How to Use Online Reviews to Improve Your Job Search - Your Career Intel

How to Use Online Reviews to Improve Your Job Search - Your Career IntelWhen youre in the middle of a job search, youre doing all sorts of tasks prepping resumes, networking and researching companies. One of the most popular job search resources are employer review sites like Glassdoor and Indeed. These job review sites offer an abundance of information about a companys culture, morale, work/life balance, management style, pay, benefits and chances for advancement. The importance of online reviews stems from the source of those reviews people who have worked or are still working at your target company.Are Job Review Sites Reliable?On todays internet, everything gets reviewed restaurants, stores, hospitals, car dealerships, Uber drivers and more. So, its no surprise that companies are reviewed too. But just how reliable are unterstellung reviews? In an era of fake news, Russian bots, and Facebook use or misuse of personal data, its a fair question.Company reviews on many job review si tes skew negative, a result of the tendency that people are more likely to complain than to compliment. Those negative reviews may have come from a disgruntled employee with an ax to grind, possibly someone recently fired. On the other hand, some companies encourage (or compel) employees to write positive reviews. And some companies are suspected of manipulating reviews to get more favorable overall ratings.Can online business reviews be useful in your job search? Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on how you use them.How to Integrate Company Reviews into Your Job SearchWhen reading company reviews, look at both positive and negative reviews with an eye toward how it applies to you. Is the reviewer in a punkt similar to the one you are applying for? Are the complaints about a specific situation, company culture or something else? Are those issues important to you? What were the reviewers expectations when joining the company? Keep in mind that different people have different experience s at the same company. Put the overall rating of a company in the context of competitors in the same industry. And be aware of your own biases (e.g., confirmation bias or recency bias).During the interview process, organizations are not always transparent on key issues such as hours, work/life balance, morale, etc. The company reviews youve read offer insights into those issues, giving you an opportunity to ask about them. Be willing to ask the company about a bad review. Ask in a non-critical, just asking, manner. Dont be afraid to mention the job review site where you read the review it shows youve done your due diligence. Use that good or bad review to start a conversation with the interviewer to learn more about the company. If you get the sense that answers are evasive, thats a red flag that perhaps you should look elsewhere.The more you learn about a company, the better. Online company reviews, when used carefully, can arm you with information and insights that will lead you t o the right job at the right firm.

#MeToo - The Harassment, The Lawsuit And How I Found Acceptance

MeToo - The Harassment, The Lawsuit And How I Found Acceptance If youve been on social media over the past few days, its been hard not to see the impact of the MeToo movement. The hashtag, started by community organizer Tarana Burke and made viral by actress and activist Alyssa Milano, has been used to inspire and encourage women to show that they are not alone in experiencing sexual harassment.(Source Twitter)One of the many brave women sharing their story? Angela Nuttle, CEO of the Corporate Talent Institute. In an bewerberinterview with Fairygodboss, Nuttle shared her experience of being sexually harassed at one of her first jobs in the 1990s. It was one of the most emotionally draining experiences of my life, Nuttle said.Prior to entering college, Nuttle worked as an executive secretary at a small town hospital. My manager was a middle-aged man who constantly shared his personal woes about his marriage, she said. He mistook my listening as some sort of sign that I was interested in him.AsNuttlessupervisor became more sexually aggressive in his comments, he also made physical advances toward her. My manager was not shy about making sexual comments about me and to me, Nuttle said. Everything came to a head one day when he cornered me in his office and bent me over his desk.Nuttle moved to file a complaint with human resources, collecting written and audio evidence in addition to testimonials from her colleagues. Though many of them stepped forward to confirm Nuttles experiences, Nuttles employment at the hospital was ultimately terminated.I asked to be transferred, but the da sagst du was had already gotten out about the complaint to the other leaders, Nuttle said. I fileuchtdiode a discrimination lawsuit and won the case.Unfortunately, Nuttles legal victory was short-lived. The hospitals defense team filed a number of appeals and eventually, Nuttle stopped fighting them. The defense had gone to such extremes to paint me as a terrible person in spite of my sp otless record, she said. They tried to portray the situation like I had asked for it, that I enjoyed my managers advances. When, in fact, it was horrible and sickening.Like Nuttles story shows, sexual harassment (of all kinds) is way too common for working women. When Nuttle saw MeToo across social media platforms, she knew that now was the time to share her experience with others.MeToo showed up, and I heard my name being called. I knew the time had come to step up with boldness, Nuttle said. Im older and wiser now, and I can speak freely about it with emotional composure and maturity. My case of sexual harassment has led me to deeper reflection I have come to a place of forgiveness and healing.Today, Nuttle is a successful entrepreneur, author and speaker. I am not a victim I am an overcomer, she said. My experiences have led me on a mission of helping people get out of their personal prisons so they can be seen, heard, valued and celebrated.

