Leveraging Professional Development for a Supportive Workplace

Leveraging Professional Development for a Supportive Workplace Professional development is that perk within the organization that everyone knows they have access to but is still often not utilized in a way that can help to keep the company culture and support.   Employees take university classes, get certifications, but what if professional development was leveraged to develop a spirit of inclusion and support within your company?   In our book, From Sabotage to Support: A New Vision for Feminist Solidarity, we discuss some tools that companies can implement in order to create a supportive work environment for women specifically, but everyone more broadly. Professional development (PD) training can cover a wide range of topics, including best practices for talking about race, sexual harassment, and microaggressions. Does your company offer PD training, and if so, what does the training look like? Do they address race and racism or sexism specifically? When training stays more generalized and less specific by looking at universal or shared concerns and not addressing concerns that speak to converging identities, they tend to avoid specific issues that challenge the diversity your organization may lack. You can’t just pay someone to do an hour-long presentation. Cultivating the skills to detect bias in policies and procedures is a long-term effort. Individual accountability, small groups, teams, units, and organizations are all responsible for examining their biases in their recruiting and retention practices, as well as their professional development. Implicit bias training is one way, but there are also difficult dialogue workshops a nd workshops on microagressions in the workplace. After the trainings, what’s the follow-up and how is it sustainable? The problem we have seen with these trainings is that folks think, “Well, we had that training, so we’re good. We don’t need to do more work on it. That box has been checked.” This is exactly why these particular types of trainings don’t stick. Yes, they open the door, but you have to hire an outside expert to help guide the entire organization so that diversity and inclusion policies are sustainable and are flexible enough to change when the organization gets bigger or otherwise changes. The policies should reflect the evolution of the times, such as implementing gender-neutral bathrooms or ensuring that women are being paid the same as their white male counterparts. We might not have seen those concerns even six or seven years ago. However, now, because times are changing, we want flexible policies to reflect the needs of today’s workforce. How can your organization leverage professional development for your employees that will not only be supportive of your diverse workforce but also attractive to new hires?   What trainings can be implemented in this final quarter to start that work? About the author: Kami J. Anderson, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of Bilingual Brown Babies, a company that focuses on fostering bilingualism in black families. She received her doctorate from Howard University in intercultural communication and culture. She is the author of Language, Identity, and Choice. Her co-authored book with Joy L. Wiggins, Ph.D., “From Sabotage to Support: A New Vision for Feminist Solidarity in the Workplace” published by Berrett Koehler is available now at Amazon and your local booksellers.

Tips on Reducing Student Loans

Tips on Reducing Student Loans By, Patricia Briggs In the US, many (if not most!) students are forced to take out loans in order to manage their college expenses.  Student loan debt outweighs credit card debt and  is growing at a rate of $90 billion a year. Paying off student loans takes years.  Therefore, formulating a repayment plan outside of minimum payments is important.  Believe it or not, there are some innovative ways to pay off the student loan debt. 5 Tips on how to reduce your student loans 1. Make extra payments towards your loans so that you can pay off the owed amounts in less time. Review your budget plan to track where you can curtail to pay off the student loan debt.  Even  a minimum payment of $20 extra every month can significantly lower the total owed amount. You can either distribute your extra payment amount to each student loan or solely focus on paying off one debt at a time.  If you choose to focus on one loan, there are two common ways of looking at it.  Mathematically, youll pay less interest if you put your extra payments toward the loan with the highest interest rate first.  But for many, paying off the smallest loan first allows you to see your progress which is more psychologically rewarding.  Choose whichever method you feel will help you sustain your extra payments! 2.  Consolidate your multiple student loan debts.  Low interest consolidation loans help eliminate your student loan debt quickly. You can combine your multiple debts into a single low interest loan to make your monthly payment affordable.   3. Consider student loan forgiveness programs. Get information from your state or federal government on whether you qualify for the student loan forgiveness program. The Peace Corps and AmeriCorps are agencies that offer assistance to people who are under student loan debt. But their eligibility criterion is that the person seeking help has to commit to serve with them for a specific period of time. There are several programs out there, do your research and see if one is a good fit for you! 4. See if your employer offers any benefits to people with student loan debt. Some employers contribute a stipulated amount annually to employees who have student loan debt. 5. A Ms. Career Girl favorite, you can also take up a part time job or start a side-business in order to put more money towards paying off your debt more quickly.  If you get bonues from your present job, consider putting the money toward your student loan debt if it is in line with your short and long-term goals.

