Alices resume for a masters scholarship

Alices resume for a masters scholarshipAlices resume for a masters scholarshipEnhanced Lives is a series which aims to put our customers in the spotlight. In a short interview, we ask about their background, the experience they had with and how it helped to improve their career.Our first star is Alice, an energetic Italian lady who used our platform to get a scholarship for a Masters Degree specializing in Digital Marketing. Did she succeed? Lets find outHi Alice, can you tell us a bit about yourself?Hey, Im Alice and I work as an office and community manager at Talent Garden, an international network of coworking spaces in Italy. Before this role, I was an event organizer and the skills I learned to play an important role in my current position. Im originally from and I currently live in Genoa, Italy which is a perfect spot for people like me who love to be active and who want to be close to the mountains and the sea.What was the reason to create your resume?I wasnt looking for a j ob. I was actually trying to get a scholarship to pursue a Masters degree in Digital Marketing and Communication at 24 ORE Business school that course of study has been a dream of mine for a long time. And I GOT ITI decided to create a new resume because I knew that there were many people applying for the same scholarship and that I needed my application to stand out. The school was looking for a specific profile a person who could act as an intermediary between the school and the other students serving in the role of academic support.My profile as an office and community manager demonstrated my capabilities for such a role at the school and I knew I could showcase that. The challenging part, however, was creating a resume that would help me both prove my worthiness and also stand out. I also wanted my resume to reflect who I truly am.Related articlesMegans project manager resume got her 2 job offers in 3 monthsAvoiding Common Mistakes on Google Resumes7 Mistakes That Are Common In College Students Resumes and How to Fix ThemWhat do you like about ? Did you learn anything from it?I like that its simple and effective. I created a resume that reflects what I always wanted ??I was surprised how easy and fast it was to create a completely different resume that I can easily change and adapt in the future for different purposes. I used the builder for less than an hour. I imported information about my career background from my LinkedIn profile which was a simple process.The platform is not only a resume builder, it motivates you to highlight your accomplishments and not just your responsibilities. It also helps you choose what information is both more important to you on a personal level as well as more impressive to the people reading your resume. Throughout the process, there are tips and examples that popped up which I found very helpful. These reminded me at all times to provide the important information (my actual achievements) that would make a real impression .What message would you send to other job seekers out there?Working in emerging markets requires an ever-changing set of marketable skills as well as a high degree of adaptability. When seeking a new venture, whether it is a job or an educational opportunity, target what you love and always look for new, creative sources of inspiration as you try to achieve it. I believe is a tool that can help anyone do that.I would like to thank Alice for sharing her insights on and also sharing a bit about her career and her educational goals with us. It means a lot and we hope it will motivate many others to get started and upgrade to more human-centric and performance-based resumes.If youd like to contribute to Enhanced Lives series and share your achievements with others, send me a message. I look forward to hearing from you ??

How Long Does It Take to Find a Flexible Job

How Long Does It Take to Find a Flexible JobHow Long Does It Take to Find a Flexible Job4One of the most commonly asked questions by our job seekers is, How long does it take to find a flexible job? Although some of our users have been able to land a job within a week, others have taken several months. The true length of a job search will vary by person, as well as a number of other reasons, including some that are uncontrollable.If you are in the market for a flexible job, the below information can help set a mora accurate assessment of the amount of time it takes to find a flexible job.So, how long does it take to find a flexible job?Flexible Job Search IndicatorsThere are many things that affect the length of a flexible job search just as they do a normal job search. Consider the following as you begin your search for a flexible job.Your geographical location Yes, even for telecommuting jobs. Job availability will be more abundant in cities over rural locations.Desired industry Ev en without flexibility, job availability differs by industry and will affect the number of jobs available as well as the competitiveness for those jobs.Flexibility wanted Depending on the flexibility you want, you may spend more time looking for that flex. For instance it may be easier to find a part-time job in your industry over a remote job.The economy Consider both national and local unemployment rates and hiring trends.Current employment status Those that are employed tend to have an easier time finding employment.Your professional experience and skill level The more skilled you are or the higher level position you look for, the less abundant those jobs will be thus taking longer than finding an entry-level job.The quality of your search A job search takes dedication and time. If you put in the effort you will see results. Spending a few hours a week versus a few hours a day makes a huge difference.Time of year The busiest times of year, when it comes to job searching and job p osting, are in the fall and after the winter holidays. However, if you are looking for a temp or seasonal job, winter and summer times are busiest.Amount of Time to Find a Flexible JobEvery job search is different, and considering the above listed indicators, the amount of time it takes to find a flexible job will vary. Here are a few facts to consider from a 2011 survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The average time to find a job as a successful job seeker is 10 weeks, or 2.5 months.26.7 percent of job seekers spent six months or longer to find a job.Of those 26.7 percent, half took nearly a year to find a new job.How to Speed Up Your Job Search to Find a Flexible JobAlthough a job search can take six to 12 months for even the most experience job seeker, there are several ways to speed up the process and find a flexible job more quickly. Consider the following tips.Network whenever possible by attending events or hosting your own.Continue to develop experience and ski lls through volunteering, internships, professional organizations, or taking classes.Create a job search strategy.Use keywords to find jobs that are a close match to your qualifications.Spend dedicated and focused time on your job search.Tailor your resume, portfolio, and cover letter for EVERY job.Target your search on specific companies or jobs. Do not mass mail your resume.Always follow up with those you are in communication with.Prepare and practice for interviews.Even the most successful job seekers spend a great deal of time searching for work. While finding a flexible job may seem to take longer, it doesnt have to. Research the current job search climate, create a job search plan, and continue to network to decrease your job search time.Readers, how long have you been looking for a flexible job? Consider trying to speed up your job search success