How to Get Industry Leaders to Join Your Team - Spark Hire

How to Get Industry Leaders to Join Your Team - Spark HireWhen youre looking to grow your gruppe, you want to be sure that the people youre hiring will add value to your business. Ideally, youd like to identify industry leaders, and then target ansicht individuals as you recruit. But sometimes it feels like this is easier said than done. If youre searching for those one or two key players who can make a major impact on your organization, keep these tips in mindSocial media makes this task much easierIf you want to figure out whos running the conversation in your industry, simply jump on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. Over time, youll quickly begin to identify industry leaders based on their comments and interaction with others. From there, you can work to build your own relationships with these individuals. If you know someone who is already connected to this person, you can also ask them to help make an introduction. Being approached by someone they know and tr ust can break down any barriers that may exist, particularly if this person has demands on their time that might otherwise prevent them from connecting with you.Identify where this leader would fit inWhile youre working on networking with this individual, take some time and figure out where they might fit within your company. You dont want to bring someone on board in any capacity just to have them on your team, and then discover that the position wasnt right for them and that they plan on leaving in a few months. Develop a well thought out strategy for how youd like to get this industry leader involved in your brand.Understand what drives themIf you truly want to hire someone who can reshape your business, youll need to understand what motivates them. In many cases, these factors will be drastically different than what motivates other employees. It probably wont be solely money or vacation days. Things like freedom, strong company culture, and the ability to take on exciting projec ts often carry more weight with true leaders. Keep this in mind as you try to recruit.Wait for an appropriate timeIf youre introduced to this person and immediately offer them a job, dont be shocked when your connection goes sour quickly. Though you may be excited about the potential of working with this individual, immediately suggesting that they join your team can be off-putting to them. Work on building up your relationship first before making this suggestion.How have you gotten an industry leader to join your company? Share your tips with us in the commentsImage monkeybusinessimages/BigStock.com

