Why You Should Respect Your Coworkers

Why You Should Respect Your CoworkersWhy You Should Respect Your CoworkersWho Let the Dogs In? Barbara quit her job last week. She just couldnt take it anymore. What made her quit? Was it a difficult boss? Was she bored with her work? Did she just feel it welches time to move on? No, no, and no. None of the above. Barbaras boss insisted on bringing his dogs to work. Barbara, who had always been afraid of dogs, found out that she was also allergic to them. Her boss refused to leave the dogs at home so Barbara found another job. As if the allergies werent enough, her bosss disrespect for her pushed Barbara over the edge. Unfortunately, disrespect for ones coworkers (or subordinates) isnt that uncommon. And it often causes people to leave their jobs. For employers this means losing good people, and then having to hire and train new ones. For coworkers it means having to get used to working with new people, and picking up the slack until new employees can be found. The saddest part of t he lack of respect in the workplace is that many people dont realize they are being disrespectful. They arent trying to hurt someones feelings. They just arent trying to not do that. Barbaras boss, for example, was doing what he felt was best for his pets. He thought leaving them at home was cruel. He may have even felt that his employees would enjoy having the dogs there. He didnt consider the negative effect the dogs might have on someone. What to Avoid Doing How can we avoid offending the people we work with? It seems as if it should be blatantly obvious. But if it were, you wouldnt be reading this article. Lets take a look now at things you could do that may offend your coworkers. They arent listed in any particular order. Having loud telephone conversations that distract or annoy others in the workplaceNot cleaning up after yourself in the staff kitchenTaking food that doesnt belong to you from the staff refrigeratorShowing up late for meetingsShowing up for meetings unpre paredLooking at a coworkers computer screen over his or her shoulderTaking supplies from a coworkers desk without askingSpreading gossip around the officeComing to work sick Not minding your manners, for example neglecting to say please and thank you Wearing too much perfume Chewing gum loudlyTaking the last of something without replacing itAsking someone to lie or cover for youBlaming someone else when you are at fault instead of accepting responsibility for a mistake Being the office tattletaleTaking credit for someone elses work or not sharing credit with others who helped on a projectAsking a subordinate to do something unrelated to work, i.e. run errandsTrying to convert others to your political or religious beliefsOpening anyone elses mail without their permission Sending unwanted email such as chain letters, petitions and jokes to coworkersTelling offensive, dirty or insensitive jokesSmoking in common areasNot sharing the workloadBringing negativity into the workplace, for ex ample incessantly complaining about the company, boss or coworkersBeing a know-it-all and having a condescending attitude toward others

4 Reasons Your Résumé is Thrown in the Trash (And How to Pull It Out)

4 Reasons Your Rsum is Thrown in the Trash (And How to Pull It Out)4 Reasons Your Rsum is Thrown in the Trash (And How to Pull It Out)Before the stresses of interviewing begins, job candidates must first endure something arguably mora insidious the application process.Unfortunately. applying often turns out to be elendhing more than busy work. And while enduring the frustration is sometimes necessary to eventually get promising employment leads, it still sucks to spend hours designing a rsum, crafting a cover letter and answering supplementary questions without getting closure.In response, lets look at a few major reasons candidates are getting their applications tossed so you can avoid those potholes, get more interviews and start working on your career instead of more applications.1. Requirements and experience are poorly aligned. The most obvious reason youre not getting responses is that there isnt enough intersection between what youve done and what they need. That doesnt mean these are jobs youre incapable of doing, but when hiring managers dont see 70 to 80 percent of your experience aligning with their requirements, you might appear to need too much ramp up before you can complete the necessary duties.How to avoid this pothole. While there are ways to explain how your experience would translate to success in a role you havent specifically held before, you may want to diversify by applying for more roles in which you could objectively hit the ground running. Depending on how urgent your search is, deploy the same strategy as when applying to college and choose jobs you could be trained for and safety jobs you could slide into easily. 2. Lazy spell checking. Even if the rest of the content is sound, hiring managers who see grammatical or formatting errors will likely wonder how you could be trusted to handle larger projects if you couldnt create a few clean documents. Your application is a reflection on you, your attention to detail, and how strongly you feel about a job opening, says Jennifer Loftus, national director of human resources consulting firm Astron Solutions and former president of New York Citys Society of Human Resources Management chapter. Sending materials with typos is a sure way to say to a recruiter you do not care about the organization or the job.How to avoid this pothole. Proofread and spell check your application materials several times before sending. Read them out loud to catch errors you miss when reading. Ask a friend or relative to read them as well. A fresh set of eyes may discover something you missed.3. No specific tailoring. In a 2012 interview with Infusive Solutions, Peter Cappelli - a Wharton School of Business professor and the author of Why Good People Cant Get Jobs - explains how hiring requirements have shifted from hire for attitude and train for skill to in most cases considering only candidates who can contribute immediately. So if your application materials dont clearly show interest and a bility in completing the necessary requirements quickly, you may appear too risky to consider.Take a rsums objective statement, for example. If youre a financial hiring manager who needs a senior Web programmer to start developing trading systems right away, you probably wouldnt be interested in candidates whose objective includes business analysis in media.How you address supplementary questions matters as well. For example, health and fitness startup Greatist asks vorwort candidates to submit thoughts on how Reddit is impacting the health space, which according to Greatists editorial director Zachary Sniderman, is meant to test for a specific skill - in this case aptitude with social media.If a talented candidate was able to show us those skills in another way, then fair play, but its rolling the dice a bit if youre trying to second guess what the company is looking for, Sniderman says. The best advice is cross off all your boxes if an employer wants three things, give them three things but dont shy away from injecting yourself into the question.With that in mind, remember that the style and spirit of your responses to supplementary questions can be helpful points of difference while ignoring or re imagining these application components can diminish your chances of a call back.How to avoid this pothole. Customize. While no doubt time consuming, its wise to tailor application materials in a way that presents you as ideally qualified. Consequently, try to express your interest with the most creativity possible within the confines of the hiring firms process. 4. Your potential impact isnt clear. When hiring managers evaluate your application, you want them to be thinking if he or she were to replicate those same accomplishments with us, wed be in great shape.Therefore, describing your experience only with descriptors like creative, passionate and innovative may not be enough to distinguish your candidacy from those who illustrated value add in measurable busi ness terms.How to avoid this pothole. Use examples to back up your claims. If its a ausverkauf role, explain how youre not only assertive and hard working, but how you led your region in closings last year. And rather than just stating youre creative, explain how an integrated marketing campaign you developed tripled website traffic in three months and generated five times as many conversations year over year.Bottom line Pulling your application from the trash pile is hard and you may fail dozens of times before getting one to hit. Embracing such, remember few things in life worth having are attained easily and that with a little bit of customization and a lot of willpower, getting noticed is a surmountable task.Ben Weiss is the digital marketing strategist for Infusive Solutions an NYC-based IT staffing firm in the Microsoft Partner Network that specializes in the placement of .NET, SharePoint and SQL Server developers as well as Windows Systems Engineers, DBAs and help desk rcken deckung professionals in verticals such as legal, finance, fashion and media. Connect with him on Twitter InfusiveInc or at Facebook.com/InfusiveInc.

Three ASME Members Honored at the International Mechanical Eng...

Three ASME Members Honored at the International Mechanical Eng... Three ASME Members Honored at the International Mechanical Eng... Three ASME Members Honored at the International Mechanical Engineering Education Leadership SummitThree Society members were named the winners of prestigious ASME engineering education awards last month during the 2018 Mechanical Engineering Education Leadership Summit. The annual conference, which welches held from March 14-17 in San Diego, Calif., is an annual strategy and management forum for leaders from academia, industry and government who are dedicated to shaping the future of mechanical engineering education, industry practice and public-private research and workforce development collaborations. David R. WallaceASME member David R. Wallace, professor and MacVicar Faculty Fellow in the mechanical engineering department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was named the winner of the Ben C. Sparks Medal at the Summit this year. Established in 1990, the medal recognizes eminent service to mechanical engineering or engineering technology education through outstanding contributions that result in innovative, authentic, practice-based, engineering design and build experiences for undergraduate students. The winner of the award receives a certificate, a bronze medal, and a $1,000 honorarium.Dr. Wallace was cited for his outstanding contributions that have transformed the way undergraduates across disciplines and cultures think about and practice mechanical engineering design through authentic, human-centered engineering experiences, and for inspiring the general public to embrace their own creativity and engineering spirit. His current educational responsibilities involve several core project-based, hands-on design/build courses, including a senior capstone design course that leads students through the process of identifying product opportunities and developing new products, an introductory freshman design cour se dealing with toy product design, and a graduate design course that concentrates on user-centric design and design techniques. Kendra SharpA second ASME member, Kendra Vail Sharp, Ph.D., was named the winner of the Edwin F. Church Medal at the conference. The award, which was established in 1972, is presented to an individual who has performed eminent service above and beyond his or her muster activities in increasing the value, importance and attractiveness of mechanical engineering education. As winner of the medal, Dr. Sharp received a certificate, a bronze medal and a $2,500 honorarium.Dr. Sharp is a professor of mechanical engineering and the Richard and Gretchen Evans Professor of Humanitarian Engineering at Oregon State University. She was nominated for the award in recognition of her educational leadership achievements, which include establishing a formal humanitarian engineering program, teaching design in diverse global settings, and linking engineering to positive social impact. Sharp is also the co-author of more than 31 archival journal articles related to engineering design small-scale hydropower and related development of climate software for power prediction, microfluidics including biological and energy applications and experimental fluid mechanics. Kathleen SienkoASME member Kathleen Sienko, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering and the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, was named this years recipient of the Donald N. Zwiep Innovation in Education Award. The honor recognizes mechanical engineering and closely related programs/departments for their exceptional and innovative engagement in and fostering advances in mechanical engineering education particularly those that have demonstrated exemplary contributions to the advancement of mechanical and multi-disciplinary project-based engineering. The award includes a plaque-mounted certificate and a $2,000 honorarium.Dr. Sienko was recognized for her work as founder and faculty director of the universitys Global Health Design Initiative (GHDI), which offers undergraduate students the opportunity to take part in several experiential learning programs that emphasize collaboration with stakeholders in order to define problems and implement solutions to address real-world healthcare challenges. Sienko has been the recipient of a number of additional awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the University of Michigans Miller Faculty Scholar Endowed Award, University Undergraduate Teaching Award and Provosts Teaching Innovation Prize.Nominations are currently being accepted for all three of ansicht ASME Engineering Education awards. In addition to the certificate, medal and honorarium, each winner will receive travel support to the 2019 International Mechanical Engineering Education (MEED) Leadership Summit and an opportunity to deliver a presentation during the conference.The deadline to submit a nomination for both the 2019 Ben C. Sparks Medal and the Edwin F. Church Medal is Sept. 15. Nominations for next years Donald N. Zwiep Innovation in Education Award must be submitted by Dec. 18. For more information on the Ben C. Sparks Medal, click here.For more details on the Edwin F. Church medal, click here. To learn more about the criteria for the Donald N. Zwiep Innovation in Education Award, contact Aisha Lawrey, Director, ASME Engineering Education, at lawreyaasme.org.

