Sailing Into My 50th Birthday, With Thanks

Sailing Into My 50th Birthday, With Thanks Here is the Tanglewood Tower.***  Here is lovely Claire, presenting the inspiring Lake Texoma view!  ***  And me, on top of the worldor at least, on top of Lake Texoma.***Upon returning home, my husband, Rob, asked me to close my eyes and led me to my office, where he presented:Brand-new solid oak writing desk! I LOVE it. The Merlot and fresh flowers as well as the pottery and wicker basket add brilliant value to his thoughtful gift!***Our friends, Kirk and Tara, were kind enough to pay us a visit and hang out on the treetop lounge. Here are Kirk and Tara picture from a few weeks ago.We were equally honored they brought along their most valuable pint-sized package, Ella Mae. This is Rob holding their NEW arrival; she is only 2 weeks old. We feel so blessed that they all 3 came to visit!***In addition to all this, Rob prepared an amazing steak, baked potato and crusty bread dinner, accompanied by delicious beverages and followed by rich chocolate cake!***Bella, our adopted kitty, hu ng out with us every chance she could get.  Here she is toward the end of the big day, crashed. I felt as relaxed as she looks after such a luxuriously divine day.***Finally, I received many well wishes from my social media friends, many with whom my relationship extends into in-real-life conversations and face-to-face visits. Thank you to everyone who helped me feel special on this once-in-a-lifetime day!

Diversity Inclusion at Americas Top 10 Tech Companies

Diversity Inclusion at America’s Top 10 Tech Companies If you were to pick out one industry where the need for diversity and inclusiveness is most prevalent, most of you would say the tech industry. Thats because over the past few years, we have seen plenty of diversity issues arising in some of the biggest tech brands in the world. We wont name anyone, dont worry. But now more than ever, many would say the tech industry is pioneering the push for cultural inclusion and gender equality in the workforce. So we wanted to generate our own understanding of the state of diversity in tech, using our own proprietary methodology, the Employer Brand Index. We scoured through thousands of publicly obtainable comments, updates and reviews on user-generated platforms like Reddit, Glassdoor, Twitter and many more to dissect only data points within diversity, inclusion, and equality. We looked at all English language-based data points in Q1 of 2018 (January, February, and March) to ensure that these findings are as current as possible. But it’s important to note that while these findings might be current, they may not be entirely representative. We then measured these findings using our Employer Brand Index methodology, scoring each company on our 1 to 10 scale, 1 being the best score you can get and 10 being worst. Everyone is aiming for position 1! We analyzed these tech companies, picked primarily due to popularity and 2018 sales estimates according to CNBC, and this is how they scored: Cisco 2.50 Microsoft 3.44 Facebook 3.70 Hewlett-Packard 3.86 Apple 3.88 Amazon 4.61 IBM 4.71 Oracle 5.15 Intel 5.54 Google 7.76 Analyzing these 10 tech giants, we found some common themes come up that showed the direction many of these companies are undertaking is strikingly similar. The commitment to women in tech is real What is clearly evident is that there is a real commitment to empowering women in tech, with all 10 tech giants showing positive commentary, some more than others, towards this topic. We found a plethora of women celebrating each other and their achievements at these companies, as well as many mentions of the women-friendly environments being cultivated in their workplace. Yet all is not perfect for women, with what still seems to be a lack of women in leadership positions and a disparity in pay between men and women. But based on the overall outlook of this research, we are confident that things are on the up for women in the tech industry! The tech industry is finally embracing diversity The narrative for a long time is that the tech industry, especially topics such as computing and coding, are interests reserved for boys only. And yes, at times, this theory was backed up in our research, with the referencing of a “Boy’s club” environment at companies such as IBM and Oracle. But the tech industry is trying to change things. For example, in this research, we saw positive commentary on: The inclusion of LGBTQ employees The empowerment of people of color The multiculturalism being cultivated in the workplace The support of women and working mothers All of these aspects represented a positive step in the direction that the tech industry is taking and the various strategies these companies are taking to improve their diversity and inclusion. Yet within this process of diversity and inclusion, some believe there might be the existence of positive discrimination towards one specific demographic: white males. This was backed up by Google’s low scoring (7.76) on the Employer Brand Index due to the belief that some employees are discriminated against because they are white and of the male gender. As well as the alienation of males in general throughout this research in places such as Microsoft and Intel. So while it is evident that the tech industry is doing their all to balance out racial and gender disparities at their businesses, are they doing this at the expense of white males? Ageism exists in the tech industry One of the more prevalent topics in this research was the idea that the tech industry was a young or millennial industry. This was backed up by the negative commentary found at companies like Facebook and Amazon where people felt like they were slowly being replaced by grad students, or that the working environment itself is no place for someone above the age of 30. So while there is much focus in the tech industry on racial, cultural and gender-focused diversity initiatives, there seems to be less focus on reducing the culture of ageism being cultivated. With Generation Z entering the workforce, and what will evidently be four different generations working and looking for work, this diversity in age and experience can be extremely valuable to the tech industry. Focus on diversity of thought instead! This is not to say that aspects like culture, background, and gender dont encompass diversity of thought. They do, having a workforce with people coming from all backgrounds can be very beneficial to business in many ways. Yet what is evident is that there is lack of focus on the concept of diversity of thought. Rather than solely focusing on recruiting and hiring employees from a specific race, maybe focus on recruiting an analytical person or a creative person. Because if you have an extremely multicultural and multiracial workforce, but everyone thinks the same way, then are you truly creating a diverse environment? To truly be inclusive and diverse, companies should be focusing on creating an environment full of different viewpoints, opinions and thinking styles. Within this process, you will naturally be creating a diverse working environment full of different genres, sexual preference, cultures, and eliminate many forms of bias. Below is the graphic we have to put together to illustrate and summarize what we found. If youre interested in how your company measures up for DI and other attributes, check out the  Employer Brand Index  today. For a more extensive report of these findings, head to  Diversity Inclusion at 10 Top Tech Companies.

