7 Tips for Surviving a Layoff -

7 Tips for Surviving a Layoff -7 Tips for Surviving A Layoff1.Ask for more projects. I know this may sound like a crazy idea, and you might already be overloaded, but I knew a colleague in IT that had asked for additional projects and she survived three rounds of layoffs and still is working at her company.2.Dont have the It wont happen to me mentality. Im not suggesting that you walk around scared that you have no job stability but take the boy scout motto to heart. Always be prepared.3.Start Saving Now. Most financial experts will tell you that you should have 6 months salary saved up in case of emergencies or unexpected job loss. In this economy, I say if you can save 8 months salary.4.Pay down debt. I know one woman that said she wished she would have paid down her leistungspunkt card debt while she was working. She said now that Im unemployed and money is tight, making those extra $30 and $40 monthly minimum payments are causing her to struggle.5.Be prepared. By this I mean have your resume and cover letter ready. Dont wait until you are unemployed to start working on it. Better yet, while youre still employed have a professional resume writer do an evaluation of your resume for you and make updates and edits accordingly. A stellar resume can go a long way in a tough job market and save you potentially weeks or months of being unemployed.6.Be proactive. Start sending your resume out now. Even if you dont think youll be laid off go ahead and deutsche bundespost your resume to all those top job boards. It cant hurt to have it out there. Think of it as your back up just in case plan. Your emergency parachute so to speak.7.Know that youll be alright. When a colleague of mine was laid off he found his true passion. He was in finance but has always wanted to be a Chef. So he used the time away from the office to hone in on his cooking skills. Now hes a Chef for a very upscale restaurant in the City. He told me one day, that he wished someone would have told him the day he got laid off that he would be alright. In fact, I feel better then alright. It was the push I needed to pursue my true passion.

