C-Suite talk with LearnVests Alexa von Tobel

C-Suite talk with LearnVests Alexa von TobelC-Suite talk with LearnVests Alexa von TobelAlexa von Tobel, CFP and Founder/CEO of LearnVest.com, talks to Ladders about job security, financial planning and career advice.You took a leave of absence from Harvard Business School in 2008 to launch LearnVest. What led you to create this organization? What is their mission?When I welches graduating from college and headed to a job on Wall Street, I realized I didnt have a solid grasp on my own personal finances. I had never learned exactly how to build my credit score or what the difference was between a Roth and Traditional IRA. I couldnt find a resource that spoke directly to me, so I decided to build one. When the financial crisis hit in the fall of 2008, I knew that smart financial advice was more important than ever before- so, I took a leave of absence from business school and dedicated myself full-time to LearnVest.Our mission is to empower people everywhere to take control of their pe rsonal finances and make real progress on their money. At LearnVest.com, we are making access to unbiased financial advice as easy as getting a gym membership.It took a lot of courage to leave business school and become a full-time entrepreneur What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own business? What do you wish you had known before starting LearnVest?One of my advisors said, if you knew what it really took to start a business, youd never do it Its 100% true that it is full of challenges, long days, and many difficult decisions. My first piece of advice is to make sure that youre absolutely passionate about what youre building. I get out of bed every morning eager to go to work, because I believe so whole-heartedly in LearnVests mission.I also think its critical to realize that its okay to fail sometimes. If youre not failing, youre not trying hard enough.Finally, focus, focus, focus. There are a lot of distractions and curveballs that will come your way, so set clear goals and be razor-focused on achieving them.You have a book, Financially Fearless (debuting on December 31st), to help people get their finances in order. What prompted you to write this book? What do you want people to take away from reading it?I wrote this book because I believe people need access to clear financial guidance. Ever since I started LearnVest, Ive heard from so many men and women who have the same questions about their money. I set out to answer them, but also, to build a workbook that allows people to be proactive with their money.I hope Financially Fearless readers walk away fully educated on the tips and tricks of managing their money- feeling more confident and prepared than ever before. Ive offered all readers the chance to speak directly with one of LearnVest Plannings Experts, so I hope everyone feels that their personal money questions have been answered.LearnVest often advises people to build up an emergency fund to help prepare for any curve bal ls life throws their way, from an unexpected and costly home repair to sudden job loss. What other financial advice would you offer to job seekers who are facing unemployment or underemployment?Having an emergency fund, which I call the Freedom Fund, is an essential one. We recommend having at least 6 months of living expenses saved up, but up to a year may be advisable depending on your situation.Beyond that, a few important tipsBe wary of borrowing from your retirement account. There are often tax penalties and fees for early withdrawals, so do everything you can to keep those funds intact.Dont be afraid to work with creditors. Let them know youre out of work, and see what they can offer in terms of renegotiating the terms of your loans and debts.Take the time to rethink your budget. With a limited (or paused) income, what can you truly cut back on? Can you save not only on variable costs (like eating out), but also on fixed costs (rent, cable, cell phone bill)?Make sure youre on top of your health insurance options. Investigate COBRA, joining your spouses policy, or other alternatives.In addition to financial guidance, LearnVest publishes job-search and career advice for its readers. Whats the best piece of career advice youve ever received?I know its clichd, but my mom always said, If you find a job you love, youll never work a day in your life. Its so important to think long and hard about what you love doing. Once youre clear on that, you can set out to find a fulfilling career.Another piece of advice I think is critical as an entrepreneur (but applies to everyone) is to surround yourself with the brightest advisors who have been there, done that. I always use the analogyif youre planning to climb Kilimanjaro, the easiest way to start is to find people who have already done it and pick their brains. What did they bring with them? How did they prepare? What path did they take to get to the top? Identify the relationships that will help you grow, and culti vate them.Any final thoughts for our readers?Building your career is an essential part of your whole financial life. Its what determines how much you earn. While its important to maximize that, its equally important to maximize what you do with those earnings. Everyone needs to have a financial plan. Not having a plan is a plan- just a terrible one. Take the time to get organized, figure out your long-term goals and exactly the steps you need to take to make them a reality. It can be a daunting process, which is why I built LearnVest.com to walk you through each and every step.Thanks AlexaAlexa von Tobel is the Founder and CEO of LearnVest.com. Follow her on Twitter at AlexavonTobel.

