15 Ways to Make a New Colleague Feel Welcome

15 Ways to Make a New Colleague Feel Welcome It might not be your first instinct. When a new person suddenly enters your workplace, it can change the social dynamic and put people on edge. But it can also be an amazing opportunity for new ideas, new energy and even a new friend. Though your natural response to a new coworker might be defensiveness, competitiveness and dominance, it will soothe your own heart and make their experience ten times better if you welcome them with intention.15 ways to make your colleague feel welcomeThese 15 tips arent difficult or showy. And they wont affect your own work standing or job output. In fact, welcoming your coworker just might make you feel better, work better and appear like more of a team player. Resolving to be a kind and welcoming coworker just might be the choice that gets you noticed and gets you one step closer to your own goals.1) Ask questions.Whenever I enter a new workplace, I find that some of the most awkward situations actually c ome up months into the job when my coworkers realize that they never asked any questions about me, so they dont know key aspects of my life. Asking simple questions, like Wzu sichbeie did you work before you came zu sichbeie? and Wherbeie did you grow up? can go a long way towards building relationships and making everyone comfortable.2) Introduce yourselfIf youre not formally introduced, but happen to spot a new colleague at her desk or in the hallway, be sure to go up to her, shake her flosse and welcome her to the team. Then you wont be stuck in havent-quite-met-yet awkward social purgatory.3) Leave a note.If you wont be in the office on your colleagues first day, leave a short note/card on her desk. It can say something as simple as Welcome So glad youre here to let her know that her colleagues are excited to meet her.4) Give her a tour of the workplace.If a tour isnt written into her first-week schedule, your colleague might be a little lost. Take 10 minutes to walk her around the building. Show her where the best bathrooms are. Teach her how to use the copier. Shell thank you.5) Dont gossip.Gossip is the ultimate way to fast-track your colleague into distrust and discomfort. Its her first few days you dont need to give her all the dirty details of everyones social lives just yet. Plus, if youre talking about other people, shell know immediately that you will, someday, talk about her.6) Try not to complain.Nothing is more unpleasant than coworkers who complain constantly about the workplaces, especially when youre just starting out and totenstill have a positive attitude. Dont ruin her outlook just because you hate your job.7) Loop her in.Are you sending a silly email to your work friends, sending out an invite for happy hour or reminding people about the free cookies in the break room? CC the new person. This is incredibly easy and will make her feel like a part of the team.8) Check in about her work logistics.Is she paying for parking or taking the bu s? Is there a carpool group she could join, or a secret low-cost parking option? Has anyone told her that she gets a 15-minute break each day? Check in with your new colleague to make sure shes taking full advantage of all the job perks and opportunities. It wont take much to get her up to speed and feeling more confident in the office.9) Say Thank you.It feels good to be appreciated. If you want to set the standard for a warm, welcoming, appreciative office culture, you can start by treating new colleagues exactly the way you would want to be treated. Friendly emails, smiles, thank yous and pleases are simple gesture that go a long way towards a culture of kindness and mutual support.10) Ask about something in her office, cube or on her desk.If your new colleague brought photographs, plants, a calendar or other mementos to decorate her new workspace, be sure to ask her about them. Youll learn new things about her and show her that youre interested in her life.11) Compliment her on somethingbesides her appearance.It can feel like an easy and friendly gesture to tell your new coworker that her dress is super cute or her haircut is great. But it will make her feel even more seen, known and appreciated if you can find something unique to notice about her. Does she always have energy in the morning? Is she awesome at motivating others, organizing calendars or writing? If you can focus your compliments on her personhood, rather than her physical appearance, you can help build up her real confidence, rather than making her even more aware of how she looks.12) Invite her to eat lunch with you.If you and your work friends have a consistent time and place that you eat lunch, let your colleague know. That way, she wont be shyly having Sad Desk Lunch on her first day.13) Read her resume.If you can, try to find out about what she did before joining your team. This will not only help you make conversation with her, but it will also signal to her that you respect her previo us experience and are excited to have her as a colleague.14) Take her out for coffee.This is not only a great opportunity to show her where to get the best coffee near the office, but it will give you a chance to ask questions, learn about your new colleague and get her out of that brand-new work environment, which can be a little stressful at first.15) Share your desk snacks.Duh. --Kaitlyn Duling is an author and poet who is passionate about supporting and uplifting other women. Her work can be found at www.kaitlynduling.com.