What to do when you hate your job (but need it)

What to do when you hate your job (but need it)What to do when you hate your job (but need it)So youre in the trenches in a job that you dont like (or you even hate) but the paycheck is nice and you cant do without it. What now?Well, Im sorry to tell you but when you hate your job but still need the money you mora or less have to just deal with it. However, fortunately, you do havesomeoptions to at least get your mind off the negativity of the situation and on a more positive/realistic swingStep 1 Identify your own role in the situationThe first and most important question to ask when you hate your job is, How have I contributed to this situation? The answer is often painful and only comes only after you stifle your initial defensiveness and denial, but might look something like thisIve held a grudge against the organization or a partie within the organization, so Im stuck in conflict.I havent worked hard enough to understand the perspectives of others, so I feel frustrated often.I havent performed at the highest level possible so Im not getting anyway and/or others were chosen above me.I havent been the best team member so mywork relationshipsare strained.And if its not one of these, sometimes its as simple as, I allowed myself to settle for a role or education level thats less than my dream.The most important thing to remember is that nobody gets a free pass this first step of self-reflection. You can own up to any aspect you choose, but you cant 100% blame your situation on the organization or your coworkers. You have to take accountability. (To learn more about accountability, consider readingReality BasedRules of the Workplaceby Cy Wakeman)Once you know how youve contributed to your own circumstances, you can move on to step 2.Step 2 Take actionOnce you know how youve contributed to your situation, either leading up to or after realizing you hate your job, you can begin to move forward. The next question to ask yourself is, What one thing can I do in thi s moment to improve my circumstances?If youre burned out, angry, and unable to move forward despite any amount of effort, the one thing you can do is probably to begin exploring new career opportunities and taking a new approach the next time around, such as putting in more effort intofinding the right company culturewhile youre applying to and interviewing at companies.If you can still be swayed to improving your situation in this current job, your next course of action can range from forgiving somebody who youve been holding a grudge with, choosing a positive attitude every day, to taking on a challenging project to demonstrate your value to the company and begin earning that promotion you want.To learn more about creating change instead of worrying and settling, consider readingThe Power of Nowby Eckhart Tolle hes the best when it comes to improving your perspective and your reality. And then, if you find that youre able to improve your circumstances, simply commit to continuing. Skip step 3.Step 3 Do your researchWhen you hate your job, its very likely that you cant make a big enough difference to make you love it or even enjoy it (some call this total burnout and its an ugly beast). If thats the case, give yourself a clean slate and a new attitude by committing yourself to finding a new opportunity.But do it right this time byresearching the organizations culture and core values before you apply.Online employer review platformsgive the best insight from real employees, both current and former.not throwing your current employer under the bus when you interview for new positions. When they ask why youre looking, discuss yourcareer aspirations and desire for personal growth and development.asking the rightquestions in the interview. What are they looking for in an employee? How do they promote work-life balance? Consider your needs and askquestions specifically about company cultureto determine fit.This article first appeared on Kununu.

Happiness Why successful people cant find it in middle age

Happiness Why successful people cant find it in middle ageHappiness Why successful people cant find it in middle ageWriting a book about age and happiness brought many surprises, but none surpasses this High-achieving professionals seem especially vulnerable to dissatisfaction in midlife.Typical is Simon, one of many I interviewed. In his mid-40s, he has achieved success and prominence in his chosen field, to the point of becoming a media figure in a major city. Ive done everything I want to do, for the most part, he told me. So does he feel content? No. Exhausted. I feel at times like an amazing fk-up who has gotten away with stuff. Ive thought of running away to Brazil. Changing my personenname and becoming a hotel clerk.Objectively, his dissatisfaction seems to make no sense, especially to him. Maybe theres something deeply psychologically wrong with me, he mused.I had many versions of that conversation with successful professionals. It welches as if doing well in life puts high a chievers at additional risk of discontent. Which, it turns out, is exactly the case.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.The (surprising) effect of time on happinessTo understand why midlife can be such a hazardous and perplexing time for high achievers, begin with a recent scientific discovery For happiness, time matters - but elendlage in the way you probably think.We generally assume that time is an emotionally neutral background to life that the clock just ticks along, and ur circumstances and personalities determine ur satisfaction with life. (By happiness, I mean not cheerfulness or elation or any such positive mood, but the larger, mora important concept of well-being - feeling satisfied and fulfilled by our lives as a whole.)The reality turns out to be quite different. Data from millions of people in countries and cultures around the world show that time is not neutral at all. It is more like a river current, with an independent effect on happiness all its own.Hearing this, our next assumption may be that time works against happiness. After all, as we age, we have fewer years of life to look forward to, and more years of decline and disability.Wrong again. When researchers factor out all the circumstantial vagaries of life - everything from income and employment to marriage and education - times independent effect on life satisfaction turns out to be U-shaped, with the nadir (in the U.S.) at roughly age 50.In other words, time fights life satisfaction through midlife, but then it then turns around, helping us feel grateful and fulfilled right through old age. At the bottom of the curve, we often experience a multi-year funk.When high-performing people hit the bottom of the U-shaped curveThe happiness curve is not unique to professionals. In fact, it is not even unique to humans a version of it has been observed in chimps and orangutans. But succes sful professionals seem to be more likely to feel it.Why?High achievers are wired to be dissatisfied when we meet goals - that is the evolutionary motivation to do the next big thing - but the result is often cumulating disappointment. Year after year of finding success less fulfilling than we expected makes us pessimistic about ever attaining satisfaction. So we are simultaneously disappointed in the past and gloomy about the future.Remember, the happiness curve is only one of factors shaping life satisfaction. People who face painful hardships may feel unhappy, but at least they will know why. By contrast, if you are a successful professional with everything to be grateful for, feeling disappointed in middle age will make no sense to you. Like Simon, you may blame yourself.Or you may invent something to blame. When people feel dissatisfied, they naturally seek a reason. But human beings turn out to be quite poor at attributing our unhappiness, and we face a special challenge wit h midlife malaise, because although it is often an artifact of the aging process, it nevertheless feels as if it must be about something.High-achieving professionals tend to make a heavy emotional investment in their careers. Faced with inexplicable discontent, they may do what Simon does (and what I did), namely fantasize about throwing away their job and starting life anew.As if all of that were not enough, high-achieving professionals face social pressure to seem masterly and invulnerable, especially in their 40s and 50s, at or near the supposed peak of their career. If they are feeling restless, dissatisfied, or trapped, they often tell no one, not even their spouse. But isolation only makes the problem worse.And so successful professionals get hit from three sides Their success makes an age-driven midlife slump both conspicuous and baffling they mistakenly blame the slump on their careers, and they hide their feelings. Each of those tendencies can reinforce the others.Three ste ps to take to get past the bottom of your happiness U-curveHow to cope, if you or someone in your life is struggling in these coils?First, reaching out to friends, mentors, and coaches does not come easy, especially to high achievers who worry about showing vulnerability, but it can really help. Isolation is not your friend.Second, beware of disruptive change, because age-driven malaise simply accompanies us to the next place. Change may be warranted in midlife (as at any other time), but make it logical and incremental, building on proven strengths and accumulated connections. Step, dont leap.Third, be patient. Often, the best thing to do is the simplest. Wait it out. As we age past midlife, our expectations, our values, and even our brains readjust in ways that help us find new heights of contentment in our 50s, 60s, and beyond.Finally, be reassured. If you have feelings like Simons, there is nothing wrong with you. You are passing through a natural, albeit unpleasant, transition. On the odds, you will be surprised by the rebirth of contentment that lies around the bend.Jonathan Rauch, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, is the author of The Happiness Curve Why Life Gets Better After 50, just published by St. Martins press.Happiness Why successful people cant find it in middle ageWriting a book about age and happiness brought many surprises, but none surpasses this High-achieving professionals seem especially vulnerable to dissatisfaction in midlife.Typical is Simon, one of many I interviewed. In his mid-40s, he has achieved success and prominence in his chosen field, to the point of becoming a media figure in a major city. Ive done everything I want to do, for the most part, he told me. So does he feel content? No. Exhausted. I feel at times like an amazing fk-up who has gotten away with stuff. Ive thought of running away to Brazil. Changing my name and becoming a hotel clerk.Objectively, his dissatisfaction seems to make no sense, especially to h im. Maybe theres something deeply psychologically wrong with me, he mused.I had many versions of that conversation with successful professionals. It was as if doing well in life puts high achievers at additional risk of discontent. Which, it turns out, is exactly the case.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe (surprising) effect of time on happinessTo understand why midlife can be such a hazardous and perplexing time for high achievers, begin with a recent scientific discovery For happiness, time matters - but not in the way you probably think.We generally assume that time is an emotionally neutral background to life that the clock just ticks along, and our circumstances and personalities determine our satisfaction with life. (By happiness, I mean not cheerfulness or elation or any such positive mood, but the larger, more important concept of well-being - feeling satisfied and fulfilled by our lives as a whole.)The reality turns out to be quite different. Data from millions of people in countries and cultures around the world show that time is not neutral at all. It is more like a river current, with an independent effect on happiness all its own.Hearing this, our next assumption may be that time works against happiness. After all, as we age, we have fewer years of life to look forward to, and more years of decline and disability.Wrong again. When researchers factor out all the circumstantial vagaries of life - everything from income and employment to marriage and education - times independent effect on life satisfaction turns out to be U-shaped, with the nadir (in the U.S.) at roughly age 50.In other words, time fights life satisfaction through midlife, but then it then turns around, helping us feel grateful and fulfilled right through old age. At the bottom of the curve, we often experience a multi-year funk.When high-performing people hit the bottom of the U-shaped curveThe happiness curve is not unique to professionals. In fact, it is not even unique to humans a version of it has been observed in chimps and orangutans. But successful professionals seem to be more likely to feel it.Why?High achievers are wired to be dissatisfied when we meet goals - that is the evolutionary motivation to do the next big thing - but the result is often cumulating disappointment. Year after year of finding success less fulfilling than we expected makes us pessimistic about ever attaining satisfaction. So we are simultaneously disappointed in the past and gloomy about the future.Remember, the happiness curve is only one of factors shaping life satisfaction. People who face painful hardships may feel unhappy, but at least they will know why. By contrast, if you are a successful professional with everything to be grateful for, feeling disappointed in middle age will make no sense to you. Like Simon, you may blame yourself.Or you may invent somethi ng to blame. When people feel dissatisfied, they naturally seek a reason. But human beings turn out to be quite poor at attributing our unhappiness, and we face a special challenge with midlife malaise, because although it is often an artifact of the aging process, it nevertheless feels as if it must be about something.High-achieving professionals tend to make a heavy emotional investment in their careers. Faced with inexplicable discontent, they may do what Simon does (and what I did), namely fantasize about throwing away their job and starting life anew.As if all of that were not enough, high-achieving professionals face social pressure to seem masterly and invulnerable, especially in their 40s and 50s, at or near the supposed peak of their career. If they are feeling restless, dissatisfied, or trapped, they often tell no one, not even their spouse. But isolation only makes the problem worse.And so successful professionals get hit from three sides Their success makes an age-driven midlife slump both conspicuous and baffling they mistakenly blame the slump on their careers, and they hide their feelings. Each of those tendencies can reinforce the others.Three steps to take to get past the bottom of your happiness U-curveHow to cope, if you or someone in your life is struggling in these coils?First, reaching out to friends, mentors, and coaches does not come easy, especially to high achievers who worry about showing vulnerability, but it can really help. Isolation is not your friend.Second, beware of disruptive change, because age-driven malaise simply accompanies us to the next place. Change may be warranted in midlife (as at any other time), but make it logical and incremental, building on proven strengths and accumulated connections. Step, dont leap.Third, be patient. Often, the best thing to do is the simplest. Wait it out. As we age past midlife, our expectations, our values, and even our brains readjust in ways that help us find new heights of contentment in our 50s, 60s, and beyond.Finally, be reassured. If you have feelings like Simons, there is nothing wrong with you. You are passing through a natural, albeit unpleasant, transition. On the odds, you will be surprised by the rebirth of contentment that lies around the bend.Jonathan Rauch, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, is the author of The Happiness Curve Why Life Gets Better After 50, published by St. Martins press.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

