51% of D.C. workers would consider quitting for a jop at new Amazon HQ

51% of D.C. workers would consider quitting for a jop at new Amazon HQ51% of D.C. workers would consider quitting for a jop at new Amazon HQAmazon is opening new headquarters in New York City and Arlington, VA. Hiring will begin this year, and workers in the metro D.C. area are excited 71% of all information technology workers in the D.C. area would possibly quit their current jobs for a position at Amazon, a survey of 1,000 employed IT workers by Eagle Hill Consulting found.In fact, 51% of all workers in the metro D.C. area would consider leaving their current jobs for a job at Amazon, the survey found.The top reasons to flee into the arms of Jeff Bezos (newly single) included better pay (71%) Amazon has said the average salary at its new headquarters will be $150,000).45% thought the work would be more interesting.45% felt Amazon was a more progressive company.33% thought theyd find a better workplace culture.Only 17% were actually unhappy at their current job.And the employees w ho said theyd stay put despite Amazon cited happiness with the work they performed (52%), happiness within their current job (45%), and a feeling that they worked for a good company (38%). They also included satisfying work-life balance, company culture, and the fact that they were already well-paid.D.C. workers predicted a mostly positive impact on their area from Amazons opening in the form of the local economy and salaries with some negatives, such as traffic. Between the two new headquarters, 50,000 new jobs will be created. Two cities were chosen for the headquarters so as to not overwhelm one city with a massive influx of workers, but still, not everyone is happy about it.And pay attention, D.C. they wont be just hiring locally Amazon hires from all over the country. Theyve created a guide for interviewing presumably for hopefuls that are ready to quit their jobs to join the Amazon team.

A Five-Step Checklist to Remove Bias From Your Job Posting

A Five-Step Checklist to Remove Bias From Yur Job PostingA Five-Step Checklist to Remove Bias From Your Job PostingHumans are remarkably efficient. Our brains make shortcuts to help us process day-to-day decision-making, allowing us to open the correct door or avoid a grumpy cubicle mate without even thinking about it.However, theres a downside to this process, too. As we filter information based on our experience and knowledge, our brain also forms unconscious biases related to other human characteristics such as race, culture, gender, disability and more. This leads to making decisions in our work and our habits that result in an unintentional form of bias that come out when we reflect on how we behave and how we write. Writing a job post is a natural and normal activity for human resources representatives. However, job postings arent free from this kind of unconscious bias. We write what we write using our perceptions and assumptions, and then candidates read what we write with th eir own biases. While we can never completely remove unconscious bias. The best communication reduces these biases as much as possible to communicate the essence of the job. If youre in charge of writing a job posting, heres a checklist you can use to remove as much bias as possible. Use gender-neutral language Inclusive language such as gender-neutral wordinghas a powerful impact on the results of recruiting. Evaluate your use of typically feminine or masculine descriptive words and review your job posting to speak to the candidate rather than he or she. Use task-focused language Task-focused language as opposed to concept-focused language increases the number of applications you will receive. For example, instead of describing a warehouse job as having an Aggressive, fast-paced environment, youll want to get specific about the skills required to succeed in the environment, such as the Required ability to lift more than 50 pounds in 5 minutes, and Required to act quickly in respons e to instructions. Ask someone different from you to review it Since unconscious biases are personal, an effective way to remove your biases is to have someone very different from you review the document. Find someone in the office with a very different learning style, background or experience level and ask for their feedback. Run it through word processing software Several word processing softwares including Microsoft stimmt genau and HemingwayApp.comallow you to assess the reading level of the document youre editing. Unless youre specifically writing a job posting for a position with high education requirements, aim to meet the governments Plain Language Guidelines of a 6th-7th grade reading level.

He scored a job at Disney. We analyzed his resume to see how.

