How to Use a Friend as a Reference

How to Use a Friend as a ReferenceHow to Use a Friend as a ReferenceThe old line references upon request may have fallen out of favor on resumes, but having references at the ready is essential for a successful job search. A good reference can make all the difference, offering insight into your skills, accomplishments, and character that a hiring manager cant get from your resume and application materials alone. Friends can make excellent professional and personal references for your job search. But, there are a few things to keep in mind, to use behauptung references effectively (and to make life easier for your friends who want to help you get a job). Difference Between Personal and Professional References We spend the bulk of our waking hours at work, so it makes sense that our coworkers often become friends. If thats the case, you might use your friend as a professional reference, i.e., one attesting to the quality of your work. If your friend is currently or formerly your ma nager, direct report, or colleague, they may be able to provide you with a professional reference. On the other hand, if youve never worked together, your friend might be able to provide a personal reference. These references are about character, work ethic, reliability, etc. - all the personal qualities that make someone a great employee, tenant, hauptplatine member, etc. Do not use recent acquaintances or anyone who doesnt know you well. Dont ask spouses or family members to provide you with a reference - the hiring manager will assume that your family has only positive things to say about you. Will They Bea Good Reference Good friends dont automatically make good references. Remember that youre not just looking for someone who has a high opinion of your work - although thats essential - butalso for someone who can explain why they feel as they do. The hiring manager wont think less of you because someone likes you a lot, but they wont necessarily think more of you, either - their goal is to hire someone who can do the job, not find a new best friend. Here is what to look for in a good reference. Give you permission to use them as a reference.Can speak to the quality of your work (or your character, in the case of a personal reference).Will have only positive things to say.Can provide concrete examples of your accomplishments.Express themselves well and in a way that reflects positively on you.Are available, punctual, and reliable. As a rule of thumb, its a bad idea to ask anyone for a reference if you wouldnt feel comfortable providing one for them. Remember that their conduct will reflect on you, not only during the reference but generally. Keep in mind that hiring managers often Google candidates during the hiring process, and might do the same with your references. You dont want the endorsement of someone with a less-than-professional online reputation. How to Ask When someone gives you a reference, theyre doing you a favor. Its essential to be appreciative and to make things as easy on them as possible. With that in mind Always ask your friend if you may use them as a reference, even if they wont be required to write a letter of recommendation or make a significant time commitment to the process. It is both considerate and smart you want your friend to be prepared to paint you in a positive light. Its often best to use references who are available by phone, and you should ask them for the best number to use (cell, office phone, etc.).Review the job and your accomplishments. Share the job description and explain which qualifications and skills seem most essential to the role - and most important to the hiring manager. Offer examples of your accomplishments that demonstrate your aptitude for the job. Dont assume that your friend will remember your achievements from your time working together. Its hard enough to remember what weve done in our own careers - keeping tabs on someone elses is nearly impossible. Is your frie nd phone-shy? They can still help you by writing a letter of reference. If you go this route, its not a bad idea to have a list of important skills, accomplishments, and duties ready to give them, to make the writing process easier. If it seems helpful, you can also offer them these templates to guide their writing - but be sure they use these as a guideline only. The last thing you want is to wind up with a reference letter thats copied word-for-word from a template.Send a thank-you letter. Its the right thing to do, and itll increase the chances that your friend will recommend you in the future.

