Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Project Management Whats Hot for 2017

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Project Management What's Hot for 2017 The Project Management profession is evolving. Just this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics gave project management its own occupational category, a major sign that Project Managers are more important players than ever. Here, we feature some of the most intriguing Project Management developments heading into 2017, including 3D and virtual reality PM, crowdsourcing, corporate social responsibility, big data, and the rise of DevOps. Trend #1: 3D Printing and Virtual Reality Many projects today take place in the cloud and via distributed teams, which can make it difficult for team members to feel fully immersed in their work experiences. Virtual reality and 3D printing technology reinvigorate the project lifecycle so that tasks and collaboration efforts resonate more strongly. dFakto is a small 45-person startup in Brussels, Belgium that has brought both VR and 3D into the field of program and project management, mainly for large enterprises like banks. As dFaktoCEO Thibaut de Vylder said in a recent Forbes article: “We created a UX experience in project management that allows people to update their project status in 30 seconds or less each month just by focusing on what’s most important.” The virtual reality experience provides full immersion with an app that allows Project Managers to see progress charts in a personal theatre style. Focus your eyes on a particular chart, and it grows. You can dive into elaborations the same way. The 3D printing component, similarly, facilitates the sense of touch. It creates something you can put on your desk, unlike a digital report that you can’t see once you close it. Trend #2: Crowdsourcing According to a recent article on Raconteur, more project managers are taking advantage of new software programs to coordinate contributions from various sources. Wazoku Idea Spotlight is one software-as-a-service tool that allows organizations to create a central hub for ideas, innovation, and feedback. Users include Aviva, Oxford University and Waitrose, a UK-based supermarket that leverages Wazoku to capture ideas from its 60,000 employees. “The success of our Partner Ideas scheme goes to show that sometimes the truly great innovations can be as simple as making small changes to the tasks you do every day, rather than the big ideas which transform everything,” said Stuart Eames, operational improvement manager at Waitrose. “By engaging our partners with the right platform and process, we’ve managed to achieve significant productivity and financial savings.” For the rest of the post, head over to the QuickBase Fast Track blog.

The Top 6 Ideal Workplace Benefits

The Top 6 Ideal Workplace Benefits In a time when we’re struggling to give pay raises or bonuses, more employers are investing in employee benefits to encourage retention and loyalty as well as maintaining a positive and enthusiastic workforce. Employees are looking beyond financial gains for job satisfaction, as a wealth of workplace benefits can support a more balanced work-life blend as well as supporting mental health issues and working parents. A recent study by  CABA, the wellbeing charity, found that a fifth (20%) of employees felt that their employer didn’t prioritize the workplace wellbeing of their staff, and nearly a quarter (23%) revealed they have no knowledge of the health and wellbeing initiatives their organization offers. More employees are focussing on trying to create a reasonable divide between home and their work life. When it comes to motivation and rewards at work a good work-life blend is regarded as the biggest priority (31%) followed by being stimulated in their role (27%) and then financial rewards (20%). With these findings in mind, Kelly Feehan, Service Director at CABA, has created a list of the most popular workplace benefits to consider when thinking about the welfare and happiness of employees. 