How to Maintain Work-Life Balance -The Muse

How to Maintain Work-Life Balance -The MuseHow to Maintain Work-Life Balance Work-life balance can be elusive under the best job circumstances, but when you work non-traditional hours- whether youre in a client-facing role, you have a busy season (hi accountants), or youre facing a big project deadline- finding time for the people and things you love can be even more difficult.After all, early mornings, late hours, and limited breaks arent exactly conducive to balance. Still, its possible to carve out time for whats important to you even when your work life seems crazy. And adopting one (or more) of these expert tips can help.1. Rethink Work-Life BalanceIf you feel like you cant find any work-life balance thanks to your non-traditional schedule, rethink your definition of the phrase, says Samantha Ettus, a work-life balance expert and author of The Pie Life A Guilt-Free Recipe for Success and Satisfaction.Work-life balance is not about having balance every day, she says. Its about cr eating a balance that feels manageable over the course of time- a week, a month, a year. The problem comes when you expect balance every day- and judge yourself accordingly. Thats just not how life works, Ettus says. We all know there are days when you start at 7 AM and end with a client dinner at 10 PM.2. Set Boundaries When Youre Less BusyEven the most demanding work schedule likely ebbs and flows- an off season or a time between projects. Take advantage of these slower periods to set personal boundaries, as much as possible, with clients and co-workers.Will you have to stay later sometimes? Yes. Is an occasional 530 PM meeting inevitable? Of course. But in general, once you start setting boundaries, people will respect them- and it may be easier to keep them going when things pick up again.3. Embrace Micro ActionsIf your work schedule doesnt allow for blocks of personal time, embrace what Mary LoVerde calls micro actions- activities that fit into bits of time during your day that are so small its easy to discount them. Dont.For example, LoVerde says, maybe you cant fit in a 90-minute yoga class when youre on a project- but can you do 4 minutes of tabata? Or program your wearable activity tracker to remind you to take a 2-minute walk every hour and drink a glass of water?Individually, those dont seem like much, but when you add them all up, you may find youve gotten 20 minutes of exercise and downed 10 glasses of water by the end of the day. Not too shabby4. Think of Your Life as a PieEttus recommends imagining your life as a pie sliced into seven pieces career, children, health, hobbies, friends, community, and relationship. Write down how much time you spend on each slice (be honest), and set a goal for each one.If youre already struggling to balance a couple of slices (say, career and children), adding five more can seem counterintuitive- but stick with us. It doesnt have to be a hobby that you do every day of your life- a once-a-month book club still con tributes to balance, Ettus says. People who live in all of their slices are the ones who feel more productive and fulfilled, so make sure you set goals for each area.5. Become a QuitterAs busy as you are, youre probably wasting time each day on things that dont contribute to your work-life balance in a meaningful way. LoVerde recommends quitting the things that get in the way of what you want. Who among us hasnt senfgas 20 minutes mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, when we could have been texting a friend or meditating?6. Build in RitualsThe findings of a 75-year Harvard study show that good relationships are the key to keeping us healthy, happy, and successful. Of course, relationships may occasionally take a backseat due to a busy season at work. But if theres no down time in your future, then you must build in ways to stay connected with family and friends, LoVerde says- and the way to do that is to build in rituals, such as FaceTiming with your kids when you miss bedtime or a daily lunchtime text with your partner.You have a limited amount of willpower every day, LoVerde says, so building in rituals that help you stay connected to whats really important will help you when you have to work strenuous stretches.We cant promise that youll be able to find the perfect work-life balance all the time. But if you follow this advice, youll be on your way to creating more time and space for yourself and those who matter most.

Are Colleges Preparing Students for the Working World [Infographic]

Are Colleges Preparing Students for the Working World Infographic Are Colleges Preparing Students for the Working World Infographic But the fact remains that a significant portion if not the majority of the population sees college as an investment. Go ahead, just Google Is college worth it? and bask in the endless stream of thinkpieces on whether or not college is worth the money (that is, whether or not spending money on college will get you more money in the future).Thinks are looking grim forthe college is a good investment crowd these daysfewerthan half of employers believe that college grads are prepared for entry-level work, and, according to an article from Slate, new grads havebleak lives ahead of themTodays crop of new B.A.s are staring at roughly 8.5 percent unemployment, 16.8 percent underemployment. Close to half of those who land work wont immediately find a job that requires their degree, and for those stuck in that situation, there are fewer good jobs to go around. The folks atKnod, a global learning network that focuses on experience-based education, offer a new infographic that tracks the ways in which colleges may be failing to prepare graduates for the workplace, which you can check out below. The message of Knods infographic Students should focus on gaining skills and experiences over just gaining a degree.