Lying on a Resume Reviews & Tips

Lying on a Resume Reviews & Tips Giving into the desire to lie when applying for employment is risky though. Youve taken step one. If youre honest, perhaps you will totensgeschiebemergel receive the job, and otherwise, maybe they will prevent you in mind for future positions at least. Zero tolerance is what the businesses are taking a look at. For instance, the bulk of courts dont rule against you completely if your employer can only offer confidential records during the instance. Lying on your resume may also affect your future employment. It can also lead to termination depending on what the lie was about. Lying about education is among the most typical lies job seekers make. If you believe you have been illegally fired by your employer, even when you have fibbed on a couple of aspects of your resume or job application, you can want to seek advice from an employment law lawyer. Lying on a resume or work application can be very tempting, but you ought to avoid doing it, as it might cost you dearly later on. The application is a legal document, and thats why the application is essential even though youve submitted a resume. The 5-Minute Rule for Lying on a Resume Lying on your resume is not something which comes highly advisable. Your assumption which you were hired as a result of a lie on your resume may be unfounded. Lying on a Resume Secrets That No One Else Knows About In the long run, its always a terrible idea. Specifically, youre in a position to deliver an individuals job title, essential duties and dates of tenure at the organization but you ought not provide any extra commentary beyond that. If youve lied, you own a lot of company. Be honest, since if you arent, then the provider will find it out any ways. The Ultimate Strategy for Lying on a Resume Though, till date the Hiring Managers are overlooking some small false representation, but if youre trying for some huge lies, then you wont be excused in any respect. They w ere not born yesterday. Listing a fake organization is also a standard lie on resumes. Folks are often not too up-to-date on their social networking accounts. If youre saying that you were accountable for saving a tremendous proportion of the price of the organization, then you are going to be asked how you made that possible, what was your plan and the way you implemented that. There may also be a chance you could find it hard to fit the expectations you earlier set. If your resume isnt making you truly feel proud, you can require an expert overhaul. Along with losing your present job, you might find it even more difficult to locate future employment since you own a termination for cause on your employment record. Okay, theres a little chance you are going to get away with lying on a work application or on your resume. If youre going to lie on your CV, making yourself quickly necessary to the operation is just about the perfect way to make koranvers that you dont get show n the door immediately. Some individuals will do anything it requires to find an edge. If youre not obtaining a job, then it is wise that you start looking into yourself and groom yourself better, instead of lying on a resume. A professional-development course at a university isnt the very same thing as a true academic (for-credit) course and shouldnt be treated as such. Though its not a really very good practice, sadly its the fact it has come to be quite common to lie on a resume. So, even when you claim to get a level, all a California employer must do is run your credit file, and should they discover that you were lying, disqualify you as a candidate. By way of example, listing the incorrect year of graduating from college wouldnt be as serious as claiming you earned a degree which you didnt earn.

