What Structures Can You Put in Place to Improve Diversity

What Structures Can You Put in Place to Improve Diversity So youve decided the diversity of your company isnt quite up to the standards that you would like and you want to know how you go about improving? Do you change your recruitment polices? Do you get a diversity expert in to help you make the changes you need? Well luckily for you our panel of diversity and inclusion experts are at hand to tell you exactly what you need to do and how you can achieve it. Natasha Broomfield-Reid Ownership is key, and often diversity is “added on” as an additional responsibility to the HR or Recruitment teams, who are more often than not at capacity already. In order to develop structure, I would recommend: Firstly establish and communicate ownership. Gain senior level buy in and the commitment of an executive champion to drive the agenda. Recognise your starting point, then develop a strategy, with detailed goals and measures. Recognise and communicate that everyone has a responsibility for championing diversity and developing an inclusive culture. Ensure DI are on the agenda for each department. Natasha Broomfield-Reid, Head of Development at Equal Approach. Caroline Stokes Get the elephant out of the room. Have it as an agenda item in every initial new hire conversation with the hiring manager. Carefully monitor changes to see if hiring has changed and what the ROI might be, so everyone can see the impact from a team dynamic and company success perspective. Caroline Stokes, Executive Headhunter Coach. Founder of FORWARD. Nicola Crawford Workplace diversity should be embedded into the company culture from the shop floor to the boardroom, recruiting processes need to encourage applicants from a broad range of society and not penalise anyone unnecessarily. The HR function and internal communications champions can help to sow the messaging internally and help to breed a positive culture. Ensuring committees and boards are representative also sends a positive message down through the organisation. Fostering a culture of openness and inclusion via a laid down strategy that is communicated regularly to staff will help with buy-in. Nicola Crawford, CFIRM, Chair of the Institute of Risk Management. Joanna Abeyie Firstly, educating managers on what diversity really means. Its not us and them often the term is misused or misinterpreted to mean that there are diverse people and then white middle class men thats not diversity. Diversity is difference, if the workplace made this focus on difference and inclusion there would be more buy-in from existing teams and less feeling of those currently within the workforce feeling under valued and therefore feeling they had to be the gate-keepers of their position, which can happen frequently when the word diversity is misunderstood. Joanna Abeyie, Managing Director, Hyden, SThree.  Suki Sandhu Although targets and quotas are a controversial subject, if you are looking for a structure then they are a good way to ensure you have equal representation. You could also formalise internal reviews of the business, addressing the question of how welcoming and inclusive your organisation is for diverse staff. Role models also have a huge part to play. It’s important to have diverse role models at a senior level to prove that anyone regardless of sexuality, ethnicity or gender can succeed. It encourages current employees to stay and progress internally, and also attracts external diverse staff. Suki Sandhu, CEO and founder of  Audeliss. Charlotte Sweeney Creating a governance framework to ensure the key issues are addressed appropriately and progress is reported back is an important element for anything that is important to business â€" diversity and inclusion is no different. Some companies create what they call ‘Steering Groups’ that act as the senior level governance to ensure that progress on DI is made â€" these generally then report the board or executive committee. Knowing there is that level of commitment and scrutiny is important for all to see, and experience. Charlotte Sweeney, Managing Director of Charlotte Sweeney Associates Ltd. Sarah Nahm Levers first diversity and inclusion “task force” (when we were roughly ten employees) was scrappy and organic, focused on harnessing the existing energy of our employees and turning it into viable action. As Lever has scaled, we’ve added more conventional structures to support our diversity and inclusion initiatives, including employee resource groups (ERGs) and, more recently, appointing someone to lead company-wide DI efforts. But if you place the weight of expectations on these special structures, you miss the point: to truly create an inclusive culture will require the effort from your full team. Rather than siloing responsibility in organizational niches, you need to bring the entire workforce along on the journey. Sarah Nahm, CEO, Lever.