The Forbidden Facts Regarding Resume on Linkedin Exposed by an Expert

The Forbidden Facts Regarding Resume on Linkedin Exposed by an Expert There are two methods to receive your resume onto LinkedIn. Experienced and talented men and women hear from plenty of recruiters on LinkedIn. And if you often go to the site for a work opportunity, then its a great notion to upload resume on LinkedIn to highlight yourself from others. The great thing is that you may also add resume on LinkedIn. Because there are many people on LinkedIn, recruiters have the ability to use filters to locate prospective candidates. You might also want to get a peek at Facebook advertising Course. We wrote a superb post on some strategies for using LinkedIn to locate work. The solution is it is dependent on your LinkedIn profile and resume. Your resume needs to address an issue for employers (which is the reason why theyre hiring). Hiring managers want to find professionals who can stick out from the pack. Additionally, job seekers can utilize LinkedIn to come across men an d women in their networks that are linked to the hiring managers which they want to attain. The most suitable job for you is closer than you might imagine. Resume on Linkedin Options Prospective employers are able to at a glance, visit LinkedIn to find out more about you and your abilities and qualifications. Youre able to access insights, knowledge and assorted job opportunities. Job seekers should incorporate an assortment of recommendations with their profile to demonstrate that others respect the caliber of their work. Basically, you would like to quickly portray that youre a best candidate for those kinds of jobs youre pursuing. Resume on Linkedin - What Is It? The above mentioned step can help you to launch the Edit intro window. One resembles a movie poster. You must submit a bio. Your executive bio isnt something youll use in combination with a work search. Introducing Resume on Linkedin Youre developing a press kit. You should also make sure that youve got an expert photo and a superb quantity of connections. This is the way that it will look in your profile picture. Do not incorporate a picture for a conventional North American application. After youve written the best content, decide on a design which best shows off your specific capabilities and fits the position youre seeking. To assist you in finding the best ways to learn LinkedIn marketing online, we have located the Best Courses about the topic. Or DoYouBuzz, which is an extremely user-friendly website with both free and paid plans, providing you a great deal of template options and is an extremely smooth process also. Take a look at my article on resume design for optimum effectiveness. Your profile should incorporate a number of crowd-pleaser things which will interest a larger audience. Anonymous email addresses are typical on posted vacancies, meaning that its practically impossible to send your resume to the name of an authentic menschlich being. This URL is gener ally a combo of your name together with some numbers and letter. Your name ought to be the biggest text on the webpage. The header also has basic contact information and links to other relevant on-line profiles. So, simply take a look at a profile and learn what you have to learn. Youre able to actually download a LinkedIn profile for a PDF file. You will learn how to create high high quality profile and locate the new job you desire. Life After Resume on Linkedin This section is a string of questions created to assist you quantify your performance in a place to write much better accomplishment statements. Spend one hour answering these questions in regard to each job youve held. Use filters to discover the most suitable candidates. What the In-Crowd Wont Tell You About Resume on Linkedin Sensitive or internal company info, in addition to overly personal details, should never create the cut. You may choose to change the file names so that you know which is which. This post has instructions on the best way to do that. Additionally, it has grown into one of the most significant job search websites. Youre likely to need to answer questions, too. Obviously, there are a lot of nuances and steps youre have to learn, but this is a starting point Once it does, its still true that you have to hold their focus to make it to the upcoming steps. Just follow the easy steps given below. Resume on Linkedin Can Be Fun for Everyone The web is the new international stage for the contemporary symphony of commerce. By applying the web to market your merchandise and drive sales, youre going to be using the essential tactics you want to be successful in the new economy. On the website, you can construct your professional network and engage with them. You will see step-by-step road maps for assorted components of the Internet Marketing business. By putting these things on your blog, Google will help your prospective employers and customers find out how to a dvertise your presence on the net. Make certain you have a tight advertising and marketing message that proves you are who theyre searching for. Job searchers will locate page, see your openings and learn everything they will need to understand about your organization.

What to Do If You Can#8217;t Attend the Career Fair

What to Do If You Can8217t Attend the Career Fair Career fairs can be great ways to learn about new job opportunities and make connections with your dream employers. But what if something happens and you cant attend that big career fair coming up? Dont despair There are a few things you can do that may help you find the job you desire1. Review the List of Companies in AttendanceThe first thing to do is get a list of all of the companies attending the career fair. This will help youidentify any potential employers you might be interested in learning more about.2. Visit Company Websites and View Job OpeningsDo your values align with the company values? Are you a good fit?After you have narrowed your choices down to companies you are interested in, youll need to find out a little more about them by going to each organizations website. Read up on the company news and history, explore the culture, and check to see if the company has any job openings that youd be a good fit for. You may want to try setting up an informational vorstellungsgesprch with someone at the company in order to learn more and to make up for missing the career fair.3. Update Your Resume and Cover LetterDid you find your dream job in the list of openings on one of these companies websites? If so, its time to go over your resume carefully. Check for misspellings, update your work experience to reflect your most recent jobs and achievements, and customize your resume so that it is most aligned with the specific job for which you are applying. Doing so makes yours stand out from the generic resumes of other candidates.Repeat the same process with your cover letter, and be sure to tailor each document for each ort to which you apply No two resumes should be the same4. Apply Online for the Positions You Want Now that youve identified roles you want and have tailored your cover letter/resume to match, its time to apply online for those roles.Take your time. Dont rush the application. Be sure to fill out each question carefully. If you dont get the application right, it could end up being deleted or filtered out without being read.Make note of where you applied, and be sure to follow up in a week or two if you haventheard back by then.5. Follow Companies on LinkedInIf you dont have an account on LinkedIn, you are missing out on a lot of career and networking opportunities. LinkedIn is the business equivalent of Facebook many employers post job openings on the site and/oruse it to vet potential employees. Following companies youd like to work for on LinkedIn is a good way to get on their radar.You may also want to see if you can connect with the hiring manager on LinkedIn or another company rep who is relevant to the sttte you applied to. Send a message to them in which you sell yourself in more detail and ask questions about the role and company. Be professional in your communicationsJust bec ause you cant attend a job or career fair, that doesnt mean youre doomed to remain jobless. One of my clients followed this strategy and when the job fair ended up being cancelled, he was the one the hiring managers remembered. No one else took the time to design a planJaynine Howardis a military veteran whose work as a career strategist and reinvention specialist has been recognized by professional organizations throughout the nation.

