6 Signs of a Happy Marriage, According to Science

6 Signs of a Happy Marriage, According to Science If, like me, you *occasionally* read Cosmo, youve probably taken a couple of Is He Into You? quizzes. Of curse, these quizzes become significantly less useful if youve been with your lebenslebensabschnittsgefhrte over a decade. Sure, my spouse texts me multiple times a day about our grocery list.However, even couples past the Is He Into You? stage can be curious about the health of their marriage. Thankfully, researchers have spent decades studying the predictors of loving marriages.Science provides some useful (and surprising) information about whether your marriage is currently happy and how to make it happier.6 Signs You Are Happily MarriedHeres how to tell if youre happily married and, if not, how to get there with your partner.1. You Feel Physically and Emotionally Safe with Your lebensgefhrteI wish this point welches a given, but the reality is that intimate partner violence (IPV) is tragically common. According to the CDC, Nea rly one in for women and one in seven men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime.IPV includes mora than just physical violence. Sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression are also forms of IPV. People of all races, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, income levels, sexual orientations and gender identities are at risk of experiencing IPV.If you feel unsafe in your relationship, there can be many factors that make it difficult to ask for help. These can include fear of retaliatory violence, kompetenzprofil legal and financial consequences, and stigma.Its important to know that there are confidential, supportive resources out there. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is completely anonymous, and their trained staff can talk with you 24 hours a day. You can call 1-800-799-7233 or chat with someone online if thats mora comfortable for you.2. You Know That Stress and Big Life Transitions Can Negatively Impact Your Relationsh ipYes, there are absolutely things happy couples do differently from unhappy couples (and well talk about some of them below). However, our environments strongly impact our behaviors and our long-term partnerships. Life events and stressors such as financial strain and having a baby often make people less satisfied in their marriages.Acknowledging that the outside environment impacts marriage is important for two big reasons.Saying, Honey, I think we might be arguing more because were adjusting to having a baby, is much less likely to make your partner abwehr than, Honey, I think were arguing more because youre a jerk. In fact, as the mother of a 15-month-old, I can personally attest that this is trueThis means that there are things we can do as a society to support stable, happy marriages. For example, providing both moms and dads with paid parental leave predicts better outcomes for both children andcouples.3. You Handle Conflicts ConstructivelyA lot of research on marriage satisf action has focused on how couples handle disagreements. A popular method of studying conflict behaviors is to videotape couples discussing a high conflict area in their marriage. (Im sending gratitude to all the couples who volunteered their weekends to argue on camera for science.)Unhappy couples demonstrate a pretty consistent pattern of behavior during these interactions. Lets make up an imaginary couple (Harry and Sally) to illustrate what happens. Harry says something negative, like, Youre such a slob. You always throw your dirty socks on the floor. Sally then does one of two things. She escalates the negativity(e.g., Well, youre a nag who nitpicks everything I do.) or withdraws(e.g., clams up or says something completely irrelevant like, Its kind of hot outside for socks. Id rather wear sandals.).Partners in unhappy relationships are also not as good at patching things up and ending the argument. For example, Harry might be thinking, I know Sallys dirty socks arent a huge deal , but theyre crazy-making when Im already exhausted. However, he says something like, If you cared about how exhausted I am, youd stop making messes all the time. All Sally ends up hearing is Harrys frustration. She completely misses his plea for her to hear how exhausted he is, so the argument keeps getting more intense.Even if your relationship is not headed toward divorce, this conflict death spiral probably feels at least a little familiar. There have certainly been times when I was so angry or tired that I criticized my husband more than necessary. I am also guilty of missing cues that he was trying to make up with me.The good nachrichtensendung is that conflict resolution is a skill you can practice and improve. Here are some ways to improve your conflict resolution skillsAn excellent book on this subject is Reconcilable Differences, Second Edition Rebuild Your Relationship by Rediscovering the Partner You LoveWithout Losing Yourself.Another good option is The Relationship Cur e A -Step Guide to Strengthening Your Marriage, Family, and Friendships. Both are by researchers with decades of experience helping couples improve their partnerships.If youre pressed for time, this blog has some good, quick tips.Another option is working with a couples therapist. A good therapist can help mediate conflicts, as well as provide coaching on how to handle conflicts more effectively.4. You Feel Good About How You Split the ChoresThe bottom line is that no one really enjoys doing dishes or laundry, but they have to get done anyway. Women continue to do significantly more housework than men, which can lead to feelings of anger and resentment. New parents can have particularly intense conflicts about chores, partly because babies create a lot more of them to do.The first three months of my sons life was definitely NOT the high point of my marriage. I can still