Disrupting the Grid

Disrupting the Grid Disrupting the Grid Disrupting the GridWhen its famous marble quarries closed in the 1980s, Rutland, Vermont, lost hundreds of jobs and its once-thriving economy fell into decline. Foreclosures, unemployment, population loss, heroin addiction, and other ills plagued the town of about 16,500 residents.But Rutlanders dreamed of a brighter futureliterally.In this far northeast corner of the country, which is known mora for its environmental consciousness than its sun, many Rutland residents developed a keen interest in solar energy. They soon found a strong supporter in Mary Powell, the CEO of Green Mountain Power, the local electrical utility.Powell, a refugee from the world of banking, is an unconventional executive who earned her degree in arts and music, works behind a standing desk, founded a company selling reflective wear for pets, and has a pet pig named Oddball.She has long been obsessed with meeting her customers needs and desires, and since what the custom ers wanted in Rutland welches solar power, Powell was determined to deliver it. Her quest to do so has put Green Mountainand Rutlandon the front lines of a fundamental shift in the countrys electrical grid and power generation ordnungsprinzip.Under CEO Mary Powell, Green Mountain Power built the biggest solar farm in Vermont.Over the last decade solar panels have spread across the landscape, thanks to rapid technological advances, renewable-friendly policies, new regulations to combat climate change, and a booming global market. Solar power now supplies clean electricity to mios of homes, schools and businesses nationwide.But as rooftop solar and other forms of distributed electricity generation spread further, it poses critical new challenges for utilities and grid managers.The electrical grid was designed and built in the last century to manage one-way, high-speed electricity flow from big power plants. But in a few short years it could contend with large volumes of excess electri city sent back to the grid from homegrown solar power and small wind turbines.Whats mora, when the sun ducks behind a cloud or when a stiff breeze dies, solar or wind energy drops off rapidly. As rooftop solar and wind power proliferate, this intermittency could make it harder for utilities to ensure a reliable supply of electricity. Today they do that by quickly firing up, speeding, or slowing a spinning turbine at a central power plant. Controlling countless dispersed solar panels and wind turbines is not so easy.For ansicht reasonsand to improve the electrical systems performanceefforts are underway to modernize the grid. The federal government, states, utilities, and transmission system operators have all launched major efforts to transform the grid, with distributed solar as a central component. In 2015 the Obama administration called for Congress to invest an unprecedented $3.5 billion over ten years to modernize the grid and prepare it for higher levels of renewable energy, i ncluding an influx of distributed solar. New York States ambitious Renewing the Energy Vision (REV) offers incentives for companies to come up with innovative business models that profit from the spread of rooftop solar and other forms of distributed renewable generation.And while some utilities around the country have tried to curtail the growth of rooftop solar because they view the growth of distributed generation as a threat to their business, other utilities have supported it. But few have worked harder at phasing in distributed solar than Green Mountain Power, and it uses the town of Rutland, Vermont, to prove it works.There, the utility launched an ambitious plan to scale up solar generation and pilot the responsive, interconnected grid technologies needed to create a leaner and cleaner electricity system. This meant installing solar panels to provide a massive amount of the communitys power. It also meant building a self-contained solar-powered microgrida section of the grid that can disconnect from the larger grid to keep electricity flowing even when storms cause regional blackouts.Ironically, Rutlands microgrid and distributed solar generation harken back to the past, when massive transmission systems were not yet possible, and electricity was generated and delivered locally.Its a bit of back to the future, Powell said. Back to the future, new and improved.custompagebreakHere comes the sunPeople have used solar power for centuries, constructing dwellings to take advantage of the suns warmth and using glass to concentrate sunlight to start fires. Early solar cells were developed in the late 1800s, and in 1954 Bell Labs produced the first photovoltaic (PV) panel that could produce electricity from sunlight.After decades of development, solar PV began reaching a mass market in the 1990s as technological advances made solar panels mora efficient, and policy changes and market forces spurred the young industry to grow. In 1991, Germany implemented a poli cy that paid rooftop solar panel owners retail rates for the electricity they supplied to the grid. Rooftop solar exploded in that country. Chinese manufacturers stepped up their efforts to meet the new demand, becoming the worlds leading solar panel manufacturer.Today solar PV provides about 7 percent of Germanys electricity consumption, and up to 50 percent on sunny weekend days. And technological advances and economies of scale helped drive prices down worldwide. In the United States, for example, the cost of installing residential solar plummeted from more than $9 a watt in 2007 to $4 in 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. This is inexpensive enough that in about 20 statesespecially states like Hawaii and California with sunny weather and high energy costssolar energy has achieved grid parity, meaning that solar costs no more than other forms of energy. Barring major changes in rate structure or incentives, grid parity is expected to spread nationwide by 2020, acco rding to a February report from GTM Research. This could persuade even more Americans to go solar.Some energy analysts and utilities worry that cheaper solar PV and other distributed generation could trigger a death spiral for utilities, in which customers draw less electricity from the grid, reducing revenues, and forcing utilities to raise rates. This could push more customers into the arms of competing retail energy