Hiring HR contractors is becoming a necessity - Your Career Intel

Hiring HR contractors is becoming a necessity - Your Career IntelIn todays candidate-driven HR market, especially with the Gig Economy fast approaching critical mass, employers are utilizing contractors on a more frequent grund toKeep overhead low and productivity high.Quickly fill anticipated or unexpected talent gaps.Explore contract-to-hire engagements to find the right fits before hiring.There is a new reason at play today, and its a big oneMaintain broad and steady access to the best available talent.Professionals are shifting away from traditional employment to the freedom and flexibility of independent work status. Companies that bypass them are facing unnecessary talent shortages.More choices are big benefits of hiring HR contract workersCompanies that dip into the growing universe of independent contractors are able to move on a dime with the right talent in place at the right time. As mentioned, it keeps the doors open to a pool of skilled professionals who may otherwise be out of reach.For example, outsourcing and interim hiring give you access to tenured, deeply experienced HR professionals who, rather than retire, have chosen to remain in the workforce on a contract basis. You also gain access to younger, decidedly independent professionals with several years of experience, relevant education and second-nature aptitude for flourishing in IT environments.Do they really have the HR chops you need?HR leaders are successfully outsourcing high-level functions in critical areas, such as reporting and employee data analytics, payroll and benefits administration, training and development, program and process development, talent recruiting and management, HR consulting of all types, and interim jobs that are performed on-site.According to payments and commerce trends specialist PYMNTS.com, in their Q4 2018 Gig Economy IndexTM, the rate of contract workers with specialized skills mirrored worker participation in the Gig Economy at more than 32 percent up 12 percent over the previous quarter. These trends foretell a Gig Economy projected to grow to around $2.7 trillion by 2025.Stay close to a recruiter who specializes in HR contract services With contractors in such high demand, how do you reach and retain the best candidates before someone beats you to the draw? How do you find those who are interested in a contract-to-hire position?An HR Contract recruitment specialist is your greatest competitive advantage and your safety net as the Gig Economy continues to grow. At Lucas Group, we maintain a nationwide network of skilled contractors who are vetted with the saatkorn rigorous processes we use when filling permanent HR positions. We minimize your time investment and hiring risks, while ensuring your timely access to the right professionals. We even go so far as to match companies and contractors based on culture, operating style, and expectations, including compensation rates, and we provide health insurance and benefits to our contr actors to retain the best available talent.Considering the benefits of HR outsourcing? Contact us today. We work locally and nationally to deliver contract talent that drives exceptional performance.

