Why good people turn bad online Defeat your inner troll

Why good people turn schwimmbad angeschlossen Defeat your innerhalb trollWhy good people turn bad online Defeat your inner trollOn the evening of 17 February 2018, Professor Mary Beard posted on Twitter a photograph of herself crying. The eminent University of Cambridge classicist, who has almost 200,000 Twitter followers, was distraught after receiving a storm of abuse online. This was the reaction to a comment she had made about Haiti. She also tweeted I speak from the heart (and of course I may be wrong). But the crap I get in response just isnt on really it isnt.In the days that followed, Beard received support from several high-profile people. Greg Jenner, a fellow celebrity historian, tweeted about his own experience of a Twitterstorm Ill always remember how traumatic it was to suddenly be hated by strangers. Regardless of stimmungity I may have been wrong or right in my opinion I was amazed (later, when I recovered) at how psychologically destabilizing it was to me.Those twe eting support for Beard irrespective of whether they agreed with her initial tweet that had triggered the abusive responses were themselves then targeted. And when one of Beards critics, fellow Cambridge academic Priyamvada Gopal, a woman of Asian heritage, tischset out her response to Beards original tweet in an online article, she received her own torrent of abuse.There is overwhelming evidence that women and members of ethnic minority groups are disproportionately the target of Twitter abuse. Where these identity markers intersect, the bullying can become particularly intense, as experienced by black female MP Diane Abbott, who alone receivednearly halfof all the abusive tweets sent to female MPs during the run-up to the 2017 UK general election. Black and Asian female MPs received on average 35 percent mora abusive tweets than their white female colleagues even when Abbott was excluded from the total.The constant barrage of abuse, including death threats and threats of sexual violence, is silencing people, pushing them off online platforms and further reducing the diversity of online voices and opinion. And it shows no sign of abating. Asurvey last yearfound that 40 percent of American adults had personally experienced online abuse, with almost half of them receiving severe forms of harassment, including physical threats and stalking. 70 percent of women described online harassment as a major dicke bretter bohren mssen.The geschftsleben models of social media platforms, such as YouTube and Facebook, promote content that is mora likely to get a response from other users because more engagement means better opportunities for advertising. But this has aconsequence of favoring divisive and strongly emotive or extreme content, which can, in turn, nurture online bubbles of groups who reflect and reinforce each others opinions, helping propel the spread of more extreme content and providing a niche for fake news. In recent months,researchers have revealedmany w ays that various vested interests, including Russian operatives, have sought to manipulate public opinion by infiltrating social media bubbles.Our philanthropisch ability to communicate ideas across networks of people enabled us to build the modern world. The web offers unparalleled promise of cooperation and communication between all of humanity. But instead of embracing a massive extension of our social circles online, we seem to be reverting to tribalism and conflict, and belief in the potential of the internet to bring humanity together in a glorious collaborating network now begins to seem naive. While we generally conduct our real-life interactions with strangers politely and respectfully, online we can be horrible. How can we relearn the collaborative techniques that enabled us to find common ground and thrive as a species?Dont overthink it, just press the buttonI click an amount, impoverishing myself in an instant, and quickly move on to the next question, aware that were al l playing against the clock. My teammates are far away and unknown to me. I have no idea if were all in it together or whether Im being played for a fool, but I press on, knowing that the others are depending on me.Im playing in a so-called public goods game at Yale Universitys Human Cooperation Lab. The researchers here use it as a tool to help understand how and why we cooperate, and whether we can enhance our prosocial behavior.Over the years, scientists have proposed various theories about why humans cooperate so well that we form strong societies. The evolutionary roots of our general niceness, most researchers now believe, can be found in the individual survival advantage humans experience when we cooperate as a group. Ive come to New Haven, Connecticut, in a snowy February, to visit a cluster of labs where researchers are using experiments to explore further our extraordinary impulse to be nice to others even at our own expense.The game Im playing, on Amazons Mechanical Turk online platform, is one of the labs ongoing experiments. Im in a team of four people in different locations, and each of us is given the same amount of money to play with. We are asked to choose how much money we will contribute to a group pot, on the understanding that this pot will then be doubled and split equally among us.This sort of social dilemma, like all cooperation, relies on a certain level of trust that the others in your group will be nice. If everybody in the group contributes all of their money, all the money gets doubled, redistributed four ways, and everyone doubles their money. WinwinBut if you think about it from the perspective of an individual, says lab director David Rand, for each dollar that you contribute, it gets doubled to two dollars and then split four ways which means each person only gets 50 cents back for the dollar they contributed.Even though everyone is better off collectively by contributing to a group project that no one could manage alone in r eal life, this could be paying towards a hospital building, or digging a community irrigation ditch there is a cost at the individual level. Financially, you make more money by being more selfish.Rands team has run this game with thousands of players. Half of them are asked, as I was, to decide their contribution rapidly within 10 seconds whereas the other half are asked to take their time and carefully consider their decision. It turns out that when people go with their gut, they are much more generous than when they spend time deliberating.There is a lot of evidence that cooperation is a central feature of human