Job Searching Online 8 Best Practices You Need to Know

Job Searching Online 8 Best Practices You Need to KnowJob Searching Online 8 Best Practices You Need to Know6When youre job searching online, its all about maximizing your efficiency. After all, you dont want to languidly job search you want a job now. If youre job searching online, below arethebest practices you need to know.Here are eight best practices you need to know about job searching online1. Dont wait.Its late at night and youre perusing job postings. You spot one that catches your eye and think, Oh, Ill apply for that position in the morning. Dont. Chances are, if that job caught your eye, it also caught the eye of dozens (if not hundreds) of other job seekers, too. They might not wait until morning light to send in their job application, and you shouldnt either. When you spot a job you really want, apply for it right then. Dont delay.2. Use smaller, niche job sites.Even though everyone does it, job searching is a very personal experience. As such, it makes sense that you w ant to make your search as specific as possible. Using smaller, niche job sites- like - can ensure that you not only will find legitimate telecommuting and flexible jobs (and avoid job scams that are often found on larger job search boards), but that youll also have a speedier and happier search because youre not sifting through millions of unrelated job listings to find the gems that match your needs.3. Sign up for job alerts via text or schmelzglas.Sometimes, you dont want to wait until the last minute to find out about a new job listing, especially from a company you really want to work for. Signing up for job alerts via text or email means that youll learn about job listings right as they go live. It can make all the difference between your job application winding up at the top- or the bottom- of the resume pile.4. Apply to the newest jobs first.Lets say you find a job that really intrigues youbut its also a three-week-old listing. Applying for it might end up in a job interview , but maybe not. Hiring managers might cap the amount of resumes they receive by a certain date (possibly a week or two), and if you send yours in too late, its like you never sent it in at all. Whenever possible, apply for the newest jobs first so you position yourself as the key candidate5. Pinpoint companies over jobs.You know you want a full-time telecommuting IT job, but you really dont care what company you work for. Sometimes, though, its better to target the companies that youd like to become an employee of rather than the job you want. Switching your job search mindset to focus on companies first might help expedite your job search and allow you to find a position that hasnt been posted on job boards yet.6. Make sure your social media is professional.If someone were to ask you, youd say youre active on social media. You like to post pictures of your cat, and you often vent your thoughts (in 140 characters or less) on Twitter. But that doesnt a professional social media pres ence make, so its in your best interest to clean up your online image ASAP. Start by setting your existing profiles to private, and remove any unflattering photos or comments if possible (that includes asking your friends to take down those incriminating pictures of you from the New Years Eve party). Once youve done that, start new social media accounts that show the professional side of you- and update them often. After all, hiring managers are notorious for scoping out potential job seekers online, so you want to make sure you always put your best foot forward- in real life and online, too.7. Have a LinkedIn profile.Beyond the usual social media suspects (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.), the big daddy of social media accounts that every job seeker should have is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the easiest way to showcase your skills, education, and work experiences to a potential employer- and it is possibly the number one social media profile an employer would check ou t first. Make sure yours is current, polished, and showcases you in the most attractive (and hirable) light possible.8. Reach out. If theres one company you desperately want to work for, but it hasnt posted any positions youre qualified for, theres absolutely no reason why you cant simply reach out anyway. Contact the hiring manager and introduce yourself, explaining how much you love the company (do your research first before making the call) and the type of position youre looking for. Chances are, he will have you send in your application anyway. While this might seem like a waste of time, it isnt. Your resume will be saved, and when the position you want opens up, your job application will be at the top of the list, before any other job seeker.Job searching online can be tedious but there are ways to make it work in your favor. These need-to-know job search tips can help create a job search experience that yields an amazing job opportunity meant just for you.Readers, do you follo w any of these tips? What else have you found to be useful when job searching online? Let us know in the comments

