How to impress a summer internship boss to secure a job offer later

How to impress a summer internship boss to secure a job offer laterHow to impress a summer internship boss to secure a job offer laterLanding a summer internship can be a lengthy and frustrating task, but the work doesnt stop when you get that final acceptance email. On the contrary, the real work starts on your first day. Your first day is the beginning of the incredible opportunity to impress your summer internship boss (aka a potential future employer), make important industry contacts, and learn more about your dream job.Summer internships are the perfect opportunities to gain experience without having to juggle classes, meaning you could even take a position thats in a different location than your school. Lauren Berger, the in eigener sache Queen herself, provided Ladders with a list of how to impress your internship boss and maximize the intern experience.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neurosc ience, and moreHow to impress a summer internship boss1. Say yes as much as possible.Once youre at the internship your job is to soak up everything and meet as many people as possible, Berger said.While interns may be juggling multiple responsibilities in conjunction with their summer internships, such as classes or another job, Berger strongly recommends attending any out-of-office event that youre invited to. Whether its a casual dinner, power breakfast, workout class, or even working an event for the team after hours, Berger stresses the importance of showing up.Showing up is something people value so much and its so much harder than you think it is, Berger said. Show up and whenever you have an opportunity to go above and beyond, take those opportunities, because you dont get a lot of them in life, and especially not at your job,Each time you say yes is a moment to impress your boss and at your summer internship, as Berger said, you want to really shine.2. Ask questions. If you have a ntzlich feeling and really think youre about to mess something up but youre scared to ask the questiontake a deep breath, be really polite and professional, and just ask the question, Berger said.While many interns are nervous about looking inexperienced, Berger said its much more preferable for an intern to ask questions than for them to royally screw something up for your boss or for the company.3. Plant the seed about future employment. Berger doesnt mind if an intern expresses interest in working with her again in the future, but he or she shouldnt wait until the last day of their internship to do so.If you think you want to work at that company after graduation, plant the seed, Berger said. Make sure the company knows early on, dont expect that youre going to tell them on the last day and theyll offer you a job.4. Remember that first impressions are important, but so are last impressions. You definitely shouldnt be late on the first day of your internship, thats a recipe for a pretty badeanstalt first impression. But you also shouldnt check out of your internship early, leaving a really terrible last impression, which some may argue is even worse than a bad first impression.Too often, Berger has seen interns mentally check out, or sometimes literally just not show up, during the last two week of their internship. What many interns dont realize is how quickly a good impression can turn into a bad one.I can love an intern, but if they really do something to disappoint the team, especially in a time of need, a good impression can turn into a bad impression very quickly, Berger said.Young professionals might not have the foresight or experience to recognize this, but impressions in the workplace stick.If you do something that affects the company in a significant enough way, theyre going to remember, Berger said. Thats good for when you do something great, but thats also really bad for when you do something not so great.If a bosss last impression of an intern is someone who isnt reliable to finish a project strongly, the boss will most likely not hire the intern as a full-time employee or provide a good reference for future job opportunities. By checking out of your summer internship early you not only burn a bridge but waste all of the hard work you put in at the beginning of the internship.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 ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Top Ten Tips for Transitioning Military Seeking Federal Careers