He scored a job at Disney. We analyzed his resume to see how.He scored a job at Disney. We analyzed his resume to see how.Hey We think theres one real resume example thats definitely worth your attention. Why?First, its Disney. The world of its own that gave rise to countless animated movies. The home of Donald Duck, Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh and many other popular characters.Second, this brilliant resume proved to be Brendan McLoughlins ultimate winning ticket to get the Video Production Assistant role.Resume Example Video Production Assistant at DisneyAnd for these two reasons, we wont just skim the surface. Well dig much deeper and read between the lines.A close reading of literally anything, let alone career documents, is a helpful tool to a deeper understanding of its structure and function. In other words, everythings there for a reason.So lets put Brendans Disney resume under the microscope and bring its secrets to light.1. Contact informationFirst things first. Whicheve r resume schablone you choose to use, dont forget to put your contact information in a clearly visible place.If you want recruiters to get back to you, include your email address, phone number and address (though getting a letter seems unlikely, but you never know). And the link to your personal website or to your digital portfolio. If you have one, of course.2. About meThe introductory section is absolutely stellar. The first sentence answers two fundamental questions that every single hiring manager wants to knowWho are you? Writer-Producer-EditorWhat do you want? Media Operations Assistant role at BAMTech Media-DisneyWith so many job seekers to handle every single day, recruiters simply love effective communication. And Brendans introductory hyphen-flooded sentence shows his cards right off the bat.On the other hand, the following paragraph introduces another effective resume techniquethe art of storytelling. A simple and very readable narrative thats sure to capture anyones atte ntion.What you see here is an information-packed, ambition-driven and humor-fueled paragraph that has a lot to offer. Its personal, brief, relevant. A concise and digestible history of Brendans life and career.It exudes Brendans fascination with the visual media, describes his intrinsic motivation and appealing dedication to his vision. Well, who could resist hiring such a film buff?3. SkillsHaving already sketched some of his personality in the introductory section, Brendan uses his Skills section to demonstrate his technical proficiency and hard skills. In this way, he effectively avoids using buzz words that would clutter his resume with fluffy nonsense - and discourage the HR manager from reading on. Of course, there are a few softer business-related skills, too (like Scheduling, Planning or Budgeting). But these are still highly relevant to the position. The presence of adjectives like motivated, creative, passionate or skilled, however, would tell recruiters nothing about the job seeker except the lack of real skills.4. Work experienceThe well-structured resume puts focus on Brendans prolific career. In fact, his impressive work experience comprises more than half of his resume.Notice how every sentence starts in the Work experience section with an action verb. Each of them talks about the responsibilities Brendan had while on the jobManage. Navigate. Fill. Oversee. Serve. Write. Direct. Collaborate. Ensure. Install. Produce. Edit. Implement. Coordinate. Launch. Ingest. Maintain. Edit. Complete. ProcessThese words sound very fresh. Yes, they do occasionally repeat. But the rich variety of action verbs provides a great picture of Brendans dexterity and versatility.So next time you go about updating your resume, have a look at how you present your work experience to your potential employer. Try to infuse the descriptions with some interesting verbs - and adjectives, too - that will propel your resume to another galaxy5. EducationWith three ongoing gigs going on at the same time and 5+ years of experience in the industry, Brendans got a handful of aces up his sleeve.And this is the reason why Education gets so little attention.He knows that no one will be interested in what was his major or whether he graduated with straight As. All the recruiters are after is hard skills that you can demonstrate in your real work experience.All in all, Brendans resume shows that its all about whats relevant at the moment. Are you a fresh graduate? Talk about your college courses and internships. Are you a seasoned professional? Describe your career trajectory instead.Get hired with a winning resumeYou dont have to walk the path millions of others have travelled before you.To pave your way to your dream job - and perhaps take a little shortcut,too - turn your attention to real resume samples that got real people hired at real companies.Then apply the knowledge you gain from them to your own resume. Use engaging language to present your achievemen ts and choose the resume format thats relevant to your current status. Get rid of marginal details and focus on the job you want to get.Its simple as that Learn from successful job seekers and follow in their footsteps.Share Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments

