How to Stop Overextending Yourself A Self-Care Worksheet

How to Stop Overextending Yourself A Self-Care WorksheetHow to Stop Overextending Yourself A Self-Care WorksheetThe job search is strenuous. Thats because the brain is designed to learn something and make it automatic to conserve energy. Heres how to rewire your brain without overextending yourself.Looking for work after a job loss takes energy. Besides the physical energy required to create resumes and make calls, you have to marshal emotional energy to cope with your feelings about the situation. Youre dealing with the emotions created by losing your job and the inevitable rejections that occur in any search, the mental effort to rebrand yourself as well as learn new skills and behaviors, and the spiritual challenge of staying hopeful and positive.Your job search at least as strenuous as the job you used to have and likely even more. Thats because the brain is designed to learn something and make it automatic to conserve energy.Re-wiring your brainIn the late 1940s, psychologist Donald Hebb first identified that within the brain, cells that fire togetzu sichbei wire together. As a child learning to tie your shoes, for instance, your brain cells fired in a certain sequence as you practiced, the cells wired into a pathway that is now grooved into your brain. You dont have to think about it, so it takes hardly any energy at all. Likewise, at work, over time, your brain habituated to tasks until you could perform them with ease.Now youre asking your brain to work harder and in new ways, so you need to build up your energy reserves. Consider it part of your job description as a job seeker. Otherwise, you wont have the oomph to succeed.Thats what marketing executive Ruth McFee (who asked me not to disclose her real name) discovered when she was recently laid off from Microsoft. She knows she needs to network, but never having needed to do it before, shes having trouble getting into action. It makes me tired just to think about it, she told me.Train like an athlet eIs Ruth crazy? Lazy? Shes simply experiencing the truth that it is more effort to learn new behaviors.Rather than just give her a rah-rah speech about how she needed to get out there, I suggested she fill out a worksheet that we at Professional Thinking Partners created after reading The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. Loehr and Schwartz point out that executives need to treat themselves like high-performance athletes in order to excel. Athletes have strategies for extending themselves (by lifting weights, for example) and strategies for recovery as well (resting, for instance). To have maximum energy, all of us need extension and recovery strategies in four domains of our existence physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Physical refers to our bodies, mental to our intellect and emotional to our feelings. Spiritual can refer to religious practices, or it can reflect how you feel you are living your values and sense your connection to a larger whole.The worksheet below provides a snapshot of where you are right now so you can see what you need to do differently in order to fuel yourself for the challenging task of finding new work.In each domain, think about what youre doing to stretch yourself in that arena and what you do to recover. Write them in the boxes on the right. Then rate yourself on a scale of one to 10 in the spaces on the left on how well youre doing in each, with one being very low and 10 being extremely high.Now, what did your self-assessment reveal? Hopefully, your recovery scores are about as high as the ones you noted for extension but job seekers frequently find themselves out of balance.For instance, Ruths analysis discovered the following insightsPhysical Extension strategiesShe was swimming in the summer and doing 30 minutes on the elliptical the rest of the year. She gave herself a 5 (probably not enough extension, not doing it every day.)Recovery strategiesFor physical recovery, she reads novels and sleeps 8-9 hours at night. She gives herself an 8 (hitting it most days).EmotionalExtension strategiesHer job search has got her down after months of looking for work. She rates herself fully extended at a 10.Recovery strategiesAs a recovery exercise she journals once a week, but is leise struggling with her feelings so she rates herself a 5.MentalExtension strategiesMentally, shes exerting herself looking for work. She marks down a 9.Recovery strategiesFor recovery, she does yoga and gives herself a 0 because she hasnt done it for months.SpiritualExtension strategiesIn spiritual extension, she is working on trusting she will find work and gives herself an 8.Recovery strategiesFor spiritual recovery, her strategy is yoga, and so she again rates herself 0.Your strategies will be different. Thats OK. A client of mine swims every day for physical exertion strategy as well as mental and emotional recovery. Theres no one right way. Whats important is what the information tells you.Ruth discove red her extension numbers are very high and her recovery ones very low. She decided to go back to taking a yoga class. Thats helping her acquire the energy to get out and network herself into a new position. You may discover that youre doing fine on recovery, but whats needed is more extension in one domain. Or that you have very limited strategies and want to expand your repertoire.Self-care isnt optional when youre putting yourself out there looking for work. Make sure youre building up your reserves

Emergency Job Search Tips from Kathryn Troutman

Emergency Job Search Tips from Kathryn TroutmanEmergency Job Search Tips from Kathryn TroutmanEmergency Job Search Tips from Kathryn TroutmanAre you among the thousands of federal workers who last week were deemed non-essential and put on a temporary lay off with no assurance of back pay? You might think your job and skills are essential, but they may not be. If you have bills to pay and a family to support, take action now on your own behalf, just in case something else happens down the line regarding your career. See Kathryns quote in the Washington Times about the uncertainties that face federal employees now.I am not writing this to make you nervous. I am writing this because its time. Its actually the perfect time while you are currently off from work.We didnt think the government would shut down, but it did, and its time to stop being complacent. I personally have a lot of experience with contingency planning. I have worked for myself for 40 years. I am always looking out for m yself and watching my bills, because I cant count on government or Congress or anyone else to take care of me. So heres my advice for your career and your earnings in the near future and always.Emergency Job Search Tips from Kathryn Troutman for All Federal Workers for Your Next Career MoveGet / keep your federal resume up-to-date EVERY DAY. Just like life insurance for your family, you should keep your federal resume up-to-date and in GREAT shape, just in case you need to send your federal resume out with little notice. So many of our clients havent updated their resumes in years Start today with updating, writing, and adding your accomplishments and keywords for your occupational series. Its always easiest to start with a sample to look at. Check out our sample federal resume to help you with yours.Set up your LinkedIn resume and account (if you are not in a high-security position), so that you can quickly develop your network in yourself on very short notice. Heres a Sample Linke dIn Resume Natalie Richardson. Connect to me Kathryn Troutman if you would like.Write a two-page private industry resume for networking and in case you have to get a job outside of government temporarily during the government shutdown.Read the current job ads so that you are familiar with job search, just in case you need to look for a job to pay the bills.Pretend that you are looking for a new job outside of federal government. Look for agencies, companies, or contractors that could be your next fit. Honestly, you might actually need to do this at some point.How The Resume Place, Inc. can help with our Free Estimate tafelgeschirr (FREE)We can help you with your federal resume, private industry resume or LinkedIn resume. Get prepared for your next career move now. Check out our article on how our Federal Resume is the Gold Standard, and request a Free EstimateWritten by Kathryn TroutmanPresident, Resume Place, Inc. and Federal Career Training Institute Federal Resume Guru and Desi gner of the Federal Resume Developer of the Ten Steps to a Federal Job, Certified Federal Resume Job Search Trainer and Certified Federal Career Coach Author of best-selling federal career publications