Installation Overview Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker

Installation Overview Army Aviation Center, Fort RuckerInstallation Overview Army Aviation Center, Fort RuckerThe Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, is located in the southeast corner of Alabama. It covers about 64,500 acres of countryside in an area known as the Wiregrass, named for a wild grass peculiar to the region. Most of the countryside is rolling and wooded,and the regions many lakes and streams, as well as proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, make this area a fishermans dream.All Army Flight Training has taken place at Fort Rucker since 1973, making it the Army Aviations centerpiece. Air Force helicopter pilots have trained at the base since 1971. Fort Rucker instructors teach the U.S. and foreign aviators everything from anfangsbuchstabe rotary-wing courses to advanced courses in aviation safety. 01MissionThe current mission of the Army Aviation Center is to develop the aviation force for its worldwide mission. Itincludes developing concepts, doctrine, organization, training, l eader development, materiel, and soldier requirements, as well as providingresident and nonresident aviation maintenance, logistics, and leadership training in support of the total force and foreign nations for the sustainment of joint and combined aviation operations.02Location and Driving DirectionsFort Rucker, Alabama, is located in the southeast corner of Alabama. It is approximately 80 miles south of Montgomery, and 20 miles northwest of Dothan. Floridas Gulf Coast lies 80 miles to the south. The communities of Enterprise, Daleville, and Ozark are west, south, and east of the post.Entry to Fort Rucker is through three main gates the Ozark Gate from the east, the Daleville Gate from the south, and the Enterprise Gate from the west.Driving DirectionsFrom Dothan Airport (DHN)departure out going southweston Flight Line Drtoward Central St (0.9 miles)Turn slight right onto Napier Field Rd/Cr-112 (1.7 miles)Napier Field Rd/Cr-112 becomes AL-134 (0.6 miles)Turn slight left onto ramp ( 0.2 miles)Merge onto US-231 N/AL-53 N(14.4 miles)Turn left onto AL-249 (6.8 miles)End at Fort RuckerFrom MontgomeryStart out going north on S Union St (0.1 miles)Merge onto I-85 N/Martin Luther King Jr Expy (4.8 miles)Merge onto US-231 S/US-80 W/AL-21 S via Exit 6 toward Troy (3.3 miles)Turn left onto US-231 S/US-82 E/Troy Hwy. Continue to follow US-231 S (73.7 miles)Turn right onto AL-27 (6.8 miles)End at Fort Rucker03Population and Major Units AssignedOperational units on the post include the 1st Aviation Brigade handling Army Aviation training, and the USAF 23d Flying Training Squadron for the training of Air Force helicopter pilots.Major commands on Fort Rucker include U.S. Army Garrison Fort Rucker, U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center, U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career Center, U.S. Army Aviation Technical Test Center (ATTC), Aviation Center Logistics Command (ACLC), U.S. Army Aeromedical Center, U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, U.S. Army School of Aviation Medicine, and U.S. Army Air Traffic Services Command (ATSCOM).Fort Rucker supports a daytime population of about 14,000, including about 5,100 tafelgeschirr members, 6,400 civilian and contract employees, and 3,200 military family members residing on post. This post supports about 14,500 retirees.04Main Phone NumbersTo access Fort Rucker telephone system, you should dial the following numbersField Officer of the Day (FOD), commercial number is (334) 255-9405 or DSN 558-9405Staff Duty Officer, (334) 255-9405 or 3100, after duty hours (334) 255-3400 or DSN 558-9405/3400Fort Rucker information (334) 255-1110 or DSN 558-111005Temporary LodgingThe Fort Rucker Army Lodging, located in Bldg. 308, off 5th Ave., near Bldg. 5700, at 24/7, 334-598-5216, fax (334) 598-1242.Reservations can be made with Army Lodging prior to arriving at Fort Rucker. Reservations for PCS or temporary duty schools are made with no advance restriction. Reservations for other TDYs can be mad e up to 30 days in advance. Reservations for retirees, graduation, and other authorized guests are accepted up to seven days in advance. Room rates range from $27 to $49 per day, based on occupancy ($5 extra per person).Rooms are single family occupancy. If you are attending a course, contact that school coordinator. Student single room is pre-blocked by class. Family accommodations are not available under MTSS. Rates are subject to change without notice.Services include non-smoking rooms, playground, free continental breakfast, outdoor cooking facilities, handicap facilities, infant cribs (based on availability), fax services, conference room, andguest exercise room.06HousingOn-post living at Fort Rucker offers a safe community and many amenities commonly found in upscale residential communities. On-post living also saves you money and allows you to maintain your military lifestyle.Corvias Military Living manages three neighborhoods at Fort Rucker, with each neighborhood having 400 to 600 homes. Every home has either been replaced or greatly improved, and all-new homes are comparable to those being constructed off-post. The renovated homes are like-new. Corvias Military Living has made every attempt to see that neighborhoods are designed with ideal home counts so that each family will be able to obtain personalized service from dedicated neighborhood and maintenance teams. ansicht teams are located in the neighborhood center of each neighborhood for convenience to the services it offers families. Families have access to services free of charge at the center including a pool, exercise center, kitchen, multi-purpose room, computer room, and outdoor