How Project Consultants Can Turn Business Problems Into Wins Management Resources

How Project Consultants Can Turn geschftlicher umgang Problems Into Wins Management ResourcesHow Project Consultants Can Turn Business Problems Into Wins Management ResourcesProject consultants can work with your geschftliches miteinander in many ways, and for various lengths of time, depending on the nature and complexity of your project. Heres a quick look at three different types of project consulting services, each accompanied by an actual case study to help illustrate how project consultants can turn your business problems into wins.1. Staff augmentation or interim managementWhen your current staff is working at or beyond capacity, you can look to project consultants for additional help on either a short-term or an ongoing basis. A consultant can also be instrumental in helping to move your initiatives forward in the absence of one of your senior-level managers.Case studyInterim CFOThe president of a privately held distributor of household goods required assistance to help restr ucture operations and increase profitability. We supplied an experienced CFO to provide financial leadership and support the restructuring initiative. Our interim CFO was able to help reduce inventory carrying costs and excess inventory by $3.2 million reduce commercial debt by $2.3 million through improved free cash flow and plan and execute an annual reduction in operating expenses of $876,000.2. Resource-based project consultingResource-based project consulting can be completely customized to fit the scope of your project. You can choose to round out your current team by adding just one specialist or you might prefer to outsource an entire project to multiple specialists.Case study Cost recovery auditA large energy company was nearing completion of its biggest refinery expansion. The firm needed help to quickly review and find errors in subcontractor invoices - some as long as 16,000 pages. We supplied a team of auditors and data analysts with industry experience and certified i nternal auditor (CIA) and certified public accountant (CPA) credentials. The initial audit recovered more than $6 million. Based on this success, the company expanded the project. In total, our team recovered more than $30 million in fraud, overbilling and miscellaneous errors.3. Deliverable-based project consultingFor larger or more complex initiatives, an end-to-end project consulting solution is an option. When you work with a staffing agency thats partnered with a full-service consulting firm, you have access to everything you need. Specialists are equipped to implement new tools and improved processes as they work through each project phase. Theyre also accountable for project oversight and ownership. Then, when the project is complete, they can ensure a smooth transfer of knowledge back to your team.Case study Business process outsourcingA global software company was seeking a business solution to help increase efficiencies in their finance and accounting functions, including streamlining their outsourcing processes. We initially provided 15 project consultants the client later expanded our level of support to a group of 50 billable staff across multiple business units and locations.The on-site project manager was responsible for overseeing the selection and hiring process for the full finance function, including positions in tax, program accounting and payroll as well as finance groups such as audit, financial planning and analysis (FPA), credit, and revenue recognition. We then delivered additional special projects, completed business continuity testing, and implemented process improvements that saved - and continue to save - labor and costs for the company.Whether youre ready to explore an exciting business opportunity or you need to solve a unique workflow challenge, its worth your time to consider how project consultants can help. They can shoulder the workload and contribute to your bottom line at the same time.Learn more about our project staffi ng solutionsRobert Half Management Resources specializes in management consulting, which is delivered through our unique blend of interim management staffing and project consulting options. By working with Protiviti, a global consulting firm and Robert Half subsidiary, we can also provide companies with a full range of consulting services inInternal audit and financial advisoryRisk and complianceTransaction servicesBusiness process improvementWant to learn more about our interim management staffing, financial staffing and project consultant solutions? Give us a call today.1.855.432.0924This post was originally published in 2014 and has been updated to reflect more current information.