remember my shock at how much there was to do around the house once our son was born. It seemed like we were const antly alternating between feeding him, changing his diaper, or rocking him to sleep. Things were further complicated by the fact that we live very far from family and were intensely sleep-deprived. Did I mention that I also went back to work full-time at three weeks postpartum? Looking back, I can see how hard my husband worked to take care of our son (and me) during that time. However, I was so bleary-eyed, anxious, and exhausted it was hard not to feel resentful at times.What helped fruchtwein were the wise words of a friend who was an experienced parent. She reminded me that a strong marriage is not about everything being 50-50 all the time. Instead, it is about each person doing what they can in that particular moment. That means there will be times in any relationship where things will be 70-30 (or even 90-10). The key is for both partners to trust that they will not stay that way permanently.Lo and behold, the science also backs this up.Social psychologists have identified tha t people generally form two different kinds of relationships exchange and communal relationships.Exchange relationships are the types of relationship youre likely to have with your real estate agent or your Starbucks barista. They give you something (like your drip coffee), and you almost immediately give them something back (like money). Romantic relationships (hopefully) fall into the category of communal relationships.Incommunal relationships, you give your partner something because it makes them happy and dont expect an immediate payback. However, youre confident that your partner will help you and make you happy over the long-term. Not surprisingly, couples who believe their relationship follows more of a communal than exchange model are happier together.5. You Have Regular and Satisfying SexThere is no shortage of mommy blogs that will remind you that having sex is important to maintaining your relationship. Some of them have the decency to say, but only have sex if you want t o as an afterthought. I find these blogs annoying, mostly because they ignore a giant chunk of the science behind sex and marital satisfaction.Yes, people who have more sex tend to be happier, but please dont run to your bedroom just yet. When couples started having sex more often because a researcher told them to, their happiness DECREASED. So, scheduling sexy time because bloggers (or even religious leaders and therapists) think its a great idea could backfire.A potentially more constructive approach is to ask yourself (and your partner) some questions about your sex life. Are you both satisfied with the sex youre currently having (both quantity and quality)? If the answer for either of you is no, its worth exploring what might be happening. Does either of you have a medical condition that makes sex less enjoyable? In the brde few years, our society has become much more comfortable discussing erectile dysfunction, which is great. However, there is still relative silence about many other sexual problems.Over 40 percent of women and over 30 percent of men experience clinically significant sexual difficulties. And more than one in ten women reports pain during sex, which is an obvious turn-off. The good news is that there are resources that can help. A good first step is to reach out to a trusted healthcare provider or a well-trained sex therapist.Has either of you experienced trauma that makes sex feel scary? Even if you have a loving partner, a history of sexual assault or sexual abuse can make sex emotionally complicated. Sadly, one in five girls and one in twenty boys has survived sexual abuse. One in six women and one in thirty-three men has survived rape. These numbers mean that, even if we have not experienced sexual violence ourselves, we almost certainly know someone who has.The National Sexual Assault Hotline provides free, confidential support to people who have survived sexual violence or harassment. You can call 800-656-4673 or go to RAINNs website to chat with someone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Talking with a therapist or supportive healthcare professional is another good place to start.Are one or both of you so exhausted that sex feels like just another thing on your task list? If this is the case, there might be ways to shift household responsibilities to give you more energy. Maybe your partner can help more around the house or a friend or family member can watch the kids for a night. Or maybe you need some time by yourself BEFORE you can truly enjoy intimacy with your partner.I work in an open office and ride a crowded ferry to work. When Im home, Im either cooking, cleaning, or engaging in some form of childcare. There are definitely days when my sexiest fantasy involves curling up with a book IN AN EMPTY AND SILENT HOUSE. I am blessed to have a partner who understands this and tries to give me the space I need. Women, and especially moms, often hear that having an identity (or even five minutes) unrelated to family is not okay. Im here to tell you that those moments to myself make me a better, more responsive partner and mother.6. You Feel Grateful for Your PartnerIf youre in a happy relationship, you probably notice the kind things your partner does for you every day. Perhaps even more importantly, youre used to thanking them for doing those things.Scientists have demonstrated that gratitude is important in relationships for two primary reasons. Close relationships are inherently risky propositions. While romantic partners can provide us with love, fulfillment, and security, they can also bring us enormous pain. Relationships also take a lot of time and work. In order to feel safe enough to invest in our relationship we need to feel confident about two things.We need to trust that our partner is also