Women in the Workplace Then and Now

Women in the Workplace Then and Now The workplace is unequal, but gender equality in the workplace is the best its ever been. Millennial women are leading the charge but how? HumanResourcesMBA.net give the answers in their infographic below. Takeaways: Women make 77 cents for every 1 dollar a man makes. Millennial women have more education than their male counterparts. 66% of women say being successful in a career is very important. In 1980, only half of women participated in the workforce, compared to nearly 80% of men. Women earned 55 cents for every $1 a man earned back in 1980. RELATED:  What  Women  Want  at Work

Why You MUST Complete Your Facebook Profile

Why You MUST Complete Your Facebook Profile Okay, we get it: those embarrassing pics from that party during Freshman year aren’t going to go away (“I’m a hot mess but I still look hot!”). Your contact info is on lockdown ever since that friend-of-a-friend started spamming you during your last days of AIM use in 2009. And you’ve gone completely off-the-radar, full-bore-unsearchable ever since you added your diploma to the mantle and posted your first resume for an online job application. Like I said: we get it. But what if your lack of Facebook profile is actually hindering your job search? (Insert sounds of a record screeching to a stop here). Are you Google-able? Believe it or not, who you are online is a lot more important than who you aren’t. Employers and recruiters aren’t looking for staid, enigmatic social abstainers they’re looking for real, Google-able people with real Google-able lives, who aren’t afraid to share at least the salient information with their network. See that, my friends, is the point of networkingrevealing the right information to the right people, in order to form a relationship that has the potential to be mutually beneficial. And Facebook is the prime platform for reaping some of that potential benefit if you leverage it properly that is! That proper leverage means updating the public parts of your profile to reveal the most relevant and timely informationat the very least where you’re living, what you  do for a living, and where you studied in order to learn how to do what you do. If you want to be really ambitious, you can add contact information or links to other public profiles (tweet much, anyone?), portfolios, or even personal or professional blogs. Its not about friending recruiters on Facebook Before you object, understand this: recruitersgood recruitersaren’t interested in becoming your friend. They don’t need to know your relationship status. They’re probably not even particularly interested in seeing that embarrassing Freshman year photo. They’re on Facebook because they’re looking to expand their own network of qualified job candidatesnamely, you! And the fact of the matter is, companies and recruiters are using Facebook to find their next candidates. There are over 15 million companies on the network, and a huge number of them are actively looking for you. (We can attest to that fact, since thousands of companies have already posted over 6 million jobs through Work4 to their Facebook Career Sites!) They’re going to be using tools like Graph Search and Facebook hashtags to search their networks for the very best peoplepeople whose profiles match their search terms. But if you’re hiding the fact that you can speak fluent Portuguese or that you currently work as a technical writer (for example), how can a recruiter in your network reach out to a contact for an introduction when they have the perfect opportunity for a bilingual technical writer sitting in their laps? No need to share all So here’s my two cents: no, you don’t have to share everything. No, you don’t have to scrub your Facebook of every college exploit, accidentally posted grammatical error or curse word (because those were total accidents, right?), or iota of personality just because you want to project a more professional presence. Just clean up the areas that you are planning to share publicly, and then share! You’re not putting anything out there that may not already be found on your about.me profile, so you might as well make it easy to use this incredibly large part of your internet life to yourand your potential employer’sadvantage. With tools like Graph Search, it’s going to be much easier for you to make the right connections, but only if you let the most complete version of you be found. So what are you waiting for? Stop reading this article and go update that Facebook profile! (And when you’re done, come back and let us know how your job search is going, or hit us up @work4labs on Twitter!) Author: Kirsten Smith is Vice President of Marketing at Work4.  With more than 15 years of software and social  marketing  experience, which includes work in the talent management and human resources industry,  Kirsten has a track record of successful growth and is highly experienced in all areas of  marketing.