Freelancers Monitor Your Personal Brand on Social Media

Freelancers Monitor Your Personal Brand on Social MediaFreelancers Monitor Your Personal Brand on Social Media2Youre a freelancer, not a big company. Why do you need to monitor your personal brand on social media? Why do you need a personal brand to begin with?On a very basic level, the answer is this with the level of competition in the freelancing world, one of the most important things you need to build is your personal brand. You need to present yourself as a distinct identity that stands out so you can draw prospective clients and retain existing ones.Having established the need for personal branding, it is not difficult to come up with compelling reasons to monitor your brand, particularly to know what people are saying about you on social media.Here is why you should monitor your personal brand on social media, and tools you can use to do itWhy you should monitor your personal brand on social mediaThe main reason is this to know what your clients are saying about you.Its not t hat different from what the social media teams of big companies do. They monitor what their customers are saying about them on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms.Knowledge is power, and in this case, that knowledge is the feedback that you discover by monitoring your brand on social media.Knowing, on its own, does not mean anything unless you act on what you discover. If, for example, you read a negative tweet about your service, then you can promptly reply to that tweet in a manner that will address the issue.On the other hand, if you find a positive tweet, then you can engage that person by saying thanks and/or retweeting. Additionally, if you see that your work has been retweeted by others- whether they are influential or not- you can build relationships by replying.All these lead to building an even more credible personal brand, which, in turn, can lead to more clients.Tools to monitor your personal brand on social mediaWith Twitter and Facebook, it is rather easy to discove r ()mentions, retweets, replies, and tags. But what if you are mentioned in such a way that you are not made aware of it?Thats where tools for social media monitoring come into play. There are a lot of these tools, but if youre a freelancer, you probably want to spend as little as you can. Here are some free tools that will help you monitor your personal brand on social media.Google Alerts Google Alerts is one of the easiest ways to discover any mention about you or your brand. You simply have to sign up using your Google account- which I assume you already have- and select keywords (your personal name/brand in this case) for Google to monitor. Whenever there is a mention of those keywords, Google will send them to your inbox.Social Mention This listening tool gives you a lot of information about what people are saying about you online, from Twitter to Facebook to blogs to other platforms. All you need to do is to enter your personal brand (or any other keyword you want to search for), and youll get tons of results where it has been mentioned. On top of that, you can see other information such as top keywords, sentiment, sources, hashtags, etc.Meltwater IceRocket Similar to Social Mention, this tool is an easy way to find out what people are saying about your brand. You may opt to search for mentions of your brand on different platforms blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. The results that are shown include the links that people used when mentioning your brand, giving you further opportunity to act on the information.Readers, do you monitor your personal brand online? What tools do you use? Share with us belowNoemi Tasarra-Twigg is the editor of BloggingPro, a site that offers news, plugins, and themes related to blogging. She also writes about tech, geek, and freelance writing. You can find her on Twitter.Ready to start searching for freelance jobs? Start here Let us help you stay motivatedGet Freelance Jobs blog posts emailed to youor have them delivered to your favorite feed reader.Sign up now