What is Your #1 Piece of Advice You Would Give to Candidates

What is Your #1 Piece of Advice You Would Give to Candidates There are probably a million questions you could ask our panel of recruitment experts but pinning them down to answer them isnt always possible. So, while we havent been able to throw that many questions at them we thought it would be more useful to get that one nugget of crucial advice from them instead. Kerri-Ann Hargreaves Be realistic. Make relevant applications. The job market is very competitive. Be prepared to sell yourself and be confident in your achievements. That said if you do feel you have transferrable skills and there is some relevance to an application outside of the box do press send. In this instance I would suggest following up your application with a call. Each recruiter, business and hiring manager will be different and therefore will take a slightly different approach. Someone’s ‘No’ doesn’t mean you aren’t a ‘Yes’. Kerri-Ann Hargreaves, Director, H2 Consultancy. Jeff Berger Preparation is the key to an efficient job search. Before you start applying for jobs, take some time to sort out your job goals, as these will influence how you position your experience and skills on your resume, in your cover letters, and on LinkedIn. If you’re uncertain whether your resume is properly representing your qualifications, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are many services available, including TopCV and TopResume, that will provide free, objective, and professional reviews of your resume. Jeff Berger, CEO and Founder, Talent Inc. Lysha Holmes Be honest! Dont ever wax lyrical to your potential employer or recruiter- be true to what you want and can do and keep everyone updated out of courtesy. Everything else will follow from that and you as a candidate will get a much better experience! Lysha Holmes, Recruiter of Recruiters, Qui Recruitment. Paul Wolfe Be selective about the jobs you apply for. By far the most important thing you can do in your job search is to carefully evaluate each job you’re applying for. When you find a posting you like, ask yourself if it’s a job you’re qualified for and actually want to do. Paul Wolfe, Indeed Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources. Rebecca Fraser Build an online and offline brand and work actively in your network, you need to nurture your network so they can provide more information to you when possible. Rebecca Fraser, Career Strategist. Ben Martinez Do work that you enjoy and you will never have to look for work. The money will come if you enjoy the work. Ben Martinez, Principal Founder, Ramp Talent. Jo Cresswell Play to your strengths and stay true to yourself when job hunting. Create your list of ‘must-haves’ be that about the job itself, the culture or values of a company, or salary and benefits and don’t sacrifice these. Compromise on the ‘nice-to-haves’ instead and find a middle ground that works for you and your future employer. Jo Cresswell, Corporate Communications Manager, Glassdoor. Darain Faraz The most important thing is to be yourself.Research from LinkedInhas shown that employees who are their authentic selves at work are more satisfied, enthusiastic and proud, and it’s really important for both you and your prospective employer that you are the right cultural fit for the company. Darain Faraz, Careers Expert, LinkedIn. Allan Leung Not all career opportunities are created equal. Therefore it’s important to take some time for self reflection on factors such as where you are, where you want to head, and what matters to you in your career. From there you can better plan out your search for the next career opportunity. Allan Leung, Lead Talent Acquisition Advisor, HCSS. Chris Murdock Don’t lie. Chris Murdockis Senior Partner and Co-Founder at IQTalent Partners