4 Things to Do to Show Your Co-workers You Care - The Muse

4 Things to Do to Show Your Co-workers You Care - The Muse4 Things to Do to Show Your Co-workers You CareWhether you consider this fact disheartening or motivating, you cant deny its truth You probably spend mora time with your co-workers than you do with anyone else.When youre in the geschftszimmer at least 40 hours per week, the people you work with become a big part of your life. So it pays to have solid relationships with them.Not only does that give you a strategic advantage in the workplace (hey, it never hurts to be well-liked), it also makes work that much more enjoyable.If you dont consider yourself particularly close with your colleagues, dont worry- cultivating a more caring and supportive atmosphere at work doesnt need to be a complicated undertaking.Here are four super simple things you can do to show your co-workers that you care and, as a result, make your office a place that you look forward to spending time in.1. Offer HelpThink of the last time you were struggling a t work. Maybe you were swamped and overwhelmed, or perhaps you were stuck on a challenging project.Wouldnt it have been nice if someone had stopped by your desk and provided some advice? Or even offered to take something off your plate? Wouldnt that alone have made you feel so much more valued and supported?Absolutely. So, why not do that same thing for a colleague? When you see someone whos stressed or confused, just ask Is there anything I can do to help?Even if your co-worker doesnt actually take you up on your offer, just the fact that you recognized the challenge and wanted to do something about it goes a long way in fostering a more empathetic culture.2. Get PersonalNo, you dont need to get too personal- after all, youre still in the office.But, even though youre in a work setting, aim to forge a relationship with the whole person- not just a job title.This means that the more you can get to know about your colleagues interests and passions outside the office, the easier it wi ll be to connect with them on a more human level.Whether its asking about his marathon training or admiring her desktop background featuring a photo from her recent vacation, dont neglect to strike up the occasional small talk. Doing so will demonstrate your investment in them, while also giving you common ground that you can use to connect even further.3. Provide RecognitionEverybody loves to get a pat on the back for a job well done- thats universal. But gratitude and adequate recognition can easily fall by the wayside when were wrapped up in the chaos of our everyday lives.Step up and be that colleague who always applauds the hard work of your team members. Maybe that involves sending a quick Slack message to let her know how much you enjoyed her presentation. Or, perhaps it means highlighting your co-workers contributions when your anfhrer commends you for your own hard work on a recent project.These sorts of comments might seem small, but they can make a huge impact when it com es to helping others in your office feel valued.4. Do Something NiceLittle acts of kindness wont go unnoticed- particularly in the office. So, whens the last time you did something nice just because you felt like it?Go ahead and pick up some bagels on your way into work one morning (when in doubt, free food is always effective). When youre heading out for lunch, ask that colleague who looks insanely busy if you can get anything for him.Your co-workers are koranvers to appreciate those little niceties and treats that you sneak in every now and then. Plus, as an added bonus, doing these sorts of things makes you feel good tooThese four strategies are great for showing your co-workers that you actually care about them. And theyre incredibly simple and take almost zero effort on your part.So, if youre eager to forge better, more supportive relationships with your colleagues (and if you arent, you definitely should be), put these four tips to work. Youre sure to become one of the most-li ked people in your office- while simultaneously cultivating a more positive atmosphere for your entire team.