3 simple rituals that will make you a fantastic parent

3 simple rituals that will make you a fantastic parent3 simple rituals that will make you a fantastic parentYou know how it goes. You want this little person to do the thing and they wont do the thing and somehow zero-point-two-seconds later youre in the midst of a tear-filled screaming match in the hair care aisle at CVS.You start thinking about how your real kid may have been switched at birth for this pint-sized tyrant who seems bent on reenacting The Omen in public. And teenagers make you want to skip right past negotiating and just call an exorcist.Yes, you love them, but kids can drive you crazy.Or maybe were just working off a completely boneheaded paradigm when we deal with our children. I will now attempt to illustrate this point with a seemingly absurd scenarioIm with my fictional friend Hans. Hans only speaks German.Me Speak English.Hans (something in German)Me ENGLISHHans (something in German)Me Stop defying my will, HansHans (shouts in German)And on it goes. Whos the idi ot zu siche? Me. Why? Im acting like hes willfully resisting me when the reality is that he simply doesnt have the skills required to comply. No amount of me shouting, threatening or pleading is going to suddenly teach him to speak abedrngnisher language.If I asked you Do kids have the abilities and self-control of adults? you would laugh and say, Of course elend. But we often treat kids - especially during heated moments - like they have the abilities and self-control of adults. Does not compute.This doesnt mean we just let them do whatever they want. But it does mean we need to think a little less of parenting as being a prison warden and mora like its aboutteaching.Yeah, sounds nice but easier said than done, right?Well, let me up the ante even moreWhat if you could exert disciplineandteach your kids better behavioranddevelop a stronger bond with them, all at the same time? Sound good? But how the heck do you do that?Frankly, I have no idea. But luckily, Ross Greene doesHe was on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for over 20 years. Greene designed a system that has not only been validated by research but has also been successfully used for decades in families, schools, juvenile detention facilities and inpatient psychiatric units.His book isThe Explosive Child.Lets get to itmilitrischer abschirmdienst SkillzFor sake of argument,Im going to assume your child is not pure evil, malevolently bent on resisting your wishes and focused on spoiling your dreams. Its a stretch, but indulge me.Start with the assumption that your kid is lackingskills, not thedesireto comply. Work from the idea that kids do well if they are able to. If someone does not have the skills to deal with frustration and rationally problem-solve at a particular moment, they simply cannot do the right thing, no matter how much you shout or threaten.How rational are you when youre all worked up? Exactly. And taking away HansXbox will not teach him another language.FromThe Explosive ChildI e ncourage you to put aside the conventional wisdom and strategies and consider the alternate view that your child is already very motivated to do well and that his challenging episodes reflect a developmental delay in the skills of flexibility, frustration tolerance, and problem solving. The reason reward and punishment strategies havent helped is because they wont teach your child the skills hes lacking or solve the problems that are contributing to challenging episodes. Indeed, youve probably noticed that punishment actually adds fuel to the fire, and that your child only becomes more frustrated when he doesnt receive an anticipated reward. Your energy can be devoted far more productively to collaborating with your child on solutions to the problems that are causing challenging episodes than in sticking with strategies that may actually have made things worse and havent led to durable improvement You and your child are going to be allies, not adversaries. Partners, not enemies.What evidence do you already have for this? That your kid doesnt misbehave 24-7. Ill bet the majority of the problems you have arent random. Maybe getting them to do their homework consistently produces a meltdown. Or bedtime is always a battle of epic proportions. There are a handful of situations that are disproportionately responsible for the conflict you two experience.He has difficulty with doing chores. She has difficulty with getting up for school. Thats something we can address. Parents often shout You do this every time but rarely stop to think there might be a realreasonit happens so consistently at that particular time. Theres what Greene calls an unsolved problem.But instead of thinking about the skill thats lacking, we just focus on the bad behavior.If we aim to discover and solve the underlying problem, the behavior goes away on its own.You want him to stop hitting his sister when he gets frustrated. Do you really think for a second his thought process is,I just love punch ing my sister. Its one of my favorite hobbies. Of course not. Its more like, Im frustrated and dont know how to handle my emotions.If you just enforce a strict ban on sister-punching, its not going to teach him to handle dorfanger any more than me shouting is going to teach Hans a second language. Sister-punching is just going to morph into some new anger-induced bad behavior, leaving you to assume the kid has a lot more problems than he really does. The unaddressed anger issues just create a game of Bad Behavior Whac-A-Mole that you will never, ever win.Help them identify the unsolved problem, teach them the lagging skill, and the awful behavior gets replaced by something that will make them a more effective human - and stop you from going prematurely gray.(To learn more about how you and your children can lead a successful life, check out my bestselling bookhere.)Sounds good, but theres a very common resistance to this logic that we need to addressButImThe ParentMany parents will respond that the kid should just obey. Theyre the child Im the adult To this I have a very simple replySo hows that working out for you?(Dont bother to reply. I know the answer - because youre still reading this.)The kid should just obey is the old paradigm. Parenting from when TVs werent flat and telephones were all attached to a wall. And maybe it forced short-term compliance but it didnt teach Hans another language and so sister-punching just turned into some other bad behavior. And now that kid is an adult and hes probably breaking into my car right now.The irony of merely imposing your will on a child is that the kids least likely to be able to comply with this method are the ones fruchtwein likely to receive it. Kid has trouble with emotional control, so we shout and threaten, this causes further emotional overwhelm which the kid doesnt have the ability to handle, and its a downward spiral until your living room is a reality show.Most times when you see conflict escalate its because of that logic - that its a contest of wills, not skills.If a child is upset, threats just make it worse, and if a kid is not upset, threats are an excellent way to get them upset. You have the skills to control your behavior, they dont.Greenesums it up nicelyHeres a simple math equation that might suffice. Inflexibility + Inflexibility = Meltdown.Nobodys saying you have to cave and give in. But its not weak to ask questions. To assume that maybe there is a legitimate reason theyre struggling, and that its something you can help them get better at. Being immediately dismissive of someones feelings is rarely a good idea.Do you want your child to be an adult who just mindlessly obeys? No. We want them to have better self-control, better problem-solving skills, to consider the feelings of others and to negotiate.FromThe Explosive ChildIf a kid is putting his concerns on the table, taking yours into account, and working collaboratively toward a solution that works for both of yo u- and if therefore the frequency and intensity of challenging episodes are being reduced- then hes most assuredly being held accountable and taking responsibility for his actions.Were forgetting that parents dont just need to be enforcers - they need to be teachers. Many will say, He just wants attention or She just wants her own way. Heres the thing those two sentences are true of every human on this planet. Your kid is just going about it all wrong. They need to learn the skills to do it better.Without them, theyre not learning a lesson about emotional control or frustration tolerance, theyre learning that whoever has more power can unilaterally make the rules. Congrats, youre raising a bully. Start saving bail money and tell him to stop breaking into my car.People with MDs dont rob banks and they dont buy lottery tickets. They have the skills to make a lot of money in a better way. If your kid knew a better way to get what they want, theyd do that.(To learn how to deal with out -of-control kids - from hostage negotiators - clickhere.)Alright, lots of talk about teaching skills and problem-solving but how do we actuallydothat?CollaborationOkay, so we are no longer responding to child tantrums with the words RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. Time for Hans and I to both take some Berlitz classes.The best time to start a good regimen of diet and exercise isnt after your quadruple bypass its 20 years before your heart attack. And the best time to use this system isnt when someone four-feet tall is screaming bloody murder inthe vegetable aisle of the supermarket, its when things are calm at home. It can work in the midst of an argument, but itll be more effective and less stressful if youre proactive.There are three steps here and Greene has a Magic Formula for each. This should make things a lot easier for you to execute and, more importantly, should drastically reduce the amount of email I get saying, But I dont know what youre telling me to do, Eric.Step 1 EmpathyLets say that getting them to do homework is always a struggle. But youre smart, you didnt wait until the next homework deathmatch to have this conversation. Youre being proactive. Time to address the problem before its a nightmare.FromThe Explosive ChildThe Empathy step involves gathering information from your child to understand his concern or perspective about a given unsolved problem.So whats the Magic Formula for the Empathy step?Ive noticed that + (problem) + Whats up?So youd say, Ive noticed weve been having some difficulty when its time to do your homework. Whats up?Be calm and gentle. This isnt an argument or an interrogation. That said, we do need an answer. And most kids will respond with the dreaded, I dont know or silence. Thats okay.Frankly, the kid probably doesnt know. They probably havent thought that much about it. Children arent known for quiet reflection, pondering the difficulties of life while lounging in a smoking jacket with a snifter of brandy. Heck, you dont kno w why you do half the things you do either. Its okay.Be patient. Ask questions. Encourage them to talk. Get them to clarify. And try to find out why this problem occurs at homework time and not during other moments.Beyond that, the important thing to do isshut your big adult mouth. Do not rush to give your side of things or to solve the problem for them.Some parents will say,But I do listen Why are we still dealing with this issue over and over? If you already have a solution in mind and are just listening until its your turn and then tell them what you were going to tell them anyway, youre wasting your time. Their issues wont be addressed and the solution wont last and youll be doing this whole thing again in a few days. I call it Sisyphean Parenting. By the way, it doesnt work.Patience. Gently ask questions. Dont judge.Step 2 Define The ProblemOkay,they told you their side. And knowing how kids are, they probably didnt think too much about how that affects anyone other than themse lves andthats why theyre in trouble. But thats okay. Theyre a kid. If they had the skills, they would.Again, dont jump to solutions just yet. We need to teach them those skills being considerate of others, problem-solving, etc. And that means we collaborate, not dictate.The Defining the problem step is when your needs enter into the equation. Magic Formula?The thing is + (communicate your concerns about the problem)Calm and gentle. Avoid the word you because unless its followed by are wonderful its going to sound like an accusation. Stick to the word I and talk about your feelings.This teaches them to think about other peoples perspectives.Do both of you understand where the other is coming from? Can you both summarize the others position to their satisfaction? Awesome. Lets build some more skills.Step 3 The InvitationNow its time for solutions. And, no, you still dont get to suggest one. Sorry.Magic Formula?I wonder if theres a way we can + (address kids concern) + but that still m akes sure to + (address your concern) +Do you have any ideas?This teaches them to take other peoples feelings into consideration when problem-solving - which is a much better lesson than blind obedience to unilateral demands.Giving them first crack at suggesting the solution doesnt just improve their empathy and problem-solving muscles, it also lets them know youre interested in their ideas. Its a bonding moment. It teaches them, by example, how to collaborate - as opposed to teaching them How To Be A Dictator.This is how you teach them skills that will make them a successful adult. And it doesnt involve lectures that theyll ignore.(To learn how to raise emotionally intelligent kids, clickhere.)Yeah, I know nothing is everthatsimple with kids. So how do we know if its working? And how do we course correct when it inevitably doesnt the first time around?The 2 Criteria For Good SolutionsIn order to work, any solution has to include two elementsIt has to be realistic. The kid has to actually be able to follow through.It has to be mutually satisfactory.It must solve the concerns of both parties.For the record, kids are terrible at both of these. Thats understandable, these are skills to be learned. So lets start teaching - but not by lecturing.Children will offer solutions that solve their problem but not yours. So again, were gonna build those empathy muscles along with problem-solving powers. Dont say, Thats a terrible idea. There are nobadsolutions here, only ones that arent realistic or mutually satisfactory.GreenesMagic Formula for this one?Well, thats an idea, and I know that idea would address your concern, but I dont think it would address my concern. Lets see if we can come up with an idea that will work for both of us.And let them try again. Theyre learning to think about others feelings and make a plan before they behave. And when they come up with something realistic that works for both of you, youre done for now. Theyll be more likely to follow thr ough because itstheir solution.Youll know youre making progress when the kid starts following through on their plan without reminders or help. Until then, they might screw up. No problem. Ask them how you can improve the solution so its more realistic or more mutually satisfying.In fact, itsgood if you both acknowledge that the first solution may not work, but that youre both trying in good faith. Often neither of you will know if its truly realistic or mutually satisfactory until its been tried. Acknowledging that durable solutions are refined with time reduces conflict. So dont expect immediate miracles.Just the fact that you both showed empathy and listened will bring you closer together than shouting and orders. Itll make Solution 2.0 better because your kid knows youre willing to calmly listen and to give them some autonomy. You may not have immediately solved the issue, but you definitely improved the relationship. And thats what leads to many more good solutions in the future .(To learn the 10 steps to raising happy kids, clickhere.)Okay, weve covered a lot. Lets round it all up - and for those who feel that this might be too touchy-feely, that the adult world is not always so collaborative, well, were gonna address that too Sum UpHeres how to be a fantastic parentMad Skillz Its not a battle of wills, its all about skills. And if you listen, theyll learn.But Im the parent If that was working there is no way you would have read this far. Youre not that masochistic.Step 1 Empathy Ive noticed that + (problem) + Whats up?Step 2 Define the problem The thing is + (communicate your concerns about the problem)Step 3 Invitation I wonder if theres a way we can + (address kids concern) + but that still makes sure to + (address your concern) +Do you have any ideas?Realistic and Mutually Satisfying Im not sure those words describe anything Ive ever done in my life, but when their solution hits both marks, youre golden.Some might say the adult world is not always such a collaborative place. Your kid may end up in a job with a boss who unilaterally dictates orders, doesnt listen and makes threats.That is a 100% real possibility. And thatisa problemWhich is why we taught them awesome problem-solving skills, right?FromThe Explosive ChildA (dictator) boss is a problem to be solved. How does your child learn to solve problems? (With the above three steps.) Which skill set is more important for life in the real world the blind adherence to authority or identifying and articulating ones concerns, taking others concerns into account, and working toward solutions that are realistic and mutually satisfactory? If kids are completely dependent on imposition of adult will to do the right thing, then what will they do when adults arent around to impose their will?Im going to stop shouting at Hans and were both going to use Google Translate.Youre teaching your kid the skills they need to be empathetic and respectful, to problem-solve and negotiate. And in the process, youll get better at those things too.When it comes to abilities, we act like kids are our equals. But when it comes to respect, we act like theyre inferior to us.Try reversing that.Join over 330,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.This article first appeared on Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