Almost Iron Man Exoskeletons Quickly Becoming Industrial Heroes

Almost Iron Man Exoskeletons Quickly Becoming Industrial Heroes Almost Iron Man Exoskeletons Quickly Becoming Industrial Heroes Almost Iron Man Exoskeletons Quickly Becoming Industrial Heroes Theyve been called exosuits, wearable robotics, augmentation systems, and even the armor of the 21st century. But they are best known as exoskeletons.Science fiction enthusiasts see them as the inevitable blending of man and machine, hoping that once the technology is perfected, well all be flying around like Iron Man. While that may be a bit optimistic, applications of exoskeleton technology are already making their way into the industrial, medical, military, emergency response, applications.Exoskeletons are officially defined as wearable devices that augment, enable or enhance motion, posture or physical activity, according to the ASTM International committee developing exoskeleton standards.But Bill Billotte, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physical scientist who ser ves as vice-chairman of ASTM Technical Committee F48, gets excited when he thinks about these mechanical extensions of the human body.Imagine what your life would be like if you never lost a step? Billotte said. What if you could walk, run, jump, lift and even dance at your full capabilityor beyondyour whole life? A world that didnt need ramps, where jobs were never back breaking, and everyone could perform to the best of his or her ability with equal endurance, strength and dexterity. This is why we need exoskeletons.Join ASME and Leading Industry Experts for Offshore Wind Turbine Webinar seriesListen to the latest episode of ASME TechCast Breakthrough Could Bring New Cancer TreatmentGetting from that vision to a practical, useful, and affordable exoskeleton isnt easy or quick. Just ask Ben Wolff, the chairman and chief executive officer of Sarcos Robotics, a Salt Lake City, Utah, company, where the Guardian XO Max exoskeleton has been in development for nearly 20 years.A NIST exos keleton testbed. Image NISTWhen we started out to create a full-body, powered industrial exoskeleton robotic system, the challenges were so daunting that we wondered if the effort would yield a commercially viable product with real applications or just a scientific novelty, Wolff said. It took almost two decades of innovative RD to achieve what no other robotics company in the world has done power a human-scale robot doing meaningful work for up to eight hours on a single charge.When Wolff and his gruppe started work on the Guardian XO in 2000, they decided to focus on a design that would enhance the whole body, allowing a person to lift up to 200 pounds for eight hours without fatigue. We wanted a suit that would duplicate how human joints and muscles operate but with superhuman capabilities, he said. The perfect synergistic relationship between human and machine.The current model, slated for final testing this year and commercialization in 2020, consists of highly dexterous, compu ter-controlled and electronically actuated arms mounted on a track (wheeled) base. The user can get in and out of the Guardian XO in less than a minute. A suite of sensors is integrated into the hardware so that the armor responds intuitively to a persons instincts and reflexes. Most importantly, the entire weight of the suit, as well as that for any payload, is transferred through the exoskeletons structure and wheels into the ground.The biggest challenge for Wolff and the Sarcos engineers was power consumption. Our first exoskeleton model required 6,800 watts and the batteries drained fairly rapidly, Wolff explained. Thanks to technological advancements in instrumentierung and power components, someone wearing our current suit can carry 150 pounds at 3 miles per hour for an entire day on less than 500 watts.Power wasnt a concern when Joseph Zawaideh and Mark Doyle co-founded Levitate Technologies in 2013 in San Diego to develop and fabricate a passive exoskeleton device designed t o augment extremities rather than the entire body.Read an ASME Long-form story on Cobots Rise and Fall of Rethink Robotics Mark and I were working as biomedical engineers and observed that surgeons were getting extremely fatigued moving their arms in repetitive but highly focused movements for hours at a stretch, said Zawaideh, Levitates vice president of marketing and development. We felt that wearable robotics might be a great solution, so we set out to design a system that would be comfortable, cool, smooth operating with little or no friction, and allow precision movement at all times.A worker wearing Airframe exoskeleton. Image BMWThe resultafter eight generations of prototypesis the Airframe exoskeleton, a strictly mechanical, lightweight, jacket-like suit that supports the musculoskeletal system of the upper body. The device is custom fitted so that it integrates seamlessly with a persons unique body type and size.Best of all, Zwaideh said, Airframe requires no batteries, no software, not even any lubricant.It doesnt make you stronger like other exoskeletons. It takes the edge off by transferring the weight of your arms from the shoulders, neck and upper back to the bodys core, Zawaideh said. It engages a pulley when your arm is raised and gradually releases as its lowered, resulting in just the right level of support to reduce tension and avoid fatigue.Zawaideh said what has surprised him and his colleagues most is how well their device performs its mission.We expected to see relief to the lower back and shoulder but found that the Airframe lowers exertion levels by as much as 80 percent, he said. Considering there are more than 650,000 cases of work-related musculoskeletal disorders annually resulting in $50 billion in lost productivitythats $1 out of every $3 spent on workers compensationits easy to see what this could mean to a lot of industries.Companies are definitely buying into wearable robotics. Sarcos investors include Caterpillar, GE Ventures , Microsoft and Schlumberger. Levitates Airframe is already on the job at BMW, Boeing, John Deere and Toyota.Both firms are actively involved in the effort to standardize exoskeleton performance and safety, working with standards development organizations such as ASTM and federal agencies like NIST.If we get the metrics right, the whole exoskeleton industry, and more importantly, the end users, will benefit, Wolff said.What makes it all worthwhile to Zawaidehand a sentiment echoed by Wolff and others who have helped move exoskeletons from science fiction to commercial realityis how the technology improves the quality of life for the humans who wear them.If someone says to me one day, I retired healthier because of your device, then weve succeeded beyond our wildest dreams, he said.Michael E. Newman is an independent writer.Register today for ASMEs Offshore Wind Summit to learn about the latest technologies, opportunities and supply chain strategies from leaders in the oil, gas and w ind energy industries. Read Latest Exclusive Stories from ASME.org The Future of Electric Trucks is Now Open Source Engineering Creates Great Ideas for Rural AreasHelp Wanted Aerospace Engineering Jobs We wanted a suit that would duplicate how human joints and muscles operate but with superhuman capabilitiesthe perfect synergistic relationship between human and machine.Ben Wolff, Sarcos Robotics