Solar Parking

Solar Parking Solar Parking Solar ParkingYou probably havent parked under a heated tensile fabric structureor even heard that phrase beforebut you likely will in the not-too-distant future. One company that produces cloth that incorporates flexible, thin-film photovoltaics into the material is seeing its products increasingly mounted over parking lots and other environments while another company uses a similar material to create tents that can be deployed by humanitarian aid workers.Take the case of business park owner Clearbell Capital LLP of London. A few years ago, the company sought a way to turn the parking lots outside 15 of its business parks into solar structures. The company wanted to continue the low-carbon footprint used within the parks office buildings. But it sought a flexible and attractive parking cover that would blend into surrounding settings that were both industrial and natural, says Natasha Prior, business manager at the Solar Cloth Co.Clearbell Capital eventual ly turned to Priors company of Cambridge, UK, for a solution. The Solar Cloth Co. makes flexible, solar modules bonded to lightweight fabric or plastic that can be rolled and fit onto curved and flexible structures. The modules are comprised of thin film photovoltaics lightweight, flexible, solar panels, Prior says.Perry Carroll, founder of Solar Cloth Company. Image Kate Warner / Wikimedia CommonsThe Solar Cloth Co. calls its technology tensile photovoltaics. The cloth can take solar applications into areas where traditional silicon panels wont work or arent practical, Prior adds.Under the tensile fabric now topping the Clearbell Capital lots, the cars stay warm during the workday.With this background in the yachting industry, Solar Cloth Co. owner Perry Carroll first began work on a solar sail, also traktement by the company and used to power electrical devices on the yacht. The principles behind the yacht sail and solar cloth are the same, Carroll says.The solar cloth does come w ith tradeoffs. While the thin-film photovoltaics weigh much less than conventional solar panels, they produce 15 percent less power than generated by the current generation panels, says Natasha Prior, the companys business manager.The modules within the fabric produce power for around 20 years, she adds.The Solar Cloth covers a car park near Cambridge, England. Photo credit Solar Cloth Co.The company uses a photovoltaic technology called copper indium gallium selenide.This is very different from the silicon solar that people are used to seeing on roofs, Prior says. The CIGS panels are lightweight and flexible, meaning that they can be installed on curved or non-load bearing roofs where other solar would not be suitable.CIGS thin-film solar cells are created by depositing a thin layer of copper, indium, gallium, and selenide on glass or plastic backing along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current. Because they strongly absorb sunlight, the solar cells can be made fr om a thinner film than other types of cells, according to a statement from Solar Frontier Kabushiki, a Tokyo, Japan, photovoltaic company that makes thin film solar films through the CIGS process.The panels absorb light for long periods, so they generate energy from dawn until dusk, and capture light on cloudy days. They also have a higher shading tolerance, meaning they can be installed in tricky locations that may not face south and may be shaded by trees or surrounding buildings, a feature Clearbell Capital sought as many of its lots are partially shaded, Prior adds.The number of flexible solar modules bonded within one foot of the solar cloth depend on the design and the size of the installation, Prior says.The PowerShade The company is not alone in manufacturing flexible, solar fabrics, though the market is relatively open. A tent, the PowerShade, made from a similar-style fabric from PowerFilm Inc. of Ames, Iowa, can generate one kilowatt of energy. In addition to keeping its occupants warm, the material could help power emergency equipment at short notice in remote places during humanitarian or natural disasters, says a PowerFilm Inc. spokesperson.For commercial use, one hindrance to solar panel adoption is that they can be difficult to install and integrate with existing architecture functionally and aesthetically, Prior says.Flexible solar cloth overcomes all of these problems and can add real value to existing and upcoming sites, Prior adds.A ten-square-meter solar cloth weighs around 7.3 pounds, much less than conventionalsolar panels, which, to cover the same space, would weigh between 35 and 48 pounds, Prior says. Clearbell Capital, for example, implemented the tensile technology because it was lighter weight and less expensive than traditional solar cell technology, she says.Solar Cloth recently merged with Base Structures, a fabric manufacturer in Bristol, England. Prior says she anticipates a range of colorful solar cloth with the merger.Its ge tting to be like you dont even know youre looking at a solar installation, she says.Jean Thilmany is an independent writer.Learn about the latest energy solutions at ASMEs Power Energy Conference and Exhibition. For Further DiscussionThis is very different from the silicon solar that people are used to seeing on roofs. The CIGS panels are lightweight and flexible, meaning that they can be installed on curved or nonload-bearing roofs where other solar would not be suitable.Natasha Prior, Solar Cloth Co.

5 Ways You Can Develop Your Career While In College

5 Ways You Can Develop Your Career While In College5 Ways You Can Develop Your Career While In CollegeThe days are getting shorter, and the leaves have begun to change colors and fall. Youve wrapped up that summer job, said goodbye to your family and are heading back to college. Dont let the excitement of seeing your friends and beginning classes distract you from an important task building your resume. While the economy is recovering from the 2008 recession and unemployment rates are improving, for recent graduates (ages 20-24), the situation can still be quite frustrating. The unemployment rate for recent grads is at about 5%, but 45% are underemployed, working in low-skilled and low-paying roles. Follow these five tips for building your career prior to graduation.Get a part time job or internshipAccording to a report in the Chronicle of Higher Education, employers say that internships and employment during college are the two most important factors they consider on a recent colleg e graduates resume. Worried about your class load? Consider working on campus in a library or computer center where you can use downtime to work on your homework or explore the many opportunities to work part-time for only a few hours a week in close proximity to your campus.Build mentor relationships with professorsReferences are invaluable during job search, particularly when you dont have a long and storied work history to lean on. In fact, 69% of employers have said that they have changed their minds about a candidate after speaking with a reference. Do everything that you can to cultivate relationships that could result in positive references of your work ethic, character and interests. A great place to start for such relationships is in the classroom with your professors or teaching assistants.Attend networking events with alumniWhile its important to get your resume up-to-date and to apply to jobs online on sites such as Simply Hired, its also in your best interest to get out and mingle and network with working professionals. More than 70% of people land jobs through such networking. A great place to start is your college or universitys career services center. Many schools post alumni networking events that you can attend or will pair you with a mentor.Get involved on campusGrades are not everything. Academics are important, but your GPA will not get you a job. Make sure youre involved on campus join clubs, organizations and anything that interests you. For students who dont have the opportunity to work throughout college, school clubs and organizations are a great way to build your resume. It can be particularly impressive if you maintain a consistent membership in a select few organizations and take leadership roles when possible. This will not only help you gain useful skills, it will also provide you with a marketable work history of sorts.Volunteer for a worthy causeIn the midst of all of this resume-building, networking and career-focused work, ta ke moment and give back to a cause that resonates with you. Volunteering will simultaneously provide you with an opportunity to do the aforementioned things, introducing you to interesting people with whom you can network, and it will allow you to gain new skills. Not to mention, volunteering will also give you a bit of perspective.Your college years are a great time to learn, grow and discover who you are. However, theyre also an opportunity to ensure your future, so dont lose focus of your goal to love what you do.