Top Ten Tips for Transitioning Military Seeking Federal CareersTop Ten Tips for Transitioning Military Seeking Federal CareersTop Ten Tips for Transitioning Military Seeking Federal CareersThe following Top Ten Tips are based onthe most frequent errors made by military when writing their federal resume and selecting federal careers- from Author, Instructor, and Federal Resume Guru, Kathryn Troutman.Resume format Write a reverse chronological resume focusing on experience for the last ten years. Be sure to include specific facts for each position title of yur position (the military title), rank, name of your program or office, name of your base, city, state, zip and country.Great federal job translation tool Use the mil2fedjobs.com website to translate your MOC to a GS federal position. Find real-time positions posted and learn which Occupational Series will work for you, based on your military experience.Three stories Write at least three accomplishments that will demonstrate your value in the military. Write about an accomplishment that you achieved in terms of training, planning, technology, teamwork or team lead, supervision, and/or mentorship. The accomplishment will help your resume to stand out and GRAB the HR reviewer or the coach who is deciding who to interview.Builder Use the USAJOBS resume builder to submit your resume to the HR reviewer and the supervisor. Follow the directions and do not be creative with the format and structure of the government resume. You will also need to fill out the Self-Assessment Questionnaire.Keywords Analyze a sample target USAJOBS vacancy announcement for keywords and skills. You can find keywords by reading the announcement and finding words that repeat multiple times. Those repeated words and phrases should be featured in your resume.Five pages Make your resume five pages at the most. Include positions and installations back to 15 years at the most.Skills are keywords too Translate your skills into skills that ar e needed in your next position. Reduce the use of acronyms because the HR reviewers may not understand the acronyms.Add specialized skills Be sure to add technology skills to the resume computers, software, technology.Knowledge of laws Add knowledge of regulations and laws that you are familiar with and utilize in your position. Examples of laws and regulations could be FAR, OSHA, HAZMAT, etc.Two-page resume Also keep a two-page resume that is your networking, job fair, and email resume for introductions. You can format the two-pager using an online template system, such as www.hloom.com.Thats it for now. Good luck with your federal resume and applications. Kathryn Troutman Thank you for your service to AmericaWe are offering a FREE book (PDF download) with sample federal resumes for our military members.Fill out ourContact Formto request ourMilitary to Federal Career Guideto see samples of successful federal resumes that can get you hiredRequest Your Free eBook