7 Problems With Student Loan Forgiveness That Might Surprise You

7 Problems With Student Loan Forgiveness That Might Surprise You The following is a guest post by Rebecca Safier.  Her bio follows. College graduates are no strangers to debt. In fact, the average class of 2016 graduate left school with $37,172 in student loans. If you’re one of these debt-ridden grads, loan forgiveness probably sounds like a dream come true. Unfortunately, loan forgiveness programs aren’t always as promising as they sound. Some leave you with a large tax bill, while others require years of tedious paperwork before offering any aid. So before setting your sights on federal student loan forgiveness, consider these possible drawbacks. 1. It can take a long time When we talk about federal student loan forgiveness, we’re referring to a few different programs. One popular option is Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). This program offers loan discharge after 10 years of payments while working for a qualifying public service employer. The other main option for federal student loan forgiveness comes from income-driven repayment plans. After you make reduced payments on these plans for 20 or 25 years, the government will cancel any remaining student loan balance. Whichever option you choose, you’ll have to wait years â€" even decades â€" before the government discharges your loans. Your kids might even be in college before you get relief. Even though there’s light at the end of the tunnel, you could be making payments for a long time before getting loan forgiveness from the federal government. 2. You might need to re-apply each year In addition to tracking years of service and making qualifying payments to earn forgiveness, you’ll likely need to keep up with yearly paperwork. To get on an income-driven repayment plan, you’ll need to provide annual proof of your income and family size. The PSLF program also requires evidence that you worked in a qualifying organization every year. When you apply for forgiveness, you’ll need to provide the PSLF Employment Certification form for every year of service. Though it’s not required to submit this paperwork every year, Federal Student Aid recommends keeping up with it annually to make sure you’re on track. Other student loan repayment plans let you set up autopay and forget about your loans. But when you’re working toward loan forgiveness, you’ll need to stay on top of your documents and submit paperwork year after year. 3. Your career options could be limited To be eligible for PSLF and other career-based forgiveness programs, such as Teacher Loan Forgiveness, you must commit to working in a designated organization. Some of these organizations fall into critical shortage, high-needs areas. This might mean moving to a new location, working somewhere with limited resources, or accepting a job with lower pay. If you’re passionate about providing service in a high-needs area, that might not bother you â€" your career path might look similar with or without the promise of loan forgiveness. But before tying yourself to a job and location in the hopes of debt forgiveness, make sure you’re satisfied with your career choice. 4. You might be denied When it comes to PSLF specifically, you run the risk of committing to an organization that’s not actually eligible. “You could make a life-changing career decision only to find out at the eleventh hour that your public service does not qualify for loan forgiveness,” said Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert and publisher of Cappex.com. Borrowers who worked at the American Bar Association found this out the hard way: Even though they filed the right paperwork, the Department of Education rescinded its approval for PSLF. After years of work, people found out they might not qualify for loan forgiveness. A lawsuit is currently pending to settle this dispute. 5. You could get hit with a big tax bill If you qualify for PSLF, you’ll be free and clear of student loans after 10 years. But if you get forgiveness after 20 or 25 years on an income-driven repayment plan, you’ll still have to pay income taxes on the forgiven balance. “The forgiveness after 20 or 25 years in the income-driven repayment plans is treated as taxable income under current law,” said Kantrowitz. “This means you might be substituting a tax debt for the education debt. True, the tax debt will be smaller, but it may be just as unaffordable.” Before you can say goodbye to your student loans, you’ll need to settle this tax bill. It will cost a lot less than what you had in student loan debt, but make sure you’re prepared for this final expense. 6. You might pay more in interest Income-driven repayment plans lower your monthly student loan payments to a small percentage of your income, but they also extend your repayment terms to 20 or 25 years. As a result, you’ll likely end up paying a lot more in student loan interest in the long run. Let’s say you owe $30,000 in student loans with a 5.96% interest rate. If you paid your loans off in the standard 10-year time frame, you’d pay $9,895 in interest. But if you extended your repayment term to 20 years, you’d pay more than twice that â€" $21,417, to be exact. These income-based repayment plans can help you afford your monthly payments now, but can be more costly over the life of your life. Make sure you understand the long-term consequences of switching to an income-driven plan, even if you qualify for loan forgiveness in the end. 7. Programs could change or disappear in the future All of these loan forgiveness programs are subject to change in the coming years. The Trump administration recently unveiled a new education budget proposal, which called for the elimination of PSLF. Plus, it sought to replace the four income-driven repayment plans with just one. Although Congress will likely make significant revisions to his proposed budget before passing it, no one can say for sure what changes are on the horizon. If you haven’t already applied for PSLF or another one of these plans, you might end up with different options in the near future. Understand your student loan repayment options Despite these downsides, federal student loan forgiveness is a great option for many borrowers. It’s not the only way to deal with your student loan debt, however. Beyond federal forgiveness programs, there are private and state-sponsored loan repayment assistance programs throughout the country. Depending on your career and location, you could earn money to help pay your student loans. If you need temporary relief from high student loan bills, you could rely on an income-driven repayment plan in the short-term. But once you start making more money, you could ramp up your payments to get out of debt faster. Finally, refinancing your student loans can help you lower your interest rate and change your repayment terms. You could shorten your terms to pay your loans faster or extend them for lower monthly payments. Plus, you can consolidate multiple loans into one to simplify the repayment process. But before committing to a loan forgiveness program, make sure to explore all of your student loan repayment options. By learning the pros and cons of these strategies, you can find the one that will help you conquer student debt once and for all. About the Author: Rebecca Safier is a writer for Student Loan Hero.  Student Loan Hero  combines easy-to-use tools with financial education to help millions of Americans living with student loan debt. She writes about personal finance, career development, and education. When she’s not traveling, Rebecca’s writing from cafes all around Boston. You can follow her on Twitter @r_safier.

