Friday, November 29, 2019

Want to Work in a New City How to Land the Job and Make the Move

Want to Work in a New City How to Land the Job and Make the Move Want to Work in a New City How to Land the Job and Make the Move With the summer zu siche, you may be planning a fun vacation. That vacation to afaraway, relaxing location mightleave you dreaming of moving to a new distributions-mix altogether. The further along you are in your career, the trickier moving can feel. At times, its hard to know where to even begin.If youre part of a unique profession where companies struggle to find candidates, youre one of the lucky ones. Headhunters and company recruiters from all over will seek you out. Companies will court you and offer to pay to move you and your entire family to the location of their headquarters.But if you are not one of this select group, you may be struggling to figure out how to make a move. Organizations often want to recruit local talent first. Someone local doesnt require relocation. They can often start sooner, and the recruiter can get references from othe r employers in the city about their work.What can you do? First, dont just apply online. I harp on this topic, but relying entirely on the company website willrarely land you a job offer. This is especially true if that job is in another city.Instead, Consider This ApproachPlan a trip to your target city. The trip could last anywhere from a few days to a week, but be sure to go during the workweek, when business offices are open. Stay away from big holiday weekends when many employees are out of town.Before you go, reach out to as many people as possible to set up meetings. Start with your existing network, including friends, family, and former colleagues. Then, contact local recruiters in your target city. Last, reach out to potential hiring managers at companies youre interested in. You can find these people through websites like LinkedIn. When you reach out, mention that you will be in town only for a short time, but that youd love the opportunity to take the person to coffee or lunch.Break each day into three parts morning, midday, and evening. Try to schedule a coffee meeting in the morning and a lunch meeting midday for each day you visit. In the evenings, look for networking events to attend.A great place to look for networking events is Meetup.com. You can search the website by the type of event youre looking for in a particular location. You can also search the local chamber of commerce website and other professional organizations that you may already be a member of.For every meeting and event you attend, be sure to bring extra business cards and resumes. You never know when you might meet someone whos looking to hire you. And bring at least one suit, just in case you land an interview while youre there.This approach is much more in-depth than applying online, andit is also much more effective. When hiring managers and recruiters meet you inperson, you become more than just a resume, and you show potential employers that youre serious about your move. A version of this article originally appeared onThe Memphis Daily News.Angela Copeland is a career coach and CEO at her firm,Copeland Coaching.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Cold Fusion 25 Years Later

