Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Relocation May Soon Be a Thing of the Past

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Relocation May Soon Be a Thing of the Past In a research paper,Understanding the Long-Run Decline in Interstate Migration, Greg Kaplan and Sam Schulhofer-Wohl of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis analyzed the secular decline in interstate migration in the United States between the early 90s and the early aughts. They found that while gross flows of people across states are about 10 times larger than net flows, they declined by around 50 percent over the study’s 20 year period. The latest U.S. Census numbers support this decline. According to Richard Florida atCityLab, just slightly more than one in ten Americans (11.2 percent) moved between 2015 and 2016, almost half the 20.2 percent rate back in 1948, when the Census began tracking American mobility. “Mobility was once the cornerstone of the American Dream, but today Americans move less often than Canadians, and only a bit more than Finns or Danes,” he wrote. Why Mobility Is Falling: The Research Speaks It’s arguably easier to move out of state now than it was in the past, so why are fewer Americans doing so? After looking at microdata on the distribution of earnings and occupations across space, the researchers assigned this fall in migration to a decline in the geographic specificity of occupations, together with an increase in workers’ ability, before moving, to learn about other locations and assess how much they will like living there through information technology and inexpensive travel. In other words, you don’t necessarily have to relocate to Silicon Valley to work in software development, and if you were thinking about such a move, you might decide through online research that it would be dumb to trade a 10 percent salary increase for a 60 percent increase in living costs. So you stay put, whereas before the Internet you would have had less information available, made the move, and potentially regretted it. In a relatedCityLabpiecefrom a few years ago, Plumer speculated that today’s economy actually mandates fewer overall changes in jobs and careers, meaning opportunities to move would simply come up less often. And, he wrote, “in our increasingly specialized labor market, people increasingly sort into the places and jobs that best fit them far earlier in their careers. Those who want to be in finance head to New York while they’re still young, just as those who want to be in film head to L.A.” After a while, it becomes prohibitively expensive to leave that geography, so people stay. Depending on your professions, a move across state lines could actually negatively impact your career. For example, lawyers and doctors are licensed at the state level and might not want to go through the trouble of getting the necessary credentials in a different state, even if the state in question pays better or is experiencing greater demand. Similarly, a high school teacher who moves out of state after working for many years loses both his seniority and his pension eligibility. For the rest, check out the QuickBase Fast Track blog.

In Defense Of Gen Y In The Workplace

In Defense Of Gen Y In The Workplace Generation Y gets a lot of heat from prior generations with regard to how we work. The word entitlement often gets used. As does, overconfident,  uncommitted, and a plethora of other negatives. To our credit, were seen as technologically-savvy, team-oriented, and dynamic. Sometimes, however, it feels like Gen Y often gets the short end of the stick with regard to our workplace attitudes and performance. It seems to me that life after college has been different from Generation Y in a way that it hasnt been been for other generational cohorts, at least for some time. I am one of those people who is very critical of my generations attitudes, particularly in the United States. Given that I am foreign, I sometimes feel a little disparity between how the generation is described here and what I observe in other countries. Nonetheless, viewing the world through the lens of multiple cultural perspectives does not alienate me from identifying with Gen Y. And I think people are not always fair in how they view us. The following are a list of my defenses of my generation, Gen Y. Gen Y were conditioned to be high performers from childhood. We were conditioned to get good grades, be well-rounded, and have high expectations for ourselves. So you can imagine our surprise when because we want to exceed, were called, entitled. Granted, hard work doest entitle one to success but, from our perspective, weve been putting in hours since our childhood. We dont think we should be middle-managers in two years but given the nature of our up-bringing and how quickly we learn, we do want more responsibility in a shorter amount of time because thats what weve been trained to want. A lot of people forget that a lot of Generation Y graduated into a not-so-hot economy. Were a little pissed off about that because we are inheriting the damage caused by prior generations. We dont think we should get our dream jobs as we walk across the stage but it would be nice if we didnt feel like even merely  obtaining  a job that matches our education endeavors wasnt like pulling teeth. Given inflation and prices over time, weve had to settle for simply what we could get in a lot of ways that our parents didnt have to. While were on the subject of our parents, a lot of Gen Y observed their parents work, work, and work. Perhaps in a way that wasnt always healthy and from our observation, we have come to the conclusion that all work and no play, does in fact make Jack a dull boy. (And Jill too.) So we do think that there is a way to be a productive member of society and still have a healthy, happy, life. Why is that considered a bad thing, again? Regarding our uncommitted attitudes to organizations. Well, I think thats another thing we learned from our not-so-hot economy and a prior generation who, after being loyal to an organization for years, were simply laid off and dropped like a bad habit. Times have changed and we wised up and realized that a lot of corporations simply do what is best for the corporation. So we decided that we would do what is best for ourselves too. And sometimes that means jumping ship when we find a better opportunity. If lay-offs and pay-cuts arent personal, well neither is our lack of  commitment. I know it may seem like Im ripping apart Corporate America (and part of me is), because I honestly think Generation Y is a very frustrated generation that was not necessarily dealt the best of cards. My individual view is that no one deserves anything until they get it, but thats mostly the result of being the product of two parents who worked hard from poverty to earn everything they have. Its a different mentality from a generation that was told and trained that all they had to do was work hard and get the education and put in the hours, and that opportunity would come. The opportunities didnt come for a lot of people. My advice to Generation Y, while I defend some of our work mentality, would be to borrow some aspects from The Great Depression Generation learn to save, expect nothing from anyone, and get back to basics with starting from the bottom in order to achieve your career goals. Its tough to break outside of how wee been trained, but we dont want to make our parents mistakes either. If we want to become the great generation that we were primed to be, ironically, were going to have to overcome the mentality we were brought up in. Hopefully we will, and along the way, leave our own future graduates in a much better position than the ones we find ourselves in.