How to Pitch Your Novel at a Writers Conference

How to Pitch Your Novel at a Writers ConferenceHow to Pitch Your Novel at a Writers ConferenceSo youve done the hard parte youve actually written a publishable novel. Congratulations Now you just send it out and wait for the bidding war to start, right? Well, not exactly. Before you can convince a publisher to buy your work youll have to get them to read it in the first place. Publishers and agents are extremely busy people with stacks of zu gunsten vonmising manuscripts littering their desks already. You need to get your writing not just onto that stack, but right on top. To do that you need to pitch. What a Pitch Is A pitch can be verbal or written and often a combination of both. Verbal pitches are for face-to-face meetings with an agentor publishers. For beginning writers, this will most likely be at a writers conference. These in-person pitch sessions are a great opportunity for you to sell yourself and your writing. You have a real shot at impressing either an agent or edit or and getting your manuscript read by the people who can get it published. Heres a quick run-down of what youll need to do before pitching Finish the Work Especially as a beginning writer, its important to have your book completed. Without a solid track record, its difficult to get an agent or publisher interested unless you can first prove you can schliff a novel.Do Some Research Find out which agents and publishers that will be attending the conference. You want to make sure they represent or publish the type of work you do. Dont waste your time and theirs by pitching work that doesnt match their specialties. So get online and do some research Make Appointments Schedule time with as many appropriate agents and editors as you can. The details of how to do this are specific to each conference, so consult the conferences website or your registration info. These appointments fill up quickly, so book earlyPrepare and Practice Your Pitch Then practice some more. Well discuss this in mo re detail.Look Your Best Choose appropriate clothes and plan to look like a pro. As superficial as it sounds the publisher is buying you as well as your work. To successfully market your book they will also have to market you as an author. The more you look and act like a professional, the more comfortable agents and editors will be offering you a contract. Know What You Want You are not going after a contract quite yet. The sole reason you are pitching is to get agents and editors interested enough in you and your work to actually read it. Thats it. Your pitch itself should be a short, interesting description of your novel that captures its best qualities. Think about the blurb on the back of a paperback novel - thats the level of detail you want. Your pitch should only be about 2-3 minutes long. Remember that your appointments will only be for 10 or 15 minutes each and much of that is made up of questions and small-talk. Keep it short and snappy. Open with something short and catc hy. You want a few sentences that describe your novel in the most compelling and intriguing way possible. Here are a few tips to get you started Hollywood-StyleThis works particularly well for genre fiction. You simply describe your novel as a mix of two other well-known (and profitable) books or movies. For example Its Twilight meets Harry Potter. Of course, youll have to explain what you mean by that in the rest of your pitch, but if its an accurate description (and it better be) then youre off to a good start.It should be at least somewhat ironic.It should paint a compelling mental picture.It should give an idea of genre and audience.It should have a killer title. The Save the Cat Method Screenwriter and teacher Blake Snyder describes this method for coming up with loglines for film ideas in his popular screenwriting book Save the Cat. It also works well for pitches The idea is to come up with a sentence or two that describes your novel and includes the following Thats a lot to p ack into a couple of sentences, but when you get it right its worth it.Heres a couple from movies you know (courtesy of ?Save the Cat)A cop comes to L.A. to visit his estranged wife and her office building is taken over by terrorists. - Die HardA businessman falls in love with a hooker he hires to be his date for the weekend - Pretty Woman Simple, clear and irresistible This is the essence of your novel. Start here, add some colorful details and youve got a killer pitch.Write Your Own Using the blurbs on the back of novels as a guide write up a pitch of your own. Make sure to state who your hero is, what his goal is, why he needs it and whats stopping him from getting it. Focus on the conflict at the heart of your book. You absolutely cannot go wrong with this formula. Hook Them Early This short intro to your pitch is critical to getting them hooked and wanting to hear more. Write several versions of it (15 to 20 is a good number to shoot for) then pick the best one and polish i t until it shines. You cant spend too much time on this - if you nail this part of your pitch you are virtually guaranteed to be asked to submit your manuscript. Once youve hooked them with your intro then describe your book in a bit more detail. Remember that this is a discussion with other humans and not a lecture. Be natural and passionate and describe the key elements of your story in a minute or two. When youve finished, end by asking if your novel sounds like something theyd be interested in and take the discussion from there. They will probably have a few questions and then hopefully request a portion of your book to read. At this point be clear about what they are asking for - would they like to read the first few chaptersor the entire manuscript? Get business cards and contact information, thank them and head to your next pitch Practice, Practice, Practice Although pitching sounds difficult and nerve-wracking, it does get easier the more you do it. Most nervousness come s from poor preparation. To make sure you are as relaxed as possible when giving your pitch you should prepare it at least a week ahead of time and practice it daily, out loud. Do this until you can give your pitch in your sleep - the better you know your pitch the easier it will be to relax and be yourself. Remember that publishers and agents come to these pitch sessions looking for new authors and publishable new works. They need what you are selling. So be confident in your work and in yourself, practice and prepare, and pitch like a pro