What Youll Find Cleaning Out Your Desk - The Muse

What Youll Find Cleaning Out Your Desk - The MuseWhat Youll Find Cleaning Out Your Desk The final two weeks at a job are a whirlwind of documenting everything, explaining what you did on a daily basis, and hoping that everything goes both smoothly and horribly when youre gone. (After all, what if you leave and everyone realizes theyre just fine without you? Thatd be devastating.)The final two weeks are also a whirlwind of paperwork. And notlage just the paperwork involved with your exit, but also literal pieces of paper that youve been shoving into your desk since day one- training documents from that seminar, resumes from when you were hiring, flyers someone handed you on the street that you accepted because youre bad at confrontation and couldnt just say, No thank you, Im a lady and therefore not interested in a mens suit sale. In fact, Ive come to learn that cleaning out your desk is a reckoning of sorts, a time when youre forced to come face-to-face with all your Ill figure out w hat to do with this later choices. I know this because its currently my life. In fact, Im writing this article as a way to avoid finishing cleaning out my own desk. And because of that, I can confidently tell you what youll find if youre currently in the same situation.1. Business CardsHow I want to respond when handed a business card It would skip me a step if youd bypass my hand and put that straight into the recycling bin.How I actually respond Why yes my good sir, of course, I would love nothing more than for you to give me that tiny piece of paper that is both big enough to annoy me, yet small enough to get lost in the bottom of my bag.And because thats how I respond, I have a ton of business cards that end up in my desk drawer. And going through them all in my last two weeks has been a trip down memory lane- but the kind of memory lane where everythings far more fuzzy than nostalgic. Chad from Marketing Corp. Huh. Perhaps I met him when I cut the cheese line at that event. Or no, maybe he was the guy on the elevator trying to sell me his services.2. A DrugstoreEmergencies happen at work. And thats why Ive always made sure to always have a few necessities on hand. But what started as a Tide Stick and umbrella has morphed into an entire aisle of CVS. Office too hot? I have deodorantSmelly lunch? Ive got mints. Client interaction gone wrong? Ive not only got an entire change of clothes, but also a new identity ready-to-go. And you know what, while some of these items might be overkill, Ive got zero regrets about that. While it accumulated at a surprising rate, I also never panicked when I spilled something, or when it started pouring, or when I suddenly decided I hated my shoes and needed a new pair immediately. 3. A Grocery StoreYou know what hoarders always say- you cant open a drugstore in your desk without also opening a grocery store. And thats why I have enough half-eaten, fully-stale snacks ready to go the second someone says The apocalypse has arriv ed and youre trapped in the arbeitszimmer indefinitely.Unlike my drugstore advice, I will not pat myself on the back for this one. Instead, Ill promise myself to stop acting like Ill ever be in my office for more than a day at a time (and that means I will never need more than a granola bar). 4. Office SuppliesI was that kid who lived for back-to-school shopping. Nothing got me quite as jazzed as a fresh new set of binders did. And so, in an effort to recapture that feeling into adulthood, Ive gotten into a horrible habit of saying yes to any office supplies that are offered to me- either directly or indirectly in the form of an unlocked supply closet. That means, despite the fact 99% of my job involves a computer, I have a stapler, 19 packs of sticky notes, two kinds of tape, four colors of highlighters, and Lisa Frank herself tucked into my drawers. In retrospect, I probably couldve gotten the same satisfaction from opening up the supply closet every so often and just breathing i n that scent of fresh file folders.5. MemoriesOK, fine, you caught me. Im human, and I have emotions, and leaving a job is hard. Despite making the above list, I cant parte with anything Everything I pick up and attempt to throw away feels meaningful. You binnensee a coupon for 5% off a $10 juice that Ill never use, I see the time I grabbed a long lunch with a co-worker and was handed that on my way out. You see a congrats sign in messy handwriting, I see the time I got promoted and my team surprised me by decorating my desk. You see a childrens toy, I see accessories from a team Halloween costume that shouldve won first-place in the office costume contest (and Im totally not at all bitter about it). Dont get me wrong- all of this needs to go in the trash. I live in New York City and I dont have room in my apartment to hold all my memories.But parting with it isnt easy. And thats because saying goodbye to a job isnt easy. Even if were excited for our next chapter, even if were ready to go, and even if its our time to leave. For better or worse, we get attached to our jobs, we get attached to the projects we spend time on, and we get attached to the people we work with. Even if we dont always like what we do and even if we dont always like the people we do it with, we spend 40 (or more) hours a week attaching ourselves to something thats bigger than us. Thats why, when its time to leave, its not just time to hand in our key cards and grab farewell drinks, but its also time to say goodbye to a part of ourselves. And sometimes, cleaning out our desks will remind us just how big a part of ourselves our jobs became. To quote myself from just a few paragraph ago, saying goodbye to a job isnt easy. (Nor is finding a rogue raisin in your desk drawer and knowing that youve never once eaten a raisin at work.) So, if youre in the process of doing it, know that its OK if youre going through all the emotions. Its OK if youre having trouble throwing out stuff you forgot eve n existed. And its OK if youre putting off even touching that bottom drawer until the very last second. You have a new exciting adventure ahead of you, but that doesnt mean you cant spend a few moments thinking about all the moments- big and small, fun and challenging, scary and rewarding- that youre leaving behind.

What Does Resume Templates Free Download Mean?

What Does Resume Templates Free Download Mean? 1 Resume is a totally free one page web template that includes a smooth jQuery slide between sections of the webpage. Employing VisualCVs CV editor you can readily switch from 1 template to another, which means you can easily use the very best template for the job every single time you apply. Resume templates are one method to guarantee structure behind your resume. Employing a resume template has turned into an acceptable and smart practice for quite a few reasons.The absolute most hard step here is to determine which resume format is appropriate for you. Sometimes all you will need is a timeless style template thats clean, clear and right to the point. The good thing is that there are several resume templates readily available online which you dont need to be resigned to using the Microsoft definitiv templates that everybody else has. Get your fantasy job with the assistance of this absolutely free expert PSD freebie. Have a pe ek at these examples to choose which format is most suitable for you. Pick the resume file you wish to use and open it. The Illustrator file makes the the majority of colour to help its simplicity. Its high-quality PSD file is totally customizable. The Little-Known Secrets to Resume Templates Free Download All the info on the page ought to be highlighted. So, all the advice about how to compose a resume still stands. Resume templates ought to be utilised as guides to help you make a resume that highlights your special mixture of experience, skills and abilities. The CV template demonstrates how to format your Curriculum Vitae and lets you know what kind of information needs to be included. There are a lot of free creative resume templates youll be able to use, allowing you to focus your energy on everything else you have to do. If youre thinking about how to create a resume, youre in the correct spot Once youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to learn how to vary the usage of action verbs and receive a feel for what makes an effective accomplishment statement. Theres one other way to compose an invitation letter. Theres no doubt that a resume which is both cohesive and professional will have a much better prospect of standing from the crowd even supposing its made utilizing a template. When you find a posting for your fantasy job, its simple to get excited about the idea of applying and landing it. However much or what kind of work experience youve got, theres a resume format that is likely to make your qualifications shine. A resume builder will allow you to rectify any errors and supply you with a working vision of the resume although you edit. Its content-packed layout is excellent for engaging employers with different facts, from experience to education. Each resume format was produced to improve your odds to find the job in 2018. When applying for employment in a big business you may find they use specialized software to help weed out candidates. If youre a work seeker, applying for a job can be a trying practice. Attempt to keep the resume no longer than 1 page, especially if youre asking for an entry-level job. Also make sure you tailor the document to the job youre applying for. A lot of job seekers even dont understand where to get started. You will need to tailor your resume to the work description with the plus-rechnen of keywords and techniques from the offer. Below, you will locate a list of resume examples that could assist you with your work search. Our creative templates make it possible for you to stick out from the crowd.

