How to lead in permanent whitewater

How to lead in permanent whitewaterHow to lead in permanent whitewaterIt has been my experience, that you never get out of the rapids the feeling is one of continuous upset and chaos. PeterVaillPermanent whitewater is the newnormal.In a relentlessly changing environment, the complexity of problems is increasing faster than our ability to solve them. Trying to play catch up breaks people down and burns them out.The dynamics in our work lives create unexpected undercurrents, but also pose unforebinnenseen opportunities thats the beauty ofpermanent whitewater.To thrive, we must embrace its perpetually changing, uncertain nature.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraMastering permanent whitewaterDealing with continuous change results in a crisis of fatigue, fear, and loss of control. Fighting what we cant control is exhausting your team needs to be energized emotionally and mentally so th ey can lead and perform at their best.Ive learned that we must behave more flexible at work I thought we were collaborating, but we were just scratching the surface.- workshop participantThere are three steps to lead in permanent whitewater, as I explain inthis webinar.1. Embrace uncertaintyIn his bookManaging as a Performing Art, Peter Vaill introduces the metaphor for the uncertainty and turbulence that shape business dynamicspermanent whitewater.We must embrace uncertainty, not as something temporary, but permanent.As Vaills explainsMost managers are taught to think of themselves as paddling their canoes on calm, still lakes. Theyre led to believe that they should be pretty much able to go where they want, when they want, using means that are under their control.(They think) disruptions will be temporary, and when things settle back down, theyll be back in the calm, still lake mode.But, as the author explains, we never get out of the rapids We will always experience continuous u pset and chaos.When you realize the river will never be calm, uncertainty feels less threatening.2. Read thewatersThough whitewater feels random, its chaotic Its mostly composed of patterns. If you stop and watch a river or waterfall carefully, you can notice that some patterns are quite stable.Whitewater is formed when a river generates so much turbulence that air is entrained into the water body. It creates a bubbly, unstable current the foamy water appears white.Whitewater is exciting but also risky You can drown in turbulent waters, smash a rock or get stuck in river features. You must learn to read the waters before you jump into them.Training helps us understand the different patterns and rules to navigate permanent whitewater. Like in any space, to thrive in an uncertain reality requires formal training.3. PlayHowever, formal training is not enough We must experience the challenging waters first hand. Through play, teams can test the rules, break them, and mend them.Playing a llow us to get used to practice and gain confidence in a tresorr space before we jump into more dangerous waters. Ken Gergen calls it Play with Purpose a spirited way of deeply, but safely, exploring patterns that create significant impact in the long run.I remember that, before my first Level 5 rafting experience, the instructors made us row against a strong waterfall. The water kept coming towards us, creating a strong force that bent the raft and put our spirits to test. It prepared us mentally and physically for the real action.Destigmatizing change in our daily lives starts by changing our attitude fun makes permanent whitewater feel less threatening.The approachTo thrive in whitewater, organizations must develop a human, adaptive, and innovative culture.Emotion ? Mindset ?BehaviorTeams must learn tomanage their individual and collective emotionsso they can reframe their mindset and, only then, can adopt new behaviors. The following is the framework we apply atLiberationist.Hum an (Emotions)Enduring change happens from within. Self-awareness is key the more you know yourself, the more you can lead yourself and others.By increasing self-awareness, we can identify the emotions that are at play. We can choose which ones we want to avoid, and which we want to use on our favor. Addressing our relationship with fear helps us understand why we resist the unexpected and also prepare for it.Self-awareness help us shift fromfear to fearlessness.Adaptive (Mindset)Managing our emotions is critical to stop resisting reality. Instead of fighting the uncertain waters, we learn to embrace their nature.An adaptive mindset requires letting go of perfectionism and expectations. We learn to focus on paddling what we can control not on trying to change the reality of the whitewater.Instead of trying to dominate whitewater we need to allow it to become. Focus on what you can control the input, not the outcome.Innovative (Behavior)To thrive in whitewater, great leaders tap into the humanity in their organizations. They see and liberate the best in others by creating a safe space for experimentation. Playing is not only permitted, but encouraged.Improvisation is a necessary skill to navigate whitewater teams must be able to think on their feet to solve unexpected problems. Creativity is a meta-skillfor the 21st Century It can no longer be limited to a few. Organizational play requires safe spaces in which to break the rules, make mistakes, and recover and the freedom to try it over and over.Mistakes are lessons to discover what doesnt work so we can then uncover what will work.The human side of whitewaterWe recently facilitated anotherhow to lead on permanent whitewater workshop, in partnership with Chicago Ideas. It was an open session with executives from various organizations.Here are some of the key insights based on participants feedback.1. Vulnerability makes usstrongerYou cant transform a team or organization without going through a personal transfor mation first. Personal development is the foundation of leadership development.The more we embrace our vulnerability, the more we can jump into the unexpected with an open mind. Usually, when practicing self-awareness exercises, people reactions are extreme they either challenge themselves or become over defensive.Arrogance is an ineffective defense mechanism. Some participants try to justify what they already know to present themselves as experts in front of others. At the end of the session, ansicht are the ones who learn the least Luckily, they are usually a minority.Intellectual humilityis essential to experiment and deal with unknown waters.2. Leading is a teamsportWhen the water is shaking your raft from one place to another, you have to act with speed and determination. Theres no room for a command-and-control approach Every teammate must make decisions in the heat of the moment.To thrive in permanent whitewater requires turning the whole crew into change agents to democratiz e leadership, as Idiscussed at this conference.Everyone has the ability and responsibility to lead.3. Pause to find thepatternKeeping our mind calm is essential to observe and reflect. Weve been trained to be constantly in a rush. We associate being busy with effectiveness and productivity. However, speed without purpose is pointless failing fast is not enough we must fail smart.Mindfulness allows us to become more present and wiser. Instead of running from one meeting to another, from one fire to the next, we must approach chaos with a calm mind.Even within craziness, theres a logical pattern find it.4. People feel safer with strangersEvery time I start working with a new organization, I cannot stress this enoughIf you cant build a safe space, dont expect people to become more innovative.In open workshops, people come with a more open mind than when attending in-company ones. Executives feel more comfortable to experiment and make mistakes in front of strangers.My boss would never let me do this,they always tell us.Building collective trust is not just necessary, but vital leaders must model behavior.You cannot navigate uncertain waters with people you dont trust.5. Get wet before entering theriverWhen we try to change everything, we end changing nothing. Small changes can create a larger impact, in the long run, than large ones - They usually generate more resistance than adoption.Thats why I like to equip teams with simple tools and methods they can implement within their everyday practices.Microstructuresare less complex processes and dynamics that dramatically shape how teams collaborate and make things happen. They can help redesign brainstormings, meetings, feedback, problem-solving, participation, and accountability. Rather than bringing new practices, start by improving existing ones.You have to go small before you go big.6. Get ready to fall off theboatOne of the participants said that neuschpfung is only good if it succeeds. That for me is a red lig ht. Of course, innovation that doesnt create results is useless. But, perfectionism and innovation dont get along very well.You never know whats going to work until you implement it. Purposeful play is finding the balance between results and experimentation. Playing without caring about the end result is a waste of time and resources. But, expecting every experiment to work is approaching innovation with a perfectionist mindset The reason many companies innovate, but fail to launch their innovations.If you dont want to fall off the boat, forget about thriving in whitewater.7. Go with theflowMy first experience on a level 5 river was exhilarating. At some point, we had to plunge down a 30 ft waterfall. When we were reaching the edge, it felt threatening.But theres a technique to everything. If you know what to do, and are confident about it, theres nothing to be afraid of. Actually, the less you resist, the more youll succeed. Sounds counterintuitive, but its true.Going with the flow is less dangerous than fighting the brave nature of whitewater.We went all the way down that waterfall. It was exhilarating and fun nobody fell off the boat. The best lesson to lead in business whitewater I learned it by navigating real river rapids focus on what you can control the input not on what you cant.You cant control whitewater go with the flow.This article originally appeared on Medium.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

A MiniSensor for Brain Scanning

A MiniSensor for Brain Scanning A MiniSensor for Brain Scanning Magnetoencephalography is a non-invasive means for monitoring brain activity. The electrical signals that course through the brain, like every electric current, generate a magnetic field, and that magnetism can be picked up by special sensors. But while MEG has many actual (and potential) applications, the current means for picking up the weak magnetic signature involves donning a large, cryogenically cooled helmet.Recently, researchers at the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt in Berlin, Germany, conducted experiments intended to demonstrate that the cumbersome helmet could be replaced by a sensor the size of a sugar cube.The German scientists, together with researchers from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, CO, where the device was developed, measured the alpha waves in the brain that were produced in conjunction with a test subject opening and closing his eyes.Quantum Design MPMS X L Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer. Image source PDI-Berlin.deUp until now, researchers wanting to study brain signals with great sensitivity relied on a superconducting quantum interference device, or SQUID. These devices use loops of high-temperature superconductors to measure minuscule changes in magnetic fields as the magnetic flusskompressionsgenerator passes through one of the loops, it induces a change in the flow of electricity through the circuit. Using specially shielded rooms and loops cooled to 4 K, an array of SQUID sensors can detect the magnetic fields created by the electrical signals from as few as 50,000 neurons firing.The new PTB/NIST sensor isnt that sensitive, but it has two huge advantages over SQUID helmets its cheaper and it works at room temperature. It also relies on a different means to detect magnetic fields. The active sensing material is a cloud of 100 billion atoms of rubidium. A property of rubidium is that its ability to absorb infrared light increases if it is in a magnetic field. The sensor illuminates the rubidium gas with an infrared laser and then measures how much light passes through the less light, the greater the magnetic field.In tests conducted in a magnetically shielded lab in Berlin, the rubidium cloud sensor was able to detect a magnetic field measuring one-trillionth of a tesla. Thats still a factor of ten less sensitive than a SQUID device, but NIST researchers are hoping to improve the sensitivity of the light detectors in order to match the SQUID-based MEG.If a cheap and portable non-SQUID magnetoencephalography can be perfected, researchers hope that it will be able to open up new ways to understand whats going on inside our heads. elend only could such a sensor be used to map the brain in advance of surgery, but it could become the basis of a computer interface that uses brainwaves to control machines.To read the latest issue of Mechanical Engineering, click here.The new PTB/N IST sensor isnt that sensitive, but it has two huge advantages over SQUID helmets its cheaper and it works at room temperature.