12 Easy Ways to Stay Professional at Work-The Muse

12 Easy Ways to Stay Professional at Work-The Muse12 Easy Ways to Stay Professional at Work-The MuseYou cant build a strong professional network if you dont open up to your colleagues but doing so is tricky, because revealing the wrong things can have a devastating effect on your career.Sharing the right aspects of yourself in the right ways is an art form. Disclosures that feel like relationship builders in the moment can wind up as obvious no-nos in hindsight.The trick is to catch yourself before you cross that line, because once you share something, there is no going back.TalentSmart has tested more than a million people and found that the upper echelons of top performance are filled with people who are high in emotional intelligence (90% of top performers, to be exact). Emotionally intelligent people are adept at reading others, and this shows them what they should and shouldnt reveal about themselves at work.The following list contains the 12 fruchtwein common things people reve al that send their careers in the wrong direction.1. That They Hate Their JobThe last thing anyone wants to hear at work is someone complaining about how much she hates her job. Doing so labels you as a negative person and bedrngnis a gruppe player. This brings down the morale of the group. Bosses are quick to catch on to naysayers who drag down morale, and they know that there are always enthusiastic replacements waiting just around the corner.2. That They Think Someone Is IncompetentThere will always be incompetent people in any workplace, and chances are that everyone knows who they are. If you dont have the power to help them improve or to fire them, then you have nothing to gain by broadcasting their ineptitude. Announcing your colleagues incompetence comes across as an insecure attempt to make yourself look better. Your callousness will inevitably come back to haunt you in the form of your co-workers negative opinions of you.3. How Much Money They MakeYour parents may love to hear all about how much youre pulling in each month, but in the workplace, this only breeds negativity. Its impossible to allocate salaries with perfect fairness, and revealing yours gives your co-workers a direct measure of comparison. As soon as everyone knows how much you make, everything you do at work is considered against your income. Its tempting to swap salary figures with a buddy out of curiosity, but the moment you do, youll never binnenbinnensee each other the same way again.4. Their Political and Religious BeliefsPeoples political and religious beliefs are too closely tied to their identities to be discussed without incident at work. Disagreeing with someone elses views can quickly alter their otherwise strong perception of you. Confronting someones core values is one of the most insulting things you can do.Granted, different people treat politics and religion differently, but asserting your values can alienate some people as quickly as it intrigues others. Even bringing up a hot-button world event without asserting a strong opinion can lead to conflict.People build their lives around their ideals and beliefs, and giving them your two cents is risky. Be willing to listen to others without inputting anything on your end, because all it takes is a disapproving look to start a conflict. Political opinions and religious beliefs are so deeply ingrained in people that challenging their views is more likely to get you judged than to change their minds.5. What They Do on FacebookThe last thing your boss wants to see when she logs on to her Facebook account are photos of you taking tequila shots in Tijuana. There are just too many ways you can look inappropriate on Facebook and leave a bad impression. It could be what youre wearing, whom youre with, what youre doing, or even your friends commentary. These are the little things that can cast a shadow of doubt in your boss or colleagues minds just when they are about to hand you a big assignment or recommend you for a promotion.Its too difficult to try to censor yourself on Facebook for your colleagues. Save yourself the trouble, and dont friend them there. Let LinkedIn be your professional social network, and save Facebook for everybody else.6. What They Do in the BedroomWhether your sex life is out of this world or lacking entirely, this information has no place at work. Such comments might get a chuckle from some people, but it makes most uncomfortable, and even offended. Crossing this line will instantly give you a bad reputation.7. What They Think Someone Else Does in the BedroomA good 111% of the people you work with do not want to know that you bet theyre tigers in the sack. Theres no more surefire way to creep someone out than to let her know that thoughts of her love life have entered your brain. Anything from speculating on a colleagues sexual orientation to making a relatively indirect comment like, Oh, to be a newlywed again, plants a permanent seed in the brains of all who hear it that casts you in a negative light.Your thoughts are your own. Think whatever you feel is right about people just keep it to yourself.8. That Theyre After Somebody Elses JobAnnouncing your ambitions at work when they are in direct conflict with other peoples interests comes across as selfish and indifferent to those you work with and the company as a whole. Great employees want the whole team to succeed, not just themselves. Regardless of your actual motives (some of us really do just work for the money), announcing your selfish goal will not help you get there.9. How Wild They Used to Be in CollegeYour past can say a lot about you. Just because you did something outlandish or stupid 20 years ago doesnt mean that people will believe youve developed impeccable judgment since then. Some behavior that might qualify as just another day in the typical fraternity (binge drinking, minor theft, drunk driving, abusing people or farm animals, and so on) shows everyone you work with th at, when push comes to shove, you have poor judgment and dont know where to draw the line. Many presidents have been elected in spite of their past indiscretions, but unless you have a team of handlers and PR types protecting and spinning your image, you should keep your unsavory past to yourself.10. How Intoxicated They Like to GetYou might think talking about how inebriated you were over the weekend has no effect on how youre viewed at work. After all, if youre a good worker, then youre a good worker, right? Unfortunately not. Sharing this will not get people to think youre fun. Instead, they will see you as unpredictable, immature, and lacking in good judgment. Too many people have negative views of drugs and alcohol for you to reveal how much you love to indulge in them.11. An Offensive JokeIf theres one thing we can learn from celebrities, its to be careful about what you say and whom you say it to. Offensive jokes make other people feel terrible, and they make you look terribl e. They also happen to be much less funny than clever jokes.A joke crosses the line anytime you try to gauge its appropriateness based on how close you are with someone. If there is anyone who would be offended by your joke, you are better off not telling it. You never know whom people know or what experiences theyve had in life that can lead your joke to tread on subjects that they take very seriously.12. That They Are Job HuntingWhen I was a kid, I told my baseball coach I was quitting in two weeks. For the next two weeks, I found myself riding the bench. It got even worse after those two weeks when I decided to stay, and I became the kid who doesnt even want to be here. I was crushed, but it was my own fault I told him my decision before it was certain.The same thing happens when you tell people that youre job hunting. Once you reveal that youre planning to leave, you suddenly become a waste of everyones time. Theres also the chance that your hunt will be unsuccessful, so its bes t to wait until youve found a job before you tell anyone. Otherwise, you will end up riding the bench.mora From IncHow to Disarm a Larger Competitor4 Leadership Lessons for Entrepreneurs From Game of Thrones7 Ways to Destroy, Shoot, and Blow Up Your StressPhoto of woman with suitcase courtesy of Shutterstock.