Cold Fusion 25 Years Later Cold Fusion 25 Years Later Scientists discover source of clean, unlimited energy In March 1989, the news rocked the world. Two respected chemists from the University of Utah Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, told a receptive media they had solved the biggest physics problem of the atomic age. Their compelling claims of room-temperature nuclear fusion in a jar were cast as the solution to the worlds colliding environmental and energy crises.The meltdown hit just weeks later when the claim was nuked by mainstream scientists who couldnt reproduce their results and were unsatisfied with the teams explanations. The cold fusion field has been on ice ever since. Whether considered a scandal, a screw-up, or a scientific character assassination by hot fusion advocates, the cold fusion episode is a case study for those who caution against the science of wishful thinking.On the 25th anniversary of the rise and fall of cold fusion, its close cousin, low-energy nucle ar reaction (LENR) science, is mucksmuschenstill on the fringe but simmering anew. Heres a look back and a look ahead at a field that always gets a reaction.Cold fusion electrolysis cell schematic. Source WikipediaHot MessThe simplicity of the Fleishmann-Pons fusion apparatus added to its news value. Essentially their set-up involved only a cube of palladium metal, a vessel of deuterium-spiked water, and an electrical current. Their purported breakthrough occurred overnight when the unattended device got hot enough to blow up, reducing the palladium to vapor and spewing radioactivity. It was a nice mess, Pons would tell the Wall Street Journal. The researchers concluded that only a fusion of the deuterium nuclei in the water could have generated such anomalous heat under ambient temperatures and pressures. Having previously published a number of critical advances in the field of electrochemistry, the duo had more than enough credibility to convince skeptical physicists to take a clo ser look.The scientific mainstream did look and disliked what it saw. From the scientists flamboyant media announcement in advance of a peer-reviewed publication, to their omission of elementary experimental control measures, to their perceived evasiveness when the questions began to fly, they lost the public relations war well before their scientific case unraveled. In the end, labs that had initially corroborated their results recanted and several more failed to reproduce the phenomenon. Their work written off as either a goof or a grift, Pons and Fleischmann were shunned, and cold became an unutterable four-letter word in fusion research.Cold War OriginsThe science that turned heads in the 1980s as an energy panacea had obliterated an entire Pacific island 35 years earlier in the worlds first thermonuclear weapons test. After fission bombs leveled two Japanese cities in 1945, the nuclear community split over the relentless quest for a Superbomb that would give the U.S. a permane nt upper hand in the coming Atomic Age. Manhattan Project and Atomic Energy Commission head J. Robert Oppenheimer was no flower child, but he was leery of taking nuclear weapons to this new, potentially calamitous level. His colleague-turned-critic Edward Teller, however, was convinced a thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb was necessary to deter Soviet aggression. He converted the new Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory into an incubator for the H-bomb age. But as the clouds of the Cold War gathered, so did the interest in the idea of taming fusion energy for practical, peaceful production of nuclear power.It took the father of the cathode ray television, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth, to ready fusion power for prime time. As a subsidiary of ITT Corporation, the Farnsworth Television Laboratory built the first prototype of a device he called the fusor in 1959.Using inertial electrostatic confinement to create a small-scale fusion reaction, the fusor was one of the fruchtwein reliable pr oducers of a fusion reaction available during the 1960s. ITT cut off its funding before the original fusor approach could be adapted for practical power production, but it found useful in commercial applications in aerospace and medical research.Jamie Edwards with his homemade cold fusion reactor. Image Jamies Fusion ProjectWarming Trend?Farnsworths work also inspired new generations of fusion do-it-yourselfers like Jamie Edwards, a 13-year-old Briton who recently became the worlds youngest bottler of the suns limitless power. On a larger scale, projects like the multinational ITER program and the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore represent major investments in a new understanding of fusion, and new experimental approaches using powerful lasers, magnets, and other sophisticated tools to produce anomalous heat.And at the grassroots level, a small but passionate community of researchers across the world is determined to crack the cold fusion case, honor Farnsworths inno vative spirit, and even rehabilitate Pons and Fleishmanns reputations.In a 2012 documentary film, The Believers, director-producers Monica Long Ross and Clayton Brown put a human face on the cold fusion brouhaha through interviews with key players in the debate, notably Fleishmann himself, and todays activist believers who see the technology as mankinds salvation. The film took the Gold Hugo award for best documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival.The Martin Fleishmann Memorial Project is an effort by believers to honor Fleishmann, who died in 2012, by promoting widespread replication and publication of contemporary low-energy fusion reaction experiments by reputable researchers. They have redubbed the technology the New Fire, and use their web site to swap news and documents, including 3D CAD plans for replicas of key reactor components.A bottomless supply of power makes perfect sense to a world coming to grips with climate change, nuclear safety issues, the arms race, and addiction to foreign energy imports. The promise of capturing a star in a jar will keep the debate going, and temperatures rising, for a long time to come.Michael MacRae is an independent writer.For Further Discussion It took the father of the cathode ray television, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth, to ready fusion power for prime time.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