Language Why being bilingual helps keep your brain fit

Language Why being bilingual helps keep yur brain fitLanguage Why being bilingual helps keep your brain fitIn a caf in south London, two construction workers are engaged in cheerful banter, tossing words back and forth. Their cutlery dances during mora emphatic gesticulations and they occasionally break off into loud guffaws. They are discussing a woman, that much is clear, but the details are lost on me. Its a shame, because their conversation looks fun and interesting, especially to a nosy pspecies like me. But I dont speak their language.Out of curiosity, I interrupt them to ask what they are speaking. With friendly smiles, they both switch easily to English, explaining that they are South Africans and had been speaking Xhosa. In Johannesburg, where they are from, most people speak at least five languages, says one of them, Theo Morris. For example, Theos mothers language is Sotho, his fathers is Zulu, he learned Xhosa and Ndebele from his friends and neighbours, and English and k aphollndisch at school. I went to Germany before I came here, so I also speak German, he adds.Was it easy to learn so many languages?Yes, its normal, he laughs.A multilingual worldHes right. Around the world, mora than half of people estimates vary from 60 to 75 percent speak at least two languages. Many countries have more than one official national language South Africa has 11. People are increasingly expected to speak, read, and write at least one of a handful of super languages, such as English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, or Arabic, as well. So to be monolingual, as many native English speakers are, is to be in the minority, and perhaps to be missing out.Multilingualism has been shown to have many social, psychological, and lifestyle advantages. Moreover, researchers are finding a swathe of health benefits from speaking more than one language, including faster stroke recovery and delayed onset of dementia.Could it be that the human brain evolved to be multilingual that those w ho speak only one language are not exploiting their full potential? Andin a world that is losing languages faster than ever - at the current rate of one a fortnight, half our languages will be extinct by the end of the century - what will happen if the current rich diversity of languages disappears and most of us end up speaking only one?The snowflake experimentI am sitting in a laboratory, headphones on, looking at pictures of snowflakes on a computer. As each pair of snowflakes appears, I hear a description of one of them through the headphones. All I have to do is decide which snowflake is being described. The only catch is that the descriptions are in a completely invented language called Syntaflake.Its part of an experiment by Panos Athanasopoulos, an ebullient Greek with a passion for languages. Professor of psycholinguistics and bilingual cognition at Lancaster University, hes at the forefront of a new wave of research into the bilingual mind. As you might expect, his lab is a Babel of different nationalities and languages - but no one here grew up speaking Syntaflake.The task is profoundly strange and incredibly difficult. Usually, when interacting in a foreign language, there are clues to help you decipher the meaning. The speaker might point to the snowflake as they speak, use their hands to demonstrate shapes or their fingers to count out numbers, for example. Here I have no such clues and, it being a made-up language, I cant even rely on picking up similarities to languages I already know.After a time, though, I begin to feel a pattern might be emerging with the syntax and sounds. I decide to be mathematical about it and get out pen and paper to plot any rules that emerge, determined not to fail the test.The experience reminds me of a time I arrived in a rural town a few hours outside Beijing and was forced to make myself understood in a language I could neither speak nor read, among people for whom English was similarly alien. But even then, there had been clues Now, without any accompanying human interaction, the rules governing the sounds Im hearing remain elusive, and at the end of the session I have to admit defeat.I join Athanasopoulos for a chat while my performance is being analysed by his team.Glumly, I recount my difficulties at learning the language, despite my best efforts. But it appears that was where I went wrong The people who perform best on this task are the ones who dont care at all about the task and just want to get it over as soon as possible. Students and teaching staff who try to work it out and find a pattern always do worst, he says.Its impossible in the time given to decipher the rules of the language and make sense of whats being said to you. But your brain is primed to work it out subconsciously. Thats why, if you dont think about it, youll do okay in the test - children do the best.The evolution of languageThe first words ever uttered may have been as far back as 250,000 years ago, once our ances tors stood up on two legs and freed the ribcage from weight-bearing tasks, allowing fine nerve control of breathing and pitch to develop. And when humans had got one language, it wouldnt have been long before we had many.Language evolution can be compared to biological evolution, but whereas genetic change is driven by environmental pressures, languages change, and develop through social pressures. Over time, different groups of early humans would have found themselves speaking different languages. Then, in order to communicate with other groups - for trade, travel and so on - it would have been necessary for some members of a family or band to speak other tongues.We can get some sense of how prevalent multilingualism may have been from the few hunter-gatherer peoples who survive today. If you look at verrotten hunter-gatherers, they are almost all multilingual, says Thomas Bak, a cognitive neurologist who studies the science of languages at the University of Edinburgh. The rule is that one mustnt marry anyone in the same tribe or clan to have a child - its taboo. So every single childs mum and dad speak a different language.In Aboriginal Australia, where more than 130 indigenous languages are still spoken, multilingualism is part of the landscape. You will be walking and talking with someone, and then you might cross a small river and suddenly your companion will switch to another language, says Bak. People speak the language of the earth. This is true elsewhere, too. Consider in Belgium you take a train in Lige, the announcements are in French first. Then, pass through Loewen, where the announcements will be in Dutch first, and then in Brussels it reverts back to French first.The politics of languageBeing so bound up with identity, language is also deeply political. The emergence of European nation states and the growth of imperialism during the 19th century meant it was regarded as disloyal to speak anything other than the one national language. This perhap s contributed to the widely held opinion - particularly in Britain and the U.S. - that bringing up children to be bilingual was harmful to their health and to society more generally.There were warnings that bilingual children would be confused by two languages, have lower intelligence, low self-esteem, behave in deviant ways, develop a split partality, and even become schizophrenic. It is a view that persisted until very recently, discouraging many immigrant parents from using their own mother tongue to speak to their children, for instance. This is in spite of aa 1962 experiment, ignored for decades, which showed that bilingual children did better than monolinguals in both verbal and non-verbal intelligence tests.However, research in the last decade by