The Importance of LinkedIn Groups

The Importance of LinkedIn Groups You can take your job search or career to the next level by using all of the features LinkedIn offers to your advantage. The truth is, though, many executives aren’t proactive enough in this regard. A key aspect of your LinkedIn profile development is joining various groups related to your industry. These groups allow you to network with professionals who aren’t currently a part of your network. Whether you’re actively searching for a job or just looking to build credibility, joining groups with your LinkedIn profile is valuable. Here are a few of the most important aspects of LinkedIn groups. Build Your Credibility An executive LinkedIn profile writer can help you build your actual profile, but it’s up to you to continue building your credibility. This means posting original articles, commenting on other original articles, participating in meaningful discussions and more. You can build your credibility by offering expertise and not expecting anything back in return. The more your name shows up in these groups in a positive manner, the better the reputation you’ll have. Learn From Other Experts When you’re in a LinkedIn group with other experts in your industry, you will almost definitely learn something new. Use this knowledge to your advantage in your current job or use it as a springboard to land your next job. When you approach LinkedIn groups with an open mind, you may come across great opportunities you never expected going in. Expand Your Network When you engage in conversations with other group members, they will surely visit your LinkedIn profile. And more often than not, the visit will turn into a new connection to expand your network. At this point, you will be able to see any updates they post to their profile and vice versa. Keeping in touch with your connections is valuable in many ways, even if you’ve never even met them in person. Create Networking Opportunities Sometimes you’ll come across people who are close to your home or office and can easily meet up with them for coffee or lunch. Conversations in LinkedIn groups can lead to direct message conversations from your LinkedIn profile. And if there is mutual interest, you can both attend a formal networking event or simply meet up to exchange ideas. Simply being conversational is the first step to creating valuable networking opportunities that can lead to much greater things. Professional Resume Services focuses on crafting perfect resumes as well as helping clients with their LinkedIn profile development. Many executives overlook important aspects of LinkedIn and we are here to help them take advantage of them. You don’t have to be actively searching for a job to participate in LinkedIn groups, so contact us at any time to see how valuable they can be for you.

Tips For Adding the Right Amount of Work Experience Into Your Resume

Tips For Adding the Right Amount of Work Experience Into Your ResumeRejection letter-If you have a resume and job application but find that your past work experience is missing, you may be the one person in the world who has the potential to change your work life! Work experience that can be found in a job application is an essential part of preparing for your resume. You can see how much time you have invested in trying to find the perfect resume, and how little time you have invested in the search for job opportunities. Time is money, and you will definitely be spending more of it this year if you are caught by surprise with your job search efforts.If you are wondering how to add the correct amount of work experience in your resume, keep in mind that this information is not a brand new idea. Previous employers have been making use of it for quite some time. With this information, they can more accurately assess your skills and strengths and set your chances for success for the futu re. The best thing about working at home is that you can be your own boss and you can decide how much work experience you want to put into your resume.What you should do is to take a look at your original work experience, as well as those experiences that you have taken after leaving your previous job. This type of work experience usually includes previous employment that has resulted in promotions, wages or awards, but it may also include volunteer services or other unpaid work that could have helped you in your professional development. Make sure to document all the work experience that you are capable of, since it will be very beneficial if you can prove to your employer that you have put in the necessary effort to get your career going in the right direction.How to create a well-organized resume that includes the right amount of work experience is another thing that you need to consider. You need to know the number of years that you have spent at the previous job, as well as the amount of time you spent there and the kind of experience that you had. Be sure to list your job titles, title, description, dates of employment, years of employment, pay grade, and industry.Another way to add more work experience to your resume is to find out how much experience you have already done with your current job. When looking for this information, remember that your former employer may not be interested in this information and they may only want to find out how many years you have worked there. After all, they would not want to leave their current employee with less than 20 years of experience. For that reason, you will have to make sure that you take this information into consideration when creating your resume.Last but not least, make sure that you include any online job applications that you have applied for. This should help your resume to stand out as one of the most impressive ones because it is proving to be an effective marketing tool that helps to build your cre dibility. You can never go wrong with the information you include in your resume, so make sure that you present the information in a clear and concise manner.Putting in the right amount of work experience into your resume can help to boost your chances for a successful career. You can always find more ways to include more experience into your resume, and you need to make sure that you have it all organized so that you can quickly identify all the important information that will greatly help you with your career.

