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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Volunteering in Switzerland


In Switzerland, volunteering involve around 25% of the population with an average time involvement of 3 hours per month. The participation to volunteering activities is slightly higher in the German speaking part of Switzerland. Swiss resident’s motivations are first, to make things happen and to help others. Socializing and experience learning are also important motivators when deciding to volunteer.


When relocating from abroad, volunteering can be an accelerator to social integration and a really powerful mean to quickly regain one’s identity and purpose after having left professional and social life behind.
Moreover, when looking for a new job, motivation and tenacity play a big role in the chance of success and being involved in a side activity, which like volunteering brings a high satisfaction level, is extremely positive.

Here bellow are listed the organizations located in Switzerland which provide information in English

Caritas Switzerland gets actively involved where people in wealthy Switzerland are affected by poverty: families, single parents, the unemployed, the working poor

The Bergwaldprojekt (Mountain Forest Project) sets a signal against the destruction of the mountain forest, contributes actively to its preservation and arranges for volunteers to be able to experience firsthand this fascinating ecosystem.

Just for Smiles aim is to offer polyhandicapped people access to open-air activities in environments where they can experience new sensations.

Young Enterprise Switzerland is a non-profit organisation which develops and supports practice-oriented business training programs for students, with the aim of interlinking the economy with schools

Terre des hommes Foundation is a significant force among children’s aid organisations in Switzerland and throughout the world. It is the largest non-governmental organisation (NGO) for children’s aid in Switzerland

ICVolunteers (International Communications Volunteers) is an international non-profit organization specialized in the field of communications, in particular languages, communication technologies and conference support.

Swiss Solidarity is a foundation that raises funds for humanitarian relief projects and works with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR and Swiss relief organizations to this end. Work in the field is carried out by experienced Swiss relief organizations according to precise stipulations. Swiss Solidarity is currently working with 25 aid organizations.

Sport – The Bridge is a swiss-based NGO from the capital city of Berne. Established in 2002, the association promotes the personal development of children through the use of sport.

Asha for Education is a non-profit organisation dedicated to socio-economic change in India and aiming to catalyze socio-economic change through education of underprivileged children in India

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in over 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights.
There are English speaking groups relaying Amnesty International's campaigns locally in Basel,Geneva,and Zurich.


To obtain more information and know about the local language speaking organizations contact:


In Lausanne; 

In Geneva:
http://www.volontariat-ge.org

In Zurich:

In Basel:

In Bern:

In Neuchatel:

In Biel-Bienne

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Sandrine van den Oudenhoven
job4U2, "relocation is a project for both"




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Monday, June 24, 2013

Hotels and guesthouses selection in region Swiss Midland


When involved in the process to relocate to Switzerland, some future or potential employees often like to come with their spouse and sometime with the family to visit the region around their future place of employment.
It’s a very good way to connect with the place, to meet the inhabitants and to decide what will be the preferred place to look for accommodations at a later stage. I personally recommend to take the opportunity of this pre-departure visit, to involve the spouse or partner in the decision making process.

I would like here to offer some support in offering a selection of personal, authentic and agreeable accommodation to book during this short stay in the Swiss Midland region.

The idea behind this selection is not to offer an exhaustive listing of the accommodation possibilities in the region (These are available on the tourism website of each canton and cities) but to present hotels and guesthouses you could fall in love with and who stand as beautiful entry doors into a Swiss life experience.


 
Suite 25A
Jean-Yves Vasserot
25a, chemin de Trois-Portes
CH-2000 Neuchâtel
+41 79 240 68 33
contact@25a.ch

For long and short stay, 70m2 suite for 2 people, with open view to a clear panorama in a central location in Neuchatel.
Jean-Yves Vasserot speaks English, French and German and he or his wife will be happy to personally welcome you and provide all information you may need during your stay in their suite 25A.

Le Vieux Manoir
Relais & Châteaux
Rue de Lausanne 18
CH-3280 Morat-Meyriez

+41 (0)26 678 61 61
welcome@vieuxmanoir.ch


This Relais & Châteaux hotel is set in extensive grounds on picturesque Lake Murten. It was built 100 years ago as a romantic country house for celebrating life in all its easy-going fullness.
The Vieux manoir employees are ready to recommend the guests with the best ideas for the region in English, French, German and Italian.


Vivement jeudi
Myriam et Jan Gunzinger
Burcle 8
CH-2108 Couvet 
+41 (0)32 863 31 78
www.vivementjeudi.ch

A welcome drink is waiting for you in this very special, out of time place.  This is an ideal location for couples. Jan speak fluently English and would be happy to provide information about the region.


L’Aubier
Les Murailles 5
CH-2037 Montezillon
+41 (0)32 732 22 11
contact@aubier.ch

L'AUBIER, ecological hotel in Montezillon promises many beautifl moments of relaxation.
The hotel has 25 bright and friendly rooms, some for up to five people. Most rooms have a balcony or direct access to the garden and views of Lake Neuchatel. English, French and German are spoken



La Tourelle
Suite D'hôtes
Solitude 25
CH-2014 Bôle
+41 (0)32 753 00 07
info@latourelle.ch

Nadia Coubès-Hasler welcomes you (in French, Italian, English or German) in this unique location enjoying a nearly 360 degree view over the Swiss Alps, the Neuchatel lake, the forest. Ideal in the summer, the Tourelle is composed of 3 floors communicating via an outside stairs.
Ideal for couples or for 1 person.