All About Working at eBay

All About Working at eBayAll About Working at eBayeBay is a worldwide auction site that was founded by Pierre Omidyar on September 3, 1995, in San Jose, CA. It was originally called AuctionWeb and was part of a larger personal site. The very first item sold on the site by Omidyar was a broken laser pointer, to a collector of broken laser pointers. The name of the company was officially changed to eBay in September 1997. The company went public in 1998, making Omidyar and the first eBay president, Jeff Skoll, instant billionaires. The company has since purchased many other related companies, including PayPal, Skype and a percentage interest in Craigslist. eBay employs more than 30,000 employees worldwide, and are headquartered in San Jose, CA. Heres a look at everything you need to know about working for eBay. eBay Company Culture From the eBay website Our business model is a little unusual. We dont build cars. Or computers. Or yo-yos. But we build something just as important. Com munities. Weve created a place where people can come together. Exchange ideas. Share experiences. And expand their own businesses. It makes our users feel like theyre part of the family. And that feeling goes double for our employees. Thats whats so great about eBay- were literally changing the face of commerce every day. Do we have it down to a science? Of course not. Were learning as we go. Succeeding together and challenging each other to constantly refine and improve our way of working.Our people are the reason weve come this far. And the reason well succeed tomorrow. So as we grow (and we are), well try our darndest to retain the fun, community feeling that makes eBay so unique. In recent years the person-to-person economy has risen. Think of Airbnb and Uber. When you think about it, eBay was a forerunner to this trend that has taken hold since 2010. Jobs at eBay There are many job openings at eBay worldwide. Some of the popular technical openings include the following Soft ware engineerWeb developersQA EngineerNetwork engineerSystem administratorsDatabase administrators eBay Compensation and Benefits eBay offers competitive compensation packages. Medical, dental and vision insurance from the date of hireLife insurance, ADD, short-term and long-term disabilityFlexible spending accounts, Employee Assistance programBusiness travel accident insurancePTO starts at 16 days per year, with an additional day added for each year of service up to 20 days per yearHolidays 10 holidays per year, plus one floating holiday of your choiceSabbatical After five years of service with eBay, you are eligible for 4 weeks of time off with pay401k plan with participation eligibility on hire, 100% vesting in all contributions (including employer contributions) and a 100% company match up to $2,000 per year Employee stock purchase planEmployee referral program (up to $1,000)Charitable contribution and gift matching eBay also offers a lot of additional perks, including the f ollowing Work/life balance toolkiteBay development workshopsTuition reimbursementAdoption assistance programErgonomic consultationsPet insuranceOnsite conveniences including complimentary beverages and snacks, ATMs, onsite dry cleaning, massage, auto detailing, oil change, haircut, and dental cleaning just to name a few Without a doubt, eBay is one of the hottest tech companies to work for.

How to Market Yourself in a Job Search

How to Market Yourself in a Job SearchHow to Market Yourself in a Job SearchHeres a harsh reality For any job posted, many, many candidates will apply. Some of ansicht candidates will be less qualified than you are, but others will be just as qualified, or even more so. Faced with this volume of competition, its essential that you sell yourself. That means making it clear why you are the best candidate available. Selling yourself can feel uncomfortable, but its truly essential. If you dont point out your best qualities as a candidate, who will? To get past any feelings of shyness, modesty, or discomfort, think like a marketer. Develop a marketing and abverkauf campaign for your job search exactly as if it was one of the many toothpaste options in the drugstore aisle. Doing this will help you assess your strengths, strengthen your performance throughout the application process, and develop a strong brand that will make you stand out from the sea of applicants. Strategies to Market Yourself and Get a Job Follow these strategies used by marketers to see how to sell yourself as a candidate, and increase your chances of getting hired. Identify Your Strengths Think of this step as defining the product - in this case, thats you When do you shine in the workplace? Consider the tasks that you perform well andtry to recall on-the-job compliments. Look over your resume and list your strengths, skills, and accomplishments. Also, think about why youve pursued your career Why does it interest you? Try to put into words what excites you about your career along with the work-related responsibilities you enjoy the most. Its worth spending time on this activity. Your insights will help you later on while writing your cover letter, and answering bewerberinterview questions like Why do you want this job? Use Anecdotes and Examples On your resume, its smart to identify your skills, either in a bulleted list in your skills section or in the write-ups for each job youve h eld. When you write your cover letter and answer interview questions, however, go beyond a list of skills - share examples and tell stories that demonstrate your abilities. For interviewers, this creates a more persuasive, engaging experience. (Think about how commercials make a case for products - a pasta sauce ad doesnt feature a person talking to the camera about its attributes, but rather, a family enjoying dinner together.) So, instead of saying, I have strong communication skills, you can say, In my last position as head of marketing, there was a real breakdown in communications between the marketing department and sales. I met with key leaders on both teams, and after getting feedback, instituted an annual survey in the sales department. It helped marketing know precisely what sales required. Next, the marketing department began to distribute a monthly newsletter highlighting new assets, and also highlighting sales deals. Since instituting these practices, sales have climbe d, and the turnover in the sales department has decreased. Not sure how to frame examples of skills as stories? Try using the STAR method (that stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result) to develop a narrative. Develop Your Brand Dont fear Creating your professional brand doesnt have to involve slick advertisements or daily, witty posts on social media. Here are a few simple steps to take to establish your brand Write a branding statement Write a one- to two-sentence summation of your career goals and strengths. Your branding statement might be A detail-oriented lawyer looking to join a law firm on the partnership track. Or, it could be An experienced editor looking to transition into a full-time writing role. You can use this statement in the LinkedIn summary section, on your resume and when you interact with people and want to share your job search info.Create an zugnglich presence that supports your brand Your job search goals and career choice can help determine the best on line outlet. If you are in a field where you create something - articles, artwork, website designs, etc. - create an online portfolio to promote samples of your work. In many fields, it can be helpful to have a presence on social media sites, such as Twitter or LinkedIn, or to develop a personal newsletter. How to choose a good professional photo, and how social media can help your career.) Or, you may just want to have a website with your resume and experience clearly written. Documents, business cards, and other marketing materials Think of your resume and cover letter (as well as an optional job search business card) as a suite of marketing materials all aimed at selling you. That means its a good thing for them to look consistent - use the same font on all documents, as well as the same header and style on each. These documents are like the ads in online and print media make sure they look sharp and easy to read. Dress the parte Your talents are more important than your ap pearance, but it is a reality that the way you dress and carry yourself does play a part in your job search success. (To think again like a marketer, package design matters - often, the biggest difference between two shampoo bottles is price or packaging, and not the actual formulation of the shampoo.)Make sure to wear appropriate outfits. Develop an Elevator Pitch Your elevator pitch is a short - under one minute - speech about your background and experience, and what type of job you seek. You can use your elevator speech during networking events, social occasions, and career fairs. Essentially, any time theres an opportunity to introduce yourself to a potential job search contact, you can go through this pre-prepared spiel. Fish Where the Fish Are Once you have all of this in place - your professional brand, your outfit, a good sense of strengths and talents, etc. - youre nearly ready for launch. But dont just apply to jobs and attend networking events indiscriminatel y. Instead, target your efforts and use your time wisely. A marketer would identify the right potential purchasing audience for its product you should do something similar. Consider creating a targeted list of companies where you want to apply for jobs. Join only relevant professional groups and attend in-person networking events in your industry. At these events, use the elevator pitch you developed, bring along a copy of your resume, and follow up afterward over email or LinkedIn.