This new kind of resume could help you get hired

This new kind of resume could help you get hired This new kind of resume could help you get hired.article-published displaynone importantWith millions of job landbinnenseekers submitting resumes online, it can be hard to make yours stand out. So what if you told your careerstory in bright colors, charts and picturesinstead of just plain old black-and-white words like everybody else? Yep, thats a thing. And an increasingly popular thing thanks to our data-obsessed culture.The snippet at right is a real example(thanks, Stuart, for sharing). Pretty awesome right? You can seeStuarts full C.V., plus10 otherstunning examples of infographic resumes here.As behauptung creative pros know, a visual representationof your work self can be a fantastic way to get noticed. In fact, it may just be a better way to get your message across, depending upon the person on the other side of the desk. About 65% of the population are visual learners, says Rochester, New York career coachHannah Morgan, author of The Infographic Resume. Before written language, our brains were hardwired to look at images, not read words.Before you toss your standard C.V., here are a few tips to make the most of a visual resume.Decide if its right for youYoure most likely to see infographic resumes in fields like marketing, design, data analysis,and communications, which makes sense. Ifyoure a graphic designer or a data analyst, a visual resume is a slam dunk It shows hiring managers that you live your work and gives them a taste of what you could do for them.But what if youre in a less creative or data-drivenfield? Will a visual resume turn employers off?Not necessarily. I did a survey of recruiters and asked if they would be open to seeing an infographic resume, says Morgan. The majority said they would love to see one. Its like flipping through a magazine, and all of a sudden you see a pretty picture. Job seekers have very little to lose in trying something creative.A great example of this isthis disas ter recovery service professionals visual resume, which does a fantastic job highlighting the job seekers skills ataglance.Know what to showCertain facts lend themselves better to graphical interpretation than others.Did you boost profits last year and have the numbers to prove it? Show it. Have you invested 1000 hours in specialized training? Call that out. Numbers pack a punch, says Morgan. All infographics have a call-out, a bubble with a stat. For job seekers, that can be accomplishments or even skills.For examples of how other people visualize job skills and accomplishments, check out Morgans Pinterest pageor the resume samples Monster picked out.Take advantage of templatesYou might figure that youd need to be a Photoshop or Powerpoint sektenfhrer to create a great visual resume. Its true thatif you dont have great design skills, your infographic resume could look really wrong, says Morgan.But some creative people have created plug-and-play resumes that do the design workfor yo u.Templates are great because someone has already done the work to make it have good bones, says Morgan.Check out sites like Pictocv.com, Resumup.com and Kinzaa.com for inspiration. Re.vu will help you turn your LinkedIn profile into an infographic. You could also hire someone to create one from scratch at 99designs.com orFiverr.com. It will cost more, but youll get a unique design you can call your own.Hang onto your plain vanillaresumeApplicant tracking systemsthe computer programs that allow you to submitjob applications online are here to stay. The software allows HR people to sift through candidates, searching for keywords and the right fit. Those tools cant read PDFs or image files generated by programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop, and those are the formats in which youll likely save a visual resume. So make sure you totenstill have a trusty oldMS Word resume with the same information on it to use when youre applying online you still need it to get your foot into the pro verbial door.Get your visual one into the right handsTo use an infographic resume as the self-marketing tool that it is, youve got to work a little harder to get it seen. So once youve sent in your standard res through the online channels, dig upcontact info for the hiring manager and send your creative resume directly. (Skip human resources on this one,Morgan warns. HR people dont want to see pictures, especially of people, for legal reasons.)Through a little online sleuthingeither looking through the companys online directory or via LinkedIn or Googleyou can probably find an email address for the person who leads the department you want to work in. Its worth the extra effort toget your masterpiece into the hands of the person you really want to impressyour next anfhrer.Julia Gaynor is a staff writer for Monster.MORE FROM MONSTERThese are 8 of the most eye-catching resumes weve ever seen11 stylish cats help you dress for your next job interviewHow to be extra productive with your j ob search while your boss is on vacation

How to Succeed at any Career

How to Succeed at any Career Woody Allen once said, 80% of success is just showing up. While theres definitely some truth to that in practice, success requires a bit more effort than just showing up especially if you want to succeed at your career.Employers are constantly looking for the right signs to qualify you as versetzung-worthy material. You just need to show them you are qualified. Remember, its bedrngnis a matter of what you did or said during the interview process what matters is what you do consistently every day.So how can you start moving up the corporate ladder? Here are some helpful hints to get you startedBuild Relationships Sometimes its not what you know, its who you know. Its a good idea to foster positive relationships with your co-workers as well as your superiors. When it comes time for a promotion or a recommendation, youll be glad you built a network of alliances to fall back on. You can never have too many friends to speak in good favor for you. Many professionals try to edge out other people for promotions or to be in good favor from the boss. Dont play that game perform whatever function you do as an executive would help others shine, compliment people to others, and help other people network.Be Professional Everything from your workplace demeanor to your Facebook page might be scrutinized at some point by your current or future employers. Try to keep a low profile when it comes to your personal life, and always maintain an air of professionalism. Not only will you be taken more seriously, youll be remembered as a rising star when opportunities arrive. In the eyes of your boss, your reputation is a reflection of things to come. If you have a sullied reputation at work or you were too personal in the past, consider changing jobs. Its difficult to change your employers perception of your core personality you might be better off with a clean sla te.Show You Care If you find yourself constantly watching the clock, just waiting to rush home then youre in the wrong job or theres a problem with your work ethic. No one likes working all the time, but you should take some pride and satisfaction from your work. This attitude will help you work more efficiently and effectively. At the same time, its a good idea to push the envelope once in a while to stay late or come in early anything that shows youre a cut above the rest. The main point here is not to brown-nose by showing up early, but rather to examine your own intention and motivations on a daily basis. If you dont want to go above and beyond, if you dont want to put in more than your fair share, you might be better off in a different career. To truly succeed and go far in any profession, it has to be the right one for you the one you want to put effort into.Keep these career tips in mind as you go about your day-to-day business and youll start turning heads. Performance a nd behavior can be altered whenever you choose its never too late. Your career is more than your livelihood its your best link to a promising future. Why not get ahead today?