suppliers, and motivate more people to generate their own energy, reducing utility revenues further.Some utilities are making preemptive strikes to preserve their revenue under their traditional business model, including proposing surcharges on customers who install solar panels. But a few, including Green Mountain, have embraced the changes.The revolution is coming, Powell said. Do you want to resist it, do you want to follow it, do you want to be part of it, or do you want to accelerate it? Were accelerating it.Solar plus storageGreen Mountains first foray into sola r occurred in 2007, when it built a 200-kilowatt solar farm on a brownfield in Berlin, Vermont, a village just outside the state capital, Montpelier. It was the biggest solar farm in Vermont.A few years later, it shattered that record. In partnership with the solar developer groSolar and using state and federal funding, Green Mountain built a massive solar installation called Stafford Hill on a landfill in Rutland. It went online last summer with 7,700 solar panels that can generate 2.5 megawatts of electricity15 times more than the utilitys first solar farm, and enough to power about 3,000 homes, or more than a third of Rutlands total.Stafford Hill was more than a solar farmit was part of the countrys first microgrid powered entirely by solar. A microgrid is a small networked section of the grid that can generate its own electricity from distributed generationsolar panels, wind turbines, combined heat and power, geothermal installations, or biodigestersand can be disconnected from the larger grid to operate autonomously.Microgrids can benefit utilities by feeding excess electricity they generate into the larger grid for the utility to use. And unlike the old-fashioned grid, which typically stores relatively little energy, they can use that excess energy to charge banks of batteries to draw on later.To help Rutlands microgrid function autonomously, for example, Green Mountain stocked it with enough lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries to store up to 3.5 megawatt-hours worth of electricity from Stafford Hills solar panels and release it at night or on cloudy days.Microgrids can also boost a towns disaster resilience. Rutlands microgrid includes a section of town with the local high school, which serves as an emergency shelter in a region thats frequently buffeted by severe storms and suffered massive outages in 2011 during Hurricane Irene.Not your fathers gridWhen too much electricity flows onto a traditional grid from rooftops all over town, solars natural vari ability can trigger voltage fluctuations. These flickers in the electricity delivered to customers can interfere with the functioning of electronics, appliances, and industrial equipment.Whats more, distributed solar causes sharp bursts or drops in electricity when its working normally, but those large fluctuations can cause problems on a traditional grid, causing sections of the grid to be automatically disconnected as a safety measure. If a grid depends on solar generation to meet its overall energy demands, such tripping could cause unnecessary electricity shortfalls.The grid is like a wave pool, explained Benjamin Gaddy, director of technology development at the Clean Energy Trust, a Chicago business accelerator. The question is how do you verify that the new wave of power youre adding to the existing wave doesnt knock that wave out of balance.custompagebreakThe answer is the smart grid.The traditional grid involves wires and analog equipment delivering electricity to objects th at consume it. The smart grid uses Internet of Things technology to add a layer of intelligence. It enables equipment on the gridsmart meters, smart appliances, sensors, batteries, solar panels, smart invertersto continually collect data on electricity flow, supply and demand, and equipment performance to communicate with each other, often wirelessly and to analyze data and coordinate their actions based on their shared virtual intelligence.The term smart basically refers to data, said Mohammad Shahidehpour, director of the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity neuerung at the Illinois Institute of Technology. When we say smart, theres no smartness physically in the grid. What makes it smart is that you provide data to the participants to make smart decisions.That may sound simple, but the amount of data is staggering. Theres terabytes of data coming in, some people even say petabytes, said Jacob Pereira, a senior analyst with the firm IHS Technology who focuses on the electrical grid and smart meters. Its really hard to analyze, hard to collate. It adds an incredible amount of complexity to the grid.Networked nodesMuch of the new data in the electrical system is crunched by countless microprocessors located in pieces of equipment, or nodes, all over the grid. A 5-megawatt feeder circuit on a section of the grid with 50 percent solar penetration could have 500 active nodes providing data, the Department of Energy noted. Nodes include sensors, controllers, capacitors, frequency and voltage regulators attached to the wires smart appliances like dishwashers, therfruchtweinats, batteries, electric vehicles, and smart meters in homes and smart inverters attached to solar panels.Sophisticated computer programs in these nodes almost instantaneously process that data. This allows the equipment at these nodes to act autonomously on signals that they get from the utility or from other nodes on the smart grid.The nodes can also send data through wires or wirelessly to the distribution system operator, which is a central nerve center, usually run by a utility, where staff monitors automated functions. This helps the utility keep tabs in real time on system demand, and know exactly how much energy must be fed onto the distribution grid from the high-voltage transmission lines.When overall system demand is high, the system operator can reduce electricity demand by reaching into smart homesa key component of the smart gridand remotely turning appliances off or ratcheting them down. It can also tap batteries to contribute electricity to the grid. And when overall system demand is low, smart-home components soak up electricity by charging batteries or electric vehicles or by heating water, for example.The smart grid offers another key benefit fewer power plants being built, which cuts pollution