Holiday Cards Were Designed to Torture Working Moms, so Just Say No

Holiday Cards Were Designed to Torture Working Moms, so Just Say No Every year at this time, my mailbox, like yours, fills up with lovely holiday cards from family and friends. But that number, admittedly, has dwindled over the years. You see, I dont send any myself.I used to feel guilty about it, as I lovingly beheld the hefty cardstock, graced with pretty gold lettering and a professionally shot photograph. How do they find the time? Why couldnt I?Then I realized I just dont care. And Im hereby granting you permission, as a distinguished fellow graduate of the DGAF Academy, to do the same.For working moms, the holidays are a mad dash to make the season magical for your family. Trim the tree. Hang the lights. Plan the feast. Go to the store. Cook the feast. Do the dishes. Decorate the cookies. Plan the party. Move the elf. Bake the casserole. Book the sitter. Wrap the gifts. And thats all after 6 p.m., or crammed into your already-jam-packed weekend schedule.So, why, when our plates are so ridiculously full, do we totenstill make time for a holiday tradition that, frankly, our kids could care less about? A tradition that no longer has a purpose in the age of social media?Back in the day, families sent holiday cards packed with news and updates distant friends might have missed. Now we have Facebook. Im pretty sure my friends and family across the country see more of my 3-year-old son than, lets be honest, they even want to. Last night, I created a story on Instagram featuring my family decorating our tree, and enjoying hot cocoa and cookies, made from just a few minutes of footage my husband captured on his phone. leid only could my friends and family watch it, its a digital archive of the evening well have forever. Best of all, we actually got to enjoy our time together.Instead, I could have spent that time searching for local photographers, trying to find someone affordable and available to shoot a family photo. I could have spent the time picking out a perf ectly coordinated outfit for us to wear for the photo session. I could have spent the time combing through websites, designing a card and trekking to the post office for stamps. I could have spent the time licking envelopes and bemoaning my terrible handwriting. But it wouldnt have been much fun, for me, my husband or my son.One of the rules I live by as a working mom who values her sanity is that I refuse to take part in what I call performative parenting. If something doesnt directly benefit my family, my friends or my community, I probably dont have time for it. (A good rule of thumb Most things you have to source from Pinterest, besides recipes, is performative parenting. Another good rule of thumb Most things the average dad wouldnt bother to do is also performative parenting.)And while Im sure my friends would enjoy seeing a Christmas card from us, is their enjoyment significant enough to outweigh the costsboth in terms of time and money? I doubt it. The one and only year I se nt cards, I came to a life-altering realization I was performing the ritual because it was expected of me. I was performing the part of a good mother, rather than living it. I guarantee you no person has ever said on her deathbed, I just wish Id sent more Christmas cards.Look, if you simply adore receiving holiday cards, dont let my admittedly Scrooge-like scorn stop you from sending your own. (Since, as I can attest, you generally have to give if you want to receive.) If it really brings joy to your life, its worth it.But if, like me, youre honoring the tradition just to keep up with the Joneses, assuage your working mom guilt or mollify your mother, I beg you, stop. You have nothing to prove to anyone. You have a beautiful family, and youre a wonderful mom. I know, because I see it on Facebook. Audrey Goodson KingoThis article originally appeared on Working Mother.

Resume Writing Services Houston Texas Exposed

Resume Writing Services Houston Texas Exposed Houston is a huge location for job seekers, as there are opportunities within quite a few industries. With an important increase in prospective candidates, its bit tricky for organizations to employ a candidate with right skill sets for a specific job. Recent graduates should consider alternatives. For instance, a current high school graduate applying for a nursing program might want to incorporate a resume objective, while a professional registered nurse should go for a summary statement. Your personal resume writer is only an email away. A careful selection procedure will help you locate the very best writer. A great means to make certain your resume is flawless is to enlist the assistance of a professional resume writer. Also, it is going to help you get ready for the true interview with the possible employer. Your work is a principal determining factor for the remainder of your lifeit impacts the car that you drive, the ho me you reside in, and how much money is in your 401k. An excellent method to be certain youre dealing with a reliable service is to first check their BBB rating. When a business opens a job requisite, its because they have an issue or an objective. In some cases, it will even offer you a money-back guarantee if you dont get sufficient job interviews. For instance, you may include links to your previous experience websites for effortless access in case theyre curious. One of the benefits of seeking a resume solution over the web is the ease of call. There are hundreds and hundreds of career service professionals around who provide resume writing services. Its apparent a fancy website doesnt mean quite as much as skillset does. Professional resume writers know the the inner workings to what works well in the present challenging atmosphere. You dont need to be concerned about having a resume writer whos unaware of the role that youre applying for. Employing a resume writer is a wonderful deal more than simply hiring someone font up our resume. Finding the very best Houston resume writers is no simple feat.