activity areas. Each neighborhood has an extensive trail and park system. Additionally, families have access to a community garden and a Bark Park for their dogs.The partnership between Corvias Military Living and the Army is for the long-term and focuses on the sustainability of the homes. Construction focused on sa fety, low environmental impact, and reduced disruptions for families. Upgrading and replacement will continue over the next 50 years. Residents can experience the effects of the privatization process through improved services, maintenance and repair, and community amenities.Single Unaccompanied Personnel are also able to live in on-post housing. They have the option to pay their full without dependent rate BAH and live in a home by themself, or they can have a roommate, and the two together can pay the with dependent rate BAH for the home, allowing them to pocket part of their BAH.If you are interested in living in on-post housing, call the Relocation Office, located in Bldg. 5700, at 334-503-3644 or 866-525-HOME.Permanent party staff sergeants and above have the option to reside on- or-off post. Phone 255-1205/3705.07SchoolsThere are two schools at Fort Rucker for students who live on-post. The Elementary School, for students second through sixth grades, has traditional individual classrooms. The primary school has large, open classroom areas to serve 90 students and four teachers per class. It serves four-year-olds through first grade. Fort Rucker schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.To register at the schools on post, the following documentation is requiredUpdated registration formSocial Security cardCertified birth certificateSponsors current ordersVerification of housingAlabama immunization recordFort Rucker schools offer services for students identified with special needs. The school provides transportation for students residing more than one mile away from the school.Schools in the areas surrounding Fort Rucker, including Ozark, Daleville, and Enterprise, educate children in grades kindergarten through 12. Students in grades 712 receive transportation from post to their schools. Parents should present copies of report cards, verification of grade placement, credits earned, or other credentials when they enroll stude nts. Itwill help counselors and administrators place students on the proper instruction level.For additional information, contactDalevilleSuperintendent, Daleville City Board of Education626 N. Daleville Ave., Daleville, AL 36322Phone 598-2456EnterpriseEnterprise City Board of Education502 East Watts Ave., Enterprise, AL 36330Phone 347-9531OzarkSuperintendent, Ozark City School SystemPost Office Box 788, Ozark, AL 36361Phone 774-5197There are also several community colleges and universities in the near proximity that offer undergraduate and graduate courses each term. Students can complete associate, bachelor, and master degrees on post in the evening.08Child CareThe Fort Rucker Child Development Center (CDC)is located at Bldg. 8938, Red Cloud Road and operates Monday through Friday, 530 a.m. until 600 p.m. The contact phone is 334-255-2262.The Ft. Rucker CDC offers full-day care for children 6 weeks to kindergarten age, part-day toddler and preschool program for children 2 to 5 yea rs old, a pre-K program, kindergarten program, and hourly care. The center offers trained staff, balanced meals, and age-appropriate developmental activities. Fees are determined by the total family income as directed by the Army CYS Fee Policies and Guidance. The CDC is certified by the Department of Defense and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.Parents who plan to use any CYS program should register their child at the CYS Central Registration office. The registration is good for one calendar year and has reciprocity Army-wide (transferable from installation to installation with appropriate documentation of enrollment status). Effective January 1, 2008, the annual Registration fee will be waived under the Army Family Covenant.The following information is required when registeringUp-to-date immunization recordsValid sponsor ID cardDoD Fee Application (For center-based programs only)If the sponsor is single or dual military, a current family c are plan (DA fasson 5305-R) is requiredAlso offered are Family Child Care homes which offer child care services to children whose parents have irregular duty hours, children who need small group settings, and those preferring care in a home setting.Youth Services offers many leisure and recreational programs for the youth of Fort Rucker at The Youth Center facility located at Bldg. 2806, 7th and Division Rd.09Medical CareLyster Army Medical Clinic provides primary care and ancillary services to a military population that consists of active duty service members, their families, a large retiree population, and their family members. The clinic, fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, is located at Bldg. 301, Andrews Ave.The Department of Primary Care serves as the Primary Care Managers for TRICARE Prime beneficiaries. Individuals are assigned to a provider within the Department of Primary Care. Appointments are scheduled with the primary c are manager by calling the Patient Appointment Line at 334-255-7000.The medical offered includes primary care, aviation medicines clinic, physical exams clinic, emergency medical services, specialty appointments, laboratory and pharmacy services, a health wellness center, nutrition clinic, pediatric care, and more.There are also several TRICARE network hospitals in close proximity.The Fort Rucker Dental Clinic Command is an organizational element of Fort Benning, Ga., Dental Activity. It provides dental examinations, treatment, and consultations for active duty service members.