and saves ratepayers money. The electrical system is tremendously overbuilt and most of that capacity is underutilized, explained Erik Birkerts, CEO of the Clea n Energy Trust, which helps many smart-grid-related startups. Cutting energy use at peak demand times, such as hot summer afternoons, reduces the need to build expensive peaker plantsnatural-gas-fired power plants that are fired up only occasionally to meet peak demand.Although the technology and products that make up the smart grid have been developing at a rapid clip over the past decade, the smart grid as a whole is still very much a work in progress. Utilities around the country are still providing their customers smart meters, a crucial piece of the smart grid. Start-up companies are developing new software to manage the smart grids components or help consumers change their behavior based on smart-meter data. Software developers and grid managers are still working to develop algorithms and programs to wrangle all the data.But cutting-edge smart-grid technologies alone will not be enough to facilitate a big influx of distributed solar and other renewables and forge a clean, smar t electrical system. That will also require new policies.A sunny outlookAs Green Mountain Power built out the Stafford Hill solar plant and the nearby microgrid, it also took its clean-energy commitment into territory that utilities often avoid It crafted a policy that encouraged customers to generate their own power. Individuals and companies who installed solar panels on their homes or businesses, as well as some farmers who used biodigesters to turn cow manure into electricity, were all paid retail rates for power they generated and sent back to the grid.Green Mountain, like many utilities around the country, has also crafted policies to smarten up the grid, and it has gone farther than most. Its subsidizing the installation of energy storage and smart appliances at customers homes. And this year it became the first utility in the country to offer its customers Tesla Powerwall batteries to lease or buy. Customers receive reduced rates if they allow the utility to draw energy from the battery when the grid needs it. Such batteries have given distributed solar a boost by letting homeowners store up to 6 kWh of solar-generated electricity. Thats enough to power a home through an evening, so it draws less electricity from the grid and cuts the homeowners energy bill.custompagebreakFederal investments in solar energy and microgrids could ultimately make distributed solar cheaper, which might convince other utilities to follow Green Mountains lead. The Department of Energys SunShot program aims to slash the per-watt price of solar installations by 75 percent from about $4 right now down to $1 by 2020, in large part by improving solar PV technology and mass production. For example, a $1.1 million DOE Sunshot grant to the University of Illinois at Chicago and partner institutions will fund development of cadmium telluride PV cells that could be twice as efficient as conventional PV at turning sunlight into electricity.States and cities are investing as well. New Yo rk State is running a $40 million competition to spur the development of community microgrids, and in 2015 the state awarded $100,000 each to 83 applicants around the state for feasibility studies. Winners of the next round will collectively receive $8 million in awards to develop engineering designs and business plans.And utilities nationwide, including in larger cities, have undertaken solar and microgrid efforts of their own. In Texas, Austin Energy is leveraging $4.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to phase in energy storage technology to reserve excess electricity until its needed. Its also developing new software that aggregates rooftop solar power into a virtual power plant that reduces the need to build a real one. In Chicago, ComEd, Chicagos local utility, is planning a microgrid in Bronzeville, a historic, mostly low-income neighborhood on the citys South Side.But not everyone is on board and supporting the phase-in of solar and a smarter grid. Regulators in Wis consin, Nevada, and other states have let utilities pay those with rooftop solar wholesale rather than retail rates for the electricity they feed into the grid, and charge high monthly fees for grid upkeep. Experts say this could chill solar.But overall the momentum is in the other direction. The Obama Administrations Clean Power Plan, if it survives court challenges, would mandate a 32 percent reduction in U.S. carbon emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. Along with other federal air-pollution rules that mandate expensive pollution controls on power plants, it would drive up the cost of fossil-fuel-fired power and make renewables more competitive.And many major cities, including New York, Chicago, Milwaukee and San Diego are promoting solar, microgrids and other energy innovations as a way to lure employers who value clean, reliable electricity.That is what has happened in Rutland, Vermont. The citys new grid provides clean, reliable energyand it has helped boost the towns economy a nd attract 20 new businesses, Powell and local officials said. These include the solar companies groSolar, Next Sun, and SunCommon an independent book-seller and a regional chain of electronics stores.Rutlands Downtown Merchants Row also hosts Green Mountains Energy Innovation Center, an interactive museum of sorts with displays about energy and regular talks by energy experts. Since becoming a clean energy hub, We were able to do things we otherwise would not be able to do to better the quality of life, to better the jobs market, to really transform the community, Rutland mayor Chris Louras has said.And even though the energy issues of a small Vermont town may differ from those in most cities, the lessons learned in Rutland can translate nationwide, Powell said. Utilities everywhere should appreciate the business case Green Mountain has made for embracing a new energy model, and people anywhere are likely to welcome immediate, concrete impacts on a local level, including reliable c lean power, an economic boost, and cutting-edge technology.In fact, it may be those impacts, more than anything else, that drive an energy revolution.Kari Lydersen is a Chicago-based reporter and author who writes about science, energy, and the environment.