ASME Presents Congressional Briefing on Advanced Manufacturing Communities

ASME Presents Congressional Briefing on Advanced Manufacturing Communities ASME Presents Congressional Briefing on Advanced Manufacturing Communities ASME Presents Congressional Briefing on Advanced Manufacturing CommunitiesAug. 19, 2016 (Left to right) IBM Fellow Emeritus Nicholas Donofrio, Nam Suh of MIT, ASME Past President J. Robert Sims and Tom Kurfess, former assistant director for Advanced Manufacturing at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, at the ASME Congressional briefing, Advanced Manufacturing Communities Encouraging Innovation and Building the Advanced Manufacturing Economy of the Future. ASME recently sponsored a Congressional briefing, Advanced Manufacturing Communities Encouraging Innovation and Building the Advanced Manufacturing Economy of the Future, which attracted an audience of more than 100 members of Congress, congressional staff, agency officials, and thought leaders. The packed briefing was convened in conjunction with the House Manufacturing Caucus as part of a series of manufacturing briefings being held throughout the year.J. Robert Sims, past president of ASME, welcomed the audience and introduced the co-chairs of the Manufacturing Caucus, Congressmen Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Tom Reed (R-NY). The co-chairs provided opening remarks focusing on the key role that advanced manufacturing plays in maintaining and improving the strength of the U.S. economy and highlighted the role of Congress in ensuring proper investments in this field. The briefing consisted of an impressive panel of experts on advanced manufacturing, which included Nicholas M. Donofrio, IBM Fellow Emeritus, former IBM executive vice president for Innovation and Technology, and recent chair of the National Academy of Engineerings Study Committee on Making Value for America Nam P. Suh, former president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, and recipient of the ASME Medal for Distinguished Mechanical Engineering Achievements and Deborah Wince-Smith, president and CEO of the United States Council on Competitiveness and former assistant secretary for technology policy in the United States Department of Commerce. Deborah Wince-Smith (left) from the United States Council on Competitiveness and Steve Schmid of the University of Notre Dame were also among the panelists at the briefing in Washington, D.C.Panelists also included Tom Kurfess, professor and HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control at Georgia Tech and former assistant director for Advanced Manufacturing at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Steve Schmid, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Notre Dame and former assistant director for Research Partnerships in the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Kurfess and Schmid al so serve as co-chairs of the ASME Manufacturing Public Policy Task Force. The purpose of the briefing was to bring to light the exciting future these experts see for advanced manufacturing in the United States. The discussion focused on innovative solutions that can only be realized with the support of public-private partnerships that encourage the formation of manufacturing communities places where universities, companies, and local governments work together to promote manufacturing education and innovation. Manufacturing communities work to drive education and training, which can then create a comprehensive innovation ecosystem and skills-pipeline that can only exist in these areas where modern manufacturing is being touted and pursued.A video of the Advanced Manufacturing Congressional briefing is now available online in three segments. To view parts one and two, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCZbJ64Kels and www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5N_4uDnBM0. To watch part three, visi t www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm1IDOWtrUk.