Should I Stay or Should I Go

Should I Stay or Should I GoShould I Stay or Should I GoHow do you know when its time to make your passive job search active?So you gotta let me knowShould I stay or should I go?- The ClashYoure comfortable in your current standort. You make decent money. The company is relatively healthy. The people you work with are nice enough.For the past couple of years, this scenario was often more than people could hope for, as millions of jobs were slashed and entire industries were walking wounded. Now, with the economy starting to show signs of growth, many people are taking a fresh look at their situations and deciding there is something better out there.Or is there? How do you determine when its time to go from a passive job search (where you casually peruse job listings) to an active job search (where the process of looking for a new job becomes a job in itself)? The decision is not an easy one, especially for high-level professionals whove invested time and political capital in their o rganizations.As the Clash so eloquently asked Should I stay or should I go?There are several factors to consider when making that decision, according to career experts.SatisfactionTom Gimbel, CEO of The LaSalle Network, a professional staffing and recruiting company in Chicago, said personal satisfaction is a major consideration. Before you make the jump to a new job, you must first ask yourself a few questions Are you fulfilled? Are you challenged? Are you continually learning? If the answer is no to behauptung questions, then it might be time for a job change.With the job climate improving but still nowhere near healthy, personal and professional fulfillment may seem like a bit of a luxury if it means climbing out on a limb. However, future growth may depend on it. Some believe if they are content with salary, hours, co-workers, etc., then they should stay with their jobs, Gimbel said. But without personal satisfaction and constant learning, it is impossible to grow professionally .Company checkupWhile your own mental health is certainly a consideration, so is the health of your company - and your industry.Where is your organization going? Growing or shrinking? A shrinking company provides less opportunity to their employees. Thats a fact, said Rich Gee, an executive coach.Industry checkupIn some cases, the health of entire industries has suffered, causing people to consider not just a job switch but a career change. Changing what you do tantamount to changing who you are is no small feat, nor does it come without a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety. But, experts said, the recession has opened some unexpected doors.The thing that I think is most striking is the opportunity to go into different types of jobs and growing types of industries that are emerging from this poor economy, said Dr. Robert Prescott, associate professor of Human Resource Management at Rollins MBA Crummer Graduate School in Winter Park, Fla. These include green-related industries , public sector, technology, networking, these are the expanding types of industries, and that will probably be true in the next five to 10 years.Just dont forget that if you do decide to switch careers, youre now the newbie, competing against all the unemployed people in that particular sector.Manager maintenanceYou also need to consider the health of the relationship between you and your manager. If your manager is standing in the way of your success rather than supporting it and youve done everything in your power to manage the situation to no avail, it might be time to look for a position outside your company (or at least outside the reach of your manager). Conversely, perhaps a manager who has shepherded your career is leaving the organization and you think it might be time to do the same.Ian C. Pilarczyk, director of International Business Law at Boston University School of Law, has been on both sides of the fence counseling employees in toxic environments and, in the past, w orking to get out of such environments himself. Scenarios that should spur an active job search, said Pilarczyk, include situations where a manager sets one up to fail rather than succeed, where the work environment is not safe, and where a manager stifles rather than encourages personal and professional growth.Act fastPeople who do decide actively to seek a new job may find that theres no better time than the present. When hiring picks up after an economic downturn, Prescott said, the first wave of people to seek greener pastures is typically the best and brightest something that hiring managers know and expect.I think there are some advantages for people who look to leave in todays market, Prescott said. We find that the employees who leave our companies first are the good ones. Why? Because they are very opportunistic in their mindset, and theyre always looking for those opportunities to grow, to enhance, to make more money, to improve quality of life. The perception is, to the hiring company, that the people who are coming to them now are not necessarily those who were laid off but those who are the best employees.But hold your horses as long as you can, said Bruce A. Hurwitz, president and CEO of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing. Dont forget that its much easier to find a job when you have a job. No matter how schwimmbad your job gets and/or how good the market gets, dont quit your job until you have a concrete offer.Theres no place like homeThat job change could very well be at the company where you currently work. Bettina Seidman, of SEIDBET Associates Career Counseling, said, all too often, people who are dissatisfied with their jobs neglect to meet with their managers to discuss the possibility of an internal change.Gimbel agreed Before you make this job switch, make your voice heard. Have you talked to your boss about your boredom or asked your superior for more stimulating work? Have you brought up new ideas or taken it upon yourself to find more challen ging work?Only after you have tried to improve your lot at your current employer should you start looking outside, Gimbel said.

