How to Eliminate YOUR Gender Pay Gap

How to Eliminate YOUR Gender Pay Gap The gender pay gap in the U.S. continues to stand at about 80%. This means that for every $1 earned by men, women earn just 80 cents. Unfortunately, progress in closing the gap for women in the U.S. has stalled and, while the pay gap stands at 79% for white women, women of color have a much, much wider gap. Why does the gap persist?   Women have distinct financial risks that contribute to the pay gap. We work on average 12 less years than men and less hours, both to take care of family obligations. We undervalue ourselves and fail to negotiate what we are worth. And we have fewer advocates at work, which leads to less promotions and less salary increases. And we have fewer women leaders, as a result of these challenges. All of this leads to less income, less savings, less retirement, and less ability to fund key goals. So, if that is the landscape for women when it comes to pay, how do we change it? More importantly, how do YOU change that for yourself? Below we share the tips you can take to eliminate your own gender pay gap: Have a plan for your career As with any goal, it’s important to have a clear plan for your career path so that you can take calculated steps and get the resources you need to get to where you want to be. Think through what you want from your career, where you are now and where you want to go. Identify the resources you need to get you where you want to be. Business coaches can be tremendous assets here. Be sure to look at your career not just from a compensation standpoint, but from a quality of life perspective, as well. If flexibility is important to you and will allow you to juggle both family and career, make it a point to have a position that allows for it. This can mean the difference between taking time off to care for others, and staying employed. Remember, time away from work contributes to your pay gap. Get the advocates you need to get the promotions you want. Find senior women leaders in your company to act as your sponsor and advocate for you within your company. Or join industry organizations where you can network with peers for mentoring, support, collaboration, and critical relationship building. Get paid what you are worth Negotiating for what you are worth, and having successful negotiations, comes down to having the data so you know the playing field, being able to quantify the value you provide the organization, and then putting together a “package” that works for you. Women leave $1 million on the table over the course of our working lives, so use these steps to make sure you get paid what you should. Decide on your compensation “package.” Compensation comes in more forms than just salary, so consider negotiating for a package that includes not only salary, but other benefits your company provides that are of value to you. Some common benefits are healthcare coverage, retirement plans and employer matches, Health Savings Accounts, life insurance. But, there are also other benefits that play an important part of your package: equity, education assistance, deferred compensation plans, vacation time, remote work schedules, flexible hours, etc. Do your homework. If this a new employer for you, ask directly what the salary ranges are at the company for this role. You are trying to understand where you fit in to the firm’s compensation structure. What is the next step up from this role in the organization? And what are the salary ranges for those positions? Consider talking to employees at the firm. You can also check out websites like Glassdoor and Salary.com for rough ideas of compensation for this firm and its competitors, but you will have more accurate data going directly to the source. Negotiate for what you are worth. If you are an existing employee, keep your compensation conversation positive and focused on the following three facts: Your performance this year, how the organization benefits from your work, and the compensation you would like based on the value you are providing the organization. Consider negotiating a “package” of whatever you have determined is important to you. You can also consider negotiating salary reviews, or a bonus. This is not the time to be emotional or to make requests that cannot be backed up with data. You’ll see better results when you can back up your ask with concrete facts and proof of your contributions to the company. You CAN negotiate away your gender pay gap! Women most definitely do have financial challenges men do not when it comes to our careers. Knowing these exist is important so that you can take the steps you need to get paid what you are worth. When you look at the data that shows women earn less than men for comparable jobs, a good portion of this comes down to our lack of asking for what we are worth. This is not new news, so let’s focus on how to better negotiate on our behalf so we can close that gender pay gap. This guest post was authored by Bridget Venus Grimes BRIDGET VENUS GRIMES, CFP ® is the founder and president of WealthChoice, a firm focused on helping women turn their professional success into financial success, and author of Corner Office Choices: The Executive Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom. She is also a cofounder of Equita Financial Network, Inc., a network of independent, women-led financial planning firms that share best practices and common goals. As an advisor to top-earning female executives, business owners, and attorneys, Grimes draws on more than a decade of experience to create customized financial solutions that help her clients achieve the life they long for. Based in San Diego, California, she enjoys cooking, entertaining, and spending time on the water in the company of her husband and children. Learn more at www.wealthchoice.com.

