Monday, December 30, 2019

How I had the money talk with my significant other

How I had the money talk with my significant otherHow I had the money talk with my significant otherOne of the first articles I ever wrote about money welches about how to have themoney talkwith your romantic partner. Its so, so important to talk about money with the person youre sharing your life with. It sets expectations, opens up the conversation about your financial goals, and makes sure that everyone is on the same page. It will also help you to understand each other and your relationship with money. Money impacts every area of our lives, including our romantic lives, so this is not a conversation that you should skip or delay.Ive always cared about financial stability, so it welches important to me for someone I was dating to be in a good position, as well. Thats why I knew I had to start that conversation in the beginning of my relationship with Dan. Heres how I did (and continue to do) it.I started earlyI remember the moment I first talked to Dan about money. It was probably our fourth or fifth date and we were walking towards my apartment, where I was going to make dinner for him. Dan was carrying a bouquet of flowers for me (aww). I turned to him and casually asked him if he had any credit card debt. I cant remember exactly how he reacted, but he told me that he did and he told me how much. I wasnt a financial coach yet, so I was slightly judgmental about credit card debt at the time. I didnt insult him, but I did show concern about his debt. Looking back, it wasnt very much at all Thats proven by the fact that Dan was able to pay it off in just three months after our conversation. Having this conversation early made it easier for us to communicate about money as other issues arose.I communicated my needsWhen Dan and I first started dating, we obviously went out a lot. We went out for dinner, we went to the movies, we went out to brunch, etc. At first, Dan paid for me much of the time, but once I found out how much he was earning in salary, I didnt f eel comfortable letting him cover everything (we were making similar income and it wasnt a lot). We began splitting costs from time to time, but eventually, that spending started to conflict with my budget and savings goals. I was living alone at the time and trying to pay off my student loans ahead of schedule. That didnt leave me with a ton of fun money. After a couple months of dating, I told him that we needed to slow down a bit with our fun spending and be more thoughtful about where our money was going. I didnt want too much food and drink to derail my financial goals. That wasnt a fun conversation, but Dan was understanding, and we started being a little bit pickier about when we went out and how much we spent when we did.I offered my helpDan never really felt like he knew what he was doing with money. It wasnt something he felt he had learned growing up. So I offered my untersttzungsangebot and guidance to help him pay off his credit card and start saving. I also helped him fill out his budget so he was aware of his spending guidelines. Eventually, I gave him advice for contributing to his retirement account.Once we moved in together, I took over the financial management of the household. I created a joint budget spreadsheet so that we could track our budget and spending. I added Dan as an authorized user on one of my credit cards so that we could use it for joint expenses, such as groceries. This made it easier to make sure that we were each contributing equally. We continue to use a joint credit card now that we own a home together.(I should note that I trusted Dan as an authorized user, and didnt worry that he would abuse the card. I dont recommend giving someone access to your credit card if you dont trust that they will use it responsibly and always pay it back.)I practice non-judgmentThis is mucksmuschenstill a tricky thing for me, especially in my personal life. When it comes to my clients, I never judge them or make them feel bad about their mo ney choices. When I am directly affected by someones money habits, its sometimes difficult for me to react in the same calm way. If a financial conflict comes up, I try to be careful about the language that I use. Instead of being accusatory like saying, Why did you spend so much money at that bar?, I try to be more curious by saying things like, Hey, whats this charge from the other day? I want to make sure I have the budget updated properly.I continue the conversationAs with most important topics, its crucial to continue the money conversation over time. Priorities change, income changes, expenses change. behauptung can be good things or they can be difficult things. The point is, the conversation must evolve as life evolves.Dan and my situation is much different now than it was when we first started dating. We own a home together, weve both paid off our student loans, weve combined most of our finances, Dan has more than doubled his income, Ive more than cut mine in half (for now ) by pursuing self-employment, and our expenses are higher overall. Before all these changes, we didnt have to talk very often about money, because we had plenty of it and didnt spend very much. Now, theres less money and more to spend on.We had to have a serious money talk earlier this year, because both of us were getting frustrated with each other. Dan felt like he didnt have any money of his own, and I felt like he wasnt being thoughtful about how tight our budget is. It was a very productive (though difficult) conversation, because we were able to walk away with solutions. Dan has a small amount of money going into his personal checking account each month so that he can spend it without worrying about our overall budget. He also has a little bit of money going into his private savings account so that he can buy gifts or fix up his bike. This has made Dan feel more autonomous while taking stress off of our joint budget.Now that were getting married, Dan and I are getting even mo re grown up with our financial conversations. We recently went to see a financial advisor to talk about life insurance and making sure were making smart choices for retirement. It feels good to be talking about and making these decisions together.This article first appeared on MaggieGermano.com.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

How to Get Motivated at Work When Youre in a Rut - The Muse

How to Get Motivated at Work When Youre in a Rut - The MuseHow to Get Motivated at Work When Youre in a Rut Weve all faced days at the office where were just not feeling motivated. Off days happen to everyone and its tough- if not unrealistic- to constantly do your best work. There are bound to be times when you procrastinate too much, lack focus, or struggle to start important projects.You may react by getting down on yourself, wondering where your determination has gone. It can be disappointing to feel like youre not living up to your aspirations, especially when theres important work to be done- which there almost always is. Speed, efficiency, and productivity are what drive results, and when our energy doesnt match our ambition, it can be frustrating. When you lack enthusiasm, a single day at the office can feel like an uphill battle. A long-lasting motivational slump can leave you stressed out, feeling guilty that youre not doing enough to advance in your career. The effects on your well-being can be numerous You may have difficulty sleeping, find yourself getting sick, or notice a decrease in your ability to concentrate. Your mental health takes a beating from emotional exhaustion, with anxiety and pessimism overshadowing your mood.But you dont have to stay stuck in this rut. With some exploration and reflection, you can get to the bottom of whats sapping your energy and dig yourself out of it. Here are three reasons youre unmotivated along with solutions to getting back on track fast. 1. Youre Caught in the Busy TrapToday being busy is a status symbol, a sign that youre sought-after and in-demand. While your ego may enjoy the validation, existing perpetually in work mode and being available round-the-clock can lead to burnout.Operating under the illusion that staying constantly busy is helping you advance professionally can backfire, earning you the title of office pushover- or leading you to resent your job, boss, and co-workers.To disentangle yourself from the busy trap, youve got to ruthlessly prioritize and eliminate non-urgent tasks, which will allow you to invest in work thats truly important. To get over your chronic busy-worshipping, begin to unhook yourself from responsibilities that are actually someone elses work. Practice saying no more often. When you do agree to take something on, do so with a clear intention. Try saying, I choose to rather than I have to It may sound simple, but your words create your reality, and this subtle verbal shift invokes autonomy and personal choice, which stokes motivation. It feels very different to say I choose go to tonights networking event instead of I have to to go to tonights networking event.2. Youre Relying on WillpowerConvincing yourself to accomplish a task out of sheer will is difficult. When willpower fails you, focus on creating habits that make your success inevitable. Often, getting started on a big goal or complicated project is the hardest part. Once you actually get going , the whole project feels a lot less daunting. The trick to staying motivated is to create small habits that help with productivity and make you feel good about what youre accomplishing.Conquer willpower dips by lowering barriers that get in the way of your beginning a task. If you have a hard writing assignment to tackle, for example, focus on getting just the the first sentence down (even if its a stream of consciousness). But, once you write that first line, youll likely feel your anxiety melt away.You can also try developing a warm-up routine that sets off a positive chain of events to help you generate momentum. For instance, maybe you have a cue like brewing your morning coffee or checking your email that serves as a transition into work mode. Many entrepreneurs I work with like to start their day with 10 minutes of meditation. This can be an excellent way to prepare for your day and cue your mind to get in the mood for work. Instead of conjuring willpower, youll organically m ove into the professional state of mind.3. Youre Emotionally ExhaustedIf you feel like youre sleepwalking through your workday, its likely youre among the 70% of people who feel emotionally disconnected at the office. Dont underestimate your social needs when trying to pinpoint your motivational barrier. Maslows pyramid ranks belonging as the third most important aspect of our mental health, coming only after physical needs and safety. Feeling accepted and useful at work is essential to sustaining the drive to stick with your duties day after day. In fact, psychological safety has been found to be the most important trait successful teams share. Groups characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect are not only happier, theyre also more productive. When employees have a sense of confidence that their co-workers will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for speaking up they accomplish more and thrive in their careers. To repair your emotional exhaustion, begin deliberately structuring social opportunities into your workflow. An easy way to start is by showing up five minutes early to meetings. Use the unstructured time for light conversation. This informal small talk is not just meaningless chitchat, and it goes a long way to building stronger relationships with colleagues.If youre a manager, try reigniting your teams motivation by giving day-to-day tasks more meaning and circling back to shared goals. Empathic leadership has everything to do with lifting up other people, which can be accomplished by reinforcing how your direct reports efforts tie into to big-picture goals and the companys mission.No one among us is motivated and productive 100% of the time, but if youre feeling lethargic and blas about your work more often than not, then youve got to find a way to climb out of the slump. Reading inspiring tips and career advice is one thing, but taking action is another. Doing something to alleviate the lethargy is the real antidote to getting unstuc k and out of a work rut.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Why the 8-hour workday doesnt work