The Idiots Handbook to Github Resume

The Idiots Handbook to Github Resume The Demise of Github Resume If youre applying at a bigger company, they probably have a whole department and thorough screening procedure to make certain they dont seek the services of any candidate unable to be successful in a position. There are a number of different customer service positions in existence. Wherever you choose to set the skills on your resume, be aya to tailor your list of abilities to the particular job. Use the skills mentioned here in order to assist you in your job search. Github Resume Fundamentals Explained All those operations have to be done on each of the servers. Software engineers must cooperate with designers and data architects. They will routinely have to work with a number of other teams and departments at once, as well as your own colleagues and other engineers. Help coordinate the usage of the non-production environments with numerous development teams. Companies request a GitHub profile. You might never fail utilizing the regular CV since its the the one that most companies be ready to see. Its not even essential to put on a brand fresh CIHR CV for each and each and every financing opportunity if you wish to submit the exact very saatkorn data. Life, Death, and Github Resume It ought to be quite clear which I am speaking about at any certain time (mostly the concept). If you dont have a site, tech blog or any type of useful on-line presence, Github lets you create yourname.github.com. Any sort of help is appreciated Your resume is a part of persuasive writing, so youve got to learn your audience in order for it to reach its complete potential. Ive now had an opportunity to use the Tobii 4C for some time and its superb. Just having a look at the config yaml provides you an idea about whats happening here. For example, everyone is able to grasp a very good old Connect Four. Youve been in the precise same job going back couple of years and youre feeling as though you re going no where career wise. Heres What I Know About Github Resume Dr. Timms eye center location algorithm is a superb simple approach to track the pupil, but only as long as you add a few additional things that he doesnt speak about in his paper. It is by far the most used activation function because it reduces training time and prevents the issue of vanishing gradients. Theres 1 project structure to rule all of them. Finding out steps to create a resume in the appropriate structure is important also. Individuals arent likely to install the application only to see it. Its possible for you to connect a struggling business with a community of individuals who can provide help. The War Against Github Resume Meaning that you need to separate various responsibilities into various sections of your application. Resume Contractor The resume building process is really straightforward. Click the Certificates node under Personal and discover your certificate in the appropriate pan e. Right click the certificate and select All Tasks, then Export. Typeset your resume employing a tool which makes these goals simple to realize. The tool, in our case, makes it simple for companies to share product info. Job-specific skills vary contingent on the positioning. Heres What I Know About Github Resume Following that, you can choose your working repository. Other ecosystems are migrating at a quick speed, so you will inevitably end up in a situation of needing to earn a patch to a third fete library. No goal can be done without first being set. Now youve got a notion of what job you need and what skills you should impress your interviewers. Each job will call for various abilities and experiences, so ensure you read the work description carefully and center on the skills listed by the employer. When you have sufficient knowledge of the job which you will appear self-possessed. Finding the Best Github Resume Hopefully, after having a look over the nested sections of information, its fairly simple to comprehend ways to modify parts to ensure it is customizable. These types of resume templates can be found in wide selection and designs among which youll be able to choose the one in accordance with your choice and requirements. A number of the templates could be available for free while for others you may need to pay a price. Also, dont hesitate to pose questions.