When is it Time to Explore Predictive Analytics in HR CareerMetis.com

When is it Time to Explore Predictive Analytics in HR Original Image Source â€" Depositphotos.comMany companies worldwide have already passed the stage of HR-processes automation, and now they are facing the task of extracting additional value from the data accumulated in the automation systems.The first steps are usually rather simple reports on the basis of this data, which then becomes more complicated. The next logical step for such companies is predictive analytics, the economic effect of which can be many times stronger.Compare how a company can benefit from departmental turnover reports and forecasts of employee departures.evalThink about this:Back in 2016, only 32% of employerswere ready to build a predictive analytics management model but 2018 has already seen that figure rise to 69%with companies actively taking steps to improve the way they view people data.Despite a clear trend, there is, of course, a question of the size of the company and the amount of data it has and keeps accumulating.In addition, the effect of improveme nts in business processes will usually be a tenth of a percent, if it has been optimized enough, respectively, you need a sufficiently large scale to pay off such projects.In addition, it is too early and useless to start doing predictive HR-analysis until the company systematically collects data on employment and work of employees, has not put in order the data on vacancies, resumes, positions, KPI and employee evaluations in electronic form, does not count on them on a regular basis metrics with the use of conventional HR-analysis, has not started to make and apply specific decisions based on the results of conventional analytics.The main limiting factor of HR-analysis development, in general, is the immaturity of the market, which, fortunately, gradually ceases to be a problem, as our industry is developing. This is reflected in the fact that there are specialists and numerous training events on this topic.For example, the largest conferences for HR-specialists in the last few ye ars are focused on the “digitalization“.evalAccordingly, now the application of HR-analysis and the development of solutions on the basis of HR are already must-have for large companies.Similar to pricing automationin e-commerce, today it is impossible to imagine, for example, a large retailer that does not use this approach â€" such a company will be uncompetitive and its losses in recruiting alone will amount in significant profit shortfall.Who is it for?In my experience, predictive analytics is usually used by large companies, first of all, from retail and banking, because it helps them to achieve a competitive advantage in the objective conditions of high staff turnover and large budgets for selection.It should also be added that the traditional innovators in the HR-technology market are IT-companies, which also use different analytics, but here the effect of its use is not so tangible compared to retail and banks.evalIndividual companies in many industries are already start ing to apply HR forecasts. As soon as it starts to affect the profitability and margins of a given business due to the fact that some of them attract and retain the best specialists much better, while others have to work with others, a “boom” will begin.The HR-forecast boom will be connected with the mass spread of technologies based on artificial intelligence To familiarise yourself with the features and costs I recommend to stud off-the-shelf solutions first: HR Analytics SoftwareOr better schedule a demo or two ??On a company level:1) Get over old habitsevalIn order for the tools of predictive HR-analysis to work as efficiently as possible, first of all, it is necessary to change the habit of HR people Both data quantity and quality are important. The data should be “clean” and it often takes more time to clean, prepare and normalize the data than to develop predictive models themselves.In addition to the data, people and tools are needed that can benefit from them, for e xample, through machine learning. At the same time, the company can develop models on the machine learning independently (this is actively done, in particular, by banks), and work through outsource providers.Can your in-house guy fixing computers and resting passwords do that? Probably not.As an example, we can consider the task of ranking or scoring candidates for a particular vacancy. The company can make such a model on the basis of previous years’ data and cut off at an early stage those candidates who are not suitable and communicate more quickly with those candidates who are suitable.Optional: continuous fine-tuningIt is important to consider that the lifecycle of models is just beginning: the company needs to continually assess whether it is worth investing additional resources in improving its models to make them more accurate and efficient.Often such development can have an even greater effect than the initial implementation. I also refer here to the possibility of reusin g models to solve tasks that might not even be expected when creating them.Here are two examples from our practice.We mentioned above a clever search and recommendations for resumes: while developing our Virtual Recruiter service, which provides lead generation of candidates for mass positions, we realized that we could add our machine learning models, which were previously used for searching and recommending resumes. Almost free of charge. Thus, our product gained an additional competitive advantage.A similar story was with ClickMe’s advertising service, where we added ready-made models to search for and recommend vacancies.To sum it up on predictive analytics in HRGiven certain company size and ability to adapt predictive analytics used for more efficient human resources management can be huge.It also seems to be hindered by the fear of new things, something that requires us to recognize that everything is not perfect, to review the processes that have developed over the years w ith all their compromises and the status quo.And even to realize that it is necessary to take off habitual, simple, half-life executed and perfected to shine routine which the programmer can automate for half a day, and to do something more useful and meaningful.