1. Flexible Working Hours A survey by Adler found that  flexible working is the most wanted workplace perk (48%) among UK workers. Having a flexible schedule leads to a better quality of life, and many studies have found that this not only leads to higher staff engagement but also a reduction in the overall number of sick days taken each year. 2. Wellness Programs There is a multitude of wellness initiatives available that benefit employees, ranging from gym memberships to holistic treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy, and reflexology. Supporting the mental and physical health of employees is important to consider when maintaining a healthy and happy working environment. Providing counseling and care for employees makes them feel supported and secure. 3. Enrichment Events Offering employees enrichment events such as talks by inspiring speakers, cooking classes, book clubs, and entrance to exhibitions is a great way of engaging employees and fostering a fun and positive workplace culture. Stimulating creativity and inspiration outside of the workplace can encourage employees to feel enriched and motivated to continue this attitude in the office. 4. Subsidized Travel There is a multitude of ways in which companies can subsidize commuting, from encouraging car-sharing, public transport passes or season ticket loans, shuttle buses and in some cases company cars. Commuting can be a significant expense and supporting employees with this can really improve their engagement with the brand and as such increase employee retention. 5. Paid Volunteer Days Offering paid time off to volunteer has a number of benefits such as attracting and retaining top talent as well as increasing productivity. Giving employees a sense of meaning and purpose whilst growing their engagement and sense of empowerment translates into satisfaction and productivity in the office. Participating in paid volunteer days for charity helps to build a sense of teamwork and commitment. Cultivating a drive to align with deeper values in the business whilst making a difference in the wider community not only harnesses brand awareness but also helps individuals to develop new skills, boosting motivation and their sense of self-worth. 6. Training and development No surprises here, but in an uncertain environment, this is the first benefit to go. However, employers that continue to invest in training and development will reap the rewards. Not only will your employees have more advanced skills and perform better at their jobs but their confidence in their abilities will improve as will the overall perception of the business and employee turnover should also reduce. Employee benefits are a central structure in sustaining an organization’s ability to develop and grow. Going above and beyond to ensure that employees feel supported and valued provides workers with a sense of security. Attracting and retaining talent is a key part of this, offering strong workplace benefits demonstrates that companies are invested in the health and wellbeing of individuals as well as their future and development potential. About the author:  The  CABA  provides lifelong support for past and present ICAEW members and their families and are Passionate about health and wellbeing.