Uncommon Article Gives You the Facts on Best Resume Writing That Only a Few People Know Exist

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The Death of Writing Guide

The Death of Writing Guide Nonetheless you may run into situations where you will need to improvise the current ones. The safest approach to send money is in the shape of a New York bank draft that you can get at the local bank. A condition job offer usually means that the work offer given to the candidate depends on particular terms and condition. The most usual layout of a company letter is called block format. It is essential for the running of a campaign to be aware of the reaction of the folks receiving letters. Start looking for an individual who loves to compose letters and try hard to interest them in Friends of the Earth. If youre fond of writing a good deal of letters to your nearest and dearest or friends then grant writing vorlage is best for you. The letter likely reflects the feelings of anybody who loves a man or woman whos addicted to drugs. The duration of the letter is dependent upon the subject of the letter. A draft may need an approval or authorised from seniors before its sent. You might wind up with varied multiple drafts that can be beneficial since you can decide on the most crucial components from assorted drafts and utilize it create a last draft. A thesis informs the reader of the point of your paper. There are several different forms of personal letters and they are typically categorized by the aim of the letter. An opinion letter is helpful before you become into a transaction. Nowadays you dont need to be concerned about having to draft your own personal letter in English or even fret about what exactly is the appropriate personal letter format. Choosing Writing Guide Is Simple Its usually far better to personally sign the letter rather than working with a digital replica of the signature. Its possible for you to keep letters to read over and over. Do not send more cash if you dont verify your very first letter did not arrive. When the letter was written, the player is subsequently given a whole view of the letter to permit for proofreading. As stated by the MLA Style Guide, citations ought to be used parenthetically within text. Executive summaries are intended to be read quickly. Letter writing is a fundamental skill. Academic writing has to come after a particular form. Please dont be afraid to contact me in case you have any questions. Word plays on peoples names are usually a terrible idea. Below youll be able to discover the response to Letter-writing guide crossword clue. If several men and women write about the exact same news item thats exceptional. The Fight Against Writing Guide Ask for one or more volunteers to speak about how they felt to get the letter. Some will give an account number where you should transfer funds. Thus, the degree to which a disability handicaps an individual may vary greatly. They may be responsible for different decisions about the campaign. The Unusual Secret of Writing Guide Make aya all of your contact details are clearly writte n down at the surface of the letter. Include any crucial particulars and information to be certain that the recipient fully understands. The letter is a semi-formal letter and the letter needs to be written in a crystal clear way so that its not hard to understand the point of view of the individual. The next paragraph should get started justifying the value of the principal point. The very first paragraph should include an introduction and a concise explanation of your reason behind writing. Writing Guide and Writing Guide - The Perfect Combination To... Format for a Research Paper irrespective of the nature of your research, if youre writing a paper an outline can help you to not just organize your thoughts, but in addition function as the template for your whole paper. Youll have Elegantly Framed Letter formats that you could customize easily according to the requirement of your letter. Review examples to find out what a finished cover letter appears like. Letter writin g templates are best approach to compose professional together with personal letters. You must be clear on the date and the moment, along with the location. It isnt necessary or advisable to finish every page of a section, but instead, we provide a wide selection and selection for each grade level to select from. The opening line Its important to establish precisely what your letter is all about right from the beginning. There are personal letters which might also be employed to provide a work offer to a candidate.