Agricultural Extension Agent

Agricultural Extension AgentAgricultural Extension AgentAgricultural extension agents present information about industry advances that may positively impact local farmers and livestock producers. Duties Agricultural extension agents travel throughout their region or district to provide the latest industry information to farmers, ranchers, community groups, and youth groups. They may present information on scientific advances, farm management, marketing, production, and other topics that are relevant to agricultural businesses operating in their area. Agents must be familiar with the types of agricultural operations that are taking distributionspolitik in their territory. These pursuits may include beef production, dairy farming, irrigated crop farming, fruit farming, egg production, horse breeding, swine production, and more. Agents must also be familiar with the technical terminology, equipment, and other concerns related to each area of production. Significant travel may be a p art of the job, especially if the agent is assigned a large territory. Agents may visit farms, ranches, hatcheries, dairies, stables, orchards, fields, bee farms, aquaculture facilities, and a variety of other agricultural business locations during the course of their day. Agents may also be required to attend a variety of community activities such as conventions, fairs, college events, camps, and 4-H shows. Agricultural extension agents may be required to work evenings and weekends as their situation demands, though many agents are able to work normal day shift hours. Work for this position may take place both indoors and outdoors, so agents must be prepared to deal with changing weather conditions and temperature extremes. Agents must also exercise due caution when working around large animals in the field. Taking proper safety precautions can prevent potentially serious injuries from occurring. A solid knowledge of animal behavior can be invaluable for those agents who liaise wit h animal producers. Career Options There are many employers that hire agricultural extension agents, though they are usually affiliated with government agencies at the federal, state, or local levels. Agricultural extension agents may also find employment with land-grant universities, research organizations, and community education groups. Some agents also teach courses through their university or community college. After working as a field agent, agricultural extension personnel may advance to positions of more responsibility such as multi-county positions, directorships, or program leadership roles. Some extension agents also become involved with 4-H programs and other youth organizations by taking a supervisory role. Education and Training Aspiring agricultural extension agents must complete significant educational requirements to even be considered for a position. An entry-level position in the field of agricultural extension requires a Bachelors degree at minimum. Maste rs degrees are preferred for many positions and greatly enhance an applicants resume. The degree that an extension agent holds may be in one of many areas including education, agriculture, animal science, or other related fields. Coursework that provides training in communications, technology, public relations, agricultural marketing, mathematics, and life sciences prepares the aspiring extension agent well for this career path. New agricultural extension agents generally complete additional training courses once they are hired before they begin their field work. Agricultural extension agents may also join a variety of national and local professional membership groups. The National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) and the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4HA) are two such groups that may provide valuable information, education, and industry contacts. Salary According to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Agricultural Research Service, the averag e salary for extension agents holding-gesellschaft a Bachelors degree was $44,293 in December 2010. Extension agents holding a Masters degree averaged $57,889 in 2010. Those holding a Ph.D. degree fared the best with an average salary of $69,375. Of course, starting salaries for new agents are markedly lower. In Kentucky, for example, new extension agents with a Bachelors degree and no work experience start out at a kusine salary rate of $32,000. Those with a Masters degree and no work experience start out at a base salary rate of $36,000. In North Carolina, new extension agents started out at a similar salary of $32,807 with a Bachelors degree and a salary of $38,124 if they held a Masters degree. Career Outlook The agricultural extension agent career path should remain a solid option for those candidates who have a background in farming or production and the skill to educate professionals in the industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job growth for agricu ltural positions should be about as fast as the average for all careers from 2008 to 2018. Individuals with advanced degrees, such as a Masters or Ph.D., will continue to have the best opportunities for advancement in the field.