My Personal Branding Story Part 3 Passion is Not Enough - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

My Personal Branding Story Part 3 Passion is Not Enough - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career This is the third of ten posts where we follow Marcos Salazar’s personal branding journey, as he uses the concepts and four-step process outlined in Me 2.0 for his own career. “What are you passionate about?” I am sure there’s a post on every single career website that focuses on this topic. And for good reason â€" you won’t have a meaningful career nor will you be able to develop a strong personal brand if you don’t know the answer to this question. However, the harsh reality is that passion will never be enough! In my last post, I started the process of clarifying the things I am passionate about in order to help me further develop my personal brand. However, as I thought more about the post, something just didn’t set right with me. There was something missing that I needed to do. I felt like the last post was really thin and didn’t dig deep enough in developing an understanding that would provide a foundation for creating a unique personal brand. I soon realized that before I am able to integrate all my interests, passions, and work experiences into a unified personal brand, there’s another form of self-knowledge that needs to be tapped into, and that is discovering what you are born to do. The curse of competence When I started college I thought I wanted to major in biology. I was really good at it in high school and loved the subject. I also knew chemistry was a big part of the major and didn’t worry too much about that because I knew I was pretty good at this also. Then I took my first chemistry class. This was the first time I encountered people who were programmed for chemistry. While it would take me 2 hours to finish an exam, these people were out the door in 30 minutes and would easily set the curve for the class. What I quickly realized is that even though I enjoyed chemistry and biology and was really good at them, I would never truly be great at either of the subjects no matter how much I studied. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, refers to this concept as, “the curse of competence.” That is, we are all pretty good at a lot of things because we have an abundance of talent, but there are only a few things that we are genetically programmed to do and become truly excellent at.   So in addition to discovering work we are passionate about, you also need to keep in mind there is a huge difference between doing what you are good at versus what you were born to do. This idea that there are things we will not be great at is something that goes against the grain of what many people have told us since we were kids. This is especially true for all us Gen Yers whose parents have told us that we can be anything we want to when we grew up. However, the brutal fact is that there are some things that we will only be good at, and part of your personal branding journey is to find out what you were made to do in life. Psychology came calling It was after this realization that I was not going to major in biology (and a few not so great grades in Chemistry) that I took my first psychology class. I had always been fascinated with human behavior and why people acted they way they did. From a very young age I recognized that I had a unique ability to provide people with a level psychological visibility that made them feel understood â€" often in a way that they had never experienced before. When I would meet someone for the first time, they would open up and tell me things that they usually kept deep inside and had never even told their best friends or family. It’s as if people had a certain frequency that they operated on and I was able to naturally tune into their unique frequency and connect with them on a level that they had not previously experienced. This was also facilitated by me being able to naturally pick up on emotional cues and ask insightful questions based on that information (what would later be called having high emotional intelligence). Through this way of relating, I was able to provide people with an environment where they could let down their guard and simply be who they truly were. So when I finally took my first psychology class, I felt like a fish in water. I had found something that provided structure to all that I had been thinking and a systematic way to describe all the things I had been experiencing since I was a little boy. I realized this was what I was meant to do in what capacity, I was not sure yet, but I did know that I had found what I was wired for. Then came writing, organizing, and creating businesses However, just because you find something you were born to do doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to that one thing. After graduation I thought psychology was going to be my life. The plan was to take a year or two off, get some work experience, obtain my PhD in clinical psychology, then teach at a university and have a practice on the side. Sounds like a great path, right? Well, once I started to explore more of the world after college. I started to develop a better sense of who I was and where I wanted to go in life and came to see that there were many other things I was passionate about and potentially born to do. This became increasingly apparent as I moved from job to job and project to project a common theme among Gen Y and which I describe personally in my first post in this series. What all these experiences have made me come to see is that the discovery process is never-ending and we have to think of our personal branding journey not as linear, but as circular. After we develop our personal brand, from time to time   we will need to come back to the discovery phase and integrate new experiences, passions, and information about things we are potentially born to do. The key, however, is to continue to be open to new experiences and knowledge while also trying to maintain a consistent personal brand. What are you wired to do? Each of use has a genetic predisposition to be great at certain things. When you ask yourself this question, be brutally honest with yourself. While I loved biology (and still do I read read about evolution and how it relates to psychology constantly), I had to accept the fact that I would never be great at it. But in accepting this fact I was forced to go exploring and that led me to psychology. Today, I cant imagine my life without having this self-knowledge of one of the things I was born to do. So set some time aside and ask yourself, “What are those things that I can truly be great at? What am I wired to do? Then use this knowledge you gain during the brand discovery process and integrate it with your passions to create a strong personal brand you can feel confident about! Author: Marcos Salazar is the author of The Turbulent Twenties Survival Guide, which focuses on the psychology of life after college and what graduates go through as the make the transition from school to the working world. He writes a psychology and career blog for young professionals at www.marcossalazar.com. You can connect with him on Twitter @marcossalazar.