12 Skills and Drills to Help You Explore the Job Search Terrain

12 Skills and Drills to Help You Explore the Job Search Terrain12 Skills and Drills to Help You Explore the Job Search TerrainSo grab your safari hat, and lets go exploring.Below youll find the best skills and drills to prep you for a successful job search and explore the job search terrain. From learning the basics to getting acquainted with the down and dirty, the followingskills and drills will get you prepared, motivated, and on the road to success.Here are 12 skills and drills to help you explore the job search terrain1. Job Search InfoIts important to have your backpack stuffed with useful tools, and these posts will give you the info you needto make informed decisions about your job search.How to Write a Letter of Inquiry for Flexible JobsThe Importance of Maintaining a Consistent Personal BrandAce Your Job Assessment Test with behauptung 3 Tips4 Steps to Figure Out Workplace Culture Before ApplyingSetting Precise, Attainable Job Search GoalsEmployment Background Checks What Y ou Should KnowHow Long Does the Hiring Process Take?5 People You Forget to Thank in Your Job Search2. Recruiters andHiring ManagersNavigating your way to the elusive recruiter or hiring manager can be tricky. Youll need a guide to show you the way. Check out these articles to help you stand out and capture their attention.5 Tips to Capture a Recruiters AttentionHow to Stand Out to Recruiters, in a Good WayHow to Find a Hiring Managers Contact InfoHow to Catch the Attention of Recruiters on Social Media93% of Recruiters Screen Job Seekers on Social MediaRecruiter Secrets What It Takes to Land Open Jobs3. Skills, Qualities, and ExperienceDo you know the lay of the land in terms of what employers are looking for? If not, these articles will help map it out for you.What Counts as Relevant Career Experience?5 Qualities Hiring Managers Look for in Job Seekers5 Intangible Skills That Set You Apart in Your Job Search8 Essential Skills and Traits for Successful Job SeekersWhy Your Skills Mat ter mora Than Your Job Title4. Career DevelopmentFace it Theres a lot of terrain to cover here. Each of the followingarticles will help you find the motivation to focus on your entire career, and develop it into something you enjoy.This Is Why Professionals Fail at Career Development Planning5 Steps to Prepare for Your Future Career4 Career Development Tips for Professionals12 Career Development Books for Job Seekers5. Being Yourself in Your SearchDo you ever feel like a stranger in a strange land during the job hunt? Usethese articles to stay true to yourself and let your personality shine.How to Maintain Your True Self in a Job SearchHow to Job Search Using Your Personality TypeIntrovert, Extrovert, Ambivert What Each Means for Your Job SearchInfographic Flexible Career Options for Your PersonalityInfographic How Your Personality Impacts Your CareerHow to Network Using Your PersonalityHow to Show Personality in a Cover LetterWhat Is Your Resume Missing? You.6. Health andWellness D uring a Job SearchLife is stressful enough without the sun beating down on you as you lookfor a new job. Rather than stress yourself and your immune system even more, check out these tips for staying healthy during your job search.Conquer Job Search Anxiety in 3 Steps3 Ways to Use Mindfulness in Your Job Search7 Ways to Have a Less Stressful Job SearchHow Fresh Air Can Help with Your Job SearchGet Healthier to Improve Your Job SearchHow to Handle Job Search Burnout7. Job Offers andRejectionsRejections sting like a bee, and job offers typically have to be negotiated. If you struggle with either of these, check out the followingarticles. Theyll help motivate youduring the trying times- and hopefully remove some of the sting.5 Things to Think About Before Accepting a Job Offer4 Tips to Evaluate a Job OfferReapplying with a Company After a Job Rejection6 Tips to Jump Back into the Workforce After Being Fired3 Follow-Up Questions to Ask When You Didnt Get the Jobleid Hearing from Employe rs About Your Applications? Heres WhyHow to Lose a Job Offer in No Time8. Job Search Scams and Warning SignsFeeling like you might be looking ata mirage when searching ajob posting or company? These articles will help you to spot and avoid the scams while making sure you are making the right decision about your dream job.5 Job Search Warning SignsA Comprehensive Work-from-Home Scams List5 Big Warning Signs of Job Scams5 Questions to Help You Avoid Job Scams9. Job Search MistakesWere all human and accidentally veer off-course. Rather than dwell on your past shortcomings, check out common job search mistakes and take notes below. Remember, mistakes are a learning opportunity.Dont Thwart Job Search Success Avoid These 6 MistakesAre You Committing Job Search Sabotage?Avoid Job Search Derailment in 5 Steps4 Reasons Youre Not Getting Hired5 Things Job Seekers Do That Seem Weird to Employers21 Commonly Confused Words for Jobs Seekers to Know20 Ways to Pinpoint Your Job Search Trouble Spots 10. Job Search HacksWant tobushwhackyour way through your job search? Check out the followingarticles to learn about the best job search hacks around.10 Quickie Job Search Tasks That Take 5 Minutes or Less6 Job Search Habits to Keep Productivity UpUsing 30-60-90 Day Plans in Your Job Search5 Go-To Email Subject Lines for Job Seekers17 Job Search Keywords You Should be Using3 Places to Use Keywords in Your Job SearchHow Job Seekers Should Set Time-Management Priorities41 Things Top Job Seekers Do Every WeekFind a Job Faster with These 5 Tips9 Ways to Make Significant Job Search Progress7 Creative Job Search Tactics to TryHow to Analyze a Companys Culture7 Tips to Tap into the Hidden Job Market7 Ways to Find Hidden Jobs in 201611. Job Search ToolsRemember that backpack full of job search tools? Youll need the contents inside to propel you to job search success. Here are a few to get you started.Perfecting Your Elevator Speech 5 Essential TipsBuilding Your Job Search Support TeamBoost Your Job Search with a Personal WebsiteDo Your Job References Help or Hinder Your Chances?4 Free Job Search Tools You Should Be Using3 Tools to Translate Military Skills to the Civilian Job Market12. Applicant Tracking SystemsLast, but not least, youll need to know a little bit about the lesser-known creatures that inhabit the job search space- namely, applicant tracking systems. These articles will share insider tips and info to help you break through the robots and get your info into the hands of a human.5 Ways to Stand Out in an Applicant Tracking System5 Tips to Apply for Jobs in Confusing Online Application SystemsApplicant Tracking Systems The Good, the Bad, and the UglyHow to Prep Your Resume for Automated Resume ScannersHow to Break Through Online Job Application SystemsWant to learn to be the best job seeker you can be? Check out our job search tips blog category for a complete listing of the many topics that can leadyou to success.Readers, where are you looking to improve in your job search? Where in the job search terrain do you struggle (or excel) the most? Share with us below