Use Sales Techniques To Get The Interview - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Use Sales Techniques To Get The Interview - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Just as job candidates qualify the best opportunity for themselves, the same happens on the other side of the table. You are being reviewed for the best-qualified match to help the company achieve its goals. Whether you are applying to be a short order cook at a fast take-out establishment or desire to be the next CEO of a company, speaking to the vision and mission of the company as well as their defined goals will give you greater credibility. The credibility comes from demonstrating you did your homework upfront, know of what you are speaking and sounds as if you are motivated to do exceptionally well. This would result in you establishing a leading advantage because most people are not familiar with doing the proper research ahead of time or how to express their findings in follow-up communication to get the interview. Your personal brand may well include self-starter. Do your research Research as much as you are able about the company. Read all of the pages of their website, press releases and anything else you might find. Determine if the company is private or public. If public, find where there stock is selling currently as well as its highs and lows. People love the thought of one day becoming very wealthy through the company stock, and so it may become a friendly talking point during a subsequent interview. While reviewing the company website, look for repeated phrases or keywords; these are of importance to the company. Should any appeal to you, use the phrasing in your initial conversation whether a phone screening or actual interview as it applies to why you are interesting the available position. Familiarization Using the keywords or phrases is referred to as “Matching”. It helps the interviewing parties understand your answers better as they already have familiarity with what you are saying. People buy from people they know, like and trust. The comfort level needs to be in place first in order to get to the liked and trusted stages. Matching serves to build the relationship. Familiarize yourself with the management team. If you attended the same University as the CEO, let it be known. This one fact alone enabled a young graduate to get a lucrative job just as the stock market feel dramatically and no one was hiring. Now that you familiarized yourself with the facts, consider how your talents match the required qualifications. Consider ahead of time your answer to the questions of how will you be able to benefit the company and why they should hire you. What do you bring to the table? Highlight your accomplishments Another sales technique is to make it easy for the other party to say, “Yes!”. On your resume, highlight special status such as awards or achievements as it pertains to what they are seeking. For example, the use of a colored font helps those to stand out. Salespeople use the color green as it indicates revenue. Keep the points brief but noticeable. Creating some intrigue and clearly indicating a good match are among the keys to getting called in for an interview. Should a recruiter be involved with your search, sell to that person too. Ask what type of information they believe is important today and what else they might recommend. If they do not promptly return an email or phone call, wait a few days and then politely follow-up. Express appreciation for all they are doing on your behalf. By doing so, you will encourage the recruiter to further help you. View the process as a team effort and you will be likely to find the right job much sooner. Using the sales techniques outline above should help you find what you want more quickly and it will seem as if it were a Smooth Sale! Author: Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC, (800) 704-1499, was honored by Open View Labs with inclusion in their international list of “Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012.” Elinor authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, Sourcebooks and the best selling career book, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”, Career Press. She provides team sales training, private coaching and highly acclaimed inspirational keynotes for conferences. Elinor is available for consultation.

