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Three UK universities have lost their place in the top 200 of a global higher education league table.

The universities of Reading, Dundee and Newcastle slipped out of the top 200 of the Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings for 2014-15.

Five others – Heriot-Watt, Keele, Liverpool John Moores University, Loughborough and the University of Surrey – are no longer in the top 400.

However, Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London remain in the top 10.

Holding on to the top spot for the fourth consecutive year is the California Institute of Technology in the United States.

Harvard University is in second place and the University of Oxford is in third.

Capital appeal

London has the greatest concentration of first-class universities with four in the top 40 – more than any other city in the world – and seven in the top 200.

Leading Asian institutions are continuing to rise up the rankings.

Asia now has 24 universities in the world top 200, up from 20 last year. Two Asian universities – Tokyo University and the National University of Singapore – now make the world top 25 and six others make the top 50.

The rankings rate universities worldwide on 13 measures including teaching, research and international outlook – such as numbers of overseas students and staff.

Phil Baty, the editor of THE World University Rankings, said that, while the UK had more top-200 universities than any other nation except the US, the new data raised a number of key concerns.

“Overall, the UK’s representation among the world’s leading universities is declining – three leading names fell out of the top 200 this year, and two others occupy 198th and 199th place.

“Five UK universities lost their top 400 places. This loss of power and influence is not good for the UK’s overall competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.”

Mr Baty also raised concerns about the dominance of the south-east of England in the rankings.

“The five top UK institutions in the world are all from the South East ‘golden triangle’ of Oxford, Cambridge and London. Indeed, of the nine English universities in the world top 100, six are from London and the South East.”

Reading University Vice-Chancellor, Sir David Bell, said although the placing was disappointing, “we do remain ranked among the world’s best universities.

“We do world-class work on issues of critical global importance like climate change, food security and public health. And we have long-term investment plans in place as we seek to return to the top 200 as quickly as possible.

“One cannot read too much into a single year’s rankings. Global league tables are highly volatile indicators. The fact that some UK universities have risen and fallen up to almost 40 places year-on-year shows it is much more important to look at longer-term trends over time.”

Sir David said pressure from overseas institutions showed “the critical importance for government to sustain research funding and implement a clear immigration policy so we keep the doors open to talented overseas students and staff.”

A spokesman for Dundee University said: “This latest result comes in the context of improved standings for Dundee in several other league tables, including the 2014 National Student Survey, in which we achieved record results, and the latest Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey, which rated us top in Scotland and joint 4th in the UK.

“The THE World University Rankings demonstrate the increasing competition facing UK universities from higher education institutions in emerging economies across the world.”

A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “It is of course disappointing to drop down to 202 in the Times Higher rankings, but, in the case of THE there does seem to be a sector-wide effect with many more UK universities losing ground to Asia-Pacific institutions.

“This may be as a result of the methodology, or the simple fact that other universities have improved at a faster pace than the UK as a result of increased government investment.”

Levels of research income for the university were more than £120m, student satisfaction was high and 94% of Newcastle graduates were in work or further education within six months of leaving Newcastle, the spokesman added.

The general secretary of the University and College Union, Sally Hunt, said: “We have to recognise that our standing is under threat if we don’t match our competitors.

“The Asian countries are seeing their universities climb the table because of strong support from government, while we face further cuts. Unless we wake up to this reality, we risk falling behind.”

Ref: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29429466

If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

You’ve no doubt heard motivational messages like this one before, maybe from your manager; perhaps a parent. When you’re clearly in need of some kind of motivational boost and someone rattles off a line like this, it’s easy to shrug it off as a corny, slightly patronising gesture. Thanks, but no thanks!

The thing is, we do need to believe in ourselves if we want others to. We are our own harshest critics; the first to call ourselves stupid or beat ourselves up about missing an opportunity. We put immense pressure on ourselves to achieve the unachievable, and when we don’t; stress about how we could have done things better. These thought patterns are poisonous and slowly sabotage our chances at success. As much as we’d hate to admit it, often we are actually to blame for bringing ourselves down.