The magic potion that will save you from procrastination

The magic potion that will save you from procrastinationThe magic potion that will save you from procrastinationHere is the magic anti-procrastination potion for youAn Ounce of Self-analysisAs much as you cannot base your work habits on motivation alone?- ?its important to examine your deep desires and follow them.Becoming productive for the sake of productivity will not cut the mustardFollow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWe are social animals. According to Jim Rohn, one of the finest business philosophers of the 20th century, our motivations come down to different groups of people.Some people are motivated by their social status in the eyes of their peers, some want to impress their mentors, others do all they can do for their families. The belastung category of motivation applies to the wellbeing of humanity as a whole.You need also to take an inventory of your talents, strengths, and passions. We are naturally drawn to activities that we excel at. I have many talents, but I welches never attracted to art. I suck at painting and every other artistic activity.Daily habit JournalingEvery morning I write half a page in my calendar ruminating about my ambitions, fears, struggles and hopes. Do it every day and you will quickly create a base for the overarching self-awareness about your purpose and strengths.A Pound ofBasicsEverybody wants to be more productive, butvery fewpeople take care of their wellbeingfirst.You need a healthy body, mind and spirit to function optimally. Instead of focusing on mastering a time management framework, most of us would do better by simply getting enough sleep.The same goes with spiritual practices. Everybody wants to have infinite motivation, but very few try to regularly reach the only infinite Source with their prayers. I am an Energizer Bunny Ive worked insane hours for the last six years, but I draw my motivation from the divi ne, from Someone so much bigger than me.Daily habitsThus, I urge you to focus on basics first. Sleep enough, pray, exercise, read, hydrate yourself properly, train your mind, eat whole foods.Cover the basics, then think about productivity.One Dose ofWhyIts good that whatever you do connects with a bigger picture. Its also good to have a very personal motive for any particular goal you pursue.Part of Jim Rohns goal setting exercise was to ask yourself why you want to achieve this goal and if your answer doesnt sound convincing you shouldneverstart at the first place.I watchedan excellent videowhere comedian Michael Jr. asked a guy from the audience what he does.The man responded that hes a music teacher. Michael Jr. asked him if he could sing. The guy sang a few lines of Amazing Grace pretty well. Then the speaker asked him to sing like his Uncle just got out of jail and he was shot in the back. The guy sang SO much better with this why.Daily habitrefer to your personal mission state mentEvery morning I look at my vision board based on my personal mission statement. I also repeat my mission statement in my mind as soon as I open my eyes.My personal mission statement is my compass for life, something that deeply motivates me. Its not a temporary whim and it deeply connects with who I want to become.Oh, you need towrite your mission statementfirst, of course.A Pinch of SmartnessYou know, all of this time management mumbo-jumbo. It really makes sense, when you focus on your why first and cover the basics.Daily habitsplatzdeckchen only one priority for a given day. Tackle it first, before doing anything else.Keep a detailed time journal for two weeks.Write down all your projects.Break down bigger tasks into smaller chunks and repeat the process until each task is broken into its smallest subtasks.Prioritize and serialize the subtasks, taking note of interdependencies and tasks that have a specific order.Prioritize your to-do items and block time for each task.Take o n the hardest task first each day.Exercise stepping out of your comfort zone.Prepare a list of filler activities in advance dont spend your energy on wondering what to do next when you have a few minutes to spare.Break big tasks into smaller chunks, so you can do them in the meantime.Use the Pomodoro technique.Reward yourself after doing the work.Take often breaks.An ounce of self-analysis, a pound of basics, one dose of why and a pinch of smartness. It works like magic. Procrastination doesnt stand a chance.This article first appeared on Medium.