Former Netflix Chief Talent Officer Patty McCord on how to embrace your power at work

Former Netflix Chief Talent Officer Patty McCord on how to embrace your power at workFormer Netflix Chief Talent Officer Patty McCord on how to embrace your power at workCorporate America is known for specific kinds of standards, practices, and initiatives,but one person has thrown how organizations commonly operate today under the microscope.Along with CEO Reed Hastings, former Chief Talent Officer Patty McCord helped develop the Netflix Culture Deck - a manifesto which helped define the culture and values of the company - whichmade wavesthrough Silicon Valley.It may well be the most important document ever to come out of the Valley, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg reportedly told GQ in an interview.The original presentation racked up more than 17 million views since it was first published in 2009, and was updated in June 2017.On the heels of the release ofher new book, POWERFULBuilding a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility, McCordspoke withLadders Newsabout what she learned during her 14 years at Netflix.In the second of two parts, McCord discusseswhat employees can do to better themselves, and her time after leaving Netflix.On the power that she says people already haveWhen you layer processes, permission, and policy on top of each other over and over and over again, and then you wonder why people dont innovate or act independently, Its because you took all their power away from them. Thats my whole thing, thats why I named the book POWERFUL.On what can be gained from open debate and questioning authoritySome people translate open debate into, She just wants to pit people against each other and watch them fight, and thats not what I mean at all. What I mean is that when we challenge each others assumptions, we often end up at a better conclusion in the end. If I listen to you with the idea that Im just going to disagree with you, and I dont say, Now, help me understand why you came to that conclusion. What are your facts? Whats your perspective? Where are you coming from?, then Im not gonna be as informed as I can be and wont make the best decision for the customer. So, the reason why I encourage debate is on behalf of who youre serving, not on behalf of who wins the argument. Tease out the best ideas.On how employees should take control of their career developmentYou need to know what it is you love to do, that youre extraordinarily good at doing, and make sure thats what youre doing. Pay attention to the business as it shifts and changes, because if you wait around for the company to decide on the next career move for you or whether or not youre paid fairly its not going to happen.What I mean is a big shift away from, The company should realize who I am and how wonderful I am, and take care of me, and realize that I need to pay attention to if Im enjoying what Im doing, and if Im doing a great job at it. Im not sure working hard is as important of a part of the equation as we think it is. Ive known people that have worked really, really hard really, really long hours and not gotten much done. And so, its more about what you accomplish than how hard you work because thats what you take with you for the rest of your career.On people pursuing lifelong learningI think that if you get up in the morning and you get ready to go to work and you say to yourself, Ughh, I dont wanna do this anymore, I hate my job, then do something about it. You know, diagnose it. What is it thats missing?Are you still slugging away, doing the same thing over and over again and youre bored? But theres no challenge for somebody like you in the organization in the next year or so? Then do something about it, go talk to people. Keep accomplishing things. Be aware of it. Have it be your problem, not somebody elses problem.On one companys failure might be another companys treasureIt means, just constantly looking for another way to contribute to the world. Thinking about how you go to bed at night a better person than when you woke up. Or you contribute something. Again, its that same thing of proactively taking charge of your own life.On what shes been up to since her departure from NetflixAs a part of working on the book, I did a lot of speaking, and thats really helped me hone the message that I want to send to the world. I left Netflix and I thought, Ill go out and see what everybody else is doing thats kinda innovative in the world of work, and to be honest, I couldnt find very much.I wanted to be able to kind of write The Hitchhikers Guide to the Culture a way to departure thinking about how to do things differently.On the impact her book has hadSomebody sent me a note and said, Im a 22-year HR professional, Ive been doing this my whole life. I just finished reading your book. I was finishing up in my office, my CEO came in and said, exasperatedly, I guess its time for us to do the annual performance review again. She said, You know, I just kind of turned the book over and looked at him and said, not anymore .I thought he was gonna faint Finally gave me the courage to try and rethink all of this. And I thought, There it is, Ive made it. Thats all I wanted. On her favorite Netflix programmingOh, its always what Im currently watching. I go back with Netflix over 20 years now. So I mean, do I love Orange is the New Black? Oh, hell yeah. Godless ismy new thing now. When I travel from Europe or something, I download a whole season, and I binge the entire season on the plane. Tonight, Im like, Ooh, I wanna see the new Queer Eye. Its impossible to have a favorite, I think.

6 Pieces of Resume Advice that Stand the Test of Time

6 Pieces of Resume Advice that Stand the Test of Time 6 Pieces of Resume Advice that Stand the Test of Time While researching resume length recently, I wondered when todays resume standards were established and how resume advice has changed over the years. I uncovered something surprising An article from a 1955 issue of Kiplingers Changing Times that, a handful of statements aside, seems every bit as modern as something that might appear on a career blog today.In other words, resume advice hasnt changed a whole lot in 60-plus years.Article excerpt. Click to enlarge or read the whole thing here.That said, some of this resume advice has taken on new meaning in the 21st century. Below are a few resume tipsstraight from that article worth re-emphasizing 60-plus years later.6 pieces of resume advice that stand the test of time1) Decide what kind of job you want and put the title at the beginningChanging Times suggested putting the job title you want at the top of the resume in order to ai m your resume at a company president or a department head who may be trying to fill that particular position. While this might have been creative or novel resume advice in 1955, including the job title is downright critical going into 2019.98% of Fortune 500 companies use applicant tracking systems(ATS) to collect resumes and identify top candidates. A recruiter or department head trying to fill that particular position is likely to search their ATS for the exact job title. They want to find someone who has done the job before.Thats why Job Title Match is one of the most important checks in our resume match report here at Jobscan. It welches a game changer then and its mucksmuschenstill a difference maker today. Ensure that the job title youre shooting for is on your resume.There were no applicant tracking systems in 1955.Changing Timesreminds us that its not just about search algorithms. Getting the job title youre after atop your resume also helps you pass the eye test.2) Get your best licks in fastTop-loading your resume with hard-hitting information was great advice then and its still key now.While the resume objective statement is known to be old and outdated, I didnt realize that resume summary statements were already catching on six decades ago. One of the waysChanging Times suggested top-loading a resume was to use a summary, or aone-paragraph wrap-up of your experience aimed at catching the eye of a busy executive.Heres their exampleA hallmark of a modern resume format, the summary is a great place to set the tone, slip inkey skills, and effectively frame the rest of your experience.3) Be sure that the information has some bearing on the jobTailoring your resume to the specific job description might be the core tenant of resume writing advice today. It makes you a better candidate whether youre focused on being recruiter-friendly or creating the best ATS resumepossible.Review each piece of information on your resume through the lens of, Does this make me look like a better candidate forthisjob? If it doesnt, consider cutting it.On the flip side, comb through the job description with a similar mindset. Does my resume account for this job requirement? If not, find a way to address it if applicable.Jobscan automates this process by analyzing your resume against the job description. The resume match report identifies the top hard skills, soft skills, andresume keywords missing from your resume.You can try it right here in the article?4) What you have done counts, not what you thinkThis is great resume advice in general, but especially when it comes to including soft skills. You cant just write, Im a leader or Im hardworking and expect them to believe you. Its better to find ways to demonstrate these abilities on your resume.One of the best ways to do this is through specific and tangible accomplishments, which is still discussed today as a hot new resume tip. However, Changing Timeswrote,If you installed a new system of inventory co ntrol that reduced costs by 10%, say so.5) Use concise sentences and stick to the pertinent factsResume writer Adrienne Tom once wrote for Jobscan that decision makers want straight facts, fast.Eliminate wordiness and excess details and just deliver straight facts, she wrote, advising job seekers to keep the readers attention with short sentences and bullet points. Learning how to shorten your sentences will make your resume a lean, mean, attention-getting machine.6) Job hunting is the toughest kind of work. A lot depends on the tools you useIts grueling out there, but you dont have to go about it alone. Jobscan was borne out of a job seekers frustration and is dedicated to creating the best tools for job seekers. These include our flagship resume optimization tool, LinkedIn Optimization, resources from theLearning Centerand blog, and much more.These tools are designed to shorten your job search and get you where you need to be. We hope youll explore the site, try the tools, and let us know if you have any questions.

CEOs are exiting companies in record numbers so far this year

CEOs are exiting companies in record numbers so far this year CEOs are exiting companies in record numbers so far this year CEOs are on the run. In January of this year 157 CEO exits were announced, making it highest month on record, according to the CEO Turnover Report from executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray, Christmas Inc.This January exit rate was a 22% increase from the   129 CEO departures in December 2018 and a 19% increase over the 132 top executives that left a full year ago, in January 2018.  Challenger began tracking CEO exits in 2002.“Companies are responding to the strong, but uncertain, economic conditions by engaging new leadership who can both set companies on a path for growth while also gearing up for a potential downturn,” said Andrew Challenger, vice president of Challenger, Gray Christmas, Inc. He added that the strong economy over the last two years has led to new start-ups, which are now looking for looking for “more seasoned leaders,” which further added to high CEO turnover.Of the 157 exits: 73 stepped down voluntarily 41 retired 17 found positions at other companies 1 left because of a scandal 1 left because of misconduct allegations 1 left because of an internal investigation By sector, companies in government/nonprofit had the most exits, with 29, followed by healthcare/health product companies, with 17. Financial firms followed with 13 exits, and Pharma and technology each had 10.The average age of a departing CEO was 60.7 years.