This Is How Successful People Read a Book (and Make Themselves Smarter)

This Is How Successful People Read a Book (and Make Themselves Smarter)This Is How Successful People Read a Book (and Make Themselves Smarter)I think weve all had that moment when weve flipped the last page of a book, sat back, and thought, What the hell did I just read?Reading and being able to use what youve read are completely different things. Without purpose and intention, the knowledge gained and ideas sparked easily slip away. Learning to hold onto them means understanding how ur memory works.For the purposes of retention, we can think of our memory as being basically made up of three components impression, association, and repetition.Im going to run through how to make sure youre using all three of these components while reading, and then look at how some of the best creative minds do it and use what theyve learned to their advantage.Impression Read to Be Impressed (and to Impress Others)When youre impressed by something, theres a much higher probability that youll remember i t. This could mean a schlagwort or quote that catches you off guard or changes the way you think about a certain topic. Or, an interesting fact that youll want to teach someone later on.Just like a teacher is able to master a subject because they know theyll be teaching it later on, attacking a book with the same level of purpose means youll be able to recall information a lot quicker.A recent study in the journal Memory Cognition showed the effect that reading with intention and purpose can have. Two groups were given the same material- one was told theyd have a test at the end, while the others were told theyd have to teach someone the material.In the end, both groups were given the same test. Surprisingly, the group that was told theyd have to teach the material (rather than be tested on it) performed much better.Having a clear question in mind or a topic youre focusing on can make all the difference in helping you to remember and recall information.Association Make Associations With What You Already KnowAssociation is a peg upon which you hang a new idea, fact, or figure. When you know where the peg is located, its a lot easier to find what youve hung upon it.As you read and come across new ideas and thoughts, youll want to connect and associate these with familiar memories as a means of creating a bond between old and new.There are many different ways to create associations in your mind, from pairing new thoughts with familiar objects to creating acronyms. Many champion memorizers (theres such a thing) talk about creating a memory palace- a mental map in their mind where they store information. Each memory is connected to a physical place in their mind, so as they walk through the palace they can find what they were looking for, just like you or I would walk through the house looking for our keys. The information sticks out because its in contrast to the physical locations in your mind.ur brains work much better with visuals than they do with words and a bstract thoughts alone. Connecting a memory with a location or visual makes it much easier to recall.Repetition Repeat, Revisit, and Re-engageThe final factor influencing our memory, and the one that is most important for long-term memorization, is repetition. Without revisiting or re-engaging with the material that youve read, theres a pretty low chance youll be able to remember and apply any of that knowledge in the real world.This doesnt necessarily mean you need to look through the book multiple times (although that does help). But rather, that you need to have a method for taking and organizing notes around the key parts you want to revisit later on.Which brings us toHow the Successful People Actually ReadThe most successful creatives dont just read for pleasure- they read to learn.Reading with intention is the sum of all the parts that make up our memory- it means that you have a specific goal at hand (impression), that you want to connect what youre learning to other informat ion (association), and that its something youre invested in and will come back to again and again (repetition).Lets take a look at how this actually works in practiceRyan Holiday Author and MarketerRyan Holidays monthly book recommendation emails are one of my favorite newsletters to receive. Ryan is so well-read on a wide variety of subjects that I was incredibly curious as to how he organizes his thoughts.Turns out Ryan uses a method he picked up from his mentor Robert Greene. Heres the rundownWhile reading, write detailed notes in the margins and then fold the bottom corner of any page youve written on.After a week or two, come back to the book and transcribe the notes youre still impressed by onto notecards.Each card gets a category or theme in the top right-hand corner (or you can use color-coded cards).Organize the cards by category (or by chapter if youre working on a book project). This way, you can move them around as you please and connect random ideas (the basis of creati vity).Maria Popova Author and Founder of Brain PickingsIf you read Brain Pickings, youll quickly realize that Maria Popova either has a freakishly good memory or has devised an incredible way to store and organize thoughts.Turns out its a little bit of both. Maria relies on making her own indexes of books in order to quickly scan whats inside and connect it to what shes writing. Heres how it worksWhile reading, highlight any passages or quotes you find interesting (making notes in the margin).In the back (or front) of the book, create an index listing each page youve highlighted and what category the note should be under (This could be C for creativity, or even the title of your latest project).Austin Kleon Artist, Author, and PoetAustin Kleon leverages the fact that our brains respond better to visual information by taking notes in a mind map fashion.Heres how he explains it Im trying to construct a 2-D memory palace on paper. By making notes in a non-linear manner, by arranging im ages and words in space, I can see connections that would otherwise be impossible with just words written in sequence.Josh Kaufman Bestselling Author of The Personal MBA Master the Art of BusinessWhile not as intricate or interesting as some of the other methods, Joshs- named The McDowell Grid after Benchmark Revenue Management CEO Tyson McDowell- is an excellent way to connect new thoughts with your own opinions and ideas. Heres how it worksCreate a simple two-column grid.On one side, write the fact, thought, or quote you are impressed by.On the other side, write your own personal reaction and thought.Thats it This way, when you revisit your notes later on, youll be able to put yourself back into the same frame of mind you were in when you originally read.Reading is one of the great joys of life. And while its an incredible way to unwind from the busyness of our day-to-day lives, doing it with intention allows us to increase our skills and learn from the lives of others.This articl e was originally published on Quora. It has been republished here with permission.Photo of person reading courtesy of petrunjela/Getty Images