Do You Deserve a Better Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Do You Deserve a Better Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career You will not always do what you are doing now. You will go on to as many as seven distinct careers, ten to fifteen different jobs, perhaps a dip or dive into your own entrepreneurial venture and hopefully, some significant philanthropy. That’s why the thing that you do, what you actually accomplish at work, may not be all that interesting to the people you’ll meet in the future. It’s likely the job you have now won’t even exist in the future. What will exist into the future? Your character, intelligence and persistence. So, if you are seeking something grander than the job you have now: dont focus on the nuts and bolts of what you do when given the chance to talk about yourself. Recruiters, hiring managers, investors and graduate school interviewers are listening to your stories to ascertain your core values and evidence of your curiosity, focus, friendliness, good manners, and empathy. We care about the inspiration for your aspirations. We want to know whats in that portable device you carry with you all the time: your brain. So, when you’re asked, “What do you do?” or “What did you do at Acme Insurance?” make sure to follow up your job title, with HOW you do your job. That’s where the secrets about you are, when it comes to your character, intelligence and resilience. More than any special skill or vast amount of knowledge you’ve accumulated in a field like engineering or a function like social media manager, it’s your ability to articulate your analytical process and decision-making that’s really important. The big winners in any occupation, profession or venture are people who can crisply say why they act the way they do, and how their behavior has changed as they learned more and held greater sway. Simply put: the most desirable candidates are brimming with personal insights. So, spend some time reflecting on the how and why of what you do. Then, be ready to explain how your thinking and working processes â€" not your duties are your real assets. Those of us in your future, want to welcome you to it.

Best Practices for Job Seekers When Following Up After an Interview

Best Practices for Job Seekers When Following Up After an Interview Getting through a job interview can leave you feeling like you’ve just gotten over a major job search hurdle. However, you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking you’ve crossed the finish line just because you met with a potential employer. While the first impression you make at your job interview is huge, your behavior after the interview can also influence your chances of landing the position. So what exactly should you do? Here are a few tips. Focus on all aspects of the interview including follow-up etiquette. photo credit: laverrue Say that you want the job As you’re shaking hands and leaving the interview, thank your interviewer for inviting you in and say something like, “I’d really admire your company’s work and hope you choose me to join the team”. It never hurts to ask, as long as you do so politely, and it shows that you really care about this position in particular and that you’re not just interviewing while you wait for something better to come along. As you leave, you may also want to (politely) ask when you can expect to hear back, if the interviewer hasn’t specified a time range. Send follow-up material when requested If your interviewer asks if you can send a list of references, tell them that you can get that to them by the next morning â€" and then be sure you actually send it by then. Being punctual with your follow-up material shows that you would be a reliable employee, while being late with requested material may raise a red flag. Send a thank-you note For the most part, it’s perfectly fine and sometimes even preferable to send a thank-you email as opposed to a handwritten note. A handwritten note may come across as antiquated, especially if you’re applying for a job in social media or the tech industry, and emails are received much more promptly (try to send one within 24 hours of the interview). However, if the company you apply with seems to have traditional values, consider sending both a thank-you email and a handwritten note a few days later. [ALSO SEE  The Power Of A Thank-you Letter] Don’t be overeager While you should be prompt with your thank-you note and any requested follow-up material, you shouldn’t call your interviewer up the very next day to ask about the jobâ€"unless they specifically asked you to. If the interviewer asked you to wait a week before following up on the position, respect their wishes. They’re probably incredibly busy reviewing other candidates, and calling too soon can be both disruptive and annoying. Call or email if the employer doesn’t get back to you Many of us have been in this type of situation before: the hiring manger you interviewed with said they should be getting back to you by the end of the week, but now you’re past the weekend and you still haven’t heard. The idea of following up can be uncomfortable, especially if you’re worried the hiring manager is going to tell you that you didn’t get the job, but it’s still something you need to do. The fact that you haven’t heard back doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve been passed overâ€"it may mean that the company is behind in their hiring process, and following up with them shows your continued interest in the position. Be sure to keep your call or email polite rather than accusatory: thank your interviewer again for considering you, and ask them where they’re at in the hiring process. Handle rejection graciously Remember, even if you don’t get the position you applied for, there may be other positions opening up at this company soon, or their original candidate may not work out. In any case, you may still have other opportunities down the road to work here, so don’t burn any bridges. If a hiring manager tells you that you didn’t get the position, thank them again for their time and let them know that you hope they’ll keep your resume on file and remember you for future openings. [ALSO SEE Getting Over Job Rejections]