Pregnancy Trimesters A Step-by-Step Guide for Tackling the Nine Months at Work

Pregnancy Trimesters A Step-by-Step Guide for Tackling the Nine Months at Work Congratulations Youre pregnant. Maybe it was long planned or maybe it happened sooner than you expected. Either way, now that you have a baby on board, you are officially on the road to motherhood. Butthats bedrngnis all. Since you also work, you will soon have full-fledged working momstatus.Fortunately, being pregnant at work is a great primer for working motherhood. As you advance through the various stages of pregnancy, youll find yurself becoming more prepared for your life as a mom.I still vividly remember my first pregnancy. Wanting to start our family early in our careers, I was barely six months into life as an associate attorney when I became pregnant with our son.I had a rough first trimester, which meant that as I learned how to conduct depositions and co-chair trials, I was also staving off horrible nausea and trying not to puke on my shoes (sometimes I succeeded).I worked right up until the da y my water broke, unexpectedly, a few weeks before my due date. From beginning to end, I learned some helpful tricks for navigating pregnancy at work. It also helped that my firm focused on fighting pregnancy discriminationI had an ally every step of the way.Today we share some of these helpful tips with you.First TrimesterNausea. Vomiting. Exhaustion. Food aversions. Mood swings. Headaches. The first trimester is known for many things, and, with the exception of the tiny baby that grows from the size of a poppy seed to the size of plum, none of them are good. The first trimesteris a wondrous time for fetal development but a very challenging time for womens health.What you need most during this time at work is betreuung and understanding. Deciding when to tell your employer you are pregnant is a personal decision. Personally, I disclosed my first pregnancy very earlyat around six weeks. I didnt even tell my family until the second trimester, but I felt my employerwho I saw everydayh ad to know sooner.I chose to do so at that time for two reasons1) I had a very understanding, supportive employer whom I trustedwith the nachrichtensendung, and2) I had terrible nausea and vomiting. I needed help with court appearances. I wanted the office to understand why I wasnt coming in early or staying late for appointments. Beyond that, the sickness was overwhelming and keeping it a secret only made me feel worse.So, I chose to tell my boss and ask for certain reasonable accommodations. For me, that meant working from home more frequently as needed, obtaining coverage for court appearances when I felt particularly awful, lying down (yes on the floor with a pillow and blanket in my office) during moments I thought Id die of exhaustion, and not handling any additional work outside of my caseload (meaning I didnt handle any potential new client consultations).If you find yourself struggling to stay afloat during the first trimester, consider asking your employer for a reasonable accommodation. The UC Hastings Center for WorkLife Law provides a helpful list of workplace accommodation ideas along with guidance for your doctor if you need a note for your employer.During my second pregnancy, which turned out to be a twin pregnancy, I experienced even more severe hyperemesis during my first trimesterso much so that I couldnt even get out of bed some days. At that time, I already worked exclusively from home, but, had I not, I would have either requested the remote work location or a temporary leave of absencesince my condition was so severe.Workplace Essentials and To-Dos for the First TrimesterNot everyone has such a trying first trimester though. You may be able to get by without feeling compelled to share your news. Still, heres a list of essentials you may want to keep in your office or work area during your first trimesterSnacks to stave off nauseacrackers, chips, ginger chews, sour candy, lemonadewhatever helps you (if anything),A place to store your naus ea medication (if applicable) and prenatal vitamins,A pillow and blanket (dont laugh I know many a pregnant woman who has needed a lunchtime nap during the first trimester),Your doctors phone number,A place to periodically sit if you do not already have one,A wastebasket, andBloat-hiding clothing (if you dont plan on sharing your news quite yet).You should also brush up on your employers parental leave policies and your workplace pregnancy rights. If at any point in your pregnancy you believe your employer is treating you disparately on the grund of your pregnancy, contact an attorney, the EEOC, or your states civil rights commission.If you havent already, you should also formulate a plan for how you will handle your doctors appointments as it will be important to begin receiving adequate prenatal care while also balancing your workload.Second TrimesterWelcome to the second trimester, the magical unicorn of trimesters. During the second trimester, most women say goodbye to morning s ickness and say hello to much more energy. You will likely also start showing. Youll be big enough that people wont mistake your beloved baby for a burritobut still limber enough to tie your shoes.With my twin pregnancy, I never experienced that much coveted second-trimester energy burst (multiples pregnancies are rough), but I know its real because I had it with my first pregnancy. With my first, I can still remember being in spin class around 25 weeks pregnant, feeling strong, and thinking that I wouldnt mind being this pregnant forever. I also sailed through work during the second trimester, and there is a good perspektive you will too.Second trimester is a great time to continue taking on new projects. In most cases, you are still medically able to travel, so conferences, out-of-town assignments, and even vacations (babymoon, anyone?) are all fair game.If your second trimester is not the stuff of dreams, know that you are not alone and that you can still request a reasonable acc ommodation if you need onethat right never goes away during your pregnancy.Regardless of whether you feel amazing or awful, now might be a good time to share your pregnancy news with your employer if you havent yet. Discuss how much leave you plan to take and when you plan to start. Ensure you are both on the same page regarding who will be handling your work while you are out and what your role will be in preparing them for your absence.Third TrimesterBeing in your third trimester is a little like being a senior in college. Youve struggled and put in the work, and now you are so done. Beyond done. Only now, instead of getting ready to throw on some heels and walk across a stage, youre preparing to go birth a baby somewhere.Youre big and exhausted, but theres an undeniable electric energy coursing through you as you await whats ahead. You are also so busy during the third trimester. Doctors appointments become more frequent. You may be finishing up a nursery or doing other home reno vations. There are parties, baby showers, photo shoots, and the weird nesting instinct that has you up at 3AM reorganizing soup cans in your kitchen.Working During the Third TrimesterSomewhere in the midst of all that, youll wrap up work projects, prepare your replacement, write your transition memo, and still find time to finalize a merger like a rockstar.Keep detailed notes of projects and communications throughout your third tri since you never know how soon your baby may decide to arrive. With my first, I was in the midst of a multi-week administrative hearing, finalizing a huge summary judgment motion, and handling several depositions in a federal case when my water broke 17 days before my due date.Though I hadnt planned on starting my leave for another week or so, I had documented and discussed my work enough that my colleagues were able to pick up where I left off without too much drama.In addition to finalizing those last-minute details, be sure youve talked to your employer about your need for a private lactation space upon your return to work if you plan to breastfeed. Even if you discover your plans dont pan out after your baby is born, you will still want to have a plan in place for that first day back.In any event, congratulations Youve made it. Youve successfully navigated a workplace pregnancy and now youre on to the tackle the greatest challenge of all motherhood.