Re-Engineering to Rescue Damaged Lungs

Re-Engineering to Rescue Damaged Lungs Re-Engineering to Rescue Damaged Lungs Re-Engineering to Rescue Damaged Lungs Inspired by the critical need for more donated lungs until a time when organs hopefully may be 3D bioprinted, a Columbia University team of bioengineers and physicians has been working for the past five years on alternative approaches, particularly rescuing damaged donor lungs that have been rejected.We have done a lot of workand research, from basic biology to engineering, clinical science, and also small animal studies, says Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Sciences at Columbia Engineering. She leads a multidisciplinary team that includes, among others, Matthew Bacchetta, associate professor of surgery at Columbia University Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian.During that time, team members began understanding how to keep the lung functioning outside the body, how to remove cells, how to measure function al parameters, how to use stem cells in the right format to deliver them to the lung, and much more. Among techniques they developed for improving lungs welches replacing defective cells with new therapeutic cells from the transplant recipient as a means of helping prevent rejection.Then we came to a bigger challenge a little over a year ago, Vunjak-Novakovic recalls. No matter what they tried, they couldnt get the lung to maintain its function longer than approximately six hours. That didnt allow enough time for newly developed reconditioning techniques to do their jobs. If the time frame could be extended, they believed that they could bring to an acceptable level a good number of the four out of five lungs evaluated but rejected at transplant centers due to the decline in quality during transport.Photographic, radiographic and thermographic images of injured lungs recovered with extracorporeal cross-circulation. Image Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic / Columbia UniversityYou supply the l ung with everything it needs the oxygen, the blood flow, et cetera, but then the question we kept asking ourselves was Whats missing? she says. The team then realized that it was the ordnungsprinzipic component that was missing. That became the basis for an approach that resulted in a first and a breakthrough maintaining a fully functional lung outside the body for several days.The team drew on an abandoned surgical procedure called cross-circulation, used during the early days of open heart surgeries to exchange blood flow between two patients and reconfigured it, developing a radically new technology. The procedure enables long-term support of living organs outside the body by providing critical systemic and metabolic factors that were missing.Then there were other challenges to keep the lungs viable since the time outside the body was going to be for a longer period than ever before. They designed a temperature-controlled humidification system and a recirculating warm-water organ basin to prevent the lungs outer surface from drying out and provide normal body temperature.The team also needed to engineer new devices and components to allow for adequate blood flow into and out of the lungs during cross-circulation. They engineered a dynamic system capable of height and hydrostatic pressure adjustments and feedback-regulated pressure-controlled flow. They also developed techniques to precisely target drugs and cells to where they wanted them eliminating repeated lung biopsies.Recently appointed the first professor from Columbia Engineering to the rank of University Professor, Columbia Universitys highest academic honor, Vunjak-Novakovic said this is the most complex study her team has ever done and also one of the most exciting because it has the highest potential for clinical translation - and soon.There were a lot of different aspects that you have to work out and had to all come together. Its a very complex process, but she says in the short time from when the study was started about 18 months ago until the publishing of the latest results on Nature Biomedical Engineerings website in March, everything worked.From day one, from the very first experiment, things worked and in a very robust and reproducible way, Vunjak-Novakovic says. This makes us particularly happy. We believe the technology will be transferred to many users without too many problems because of that.She says high-level cooperation among the members of the integrated engineering-surgical team has been critical and continues as they move forward. The next step is clinical. We want to come soon to the point where we can repair lungs that can be offered to patients soon. Its a real crisis, she says. According to Donate Life America, More than 1,400 adults and children in the U.S. are waiting for new lungs.The teams most immediate goal is to increase the number of acceptable lungs for transplant in patients with acute lung injury, the specific condition the team studied, by bringing the rejected lungs to an acceptable level and also by conditioning them so they will transplant better and reduce the immune burden.Another immediate goal, already being worked on, is extending the approach to other indications, such as chronically damaged lungs by disease, and also to other organs, such as the liver and kidneys.This is a phenomenal opportunity to do something practical to move this technology into clinical practice. Its not going to happen tomorrow. But it is one of these projects where you can plainly see that it may happen quickly, Vunjak-Novakovic says. An exact time is difficult to pinpoint, but its not years and years. We will know much more in six months or so when we finish some ongoing studies, she says.Nancy S. Giges is an independent writer. This is a phenomenal opportunity to do something practical to move this technology into clinical practice. Prof. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Columbia University

The Best Talent Management Practices

The Best Talent Management PracticesThe Best Talent Management PracticesThink of talent management as a business strategy that will help you retain exceptional employees. For effective talent management, every aspect of recruiting, hiring, and developing employees is affected positively. The goal of talent management is a superior workforce. What Talent Management Involves Talent management, when handled strategically, flows from the organizations mission, vision, values, and goals. This enables every employee to see where they fit within the organization. This, in turn, enables employees to participate in the overall direction of the company. From a strategic perspective, an effective talent management system helps crucial employees feel as if they are part of something bigger than their current job. Talent management includes the following activities and work processes Develop clear job descriptions, so you know the skills, abilities, and experience needed from a new employee.S elect appropriate employees who have superior potential and fit your organizations culture, with an appropriate selection process.Negotiate requirements and accomplishment-based performance standards, outcomes, and measures within a performance development planning system.Provide effective employee onboarding and ongoing training and development opportunities that reflect both the employees and the organizations needs. Provide on-going coaching, mentoring, and feedback, so the employee feels valued and important.Conduct quarterly performance development planning discussions that focus on the employees interests for career development.Design effective compensation and recognition systems that reward people for their contributions. Even if all of the rest of your employment processes are employee-oriented, people still work for money. Employers of choice aim to pay above market for talented employees.Provide promotional and career development opportunities for employees within a syste m that includes career paths, succession planning, and on-the-job training opportunities. Hold exit interviews to understand why a valued employee decided to leave the organization. If the reasons provide information about company systems that you can improve, make the changes that will better retain talented employees. Research Supports Using Talent Management Strategies In a study by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) in partnership with The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), the following practices were identified for their positive impact on successful talent management Obtaining support for talent management from top management.Standardizing talent review and feedback processes.Appointing a single functional owner of talent management internally.Developing an organizational culture that supports talent management.Assuring consistency among the talent management activities.Increase the visibility of talent management initiatives. The ASTD stud y identified these findings (verbatim) High performing organizations tend to integrate talent management components more than low performing organizations.Learning executives play critical roles in major integrated talent management components.Many of the fruchtwein effective integrated talent management practices are not widely used.Impediments to effective integrated talent management efforts include conflicting priorities, limited resources, non-supportive corporate cultures, incompatible organizational processes, and senior leaders who undervalue integrated talent management. Summary of Talent Management Best Practices The workplace processes and systems that must effectively work together to produce a talent management strategy that will provide results for an organization have been highlighted. Further, an ASTD/i4cp study identified factors that are present more of the time in organizations that have a successful talent management strategy operating. The most intriguing i dea that emerged in the review of talent management was the success of implementing talent management review meetings. By talking about talented employees and making their knowledge, skills, and potential known to other managers in different parts of the organization, the potential use, and development of internal talent are magnified for both the organization and the talented employees.