This is me battling impostor syndrome

This is me battling impostor syndrome This is the big test. Right here. This is the test to see if you will stick with me even when you know everything. There is lameness about me. Not the lameness commenters point out. Not like, I dont know anything about graduate school. Or Im not fair to David Dellifield. No. Its more fundamental than that. I want you to recall that when I was growing up, the police came to our house pretty frequently. (And, in fact, to our hotel rooms. And you might be interested to know that when rich people trash a hotel room they do not get thrown out of the hotel. But rather, the kids get their own hotel room.) Every time, my dad would tell them that I was fine, that it was only a spanking, that I was exaggerating. He would tell them I have a behavioral problem. He wasnt covering anything up as much as expressing how my parents were actually convinced that I was a psychopath. I was the one who went to a psychiatrist my whole childhood. They even had me tested at Northwesterns neurology lab. But at the same time, my parents were doing things like getting angry enough to leave me as in Arlington Heights, alone on a street corner, while they drove back to Wilmette. (Google Map that: Not good parenting. Probably illegal today.) Okay. So fast forward to my marriage now, to the Farmer. The odds are that I would be with a man who treats me like my dad did, right? So it should not surprise you that the Farmer pushed me so hard that I fell on the floor. In front of my six-year-old son. The Farmer would tell you why its my fault, and how I deserve it, and that I made him do it. If there were a neurology lab in rural Wisconsin hed probably send me there because he has told me numerous times, most recently right after he apologized for pushing me, again, that I am emotionally abusive to him. Two nights ago, I got really scared. He had already pushed me and shoved me and grabbed me and crushed my foot in a door. He would say that I deserved it. That I say crazy things to him. That I never leave him alone. That I am an awful person to live with. For the record. He had me in a corner, and I was crying and I was scared, and he was telling me how I am a terrible mom, he was saying my youngest son is going to grow up and hit me. So I dialed a number that I thought was a friend, but it was my stepmom, the woman married to my dad She is totally cool. My dad has very good taste and I really like this stepmom. And she was great to talk to. I cant complain about one thing she said. She says, of course, that I am a good mom. And of course, I do not believe her. Someone raised by abusive parents never feels secure in their parenting because they dont understand what makes kids love parents. So thats my weak spot. Even if I were a great parent, Id never believe it. And of course, she said I need to leave. I was silent. Then she suggests sending my dad to come see me. For support. I say okay. Because I cant say no to support. And, you know what? I cant say no to my dad. I just want to be loved. He tries really hard. I forgive every transgression, even as his transgressions are huge. Just go read that post. I cant even bear to write about them again. I cant because I want to have a dad who loves me in a real way. I want to have a dad who comes and rescues me when I have a husband who is physically violent. So my dad drives two hours to see me. He gets here for dinner. I told him not to come any earlier because its Sunday, the day my Ex comes to hang out at the house with my sons, and its the only day all week that I dont have kids, so I have to work that day. Our dinner features my act of childish passive-aggressiveness: I make sure there is no meat in the meal because the Farmer really wants meat in the meal every time. Maybe that is what he means when he tells me Im emotionally abusive. I am alone in the kitchen getting dinner ready. I tell myself not to feel sorry for myself. I tell myself it gets me nowhere. I tell myself that I if I can fix this situation, I will be really good at helping other people to fix their lives. My dad comes up to me in the kitchen. I am startled. I tell him I really appreciate that he came, that it makes me feel less alone. He tells me he wants to help. He tells me he researched womens shelters in my area. Dad. Womens shelter? Did you say womens shelter? Yes. I was thinking you could go to one. I cant go to a womens shelter, Dad. Its rural America. A womens shelter, here? I am speechless. I am trying to figure out something to say to him about why I cannot show up to one of those, kids in tow. Dad. Im famous. Ive signed autographs in grocery stores. He said, Oh. You are? I decide we are done. I fluff the bean salad and tell myself he is trying to be helpful. The Farmer says grace. He needs to thank God before every meal. He wanted to say Jesus also, but we compromised with just God. So he says that. And as he thanks God for this meal, I put my head down and wonder if not allowing him to thank Jesus is emotionally abusive. The kids eat and run. And there I am, alone. With the three men in my life. My dad talks about his stamp collection. There was an auction in Iowa. He was thinking of going, but all the stamps he wanted were too expensive. The Ex says he had a stamp collection, too. His parents just sent it to him. They are cleaning out their closets. The Farmer says he had a stamp collection too. We talk about plate blocks, post card values, and pros and cons of hinges. The hinges are difficult. You never know if its better to attach the stamps for security, or if the attachment is so damaging that you risk losing the stamp.