How to Apply for Jobs Directly on Company Websites

How to Apply for Jobs Directly on Company WebsitesHow to Apply for Jobs Directly on Company WebsitesIf you have a targeted list of companies to approach for job openings, going directly to the source to search for work on their company website is an effective job search method. At many company sites, you can apply for all levels of positions online, from part-time hourly work to top management positions. Benefits of Finding Jobs at Company Websites If you find positions that catch your eye through largejob search websiteslike Monster, make a list of those jobs and then go to the companies websites and apply through them instead. The benefit is that youll be competing against a smaller pool of applicants, which will naturally decrease the competition for yourdream job. Also, you will be delivering your credentials to employers in their preferred format as opposed to the one utilized by an external job site. Some organizations also provide more detailed information about job openin gs on their website than the descriptions on job listing sites. Navigating There are several ways to find company websites If you have a particular company in mind,the simplest way to retrieve their jobs is toGooglethe company name with the keywords jobs or careers.Search for company profiles on LinkedIn. Most organizations have established a presence on LinkedIn which includes a company profile.transsumpt the names of target companies into the search window on LinkedIn and then follow the link to jobs on the profiles. You can follow the company, so youre sure to see the latest listings. Dont forget to notice if any of your LinkedIn contacts are working at that organization. Consider reaching out to your contacts in advance or concurrent with your direct application on the company website to inform them of your interest, ask for assistance or perspective. It is usually most effective to copy your contacts in with your application materials so they can see how you are representin g your case. CheckUS.jobswhere youll be able to browse an extensive list of companies listed on the National Labor Exchange and search for jobs posted on company websites and jobs listed on state job boards.Use LinkUp.Job search engineLinkUpsearches just for jobs on company websites.Leverage the job aggregators.Sites such asIndeedsearchthe web constantly for job postings check to see if the business youre interested in is listed. How to Search Jobs are typically listed in the Careers section of the employers website, though they could also fall under the Human Resources or About Us sections or at the bottom of the page in a link to More Information. Just about every company has detailed employment information, including job openings, an employment application, company locations, benefits, and how to apply online. You may be able to sign up for job alerts to notify you of the latest openings as soon as they are posted. Also, review the press section of the organizations website f or press releases and reports on developments at the organizations. Look for reasons why the employers priorities, strategic plans, and goals align with your interests and assets. Find More Company Information Dont stop there. Use websites likeGlassdoor,Vault, andLinkedInthat provide company information to research the business further, and to find connections who can help you get hired. What a Posting Reveals A companys career section provides a window into their corporate world and the image they present. Its up to you to read between the lines. Are the postings easily accessible, clear, professional, and well written? Are there a large number of openings or many openings concentrated in one area? It could indicate a company poised for growth or one thats experiencing high turnover and therefore needs a constant supply of applicants. No Job Listings? Not all employers list job openings online, but their website can still be a tool to learn a wealth of information about the company itself that you can use to further your search and even leverage should you get to the stage of an interview. Get a sense of how they present their business online. Is their site rich with information or simply a sales tool? Well-constructed or slightly fly by night? The companys online presence can shine a light on the business as a whole.

