How to launch a career as a luxury brand ambassador

How to launch a career as a luxury brand ambassadorHow to launch a career as a luxury brand ambassadorKenny Azamahas traveled the entire country, paid off hisstudent loans, and made some of his favorite memories through his work as abrand ambassador.It has helped shape who I am today so much, says Azama. If you have afriendlyand outgoing personality and would love to represent your favorite brands at invite-only events, then becoming a brand ambassador may be for you.Based in the Los Angeles area, Azama started his journey to his current role in 2013. I was a Program Manager at an experiential marketing agency and was in dienstgrad of coordinating the events and hiring the Brand Ambassadors. It was after a couple of years when I realized thebrand ambassadorsI hired were makingmore moneythan me and having way more fun. So I decided to jump ship. Today, I am a brand ambassador full-time.Azamas life may sound too good to be true. Which is why we wanted to know more about how he does wha t he does. We caught up with theyoung entrepreneurto get his best tips and insider secrets to becoming a luxury brand ambassador. Heres what he sharedWho should become a brand ambassador and what qualifications do they need?If you have a friendly and outgoing personality and love excitement and variety in your workplace, then you shouldbecome a Brand Ambassador. If you have a background in sales, thats a plus, but you really dont need any major qualifications. Anyone can get hired as a Brand Ambassador and succeed but it takes consistent confidence and a willingness to learn the ins and outs of the game to excel.What are some realistic (or unrealistic) expectations people have when it comes to becoming a brand ambassador?A common misconception is that brand ambassadors are employees of the brand they are promoting but thats leid the case. In actuality, they are simply contracted freelancers who are hired by staffing and event marketing agencies to represent their clients the brands .Some people also think being a brand ambassador is only for women but thats definitely not true. Most brands love to have a good mix of men and women representing them out in the field. More often than not, men are also preferred for roles related to labor and Tour Management so there is plenty of opportunity for both men and women in the promotional marketing world. What are the benefits/ advantages?Here are, in my opinion, the greatest benefitsGet paid anywhere from $15/hr-$100/hr or thousands of dollars for top-tier campaigns depending on the gig you are hired for.Accessexclusive events,festivals, sports games, and other large events.Flexibility to zupflmmel up work whenever youd like, wherever youd like.Travel the world. (I drove RVs around the nation for months and was able to work in 29 different states.)Sometimes, you get gift cards, leftover product, and even swag.You get to meet and work with the most social bunch of people youll ever meet in your life.What are the disadva ntages?And here are the drawbacksThe pay is great but because the brand must pay the agency before you get paid, your payment can take anywhere from 1-6 weeks to get to you. Agencies are getting better about paying more quickly but because of this middle-man effect, its important to read your contracts before signing and to keep track of which agencies owe you what and when.Most gigs are only 1-3 days long which means you always need to keep your eyes open for opportunities. For some people, this is great as its extremely flexible and one can apply for work whenever they have the time.If being on your feet and talking with people for hours at a time doesnt sound fun to you, then being a Brand Ambassador may not be your cup of tea. But that doesnt mean you shouldnt try it. To me, it beats staring at a computer screen in a cubicle.Mitchel Brooks, based inWashington, DChas been working with brands since 2011. I got started byhosting special eventsthat target diverse millennials, saysBr ooks. Many brands hiremarketingand PR agencies. Those agencies will often put together multicultural programs and campaigns for brands to identify social influencers within that market segment. I came into the game through one of those marketing and PR agencies.Most influencers cannot mention specific brands they work with outside of a specific campaign as they are instructed not to speak on behalf of the brand. But Brooks has this to say from his nearly 10-years of experience on the other sideBe authentic. Be true to who you are. Brands want to partner with individuals who align and complement their values and ethos. No matter who you are some brand and some group of people will love your authentic self.Some brands want to pay for increased awareness and impressions. Some brands want to pay for true influence. Yoursocial capitalis reflected by your influence.Connecting With Brands Through Social MediaThere are plenty of Brand Ambassador gigs out there, especially if you live in or near a major city, says Azama. Hundreds ofstaffing agenciesare looking for outgoing people just like you every single day.My favorite place to find Brand Ambassador work isFacebook. There are Brand Ambassador Facebook groups for every major city and ansicht groups are where staffing and event marketing agencies prefer to post their open gigs.To find these bountiful groups, type the following into your Facebooks search barBrand Ambassadors of + Nearest Major City (e.g. Brand Ambassadors of Dallas).Once you find your local group, request to join and start applying to the gigs you want.If you want a step-by-step guide, I started a resource website calledBrand Ambassador Worldthat you can visit for all of the tips and tricks on how to get started as a Brand Ambassador.This article first appeared on Capitol Standard.