How to Stand Out at a Career Fair

How to Stand Out at a Career Fair Career fairs are incredible opportunities for candidates. Dozens of companies gather in one place, offering the chance to explore more jobs and internships in one day than a job seeker might get in a month of submitting resumes online.Many employers even conduct on-the-spot interviews, which means candidates dont have to wait weeks or months after submitting an application to actually speak to the employer. Additionally, career fairs are great networking opportunities. Even if a candidate isnt interested in a position with a certain company at the time of the fair, the connection is there to be leveraged in the future.However, because career fairs offer so much, theyre often swamped with candidates. It may seem impossible to stand out when theres such a large crowd, but youll do great if you follow a few simple guidelinesPlan AheadAccording to one study, 47 percent of candidates are eliminated from the running because they have little or no knowledge of the company with which they are interviewing. As a professional and qualified candidate, you should never go into a career fair blind.Find out in advance what companies are going to be at the fair. Have an idea beforehand of the ones with which youd like to connect,and know exactly which positions you want to discuss. Wandering around looking for something that seems interesting is a waste of both your time and the recruiters time.After youve researched the companies youre interested in, create a game plan to tackle them all. Decide in advance which booths to visit first and where you should head if the lines are getting long. Remember that time is limited at a career fair, so standing in lines should be avoided whenever possible. You can always move on to the next booth on the list and come back later.Look the PartA career fair is basically a series of short, personal interviews, and what you wear in an interview matters 65 percent of respondent s to a surveysaid clothes could be a deciding factor between two practically identical candidates.When attending a career fair, dress like you would for any other formal interview but make koranvers youre wearing fairly comfortable clothing. Heels or a stiff suit might be okay for a sit-down interview, but career fairs involve a lot of walking and standing.In addition, dont bring much more than your resume with you. A small bag for essentials works fine, but you dont want to be encumbered by a coat, briefcase, or anything else that might get in the way of handshakes and business cards.Sell YourselfThebrief interviews you have at career fairs are not the same as formal, sit-down interviews. The recruiter probably wont ask a series of questions to find out more about you.Instead, youll need to use the interview to sell yourself.Before the big day arrives, practice talking about yourself to friends, colleagues, or even in front of the mirror. You should discuss your interests, your qua lifications, and anything else thats relevant to the position.In addition to what you say, make sure youre taking note of how you say it. Body language and tone can make or break an interview, so make an effort to sound friendly and confident. Recruiters want to hire people they would get along with, so showcasing your personality as well as your qualifications is a must.Perfect the art of the quick pitchthat covers all the relevant information you wantprospective employers to know. Before the fair, write down everything you think youd like to say. Then, edit the pitch down to only the most vital information and rehearse until you can confidently deliver it.While career fairs are full of recruiters looking for great candidates, there may be dozens of candidates in attendance who are just as qualified as you are. This sometimes makes it difficult to differentiate yourself from the crowd. However, if you plan ahead, dress for the part, and know how to sell yourself, and youll be sure to stand out.A version of this article originally appeared on theClearCompany blog.Sara Pollock is head of the marketing department atClearCompany.

Professional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, and Themes

Professional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, and ThemesProfessional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, and ThemesYou can know exactly what your resume needs to say, and thats great.But you might have some trouble when it comes to how all this information should be presented.Or maybe you have an idea of how it should look but you arent confident youre on the right track.Below is a breakdown of some basic things to consider when deciding whether or elend your resume style is professional.Between your headers, fonts, and the overall themes, it is important to remember to present yourself professionally, while keeping in mind the 6-second rule.What is the 6-second rule you may ask?In a nutshell, the 6-second rulestates that the average hiring manager spends 6-seconds viewing each resume before moving on.6 whole seconds.Thats leid a lot of time.So what can you do?Well, thats where the presentation of a resume comes into play.A professional resume style will help the employer