VP of Retail Operations Works Both Sides of Network

VP of Retail Operations Works Both Sides of NetworkVP of Retail Operations Works Both Sides of NetworkElaine Clarke welches generous about sharing leads, and zu sich good networking deeds ultimately helped zu sich to help zu sichself.Elaine Clarkes job search welches a model of give-and-take networking. In the 10 months she spent searching for work, Clarke landed 10 successful job offers - but only two were for herbeiself.Clarke, a global operations executive from Salem, N.H., forwarded job leads to eight friends and colleagues in her professional network who successfully landed job offers.The strategy to pass along job leads may feel unnatural to some, but the practice of helping first, asking second ingratiated Clarke with individuals in her network who returned the favor. They sent her leads on open positions, made introductions, and called in favors with former bosses and decision makers. It landed Clarke two leads that ultimately generated job offers and a bidding war for her s ervices.But the network only works when you use it correctly, Clarke warned.Contact every friend in your network once a month with some sort of information, she said. Send them a link to a Web site they might find interesting, or send them an article you just read about their company that they might be interested in. You need to stay top of mind without sounding desperate.It didnt hurt that making connections through her professional network is what Clarke had been doing for the past two years.Giving to getAfter 20 years experience in production and sourcing operations at several retail companies, Clarke welches considered an expert in organizational structure and process. In late 2006, she decided to leave her job as vice president for global operations in producing and sourcing at Mast Industries, the manufacturing arm of Limited Brands stores, to pursue consulting.For two years she helped companies such as Lands End to become more efficient in bringing their products to market.Sh e was successful enough that she was juggling multiple clients, and when one job ended, she could count on another beginning. She used LinkedIn to connect to peers and former colleagues. She used her peer network to close deals and keep clients in the pipeline, including a January 2007 meeting with a customer who ultimately wanted to hire Clarke full time. She had to decline the offer to continue freelancing.In September 2008, she had just completed an assignment and was speaking to six different clients about work. Three jobs were sure things we were ready to get started, and three others were potential clients, she recalled. Then the bottom fell out of the industry. All six jobs went away Some were canceled, some were put on hold. All I heard was that budgets were cut, no one wanted to spend any money.Clarke decided her best bet was to go back to work with an employer rather than depend on the capriciousness of the market. Of course, with retail in freefall, it wasnt going to be e asy.I started talking to anyone who would listen about the fact that I was looking for operations jobs, she said. I talked to recruiters, to hairdressers, to people in the swimming pool, she said, laughing. Networking is a natural thing for me. As a consultant, it was the only way to keep potential projects in the pipeline. I just stepped it up.She continued to use LinkedIn to build her network and added OpsLadder to make connections to recruiters. She was doing double duty networking for her consulting business and looking to add full-time job leads to her pipeline. It was evenings and weekends, it was a lot of e-mail and phone calls, she said of her job search. I had one friend tell me, Ive never seen anyone work so hard at finding a job, she recalled. There were days when I had to completely stop and refresh my brain. A job search can become all-consuming.It took nearly 10 months of talking to recruiters and people in her network before she received solid job leads. In between, however, she was able to connect eight former colleagues with jobs that she had heard about in her search. She credits her network of professional colleagues with keeping her spirits up during a very difficult time in her industry.Ultimately it was a connection she had made in 2007 - just as she began her consulting stint - that would ultimately land her an offer.Two offers, one dilemmaIn July 2009, it was her turn to get some good news. A colleague on LinkedIn told her about a position that sounded like it had everything she wanted, except for one thing She would have to relocate to the Philadelphia area. It wasnt something I wanted to do, but it was something I could do, she said. I had to leave any barriers to getting a job. My daughter was off to college. My husband was willing to move. So I had to decide I was willing to do this. It was the only way I was going to find a job.About the same time she heard about the Philadelphia job, a recruiter had contacted her from her profi le on OpsLadder about a confidential job search. Clarke had no idea who the job was with or where it was located. She spoke to the recruiter, and then nothing.But Clarke was busy. Within six weeks, she had interviewed three different times with a total of 22 people for the challenging position near Philadelphia. She knew the company was going to make her an offer, and she was ready to accept it and make the move.Then the recruiter from the confidential job search called again, with good news. The president of this company, the recruiter told her, remembered Clarke from that January 2007 interview. She was with a new company, a womens clothing retailer, and wanted to set up an interview. Even better, the job was local. She would not have to move.Clarke was torn. She remembered her interview with that executive, and said, I would love to work for her. But I cant walk away from a sure thing. She told the recruiter she would speak to the company, but they would need to make it happen w ithin four days.They did. The next day she had a phone meeting with the HR people. A couple of days later, she was in their offices and met with 11 people. Less than a week later, she received a job offer. And I turned it down, she said. Feeling obligated to the first job offer, I told them, Im not doing this to negotiate, I appreciate that you made this happen so quickly, but you knew I had this other offer, and Im going to take it.They e-mailed me that night and offered a financial package with more potential for earnings, she said. I was so impressed. I had never seen a company move this quickly and aggressively. At the end of the day, the financial packages were equal. The job near Philadelphia was a bigger job with more risk. But the local job is a great job and would create less disruption in my life. I went for what was right for my family.Clarke started her job as VP of sourcing, quality assurance and product integrity for her new company in mid-September in New Hampshire.N etwork of emotional supportClarkes professional network not only made the connections that ultimately landed her two job offers and a bidding war that helped her negotiate a higher salary. She also credits her network with keeping her on track.I had, and still have, so many colleagues in the same situation, she said. We all supported one another. Coaching friends helped me. We were all reading about how retail was in trouble we didnt feel we were in a good situation. But there was never a time when everyone was feeling down there was always at least one person who was feeling positive, and that person would lift everyone else up. It was good to have someone saying, Its going to be OK. Having friends to talk to about this every day, people who understood what was happening, was really important to me. At the time, I didnt realize how important, but now that I have been able to step away from it, I see how helpful it was to keeping my spirits up.