committed to the relationship.We need to feel like our partner is the type of person who is worth our time and energy. When you express gratitude towards your partner, you reassure them of your commitment to the relationship. This makes it safer for him/her to do nice things for you, which can create a virtuous cycle. Telling your partner how great they are also reminds youof why youre in the relationship. This increases your motivation to do nice things for your partner, which again can lead to a virtuous cycle.The good news is that gratitude is a skill that can be learned and practiced. One way to help yourself feel more grateful is to keep a daily gratitude journal. To do this, you spend just a few minutes a day listing out three to five things for which you are grateful. When researchers told people to keep a gratitude journal for 21 days, they were happier and even slept better. This was true even for people who had neuromuscular disease, which undoubtedly can add stress to someones daily life.After reading this research, I started telling my husband three things for which I was grateful to him every evening. I have generally not been thanking him for huge things (alt hough he did get me lovely roses on Valentines Day). Yesterday, my list was as follows. Thanks for making me tea before work. Thanks for doing the dishes. Thanks for doing an extra 45 minutes of childcare because my ferry was late. These are things he does for me even if I dont say thank you. However, I feel good acknowledging them, and he seems to like being acknowledged. My husband has even started thanking me for little things I do for him (like buying him a surprise quart of chocolate milk on my last grocery trip).The comedian Henny Youngman once saidThe secret to a happy marriage remains a secret.Scientists have been trying to figure out that secret for decades, but we still have a long way to go. Much of the research has focused on white, middle class, heterosexual couples, despite married couples actually becoming increasingly diverse. And sadly, about half of marriages continue to end in divorce. What seems clear is that loving and healthy romantic partnerships are worth the investment, both for individuals and society.True love with your spouse is possible, and an unhappy marriage can be fixed. This surprising science about true love unearths the key to marital satisfaction and overall happiness.--Rebecca Fraynt has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is an all-around healthcare nerd. She lives near Seattle with her husband, toddler, and two rescue chihuahuas. When shes not working or chasing her dogs or child around the house, shes guzzling coffee, reading, or binge watching Star Trek.

Life After About Me Resume Examples

Life After About Me Resume Examples Instead, you are going to highlight relevant abilities and achievements from previous work in the neatly-aligned bullet points. The more better your resume is, it is likely to make you receive a work fastly. Based on your work history, you can want to think about employing a functional resume. On Earth of work, resume templates are required by every work seeker. The Importance of about Me Resume Examples To have a job, its necessary for you to make the suitable resume. When youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to know how to vary the usage of action verbs and receive a feel for what makes an effective accomplishment statement. However much or what type of work experience youve got, theres a resume format that is likely to make your qualifications shine. The Nuiances of about Me Resume Examples Resumes are usually not read completely by the employers and they can often miss out the important info in your CV w hich can help you stand apart from the crowd. Functional and conventional resumes arent the only resume types to select from. You may also download totally free templates from our Resume Library to get going on your best resume. Do you need a skilled and efficient design template for your CV The Characteristics of about Me Resume Examples Youll list your latest work positions initially, and return through past jobs in reverse-chronological order from that point. The very last thing you would like to do is receive a job that you cant do. When youre going to be applying for new jobs, it may be a stressful time for you. Saves Time whenever youre looking for a very good job, its always great to have a separate resume for each and every job. The Downside Risk of about Me Resume Examples The specific cv should be front-loaded having applicable triumphs together with skills that will are really simple to remove from the Candidate Keeping an eye on Technique (ATS) and potential e mployer. You may write the job winning resume only in case you have thorough understanding of resume writing. In addition, you could drop the capability to negotiate fair payment. This sample CFO resume is only an example to demonstrate the high quality and fashion of our professional resume writing services. There is just one opportunity for a very first review of your resume. The Characteristics of about Me Resume Examples When youll be sending your resume to any companies for work, youre not sending a sheet of paper, youre going to be sending a bit of yourself. If youre making an attempt to discover a job utilizing conventional approaches like sending your resume to companies and hoping to get interviews, youre very likely to have a frustrating experience. Perhaps you wont utilize words like gain a competitive edge or boost revenue in your statement. leid everybody likes to compose Some people dont like to write, and a few people dont have the crucial skills. Ok, I Th ink I Understand About Me Resume Examples, Now Tell Me About about Me Resume Examples Below, you will locate a list of resume examples that could assist you with your work search. Instead, youve got two options.