What To Look For In Great Candidates Post-Interview

What To Look For In Great Candidates Post-InterviewAs any seasoned recruiter or hiring manager would tell you, the hiring process is about a lot more than the bewerberinterview. While the interview is a great chance to really start to get to know a candidate, what job seekers do afterwards can be just as important. Everything from the questions they ask to the post-interview thank you elende is full of information about what schrift of employee they would be.But exactly what behaviors are good signs?We asked some hiring experts about their thoughts on what the best candidates do and dont do after the interview. Heres their adviceThe red flags to look for1. Not asking the right questionsThe worst mistake somebody could make immediately following an interview is to NOT ask return questions at the conclusion. Really? We just spent an hour asking you forty or so questions. You have nothing on your mind? Youre not interested about your day-to-day duties? What about the company dynamic? What about the people who you will work with? People who dont ask questions in an interview show me that they just want a job not this job. They want to come to work for eight hours a day, get paid, and leave. I need to be shown that this person cares about the role and will eventually care for their work and the company. Sebastien Dupr, President and CEO, DuprayThe worst mistake somebody could make after an interview is to NOT ask questions. DupraysteamClick To Tweet2. An impersonal noteRed flags in a thank you note are not using the interviewees name in the salutation, a lack of a specific reference to the interview discussion, and over-promoting oneself. Another obvious one would be grammatical mistakes. Marcelle Yeager, President, Career ValetNot making a thank you note personal is a big red flag after a jobinterview CareerValetClick To Tweet3. Too much negativity in the noteThere are a couple red flags that a candidate might include in a thank you note that should make an emp loyer think twice about hiring them. Being too self critical or apologizing for parts of the interview that the candidate felt they were weak in will show a lack of confidence and a sign of desperation. Also pointing out anything negative about their current or previous employer. The best thing to do to tischset yourself apart is to send a personalized thank-you note or follow-up email that highlights skills and qualifications relating to the position. Tiffany Brown, HR Manager, FreightCenterThe thank you note is not the place to critique how you think you did in a jobinterviewClick To Tweet4. Overstepping boundariesNo matter how chummy the conversation got in the interview, the thank you should always be professional and respectful no slang, poor grammar, etc. They should also show confidence, but not project assumptions that they already have the position (unless they were given an offer on the spot). Even worse, a bad candidate will not do any follow-up at all that shows lack o f interest and/or unprofessionalism. Lois A. Krause, HR Consultant, KardasLasonTheres a thin line between being confident and presumptuous after a jobinterview. LoisKrause3Click To TweetThe signs you have a keeper1. Asking the right questionsHaving consulted on a great many hires, I have to say my favorite post interview sign that the candidate is a keeper comes the minute the interview is over and we ask if the candidate has any questions. The best questions show not just an interest in the job but an interest in helping the company accomplish its goals. Like What would the perfect employee for this job look like for you? or In the best of all possible worlds, what would you like me to accomplish for you? In three months? In a year? In five years? This works even better if, in responding to the answers the interviewer gives, the applicant demonstrates all the research he or she has done about the company. Barry Maher, author and speaker, Barry Maher AssociatesWhat questions a cand idate asks after a jobinterview tells you a lot about them. barrymaherClick To Tweet2. Going beyond thank youI would place less emphasis on the note itself and the contents of that note. Rather than a note, perhaps send me an article, a piece of research, or something that relates to our business and current trends. Or something that ties to the content of the discussion in the interview to show that the candidate is engaged and in tune with what is going on. I pay very little attention to what people say moreover to what they do. Are they taking the time to research and stay up-to-date with helpful information that can help them in their career and help move our business forward? Bryan Clayton, CEO, GreenPalWhen evaluating a job candidate, actions speak louder than words. YourGreenPal hiring tipsClick To Tweet3. Connecting on social mediaBesides a thank you note, other things that a candidate can do to set themselves apart post-interview in a positive way is to follow the company a nd engage with it on social media outlets like Twitter and LinkedIn. Sending a follow-up article on a topic of discussion and mentioning they thought it would be of interest. This shows they are serious about the commitment they are making and their passion for a career in the field and with your company in particular. Lori Malett, President, Hatch Staffing ServicesCheck which job candidates connect with you on socialmedia after a jobinterview. MalettLoriClick To Tweet4. Knowing when its appropriate to ask for updatesStaying vigilant, but not overbearing. Not often, but sometimes, a company is testing a candidate by not sending messages. If a candidate has yet to hear from a company, the candidate should send a few periodic emails to see if he/she is still being considered. But, nothing too crazy Josh Goldstein, Co-founder, UnderdogJob candidates who email you everyday are probably not a good choice. hiring tips UnderdogJobsClick To TweetWhat are some other red flags that should mak e you rethink a candidate? Share in the comment below

Software Engineer Top Needed Skills

Software Engineer Top Needed SkillsSoftware Engineer Top Needed SkillsSoftware Engineer Top Needed SkillsWriting your resume with a target job in mind requires having a clear understanding of the jobs skills and proficiencies.A well-crafted resume skills section, highlighting your relevant skills for a software engineer position, will help your resume beat the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which is the first step to getting your application noticed. Use the software engineer top skills and proficiencies below to help you effectively write your resume.Software Engineer top skills proficienciesSoftware DevelopmentAnalytical Problem Solving SkillsAbility to Learn QuicklyTeam PlayerAgile Development Processes and PrinciplesWritten and Verbal CommunicationCustomer-OrientedAnalysisGeneral Programming SkillsSoftware DebuggingSoftware DocumentationSoftware TestingSoftware Development Fundamentals process