Merry Christmas from the Personal Branding Blog - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Merry Christmas from the Personal Branding Blog - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. I am Jewish and the stereotype is that the Jews do nothing on Christmas except eat Chinese food. I will not be doing that, but rather visiting my grandparents and having dinner there. The menu is chicken and mashed potatoes; basically Thanksgiving all over again! I figured Id shed some light on this holiday with some Christmas cheer for my Catholic readership. Here are a few lyrics to one of the most popular Christmas carols: We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Good tidings we bring to you and your kin; Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Is Social Media the Solution to Company Culture Fit

Is Social Media the Solution to Company Culture Fit Today, employers, recruiters, and staffing pros are increasingly concerned about the skills gap. It makes sense, since a recent CareerBuilder survey found 38 percent of employers have open positions they just cannot find the skilled candidates to fill. Yet the answer to the skills gap might be in a different direction entirely. While skills are necessary to get the job done, company culture fit might just be the best way to ensure employee retention, develop a positive work environment, and create a workforce with the ability to grow and thrive. The importance of cultural fit While skills are still the bread and butter of any position, even the most skilled candidate is unlikely to stick around for the long haul if they’re not a good fit with the organization. In 2012, among the 50 most common questions asked in interviews were questions about favorite movies, favorite websites, and the last book a candidate had read. Why? Because cultural fit can determine staying power, and a bad hire can be incredibly expensive. Some figures peg the cost of a bad hire at $50,000 or more, and turnover can cost anywhere from 16 to 21 percent of an employee’s annual salary. The importance of cultural fit isn’t a new phenomenon, either. Back in the 1970s, researcher John Morse conducted a study on the impact of congruence on employee performance. He split employees into two groups: one placed in positions the old-fashioned way, and the other based on their personality and psychometric testing. What he found was the group placed in positions based on personality (and cultural fit) reported feeling more productive. Higher self-esteem in a position can lead to happiness, and happiness at work can lead to greater productivity. A social solution Social media just might be the solution to finding the right candidates who will fit into the company culture with ease. After all, the Pew Center for Research found 74 percent of online adults already use at least one form of social media. Social recruiting makes it easier to connect with candidates, while also making it simple for candidates to show off their passion, skills, and enthusiasm. Here are just a few easy ways to use social media as a cultural fit solution: Turn your culture into your brand Understanding the organization’s company culture is the first step to ensuring all new hires will fit and flourish in the company. Take some time to think about the culture, and then turn this culture into your brand on social media. Are you a fun-loving environment where co-workers are friends? Put up pictures of your latest company picnic or karaoke night. Is your company focused on innovation? Share information about your latest brainstorming retreat. Does your company offer great benefits for family-focused candidates and those looking to continue their professional growth? Show off your childcare options and continuing education benefits. Speak with one voice and put your company culture front and center in all of your recruiting efforts. Given enough information about the culture, candidates can self-select whether it will be a good match for their needs. By sharing your story, you’ll be attracting the right talent to your company brand. Connect personally Social media brings down geographic barriers, and makes it easy to populate your talent pipeline with a wide variety of smart and enthusiastic candidates. It also makes it easy to get a personal feel for candidates more quickly, so you can avoid those who would be all wrong for the company culture. For instance, a negative blog post shared by a candidate on social media can tell you something about their potential fit. Additionally, a one-way video interview, in which candidates answer your questions with short video answers, can help you see if the candidate will be a good fit. Social media doesnt just help you connect, it also helps you avoid wasting your time on the wrong people during the recruitment process. Look for passion Genuine passion, whether for the job, industry, or company, is essential for making a good cultural fit hire. The candidates spending their time on social media writing, tweeting, and posting up a storm about industry-related topics will most likely bring that same level of passion to your organization. Become a member of industry discussion groups and chats, in addition to building your own active talent community. The candidates who are the most active in these forums are the people thinking about common challenges and dreaming up new innovations. They’re the people with real and sincere passion, and the exact people your company needs. Social media gives you a way to connect with these passionate people, including passive candidates, and convince them your company is the right place for their unbridled enthusiasm. As company culture fit becomes more important in finding and retaining the right people, so too will social media. It’s a great tool for connecting with interested candidates in a more personal way than ever before. With the high price tag associated with a badly fitting candidate, you can’t really afford to ignore cultural fit anymore. What do you think? How do you use social media to attract the right cultural fit candidates? Share in the comments! Author: Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire.

From Corporate Layoffs to Consulting Payoffs with Vicki McCullough [Podcast] - Career Pivot