Video Interview Tricks to Find an Intraprenuer

Video Interview Tricks to Find an IntraprenuerThe first question you might be asking yourself what is an intrapreneur? No, intrapreneur is not a typo, its an actual type of candidate. More importantly, its a type of candidate you should be thrilled to see on the other side of the webcam in a video interview.So just what is an intrapreneur?An intrapreneur is a candidate who brings an entrepreneurial spirit to an existing organization. For instance, your employee who started a corporate volunteering program might actually be an intrapreneur. An intrapreneur is the employee who looks at the way things are done in your organization and suggests changes to cut down on inefficiencies. They are motivated candidates and workers who bring an entrepreneurial spirit and new ideas to make your company a better distribution policy.So its obvious why companies are interested in luring these candidates to their open positions. These are the candidates bringing in the best fresh ideas and helping yo ur company move forward instead of being stuck in the lurch. Every company needs intrapreneurs, from startups in desperate need of new ideas to giant companies like Google. Cultivating a spirit of innovation is just one of the reasons Google lets employees take time out of their day to daydream and brainstorm.Great How do I find them?Finding an intrapreneurial candidate isnt quite as easy as learning the definition of the word. Utilizing the video interview process is a good way to begin to determine if the candidate on the other side of the screen will be someone willing to bring their entrepreneurial spirit into your organization.Here are a few tips and tricks to use in the video interview to see if your candidate has the can-do spirit you needAsk about prior bro innovationsA candidate doesnt become an intrapreneur overnight. The job seekers who will really bring the new ideas and big dreams to your company will be the same ones who have contributed in an interesting way to past o rganizations.In the video interview, be sure to ask about how theyve contributed to past workplaces. Did they implement a green initiative, streamline a clunky process, or come up with a new service? If they can give concrete examples of their former innovation, its likely youve found an intrapreneur ready to spread their wings.Ask about a risk theyve takenCandidates with entrepreneurial spirit are also the kind of employees who are willing to get out there and take risks. These risks wont always have paid off, but just like the saying, there truly is no reward without a fair amount of risk.Ask candidates in the interview about a time they took a risk in their professional life. Why did they take this chance and how did it work out? If the candidate talks about taking a gamble on a great, interesting new concept, its likely they have the creativity and the boldness the best intrapreneurs possess.Ask for their fresh ideas for your companyA good way to test their entrepreneurial spiri t, ability to take risk, and ability to think on their feet is to ask them directly in the video interview for ways they would improve your company. Timid candidates might feel uncomfortable telling you a certain system needs to be streamlined or that your company needs to work on your social media marketing.But an intrapreneur isnt as worried about stepping on toes as they are with making the company a better place to work. If the candidate offers you some fresh ideas and actionable plans to improve your company, you might want to consider scooping them up before the competition.Intrapreneurs are the kind of employee every company wants. Theyre the kind of worker with the ability to dream up the next big thing for your company. So when hiring for your next open position, consider looking for job seekers with a little extra innovation.What are some ways you look for intrapreneurs? Share in the comments

The Best Way to Study for the CPA Exam

The Best Way to Study for the CPA ExamThe Best Way to Study for the CPA ExamSo youve decided you want to become a CPA, but that exam is waiting out there on your horizon to trip you up potentially. You have three basic options when you plan to take the CPA exam. You can prep for it in a traditional classroom structure, in an online or recorded class, or you can self-study. Heres what you should know about your choices. Classroom Reviews Classroom reviews are extremely popular, but theyre also the most expensive. For example, the Northern Illinois University review course is very highly regarded, and it has an excellent track record of passing exam scores. But this comes at a price- it costs several thousand dollars to take the review courses for all four exam sections. If you have the funds available, classroom review courses are great as long as you do your research first to make sure the course has a good reputation. Many people find studying easier when they have an instructor to guide them through the subject matter. Online or Recorded Reviews Online or recorded reviews are similar to a classroom setting, but the pace of the course is controlled by the candidate rather than the course schedule. These reviewshave elements of both traditional classroom instruction and self-study. The courses have structure and format similar to that of a classroom, but motivation and the time you spend studying lie directly on your shoulders, like self-study. It is a good option for someone who desires a classroom setting but may not have the funds to attend a class or a candidate who cant commit to regular classroom hours due to work or other responsibilities. Self-Study Lastly, self-study is basically what it sounds like- the candidate does all his studying on his own. Theres nothing inferior about this method. The secret is to have the proper study materials, such as the Wiley series of CPA exam review books. Theyre very highly regarded, and they update every year so you can be sure that the content matches what will be on the exam. If you decide to study on your own, you can always take a course later if youre not successful on your first try. Youll also want to get your family or housemates on board with your study plan so youll be able to devote the time and energy necessary to be fully prepared. The Bottom Line Different review courses are available depending on where you live. Aquick internet search will surely give you a lot of choices. You might also contact your states CPA society for recommendations, as well as college accounting program faculty to see who or what they suggest. Its a big commitment and expense, so do as much research as possible. Regardless of what method you choose, one otherresourceshould be added to your study plan theCPA Review, available online.Its free, and itoffers free practice questions with ?afull explanation of answers. Theres some paid content here as well, but the free content alone should be an integral part of your exam prep. And one final note- whichever option you choose,make sure you onlyuse up-to-date materials to study. Dont rely on your college textbooks. Exam content changes every year. Studying dated materials from your textbooks, even something as basic as intermediate accounting, can give you inaccurate information and cost you points.