find what they are looking for quicker, making every second count.Resume headersThe headers/headings are the titles of different sections in your resume and are key to keeping everything nice and organized.This makes it all the mora important that the resume headers stand out and are consistent.Your headers should be formatted with the same characteristics throughout your resume.For example, its important to take into account the followingfont sizeunderliningbolditalicsother formattingWe suggest 16-18 size font and consider the use of bold and italic.Using a larger font with different formatting will help your headings stand out.You should make it quick and easy for the reader to find what they want.Professional fontsContrary to popular belief, the font should not play a significant role in the overall resume style.There is no need to get fancy with a font.This does not express your individuality as some may believe.(And if it does, it might not be for the best)If you get too fancy with your font, th e employer may have trouble reading your resumeWe suggest you stick to the basicsTimes New RomanCalibriArialThe headers have a little mora wiggle room, but it is not necessary to vary from the voreingestellt accepted fonts.The more common your font is, the more familiar the reader will be with it, making the resume easier to read.This will help give your resume a nice clean, professional look.Design themesMany professionals recommend keeping your resume black and white.This can be a really gray area that seems to be moving towards adding a little bit of color.First, this really depends on where you are applyingand for what font of role.Most new, techy, startup-y companies in large cities would be totally fine with a bit of color.However, a 100-year-old professional investment firm might appreciate a plain black and white resume.Deciding on whether to add some color or not can mean taking the companys personality and culture into account.Now, adding a little color doesnt mean that th e entire body of your resume should be bright pink.What it does mean is you can slightly adjust headers, contact info, and your name with conservative colors such as red or blue.A bit of color can also add to the organization and scannability of your resume.Make your resume scannablePart of having a great resume style is making sure that your resume is scannable.You can be the most qualified candidate and perfect for the job, but if you do not know how to express this on paper, you will most likely not receive a callback.Make sure you utilize bullet points to better outline your skills.As you know, you have 6-seconds, so make sure to be short and sweet.Only mention the good stuff.For more tips on resume writing, check out What To Include In A Resume - 16 Best Things.The truth is, the more you practice, the better you get.ObviouslyIf you are applying for a ton of jobs but you dont see results in your current job search, it may be time to accept that your resume could use some work.I cannot tell you how many resumes we have seen that need a makeover.Evensome paid-for resumescould use a world of improvement.Need more help?Sometimes you canhave a ton of great skills, but you need help expressing them.Well, youre in luck.Find My Profession offers expert resume makeover services that are aimed at helping you land your dream job.Best of luckProfessional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, and ThemesYou can know exactly what your resume needs to say, and thats great.But you might have some trouble when it comes to how all this information should be presented.Or maybe you have an idea of how it should look but you arent confident youre on the right track.Below is a breakdown of some basic things to consider when deciding whether or not your resume style is professional.Between your headers, fonts, and the overall themes, it is important to remember to present yourself professionally, while keeping in mind the 6-second rule.What is the 6-second rule you may ask?In a nutshell , the 6-second rulestates that the average hiring manager spends 6-seconds viewing each resume before moving on.6 whole seconds.Thats not a lot of time.So what can you do?Well, thats where the presentation of a resume comes into play.A professional resume style will help the employer find what they are looking for quicker, making every second count.Resume headersThe headers/headings are the titles of different sections in your resume and are key to keeping everything nice and organized.This makes it all the more important that the resume headers stand out and are consistent.Your headers should be formatted with the same characteristics throughout your resume.For example, its important to take into account the followingfont sizeunderliningbolditalicsother formattingWe suggest 16-18 size font and consider the use of bold and italic.Using a larger font with different formatting will help your headings stand out.You should make it quick and easy for the reader to find what they want.Pro fessional fontsContrary to popular belief, the font should not play a significant role in the overall resume style.There is no need to get fancy with a font.This does not express your individuality as some may believe.