The Insider Secret on Free Sample Resume Templates Uncovered

The Insider Secret on Free Sample Resume Templates Uncovered Free Sample Resume Templates Ideas Alternatively you may download absolutely free PowerPoint backgrounds and slide designs to utilize in job interviews or company presentations or youll be able to find out more about how to download totally free animated PowerPoint backgrounds. To compose a good resume it is beneficial to use examples of different resumes. The very first key is to realize how resumes are organized. Imagine you have two resumes before you. What to Expect From Free Sample Resume Templates? Hence the method section always should be descriptive and well full of contents. It is crucial for them to assure youve received the instructions for the following steps of application. Employing a template can lessen the quantity of time you need to spend formatting your document, which makes it possible for you to concentrate on adding content and polishing your resume. The Ashley template has a unique social ne tworking contact section. The Ultimate Free Sample Resume Templates Trick The capacity to edit your resume from any place in the world is a remarkable asset that it is possible to utilize to assist you land that upcoming great job. Picking the right resume template will not simply make it possible for you to highlight the best aspects of your experience and techniques, but nevertheless, it will also focus your focus to demonstrating what value youll be able to provide prospective employers. Along with describing your professional background and degree of expertise, your resume is the ideal spot to highlight your abilities. If for no other reason, obtaining the resume will make it possible for you to easily finish all the on-line profiles teams require prospects to finish. The Secret to Free Sample Resume Templates There are a lot of firms that are prevailing over the web with the intention of providing writing services. The genuine developer of the program is WinWay Corporat ion. You might believe that there are already dozens of free resume building services out there in the internet world. The 30-Second Trick for Free Sample Resume Templates Two even columns for the rest of the page give you a lot of room to woo the company by means of your experience, skills, and education. If your resume format is disorganized and unclear, a prospective employer has possibly hundreds of resumes from different candidates to check through therefore they wont waste time attempting to make sense of it and youll miss your opportunity for an interview. Each resume format was made to improve your odds to find the job in 2018. Anyway, checking and proofreading are quite necessary which can help you stay away from mistakes. A superior modern resume template provides you with a fast and straightforward means to update your resume with clarity and fashion. Sometimes all you will need is a timeless style template thats clean, clear and right to the point. Theres no do ubt that a resume which is both cohesive and professional will have a much better prospect of standing from the crowd even supposing its made utilizing a template. Theres no greater place with total access for you than your university with a wonderful selection of samples. You should understand, that resume format is vital, since it can boost your odds to get invited for an interview. Double check to be sure that everything on the last version of the resume is about you. Things You Should Know About Free Sample Resume Templates Its features are rather similar to Venngages with a couple notable exceptions. There are three major varieties of universally-acknowledged resume formats like different manners of presenting your resume-relevant information as outlined above. When you open genau, youre given the choice of opening a document. 7 Another completely free Word resume example made by MOO together with Microsoft. When you discover the perfect file for your requirements and just click the link for a hassle free download. Your resume summary is among the most crucial pieces of your resume. Attempt to keep the resume no longer than 1 page, especially if youre asking for an entry-level job. Among the downsides to finding free sample resumes on the web is that theyre often only a picture. The Basic Facts of Free Sample Resume Templates Our creative templates let you stick out from the crowd. If you dont have Microsoft Word, then it is still possible to find resume templates and curriculum vitae samples on the web. Microsoft Word includes a collection of templates designed for numerous varieties of resumes, but if youre unsatisfied with the default selection of resume templates, you may download others in Word.Most web design pros wish to demonstrate how great they are with graphics once feasible jump the shark by going for a graphics-heavy resume template. If youve got older resume templates from preceding versions of Word, you may use them in rece nt versions too.