10 Career Questions Id Like to Ask Just About Everyone Marla Gottschalk

10 Career Questions Id Like to Ask Just About Everyone Marla Gottschalk Its an occupational hazard â€" I love to hear details about people and their work. When meeting someone at a conference or gathering, career related topics always flood my mind. Most questions on this topic consist of the garden variety; Who do you work for? How long have you been with your organization? Do you travel much? But, these arent the questions Id like to pose. Id like to know much, much more and hear the unabridged story. The successes, the failures, the wrong turns, the U-turns   â€" all of the highs and lows. They all meet and mingle to tell a real-life career story. Most of us become so busy with our everyday work lives that we fail to carve out a moment to reflect on our own paths. That process would take time and the right frame of mind. However, I encourage you to do so. So â€" here are the questions that I would really like to ask you. You can consider them when you have a moment: How did you choose your line of work (be completely honest)? Would you make that same choice today? When you think about work, do you feel energized? If you could create your dream role, what would that be? Who was your most challenging boss and why? Who was your most aggravating co-worker and why? Are you most creative alone or on a team? What kind of work spaces motivate you? What is your most memorable failure? What single thing would you change (if you could) to improve your work life? Id love to hear some of your answers and what you might do with the information. Feel free to share that here. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist. She also writes for Talent Zoo and   Linkedin.