(And if it does, it might not be for the best)If you get too fancy with your font, the employer may have trouble reading your resumeWe suggest you stick to the basicsTimes New RomanCalibriArialThe headers have a little more wiggle room, but it is not necessary to vary from the standard accepted fonts.The more common your font is, the more familiar the reader will be with it, making the resume easier to read.This will help give your resume a nice clean, professional look.Design themesMany professionals recommend keeping your resume black and white.This can be a really gray area that seems to be moving towards adding a little bit of color.First, this really depends on where you are applyingand for what type of role.Most new, techy, startup-y companies in large cities wou ld be totally fine with a bit of color.However, a 100-year-old professional investment firm might appreciate a plain black and white resume.Deciding on whether to add some color or not can mean taking the companys personality and culture into account.Now, adding a little color doesnt mean that the entire body of your resume should be bright pink.What it does mean is you can slightly adjust headers, contact info, and your name with conservative colors such as red or blue.A bit of color can also add to the organization and scannability of your resume.Make your resume scannablePart of having a great resume style is making sure that your resume is scannable.You can be the most qualified candidate and perfect for the job, but if you do not know how to express this on paper, you will most likely not receive a callback.Make sure you utilize bullet points to better outline your skills.As you know, you have 6-seconds, so make sure to be short and sweet.Only mention the good stuff.For more ti ps on resume writing, check out What To Include In A Resume - 16 Best Things.The truth is, the more you practice, the better you get.ObviouslyIf you are applying for a ton of jobs but you dont see results in your current job search, it may be time to accept that your resume could use some work.I cannot tell you how many resumes we have seen that need a makeover.Evensome paid-for resumescould use a world of improvement.Need more help?Sometimes you canhave a ton of great skills, but you need help expressing them.Well, youre in luck.Find My Profession offers expert resume makeover services that are aimed at helping you land your dream job.Best of luck

Lighting up an Upland Rural Community in the Philippines ME Today March 2012

Lighting up an Upland Rural Community in the Philippines ME Today March 2012 Lighting up an Upland Rural Community in the Philippines ME Today March 2012 Lighting- up an Upland Rural Community in the PhilippinesPico Hydro- electric Plant Installation An ASME Mapua Student Section Project By Manuel C. BelinoThe performance of universities in the twenty-first century will be judged based on three areas or the so-called function or mission, namely teaching, research and tafelgeschirr. While most colleges and universities give emphasis to teaching or research, only a few give similar importance to tafelgeschirr, in particular, community or extension service. No other time in history requires a closer connection between what goes on in the academe and the practical problems that beset society. One dean from one of the schools of a prestigious university in the United States remarks The university must be a socially responsible institution, seeking to move beyond the ivory tower in order t o address some of the pressing social and political problems. Engineering schools in developing countries could better fulfil their service mission if the resources and efforts of the senior students doing research projects as a requirement for graduation could be utilized to do some countryside development projects that involve basic engineering principles and fundamentals of engineering design.Early on, the founder of the Mapua Institute of Technology Don Tomas Mapua, an architecture graduate of Cornell University, envisioned an educational institution that would emphasize the importance of science and technology and create an impact on the community and the quality of life of the Filipinos. The legacy of Don Tomas continues as the Institutes mission embodies it stated as follows the Institute engages in research with high socio-economic impact and brings to bear humanitys vast store of knowledge on the problems of industry and community in order to make the Philippines and the w orld a better place (emphasis added). Similarly, the vision-mission of the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME) puts equal importance to community or extension service as follows undertake community extension projects that uplift the living conditions of the poor and preserve the environment To actualize both the Institute and the School mission, the Office of Social Orientation and Community Involvement Program (SOCIP) directs the extension service activities of the institution. Each school or department renders extension services related to the program or field of expertise which are participated in by the administration, faculty, support staff and students. The SMME has identified three extension service