evolution, says Rand. Individuals benefit, and are more likely to survive, by cooperating with the group. And being allowed to stay in the group and benefit from it is reliant on our reputation for behaving cooperatively.In the small-scale societies that our ancestors were living in, all our interactions were with people that you were going to see again and interact wit hin the immediate future, Rand says. That kept in check any temptation to act aggressively or take advantage and free-ride off other peoples contributions. It makes sense, in a self-interested way, to be cooperative.Cooperation breeds more cooperation in a mutually beneficial cycle. Rather than work out every time whether its in our long-term interests to be nice, its more efficient and less effort to have the basic rule be nice to other people. Thats why our unthinking response in the experiment is a generous one.Throughout our lives, we learn from the society around us how cooperative to be. But our learned behaviors can also change quickly.Those in Rands experiment who play the quickfire round are mostly generous and receive generous dividends, reinforcing their generous outlook. Whereas those who consider their decisions are more selfish, resulting in a meager group pot, reinforcing an idea that it doesnt pay to rely on the group. So, in a further experiment, Rand gave some mone y to people who had played a round of the game. They were then asked how much they wanted to give to an anonymous stranger. This time, there was no incentive to give they would be acting entirely charitably.It turned out there were big differences. The people who had got used to cooperating in the first stage gave twice as much money in the second stage as the people who had got used to being selfish did. So were affecting peoples internal lives and behavior, Rand says. The way they behave even when no ones watching and when theres no institution in distributionspolitik to punish or reward them.Rands team have tested how people in different countries playthegame, to see how the strength of social institutions such as government, family, education and legal systems influences behavior. In Kenya, wherepublic sector corruption is high, players initially gave lessgenerously to the stranger than players in the US, which has less corruption. This suggests that people who can rely on rel atively fair social institutions behave in a more public-spirited way those whose institutions are less reliable are more protectionist. However, after playing just one round of the cooperation-promoting versionof the public goods game, the Kenyans generosity equaled the Americans. And it cut both ways Americans who were trained to be selfish gave a lot less.So is there something about online social media culture that makes some people behave meanly? Unlike ancienthunter-gatherer societies, which rely on cooperation and sharing to survive and often have rules for when to offer food to whom across their social network, social media have weak institutions. They offer physical distance, relative anonymity and little reputational or punitive risk for bad behavior if youre mean, no one you know is going to see.I trudge a couple of blocks through driving snow to find Molly Crocketts Psychology Lab, where researchers are investigating moral decision-making in society. One area they focus o n is how social emotions are transformed online, in particular, moral outrage. Brain-imaging studies show that when people act on their moral outrage, their brains reward center is activated they feel good about it. This reinforces their behavior, so they are more likely to intervene in a similar way again. So, if they see somebody acting in a way that violates a social norm, by allowing their dog to foul a playground, for instance, and they publicly confront the perpetrator about it, they feel good afterwards. And while challenging a violator of your communitys social norms has its risks you may get attacked it also boosts your reputation.In our relatively peaceful lives, we are rarely faced with outrageous behavior, so we rarely see moral outrage expressed. Open up Twitter or Facebook and you get a very different picture.Recent researchshows that messages with both moral and emotional words are more likely to spread on social media each moral or emotional word in a tweet incre ases the likelihood of it being retweeted by 20 percent.Content that triggers outrage and that expresses outrage is much more likely to be shared, Crockett says. What weve created online is an ecosystem that selects for the most outrageous content, paired with a platform where its easier than ever before to express outrage.Unlike in the offline world, there is no personal risk in confronting and exposing someone. It only takes a few clicks of a button and you dont have to be physically nearby, so there is a lot more outrage expressed online. And it feeds itself. If you punish somebody for violating a norm, that makes you seem more trustworthy to others, so you can broadcast your moral character by expressing outrage and punishing social norm violations, Crockett says. And people believe that they are spreading good by expressing outrage that it comes from a place of morality and righteousness.When you go from offline where you might boost your reputation for whoever happens to be standing around at the moment to online, where you broadcast it to your entire social network, then that dramatically amplifies the personal rewards of expressing outrage.This is compounded by the feedback people get on social media, in the form of likes and retweets and so on. Our hypothesis is that the entwurf of these platforms could make expressing outrage into a habit, and a habit is something thats done without regard to its consequences its insensitive to what happens next, its just a blind response to a stimulus, Crockett explains.I think its worth having a conversation as a society as to whether we want our morality to be under the control of algorithms whose purpose is to make money for giant tech companies, she adds. I think we would all like to believe and feel that our moral emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are intentional and not knee-jerk reactions to whatever is placed in front of us that our smartphone designer thinks will bring them the most profit.On the upside , the lower costs of expressing outrage online have allowed marginalized, less-empowered groups to promote causes that have traditionally been harder to advance. Moral outrage on social media played an important role in focusing attention on the sexual abuse of women by high-status men. And