Minnesota Workers Ask Amazon to Improve Workplace Conditions

Minnesota Workers Ask Amazon to Improve Workplace Conditions EAGAN, Minn. (AP) â€" A group of East African employees is asking retail giant Amazon to improve working conditions at an eastern Minnesota warehouse. Employees at the Eagan facility made the request at a Monday news conference called by the Awood Center, which defends the rights of East African workers, Minnesota Public Radio reported . The employees allege they have experienced exhaustion, dehydration and injuries while working without air conditioning. Workers said the conditions are particularly difficult for Muslim workers who are celebrating Ramadan and observing a strict fast. “Recently, I couldn’t work because I needed water,” Nimo Hirad, an order picker at the facility, said through an interpreter. “I got so thirsty, I couldn’t even swallow my saliva. I ended up breaking my fast and drinking water two days in a row.” The center said it has received a few dozen complaints from workers in the past two months, including about work being done by individuals that used to be done in teams. Amazon spokesman Ernesto Apreza said the company provides a “positive and accommodating workplace.” He said the Eagan facility has air conditioned break areas, fans throughout the building and accommodates employees’ religious practices. The Eagan facility has a temporary prayer room and a permanent one is being constructed, he said. Christopher Warren, the facility’s general manager, declined to comment. MPR reports that it’s unclear if the complaints have also been filed with Amazon or the state. A Minnesota workplace safety agency has twice investigated the Eagan facility in the past, but it didn’t cite Amazon in either case, according to James Honerman, a spokesman for the state Department of Labor and Industry. One complaint in 2016 was about employees experiencing symptoms of excessive heat, and a 2018 complaint was about braking systems on rolling ladders not functioning, Honerman said. The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted inspections and did not issue any citations, he said. In recent years, reports have emerged about difficult working conditions at Amazon’s warehouses, including deaths at two Amazon warehouses in 2014. The company also came under fire in 2011 for extreme heat at its warehouses that caused “heat-related injuries.” Amazon said at the time that it took emergency actions during heat waves and subsequently installed cooling systems in its warehouses.

3 Easy Tips For Cover Letter Therapy - Work It Daily

3 Easy Tips For Cover Letter Therapy - Work It Daily Ah… the dreaded resume cover letter! Nothing stirs fear in the hearts of job seekers more than the thought of writing a cover letter. It must be the pressure of being succinct, factual, and original. Before you reach a state of high anxiety, consider therapy â€" cover letter therapy. Related: 3 Easy Steps To A Quick Cover Letter Makeover To write an excellent cover letter, you must really know yourself. Before you begin to draft your cover letter, you must dig deep. Read these tips for cover letter therapy: What Do You Want? A candidate without a goal rarely produces a winning cover letter. Take the time to define your career goal. What type of occupation are you seeking? In what ways do you want to contribute to an employer? What fields interest you? Talk to individuals in the position of interest to confirm this is the right career path for you. When you know what you want, you can start beating the bushes for those opportunities. Who Are You? That is the question. Take notes of your characteristics, education, special skills, expert knowledge, and work experience. Do your background and knowledge match the requirements of the job? One way to find out is to create a two-column chart. List the job requirements on the left and your abilities, skills, and knowledge on the right. The items in common are the ones to include in your cover letter to validate your qualifications for the job. What Value Do You Offer? Your mother always said that you are a superstar. But, that is not going to get you the job. Study your recent ten years of professional experience. What have you done beyond your basic job duties? What have you achieved that resulted in your employer increasing income or reducing expenses? What have you innovated? How has your current or past employer benefited from your employment? These values demonstrate your potential to be a superstar for your future company. Highlight the top two or three in your cover letter. If you are still feeling stressed about your cover letter, there is help. Professional resume writers and career coaches are trained to help you define your career goal, uncover your top accomplishments, and craft a custom cover letter. The information you learn about yourself serves as a foundation for your cover letter, networking blurb, or personal pitch. Whether you take the self-help route or work with a professional, some cover letter therapy will help you define the right mix of skills, traits, and moxie to make your cover letter count. This post was originally published on an earlier date. Related Posts 5 Key Steps To A Cover Letter That Opens Doors Does Your Cover Letter Make These 5 Critical Mistakes? 7 Examples Of Fresh New Ways To Start Your Cover Letter About the author With 20+ years as a strategic career advisor, Debra helps clients obtain highly desired interviews for competitive positions, including preparing results-oriented resumes, and providing guidance centered around interview preparation, salary negotiations, and overall career management. Visit her website at Careersdonewrite.com!   Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