10 Things I Love About Being a 40+ Employee

10 Things I Love About Being a 40+ Employee There is a huge problem in America’s workforce today.The destructive belief that turning 40 years-old is a career death sentence.Nothing can be further from the truth. In fact, I have enjoyed my career much more after turning 40, and this coming from a person who has held a job since age 13.You will see in this post exactly why I love being a 40+ employee. Additionally, you will see why people “my age” and older are great to have on any team.10. I Am Much More PatientI was a certifiable pain in the neck for many years. From ages 22 to 39, if I did not get my way on a business decision, I took it as a sign, “The boss is holding me back! I am a genius! I must fight to show them!” Yes, it was that bad. I accused many bosses of being toxic. But I was the problem.Ultimately, even though I drove bosses crazy, there was an appreciation for me. Ironically, they loved having me on the team. My ideas drove profit, team morale, and kept life interesting as businesses grew more custome r relations-centric.I thought I was walking in the footsteps of icons who challenged the status quo. I took a stand for what I believed in.However, I was almost impossible to deal with on days when people disagreed with me. Now older, I see the error of always behaving this way. Out of regret and sympathy for former bosses, I am much more patient. It leads to better decision-making and peaceful days at work. 9. I Love Having My Priorities in OrderIt is tough to maintain a career and family in 2018 USA. The pursuit of financial stability combined with the demand to be there for family makes life challenging.You will often read the words of famous business icons explain that “they should spend more time with family”. You know that is easier said than done.But now at age 44, I am confident that I have my desires and passions in check. In this specific order:Love of my wife and family Growing a business that gives back to people as part of its service Acknowledgment Stable health St able financesMoney comes last for a good reason. I have seen it destroy the best people and give power to the worst people.8. I Love That I Appreciate Learning New Things More Than Ever BeforeIf you are reading this and hating school because you recently graduated and need a job, here is a funny truth you will experience: The older you get, the more you appreciate learning At a younger age, most people I knew hated learning something new. It was viewed as a chore that got in the way of having fun.After age 40, as life settled down, I began to miss the people I spent so much time with while in my 20’s and 30’s. They had settled into their families and had their jobs. I felt like I had stopped learning.When I started taking business courses at age 42, something in me woke up and said, “You did not respect your education the first time around.” I realized this because I loved learning more than ever. I was now putting it to good use, too, unlike before when I believed I knew ev erything, yet no one was recognizing my genius.7.I Love Being a Long-Game ThinkerOne of the benefits of living longer is that you get to learn the long-game of life. Businesses often focus on immediate ROI from short-term actions. I used to think if something fails immediately, it will never work.Now older, I understand many things about the long-game of business. Business travels, meeting people, failures, and successes while working in businesses from major corporations to startups taught me the value of long-term thinking.Long-game thinking is a tough sell on businesses. People in the US love instant-gratification. They love to criticize ideas and condemn people for failing.Yet, businesses outside the US taught me how moral and ethical foundation, solid commitment to integrity and honesty, and hard work are key ingredients to the longevity of a business.6. I Love Knowing I Don’t Have to Be a Jerk to SucceedMy way of thinking used to involve the shallow thought of, “Be a jerk because only jerks succeed”. Bad idea.Now older, I look at history and see why certain ideas come and go. I see how and why people are perceived as “jerks” for making tough business decisions.At the same time, I can tell the difference between “a person who makes tough decisions” and “a real jerk”.One cares about business and staff growth. The other cares about being in control.5.I Love Having a Developed Emotional IntelligenceThe United States is a diverse and challenging place to live. If you pay attention to all forms of media, you start to see how everyone wants their specific needs and wants to be met, and their feelings to be considered.Thankfully, I had the opportunity to travel to 49 of the 50 US states, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Egypt, and Australia, all for work purposes. In these travels, I realized it is physically impossible to make everyone happy. The only answer is “balance”.I also discovered the meaning behind many quotes that have been around for centuries:“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” - Socrates“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of people and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark TwainA solid understanding of such things allows a person to be kind, empathetic, and passionate without harming anyone in the pursuit of happiness.4.I Love Never Needing to Have the Last WordI am not sure when and how this happened. But at some point, I became “woke” and realized that people change at their own pace, usually only after they have no choice to do otherwise.I used to throw down arguments like a lawyer on 12 cups of coffee. If I wanted to win an argument, you could not shut me up.Time, experience, and age showed me why this is not always the best thing for myself, my teams, or the company. I am 100 times easier to wo rk with than I was 10 years ago. And I love that peace of mind.3. I Love Understanding Why I Wronged People in the PastUnfortunately, I burned a few bridges in my career unnecessarily. Knowing why people make choices and a greater understanding of life itself has led me to have my own version of an “apology tour”.All I really do is explain to those who felt wrong by me, “I get it now.”2. I Love Having Strong Interpersonal and Critical Thinking SkillsGeneration X and older Millennials have a unique skill that is in danger of disappearing.We remember life before the Internet. We remember asking for directions without Google Maps.Being able to decipher what our uncle and grandfather meant by, “Turn left at the fork in the road once you reach the old church by the school”, required interpersonal and amazing critical thinking skills.I see the value in Google. I do wonder what will become of people when they completely forget how to talk to people.How will they know what to Go ogle if they have no idea how to talk to people?I love knowing that my interpersonal and critical thinking skills help me beyond what Google offers.1. I Love Having a Defined “Meaning of Success”I used to have a shallow “meaning of success”. I believed it was defined by fame and fortune achieved.After one of my toughest career failures several years ago, I came to realize “success” is defined by “what we give to this world”.Giving to this world has led to me having successful relationships with my wife, family, and businesses I work with.I also realized the meaning of success is defined by how we recover from failure. I chose to move forward in spite of all negative feelings and doubt.Such a thing makes a person feel successful if you have the guts to let go of grief, but never forget why you failed in the first place.In ClosingIf you are just starting out in your career and thinking, “I am a failure if I do not become a millionaire by age 30”, or “Live reckles sly now because life is too short”, please remember life is longer than you think.The older you get, the more you will appreciate life, love, learning, family, and a career.