Why imperfect is more beautiful than perfect

Why imperfect is more beautiful than perfectWhy imperfect is more beautiful than perfectIm a recovering perfectionist.Its a battle Ive waged for years. Id often catch myself spending a few futile hours moving paragraphs around on the same page for the sixteenth time. Id become obsessed with every crevice and corner, every comma and semicolon, just to get the article or the book chapter perfect - as Sisyphus rolled his eyes at me.Of course, I knew about the usual vices of perfectionism - that its a futile quest to hit a moving target, that it can be crippling, and that it gets in the way of actually doing the work.But I still couldnt turn it off because I thought that perfect meant beautiful. I told myself that, if I aimed for anything less than perfect, my writing would suck.Now, I think the opposite. Perfect and beautiful arent the same thing. Perfect often degrades the work product. Its the flaws, the imperfections, the roughness around the edges that generate the beauty.Let me e xplain.Perfectionism is primarily fueled by a desire for external approval. Its an indulgence. Were afraid that if we expose our flaws, well stop getting our daily dose of approvals. So we puff ourselves up and create curated positive portrayals of our imperfect and flawed lives. We round off the edges, airbrush the negatives, and present a perfect image to the public that we carefully nurture and maintain.Heres an example. YouTube is filled with videos filmed by personal trainers who move seamlessly from one intense exercise to the next without so much as taking a breath. I huff, puff, and disappear into a puddle of sweat while trying to follow what Im convinced is a robot performing impossible reps and sets.Yes, thats the word Robot. Perfection is for robots. philanthropisch beings come with flaws.When we cover up these flaws, we also conceal what makes us human. About a year ago, I gave my weekly newsletter a facelift by adding a fancy headshot, photos, and graphics. My open rate s - which track how many of my subscribers open my emails - plummeted. The open rates recovered only after I went back to a simple text format that looks more like a rough email from a friend.It turns out that people want the pig without the lipstick.Its like Rocky and Apollo boxing after hours in the gym when everyone leaves. Thats the real, raw stuff. Everything else is a show.Many Navajo rugs havemistakes in them - distortions in the patterns, lines, and shapes. Some say that these mistakes are intentionally crafted as a reminder of human imperfection. But others suggest that the mistakes arent intentional. Whats intentional is the desire not to go back and fix them. ansicht mistakes, woven into the fabric, are left to stand.These rugmakers know whats obvious An imperfect, hand-crafted rug with a story is far more beautiful than one manufactured to perfection in a factory.The Japanese call this concept wabi-sabi. Its one of those beautiful foreign words that has no equivalent in English. As Richard Powell explains, wabi-sabi acknowledges three realities nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.Im not talking about the type of fake imperfection that makes blue jeans look weathered or a Crate Barrel chair look antique. Manufactured imperfections are easy to spot. You know them when you see them. Its the authentic imperfection - like thisvideo of a personal trainerwho openly exposes her exhaustion during exercise - that makes you want to tell the world about her.Ona podcast, the writer and musician Derek Sivers tells a terrific story on point. He once received a sampler CD of unknown artists. As he listened to the CD in the background, one song stopped him in his tracks.It welches a woman singingLeaving Las Vegas. As she reached a pitch, her voice audibly cracked. Like the Navajo rugmakers, she left in that little fault in the finished CD. There were 15 other artists in that CD that Ill never remember, says Sivers. But I remember that. Remember he did, as that unknown artist later made waves across the globe as Sheryl Crow.In a world obsessed with perfection, the imperfect stands out. The visible exhaustion in a trainer, the typo in a writers article, the crack in a singers voice all expose a creators humanity for all to see.In that moment, they become relatable.Yes, theyre not perfect. But theyre beautiful.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, youll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).Thisarticlefirst appeared onOzanVarol.com.

Pros and Cons of Working for a Small Company

Pros and Cons of Working for a Small CompanyPros and Cons of Working for a Small CompanyJob searching is a numbers game. To successfully find employment, you need to target a wide range of employers. The more resumes you distribute, and the more you network, the better chance you have of landing interviews, and a job. Why You Should Think Small Most candidates seeking employment often ignore smaller employers and focus their efforts on larger firms. That could be a big mistake Small firms may be in a better stelle to hire you, and there are more of them. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses represent more than 99.7 percent of all employers. They also employ more than half of all private-sector employees, pay 44.5 percent of the total U.S. private payroll, and generate about 75 percent of net new jobs annually. Small companies tend to have business plans progressive enough that they can succeed regardless of how the economy is doing. They tend to b e nimble and excel at finding their niche, regardless of the field. Also, small firms usually dont have large overhead that is burdened by big companies with fancy addresses and designer lobbies. The Pros of Working for a Small Company Being employed by a small-size company offers many benefits to your career More visibility Work roles at small companies are often less specialized than at large firms. That means employees get to wear several hats, interact with staff more often and are afforded a 360-degree view of company-wide operations. Plus, in a smaller organization, its easy to interact with c-suite executives and the decision-makers. Because employees have more visibility, it is often easier to advance in a smaller organization. Experience in a Variety of Areas Because youre wearing many hats, youre likely to gain knowledge and insight beyond your role. Small company employees often gainmultiple skillsand areas of expertise to enhance their resume. Increased Flexibility S mall firms may also have more flexibility when it comes to considering alternative work arrangements such as flextime and job sharing. The dress code may also be more relaxed. Your Co-Workers May Be Your Friends At smaller companies, its common to form deep bonds with your colleagues. Collaboration opportunities abound since employees are so likely to do work that goes beyond their job description. It Offers an Entry-Point to the Industry Working for a small company can be a good stepping-stone to a larger employer in the same field. The Cons of Working for a Small Company But its not all rosy. Here are some potential downsides to employment at small companies There May Not Be Many Career-Building Perks Small firms may have fewer formal training programs, and theirbenefits packagescan be more limited. Some HR processes (like maternity leave policy, for instance) may not be set up, which can be challenging. Sometimes, Your Growth Will Be Limited The option to transfer to other de partments may be limited or non-existent. You may also encounter less opportunity for growth and promotion at a small firm, and most likely, there will be fewer people who can serve as mentors. Plus, at a smaller company, if you do not get along with your co-workers, avoiding them may be difficult. Smaller Companies Can Be Unknown Entities A large company often comes with known workplace culture and reputation. That can be helpful when you apply to your next role - recruiters and hiring managers will be familiar with your current company. With smaller companies, you may find yourself spending time in your interview explaining the company, rather than talking about your accomplishments. In general, if you prefer structure ahead of flexibility, a larger company may be a better fit. How to Find Small Companies If you want to target small firms, theINC 5000list is a great starting point. The entire list is accessible for free online and updated annually. You should also do some res earch on your own because you never know when the tide will turn and a company will downsize, relocate overseas, or go out of business. Vault.comhas a searchable database of companies as well and is worth looking at. Job seekers can look up a company by name or search by industry, city, state, country, the number of employees, and revenue. You can also get career advice and help with resume writing. You may even find message boards where you can get the inside scoop on thecompany culture. Other resources for identifying small emerging companies include local chambers of commerce and the business section of your local newspaper. Information on new companies and updates on local businesses are typically published regularly.