New Rules New Copper Alloys

New Rules New Copper Alloys New Rules New Copper Alloys A federal law to further reduce the amount of lead in drinking water has manufacturers of copper alloy plumbing fixtures, fittings and valves replacing their products with ones manufactured with new copper alloys that do not contain lead. But the peculiarities of the market and a new amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act allow the original fittings to still be used in industrial applications while those charged with setting technical standards work to catch up.Early this year, President Obama signed into law the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, a measure that defines lead free as not containing more than 0.2% lead when used with respect to solder and flux, and not more than a weighted average of 0.25% lead when used with respect to wetted surfaces of pipes and pipe and plumbing fittings and fixtures. It also establishes a formula to calculate the weighted average of lead content in a pipe or plumbing fitting or fixtur e.As a practical matter, manufacturers had already begun selling new lead-free pipe, valvesand fittings because California, Vermont, and Maryland beat the federal government to the punch and had already passed similar legislation mandating the new lead-free products. But fittings and valves commonly used in low-pressure, low-temperature plumbing settings are also often used in high-pressure, high-temperature steam systems. The new lead-free products are giving standards-setting organizations pause because the lead-free alloys have not been fully vetted for high-pressure use.The data is not there to support high-pressure, high-temperature alloys, says Mark Clark, a codes and standards engineer with NIBCO INC., Elkhart, IN. There are already manufacturers putting steam ratings on items produced from unproven lead-free alloys.Clark also is a member of ASMEs B-16 committee that handles valves and fittings. The committee now is beginning work to include new alloys into standards for low- pressure plumbing, he says.Some of the common alloys used in fittings and valves include C37700, C84400, C83600, and C92200, he says. All are identified as being acceptable for use at temperatures of 400 F or higher, and pressures of 200 psi or higher. But all of them have a lead content greater than the 0.25% maximum limit set by the federal and state bill that are now in effect.Clark emphasizes that the old fittings and valves remain in compliance for high-pressure industrial systems. The point is that neither new nor old fittings can be used interchangeably any more. Thats where the scramble is at, says Clark.Most, if not all, manufacturers now supply both types of valves and fittings. But it can become a complex and more costly process if manufacturers have to produce essentially the same product using current methods and materials in addition to different alloys and new tooling, patterns, and core boxes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the main sources of lead in drinking water are through corrosion of household plumbing systems and erosion of natural deposit. Lead can leach into water from pipes, solder, fixtures, faucets, and fittings. The agency estimates that 10%-20% of human exposure to lead comes through drinking water. For infants who are primarily fed mixed formula, the agency estimates exposure rates of 40%-60%.NIBCO and other manufacturers had anticipated more stringent regulations earlier in the decade. NIBCOs lead-free HydroPure line introduced in the early 1990s simply did not gain market acceptance, notes Clark. The company monitors regulatory developments and continues to offer lead-free products.But from a manufacturing standpoint, the question is, can we expand the use of lead-free alloys beyond water applications or continue to maintain a dual inventory? he says. How is a manufacturer to monitor the end-use application when products both containing lead and lead-free are available for multiple users?It appears a du al inventory will be needed, at least for the immediate future. Fittings and valves used at higher pressures and temperatures angelegenheit under the ASME boiler pressure vessel code and B31 piping codes, notes Clark. The challenge now is how do the committees establish the pressure and temperature limits for these products without the data to support use at elevated pressures and temperatures, he says.Establishing the data could take time. For instance, testing for creep must be done over the long term, for more than one year, Clark says.Clark says his committee is discussing a research project that would identify the alloys most significant for multiple uses. It could be used as a basis for design that is good for the industry, he says.The data is not there to support high-pressure, high-temperature alloys.Mark Clark, a codes and standards engineer with NIBCO Inc