neurologists, psychologists, and linguists, using the latest brain-imaging tools, is revealing a swathe of cognitive benefits for bilinguals. Its all to do with how our ever-flexible minds learn to multitask.Ask me in English what my favourite food is, and I will picture myself in London choosing from the options I enjoy there. But ask me in French, and I transport myself to Paris, where the options Ill choose from are different. So the same deeply personal question gets a different answer depending on the language in which youre asking me. This idea that you gain a new personality with every language you speak, that you act differently when speaking different languages, is a profound one.Language and perspectiveAthanasopoulos and his colleagues have been studying the capacity for language to change peoples perspectives. In one experiment, English and German speakers were shown videos of people moving, such as a woman walking towards her car or a man cycling to the supermarket. English speakers focus on the action and typically describe the scene as a woman is walking or a man is cycling. German speakers, on the other hand, have a more holistic worldview and will include the goal of the action they might say (i n German) a woman walks towards her car or a man cycles towards the supermarket.Part of this is due to the grammatical toolkit available, Athanasopoulos explains. Unlike German, English has the -ing ending to describe actions that are ongoing. This makes English speakers much less likely than German speakers to assign a goal to an action when describing an ambiguous scene. When he tested EnglishGerman bilinguals, however, whether they were action- or goal-focused depended on which country they were tested in. If the bilinguals were tested in Germany, they were goal-focused in England, they were action-focused, no matter which language was used, showing how intertwined culture and language can be in determining a persons worldview.In the 1960s, one of the pioneers of psycholinguistics, Susan Ervin-Tripp, tested JapaneseEnglish bilingual women, asking them to finish sentences in each language. She found that the women ended the sentences very differently depending on which language wa s used. For example, When my wishes conflict with my family was completed in Japanese as it is a time of great unhappiness in English, as I do what I want. Another example was Real friends should, which was completed as help each other in Japanese and be frank in English.From this, Ervin-Tripp concluded that human thought takes place within language mindsets, and that bilinguals have different mindsets for each language - an extraordinary idea but one that has been borne out in subsequent studies, and many bilinguals say they feel like a different person when they speak their other language.These different mindsets are continually in conflict, however, as bilingual brains sort out which language to use.In a revealing experiment with his English-German bilingual group, Athanasopoulos got them to recite strings of numbers out loud in either German or English. This effectively blocked the other language altogether, and when they were shown the videos of movement, the bilinguals descrip tions were more action- or goal-focused depending on which language had been blocked. So, if they recited numbers in German, their responses to the videos were more typically German and goal-focused. When the number recitation was switched to the other language midway, their video responses also switched.The bilingual brainSo whats going on?Are there really two separate minds in a bilingual brain? Thats what the snowflake experiment was designed to find out. Im a little nervous of what my fumbling performance will reveal about me, but Athanasopoulos assures me Im similar to others who have been tested - and so far, we seem to be validating his theory.In order to assess the effect that trying to understand the Syntaflake language had on my brain, I took another test before and after the snowflake task. In behauptung so-called flanker tasks, patterns of arrows appeared on the screen, and I had to press the left or right button according to the direction of the arrow in the centre. Som etimes the surrounding pattern of arrows was confusing, so by the end of the first session my shoulders had been hunched somewhere near my ears and I was exhausted from concentrating. Its not a task in which practice improves performance (most people actually do worse second time round), but when I did the same test again after completing the snowflake task, I was significantly better at it, just as Athanasopoulos has predicted.Learning the new language improved your performance second time around, he explains. Relieved as I am to fit into the normal range, its a curious result. How can that be?The flanker tasks were exercises in cognitive conflict resolution - if most of the arrows were pointing to the left, my immediate impulse was to push the left button, but this wasnt the correct response if the central arrow was pointing right. I had to block out my impulse and heed the rule instead. Another example of cognitive conflict is a test in which the names of colours are written in d ifferent colours (blue written in red, for example). The aim is to say which colour each word is written in, but this is tricky, because we read the word much quicker than we process the colour of the letters. It requires considerable mental effort to ignore the impulse just to say the word we cant help but read.The snowflake test prepared my ACC for the second flanker task, just as speaking more than one language seems to train the executive system more generally. A steady stream of studies over the past decade has shown that bilinguals outperform monolinguals in a range of cognitive and social tasks from verbal and nonverbal tests to how well they can read other people. Greater empathy is thought to be because bilinguals are better at blocking out their own feelings and beliefs in order to concentrate on the other persons.Bilinguals perform these tasks much better than monolinguals they are faster and more accurate, says Athanasopoulos. And that suggests their executive systems a re different from monolinguals.In fact, says cognitive neuropsychologist Jubin Abutalebi, at the University of San Raffaele in Milan, it is possible to distinguish bilingual people from monolinguals simply by looking at scans of their brains. Bilingual people have significantly more grey matter than monolinguals in their anterior cingulate cortex, and that is because they are using it so much more often, he says. The ACC is like a cognitive muscle, he adds the more you use it, the stronger, bigger and more flexible it gets.Bilinguals, it turns out, exercise their executive control all the time because their two languages are constantly competing for attention. Brain-imaging studies show that when a bilingual person is speaking in one language, their ACC is continually suppressing the urge to use words and grammar from their other language. Not only that, but their mind is always making a judgement about when and how to use the target language. For example, bilinguals rarely get conf used between languages, but they may introduce the odd word or sentence of the other language if the person they are talking to also knows it.My mother tongue is Polish, but my wife is Spanish so I also speak Spanish, and we live in Edinburgh so we also speak English, says Thomas Bak. When I am talking to my wife in English, I will sometimes use Spanish words, but I never accidentally use Polish. And when I am speaking to my wifes mother in Spanish, I never accidentally introduce English words because she doesnt understand them. Its not something I have to think about, its automatic, but my executive system