in February 2018, Florida teens railing on social media against yet another high-school shooting in their state helped toshift public opinion, as well as shaming a number of big corporations into dropping their discount schemes for National Rifle Association members.I think that there must be ways to maintain the benefits of the online world, says Crockett, while thinking more carefully about redesigning these interactions to do away with some of the more costly bits.Someone whos thought a great deal about the design of our interactions in social networks is Nicholas Christakis, director of Yales Human Nature Lab, located just a few more snowy blocks away. His team studies how our position in a s ocial network influences our behavior, and even how certain influential individuals can dramatically alter the culture of a whole network.The team is exploring ways to identify these individuals and enlist them in public health programmes that could benefit the community. In Honduras, they are using this approach to influence vaccination enrolment and maternal care, for example. Online, such people have the potential to turn a bullying culture into a supportive one.Corporations already use a crude system of identifying so-called Instagram influencers to advertise their brands for them. But Christakis is looking not just at how popular an individual is, but also their position in the network and the shape of that network. In some networks, like a small isolated village, everyone is closely connected and youre likely to know everyone at a party in a city, by contrast, people may be living more closely by as a whole, but you are less likely to know everyone at a party there. How thorou ghly interconnected a network is affects how behaviors and information spread around it, he explains.If you take carbon atoms and you assemble them one way, they become graphite, which is soft and dark. Take the same carbon atoms and assemble them a different way, and it becomes diamond, which is hard and clear. These properties of hardness and clearness arent properties of the carbon atoms theyre properties of the collection of carbon atoms and depend on how you connect the carbon atoms to each other, he says. And its the same with human groups.Christakis has designed software to explore this by creating temporary artificial societies online. We drop people in and then we let them interact with each other and see how they play a public goods game, for example, to assess how kind they are to other people.Then he manipulates the network. By engineering their interactions one way, I can make them really sweet to each other, work well together, and they are healthy and happy and they cooperate. Or you take the same people and connect them a different way and theyre mean jerks to each other and they dont cooperate and they dont share information and they are not kind to each other.In one experiment, he randomly assigned strangers to play the public goods game with each other. In the beginning, he says, about two-thirds of people were cooperative. But some of the people they interact with will take advantage of them and, because their only option is either to be kind and cooperative or to be a defector, they choose to defect because theyre stuck with these people taking advantage of them. And by the end of the experiment everyone is a jerk to everyone else.Christakis turned this around simply by giving each person a little bit of control over who they were connected to after each round. They had to make two decisions am I kind to my neighbors or am I not and do I stick with this neighbor or do I not. The only thing each player knew about their neighbors was whethe r each had cooperated or defected in the round before. What we were able to show is that people cut ties to defectors and form ties to cooperators, and the network rewired itself and converted itself into a diamond-like structure instead of a graphite-like structure. In other words, a cooperative prosocial structure instead of an uncooperative structure.In an attempt to generate more cooperative online communities, Christakiss team have started adding bots to their temporary societies. He takes me over to a laptop and sets me up on a different game. In this game, anonymous players have to work together as a team to solve a dilemma that tilers will be familiar with each of us has to pick from one of three colors, but the colors of players directly connected to each other must be different. If we solve the puzzle within a time limit, we all get a share of the prize money if we fail, no one gets anything. Im playing with at least 30 other people. None of us can see the whole network of connections, only the people we are directly connected to nevertheless, we have to cooperate to win.Im connected to two neighbors, whose colors are green and blue, so I pick red. My left neighbor then changes to red so I quickly change to blue. The game continues and I become increasingly tense, cursing my slow reaction times. I frequently have to switch my color, responding to unseen changes elsewhere in the network, which send a cascade of changes along the connections. Times up before we solve the puzzle, prompting irate responses in the games comments box from remote players condemning everyone elses stupidity. Personally, Im relieved its over and theres no longer anyone depending on my cackhanded gaming skills to earn money.Christakis tells me that some of the networks are so complex that the puzzle is impossible to solve in the timeframe. My relief is shortlived, however the one I played was solvable. He rewinds the game, revealing for the first time the whole network to me. I see now that I was on a lower branch off the main hub of the network. Some of the players were connected to just one other person, but most were connected to three or more. Thousands of people from around the world play these games on Amazon Mechanical Turk, drawn by the small fee they earn per round. But as Im watching the game I just played unfold, Christakis reveals that three of these players are actually planted bots. We call them dumb AI, he says.His team is not interested in inventing super-smart AI to replace human cognition. Instead, the plan is to infiltrate a population of smart humans with dumb-bots to help the humans help themselves.We wanted to see if we could use the dumb-bots to get the people unstuck so they can cooperate and coordinate a little bit more so that their native capacity to perform well can be revealed by a little assistance, Christakis says. He found that if the bots played perfectly, that didnt help the humans. But