You Can Blame Your Phone for Not Taking More Risks - The Muse

You Can Blame Your Phone for Not Taking More Risks - The MuseYou Can Blame Your Phone for Not Taking More Risks Youre on your commute, or in line for coffee, or riding the elevator. You have five, maybe 10 minutes to spare.What do you do? Meditate? Contemplate your thoughts? I doubt it. You probably do what fruchtwein of us do Pull out your phone. Someone recently said something that really stuck with me Our phones are anti-risk devices. Wed rather turn to them than sit with our worries, socialize with the people around us, or, gasp, do bedrngnishing and have others see us doing nothing.But the real reason these are anti-risk devices is because they prevent us from doing things that make us uncomfortable. Scroll through our phone while sitting at a bar alone? Easy. Introduce ourselves to the person next to us at the bar? Not as easy.And this attitude manifests itself into our careers, too. When were riding solo at a networking event, we reload Instagram for the 30th time rather than make eye contact with a stranger. A stranger who could very well be that person who helps us out. When were in between meetings, we text people we really dont need to be talking to rather than make conversation with our co-workers around us. Co-workers, I add, who might end up being incredibly valuable connections down the road.Sure, talking to people can be hard, and nerve-wracking, and exhausting (especially for introverts). And Im not saying youre burning all your bridges by occasionally turning to your phone when youre tired, not in the mood, or just need an escape. But if we stopped ourselves every once in a while from using it as a crutch, what could we accomplish? What relationships could we build? What risks could we force ourselves to take?Give putting your phone away- even at the most uncomfortable times- a try this week. And if something amazing happens, let me know on Twitter. Ill respond when Im not making new friends

What Do Degrees Matter One-Third of Graduates Hold Jobs Outside of Their Majors

What Do Degrees Matter One-Third of Graduates Hold Jobs Outside of Their Majors What Do Degrees Matter One-Third of Graduates Hold Jobs Outside of Their Majors If you are like roughlyone-third of American workers, one of your biggest regrets may be the major you chose in college. According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 36 percent of college-educated workers wish they had majored in something different atschool. Forty-seven percent said their first job after college was not related to their college major, and 32 percent of college-educated workers said they never found a job related to their college major. Among workers 35 and older, 31 percent said the same.On the bright side, 64 percent of employees said that they are happy with the degree they chose, and 61 percent of respondents believe they can still landtheir dream job.The survey of more than 2,000 workers with college degreesnationwide also found that28 percent of college graduates said the demand for their degree decreas ed between the time they entered college and the time they graduated.Of those, 33 percent also said they were forced to take a lower-paying job outside of their field, and 32 percent said the lack of demand meant they couldnt find work after graduation.Of the 13 percent of respondents who said the demand for their major increased while they were in college, 46 percent said they were able to find a job in their desired career path within a year, and 58 percent had found such a job within two years after graduation.The factthat such a significant number of college-educated workers hold jobs in otherfields raisesa question To what degree do degrees matter?The opinions ofnational thought leaders on the topic of closing the skills gap tend to vary. Here is a sample of what a number of speakers had to say on the subject of degreesCognitive skills are the single best measure for predicting performance outweighing even degree and level of education If youre only looking at degrees, youre missing out on a huge pool of untapped talent. Dr. Merrilea Mayo, chief information and research officer atInnovate+Educate.Education is the driver of our economic success Degrees do matter, but they must align with the skills businesses have identified as essential. Dr. Patricia Buhler, professor of management at Goldey-Beacom College.HR needs to get out from behind the job descriptions and truly understand the key competencies of the job for which theyre recruiting. Employers need to get better at articulating critical fundamental skills for that job. Jim Gulezian, human resources director at Zodiac Aerospace.For employers who dont have resources to take those skills shortage problems on their own, focusing on this issue is very challenging. We havent had a consistent, proactive voice for employers. We need to find a critical mass of employers to articulate skills and competencies they need, and then others such as educational institutions can respond meaningfully. Ryan Coste lla, director of strategic initiatives at Click Bond, Inc.

New Employee Welcome Letter Samples

New Employee Welcome Letter SamplesNew Employee Welcome Letter SamplesWant to get a jump on new employee onboarding and continue to build yur relationship with your new employee? Use these welcome letters to invite a new employee to meet with you prior to his or her departure date. No pressure, really, but if the new employee is available, this meeting helps you welcome the new employee with an agreed upon schedule. Consider holding this welcome meeting on the phone, too. Following are two welcome letters that try to set up a time for a pre-start date planning meeting with your new employee. Note that both of these employees have been hired for exempt jobs. Sample Letter to Set Up a Pre-start Date Planning Meeting with the New Employee Here is a sample new employee welcome letter. Date Name of New Employee New Employee Address City, State, Zip Code Dear (New Employee Name) If youre available in the week before your start date at Georgian Bay Company, Id like to get together in pe rson or on the phone. This will allow me to answer any questions that you may have about the benefits package and other issues that may have come up since you accepted our job offer. We can include our Human Resources Manager for part of the meeting. Hed like to welcome you to Georgian Bay, too. We can also spend time discussing your onboarding process. Weve designed a series of activities and meetings that should bring you up-to-speed quickly in your new job. I can also answer any questions that you may have about Georgian Bay Company. When you start a new job at Georgian Bay, we assign a senior employee as your new employee mentor. This meeting will give you the opportunity to meet her, too. Finally, Id like to provide you with early access to our employee wiki. If you have time prior to your start date, the information on the wiki provides a wide sortiment of background information, access to the employee handbook, and answers to any general questions you may have about Georgian Bay Company. Since the wiki is open access for any employee, some of the quirkiness of your new coworkers will be apparent to you, too. I understand if you are away on vacation or have other plans during this week before starting your new job. Assuming you are in the area, just let me know a potential time to talk, or, if your schedule allows, Id enjoy meeting with you at Georgian Bay. Again, welcome to the Georgian Bay team. We look forward to having you come on board. Regards, Signature - First Name of Boss Name of the Department Manager / Boss SampleLetter to Set Up a Planning Meeting with the New Employee The following welcome letter attempts to set up a time for a planning meeting with your new employee prior to his start date. Date John W. Smith 1832 Hamburg Trail Sterling Heights, MI 00000 Dear John, On behalf of the employee selection team, were so happy to welcome you to St. Thomas Hospital as our newest Physicians Assistant. We know that you will find the work both cha llenging and personally and professionally fulfilling. The doctors you will work with as PA are as excited as we are and look forward to having you serve in this crucial role on the team. They have been short PA help for quite a while and feel the void keenly. Withthe hectic pace at the hospital and the unknown patient service numbers on any given day, Id like to meet with you prior to your start date so that we can cover basic information youll need to get started. Our HR generalist,Kaitlin Law, whom you met while interviewing, would also like to sit in on this meeting to share benefits information, the employee handbook, and other orientation necessities. Id also like to share the on-the-job training that we have planned for you so that you can learn our procedures and approach to patient care. One of the other PAs, Sarah Swift, in your new department has volunteered to serve as your mentor while you acclimate and become comfortable in your new role. She will meet with you on your first day at the hospital to go over the basics. We understand that many new employees use the time between the end of their former job and the start of their new job as a time for vacations and personal business. So, we completely understand if you are not available for this meeting. If you are, however, the transition will go more smoothly. Please text me to respond and we can set a date if you are available. My cell is 714-221-3245. Sincerely, Mary Wade Director of Human Resources The new employee welcome letters have a second purpose to set up a meeting with the new employee prior to their starting day. Its an effective way to welcome a new employee.