Why the 8-hour workday doesnt workWhy the 8-hour workday doesnt workThe 8-hour workday is an outdated and ineffective approach to work. If you want to be as productive as possible, you need to let go of this relic and find a new approach.The 8-hour workday was created during the industrial revolution as an effort to cut down on the number of hours of manual labor that workers were forced to endure on the factory floor. This breakthrough was a mora humane approach to work two hundred years ago, yet it possesses little relevance for us today.Like our ancestors, were expected to put in 8-hour days, working in long, continuous blocks of time, with few or no breaks. Heck, fruchtwein people even work right through their lunch hourThis antiquated approach to work isnt helping us its holding us back.The best way to structure your dayA study recently conducted by the Draugiem Group used a computer application to track employees work habits. Specifically, the application measured how much time people spent on various tasks and compared this to their productivity levels.In the process of measuring peoples activity, they stumbled upon a fascinating finding the length of the workday didnt matter much what mattered was how people structured their day. In particular, people who were religious about taking short breaks were far more productive than those who worked longer hours.The ideal work-to-break ratio was 52 minutes of work, followed by 17 minutes of rest. People who maintained this schedule had a unique level of focus in their work. For roughly an hour at a time, they were 100% dedicated to the task they needed to accomplish. They didnt check Facebook real quick or get distracted by e-mails.When they felt fatigue (again, after about an hour), they took short breaks, during which they completely separated themselves from their work. This helped them to dive back in refreshed for another productive hour of work.Your brain wants an hour on, 15 minutes offPeople who have di scovered this magic productivity ratio crush their competition because they tap into a fundamental need of the human mind the brain naturally functions in spurts of high energy (roughly an hour) followed by spurts of low energy (1520 minutes).For most of us, this natural ebb and flow of energy leaves us wavering between focused periods of high energy followed by far less productive periods, when we tire and succumb to distractions.The best way to beat exhaustion and frustrating distractions is to get intentional about your workday. Instead of working for an hour or more and then trying to battle through distractions and fatigue, when your productivity begins to dip, take this as a sign that its time for a break.Real breaks are easier to take when you know theyre going to make your day more productive. We often let fatigue win because we continue working through it (long after weve lost energy and focus), and the breaks we take arent real breaks (checking your e-mail and watching You Tube doesnt recharge you the same way as taking a walk does).Take charge of your workdayThe 8-hour workday can work for you if you break your time into strategic intervals. Once you align your natural energy with your effort, things begin to run much more smoothly. Here are four tips that will get you into that perfect rhythm.1. Break your day into hourly intervalsWe naturally plan what we need to accomplish by the end of the day, the week, or the month, but were far more effective when we focus on what we can accomplish right now.Beyond getting you into the right rhythm, planning your day around hour-long intervals simplifies daunting tasks by breaking them into manageable pieces. If you want to be a literalist, you can plan your day around 52-minute intervals if you like, but an hour works just as well.2. Respect your hourThe interval strategy only works because we use our peak energy levels to reach an extremely high level of focus for a relatively short amount of time.When you d isrespect your hour by texting, checking e-mails, or doing a quick Facebook check, you defeat the entire purpose of the approach.3. Take real restIn the study at Draugiem, they found that employees who took more frequent rests than the hourly optimum were more productive than those who didnt rest at all. Likewise, those who took deliberately relaxing breaks were better off than those who, when resting, had trouble separating themselves from their work. Getting away from your computer, your phone, and your to-do list is essential to boosting your productivity.Breaks such as walking, reading, and chatting are the most effective forms of recharging because they take you away from your work. On a busy day, it might be tempting to think of dealing with e-mails or making phone calls as breaks, but they arent, so dont give in to this line of thought.4. Dont wait until your body tells you to take a break. If you wait until you feel tired to take a break, its too late- youve already missed t he window of peak productivity. Keeping to your schedule ensures that you work when youre the most productive and that you rest during times that would otherwise be unproductive.Remember, its far more productive to rest for short periods than it is to keep on working when youre tired and distracted.Bringing it all togetherBreaking your day down into chunks of work and rest that match your natural energy levels feels good, makes your workday go faster, and boosts your productivity.Travis Bradberry is the co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and the co-founder of TalentSmart.This article originally appeared on LinkedIn.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Smart Ink Shrinks 3D-Printed Objects

Smart Ink Shrinks 3D-Printed Objects Smart Ink Shrinks 3D-Printed Objects Smart Ink Shrinks 3D-Printed Objects Shrinky Dinks are a childhood toy that transforms from a large, floppy sheet to a small, hard object. Now, a research lab at Dartmouth University in Hanover, NH, has developed a material for 3D printers that can change size or color based on surrounding stimuli.The material, which the researchers call smart ink, may one day lead to the creation of shape-shifting 3D-printed devices, for instance, changing color if high blood sugar levels are detected and then releasing an insulin capsule. The ink could also be programmed to change the shape or size of soft robots that may be involved in rescue or medical operations.Hydrogel-based smart ink downsizes a printed Arc de Triomphe. Image Chenfeng Ke, DartmouthIf we change the temperature, environment, moisture, or other stimuli, these molecules will respond or move around. The whole object moves, says Chenfeng Ke, assistant profess or for chemistry at Dartmouth. It depends on the molecule we put into the ink.For You Protecting a New World of 3D-Printed Products Filaments used in 3D printing, such as ABS and FLA plastics, are rigid. To create 3D printed objects that could change size radically, Ke needed a flexible, low- density material. Kes team developed a material made with hydrogel, which is as frothy as sea foam. The hydrogel smart ink consists of pluronic polymer mixed with smart molecules including TEOS, organosilicate, and hydrogen-bending derivatives.In experiments, Ke was able to shrink objects down to 1 percent of their original size. Conversely, he was able to increase the size of an object. Applying ultraviolet light changed the color of one 3D-printed object from sky blue to green.You need to tell the molecule to align and behave like other molecules, Ke says. Then you have to work out self-assembled structures. Once you work out that structure, you can control all molecules simultaneously.It may take some time before 3D printers abflug producing adaptable objects using smart ink. But at least the area is growing, or shrinking depending on how you look at it.We are still trying to figure out how we can make the material, Ke says.Read MoreNano Engineerings New FrontierArtificial Intelligence Transforms ManufacturingUltrasound Patch Monitors Critical Components For Further DiscussionIf we change the temperature, environment, moisture, or other stimuli, these molecules will respond or move around. The whole object movesProf. Chenfeng Ke, Dartmouth University

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

How to Coach Your Team Technology

How to Coach Your Team TechnologyHow to Coach Your Team TechnologyThere are many keys to effective leadership, but how you coach your team has a dramatic impact on its success.Coaching efforts wont be successful, however, unless IT managers are strategic in their approach.Managers have two basic coaching opportunities big-picture (strategic) coaching and day-to-day, tactical coaching. Big-picture coaching might include professional development, improving communication skills or collaboration techniques, and understanding creative problem-solving concepts. This type of coaching is typically mora formal and long-term.Tactical coaching refers to short-term, on-the-spot feedback, and it can occur throughout the business day. For example, you could coach a help desk associate who becomes frustrated during a phone call by immediately discussing what happened at the conclusion of the call. These coaching opportunities can be brief, direct and require little planning or formality. The key he re is to tackle areas that are critical to success only. You dont want to create an environment in which team members feel like they cant make a mistake without having another coaching session.Check out our Salary Calculator for salary ranges on over 75 IT jobs.Create a planWhen you coach your team, keep these three things in mindMake it positive. Let your team members know that coaching is a key element of professional development. Its designed to help them identify areas for improvement and grow in their careers.Create a roadmap. Work with each employee to create a plan for your work together. Include a timeline, key milestones and the desired outcome of the coaching effort.Show your commitment. Demonstrate that you are committed to the coaching process over the long term. Arrange regular meetings to discuss progress or challenges.Bring in reinforcementsWhile your heart may be in the right place, a managers voice can lose its impact over time. In a circumstance like this, bring in someone with a new perspective to supplement your coaching effort. You might ask highly respected peers of the employee to serve as mentors and a sounding board. IT pros may be more likely to see a peer as an unbiased voice, and may have less fear of being judged or reprimanded. Bringing in a peer can also make sense when dealing with someone with highly technical skills who may not feel you get them since you dont fully understand their subject matter expertise.Keep in mind that coaching only works when you have an open-minded recipient. If your employees push back, there might be something bigger at work that is causing anxiety - or even rebellion. This is a good opportunity to schedule some quality time in a private setting to let team members share their perspective and voice their concerns.Look in the mirrorFinally, remember that everyone needs a coach. If you sense your coaching is being dismissed, examine your approach and ask a well-respected peer to assess your effectiven ess. Issues to consider includeIs your coaching constructive?Do you have coaching priorities, or have you created an environment where you are constantly coaching?Are you providing an example to your team by being receptive to coaching in your own professional development, or do you come across as having it all figured out?This post has been updated to reflect more current information. Tags