10 Steve Jobs Quotes Thatll Stick With You Long After You Read Them

10 Steve Jobs Quotes Thatll Stick With You Long After You Read Them10 Steve Jobs Quotes Thatll Stick With You Long After You Read ThemThere welches only one Steve Jobs, and its easy to see why were so fascinated with him. A twin separated at birth a visionary who made products that changed how we use technology a college dropout who studied coding and calligraphy for fun a wisdom seeker who spent months wandering India barefoot in a sarong. Oh, and after a long flirtation with sweater vests and bow ties, a man who wore a black turtleneck and blue jeans everywhere he went. As if that werent enough, Jobs was also a master salesman and a fantastic orator, and much of what he had to say carried astonishing wisdom, especially coming from someone who devoted his life to creating consumer electronics products. Of course, thats the point. Apple is much more than just a remarkably successful manufacturer of electronic devices, and Jobs was much more than a remarkably successful entrepreneur.I n presentation after presentation, at Macworld, his unforgettable Stanford commencement speech, and elsewhere, Jobs shared insights that will remain useful for decades to come or more. Heres the best of what he had to say1. For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.I love this quote so much, I wrote a whole column about it. Its hard to hold yourself to that standard, but its important to try. If youre reading this page, you have choices about what to do with your life. Choose wisely, because you only get the one.2. You cant connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.An especially important lesson for entrepreneurs. You cant start a business, project, or other large undertaking knowing how you will solve every problem that arises, or how your skills and assets, positiv those of your co-workers, might combine to create something wonderful. But you have to trust that they will. As someone wise once said, its like driving a car at night. At any given moment, you can only see as far as your headlights will allow, but you can make the whole trip that way.3. Focus is about saying no.This is an important insight, because what you say no to may wind up mattering even more than what you say yes to in your career. We tend to start out saying yes to everything. Every opportunity, every new job, new project, or new partnership, seems worth pursuing. But real success comes from knowing what to say no to. Remember the first quote- our time on this planet is limited, our work time and resources e ven more so. Being careful to spend them wisely will benefit your business and career more than nearly anything else.4. Often, the people who are successful loved what they did so they could persevere when things got really tough. The ones that didnt love it quit- cause theyre sane.As people smarter than I have observed, you can achieve just about anything you want if you are willing to hear no often enough. Most of us dont have the thick skin, confidence, or determination that has enabled some of the worlds best-known entrepreneurs to get a running start. Those who do have that perseverance are likelier to wind up on top.5. I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out whats next.Jobs was on to something here, because too many people are too quick to rest on their past successes, or focus on their current ones, rather than keep watching the horizon for the next opportunity or t hreat. Its a dangerous strategy. Just ask Kodak. 6. Great things in business are never done by one person. Theyre done by a team of people.Jobs talked about how his model for business was the Beatles and how they balanced each other so that the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. And then he went on to this quote, which goes to the heart of his point.Jobs wasnt just repeating lines about teamwork and great employees that every large-company CEO has uttered at some point. He really lived it, surrounding himself with the best performers he could. And it shows in Apples continued success years after his passing.7. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you havent found it yet, keep looking. Dont settle. As with all matters of the heart, youll know when you find it.Likening finding work he loved to finding a person he loved is very revealing about how Jobs thought. And its something all entrepreneurs, and maybe all people, should aspire to. Jobs was right Life is too short to spend a third of our days on work we dont like, or dont care about. Loving what you do is not a luxury its a necessity for a happy life.8. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Dont lose faith.Jobs said this about his very public- and devastating- ouster from Apple, when the companys board voted to fire him, siding with then-CEO Jon Sculley. Though he couldnt see it then, he said, getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.9. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.External expectations, pride, and fea r of embarrassment or failure all drop away in the face of death. Jobs had the rare talent, or maybe the spiritual discipline, to keep the shortness of his life front and center in his mind nearly every day. Its an uncomfortable mental state- but it can be very liberating and lead to great creativity. And it can help you stop being afraid of things that really dont deserve to frighten you. 10. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.If you remember that youre going to die, and that you have nothing to lose, there is no reason not to follow your heart, Jobs said. Letting his intuition take him where it wanted him to go- to calligraphy class, or off to India- let him live what turned out to be an extraordinary life. Just think what it could do for you.More From Inc.5 Reasons the Best Leaders Never ProcrastinateThe 10 Best Motivational Quotes of Wayne Dyer20 Quotes for Seizing the Opportu nityPhoto of Steve Jobs courtesy of Featureflash/Shutterstock.

Fraud, Deceptions, and Downright Lies About Writing Resumes Exposed

Fraud, Deceptions, and Downright Lies About Writing Resumes Exposed What You Need to Do About Writing Resumes Starting in the Next Six Minutes The particular person who practices engineering is known as an engineer. Then select the kind of resume thats perfect for you or which is the very best for the work concerned. Lengthy resumes stay unread and dont attract attention of the recruiter. What Does Writing Resumes Mean? Many employers are currently going back and checking peoples resumes to make sure they did elend lie. If you want additional information, or when you have any comments or questions, then get in contact with our customer service department today. More individuals are making the choice to abflug working at home. When youre going to get started making resumes, make sure each is suited to the sort of job that theyre applying for. If you are only starting out in your work life then you are not going to have much to put back on your resume and so its not essenti al to fill a couple of pages full of fluff that isnt relevant or interesting. As you compose any sort of letter, you appear to understand that the hardest thing to do is to collect your thoughts in order to have the ability to create a nice and fresh start. The very first thing you ought to do with your resume is to eliminate irrelevant and unnecessary details. To begin with, youre likely to have to forget all youve ever learnt about writing resumes. You might have worked on several different fields and wouldnt wish to exhibit all that. If you despise your present area of work, brainstorm a few different fields which are more suitable to you. Bear in mind that the objective of a resume is to sell you so that you receive the interview. Some resumes dont demand much time but should you find something interesting keep digging Writing Resumes - What Is It? Our company will give you with a cover letter editing assistance, however tricky your requirements are. If youre feeling r eally strongly that particular data could be relevant to at least SOME recipients, you could always make an addendum that you select to use selectively. A functional resume format might be better for you. The format of your resume is essential, dont use the conventional layout your word processor provides you. The s-lost Secret of Writing Resumes In conclusion, thinking in the manner of a marketing and technical copywriter may be an effective strategy for creating your resume. Being in the medical care business, experience is one of the principal qualifications besides education and training especially since they are managing peoples lives. When it is past experience, utilize the past tense. If you believe youve got sufficient work experience about the position you want to know more about, outline that next. Writing your prior company and the length of time you have worked for that corporation also needs to be included. When youre drafting your resume think that youre writ ing a story book in order to make your resume also intriguing. No matter your requirements, writing is important and should you wish to find out more about hiring a writer who understands the value of writing and can fulfill your requirements, then youve just found one. If it comes top writing resumes, you must always put your very best foot forward so you become called for that work interview. Knowing the type of format to follow in writing resumes is also quite important as most companies do not like to read resumes with over 1 page. There are a great deal of opinions on the topic of writing resumes. In case you have experience in writing articles, then probably that can be a fantastic way for you to make money. There are many resume writing services accessible to pick from and whichever companies you are thinking about, there are four questions that you should ask each among them. Simply take the time to make certain that your resume does not comprise misspellings or errors . A few of the forms provided will request that you tell just a little bit about what skills you may bring to the table. The next section has come to be somewhat contentious. The ideal structure in practically all circumstances is a combination reverse chronological purchase.

Avoid Overqualified Talent Downfalls By Focusing On Talent Acquisition

Avoid Overqualified Talent Downfalls By Focusing On Talent AcquisitionTheres a new crisis in talent acquisition and, for once, it has nothing to do with the skills gap. Actually, its just the opposite. Our latest report, The Risks and Rewards of Hiring Overqualified Talent revealed 70.7 percent of hiring pros agree with the statement, the number of overqualified talent in todays job market complicates filling entry-level roles.The job market is saturated with overqualified workers, as millennials currently the largest generation in the workforce become the most educated generation.In fact, a new Deloitte report revealed that compared to baby boomers, 4 percent mora male millennials and 13 percent more female millennials have completed bachelors degrees. Yet the same report found only about half of those who have a college degree work in a job that requires one.While filling entry-level roles presents a new challenge for talent acquisition, 68.7 percent of respondents identified emp loyees currently working at their organization who are overqualified for their roles. This comes as no surprise considering 81.1 percent agree overqualified employees are beneficial to the company.The real issue is the number of overqualified candidates in the workforce will remain at critical status until its fully understood how to retain overqualified employees. Heres a quick breakdown of the impact of overqualified talent retention on talent acquisitionImproved gruppe moraleYou usually gauge engagement by your teams confidence and enthusiasm. However, just one employees negative attitude can cause team morale to plummet. A domino effect of decreased engagement, satisfaction, and retention inevitably follows.Just like any other employee, overqualified candidates enter new roles motivated to succeed. As a matter of fact, overqualified talent is reported to quickly train for and learn their new positions, according to 41.9 percent of hiring pros in our recent report.Their quick acc limation is typically a motivator and provides a morale boost for employees who were picking up the slack while the role was open. However, that enthusiasm quickly declines when overqualified employees become frustrated in their new role.The key to keeping morale high is to go back to where the excitement all began the hiring process. Look at what motivated overqualified employees to join your team. What elements of their enthusiasm struck you during the bewerbungsinterview, influencing your teams decision to hire them?You should regularly reference these basic but critical details to keep employee and team morale high. Information from the interview reveals how the role or company excited overqualified talent as candidates, guiding the ways you keep them engaged. Still, you should keep track of what drives overqualified employees over time by routinely collecting feedback. You can also use this information to guide interview questions when hiring overqualified talent for new open roles.Maintain your teams morale by understanding what keeps overqualified employees motivated and engaged.Click To TweetImproved team performanceProductive teams are made up of highly-invested employees. Your entire teams effectiveness suffers when just one person underperforms. Unfortunately, just over a third (35.3 percent) of hiring pros in our recent report say overqualified employees are more likely to grow bored and underperform.Boredom occurs in the absence of challenges. Because overqualified employees are so quick to outgrow their roles, you must constantly search for new ways to spark their interest. If theyve accomplished everything they can in their current position, identify tasks where they can apply skills outside their job description.Recall what you learned from the hiring process to uncover overqualified employees passions. Use this information to give them new responsibilities. For example, many overqualified employees are prepared to teach new skills to other em ployees, according to 41.5 percent of hiring pros in our report. If you know an overqualified employee is passionate about helping others, determine what areas theyre qualified to mentor their peers. Ensuring overqualified employees feel challenged by their roles and are applying their skills in a rewarding way, ultimately, drives the entire teams performance forward.Improved in company imageMany overqualified employees know their worth. Theyre confident in their skills and ability to move up in the company. Hiring pros in our report noticed those who stick around are more likely to frequently request promotions and raises (31.3 percent).Of course, ambition is a positive employee quality. Unfortunately, when requests are frequently not met, the likelihood of frustration or even resentment increases. Unhappy employees are likely to share the companys inability or unwillingness to meet their needs with friends, family, even people in their professional network, undoubtedly affecting f uture talent acquisition efforts.While promotions and raises may not be in your companys budget at the moment, you can retain overqualified talent by simply communicating. In fact, the majority (86.5 percent) of talent acquisition pros in our recent study said they keep communication open by regularly collecting employee feedback, and another 30 percent said they are focusing on overqualified talents futures. Listening to overqualified talent and showing you are invested in their goals reduces the risk of them moving on to other offers. Map out the companys capabilities with overqualified candidates. Share specific details on typical or structured salary increases with estimated times for promotions. Emphasize candidate potential to realistically determine how long it will take to fulfill their career goals with your company.Map out overqualifiedemployees career goals and when they can reach them to keep them invested in your company.Click To Tweet

