Best Apps for Busy Executive Travelers
So you have a hot new iPhone or iPad – now which apps should you download and use? Here’s a list of the hottest apps to help you travel smarter and work more efficiently when on the road.
FlightCaster is a free app for the iPhone that claims to predict flight delays with 95 percent accuracy. So before booking your next flight, check if there’s a chance of any delays first.
GateGuru is another free app for iPhones that allows you to search your airport for the restaurants, stores and services that you want and need. You can also bookmark favorite spots, read reviews, and share your travels via Facebook and Twitter.
Kayak is one of the world’s leading travel search engines. Kayak Mobile for the iPad and iPhone lets you use Kayak’s dedicated travel search engine to find flight prices from almost any origin to destinations around the world. Find what you need based on price, comfort and positive feedback.
MySkyStatus.com is an app powered by Lufthansa that allows you to set up auto-Tweeting on your flight status to family, friends and business associates. Your Twitter followers can even track your in-flight progress, even if you don’t have in-flight Wi-Fi.
The Phone Book App from YellowBook. Using technology from Google Maps, this free app can locate nearby businesses in a virtual reality format, including phone numbers, store hours and integrated maps. It also has an automated voice search feature to access information on millions of restaurants, hotels and businesses around the world.
SeatGuru is the right app for someone very particular about their seat assignment. View detailed airplane seat charts, along with crucial information about which seats are broken, have little legroom or misaligned windows.
TravelTracker Pro was named best money-saving app by American Express. The app delivers live flight status reports and live flight map tracking in the U.S. It also integrates with TripIt, so you can carry all your TripIt information including flight info, hotel reservations, car rentals, meetings, weather reports and more – all without needing an Internet connection.
With TripAdvisor’s mobile app, you can search for airline ticket and hotel deals, restaurants and attractions and more. The app also offers information on vacation rentals, hotels, tourist attractions and other international destinations. It’s also available in one dozen languages and includes business reviews from 35 million travelers.
Building Your Network To Help Open Doors
As a college student, completing a degree in your specific field is the first stage of your journey to joining the job market. However, it is naïve to think that the degree alone is all you need to land the job of your dreams. We have all heard time and time again the importance of getting a foot in the door. However, if you want to get a good job in this economy, it isn’t always what you know that will get you your first pay check. It’s who you know.
In order to give yourself the greatest opportunity, you are going to need to start networking. With the growth of the internet, and in particular online social networking websites, you are able to sit in the comfort of your house and reach out to people who previously you would have no chance of contacting. Online networking websites such as LinkedIn offer fantastic ways to potentially connect with hiring managers, decision makers and even with Fortune 500 executives! As part of your job search strategy online networking needs to pay a key part. However, it is as equally important to make yourself seen and physically meet people. It goes without saying that you can make a far greater impact on a person by shaking their hand, looking them in the eye and introducing yourself than you can make via an email!
Find below 5 tips to networking and the best places to go and meet the people who can help make your career sparkle.
Conventions or Exhibitions:
Major conventions/exhibitions are fantastic places to network and meet new people. Keep track of the people you contact and make sure you have a pen and paper so you can write down their contact details. Most importantly follow up with these people within a couple of days following the convention. The longer you leave it the more likely they are to forget who you are.
Job Fairs:
Similar to conventions/exhibitions. This is a no-brainer. Going to a job fair is a good way to meet people who are currently hiring, submit your resume, and also learn about what specific companies are looking for in an employee.
Friends, Classmates and Alumni:
Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends, classmates or alumni to help with your networking. You just never know who can help or most importantly who has contacts that may be able to help you.
Community and Volunteer Work:
Make a difference in the world and network at the same time! Community service is always looked upon favourably by companies but also will give you an opportunity to network with different members of the community.
Networking Meetings:
Search for networking meetings in your community. Networking meetings often require a small fee (for non-members). However this will enable you to meet a whole range of people from different backgrounds and occupations. Many times all you require is a small lead to kick start your career and networking events can be the perfect place to make this happen.