From Corporate Layoffs to Consulting Payoffs with Vicki McCullough [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode 11 -Vicki McCullough, President of Sequitur Marketing, discusses her move from the corporate world to running a niche marketing consulting business. Description: In this episode, Marc interviews his good friend, Vicki McCullough. Vicki has more than 20 years of corporate experience in marketing, communications, sales, and account management. She is the Founder and President of Sequitur Marketing, a marketing consulting business she launched in 2013. Sequitur Marketing focuses on working with professional and consulting services firms to help them budget their resources, including time and energy. It’s logical marketing steps that generate desired results. Vicki is also the part-time Executive Director of Metropolitan Breakfast Club. She is also an active community supporter, enjoys working with nonprofit boards, committees, and volunteer efforts. Vicki is a very resilient, but reluctant, solopreneur, a story that will probably be played out over and over again by Baby Boomers who move into entrepreneurship in the second half of life. Marc and Vicki discuss several topics, including Vicki’s background and experience, how it took years to d ecide to start on her own, what she has learned as a solopreneur, and how she keeps her job interesting. Download Link |iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast|Podbean|TuneIn|Overcast Key Takeaways: [2:16] Vicki received a BS in education. She soon learned that she enjoyed being in school, but not teaching school. She went back for her MBA, and entered the business world. Her corporate career spanned 30 years. She is now a marketing consultant. [3:35] Vicki and Sequitur Marketing work mostly with professional services firms to help them logically evaluate and improve their marketing strategy, to grow their business. [4:38] Vicki first thought of going on her own when she learned in her MBA classes that it really is possible to start one’s own business. Over the years, during layoffs, she freelanced, but kept going back to corporate work. [6:25] Overall, Vicki’s work experience in the corporate world was good. She learned a lot, and got on a really good track for marketing, managing direct reports, budgeting and related business activities. She didn’t feel pushed to turn away from that. She enjoyed belonging to a team. [7:32] The last layoff was harder on Vicki than earlier ones. The job had had some challenges, and it had not been as satisfying. She started out diligently looking for that new place to land, but the search didn’t feel the same. It didn’t feel productive. At some point, she told herself, this is the time to go on her own. [8:57] It is important to focus, and find your own marketing space. It can be difficult to do. At the first, Vicki took a variety of clients, but now she focuses on professional and consulting services firms, including engineers, architects, attorneys, and CPAs. [9:54] Vicki also has taken on a paid, part-time role with the Metropolitan Breakfast Club in Austin, a weekly networking organization. After many years as a member, she was asked by the board to become the Executive Director, when the position opened. She finds personal reward in this new challenge that balances nicely with her consulting. [12:48] Vicki had to relearn what she helps her clients learn: there are so many things to do in a business, you can’t do them all at once. So prioritize, outsource what you can, and let go of what doesn’t work, move on, and tackle the next task. [13:38] Marc has seen people get started, but get stuck. Marc’s coach, Sherry Lowry, told him she always tried to change her business 15-20% every year, to keep it fresh. Marc sees that Vicki has found her niche, where she is comfortable, and her clients are comfortable with her. [15:13] Vicki would have gotten her focus, and her target market earlier, if she had had the knowledge to do so. Vicki is a little risk-averse, and starting out on her own was a bold move for her. She would like to be a little bolder. [16:11] Marc says one of the key pieces is to learn that when you don’t have it all figured out, you still go and get started. In this series of stories, the common theme is first, getting the nudge to do something, but not doing it; second, getting a kick to get started; and third, finding unexpected challenges, but adapting, and keeping on going. [19:46] Marc’s points: 1) Vicki was a reluctant entrepreneur, who would have rather found a job. 2) She did not wait to find the full business model before she started. 3) She encountered a lot of obstacles in business and personal life. 4) She added variety to her business to keep it interesting. 5) Listen to Episodes 3, and 7, for others’ stories. Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me Email: Vicki@SequiturMarketing.com Website: SequiturMarketing.com Sequitur Marketing Phone: (512) 771-3969 Website: SherryLowry.com Take a moment â€" go to iTunes, Stitcher, or GooglePlay. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! Visit the Repurpose Your Career Podcast page to listen to rest of the episodes. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Helping Others With a Career in Nursing - CareerAlley