Friday, December 6, 2019

New Ideas Into Eagle Scout on Resume Never Before Revealed

New Ideas Into Eagle Scout on Resume Never Before Revealed Things You Wont Like About Eagle Scout on Resume and Things You Will To begin with, you should be a National Eagle Scout Association member to obtain a scholarship. Scouts have to be at least First Class be the beginning of the Jamboree. They dont understand that each helpers hours should be counted separately, Binder says. Cascade Pacific Council scouts that are high school juniors or seniors are entitled to apply. The Number One Question You Must Ask for Eagle Scout on Resume Consider what youve accomplished previously and what its possible to offer later on. Hey Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts, there are several scholarship opportunities that are available to you. For worthy Eagle Scouts, there are lots of scholarships available that could help lift the load of paying for college. The top five most frequent types of community contributions offered by the Eagle Scouts. Soft skills are applicable to each job. All SMWW Students are given a massive discount and are encouraged to attend to use their abilities and network within the business. Match your achievements to duties and abilities shown in the work description. An individual may even control the level and duration of their vibrato. Despite the mandatory skill set that you still have to advertise yourself properly as a way to entice the interest of sports industry employers. The exact same opportunities simply did not exist for me. Developing and keeping close relations with clients as a way to fulfill their needs more effectively. All of these offer exactly the same convenience of the Go-To Card. It is very important to understand what things to include, what not to include, and the length of time the document needs to be. Any other important information about the room in question needs to be mentioned in the letter to steer clear of unnecessary problems later. As a last note, make certain you have a minumum of one person read your CV before you consider it final. Dont believe you will need to include something for all of the categories listed above. In that case, your education matters far more. Hopefully you have the idea. The notion isnt to bug him. Student life is full of surprises, and at times, you might require assistance with essay writing or maybe to compose a paper or essay from scratch. Teaching Experience in the event you already have teaching experience under your belt, be sure that you list it here. Speaking of teamwork, sometimes youve got to choose the reigns. The Fundamentals of Eagle Scout on Resume Revealed Each one has the ability to use a little help with their resume, especially if theyre interested in a vocation in a really technical place. The entire area feels like a little park you may discover at the conclusion of an alley. Find a means to add something genuinely different to your resume thats also related to the job. Everything on your resume has to be accurate bu t everything doesnt have to be on it. The Career Center is here to support you wherever youre on your career journey whether youre looking for internships, have no clue what you would like to do after graduation, or you recognize precisely what you would like to do and are figuring out next actions to get there. If your volunteer experience beyond Peace Corps is related to the position to which youre applying, it must be listed as professional experience. tafelgeschirr is a lifestyle for a Scout. College will wind up placing you in many unique situations that you must adapt to or risk not performing well. Vital Pieces of Eagle Scout on Resume Within my experience, its far more troublesome to determine somebodys dominant software than their hardware. The plan is quite similar to the present badge. If you believe its pretty cool you know the way to use standard applications, I am likely to worry you dont know a lot about computers. If you still find it tough to recognize your hardware, theres a high probability you will not drive at any hardware function. You need an outstanding LinkedIn profile as much as you desire a wonderful restaurant resume. Whenever most teen job applications do not need a resume, it is preferable to incorporate a resume with your work application. Because theres nothing that the web loves more than puncturing pomposity, theyre a fantastic target, since they are easily able to appear foolish.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Recruiting on Google+ - Spark Hire

Recruiting on Google+ - Spark HireBetween LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, its about time that Google+ joins the party in online recruitment. While its more of a social networking platform like Facebook, it still has merit in social media recruiting. Not only does it provide an outlet for networking but also drives exposure for job opportunities and company brand.Introduction to Google+On Google+, you can either build a page for yourself or your recruiting firm. Whats unique about Google+ is that it can be a platform for both your personal and professional life. You can group your contacts into different circles, i.e. friends, family, colleagues and job candidates. From there, you can determine what is shared with each of these groups.To achieve maximum Google+ recruiting potential, its best to create a page for your business or firm as well. These pages function a little differently, though the basic concept is the same. While you wont necessarily be including friends and family, unl ess youre assisting them in a professional capacity, you will be reaching out to colleagues, potential candidates and other professionals in your industry.How It WorksA Google+ page wont just help in keeping your colleagues and potential job candidates informed of your business and industry practices, it will help to spread awareness of your company brand as well. According to SmartRecruiters.com, a Google+ recruiting page can reach up to 25 million unique visitors in just the first month. To put that into context, it would take nearly three years to get that much exposure on Facebook.To attract those conducting an online job search, create your page using keywords for your industry. Also, deutsche post ag relevant content on a daily basis and again, make sure youre utilizing the effectiveness of keywords in both the content youre posting and the actual post itself. Unlike other social networking sites, Google+ depends heavily on SEO to help visitors find exactly what theyre looking for as they search. By using SEO in the development and update of your page, youre ensuring that your Google+ page will be an invaluable resource in your recruiting efforts.Google+ can be a great tool for your recruiting efforts this year. Though it wont be as vital to the online recruitment and application process as sites like Spark Hire and LinkedIn, it will help to build your company brand and attract job candidates who might not otherwise apply. And when it comes to recruitment in the digital age, you know now that you need all of the help you can getWould you use Google+ in your recruiting efforts why or why not? Share now in our comments

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

How to structure an internship program that works for your company

How to structure an internship program that works for yur companyHow to structure an internship program that works for your companyFor many young people starting out, internships are a tried and true gateway into a career. One study bedrngnises that 59% of internships lead to job offers. Students have the opportunity to participate in the workforce, discover their aptitude and interest in various professions, build social capital, and perhaps match with their future employer. Companies, in turn, have the opportunity to infuse new perspectives and enthusiasm into their teams while seeing the workplace through fresh eyes. At First Workings, our mission is to address the internship access gap in New York City.We set a high bar for success and have overwhelmingly watched students and companies clear that bar. The First Workings interns, who typically come through NYC charter and public schools in traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities, work with prestigious companies like Morgan Stanley, NASDAQ, Mount Sinai Hospital, White Case, Bandier, and many others.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraAs we enter our fifth summer internship period, here are some principles that have helped our students and companies meet and exceed their internship goals.Widen your talent pool Intern programs are one of your companys strongest recruiting tools. Weve found that many young people land internships by tapping into the network of people they know, also known as their social capital. Unfortunately, this means that companies can miss out on an enormous population of well-qualified and passionate interns.Be intentional in your recruitment efforts. Seek out diverse student groups on college campuses. Find ways to recruit from and partner with institutions or community-based organizations that serve underrepresented populations in your city.By creating an inclusive internship structure, companies can broaden the pool of talent available to them, especially among first-generation college students and students of color. With a mora diverse talent pool comes more diverse ideas and solutions.Look at the program from your interns perspectivesConsider the structure of your internship experience. Would interns benefit from deep-diving into a specific aspect of the job or rotating between different departments? Think back to what you would have appreciated when you first entered your industry or company.You should also keep in mind the age of the interns you work with. High school interns require different kinds of training programs and support systems than college interns. While college students are more likely to have had previous internships, this may be a high school students first experience in a professional setting.The key here is showing your interns that you value their efforts and insights, and giving them the opportunity to rise to the occa sion. Its really inspiring to see what a young person can accomplish when given the resources, support, and encouragement they need.Get to know your interns Whether youre welcoming one or 100 interns at a time, find ways to personalize the experience.Something as simple as sending a getting to know you questionnaire to your incoming interns before their first day can capture valuable insights for their future supervisors. Ask about their experiences coming into the internship. What do they hope to get out of their time at the company? What are their interests outside of work?To maximize the experience for both parties, strategically pair interns to supervisors and mentors who reflect their professional and personal interests. Help make the experience more personal by taking them out to lunch on the first day, or even finding 15 minutes to share their own background and make an authentic connection with the intern.Allow interns to get involved in company work productIf interns are on ly responsible for picking up coffee and making copies, youre setting them up for failure, not to mention damaging their idea of the workplace. Whether you work in a corporate or creative setting, theres always room for innovative new ideas. What better place to source ansicht new ideas than from the next generation of the workforce?In addition to assisting their teams on day-to-day projects, allow your interns to get more intimately involved with non-critical, but important, projects. Tell them why their contribution matters. Make sure they understand how their contributions fit into the larger company mission. Some examples of ways to do this are incorporating them into brainstorm sessions, assigning them research tasks, having them help prepare briefs or presentations, or inviting them to sit in on important meetings so they can meet executives or clients.If thats not possible, create stimulated assignments modeled on a real-life project. Give them the opportunity to present thei r work to senior level executives at the end of their internship.Encourage ongoing feedbackDont save feedback for the exit interview. Communicate with your interns periodically. Let them know what theyre doing well and what they need to work on based on the goals you set at the beginning of the internship. This gives them the chance to actively learn and produce their best possible work, which benefits both parties.Encourage your interns to keep a journal. They should jot down questions as they come up. Tracking daily and long-term projects will come in handy during check-in and more formal evaluations.One of the managers we work with asks his interns to take note of all of the unfamiliar terms that they come across. At the end of the day, they meet and the supervisor explains each term. Aside from being a particularly useful exercise for internships in more nuanced industries like law and finance, it also helps strengthen the relationship between the intern and their managers.Offer guidance based on your interns needsInternships are always more successful when the intern is prepared for whats ahead. Are there nonprofits or school-based programs that address this issue with whom you can connect?Since 2014, we have placed over 200 teens in highly sought-after internships. Before their first day, we meet with each of our teens several times to address interview skills, inter-office etiquette, professional emails, good social media habits, handshake, etc. We provide them with MetroCards, lunch stipends, and work-appropriate clothes, if needed, to negate some of the financial barriers that might prevent them from having a successful experience. We even bring in improvisational actors to walk our students through how to handle tricky situations at work appropriately.Your summer interns will have varying levels of experience. Offer guidance to those who do not have access to the level of preparation First Workings provides. Managing interns may be time-consuming, bu t its time well spent.Remember, todays intern will very likely be tomorrows employee. Investing in a positive work environment and fostering strong and supportive relationships will not only feel personally rewarding but will also pay dividends for years to come.Chloe Mullarkey is the founding Executive Director of First Workings, a nonprofit organization helping NYCs students from underserved and underrepresented communities build social capital. First Workings provides tailored training, placement in competitive internships, and comprehensive support to help students foster professional relationships and achieve their full potential academically and professionally. Prior to First Workings, Ms. Mullarkey served as a College Advisor at a high school in the Bronx with the NYU College Advising Corps. A first-generation college student herself, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology from NYU Steinhardt and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Thursday, November 21, 2019