if the bots made some mistakes, they unlocked the potential of the group to find a solution.Some of these bots made counter-intuitive choices. Even though their neighbors all had green and they should have picked orange, instead they also picked green. When they did that, it allowed one of the green neighbors to pick orange, which unlocks the next guy over, he can pick a different color and, wow, now we solve the problem. Without the bot, those human players would probably all have stuck with green, not realizing that was the problem. Increasing the conflicts temporarily allows their neighbors to make better choices.By adding a little noise into the system, the bots helped the network to function more efficiently. Perhaps a version of this model could involve infiltrating the newsfeeds of partisan people with occasional items offering a different perspective, helping to shift people out of their social media comfort-bubbles and allow society as a whole to cooperate more.Much antisocial behavior online stems from t he anonymity of internet interactions the reputational costs of being mean are much lower than offline. Here, bots may also offer a solution.One experimentfound that the level of racist abuse tweeted at black users could be dramatically slashed by using bot accounts with white profile images to respond to racist tweeters. A typical bot response to a racist tweet would be Hey man, just remember that there are real people who are hurt when you harass them with that kind of language. Simply cultivating a little empathy in such tweeters reduced their racist tweets almost to zero for weeks afterwards.Another way of addressing the low reputational cost for bad behavior online is to engineer in some form of social punishment. One game company, League of Legends, did that by introducing a Tribunal feature, in which negative play is punished by other players. The company reported that 280,000 players were reformed in one year, meaning that after being punished by the Tribunal they had chang ed their behavior and then achieved a positive standing in the community. Developers could also build in social rewards for good behavior, encouraging more cooperative elements that help build relationships.Researchers are already starting to learn how to predict when an exchange is about to turn bad the moment at which it could benefit from pre-emptive intervention. You might think that there is a minority of sociopaths online, which we call trolls, who are doing all this harm, says Cristian Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil, at Cornell Universitys Department of Information Science. What we actually find in our work is that ordinary people, just like you and me, can engage in such antisocial behavior. For a specific period of time, you can actually become a troll. And thats surprising.Its also alarming. I mentally flick back through my own recent tweets, hoping I havent veered into bullying in some awkward attempt to appear funny or cool to my online followers. After all, it can be very tem pting to be abusive to someone far away, who you dont know, if you think it will impress your social group.Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil has been investigating the comments sections below online articles. He identifies two main triggers for trolling the context of the exchange how other users are behaving and your mood. If youre having a bad day, or if it happens to be Monday, for example, youre much more likely to troll in the same situation, he says. Youre nicer on a Saturday morning.After collecting data, including from people who had engaged in trolling behavior in the past, Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil built an algorithm that predicts with 80 percent accuracy when someone is about to become abusive online. This provides an opportunity to, for example, introduce a delay in how fast they can post their response. If people have to think twice before they write something, that improves the context of the exchange for everyone youre less likely to witness people misbehaving, and so less like ly to misbehave yourself.The good news is that, in spite of the horrible behavior many of us have experienced online, the majority of interactions are nice and cooperative. Justified moral outrage is usefully employed in challenging hateful tweets. Arecent British studylooking at anti-Semitism on Twitter found that posts challenging anti-Semitic tweets are shared far more widely than the anti-Semitic tweets themselves. fruchtwein hateful posts were ignored or only shared within a small echo chamber of similar accounts. Perhaps were already starting to do the work of the bots ourselves.As Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil points out, weve had thousands of years to hone our person-to-person interactions, but only 20 years of social media. Offline, we have all these cues from facial expressions to body language to pitch whereas online we discuss things only through text. I think we shouldnt be surprised that were having so much difficulty in finding the right way to discuss and cooperate online. As our online behavior develops, we may well introduce subtle signals, digital equivalents of facial cues, to help smooth online discussions. In the meantime, the advice for dealing with online abuse is to stay calm, its not your fault. Dont retaliate but block and ignore bullies, or if you feel up to it, tell them to stop. Talk to family or friends about whats happening and ask them to help you. Take screenshots and report online harassment to the social media service where its happening, and if it includes physical threats, report it to the police.If social media as we know it is going to survive, the companies running these platforms are going to have to keep steering their algorithms, perhaps informed by behavioral science, to encourage cooperation rather than division, positive online experiences rather than abuse. As users, we too may well learn to adapt to this new communication environment so that civil and productive interaction remains the norm online as it is offline.Im o ptimistic, Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil says. This is just a different game and we have to evolve.Advice and support on dealing with online abuse is availablefrom a range of organizations, such asHeartMob,Stop Online Abuse,ConnectSafely, and the social media services themselves, for exampleTwitter,Facebook,Instagram.This article first appeared on Mosaic.Wellcome, the publisher of Mosaic, has shares in Facebook, Alphabet and other social media companies as part of itsinvestment portfolio.