The good news is it’s never too late to pep ourselves back up. Sometimes all it takes is a little self-reflection and resistance. If you want to start achieving great things, these are the toxic habits you’ll need to break first:

1. Comparing yourself to others

If you look around your office or scroll through your Facebook news feed, it’s easy to convince yourself everyone’s more successful than you. When you start to feel like you’re lagging behind your peers, friends or family members, you need to stop right there. Everyone is leading totally unique lives, full of different challenges and successes. Nobody likes to broadcast their troubles; so you’re probably comparing your bloopers to their highlight reel anyway (as the saying goes). Stop focussing on everyone else, and start concentrating on reaching your own potential.

2. Taking too much on

Living life on the verge of a major panic attack from being overworked is incredibly unhealthy; both physically and mentally. Stop saying ‘yes’ to everything, and learn how to say ‘no’. Taking on an unrealistic workload and over-committing yourself will leave you feeling exhausted all the time, and will strip the enjoyment out of everything you do. You’ll start resenting everything that eats into your precious energy stores and things you used to enjoy will likely become burdens. Recognising your tendency to burn yourself out is the first step in breaking this habit. Stop letting guilt pressure you into spreading yourself thin.

3. Failing to switch off

Mastering the art of relaxing outside of work hours is difficult to do, but imperative to your success. If you want to start each day feeling refreshed and motivated, you need to learn how to switch off when you leave the office. Stop checking your work emails at 10:30pm before you go to bed; stop taking client calls at dinner time. Remember, you work to live; not the other way around. The sooner you prioritise ‘switching off’ when you’re not on duty, the sooner you’ll start to feel your energy levels and drive at work increase.

4. Holding onto your mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes; no one is perfect. Holding onto past slip-ups and misfortunes will only prevent you from moving forward. If you keep referencing your failures and obsessing over how and why you let it happen, you’ll only feel lower about yourself and hold yourself back form accepting new challenges, for fear of failing.

5. Making self-deprecating comments

This one’s not really a silent habit, as it involves talking, but the quiet mental fallout that occurs after you’ve brought yourself down is where the real damage manifests. Stop selling yourself short and making jokes at your own expense. A cheap laugh like this will cut into your confidence. The moment you start taking yourself seriously and supporting your own goals is the moment others will follow suit.

Originally published here: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/silent-habits-sabotaging-success/

When you’re sitting in a job interview, you’re going to be fielding a lot of questions from a hiring manager. However, many applicants forget that the interview is the ideal time for them to ask some questions of their own. While the hiring manager wants to ensure that you’re a good fit for their organization, you also want to get a sense of what this company is all about too. To do that, make sure to ask the following questions:

What’s the biggest issue facing the company and how might I be able to help?

This gives you some insight into how you can be most useful should you get hired. It also gives you a look into where the company’s main areas of focus might be. For example, if they’re telling you that they’re in desperate need of a new website, you can then speak to your familiarity with working on this type of project as you go about the rest of the interview.

How does your company define success?

This will let you know whether the organization is a good fit for you. It also allows you to get a sense of how to get ahead should you get hired. Whether success is measured in numbers, an attitude, ideas, or all of the above, having this information in advance is valuable.

Do you offer opportunities for further training or professional development for your employees?

You want to work for a company that invests in its employees, and this is one way to tell if this is the case.  As an added bonus, it shows that you’re interested in continuing to improve yourself and learn more.

Do you have plans for new products or services?

Make sure to research ahead of time so you know that there’s nothing in the news that you should know about before you ask this question. If it’s clear there’s not, ask away, as it can give you some insight as to how your time with the company may be spent if you get the job. This is also another question that lets you tailor your answers so that you can show off your skills and illustrate how you’d be an essential part of that new product they’re hoping to launch.

What is the next step in the process?

It’s okay to ask the hiring manager to demystify their process for you a little bit. Depending on the person, you may get a lot of clarity—they tell you they’re interviewing three other people and will get back to you in a few weeks, for example—or they may be more vague. Either way, you’ll leave with a better sense of what to expect.

Originally published at: http://blog.sparkhire.com/2015/07/18/the-questions-you-absolutely-must-ask-during-a-job-interview/