How To Deal With a Hostile Job Environment

How To Deal With a Hostile Job Environment As a legal practitioner, I cant count the number of times Ive had to clarify exactly what constitutes a hostile work environment. When it comes to employment discrimination, there are several laws intended to protect employees.In addition to city and state laws, which vary in strength and scope, there are many federal laws that offer this protection as well fruchtwein bedrngnisably Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1967, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act and the Equal Pay Act.Courts have repeatedly opined that these laws are bedrngnis general civility codes, meaning no matter how unfortunate the law does elendlage protect against generally rude or undesirable behavior at work. You cant sue your boss just because hes a jerk. No, the conduct that city, state and federal anti-discrimination laws protect against must be related to a class pro tected by those statutes.In other words, the unwelcome conduct must target a protected class, most commonly sex/gender, race, religion, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, domestic violence victim status and so forth. In some states, sexual orientation is also a protect class.The term hostile work environment carries legal significance that goes beyond workplace unpleasantness or even general bullying. For a hostile work environment to exist, there must be an overarching protected class. In other words, when an employee alleges theyve been subjected to a hostile work environment, it must be related to and a direct result of a group that is protected by a state or federal statute. Ones civil rights (and individual employment) must be threatened as parte of the offensive conduct.What isnt a hostile work environment?Before getting into what constitutes a hostile work environment and the number one sign of one it helps to discuss conduct that does not constitute a host ile work environment. Cursing, casual joking, rudeness, petty slights, nitpicking, bossiness and unpleasant behavior, on its own, are not enough to bring a hostile work environment claim.A supervisor or coworker who routinely antagonizes most or all employees in the workplace, regardless of who they are, will likely not be found to be creating a hostile work environment. Why? Because the conduct is done indiscriminately, i.e. without regard for a protected class.In fact, a common defense for employers in employment discrimination cases, particularly those involving managers or supervisors, is that the alleged bad actor did not engage in discrimination, but was simply a stickler or a loose cannon known for giving everyone a hard time.An employer who routinely blows their lid, creates a threatening and intimidating work environment, and generally treats their employees poorly will be protected under the law if their conduct is deemed unrelated to a protected class. This is a hard pill for many employees to swallow, particularly those who find themselves stuck in such volatile workplaces.So, what constitutes a hostile work environment?As discussed above, a hostile work environment can only exist where the conduct allegedly targets a specific protected class or classes. For conduct and/or speech to rise to the level of a hostile work environment in these cases, the conduct must be intentional, severe or pervasive, and directly interfere with the employees ability to perform his or her job.For workplace conduct to be deemed severe or pervasive, a court or investigating agency will utilize a reasonable person standard, asking whether a reasonable person would consider the alleged conduct to be intimidating, hostile or abusive.Additionally, one-off occurrences of offensive behavior will generally not rise to the level of a hostile work environment. The stray remarks doctrine, first set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court, and expounded upon by courts since then, has rout inely been relied on to dismiss employment discrimination claims.Exactly what constitutes a stray remark warrants its own discussion, but the typical analysis reviews who made the remark a decision maker or not the nexus between the remark and the employment decision at issue the ambiguity of the remark or whether it could reasonably be deemed discriminatory and the temporal proximity between the remark and the adverse employment decision.So, what are the signs you may be working in a hostile work environment? There are several common ones and one universal one that is found in all hostile work environments.1. Harassment and DiscriminationAn obvious sign that you may be working in a hostile work environment is that you notice either yourself or others being harassed or treated disparately on the basis of a protected class. Maybe youve had derogatory comments directed toward you because of your race or sex, or have been