The Benefits of Entry Level Resume Objective

The Benefits of Entry Level Resume Objective Entry Level Resume Objective Fundamentals Explained However tempting it may be to stretch the truth, lying on your resume is always a poor idea. The work designation a lot of the time doesnt need prior experience and professional backgrounds. In a couple of minutes, you are going to understand how to compose a job-winning entry-level resume. If youre not acquainted with a job and would like to try if youre able to do good should you get hired for that post, being an entry-level employee is the best thing for you to aspire as of the moment. Becoming in a position to curate an extensive entry-level resume can help you do the trick. Getting able to recognize your interpersonal abilities and give examples of them is a crucial portion of any work bewerbungsgesprch. An entry-level construction resume objective is written by someone whos new in the geschftliches miteinander of construction business and is trying to find a job at the ent ry-level. Superior communication and analytical abilities, the ability to multitask and meet strict sales and the capacity to work both independently and cooperatively produce a proven history of high level and productivity. A long method to procure an objective resume samples. Mill objective not bother applying at all degrees of school leaver with the particular place. How to locate some resume template is quite effective for two references. Just make sure you double-check whether adding social media to your particular resume is acceptable for the job Be certain that your contact information is accurate. Apparently, it displays pertinent contact info and a summary of your abilities and experience. Furthermore, its vital to make sure that the objective is short, yet meaningful. Objective is the most important element to entice an employer. You could also see Resume Objectives. Resume objectives can be a little controversial. Resume examples by industry You ought to crea te a resume that highlights the particular skills employers want to get. Too many entry level job seekers write they are searching for a position with a developing organization that will permit me to use my talents and techniques. Entry level hr professionals are regarded as someone that are good in verbal and written communication abilities. Everyone has desirable abilities and experiences to provide employers including you Superior communication and analytical abilities, the ability to multitask and meet strict deadlines and the capacity to work both independently and cooperatively cause a proven history of high performance and productivity. Entry-level objectives can be particularly hard to write as you likely dont have loads of work experience, but you do want to solidify how you know the sort of career youre searching for. To begin with, it has the incorrect focus. Another means to show off interpersonal skills is to scan the work listing for absolutely any soft skills it could have mentioned. With a well written resume, you ought to be invited to interview more frequently than you believe. Entry Level Accounting Resume It is crucial to highlight your qualifications and abilities in your resume. My aim is to find the job. Your resume objective is the initial thing recruiters will have a look at. Your objective statement must be clear and concise. Thus, your career objective statement should state that you want to join a stable company that would provide you with a chance to find out more and therefore increase your skills in the said field. For instance, if the listing states the provider is seeking a candidate whos tech-savvy, you might have a section called Technological Skills. You may have helped your company gather vital data in your part-time job, while its on the lookout for potential new customers or researching an upcoming article. To begin with, examine the work description to see whether it indicates the form of skills the provid er is seeking. Who Else Wants to Learn About Entry Level Resume Objective? Youre a graduate whos full of potential. An objective tells the possible employer what you need to bring to the firm. With some research its possible to learn to appropriately utilize them. Locate the ideal Research Coordinator resumesamples to aid you better your own resume.

The Bad Side of Executive Resume Writing Services Review

The Bad Side of Executive Resume Writing Services Review Getting the Best Executive Resume Writing Services Review If youre a brand-new graduate and are considering finding an excellent job opportunity, you almost certainly require an ideal CV describing all your present abilities, qualifications and the remainder of the things generates you suited to almost any job. You will receive awesomely optimized resumes and youre going to make your day-to-day life simpler Only the fact that youre in a position to prepare a professional resume for job gets you across the majority of your primary obstacles. The very best part was I landed a new job in only a month or two If you are only making your very first curriculum vitae ever or if youre thinking of revamping your resume format, you will wish to have some help on your endeavors. However polished your writing skills are, at times its far better to seek the services of a professional who can frame your experiences in a manner that pe rmits you to command the interest of the greatest companies in your industry. Your resume should be formatted in an easy, professional way. The Ugly Side of Executive Resume Writing Services Review Resumes could possibly be organized in a number of means. Men and women believe their knowledge would be sufficient to make their job application stick out. Details of Executive Resume Writing Services Review Therefore, if youd like to receive a free resume review critique, you dont need to do something extraordinary. A totally free review is real it merely lets people know whether you want a professional resume assistance or not. Independent reviews are largely negative. If you cannot locate a review on a certain company you want to know more about, I advise that you take a peek at our top rated resume writing services and pick one from the list. Ok, I Think I Understand Executive Resume Writing Services Review, Now Tell Me About Executive Resume Writing Services Review Funct ional Sample whenever you are referring the online resume samples, you will require a functional sample when you have employment gaps in your past. To compose a compelling, effective executive resume, you must start by not even considering the format youre going to be using. Every customer may consult us at any opportunity to select the templates, an illustration of the greatest resumes, a market, a deadline, and various other things required to schliff the purchase. Definitions of Executive Resume Writing Services Review When it has to do with searching for an Executive Resume Writer, there are lots of considerations so as to pick the best service. If youre looking for a higher-end company, please see the top 10 list mentioned previously. There are several professional websites readily available online having various sort of Sample Resumes. Key Pieces of Executive Resume Writing Services Review Focusing on the legal profession for a niche, there arent many resume writing se rvices that come near The Writing Guru in regards to legal resumes. Marketing is a creative area and thus you want to compose your resume in a creative way. Because employers wont understand how much they need you in their company till you let them know in the correct way. Dont just look at the very first couple of organizations you encounter. Particularly if youre in an industry where jobs are difficult to come by Its also important to review what kinds of services are provided by the corporation.