U.S. Military Enlistment Standards

U.S. Military Enlistment StandardsU.S. Military Enlistment StandardsContinued from Part 1 Drug/Alcohol Involvement The United States Military does leid condone the illegal or improper use of drugs or alcohol. It is DODs stated contention that illegal drug use and abuse of alcohol is (1) Is against the law. (2) Violates the high standards of behavior and performance expected of a member of the United States Armed Forces. (3) Is damaging to physical, mental, and psychological health. (4) Jeopardizes the safety of the individual and otherbeis. (5) Is fundamentally wrong, destructive to organizational effectiveness, and totally incompatible with service as a member of the U.S. Military. (6) Is likely to result in criminal prosecution and discharge under other than honorable conditions. All applicants are carefully screened concerning drug and alcohol involvement. As a minimum, you can expect the recruiter to ask a. Have you ever used drugs? b. Have you been charged with or convicted of a drug or drug related offense? c. Have you ever been psychologically or physically dependent upon any drug or alcohol? d. Have you ever trafficked, sold, or traded in illegal drugs for profit? If the answer to the last two questions is yes, then you can expect to be ineligible for enlistment. If the answer to the first two questions is yes, then you can expect to have to complete a drug abuse inspektion form, detailing the specific circumstances of your drug usage. The military service will then make a determination as to whether or bedrngnis your previous drug usage is a bar to service in that particular branch of the military. In fruchtwein cases, a person who experimented with non-hard drugs in the past will be allowed to enlist. Anything mora than experimentation may very well be a bar to enlistment. An experimenter is defined as ..one who has illegally, wrongfully, or improperly used any narcotic substance, marijuana, or dangerous drug, for reasons of curiosity, peer press ure, or other similar reason. The exact number of times drugs were used, is not necessarily as important as determining the category of use and the impact of the drug use on the users lifestyle, the intent of the user, the circumstances of use, and the psychological makeup of the user. An individual whose drug experimentation/use has resulted in some form of medical, psychiatric, or psychological treatment a conviction or adverse juvenile adjudication or loss of employment does not chose within the limits of this category. For administrative purposes, determination of the category should be within the judgment of either the district or recruiting station commanding officer, aided by medical, legal, and moral advice, with information as available from investigative sources. While not a hard and fast rule, one can expect that any admitted use of marijuana over 15 or so times, or any admitted use of hard drugs, will be disqualifying, and require a waiver. In any case 1. Dependency on i llegal drugs is disqualifying. 2. Any history of drug use is potentially disqualifying. 3. Any history of dependency on alcohol is disqualifying. Even if enlistment is authorized, many sensitive military jobs will be closed to individuals who have any past association with illegal drug or alcohol use. In the Air Force, anyone who admits to smoking marijuana less than 15 times does not require a waiver. More than 15 times, but less than 25 requires a Drug Eligibility Determination (basically, a trained Drug Alcohol Specialist will examine the exact circumstances of the use). An approved Drug Eligibility Determination is not the saatkorn thing as a waiver, in that it will not preclude enlistment in most Air Force Jobs. 25 or mora uses of Marijuana in a lifetime is disqualifying, and requires a waiver. As a minimum, recruits will undergo a urinalysis test, when at the Military Entrance Processing Station, (MEPs) for their initial processing, and again when reporting for basic training . Moral Standards The United States Military Services make every attempt to assess the moral quality of potential recruits, and several categories of moral offenses may preclude enlistment. This is primarily accomplished based on criminal record. I should note here that there is no such thing as a sealed record, or an expunged record as far as the military is concerned. The recruiting services have access to law enforcement and FBI investigative records, which quite often will list arrests in these categories. Even if an offense is not found during the recruiter criminal background check, it is likely to come up during a possible (probable) security clearance criminal records check. If an applicant fails todisclose criminal historyand it is later discovered, the individual may be charged under federal law, or the Uniform Code of Military Justice for False Statement, and/or Fraudulent Enlistment. (See the article,I Cannot Tell a Lie). Military applicants are required by law, as part of the enlistment process to disclose any and all incidents that resulted in arrest or in charges being filed. When determining whether or not an offense counts for enlistment purposes, the services are primarily interested in whether or not the applicant actually committed the offense, not whether or not a legal conviction resulted. Any offense that resulted in either conviction, or any kind of adverse adjudication counts. When it comes to criminal offenses, enlistment qualifications, and waivers, the following definitions apply Conviction. The act of finding a person guilty of a crime, offense or other violation of law by a court or competent jurisdiction or other authorized adjudicative authority. This includes fines and forfeiture of bond in lieu of trial. Adverse Adjudication (adult or juvenile). Any conviction, finding, decision, sentence, judgment, or disposition other than unconditionally dropped, unconditionally dismissed, or acquitted. Participation in a pretrial inte rvention program as defined below must be processed in the same manner as an adverse adjudication. Pretrial Intervention/Deferment. Every state has a program by which offenses are diverted out of the regular criminal process for a probationary period. While the programs vary from State to State, they all require the defendant to meet some requirement (e.g., reporting or non-reporting probation, restitution, or community service), after successful completion of which the charge is disposed of in a way that does not result in a final adjudication of guilt. Charges disposed in this manner must be processed as an adverse adjudication. Stet Processes. A judgment that all further action in a case be stayed. Frequently referred to as a stet, it is often used by prosecutors to dispose of criminal action without actually having to try a case on its merits. A stet may be considered as equivalent to dropping charges if the prosecutor does not contemplate any further proceedings on the case and the case has not been handled through a pretrial deferment program. A letter from the district attorney is required to verify a stet. Nolle Prosequi. Commonly called nol pros. A formal entry on the record that the prosecutor will not prosecute the case any further. A nol pros may be considered equivalent to dropping charges if the prosecutor does not contemplate any further proceedings on the case and the case has not been handled through a pretrial deferment program. Army. The Army divides criminal offenses into one of four categories. Applicants with six or moraminor traffic offenses(where the fine was $100 or mora per offense), or three or more minor non-traffic offenses, or two or more misdemeanors, or one or more felonies, requires a waiver. For detailed information, see ourArmy Criminal History Information Pages. Air Force. The Air Force divides criminal offenses into five categories.Category 1offenses are considered the most serious (felonies), and category5 offensesare the most minor. Applicants with one or more convictions or adverse adjudications from category 1, 2, or 3 offenses require a waiver. Those with two or more convictions or adverse adjudications in the past three years, or three or more convictions or adverse adjudications in a lifetime for a category 4 offense also require a waiver. Air Force applicants with six or more convictions or adverse adjudications in any 356 day period within the past three years from a category 5 offense also require a waiver. For complete information, see ourAir Force Criminal History Information Pages. seestreitkraft Corps. The Marines divide criminal offenses into one of six categories. In general, a waiver is required for five to nine minor traffic offenses two to five more serious traffic offenses two or more Class 1 minor non-traffic offenses two to nine Class 2 minor non-traffic offenses two to five serious offenses or one felony. Individuals with ten or more minor traffic offenses, six or more serious traffic offenses, ten or more Class 2 minor non-traffic offenses, six or more serious non-traffic offenses, or more than one felony are not eligible for a waiver. For details, see ourMarine Corps Criminal History Information Pages. Navy. The Navy divides criminal offenses into four separate categories. Applicants with six or moreminor traffic violations, three or more Minor Non-Traffic Violations/Minor Misdemeanors, one or moreNon-Minor Misdemeanors, or one or more felonies, require a waiver. For complete information, see ourNavy Criminal History Information Pages. Let me mention that although, technically, felonies can be waived, the services almost never do this. This is especially true if the crime involved sale of narcotics, sex crimes, or violence. Additionally, those convicted of domestic violence, by federal law, are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. That pretty much makes the individual worthless for military purposes, so such waivers are not likely to be appro ved. Whether or not a waiver will be considered or approved depends on several factors, including the exact circumstances of the offense, how old the applicant was at the time, how long ago the offenseoccured, and how bad that particular military service needs that particular warm body at that particular point in time. In general, during years when the services are having few problems attracting qualified recruits, fewer waivers are considered and approved. During years when the services are having a difficult time finding enough qualified volunteers to meet their quotas, one can expect more waivers to be considered and approved. One also needs to understand that the wavier approval process is somewhat subjective. What I mean by that is there is some human being (usually a commander), in the chain of command who will ultimately approve or disapprove the waiver request. If, for example, that person recently had their house burglarized, they are probably not going to feel very generou s towards any waiver request involving burglary or theft. For more detailed information, see ourCriminal History Waiver Information Page. Enlistment As An Alternative To Prosecution Applicants may not enlist as an alternative to criminal prosecution, indictment, incarceration, parole, probation, or other punitive sentence. They are ineligible for enlistment until the original assigned sentence would have been completed. Homosexual Conduct Dont Ask, Dont Tell is the current policy for the United States Military. What that means, in a nutshell is that the military will not ask about someones sexual preference. That means that homosexuals can service in the military, but they cannot engage in anyhomosexual conduct, nor can they tell anyone about their sexual preference. (1) Applicants for enlistment will not be required to reveal theirsexual orientation. However, homosexual conduct may be grounds for barring enlistment. Homosexual conduct is any homosexual act, a statement by t he applicant that demonstrates propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts, or a homosexual marriage or attempted marriage. (a) An applicant will be rejected for entry if he or she makes a statement that demonstrates that the applicant has a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts, unless there is a further finding that the applicant has demonstrated that he or she does not have a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts. A statement by the applicant that he or she is a homosexual or bisexual, or words to that effect, creates a reputable presumption that the applicant engages in homosexual acts or has a propensity to do so. However, under DOD policy, the applicant shall be advised of this presumption and given the opportunity under the procedures prescribed below to rebut the presumption by presenting evidence sufficient to demonstrate that he or she does not engage in homosexual acts and does not have a propensity to do so. (b) If it is discovered that an applicant or a member of the Delayed Entry Program has engaged in, attempted to engage in, or solicited another to engage in a homosexual act and the information is received by a credible source, including, but not limited to, assekuranzpolice records check or National Agency Check, the applicant will be denied enlistment. If the circumstances meet (a) above or (c) below of this paragraph, then the procedures below will be followed to determine eligibility.(c) If the act was a departure from the applicants customary behavior, and the act is unlikely to recur because it was the result of immaturity, intoxication, or coercion, that the behavior was not accomplished by force, coercion or intimidation, then the applicant may be processed for enlistment in the same manner as (a) above in that a written explanation may be submitted to the approving authority who will rule on the conditions under which the act was committed and determine propensity to further engage in such acts. (2) An a pplicant may submit a rebuttal to the presumption that he or she will engage in homosexual acts by presenting written evidence other material the applicant believes relevant. The applicant is responsible to provide his or her recruiter such documents/evidence. The recruiter will submit applicable documents to the Recruiting Commander concerned for final determination. Mental Aptitude The primary method of determining if someone has the mental aptitude required to be an enlisted member of the United States Military is the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude. Test (ASVAB). Theoverall test scoredetermines whether or not you are qualified to join the military, and individual composite scores derived from the ASVAB test determine what jobs you may qualify for. For more information about the ASVAB, see my feature article,ABCs of the ASVAB. Height Standards The cause for rejection for Armed Forces male applicants is height less than 60 inches or more than 80 inches. The cause for reje ction for Armed Forces female applicants is height less than 58 inches or more than 80 inches. The Marines are more restrictive. For the Marines, height standards for male applicants range from 58 to 78 inches. Height standards for female applicants range from 58 to 72 inches. Weight Standards The services dont really have weight standards. What they have arebody fat standards. However, it takes extra time and effort to measure body fat, so the services useweight chartsto do an initial screening. Individuals who weigh more than the limits on the chart are measured to ensure they fall within the services body-fat standards. There are no waivers for exceeding required body fat limits. Air Force Weight Chart - Male/Female Army Weight Chart - Males Army Weight Chart - Females Navy Weight Chart - Male/Female Marine Corps Weight Chart - Male Marine Corps Weight Chart - Female If the applicant exceeds the weight shown on the above charts, they are measured for body fat. Body-fat standa rds for each of the services are Army (Accession standards) Male 17-30 - 24%Male 21-27 - 26%Male 28-39 - 28%Male 40 - 30%Female 17-30 - 30%Female 21-27 - 32%Female 28-39 - 34%Female 40 - 36% Air Force (Accession Standards)Male 17-29 - 20%Male 30 - 24%Female 17-29 - 28%Female 30 - 32% Navy (Accession Standards)Male - 23%Female - 34% Marine Corps (Accession and Regular Standards)Male - 18%Females - 26% Medical Screening The medical officials at MEPs do not work for any of the individual services. They work for DOD (MEPS). Their job is to use aset list of medical standardsto determine whether or not one is medically qualified to perform military duties. Using these set standards, the MEPs medical officials either certify a candidate as medically qualified, or medically disqualified (theres no in-betweens). For a list of medical standards that DoD considers disqualifying, see ourEnlistment/Accession Medical Standards Information Pages. ?However, while DOD sets the overall standar ds, each of the military services are allowed to individually waiver the standards, depending upon the particular needs of the service. If the medical officials at MEPS disqualifies an applicant, the chief medical official will usually make a recommendation about whether or not he/she recommends that the service waiver the disqualification. The doctor normally makes this recommendation based upon his/her professional opinion as to whether the precise nature of the medical disqualification will significantly interfere with the proper performance of military duties (either now, or in the future). The waiver requestis then considered by medical officials assigned to the individual service. If the chief medical official at MEPs recommends a waiver, the chances of receiving the waiver from the service concerned is pretty good (although still not a certainty). If the chief medical official at MEPs does not recommend a waiver, the chance of receiving an approved medical waiver is slim. Bef ore even sending a candidate to MEPS, the recruiter will complete aDD Form 2807-2, (Applicant Medical Prescreening Form). The Form was developed to help recruiters screen out applicants who are obviously not medically qualified for military service. Use of the form helps the military to avoid needless expenditure of funds, and discourages applicants from further processing if they are obviously unqualified (e.g., missing a limb, missing an eye). Miscellaneous Provisions In general, the following additional conditions will render one ineligible for enlistment, and waivers will not normally be granted 1. Intoxicated or under influence of alcohol or drugs at time of application, or at any stage of processing for enlistment. 2. Having history of psychotic disorders or state of insanity at time of application for enlistment. 3. Questionable moral character. 4. Alcoholism. 5. Drug dependence. 6. Sexual perversion. 7. History of antisocial behavior. 8. History of frequent or chronic ve nereal disease. 9. Previously separated for unfitness, unsuitability, unsatisfactory performance, misconduct or bar to reenlistment, with 18 or more years of active Federal service completed. 10. Applicants for retirement and persons receiving retirement or retainer pay, except for combat-wounded personnel. 11. Persons unable to present written evidence (official documents) of prior service claimed, until such service has been verified. 12. Persons whose enlistment are not clearly consistent with interests ofnational security. 13. Last discharged or separated from a component of a U.S. Armed Force, with other than honorable discharge, or general discharge. 14. Criminal or juvenile court charges filed or pending against them bycivil authorities. 15. Persons under civil restraint, such as confinement, parole, or probation. 16. Subject of initial civil court conviction or adverse disposition for more than one felony offense. 17. Civil conviction of a felony with any one of the followin g 18. Subject of initial civil court conviction or other adverse dispositions for sale, distribution, or trafficking (including Intent To) of cannabis (marijuana), or any other controlled substance. 19.Prior Servicewith an RE-Code of 4. 20. Persons with a schwimmbad Conduct or Dishonorable discharge. 21. Persons with prior service last discharged from any component of the Armed Forces for drug oralcohol abuse, or as rehab failure during their last period of service. 22. Three or more convictions or other adverse dispositions for driving while intoxicated, drugged, or impaired in the 5 years preceding application for enlistment. 23. Confirmed positive result for alcohol or drugs (test administered at MEPS) (May be waived by some of the Services). 24. Persons with convictions or other adverse dispositions for 5 or more misdemeanors preceding application for enlistment. 25. Alien without lawful admittance or legal residence in the United States. 26. Permanently retired by reason of phy sical disability. 27. Retirement after 20 years of active Federal service. 28. Officers removed from active or inactive service by reason of having attainedmaximum age or service. 29. Discharged by reason of conscientious objection. a. Three or more offenses (convictions or other adverse dispositions) other than traffic.b. Applicants with juvenile felony offenses who have had no offenses within 5 years of application for enlistment may be considered for a waiver in meritorious cases.