Customize this Outstanding Computer Programmer Resume 2

Customize this Outstanding Computer Programmer Resume 2Customize this Outstanding Computer Programmer Resume 2Sample Computer Programmer ResumeCreate Resume OBJECTIVE Seeking a challenging position as a Computer ProgrammerEXPERIENCEBraintree Computer Services Providers Inc., Boston, MA 1997 2003Computer ProgrammerDesigned, developed and deployed server side Java and JSPs for software.Created database objects through testing, production and development environments.Oversaw a team of seven junior programmers who had responsibility for the implementation of a communication program, which operated connections from the main site.Wrote data entry applications and codes in Visual C++Work within a team of 15 members to resolve relational database problems using BMC and IBM utilities.Provided maintenance and rckendeckung to business clientsInstalled programming restricting users operations and actions.Provided assistance to full time computer and part-time operators with problem resolution and tape backups.Participated in system construction, analysis and testing.Built firewalls for LAN and upgraded and modified database systems to suit the company requirements.Springfield Corp., Springfield, MA 1997 1998Computer ProgrammerResponsibility for the programming, design and maintenance of company business applications.Configured the network and set-up hosting facilities.Presented application programmes to the Management for review.Direct responsibility to modify, repair, update and expand existing programmes and applications.Worked in mainframe environment preparing instructions to run programmes.Wrote efficient programmes that maintained computer software.Provided maintenance to program users along with programming support.EDUCATIONUniversity of Massachusetts (U-Mass), Boston, MA 1992- 1996BS in Computer ScienceTECHNICAL SKILLSLanguages COBOL, DATAPOINT, FOCUS, FOXPRO, MICROSOFT, VISUAL BASIC, and ASSEMBLER.Software DATAEXPERT, CMS, VSAM, PANVALET and, MS OFFICE / Hardwa re IBM 3090, IBM 36 and IBM 370/145/155Operating Systems OS-MFT, DOS, DOS-VM, OS-VS Windows 95, Windows 3.1, and MVS.ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONHobbies include Polo, Water sports, Horse riding and Rugby.Customize Resume

Wind Turbines Whirling Arctic Regions

Wind Turbines Whirling Arctic Regions Wind Turbines Whirling Arctic Regions A telecommunications company providing mobile services in Scandinavia is readying a combination of systems using solar and wind power to replace its costly diesel-powered system.The company began exploring alternative forms of energy because its 20-year-old system was supported by an unreliable grid in a highly remote drehort in northern Norway, and delivery of diesel fuel was becoming increasingly expensive. About six months ago, installation started on a distributed renewable energy solution as a replacement, consisting of one off-grid Urban Green Energy UGE-600 wind turbine, called the eddy, and panels providing about 400W of solar energy.The telecom will start to see savings when the system is up and running within a few months. Off-the-grid sites like this typically see payback in two to five years, says Mateo Chaskel, vice president of operations for New York City-based Urban Green Energy (UGE), the com pany engaged to develop the new system for the telecom project. Savings depend on how much energy a site consumes, with the range generally $10,000 to $20,000 per year, Chaskel says. Because this will be a relatively small site, running on a small turbine and solar array it will likely result in somewhat less than average savings.The company is not alone in turning to an alternative to traditional forms of energy. In the past decade a number of companies and remote communities have begun replacing diesel-powered generators with wind and solar power due to both economic and environmental benefits.Extra TestingBecause of the extreme environmental conditions, there are extra steps and testing that must be done, especially for wind energy, because of the moving parts of components. Average temperatures in this Nordic area are below freezing for seven months out of the year, and the average nightly temperature is below zero degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. Additionally, solar radiation is effectively nonexistent in the winter since there are only about five hours of sunlight. The system is heavily reliant on wind energy during this period.Urban Green Energy wind turbine being set up for a test at the commercial cold testing site in hausintern Mongolia. Image Urban Green EnergyAccording to a 2008 report by Martin O.L. Hansen, an associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Denmark, icing can reduce power production of turbines operating under such conditions in a number of ways, including unbalancing rotors, causing anemometers to prevent startup even during high winds and misalignment of the yaw drive.For such installations operating in such harsh environmental conditions, UGEs wind turbines have undergone special testing, including analyses of all components, identification of the right bearing lubrication, and also full-scale testing at a commercial cold-testing site in Inner Mongolia, chosen because it is not to o far from UGEs manufacturing plant outside of Beijing. Before the full-scale testing, models are created in order to understand how the brittleness and strength of different materials might be affected under such intense wind loads in cold climates, such as ensuring the structural integrity of steel towers.Bearings have proven to be particularly sensitive to temperature fluctuation as temperature decreases to sub-zero, says Chaskel.Optimizing for DurabilityAnalyzing bearing reaction to cold temperatures involves placing a bearing in a temperature-controlled freezer and allowing the entire component to reach the set point temperature. Parameters for torque and geometric dimensions, for example, are also taken into consideration to determine the best bearing configuration. While a decrease in bearing performance is to be expected in low temperatures, minimizing the effect by optimizing the configuration for durability is the goal, Chaskel says.Most important also is the type of lubri cation when designing for cold environments, he says. The challenge is finding a lubrication type with low viscosity changes and a low freezing point to ensure the turbine continues to operate within the design specification tolerance.In addition, UGE sends out the composite of fiberglass, carbon fiber, and other materials it fabricates to produce the blades to be verified by independent laboratories.UGE also analyzes mounting systems to confirm they are adequate for such extreme weather conditions. A special kind of steel may be required for very cold environments. Working closely with experienced tower manufacturers, UGE analyzes resonant frequency because of possible issues related to material stiffening, fatigue correlations, brittleness, and ultimate strength, all because of the harsh environment.When all the components are ready, the turbine goes to the Mongolian test site. There, where temperatures can get to 40 degrees below zero during winter nights and rise considerably on sunny days, UGE can stress the wind turbine design in a large variety of ways and verify computational theories related to durability and performance. After this testing, We can confidently deploy our products in the locations that matter most for the client, says Chaskel.Nancy S. Giges is an independent writer.Because of the extreme environmental conditions, there are extra steps and testing that must be done, especially for wind energy because of the moving parts of components.Mateo Chaskel, VP-Operations, Urban Green Energy