Notes on Ucsd Resume in Simple Step by Step Order

Notes on Ucsd Resume in Simple Step by Step Order Everybody is welcome and its at no charge. For an entry-level job at a financial institution, cash handling skills will be required. Saying excellent customer service isnt enough. When sending the absatzwirtschaft resume templates free you will need to manage the correct person in control of the selection. Possessing an executive level curriculum vitae samples readily available, you find it possible to construct an application for this dream job that you want. You are sure to become awesomely optimized resumes and youll create yur life more easy Think twice of words that youre likely to utilize in your CV carefully. Developing a professional CV isnt really as difficult as you think if you understand how to get through it. You have to submit an official test score report for your application to be thought about. Your resume will be split into sections. Consider what you are going to be putting on your resume, and select y our template accordingly. Each template includes sample content which you will change to your own info. Qualities like patience, kindness, and compassion cant be learned, they should develop into the important traits of the person. Because its a strong message to somebody who does not know you personally that youre especially smart, hard-working very well-educated, and can think clearly. Its lovely to hear that but everyone knows there are a few skills that we simply dont appear able to learn them of the appropriate way. Our writers also undergo a string of other training that may truly convince us they are ideal for the job. Its never too early to begin thinking about work after graduation In almost no time, you chance to be likely to have a resume for learners far oben liegend than out of different folks. Or you want to become a professor, but get bored when seeking to compose a 20-page assignment. To start with, the letter arrangement has to be appropriate. The corresp ondence that you write may create a huge difference in a persons life thus make sure of all you want to create within the correspondence and make sure you employ the perfect arrangement. Letter should be published about the market letterhead. It is crucial that your authority letter has every one of the details about the tasks quite clearly. A Startling Fact about Ucsd Resume Uncovered So if you would like anything in life, you might have to work for it and hard. After you truly feel calm and collected and prepared to begin something new, there are lots of things you can do in order to acquire your career on track again. There is not anything wrong in making changes. Make certain you are not making complicate things by selecting a complicated format. If you fret about the characteristic of your essay as well as youre worrying about whether you can locate a paper writer you are able to trust, you have arrived at the correct spot. Browsing our essay writing samples can offe r you a good idea whether the standard of our essays is the quality youre looking for. Most usually, writers using allegory do thus in the type of an exaggeration thats exaggerated. Resume writing isnt a really straightforward undertaking but it is quite vital to your jobhunting good outcomes and also writing a resume to find a specialized person is a bit unique from normal restart. Ucsd Resume Ideas Usage of effectual titles ought to be considered. If it comes to resumes, there arent any appropriate formats. A great format ought to be simple to follow. Next ensure use of good resume keywords. Your contact information should always go at the very top of your resume, so that employers can readily find it. If you withdraw from your program abroad at any moment, either once you have been billed or when you have paid the fee, you wont get a refund. Put the Education section of your resume at the very top of your resume so that its the very first thing the employer sees. Empl oyers wish to know precisely what you did or learned so they know what you need to offer as an employee. Ucsd Resume Fundamentals Explained Applicants are anticipated in order to spot the regions of research in which theyre interested and the faculty with whom they want to work. They must have a minimum of five years of professional experience and relevant international experience. All applicants need to submit two recommendations. Applicants who werent offered admission may reapply in subsequent decades. Ucsd Resume Secrets That No One Else Knows About The advertising department would likewise suffer losses in the corporations cost cutting efforts. When there is no sales team, theres absolutely no revenue. You might be a far better professional in another company, or perhaps in another career. In the event the company has lost money over the past few months, be careful. Which usually means you know youve got to compose the strongest, most persuasive exclusive announcemen t youre in a position to. There you are able to select which approved positions you wish to highlight on your record. Always know about the stability of the business you work for and do whats essential to keep that position. If you cant, then search for different positions which are more stable in the present job industry. Otherwise, you almost certainly will be in a position to locate a networking event near you in your area. Consider marketing resume templates free as a system, which you might strategically creates to be able to goal a specific work and to win the middle of the corporation. You must find out the way to create the best marketing resume templates free you could deliver to the company and offer good first impression about your self, learn it here. You are unable to send exactly the same marketing resume templates free to different organization for different job. Ucsd Resume at a Glance As you will probably have minimum expert experience, dont hesitate to fil l your education section with a plethora of information. There are many research topics offered in the regions of flame-dynamics and droplet-dynamics. For students that are new to the work market, interests and activities students a very good means to show employers you have skills they are searching for. In case you were a library assistant, youve got great organizational and research abilities.