Will a Robot Take My Job

Will a Robot Take My Job Thanks to rapid technological advances, the way we do geschftliches miteinander is changing at a record pace. Some change is good, of course, but some is also quite painful. One concern many professionals haveis that robots may soon take over their jobs. In truth, there is a reasonable chance your job may be impacted over the course of your career.A studyfrom the University of Oxford found that approximately 47 percent of all U.S. jobs are at risk of being automated awayover the next 20 years.What Jobs Are Safe?The jobs least likely to be impacted by automationfall into three categories. Creative jobs such as artists, engineers, and business strategists are least likely to be automated, as they require new and unique thoughts each day.Jobs that requireextensive humaninteraction the human touch, as some call it are also less likely to be impacted. These include social work ers, nurses, and clergy members.Highly unpredictable jobs, such as emergency plumber, are likely to escape automation as well. Need for such jobs arises randomly, and the challenges these professionals face change form constantly.What Jobs Will Be Impacted?Anyrolewith highly routine duties is at risk. For example, tax accountants could potentially be replaced by computers, and the same holds true for many logistics, transportation, and manufacturing jobs. Since 2014, Amazon has introduced more than 100,000 robots to its workforceDespite their very social nature, retail roles such ascashiers, counter clerks, and rental clerks, as well as telemarketers, are likely to be automated heavily, according to Oxfords research. The researchers note that although these occupations involve interactive tasks, they do not necessarily require a high degree of social intelligence, making them prime candidates for computerization.Mitigating the ImpactThere are a few things you can do to prepare yours elf and minimize the negative impact automation has on your careerDont assume youll work for one company forever. Working for more than one company diversifies your risk and improves your professional network.Develop more than one salable skill. That way, youll have other options if your role is outsourced to robots.Never stop learning. Change is constant.To stay employed, you muststay on top of the trends in and around yourindustry.The thought of robots replacing you may be scary, but thorough preparation will ensure youre ready to grow along with the ever-evolving workplace.A version of this article originally appeared in theMemphis Daily News.Angela Copeland is a career coach and CEO at her firm,Copeland Coaching.

A Bathroom Scale to Measure Blood Pressure

A Bathroom Scale to Measure Blood Pressure A Bathroom Scale to Measure Blood Pressure A Bathroom Scale to Measure Blood PressureWith funding from the National Institutes of Health, engineers and researchers at four universities are collaborating on the development of a system for measuring blood pressure using a more convenient approach than available now that will facilitate frequent feedback for monitoring at home or other locations, such as gyms.According to NIHs National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), hypertension is responsible for approximately half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease and is the second leading cause of kidney failure. The condition goes untreated in one in three adults worldwide because effective screening, diagnosis, and management can be difficult using current technologies.Studies have shown that more frequent readings over a longer period of time better represent a patients true blood pressure, but most cuffs for home us e and methods at kiosks can be highly inaccurate, says biomedical engineer Omer Inan, assistant professor at Georgia Tech, one of the universities working on the project.NIBIB is encouraging the development of new technologies for measuring blood pressure that are passive and convenient and eventually can automatically provide feedback. The goal is to create less expensive, less intrusive, and faster technologies that can be operated by untrained individuals in low-resource settings. An ideal system would be more convenient than a home cuff yet have the same accuracy as the professional cuff, Inan says.Researchers have designed the weighing scale and wearable blood pressure sensing systems. ansehen Georgia TechThe new approach developed by the engineering team, led by Michigan State University and also including the University of Maryland in addition to Inans lab, uses a standard off-the-shelf weighing scale retrofitted by changing the circuit to make it more sensitive and incorpora tes a footstrap with an array of optical sensors. These two devices take the two measurements required to determine pulse transit time, the time it takes for a pressure wave to travel along the walls of the arteries from the heart after it contracts to a distant part of the body.Pulse transit time has been known about for a long time, said Inan, but obtaining the measurements when the blood first leaves the heart and when the pressure wave arrives at a peripheral point in the body, has been even more inconvenient than with a cuff, and not consistently accurate.Ever since working on his Ph.D., Inan has been studying the ballistocardiogram signal movements of the body in response to every heartbeat.Every time the heart pumps blood through the aorta, the body has a reactionary force and thats the ballistocardiogram (BCG) signal, he says.What I found in my Ph.D. work I am understanding better since this signal can be measured with high accuracy with a weighing scale, he says. A scale sh ows about a 0.1 pound increase every time the heart ejects blood. So you weigh one-tenth of a pound heavier every time your heart beats, and then one-tenth of a pound lighter as the blood changes direction through the aorta. Its a phenomenon thats been known about for over 100 years but has not been used in medicine because traditionally it required cumbersome, expensive and large setups to measure. In our work we have been measuring it with a scale that can be used in a home or locker room.Thats the starting measurement needed. The second signal required is when the pulse arrives at the foot, and that is measured with an array of optical sensors in a foot strap. The time delay between them is what we then correlate to blood pressure, Inan says.Led by Ramakrishna Mukkamala, biomedical engineer, cardiovascular researcher and professor at Michigan State, the team, about halfway through the five-year project, recently published its latest findings in Nature Scientific Reports, entitled Weighing Scale-Based Pulse Transit Time Is a Superior Marker of Blood Pressure than Conventional Pulse Arrival Time.Inan says some of the biggest challenges have been identifying which feature on the BCG signal they should use as the index of when the pulse starts since the BCG signal is not uniform in each person. Another challenge welches the footstrap because of the noise and interference from muscles contracting in the feet trying to help stabilize a person who is standing.We had to do quite a bit of work on the construction of the footstrap. We found that the optical approach works the best, but its important to have an array of sensors on the top of the foot so that we can find the dorsal artery which gives us the highest signal level, Inan says.But there is still work to do, with the major challenge being calibration including converting the time delay in units of milliseconds measurement to standard blood pressure results in units of millimeters of mercury and determining c onvenient ways of extracting calibration coefficients for each person.Although Inan is investigating universal calibration by just entering height, weight, and age for a calibration coefficient that would give blood pressure, this may prove difficult. Also under investigation are ways to obtain measurements using wearable devices, such as a skin patch.By the end of the project, he also wants to have measurements from many more than the some 23 healthy subjects he has now. We need to have much more data and from patients with hypertension as well as older people to get a better idea of the accuracy of our system in a broad population, he points out. Nancy Giges is an independent writer. For Further DiscussionIn our work we have been measuring BCG signal with a scale that can be used in a home or locker room.Prof. Omer Inan, Georgia Tech