High School Student Resume Example and Writing Tips

High School Student Resume Example and Writing TipsHigh School Student Resume Example and Writing TipsHigh school students may need a resume to apply for a job or as part of acollege application. Even if youhaventheld a paid jobbefore, theres still plenty of information to include on your resume. High schoolers can highlight educational achievements, after-school activities, and volunteer work. What to Include in Your Resume Provide your contact information.Begin your resume with your name, address, phone number, and email address. Its best not to use a cutesy email address like tubaguyemail.com or mightyelfmageemail.com. Instead, set up a professional email account that you can use for job and college applications, comprised of your name only (Ex. janey_jordanemail.com). Emphasize your teamwork and leadership skills.Good teamwork skills are necessary in most entry-level jobs, and so its smart to provide examples of how youve participated in school, church, club, or scouting role s requiringteamwork. Its even better to describe anyleadershiproles youve held, since this demonstrates to your employer that you can hold responsibility, take personal initiative and organize and support others. Describe volunteer as well as any paid experience. Chances are that, since youre a high school student, you havent had much paid work experience. While you should definitely describe any actual real jobs youve held, its also a good idea to describe volunteer experience, accompanied by dates, your responsibilities, and your contributions in these roles. Include a statement of selected interests at the end of your resume.Employers (and universities, if you are using your resume for a college application) like candidates who are well-rounded and involved in their communities. Theyll get a better idea of your personality if you mention a few sports that you play or interests like theater, music, or environmentalism. Be careful, however, not to mention interests that are too pol itical or might distract you from your job (such as excessive video-gaming). Tips for Writing an Effective Resume Make a list.Start by thinking through what information you want to include on your resume. Take some time to write a list of any awards, accomplishments, and extracurricular activities you engage in. Just write down rough notes, for now. Later, youll sort this information into sections and add dates and details. Consider what you want to accomplish with your resume. Do you want to get a specific job or are you looking to highlight your work for a college application? Once you have a sense of the information you want to include in your resume, review the variousparts of a resume,resume skills for high schoolers, andtips for writing your first resume as a high school student. Review sample resumes. Before writing your own resume, it can be helpful to review samples such as thesestudent resume templates. Dont copy the content in samples instead, use them for inspiration for how to stichwort things and proper formatting. Proofread your resume carefully.Resumes that are full of spelling and grammatical errors create red flags in an employers mind, because they hint that your work performance might be sloppy as well. Take the time to edit and correct your resume and cover letter, followingthese proofreading steps. If you feel unsure about your proofreading skills, ask a friend, parent, sibling, or teacher to help you. Write a cover letter to accompany your resume.Once youve finished your resume, you should craft a cover letter to introduce yourself to a hiring manager - review thesestudent cover lettersfor help in getting started. High School Student Resume Example The following is an example of a resume for a high school student. It includes both formal and informal work experience, volunteering, and academic achievements. The resume lists work experience first, followed by the students volunteer experience and achievements, and then her educat ion. If you have no formal work experience, you should know how to formatyour resume to appropriately reflect this. Also, note that the resume has asummarythat focuses on the students skills that are the best match for the job for which she is applying. This way, the employer can see at a glance why the applicant would be a good candidate for the job. High School Student Resume Example (Text Version) Carly Applicant6 Oak StreetArlington, VA 54321(555) 555-5555carly.applicantgmail.comSUMMARYHonor roll high school student with extensive experience working with youth all ages, who has been praised and awarded for her organizational skills and ability to develop fun, engaging activities for youth of all ages, seeks an entry-level child fleck with an area child care provider or retail firm.WORK EXPERIENCETHE RETAIL STORE, Arlington, VASales Associate/Manager, September 2016-PresentMaintain and restock inventory provide customer service responsible for training incoming associates in oper ating cash register system due to track record of excellence.Named Employee of the Month three times.Attended a Sales Associate Training conference in Washington, D.C. was selected as one of 10 out of 1,000 sales associates from Virginia to attend the conferences.Promoted to manager in 2017 was the youngest associate to reach the position in store history.KINDERFUN PRESCHOOL Arlington, VAChild Care Provider, September 2014-August 2016Provided childcare for a dozen families after school, on weekends, and during school vacations.Developed and implemented fun, educational activities for children, from ages 1 to 8 years.VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCERUN FOR LIFE, Arlington, VAPublicist, November-December 2017Assisted in marketing the charity run via social media oversaw cleanup after the race.Managed 20 volunteers of all ages in setting up booths, operating the registration, and facilitating the race.EDUCATIONHigh School Diploma (June 2019 Expected Graduation Date) GPA 3.9Arlington High School, A rlington, VAHonor roll each semester captain of the debate team president of the Key (service) Club.Elective Classes and Activities Screen Printing, Culture Foods, Independent Living, Family Advocacy, Wind Ensemble, Stage CrewOther InterestsMember of the Arlington High School Tennis Team Girl Scout Piano, 10 years ExpandHow to Get Your Resume Noticed SHOW THAT YOURE WELL-ROUNDED In additional to describing any work experience you have, highlight after-school activities and volunteer work on your resume.EMPHASIZE YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS Be sure to mention educational achievements such as a strong high school GPA or any academic awards or recognitions you have achieved.FOCUS ON TEAMWORK AND LEADERSHIP Prove to a hiring manager that you have what it takes to be a good employee by presenting examples of your team participation and leadership in school and extra-curricular activities.