Recruitment It Aint Rocket Science!

Recruitment It Aint Rocket Science! It ain’t rocket science or is it? I have always held the premise that recruitment is not rocket science. It is a  sales process ultimately that, if the right approach is taken, can actually be fairly simple. So why oh why do so many recruiters complicate it or even make it look harder than it actually needs to be? I don’t know about you, but I am always comparing myself to my social circle and wondering if: Could I do their job? Could they do my job? Most importantly, whose job is easier? I ask you: would you even consider becoming a teacher? Strangely, at least 3 very close friends of mine have chosen this profession in recent years and actually have become very accomplished teachers they utilise commercial management techniques in a very political and archaic structure (well, in their schools anyway, not naming names!) and they have all commented that they think their new career is much harder work than any recruitment role they ever had. I personally can’t imagine working the hours they do (and they DO work long hours, it isn’t all about the 12 weeks holiday a year, honestly!) for a starting salary of £21k! Even a senior teacher in management will peak at about £40k and if they dared to work out their hourly rate teaching is truly a vocation, you aren’t doing it for the money! I adore my own kids but all day every day with 30+ kids? Nah, you’re ok thanks! I have other friends who are quite senior within healthcare, two in particular a Consultant Neurologist and a Senior Community Sister. On a daily basis, they are facing life and death on behalf of their patients. The Consultant has to deal with telling new parents that their newborn child is mortally brain damaged and the Sister has to visit patients literally dying of cancer. They have an inner strength that comes from somewhere to allow them to be able to still come home and live relatively normal (what is normal?) lives with their own families. What do recruiters do? So, when I think about what we do as recruiters (and I am not dismissive in any way as you all know), don’t you think, just how much I LOVE recruitment it makes you stop and think. STOP making it so darn hard! Simple process: Speak to candidate gain trust and exclusivity (ideally), build up knowledge to be able to match them accurately to your client base. Speak to client Discuss your candidate with client, whom you have built up a partnership with so you know who they need. Feedback promptly and candidly throughout the process to both parties and without prejudice. Ensure timely process, manage expectations accordingly. Manage notice period Candidate is offered role and manage their notice period. Finalise all contract information and ensure client is satisfied. I have jumped just a few steps ok a LOT of steps but surely if you are reading this, I don’t need to teach you how to suck eggs.. You get my point though. Which part of that process is actually life and death? Which part of that process isn’t actually really pleasant and exciting and interesting to be changing someone’s life? Why cant recruiters love their job? And that is another really important point. The one thing that has kept me as passionate 15 years later. I really care and love changing people’s lives by finding them their perfect career move. What is wrong with admitting and saying.naySHOUTING that out loud?! Why don’t recruiters feel blessed to be financially rewarded for a process that is also altruistic, truly a great sense of job satisfaction too?? What other job could you do that can earn you a fantastic package? I regularly meet recruiters who earn £50-80k a year and they aren’t even 30 years old! You would have to be a headteacher or GP working 100 hours a week to be earning that, surely? And no one dies? (well metaphorically speaking, sometimes they may just do if they haven’t prepared enough for the interview!!) Do you catch my drift? Recruitment is a privilege we are creating a new career for each and every candidate and for the client and we are fulfilling their plan for growth. Enjoy that privilege, it is an opportunity to be creative, to do something special stop overcomplicating it, ruining it and just be grateful to work in our very wonderful sector. What do you think? Is recruitment a simple process? Have you recently become a recruiter and you agree with what I have said, perhaps you have changed sectors yourself? I would love to know what you think.