Case Management Resume for Dummies

Case Management Resume for Dummies Utilize thecareer objectivewhen you have little if any case management experience. You know youre an ideal case manager candidate, but now youve got to persuade the hiring manager of that. Youve got an excellent case manager resume thus far. A case manager serves to supply options and services which are available to fulfill the special needs of individuals and families. Management positions incorporate a number of the best-paid, most prestigious work in the nation. While managers arent necessarily the main individuals in the organization, their work is important to helping everyone else work together seamlessly. Case Managers are extremely busy men and women. They are healthcare professionals who help people with a large variety of issues. The Demise of Case Management Resume Because a case manager is liable for creating treatment plans, my prior experience and critical thinking skills will let me devise the best plan of action for my c ustomers. If you have lots of social work experience, you should think about employing an expert summary. Our invitation procedure enables us to be certain that we only have top-quality employers on our website. Locate a resume template which suits your taste. RNs may also get a non-degree post-baccalaureate certificate in case administration. A variety of LPN to BSN programs are readily available. Due to the breadth and range of practice, RN case managers are available everywhere. They are registered nurses who are responsible for the coordination of the various elements that are involved in the care of an individual patient. What to Expect From Case Management Resume? Law enforcement investigations arent routine because the circumstance is always changing. At exactly the same time, its expected that therell soon be a shortage of qualified case managers. It is essential for case managers to have the ability to understand laws and regulations and they should have excelle nt computer abilities. As an example, case managers have to have the ability to work autonomously and make quick decisions. Being a real case manager is definitely a hard job. This information is going to be grab the nurse recruiters interest. If youre interested in this job, this info can help you to find out more about it and to get ready for the career. The Tried and True Method for Case Management Resume in Step by Step Detail Mid-Level Professional Resume Mid-level expert case managers are people who have worked for no less than 3 decades together with attained a college degree in relevant fields. If you wish to place your degree of experience below the spotlight, utilize the reverse chronological as your Case Manager resume format. If youre looking for a career in management, you probably have years of skilled experience under your belt. Afterwards, you might get into your professional experience. Have been in a position to use my high degree of knowledge and robus t inter-agency relationships to guarantee all clients have continued access to specialist services. Nurse case managers monitor the advancement of a patient to produce necessary adjustments on a treatment program and case management strategy. The benefit of intensive case managers is they can offer a number of the linking and monitoring responsibilities performed by the mental wohlbefinden counselor, permitting the mental wellness counselor to center on client assessments and mental wellness therapy. Case management workers also have to be in a position to communicate and work with patients and their physicians to attain an optimal wellness care plan to help in their well-being, along with conducting a review of the medical record to facilitate proper treatment and solutions. If youre asking for a management position, your resume needs to display your management-related abilities and experience. Additionally, there are a few helpful ideas to help you craft a successful resume. Even though most of resumes should offer advice in your work and education experience, as well as your abilities and accomplishments, there are various approaches to supply this info. To aid you in getting going on a resume that make it possible for you to kick-start a career change, it can help to concentrate on your transferrable skills. The Little-Known Secrets to Case Management Resume Youre able