The Beauty of Movement

The Beauty of Movement The Beauty of Movement The Beauty of MovementSure, theres plenty of species that requires a bit of engineering. Think of the pyramids, large-scale Jeff Koons, and movies. They all depend on someone that understands materials, movement, and energy. But when two the disciplines merely intersect, the engineering plays servant to the art. Rarely do they unite as one. The work of David C. Roy is that rarity. In his moving, mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic works, the engineering is the art and the mechanisms serve the beauty of mechanisms. For Roy, the problem of how to make something work beautifully, and how to make something beautiful are the same. Theyre all problems to solve, he says. Theres a lot of physical engineering, but the aesthetic problems are also fascinating. They use the same part of my brain. That brain once seemed destined for traditional engineering or the sciences. Roys father was an engineer who worked on early jet engines, and David followed in his f ootsteps, earning an engineering scholarship to Boston University. He switched to chemistry for a while and eventually received a degree in physics. But during his college years he was exposed to the world of art thanks to an evolving relationship with an art studentwho would become his wife. (The father-in-law was a mechanical engineer too). After a very brief stint as a programmer, Roy began to devote himself to wooden toys and things that moved. It was solving problems, and there were a whole lot of problems. I didnt know anything, he says. Building toys taught him woodworking and some mechanical basics. In his mind, though, he wanted to build dynamic pieces that didnt rely on air currentsa la Calderor require the hassle of having a chord dangle down from the sculptures.Designing the motion. Image David C. Roy I just wanted to make things move, he says. I reinvented the escapement. As I got control, it was How do I do this and make it interesting, how do I make interesting patter ns and create different motions with a controlled release of energy? Roy didnt borrow much from clock innards to improve his escapement design because in his works the mechanism served a different ultimate purpose.In a clock you want very predictable, short periods of time. I wanted to create random, or unpredictable motion. Roy named his first sculpture Albert. It stood six feet tall, ran for 20 minutes, and sold for 125 dollars. The last figure was, perhaps, the most important. It meant that Roy could conceivably pursue his vision of kinetic wood full time. As his aesthetics grew more sophisticated, so did his engineering skills, always with the twin goals of creating the longest possible zulauf times and the most pleasing patterns. After mastering the escapement, bearings brought the next big leap to Roys sculptures. It was a huge change in what I could domuch more motion, much smoother, longer running times. But their use required new knowledge. They had to be seated, confined i n a wooden space, and Roy had to throw himself into bearing research to determine which kind best suited his needs.Using Strata Design 3D to visualize a sculpture. Image David C. Roy The addition of constant force springs further lengthened run times and freed Roy from a dependency on pulleys and weights. They also changed the focus of his work from the beauty of the mechanism to the beauty of movement. But other tools along the way have been just as important, from a production viewpoint. The electric screwdriver was a godsend when it came out, says Roy. So was the computer. Where Roy had once done it all by hand, from drawing board to saw to sandpaper, he now relies on Bezier curves, Strata Design 3D, and a computerized numerical control machine. And run times for his ever-more stunning sculptures fall between 20 and 40 hours. Roys sculptures have supported him for 40 years now and put his kids through college. And they dont stay in the shop long. But he never considered hiring an yone to increase production. I like doing a whole lot of things and I like not having to boss other people around, he says. What fascinates me is taking problems and solving them on my own. Those days-long run times come thanks to the precision and experience Roys had with every part of every sculpture hes ever made. When I am doing a drawing I have a sense of what the limits are, how far I can push itthats been acquired over the years, because Ive been burned by trying to push it too far this way or that way. The failures that feed into your general knowledge are a hard thing to pass on. Failures, though, are a little less common for Roy than they once were. But the motivation behind each work has been a constant It needs to work, need to work well, but it needs to look good and be interesting, bring a smile, or make someone wonder why its happening . . . or just sit and watch it the way you watch a fire. Michael Abrams is an independent writer. For Further Discussion In a clock y ou want very predictable short periods of time. I wanted to create random, or unpredictable motion.David C. Roy, Artist

Office Dress Codes

Office Dress CodesOffice Dress Codes Office Dress Codes50% of managers say employees dress less formal than they did five years ago32% Somewhat less formal33% No more or less formal18% Much less formal10% Somewhat more formal7% Much more formalEmployees weigh in on the type of dress code they prefer18% I would prefer to work at a company that has a formal dress code31% I would prefer to work at a company that has a business casual dress code27% I would prefer to work at a company that has a casual dress code or no dress code23% A companys dress code doesnt impact my decision to work thereThe most common dress code violations managers see at work47% Dressing too casually32% Showing too much skin6% Having visible tattoos or piercings5% Having ungroomed facial hair4% Wearing excessive accessories3% Having extreme hair colors or styles3% Dont know/no answerSource OfficeTeam surveys of 306 senior managers and 355 workers in the United States. Some responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding. 2016 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.