6 ways to hire the right candidates in todays tight labor market

6 ways to hire the right candidates in todays tight labor market6 ways to hire the right candidates in todays tight labor market6 ways to hire the right candidates in todays tight labor marketIn a time of record unemployment and a time when there are more job openings than job seekers, its harder than ever to find the right fit for positions you need to fill.Candidates have so many options right now, says Stephanie Naznitsky, executive director of OfficeTeam, a division of Robert Half. Its important that a company sell themselves well and paint the picture of what the future will look like for them if the company chooses to bring them on board.Before you set out to make your next round of hires, look at our updated list of great hire best practicesReally hone your job descriptionMake sure the job description has been updated and reflects what the job requires. If you can, have the outgoing jobholder give the writeup a once-over to make sure its correct. If the job description isnt ac curate, youre setting the organization up for either a bad fit or quick turnover.I accepted a job as a regional HR manager, and the job description said, 25% travel, says Matthew Burr, a human resources consultant in Elmira, NY. The job was 90% travel. After six months, I said, This isnt for me.In a tight market, candidates can pick and choose among opportunities. The more upfront and honest we can be in the description and in conversations, the better chance well have of landing the ideal candidate, Burr says. (You might even consider a video job description, which you can create at Studios.)Get your brand out thereIts crucial that your company has a coherent public presence, and that it appeals to potential employees.HR departments and marketing departments need to work together to make sure their brand identity is well conveyed and aligned and consistent, says Linda Pophal, owner and marketing communications consultant with Strategic Communications in Chippewa Falls, WI.What exac tly is it we want to be, how is it supported through our products and services, and how are you going to communicate that when were in the process of filling a position?People who are applying to spots at your firm should understand what your brand means and how its reflected in the specific job available. If you need some guidance, consider The Foundry, which helps companies build better, more compelling career sites.Embrace videoVideo job ads are a great opportunity for candidates to get a better feel for a company and for the job in particular. They bring your firm to life, so to speak, giving you another way to attract potential applicants. In fact, eight out of 10 Americans feel that a video of a recruiter talking about a role as part of a job ad would help them better understand a job opportunity, according to Monsters 2019 State of the Candidate SurveyCandidates can get a good sense of where theyll be working and who theyll be working with, Pophal says. They can also use augm ented and virtual reality to actually let job applicants put themselves in that position to get a sense of what it would be like.Consider how much time people spend on screens and engaging in interactive content. Its definitely an interesting model, and its probably going to be the wave of the future in buchung to attract and engage some of the younger generational talent, Burr says. Studios can help with a variety of video projects.Incorporate search toolsTechnology can make your search for the best hires easier. In a market where the ideal candidates may be employed elsewhere, or in which there are many applicants for one position, knowing how to search and using the right tools will not only save you time, but can get you better results.There are certain tools that are really helpful to screen through resumes in a portal, Naznitsky says. And there are a number of tools out there that Ive found larger companies tend to use because they have more response to particular jobs.For ins tance, Monsters Searchtool allows users to search for and engage qualified candidates in a variety of ways. The platform allows you to narrow or broaden your parameters as necessary and drill down for additional information when needed.Searchalso delivers qualified candidate matches ranked and scored based on your criteria. Candidates are scored based on their strengths and depth of skills.Tools like this would help recruiters screen out people who may not have any of the required skills, Naznitsky says.Be flexibleIf youre looking for the 100% perfect worker, you may never find him. Consider the potential of the candidates youre seeing, rather than trying to check all the boxes.We absolutely need to be open to people that might not be a total fit, but we can help build their skills, Burr says. Companies need to look outside of just the degree requirements and see what theyre bringing to the table.For instance, are they motivated? Do they have a desire to succeed? Are they engaged an d willing to work hard? If they possess those skills, those qualities and traits, that should take a very high consideration, provided you have a good leadership team that can train them in the fundamentals, Naznitsky says.Develop your existing employeesConsider your current workers your brand ambassadors- everywhere they go, theyre advertising and informing people about what its like to work there. In finding the right people to work for you, its key that your current workers spread a good message about your company.Employees are a very trusted source of information about a company and whether its a good place to work, Pophal says. Its important that theyre saying positive things.That means crafting a great workplace culture and creating a company that fits what youre selling. You cant just pretend youre a great place to work, Pophal says. It has to bea good place to work, and employees have to like working there.has the tools and technology to help you attract and hire the right c andidates, even in a tight labor market.See if Studios and SearchMonster might be a good fit for your hiring needs.