Bringing Networking into Focus

Bringing Networking into Focus Bringing Networking into Focus Once he had clear goals, SalesLadder member Chris T. found his network a far more effective tool for achieving them.When Chris T. decided to begin a job search after seven years with the same company, he assumed networking would play a role in helping to land a job.He figured his business networking, classmates or friends would tip him off to a job and recommend him for an interview, then he would research the company and the position online to consider the job and prepare for the interview.He had it backward.He attended one networking event he found fruitless. He trolled the alumni database of his alma mater (Thunderbird School of Global Management of Glendale, Ariz., where he earned his MBA), but he didn’t find any leads there, either.Chris, who was working in a sales and finance role at a company in the construction industry in the San Francisco Bay area, decided to try the autonomous route and struck out to find a job on several online job boards. In January, the SalesLadder me mber decided he couldn’t waste time with pointless job applications, so he selected five targetted jobs and applied; four interviewed him by phone and one, a technology company also in the Bay area, seemed more promising than the others.Chris went back to the networking that had seemed fruitless when he was prospecting. But now that he had four target companies in mind, he was able to seek connections in his network he hadn’t tried previously. He used Thunderbird’s alumni database search to seek alumni who were connected with those companies. “Some people I knew, or have met, but a lot of people I didn’t know,” he said of the names that came up in his search.Chris’ goal was to get a snapshot of what it would be like to work at a particular company. “I would ask them the pros and cons of working there, what they liked and didn’t like, and get some idea of the current situation at the company,” he said.In almost every case, people were happy to speak to him. “I t hink it is about how you go about it,” he said. “My approach was to seek people’s insight and get information. I wasn’t asking about specific jobs, and I think that’s why people were willing to speak with me,” he said.By March, he’d had a day of face-to-face interviews with the technology company that seemed so promising and was offered a position.While none of his fellow alumni are among his new co-workers, “Quite a few of the people that I reached out to work or had worked at this company,” he said. “I had one person give me some inside information on the job I was interviewing for. When I got there, I had a good idea of what they were looking for. It made the interview process a lot more clear cut.”