Do Your Own Background Check on a Potential Employer Before Accepting the Position - Sterling Career Concepts

Do Your Own Background Check on a Potential Employer Before Accepting the Position Do Your Own Background Check on a Potential Employer Before Accepting the Position According  to a survey by Right Management, only 19 percent of employees are satisfied at work while about 5 percent plan to stay in their current position. Career dissatisfaction creates a ripple effect of turnover and searching for new positions. When searching for new jobs, many only get a little information from Googling a company and going on an interview. But there are strategic ways to do your own background check on an employer to figure out if it’s a good fit before you take a job. Go deeper on LinkedIn Anyone can go onto LinkedIn and look up a company. But job seekers shouldn’t stop there. Instead, set-up a profile (if you haven’t already) with a detailed resume and bio and use LinkedIn’s features to find contacts to connect with. Next, look to see who you might be connected to within the company youre interested in working for. You might find your LinkedIn connections have a friend of a friend who formerly worked at the company. Send a note to your friend to see if you can get introduced, and ask the company contact if you can have a quick 10-minute phone call to find out what it’s really like working for the company. Many companies also belong to LinkedIn Groups or post articles and content directly on the site. Look to see where the company is active on LinkedIn. Are they posting, for instance, about the challenges of a fast-paced corporate environment and demanding clients? Potential employers can pick-up clues to figure out what the work environment might be like and what to expect. Review Glassdoor Glassdoor can give insights to everything from salaries to job titles and may also have anonymous complaints about the management. Even Vice President Joe Biden turned to Glassdoor when trying to glean more insights into unemployment to the U.S. Former and current employees of a company can also rate their workplace. Look for star ratings for Culture and Values, Work/Life Balance, Senior Management, Comp and Benefits and Career Opportunities. Job seekers can figure out whats most important  to them in a job. You might not really care much how the Culture and Values rate, but you may want to pass on a company that rates poorly for Career Opportunities. Visit the companys website Don’t overlook the company’s About and Jobs page as a way to glean information. Find out what type of employees they’re looking for, exactly what the company does and what to expect from the work culture. For example, Lifelocks job page  alerts future employees that they can make a positive impact on peoples lives and that its challenging. Job seekers can take this information and figure out they won’t be doing the same thing every day and to expect some challenges and variety. Email marketing company Aweber’s job page offers photos of everything from a gaming room and the staff to get a sense of what to expect. Meet your future coworkers Consider taking it one step further and asking for a chat or coffee meeting  with an existing employee or two. You can find such contacts through LinkedIn, or ask the hiring manager after an interview if it would be possible to meet with your future colleagues to see what the work dynamic is like. While it’ s clearly not appropriate to ask potential coworkers about salaries or management, you can get a sense of what your future teammates are like and how everyone works together.