Pinocchio and the Pencil Pushers

Pinocchio and the Pencil Pushers Pinocchio and the Pencil Pushers PER DAYSurprisingly enough, managers arent lying to their employees, but to their supervisors. Which means, if you manage a team, you might be on the receiving end of these lies. Its even more disappointing that employees often see their managers as having poor moral ethics- an astonishing 80.1 percent. This is notlage the kind of leadership we want to have. Even when it is a small, seemingly insignificant lie, lying is toxic in the workplace. But how to prevent it, or perhaps just offset the damage? Here are four quick ideas to help you keep an office worthy of Honest AbeDont leave room for liesInstead of telling an employee how great they are and how valued their work is with superfluous words, use metrics.Set measurable objectives to show employees what their work is truly worth. This saves managers from the temptation of using phrases that dont always match the employee. fruchtwein employees dont fit the youre on e of our best employees, good job, or heres your raise category. Keep in mind that employees want to help achieve company objectives, but many dont know what those are. Be as transparent as possible and close every feedback loop.Recognize that omission is part of the problemDeception in the office goes beyond blatant lies. Say Joe processed an insurance claim. He accidentally mixed up some numbers, was aware of the mistake, but didnt say anything. If he doesnt get caught, what does it matter?Lying by omissionperpetuates the habit. It doesnt seem like a true lie, however. Allowing another person to come to the wrong conclusion without correction is just as big of a problem as blatantly lying. Again, transparency in reporting can solve this issue, at least in part. Look to 360 reviews and dont forget to positively motivate those who arent hiding part of the story.plattl your battlesWhile roughly 1 out of 3 of allemployees tell one white lie at least once per day, that doesnt make the habit any less of a problem. However, management should learn that a one-size-fits-all strategy may simply alienate workers. Instead, focus on lies that directly affect performance or other members of the team. Even when confrontation is difficult, it is important to point out unacceptable behavior, as allowing one person to lie continuously can propagate the behavior. Implementing an intranet with few closed groups can help this behavior. Another idea? Make team goals (and fulfillment) available across the enterprise to avoid confusion.Build in AccountabilityIt is easy to lie about a project or a deadline when no one is accountable. If no one is responsible for it, who will speak up for it? Setting a good accountability policy will place a standard on management and employees alike. It will ensure everyone holds to the same policies. It is a team effort to hold each other accountable for corporate actions. Encourage your employees to keep accountablefor their own work byNot coverin g up mistakes Own up to mistakes. If mistakes happened, they will not stay hidden in the long run. Encourage this by not overreacting when someone makes an honest mistake. Instead, use it as a teachable moment.Not blaming others Again,own up to mistakes.Dont put them on someone else. This not only creates for a hostile work environment, it makes others distrustful. Leaders can ensure this doesnt happen by asking employees to show their work, this generally reveals the guilty party.Do more than the minimum Some employees barely meet requirements. Get all team members on board with consistent process improvement. Some will scoff, others will rise to the challenge, more will want to at least keep up with the higher bar set.Meet expectations Its an adult environment. The workplace is no longer about good try, or youll get em next time comments. Employees either meet expectations or they dont. While its important to praise employees for a job well done (gratitude is especially effect ive) an effective leader will not sugarcoat a poorly executed plan.Pinpointing PinocchioWhat needs to happen when someone deliberately lies in the workplace? If it is a habitual tendency, management needs to address the issue. Lying in the workplace can greatly depreciate the environment for employees and the quality of work. The bigger the lie, the bigger the problem they all need attention. There arethree options in dealing with a liar. An employee can confront the liar, report them, or ignore the lies. The latter option is toxic for the workplace.