The 10 Best Cities For Job Hunters in 2018 - CareerMetis.com

The 10 Best Cities For Job Hunters in 2018 Right after you graduate and plan to begin a life beyond the academic corridors, the first and foremost thing that comes to your mind is to bag a job that can help you start a successful career.But if we are to look at the other side of the coin, then it is to be mentioned that the job market in a particular city isn’t uniform, or equally prosperous and progressive.evalAnd this, as a result, would immediately trigger the thought of finding an ideal city that would allow your career aspirations and every other coveted dream to materialize in the long run. But hold on for a moment before jumping to a conclusion! Don’t pack your bag to the wrong destination.If you are in need of a helpful guidance and suggestions that can assist you to shortlist cities offering lucrative job opportunities and balanced lifestyle then read through this blog, take a look at the explanatory list of best cities for the job hunters below, and then decide the one that can give wings to your career aspirati ons.1) Kansas City, MissourievalIf you want to establish a promising career as an Audit Manager, Research Associate, or Software Engineer, then Kansas is the city for you.With a Glassdoor City score rating of 4.4 and roughly 90,650 job openings available, you are unlikely to miss out on bagging your dream job.Apart from that, you may also look for employment opportunities as a Police Records Clerk, Cashier, Police Dispatcher, Accounting Analyst, Marketing Associate, News Intern, Pharmacy Technician, Detention Officer and more.In addition to it, it is worth mentioning that Kansas City has a median base salary range of around $45,000, with a job satisfaction rating at 3.3. Think about it!2) St. Louis, MissourievalNext up is the city of St. Louis, with a Glassdoor City Score of 4.4. If you’re looking for prosperous jobs and a promising career in the field of talent acquisition and recruitment, electrical engineering, and communication management, then you may choose to visit this cit y and try out your luck for a better and rewarding tomorrow.You can expect to draw a median salary of around $45,600.Additionally, the city offers about 104,725 job openings for prospective employees. Apart from that, the city has other employment opportunities for aspirants looking vacancies for the posts of Correctional Officer, Programmer Analyst, Senior Software Engineers, Tax Consultant, Warehouse and Quality Control Associate and the likes.3) Los Angeles, CaliforniaevalAlthough Los Angeles is known for an extravagant lifestyle and nightlife, it is equally promising when it comes to ensuring job opportunities for aspirants across the globe. This is another significant city with promising job opportunities in store this year.Posted on indeed.com, you can stand a chance to bag employment in various sectors including Administrative Services, Administrative Coordination, Animal Care Attendant, Entry level Background Investigator, HR Analyst, Detention Officer and more.The average m edian salary that you can expect to draw in this city is around $54,432 in Los Angeles.So, in case you are planning to settle in Los Angeles and enjoy a decent livelihood, give it a try. If we are to believe the stats, the job market in this city seems favorable and rewarding for the aspirants.4) San Diego, CaliforniaThe job market in San Diego looks pretty promising as well. From library volunteer to Software Engineer, from Veterinary Assistant to Community Outreach Coordinator, San Diego has a plethora of employment opportunities for aspirants looking for scopes to materialize their dreams.As per reports, the median income in San Diego for a family of four is about $63,400. If we are to talk about the scopes for up-market and noble professions in the city, then lawyers and attorneys have a fair chance to earn a decent living in San Diego.As per reports, the average income of an Attorney in San Diego is $109,814, which is impressive!eval5) San Jose, CaliforniaevalTopping the list o f job ranking favorability, and offering a broad employment market and lots of opportunity for the aspirants, San Jose is one of the best cities around North America to count on.In case you are planning to explore the sector of software engineering in San Jose, then expect to earn a decent range of salary amounting to an average pay scale of around $106,698.In case you are looking for vacancies for the post of a mechanical engineer then expect an average salary scale of $78,130, whereas for Operations Manager the figure is $74,341.So, you may choose to visit this city and try your luck in each of the discussed professional areas to explore an extensive and flourishing job market for a promising career ahead.eval6) New York CityThe job market in New York City is pretty hot and happening. Posted on roberthalf.com, the tech industry in New York City is booming.Between the years 2010 to 2016, the city has seen about 46,900 job recruitments in this sector. This pretty much sums up the fa ct that the city has a lot more in store in the upcoming years.Thus, in case you’re looking for employment opportunities in the field of Information Technology, New York City can always be an option to count on.Moreover, the city has a lot more employment opportunity in-store offering jobs for Entry Level Management Trainee, Sales Intern, Data Analysts, Social Media Manager, Fitness Manager, Travel Agent and more.7) Minneapolis, MinnesotaYou can also consider this city for employment opportunities. With a job market favorability ranking of 3, the place seems promising for the prospective job seekers.The average annual income of an employee in Minneapolis is somewhat around $67,850.If we are to talk about the various types of jobs available in the city, you can expect to bag employment in several sectors with vacancies for the post of Senior Accounting/Finance Analyst, Sales Executive, Backroom Team Leader, Cyber Intelligence Analyst, Project Architect, HR Coordinator and more.8) S acramento, CaliforniaIf we are to talk about the job market scenario in Sacramento, California, then the graph could be considered promising and upward for potential employers looking for employment opportunities in this place.The job market favorability ranking of Sacramento is at 23, with a salary ranking at 11.From Communications/Operations Dispatcher to Airport Operations Worker, and Environmental Specialist to Accounting Technician, Sacramento offers a wide variety of job opportunities, ensuring an average salary of $62,814 per year.So, in case you are looking for lucrative opportunities in the field of employment and aiming to earn a decent salary for a hassle-free livelihood, then seeking work in Sacramento could prove to be beneficial for you in the long run.9) Boston, MassachusettsAs posted on The Daily Free Press, Boston is reportedly one of the top cities for job hunters. The place has a ranking of the 3rd best city in the country. So, if you are aiming to bag a job in Bo ston this year, then you are probably on the right track.From Account Representatives to IT Support Engineers, from Proofreaders to Desktop Support Technicians, the city offers a wide range of employment opportunities for those who wish to make a good career out of their respective fields of interest.So, if you have already backpacked to visit the city and look out for jobs, then go ahead. The stats and reports seem promising! So, make good use of this time and opportunity.10) Miami, FloridaEven though most people visit Miami for holiday vibes and beach life, you can come to this city to bag a dream job. Posted on CNBC.com, the town has a job market favorability ranking of 23, with salary ranking 48 and a work-life balancing rank 2, the city has a ranking of 8 out of 10 for the best cities for job hunters.Thus, to enjoy a prosperous career and to grab a dream job here, you may try your luck by sending your CV to the target industries in this city today.If we are to talk about the em ployment opportunities provided by Miami, then take note of the fact that there are vacancies available for full-time merchandiser at Nestle, Cargo Handler, Web Designer, Front Desk Executives, Operations Analysts, Travel Counselor and more.So, if you find any of the mentioned profiles is matching your criteria, then wait no more, and try your luck out to bag a job and settle in this beautiful city.