Working Mom Joelyn Finds Support At Dell

Working Mom Joelyn Finds Support At Dell In the video above, Dell employee Joelyn shares how flexible work lets her keep her career while caring for a child with special needs, and how Dells new neurodiversity hiring program gives her hope for her sons future. Are you interested in such a flexible, supportive work environment? If yes, then click here to see all available opportunities at Dell, and dont forget to press Follow to receive custom job matches, event invitations and more One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plan s or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 mio construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel neuheit/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallu pon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labo r Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentierung tech nicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.

Work-at-Home Call Center Jobs in Virginia

Work-at-Home Call Center Jobs in VirginiaWork-at-Home Call Center Jobs in VirginiaVirginia has quite a few companies that offer work-at-home call center job opportunities to its residents. Below are some call center companiesthat hire in Virginia. Possible Opportunities Accolade Support Call Center ServicesIndependent contractors work the phones as home-based technical rckendeckung agents and customer service reps, servicing this business process outsourcing (BPO) firms clients. Pay is a per-minute rate that goes as high as $10/hour. Keep in mind, though, that independent contractors are not guaranteed tiefpunkt wage. AloricaAlorica, which merged with West at Home, hires remote customer service agents who are paid on a per minute or per call basis, but since they are employees they are assured of earning the minimum wage in their state. American ExpressCall center agents with experience in reservation systems (as well as travel agents) work from home for the companys corporate tr avel division. Being bilingual is a competitive advantage in getting hired into one of ansicht jobs. Apple At Home AdvisorsThe work-at-home call center division of Apple hires tech support/customer service agents nationwide though the jobs often have locations listed in the postings. Apple provides computer equipment. AROCompanys remote call center employees work in a variety of jobs including sales, and customer service. It also hires insurance auditors and LPNs and RNs to work from home. Aspire LifestylesSpecializing in virtual assistant or concierge services, the companys remote agents handle customer requests by phone, e-mail, and chat. Fluency in French, German, Spanish or Italian is a plus. Carenet Healthcare ServicesRegistered nurses are needed for these medical call center jobs from home. Agents are employees and paid approximately $25/hour. Jobs are full time, and overnight work may be available and/or required. CenturyLinkThis provider of voice, broadband, and video servic es in 33 states employ home-based call center agents and pays around $10-11/hour. Bilingual skills are a plus. ConvergysRemote call center agents employed by this BPO take incoming calls and provide customer service, sales or technical support. Companys training is paid, and it offers benefits. HSN.comThe Home Shopping Network offers work at home jobs in call centers. Inbound calls are both sales and customer service. Full-time positions provide health insurance benefits. Jobs are based in Roanoke, VA. LiveOpsThis BPO hires remote call center agents as independent contractors for a variety of customer service jobs. Agents are paid at a rate that is based on minutes of talk time plus sales incentives in some cases. Agents must become certified to work for individual clients. This certification is not paid. Agents must pay for their own background check. Support.comCompany provides remote tech support to clients, via home-based tech support chat and call center agents. Its remote serv ices technicians answer inbound calls and its solutions center supervisors support and supervise the remote services technicians. SYKES Home Powered by Alpine AccessRemote employees receive inbound customer service and sales calls for a variety of this BPOs clients. Training is paid. Starting pay isaround $9/hour. Successful applicants pay $45 for a background check. The hiring process for these call center jobs is online and by phone. Bilingual skills are a plus. TeleTechHomeGlobal company hires associates for20-30 hours/week. to work from home as call agents and other fields. Bilingual call center agents needed. Benefits include paid training, 401k. Pay is $9-10/hour. ThinkDirectCompany hires employees as inbound work-at-home agents, selling magazine subscriptions. Pay with incentives is $10-$14 an hour. Ver-A-FastCompany contracts with home-based call center agents to make verification calls for the companys clients in the newspaper industry.

5 Negative Human Resources Practices That Should Be Extinct

5 Negative Human Resources Practices That Should Be Extinct5 Negative Human Resources Practices That Should Be ExtinctAre you and your Human Resources department dinosaurs? Despite dinosaur movies, paraphernalia, and popularity, dinosaurs are extinct. Certain HR roles and practices need to become defunct, too. If you and your HR department are still spending time and energy on ansicht HR roles, and just plain bad or out-of-date practices, consider making them extinct. Requiring Social Security Numbers on Job Applications Is a Negative In this age of identity theft and data hacking and insecurities, potential employees dont want to give you their social security number until they believe that they are a viable candidate for your job. Sure, once theyve been through a job interview or two and they believe that you are ready for background checking, the interested candidate is happy to give you that number. But, notlage just