Manufacturing Takes Flight

Manufacturing Takes Flight Manufacturing Takes Flight Manufacturing Takes Flight.mb-2 margin-bottom 12pxWalk across the spotlessly clean and well-lit floors of Pratt Whitneys 1 1000000-square-foot manufacturing plant in North Berwick, Maine, and youll pass by dozens of closed-door CNC machines, each the size of a large refrigerator. The machines quietly whir and hum as they turn, mill and grind finished parts for the companys Geared Turbofan jet engines. Robotic arms easily lift and stack heavy gears. Shop-floor workers who once did the dirty work and heavy lifting barely touch the parts. Instead, they operate the machines, usually with a push of a button, monitor their health and progress, and oversee the automated processes. Welcome to the New Age of Manufacturing.Manufacturing specialists rely on integrated software systems to monitor the health and performance of CNC machines. Image Pratt WhitneyFive years ago, none of the machines were here. Today, they are essential to Pratt Whitneys Industry 4.0 initiative, a $200 million capital investment program over the past five years to improve overall productivity and meet increased demand for its commercial and military jet engines. This shift marks a major transformation from the labor-intensive manual processes that once defined manufacturing to those that are now digitized and automated. The changes here helped PW improve key metricsproduction volume, quality assurance, labor reduction, cycle time, to name a fewby up to 65 percent, depending on the team and the part theyre working on. In this new world, companies not only have to update the schrifts of machines and systems they use to remain competitive, but they also have to change the way they recruit, hire, and train the engineers and technicians who work on them.PWs North Berwick Aero Systems Plant, with its ongoing implementation of new machines and processes, and an aggressive hiring strategy that has attracted a new type of engineer, is a microcosm o f those changes. To better understand them and how they impact the future of engineering and manufacturing, just spend a few minutes with robotics specialist Jeff Lemke and his deburring machine.Recommended for You A Special Report on ManufacturingNew Machines, New Employees, New FutureA contractor with IT placement firm RGBSI, Lemke was brought in last February to program the robotic deburrer. A few months ago, he stood in the workstation, or cell, with Mac McCluskey, a manufacturing engineer technician who has worked at PW for 38 years and now oversees the operation of the machine. Lemke is tall, thin and relatively quiet. He looks the part of a programmer. McCluskey, on the other hand, is stocky and barrel-chested. He speaks with the ease and confidence of a 40-year shop-floor veteran. Despite the contrast, the two men work well together, communicate easily, and share a common respect for the different skills each brings to the table.Thats the type of teamwork PW is trying to pro pagate on the shop floor as it partners an influx of new hires, many of them digitally savvy with varying degrees of experience in new technologies and manufacturing processes, with veteran machinists and laborers, who over the years have helped to build the aviation giant into what it is today. As the company strives over the next seven years to fill nearly 20,000 positions expected to open due to retirement or created through Industry 4.0 initiatives, PWs future relies on these two sides working together as they learn and implement new manufacturing technologies. Examples of that, and the transition they illustrate, are on display at many of the cells spread across the shop floor.Take the robotic deburring cell. Before PW acquired the machine, a team of six highly skilled laborers manually deburred turbine casings. They used their eyes and sense of touch to identify a raised or unnecessarily sharp edge, an unwanted piece of material, or other imperfection left on the part after it was manufactured. Each piece took six hours to manually grind and polish. The team finished about 30 a month. Ergonomics, lacerations, and consistency were always an issue. Today, the only time a technician like McCluskey touches the turbine casing is to load and remove it from the machine.Meanwhile, Lemke adjusts the machine for accuracy and consistency, and programs its visual guidance system to precisely identify the orientation, position, and shape of the part being deburred. He also tweaks the formula of the liquid abrasive the machine uses to autonomously grind and remove the burrs. Each part takes about two hours to deburr. The machine never suffers from sore muscles or cut skin. Quality consistency has improved by up to 90 percent.PW employs three robotics specialists in the North Berwick plant. Veteran employees like McCluskey, those who have successfully transitioned into Industry 4.0 practices, understand how important the new machines, processes, and job titles are to t he future of PW and the areas economy.We need mora engineers like Jeff, McCluskey said. When they bring in mora robots, theyll need mora programmers. Theres no question that both are coming. Employees and pundits in other industries might worry about automation eliminating workers. leid McCluskey. He sees them as creating new opportunities.A huge misnomer of robots is that they eliminate jobs, he said. An entry-level deburrer will be able to learn robotics and go onto different, more important jobs in the shop. Its not replacing workers, but enhancing entry-level employees.Lemke, who represents the new type of engineer that PW is looking for, makes that happen. These new engineers are comfortable working across disciplines. They embrace technology and are willing to learn about new ones. They can quickly analyze data and use it to make real-time decisions. They can solve problems by thinking on their feet instead of slogging through a manual. By tweaking and optimizing the robotic d eburrer, for example, Lemke improved its performance by a factor of two, said Mike Newsky, a 33-year PW veteran. As associate director of manufacturing and industrial engineering, he oversees 140 people at the North Berwick plant. Equipment suppliers are always trying to hire him because he does such a good job, Newsky said. He does stuff they cant.Lemke also does the stuff that PW needs as it transitions into the future. Hes adjusted the program so that any operator can walk up to it, push a button and operate the machine, Newsky said. He makes sure the process can be groe nachfrage by anyone who walks up to the machine.Newsky said he needs more people like that in North Berwick. In fact, all of PW does.Looking for a New Type of EngineerLast spring, PW president Bob Leduc said as much while speaking to the media at United Technologies Digital, a modern office with an open layout that overlooks the East River in Brooklyns hip DUMBO neighborhood. Its where United Technologies, PWs pa rent company, develops digital technologies, including analytics, diagnostic, and predictive software and other enterprise applications. The environment was an apt setting for Leducs announcement, one of many company executives make to not only let the world know PW is hiring but that this new, clean, digitized, and automated environment is much different than how most people think of yesterdays manufacturing. PW has already hired more than 7,000 employees over the last several years for jobs in its plants, including those in Maine and Connecticut. About 2,000 of those were engineers. Today, many have learned skills and work in roles not traditionally associated with the core discipline they studied in school.About 10 years ago, PWs biggest need was mechanical engineers and their foundation in aerodynamic, thermal, and structural engineering, Leduc said. While those traditional skills are still needed, PW is looking for and willing to train a new breed of engineer. They might come i n with some digital or advanced manufacturing knowledge, but the most attractive candidates have demonstrated a big desire to learn new technologies and processes, communicate those with others, and willingly accept new responsibilities and roles.Katie Wenner is one of them. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering and now works in PWs Manufacturing Engineering Development Program, one of six undergraduate leadership programs PW offers promising young engineers, technicians, and other workers. She was teamed with veteran Bob Francoeur on a five-axis CNC machine used for turning, milling, and deburring parts. Machines like this reduce cycle times by 60 percent and labor by 75 percent. Conventional machining processes used to deliver about 20 parts each per month. Each new machine now finishes between 40 and 60.Many of those efficiencies can also be attributed to the ProLink statistical process control software that PWs engineers and technicians like Wenner use to monitor in real-time the performance and health of the machines. The statistics constantly scroll across multiple monitors in the cells. The software automatically creates spreadsheets, databases, and other reports that engineers use to optimize overall production. All of that used to be done with pen and paper, a process that took up tons of time and was susceptible to error.It helps in all the automation that were doing, said Dale Doucette, a process certification technician, who was working in a cell near Wenners that finished heat shields for turbine casings. There are fewer mistakes and higher output, he said. Since integrating the software, production of the parts increased 50 percent, Doucette said.Wenner spends her days learning the process of developing finely tuned parts and then sharing and communicating those processes with other workers. The job requires soft skillslike communications and the ability to gain the trust of a variety of people working at different levels that are increasingly important to the company. You have to properly communicate this information to the machine operators, said Wenner, who plans to work at PWs engine production and assembly center in Middletown, Conn., sometime this year. No one here can work in a vacuum. Not one part knows the entire operation.That might be true, but PW offers its promising engineers, technicians, and operators the opportunity to work across many of the companys divisions and, eventually, up the ladder. With Industry 4.0 we cant train our engineers fast enough, Newsky said, adding that one of the most difficult aspects of these new roles is staying current with all of the latest technologies. Its continuous learning and continuous training, he said. Its about engaging your people to feel comfortable making decisions, taking on risks, and learning from mistakes.Not Your Fathers Idea of ManufacturingTo find those new engineers and techniciansa search made more di fficult by the tight labor marketPW has expanded its multi-prong hiring initiative, including a big push to increase its involvement and tighten its relationships with the areas vocational technical schools, community colleges, and universities. PW looks for schools with courses focused on advanced manufacturing and Industrial Internet of Things concepts, such as additive manufacturing, robotics, AI, networking, and data analytics.For an idea of where PW is looking for its talent, walk off the shop floor and head to a small conference room at the end of a hallway that houses the human resources offices. A map of the United States hangs on the wall. A heavy cluster of colored pins sprout from Maine and New Hampshire. Smaller clusters sprout from the other New England states. About 32 blue pins mark the areas technical high schools and about 45 red pins identify community colleges. Two green pins stick out from the crowd, marking the University of Maine and the University of New Hamps hire, two schools with strong engineering programs. This is just the beginning, Lorraine Marcotte, PWs communications director said, regarding PWs new strategy. Weve done a lot of recruiting, but not this type of targeting.As part of its partnering, recruiting, and zurckhalten efforts, the company offers internships, co-op jobs, scholarships, program gifts, education reimbursement, collaboration on senior projects, and other incentives. Despite the high security concerns of a company that works so closely with the military, PW is hosting more open-house events to let area educators, guidance counsellors, and students see what the new type of manufacturing is all about. PW execs and engineers sit on the schools advisory boards and, among other things, share with each other the types of courses they might add or trends they should explore to better prepare their students for Industry 4.0 careers.PW has always had a strong reputation in the area as a good employer. So good, in fact, th at born-and-bred Mainers who have earned a reputation for shunning outsiders make a major exception for people from Connecticut because PWs main headquarters are in East Hartford. The areas other major manufacturers, such as Bath Iron Works and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, as well as a handful of important tech companies in and around Portland, Maine, also have good reps. But PW, locals said, takes the extra step in nurturing local partnerships and treating its employees well.I think PW has done really well at reaching out. They are one of the companies that comes back and really drives the relationship, said Brad Kinsey, department chair and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of New Hampshire, who was quick to note that PW made several substantial gifts and scholarships related to the departments new John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center. Not all companies are willing to sign up to that level that they have signed up for.The Need for AutomationWhen Dana Hump hrey became dean of engineering at the University of Maine in Orono 12 years ago, the first manufacturer he visited was PW. Despite a handful of important manufacturers that are much closer to his campus, Humphrey visits PW the most. Given the close relationship between the school and the company, he takes pride in seeing first-hand PWs Industry 4.0 transformation and knowing that so many of his graduates, on both the manufacturing and design sides, have played integral roles in that transition. Its also gratifying, he said, to see how accepting, embracing, and leveraging major changes in industry, no matter how disruptive, benefits a community, a state, and a nation.Automation allows American manufacturing to be more cost competitive, he said. Look at companies like Pratt Whitney. Theyre creating more opportunities for employees, not less. The more cost competitive you are, the more products you can create and the more work you generate. Its an upward spiral. Adult workers need th e opportunity to be trained in these skills, and you need new entrees, like high school graduates, integrated into this type of work. These are great jobs.Jeff OHeir is ASME.orgs senior content manager and producer of ASME TechCast, a new podcast brought to you by the editors of ASME.org and Mechanical Engineering magazine.Also read Special Report on Manufacturing For Further Discussion