This New Tool is Better Than LinkedIn for Making Connections

This New Tool is Better Than LinkedIn for Making ConnectionsThis New Tool is Better Than LinkedIn for Making ConnectionsOne of the major perks of LinkedIn is that it shows you the path of connection through your current contacts to people you want to meet- allowing you to get intros to people who could help you get ahead in your career. The only problem with this is that LinkedIn doesnt actually take into account how well these people know each other. So when you ask your former colleague for an introduction to her connection at Verizon because youre hoping to get a job there, it could be a close connection of hers- or it could be someone she met once at a networking event two years ago and never spoke to again, making the introduction much less effective. Conspire wants to change that. The app plugs into your Gmail account to analyze the connections you interact with every day via email. Based on how much you communicate, Conspire judges how well you actually know these people One e mail months ago means youre probably just acquainted, while daily correspondence presumably means youre pretty tight. It then uses this information- along with information about their connections- to determine paths of connection and how strong they are.For example, if I wanted to meet someone who worked in content at Mashable to binnensee if I could learn anything to improve my own strategies, I could search editor Mashable and see my options. Once I choose an interesting-looking person- peeking at his or her Twitter and LinkedIn to see if its the right match for what Im looking for- I can click through to see paths of connection. I can choose which path looks the strongest and then easily ask for an introduction from within the app- though, of course, I recommend customizing the ask a little more (check out our guide for asking for an intro).You can search by title, company, or even by specific name if you know exactly who you want in your network next. As an added bonus, Conspire sends you a fascinating weekly email full of data about how you interact with your contacts- including who your strongest contacts are and who youre falling out of touch with.LinkedIn is great in a lot of ways, but most people dont use it every day, meaning it probably doesnt know as much about your connections as your inbox does. With the help of Conspire, you can tap into that. Photo of letters courtesy of Shutterstock.

Engineering Still Needs More Women

Engineering Still Needs More Women Engineering Still Needs More Women Although the number of female engineers today has greatly improved since the early 1980s, when only 5.8% of engineers in the U.S. were women, its still surprisingly low. Currently, only 14% of engineers are women, according to theCongressional Joint Economic Committee.In the U.S., about 18 percent to 20 percent of engineering students are now women, an improvement over the abysmal numbers of 25 years ago, says Joanne McGrath Cohoon, an associate professor in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at the University of Virginia, where 31% of undergraduate engineering students are female.Reasons that have been suggested for low female graduation rates include lack of female engineering role models, misconceptions of what it is like to be an engineer, and having fewer technical problem-solving opportunities through K-12 compared to men. Cohoon believes that lack of confidence is a huge factor, especially co mpeting with men.Breaking the StereotypeResearchers at Stanford University recently published new findings that women engineering students perform as well as men, but are mora likely than men to switch to a different major, says Cohoon. These women switch because they dont believe that their skills are good enough and they dont feel like they fit in engineering.The stereotype that links masculinity to technology is, unfortunately, still prevalent and difficult to overcome.Also for you Making Electric Motorcycles Great AgainAlthough universities and high schools are working together to encourage more female students to explore science and engineering, industry also needs to step up and do more.Changing Our World True Stories of Women Engineers by Sybil E. Hatch was published by American Society of Civil Engineers in 2006.This is especially important now, when unemployment is high and our economy is weak, says Cohoon. We cannot afford to lose anyone with the technical skills to create a sustainable future, improve health, build our cyber and physical infrastructure, and enhance personal and societal security. A diverse set of minds needs to tackle those problems. But we are largely missing out on womens intelligence, creativity, and values in solving the problems we all face.With the pending retirement of many of our hardest-working baby boomer engineers, its up to the next generation workforce to step up and take on these exciting careers in engineering, and its up to the seasoned generation of engineers to drive excitement in this next generation workforce, addsStephanie Hill, president ofLockheed Martins Information Systems Global Solutions-Civil division.Enhancing STEM CurriculumLockheed Martin has made a commitment to K-12 schools across the country to help engineering and math come alive.We work directly with superintendents to understand which schools need help in infusing exciting STEM studienplan into the classroom, she says. In some instances, we brin g teachers into our facilities for externships, giving them hands-on experiences that they take back to their classrooms. Our employees also partner with teachers, and visit classrooms periodically to discuss their current work and answer questions about career opportunities. This helps put a face on engineering and provides career role models that many students are seeking.Wendy Hawkins, executive director at the Intel Foundation, believes middle school is a critical decision-making time for female students. Kids finally have the education to make their own class schedule choices, and exciting and engaging work appeals to them, she says.To foster this, Intel is collaborating with SRC Undergraduate Research Opportunities (SRC-URO), Engineering is Elementary (EIE), and other programs and organizations to promote engineering awareness among female students in the public school system. The Intel Foundation also established the Intel Science Talent Research, a pre-college science compet ition, which has attracted strong female high school candidates.Until the stereotypes are gone, and technical women experience the same conditions as their male classmates, those of us who teach engineering and computing can take individual action in the classroom, says Cohoon. Give women lots of opportunities to succeed at technical tasks. Verbally encourage themtell them you know they will be great engineers or computing professionals, and why they will want that type of career. With these steps, we could double the number of technical people working to make this a better world.Mark Crawford is an independent writer.Read more Mentoring Minority Women StudentsUrsula Burns Engineer to CEOMacGyvering the Gender GapIn the U.S. about 18 percent to 20 percent of engineering students are now women, an improvement over the abysmal numbers of 25 years ago.Joanne McGrath Cohoon, associate professor, Department of Science, Technology, and Society, University of Virginia