How Media Censorship Affects the News You See

How Media Censorship Affects the News You SeeHow Media Censorship Affects the News You SeeAlthough you may not realize it, media censorship takes place in many forms in the way you get your nachrichten. While news stories are often edited for length, there are many subjective choices that are made which are designed to keep some information from becoming public. Sometimes ansicht decisions are made to safeguard a persons privacy, others to protect media outlets from corporate or political fallout, and yet others for concerns of national security. Protecting a Persons Privacy This is probably the least controversial form of media censorship. For instance, when a minor (someone under age 18) commits a crime, his or her identity is concealed to protect them from future harm so he or she isnt turned down from getting a college education or a job. That changes if a minor is charged as an adult, like in the case of violent crime. Most media outlets also conceal the identity of rape vi ctims, so those people dont have to endure public humiliation. That was not the case for a brief period at NBC News when it decided in 1991 to identify the womanaccusing William Kennedy Smith (part of the powerful Kennedy clan) of raping her. NBC later reverted to the common practice of secrecy. Journalists also protect their anonymous sources from having their identity exposed for fear of retaliation. This is especially important when informants are highly placed individuals in governments or corporations that have direct access to important information. Avoiding Graphic Details and Images Every day, someone commits a heinous act of violence or sexual depravity. In newsrooms across the country, editors have to decide whether saying a victim was assaulted suffices in describing what happened. In most instances, it does not. So a choice has to be made on how to describe the details of a crime in a way that helps the audience understand its atrocity without offending readers or vi ewers, especially children. Its a fine line. In the case of Jeffrey Dahmer, the way he killed more than a dozen people were considered so sick that the graphic details were part of the story. That was also true when news editors were faced with the sexual details of Pres. Bill Clintons relationship with Monica Lewinsky and the accusations of sexual harassment Anita Hill made about then-U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee Clarence Thomas. Words that no editor had ever thought of printing or a newscaster had ever considered uttering were necessary to explain the story. Those are the exceptions. In most cases, editors will cross out information of an extremely violent or sexual nature, not to sanitize the news, but to keep it from offending the audience. Concealing National Security Information The U.S. military, intelligence, and diplomatic operations function with a certain amount of secrecy. That confidentiality is regularly challenged by whistle-blowers, anti-government groups o r others who want to remove the lid on various aspects of U.S. government. In 1971, The New York Times published whats commonly called the Pentagon Papers, secret Defense Department documents detailing the problems of American involvement in the Vietnam War in ways the media had never reported. The Nixon administration went to court in a failed attempt to keep the leaked documents from being published. Decades later, WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange are under fire for posting more than a quarter million secret U.S. documents, many involving national security. When The New York Times published these U.S. State Department papers, the U.S. Air Force responded by blocking the newspapers website from its computers. These examples show that media owners face a difficult relationship with the government. When they approve stories containing potentially embarrassing information, government officials often try to censor it. Advancing Corporate Interests Media companies are suppos ed to serve the public interest. Sometimes thats at odds with the conglomerate owners who control traditional media voices. Such was the case when The New York Times reported that executives from MSNBC owner General Electric and Fox News Channel owner News Corporation decided it wasnt in their corporate interests to allow on-air hosts Keith Olbermann and Bill OReilly to trade on-air attacks. While the jabs seemed mostly personal, there was news that came out of them. The Times reported that OReilly uncovered that General Electric was doing business in Iran. Although legal, G.E. later said it had stopped. A cease-fire between the hosts probably wouldnt have produced that information, which is newsworthy despite the apparent motivation for getting it. Cable TV giant Comcast faces a unique charge of censorship. Shortly after the Federal Communications Commission approved its takeover of NBC Universal, it hired FCC commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker who had voted for the merger. While some denounced the move as a conflict of interest, a single tweet is what unleashed Comcasts wrath. A worker at a summer film camp for teenage girls questioned the hiring through Twitter. Comcast responded by yanking $18,000 in funding for the camp. The company later apologized and offered to restore its contribution. Camp officials say they want to be able to speak freely without being hushed by corporations. Hiding Political Bias Critics often lambast media for having a political bias. While viewpoints on the editorial pages are clear to see, the link between politics and censorship is harder to spot. The ABC news program Nightline once devoted its broadcast to reading the names of more than 700 U.S. servicemen and women killed in Iraq. What appeared to be a solemn tribute to military sacrifice was interpreted as a politically-motivated, anti-war stunt by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which didnt allow the program to be seen on the seven ABC stations it owned. Sinclair is the same company that a media watchdog group says called more than 100 members of Congress censorship advocates for raising concerns to the FCC about Sinclairs plans to air the film, Stolen Honor. That production was blasted for being propaganda against then-presidential candidate John Kerry. Sinclair responded by saying it wanted to air the documentary after the major networks refused to show it. In the end, bowing to pressure on several fronts, the company aired a revised version that only included parts of the film.? Communist countries that once stopped the free flow of information may have largely disappeared, but even in America, censorship issues keep some news from reaching you. With the explosion of citizen journalism and internet platforms, the truth will now have an easier way of getting out.