How To Write An Entry Level Resume

How To Write An Entry Level ResumeThe Ogden, Utah Entry Level Resume Writing Services are designed to assist companies in evaluating a person's qualifications and expectations for further employment. In other words, they are designed to meet the specific needs of an employer in order to ensure that the person is qualified for the position.The individual must remember that the company will typically spend some time gathering information about him or her and in particular time evaluating the applicant's skills and experience at that particular time. Once this information has been gathered, the company will review it and ultimately decide if the candidate is suitable for the job.One of the most important steps in completing an entry level resume is to determine whether or not the prospective employee possesses relevant experience that can be applied to the job posting. The person must be able to prove that he or she has previously held a similar position in a similar organization.There are a number of ways to ensure that the individual demonstrates a familiarity with the industry in which the position is to be held by including a thorough summary of the candidate's relevant work experience, not just the academic credits. A comprehensive listing of the candidate's previous positions should include any work experience held as well as any additions or modifications that may have occurred since those positions were filled.Another way to ensure that the candidate is an ideal candidate for the job is to provide a summary of a resume sample. This will allow the hiring manager to review the candidate's accomplishments in comparison to the requirements of the job description. This will also enable the hiring manager to identify areas where the individual may be deficient.The resume sample provided by the Ogden, Utah Entry Level Resume Writing Services company should include sections such as achievements, awards, honors, accomplishments, personal references, education, prio r work experience, education, professional experience, work history, skill sets, and many more. Thiswill allow the hiring manager to determine whether or not the applicant is a good match for the job opening.The key to completing an entry level resume is to ensure that the candidate possesses the right type of education and experience required for the position. If a candidate lacks this then the hiring manager will want to find out why this is so in order to ensure that the right type of educational experience is obtained in order to further the applicant's chances of success.The Ogden, Utah Entry Level Resume Writing Services will help the applicant to create a great resume that is comprehensive and detailed. Once the candidate has finished the submission process, the company will follow up with the potential candidate to ensure that he or she is successfully completing the steps necessary to move forward in a smooth manner.

No, its really not just like riding a bike

No, its really not just like riding a bike 5 Flares 5 Flares I used to ride my bike everywhere.  To the hobby shop, through the park, to my friends houses, and on the dirt track where I did tricks.  When I discovered roller blades and roller hockey, my bike was put away in the shed and never used again.  For the next 15 years or more, I avoided my bike, and up until a couple weeks ago, Ive been bike free. My family recently rented a place down at the Jersey Shore for the week, and my pops decided he wanted a bike down there with him.  When I was scoping out the place, I stumbled on his bike and decided to try it out.  Okso like you, Ive heard the Its just like riding a bike phrase many times, so I figured it might as well be true.  Well, to my amazement, re-learning how to ride a bike isnt all that simple.  Whoever has used that awful phrase should write out asshole on their fore head.  Seriously when you havent rode a bike in a long time, its just not that easy The point Im trying to make here is that nothing is just like riding a bike.  When your skills lay dormant, you will certainly lose a step.  There will always be at least a little bit of rust to work off before your skills reach their previous level. When it comes to long term unemployment, keep your skills fine tuned.  Stay as knowledgeable as possible by reading blogs and books, attending seminars/conferences and workshops, talking to folks in your industry at networking events, bringing your skills home (if applicable), or whatever else may keep you current.  This not only helps in the interview process, but saves precious ramp-up time when re-entering the work force. Even simple things like waking up consistently at 6AM (or whatever time you would normally get up for work) helps.  The more you do to stay in your professional habit, the easier the transition will be back into your professional life, and less likely you are to crash when you hop back on the bike. What do you do to stay current? Can you ride a bike?  Seriously?  Can you? No, really, can you?