subjected to an ongoing pattern of adverse conduct because of i t.A hostile work environment cannot exist without unlawful conduct against a protected class. As such, the harassment of a certain group of people may be the first sign you are working in a hostile work environment.Examples of discriminatory speech can include, for example, remarks that women do not belong in a certain profession, or that its time for management to clean house and bring in some young blood. Gender and age discrimination are clear signs of hostile work environment harassment.In addition to discriminatory speech, other harassing conduct may include persistent unwelcome remarks about a persons body or appearance, and in extreme cases, sexual assault.Even with such blatantly offensive and unlawful conduct present, it may be difficult for someone to realize they are working in a hostile work environment. Nevertheless, the presence of harassment and discrimination is one of the most clear-cut signs of one.2. Well-Known BiasesAnother sign of a hostile work environment is t hat an employers biases may be well-known. This ties into the presence of harassing speech and conduct, but, rather than being hidden, it openly permeates the workplace.In other words, the bad actors prejudice against a certain class of people is not only well-known throughout the workplace, but accepted as part of daily life.This is frequently played out in matters of pregnancy discrimination. The story usually goes something like this an employer does not like to hire pregnant women, does not like current employees to become pregnant and does not expect pregnant women to stick around once they have their babies.A female employee becomes pregnant. Despite having a stellar performance record, she suddenly finds that projects are taken away from her. She asks for more work, but is told there is no work for her. The employer routinely makes comments about how women change after becoming mothers and that women should stop working when they become pregnant. As the months pass, the haras sing speech escalates. The supervisor openly threatens the pregnant employees job security and insinuates that her job may not be waiting for her when she returns from maternity leave despite her employee ability and actions.In this scenario, rather than being surprised by the employers shocking bias, everyone in the workplace accepts that this is the way things are, not only because theyve repeatedly witnessed the employers offensive conduct firsthand, but because there are societal elements at play that make this form of discrimination seem OK. For others who endured similar discriminatory treatment, they may even see it as a rite of passage.When an employers obvious unlawful bias permeates the workplace in this manner, it may be a sign of a hostile work environment.While subtler forms of workplace bias can be just as insidious and damaging, open biases most lend themselves to a hostile work environment. Why? Because the openly hostile bias is what leads to the severe or pervasive , intolerable conduct that ultimately interferes with an employees ability to do their job.3. Unchecked Bad BehaviorAnother red flag indicative of a hostile work environment is that the discriminatory or harassing conduct at issue is allowed to continue despite complaints made about it. Wise employers will do everything in their power to stop unlawful harassment in its tracks.Many employers even go beyond preventing unlawful harassment/discrimination and have policies prohibiting general workplace bullying.Employers have a duty to prevent harassment in the workplace. Employers are also responsible for the conduct of supervisors. In Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth and Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, the seminal cases on this point, the Supreme Court held that employers are always liable for unlawful harassment by supervisors when it results in a tangible employment action.Employers have an affirmative defense against liability, however, if the employer exercised reasonable car e to prevent and promptly correct any harassing behavior, and if the employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer or to avoid harm otherwise.Since it is in the employers best interest to prevent and correct workplace harassment, it is very concerning when an employer fails to do so. Where an employer fails to appropriately respond to such complaints, those failures only exacerbate the hostile work environment.Worse, there may be situations where the employer is intentionally complicit in the behavior. For example, maybe the bad actor is the companys CEO or head of Human Resources and the abuse is top-down.Those at the highest level do not have to actively engage in harassment for a work environment to be hostile. If the harassing conduct is intentional, severe or pervasive, and has been allowed to continue