These are the industries with the most hungover employees

These are the industries with the most hungover employeesThese are the industries with the most hungover employeesA recent survey of over 1,000 employees explores the impact hangovers have on the labor ecosystem.The price of a great nightLast year, over $41 billion in salary welches spent on hangover-induced absenteeism. Of the roughly 157 million Americans currently employed, 75% admitted to heading to work after a night of heavy drinking with the average employee taking about two sicks days a year to deal with their hangovers. This amounts to about $355 per employee annually.The majority of coworkers that come to work sick from a night of too much imbibing are men, 80% to be exact compared to the 70% of women that do so. The report states that despite biological differences in how men and women process alcohol men are more likely to binge than women are, statistically speaking.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Sat isfaction, Neuroscience, and moreDont be quick to sound off the have-a-go-heroes, because 46% of the respondents that show up to work hungover only pretended to actually do work. Just over 45% of the people that showed up to work with a hangoverspend a significant amount of time in the bathroom, 35% took extra long lunches, 32.5% took an excessive number of breaks, and nearly 20% took naps. This culminates in a statistic listed later in the survey that reveals employees get about five hours of work done when they come in with hangovers.Plus these five hours of work are not guaranteed to contain quality work. Besides the 43.1% of employees that outed their hangovers as an explanation for their lateness, nearly 40% say that their hangovers made them fall asleep while working, nearly 10% missed important deadlines, 9.6% missed important meetings, and 2.6% showed up to get fired for their hazy mistakes.Industries with the most hungover workersMost of the statistics mention above surge w hen you limit your scope to careers in technology. The average number of sick days used yearly to treat hangovers in the tech industry is eight compared to the national average of two. Construction and legal jobs come in at number two with four days annually each, and marketing and advertising professionals come in at three sick days a year.Thankfully medical and health care professionals boast some of the lowest statics with just one day taken a year from each field.Partiers in the legal field seemed to have the greatest constitution. Over 90% of them weather the storm and come in to work despite their hangovers. However, this group also committed the most mistakes though while hungover (76%.) A little more than 85% of hungover construction workers somehow manage to operate noisy machinery and 83% of workers in transportation and warehouses show up with hangovers.By generation Millennials were found to pretend to do work with hangovers the most, coming in at 48.6%. They also took e xtended lunches the most. And took the most breaksin addition to napping the most.Should you tell your anfhrer if youre hungover?The survey suggests there most likely will be no serious repercussions if youre honest with your boss about your hangover. Of the workers surveyed 66.5% said there were absolutely zero consequences after they filled their boss in. Twenty-three percent were issued a formal warning, 20% were verbally reprimanded and 11.9% were fired.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to Avoid Personal Assistant Job Scams

How to Avoid Personal Assistant Job Scams How to Avoid Personal Assistant Job Scams Personal assistant  jobs rank highly on the list of sought-after employment. Most of these jobs offer a great deal of flexibility, the potential to work completely from home, interesting clients, and they often pay quite well. Because so many individuals would love a career as a personal assistant, unscrupulous people have launched scams preying on job seekers who think theyve found a genuine personal virtual assistant career opportunity. Personal Assistant Scams Typical personal assistant scams offer generous payment for helping clients transfer money to businessmen at other companies. In reality, these scams consist of  veiled attempts at money-laundering. When they succeed, the unwitting “personal assistant” ends up taking the fall during federal investigations. The scammers who post these “personal assistant” ads frequently list a number of work responsibilities that seem to be legitimate, including duties like purchasing gifts, running personal errands, and setting appointments. You can identify these scams because they also almost always include an emphasis on sending and/or receiving money or packages. What to Watch Out For For instance, an ad might say that your new employer will send you a check or money order, asking you to forward some of the money while keeping a percentage for yourself. What really takes place is that this money, “cleaned” through your bank account, gets forwarded right back to the scammer as funds that you have unwittingly made untraceable. The check will prove to be fraudulent, leaving you to pay the funds back to your bank. Other scams ask for a personal assistant who can receive and ship various packages. While the scammer will claim that these packages come from his company, they will, in fact, contain illegal goods. The scammer might even send you a fraudulent check to pay for shipping costs. Not only will you have to pay your bank for the fraudulent check, but you could also be charged with mailing illegal goods. How to Sidestep the Scams To avoid these scams, thoroughly research an employer before applying for a job. Youll find some listings for personal assistants seem extremely vague, simply stating that the employee works from home. You have every right to ask for information regarding the company with which your potential employer does business. If a job advertisement does not contain the specific name of the employer, this should raise a red flag for you to investigate the position further before signing on the dotted line. In some cases, ads may create a fictional persona for the supposed employer. For example, the employer may provide a false name and say that he works as a lawyer, doing business from home. He may also offer fake credentials to try to help himself sound legitimate. In cases like these, make sure that the employer has actually worked on cases or belonged to a real firm. A simple Google search can help you find out if the persons career is legitimate or if the potential employer strangely seems to not even exist.   Additionally, most scam jobs will accept anyone, right away. If, after submitting your application, you get an immediate answer or have an interview with just a question or two before being offered the job, you should definitely proceed with caution. Scammers are looking for any quick and gullible target and want to get you hired immediately, so they will have a minimal screening process. By asking questions, you identify yourself as informed, and they will move on to other targets.   What to Look For in a Real Personal Assistant Job One way to avoid scams is to start your job search using one of the top job sites. It may not be possible to avoid all scams, but using a legitimate job site will help you steer clear of them. Real personal assistant jobs have rigorous  application processes. Because you will be working closely for someone, often having access to their personal information and financial and other sensitive data, a true personal assistant job can take weeks, if not months, to fill. Beyond submitting a resume and cover letter, youll likely need to submit several  professional or personal references, agree to a  background check  and drug test, and go through several interviews, either over the phone, via video, or in person. The entire hiring process for a legitimate personal assistant job takes some time as employers are determined to find the right person so that they won’t have to reopen the job soon â€" they want a stable and productive employee who will be with them for a while. Do not be discouraged; its just a sign that the employers doing her due diligence and that the position is legitimate.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The 5 Signature Moves of People Who Get Promoted Again and Again