The Unusual Secret of How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin

The Unusual Secret of How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin Life After How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin Our resume builder is the quickest approach to create a resume that will allow you to get your fantasy job. After finishing a brief on-line program, you need to be prepared to make an application for entry level positions. In addition, there are many categories and locations which offer various jobs structure in line with the requirement of job seeker. There are online bookkeeping courses that are affordable and just take a couple of weeks to finish. Indeeds resume editor makes it straightforward to get into your work experience, education, and abilities. There are a lot of jobs on the jobs portal with preferred location for those candidates to apply and be part of any renowned business. Business opportunities arent considered immediate openings. Indias very first job portal ensures job seeker to become part of it and take pleasure in the ride by getting driving jobs thereby. Ok, I Think I Understand How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin, Now Tell Me About How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin If youve submitted an application to a Talent Network, youre going to be requested to apply to the particular career track youve indicated. Jobs that arent yet posted publicly can only be obtained by looking for the work ID on the work search page IMPORTANT TIPS Look for a job that you would want to turn in an application for that has the LinkedIn easy apply option. LinkedIn is among the fruchtwein effective career tools for your job search aside from your resume. The Fundamentals of How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin Revealed Now choose the text on your internet page that you would like to make into a hyperlink. The LinkedIn URL ought to go in the header along with the remainder of your contact details. Until the email is confirmed, you wouldnt obtain the newsletter or any advertising communication from us. You have the choice to customize yo u LinkedIn URL. How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin for Dummies Also, make certain that your file is no greater than 5 MB in proportion. The edit file will open into your internet browser at which you will observe a page with a simple instruction to click the edit button at the base of that page. Your PDF file should now show up in the window. If you opted to upload your resume, pick the file from your desktop. There are really specific things that you can do with LinkedIn in terms of putting the perfect words and keywords, making sure youre updating and driving visitors to your resume. Based on your state, you should have a look at the requirements and satisfy them to get certified. Its important to get a professional resume that is simple to read and successfully highlights your abilities and experience, but when saving a resume file for uploading, in addition, it is important to be certain it is readily accessible for potential employers. Your resume must be for someo ne over age 16. The Hidden Truth About How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin A work seekers account will stay active, but their profile wont be returned in employer candidate searches in the event the account has not yet been logged into within the previous 90 days. If youre a student, you can edit your private information and profile by visiting your resume section. When you submit an application for jobs on the website, you merely have to click the saved resume you created on the website. If thats the case, dont be concerned about what it appears like, because its going to be consistent with the other resumes in the database. The History of How Do I Upload My Resume to Linkedin Refuted Word Resume templates are complete with the whole outline structure and the majority of the content which makes way for a powerful resume in an issue of only a few minutes. They are easy to find or spot on the internet and can be downloaded for further use.

Freelancing and Becoming a Successful Freelancer - FlexJobs

Freelancing and Becoming a Successful Freelancer - FlexJobsFreelancing and Becoming a Successful Freelancer -2When youre stuck in a job situation that youre itching to break out of, freelance jobs can seem like a modern-day golden parachute, floating you toward a free and unencumbered lifestyle. But in order to be a successful freelancer, a lot of thought, preparation, and organizing needs to happen to ensure your happiness with freelance jobs.Tips for becoming a successful freelancerAccording to the article, Nine Steps to Freelancing Success from Forbes.com, Freelancing is a very real option. If striking out on your own sounds scary, know that youll have plenty of company According to the latest figures from the Census Bureau, there are some 22 1000000 sole proprietorships (businesses owned and run by one person) in the U.S. Nearly 4.5 million pull in at least $50,000 a year about 2.5 million do $100,000-plus.Here are some of the most important of Forbes.coms nine steps for becoming a successful freelancerEstablish a Presence. Start with a good website, with contact information (including a business e-mail addressnot a mere Google mail account), an easy-to-remember address, a clear listing of the services and examples of your work.Stick to a (balanced) routine. Working at home sounds great, but for the endless distractions television, visitors, the dog, dirty dishes. If your home is your office, treat the time you spend working in it that way. Establish regular working hours and stick to them, and tell friends and family members to respect office hours.Mind the IRS. Send a W-9 form to each client to make sure your earnings are reported properly to Uncle Sam. Companies that contract for $600 or more worth of services are required to send you a 1099 form. The IRS has its eye on freelancers- the odds of an audit jump to 3% from 1%- so be careful, and be prepared to pay quarterly. Claim appropriate deductions.And would like to add this incredibly important, but of ten overlooked, tipHave a contract or formal agreement in place for any job, whether youre an employee or a freelance worker before you abflug work. If the employer doesnt offer a contract upfront, job seekers should request one before starting any assignment. A reputable company should be prepared to provide employees with an employment contract for freelance jobs.Check out the hand-screened freelance job listings available through.