unchecked, despite the complaining employee following the appropriate complaint procedure, this may be a s ign that the workplace is truly a hostile work environment.4. The Work Environment Literally Makes You SickA common symptom of hostile work environments is that the people working in them may actually become sick because of them. The stress and anxiety of working in a discriminatory workplace can manifest in many ways, but some of the most common include developing headaches, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, gastrointestinal distress, nervous ticks, changes in appetite, weight loss, changes in interpersonal relationships, loss of self-esteem, panic attacks, heart palpitations and a host of other problems.Diagnosis to determine the root cause of these issues is, of course, best left to a medical professional. But time and again, employees who are the target of workplace discrimination or harassment frequently find themselves literally sick because of it.If you believe you are working in a toxic workplace and have noticed that youve experienced weight fluctuations, trouble intera cting with friends and family, a loss of confidence, headaches or other physical manifestations of stress/anxiety, you should trust your gut you may in fact be working in a hostile workplace environment.5. Youre Being Forced Out Of The WorkplaceAnother common sign of a hostile work environment is that the victim may feel they are literally being forced out of the workplace by their employer. The harassing conduct may be so severe and ongoing that it becomes apparent that there is no way to continue working for the employer.When employees end up succumbing to these toxic environments, their resignation may be considered a constructive discharge, which occurs when the employer unlawfully makes working conditions so intolerable that the employee is forced to resign.Feeling that you are being forced out of the workplace, or finding yourself resigning because of it, is another big sign that your workplace may be a hostile work environment.But the number one sign of a hostile work enviro nment? Intimidation.While the signs of a hostile work environment vary, the number one sign of a hostile work environment, universal in all cases, is intimidation. Intimidation is the one factor unique to all hostile work environments and it takes many forms.Bad actors may threaten discrimination victims, warning them not to report their conduct. They may threaten an employees bonuses, income or job security. They may turn other coworkers against the employee, essentially making them a workplace pariah with nowhere to turn.But the intimidation can also be less explicit.Even in instances where there is no express prohibition on complaining, victims are frequently intimidated to come forward and report the discrimination theyve suffered. They fear retaliation. They fear for their jobs. In extreme cases, they even fear for their lives. The conduct theyve endured may be so rampant throughout the workplace, they may worry just how far the harassment will extend and will feel they have no where to turn.In some circumstances, particularly where the workplace is a municipality, government or law enforcement agency, an employee may truly feel they have no options since theyve seen the dark side of unbridled authority and know firsthand that the checks and balances intended to stop unlawful behavior sometimes fail.But even beyond those workplaces, intimidation and the fear it creates is a common thread. This is the very essence of employment discrimination. Employees need their jobs, and the last thing they want to do is risk losing them.In some situations, employees fear ever being able to work in their field again and worry their victim status or label as a complainer will follow them to other workplaces.The fear to speak up and assert your rights is common, but so too is the threat of reprisal when an employee does come forward. Though there are laws in place to protect against retaliation for exercising the rights granted by anti-discrimination laws, instances of ret aliation are still common, and even where it is not, the fear of retaliation is strong.Further, asserting your rights requires courage and the ability to navigate the legal system. Many times, bad actors are betting on the fact that victims may not be up to the challenge of working with a hostile work environment attorney and bringing a legal claim.If you believe you may be working in a hostile work environment, once all the legal boxes have been checked, trust your instincts. If you feel too intimidated to speak up and exercise your rights, or if you have come forward to your employer with your concerns and you still feel the looming threat of retaliation or continued harassment, you may in fact be working in a hostile workplace.--Candace is a practicing attorney, freelance writer, and a proud mom.