The 5 Signature Moves of People Who Get Promoted Again and Again The 5 Signature Moves of People Who Get Promoted Again and Again We all know those people who seem to breeze their way up the corporate ladder. They’re the ones who get promotion after promotion, seemingly seamlessly, and who leave everyone else scratching their heads and wondering, “How did that happen?” Chances are, the people you watch getting promoted aren’t just lucky or best friends with the boss. They have found success by following these five habits of people who always get promoted: 1. They Find Solutions People who get promoted have demonstrated their problem-solving abilities. They find solutions to problems rather than complain about them. Further, they identify problems and speak up when they think they have a solution. Don’t just sit at a meeting listening to other people discuss a problem, make your ideas known and then put them into action. 2. They Step Outside Their Comfort Zone It’s tempting to stay within your current range of experience and expertise, but you will never get more experience without stepping outside of your comfort zone. Say yes to assignments as they come up, even if they extend beyond your current level of experience. 3. They Study the Boss Take the time to observe your boss in action and find out what she or he values in business and in the world. Identifying your boss’ values is an important step toward learning how to become a successful industry leader. 4. They Look at the Big and Little Picture Successful people understand the need to identify the big picture outcome in order to succeed at doing daily tasks. Identify why your daily tasks matter and how they fit into the larger scope of your project and company. It might take some effort at the beginning, but soon you will be able to anticipate what needs to be done without being told or informed by a supervisor. This type of initiative is essential for being promoted. 5. They’re Team Players You might not always like your colleagues, but learning how to work with difficult people is essential for moving up in your company. Work on your team-building skills, and take advantage of opportunities to lead. You won’t get promoted by sitting around waiting for your boss to notice you. It’s important to take initiative by solving problems, seeking out new opportunities, and serving as a team leader. Incorporate these habits into your workday to position yourself for the next promotion opportunity that comes along. More From Inc. The One Interview Question that Yields the Best Talent 19 Books by CEOs That Will Teach You How to Run the World 10 Industries With the Best (and Worst) Bosses Photo of man climbing ladder courtesy of Shutterstock.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Maintaining Work-Life Balance With a Disability

Maintaining Work-Life Balance With a Disability Maintaining Work-Life Balance With a Disability This is a post that takes you on a journey through a career of maintaining work-life balance with a disability. Balancing work and life while dealing with a disability is not for the faint of heart. Even the hardest and smartest worker who pays attention to health still demands time away from work to deal with life. And this makes it very hard to find jobs at times. Read ways I had maintained a work-life balance with a disability for my entire career. Early beginnings At the ripe age of 13, I entered the workforce with a job cleaning up a neighborhood deli. By age 17, I had held two jobs already. One job I held was in a high-end NYC restaurant that mostly catered to a proud, early 1990’s NYC mafia customer-base. Being young and naive, I fell in love with this job. It had a family atmosphere and I grew quite close with the business owners. At age 18, shortly before college, the restaurant owner was kidnapped and found murdered two weeks later. The combination of searching for him with police for two weeks, late nights, working and having a sad end to the search took a toll on me. Something snapped and I had a grand mal seizure. That summer I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. Move forward in life and work My life and work would never be the same again. Since that time, in spite of the disability, I still managed to hold a full or part-time job until age 43 when I stopped to care for my mother. My career path has been filled with obstacles unseen by most of the US workforce. Thanks to the Internet, I discovered there are many just like me. Balancing work and life is a challenge with a disability. However, it can be done. This post dives into real-life experiences and discoveries while maintaining work-life balance with a disability. Become an expert explainer In my early 20’s, I discovered that disabilities require maintenance. Trips to the pharmacy, expensive doctor visits, and getting test results all required scheduling and documenting. I found having a job and a disability does not give me a free pass on life just because I get upset about having a disability. I became known as one who constantly over-explains things, the result of having to explain why I miss aworkday for unexpected reasons to keep a job. Yes, I discovered I have rights as an employee with a disability. But this did not mean the company had to pay me. They are not forced to keep me employed forever. Like all with disabilities, I found I had to prove I can show up and complete the job required, especially if the company made reasonable accommodations set by me. The reality of rightsapplied to business I found out in my early 20’s why knowing my rights only gets me so far. My skills at explaining, scheduling, and documenting protected me much more. Companies hated that I could prove why I missed work. My disability was for real, even if they did not understand it. The toxicity of working in companies that expressed regret for having to pay me when I missed work, plus accusations of medical insurance fraud were hard to handle. I did not understand why no one believed me and the confrontations were harmful to my health. I discovered I need to take longer lunches than normal, and every six months, I required 2 days off for testing and doctor visits. In between, I made it a point to communicate when these things happened and kept records. Chronic disabilities are difficult this way. There is no cure andthe disability becomes more pronounced with age. Prioritize lifeover workand take unexpected breaks In my 30’s, and with the rise of the Internet after the dot-com crash, I entered the age of entrepreneurialism. Now, entrepreneurs are known for putting work before life. I discovered I could not do that “work-as-a-lifestyle” thing. I had to maintain a “life-work balance”. Working in entrepreneurial jobs became difficult. The reality I discovered is simple and profound: No work if my health is suffering. So, health comes first always. I have a disability. I must attend to life before I think of my work. When things get ugly Using a real-life experience, in 2007, I was a key employee during a Securities Exchange Commission audit for an insurance company. I had put in lots of work and was prepared for it. But the very morning the NY State officers were to come to the office, I had a seizure and went to the hospital. The company kept calling me in a panic on my phone as I was in the hospital. They demanded I come into work. They used words like “chicken” and claimed I was “lying about being sick”. Why? Due to a Human Resources error, the office managers never knew I had Epilepsy, which I proved through my documentation of communications. I decided that day in the hospital, “No job is worth my life.” I changed jobs a month later because several people at the company lost their jobs for demanding I come to work. Discover why things happen In my mid-30’s, I began to investigate and discover what US businesses must deal with and why many companies simply cannot afford to hire me. So, I mainly held jobs at remote companies based in South America and Europe from 2004 to 2016. I found while working in insurance how US companies spend millions of dollars to make sure lawsuits are not filed and public relations problems do not become “trial by social media”. Entrepreneurs spend money on starting the business, state fees and taxes and hopefully one day, health insurance, unemployment, social security, and more. A person with a disability like mine who spent nearly $250,000 over the course of 15 years on medical treatment, would need much more than “strong will” to start a business. Find peace of mind in unexpected places Oddly, all of these realizations led me to find jobs in countries like Colombia, Australia, Canada, Germany, and Denmark. In these countries, I was able to find businesses free of fear, more sympathetic to my disability, and I could work remotely from the US. Additionally, work-life balance was/is easier to manage when the company you work for sympathizes with you and does not understand why a country charges people so much money for healthcare. Plus, working from home removes the fear of seizures during a commute and in the workplace. These companies cared more about the job getting done instead of where you are when you complete tasks. Be honest with yourself and others At age 40, I started to not disclose anything when it came time to fill out those EEO claim forms at the end of a job application after finding out I had been given some “sympathy interviews” for having a disability. In truth, that led me to start lying on my EEO forms and I gave that advice to others. Ultimately, I found out this is a mistake. If you know your disability requires accommodations, you cannot lie. It will work against you while employed, even if you have a disability that is hard to recognize. (Ex: OCD, Bi-polar, and Epilepsy) But I quickly realized from that mistake that all I was doing was modifying my behavior to achieve new results. By age 43, I realized something had changed when I was laid off from a job I loved in Denmark. As a person with a disability, I genuinely sympathize with anyone who feels discriminated against. However, I was finding out that through all my trials I had stopped educating myself on how to deal with changing times. In short, I stopped lying to myself and started taking a business course, which helped me figure out what I should be doing with my life; helping people get where they want to be. The marathon never ends The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2017 that only 18% of disabled persons in the US were employed while 10% were unemployed. The rate of unemployment to employment fluctuates greater than those without a disability. This is just how work-life works for the disabled worker. As I write this post for Find My Profession’s blog, I am remindedthat the choices I made in life make all the difference in the world. Life is short and fragile. If I had ever stopped to focus on how no one cared about what offended me, I never would have gotten anywhere. To date, I have worked as an actor, voice actor, insurance business analyst, busboy, salesman, online community manager, and customer service manager/consultant. For me, maintaining work-life balance with a disability requires 3 elements: Achievement Love Acceptance I am motivated by a sense of achievement, the love and support from my wife and family, and acceptance of all the things I cannot change as I use it to be what I want to be. The next time you are in a position to hire someone who has struggled with a disability, remember this simple fact: Employees with a disability are some of the most humble and honest people you will ever work with and they never take anything for granted. They understand more than most that nothing in life is “given”. Everything worth the effort is “earned”. Above all, they know there is no such thing as finding peace in life by running from it.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