is working very hard to inhibit the other languages.For bilinguals, with their exceptionally buff executive control, the flanker test is just a conscious version of what their brains do subconsciously all day long - its no wonder they are good at it.The health effectsA superior ability to concentrate, solve problems and focus, better mental flexibility and multitasking skills are , of course, valuable in everyday life. But perhaps the most exciting benefit of bilingualism occurs in ageing, when executive function typically declines bilingualism seems to protect against dementia.Psycholinguist Ellen Bialystok made the surprising discovery at York University in Toronto while she was comparing an ageing population of monolinguals and bilinguals.The bilinguals showed symptoms of Alzheimers some four to five years after monolinguals with the same disease pathology, she says.Being bilingual didnt prevent people from getting dementia, but it delayed its effects, so in two people whose brains showed similar amounts of disease progression, the bilingual would show symptoms an average of five years after the monolingual. Bialystok thinks this is because bilingualism rewires the brain and improves the executive system, boosting peoples cognitive reserve. It means that as parts of the brain succumb to damage, bilinguals can compensate more because they have extra grey m atter and alternative neural pathways.A burst aneurysm caused bilingual Basia Grzybowska to lose both her English and her Polish. Now she has recovered - partly.Bilingualism can also offer protection after brain injury. In a recent study of 600 stroke survivors in India, Bak discovered that cognitive recovery was twice as likely for bilinguals as for monolinguals.Such results suggest bilingualism helps keep us mentally fit. It may even be an advantage that evolution has positively selected for in our brains - an idea supported by the ease with which we learn new languages and flip between them, and by the pervasiveness of bilingualism throughout world history. Just as we need to do physical exercise to maintain the health of bodies that evolved for a physically active hunter-gatherer lifestyle, perhaps we ought to start doing more cognitive exercises to maintain our mental health, especially if we only speak one language.In recent years, there has been a backlash against the studie s showing benefits from bilingualism. Some researchers tried and failed to replicate some of the results others questioned the benefits of improved executive function in everyday life. Bak wrote a rejoinder to the published criticisms, and says there is now overwhelming evidence from psychological experiments backed by imaging studies that bilingual and monolingual brains function differently. He says the detractors have made errors in their experimental methods.The education approachBialystok agrees, adding that it is impossible to examine whether bilingualism improves a childs school exam results because there are so many confounding factors. But, she says, given that at the very least it makes no difference - and no study has ever shown it harms performance - considering the very many social and cultural benefits to knowing another language, bilingualism should be encouraged. As for the financial benefits, one estimate puts the value of knowing a second language at up to $128,000 over 40 years.The result of my test in Athanasopouloss lab suggests that just 45 minutes of trying to understand another language can improve cognitive function. His study is not yet complete, but other research has shown that these benefits of learning a language can be achieved quickly. The problem is, they disappear again unless they are used - and I am unlikely to use the made-up snowflake language ever again Learning a new language is not the only way to improve executive function - playing video games, learning a musical instrument, even certain card games can help - but because we use language all the time, its probably the best executive-function exerciser there is. So how can this knowledge be applied in practice?One option is to teach children in different languages. In many parts of the world, this is already being done many Indian children, for example, will use a different language in school from their mother or village tongue. But in English-speaking nations, it is ra re. Nevertheless, there is a growing movement towards so-called immersion schooling, in which children are taught in another language half the time. The state of Utah has been pioneering the idea, with many of its schools now offering immersion in Mandarin Chinese or Spanish.We use a half-day model, so the target language is used to teach in the morning, and then English is used in the afternoon - then this is swapped on other days as some learn better in the morning and some in the afternoon, explains Gregg Roberts, who works with the Utah Office of State Education and has championed immersion language teaching in the state. We have found that the kids do as well and generally better than monolingual counterparts in all subjects. They are better at concentrating, focusing and have a lot more self-esteem. Anytime you understand another language, you understand your language and culture better. It is economically and socially beneficial. We need to get over our affliction with monoli ngualism.The immersion approach is being trialled in the UK now, too. At Bohunt secondary school in Liphook, Hampshire, head teacher Neil Strowger has introduced Chinese-language immersion for a few lessons.I sit in on an art class with 12-year-olds being taught by two teachers one speaking English, the other Chinese. The children are engaged but quiet, concentrating on the task of learning multiple ideas. When they speak it is often in Chinese - and there is something rather surreal about watching young people in the UK discussing British graffiti artist Banksy in Mandarin. The children say they chose to learn in Chinese because they thought it would be fun and interesting and useful - a far cry from the dreary French lessons I endured at school.The majority of the art class will take their Chinese GCSE exams several years early but Strowger tells me the programme has had many benefits in addition to their grades, including improving students engagement and enjoyment, increasing th eir awareness of other cultures so that they are equipped as global citizens, widening their horizons, and improving their job prospects.What about those of us who have left school? In order to maintain the benefits of bilingualism, you need to use your languages and that can be tricky, especially for older people who may not have many opportunities to practise. Perhaps we need language clubs, where people can meet to speak other languages. Bak has done a small pilot study with elderly people learning Gaelic in Scotland and seen significant benefits after just one week. Now he aims to carry out a much larger trial.Its never too lateIt is never too late to learn another tongue, and it can be very rewarding. Alex Rawlings is a British professional polyglot who speaks 15 languages Each language gives you a whole new lifestyle, a whole new shade of meaning, he says. Its addictivePeople say its too hard as an adult. But I would say its much easier after the age of eight. It takes three y ears for a baby to learn a language, but just months for an adult.As the recent research shows, thats a worthwhile investment of time. Being bilingual could keep our minds working longer and better into old age, which could have a massive impact on how we school our children and treat older people. In the meantime, it makes sense to talk, hablar, parler, sprechen, beszl, berbicara in as many languages as you can.This article originally appeared on Mosaic.