How to Interview in a Recessionary Business Environment

How to Interview in a Recessionary Business EnvironmentHow to Interview in a Recessionary Business EnvironmentHow to Interview in a Recessionary Business Environment FalconeSince the 2008 Great Recession began, the economy has seen massive changes that require employers to take a different approach in bewerberinterviewing job candidates.Why? Because many of todays applicants with otherwise consistent and in some cases sternbezogen career records have had their careers derailed behauptung past few years. That leaves you, the employer, to sort out their viability as a long-term contributor to your organization.That can make it difficult to put the candidates career changes into perspective using a traditional interview structure.So how do you evaluate someone whos been unemployed or under-employed for the last few years?And what about those returning job applicants who need to find work because a spouse was laid off How do you evaluate their outdated histories, penchants to succeed and overall fit factor? While good reference checkingis key, so is your approach to the interview.Interviewing Todays CandidatesFocus Primarily on the Candidates Reasons for Leaving Past Positions Longevity is a strong indicator of a candidates career planning abilities. For those currently in transition, its critical to discuss the reasons that they left past companies, either at the candidates own volition (resignation) or at the companies (layoffs).People tend to repeat patterns of change in their careers over time, so make sure you fully understand their career change motives by askingTell me about your reasons for leaving your current and past employers. Differentiate between layoffs and times when you orchestrated your own moves.In cases of resignation, askWhat would have had to change at your company for you to stay at that point? What would have been your next logical move in career progression had you remained? How long would it have taken for you to promote into that position ? What does growth mean to you in general, and why would joining our company make sense for you from a career development standpoint?In cases of layoff, askWhat was the companys rationale in implementing reductions in force? How many people were laid off simultaneously? How many people survived the cut, and how were they selected? How many waves of layoffs did you survive before you were let go?Questions for the Unemployed or Significantly Under-Employed When interviewing individuals who are in longer-term career transition, its best to compare their job search efforts with how you would handle your own situation if faced with similar challenges.Your interview questions should provide candidates the chance to show how creative and persistent they could be when faced with adversity.Assess their hunger for a new job and persistency in gaining traction and control over their careers by asking these interview questionsWhats your master plan for regaining control of your career since you r most recent layoff, and what kind of strategy have you built around your job search efforts?What kinds of companies have you been focusing on? How many interviews have you landed? How have you developed your leads?Have you considered alternative industries where your skills might be transferable?Have you considered approaching competitor companies even if they have no openings currently?A strategic response from a law candidateto these sort of questions might includeI activated my personal network on Linked In and Facebook and introduced myself to over 200 peers at other law firms over the past year. Ive researched my law schools alumni index and reached out to over 100 graduates in my specific legal discipline. I went to the library and located The Book of Lists that identifies the top 50 law firms in Los Angeles and sent my resume to the heads of the employment litigation departments. Ive also volunteered to do pro bono work with several nonprofits to help them and also keep my name out there. Ive generated roughly twenty five exploratory interviews this past year, but unfortunately none of them panned out.Such an aggressive and well-thought out job search strategy just might provide you with the insights you need to justify bringing this person on board.Return-to-the-Workforce Interviews Interview questionsfor candidates who have been inactive professionally pose special challenges.Once again, your best interview strategy lies in openly learning mora about what the individual is looking to gain by returning to work. The following queries will help you understand the values driving the new job searchWhats motivating you to return to the workforce now? Is it more financial or social in nature?Are you looking to pick up where you left off, or would you rather take a few steps backward and have a more defined, limited role?What have you done since you last worked that would make you qualified to transfer your skills to our company and be selected for this opp ortunity?What criteria are you using in selecting your next company or position?Describe your ideal position and where you would like to see yourself five years from now in terms of your own career development.What other companies and what other job titles would you be interested in? What disciplines (e.g., finance vs. accounting vs. treasury) interest you, and which ones would you prefer to avoid?Some people work to live while others live to work. Which description fits you better?If evaluated and correctlymatched to a particular position, returning workforce hires can be extremely successful.These interview questions, whenused inthe appropriate scenario, will help you differentiate between candidates who were sidetracked in the past recession through no fault of their own, versus those who may not be first in class.