projects such as the Adopt-an-Engineering-School (an outreach project to a rural public college offering mechanical engineering which involves faculty and student development seminars/workshops/trainings, sharing of Mapuas laboratory facilities, book donati on, and assistance to students for their industry internship) welding training program for the out-of-school youth in urban Manila (a program that equips poor young people with employable skills) and, installation of small scale renewable energy power plant such as micro-wind and micro/pico-hydro-electric plant in the countryside. The latter is the topic for discussion in this article.Micro/pico-hydro-electric plants produce power from streams and small rivers. Micro-hydro could bring electricity to remote communities for the first time for lighting and providing power for small appliances such as radio and television. This kind of power plant is already benefiting many remote areas in the Philippines and other developing countries.The electrical power from micro/pico-hydro is sufficient to zulauf small machines for rice milling and could even support small businesses. The main environmental benefit of micro/pico-hydro is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and local pollution from fo ssil fuels. This includes kerosene for lighting, diesel for driving machinery, and diesel and other fossil fuels for generating electricity. Figure 2 Rip-raping and construction of the forebay using the technology and techniques of the localsThe pico-hydroelectric power plant installed by the SMME in Northern Luzon, Philippines provides 3 kW of power to the indigenous community of Barangay Talite in Aguinaldo, Ifugao. Barangay Talite consists of several sitios (zones). The sitio involved in this project is Sitio Henalong. Most of the civil structures were installed in Sitio Henalong such as the powerhouse, forebay, penstock, headrace and tailrace. Sitio Henalong consists of 15 households. Please see location map below.The community provided manpower for the construction of most of the civil works such as the rip-raping of the forebay, head race and tailrace. They also provided local materials such as wood and bamboo for the electrical posts and were responsible for the clearing and preparation of the roads that were used by the Mapua team in installing the main electrical lines. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Mapua Student Section through the ASME Diversity Action Grant in cooperation with the Mapua Institute of Technologys SMME extension service team undertook this project. The faculty and students involved in the project were Dr. Manuel C. Belino (Dean/Faculty Advisor), Engr. Mark Anthony D. Balberona (Extension Service Coordinator), Engr. Jose Artemon M. Luna (Faculty), Engr. Ferdinand T. Galera (Faculty), Karl T. Lucena (Student), Aaron Ace G. Silvano (Student), Ron Erwin Mendoza (Student), Ernest L. Chan (Student), Albert Janwin C. Cudal (Student). Figure 3 Journey from the barangay proper of Talite to Sitio HenalongCurrently, the power plant provides 25 35 W to each of the 15 households of Sitio Henalong. Each household is given 2 to 3 units of CFL lamps with a rating of 11 watts each. In the future, this project will be extended to Sitio Gabot which consists of 12 households.Through this project, the student volunteers were able to apply the knowledge they have acquired in the course of their study to a practical project to have a deeper understanding of the extent of the social, economic and political problems of the locality and the country as a whole to have a heightened awareness of the extent of environmental problems in the countryside and, to have an opportunity to help in the upliftment of the standard of living of the poor and in the preservation of the environment. Figure 4 Wiring of individual households Figure 5 Head race canal and Forebay tank Figure 6 Testing the Turbine-Generator setupSome of the insights and learnings of the faculty and student volunteers are captured in their remarksAlthough the project that we did in Ifugao welches very basic engineering as compared to what we are learning in the classroom, its social impact was very evident as it changed the daily life of the people in the comm unity through the provisions of electricity, a basic need that we enjoy and yet taken for granted.It made me feel great as an engineering student to see the joy in the eyes of the people in the community when they saw for the first time lighted bulbs in their households. I appreciated more my chosen profession in the way that I could apply so far what I have learned in engineering to help people, more so, an indigenous community.I learned not only engineering stuff in this project but also the rich culture of the upland people in the Philippines.It made the students realize how noble the engineering profession is through the accomplishment of such a relevant and meaningful extension service project which does not only improve the human condition but also uplifts the human spirit.As the SMME demonstrates social responsibility through extension service, students who undergo this kind of project would eventually become concerned and socially responsible engineers.