Heres How You Can Make your Business Look Way More Professional

Heres How You Can Make your Business Look Way More Professional Running a business isn’t easy to say the least. At times, you may find that the whole thing becomes overwhelming very quickly, and you may even struggle to try and keep everything afloat as well. On top of this, if you operate a small business then you may find it hard to maintain a professional image and this is vital to your success, so if you want to find out some helpful hints and tips then take a look below. Logo It’s super important that you create a unique logo for your small business. You also need to make sure that the logo you have matches in with your brand as well. For example, if you have a logo that is clean-cut and simple then this is the type of service that you will want to provide. If your logo is fun and exciting, then you may want to have a team that are able to really connect with your customers while also having a good sense of humour. At the end of the day, the logo that you have is going to have a huge impact on your success, and if you are not happy with your logo at the moment then that is the first thing that you need to change. Of course, a lot of small business owners think that they can save money by designing their logo themselves and this can be true, but it won’t do much for your professional image. You may find it hard to come across as being trustworthy and you won’t get a good result out of your marketing when compared either. If you want to avoid this the n really take the time to perfect your image and work with a graphic designer as well, as this can work wonders for your brand. Website Having a professional website is crucial because it will help you to generate sales and it will also help you to connect with your customers as well. If you want to make sure that the site you have is suitable for your needs then consider using a template to try out a few different layouts. Of course, when you have found your template, you have to make sure that you customise it to meet your needs. If you don’t then there is a high chance that your customers will recognise your site from somewhere else and this is the last thing that you need. For this reason, having a website designer work by your side is essential, and if you don’t have the budget to do this then you should at least seek their advice so that you can make some smart decisions with your site. One problem that a lot of people experience when they do create their site as a small business is that they struggle to know which address they should put down in their footer, and if you are finding this to be an issue then visit Your Virtual Office London for address services. Promotional Products Another way for you to make your business look way more professional is for you to give away your promotional products. You can have useful items printed with your logo and you can also add your contact details here as well. You can then transform ordinary products into products that really do stand out from the rest and you can make this as cheap or as expensive as you need it to be. For example, if you want to really take things to that next level then you could consider using mugs or you could even try and use memory sticks. If you want to save money then pens are a great way for you to do this and you would be surprised at how easy it is for you to really go that extra mile when giving your customers the care and attention that they deserve. Of course, if you are finding it hard to decide which product is right for your business then all you have to do is think about the structure of your business. For example, if you know that you operate an IT business then a memory stick would be a great option, and if you operate an accounting service then you may want to go with a customised pen. Business Cards Another way that you can make your business look way more professional is for you to design a business card. Your business card needs to stand out more when compared to the other types of cards that are out there, and you will also want to incorporate your logo and even your brand. Of course, this will really help you to build up a solid picture of your company and it will also help you out with your customer image as well. This can work wonders for your professionalism and it is even possible for you to incorporate different features as well. This could include a reflective image or it could even include a shiny surface on the card. Sure, this will cost you more, but the leads that you get from your company will more than pay for the cost of the super-professional business cards. Social Media When you are able to implement social media into all of your marketing campaigns, you will soon see that this can really help you to boost the professional image that your business has. You can easily create pages for your Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest as well. If you are having problems in doing all of this then one thing that you can do is try and have an app that helps you to take care of all this simultaneously. When you are able to do this, you can easily build up a social media following and this can essentially give you as much free marketing as you need. This is a great way for you to save money and it can really help you to boost the brand that you have as well. It can also help you to boost your professionalism, so do keep that in mind.