Get Hired With Our Inbound Call Center Agent Resume Template for Word

Get Hired With Our Inbound Call Center Agent Resume Template for WordGet Hired With Our Inbound Call Center Agent Resume Template for WordIntroductionIf you are considering employment as an inbound call center agent, you can improve yur chances of being hired for a great job by writing a strong, succinct, and skimmable resume. There are ways to communicate your qualifications that are more likely to be accepted by applicant tracking systems and impress hiring managers or recruiters with your capabilities to succeed. Review our inbound call center agent resume template for Word with explanations and examples for each resume section from the summary statement to the skills, experience, and education sections.Inbound Call Center Agent Resume Template For Word Ron DawsonWichita, KS 11111E rdawsonanymail.com P (555) 987Call center agent with more than three years of experience. Skilled at answering inbound calls with inquiries regarding account services. Capable of efficiently and effect ively resolving conflicts and issues.Perfect Your Skills SectionYour skills section should be formatted as a list with bullet points. Describe each skill in a short phrase without a period at the end and prioritize your most pertinent qualifications for an inbound call center agent position. A combination of hard and soft skills can be useful for giving a more complete picture of your capabilities and character. The skills section is also a great distributions-mix to include exact words and phrases from the job description so your resume is more likely to be approved by applicant tracking systems, recruiters, or hiring managers. Refer to our inbound call center agent resume template for Word for a sample skills section in context. Some of the most important skills for call center agents includeVerbal and telephone communication skillsMultitaskingProblem solvingFlexibilityPolish Your Work History SectionYour work history or experience section is where you list past employment startin g with your current or most recent position. Include your role, the employer, and the location and dates of your employment. Underneath each set of details, include a bullet pointed list of duties and accomplishments. Start every line with a strong action verb, using present tense when describing current employment and past tense for all previous work. One of the best ways to make your resume stand out for an inbound call center agent position is to include metrics or figures that quantify your skills. If you increased the number of issues resolved per day or reduced the average length of kooperation calls in your current or previous position, try to find a way to include these statistics in your work history section. See the extensive example of a work history section in our inbound call center agent resume template for Word as well as the following sample entries Inbound Call Center Agent Telecom Inc. Springfield, MO 09/15 to CurrentAddress incoming customer support inquiriesV erify account details to ensure customer privacyResolve account and billing issues in an average of five minutes of active calltimeTransfer technical inquiries to the service deskAchieve an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 on postBachelor of Science in Corporate Communication in progressIdaho State University, Pocatello, IDCurrent 3.7 GPA