The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting

The Pros and Cons of TelecommutingThe Pros and Cons of TelecommutingTelecommuting, or working from home or another place other than the regular office, is becoming more prevalent these days. A study by the Consumer Electronics Association found 37 percent of employed adults in the U.S. work from home at least one day a month, and a large number of them are planning to spend a good chunk of change on technology products to make it easier to telecommute. Here are some other facts and figures to show how things stand In 1980, only 2.3 percent of workers telecommuted.Today, estimates put the number of Americans calling home their permanent office at over three million.The next few years will see telecommuting numbers grow by 63% according to the Telework Research Network.The average telecommuter nowadays is a 40-year-old professional male with a university degree and not a work-from-home mom.Current research reveals more companies are offering telecommuting than any other new benefit. Why Telecommuting The progress of technology has helped accommodate the telework option. Wireless devices, web applications, and collaboration tools, such as online meeting software, make it easier to interact with managers and colleagues when youre not in the office. People would rather work from home than in an office because They can focus better on their tasks with fewer disruptions.They avoid a long commute, which is more environmentally friendly and saves valuable personal time.They save on fuel or transit costs. Companies allow telecommuting for the following reasons To promote work/life balance.To save on real estate, office supplies, and other overhead costs.To encourage productivity and reduce expenses associated with lost time due to disruptions.To foster a green workplace culture. Drawbacks of Telecommuting Remote work isnt without its downsides, and employers have their apprehensions. Causes of concern include Less face time with managers and peers can be a major communication roadblock. Moreover, the benefits of brainstorming and innovation through on-site collaboration diminish.Employers cant control how workers use their time. This leads to worries about lost productivity. And when employees are on hourly contracts, theres no guarantee that paid time is spent on work-related activities. Yahoo banned the arrangement in 2013 because of abuse of the remote work system.When this benefit is available to selected staff only, jealousy and resentment can cause an adverse working environment and can affect morale. When TelecommutingIs Not Ideal There are instances when it doesnt make sense to have IT staff working from home. Companies must consider the individuals role and the needs of the departments that he or she interacts with the fruchtwein. Certain problems are impossible to troubleshoot remotely. Security issues and compliance with regulatory requirements limit access to development tools, software, and other applications. In these cas es, workers cant carry out their duties off-site. When Telecommuting Works If you have an IT job where you work independently most of the time, working from home could be possible. A software developer, for example, is a good candidate for teleworking. If youre in a phone tech support role with no requirement to go to the users desk, telecommuting may work for you too. How to Make Telecommuting Work for You Heres how you can optimize the arrangement Make sure you go to the office once in a while. If you work from home full-time, its a good idea to interact with colleagues in person to keep the lines of communication open and maintain relationships. Attend regular face-to-face meetings.Discuss expectations with your employer. Know when youre expected to be on-site, and make sure youre familiar with the companys telework policy.Establish communication protocols. Make sure people know how to reach you during work hours, no matter where you are. Use a schedule for tracking progr ess. This will help both you and your employer gage how productive you are when working from home. Conclusion Both employers and employees should consider the effects of telework on business performance. Whats ideal for one company or person isnt the saatkorn for another. Workers dont always operate well in isolation, and extroverts often prefer being in an office environment. To avoid negative impacts from telecommuting, companies must set out clear guidelines and policies on productivity, security, and workers compensation.