect each sentence with a reference in your written article. My Golden Rule: The number of references is directly proportional to the number of marks you'll get! (Tip: Use MS Word auto-referencing if referencing is not your stronghold)

4. Calculate & Commit
Calculate what's the absolute minimum you need to do to get a First. Depending on the university/faculty, your result may only represent the average of best 5-7 modules of your course. Identify them, work out the averages, and commit yourself to getting that 72 you need in 2nd assessment to balance out the first one or increase the average. (Chances are you might get some positive surprises from other modules too!)

In my opinion if the techniques above are followed, no matter whatever your skills/weaknesses are, you'll always get a positive feedback! Goes without saying that your content must be relevant, this applies only to written assignment submitted on time, which is what the tutor expects and is grammatically correct!


This is +Nauman Wasif - Tell me what you think....

10 Ways to Succeed in Getting a Job

Tough job getting a job? Think you're just not worth it? Try this!

10 ways to make yourself worth something for employers to not let you walk out without a job!

1. Research:

Do your research about the organisation, the role and the person interviewing you. Don't be scared to look them up on the Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger etc (trust me, they're doing the same!)

2. Dress Smart:

No matter if it's the corner shop you're going to interview for, over-dressing is never a problem. Employers and recruiters like to think they're worth all this effort! Also, carry a folder to the interview, just how you would do if you were already working there!

3. Share your Achievements:

Brag, brag and brag! Try to make their jobs easier by giving them reasons why they should hire you? Don't forget, they might have to report their findings or justify their decision further up their management.

4. Make Yourself Accessible

Establish your presence online, preferably on public platforms. Yes! Twitter, Blogger, LinkedIn, even SoundCloud are all worth spending your time on, as you want to be among the first 3-4 results if searched online! Make sure they like what they see!


5. Think Outside the Box

CV is not the problem, thinking is! Instead of giving them a paper full of educational achievements with no work experience, tell them the reason why they should hire you and give them evidence, may it be a couple of brilliant academic articles you wrote or something else you created! (Warning: Larger organisations may not be impressed by this, so keep a standard CV as well!)

6. Be Practical

Follow your dreams, but don't end up chasing them. If you're not eligible for it, for any reason, don't bother!

7. Be Certified

Eligibility is key! No matter whatever you want to do, if there's a course, certification or license associated with it (even if not required!), get it! Can be exhausting, but worth it for an easy ride!

8. Be Flexible

In this hyper competitive environment, you afford to be fussy, if you think you're unable to relocate or change your routine for a particular role, try looking elsewhere. If you're in high demand, you may be able to negotiate, but initially, you can't dictate!

9. Enthusiasm

Even if you don't know if you want it or not, tell them they'll go global in next 5 years, and you want to be part of that! Don't forget, employers are actually there to buy you, show them what they'll get for their dosh! Do them a favour, go after something you'll love doing!

10. GO AND APPLY FOR IT!

Good Luck!


This is +Nauman Wasif. Tell me what you think?

Work Life Balance: Where's the Balance?

“A true balance between work and life comes with knowing that your life activities are integrated, not separated.” - Michael Thomas Sunnarborg
 

Organisations today have almost overpowered individuals to such an extent, that people are having to live their life between work. A typical day for an individual, lucky enough to be employed, would consist of 8 hours work, 2 hours commute and 6-8 hours sleep, leaving about 4-6 hours of life.

So where's the balance?

Working 8 hours per day to hardly fund 4 hours of life, and then you say 8 hour days no longer exist, thanks to information technology. While you may argue, organisations now have a menu style work-life balance initiatives from annual leave to spa packages, in my opinion, that is not work-life balance.

Corporate Work-Life Balance

Oh I am not feeling well today, is it okay to skip work today or go to the office for half day without having to go through sickness absence administration?
Darn it, I forgot it was my niece's birthday this friday, can I just finish work early, without having to call three line managers to authorise it?

Just got an offer of tickets for United's game next tuesday, but damn can I have a day off without having to give at least 3 week notice to the employer?!!

That is not a solution. It's merely a corporate dictatorship, instructing you the first time you can have a lazy day at home won't be until next three weeks given that you submit holiday request form today. How about I ask the employer where the organisation will be in next three weeks? It won't have a clue!

Understand and Empower

Organisations, and specially managers, must understand the essence of work-life balance and flexibility in the workplace. Employees must be encouraged to manage their lives the way they feel will give out the best performance. Even the drivers in Formula 1 racing need to replace there tyres 3-4 times to get the best out of them, all before they wear off!

Work life balance, in my opinion, is the power which should be granted to employees to control their work as well as their personal life. It's not work-life balance if the employer dictates when and for how long you can go on a camping holiday!

We have come a long way from rigid working patterns and fixed terms of employment, but now steps must be taken in the right direction to integrate the information technology with work, preferably, for the good of the people.