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Where to Find Gpa in Resume

Where to Find Gpa in Resume Generally speaking, an objective on your resume can be useful if it concisely describes your immediate employment goal, but it isnt an important element of a successful resume. You may get a resume and we are going to offer a completely custom work that will find the recruiters interest. If youre asking for a job for a rocket scientist, you might want to value accuracy over ease of reading (maybe). Consider your requirements and see the explanations below to opt for the best resume format for you. Gpa in Resume - Is it a Scam? Youre going to learn all there is to learn about whether or bedrngnis you ought to incorporate GPA on a resume. GPA is but one portion of the story. So you seldom have to be concerned about GPA during program training. Even in case you do have a very low GPA, that doesnt imply that you cant shoot for the stars and still try and enter your dream graduate program. A Secret Weapon for Gpa in Resume Some job seekers are prepa red to select the risk. however, its usually not worth it. Some jobs and a few employers may need a greater baseline minimum. They love to see initiative, no matter what it involves. You must let employers understand what youre here for. Based on your professional profile, including a specific resume section specializing in honors and awards might be precisely what you have to stick out in the application approach. If you choose to use high school info, make certain its really robust and appropriate content. So, resumes arent always of the exact type. You may want to skip the chronological format if youve worked in relatively similar positions for your whole career or held the exact same job for quite a long duration of time. Our company provides a wide variety of business writing services. You are able to show that the supervisor could be contacted after a work offer on your uploaded resume. Were a resume writing company offering a wide selection of writing services. E ach announcement differs. The 5-Minute Rule for Gpa in Resume You should tailor the education section of your resume to satisfy your circumstances, including whether you continue to be a student, how much work experience which you have, and the number of academic achievements youve got. That means you may include classes that you intend to take, but havent yet completed. If you currently have work experience it will matter a whole lot more than your grades. If you currently have experience in the area, its also advisable to avoid listing your GPA and pay attention to your experience instead. Gpa in Resume Fundamentals Explained Employing an online resume builder is a straightforward and effective manner of writing a winning resume which will get you through the interview stage. Copy your answers back to the on-line questionnaire whenever you are finished. Assemble a draft of your resume and execute a crucial analysis of just how much substance is in fact included when alls said and done. Youre able to have a look at the entire article here. Also dont forget to leave out your high school GPA when you have been in college for a couple of years. For instance, if you are not content with your GPA, leave it out, but dont make this up. On the flip side, the ordinary college GPA is around 2.7. You will need to maintain a particular minimum GPA in your classes. Also, theres very little difference between major GPA and total cumulative GPA. In the majority of instances, you wont even be considered because of your low GPA. With a minimal GPA, your LSAT score becomes even more important. GPA is among the most essential variables to find admission in a great college. As a rule of thumb, if you discover your GPA hovering near or under the 25th percentile for a particular schools admitted class, then youre able to consider it a very low GPA for this school. Think about including your GPA inside your major if its significantly higher than your overall GP A. When its higher than your overall GPA you are able to set your important GPA instead. Understanding Gpa in Resume See if youre making the quick first impression you wish to make. Think about it, rather, as a chance to showcase the awesome things youve done in your career and an opportunity to begin a conversation with a prospective employer. For instance, if you place the anthroponym of a single company in italics, every company name has to be in italics. Getting your name and resume out there facing the individuals that are in decision making positions is among the absolute most effective methods to add more impact to your candidacy.

How to Manage an Under-Performer - Spark Hire

How to Manage an Under-Performer - Spark HireThe new year has started, and that may mean notlagehing to you or it may mean a ton. For many, the new year brings the feeling of starting a new slate, fresh and clean. You can put the past year in the back of your mind and start this new year off with a sense of excitement of whats to come. You may make a handful of resolutions, and some of those resolutions may pertain to your career and your work. After all, we do spend the majority of our week at work, right? If you are an employer or manager of a team, then you may look towards improving the way you run things. Perhaps you want to make it a point to show your employees you appreciate them more. Maybe you want to be a motivating factor on your team.As the leader of your team, how do you get your team motivated like they once were? Do you have some under-performers coming back to the office with a lazy, tired attitude? Before you think about dropping them, you should take a look at some of the things you can do to get them performing at their best again. As part of your new years resolution to be a better manager, lets take a look at what you can do to get your under-performers performing at their best once again.For starters, its very important for you to be able to pinpoint an under-performer on your team. elend only are they not working up to their potential, but their sub-par performance level can easily rub off on other team members- and you as well. That is why you have to be in tune with your team and know the potential you are working with. If you notice that one of your team members- or a couple of them- have started to under-perform then you need to make moves right away. Virginia Merritt, a partner at Stanton Marris states in The Careerist that, you notice very early on when someone isnt performing at their best. But it is very easy to rationalize, make excuses and hope that by ignoring a problem it will go away.If you are an experienced employer, then you know full well that ignoring a problem will not make it magically go away. Instead, you have to face the problem head on and figure out a way you can fix it. Perhaps this is one of the things that sets a good employer unbekannt from a bad one. A good employer will notice right away when a team member is under-performing and will let that person know that it will not be accepted. Perhaps there is something going on in their personal life and they need a day to get themselves back on track. Perhaps they are fuzzy on their new goals or projects. It could be a plethora of things, but you will never find out unless you approach the issue head on.Its important to note that when you approach your under-performer, you are having a conversation and are attempting to understand what is causing them to under-perform. This is where employee engagement comes in. In order to understand what is going on so you can fix it, you must engage with your employee. Being open and honest is best. Let t hem know that you have noticed their performance level drop. As stated earlier, make it clear that this is not OK. However, try to get to the bottom of it. You can only do this by asking questions. If you are dealing with someone that has always been an under-performer, but you know they are capable of much more, then you may need to give them an idea of what good performance looks like.Let them know what is expected from a person in their role and what good performance looks like. You can do that by setting goals at first and making sure they reach them. This is where your part comes into play. As an employer, and a good manager, it is on you to set the bar for your employees. They need to know what is expected of them and in one way that comes in the form of goal setting. Make sure that during your conversation with your under-performer that you not only talk about the goals that must be met, but are also writing them down and making them concrete. Set a timeline and hold this per son accountable to it. Without doing this, you may just be letting words out into the wind.It can be difficult to face an under-performer head on, but it must be done. As stated earlier, the problem wont magically disappear if you pretend it does not exist. A good manager will approach it head on and have that somewhat-awkward conversation with their employee because it is necessary. A bad manager will simply let it go on and perhaps fire the employee down the road. As part of the new year, make it a point to motivate your employees and give those under-performers an extra push when need be. In the end, it benefits you both.Do you work with an under-performer? Do you try to combat it or understand why their performance has dropped off? Share with us in the comments section belowIMAGE Courtesy of Flickr by comedy_nose