Going Green for the New Year - Hallie Crawford

Going Green for the New Year If youve been reading my blog for a while you know that health is one of my values. My health and the health of the environment is one of my number one priorities. I havent posted in a while about the environment. This incredibly warm winter has reminded me to do so. It is almost 70 degrees today in Atlanta! When I opened the windows this morning I couldnt believe it. Although I strongly prefer warm weather, with the concerns about global warming this warm winter can be a bit unsettling. It doesnt seem like winter. Every day Im thinking I need to put on a sweater, and I dont need it. Regardless of how strongly you feel about global warming, we all have to admit we are having an impact on the environment and have to do something about it. I have yet to discard my Christmas tree, were hangin on to the holidays…but I plan to recycle it and I encourage you to do so as well, if yours is still around :). Earth911 allows you to search for programs in your area. And for the new year, make a commitment to go green as much as you can. Every little bit does help, and when we all think that way we can make a difference. Here are some other resources from the Ideal Bite newsletter I receive. If your local energy company offers green energy, switch today. If not, demand it. Check the blog for a sample letter. Green Power Locator find out if green powers available in your area. Power Profiler this EPA tool helps you measure your impact. Ideal Bites Green Tags Tip offset the rest of your CO2. I hope this is helpful! Atlanta Career Coach

Yosemite Certification Resume Writing

Yosemite Certification Resume WritingIf you are looking for a job in the hospitality industry, then Yosemite certification resume writing may be the best thing that you can do. This is because it gives you an advantage, and you can get a job in such a responsible manner that no one will ever suspect that you are a rookie.Resume writing for the hotels in Yosemite is similar to other job sectors. You need to write your resume in a way that makes it look professional, and not sloppy. You also need to make sure that you use language that would tell the employer that you are able to handle the job well. Yosemite certification resume writing can help you to come up with a resume that will attract the attention of the employer and help you get a job offer in the shortest time possible.The hospitality industry in Yosemite is all about hospitality. Therefore, it is essential that you impress them by writing in such a way that you show that you are capable of handling the hospitality of the ho tel in a professional manner. Many times, you will find that you are put down by the employer because you come across as a novice.You have to use Yosemite certification resume writing to boost your chances of getting a job in the tourism industry. It is important that you show that you are capable of handling the hospitality of the hotel in a professional manner. This is important for a couple of reasons. First, this shows that you are smart enough to handle hospitality, and you will get a job if you prove yourself that you are good at handling hospitality.Secondly, if you prove that you are capable of handling the hospitality, you can benefit from the hospitality industry as well. This will help you get a job at a very big hotel that would ensure that you do not miss out on a job opportunity for a long time. A lot of people think that the best option for getting a job is to wait for a long time before you get one.By using Yosemite certification resume writing, you can prove to the employers that you are competent enough to handle the hospitality of the hotel. You will come across as a professional, which means that you will get a job much faster. If you have a bad grade in something, like English or Math, it may be embarrassing for you.The job market in Yosemite is very competitive, and you have to be creative to get yourself a job. If you use Yosemite certification resume writing to get a job, you will not have to worry about that anymore. It will help you land a job in no time.