Top Ideas for Recruiting Great Job Candidates

Top Ideas for Recruiting Great Job CandidatesTop Ideas for Recruiting Great Job CandidatesThe smartest employers, who hire the best people, recruit a pre-qualified candidate swimmingpool of profil employees before they need to fill a job. Or, as Harvey Mackay, well-known, irreverent, author and speaker, says about networking, Dig Your Well Before Youre Thirsty. Pre-Building Your Candidate Pool You can develop relationships with tauglichkeit candidates long before you need them. behauptung ideas will also help you in recruiting a large pool of candidates when you have a current position available. Read on to discover the best ways to develop your talent pool and recruit employees. The earlier you adopt ansicht practices, the better your organization will do in the upcoming war for talent. (And, trust this statement, you will experience wars for talent as the baby boomer generation retires.) Read on to discover the best ways to develop your talent pool. Recruiting Your Ideal Can didate A job description that tells potential employees the exact requirements of the position is useful. Even more useful is the process you use to develop the job description internally and the behavioral characteristics of your ideal candidate. Assemble a gruppe of people who represent the best qualities of the people who currently hold the same or a similar position, and dont forget to include the hiring manager. Develop a job description that delineates the key responsibilities and outputs of the position. Then, define the behavioral characteristics of the person you feel is your ideal candidate. Finally, list your 5 to 10 key responsibilities and characteristics you will use to screen resumes, perform phone screens and eventually, establish the questions for the candidates you interview. Sound like a lot of effort? It is. But, youll have a much better idea about the characteristics of the ideal candidate you want to attract to your company when you do this planning via email or a recruiting planning meeting. Tap Your Employee Networks Spread word-of-mouth information about the position availability, or eventual availability, to each employee so they can constantly look for superior candidates in their networks of friends and associates. With online social and professional networking, the chances are, you and your employees are instantly connected to hundreds, and even thousands, of potential candidates. Tap into this potential audience on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, to name just a few. Use trade show booth time to meet and get to know potential candidates as well as customers. Encourage employees to gather business cards from, and develop relationships with, high potential possible employees. And, dont stop with employees alone tap the networks of your social, board, funder, and academic connections, too. In a client company, the sales manager referred a childhood friend, who was moving back to his home state, for a position. Out of touch for s everal years, the now new employee had contacted all of his friends when he needed to relocate from Chicago to the Detroit area. The client benefitted from the sales managers network and hired an outstanding employee. Make sure you publicize your interest in employee referrals. In some companies, employee referrals, especially for hard-to-fill positions, are even rewarded with cash bonuses. Posting all open positions, announcing openings at the company meetings and sharing growth plans with company members will help spread your message. Take Advantage of Your Contacts Pay for employees to participate in and network in industry groups, conferences, and trade shows. Periodically, create master lists of industry leaders and other potential employees from customers, colleagues, coworkers, and friends. Develop a plan for contacting unterstellung people systematically and regularly. Be prepared to share your job description with them through the mail, email, on the internet, and by fa x. Follow up on every good lead. Use extensive telephone networking. Bring people in for interviews before you have an available position. You may even want to consider starting a periodic company newsletter to keep your master lists of potential employees, customers and interested others up-to-date about company progress and happenings. You can use online and/or mail distribution to send these out. Looking for the right associations to join? Check out this resource Find Associations, People, and Businesses from the American Society of Association Executives. Use Your Website for Recruiting Candidates Does your Join Our Team section of your company website tell and even, sell, potential employees about the vision, mission, values, and culture of your company? Do you present a message about how people are valued? Do you express your commitment to quality and to your customers? If not, you are missing out on one of the most important recruiting tools you have to appeal to prospect ive high-potential employees. Instead of the typical, dryly-written job listings about available positions, your website needs to include this vision, this information that sets your company apart from others in your industry. Your job listings must sparkle with a personality so that a potential candidate thinks, this organization is for me. And, now that you have their attention, you also need to provide a way for candidates to easily submit resumes for consideration for future positions. One company recruiting website has a Talk to the President link and, you better believe, people do. They receive a constant stream of resumes and contacts through this invitation and even hired a Director of Production who made his first contact here. Another companys HR team post generic position descriptions for positions that frequently need applicants. People respond. website recruiting works. Maintain Contact With Interested Candidates Dont let these potential employees submit their resum es and never hear from you again either. Youd lose all the momentum you just spent time developing with the favored few. Just as it was recommended earlier with employee networks and professional contacts, continue and nurture the relationship. Enable interested candidates to subscribe to the company newsletter consider writing a mini-newsletter just for them. Follow-up all website submissions with a greeting that says thank you for your interest in our company. Send a periodic update about your job openings. Invite the potential employee to visit your organization when they are in the area. Your professional, ongoing contact with interested people ensures recruiting success. Become an Employer of Choice Think about what a potential employee considers before agreeing to join your organization or business. Are you stable, making money and growing? Are you employee-friendly? Does