The Duties And Responsibilities of A Construction Project Manager CareerMetis.com

The Duties And Responsibilities of A Construction Project Managerâ€" CareerMetis.com A construction project manager is the pilot of the crew that forms a construction project team. There are a lot of tasks that fill the platter of a construction manager, right from contacting clients to recruiting workforce for the projects. They are responsible for supervising construction projects ranging from residential buildings to bridges or commercial and industrial setups to roads.Whether it is completing the project within the defined budget or in the given time, it is the prime responsibility of a project manager to see if everything goes as per the plan.evalWell, the responsibilities of a construction manager doesn’t end here. Below is a list of the duties and responsibilities that have to be fulfilled by a construction project manager:1) PlanningevalApart from planning work for themselves, construction project managers have to prepare a detailed layout of the tasks that have to be performed by the construction team.They also have to plan;Budget EstimationsResources allo cationTime EstimationAssigning tasks to individuals in the projectReviewing the tasks assignedDeveloping a schedule to reflect the milestones achieved during the construction lifecycleSupervising the whole projectUpdating the clients regarding the progress of the projectThere are a lot of savvy tools available in the market to guide and help the project managers perform their task in a better way.2) Hire ResourcesBe it hiring the labours or getting the right company to get the raw materials, a construction manager is the boss of the construction site. Getting the right resources and materials is a tricky task as there are always the chances of people leaving the project or the materials not being up to the mark.The manager also has to supervise the whole site and communicate well with all the people involved in the project to ensure smooth project operations. In case of any misbehaviours by the concerned people working, it is the job of the project manager to fire such people who mi ght affect the progress of the project in a negative way.3) Prepare construction contractsevalA contract is one of the most crucial elements of any type of work. The parties involved in the construction project are all bound by a contract and it’s the duty of a project manager to keep a tab on this. All the clauses must be crystal clear to the owners and builders and each individual involved and it is the job of the project manager to make them aware of the contract and see if it is followed by one and all.A construction manager must draft concise contracts for;The workforce involvedArchitectsConstruction material suppliersSubcontractorsThird-parties involvedThe construction management software available in the market enables the project managers to draft clear contracts and deliver the same to the parties involved and take a timely follow-up for the same.4) Risk ManagementAny construction project comes with its own set of risks. There are always the chances of the labours leaving the project midway or disputes among the labours or lack of building material on the desirable time and so on. It becomes difficult for a project manager to identify the risk and take actions in case of a critical project involving a huge workforce.evalA good construction management software comes at rescue here. With various tools available in such software, a project manager can easily identify the risks involved and can take various actions to mitigate these without hampering the progress of the project. The manager can inform the clients about the risks and together they can take necessary actions for risk management.5) Keeping the Clients InformedevalA construction manager is a sole authority on a construction site. It is one of the tasks of the project manager to keep the bosses informed. Whether there are any discrepancies in the project or a dearth of resources or if the time for project completion is going to be extended, the clients must be well-informed.Various construct ion management software available in the market allows the project managers to generate reports on the project progress and deliver these reports to the clients to gauge the progress of the project. This way, the communication becomes transparent and everything is available in the reports at just a click as the manager doesn’t have to go around looking for the missing pieces.6) On-time and In-Budget DeliverablesA good manager is the one who keeps the word promised. Here we are talking about the budget and time allotted for the project. It is the duty of the construction manager to see if the work of the project is going as per the estimations provided at the beginning of the project.There are software that help the managers in fulfilling the deadlines for individual modules and keep a check on the budget used for each of these modules. The manager can input the values in the software and this in turn provides an accurate estimation for calculations of project requirements.These va lues can be updated as the project proceeds and can be scaled as and when needed. In case of any changes in the cost or time, the manager will be notified and this also helps in managing the risk associated with deliverables.WRAPPING UPA construction project manager is the heart of any project. Empowering the manager, in turn, leads to a strong project team. This task can’t be done alone and the right kind of tools can work magic for the projects in place.With lots of software in the market for aiding the managers to perform their task easily and quickly, getting one for your construction project depends on its type and requirements. With the right kind of construction management software in use, you can power up your project as it helps ease the tasks of managers to manifold.