to select a free or paid account level based on your requirements. It is much simpler for a hiring manager to discover that value in a brief paragraph than attempting to piece it together from a lengthy history of specialist experience and education. Youve got to present your qualifications and your skills in a sense that will catch the interest of a hiring manager, and among the best approaches to do that is by way of the purpose statement on your resume. Strong interpersonal and communication abilities and the capacity to work effectively with a wide variety of constituencies in a diverse community. For the reason, management, good or bad, may have a big influence on several lives. If youre thinking of turning into a case manager, the info about the job they do as given above will enable you to know what things to expect in the career. You may have to adjust somebody elses plan to new conditions. There are lots of totally free case bewerberinterview examples and its challenging to understand where to get started.

5 Things Top Talent Looks for in Company Brand - Spark Hire

5 Things Top Talent Looks for in Company Brand - Spark HireStarting and growing a new business comes with many challenges. One of the big challenges for your startup as you enter the growth stage is to attract top talent.When you are competing with larger corporations for the best talent, its important to know what top talent is really looking for in your company brand. What does the future look like for your company?You will find that much of todays top talent is willing to take a chance on a startup business if they can see a promising future for that startup.One of the key reasons that top talent is interested in startup companies is due to their chances of um ein haar growth versus the slow and methodical growth of larger corporations.As a startup company, you have an excellent chance to attract top talent by simply advertising and displaying the fast track growth opportunity that your startup has in front of it.How does your team contribute to your companys success?Top talent is interested in being an instrumental part of the success of your company. They will want to know and understand the part that your team plays in the success of your startup.Are opinions heard and valued throughout your team? Does your startup have an open environment where questions and thoughts are freely spoken? What is the purpose and personal contribution of each team member when it comes to the success of your business? Being able to answer these questions with ease is going to be one of the game changers for your startup when it comes to capturing the attention of top talent.What is the career growth opportunity?Not only is top talent interested in your companys future, but they are also very much interested in the future of their career if they are a part of your company.One of the many reasons why top talent is open to considering startups over large corporations is simply due to the fact that a successful startup will offer the chance of fast career growth. Many larger corp orations do not offer this quick career growth simply because they are well established with key players already in place.By understanding the opportunity of fast career growth within your startup, you will achieve the upper hand over your competition when attracting top talent.Are you flexible?Top talent is looking for flexibility. This should be no surprise to you, as you will find many articles and much advice on this when it comes to retaining employees.As a startup, you are likely able to provide your employees more flexibility when it comes to time off, opportunities to work from home, and the chance to work hours that better accommodate their personal life. Many larger corporations will not offer this type of flexibility to their employees, so this is an excellent way for your startup to stand out among your competitors.How do you share all of this with top talent?By this time, you are probably wondering exactly how you can get the message out to top talent that your startup offers what they are looking for.Being active on social media and taking advantage of all public speaking opportunities will help to put your company brand out there so that it is clearly visible to top talent.What are some other things that you believe top talent is looking for in your company brand?