Gibson Dunn Lawyers On Choosing Transactional Law

Gibson Dunn Lawyers On Choosing Transactional LawGibson Dunn Lawyers On Choosing Transactional LawGibson, Dunn Crutcher associate Saee Muzumdar caught up with corporate partners Barbara Becker, who heads the firms MA group, and Rashida La Lande, NY hiring partner, for a discussion about why they chose to be corporate lawyers and some of the benefits of transactional work.From Left,Saee Muzumdar,Barbara Becker, andRashida La Lande.Saee Law school is relatively litigation (or at least case law) focused- what drew you to transactional work?Barbara I had tried litigation as a summer associate- I thought I wanted to be a first amendment litigator I worked on a fabulous high profile case, but even though the assignment was interesting, the nature of the work felt too much to me like a continuation of school and I was ready for something different. I tried corporate work and it was a natural fit. I very much enjoy working in teams, and collaborating with colleagues both at Gibson Dunn and the client, to achieve our clients goals.Saee Ive found that transactional work experience can produce a wide range of future work opportunities outside a law firm. Can you talk a little bit about some of the careers former colleagues of yours have gone on to? What kind of roles have you been able to help corporate associates obtain?Barbara The skills you learn as a corporate lawyer, including analysis of complex legal issues (and relating such issues to particular clients and deals), information synthesis, people management and communication to a geschftliches miteinander audience, allow lawyers to transfer easily into lots of jobs outside a law firm. Over the years, colleagues of ours have gotten fabulous jobs as in-house lawyers at corporations and investment banks, and many have transitioned to the business side of transactions at PE/hedge funds or head of strategy/business development at companies.Rashida I couldnt agree more. MA in particular gives you the opportunity to focus on and understand not only the legal aspects of a transaction, but also the financial aspects. You come to learn the key drivers of growth and risk for your clients and different types of businesses, which skills are invaluable for a broad scope of non-law firm jobs.At Gibson Dunn, because our system permits associates to remain unassigned for the first two years of practice, and because thereafter we have a free market system, associates tend to get a broad perspective of transactional work and issues relevant to corporations, which makes them highly sought after for in-house corporate positions.Some recent examples that come to mind include a senior associate who transitioned with the firms assistance to becoming the general counsel for a boutique investment bank, a former associate who has gone on to become the general counsel of a small energy company, a mid-level associate who recently left for a VP job at a hedge fund, and another mid-level associate that the firm assisted in placing at a senior legal position at a multinational media conglomerate.Saee Obviously none of those kinds of external opportunities appealed to you What are some of the fruchtwein interesting deals you have worked on? What factors led you to stay at Gibson Dunn to make partner?Barbara The intellectual challenge as well as the ability to work with smart people (who I really like) is what keeps me at the firm. We get to work on a companys most strategic and challenging transactions and collaborate with clients, both the in-house lawyers and the business teams, to come up with creative solutions to complex problems. I especially like working on cross-border deals where different cultures and legal regimes come into play. For example, organs acquisition of Cadbury was a particularly interesting transaction both from a business perspective and also because of the complications associated with coordinating different legal regimes to achieve our clients objective.In addition, I enjoy he lping to build a practice, which involves client development but also developing a team within the firm that includes our youngest lawyers as well as experts in different areas across all of our offices.Finally, I think one aspect that law students may overlook is that we give our lawyers the flexibility to manage their careers and their own schedules. Although we are all responsive to clients and the requirements of the being a partner at a large law firm, I have a tremendous amount of flexibility in creating my schedule and managing competing demands for my time.Saee Thats a very good point, I know each of you has 4 children- without sounding overly clich, how are you able to have it all?Barbara The firm is an incredibly supportive place, not just for women and mothers but for all of our lawyers and staff. As I said before, the benefit of working at a law firm is the flexibility to generally manage your schedule and beyond that, the firm has provided me with opportunities to conti nue to build a successful practice while maintaining a high-quality family life.Saee What type of person do you think would enjoy transactional work? You have both been the hiring partner for GDCs NY office, what characteristics make recruits stand out in interview?Rashida The nature of transactional, and particularly MA, work tends to draw people who enjoy math more than your stereotypical lawyer because you are so integrally involved in the business/financial aspects of the deal. In my experience, the most successful MA lawyers are the ones who understand the big picture and enjoy putting deals together. This requires broader thinking and the ability to see the forest through the trees without getting bogged down in details. You often hear the analogy of the MA lawyer as the quarterback- the job requires you to synthesize information from various experts around the firm, apply it to the clients business and the deal at hand, and come up with workable (and legal) solutions to deal- issues.In addition to looking for candidates that are smart and enthusiastic, I look for people that have common sense and a good way with clients/people. We of course want people who have done their homework about the firm and are excellent communicators. I tend to think law students that are proactive, thoughtful, entrepreneurial, and enjoy problem-solving make successful lawyers at Gibson Dunn.This is a sponsored blog post from Gibson, Dunn Crutcher. You can view GDCs Vault profile here.Follow Vault Law on TwitterVaultLawand follow Vault on InstagramVaultCareersandFacebookRead MoreWhat is Corporate Law?Gibson Dunns Vault RankingsPractice Perspectives Vaults Guide to Legal Practice Areas

ASME Training Development Presents New Program in August

ASME Training Development Presents New Program in August ASME Training Development Presents New Program in August ASME Training & Development Presents New Program in August May 12, 2017 ASME Training Development will debut a new MasterClass series on pressure vessels and piping (PVP) during ASME Code Week in Minneapolis, Minn., this August. The new Case Study Series, Pressure Vessel and Piping Failures: Causes, Mitigation and Repair, will be held from Aug. 9-11 at the Doubletree by Hilton Bloomington Minneapolis South. The series, which will consist of seven case study workshops, is designed to provide engineers, inspectors and regulators with practical guidance for making run-or-repair decisions based on the sound application of ASME/API codes, industry regulations and engineering practice. Each of the two-hour workshops, which will be led by PVP Code experts, will focus on the damage mechanisms, their causes and characteristics, methods of inspection to assess the damage levels, and the techniques and criteria for assessing the components fitness-for service. Participants may register for any number of the workshops or sign up for all seven. The series will kick off on Aug. 9 with PVP Integrity Assessment and Repair Using ASME/API Codes An Overview, which will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The session will provide an introduction to integrity assessment and repairs of fixed equipment across industries including the chemical process industry, the oil and gas pipeline industry, refineries and petrochemicals, nuclear power and fossil power plants. Four case study workshops will be offered the following day: PVP Failure Mode Case Study 1: General Metal Loss Corrosion, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; PVP Failure Mode Case Study 2: Local Thin Areas, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; PVP Failure Mode Case Study 3: Pitting Corrosion, from 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.; and PVP Failure Mode Case Study 4: Stress Corrosion Cracking, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The series will conclude on Aug. 11 with two additional workshops, PVP Failure Mode Case Study 5: Flow-Induced Vibration in Pipes, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and PVP Failure Mode Case Study 6: Waterhammer Damage in Pipes, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The workshops will be conducted by George Antaki and Tony Scribner. Antaki, an ASME Fellow with more than 40 years of experience in mechanical and structural integrity in the power and process industries, is chair of the ASME III Working Group on Piping Design and the ASME B31 Mechanical Design Committee, and member of the joint API-579/ASME FFS-1 Committee and the ASME Post-Construction Code. Scribner is an eminent materials engineering and corrosion control expert with 40 years of experience in failure analysis, materials selection, and equipment design and process modifications for corrosion minimization. For more information on the seven workshops in the PVP Failure Mode Case Study Series, visit http://go.asme.org/PVPfailuremode. To register for one or more of the workshops, visit www.asme.org/products/courses/asme-program-mc1090. For information about ASME PVP MasterClass programs or other MasterClass programs, visit http://go.asme.org/masterclass or contact Jennifer Delda at deldaj@asme.org.