What You Need to Know About Liability Insurance - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What You Need to Know About Liability Insurance - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career General liability insurance for your business is something that you want to invest in to protect your interests and your assets. However, liability insurance is intimidating to some because it’s easily over complicated. This article looks at the key information for liability insurance so you can determine what you need for your business. What Does General Liability Insurance Cover? Liability insurance protects your business assets and provides compensation for damages to individuals or property that you or your employees are liable for. The insurance also covers any legal fees you incur when you hire a lawyer to work for your case, and then pays the settlement or compensation amount the other party is awarded. You should know that small business lawsuits can cost anywhere from $3,000 up to $150,000, according to a 2005 study done by the Small Business Administration. Since that study was done over 10 years ago, the actual number that’s more relevant to the economy today is closer to $4,000 to $190,000. Four of the main categories of liability that small business insurance can protect your business from is bodily injuries to a third party, property damage to a third party, product liability and advertising injury. Advertising injury includes copyright infringement and slander. What Does General Liability Insurance Not Cover? Just as you need to know what liability insurance will cover for your business, you should also know the things your policy won’t cover. Your policy should clearly outline the coverage you receive, but it’s helpful to have a general idea while you’re shopping around for a policy. Some of the things that general liability insurance won’t cover include employee injuries, employee discrimination lawsuits, professional errors, fraud and damages to your business property. In addition to your general liability insurance policy, you may want to purchase property insurance, business vehicle insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. Some companies will bundle these insurance policies together and call it a “small business policy” or a “business owner’s policy” in order to provide you with affordable, comprehensive coverage. How Do You Determine If Your Business Needs It? Your business may need liability insurance. A good way to determine if you need it is to consider the perceived risk and type of business you have. You may want to talk to a licensed insurance broker to determine your specific business needs. You need to look at your business objectively and assess your risk to determine if you need liability insurance. If you’re at risk of being sued because of the services you perform, for any reason, you should purchase liability insurance. No matter if you have a home business, a freelance business or a small business, you may want to purchase liability insurance just in case something was to happen, so you’re protected. You never know when things can go wrong, and with policies being affordable, it’s coverage that you should consider an investment for your business. What Is Subrogation? Subrogation is an essential part of a liability insurance policy. Basically, subrogation is the legal right for your insurance company to take legal action on your behalf. An example of this is when an insurance company needs to sue another insurance company after you had an automobile accident. Your insurance company is able to do that in your name because subrogation is in place in your policy. Subrogation exists to help lessen the burden your insurance agency has for your claims when a third party is at fault. How Is the Cost of the Policy Determined? The cost of your general business liability insurance will vary based on your individual case and the company you choose, but there are several factors that influence the cost. A small, home-based business is likely going to pay less for a liability insurance policy than a business with many employees. These factors include: Your business type The location of your business How many employees you have The amount of risk your company is exposed to Generally, liability insurance for small businesses is affordable and you may not need a full business owner’s policy, the way a larger business might. The cost of the coverage varies based on the factors above, but you can expect to pay around $400 to $500 a year, which is very affordable when you break it down into monthly premiums. If you have a business, you likely need liability insurance to protect yourself. It’s always good to be able to look at insurance policies and other protections objectively, to determine what you need for your business so you’re able to make an informed decision. The above information should have provided you with answers to some of your most common questions, but if you have any other concerns, you should contact your insurance provider.