Elise Paramore

Admittedly, I should be working on assignments but instead I'm writing this post. There has always been an emphasis on reflection throughout my education, and this is a result of that. 2019 has been a strange year for me. I have had some of the most amazing memories, with some of the best people but then had some of my lowest points which I have had to pick myself up from, and soldier on. This year has taught me that life isn't always the happy-go-lucky entity that it appears to be, and that everything that you want to achieve you have to give your all into. On reflection, I have begun to understand even more who I am and want to be as a person, and that life throws you challenges to learn from, and become even better. Anyone who knows me on a personal level will understand the event that caused this realisation. It sucked at the time however, I've come back stronger and more appreciative of the people around me, their support and encouragement that has boosted me to ke...

Coming to uni from a small town in the South West of England, I knew that I was going to have to do some additional activities in order to improve my career prospects. As someone who is always striving to achieve the absolute best for myself, I knew that I needed to do some sort of professional work experience in order to get ahead. As there are a small number of opportunities in the area I live in, I decided that a year in industry was the way to go for me. Placements are a pretty daunting prospect. Looking for a full-time professional job when my work experience is limited to retail was a challenging thing to try to comprehend. However, I knew that I had to take what I had and run with it. I was very fortunate to have a module dedicated to learning about placements. I quickly picked up how to construct a cover letter, CV and application form and the importance of not restricting your search by location. This sort of mentoring was so valuable, even if it was a 9am lecture. I sta...

My first year of uni has allowed me to learn many lessons. From making sure you wear shoes in your halls kitchen after there's been pres to remembering to shut your curtains at night when you get changed because your one way window doesn't work at night. One of the biggest takeaways I had from my first year at uni is be organised. As someone who really wants to achieve a lot academically, making sure that I was on top of coursework and revision was so important, and actually being organised elsewhere in your life as well can seriously help. I found that thinking ahead and being organised allowed me to save money and time when travelling home and to see my boyfriend, as well making the most of different opportunities. I want to pass on some of my tips for being organised that hopefully will help you out in the future. https://byalex.co.uk/blog/top-5-influential-dutch-graphic-designers/ 1. Get a Diary  In the age of smartphones, this tip might seem a little redundant. Adm...

In 2018,  HIIK  observed a total of 372 conflicts worldwide-- 57% being violent, and 43% non-violent. It is confounding that so much conflict occurs over our world, but I want to focus on the re-telling of these stories and what we can learn from them. Below are three re-tellings of stories from conflicts and their importance. 1. Hamilton: An American Musical Hamilton about the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's Founding Fathers. It highlights his rise out of poverty set within the American War of Independence. (Read more  here ) The musical demonstrates the importance of re-telling the story of the war, and helps to educate people about the founding of the USA. Admittedly, I had no idea what the story was prior to seeing it, and I was blown away by both the music and the brilliant storytelling of an event that I normally wouldn't take an interest in. The finale of the show 'Who Lives, Wh...

We are due to leave the European Union at some point in the coming months. It is easy to tell that Brexit will have a large impact on all UK business, regardless of the final result. However, I want to specifically focus on the NHS, as a large part of the 'Leave' Campaign's manifesto (found here ) was to 'save £350m a week' in order to spend on priorities such as the NHS. One of the greatest concerns the NHS is their workforce. The Withdrawal Agreement secures the position of EU nationals in the UK, however there is a large amount of uncertainty surrounding their position, and this is expected to grow. Read more about this here . It's also quite important to understand that 39.9% of doctors registered with GMC gained their qualifications abroad (Read more here ). Whilst this does not directly correlate that all of these doctors are immigrants who have moved to the UK to work, it does support the idea that a large proportion of the NHS' workforce is from...

'Too many facts, too little conceptualising, too much memorising and too little thinking' -- Paul Hurd Arguably, critical thinking is one of the most important skills a person can learn. Being able to 'sift through the noise' (From this  article)  in order to conclude concisely is highly valuable. My time in education has spanned the majority of my life. From learning the basics in primary school, to honing my knowledge in college, I've been exposed to many ideas and skills. However, it was only at the end of college that I was exposed critical thinking, why? One could argue that the education system is concerned with broadening horizons, teaching culture, history and a basic level of literacy/numeracy. However, you could also argue that the education system is not encapsulating the advanced skills needed in the workplace, making it challenging to learn these when its the most vital. I personally feel that these skills would have been so valuable to have le...

As a young person, I find myself using social media on a daily basis. Whether it's scrolling through Instagram while waiting for a bus or using Facebook to connect with my family whilst I'm at university, it surrounds me constantly. It often crosses my mind about how it's being utilised in business whether it be to assist in recruitment, marketing or to maintain balance between work and home. Social media is increasingly used to screen for potential candidates in the recruitment process and I think it is really interesting the amount of data that we share on social media. A simple search of my name brought up all my social medias in the top 5 results.  Research conducted in 2009 showed that 45% of over 2600 hiring managers used social media in their screening of potential candidates (Grasz as cited by Brown and Vaughn, 2011). Considering that this figure is a decade old, it's fair to assume that it is even more prevalent in recruitment today. I find this baz...

As a part of my studies at university I am required to create a series of blog posts in which I discuss a number of contemporary ideas that have an impact on organisations and individuals in business. These posts will appear here, and I hope that what I am discussing is of some interest. As a student I find myself wanting to read about business topics, however struggle to digest some of the information that is presented to me, so I am hoping that these posts will be both easy to read and relatable for all. Let me know what you think.

I am writing this follow on post around two years after I published my last. I find it strange to re-read my thoughts after going through a set of A-Level exams. Whilst my thoughts on the pressure put on young people to achieve 5 GCSEs is the same, I now understand that GCSE results do not make or break you. You can still achieve great things even if exams are not your thing.  A Levels opened my eyes to a new kind of pressure, made up of both the environment I was in as well as the newfound pressure of my own expectations. One of the biggest difference between GCSEs and A-Levels is that you are your own motivator. You are expected to want to do well and that you will put in the work needed to get the grades you require for your next stage of life. This new desire caused me to become increasingly stressed and disappointed when I wasn't making progress during A levels.  As much as I got the grades I needed to progress onto the University of Southampton (the dock pictured ...