your mission catch the mindshare and/or the heartstrings of the people you most want to recruit? Will a new employee feel part of something bigger than themselves if they join you? Will your organization nurture their talent and provide exciting opportunities for challenge and professional growth? If you can answer these questions affirmatively, analyze every component of your recruiting process to make sure that you are sending these messages. If you want to be an employer of choice, you must act like an employer of choice. Furthermore, you must communicate this commitment to your prospective employees. People look for little things - that are really big things - such as noticing whether you return phone calls promptly. They observe when all interviewers repeat the same questions. They are aware that you responded to acknowledge receipt of their resume. They appreciate a phone call when someone else is picked for the job they wanted. (Yes, you still need to send a letter to the people you interviewed, but the more informal follow-up is appreciated.) They feel welcomed when they c an communicate with you via email. In addition, being an employer of choice is a reputation you build in your industry that is a powerful tool in attracting top talent. Recruit Using the Internet The internet, in addition to your own organization website, has quickly developed to become the key tool in recruitment in terms of its usefulness to employers, potential employees, and society, in general. Learn how to use the internet to find and attract great candidates. These are options you can currently consider. Post your positions on professional association websites. This includes local chapter websites or professional associations related to the job. (This is an excellent method for finding local talent.) Post open positions on websites that private vendors or your state and/or local government provide. Your own state or country will have equivalent resources for you to use. Post your classified ad on newspaper-related websites. fruchtwein newspapers have an affiliated website where you can post ads. These ads are either included in the price of a classified print ad (does anyone use these anymore except for close local job postings?) or you can pay for online posting only. Make sure that your recruitment ads sell the vision and the advantages of your organization. Effective ads portray your company as an exciting and rewarding place to work. Effective job postings make people want to apply to your firm. Use Headhunters and Recruiters Sometimes, it is worth your time to use headhunters, recruiters, and employment placement firms. The best firms have done much of this homework and candidate pool development for you. Expect to pay 20-35 percent of the cost of the new recruits annual salary. But, for some positions, and in some industries, the cost in your departments time and the time invested in a possible failed search, are worth it. Additionally, recruiters have an already-developed pool of candidates. They provide a second pair of experienced eyes to help you with your search. Some of them are very good. An HR associate met with a recruiter recently and offered him a sales job in a client organization on the spot. Believe this, he was that good. She could definitely see him finding great candidates for employers. When you work in an HR role, calls from potential recruiters come several times a week. Ask for references and check them out. Talk with non-competing firms to get referrals of recruiters with whom theyve been pleased. You can also research recruiters at any number of websites online. Looking for additional ideas about recruiting employees who are potential star performers? Here are several more of my favorite ideas for recruiting employees. Use Temporary Agencies and Firms Consider using temporary staff as a solution to try a person out in a position or to staff a position you are not sure you need for the long haul. Temporary employees can also provide a useful buffer for the ups and downs of the business cycle so that you do not have to affect your core staff during downtimes. Temp firms will recruit and screen to your specifications and guarantee your satisfaction. They save your staff immense amounts of time as they provide testing, drug screening, reference checking, background checks, and anything else youd like, for a nominal fee. By the time HR staff meets with the selected group of candidates, most of the work, other than a personal job interview, has been completed for them. Additionally, as the firms become familiar with your needs, just as headhunters and recruiters do, they will seek out and suggest talent they believe meets your criteria for star candidates. Many companies work with two or three agencies and many companies hire only the top five percent of temporary staff members, so they hire great people. Learn About Your Ideal Candidates Identify what your needed candidates read notice the websites they visit study the listservs on which they participate determine the industry magazines and newspapers they read. Identify their favorite news sources, forums, discussion groups, and places to practice social networking. In other words, find out everything you can about the types of people who make up the top ten percent of your current employees and the best of your talent pool. Use this information to screen resumes, of course, and to develop effective interview questions. Most importantly, use this information to develop creative, fun recruiting strategies for your potential openings. Sit with an interested group that includes members of the group you are trying to recruit and brainstorm other potential ways to locate a well-qualified pool of candidates for each position. Some examples that have been seen include a very funny ad in a staid newspaper. It literally jumped off the page because it stood out so strongly from the pack. (The ad was looking for a creative for an ad agency You can bet that they found their perfect candidate.) People have b een recruited as potential staff members while browsing in a bookstore because of the books they were reviewing. People recruit at trade shows from the people visiting their booths. Recruit Through Your Good Deeds Heres a bonus thought about recruiting great employees The publicity your organization receives in the news media, in print, on television, on the radio and online is tremendously important for recruiting. A few good words, an interesting article or a piece about your mission that reflects your organization in a favorable light, will result in potential employees coming to you. And, that is the best way of all to find great potential employees for your candidate pool. Ideas for recruiting are endless and endlessly challenging, but the time and effort you invest are worth it when they result in top talent for your organization.