Ten Ways to Make Sure You Dont Get Hired

Ten Ways to Make Sure You Dont Get Hired Here are ten ways I see job seekers sabotaging their job search. Are you guilty of any of these mistakes?Inflate their qualifications or lie on their resume.  While a  resume  is not a legal document, it should be an accurate representation of your experience and achievements. I advocate for showing your employment history in the best possible light, buy lying is never wise.Forget to proofread their resume.  One of the easiest ways to show an employer you dont pay much attention to details is to submit a resume with a typo. Check, double-check, and triple check your document. Use spell check and ask a few different people to proof the resume before sending it to employers.Send the same generic cover letter to every employer.  The  cover letter  is the perfect opportunity to make a connection with the employer and explain how you can help solve their problems. Dont go vanilla here. Tailor your cover letter to the employer and position you are applying to.Neglect to research the compan y before the interview.  With so much information on the Internet there is no excuse for not knowing about the company you are interviewing with. Use Vault, Glassdoor, WetFeet, Jigsaw, and LinkedIn to unearth important information about the companies and people you are interviewing with and dont forget to take advantage of the  research  resources available at many public libraries.Ask everyone they know for a job.  Unless you want your friends and colleagues to stop returning your calls, dont just ask everyone you know for a job. Instead ask for information about a company, a person, an industry, etc. Let your contacts know you value their knowledge and insights. Through these exploratory conversations they may be able to point you in the direction of a possible job opportunity even if they cant help you land that job directly.Neglect to send a thank you letter following an interview.  Its not just a courtesy. It is an opportunity to make a second impression on the person you just interviewed with and remain top of mind. Send the  thank you letter  within 24 hours of the interview. A few paragraphs with a thank you and a recap of why you are the perfect match for the job can help keep you on the hiring managers short list.Fail to leverage their network.  Some people feel that reaching out to their  network  for contacts means asking for favors. It doesnt. See #5.Snub social media.  Imagine being able to go into the offices of everyone you know and look through their Roledex (remember them). Thats what  social media  sites like LinkedIn and Twitter allow you to do.Complain.  Its easy to blame the company or the economy for your job search frustrations. But it wont get you a job any faster. Find a few close confidents you can vent to and dont spread your frustration to others. Keep a journal to help you chronicle your search journey and help get your feelings out.Give up.  This is perhaps the scariest one of all. And there are a lot of people out there that hav e given up. Unemployment benefits wont last forever. At some point you will have to get back in the game. If you have dropped out of the race for several months, getting back in is much harder. Keep at it. Plan job search activities every day. You will be scheduling meetings with friends and colleagues, doing Internet research, building your online network, working on your resume, practicing your elevator pitch, etc. There is a lot to do. Job search is a full-time job. Nows not the time to take a vacation.

How to Write a Winning Accounting Resume Objective

How to Write a Winning Accounting Resume ObjectiveYou should know that your accounting resume objective is the first thing that people will see when they look at your resume. You do not have to use fancy language in it, but you should make sure that it does the job of informing the potential employer about why you are the right person for the job. Your objective may read something like 'Accountant with an Accounting Degree,' or 'Accredited Auditor and Certified Public Accountant.' Whatever it is, you have to make sure that it is something that will help you land the job.Your objective must be as specific as possible. It should include what skills you have that could be useful in the job, what you have done in the past that could benefit the job, and what you can bring to the company. After this, you need to think about how you will fit into the organization and how you will go about promoting yourself. Finally, you need to think about what your experiences will be that would make you the right person for the job.Your objective should include the exact things that would make you the right person for the job. For example, if you want to be an auditor, make sure that your objective says you would like to become a CPA or CCPA. Be sure that it covers the areas you would like to work on so that it can be explained clearly to the hiring manager.It is also a good idea to include the names of some of your previous employers in the objective. This helps to show that you are willing to work for the company that is hiring you. It also shows that you understand that the company is looking for more than just technical skills, which will make it easier for them to be able to hire you.Your objective must also mention your skills and qualifications that make you the right person for the job. Include things like: P.C. Audit, CPA, CCPA, and Auditor.In the objective, do not say something like, 'Our clients say that I am a very good communicator' and you should not include words li ke 'motivated'professional' because you need to emphasize the skill set that is what makes you qualified for the job. Using adjectives instead of verbs is also a good idea because it helps your prospective employer to see exactly what you have to offer. One word description is also okay, but it should be brief.Remember that your resume objective should give the potential employer something to see. Make sure that you include all the information about yourself so that you are going to be able to relate to it.