Career in Transition Consider Volunteer Work

Career in Transition Consider Volunteer Work Career in Transition Consider Volunteer Work But volunteering is rarely a 40 hour a week commitment, and typically theres time for both regular job hunting and additional pro-bono efforts on the side. The benefits of volunteer work go far beyond doing a good deed, and often your commitment will lead to increased job opportunities, or at the very least some additional experience to put on your resume. Here are a few ways volunteer work can jump-start your careerExpand your network Job seekers have a daily grind, just like everyone else. Their work is often tied to the computer sourcing new job leads, pouring over social media channels, sending out resumes, emails, etc. While these repetitive activities are essential to the search process, they often leave the job seeker isolated. Volunteering at various non-profits can break up your week and enhance your professional network at the same time, getting you out in front of new people (peopl e of influence such as board of directors, committees, and associations) who will be able to vouch for you as a reference or pass along your name to someone thats hiring. Its bedrngnis uncommon for a non-profit to end up recruiting a volunteer into paid position if they did a good job.Fills in time gaps on your resume Volunteering also can help cover unsightly periods of unemployment on your resume. If you were recently laid off or youve been looking for work, volunteering or consulting is a professional outlet for your career path in transition. Most recruiters dont even mind or care that you were lending your abilities free-of-charge Hiring managers and recruiters just like to see that youre working and staying productive. You dont have to let the stigma of unemployment keep you down if you refuse to accept the negative label.Keeps your expertise fresh One of the best ways to stay relevant and on top of your game is through volunteer work. The experience you gain will improve the skills you already have and give you the chance to learn new abilities increasing your value as a prospective job candidate. Youll perform better on job interviews and youll be able to point to your volunteer work as an achievement and a valuable exercise for your abilities.Volunteer work gets you up from the computer, improves your professional network, keeps you on your feet, and adds a lively and personal touch to your job search. Take a few hours out of your standard search week and challenge yourself with a new experience. The work will pay for itself in new opportunities, experience, and relationships. Good luck out there