And also

Villa Lindenegg in Bienne (BE)

B&B Maison du Bois in Le Locle (NE)

Auberge aux 4 vents in Fribourg (FR)

Broc'aulit in Broc (FR)

Schloss Ueberstorf (between Bern and Fribourg)

Baseltor in Solothurn (SO)

Innere Enge in Bern (BE)




On the map here, you will easily locate the selected accommodation places and access directly their webpage. 
get to the map

If you have some good places to recommend in the Swiss midland region but also anywhere else in Switzerland, please use the comment section of this blog to share them with all of us. 


If you liked this blog, don’t miss the next posts: register on the blog for email alerts and please share this article with your network.

Sandrine van den Oudenhoven
job4U2

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Increase your chances to be spotted on LinkedIn


Please keep in mind that this article is addressed to readers who have already well defined their professional project and the organizations they are targeting for their job search.  Ideally skills and profile strengths are known and a powerful personal branding is already in place.

I will develop here bellow two approaches you can use to increase your chances to be spotted on LinkedIn (LI)

One is more passive and consists in utilizing the LinkedIn search algorithm feature to your advantage and let others find you.
The second one requires a more proactive attitude on LinkedIn


Let’s get started and kick-off this blog with a few questions:


  • In which type of search would like to be spotted?  Perform by whom? Recruiters, hiring managers, potential clients?
  • What are the key words a recruiter is going to use when performing a search to find the professionals he is looking for on LinkedIn?
  • What could make people click on my LI profile?

Approach number 1:

You can make the LinkedIn algorithm works in your benefit in two ways:
  1. by appearing in the right search through the repetitive usage of keywords
  2. by increasing  the "relevance" ranking   

1. Here you’ll find what is the official LinkedIn recommendation for optimizing chances in searches
“More keywords aren't always better. Our advice would be to only include the keywords (including repeated keywords) in your Profile that best reflect your expertise and experience. If you integrate an extended list of keywords into your Profile, you are likely showing up in a high number of searches. The question you need to ask yourself, however, is whether members consider your Profile relevant to their search. If not, their behavior as a collective group may be influencing the algorithm used to rank you in search results.

2. Increasing the search relevance sounds interesting: How does it work?
You have probably noticed that LinkedIn set an order when presenting profiles to answer to your search, this ranking is not set randomly and follow the following rules:
  
    Profile who come first are:
  1. 1st level connections with profiles that are 100% complete (or close to it) and have the most in-common connections / shared groups, ranked in descending order.
  2. 1st level connections with the fewest in-common connections / shared groups, ranked in descending order by profile completeness.
  3. 2nd level connections ranked in descending order by profile completeness.
  4. 3nd level connections ranked in descending order by profile completeness.
  5. Shared group members (outside of your network), ranked in descending order by profile completeness.
  6. Everyone else (those outside your network), ranked in descending order by profile completeness.
Therefore, to appear on the top of the list, here are the concrete actions you can take now:
  • Increase your LinkedIn Profile Strength up to “all star”. The meter is on the right side of your profile and gauges how robust your profile is. The strength will increase as you add more content. ( my profile is all star, feel free to check what I included to reach that LI status) ch.linkedin.com/in/sandrinevandenoudenhoven
  • Increase the size of your network but please ALWAYS customize your invitation to connect and only invite people with who you have some form of common ground.
  • Join groups.
Approach number 2

The purpose of the second and more proactive approach is to get attention of a targeted audience:

I listed here bellow actions you can take to develop your LI visibility at your targeted audience:

  • Visit hiring manager profiles, they will see you checked their profiles and may check yours too.
  •  “Like” the LI discussions or posts of your potential hiring managers.
  •  “Like”discussion topics which add positively on your branding
  •  Deploy an active, positive and smart participation on LI group discussion topics.
  •  React to people’s invitations by asking them to elaborate on their interest.
  •  If you notice that someone in your field of interests or a recruiter has looked at your profile, send him/her a message/invitation saying you saw they looked at your profile and include something nice about shared interests and/or explain why you are interested initiating a contact without asking for a job.
  •  Post on your own activity broadcast: share news and information with your network
  •  Start your own LinkedIn group or offer to co-animate an existing LI groAlways introduce yourself (without referring to your job search) when joining a new group, thank the group owner/managers for providing the exchange place
Why not giving these 2 approaches a chance?
Write down your today number of appearance in LI Search result and views and monitor the progress after each implementation of the initiatives listed above so that you can understand what has the most impact and set your own activity priorities. 

If you liked this blog, please share this article with your network and register on the blog for email alerts. 


Sandrine van den Oudenhoven
job4U2, "relocation is a project for both"




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How to use LinkedIn for your job search in Switzerland?
Social Media for your job search: Expert interview with Sarah Santacroce from Simplicity