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Surprise – Emotions Are a Huge Part of the Job Search Process
You lost your job, walked away, were laid off or are afraid you will be laid off your job. The first thing you do is react; probably emotionally. Maybe you are angry, scared, panicked, worried, or even relieved. For a lot of people, they think there must be some sequence of how they are supposed to feel or react to losing a job.
Realize that what you do when you lose a job – is feel what you feel. It doesn’t matter if you quit, if you were fired, if you were a victim of downsizing or what the reason was. The bottom line is the same however how each person handles it may not be. And that’s okay.
Consider the array of emotions that can be chosen from and acted upon during a time of loss or stress:
- There are the familiar stages of grief, proposed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (which included denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). The loss of a job is as much of a loss as any other significant event such as death of a loved one so it’s not a huge surprise that most people will experience this phase of emotions; probably pretty close to the beginning of the process
- Mood swings which offer a cornucopia of emotions from sadness to happiness to confusion to anxiety and pretty much everything in between. Typically these won’t be as intense as the stages will probably be. But while the stages of grief are often pretty intense (for instance, the anger stage can seem more like rage and the depression stage could be as serious as considering doctor’s assistance), usually mood swings are less severe and are moved through and between a bit faster.
- Fear plays a part – fear of success, of failure, and of losing everything
- Gratitude and holding on to the things we do have
- Relief and excitement at finally reaching the end of the journey as you accept that job offer and get back on your way.
There are over a hundred different emotions (generally broken down into positive and negative). So you can easily see how it’s possible to go through a wide range during a tough time. Yet the most important thing during this time and when you have emotions during the process is to accept yourself and avoid self-judgment. Having emotions helps with the healing process when worked through rather than fought. So try to give yourself a break and allow yourself the gift of emotions.
Restaurant Franchises – A Tasty Business Opportunity
There are many restaurant franchises located throughout the country and even the world. Opening your own restaurant can be exciting, scary and a wonderful investment. Restaurants offer a great way to make money as well as provide people with something that they need, food. There are several types of restaurant franchises from which to choose.
Full Service Restaurants
A full service restaurant typically offers complete table service. This includes service personnel, such as hosts and hostesses, as well as a wait staff. The full service restaurant is a good choice for investors that have a higher investment range. This is because the start up costs for a full service restaurant is typically higher than a casual or fast food restaurant.
Fast Food Restaurants
The fast food restaurant typically offers counter service and a drive through option. Pizza places that offer delivery and carryout options are considered fast food restaurants as well. These types of restaurants are also referred to as quick service restaurants or QSR within the industry.
The fast casual restaurant is a slight variation on the fast food restaurant. The fast casual restaurant will typically offer a higher quality menu than the typical quick service restaurant. Fast casual restaurant franchises will often have a more nutritional menu than the standard fast food restaurant.
Franchise Programs
There are several franchise programs available for individuals looking into purchasing a restaurant franchise. The first type is the single unit franchise. This is a great option for individuals that plan on being very hands on in the operation. The single unit franchise is typically an owner operator style of business, where the owner also functions as the manager or operator of the business. It should be noted that single unit franchises are not typically offered for some of the more established brands of restaurant franchises as it is not a very efficient franchise model.
The multi-unit franchise offers an individual the right to develop and own a number of the restaurant franchise within a specific area. The owner works less in the day to day operation and focuses on running many units more efficiently. The biggest benefit of the multi-unit franchise is the financial gains produced through owning multiple units.
The other type of major franchise program that is an option is the master franchise. This type of franchise allows the individual or group to purchase the rights to develop a specific territory, which is most often a major region or market. The owner is then allowed to sell parts of the territory to new franchisers. Essentially the master franchise owners are “sub-franchisors,” splitting the roles and the responsibilities, the franchise fees, and the royalties, with franchisors.
Owning a master franchise can be extremely beneficial financially. This is because in the beginning it is possible to run a master franchise from a small office and with few employees. Developing the area for the restaurants will be a large part of the job, but once you sell the franchise, the individuals will be your only customers to deal with.