18 States Just Raised Their Minimum Wage

18 States Just Raised Their Minimum Wage Minimum-wage workers across the country have good reason to celebrate the start of the New Year: about 4.5 million of them just got a raise. 18 U.S. states and 20 cities increased their minimum wage on January 1, with bumps ranging from $.04 for workers in Alaska to $1 for workers in Maine. Washington, which hiked its minimum wage from $11 to $11.50 an hour, now has the highest minimum wage in the country. Several cities and counties are sending wages even higher than the state floor. In California, cities like Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Palo Alto raised the minimum wage to $13.50 or higher. In New York City, the minimum wage is now $12 for small businesses and $13 for businesses with 11 or more employees. Over the last several years, labor advocacy groups like Fight for 15 have called for higher wages for fast food, retail and other traditionally low-paying jobs. This new round of wage increases, many of which are the result of new legislation passed by voters, will eventually reach $15 an hour once they are fully phased in, according to the National Employment Law Project. The federal minimum wage has stayed at $7.25 an hour since 2009, a figure the Economic Policy Institute estimates should be close to $19 today, factoring in inflation and cost of living. Here are all the states that rang in the New Year with a wage increase, and how much more money employees can expect to see on their paychecks: Alaska Increase: $.04 New Minimum Wage: $9.84 Arizona Increase: $.50 New Minimum Wage: $10.50 California Increase: $.50 New Minimum Wage: $11.00 Colorado Increase: $.90 New Minimum Wage: $10.20 Florida Increase: $.15 New Minimum Wage: $8.25 Hawaii Increase: $.85 New Minimum Wage: $10.10 Maine Increase: $1.00 New Minimum Wage: $10 Michigan Increase: $.35 New Minimum Wage: $9.25 Minnesota Increase: $.15 New Minimum Wage: $9.65 Missouri Increase: $.15 New Minimum Wage: $7.85 Montana Increase: $.15 New Minimum Wage: $8.30 New Jersey Increase: $.16 New Minimum Wage: $8.60 New York Increase: $.70 New Minimum Wage: $10.40 Ohio Increase: $.15 New Minimum Wage: $8.30 Rhode Island Increase: $.50 New Minimum Wage: $10.10 South Dakota Increase: $.20 New Minimum Wage: $8.85 Vermont Increase: $.50 New Minimum Wage: $10.50 Washington Increase: $.50 New Minimum Wage: $11.50

Interview Success Formula Get Your Game Face On - Work It Daily

Interview Success Formula Get Your Game Face On - Work It Daily We all know how draining the interview process can be. If you really want to kick butt and take names, you better get your game face on. What does this mean? It doesn’t mean you should be a “face painter.” Here are some parts of the interview success formula: Preparation A successful interview can only be achieved with preparation; knowing your background and ability to articulate your achievements, goals, and interests is critical to a positive interview experience. Your resume can get you the interview â€" what you say, how you behave, and the impression you leave is what will get you the offer. Experience Makes The Best Teacher Of course you are not a serial interviewer. You don’t run around interviewing just for the heck of it. It is a targeted effort; you interview for a short period of time to secure a position â€" it could then be years before you do it again. It's not possible to remain schooled in all of the ‘interview ins and outs’. My recommendation is to plan for the ‘real deal’ by interviewing for things you are not interested in. This will give you the practice you need for the opportunities that really matter. QA You will no doubt run into what I commonly refer to as ‘the stupid questions.’ You know, the Where do you see yourself in ten years? - What is your greatest weakness? - What do you do if you are being chased by a pack of hungry wolves? Okay. Maybe that last one is a stretch â€" or not. But, you know what I mean. You need to be prepared with an answer; and I don’t mean a trite, thoughtless, or clichéd answer. The power is hanging in the balance! You need to prepare to answer these and other similar questions. Your responses matter â€" no matter how useless you think the question is. Know Thyself Know your background like the back of your hand; practice your interview skills with friends; respond questions in front of a mirror to examine your body language and facial expression. Get comfortable with the answers and your delivery. Enthusiasm Your positive approach during the process will go a long way in setting the appropriate tone. People want to work with people that give off ‘positive vibes’. And the flipside is true as well â€" nobody will hire you if you can’t find your tail. Your presentation and natural passion should shine through. I am not saying anything revolutionary here. Companies and hiring managers want well rounded candidates â€" people that can communicate effectively, work well with others, and can demonstrate throughout the process that they have the ability (through past performance) to drive results in a new position. Enjoy this article? You've got time for another! Check out these related articles: Information You Must Have Before Your Interview Interview Cheat Sheet: 8 Tips For A Flawless Interview How To Answer 7 Of The Most Common Interview Questions   Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!