Busser Job Description Sample

Busser Job Description SampleBusser Job Description SampleBusser Job Description SampleThis busser sample job description can assist in your creating a job application that will attract job candidates who are qualified for the job. Feel free to revise this job description to meet your specific job duties and job requirements.Busser Job ResponsibilitiesA busser serves patrons by setting tables placing and replacing silverware keeping beverage glasses full adhering to sanitation and safety policies clearing and cleaning tables, chairs, and environment.Busser Job DutiesPrepares dining room for patrons by cleaning and clothing tables setting decorations, condiments, candles, napkins, service plates, and utensils.Protects establishment and patrons by adhering to sanitation and safety policies.Maintains menu presentation by keeping menus clean replacing damaged or soiled pages cleaning chalkboards lettering specials on chalkboards.Maintains table setting by removing courses as completed re plenishing utensils refilling water glasses being alert to patron spills or other special needs.Supports wait staff by setting-up and replenishing condiment stands, trash containers liners, and bus stations.Closes dining facility by cleaning chairs and tables sweeping and/or vacuuming floors removing trash and recyclables from the facility.Updates job knowledge by participating in staff training opportunities.Enhances organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.Busser Skills and QualificationsListening, Presentation Skills, Verbal Communication, Customer Focus, Customer Service, Teamwork, People Skills, Action Oriented, Productivity, Energy Level, Client RelationshipsEmployers Post a job in minutes to reach candidates everywhere. Job Seekers Search Busser Jobs and apply on now. Learn more aboutthe hiring processVideo How to Conduct an InterviewMake the most of Hiring ToolsMaxi mize your Job Description Results

Gap travel Finding your new career

Gap travel Finding your new careerGap travel Finding your new careerLanguage and culture both bring people togetherbei through travel. A gap year abroad or an exchange student in your household can broaden horizons and open surprising doors. And sometimes behind the door is a new career in a far-off land.The makings of a French chefFor California high schooler Elizabeth Whitt, her eyes were opened when a Belgian student came to live in her familys home outside Pasadena. When she had the opportunity to take a gap year after high school, she landed in Belgium without knowing a word of French. But she picked up the language quickly and became conversant. She also visited Paris for the first time, setting up a lifelong love affair with the City of Light. In 1996, she returned to Paris for a semester abroad program through her school, Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where she welches majoring in Psychology with a minor in French.After college, she again looked to Europe. When I applied to Le Cordon Bleu, I wanted to take a year off from my studies, Elizabeth says. I had just graduated college and wanted to postpone my doctorate program, so I decided the best way to do that would be in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu. She had been contemplating various culinary schools while working in jobs she disliked, and in the end, Paris drew her back once more.Destiny steps inBorn in San Marino, California, coincidentally the birthplace of Julia Child, you could say that it was destiny that Elizabeths culinary interests would take her to Paris. The Le Grand Diplome is a nine-month course designed to teach chefs and pastry chefs with additional studies offered in wine and other disciplines. Elizabeths experience, however, quickly became much more intense than for other students. With her fluency in French, she was soon working as a translator which doubled her hours but also introduced her to people from around the world.She describes her schedule as non-stop, but something she thoroughly enjoyed. It was tiring and exhausting at times, but only because I wanted to do everything and experience everything, she says. I took all of the wine classes, all of the extra workshop weekends so I never stopped I loved every exhausting minute of it and would do it all over again in a heartbeatPart of Le Cordon Bleus draw for international students is its unbeatable location in Paris, just a stones throw from the Eiffel Tower. Cuisine and culture is part of the citys DNA and Elizabeth took full advantage. Le Cordon Bleu facilitated incredible verwhnter gaumen experiences around the city and throughout France, she says. We had once in a lifetime dinners, lunches and tours, all as a part of our curriculum if we opted into them. Also, with our classmates, we would all run around town with each other checking out all things foodA love affair with ParisElizabeth arrived in Paris intending to stay just nine months and remained for 13 years. Year after year, she found hers elf more entrenched there and still enchanted by the city. She married a Frenchman, Francois, and had a child. She continued working at Le Cordon Bleu, translating and teaching English, as well as leading gourmet tours of wine regions. She also curated an alumni blog for Le Cordon Bleu International and MasterCook, and created a gourmet food truck specializing in waffle sandwichesJob opportunities eventually mandated a move back to Southern California, which had undergone a culinary renaissance in the interim. Now living in Long Beach, California, Elizabeth is building her travel business with culinary-themed weekends in and around her home state, as well as France and Italy.www.chefelizabeth.com.Most of us probably wouldnt think of how traveling intertwines with destiny or how a trip abroad could foster a career move but perhaps that old adage about how travel can be life changing is making much more sense these days.This article was originally published on TravelSquire.