Want to Know More About Awesome Resume?

Want to Know More About Awesome Resume? The mixture of our templates and your input is likely to make your resume fly to the peak of any pile. A traditional style resume template is also simple to customize. Our creative templates make it possible for you to stick out from the crowd. Each one of our creative style templates provide a perfectly balanced mixture of personality, professionalism and a little style. Its always hard to justify including a headline or objective to your resume. Remember there are distinct varieties of resumes. Once youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to learn how to vary using action verbs and receive a feel for what makes a highly effective accomplishment statement. Our resume builder is the quickest approach to create a resume that will allow you to get your fantasy job. In any field wherever your personality or expert appearance is an essential part of the job, a photo is a great way to demonstrate that off. Ok, I Think I Understand Awesome Resume, Now Tell Me About Awesome Resume To begin with, its fairly obvious once you apply for a specific job that youre interested in that certain job. Its imperative that you dont simply apply ansicht resumes verbatim. Infographic-style resumes have gotten popular, and they may be effective when done well. Learn more concerning the federal hiring procedure. Awesome Resume the Ultimate Convenience Bear in mind, your target is to catch the hiring managers eye and stick out from the remainder of the paper in that pile. Planned and coordinated work of the group, spoke with potential customers and investors. Speaking of unique, the main purpose of your resume is to make you stick out from the remainder of the folks applying for equal job and another means to create that happen is to use action verbs and power words (also known as resume verbs). Still, it is an excellent concept to make your resume reflect your perfect work atmosphere. The Awesome Re sume Trap Many also consist of supervisory and management experience together with the adherence to codes and the capability to troubleshoot technical troubles. Each one takes a different strategy and what works for one wont do the job for a different. Consider your own work experience, and where you are able to quantify it. For instance, if you are attempting to find work in the health care field, you should focus the resume on showing your qualifications and experience in the health care field. Awesome Resume Secrets Resume objectives can be somewhat controversial. Also, make koranvers that the bullet points are formatted the same fashion throughout. One even takes a bar code. For that reason, its ideal to be clear and concise. Making certain your categories are well organized is a fast method to help set you in the yes pile and keep you from the trash pile. Below, you will locate a list of resume examples that could assist you with your work search. Tailoring your res ume also makes it possible for you to receive rid of unnecessary information which may distract the business from the critical things which you want them to concentrate on. A good example will be able to help you make a decision as to what information to include. Awesome Resume Options Creative Resume Content Whichever creative resume design you select, the content has to be no dicke bretter bohren mssen to find and logically organized. Include your complete name, contact number, email and personal branding website if youve got one. Thus its important to get a means to make your resume stand out of tons of different resumes, particularly when youre in design. Rather than doing it all on your own, take a look at our infographic resume guide and templates to create the job simple for you. The Good, the Bad and Awesome Resume If you wish to be a graphic designer, you can display your graphic design abilities. Once you have selected your perfect resume template from our select ion, follow our completely free expert guidance about ways to craft the ideal modern resume. If youve got many abilities, the previous skill paragraph may be called Additional Skills. This section in which you list your skills, wisdom and experience, Bacal states. Make sure you understand which sort of resume is appropriate to the job which you are applying for. The resume summary is only a bridge to have the hiring manager in your experience. You should spend time into each application and make sure that your resume is tailored to every employer and the job which youre applying to.To save a whole lot of heartache down the road, be sure that you use our resume builder to create a document that could be easily transferred to several job applications. Based on the kind of application process youre addressing, it might be appropriate to include samples of your work inside your CV. Second, the cover letter that lots of prospective employers require as part of the work application is a fantastic place to speak about your career objectives. When youre asking for a job which relies on the strengths of the person, you require a resume template that you could inject a little more personality into to make it pop.