Well-Paid Careers for People with Performing Arts Degrees

Well-Paid Careers for People with Performing Arts DegreesWell-Paid Careers for People with Performing Arts DegreesIf you went to college and majored in Performing Arts, only to discover theatre, TV, and film is not for you, do not worry. There are plenty of options if you are seeking well-paid careers in which your performing arts degree will help you.Lets face it. The United States is responsible for 84% of the worlds media. So, an understanding of the media is always beneficial in todays world. You can also get some really good paying jobs, too.Lawyer Average Salary $160KBelieve it or not, when I was in college for my Performing Arts Degree, our group of majors was scouted by several law schools. While some students were thinking, This will help me when I get on Law Order, other students were listening to why the law school chose to scout actors.The main reason? Lawyers who know how to sway the emotions of a jury have a better aussicht at winning cases. Lawsuits and trials are dr amatic by nature, and any lawyer who understands performing and drama is better equipped to memorize facts, scripts, and speeches.They are better at presenting facts than someone who is dull, nervous, and unfeeling. Myself, I know several lawyers with well-paid careers who were inspired by the film, To Kill a Mockingbird.Judge Average Salary $175K - $225KJudges often have a great verstndigung im strafverfahren of charisma and understand people better than anyone. The profession of Performing Arts is all about studying the performance of life. And the performance of life is playing out in front of the judge every day. The judge has to maintain control over all of it.Judges have to maintain order in their own courtroom over lawyers, jury, courtroom officers, plaintiffs, and defendants. They are all there to either argue or maintain control. And the judge must be sharp enough to spot certain behaviors and respond justly.Performers are known for charisma, dealing with audiences, confid ence in dramatic situations, and captivating attention. Judges are required to do the same thing. See for yourself the next time you have jury duty.Meteorologist Average salary $100,000There is a difference between a TV Weather Presenter and a Meteorologist. One is a performer, and the other is a scientist.If you are that excited scientist with that desire for drama you can explore being a TV weather presenter. You will actually be paid more because you have a deeper understanding of how to present. You also have a love for the science of Meteorology, so your predictions and explanations may be more exciting to watch and listen.TV weather presenters, on average, make $20K less than scientists in the field of performing weather knowledge to millions. Meteorologists can also have well-paid careers working for the government.Politicians Average salary $150K - $400KPolitics and media go hand-and-hand in the United States. Politicians spend a great deal of time meeting new people, goin g on interviews, and campaigning. They ideally represent the people and have to argue on behalf of them. More so, they have to win elections to stay employed. That means winning people over with charisma, looks, ability to make a point, and overall likeability.Performing Arts Degrees also involve courses on the reality of how people are perceived, based on clothes, looks, age etc. It can be an unforgiving business. And politicians are not exempt from these standards. Knowing how to get a point across in the media has been important since the dawn of radio.The ranges for your well-paid careers in politics can vary from Federal, State, and Local politics. Here are the salaries at the very peak of a politicians career in Federal GovernmentCongress Members (Representatives and Senators) $175KSenate and House Majority/Minority Leaders $195KCabinet Members $200KSpeaker of the House $225KVice President $230KPresident $400KLocal and state politicians salary vary greatly. In the US, the high est paying jobs in state politics goes to the governor, ranging between $150K and $190K.The lowest paid politicians salary known is a state representative from New Hampshire, who makes $100 (dollars) a year. As you can assume, this is a part-time job. And if you are an actor, you are used to getting paid very little.College Professor with Ph.D. Average salary $127KThis requires little explanation. People do have doctorates in dramatic arts. If you prefer teaching performing arts, you can stay in school longer and eventually earn a Ph.D.This will make you valuable to any high paying university with a strong performing arts program. There are many really good paying jobs out there for anyone with a Ph.D.It may not be the well-paid career you had expected, but you totenstill get to stay in performing arts. You give back to others like you and that can be rewarding.What they all have in commonPeople stay in these well-paid careers due to their ability to communicate emotion, creatively express, sway audiences, understand feelings, almost predict behavior, and when called for...entertain a little.