Tess Taylor - The Balance

Tess Taylor - The BalanceTess Taylor - The Balance

Abstracts Being Accepted for the 2014 Small Modular Reactors Symposium

Abstracts Being Accepted for the 2014 Small Modular Reactors Symposium Abstracts Being Accepted for the 2014 Small Modular Reactors Symposium Abstracts Being Accepted for the 2014 Small Modular Reactors Symposium Abstracts are now being accepted for the 2014 Small Modular Reactors (SMR) Symposium, to be held April 15-17 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C. The annual symposium provides strategic and technical information for bringing small modular reactors - considered one of the most promising reactor concepts in the nuclear arena - from design and concept to realization. Past SMR Symposium participants have included representatives from such organizations as AREVA, BW Nuclear Energy, CH2M Hill, China National Nuclear Corp., Curtiss-Wright Flow Control, Fluor Nuclear Power, General Atomics, Hitachi, Holtec International, JAEA, KAERI, Lockheed Martin, Los Alamos National Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NuScale Power, Oak Ridge National Lab., Rolls-Royce, Scientech, Tennessee Valley Authority, URS Corp., Westinghouse Electric Co., Worley Parsons, and the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The program will cover SMR development and deployment from the research phase to the applied concepts that are shaping the design, manufacturing and construction of small and medium modular reactors. Authors are invited to submit abstracts on topics including: Plant and fuel engineering, design and applications; Systems, structures, components, instrumentation and controls, and materials; Nuclear engineering analysis (including reactor physics, thermal hydraulics VV etc.); Safety and risk management, risk assessment methods, human factors, and incorporating design and operational lessons learned from Fukushima Daiichi; Codes and standards, regulatory issues, and licensing; Advanced manufacturing, modular fabrication, plant construction and supply chain management; and Plant economics and financing. The symposium will also feature a keynote presentation by William C. Ostendorff, commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and a number of other notable speakers including Edward McGinnis, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, John Schuster, director of structured finance at the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Edward Kee, vice president of NERA Economic Consulting, and Carl Cho, director of Citigroup's risk management division. The deadline for submitting an abstract for the symposium is Oct. 14, 2013. To submit a 400-word abstract, visit www.asmeconferences.org/SMR2014/Author/NewAbstract.cfm. To learn more about the 2014 Small Modular Reactors Symposium, visit asmeconferences.org/SMR2014.

3 Ways to Get a Better Job

3 Ways to Get a Better Job 3 Ways to Get a Better Job 5A typical refrain over the past few years is that most people want to change jobs. Last year was no different. A Harris poll showed that almost 80 percent of 20-somethings desire a career switch. Those in their 30s and 40s aren’t much happier with their current positions, with 64 percent and 54 percent, respectively, wanting something different. It’s one thing to crave it, but how do you get it? Consider these three ways to get a better job: Start with New Vision If you work for someone else, whether in-house or remotely, now is the time to schedule an intense goal-setting session with your manager. Jennifer Folsom of Summit Consulting suggests that this may be the only time all year that you’ll have your supervisor’s undivided attention. If you’re not happy with your job, setting achievable, clearly defined goals can be a way to jump-start your way to a new position within your current company. If you have an office position, keep flexible work arrangements in mind as one option that might make a difference in your job satisfaction. Don’t Blow the Interview It’s hard to change jobs without jumping through the interview hoop. Since you know you must do it, it’s smart to prepare for it- and know what to avoid. To get a better job this year, executive coach and speaker Mark Goulston recommends taking care to dodge these common interview missteps: Not being informed on anything about the company that’s available online Not listening carefully enough and then giving an answer to something that the interviewer didn’t ask Blaming anyone or anything other than yourself for something Talking so quickly that you cause the interviewers to think that you haven’t thoughtfully considered what they are saying Be Open to Options Sometimes a better job might be right in your own backyard- literally. While it seems logical to think career dissatisfaction means you must move to another position or company, it’s possible that you could be happier at work simply by gaining more flexibility and control over where and when you get things done. Consider telecommuting jobs and other flexible job opportunities. And don’t assume your employer won’t be open to it- research from Catalyst has proven flexible work arrangements are the new normal, with over 80 percent of companies surveyed globally offering flex options. So take charge of your career destiny, and take the steps needed to position yourself for greater success and happiness! Readers, what steps are you taking to get a better job?

Summer Networking Tips for Career-Driven Professionals

Summer Networking Tips for Career-Driven Professionals Summer Networking Tips for Career-Driven Professionals How to Network This Summer and Still Have Fun Yes, you can enjoy summer and still keep your professional momentum going. Learn the art of summer networking. No matter where you live, summer is a time to look forward to fun in the sun. Ball games, outdoor concerts, and friendly happy hours are just the tip of the sunny season iceberg. Maybe it's the precedent set by our days in school, but summer just feels like a time to let loose and relax a bit, even if you still have to go to work. However, when it comes to career advancement, you don't want to take the summer off. It's always a good idea to keep building new relationships that can help you and your career grow. The good news? Just like everything else during the summer, networking can be a little more fun, too. Here are seven networking tips to help you make the most out of your summer without putting your professional development on hold. 1. Set a few networking goals. Okay, goal setting may not be a lot of fun, but it will help you lay the groundwork for a productive and fun summer. Stick with setting realistic networking goals that you can control for example, the number of events or personal lunches you'll attend. If you bank on landing X-number of interviews or something else out of your control, you could be setting yourself up for failure despite your best efforts. How about attending one new networking event in a fun location each month? Your goals don't have to be life-changing, but the results could be. Networking Tip: Look over your resume. Then look on LinkedIn for someone you admire or who's in a role you want to reach. What skills or experience does that person have that you do not? How can you use networking to fill those gaps? What's missing from your resume? Submit your resume for a free review. 2. Utilize online resources. Don't know where to start when it comes to meeting your networking goals? Head to a website like Meetup.com and search for groups in your area. It's an easy way to meet like-minded people. You can try to find people that have interests in the same industry as you or discover a group that focuses on something you would like to learn more about. Localized networking sites like Meetup.com make it easy to find groups of people who live close to you and share common interests. Networking Tip: Think outside the box. You don't have to join a professional association to successfully network for career development. Look for groups that like the same hobbies as you.The key to successful networking is meeting new people. 3. Check out charity events. Summer is a prime time for outdoor charity events. If you think charity events are strictly black-tie events and shameless plugs for money, you need to get out to more of them, and soon. Today's charity event organizers know that if they want people to come out to their events, they need to make them fun and interesting. That can mean ball games, bands, and other fun things. Instead of begging from you, a lot of events have silent auctions where you can get fun things like trips, gift certificates, and more for a bid that's significantly less than the value. Many charity events aren't afraid to have a bar present, either. Networking Tip: Recruiter some friends to attend a networking event that supports a charity that's meaningful to you. You'll have a good time, help a great cause, and meet others who are like-minded. 4. Join a committee. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound like fun, does it? If you do it right, being a part of a committee for a summertime event could be rewarding and maybe even a little bit fun. Is your employer having a family picnic? Does your company sponsor a charity event like a 5K Run/Walk? Or perhaps there's a church group event or your kids' summer sports team. Many groups seek volunteers at all levels to help out at their cool events. By signing up, you're benefitting yourself in multiple ways not only will you enjoy yourself but it's an easy networking opportunity and a new work experience to add to your resume. Networking Tip: If you think you'll hate it, don't do it. Quitting looks worse than not helping at all. Find an event that you'll enjoy being a part of and you should be fine. 5. Treat a new contact. Let's say you've made some great contacts over the past few months. You've stayed in touch on Linkedin, but now it's time to boost that relationship. Does your contact like sports? Grab a couple of tickets to a baseball or hockey game (baseball is great because the pace of the game allows for easy conversation). Or, do the same thing with a concert. If you know that your contact is a big Jimmy Buffett fan and he's coming to town, why not give it a shot? He'll appreciate the gesture and you may just get to see your new friend with his professional guard down in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Networking Tip:Dress for the occasion, but be mindful of your personal brand. Save the crazy face paint and sports jersey for a sports event with friends. 6. Check out a new spot. There's a new place in town serving amazing lunches with a spectacular view and you'd like to go. But, no one has asked and you usually don't spend that much on lunch. No problem. Reach out to a networking contact and see if she'd want to try it with you. Chances are you'll be on neutral turf since your contact probably hasn't tried it either, and you'll have just the excuse you were looking for to try out that new spot. Food is always a good icebreaker. Who doesn't love talking about a favorite dish? Networking Tip: Since you issued the invite, be prepared to pick up the check. It's a small price to pay for a good contact. 7. Join the team for Happy Hour. Happy hours exist all year round, but there's something a little different about that post-work cocktail during the summer months. If you find the right place with fun drinks, a little music, and an outdoor setting, the summer happy hour is just a little happier than other happy hours. It's okay to take advantage of this and invite a contact out for drinks. This is especially true if your contact works at the same company as you or you met at a happy hour networking event. Keep it friendly, casual, and with a group. It goes without saying, but if you want to impress, you shouldn't have more than one or two drinks. Networking Tip: Don't jump into business talk right away. It's time to relax and chit-chat about whatever you want. If your contact leads the conversation in a professional direction, then go with it. Networking could help to keep your career heading in the right direction, so it shouldn't take summers off. Figuring out how to network in the summer doesn't mean you have to book your summer full of tedious networking mixers that make your inner introvert scream. Let your hair down, relax, and find some fun ways to keep meeting people and boosting your career. Take this time to meet a few new people or grow the relationships you've already started. Best of all, you can still be outdoors doing the things you love. Click on the following link for more networking advice. You deserve a resume that you're proud to pass out at your next networking event. TopResume can help. Recommended Reading: Don't Do THIS at Your Next Networking Event Use Networking to Take Your Career to the Next Level 5 Ways to Network with Your Current Colleagues