What to Wear to Work

What to Wear to WorkWhat to Wear to Work WHAT TO WEAR TO WORKMore than 1/2 of employees prefer a casual dress code.16% Very formal (suit and tie)28% Somewhat formal (dress slacks or skirt with button-down shirt)36% Somewhat casual (khakis and polo shirt or sweater)20% Very casual (jeans and T-shirt)How workers feel about casual dress codes86% I like them - they give me freedom to dress as I want and in more comfortable attire9% Im indifferent5% I dont like them - Im confused about what is or isnt appropriate and it takes me longer to get dressed48% of employees would prefer to wear a uniform to work and never have to think about their office attire.23% of workers say their company dress code is unclear about what is or isnt appropriate to wear to the office.41% of employees at least sometimes feel unsure if a piece of clothing is appropriate for work.14% Always27% Sometimes30% Rarely29% NeverSource OfficeTeam survey of 394 workers in the United States 2017 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.

Why Facebook Is The #1 Best Place to Work in Tech, According to Its VP of People

Why facebook inc Is The 1 Best Place to Work in Tech, According to Its VP of PeopleWhy Facebook Is The 1 Best Place to Work in Tech, According to Its VP of People Facebook famously began in a Harvard dorm room in 2004. Now, the company is a publicly traded social and advertising behemoth that recently leidched its two billionth user worldwide.To connect the world is a lofty goal. But Lori Goler, Facebooks Vice President of People, says the companys success comes down to one simple yet complex consideration culture. Recently voted the number one tech company on Glassdoors Best Places to Work list, Facebooks culture stands head and shoulders above the rest. In an exclusive interview with Glassdoors Amy Elisa Jackson, Goler breaks down five core parts of Facebooks culture and explains how the networks users inspire the companys own internal sense of community. The leadership team has always thought about company culture, which is how we got to this place, Goler says . When I walked in the door nine years ago, there was already a lot of focus on company culture lumineszenzdiode by all the people who are still here, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and product chief Chris Cox. While Facebook has, of course, added many more leaders over the years, including COO Sheryl Sandberg, the original executives people-first mission not only informs but is the core of the culture.The culture is in support of the mission, Goler explains. We have seen the way that our community of users uses the products to build community, and we use it ourselves to build community internally. It all feels very much in sync.Now in its fourteenth year. Facebook keeps its culture intact in part by conscientious recruitment and durchschaubar interview practices , Goler says. Were really careful to explain what its like to work here and what is important to the people who work here, she adds. Its for people who are meeting us to decide whether that is something that they reall y care about too. The people who end up joining Facebook sort of self-selected into this environment where the culture and the mission is a really big part of our value proposition.Facebooks founder landed in the No. 10 spot on Glassdoors 2017 Highest Rated CEOs . Goler attributes his high marks from employees to his authenticity and humanity.Mark is so human and so authentic with our team, she explains. He does a Q&A every Friday. He shows up as he is The person that you see, his public persona, is the same thing we see internally. You see the warmth and the transparency in his posts we see the same thing.Zuckerberg is dedicated to working alongside employees, Goler adds, getting his hands dirty just like everybody else. At the same time, he provides this amazing vision and forward-looking inspiration for everyone here. He reflects what the company is all about.Another core tenet of Facebook is building a strengths-based company. Facebook sees playing to strengths as two-fold Peopl e must be in roles that not only make use of their skills but also provide work they enjoy.Internal metrics like self-assessments and exit interviews bear out the importance of this focus, Goler says. The thing that separates people who stay for a long time or who make the choices to leave is how they score themselves on whether theyre playing to their strengths. Its not always about some of the things that you see on the surface. Those surveys also reflect a sense of pride in the work at Facebook, which goes back to mission-focused goals, Goler adds. These are two things that are a little bit different - and almost intangible if youre not on the inside feeling it - but I think theyre two of the biggest drivers of the reasons that people stay.Employees build their own places at Facebook. On one level, thats about daily tasks The company is open and transparent about its goals, so staffers are expected to take that context and work with autonomy to further the mission. That is a re ally important part of feeling like youre contributing at Facebook and the work that youre doing matters, Goler says.Secondly, creating a place at Facebook often means integrating personal lives into the work community. Were this one single community of thousands of people, but were also a platzset of overlapping communities in many ways, Goler says. Theres your larger team and your smaller team and your ad-hoc team that isnt about your hierarchy. But then theres the parents group and the working moms group, the mountain bike on weekends group.Facebookers have created thousands of groups internally more groups than there are employees, in fact and Goler says this offers a sense of personalization at scale. You almost design your own social experience and community internally, including smaller overlapping communities that dont have anything to do with the specific work that youre doing. I think that makes it a really special place.The integration of home and work lives helps emplo yees feel supported when they are going through a tough time personally. We show up so well, and I think thats all part of being a community, Goler says.Beyond smaller community groups, Facebook on a larger scale implements policies that support people as they go through all the stages of their life. People would tell you they want to be good workers, family members and, friends. Weve tried to build a set of policies that support that in every stage of life, Goler says. One recent new policy is Facebooks extended bereavement leave. As of January employees now receive up to 20 days paid leave to grieve the death of an immediate family member, and 10 days for the loss of an extended family member double the amount of bereavement time Facebook offered in 2016, and far more than most companies provide.The extended leave is just the latest formal extension of the mission Facebook lives every day, Goler says Its about showing up for people when they need it the most.bewerberinterview con ducted by Amy Elisa Jackson.