Creative Thinking The Recruiting Tool You Can Use Today

Creative Thinking The Recruiting Tool You Can Use Today You cant always use that same old system for every placement you make. Sometimes, youve got to change up your approach to make the win-win happen. Recruiting can be a wonderful thing. As anindependentrecruiter you make your own hours, work from wherever you want and choose whom you want to work with. Its notalwaysmangoesand sunshine, but its a wonderful feeling when you make that connection. A candidate gets a great job, your client gets a great new employee, and you get a nice sum of money. Thats a win win-win situation.I recently received an schmelzglas from a former candidate whos on my Hot Opportunities email list. He welches asking if I ever worked with college students. His son, Kevin, was about to graduate fromVillanova.I wrote back Sure, send him over. I had a good conversation with Kevin. He seemed like a bright and passionate kid. He was very marketable but, unfortunately, not to my clients.Companies that are paying recruiters fees usually want the position filled yesterday and with a candidates that has at least a few years experience. Kevin did a summer internship at Google and wasnt graduating for another couple of months. This was going to be a tough sell.It took a creative pitch to the client You and I have been searching for senior devs for a while now at 120-160K. And we cant find any. Think of Kevin as a diamond in the rough. At 80K hes going to work really hard and hes very talented. In a few months hell be up to speed and I think youll get greater value in the long run from him than from the more experienced senior developers.Withina week I had Kevin interviewing with 3 of my clients. By the end of the following week he had 2 offers. He accepted one and was ecstatic. A week later, I received a wonderful thank you letter from his father.It feltgreat to make a family happy. Kevin can finish up his c ollege graduation with theknowledgethat a great job is waiting for him.Lessons Learned1. An email list (like The Hire Syndicate E-Blastkeeps candidate relationships from dying out.2. College recruiting can work in some situations recruiting and shopping soon-to-be-grads can pay off.3. Create a win for both sides through creative thinking. Look at what both client and candidate want and then find a way to meet those needs.

Words you should never say to a hiring manager in an interview

Words you should never say to a hiring manager in an interviewWords you should never say to a hiring manager in an interviewWhat words should you never say when being interviewed for a job?I like a big sandbox.It reads dumber than it sounds.The Sandbox answer rarely fails to disappoint hiring managers. I know because Ive used that little gem a lot.It usually bombs.To me, it means, I have vision I have ideas I think of cool stuff that makes people like workTo them, it means, He has vision. He has ideas. Hes going to cost us money.The Sandbox answer kills most interviews.Why? Because everyone between you and the CEO doesnt want your vision or ideas. That stuff costs money. They want you to work on their vision and their ideas. They dont need yours.So why do I still use it?Because the Sandbox answer, for me, is a great way to weed out the distributionspolitiks Id be miserable at. You know, the pleated khakis, jeans Friday, Its not a good idea unless its my idea sorta place.Heres a quic k guide on when to use it and not When to avoid The SandboxYou really need a jobWhen any job sounds better than the one you haveYoure not that creative and dont careYoure a specialistThe job is temporaryWhen to use The SandboxYoure a creative soul who loves doing cool things to evolve organizations and youre in a place where you can be selective of who you want to work with.- - - Stop talking about the sandbox.Okay.Here are some other things not to say during an interviewI have a side businessIm a jack-of-all-tradesI dont have a planI really need this jobIm funIm WiccanAnd, the must-be-mentioned Avoid talking about your political, religious and sexual beliefs.Nobody cares until they dont agree.But, when youre asked what your greatest strength is, use this awesome-until-everyone-starts-saying-it answerIm adaptable.This column first appeared on Quora.