One Reason to NOT Take a Job

One Reason to NOT Take a Job One Reason to NOT Take a Job 2 What was the readers reason to NOT take a job? The job has all the hallmarks of one that might not last. Our reader, Tom W., a senior energy engineer from Oregon, isnt speaking off the cuff- he actually has some experience in this area. Heres what Tom had to say. On taking two jobs that both fizzled quickly: In my case, Ive encountered this situation twice in the last two years. I signed on for two jobs in a row that paid great salaries, but didnt endure. The first job lasted 13 months before the company tanked and I got laid off. I was unemployed and looking for work for five months before taking the second job, which paid in the six figures but required a helluva weekly commute (back and forth 550 miles each way between Portland and the Bay Area). The second job lasted only 11 months, and it’s been followed by a long period of unemployment, currently cresting (hopefully) now at nine months. Why a high salary may not always be a good thing: The lesson learned (for me anyway) is that for every job offer you tendered, you have to add ALL the months of employment together with the subsequent months of unemployment to come up with an equivalent average monthly salary. So, 12 months of employment at $90k per year, followed by six months of unemployment at $0 per month (18 months total) is actually equivalent to an annual salary of only $60k (calculated as   = ($90k / 18 months) x 12]. How to gauge the risks of taking a job that might not last: My point being that you can’t know in advance whether a job will last, but you can gauge the risks and estimate accordingly what your true salary is likely to be. Of course, foregoing a job offer assumes you have other alternatives in the hopper. Either way, you have to assess carefully the pros of taking a job against the cons of giving it a miss. Our big thanks to Tom for sharing his story and advice with us and our job seekers! Readers, whats your one reason to not take a job? Let us know in the comments below!

Jobscan Case Study Baylor University Hankamer School of Business

Jobscan Case Study Baylor University Hankamer School of Business Jobscan Case Study Baylor University Hankamer School of Business Using Jobscan to bridge the gap between the career and curriculum 81% employed or grad school 90 days after graduation at the undergraduate level95% employed 90 days after graduation at the graduate level100% usage by their students in career focused classes30% or more recruiter calls after using Jobscan “Jobscan is one of the highest rated career resources used by our students. Students easily grasp the capabilities and are quick to utilize it in every job and internship application they submit. Students see quick improvement in their application success and the process improves the students understanding of properly and professionally fitting their resumes to each opportunity.” Assistant Dean, Baylor University Career Center, Ken Buckley About Baylor The Baylor University Career Center takes a no-nonsense approach to career development. Each coming to Baylor from the private sector, Kenneth Buckley, Assistant Dean; Michael Estepp, Director; and Jeffrey Stubbs, Director, seek out innovative solutions to complex career challenges that face college students today. Jobscan was immediately recognized as a “game-changer” for enhancing students’ career development and overall placement success. In 2016, Baylor University became Jobscan’s first university customer. Through Jobscan’s resume optimization tool, students learn about practical job search strategies like how to navigate applicant tracking systems and tailor their resume to each job. Taking Career Development Into the Classroom In order to get the most out of Jobscan (and the other tools at their disposal), the career team at Baylor developed two degree-required courses at the graduate and undergraduate level that introduced business students to the concepts of overall career development. Sophomore and Junior business students enroll each semester in BUS 2101 Career Assessment and Discovery and BUS 3101 Strategy and Success courses. In these courses, students cover career discovery, resume development and personal branding, effective internship and job search, interviewing, negotiations, and understanding how to make a positive impact on the job. In the resume development process the students are given an assignment requiring them to tailor their newly developed resume to three different jobs utilizing Jobscan. The students must get a 60% or higher resume match rate from Jobscan in order to pass the assignment. To make grading simple, students upload screenshots of their before and after match reports to Canvas, Baylor’s LMS. Most students have an initial match rate of 20%. The resume development process is significantly enhanced by the students efforts to rethink their accomplishments and experiences to show a stronger fit to the opportunity. In the graduate level courses, MBAs utilize Jobscan a little differently. Estepp has a group of 3-4 students look at a job description and decide who would be the best fit for the role. Then, the students scan the top candidate’s resume against the job description. Typically, they won’t score more than a 30% match on their first scan. “It’s eye opening to the students and surprising, but it only makes them realize there is much more to be done when it comes to tailoring their resumes,” said Estepp. The Results “We’re seeing easily 30% or more increase in calls from recruiters when our students use Jobscan to tailor their resumes,” reported Stubbs. Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business has a 100% knowledge rate for their First Destination survey. In 2018, Hankamer reported 81% of their undergraduates were employed or going to grad school within 90 days of graduation. In 2018, they also saw a 95% employment rate for their MBA program within 90 days of graduation. “We’re very proud of our success,” said Estepp. “We know that career tools like Jobscan can provide significant influence on a student’s career success. In addition this specialized career resource provides a force multiplier for our professional career staff.” More Resources To learn more about Baylor’s career success strategies and integrating on campus, we highly recommend checking out their book College to the Career You Love, 4th edition from Kendall Hunt Publishing, a textbook featuring their best practices. Amanda Ostrove brings Jobscan’s resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn optimization tools to universities to help their students beat the resume black hole. You can contact her at [emailprotected] or learn more about Jobscans tools for universities here.

Its Time to Say Goodbye to Work Stress and Live

It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Work Stress and Live It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Work Stress and Live It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Work Stress and Live By Jenny C. Evans, author of THE RESILIENCY rEVOLUTION: Your Stress Solution For Life 60 Seconds at a Time(Wise Ink Creative Publishing) Its quite likely this year held some challenging moments for you professionally, personally or both. Its also possible the tools you used to cope actually made things worse, not better. Perhaps you found yourself staying up late or waking up early to get work done. In an attempt to create time in a hectic schedule, you might have skipped meals or workouts. There were long stretches of time where you had to sit motionless and maintain concentration in a meeting, at your desk, on an airplane or in a car. Its time to say goodbye to workplace stressfor good.The key to dealing with your stress successfully, having better energy, and becoming more productivewill hinge on looking at stress in a new and different way. Its not something thats just in your headits in your body. Stress is a physical event that radically changes your chemistry and physiology. Understanding these changes helps prevent and mitigate its negative side effects. Here are some of our typical responses to stress, why they make things worse, and what to do instead. 1. You sacrifice sleep to get things done. Its tempting to trade sleep for extra hours of productivity, but lack of sleep arouses the area of our brains responsible for the fight or flight response. It also inhibits portions of the brain relating to restoring balance and calm. (McEwen, B. 2002) Sleep deprivation also increases hunger and body fat levels, specifically around the bodys mid-section. Not only can this abdominal fat be psychologically stressful, it also increases our risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and even premature death. (Epstien, L. 2008.) And unfortunately these disease states make our stress even worse. Resiliency Remedy: Keep to a regular sleep cycle and aim to get between 7-9 hours each night. We can get by on less, but sleep is one of the best tools we have for the body to recover from stress. 2. You skip meals because youre too busy to eat. When we skip meals or go too long without eating, blood glucose (a form of sugar the body uses for energy from many of the foods we eat) drops. When theres not enough glucose, the body thinks a famine is occurring, the stress response is stimulated and the body secretes cortisol. Cortisol puts us into food seeking mode to get much needed energy into the body, and makes us eat large amounts of high-fat, high-sugar foods. It stores much of this extra energy in the fat cells around our abdominal regions for the next glucose emergency. Resiliency Remedy: Keeping blood glucose levels in the ideal range stops the stress response from being stimulated. Minimize stress by eating about every 3 hours. Alternate between moderate sized meals (breakfast is a must) and small snacks high in fiber, healthy fats and/or lean protein. 3. You skip your workout because you dont have time. When the demands of our lives increase, we look for things to cut to reduce our levels of stress. Exercise is often the first to go. Unfortunately this is one of the worst coping strategies we can make. Stress hormones are specifically designed to fuel a short burst of intense physical activity fighting and/or fleeing. When we get this type of activity, it burns them off and releases a new class of hormones that restore balance and neutralize the negative consequences of stress. When we dont get this type of exercise, were stuck stewing in our stress hormones. Resiliency Remedy: The good news is just 30-60 seconds of intense exercise produces the hormones that restore balance. (Brooks, S. et al 1988, Schwarz, L. et al 1990, Schwarz, L. et al 1992) Sprint up a flight of stairs, or do a few jumping jacks or burpees. Shorts bursts hit the physiological reset button on stress and make a big difference when accumulated throughout the day. They also train the body to recover from stress more quickly and efficiently. 4. You sit for long periods of time. Sitting is the new smoking. It increases risk of death, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and body fat. (Stamatakis, E., et al, 2011) Think a workout negates it? It doesnt. Sitting for most of the day cancels out the effects of an exercise session. (Matthews, CE. et al, 2012) Also, tension builds the longer we sit while energy and metabolism slow. Resiliency Remedy: Several times during the day take a minute or two to move your body. Set your laptop on a cardboard box to stand and type, do some stretching to release muscular tension and stress, on the phone = on your feet, or conduct walking meetings when in small groups. Full citations are available on request. Author Bio: Jenny C. Evans is the author ofTHE RESILIENCY rEVOLUTION: Your Stress Solution For Life 60 Seconds at a Time(Wise Ink Creative Publishing). She is also founder and CEO of PowerHouse Performance, where she works with thousands of C-suite executives, leaders, and employees worldwide to help them improve their resilience, performance and productivity, while enhancing their health.