When the line between machine and artist becomes blurred

When the line between machine and speciesist becomes blurredWhen the line between machine and akrobat becomes blurredWith AI becoming incorporated into more aspects of our daily lives, from writing to driving, its only natural that akrobats would also start to experiment with artificial intelligence.In fact, Christies will be selling its first piece of AI art later this month a blurred face titled Portrait of Edmond Belamy.The piece being sold at Christies is part of a new wave of AI art created via machine learning. Paris-based artists Hugo Caselles-Dupr, Pierre Fautrel and Gauthier Vernier fed thousands of portraits into an algorithm, teaching it the aesthetics of past examples of portraiture. The algorithm then created Portrait of Edmond Belamy.The painting is not the product of a human mind, Christies noted in its preview. It welches created by artificial intelligence, an algorithm defined by an algebraic formula.If artificial intelligence is used to create images, can the final product really be thought of as art? Should there be a threshold of influence over the final product that an artist needs to wield?As the director of the Art AI Lab at Rutgers University, Ive been wrestling with behauptung questions specifically, the point at which the artist should cede credit to the machine.The machines enroll in art classOver the last 50 years, several artists have written computer programs to generate art what I call algorithmic art. It requires the artist to write detailed code with an actual visual outcome in mind.One of the earliest practitioners of this form is Harold Cohen, who wrote the program AARON to produce drawings that followed a platzdeckchen of rules Cohen had created.But the AI art that has emerged over the past couple of years incorporates machine learning technology.Artists create algorithms not to follow a set of rules, but to learn a specific aesthetic by analyzing thousands of images. The algorithm then tries to generate new images in adh erence to the aesthetics it has learned.To begin, the artist chooses a collection of images to feed the algorithm, a step I call pre-curation.For the purpose of this example, lets say the artist chooses traditional portraits from the past 500 years.Most of the AI artworks that have emerged over the past few years have used a class of algorithms called generative adversarial networks. First introduced by computer scientist Ian Goodfellow in 2014, these algorithms are called adversarial because there are two sides to them One generates random images the other has been taught, via the input, how to judge these images and deem which best align with the input.So the portraits from the past 500 years are fed into a generative AI algorithm that tries to imitate these inputs. The algorithms then come back with a range of output images, and the artist must sift through them and select those he or she wishes to use, a step I call post-curation.So there is an element of creativity The artist i s very involved in pre- and post-curation. The artist might also tweak the algorithm as needed to generate the desired outputs.When creating AI art, the artists hand is involved in the selection of input images, tweaking the algorithm and then choosing from those that have been generated. Ahmed Elgammal, Author providedSerendipity or malfunction?The generative algorithm can produce images that surprise even the artist presiding over the process.For example, a generative adversarial network being fed portraits could end up producing a series of deformed faces.What should we make of this?Psychologist Daniel E. Berlyne has studied the psychology of aesthetics for several decades. He found that novelty, surprise, complexity, ambiguity and eccentricity tend to be the most powerful stimuli in works of art.When fed portraits from the last five centuries, an AI generative model can spit out deformed faces. Ahmed Elgammal, Author providedThe generated portraits from the generative adversaria l network with all of the deformed faces are certainly novel, surprising and bizarre.They also evoke British figurative painter Francis Bacons famous deformed portraits, such as Three Studies for a Portrait of Henrietta Moraes.Three Studies for the Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, Francis Bacon, 1963. MoMABut theres something missing in the deformed, machine-made faces intent.While it was Bacons intent to make his faces deformed, the deformed faces we see in the example of AI art arent necessarily the goal of the artist nor the machine. What we are looking at are instances in which the machine has failed to properly imitate a human face, and has instead spit out some surprising deformities.Yet this is exactly the sort of image that Christies is auctioning.A form of conceptual artDoes this outcome really indicate a lack of intent?I would argue that the intent lies in the process, even if it doesnt appear in the final image.For example, to create The Fall of the House of Usher, artist Anna Ridler took stills from a 1929 film version of the Edgar Allen Poe short story The Fall of the House of Usher. She made ink drawings from the still frames and fed them into a generative model, which produced a series of new images that she then arranged into a short film.Another example is Mario Klingemanns The Butchers Son, a nude portrait that was generated by feeding the algorithm images of stick figures and images of pornography.On the left A still from The Fall of the House of Usher by Anna Ridler. On the right The Butchers Son by Mario Klingemann.I use these two examples to show how artists can really play with these AI tools in any number of ways. While the final images might have surprised the artists, they didnt come out of nowhere There was a process behind them, and there was certainly an element of intent.Nonetheless, many are skeptical of AI art. Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz has said he finds the art produced by AI artist boring and dull, including The Butchers Son.Perhaps theyre correct in some cases. In the deformed portraits, for example, you could argue that the resulting images arent all that interesting Theyre really just imitations with a twist of pre-curated inputs.But its not just about the final image. Its about the creative process one that involves an artist and a machine collaborating to explore new visual forms in revolutionary ways.For this reason, I have no doubt that this is conceptual art, a form that dates back to the 1960s, in which the idea behind the work and the process is more important than the outcome.As for The Butchers Son, one of the pieces Saltz derided as boring?It recently won the einheit des lichtstromes Prize, a prize dedicated for art created with technology.As much as some critics might decry the trend, it seems that AI art is here to stay.Ahmed Elgammal, Professor of Computer Vision, Rutgers UniversityThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Re ad the original article.

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