Address Your Accounting Technology Needs

Address Your Accounting Technology NeedsAddress Your Accounting Technology NeedsIts no secret accounting technology is revolutionizing the business world with the strategic insights and improved risk management it provides. The problem with revolutions, though, is that they move quickly, and heads may be on the figurative chopping block if accounting and finance executives dont keep up with the changes - and challenges - of big data.One big challenge is the competition for big data experts. A Robert Half report, Building an Accounting and Finance Team to Capitalize on the Promise of Big Data, includes comments from financial executives and managers about the hard skills needed for their companies to thrive.GET THE BIG DATA REPORTThe report identifies a definite talent gap between factors important for success and the skills possessed by your team in the following areasIdentifying key data trendsData mining and extractionOperational analysisStatistical modeling and data analysisTech nological acumenAlthough the concept of big data has been around for as long as weve had the ability to gather large amounts of information, businesses have only recently had the tools and computing power to glean useful knowledge from enormous, complex data sets. And because this advantage is so new, the supply of financial professionals with the technical expertise to manage big data processes has leid kept up with demand.Here are four ways your company can close the talent gap when it comes to accounting technology skills1. Refine college recruitmentMost college accounting programs today teach data analytics and big data skills. The problem, though, is that educational institutions are also playing catch-up with emerging technology. Consider contacting universities to find out exactly what their accounting departments are teaching before you target their seniors and recent graduates.2. Provide access to data-related educationCollege recruitment is a key approach to getting the ta lent you need, but it cant do it all. Big data training for existing staff is an excellent investment for employees and employers. Groups like Microsoft Virtual Academy and Coursera offer online classes on big data, including how to organize, analyze and interpret it using a variety of programming frameworks.Theres not yet a standard certification just for this emerging field, but Certified Analytics Professional offers the CAP credential for related skills, such as how to frame problems, extract data and build models. Also, several universities offer a masters degree in information and data science. Designed for working professionals, these are online programs with an on-campus immersion component.3. Arrange accounting technology training internallyYour companys IT department is likely already familiar with the tools and infrastructure needed to extract meaningful information from big data. However, tech specialists dont have the financial or modeling acumen to identify meaningful trends. The IT team can help by offering your existing staff cross-training, showing them how to store, manage, access and use data.4. Attend industry eventsSeveral groups hold conferences and summits that focus on accounting technology and big data. Because so many fields want to understand and harness the power of big data applications, industry events run the gamut from marketing and finance to geoscience and biomedicine. While online courses and programs are valuable, there is nothing like sitting in on live presentations, asking questions of industry experts and networking with likeminded professionals.Here are some of the top events in the field of big dataeMetrics Summit - marketing analyticsData Summit - for IT and business professionalsPredictive Analytics World - separate conferences focusing on business, financial, healthcare or governmentBig Data Innovation Summit - cross-industryIEEE International Conference on Big Data - research-focused event in the fields of eng ineering, physical and social science, and computer science, with a separate industrial trackBig data is ubiquitous, but the revolution is still in its infancy. Organizations have suddenly shifted from a state of data scarcity to data abundance, and most people are still trying to work out how to exploit analytics to give them a competitive edge. So now is a great time to invest in the accounting technology and people to make sense of this flood of information. If you need help with that, just let us know.

Top 5 Reasons Recruiters Dont Click on Your LinkedIn Profile [INFOGRAPHIC]

Top 5 Reasons Recruiters Dont Click on Your LinkedIn Profile INFOGRAPHICTop 5 Reasons Recruiters Dont Click on Your LinkedIn Profile INFOGRAPHICLinkedIn has become the most important professional network on the internet, and the sad fact is that people are still missing out on the networking possibilities it provides as well as potential job opportunities. Their profile is too generic or it has very apparent turn-offs to a recruiter.In this infographic by LinkedIn in 30 Minutes and AvidCareerist, you will see the top 5 reasons why recruiters may not click on your profile.Here are a few takeawaysAre you on LinkedIn? That would be a good distribution policy to startOne big mistake most job seekers make is having a profile that is too generic. We can help you with that contact us to find out more.Another major turn-off for recruiters is finding your profile but you dont have a photo or you have one that is blurry or unprofessional.