Examples of Functional Resumes Reviews & Tips

Examples of Functional Resumes Reviews & Tips As soon as youve done that, no employer will have the ability to resist you For what it is worth I believe that the stay at home dad role is most likely one of the mora challenging roles that one may perform. You might want to tailor your resume, instead of sending out the same resume for every single job. Maybe you were lucky to land a great job in a good company that knows the way to look after its employees. Youre able to add the address of your professional site, portfolio, or LinkedIn Account if youve got them. Understanding how to tailor your resume will obviously provide you an advantage. Job searchers have a lot of choices when it has to do with creating their resume. If you want to compose a functional Resume Templates then you are able to take assistance from the below-given sample functional resumes. The Secret to Examples of Functional Resumes In the end, you enter your greatest level of education. Every work app licant knows the way to compose a resume. On the contrary, it focuses on the skills you have developed that fit the demands of the job for which youre applying. Ensure you highlight technical wisdom and certifications. Picking out the format of your resume is especially vital as different formats can allow you to achieve unique impressions. Additionally, youre in a fleck to list the attributes that you want emphasized first. There are a number of other choices. When there are a couple formatting choices to pick from, like chronological, functional, and a mixture, there are specific basics common to all. It is possible to also see Teacher Resumes. Job aspirants have to be careful of a resume template rather than a courses vitae template. Work aspirants ought to be on the lookout for a resume template instead of a courses vitae template. Definitions of Examples of Functional Resumes The functional resume format isnt the typical resume that everybody learns to use at the begin ning of their career so when you have decided that its the fitting resume structure for your requirements and for the vacancy that interests you, the next tips for writing a functional resume should help to direct you through the procedure. The combination resume format may be your very best bet. Chronological resumes arent the very best fit for fresh graduates due to the fact that they dont have a lot of expertise in the very first location. If youre in a creative position (for example, graphic design), think about using a nontraditional resume. In such instances, youve got enough experience but not in one specific field. For anybody transitioning careers, its ideal to use a functional format rather than a chronological one. If you dont have sufficient work experience, you should earn a functional resume instead of a chronological one. Functional resumes are perfect for men and women who dont have a great deal of work experience regarding the job they are applying for. A func tional resume ought to be utilised in several kinds of situations. The lesser-known functional resume can be a fantastic solution for certain positions requiring many technical abilities or for particular candidates with a lot of potential. The area of information technology gets more important every single day. The majority of the document is going to be based on your abilities and your employment history, so lets start from that point. There are various ways you are able to format the education section. If youve got an exact sparse work history, you might want to center on the next section instead.

Know What an Old Pro is Saying About Resumes Doc

Know What an Old Pro is Saying About Resumes Doc Lies Youve Been Told About Resumes Doc ATS software isnt able to read exclusive formatting. Most resume templates may be used to apply for different forms of jobs. Its true, you can access all templates in free of charge. Resumes Doc The upcoming free resume template welches created in the shape of a brochure. Resume Templates also be certain that you dont miss out any beneficial part of information about yourself which can be important for the provider. The whole group of resume templates is composed of an assortment of creative resume designs. Dont use a great deal of contact details as it can serve as an added work to the man whos tasked to deliver information regarding the outcomes of your application templates. Your background could include information regarding your parents and the folks whom the company might contact for background checking. A number of the templates are free while others cost a couple of dollars. C hoosing Resumes Doc Is Simple If you are looking for the work online, then we should submit an electronic resume at the work portal. The Simple resume formats can be employed by anyone who wants to submit an application for a job. You also receive an absolutely free job interview tracker for a bonus. Given the significance of a work application, a completely free template might not be always enough to showcase your talent. The Benefits of Resumes Doc Together with mentioning the work type, if youll give a tiny description of your work in the cv then itll be best too. In case the job description or internet application offers you specific instructions, follow them. Whenever you are asking for work, its mandatory that you submit a resume. Whichever format you select, it should make you become selected for the job youre applying for. Resumes Doc Ideas So, the very first thing youll want to do is to check whether there are any particular guidelines concerning the format of you r resume. In reality, you shouldnt make your document just the same as an example or template. Handing in a resume for a work application for a PDF is advisable if you need your resume to appear just the direction youve made it. It is possible to edit the color along with the content with no trouble. Google Docs exports documents in numerous formats, making it simple to submit the right file type to a hiring manager. There is an assortment of advantages of utilizing the simple resume formats. Google supplies a resume-builder tool which it is possible to utilize to create a professional resume. All preceding versions, for instance, current edition, will continue to be available. Who Else Wants to Learn About Resumes Doc? Its high-quality PSD file is completely customizable. Templates also show you exactly what elements you will need to put in your document. Whatever They Told You About Resumes Doc Is Dead Wrong...And Heres Why You may always copy and paste text from a PD F if you will fill in an on-line application and send your full resume in PDF file formatting later every time a hiring manager has invited you to achieve that. The only PDF which cant be opened and manipulated is one thats been scanned. After you save your document for a PDF, its essentially locked into place.