3 Facts to Face When You Fire an Employee - The Muse

3 Facts to Face When You Fire an Employee - The Muse3 Facts to Face When You Fire an EmployeeFor even the best leaders, nothing puts a knot in their stomachs like having to fire someone. Even when the employee deserves it, taking someones job away is among the hardest tasks any leader has to do. First off, firing someone should bother you Its a sign that you have a heart and can have empathy for the people who work for you. After all, youre about to upend someones world. Any boss worth their salt is both strong enough to conduct a firing, and human enough to understand how upsetting being fired can be. Heres the good news many successful people find success after being fired. Years later, they may look back on the incident as a pivotal moment in their careers. But even knowing this doesnt make it any less scary- but you can make a horrible situation a little bit less so by taking a few tips from some of my clients, experienced leaders who anguished over their first firing. 1. Stick t o the FactsAs much as they wanted to make the firing a casual, personal conversation, most leaders report that when they tried that, it didnt work. Your job is to inform the employee whats happening, what they can (and should) expect, and why theyre losing their job. This will help them start the process of letting go and looking ahead. Nothing makes this already tough conversation harder than a wishy-washy manager who is preoccupied with trying to cushion the landing. Saying something like, Were going to have to let you go for failure to meet minimum performance requirements may feel harsh, but its a lot more honest and clear than saying, I can tell youve really been trying to learn the job and I wished we were in a position to let you keep learning, but were going to have to make some changes that will impact you. Give the person credit for having a brain, and tell them what they need to know. If the roles were reversed, youd want someone to tell it to you straight.2. Remember Tha t Feeling Guilty Doesnt Mean You Are to BlameYou have made a decision that just disrupted someones life. Now, theyre going to have to do all the work associated with a job search. Theyll have to say goodbye to friends and verstndigung im strafverfahren with the feelings they have about being fired. Itll be a change, and no one looks forward to any of these things, but all of these steps are tolerable. Youre not to blame for them needing to take these steps . Your role was to be their boss and manage their performance. It was their responsibility to do their job and meet expectations. That part of the equation- whether they did or didnt meet job requirements- is on them, not you. Sometimes its your peers wholl make you feel bad when they second-guess you with a statement like I had no idea you were having problems with her. She couldve been a great asset in my department- if youd told me. Remember, opinions are a dime a dozen You did what made the most sense for your team. 3. Know Yo ur Relationship(s) Will Change the Moment You Fire ThemBe prepared to feel anger (and at the very least, disapproval) from the person you fire as well as from their friends or associates. And not just in the short term, but the long term as well- its very possible that youll run into this person in the future and he or she will not be excited to landsee you. But remember Your goal shouldnt be to be BFFs with your employees. It should be about earning their respect through fairness, honesty, competence, and consistency.At the same time, youre only human. And its hard to see an employee go through something difficult. But just like it isnt your fault, it also isnt your place to solve the problem. Staying calm- even in the face of an intense emotional reaction- isnt just the professional thing to do, its also the most helpful.Additionally, dont try to make yourself look better by throwing others under the bus. Phrases like It wasnt my call or If it were up to me just confuse people. (T hey dont bring any additional comfort.) If youre firing someone, own it. Losing your job is hard enough- being fired and not knowing who made the decision or why it happened is worse. If you are accountable for the performance of others, its likely youll have to let someone go at some point. And yes, just about everyone who has been fired remembers that day its locked in their memory. Treat the event and the person with humility, respect and compassion. You cant predict or control exactly how the firing will affect someone else, but you can control how you act, and your measured approach can make it a less stressful experience for you both.Photo of a conversation courtesy of annebaek/Getty Images.