College Degree Salary Chart

College Degree Salary Chart College Degree Salary Chart Other students, unwilling to give up the humanities but concerned about drawing a healthy salary after graduation, are doubling up on majors. At the University of Pennsylvania in 1999, students created 18 new majors by combining economics with psychology, theater arts, or 16 other courses.Here, Vault.com presents a small selection of starting salaries offered by a handful of schools from the past two years, compared with national averages compiled by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a group that studies hiring trends among college grads. 1999 Results Major National Average University of Pennsylvania New York University (mean salary) Computer Engineering $45,214 Computer Science $44,199 $50,000 $49,000 Electrical Engineering $44,918 $48,120 Chemical Engineering $46,837 Mechanical Engineering $47,071 $43,000 History $27,997 $34,633 Psychology $26,477 $31,737 $35,000 English $26,896 $30,318 $32,000 Economics $35,136 $38,777 $43,000 The 2000 results are on the next page.~2000 Results Major National Average Kansas State Princeton Computer Engineering $49,055 $47,940 $60,688 Electrical Engineering $48,613 $50,000 $57,706 Chemical Engineering $48,890 $48,212 $57,706 Mechanical Engineering $50,182 $43,457 $51,429 History $31,599 $27,133 $43,423 Psychology $28,811 $25,159 $34,760 English $29,108 $13,838 $34,533 Economics $37,757 $34,888 $45,266 2000 Results Continued Major Rice MIT Ohio State Computer Engineering $57,855 $63,900 $53,516 Electrical Engineering $52,161 $57,500 $47,317 Chemical Engineering $39,000 $50,800 $50,719 Mechanical Engineering $46,900 $51,300 $49,127 History $35,000 Psychology $37,900 English $54,000 Economics $49,370 $46,200

Saturday, November 16, 2019

How to Get Story Ideas for Fiction Writing

How to Get Story Ideas for Fiction Writing How to Get Story Ideas for Fiction Writing By far the most common question asked of professional writers is where they get their ideas. We all like to think that brilliant, fully-formed story ideas just pop into the heads of our favorite authors. We imagine that if we could somehow learn their secret technique then we too could crank out bestsellers as effortlessly as they seem to. The truth is that you have more great ideas than you could ever write. Really, you do! The problem isnt a lack of great ideas; its that you havent been taught how to free these ideas from your brain. Where to Start Every how-to book on writing will tell you that you need to start with a solid premise or story idea. What they rarely tell you is where this idea comes from in the first place. This is the cause of great frustration and confusion in beginning writers and has helped create the myth that you either have great story ideas or you dont. The core of this confusion is the mistaken belief that the creation of a solid story idea is an event rather than a process. Beginning writers believe that creating a work of fiction starts with a single event â€" a sudden burst of inspiration that pops a fully-formed story idea into their minds. This single event then leads to the process of expanding that idea into a finished work. The truth is that coming up with a full, rich story idea is itself a process. Knowing this is the key to generating more ideas than you could ever use. The Secret to Endless Ideas The secret to generating ideas is the same secret that solves every writing problem: writing itself. The old adage that writers write is true in many ways, and none more so than in idea generation. Sitting in front of a blank page and waiting for inspiration to strike is not a recipe for success as a professional writer. Great ideas come from the act of writing. But if you dont yet have that great story idea, what do you write about? The truth is once you free yourself from the concept of story ideation as an event, and start to think of it as a process youll be amazed at how much there is to write about. You actually need very little inspiration to start writing. You can and should start with almost anything that you find interesting. Maybe its a location that fascinates you, a character sketch, a clever line of dialogue, or even a great title. As a writer, you will start to collect these story nuggets as you go through your daily life. Youll begin to notice when something you see or hear gives you that little tingle in the back of your brain that says theres something there worth exploring. Pay attention to this and jot it down in your notebook â€" you do have a notebook, right? When you later sit down to write, start with these nuggets. Just pick one and begin writing about it â€" what it makes you think of, how it makes you feel, what questions it raises. And write fast. One of the keys to idea generation (and writing in general) is to write as quickly as you can. You dont want to analyze anything yet. You want a volume of words on the page. If you find yourself writing about something completely different from the nugget you started with, just go with it. The idea is not to stress about structure, not to analyze where the story is going, not even to think about it as a story yet. You want volume, varied thoughts, and a wealth of possibilities. Dont make any decisions; just stay open and receptive to whatever comes. You will be amazed at whats in your brain just waiting to spill out onto the page. How It Works This process of starting with story nuggets and expanding them is the core of story idea generation. As you explore your story nuggets, start to ask questions and follow your answers wherever they lead. Do not try to force your thoughts into a story yet. Keep things loose and continue asking and answering questions. Feel free to backtrack and choose different answers. And remember to write a lot. Volume is your friend. Ask a question, answer it, repeat. Keep at it for a few sessions and you will be amazed at the material youll generate. From these explorations a story idea will effortlessly begin to form; it always does. Your brain loves to put things in order, to relate one thing to another, and to do so in interesting and surprising ways. Your mind will simply not allow you to continue to think about this much story data without ordering it into something understandable. Its like magic when it happens, and it happens every single time. By feeding your brain a fertile mountain of images, characters, and possibilities it goes to work trying to make sense of it all. This process is the truth of where great story ideas come from. A Bottomless Well of Ideas You will probably find yourself coming up with multiple story ideas based on the same initial nugget. Great! Choose one idea to work on and work on it until its done. File the others for later use. When the pros say they have more ideas than they could ever work on in a lifetime they arent showing off (well, maybe a little), its simply that the process of working on one idea always creates new ideas. Thats the secret to a lifetime of story ideas. Collect story nuggets from your daily life, expand them into fertile story worlds  and then condense those worlds down to beautiful, rich story ideas worth writing about.

Friday, November 15, 2019

If youve been sleeping in this position, youre hurting your health

If you've been sleeping in this position, you're hurting your health If you've been sleeping in this position, you're hurting your health Been sleeping on your stomach or side since, you know, forever? Well, you may want to change it up because those are not the top positions for your health it turns out.  Sleeping on your back is “by far the healthiest option for most people,” according to new research from Sleep.org.See when you sleep on your back it allows your head, neck, and spine to all be in a neutral position which will reduce the possibility of back pain. You aren’t putting any extra pressure on those areas like you would in the other positions which is really going to benefit you later.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!Interestingly though sleeping on your back is not too popular! Only 8% of adults sleep this way. So what is the most preferred but not necessarily healthiest way of sleeping? Apparently, we all slept best in the womb because the fetal position came in at number one with 41%.Howeve r, it should be noted that if you are pregnant, snore or suffer from sleep apnea then your back is not the healthiest option. Fetal is great for pregnant women  because it improves circulation in your body and to the fetus. It also prevents the uterus from putting pressure on your liver. This position is also good if you snore.For snorers, catching zzz’s on your stomach is a good option however it really doesn’t do anything for anyone else. For the 7% of adults that sleep this way it puts extra pressure on your neck, back, joints and can give way to numbness, tingling, aches, and irritated nerves. You may prefer a nightmare over that.You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Why Being a Mentor Kicks Ass