Military Medical Enlistment Standards for Dental Issues

Military Medical Enlistment Standards for Dental Issues Military Medical Enlistment Standards for Dental Issues When you go to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station)  or your  DoDMERB (The Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board) to get medically screened for service as an enlisted member of an officer in the military, you will be fully examined from head to toe.  Your vision, hearing, blood pressure, blood work, and even your teeth and much more will be fully screened to see if you have any medically related issue that prevents you from being able to fulfill your time of service. Disqualifying Issues in a Dental Exam The disqualifying medical  conditions of the mouth and jaw are listed below. The International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes are listed in parentheses following each standard.  The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction (without an approved waiver) are an authenticated history of the following issues. If you had any disease in the mouth area that now prohibits you from chewing or swallowing will be disqualifying.   Jaw Diseases or Tissues Preventing Normal Function Current diseases of the jaws or associated tissues that prevent normal functioning are disqualifying. Those diseases include, but are not limited to temporomandibular disorders (524.6) and/or myofascial pain that has not been corrected. Congenital or Injury That Prohibits From Chewing Normally If you had any congenital or another injury that now prohibits you from chewing normally and cannot be surgically repaired, that will be disqualifying. You will have to get the surgery before you enter the service this apply for a waiver to enter the service, but as long as the chewing issue is corrected and is a procedure that you can request a waiver, then the chances of entering service are increased. Severe Malocclusion Current severe malocclusion (524), which interferes with normal mastication or requires early and protracted treatment, or a relationship between the mandible and maxilla that prevents satisfactory future prosthodontic replacement is disqualifying. Disease or Injury That Caused Removal of Adult Teeth If you had any disease or injury  that caused the removal of adult teeth and now prohibits you from chewing normal food will be disqualifying. If dental implants are used to correct the missing teeth, the procedure to correct will be reviewed by the military medical profession to make certain there are no potential complications in future use. If the procedure is approved and no issues reported then a waiver may be submitted.  Approval for that waiver will be pending a medical review board. Insufficient Natural Healthy Teeth Current insufficient natural healthy teeth (521) or lack of a serviceable prosthesis that prevents adequate incision and mastication of a normal diet and/or includes complex (multiple fixtures) dental implant systems with associated complications are disqualifying. Cavities  in the teeth that have been filled or will be filled will not be disqualifying. However, you cannot be sworn in unless all cavities or other dental repairs are treated. Individuals undergoing endodontic care are acceptable for entry in the Delayed Entry Program only if a civilian or military provider provides documentation that active endodontic treatment will be completed prior to being sworn into active duty. Orthodontic Appliances If you have braces on  your teeth and still undergoing treatment from an orthodontist, you will not be allowed to join the military.  If you have braces, you can still join the Delayed Entry Program but until the removal of the braces/orthodontic fixtures, you cannot be sworn into the military. Current orthodontic appliances for continued treatment (V53.4) are disqualifying. Retainer appliances are permissible, provided all active orthodontic treatment has been satisfactorily completed. Individuals undergoing orthodontic care are acceptable for enlistment in the Delayed Entry Program only if a civilian or military orthodontist provides documentation that active orthodontic treatment will be completed prior to being sworn into active duty. Derived from Department of Defense (DOD) Directive 6130.3, Physical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, and Induction, and DOD Instruction 6130.4, Criteria and Procedure Requirements for Physical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Armed Forces.

New Employee Welcome Aboard Email Examples

New Employee Welcome Aboard Email Examples New Employee Welcome Aboard Email Examples Companies need to get through all sorts of procedural paperwork from the time when someone is hired to the persons first day on the job. This could include tax forms, employee guidelines, a  handbook, and materials explaining  the employees benefits  that need to be reviewed.   A welcome aboard letter serves to confirm the new employees status and start date and lets them know that they are already an integral part of the team.  Letters may include onboarding paperwork, either printed out, attached, or linked to in an email, for example. Welcome letters give new employees clues about what to expect on their first day, from what to wear to who theyll meet with. Overall, the letter serves to make a new employee feel comfortable and excited for their first day on the job.   Read on to find out what information is typically included in a welcome letter, along with examples of both emails and hard copy notes.   Things to Include in a Welcome Letter Along with confirming the start date, the letter should also include information on where the new employee will go on their first day (e.g., Head to the reception desk, and ask for Derrick.). It can also specify when the employee should arrive (e.g., Our workday typically starts at 9:30, but for your first day, aim to get there at 10 a.m., so that I can give you a tour.).   Let the employee know if there is anything (e.g., social security, bank account details, etc.) they should bring in on their first day or provide beforehand. You can also include links, attachments, or printed out information on the companys mission, upcoming projects, etc. Consider sharing information on what the new employee should expect from the first day with the company.  For instance, Youll spend your morning filling out paperwork and going through orientation with HR. Then, well have a welcome lunch, so you meet the whole team, followed by some one-on-one training with me.   The tone of the correspondence should be welcoming- you want the new employee to feel eager to join the company. The following are examples of a  welcome aboard email messages,  along with a letter, to send to a new employee. The letter should come from the direct manager, but additional notes may come from colleagues. Email Welcome Message Examples If you are sending an email message, the subject line of the message can simply say Welcome or Congratulations. Then, in the body of the email, you can briefly mention some of the things to expect on the first day and confirm the start date. Welcome Aboard Email Message #1 (Text Version) Subject:  Welcome AboardDear Jake,It is my pleasure to welcome you to the accounting department at XYZ Company. I enjoyed talking with you last week, and am looking forward to seeing you on April 19.When you arrive, you’ll see Nick in the reception area. He’ll take you to get your ID, show you your workspace, and introduce you to the rest of the staff. We’re looking forward to working with you.Welcome to the team!Regards,?Bill BrownbbrownXYZemail.com(123)  456-7890 Expand Welcome Aboard Email Message #2 (Text Version) Subject:  Welcome!  Dear Riley,I was pleased to hear that you accepted the position with our firm and that you’ll be joining us on Monday, September 7. Welcome aboard!You’ll be working closely with me for the first couple of weeks until you get to know the routine here.I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas and getting your input. Don’t hesitate to call, text, or email me if you have any questions before your first day.Best,Melanie DavisManagerXYZ Companyemailxyzcompany.com122-344-5665   Expand New Employee Welcome Aboard Letter (Text Version) Your NameTitleOrganizationAddressCity, State Zip CodeDateNameTitleOrganizationAddressCity, State Zip CodeDear Jeanette,We are very happy to welcome you to the sales team here at Specialty Stones. You are joining us at an exciting time of year, as we are moving into our busiest season.We are hopeful that with your fresh ideas and enthusiasm, this will be one of our best summers ever!As we discussed during your interview, we are projecting unprecedented growth this year, and are counting on you to help us get there.When you arrive on Monday, November 14, stop by my office and Ill show you to yours and introduce you to Marc and Karen who were out of town during your second interview. We are all looking forward to working with you and are certain that youll be a great fit for this team. Welcome aboard!Yours truly,Signature (hard copy letter)Jeannette CavenarSales Manager Expand More Employee Letters If you need help completing other types of employee communications, read about:  New Job Announcement Letters  and Congratulation Note Examples. Also, review more employee letters and email message examples for a variety of circumstances.