How to Get a Job as a Consultant

How to Get a Job as a ConsultantHow to Get a Job as a ConsultantInterested in working as a consultant? Heres information on education and experience requirements, where to find job listings, how consulting firms recruit and tips for acing an interview. Requirements for Consultants Virtually all consultants will earn a college degree prior to entering the field. A broad range of degrees will be acceptable, but common majors include engineering, business, mathematics, economics, information technology, and computer science. Many consultants go on for graduate degrees in business or a discipline related to their area of consulting. Consultants need strong analytical and problem-solving skills. In quantitative areas of consulting, solid mathematics and computer skills will be required. Consultants must be able to interface smoothly and productively with clients and team members. Strong writing and verbal communications skills are essential as is the ability to present findings and pr oposals to groups. See below for a list of skills employers seek in applicants. Consultants tend to travel frequently and work long hours during crunch periods with projects, so evidence of adaptability and a high energy level are valued. Gaining Experience Aspiring consultants should take project-oriented courses where cases are addressed by groups of students. Student leaders who have a successful track record of influencing their peers and finding creative solutions will be viewed favorably by recruiters. For seasoned professionals looking to transfer into the field from areas like engineering, IT, management and human resources, a reputation as an industry leader helps to smooth the transition. Industry awards, leadership positions in professional groups, publications and strong recommendations on platforms like LinkedIn can help you to project this image. How to Find a Job as a Consultant Major consulting firms recruit on many college unigelndees and hire bachelor level graduates for an analyst or junior consultant positions. Business, engineering, and technology graduate students are also recruited heavily by consulting firms on campuses. Contact the career office at your college early on to prepare for campus recruiting at your school. Google top consulting firms and apply online to as many as possible. Use LinkedIn and your colleges career/alumni offices to identify contacts at your target firms. Approach them for informational interviews and to discuss the best strategies for finding a job. If you are already working, identify consultants serving your firm and approach them for advice on transitioning into the field. Network with fellow professionals who have migrated into consulting. You can usually find members from your professional associations directory who have done so with a background similar to yours. Ask them for referrals to any recruiters who may have helped them find a consulting job. Reach out to Facebook, LinkedIn, family, neigh borhood, and alumni contacts regardless of their profession. Ask them to introduce you to anyone whom they may know in the consulting field. Approach those individuals for informational meetings. Establish a consulting practice as a sideline to your main job if possible. Doing so will test and prove your interest. You will be a more appealing candidate if you can bring a client or two along with you to a major firm. Cultivate roles with your current employer where you do some internal consulting, perhaps helping struggling or more junior colleagues. How to Interview Dress the parte. Companies will generally look for a very polished image since consultants interface so frequently with clients. If anything,err on the side of being overdressed when choosing your business attire. Sharpen your PowerPoint and presentation skills since you will likely be required to demonstrate these skills as part of the screening process. Consulting firms often require candidates to conduct case anal yses as part of the process. Review the basics of case interviewing and practice analyzing cases.Group interviews are common, and firms will be evaluating not just your answers but how you interact with others as a group member. They will be looking for potential leaders who can also be team players. Send a Thank You Note After each interview, send a thank you note expressing your appreciation for the interviewers time and your interest in landing the job. Consulting Skills List Required skills will vary based on the job for which youre applying, so also review our list ofskills listed by joband type of skill.