Why Being a Mentor Kicks Ass Why Being a Mentor Kicks Ass It’s no secret that having a good mentor is an important factor for success in your career. We all know we need them, and we probably have a pretty good idea of who we’d choose if we had the chance.But how often do we talk about what mentors get out of the deal? Aside from the gratification of seeing a former mentee go on to succeed in her career, what really motivates great leaders to share their hard-earned secrets with someone else?Recently, I had the privilege of being in a situation that enabled me to address a few of those questions myself. A friend and colleague ­- who I’m not sure I would even say I was mentoring, if she hadn’t used those words herself- wrote me a letter thanking me for all the advice I had shared during an exciting and challenging time in her career.Given she was a friend, this is advice I was happy and willing to give, and I initially hadn’t really seen it as anything more than just two friends sharing their thoughts on a situation. But her gratit ude clearly expressed much more than that, and that’s when I learned the real rewards of being a mentor.You Know More Than You Think You DoEvery day, we’re challenged with situations that threaten to prove that we don’t know what the hell we’re doing (phone calls from angry clients, for example). Whether you’re right out of college or you’ve been on the job for decades, that feeling (unfortunately) never totally goes away.Until you start to mentor someone.Seeing someone else take your advice, apply it, and succeed with it is solid proof you’ve earned a few stripes. My friend is in a completely different industry, with a job title that didn’t exist a few years ago, let alone when I started my first job. Yet, she was able to translate and apply my advice to her own situation- and that told me loud and clear that my experience is valuable, and that I know a lot more than I give myself credit for.Someone  Wants  to Hear Your OpinionNearly every place I’ve worked, I’v e been told that everyone has an “open door” policy and that feedback and discussion are encouraged among the staff. But in reality, the opposite was usually true. Bosses and colleagues liked to say they wanted my opinion, but in most cases, it was window-dressing, and in reality they thought everyone’s ideas but their own were terrible. And, quite frankly, that can get a bit discouraging at times.When you’re mentoring someone, this is not the case. I’ll admit, it was difficult at first to believe this young woman- talented in her own right- really wanted to know how I would handle a situation if I were in her shoes. But, when she started to report back how well things went, and continued to ask, I started to realize that she- and probably plenty of other people- really did care what I thought.You’ve Reached a Milestone in Your CareerRealizing you know a thing or two, and that someone out there wants to hear all about it, is a great feeling. But aside from the benefit of passing down your experiences, what’s in it for your career? Yes, you’re drawing on your own experiences to share insight with your mentee- but you aren’t doing any of it just because you’re trying to get a promotion or impress your boss. You’re doing it because, quite simply, you want to help someone else- hopefully, like someone helped you.And reaching this point in your career means that you’ve reached an important milestone. For me, it was the first time I truly felt like a leader. Yes, I had managed a large team, hired, fired, and handed out raises and promotions before, but this was the first time I understood how much my experience could benefit someone else. Suddenly, all those long hours, hard work, and challenging situations added up to something larger than myself- and it had nothing to do with my paycheck or my title.Becoming a mentor signifies a level of maturity, empathy, and experience that doesn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t something I ever specific ally set out to do, yet, when it happened, I was overwhelmed with pride, and humbled by the responsibility. In that moment, I saw myself as one of my previous mentors, which was an honor I never expected to achieve.Being a mentor is an important job- it must be if we’re constantly telling everyone to find one, right? And that means those who take up that role should be ready and willing to accept that responsibility. But, when you do- know that the rewards will go far beyond seeing your mentee succeed. You’ll that find your career, too, is enhanced by the time you put into your mentoring relationship.Photo of women talking courtesy of Shutterstock.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Recruiter Tips for Tackling the Robots Reading Resumes

Recruiter Tips for Tackling the Robots Reading Resumes Recruiter Tips for Tackling the Robots Reading Resumes Ever wondered if anyone even laid eyes on that resume you sent two weeks ago? Many job seekers eagerly wait for a response and wonder where their application ends up. As a recruiter at  Simply Hired  I’m here to tell you what happens after you hit the submit button. The good news: Don’t worry. We received your resume. It’s not lost. The bad news: Many factors come into play before your resume gets seen by human eyes. 1. After you send your resume it enters an online system Before a recruiter ever sees your resume it meets a robot called the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which contains a large database of candidate information that helps streamline the recruiting process for an organization. Most companies, particularly large companies, use this technology because it’s a cost-efficient way to keep all the applications in one place and manage the entire recruiting process. The ATS adds you to its system and takes the content in your resume and scores you based on how closely you meet the recruiter’s needs. What does this mean for you? It means you need a resume that is robot and recruiter friendly. 2. Formatting is just as important as content Inside the ATS, recruiters choose and enter the particular skills and qualifications they’re looking for in a given position. You want to match these desires with keywords that are in the job description. You can have all the right qualifications, but if the ATS can’t read your resume then you will be at a disadvantage. A few key tips for an optimized resume: Use keywords in the body of the text and throughout the entire resume when appropriate. The ATS picks up on context and relevance based on placement of the keywords. Use the language the company is using. If they’re calling it “online marketing” your resume shouldn’t be calling it “content marketing.” Use easy-to-read standard fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman. Proper punctuation and spelling matter. The universally accepted file format is a .doc extension. This format is the safest bet, as the ATS is sure to recognize your information. The way you enter your resume is important. Always upload your resume directly into the system instead of typing your information into each field. This way the ATS can automatically populate your information, making it easier on the entire submission process, for you and the ATS. 3. The ATS tracks everything you do Once you’re in the system, recruiters have total visibility of your activity, from replying to emails to applying to multiple jobs at the same company. The ATS provides a dashboard that tracks all of this. Applying to multiple positions with wildly different resumes could hurt your chances of getting hired. It will make you seem unfocused in your job search, and it will call attention to any resume discrepancies. Also, if you reply to the hiring manager, the recruiter can see this and vice versa. The silver lining for you is that you also have a dashboard. You can login to whatever ATS you applied through and track how many job positions you have applied to and see where you stand on the application process. Just be careful with your applications and interactions with hiring managers or recruiters. Always keep a professional tone and make sure your resume is an honest representation of your skills and experience. 4. The ATS is used in many ways With all of the advanced technology available in the ATS, sometimes it’s simply used as a database for keeping track of applicants. Often the “percent match score” is not the final verdict. Recruiters tend to trust their own instincts over a machine’s evaluation. The “percent match score” is more likely to come into play when there’s a large quantity of applications, a recruiter finds a good resume and does not go through the rest. This is a disadvantage for most job seekers but dont be discouraged, because 5. In the end, timing does matter There is an element of serendipity. It’s best to apply when you first see a job posting because you have a higher likelihood of being seen first. However, don’t feel reluctant to apply to older jobs. Older job postings could signify that the recruiter had no luck with previous candidates. The takeaway from all this? A lot goes on behind the scenes, and you can’t control what happens after you hit submit. But you can prepare for the ATS, have realistic expectations and be mindful of your actions during the application process. The best thing you can do is make sure your resume clearly reflects your value and stay positive throughout the whole process. Good luck with your job search, and please comment below if you have any questions.