Lively People. Lively Organisation.


This is Nauman Wasif

Optimise

"Relevance is a search engine's holy grail. People want results that are closely connected to their queries" - Marc Ostrofsky  

Like every organisation's strategy of employing people who align with the goals of the organisation, or can become part of the corporate culture, an individual must also think and communicate strategically to create excellent long lasting connections. Optimization (or more specifically, search engine optimization) is the newest trick in the market. Everyone wants to be number 1 on Google  searches, businesses are investing millions to buy keywords and searches where they can just be visible to customers looking to solve a problem.  

While some want to buy their way in, others are looking for what people are searching, so they can optimize their content in a way that they can be the first one on the search results. In my opinion, that is in no way different then forcing to make a connection with someone, who may actually buy your services and create value for you. 

Optimize what you say

On the other hand, if you've optimized content, or authentic relevant connections, people will come straight to you with their problems without looking anywhere. That is, what having a quality connection ensures! 

Individuals, like businesses, must optimize what they communicate with people. How? By being relevant, honest and understanding what the other person is really interested in whilst demonstrating what you can do for them and constructing valuable links with people who will introduce you to other valuable connections seeking what you've got to offer. 

Despite the documented benefits of having social media connections and the widespread use of them (especially by students and teenagers), nobody is moving forward in their life. It's not getting them job offers, contracts, projects, sponsorship, advertising revenue etc, just because their in no quality in their content (or even connections). On the other hand, some bright (others may say lucky) students do however succeed in taking their career aspirations forward using their social capital and by creating strong links with people who can engage with then to create value.

Conclusively, whatever you do, focus, commit and do the best you can, because quality is paramount to value generation, and if you happen to be someone with good personality traits and optimum communication skills, guess what, you've just hit a jackpot!


This is +Nauman Wasif....tell me what you think!

Connect

"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se" - Charles Eames 

There's no doubt the sustainability of wealth of an individual or a business can be judged with the number of quality connections it possesses. No matter whatever you've achieved sitting inside a laboratory or writing a thesis, it accounts for nothing without connections. To get your product, brand, personality and even ideas, you need to have links and networks within which you can operate and further your interests.

Connections are the most important thing nowadays due to a widespread understanding of the unpredictable and unreliable nature of business environment, however what people can rely on is the connections they create with human beings along the way, because believe it or not, they're the ones running your business, they are the ones running ANY business. People have transactions with people to fulfill a need, people deal with people to make things happen and that is what basically business is! People have to connect with people to carry out an activity to enhance value and create a profit. That's how every big business started off, may it be KFC , +PepsiCo  or Facebook.

Optimize your connections

However, what you must not forget is the quality of connections you make, because having weak links would only see you getting left out or achieving a very little return on your social capital. Quality in connections can include a number of things within your sphere of work, social circle or personal lifestyle, but the most common things among all of them would be RELEVANCE. 

See next blog 'Optimise' to find out how you can make your connections relevant and effective.

Connect with me on twitter @naumanwh 


This is +Nauman Wasif - Tell me what you think! 

University of Today

"There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination" - Mencius 

This is actually a continuation of my previous blog, however I feel what I am going to talk about is already practiced in at a very micro level in some universities therefore University of Today seems a more appropriate title.

Don't just type it, Publish it!

What's the problem now?

This is an attack on academia's love for assignments and examinations at every level of student life. While I would agree that this has been established as one of the best ways to test a pupil's commitment and understanding of theoretical concepts bulldozed all over the year, in a bigger picture, they account for nothing except sitting in a faculty's drawer or hard drive.

The amount of research and hard work students have to put into each and every piece of assessment, must contribute to something of substance, which should be a long lasting legacy for the world to witness. How can ONE person be given responsibility to assess a work of an individual who has put hours and days into a written project or examination, only to give it a number and lose it forever in someone's cabinet!

The grade given is a mere disillusion of what an individual is capable of, and it could easily be proven by the number of top graduates without jobs as opposed to failures or borderline individuals taking better care of their lives by starting huge things. Having said that, the lecturers and members of administrative staff dread the deadlines as much as students, as it leads to lumps of checking, feedback, administration and paperwork, something which is not very welcome in anybody's busy schedule in these times!

The solution to this system? Let the World decide!

I believe, looking at the way this world is moving forward, things must be transparent and creation should be encouraged. Students should be encouraged to create and produce, and assessments must be published online and assessed by the general public.

The advantages to this approach will be greater transparency, increased motivation to produce higher quality, portfolio creation for future graduates, evidence of capabilities and much honest feedback by the general public. Blogs, social interactions and quality of published work can be assessed much better by the people who need that information most, instead of people who possess it. It will give students a better analysis of what they are worth and how rewarding it is to focus, commit and produce quality in whatever you do, whilst providing them with skills and motivation to be the best!



This is +Nauman Wasif  - What do you think?