Using the Eyes of Killer Shrimp to Design A Super Camera

Using the Eyes of Killer Shrimp to Design A Super Camera Using the Eyes of Killer Shrimp to Design A Super Camera Using the Eyes of Killer Shrimp to Design A Super CameraA camera that mimics the eyes of a mantis shrimp may one day help autonomous cars binnensee hazards through shadows and fog. The camera is 1 million times more sensitive to light levels than conventional cameras and should only cost a few dollars to manufacture.The camera is the work of Viktor Gruevs Biosensors Lab at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where Gruev is an associate prof of electrical and computer engineering. The lab studies the vision of animals as diverse as shrimp and butterflies for ways to engineer better cameras and sensors.Prof. Viktor Gruev (r) of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and graduate student Missael Garcia with their camera that can sense color and polarization. Image L. Brian Stauffer/University of IllinoisWhen it comes to vision, some animals leave humans flyin g blind, Gruev explained. Light has three properties color, intensity, and polarization. Humans see color and intensity, but they are totally blind to polarization. Yet filters that polarize lightlimiting its vibrations to a single planeenable us to reduce glare when driving or skiing and increase contrast in microscopy and astronomy.For You New Light-based Hearing DevicesSome animals, such as crabs, octopus, and shrimp, use polarized light to find mates, mark their territory, and hunt prey. Yet Gruev knew none of that when he began his quest for what he described as one of the holy grails of optics, a single chip that integrates a polarization filter onto a silicon CCD light sensor similar to the ones used for cameras.By 2010, after eight years of development, he had succeeded in fabricating nanoscale wires that polarized light just as it reached of a CCD sensor. Because he worked with sensors made by silicon semiconductor processing, he estimates his devices will cost only a few d ollars at most to produce.Yet his success left him with a new challenge I would go out with my colleagues to grab a beer and talk about our work, he said. When I told them about the camera, they asked me, What can you use it for? I welchesnt too sure.Fortunately, Tom Cronin, a University of Maryland marine biologist, heard about the camera. He studies how ocean animals communicate with polarized light. Weve been looking for a technology like this for decades, Cronin told Gruev.After slapping the prototype into an underwater casing and bringing it to Cronins lab, the two decided to collaborate. Cronin recruited an undergraduate for the summer to design a water-proof casing that would dissipate heat from the CMOS and have room for lots of data. Then Gruev and Cronin took off for Australia to test the results.The prototype was not a very good camera, Gruev recalled. It couldnt change its focus or exposure time, he said. We wound up with 30 hours of blurry photographs and two minutes of really good stuff.But the trip did introduce Gruev to mantis shrimp.We may eat them for cocktails, but in the ocean mantis shrimp are fearsome predators who use polarized light to track prey and communicate with one another. Males, for example, have certain patterns that show only with circularly polarized filters. Those patterns alert males when they enter another males territory, which can lead to vicious fights.From mantis shrimp, I learned some clever tricks that nature implemented, Gruev said.To start, the eyes of mantis shrimp detect six types of polarization horizontal, vertical, and two types each of diagonal and spiral.They have 16 color receptors, 15 more than humans, stacked atop one another. Shorter wavelength receptors go on top and longer wavelengths, which penetrate tissue better, on the bottom. This enables them to accurately differentiate shades of color.Shrimp eyes also adjust to light intensity. With a typical camera, bright sunlight will often bleach out details that are not in direct sunlight. Parts of the shrimps retina exposed to bright light transmit fewer signals, while those looking at dark areas share information from neighboring receptors to resolve details. This enables them to see details even in bright light.Gruevs new camera copies these traits. The chip uses nanowires to produce four types of polarization (horizontal, vertical, and two diagonals). It also stacks three layers of color-sensitive receptors on top of one another for extra sensitivity.Unlike conventional cameras, each pixel can attenuate its signal if the light is too bright. This enables the other pixels to resolve details in poorly lit areas. The result is a camera that is 1 million times more sensitive across all light intensities, and that can see details in shadows even in bright sunlight.Gruev believes those CMOS cameras will eventually outperform conventional cameras used for collision avoidance on cars, especially in fog and low-light conditions. In medicin e, their greater sensitivity might help detect small cancers in the body.There is plenty of room for all of this technology to find a home, he said.