#20 - Career Expert Series Doug Levin from JobStars LLC

#20 - Career Expert Series Doug Levin from JobStars LLC The Career Insider Podcast Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSSFor This Episode of The Career Expert Series â€" we will be hearing from Doug Levin from Job Stars LLC.Doug Levin â€" Owner of JobStars LLC specializes in Resume Writing, LinkedIn Profiles, Personal Websites, and Career Coaching.Doug is a Certified Professional Resume Writer eval1. Creating a Resume that is ATS Ending Music provided courtesy of Accelerated Ideas (www.accelerated-ideas.com). Soundtrack â€" No Need to Rush

Dont Put Your Career Goals On Hold - Sterling Career Concepts

Dont Put Your Career Goals On Hold Dont Put Your Career Goals On Hold Let’s get straight to the point…we all have a finite amount of time on this planet. One day our work will be done here on earth, and no one has a crystal ball to notify us when exactly that day will come. Knowing that, what are you going to do with the remaining, rare, and precious moments you have? What hopes and dreams do you have for your career? When are you going to work towards achieving them? Later, when you’re older and more tired? Of course, there are a million reasons why you shouldn’t…you have commitments, bills to pay, and a family to care for. Guess what…that never stops. RIGHT NOW is the only time that you can count on. RIGHT NOW you have the fire and the drive, so do yourself a favor and get moving towards achieving those career dreams today. Steve Jobs, co-founder and visionary of Apple Computer, said it best when he said, “Your time is limited, so dont waste it living someone elses life. Dont be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other peoples thinking. Dont let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Today is your day. Now is your time. When it comes to your career, don’t look back 5, 10, or 20 years from now regretting that you waited too long to go after something that mattered or worse yet…that you didn’t even try. What will you do now? Don’t keep putting it until tomorrow.

Resume Summary of Qualifications - Utilize This Important Section in Your Resume

Resume Summary of Qualifications - Utilize This Important Section in Your ResumeResume Summary of Qualifications is a synopsis of the required experience, education and training, previous employment, courses attended and skills and aptitudes. It may be self-explanatory. But a lot of candidates make the mistake of not including the most important section, the summary of skills and abilities. The resume, summary of qualifications can be an essential part of your resume.If you are having a stressful day at work and you wake up to an announcement from your boss, you will need to know exactly what your responsibilities and duties are. You do not want to overlook the important qualifications that may make or break the outcome of your employment case. So, make sure that your resume summary of qualifications includes this important information.There are times when you get a call from a good candidate who may seem qualified but his or her resume does not have the specific qualifications that your company is looking for. In such situations, you will want to provide the relevant details about your qualifications so that the resume being sent by the good candidate will be helpful in your case. If you are provided with the appropriate information, then you will feel reassured that you are still in the running. On the other hand, if you give inaccurate details, you may just end up losing out on the opportunity that you have been waiting for.You may also want to include your job experience and qualifications in general since they may be similar to the job that you are presently doing. This helps to ease the hiring process as well as make your resume look less generic and more informative. But remember that the summary of qualifications should not include only details of your previous position since this could help to weed out unsuitable candidates.While there is no fixed format for the resume summary of qualifications, it is important to use the format in such a way that it i s easy to read and comprehensible. It must also be clear and concise so that it is easily identifiable.In order to emphasize the things that are highlighted, an example is given. In most cases, the resume summary of qualifications begins with the Resume Title followed by the Resume Summary of Qualifications. In some cases, the Resume Summary of Qualifications may even include more than one paragraph. But it is important to make sure that the details are specific and you must also be careful not to disclose too much information.As a result, if you summarize the skills and abilities of your current position, the summary of qualifications may show the relevant details. To ensure that the summary is appropriate, you must also make sure that you include the right section. By doing so, you can avoid wasting valuable time.Remember that the resume summary of qualifications is not a separate section and it should not be treated as such. Instead, the section can be a valuable inclusion in you r resume.