3 mindfulness rituals that will make you happy

3 mindfulness rituals that will make you happy 3 mindfulness rituals that will make you happy Why is it so hard to be happy all the time? Why can’t our lives be more like the joyous families in insurance commercials and less like the lives of people making insurance claims?Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!So what does the research say can make us happier? Mindfulness. It comes from Buddhism but we won’t be discussing religion here. We’ll be looking at ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, as detailed in Russ Harris’ wonderful book  The Happiness Trap.This is the scientifically-distilled version of mindfulness. Vetted, tested, with air shocks and spinning rims. No chanting, no monk robes necessary. (Which is good, because as we all know, saffron is  so  not my color.)From  The Happiness Trap:ACT (pronounced like the word “act”) was developed in the United States by psychologist Steven Hayes and his colleagues, Kelly Wilson and Kirk Strosahl. ACT has been astoundingly effective in helping people with a wide range of problems from depression and anxiety to chronic pain and even drug addiction.Okay, to the point: Why is it so damn hard to stay happy? Well, the first reason is because we believe a number myths about what happiness is. Time to fix that.Let’s get to it…The 4 Happiness MythsMyth 1: “Happiness Is the Natural State for All Human Beings”Sorry, that’s just naive. The human brain’s default state is not “bliss.” Anyone who has spoken to me in the morning before I’ve had caffeine knows this.But advertising, Facebook, and big parts of our culture reinforce this myth on a near-constant basis.  You’ve met people who are super happy all the time and, let’s be honest here: they kinda creep you out.We all have ups and downs. That’s normal and natural. But thinking you’re supposed to be ecstatic 24/7 is  a waterslide into myth #2…Myth 2: “If You’re Not Happy, You’re Defective”We feel like if there’ s anything wrong with life than there must be something wrong with  us. And so we scramble to “fix” ourselves because this can’t be right…Myth 3: “To Create a Better Life, We Must Get Rid of Negative Feelings”Everyone else feels great all the time (pro tip: no, they don’t) so we should too. And then we’re running headlong into…Myth 4: “You Should Be Able to Control What You Think and Feel”We have reached our final destination. Please take your belongings from the overhead bins and exit to your left.We all spend a  lot  of time trying to control what we think and feel. Do me a favor: don’t think about bears…  How’d that go?Oh, and next time you’re sad why don’t you just “snap out of it.” How well does that work?Of course, neither do. We can’t control what we think or feel â€" at least not so directly and immediately. Sure, we can influence these things - but control? Nope.And so we’re often struggling to change what we can’t. And this just f uels the fire of these emotions as we struggle with them. We end up with anxiety about our anxiety, anger about our depression and depression about our anger layered on top of one another like some mental health version of “Inception.”Or we do things to muscle our thoughts and feelings into compliance  (procrastination, drinking, etc.)  that offer short-term improvement of our feelings, but in the long-term take us away from our goals and values.This is not the path to a happy life. This is the happiness trap.You’re not going to feel good all the time. Sorry. And you can’t directly and immediately control your thoughts and feelings as easily as you change the background image on your smartphone.But that’s  okay. Defining happiness as sheer unrelenting non-opiate-fueled-bliss is absurd. We have the happiness definition wrong. Happiness should mean a rich, full and meaningful life - and that includes ups  anddowns.From  The Happiness Trap:The other far less common meaning o f happiness is “living a rich, full, and meaningful life.” When we take action on the things that truly matter deep in our hearts, move in directions that we consider valuable and worthy, clarify what we stand for in life and act accordingly, then our lives become rich and full and meaningful, and we experience a powerful sense of vitality. This is not some fleeting feeling- it is a profound sense of a life well lived. And although such a life will undoubtedly give us many pleasurable feelings, it will also give us uncomfortable ones, such as sadness, fear, and anger. This is only to be expected. If we live a full life, we will feel the full range of human emotions.(To learn more about how you and your children can lead a successful life, check out my bestselling book  here.)Now that’s all fine and dandy - but how do we get out of this trap for good?We need to think differently about thinking…You Are Not Your Thoughts There are “facts” and there are “thoughts.” Facts we can all agree on (“Alice is frowning.”) Thoughts are the judgments, interpretations and stories that our brains incessantly chatter about all day (“Alice is frowning because she hates me just like everyone hates me because I’m a bad person and that’s why I will die alone.”)Yes, these thoughts are all too often negative.Your brain makes thoughts. That’s what it does. Some true, some false, some useful, some not, and some totally absurd. But it’s what your brain does, trying to make sense of the world so that it can fulfill it’s evolutionarily goal of keeping you  not-dead  by pulling the puppet strings of anxiety, regret, and fear to try to keep you safe from anything that might change your  not-dead  status.You can’t control thoughts any more than you can control a headache. Actions, you’re responsible for. Thoughts, not so much. So when it comes to thoughts, you’re not the boss of you.But the proble m is we often  fuse  with our thoughts. You think those thoughts are you. You think those thoughts are gospel. That voice in your head speaks only truth. It’s like hearing the PA system in Wal-Mart and assuming that’s God talking. (No, it’s not God talking. A kid threw up in aisle 4.)From  The Happiness Trap:All too often we react to our thoughts as if they are the absolute truth or as if we must give them all our attention. The psychological jargon for this reaction is “fusion.”So your brain weaves a fact into thought, you fuse with it and that’s how Alice frowning morphs into “I’m unlovable.” We take these stories our brain creates way too seriously and it’s like a mental computer virus hijacked your brain.Do you really believe most of your thoughts are all that important? Of course they’re not. If they were mission critical, you wouldn’t even get a vote on whether to listen to them. Your brain does super-important stuff like keeping you breathing and your heart beating. You’re not even allowed to touch that software. Because if you were, at some point you would’ve gotten distracted by your phone, stopped inhaling, turned blue and died.And, more importantly, when you get so swept up in negative thoughts, you’re missing out on life. You’re engaged with a sad story you’re telling yourself - one that isn’t even real. Chronic depression is often an ongoing fusion with thoughts about the past. And anxiety is fusion with worries about the future. People with both conditions often exhibit anhedonia, a reduced ability to experience pleasure. They can’t experience the joys of the world around them because they’re too wrapped in the stories they’re telling themselves about the world.Now this doesn’t mean fusion is bad. Being immersed in a good conversation with close friends can be positive fusion. Fusion can be a “flow” state. And negative thoughts aren’t necessarily the enemy either. Sometimes you need a kick in the keister and your brain guilting you is helpful.The issue is we want  the ability to step back and evaluate these thoughts. Because when we’re fused it can be hard to see what is real and we can become a puppet to false, negative stories.To be fair, sometimes it’s tricky to tell facts and thoughts apart:Example #1:  â€œThey won’t like me.”  Your crystal ball is lovely but, sorry - that’s a thought, not a fact.Example #2:  â€œI can’t go for a run because I’m too tired.”  Thoughty-thought-thought. No fact-o delicti. Now “I can’t go for a run because a spinal injury has paralyzed my legs.” Okay, that’s a fact.How do you know if you’re fused with a thought or feeling? Ask yourself a simple question:“If I wasn’t thinking about this, would it still be a problem?”Man standing in front of you with a gun? Okay, not a fusion issue. That’s real.“Alice is frowning, proving I am an unlovable wretch and I deserve to be boiling in a cauldron in a Hieronymus Bos ch painting of Hades.”  Fusion alert.Alice could just be constipated and you may be awesome.(To learn the 4-step morning ritual that will make you happy all day, click  here.)Some will reply, “But what if it’s  true? What if Alice is frowning because she hates me?”Well, guess what?It doesn’t matter…You Gotta DefuseLots of stuff is “true.” Epic landfills of truth out there. Doesn’t mean you need to be thinking about it. You will never think about most of the true things about the subject of organic chemistry because you don’t even know them. So truth is not a good reason for the wheels in your brain to keep spinning unhappily over anything.The more important issue when dealing with troublesome thoughts is:  Is this helpful? Will further exploration of this thought help me live the life I want?So when negative thoughts become a problem we need to defuse from them. How do we do that? By accepting them, not wrestling with them.Now that word “acceptance” gets me i n a lot of trouble. People think it means caving, giving in, resigning yourself, waving the white flag… But that’s not a “helpful” way of looking at acceptance.From  The Happiness Trap:Acceptance does not mean putting up with or resigning yourself to anything. Acceptance is about embracing life, not merely tolerating it. Acceptance literally means “taking what is offered.” It doesn’t mean giving up or admitting defeat; it doesn’t mean just gritting your teeth and bearing it. It means fully opening yourself to your present reality- acknowledging how it is, right here and now, and letting go of the struggle with life as it is in this moment.I see unhelpful thoughts like junk mail. Do you sit down and write a letter back to the sender telling them how awful junk mail is? No. Do you deny its existence? No. You accept it. And then you go do something useful with your time.And this is the goal with defusion: we don’t try to control our thoughts because that doesn’t wor k (Bears. Don’t think about them.) And we don’t do a full-on-brain-filibuster arguing with the thoughts because that just makes it worse.We must recognize the thought for what it is â€"  just a thought. A story, a judgment. Not necessarily true and definitely not you. Acknowledge it. But don’t wrestle with it and give it energy.From  The Happiness Trap:In a state of fusion, thoughts seem to be the absolute truth and very important. But in a state of defusion, we recognize that:1) Thoughts are merely sounds, words, stories, or bits of language.2) Thoughts may or may not be true; we don’t automatically believe them.3) Thoughts may or may not be important; we pay attention only if they’re helpful.4) Thoughts are definitely not orders; we certainly don’t have to obey them.5) Thoughts may or may not be wise; we don’t automatically follow their advice.6) Thoughts are never threats; even the most painful or disturbing of thoughts does not represent a threat to us.How hard is it to evaluate other people’s problems and tell them what you would do? Oh, that’s easy. (Hand me my gavel, please.) But how hard is it to be objective about your own failings, and then make a habit of consistently doing the right thing from this day forward without beating yourself up? (I’d have better luck trying to invade Russia during the winter. By myself.)Stepping back helps you treat your own issues like you treat other people’s. Which actually makes sense because your thoughts aren’t you, right?Okay, so you’re feeling stressed, anxious or depressed. That’s your Mindfulness Bat Signal from now on. Time to spring into action with your new skills…1. Step Back And Isolate ItPause. Ask yourself, “What story is my mind telling me now?”This immediately provides that distance. For example, a lot of people struggle with self-esteem. But self-esteem is just another thought, another story your brain spins. So as soon as you realize  you  aren’t saying “I’m a l oser”, your brain is saying it, something wonderful happens: you don’t have to agree.Another simple formula is to take the thought and before it add: “I’m having the thought that…” Again, this provides that distance.Sounds simple but it’s quite powerful. “I’m having the thought that I’m a loser” is a puzzle to be solved, not a bullet train to getting all emo.From  The Happiness Trap:…first bring to mind an upsetting thought that takes the form “I am X.” For example, “I’m not good enough” or “I’m incompetent.” Preferably pick a thought that often recurs and that usually bothers or upsets you… Next, take that thought and in front of it, insert this phrase: “I’m having the thought that . . .” Play that thought again, but this time with the phrase attached.2) Accept and defuseYour brain occasionally comes up with crazy thoughts, right? But we take its thoughts so seriously at times and let them get us down. It’s important to remember how imperfect your brain’s track record is.So when its negative thoughts try and fuse, gently mock it. Don’t get angry or worked up, but not taking it so seriously and teasing it a bit can take the steam out of its painful judgments.Brain: “You’re a loser.”Me: “I’m having the thought that I’m a loser. Hmm…  Oh, silly brain.”Some people will say, “I can’t dismiss it that easily; what if I  am  a loser?” Again, true doesn’t matter; helpful does. Or some might say, “I can’t dismiss the feeling that easily.” That means you’re fused with it. You need to step back and see it as one of many possible stories, not the single, undeniable truth.We all have recurring negative thoughts. Your brain can be a regular jukebox of criticism that never turns off. But rather than despairing over this, accept its nature and take the sting out of it.Imagine your personal playlist of “negative-thought-songs.” (If you’re over 40 you’re welcome to call it a mixtape.)B rain: “You’re a loser.”Me: “I’m having the thought that I’m a loser. Hmm… Oh,  that  song again. Is this from my ‘I’m feeling inferior’ playlist? I think the acoustic version of ‘Nobody likes me’ is next, followed by an a cappella rendition of ‘Life sucks.’”If you’re laughing at your brain, it’s hard to get too depressed, anxious or angry.From  The Happiness Trap:After doing this exercise, you probably found that by now you’re just not taking that thought quite so seriously; you’re just not buying into it as much. Notice that you haven’t challenged the thought at all. You haven’t tried to get rid of it, debated whether it’s true or false, or tried to replace it with a positive thought. Full disclosure: it takes practice to get good at this. You wouldn’t lift weights once and then quit because you weren’t all jacked the next day. So keep at it. Try to get better at noticing when you’re fused with an unhelpful story. Then defuse it.  And count on your short attention span to help the unhelpful thought drift off.Yes, another thought will inevitably come along and try to hijack your brain. Forever and ever. But with practice, you’ll get better at handling how your mind naturally works.As the saying goes, “You cannot stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”(To learn the 4 harsh truths that will make you a better person, click  here.)Okay, we’ve learned a lot. (Not a thought, that’s a fact… I hope.) Time to round everything up and learn why perpetual bliss is a terrible goal…Sum UpHere are 3 mindfulness rituals that will make you happy: Myths of happiness: Bliss isn’t the default, you aren’t broken, negative feelings are natural and you can’t directly control your feelings. And that is totally okay. You are not your thoughts: Would you really think all that negative stuff if it was up to you? No. It’s not “you.” Hearts beat, eyes blink and brains think. And you are allowed to respectfully disagree with its efforts. You gotta defuse: What story is your brain telling you right now?  Oh, silly brain… Some people might get sad that there is no perpetual bliss at the end of the happiness rainbow. A little difficulty makes life richer. Without it, there could be no pride in overcoming challenges - because there would be no challenges. There’d be no such thing as a comeback. You’d never feel the joy of improvement.Plain and simple: you’d be happy but bored. We don’t want that. We want a well-rounded life.But when the internal challenges get fierce, remember: you’re not your thoughts. You’re not your brain. So don’t take your brain or its thoughts so seriously…They didn’t like this blog post, Eric.Oh, we’re playing  that  song again, are we?Join over 330,000 readers.  Get a free weekly update via email  here.This article first appeared on Barking Up the Wrong Tree.    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

Be less boring Make your resume more like a meme

Be less boring Make your resume more like a meme Be less boring Make your resume more like a meme In 2016, Google Trends - which tracks the popularity of search terms - revealed a somewhat startling statistic. According to internet searches for that year, for the first time in recorded history, “memes” were sought more often than Jesus Christ (then again, Gizmodo reported that come Christmas or Easter, it was all Jesus all the time).So why do we love memes so much? Let’s take a step back and explain the origin story of those images with just the right words first.A short history of memesIn 1976, author/activist/atheist Richard Dawkins wrote a book called “The Selfish Gene” which took on a lot of weighty topics including genes and to a lesser degree, culture’s effect on all of us. He also just so happened to introduce the idea of memes, which he describes as a sort of measure of cultural influence.In modern internet culture, most of us recognize memes as very specific image play; anything from pop culture icons to presidential hair mishaps paired with a few very care fully chose words that either sum up or break down a concept. And they almost always elicit a gasp, a laugh or a nod of recognition.So, how can you add some meme inspired magic to your own boring resume?Make it snappyWhether or not you’re the best at what you do doesn’t really matter if no one takes the time to read your resume. One of the reasons memes work is the fact that they make a statement in as few words as possible. Sure you want to list everything that sets you out from the crowd, but try doing it in as few words as possible. And then cut it down some more. Use powerful words that convey the large scope of what you are capable of instead of using many sentences to say the same thing.Add a clever visualIn the age of video letters of introduction, adding a point of interest might just capture a hiring manager’s attention before they shift to the next resume. Don’t go for the shock factor, but instead try to add a photo or element that makes someone want to see or rea d more.If you’ve literally reached new heights by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, found yourself swimming with sharks, or spent time on a safari, consider adding it as a p.s. to your resume. Make sure to caption the photo in a way that reminds the headhunter or interviewee that you understand the importance of the potential job, but that you’re also cool in a crisis. This might not work for every job or job seeker, but could be the right spice for an otherwise boring CV.Reference pop cultureApplying for a job managing a ski resort? Feel free to include a title like “Winter is coming,” before explaining why you’d be great for the gig. Again, try to be circumspect about how much humor or visuals you add, but if the application mentions that they like candidates with unique personalities, you have free reign to show off your own.Make it timely (but avoid the political)If everyone is talking about a specific world event, feel free to reference it in your cover letter or even resume - if it can potentially help move your overall job search in the right direction. If, however, everyone is griping about a scary world event or questionable world leader, skip it.It’s a thin line between witty and inappropriate. While wit or pop culture prowess can count for a lot in some careers, you never want to be the person who brings up controversial topics.Share and share againWhile you never want to flood someone’s inbox with too much follow up, you do want to make sure that your resume is seen. If you don’t hear back after sending out your resume, feel free to send a follow-up response. Keep it short, keep it friendly and then move on to the next opportunity.