Not my job How to avoid these 5 career-killer conversations

?Not my job How to avoid these 5 career-killer conversations Business owners and managers have enough on their plates without having to mediate employee disagreements. Simple differences in personality and approaches to getting work done can cause friction between co-workers, but many workplace disagreements actually come from a far more controllable problem. According to Benoy Tamang, CEO of eFileCabinet, provider of document management tools, “a majority of the disagreements that arise in the workplace stem from the communication barriers imposed by outdated or inefficient technology.” Tamang has identified the five “killer” conversations that can be avoided by the use of efficient document management technology. With these systems, employers and managers can avoid playing the intermediary and focus on growing and maintaining a successful business. The “that’s not my responsibility” conversation Most workers don’t like picking up someone else’s slack around the office or doing someone else’s job for them entirely. In a paper-dependent office, “That’s not my responsibility” can often surface for several reasons: Employees have a harder time keeping track of project information and often feel the need to handle all the tasks associated with a project themselves. Lack of a clearly-defined workflow and task delegation process. Whose responsibility is it really? Paper-dependent organizations frequently lose â€"and therefore need to re-create â€" information, requiring someone to recreate the lost information no matter how hard they play the “that’s not my responsibility” card. The “your desk is distractingly messy” conversation If you have a messy desk, Forbes.com reports that 57 percent of your coworkers are already judging you. And even if your desk isn’t messy, you’ve likely had a coworker or two with a distractingly-cluttered desk. Nine times out of 10, the desk’s clutter is comprised of paper in the form of sticky notes, errant printed documents, or the occasional (or not so occasional) grease-laden paper towels from the office kitchen. What’s more, the smaller your co-worker’s desk, the more likely someone sitting near them has begged a desk cleanup or some other type of intervention. Moving away from a paper-dependent operation and implementing an effective protocol to encourage its use will mean cleaner working spaces and happier coworkers in clutter-free surroundings. The “I don’t know where that is” conversation At face value, this conversation is sometimes subtly related to the “not my responsibility” conversation, and both can have a comparatively negative impact on an organization’s bottom line. The data natural to a document management system â€" file naming, file retrieval, and storage templating â€" can make it easier to find and use even archived documents. The “where’s that email?” conversation The explosion of email and messaging, many of which come with attached files, makes it difficult to categorize, identify, and retrieve incoming information. Integrating document technology with Microsoft Outlook can create a spam-free repository free so employees can more easily use and manage a flood of email communication. The “I don’t want you to work from home” conversation Maximizing productivity can, at times, mean having employees who work remotely or from home. The biggest challenge can be the security of workplace information and data accessed by remote employees. Moving to a cloud-based, online document management software with secure access to files from any internet connection is more and more becoming a viable business practice. Workspace organization is as important as effective communication in keeping morale upbeat. Dependence on paper-based systems â€" and all their attendant management and retrieval challenges â€" can set your employees up for avoidable disagreements that distract the organization from more productive and profitable tasks. In-house and cloud-based document management systems put information at your employees’ fingertips and can deliver simplified assignment, tracking, retrieval, and management capabilities across your company. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class right now and immediately access the most comprehensive job search system currently available!

Tips For Writing a Resume For Your Business

Tips For Writing a Resume For Your BusinessIf you want to find some tips for writing a resume for your business, you should know that they're simple to follow. You don't have to follow all of the strict rules and regulations of them. This is why it's easy to obtain the help of a professional resume writer.With a professional resume writer, you'll learn how to write a resume, you'll learn how to go about the entire process, and you'll be taught the fundamentals that will guide you through your business career. It's important that you look for a company that's been in business for a long time. There are plenty of companies out there that will give you a great resume, but only a few of them will give you the experience and guidance you need. There are so many different things that can go wrong when you're attempting to write a resume for your business.Some of the tips for writing a resume for your business may seem obvious, but you still need to make sure that you're aware of everything you can. The first thing that you have to do is get into the habit of getting organized, even if it seems like no one else is doing it. Do you have a specific date that you plan on entering the business?Even if you're not aware of it, this is something that you need to work towards accomplishing. Just imagine what it will be like when you enter the business and have a specific date. Maybe you can find a job in that capacity, or perhaps you can start a whole new business.By getting your business organized, it's much easier to remember what you need to do every single day, and you'll also have the confidence to get through the entire process without any problems. A professional resume writer can give you tips for writing a resume for your business and other advice that will help you along your way. The skills that you've learned from other resumes will be useful here as well.You will also want to learn how to talk about your business. Take the time to learn about what you need to say about your business, and learn what other businesses need to know. Make sure that you've addressed all of the different types of business that you have.For example, if you own a small restaurant, then you'll want to learn about businesses that specialize in the food industry. Don't assume that there are just one or two types of businesses that deal with your type of business. There are plenty of different businesses that deal with many different industries. If you want to find tips for writing a resume for your business, you should go through this entire process and learn as much as you can about the different types of businesses out there.As you can see, there are a lot of tips for writing a resume for your business, but one of the best things you can do is to contact business insider and find out more about this service. By obtaining this service, you'll be able to find out a lot about the various types of businesses, the types of resumes that they offer, and they can even help y ou get your resume prepared for the perfect placement. They can also provide tips for writing a resume for your business, and they can teach you how to use the proper tips for writing a resume for your business.