The Lost Secret of Technical Resume

The Lost Secret of Technical Resume The Tried and True Method for Technical Resume in Step by Step Detail Since requirements may change per employer, read the work post carefully so you may tailor fit your list to the work description. Below, you will discover a list of resume examples that could assist you with your work search. Furthermore, you can look for data entry jobs on Monster. Your resume should consist of the next sections. You dont have to incorporate every conference that you attended. Some employers may take a brief proposal which gets scanned into a database. Technical writers should put money into an internet presence, but they dont necessarily have to devote money on online advertising. Resume proposals ought to be targeted to a particular geschftlicher umgang. Below, you will discover a sample technical resume template to offer you an idea of the way in which a resume will typically look once its correctly structured. A technical resume holds a whole l ot of information and the format is simplest to read when it isnt a straight paragraph. You should develop a resume template you are feeling comfortable with, and then be minor tweaks if needed. You simply picked the incorrect tech resume format. Up in Arms About Technical Resume? Our resume builder provides you with tips and examples on how best to compose your resume summary. Your CV should cover clearly all of the important facts recruiters want to understand, which might be for instance the amount of people you have managed or the budgets you have controlled. One is the work description itself. Quite simply, technical writing doesnt need to be Shakespeare, but nevertheless, it shouldnt bore an individual to tears either. Many times people who are employed in technical professions make the error of writing a resume that describes their responsibilities and previous experiences. You should also think of utilizing a registered werber service to help safeguard your privac y and keep compliant. So you will need to select carefully the format that is most suitable for your existing circumstance and purpose. How to Get Started with Technical Resume? How To Write A Technical Resume will supply you with all the information which you require in order to create the great technical resume. Hence, no 2 resumes is going to be the exact same. Tech is famously among the most challenging fields not just to work for, but also to compose resumes. Technical writers and company analysts are almost similar in regard to job descriptions and abilities necessary to work in a specific small business company. For instance, if you are asking for a technical position, make certain you highlight all of your technical expertise and also remember to show off value-added skills like business sales or marketing experience. Also, remember that quality experience doesnt have to be IT-related. If a company would like to hire you, its due to the results they expect to have from you. The Technical Resume Chronicles The tips below will assist you in writing a decent technical resume. You might also wish to consider detailing exactly how familiar youre with the many tools and skills you mention. Writing a technical resumecan be quite hard

Boxwood Technology Launches Virtual Career Fair Solution

Boxwood Technology Launches Virtual Career Fair Solution Boxwood Technology, a provider of career center and career-related services to the association community, has announced the launch of Virtual Career Fair, a cost-effective way of bringing employers and job-seekers together in a confidential setting. Employers gain the benefit of screening high quality candidates while associations benefit by delivering another valuable member service, with no staff involvement or additional costs. With our Virtual Career Fair product, job seekers are able to explore employers, view and apply for positions even chat with recruiters in one convenient location, Christine Smith, President, Boxwood Technology, said. This nicely complements our current Career Fair solution that helps associations better manage their onsite career fairs. Boxwood is now a one-stop shop for all of an associations onsite and online career fair needs.The Boxwood Virtual Career Fair solution includes all of the marketing and sales to employers and job-seekers, billing and collections for the job postings, and registration fee management for the employers to attend the event.Boxwood helps the association every step of the way. And, the Virtual Career Fair comes integrated with our Career Center product enabling associations to cross-promote each service increasing site traffic and revenue opportunities at the same time. Lastly, Virtual Career Fairs can be a great complement to existing onsite career fairs in addition to being valuable standalone events for associations, too, continued Smith.