Robots to the Rescue

Robots to the Rescue Robots to the Rescue Robots to the Rescue A headless four-legged mechanical creature hops up a flight of stairs in a University of Pennsylvania building, looking like a mountain goat jumping over boulders. Once at the top, it walks over to an office door and sizes up its targetthe elongated silvery door handle thats just beyond its front legs reach. So, it leaps up and hangs on the handle for a moment, unlocking the door. Then it drops to the floor and pushes the door open just like a catheadbutting its way in. Called the Ghost Minitaur, this peculiar cross between a goat and a cat was developed byprofessorDaniel E. KoditscheksPhD students Avik De andGavin Kenneally,at University of Pennsylvanias General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, and Perception (GRASP) Lab. Robots like Minitaur could prove handy in settings that are too dangerous or difficult for humans,andDe and Kenneally havestarted a company, Ghost Robotics, to build them. Such robots could navigate burning buildings or earthquake-damaged structures to look for trapped survivors or assess damage. His labs other models, RHex and the more advanced X-RHex, walk on springs over uneven terrain, a feature that can be useful in a chemical spill, radioactive leak, or other industrial accidents. They can also travel over unstable collapsible soils or walk to the middle of a disaster site and remain there to monitor it if necessary. The use of robots in disasters is not a new idea. Around the world, drones have become go-to resources for responders, who use them to assess everything from floods and wildfires to chemical releases. On the sea, robotic watercraft have pulled people to safety from sinking boats. Yet there remains a crucial need for robots that can work within human-scale environments and perform the type of tasks first responders or canines might undertake while sparing humans and dogs from dangers and health hazards. They would need to be smarter and more autonomous than existing robots, and agile enough to walk up stairs, climb walls, crawl over rubble, and worm their way under collapsed buildings. Such robots could also deliver capabilities that people do not have naturally. They could work around the clock without fatigue or loss of precision. They could capture and crunch data faster than any human, reaching decisions faster in situations when every minute can be a lifesaver. And in the worst-case scenarios, they are dispensablewhile losing an expensive platform is not an optimal mission outcome, it is better than losing a human life. Recommended for You: An Army of Tiny Robots to the Rescue Building such robots remains a challenge. Although the performance of autonomous vehiclesand robotshas improved dramatically, many search-and-rescue platforms would benefit from better dexterity, obstacle avoidance, and better communication and decision-making abilities. Thats why rescue robots like Minitaur are most often tested in the lab than deployed in the field. And researchers are making progress. Minitaurs next model, for example, will be able to navigate through a room full of objects. Yet it is still far from the intelligent, dexterous helper that rescue teams would like. We are still far away from building anything that they would trust as much as a dog, Koditschek said. But we are working on it. And so are other teams of roboticists all over the world, each trying different approaches and methods. Methodologies and Missions At Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, David Zarrouk lines up his set of search and rescue robots on his lab floor. Radio-controlled, the robots come to life and swarm around like a motley herd of roaches of varied sizes and shapes. For Zarrouk, the name of the game is simplicity. That was the lesson learned from the 2015 DARPA robotics challenge, in which humanoid emergency robots did not fare particularly well and some failed miserably. The simpler the mechanism, the fewer moving parts there are, the fewer possibilities for failure you have, Zarrouke said. His roach robots feature very simple designs but they all roll on a unique set of wheels that look more like a fan with three triangular blades than a circle. Called spoke wheels or rimless wheels, they give the robots insect-like agility, so they can crawl over piles of debris and uneven terrain. The robots structure is also unusual, resembling an H, with a central body and two parallel pods. The pods house two spoke wheels each and can pivot about 180 degrees. This lets them position their wheels at different angles or stretch them out flata handy feature that enables them to climb up pipes and vertical tunnels. It also helps them right themselves if they fall and land upside down. They can simply pivot their wheels from above to below their body and continue on their way. As Zarrouk notes, simple mechanisms recover more easily. Zarrouk takes a bottom-up approach, designing a specific functionality firstsuch as climbing over rubble or hopping up the stairsand then tries to find useful applications for it in real-world scenarios. This is one of the two standard methodologies roboticists take when building any type of robot, explains Robin Murphy, director of Texas AMs highly regarded Humanitarian Robotics and AI Laboratory (formerly known as the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue). The other strategy is top-down design. Both have their pros and cons. They are two different methods, but both are totally valid, Murphy said. With a top-down method, engineers start with the capabilities first response teams need for a mission, then try to build platforms that meet those requirements. This practical line of attack gives rescuers the immediate help they need, Murphy said. The bottom-up approach involves fundamental research, and uses prototypes to reveal unexpected pitfalls. For example, RHexs springs could stir up dust that would interfere with a cameras feed, Murphy said. Yet fundamental research may also lead to unexpected ideas, like Zarrouks self-recovery mechanism. Still, the top-down approach has its limits, too. Responder teams are pressing for more complex robots that can do more than just gather data, Koditschek said. They may want something that acts like a dog or a squirrel with a fair degree of autonomy and fitness. We cant even begin to build what they need, Koditschek said. What we have is too primitive. That is why experimenting with various functionalities using a bottom-up approach is essential. Without the fundamental researcha better way to walk over broken buildings, navigate a tunnel, or flip overit is hard to create new innovative platforms. No matter which design approach roboticists take, they do not aim to replace what search and rescue teams already do well. Instead, they try to provide what is missing. Murphy cites the snake robot designed by Howie Choset at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Robotics Institute, as an example. Choset built his robot to slither through small holes under collapsed buildings and look for survivors. Dogs can sniff out survivors too, but in some cases, they can be fooled by a scent thats drifting through a pile of rubble, far from where the actual human is trapped. Thats where Howies robot comes in really handy, Murphy said. Another area where humans need robots help is data analysis. Robots and drones equipped with still and video cameras can amass so much data, it can overwhelm disaster response teams that try to make sense of it. Meanwhile, every second is precious. Thats where machine learning can help. AI can parse this deluge of data and determine whats different or out of ordinary much faster than any individual human. The same dataset that would take humans days to look throughand they would miss thingswould take a computer 10 to 90 minutes, Murphy said. Teaching AI to parse disaster visuals is challenging because no two disasters are alike, and scenery and imagery can differ dramatically, she explained. Yet researchers have taught computers to scan thousands of images of flood debris in real time. While they may sometimes identify a survivor clinging to a piece of wood, more frequently they determine when something that looks unusual and alert responders to zoom in and take a closer look. This strategy helped authorities plan their response and save people from drowning after Hurricane Harvey flooded the Houston area in 2017. Collaboration between humans and robots is key. And in some cases, this collaboration can be best achieved by another innovative alliance by combining both top-down and bottom-up design methodologies. Joining Forces Its treads whirling slowly, TRADR climbs over a heap of stones and broken wooden crates meant to simulate wreckage. As the robot starts down, its camera whirls side to side, assessing the path. It stops for a moment, then rotates a pair of triangular-shaped flippers forward to probe the uncertain surface in front and help climb up and down. TRADR, which resembles a miniature tank, might look a bit bulky and slow, but dont be fooled. In German, its name stands for Long-Term Human-Robot Teaming for Disaster Response. These robots are designed to work in tandem with humans and each other. Rather than choosing between the bottom-up and top-down approach, the group went for the best of both worlds, said Ivana Kruijff-Korbayov, a senior researcher and project leader in the Language Technology Lab of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence. We used a user-centric design methodology, which means that we work with end users and ask them what they need, she said. We establish user requirements and try to fulfill them. The original idea was to use TRADR in industrial accidents, which take place in complex and constantly changing environments. Near onset of the incident you can have a lot of fires or smoke that come and go, she said. You can have structures that are still collapsing and other variables. TRADR robots are particularly helpful where situational parameters change over time because they were built to make multiple sorties over prolonged periods of time. They carry a variety of sensors and use AI to identify specific objects, such as barrels, crates, and plumes of smoke or fires. They can also look for partially visible humans stuck among the debris. More importantly, they work together. When TRADRs enter an area, they begin mapping it, noting what has collapsed, what remains standing, the location of smoke and fire, and so on. By sharing this information, they can map the entire scene rapidly. As things change over hours or daysdebris removal opens one path while a building collapse closes anotherthey continue to update the map. This enables responders to plan their movements without putting humans in danger. After putting TRADRs through their paces in several test scenarios, including a train-car collision and several industrial plants, the team deployed them in several disasters. In the aftermath an earthquake in Amatrice, Italy, the team deployed a TRADR and a drone together to gather structural information about a partially collapsed church that was impossible to enter from the ground. Kruijff-Korbayovs team also worked with fire brigades from Germany, Italy, Ireland, The Netherlands, and other countries, and attracted interest from firemen all over Europe. The system can understand simple voice commands such as search for hazards or inspect the barrel. Currently, it speaks English only, but in the future TRADRs will be able to converse in German and possibly other languages. Making it a truly multilingual system is an interesting future option, Kruijff-Korbayov said. It could be useful in international missions. TRADR is not the only rescue robot to have attracted attention from police, firemen, emergency medical technicians, and other first responders. Drones are already used to assess floods and wildfires, and to locate survivors while there is still time to save them. They are helping understand what happened when the Fukushima nuclear power plant melted down, and saving humans at sea. The next generation of rescue robots will go further still, getting closer and closer to the action. They will crawl, climb, and slither amid rubble and flames, giving responders the information they need to confront the worlds most dangerous environments. As they evolve, these robots will need less and less human guidance. Fully autonomous robots are coming, though models that are as faithful and as capable as a well-trained dog are still years away. There is still so much more to do. Kruijff-Korbayov said. ME Lina Zeldovich is a freelance writer based in Woodside, N.Y. Also read: Special Report on Robotics