Veterinary Resident and Intern Salaries

Veterinary Resident and Intern Salaries Veterinary Resident and Intern Salaries The number of veterinary graduates seeking advanced education through residencies and internships has steadily increased over the past several years.  According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) data, 30.2 percent of veterinary graduates pursued residencies and internships in 2012.  This number increased to 34.8 percent in 2013.  In 2014 there were 1,056 veterinary residents and 332 veterinary interns at AVMA accredited institutions in the United States. In the long term, the completion of advanced education (particularly through veterinary residencies) can yield much higher salaries for veterinarians.  In the short term, however, interns and residents earn much smaller salaries than what they could have earned by entering private practice immediately after graduation.  The high cost of veterinary education makes this a difficult decision, as students are faced with paying off substantial loans after graduation- and those payments can be equivalent to a monthly mortgage. So how much (or how little) can a new graduate taking on a veterinary residency or internship expect to earn each year?  Let’s take a look at some survey data collected in 2014 by the AVMA from 27 of its accredited veterinary colleges in the United States: Veterinary Residents Veterinary residencies are defined by the AVMA as “advanced training in a specialty in veterinary medicine that is intended to lead to specialty certification in an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization.”  Residencies usually require three years to complete. The AVMA survey of 2014 found that the average salary for veterinary residents was $30,916.  The average salary for residents ranged from a low of $23,976 to a high of $40,972 per year.  The average salary for residents increased by 1.9 percent from 2012 to 2014. The salary for veterinary residents did show some variation between regions.  Residents in the West earned the highest salary average of $35,881 per year (16 percent above the average for all residents).  Residents in the Northeast earned the next highest salary average of $33,795 per year (9 percent above the average).  The Midwest ($30,398) and South ($30,081) were the lowest paying regions for residents by average salary per year. While the average salary for a veterinary resident is much lower than what they could expect to earn in their first year of private practice, residents that go on to become board certified specialists can earn double the average veterinary salary.  Top paid specialists with the highest median incomes include ophthalmology ($199,000), lab animal medicine ($169,000), pathology ($157,000), surgery ($133,000), internal medicine ($127,000), radiology ($121,000), and theriogenology ($121,000).  Top performers in these specialty fields can earn much higher salaries than the median.  In comparison, veterinarians that did not pursue a board-certified specialty earned a much lower median income of $91,000 per year. Veterinary Interns Veterinary internships are defined by the AVMA as “clinical training programs that emphasize mentorship, direct supervision, and didactic experiences including rounds, seminars, and formal presentations.”  Internships generally take one year for the intern to complete. In 2014, the AVMA reported that the average salary for veterinary interns was $26,191.  The average salary for interns ranged from a low of $22,751 per year to a high of $34,200 per year.  The average salary for veterinary interns increased by 2 percent from 2012 to 2014, about the same rate of salary increase as veterinary residents. The salary for veterinary interns only varied slightly between regions.  Interns in the West earned the highest salary by average, bringing in $27,323 per year (4.1 percent higher than the average for all interns).  Interns in the Northeast earned the next highest salary average of $26,963 per year (2.9 percent higher than the average for all interns).  The Midwest ($26,100) and the South ($25,457) were again the lowest paying regions for interns by average salary per year. Completing an internship can improve a veterinarian’s job prospects and earning potential, as this additional experience adds to their potential value as an employee, though the specific value of the internship is not as quantifiable as the value to residents going on to become specialists.

How Your Online Presence Can Affect Your Job Search

How Your Online Presence Can Affect Your Job Search How Your Online Presence Can Affect Your Job Search PinThere’s no doubt that there is increased competition in the labor market, and because of this, recruiters are turning to social media more than ever to find or evaluate potential candidates. In fact, according to a recent survey done by Jobvite, 93 percent of recruiters use or plan to use social media to support their recruiting efforts. This means your online presence can affect your job search in either a positive or negative way. So what does that mean for those on the hunt for a job? Two things: utilize the benefits of social media, but also be cognizant of how your social media profiles can affect your job hunt.   If you learn to leverage your social profiles and network correctly, you can position yourself above other candidates. In fact, 55 percent of recruiters have reconsidered a candidate based on their social profile. Here are a few ways to make sure your online presence is prepared for your job hunt: Keep Your Pages Clean If you haven’t already done so, clean up for your social media profile pages before you start applying for jobs. First, make sure there are no unbecoming photos of you. A good rule of thumb is to refrain from having any photos of you acting in a way that could be construed as inappropriate or could paint you in an unflattering light. Second, keep your political views non-existent. Even though social media is designed for expressing yourself, displaying these views could seriously sway a recruiter on whether you would be a good cultural fit for the company, regardless of how qualified you are for the job. Third, review your status updates. Remove any complaints about your job or former employer, or any negative statuses in general. By cutting down on the complaints and negativity on your social profiles, you’ll paint a picture of an optimistic and positive candidate.   Not ready to purge your social media profiles? Simply adjust your privacy settings on your profiles to a level that makes you feel comfortable. Maintain a Good Reputation Online Dan Schawbel, author of Me 2.0, says, “Your first impression isn’t made with a firm handshake- it’s with a Google search.” Make sure your first impression online is a reputable one. As recruiters search for your name on Google, they’ll be looking at not only your social profiles but other public information that pops up about you. What if nothing pops up? That’s a good thing, right? Not exactly. “If you’re nowhere to be found on Google, employers may question whether you have kept up with the latest trends or are qualified for a job that requires minimal digital skills, says Dorie Clark, a blogger for Harvard Business Review. Start by Googling yourself to see what you can find. If you find nothing, a good way to start building an impressive online reputation is to blog about the industry you’re looking to jump into. For example, if you’re looking for a job in fashion, start a blog about the latest fashion trends or review your favorite designers. This way, you’ll position yourself as engaged in the industry, a key component recruiters look for. Social media is a unique tool for recruiters. They can now uncover mutual connections, evaluate skills by reviewing written or design work, and assess a candidate’s personality for a cultural fit within the company. If you leverage social media to brand yourself as a professional, knowledgeable, and personable candidate, you’ll stand out as top contender for whatever position you seek. Readers, did you know that your online presence could affect your job search? What do you do to keep your profiles job search ready? Share with us below! Andrea Duke lives in Atlanta and works as a communications specialist for  PGi, a leading global provider of collaboration software and services for over 20 years. PGi is constantly innovating, developing new technologies to make virtual meetings easier and more productive than ever before. Learn more at PGi’s blog,  The Future of Business Collaboration.

Finding the Right Career for You

Finding the Right Career for You Finding the Right Career for You You can begin your journey to finding the right career by performing some basic research on your own. There are online career information centers that provide plenty of easy to use resources to help you thoroughly examine the details of specific careers that you may be interested in or potentially suited for. A career information center will help you determine what type of education you might need to excel in a specific career and help you find out how much money you could expect to make by working in certain fields. At a career center, you can also get in contact with a qualified career counselor and find out where you might be able to find career aptitude tests. A career aptitude test is a great tool for finding the right career for you. You can access career path tests or career aptitude tests at any number of sources online for free, and these valuable tests will help you assess some of your specific personality traits that could make certain types of careers a better option for you than others. The results of a career aptitude test may give you the exact answer that you are looking for when it comes to finding the perfect career for you. If you are having difficulty narrowing down the field of careers even after performing your own research and taking a free career aptitude test, you might want to consult with an experienced career counselor. A career counselor will conduct and in depth analysis and closely analyze your background, possibly with the help of further aptitude testing, in order to help you to find the right career. Finding a career that will make you happy is one of life’s major decisions that should not be made without careful consideration. By doing the necessary research and by using the multitude of free sources available, you can make the difficult task of finding the right career quite a bit easier and ensure that you’ll be as happy as possible with how your future unfolds.