4 Reasons You Should Keep a Job Journal - FlexJobs

4 Reasons You Should Keep a Job Journal - FlexJobs4 Reasons You Should Keep a Job Journal -5A lot of stuff goes on between 9 and 5 (or is it 8 to 6?). Help yourself stay organized at work with a job journal.A job journal can be your log of day-to-day successes and challenges, major events and milestones and work-related concerns. Note Keeping a Job Search Journal is a great idea if youre searching for a job, for many of the same reasons listed below. Whether youre job searching or currently working, a job journal is a great way to keep track of how youre spending your time.The amount of detail you use, the medium (electronic or hard copy) and how you organize it are up to you. But as a general rule, you should always be as specific as possible, especially with concerns.Not convinced that you need a job journal? Here are four reasons1. Stay OrganizedKeep a job journal for the same reason you make a shopping list before you head out to the supermarket. In its most basic form, the journ al can be simply a rundown of things you need to do, things youve completed and things you want to do. Having everything laid out in front of you will help you focus your day and stay on track- and it just feels good to cross off completed tasks2. Performance ReviewsIf your raise, vorrcken or job security relies on an annual performance review, you may want to consider keeping a job journal.While its easy to keep track of your basic job duties, what about all of the other things you do during the workday- pitching in to help a colleague in the weeds, attending strategy sessions and brainstorms that move projects forward, taking on extra tasks to get something done.These things may not be part of your official job description, but they are certainly part of your job. Keep a record of them so when its evaluation time you can help your boss understand the full scope of what you do and how important you are to the company.3. Protect YourselfItd be nice if everyone worked together well, finished what needed to be finished and headed home happy each day. But thats just not the case. Workplaces are full of personality conflicts and miscommunication.Use your job journal to document conflicts with coworkers and bosses. If there is something that can put your job at risk, write it down. Be detailed and specific (include dates). Its a lot easier to defend yourself when you have a record of whats been going on.4. Collect IdeasThere are few things more frustrating than to have a great idea and then have it drift out of your brain never to return. Use your job journal to jot down those bursts of genius. Heck, one of those ideas just may be the boost you need to get to bigger and better thingsTodays guest post comes from CareerBliss. CareerBliss cares about your career happiness. Thats why we offer a great tools and resources to help you make better-informed career decisions. We believe that if youre happier at work, youll be happier in life Check outcompany reviews,salary i nformation,career adviceand, of course, millions of jobs on CareerBliss and choose happy todayReaders, do you keep a job journal? Has it been useful? Tell us about it in the comments below