The Frozen 2 trailer is all the motivation you need to make it a great week

The Frozen 2 trailer is all the motivation you need to make it a great weekThe Frozen 2 trailer is all the motivation you need to make it a great weekThe scene comes into focus A stormy night, waves crashing. Elsa stares down the water with unwavering determination. She trades her iconic braid for a ponytail, and she runs.Fast forward 10 seconds, and a wave has crashed over Elsas body, sending her tumbling.Yet she is undeterred.A now-wet Elsa tries again, diving for a rock, sliding down ice, and running on water. She creates an ice bridge for herself, and it looks as though she might make it whenOh, nope. So close, but no banana.Another wave - a gazillion times bigger than the first - damages the infrastructure of the ice bridge, and Elsa plummets. So basically, your average Monday.No, but really. It can be difficult to get back into the swing of things after the weekend, when all your worries just melted away. Maybe you even spent it with a special someone, and youre not ready for that time to end.Now, youve got 10 things coming at you all at once, and its hard to decide which should be a priority. Plus, unlike Elsa, not everyone has magic powers.But you do share one commonality with the Queen of Arendelle, and thats determination and drive. You can stare down that pile of paperwork just like Elsa stares down the aquatic obstacle course from hell in the new Frozen II trailer.And theres even mora Monday Motivation you can glean from the sequels latest sneak peek, even if it may seem counterintuitive Everyone fails. Even practically perfect Disney royalty fails. And its okay (unless Elsa drowns in the movie, in which case Ill eat my words).So often, it may seem as though everyone around you is doing better than you are. But thats patently untrue. If animated Disney princesses are messing up royally, chances are your colleagues are, too. So chin-up, youre doing just fine. Keep up the good work.And if you do fail at something, thats okay. As they say, its time t o well let it go.This Monday, stare down that obstacle in your path with confidence and drive. It may knock you down once. It may knock you down twice. But chances are youll get up again, and youll succeed eventually if you keep on keeping on.If this pep talk didnt give you the push you needed to make it a great week, check out the Frozen II trailer for even more inspo. After all, a pictures worth a thousand words

3 Mistakes People Make After They Get Promoted - The Muse

3 Mistakes People Make After They Get Promoted - The Muse3 Mistakes People Make After They Get PromotedTime to pop the champagne and call everyone you know Youve been promoted First things first Congratulations No doubt, youve put in hard work to move up. You deserve to pat yourself on the back and look forward to your new role.With that said, a not-so-funny thing can happen after getting a promotion. Some people let their new responsibilities go to their head and they start acting like a different person- and not in a good way. They go from absolutely crushing it in their old job, to shooting themselves in the foot in their new one.But you can avoid this scenario by just sidestepping these three common mistakesMistake 1 Acting Like a Know-it-allThis promotion is validating. It shows you know your stuff- and the people you work with can binnensee it. So, naturally, youre ecstatic and feeling pretty invincible upon hearing the news.However, you dont want to cross that line between con fident and cocky. No one wants to work with a teammate whos strutting around, pretending they have the answers to every one of the companys pressing questions. The truth, of course, is that everybody has room to grow and things to learn, regardless of what level theyre at. Bearing that in mind wont only make you mora likable, itll keep you from taking on something you really shouldnt. So, save yourself from this career pitfall by asking even more questions than you did before, and whenever possible, solicit ideas from your colleagues. This will demonstrate that youre (still) a team player.Mistake 2 Psyching Yourself OutIn most cases, the stakes are raised after youve been promoted. This can include larger teams to manage, more accountability, greater visibility, or more interactions with high-value clients.Feeling anxious yet?Some people easily avoid coming off a know-it-all, because theyre too far on the other side of the spectrum- worrying if theyre up to the task of doing this ne w job. But, keep in mind, theres always a reason (usually more than one) why you were tapped for this new, exciting challenge. People dont just get promoted for no good reason. Management wants to see the company be successful, so if theyve asked you to step into a bigger role, its because they believe in you.Still feeling nervous in the moment? Take a few deep breaths. Go for a walk. Listen to your favorite song. Give yourself some time to acclimate to this new role, and if youre still feeling unsure, read these reassuring words to remember you dont have to be so hard on yourself.Mistake 3 CoastingTruth talk The worst possible time to coast is after youve been promoted. If anything, you should work even harder to exceed the expectations and objectives set before you by your leaders. All roles entail a learning curve, and so, if you spend some time taking it easy- you could find yourself missing deadlines or blowing your first project. And if that keeps happening, you might have a t ough talk about if this promotion really makes sense for everyone.Now, even if youre able to take your efforts down a notch, I wouldnt. Because, when it comes to your professional life, being complacent is a big mistake. The fact that you put in the work to get this promotion tells me you care about climbing the ladder. And if you arent aiming to get better and learn more, you wont keep moving forward. So, once you get your feet under you and feel like you have a handle on whats expected in this role, have a conversation with your boss about how you can keep growing. Ask Where are the opportunities to innovate or do more? This might seem intimidating, but itll remind your boss that youre a go-getter and reinforce their decision to bump you up in the first place. You should always have a next play in mind, even while you remain laser-focused on your current role and deliverables.The most important thing you can do is not become a new person simply because you have a new title. Remain in touch with the skills, thought process and habits that helped you get to this next step in your career and youll be just fine.Good luck in your new role