What to Do When a Client Treats You Like an Employee

What to Do When a Client Treats You Like an Employee What to Do When a Client Treats You Like an Employee Freelance life is a lot easier with an anchor client, someone who engages you on an ongoing or long-term basis to perform a set amount of work for a set amount of pay. While anchor clients make it a lot easier to pay the bills, they also bring their own set of potential pitfalls for freelancers. For instance, its easy to find yourself committed to a lot more work than you originally agreed upon, or expected to behave in ways that are more appropriate for a full-time employee. A certain amount of consideration is to be expected when a client books a hefty percentage of your time. Its good business to make sure your best customers are happy. Maintaining good relationships shouldnt prevent you from developing new clients or getting work done on other projects. Let your clients forget that youre not an employee, and you could find yourself doing full-time work for part-time wages, with no benefits, paid time off, or unemployment insurance. What to Do When a Client Treats You Like an Employee Bottom line, when it comes to freelancing, you want to give your best work to your clients and do what you say youre going to do â€" but your ultimate loyalty should be to yourself and your business. It helps to know where to draw the line. Contractors vs. Employees First things first: the IRS has a very specific set of legal guidelines that define the difference between contractors and employees. The primary differentiators are related to control and independence. Generally, for the IRSs purposes, youre an employee if the entity that pays you controls or has the right to control: The behavioral aspects of your work, meaning what you do at work and how you do it.The business aspects of your work, meaning how youre paid, how expenses are reimbursed, and who provides tools and supplies.The type of relationship between worker and company, meaning contracts or benefits, whether the work continues, and whether the work is a key aspect of the business. Reasons to Stay Freelance Sometimes, contractor relationships turn into employer-employee relationships, to the benefit of all involved. The client might realize that a freelancer is a great fit for a position that just opened up at the company, or the work might grow in scope to the point where a new job emerges from what was a temporary project. This is great news if both sides are interested in a more permanent working relationship. From a companys perspective, hiring an employee costs money but also potentially saves legal headaches, if the contractor is already performing employee-type work. From a freelancers perspective, there are plenty of benefits, too, including obvious reasons such as job security (or, these days, the illusion of the same), entitlement to unemployment benefits in the event of certain types of termination of employment, and splitting the cost of Social Security and Medicare contributions with an employer. With all this in mind, given the option of going full-time, why would anyone want to stay freelance? 1. Freedom: The key is in the term “freelancer.” For some people, keeping work on a freelance basis offers more freedom. Sure, you have to pay self-employment tax, and occasionally hound clients for payment, and deal with gigs that disappear â€" but you also have an unusual degree of control over your working life. If you want to sleep late now and then, or take a week off to travel, or drop your hours to care for a family member, freelancing is a better bet than working full-time (at least for most employers). 2. Easier Transitions: Working as a contractor might make it easier to transition to a new job when the time comes. That’s because it’s generally easier to pick up another gig than it is to get hired as a full-timer. Employers change over time, as will your needs and professional goals. If you stay freelance, you can run out your contract and say goodbye with greater ease and fewer bad feelings. 3. Loyalty to Yourself, Not an Employer: Freelancing also makes clear something thats true for workers in todays economy: you need to be on your own side, or no one will be. Theres really no such thing as job security in the 21st century. Freelancers are just more aware of that than most employees. That doesnt mean that freelancing is for everyone. But if its for you, you might find that youre better off counting on yourself than an employer. How to Keep Scope Creep From Turning You Into a Secret Employee Once youve decided to play the freelance game indefinitely, the goal is to make sure that you dont wind up acting like an employee, anyway. Employers might not even consciously try to treat you like an employee. There are a lot of reasons it just sort of happens, including projects that grow larger than anticipated and a team made up primarily of full-timers. If youre the only freelancer in the room, itll be hard for people to remember that you might not be at your desk at 9 a.m., their local time, every weekday. But there are ways to prevent scope creep: 1. Avoid Same-Day Work on an Ongoing Basis: As a writer and editor, youll have plenty of gigs that require same-day turnaround, such as editing blog posts on breaking news. Generally speaking, its best to avoid packing your client list with these, because they tether you to my desk, wiping out the freedom aspect of freelancing we discussed a minute ago. Unless youre getting paid enough to have a lot more flexibility during the rest of your workweek, or are taking on a project of short duration, we recommend not taking on too many same-day projects. Book yourself into 40-plus hours a week of sitting at your desk at the same time every day, and you might as well look for a full-time telecommuting gig instead of freelance work â€" or go back to the office. 2. Set Boundaries and Stick to Them: Freelancers hate to say no. Every time we do, it feels like turning down money. But setting boundaries isnt the same as saying youll never be available again. As long as you do what you say youre going to do, and make accommodations for good clients now and then, you have every right to set your schedule and balance your client list as you see fit. The goal is to manage your time, not let your time manage you. 3. Communicate: Many freelancers feel strange talking to one client about their responsibilities to other clients. We think this is a mistake; if youre open with your clients about your other deadlines, youre more likely to come across as a businessperson whos trying to follow through on commitments, instead of an undedicated worker whos shirking a project. You dont need to share the details. Just dont be afraid to speak up when a client request would come into conflict with your other responsibilities. If it makes you feel better, think of it not as saying no, but saying not right now â€" and then move that client to the top of the list, next time theres a conflict.

With Happy Employees, Your Business Is More Productive

With Happy Employees, Your Business Is More Productive With Happy Employees, Your Business Is More Productive Do you know that happy employees are the most significant factor when you think about raising work productivity and creating happy, satisfied customers? Not all managers get this simple fact. When you see a manager scream at their employees, nit-pick over every document, and give performance reviews that bring up errors from eight months earlier, you may think that they believe a miserable employee is the best employee. Nothing could be further from the truth. When your employees are happy, life is better for everyone- including your customers. Here’s how happy employees make your business more productive. Happy Employees Mean Happy Customers No matter how great your product, or how brilliant your idea, if no one is buying it, your business will fail. A study of a pharmaceutical company found that customer’s loyalty increased when employees were happy and engaged. Think about how you feel when you must meet with a person who is unhappy and doesn’t like their job. This attitude makes the meeting tedious and unpleasant. If the salesperson or account manager is genuinely cheerful and pleasant, you may find that you are looking forward to the meeting. When a customer wants to work with your business, you will find that they are more likely to purchase your products. While Seinfelds Soup Nazi had a line out the door, that doesn’t happen for most people who treat their customers poorly. If you’re treated poorly, you’re not likely to go back. If employees are unhappy with their job or their workplace, they are more likely to treat your customers poorly. The result certainly wont be a line of people waiting for you to serve them. Happy Employees Perform at a Higher Level In another study, participants were given “happiness shocks.” While this may sound awful, the happiness shocks were actually ten-minute comedy videos or  the receiving of drinks and snacks. The study checked  that  these  methods  made  the  subjects  happier  (they  do)  and then went on to show  that  these  individuals  had  approximately  12% greater productivity than a control group who received nothing. Participants who watched these videos and then completed tasks performed at a higher and more accurate level. Not a bad exchange for watching 10  minutes of comedy or snacking. This demonstrates that having the right, positive frame of mind can affect your work performance. Unhappy employees are more likely to have poor attendance and experience more burnout and stress. Think about your own life. When you get up late, spill coffee on your blouse, and have to drive around the block for 10 minutes seeking a parking space, you don’t bounce into work ready to do your best. Your employees are human, just as you are, and being in a lousy mood affects their performance. While you can’t control their coffee spills, you can control the work environment they experience. Happy Employees Mean More Money for the Business An older study looked at companies that made it onto the Fortune Top 100 Companies to Work list from 1998 to 2005 and found that companies on the list saw a 14% increase in stock price, compared to an average of 6% for companies overall. That’s a tremendous difference. And, while the data is older, there’s no reason to believe it doesn’t apply today. Unlike many other employee surveys, this one isn’t done by just asking HR to answer a bunch of questions- they survey actual employees. You don’t get on the Top 100 list without having happy employees. The tremendous difference in stock price indicates the companies actually perform better. When employees feel that the company takes their interest to heart, then the employees will take company interests to heart, says Dr. Noelle Nelson, a clinical psychologist and author of  Make More Money by Making Your Employees Happy. Changes To Make So Your Employees Are Happy If you’re the CEO, you can do just about anything the budget allows, but if you are a line manager or an HR manager, you may be bound by the choices of your bosses. That doesn’t mean you can’t make changes. Here are five differences that you can make to increase your employees’ happiness at work: Put an end to bullying: Don’t be scared of bullies- you need to manage them right out the door if they cause problems for your employees. One bully can severely damage happiness in your department.Pay the employees fairly: Sure, you can’t change the company’s pay structure, but you have some control over your departments budget and what you pay employees. If your employees all sat down and shared their salaries, would some experience hurt feelings? If so, take a look at your compensation and work to fix it. Provide feedback- positive and negative- with constructive advice: Sometimes managers, who want happy employees, are hesitant to say anything negative, but that doesn’t bring employees happiness. That brings frustration. Employees seriously want to know how they are doing. As long as you point out the good and bad performance and give suggestions about how they can do better, your employees will welcome the feedback and will work to become better. No one likes feeling incompetent in their job.  Reward good work with promotions: Some managers worry more about their own careers than that of their employees. You want your employees to grow and shine. Helping them obtain promotions can help motivate your current staff and, as a bonus, you gain a positive reputation for training and developing people. Remain courteous, professional and pleasant: This seems basic, but so many managers neglect this. “I’m just surly- it’s my personality.” Fine, but your employees interpret that as youre being a jerk. Treat people nicely. Solve problems and don’t put up with bad behavior, absolutely, but make sure that your overall personality is nice, pleasant, and approachable.