7 totally normal ways to set boundaries with your work friends

7 totally normal ways to set boundaries with your work friends 7 totally normal ways to set boundaries with your work friends Having friends at work can improve your overall office experience. Just having someone to eat lunch with or talk to before a big meeting can make your days seem shorter and more meaningful.But regardless of how well you get along with someone at work or how close you think you are, you have to remember that she is your coworker. Creating boundaries for workplace friendships can be difficult, but they are necessary. Think about it: Keeping a little distance can prevent you from sneaky unwanted repercussions on your professional life, like an embarrassing secret getting out or a bad reputation forming around your blurred lines.We’ve outlined a few easy steps for preventing your workplace friendship from crossing dangerous boundaries you definitely want to avoid. You know, without it being super awkward. You don’t need to wear a “keep away” sign. Just do these things.1. Don’t gossipWhile gossiping about other colleagues can be tempting, avoid doing so with your workplace frien d. She could have a relationship with the other coworker you are mentioning, which could cause friction between you, your friend, and said coworker. But even worse, you could get the reputation as an untrustworthy employee, or worse, the office gossip.2. Don’t bad mouth your bossOr any superiors, for that matter. Frankly, you shouldn’t be bad-mouthing anyone at work, but you should especially avoid saying negative things about those who could, uhm, fire you? While we all feel the need to vent about work every once in a while, do so on your own time. Talk about your frustrations with your friends, family, or spouse - essentially anyone who isn’t employed by your company!3. Be cautious about divulging personal informationAs cool as your work friend may seem, she may not take kindly to the fact that you were out at a concert until 2 AM the night before work, regardless of how well you’re functioning that day. Every person has different hobbies, interests and lifestyles â€" and they may not understand those of others. Try to maintain a divide between your work life and your personal life. Talk about light things, like your cute cat or her obsession with chocolate.4. Be cautious about posting on social mediaIf your work friend follows you on social media, beware of what you post and how it could reflect on you as an employee. While screenshots and screen-recordings are amazing technological developments, they can also be used against you.5. Be clear about remaining unbiasedYour work friend should never assume you will take her side in meetings or support a professional venture of hers simply because you’re friends. And you shouldn’t assume she’ll behave this way, either. Make sure you treat her the same way you treat your other colleagues.6. Be realistic about your relationshipConsider the most negative outcome possible: a falling-out. Never reveal information you wouldn’t want to be used against you if your friendship ended on bad terms. Don’t f orget to put your career first and protect your position at the company, along with your professional relationship with your boss and other colleagues. Use caution in your interactions and realize it might not work out.7. Be professionalThe most important rule is to always maintain your professionalism. If you’re questioning whether or not to act a certain way with your work friend, the answer is probably no. And on that note â€" don’t drink too much alcohol around them! Come on, everyone.A version of this post previously appeared on  Fairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.

How to keep your mental health in check at the office

How to keep your mental health in check at the office How to keep your mental health in check at the office The other week, as I was trying to catch a Lyft in the rain, the person I was with cheekily commented that I had “learned how to walk.” What they meant is that I had learned how to walk like a New Yorker. If you’ve been in the city, you know it: quickly, leaning forward, and on the right.As someone who intentionally leaves for out of office meetings a few minutes earlier than other people so I don’t have to walk with New Yorkers, my smell-the-roses Texan persona felt shook.While I love this city, I’m constantly pushing back at it, especially where work/life balance is concerned. What’s valued in an Austin workspace isn’t the same thing that’s valued in NYC, and thus I’ve had to adjust. But some habits, I refuse to let go of.As I’ve grown in my professional career, I’ve learned the hard way that if you don’t set boundaries, people will take as much as they absolutely can from you.Here are some ways I guard my time and stay sane in the startup world:1. Reserving the first hour of the day for your agenda, and no one else’s.If I can help it, I don’t schedule any meetings before 10 AM. I may scan my email quickly to make sure I’m not missing a crisis, but otherwise, the first hour of the day is reserved for me checking in on my projects on Asana and setting my to-do’s for the next eight hours. Figuring out what my priorities are first, allows me to then compromise in a more balanced way when others come to me with their own priorities that they need my assistance on.2. Keeping your phone in do not disturb mode.Being protective of my time means being protective of the energy that I exhibit and that I choose to intake. Productivity does not lend itself to a full and scattered brain. This is why I keep my phone in a permanent state of DND- I also don’t actively check my email. I check both once an hour, or every two. My philosophy being if it’s an emergency anyways, you’ll call or come right up to me in the office.3. Stepping away from your desk for lunch, ICYMI: It’ll be there for you when you get back.This isn’t just some woo-hoo practice, there are legitimate science-backed reasons on why you should take a breather. Sitting for hours on end has been proven to be unhealthy, and you can even use this hour as a means to work on your relationship with your colleagues or have a networking lunch.4. Automating as much as possible.Automating workflows can help you reach your goals faster, and gives you space to focus on other projects (time is money!). I use tools like Asana to project manage and be able to quickly see the lifecycle of a task and where it’s at in the pipeline, Later for scheduling Instagram posts, Buffer for scheduling all other social posts, Boomerang to schedule emails in advance, and IFTTT to push Google Alerts to Slack.5. Get a change in scenery.Stop trying to fight the 3 PM slump, instead: get up and get your blood pumping. Take a quick walk around the block, or if you have a standing d esk / elevated surface, work standing up.6. You can’t work your best, if you are not feeling the best.As a recovering workaholic, remembering this is what allows me to fully shut off once I walk out of the office. You weren’t hired to do your job in a single day, or in a single week. Meet your deadlines, get it done, but take care of yourself. If you’re stressed, running low on sleep, and in a constant gaslit state- there is no way you are going to be as creative or strategic as you need to be on the job.This article first appeared on Jopwell.

How to Prevent Your ATS from Working Against You

How to Prevent Your ATS from Working Against You How to Prevent Your ATS from Working Against You The first applicant tracking systems were developed in the early days of the Internet, when companies were eager to get the most out of technology. In their eagerness to build comprehensive systems, many ATS vendors and employers overcomplicated the application process by adding too many features without taking the user experience into account. The application process is the service part of a company’s employer brand â€" similar to the role of customer service, employers should make sure their online application process is aligned with the company’s values and does not turn qualified candidates away. It’s no different than when customer service organizations work to enhance the company brand by providing service representatives with scripts, behavior guidelines, etc. The Evolution of the Internet The web has evolved and so has user behavior. There has been a marked shift to mobile as millions of smartphones and tablets have been purchased by consumers: 51% of all time spent on digital media in the U.S. occurs on a smartphone or tablet (comScore). 51% of users open emails on mobile devices (Litmus). On a global basis, 64% of all internet users accessed the Internet via smartphone, and 28% via tablet (Global Web Index). Nearly one-third of all job search traffic at Simply Hired occurs on mobile devices. 52% of the email job alerts sent by Simply Hired are opened on mobile devices. As web usage shifts to mobile, users want to take their data with them, and be able to access it from any device. Cloud storage solutions have grown exponentially in the past several years. Dropbox, a popular cloud storage app, has 200 million users worldwide (Wall Street Journal). Google Drive, Google’s cloud storage service, has more than 120 million users. Google Drive users are required to have a Gmail or Google Apps account.  Gmail, with over 425 million users, is the top free email provider in the U.S., and increased its share significantly in 2013   (Litmus). Google Apps is used by more than five million businesses  and 66 of the top 100 universities.   This data indicates that ability to store documents (such as resumes and cover letters) in the cloud and access them from any device is now seen as a necessity rather than a convenience for many web users. They are also practical in their use of the web, viewing LinkedIn (with over 200 million users and growing at a rate of 2 users per second) as an online resume. The Impact of Device Proliferation and Cloud Storage on the Application Experience Users are highly attuned to redundancy and kinks in their online experience. They have come to expect ease-of-use after years of using products and services by companies that invest heavily in user experience testing (such as Google, Apple, and Facebook). Web users readily complain about problems they encounter in online reviews, forums, and on social media. Though they are likely to interact with your company only once â€" when they complete an online application â€" the ATS is an extension of your employer brand and should be treated as such.   A user-friendly job application experience through your ATS enhances your employer brand, positioning your company as efficient and respectful of the candidate’s time. A poor experience with an ATS can lead candidates to draw erroneous conclusions about what it’s like to work at your company. If your ATS asks for unnecessary or redundant information, provides insufficient options for the explanation of unusual life circumstances, or sends automated rejections minutes after scanning a resume for keywords, candidates can draw the following conclusions: “They are not technology-friendly.” “They must be really bureaucratic and inefficient.” “They are going to require too much of me.” “They are inflexible.” “They are just going to treat me like a number.”   How to Improve the Candidate Application Experience As the primary line of communication between your company and its next great employee, the ATS deserves special consideration. Here are some tips to help you create a candidate-friendly application experience. Take a self-audit of your own application process and compare it to other companies in your area. Do this for both mobile and desktop. Make a list of what information you are currently collecting from candidates. Categorize information into four buckets: 1. Absolutely necessary (name, contact information, work history, education, etc.) 2. Nice to have, but not necessary (e.g., college GPA) 3. Can be collected later (such as reference information or social security number) 4. Not at all necessary (e.g. exact dates of previous employment and graduations) Look at your company’s mission and values statements. If “Do more with less” is a core value, does the candidate experience support that? Consider how to align the candidate experience with the company’s core values. Measure and analyze: 1. Visits to your employer site by device type 2.  Application drop-off rate Consider integrating services like LinkedIn, Google Drive, and Dropbox into your application process. Below is an example of an online application that presents multiple options for resume upload. ?   In the coming weeks, we will continue to delve into the world of ATSes. Stay tuned as we examine specific hang-ups in the application process, including forcing candidates to lie and artificially disqualifying candidates. At Simply Hired we want to navigate the ever-changing landscape of successful recruiting with you. Stay with us over the next few months as we explore best practices in recruiting and look at examples of employers that do it well. You can sign up to receive future newsletters and feature articles in our preference center.   Read more articles in this series: Be The First To Make The Shift: Attracting Top Talent in the Job Seekers Market Get Strategic! How to Use  Data in Recruiting Evaluating Transferable Skills in the Job Seekers Market How to Avoid the Pitfalls of a Cumbersome Hiring Process Conduct a Self-Audit for a Candidate-Friendly Job Application Process 4 Surprising Truths About Mobile Recruiting 5 Quick Fixes for Mobile-Friendly Recruiting 4 Essential Steps for Comprehensive Mobile Recruiting Your Message or Theirs? Take Control of Your Employer Brand Balancing Act: Ethical Interviewing That Works How to Leave a Positive Impression With Rejected Candidates Charm Candidates With an Irresistible Company Culture Promote From Within or Hire From Without? 6 Factors to Consider that Will Shape Your Culture When the Perfect Candidate Turns Out to be an Imperfect Fit