Helping Others With a Career in Nursing - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. With the growing number of opportunities in the healthcare industry, a career in nursing can prove to be a very lucrative and rewarding path. Due to the shortage of nurses in the country, you can easily find a job in this medical field upon completing your training. To start off, all you have to do is enroll in a nursing school that will equip you with the right training. The Roles of Nurses in Healthcare Before exploring the various career opportunities in this field, it is important that you understand exactly what nursing is. The American Nurses Association define nursing as the promotion, protection, and provision of abilities and health, injury and illness prevention, alleviation of suffering by diagnosing and treating human diseases, as well as advocating and caring for individuals, families, communities, and entire populations. Nursing careers provide a range of roles and responsibilities in the field of medicine. There are different types of nurses as well as different ways of building careers in nursing. A nurse works alongside physicians in nearly all aspects of patient care, from administering injections and oral medications to providing comfort and hygiene to the patient. He/she also updates patients medical records and performs minor diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The physician handles major diagnosis, treatment, and medical prescription while the nurse administers the care on a continuous basis to ensure successful recovery of the patient. Due to the nature of their work, nurses spend more face-to-face time with patients than other healthcare professionals. Therefore, they need to be adept at interacting with their patients and keeping them relaxed while assisting them through the recovery process. Nursing Career Paths You can take several career directions as a nurse. You can work in settings within and beyond hospitals. In addition, you can advance your career by pursuing a masters or doctoral degree in various clinical specialties. The American Nurses Credentialing Center recognizes and certifies more than forty areas of specialty in nursing. These certifications are presented to nurses with bachelors, associates, and doctoral degrees. The certifications focus on specific fields such as family nursing, gerontology, psychiatric, and pediatric nursing among other fields. The certification reflects a nurses special expertise and can improve job prospects besides attracting high remuneration. Job Growth in Nursing Changes in the healthcare sector have led to the rise of nurses who perform the same procedures as physicians. Such nurses provide cost effective healthcare that focuses on the patient as a whole. These professionals are referred to as advanced practice nurses. Alongside the basic clinical training, these nurses also hold a masters degree. Advanced practice nurses fall into four categories. These are certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists. Salary and Compensation The starting salary can vary greatly depending on a number of factors such as location, level of education, and the industry of practice. Primarily, you can expect to earn from $16 per hour to $23 per hour. This will increase steadily as you gain experience, receive more credentials, and get job promotions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for nurses is between $43,000 and $63,000 with the top 10% of nurses earning over $75,000. As with any career choice, there are certain factors that you should consider before taking up a career in nursing. Choosing the right career involves making accurate decisions that will take you down your path of choice. Therefore, you should be aware of everything that this career path entails, including potential merits and pitfalls as well as how to go about acquiring education in your career of choice. Author Bio Sarah Daren is a writer who creates informative articles in the field of health. This article aims explain in detail the career of nursing and to encourage programs such as RN to BSN Online . This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook

Resume For Graduate School - Tips For Creating a Professional Resume

Resume For Graduate School - Tips For Creating a Professional ResumeA resume for graduate school is one of the most important documents you will ever need to write. There are many things that should be included and it is often the case that they can be omitted. It is also the case that the details of your work experience are not as important as the things that you should be including.For example, while it is a good idea to include your formal education in a field, it may not be that important in the context of the other special programs you have held. You should include all of your special courses, your awards you have received, and so on. If your degree is in a field that is not special in a special way, the detail may be lost and will detract from the effectiveness of your resume.Your dissertation or the other documents that accompany your grad school application should not be omitted from your resume. One of the things that you should be working on is finding the most effective pr ofessional skills possible. The points on your profile that are focused on these are likely to be more successful than the ones that are chosen because they are associated with formal training. So, if you want to appear professional, then you will want to focus on the points that are important to you, while trying to add in some bits of formal training.When you are writing your resume, you will also want to make sure that you include a list of all of the important things that you have accomplished over the years. This can include your special projects and the important projects that you have worked on while you were still working full time. Remember that the contents of your resume are going to be read by many different people and making sure that you highlight the important items will help you appear more knowledgeable and can help to build a strong reputation.Next, try to identify the point identity of the hiring managers. If you are in an entry level position, the point identity may not be very different from others that are in the more advanced and higher-paying positions. Your resume for graduate school must be focused on the key details that are useful to the hiring manager.Once you have the possible key details, you should start listing your accomplishments in order. It is important to write down your points in a chronological order and to do this systematically. Most importantly, it is important to take each of your points and create an outline so that you can further develop them into a document that is focused on the things that they relate to.Now that you have the possible key points, you will want to follow up with some ideas that are going to really help to get you noticed and remembered. If you are interested in publishing your resume for graduate school, then be sure to give credit where credit is due. If you are interested in getting interviews, then be sure to include all of the interviews that you have had and talk about how well you have don e in those interviews.Finally, when you are preparing your resume for graduate school application, you should consider how you will market it. While it is important to include the details of your educational program, the most important part of your resume is the content that will relate to you. Your resume for graduate school must be customized to your situation so that the recruiter can see that you have relevant experience and can use this to draw a clear picture of your accomplishments.