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How the incredibly high cost of a bad hire affects your job search

Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk Management

First impressions are lasting impressions. So, your first few seconds in a new job, meeting a new client, or networking in person may be much more critical than you think. Most interviewers will tell you that they have already made up their mind about a candidate within scant moments of meeting him or her for the first time. Even before a candidate opens his or her mouth, the interviewer has mentally recorded hundreds of impressions of the candidate.

Could a fiber backbone for IoT lead to safer, smarter cities?

Diane Bloemker Science & Technology

Cities are growing. By 2050, more than 67 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, according to the United Nations. That’s an increase of more than 50 percent over today’s numbers. And while cities can expect a host of benefits from this population increase — more talented professionals, more businesses, more tax revenue — they’ll also see a major strain on their infrastructure and resources.

The right way to use your professional intuition

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

You probably know the value of trusting your gut in your life — often, going with that instinct is the best course of action to take. Yet, when it comes to using your intuition professionally, things can seem a bit trickier. You don't want to make a hasty move without backing up your hunch with concrete facts and data; but at the same time, ignoring your intuitive feelings, which are often honed through years of experience, is unwise if your choice becomes too technical. Use the following science-based strategies to utilize your instinct most effectively.

Yes, you can be confrontational

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The word "confront" has acquired such a negative connotation. When someone is described as confrontational, you think of an argumentative person, or a critical, whiny person. Someone who enjoys "picking a fight," or is a bully that enjoys beating others down. It doesn’t need to be that way. Confront only means to face head-on, directly, and unequivocally. This is often healthier than passive-aggressive actions that some managers take to avoid confronting unacceptable behavior.

Improving engagement for students with disabilities

Brian Stack Education

Recently, I co-hosted a chat on Twitter on student engagement for Understood.org, an organization that focuses on giving parents of children who struggle with learning and attention issues the tools and supports they need to be successful. As we get ready to embark on a new school year, I thought it would be a timely opportunity to summarize the chat and the resources that were shared.

The latest research on ROI from social media

Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

It’s easy to tell if people like your content on social. All you need to do is watch the likes pour in and see the number of shares continue to climb. But how confident are you when it comes to measuring the return on investment (ROI) of your social media activities? 56 percent of social media marketers are either uncertain or unable to measure the return on investment, according to the 2018 Social Media Marketing Industry report. In fact, if you’re like most, it’s probably your top concern.

Strategic differentiation with a customer focus

Maryann Lesnick Civil & Government

I recently worked on a proposal that required — not an executive summary — but an introduction that called out the vendor’s differentiators. Perhaps one of the hardest aspects of our industry is coming up with real differentiators to cite in our proposals. In his book, "Collapse of Distinction. Stand out and move up while your competition fails," Scott McKain suggests we spend too much time trying to duplicate and outdo our competitors.

How to ‘build-a-promotion’ the right way

Mashaal Ryan Marketing

On July 12, Build-a-Bear Workshop tried out a marketing promotion called "Pay Your Age Day." It was such a hit it failed. People were waiting up to six hours in the U.S. and eight in the U.K. for this deal, which became such a huge event that the stock of items sold out. The company, in an unprecedented step, actually shut down their stores across both countries. How can your company have a wildly successful promotion that doesn’t also fail spectacularly?

What is the most important resource in your fire department?

Frank R. Myers Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

Shortly after I was promoted to lieutenant, a questionnaire was given out to several newly promoted personnel. It was quite lengthy, and took me several days to complete. The questionnaire was given out by the contracted testing company, who was outsourced. They did this to find out what the job was like, so they could make a realistic promotional exam based on your duties and responsibilities of all aspects for your rank. To my surprise while completing the questionnaire booklet, somewhere between 70-80 percent of what I answered revolved around "training."

3 reasons to have a side hustle

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

We are so busy at work that it can be difficult to believe that adding something would actually make work easier. Yet, the benefits of engaging in side projects outside the office are numerous. Whether it is a scrapbooking business or trying to write a play, here are three reasons to keep pursuing that dream and invest in your side hustle.

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