to have their online application accepted for review. Track ing applicants, or employees for that matter, with their social security number, is a bad practice. Why would you want all of that responsibility for their personal data, well before you actually need it, or listed in multiple locations where it wasnt needed at all? Most universities stopped this practice of using social security numbers for student IDs about 30-40 years ago. Why are businesses so slow to get it? Job searchers frequently complain about the practice and refuse to use their social security number to apply. Youre potentially losing great candidates who refuse to place their social security number on the table until it is actually needed following a job offer. (Increasingly, job search experts recommend that a candidate put all 0s in the social security number question in an online application.) Human Resources Taking the Lead on Disciplinary Matters Not you, hopefully. Thats a task that belongs to line managers- with your coaching and assistance- even your attendan ce at the disciplinary action meeting, of course. Not positive whether Human Resources staff was, at one time, expected to take the lead on anydisciplinary action with employees, but it sure plays out that way in small and mid-sized companies every day. When asked, HR staff members indicate discomfort with how their managers approach disciplinary action. From tongue-tied in the meetings to downright saying way too much in the wrong words, managers lack training in approaching problem employees. With lawsuits just waiting to happen, HR best serves the organization by training and coaching managers. HR, its not your job to take the lead on disciplinary action. You werent there. You didnt witness the employees performance- or lack thereof. You were not privy to any of the coaching conversations, assuming that they occurred. You were not in the middle of setting performance expectations. Nor, were you the keeper of the documentation. You can check your managers documentation, ascertain that the appropriate conversations occurred, and coach the manager to an ethical, legal, classy disciplinary meeting- but you cant do it for the manager. Dont even try. The Practice of Doing Basic Employee Admin Work Yourself Spend much of your time changing addresses, benefits information, and helping employees access their employee information? With online capabilities available today, the entire employee transactional systems should be automated with employees able to access and update their own information. Benefits? HR cannot be the point of contact for benefits either if you expect to spend your time on the strategic needs of the business for employee performance, motivation, engagement, and satisfaction. Major healthcare insurance companies and providers have comprehensive websites and customer service representatives that can access employee accounts and answer all of their questions about eligible services and processes. There is no need for HR employees to have to expl ain or be experts on the ins and outs of policies- unless an employee has a problem. In those cases, help the employee solve their problem. Failing to List Salary Info in Posted Positions ?Yes, HR practitioners are aware of all of the arguments, both pro, and con on this topic, and they have been debated at length, in HR discussion groups. But, many HR managers have landed squarely in the court that advocates transparency on salary so that HR staff, hiring managers, and prospective employees dont waste everybodys time. Readers have long complained that they apply for jobs only to find out after an interview or two or a job offer, that the proffered salary is way too low. Candidates also complain about feeling strung along by employers who indicate that a range is available then offer an experienced applicant the lowest number in the range. The old HR attitude about getting employees for the lowest possible compensation needs to change to one of paying employees fairly based on t heir experience and other qualifications. Employers need a fair and equitable compensation system that is transparent in the sense of providing employees guidance about how they can move financially to the next level. Many HR practitioners are not advocates of employees sharing salary information. But, the process for obtaining raises, how an employee goes about increasing compensation, and what they need to do to move to the next level ought to be transparent to all employees. Unfamiliar with any private sector employers who use this practice, but government offices and agencies are still at fault. Says a former government employee, HR Being in dienstgrad of Interviewing and Hiring One dinosaur thing that drove me crazy in the government was that the HR staff did all of the interviewing and hiring. Then, they sent a person to work on your team without any input from the line manager who was filling the position. This practice was bad for the new hire since they often dont reall y know what they are getting into. It was bad for the existing staff since they didnt get a chance to ask some of the real world questions that would help them determine who was best suited to join the team. Most importantly, neither the manager nor the coworkers owned the new employee or were invested in the new employees success. In one worst-case scenario, the HR staff hired a single mom, placed her in their Atlanta office, and never told her that she would be expected to travel about 25 percent (or more) of her time. This was a disaster for a single mom with no support structure in a new city. While every HR department has some practices and procedures that ought to be reconsidered, these are particularly noteworthy. Sometimes the issue is budget or company priorities, but often the HR practitioners have just not taken the time to think about the impact of dinosaur practices on employees and potential employees.