What My Liberal Arts Major Taught Me How to Be a Better Human

What My Liberal Arts Major Taught Me How to Be a Better HumanWhat My Liberal Arts Major Taught Me How to Be a Better HumanIm majoring in American Civilization, I would tell people I met when I was attending Middlebury College over 20 years ago.What are you going to do with that? they inevitably would ask.I dont know, I would say. I just find it fascinating.The truth was, I didnt know, and I couldnt know, because I hadnt yet been exposed to the field of advertising, which was my first career. The Internet browser, which became the backbone of my second career, hadnt been invented yet.The ranks of business and government leadership are filled with individuals who majored in subjects such as philosophy, the classics, history, English literature and American studies. Like me, they may have elend known exactly what business they wanted to be in when they graduated, but they trusted that their intelligence and drive would lead them to success. The current CEOs of Sprint, Disney, American E xpress and Bank of America are amongthe many business leaderswho hold Bachelors degrees with a humanities major.James Beriker CEO of Simply Hired, received his undergraduate degree in English Literature before going to law school. He was a corporate attorney before becoming a technology executive in 1999.Despite the proven success of humanities majors, arecent surveyof human resources professionals showed that only 2 percent of companies were actively seeking liberal arts majors. Yetaccording to another survey,93 percent of employers agreed with the statement, a candidates demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly and solve complex programs is more important than his or her undergraduate field of study.Those three factors- critical thinking, communication and problem-solving- are the backbone of a liberal arts education. Academic majors in the humanities give students exactly what the title suggests a greater level of human understanding and the ability to apply their thinking, communication and problem-solving skills to real-world problems.By evaluating candidates for unterstellung factors, regardless of college major, youll fill your company with inquisitive, adaptable, capable employees who can lead your company into the future. Heres how these three pillars of the liberal education worked together to lead me into a successful career as an Internet analyst and business writer.One of the most important skills in the 21st century, which I learned in college in the early 1990s, is the ability to find information and discern what is credible and relevant. From my first history class onward, I was hooked on research.Researching historical materials requires the same level of discernment as finding out anything needed in a work role. Critical thinking was necessary in on the job tasks such as deciding what kind of market research survey to set up for a given client issue, determining the validity of a competitors research study based on their methodology, choosing a platform for a corporate blog in 2005 before most businesses even had blogs. In todays Internet environment, where anyone has a platform for anything they want to say, the ability to approach information with a critical eye is even more important.In the business world, research is useless unless it solves a problem. My most frequent problem in college was, How do I write this 20-page paper in the amount of time that I have, given my current workload? My natural level of curiosity would often find me lost in the stacks of the library, reading some book not necessarily related to my topic. One day I found myself sitting in the library stacks and crying over a book of photos of Dust Bowl migrants during the Great Depression while researching a paper on John Steinbeck. Heres picture by Dorothea Lange of a family and all its belongings.Because the problem at hand was to get my paper done on time, I did not check out the book. As a book of photographs, it did not have information needed for the paper. But the experience allowed me to discover a natural empathy for the human condition that had not emerged from simply reading Steinbecks words in The Grapes of Wrath.Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University and author ofBeyond the University Why Liberal Education Matters, wrote in the New York Times about the value of absorption in works of literature, art and science. This is the antidote to the lack of hard-nosed critical thinking and problem-solving in our high-speed technology-centric lives. He wroteYes, hard-nosed critical thinking is a useful tool, but it also may become a defense against the risky insight that absorption can offer. As students and as teachers we sometimes crave that protection without it we risk changing who we are. We risk seeing a different way of living not as something alien, but as a possibility we might be able to explore, and even embrace.Informed perspective on massive shifts in history such as I experienced that day in the library fosters the development of empathy and emotional intelligence that is lacking in increasingly popular STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) educational programs. Without a perspective on humanitys development in the context of the society, government and culture, tomorrows leaders will be less likely to make a difference in creating a sustainable future and less likely to create pleasant environments for their employees.At Simply Hired, I see the engineering team constantly working on the problem of how to use technology to match job-seekers with relevant jobs- something that was not possible when I graduated from college 21 years ago. They test their assumptions against user behavior across devices so that they can create the best job search engine for delivering relevant results no matter where the job seeker is searching from. The engineers excitement in solving these problems comes from a very human place they would not be able to survive without jobs, and they want as many people to be able to find a job as possible. CEO James Beriker is passionate about the companys role in using technology to help people find jobs. If Internet existed back in 1934, would that family pictured above have had an easier time finding work and a place to live?Toward the last two years of college my classes required me to write more papers and take fewer exams. The process of writing 10- or 20-page papers and getting As on them requires the ability to successfully synthesize information from a wide variety of sources and meticulously reference that information in order to back up a thesis statement. This ability to synthesize information, communicate through writing and meticulously attend to detail in sourcing were paramount when I became an analyst for the Internet measurement firm Hitwise in 2004. I wouldnt have been able to do the writing that job required (press releases, blog entries, research reports, articles and presentations) without the skills I learned in college.Communicating within a context of human understanding allows one to consider others previous knowledge and point of view when choosing the best communication strategy and delivery method. This applies to most jobs. For example, finding good employees, building a database or servicing client accounts requires a level of teamwork and interdepartmental understanding that will not benefit from one person continuously imposing his or her will on others.Lets take a trip back to 1993.Congratulations, you got a degree in American Civilization, someone says to me. What are you going to do with that?I dont know, I say. If I had saidIm going to help companies create better advertising by understanding their customers better. Then Im going to have a job researching and writing about Internet trends so that companies understand how people are using it for entertainment, commerce, and socialization. Twenty years from now Ill be writing about the online recruiting i ndustry for an Internet job search engine.my questioner might have questioned my sanity.The accurate answer was I dont know. But armed with critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills and a deep curiosity about humanity, an interesting and intellectually rewarding career unfolded for me.No one bothers to ask anymore about why I went to a liberal arts college and majored in American Civilization.