Monday, November 11, 2019

These 7 questions will help you make smarter spending decisions

These 7 questions will help you make smarter spending decisions These 7 questions will help you make smarter spending decisions Natalie can’t remember a time when she wasn’t stressed about money.Growing up, she had four siblings and her dad had trouble keeping a job. Natalie was ridiculed at school for her ramshackle wardrobe. She couldn’t go to summer camp or take piano lessons like her friends because money was always tight.To compensate, Natalie started working as early as she could.She waited tables, answered phones, promoted a nightclub, and then started cutting hair. Eventually, she was able to start affording all the things her parents couldn’t. Things looked pretty good on the outside. But she was completely over-extended- working around the clock and spending a fortune at the chiropractor because she was straining her back. She didn’t have any savings, own a house, or have a retirement plan.Natalie is no different from the people who make the lottery winner statistics. Research from the National Endowment for Financial Education estimates that 70% of people who had unexpectedly come into la rge sums of money ended up broke within 7 years. Why is this?It’s because most people can’t grasp that money is really energy, and they’re in a hurry to squander it.When we step into the natural flow of this energy, money flows through our lives and fuels our dreams. It requires a different physiological state, and it takes discipline and careful cultivation to get there. But it’s worth the effort.Here are the questions you need to ask yourself if you want to harness it:1. Are you living in survival mode?Just like Natalie, many people live from paycheck-to-paycheck, spending money as soon as it hits their account.We live in a debt-based economy where most of us don’t actually own much. We have a mortgage on the house, leased cars, payment plans on appliances. In fact, most American families are one to six months away from rock bottom if they were to lose their jobs or have some catastrophic illness or injury.This is where we live our lives- and it’s the underlying reason we’re always stressed.But money is energy, and when we put it aside, it grows. It takes on a life of its own and begins to generate abundance and interest. It becomes like a bank of potential energy that we have stored up and is available to us to use, instead of something we have to frantically chase to feel worthy.Saving money takes discipline and cultivation. It is a state of mind and a state of being. And most people have it completely wrong.But if you start to understand that money is energy, you’ll realize why it’s so important to take back your life from the debtors.2. Why are you squandering what you do have?A lot of times, our poor relationship with money stems from childhood trauma.We moved around a lot when I was little. At the start of junior high school, I landed in a suburban area without any friends. I was ridiculed for not wearing the right clothes or watching the latest shows. It was awful. For the first time in my life, I felt like an outsider.In a desperate attempt to fit in, I begged my parents to buy me these trendy Oakley sunglasses. They thought it was ridiculous, but I wore them down until they complied. Finally, I would fit in. But the kids hardly noticed, and I was ashamed I’d coerced valuable money from my parents for nothing.Most of us have experienced a variation on this story.We’re all conditioned to feel incomplete and isolated if we don’t wear the latest fashion, drive the newest car, go to the hip new restaurant, or buy the hottest new game for our kids. This fosters an endless cycle of squandering our earnings to keep up. And we reward corporations at our expense.The economy is just an idea, and so is money. Once you’re clear on this, you are unbound from the hold it has on you, and can craft the life of your dreams. But in order to get there, you have to first step back and assess your subconscious motivations.3. Who are you, really?In Eastern culture, there’s a strong emphasis on finding your strengths and p ursuing your destiny.Who are you, and what makes you happy?Are you motivated more by power or stability?Do you enjoy working in groups or solo?Are you a morning person or a night owl?Do you prefer intellectual pursuits or more emotional ones?We avoid these questions in the West and become lost as a result. As teens, we choose a career that winds up defining us, and we are stuck cultivating this facade for the rest of our lives. We look for distractions, cures for our anxiety, self-help books, and spa vacations to take the edge off of this underlying feeling, but we aren’t addressing the issue.Our true selves are lonely and waiting to shine.Finding out who we really are underneath all the noise is key to finding meaning and purpose in life. When we tap into the essence of who we are through meditation, exercise, diet, sleep habits, relationships, and whatever else it takes, there’s no perplexing question that keeps us up at night.When we feel whole, we’re less likely to squande r money in an empty pursuit to fill the void.4. Are you clinging to things that no longer serve you?Once you address the underlying emotional factors that contribute to our poor relationship with money, you can come up with a realistic game plan.Go through your things and honestly assess what qualifies as a need or a want. We accumulate so much stuff over the years, and most of it just sits there. Pictures and family heirlooms are cool, but what about that tennis racket you’ve saved since college? Are you really ever going to swing that again?Clutter acts like stagnant energy that’s lodged in your system.It doesn’t help and gets in the way. The garage could be turned into a dance studio or a gym if all that crap wasn’t in it. Why are you paying for all that square footage to hold junk you don’t need? Sell it off in a garage sale or on eBay, or donate it and write it off. Unload the extra stuff and declutter your life.The money you get from unloading it will just be a bonus .5. Can it wait?If you really feel like you need to purchase something, it’s worth considering whether or not you’ll still want it after a few days.To help, try this exercise. At the moment of purchase- when you pull out your credit card- ask yourself whether this is a need or want. You also need to take note of everything you buy and write down the price. At the end of the day, transfer that amount into your savings account and lock it down. Leave this money out of reach so your impulsive old habits don’t claw in. Soon, you’ll start to see your money increase, and you’ll realize that you’ve gone on just fine without the thing you didn’t buy.The goal of the exercise is to learn how to refrain and eventually discover that abstaining really isn’t so terrible. What’s more terrible is worrying about money all the time.When you step out of that trap, you’re free to enjoy your time and relax without the survival genes kicking in.6. Do you have a budget, or are you just winging it?A lot of people prefer to turn a blind eye to the topic of money.They see money as stressful and dirty at best, evil at worst. But avoiding money doesn’t work because bills don’t pay themselves. Setting a budget gives you structure and order in life. It helps build discipline and gives you a framework to say “no” to items that are not in the plan.A carefully structured budget starts with identifying your needs, like rent, mortgage, water, gas, electric, cars, taxes, etc. Once you’ve isolated these, go back and see where you can trim them. Can you stop watering your lawn? Are you leaving lights on in other rooms? From there, list out all your other expenses and look at what they do for you.George Clason’s classic book, The Richest Man in Babylon, teaches a powerful practice that can change your life. Once you’ve set a budget and are paying attention to your in- and outflows, the key to success is to allocate 10% of your income to savings forever.Then sit bac k and watch what happens.Real freedom comes when you can walk away from a job you hate and know you can eat for a (long) while.7. Are you investing in the future?True happiness comes from reassessing what really matters, and using money for good- this is the way of the future.Whenever you spend money, you’re giving power, energy, and influence to the people you give it to. Be very clear about this flow and start to control it on your end. If you want to see a better world, be a conscious consumer and buy only from companies with sustainable and ethical practices. There are all kinds of vehicles for positive investment are springing up right now, and they often have very competitive yields.The more we align with the value we invest in, the more clarity we have.It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless as an individual. But together, we can change the world. It’s not too late to pave a bright future for our children.After all, you can’t take it with you.This article was orig inally published on Quora.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Unbiased Report Exposes the Unanswered Questions on Sample High School Resume

Unbiased Report Exposes the Unanswered Questions on Sample High School Resume Here's What I Know About Sample High School Resume Employers wish to know just what you did or learned so they know what you need to offer as an employee. They already know that you want their job, so instead it's better to write an elevator pitch at the top of the page that will help your potential employer understand you as a person and remember what's on your resume. The employers may have come across very similar resume habits in their practical experience, so it's essential to change the resume template so that it appears distinctive from the usual a single. Most employers wish to observe a resume too. Future employers wish to observe how your experience has prepared you to fulfill their requirements. Students often think that you require experience to have a job and conversely, you are in need of a job to obtain experience. However tempting it may be to stretch the truth, lying on your resume is always a poor idea. In the world today, you can't rely on anything or anybody to force you to get successful you've got to be accountable for your own career and produce your own path. You might change find something which will provide you an experience of a lifetime. It might be somewhat tedious trying to make the resume all on your own. Getting the Best Sample High School Resume Teaching isn't everybody's specialty that is why teachers are hired after sharp scrutiny. A resume is the 1 chance a student might have to tell college recruiters everything they will need to understand. Teachers who are not able to manage the classroom are challenged to create positive learning outcomes. An excellent method to begin on your resume as a high school student is to examine examples of resumes and read tips about what to include and the way to format your resume. Now you have the school hiring manager's attention you don't need to lose it. An interview could always result in a future position for a math teacher. Sometimes it can help to talk to someone else about what might stick out among your activities or superior school experiences. You may also have volunteer experience. Many people are not familiar with the idea of a scholarship resume. Students with minimum work experience may also add a section discussing their involvements. High school students may require a resume to submit an application for work or as an element of a university application. Most high school students have a tendency to submit an application for a food services position. High school teachers do not just impart instruction. For example, a high school teacher resume must emphasize the training and seminar participated because it is going to boost credibility. At the same time that you won't be in a position to see the school's resume workshop video without valid Yale login info, you may read its resume advice and have a look at its tremendous collection of resume-friendly action verbs. Employers can learn all they will need to understand about a candidate from their school performance, which means that your Education section should reflect well on you. 11 Another one on the list is a completely free student resume template made by Paul Jansen. The very first section of your resume should incorporate information on the way in which the employer can contact you. So maybe you truly need to find some resumes. Resumes are available in many shapes and sizes.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

What You Dont Know About Free Online Resume Builder Could Be Costing to More Than You Think

What You Don't Know About Free Online Resume Builder Could Be Costing to More Than You Think What Has to be Done About Free Online Resume Builder There are a lot of professional resume template that can be found on the internet from which you'll be able to make out some idea about how to construct a professional curriculum vitae using best resume builder websites. It comes with an instant preview, so you don't need to save and refresh the page to see how it looks like. A resume builder is going to have you simply offer your information into a webpage. RMO is quite a powerful resume builder you will ever use. So How About Free Online Resume Builder? The URL may also be shared with potential employers. Resumes may be used for a number of reasons but most often they're utilised to secure new employment. The Nuiances of Free Online Resume Builder If this is the case, you will need to find some good resume writing tips that give best outcomes. 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The Bad Secret of Free Online Resume Builder Following that, you've got to go through the standard process of adding all of the inf ormation for your resume. Anyway, factual, your resume also has to be attractive. You just need to create your resume by specifying the appropriate info and then finally, get it. The very first key is to realize how resumes are organized. You will also have to get practical knowledge in filling out forms you will be asked to fill out during your work. The information that you include on your resume ought to be about the job which you are applying for. Submit the same resume for each and every job. The tool provides a detailed guide to resume building which offers you total control over it and you're able to manage it in any manner you enjoy. Free Online Resume Builder - the Conspiracy You may find a number of great resume templates, but you'll have to decide if they're likely to help or hurt your odds of landing an interview. 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There are lots of resume building options readily available online and I have put together a list of 5 such platforms that let you produce nice resumes . The truth is that hiring managers search for certain patterns, and you will be better off if you take advantage of an organizational pattern that's both logical and simple to read. On the grounds of a resume the initial and a pretty stable perception of somebody is formed, even though it is subjective and is based on the perception stereotypes of individuals. There are lots of techniques to create a special and professional resume online so you will be ready for your next employment application and interview. The reasons could be absolutely different. A resume or resume is a document utilized by someone to present their backgrounds and abilities. When you are in possession of a new experience, add it. When you have gained enough knowledge, you can start building your own. Deciding upon the right resume template will not just make it possible for you to highlight the best aspects of your experience and abilities, but nevertheless, it will also focus your focus to demonstra ting what value you may provide prospective employers. New Ideas Into Free Online Resume Builder Never Before Revealed Now, take a look at best free online resume builder websites. You will have the ability to edit your on-line profile. The website also permits you to choose a font from a given list of alternatives. Unlike a lot of the online resume builder sites that need the user to register, it doesn't require registration. Gone are the times when a degree in Biotech meant you had license to go into the laboratory! Read More is an excellent way to introduce prospective employers to what you could do. Whether you're a resume novice or expect, utilize the above mentioned resources to aid you in getting started in the application approach. 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