Most people try to get out of going to weddings and birthday parties

Most people try to get out of going to weddings and birthday partiesMost people try to get out of going to weddings and birthday partiesIve been to one wedding in my entire life and theres no amount of money or friendship points that will convince me to go to another. I took off work for a destination wedding in Taos, New Mexico it was hot, the food was horrible, both families were ghoulish and everyone involved is now divorced.Obviously, time-off work is a valuable thing, but next to birthdays, weddings are the hardest things to get out of. At least with birthdays, you can feign poverty, but someone will always offer to pay your way for a wedding. The growing minority of people that mucksmuschenstill get married take the event very seriously and expect their friends to do the same.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreHow many people actually enjoy going to their friends weddings? Ev en with the free booze, uncle fights and fancy cakes took into account, how many people would put your special day on the pay-no-mind list if they knew they could get away with it?Vacation crashersA brand new nationwide study conducted on a randomly selected group of 1,000 men and women, between the ages of 18 and 65, of all income brackets,conducted by third-party research firm, Mortar, for Flash Pack suggestsweve been taken advantage of our friends during their limited free time. An average of 3.5 days are gobbled up by other peoples events 10 days is the average number of vacation days given to employees-which means 35% of those days are forfeited every year. One in four respondents took more than their yearly allotment of vacation days to attend their friends important things.Wedding season haunted 25 to 44 years with the most frequency. Sixty-one percent of this demographic reported as many as 10 local weddings in the past three years alone and an additional 34% occasioned four destination weddings during that same period.The RSVP plague is more rampant in bigger cities. The average respondent has gone to 30 events for other people in the past three years, this figure is divided by a median of fourlocal weddings, four destination weddings, seven birthday celebrations, four baby showers, six bachelor/bachelorette parties, and five anniversary parties.Eighty-percent of all the participants involved in the survey said that they would much rather use their vacation time for themselves-leaving 20% of respondents consensually calling out of work, renting a car/tux/gown, to watch you make a mistake probably (the odds are really good).Thirty-one percent of respondents said they made up lies to get out of going to their friends events, though a much larger slice of people didnt have the confidence, to be honest about saying no. Twenty-two percent of people freak out by the simple act of getting invited to a thing,These figures show its all too easy to fall into a habit of obligation in your 30s and 40s, says Flash Pack co-founder Lee Thompson. You have this long summer stretch ahead of you but before you know it, every other weekend is being spent at a wedding, a birthday bbq or a bachelorette party. These events are great, of course. But they also mean that, in a life thats already bursting at the seams, youre frittering away all your spare time on other peoples dreams. This summer, were encouraging people to be a little more positively selfish. Do the things that YOU want to do. Travel the world, meet new friends push your comfort zone. Reclaim your precious vacation time.