More Than Half of Americans Did Not Get a Raise This Year

More Than Half of Americans Did Not Get a Raise This YearMore Than Half of Americans Did Not Get a Raise This Year Even though unemployment sits near historic lows, many workers have elend seen any benefit from the strong job market. In fact, more than half of all American workers (52 percent) did not get a raise over the past 12 months, according to a new survey from Bankrate .And the numbers are actually worse than they look because in reality, only 38 percent of workers saw their pay increase at their current job. Another 18 percent, which includes eight percent of those surveyed who also got a raise from their previous employer, saw their wages go up when they got a new job.For older workers, the numbers are even worse. Nearly two-thirds of those aged 53 and up did not get a raise at their current job or get a new job that pays better over the past 12 months. That compares to a 47 percent rate among workers younger than 53.Employers are being cautious, and so ar e employees. Even though the unemployment rate has been low and the number of available jobs hit six mio in August according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), workers are reluctant to move on from their current position.That job openings number is only slightly down from July, which set a record for the data tracked by the BLS since 2000. But, despite all the demand, the quits rate, which measures the percentage of people who voluntarily left their jobs in a month, was only 2.1 percent in August. Thats virtually unchanged over the past two years, according to data analysis done by Jon Talton at the Seattle Times .If employees wont quit their jobs when they dont get raises (or at least be willing to), it removes the incentive for companies to pay workers more. But workers may not hold the lack of a raise against their company for the same reason they arent willing to leave their job, despite the market being healthy - theyre nervous about the economys ongoing prospects.Thos e concerns may not be valid, but the Great Recession happened recently enough (December 2007 through January 2009, though those dates are debatable) that people remember it. That may have left a lingering hangover that keeps some people - in fact, quite a lot of them - from pushing for a raise and being willing to leave when they dont get one.Among the American workers who did get a pay raise from their current employer, a growing number got one by getting a promotion and new responsibilities. That number grew to 24 percent of those getting raises, up from 10 percent last year.About a quarter of raises (27 percent) came through cost-of-living increases, while performance-based raises were the top reason (52 percent) workers saw their pay rise. Another eight percent cited a different reason, and four percent did not know why their pay was increased, according to Bankrate, which noted the likelihood of getting a raise from your current employer rises steadily with income and educa tion level.While the economy continues to improve, its disappointing that Americans wages have not, said Bankrate.com Chief Financial Analyst Greg McBride. Though younger workers are experiencing career advancement, older Americans are hampered by stagnant incomes. This makes it even more vital to start saving early , since significant wage gains become less frequent as you get older.There are a number of fields where wages have risen , but that has not emboldened workers in less in-demand jobs to push for more money. Whats clear is that in many cases companies are not offering raises and employees are not asking for them.If you want a raise, it makes sense to test your marketability. If you get another offer for more money, you can either take it or use it as leverage. Some employers may not respond well to that, but others will fight to retain valuable employees.Take the lead in your own employment situation. Ask for a raise, and if the request is denied, ask for parameters to ea rn one over a reasonable period of time (three to six months). If your employer wont negotiate, it may be time to test the job market.