The buddy system may be one of the only ways to make yourself change

The buddy ordnungsprinzip may be one of the only ways to make yourself changeThe buddy system may be one of the only ways to make yourself changeYouve vowed to change your habits - get up a little earlier in the morning to exercise, set aside more time for your passion projects, teach yourself one new skill a month - and yet here you are, still struggling to make a shift.Whats it going to take?According to a new study, maybe you need a buddy to keep you on track.How to get yourself to go to the gymResearchers from the University of West Chester in Pennsylvanialooked at 181 students at the university - all of whom have free access to the gym but who only used it an average of less than once a week - to see if they could use incentives to boost their gym attendance to three days a week, with a minimum half-hour visit each time.The researchers split research subjects into five groups a control group a group they bribed with the offer of cash - in the form of an $80 Amazon voucher - and left to their own devices a group that was entered into the voucher lottery and paired up with a gym buddy, both of whom had to meet the three-day-a-week goal in order to win a group that was entered into the lottery, paired up with a buddy, and given information about how all the other groups were performing and individuals entered into the lottery and given info about how other groups were performing - but who had no buddy to team up with.The power of pairsResearchers found that all gym-goers increased their attendance during the course of the three-week experiment - doubling the number of visits to two per week even among the control group.But the buddy system was a far more successful way to encourage lasting change than individual incentives - nearly tripling attendance among those who worked with the buddy system and more than tripling attendance among those who worked with the buddy system and access to information about how other teams were doing, according to the s tudy data.Researchers also found that being given information about how their group compared to the overall study population ratcheted up the likelihood of success even further - as those who had been given that information continued to go to the gym for several weeks after the study ended.Harnessing peer pressure for goodBeing in a team and receiving information on peers are effective in changing a non-user of the gym to a user, wrote the researchers, led byDr. Simon Condliffe, an associate professor in the Department of Economics and Finance at West Chester University.Periodic information feedback has a longer-lasting impact on gym attendance than other interventions. Our findings provide insight for any organization seeking to incentivize behavior change in the most efficient, and cost effective, manner.