Online Jobs That Pay Better for College Students

Online Jobs That Pay Better for College Students Online Jobs That Pay Better for College Students Finding a job in college can be tricky. You may find a job that pays well, but the hours don’t fit with your class schedule and don’t allow any time for schoolwork. You may find a job with great hours, leaving you plenty of time to complete your schoolwork, but barely enough money to function. It can feel like a constant trade-off between time and money. But it doesn’t have to! Online jobs can be an excellent alternative for college students. The pay is often better than your run-of-the-mill part-time job and the hours are flexible enough to cover a busy school and activity schedule. Here are some great online jobs for college students that pay better than your average part-time job. Online Tutor If you are a good student who enjoys helping others learn, online tutoring is a great place to look for work. This is a great way to put your educational skills to use and make some money doing it. What’s the job: You tutor students from all over the world on subjects where you excel. Sessions vary in length, depending on the student and the site. You assist with homework and classwork for students ranging from elementary to college. What skills do you need: You need a thorough understanding of the subject you are tutoring in. Good communication skills will also help you when working with your students. What do you make: The pay scale varies company to company, but the average range runs from $10/hour to $20/hour. What companies are hiring: Enroll, Chegg, StudentTutor. Virtual Assistant If you are looking for a job doing administrative work, but want a flexible schedule, a virtual assistant is a position for you. It’s a great way to earn good money and a great way to make professional connections and build your network. What’s the job: You handle administrative tasks for clients, such as scheduling appointments, and managing emails and calls. Job tasks depend on who you are working for and the services they need. What skills do you need: You will need excellent communications and writing skills. Thorough knowledge of MS Office and Google Apps is preferred. Great soft skills are a definite plus for virtual assistants. What do you make: You can expect around $10-$15/hour, but earnings can scale with experience and skill as well. What companies are hiring: 24/7 Virtual Assistant, Fancy Hands, Zirtual Freelance Writer If you are looking grow your skills and make money, look at Freelance writing. Freelance Writing is considered one of the best ways to make money online. It develops your skills and can lead to more professional opportunities down the road. For my fellow English majors, this is an excellent way to prepare for your future and kickstart your career. Plus, it’s super flexible and easy to do with a busy college schedule. What’s the job: There are several freelance writing options out there, depending on what style of writing you prefer. You can work in technical writing, digital marketing, journalism, or other fields. Subject matter depends on your client. You can choose to write in your area of expertise or branch out. What skills do you need: Knowing your way around the English language and having a good understanding of grammar and writing is a necessity. It’s also good to know about editing and some possible publication styles. What do you make: Earning potential typically runs off of the length of your writing. An article of 500-1000 words can run anywhere from $25-$50. What companies are hiring: TextBroker, Upwork, About.com

Survival Tips for Living Off Pure Commissions

Survival Tips for Living Off Pure Commissions Survival Tips for Living Off Pure Commissions Sales jobs that pay pure commissions only, and no salary, are popular with many companies. Management teams reason that with this compensation plan, the salesperson is being paid for exactly what he produces, no more and no less. So if a salesperson closes a lot of sales, hell make a lot, and if he doesnt, the company wont be paying him. This line of reasoning explains why many salespeople, particularly inexperienced ones, dont want anything to do with a pure commissions job. Its unnerving to know that you can literally starve if you dont bring in enough sales, and the panic caused by that line of thought makes it much harder to sell successfully, causing a vicious cycle of failure. The truth is that any competent salesperson can be very happy â€" and make a lot of money â€" in a pure commissions job, even if the salesperson is inexperienced. The key to thriving on pure commissions is proper planning. Your Sales Pipeline Every sales position tends to go through cycles of “feast-or-famine.” Monitoring your sales pipeline will help you to control this cycle, but youll still tend to have months where you make tons of sales and other months where every sale seems to fall apart right before closing. So if youre on a pure commissions plan, you MUST set aside some money from your “feast” months to help you pay for necessities during the “famine” periods. Keeping a tight financial ship is important in any job that includes commissions, but its ten times as important when commissions are all you bring home. Before You Start the Job Sit down and add up your monthly expenses. Write down the total of your fixed expenses and add in a bit more than average for your non-fixed expenses. For example, if your electric bill ranges from $50 to $100 per month but is usually about $60, put it into your budget at $75. That way you wont run into trouble if you have a relatively expensive month combined with a low commission check. Once youve come up with a number for your monthly expenses, take a look at your commission plan and calculate how many sales youd need to make each month to cover those monthly expenses â€" then add in a few more sales to pay for the inevitable emergencies, like the car that breaks down or the dog that needs expensive vet treatments. Is the minimum number youve calculated an achievable number of sales for an average month? If not, this job is a bad fit for you! Turn it down and look for one that either offers higher commissions or has a base salary you can live with. Covering Lean Months Assuming youre happy with your minimum calculated sales, youll still need to allow for the occasional sales slump in your planning. If you dont already have one, set up a savings account at your bank. Then when you have a particularly successful month, tuck away some of your earnings into that savings account for a rainy day. Just having some money set aside for emergencies will make you feel more secure, which will help you to relax and enjoy your job. Do Your Sales Need to Improve? If youre already in a pure commissions job and are struggling to make enough to get by, you can improve your situation by analyzing why your sales arent happening. At what point in the sales process do you lose the prospect? Right at the beginning, because you dont have enough leads? Then track down a new lead source or hire a list broker. Are you doing tons of cold calling but not making many appointments? Take a look at your cold calling approach and add in a good opener or some catchy benefits. Pure commission jobs are often more independent than salaried ones because if a company is investing a salary in you, they will also want to manage you pretty closely. In a pure commission job, youll need to take responsibility for managing yourself, which is precisely why many experienced salespeople love pure commissions roles.

May Holidays That Are Good for Marketing

May Holidays That Are Good for Marketing May Holidays That Are Good for Marketing If youre  Jewish-American, if you practice Transcendental  Meditation, or you love going out for Eggs Benedict at your favorite restaurant, then May is the month for you. Thats because May is Jewish-American Heritage Month, Meditation Month, and National Egg Month. More Serious Month of May Events It is also the very serious Awareness of Medical Orphans Month and National Osteoporosis Prevention Month. The United States is very prolific at creating national month events. In addition to businesses- whether they be major national conglomerates or local ma-and-pa shops- numerous worthwhile organizations and special interest groups including religious and ethnic ones establish a promotion during a calendar month. This dedicated month helps to get their name and message out to the public. Its not surprising that National Egg Month- celebrated at coffee shops and four-star restaurants from Maine to Monterey- is sponsored by the American Egg Board- everyone benefits. While it may not be appropriate for you to celebrate Haitian Awareness Month if you hail from South Africa, May is a good time to be reminded that a firm mattress is essential for a good nights sleep. Thats because May is Sleep Better Month, and the occasion is celebrated by large and small mattress companies across the U.S.   May Events Asian Heritage Month (Canada)Asian/Pacific American Heritage MonthAwareness of Medical Orphans MonthBetter Hearing and Speech MonthBetter Sleep MonthBorderline Personality Disorder MonthBrain Tumor Awareness MonthCorrect Posture MonthCreative Beginnings MonthFamily Wellness MonthFibromyalgia Education and Awareness MonthFoot Health MonthFreedom Shrine MonthGet Caught Reading MonthGifts From The Garden MonthGo Fetch! Food Drive for Homeless Animals MonthHaitian Heritage MonthHeal the Children Month Healthy Vision MonthHuntingtons Disease Awareness MonthInternational Audit MonthInternational Business Image Improvement MonthInternational Victorious Woman MonthJewish-American Heritage MonthLatino Books MonthLyme Disease Awareness MonthMeditation MonthMotorcycle Safety MonthNational Allergy/Asthma Awareness MonthNational Arthritis MonthNational Artisan Gelato MonthNational Asparagus MonthNational Barbeque MonthNational Bike MonthNational Chocolate Custard MonthNational Egg MonthNational Family Month National Foster Care Month NationalGood Car Keeping MonthNational Good Car Keeping MonthNational Hamburger MonthNational Hepatitis Awareness MonthNational High Blood Pressure MonthNational Mental Health MonthNational Military Appreciation Month NationalNational Moving MonthNational Mine MonthNational Osteoporosis Prevention MonthNational Photo MonthNational Physical Fitness and Sports MonthNational Physiotherapy MonthNational Preservation MonthNational Revise Your Work Schedule MonthNational Salad Month National Salsa MonthNational Share A Story monthNational Smile Month (From May 15 to June 15, 2019)National Strawberry MonthNational Stroke Awareness MonthNational Vinegar MonthOlder Americans MonthPersonal History MonthReact MonthStrike Out Strokes MonthSweet Vidalia Onions MonthTeen Self-Esteem MonthTennis MonthUltra-violet Awareness MonthWomens Health Care MonthYoung Achievers of Tomorrow Month No matter what business or non-profit you work in, its worth considering if there is a way you can benefit by tooting your own horn during May. Theres something in May for all kinds of organizations, in dozens of different industries. From teens to tennis players to those who sell sweet Vidalia onions, May is a great self-promotion month. Why not take advantage? After all, someone else already created the event for you.