How to Craft an Attention-Getting Resume Title

How to Craft an Attention-Getting Resume TitleHow to Craft an Attention-Getting Resume TitleThe language you use to describe yourself on the top of your resume can define your job search. Choose your job title carefully.A job title can make or break a good first impression. You certainly dont want to lie about your job history, but you do want to be descriptive. For example, Accounting is too vague, while Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping carries both far more information and way more impact. How do you make sure the job title you use on your resume will be accurate and impactful?Were not talking about changing the title or fleck you held in a previous job, said Marsh Sutherland, president of Walden Recruiting. Theres no way hed tinker with a clients actual title, he said. Doing so could be considered misrepresentation on both his part and that of his client - far too steep a price to pay in return for more impressive-sounding titles. Were talking about the title of your r esume, what you call yourself and how you define what you do.Top of the resumeThe job seekers title sits at the top of the resume above her Summary section, right below her name and contact information. Sutherland said he usually advises his clients to take cues from the job theyve applied for. I will often put the title of the job (on the top) so at first glance it appears the candidate is a perfect fit, Sutherland says. For instance, I am currently sourcing candidates for a Search Engine Optimization Analyst position. Guess what? I put ?SEO Analyst Professional at the top of my resume submissions.Typical title mistakesOne common mistake seen by Beth Colley, principal of Chesapeake Resume Writing, is not including a title anywhere on the resume.Another mistake she often sees is when job seekers include the old-fashioned Objective section, a section that nowadays is considered irrelevant and whose inclusion marks the resume subject as being out of touch with the current professional resume format. It might have been acceptable in years past to start a resume with an objective about how a job seeker is seeking a position where I can utilize my gifts and talents in marketing and advance to a level of increasing responsibility, but nowadays an objective at the top of the page simply means a job seeker is thinking of himself, not how he can help his potential employer.Colley also sees unacceptably vague titles such as one resume that said Public Advocate. That job seekers profile included her ability to direct complex projects from concept to fully operational status, and it mentioned personality details such as being highly organized and a detailed problem solver who was self-directed and creative.Just what type of public advocate, for what industry, was not clear, Colley says, I totally didnt understand what she was looking for.How to craft a title thats broad, specific and narrowly targetedColley advises job seekers to use a fairly broad title that still target s the right industry but to then pair it with something they possess thats in high demand in their industry.Colley sets this type of title up in the format of Broad title- Specific industry, Specialized skills or certifications. For example, rather than using a broad title such as Project Manager, which could literally be anything from construction to IT, she advises her clients to use a slightly more targeted title heading. Some examplesProject Manager IT Industry, DOD contractor with active Top Secret ClearanceProject Manager Civil Engineering, LEED GBE CertifiedHere are some other examples Colley cited that expand on less-informative titles such as CFO or Customer Service RepresentativeChief Financial Officer CPA, MBA with Controller and Financial Analyst ExpertiseCustomer Service Representative Inbound Call Center, 8 years of experienceThe whole point of resume development is to target the resume to a particular field or industry, Colley said. Job titles vary from one compa ny to the next, so you want to pick a title that is recognizable to most employers and recruiters. By highlighting a marketable aspect about yourself or industry, the recruiter/employer will read for further information to see if you ?fit the bill. Remember, if they read your resume for more than 15-20 seconds and you get a phone call, the resume has effectively done its job.

How to Create a Successful Infographic Resume

How to Create a Successful Infographic Resume How to Create a Successful Infographic Resume Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager for a moment.Youre looking through applications for an open position at your company. Odds are, youre looking at somewhere around74 applications maybe even more. What would help you screen these applications more quickly and efficiently?How about a visual resume?In a poll conducted by Beyond.com, more than57 percent of HR professionals said that an infographic or visual resume would help them evaluate candidates more quickly. When done well, an infographic resume can set candidatesapart from the competition while also showcasingtheir design, data visualization, and copywriting skills.Infographic resumes do come with one major caveat, though They should not be used to replace traditional resumes. The fact is that some companies stillprefer traditional resumes, and applicant tracking systems (ATSs)cant read your resume if its an image instead of a text document.If youre interested in making aninfographic resume, you should use it as asupplementary documentalongside your traditional resume. Bring your infographic resume to interviews and meetings, or attach it to emails youre sending directly todecision makers.Before including an infographic resume in your application, consider whether a visual document is appropriate for the type of job to which youre applying. Infographic resumes are great for applying to positions in graphic design, marketing, education, data analytics, and other fields that involve visualizing information.Take some time to research the potential employer as well.Is this the kind of company that values creativity and taking risks, or does it have more traditional values?If youve decided that aninfographic resume is right for your unique career circumstances, then follow these steps to create a greatoneSara McGuire is a content editor at Venngage infographics.Master the art of closing deals and making placem ents. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.