Why Everybody Is Talking About How Do I Add My Resume to Linkedin

Why Everybody Is Talking About How Do I Add My Resume to Linkedin What How Do I Add My Resume to Linkedin Is - and What it Is Not A free of charge resume theme is a type of basic sample for a work application a specific may have to develop. To come across easy layout total is practically always a superb plan as its gonna be something which might be used for many many decades. When youd like to obtain an extremely good resume assistance, you might simply follow our lead. Or DoYouBuzz, which is a really user-friendly website with both free and paid plans, providing you a great deal of template options and is an extremely smooth process too.If you dont optimize your profile youre likely to be passing up a whole lot. One of the first things you are going to want to do is construct a superior overview of your capabilities and positive capabilities. All youre attempting to do is catch somebodys eye. Ultimately the choice is yours. The Dos and Donts of How Do I Add My Resume to Linkedin Curriculum vitae layouts are exquisite for people who dont have the art of producing impressive resumes. Many resumes proceed through HR in the beginning and theyre not really experts in your region. Resumes readily available on ansprechbar job websites and resume databases, for instance, can be looked at by just about anyoneeven if they dont have any intention of hiring. The capability to edit the work application from any place in the full world is an awesome asset that youre in a position to utilize to help you get that upcoming great job. Finding out how to compose a work application may be an important achievement for everybody who would like to climb that ladder of profession achievement. Seeking the perfect job can be challenging, but polishing your continue doesnt need to be. A best selection intended for people with plenty of experience who want an extremely good one-page job application template. For instance, some companies with remote employees hold in-pers on meetings from time to time, but others need local employees due to the wellness advantages and insurance they supply. To start with, you will probably keep away from the job, because companies are therefore specific concerning the skill units they need to get. Its rather rare that you find your perfect job, the exact same is true for businesses looking for her or his ideal applicant. Remote and telecommuting jobs might also have location restrictions. Over the last couple of decades, LinkedIn started supplanting the major job search sites. Prospective employers are able to at a glance, visit LinkedIn to find out more about you and your abilities and qualifications. Therefore, if youre a person who wishes to begin your career in a bigger and more professional scope, LinkedIn is definitely the best way to go. There are scores and scores of opportunities for you whether you import LinkedIn resume 2019, as youll be uploading your professional info to a more public site where pe ople will have the ability to understand your profile and make sure that you possess the abilities and experience theyre searching for. Look for a job which you would want to submit an application for that has the LinkedIn easy apply option. Employers will continue to be in a position to find you in several ways, including throughout your on-line profile. Finding out how to add resume to LinkedIn 2019 is actually effortless. You have the choice to customize you LinkedIn URL. Nows the opportunity to break from the mindset and patterns youve been comfortable with and begin to prepare for a new and enhanced LinkedIn Profile. You will never know when youre likely to have to utilize one of your connections on LinkedIn. After successfully altering the information, you will have to Save Changes and quit. Knowledge is next since they will want to comprehend your experience. There are two methods to acquire your resume onto LinkedIn. Therere prepared for obtain, if youd rather and w ish to receive it, just click save badge on the internet page, and its going be instantly saved to your house computer. The info which you provide to each prospective employer should differ. The solution is it is dependent on your LinkedIn profile and resume.

Remote Weekly Digest

Remote Weekly Digest Apply to one of our featured fully remote jobs below or visit our page with remote positions for even mora opportunities Buffer - Customer Advocate (Remote) Blockstack - Designer, Marketing (Remote)Crossover - Vice President of Technical Product Management (Remote)Dell - Technology Services Manager (Remote)General Assembly - Part Time Product Management Instructor (Remote)GitLab - Frontend Engineer (Remote)Karat - Business Development Representative (Remote)Paylocity - QA Engineer (Remote)S&P Global - Threat Intelligence Lead (Remote)Zapier - Marketing Data Analyst (Remote) One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someon e says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Busin ess Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any pro ject managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive neuheit and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88, 355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction indus try.

Sample Resume for Daycare Teacher Job Position

Sample Resume for Daycare Teacher Job PositionSample Resume for Daycare Teacher Job PositionA resume that shows your well-roundedness in terms of personality, creativity, and leadership skills makes you a desirable candidate for day care employers.Teaching in a day care setting involves working with various aspects of child development, including physical, cognitive, emotional, social, speech, and motor skills. While achievements and relevant certifications in child care are important, your positive character is a huge factor for day care organizations. Aligning the tone of your objectives, accomplishments, and strengths with the mission or philosophy of the prospective day care facility can help employers find an ideal match in you. Keep your resume warm yet authentic and professional, and quantify your experience by indicating the number and ages of children you have worked with.Read the day care teacher resume template below to give you ideas on how you can present your winning qu alifications. Create this Resume Vera Soto278 Collins StreetTampa, FL 33602(222)-160-4675v.sotosmail.comObjectiveLooking for a career as a Daycare Teacher in an institution to contribute in teaching and developing the skills and knowledge of students.Summary of QualificationsExcellent leadership qualitiesKnowledge in developing curriculumAbility to handle students to behaveExcellent computer skillsExcellent management skills and strong personalityProfessional ExperienceDaycare Teacher, January 2007 Present Jones Academy, Los Angeles, California ResponsibilitiesMonitored the kids playtime and learning schedules.Organized meetings with parents to discuss the childrens performance in class.Organized the toys and books required by children in class.Taught the children how to communicate well with other children.Daycare Assistant, March 2004 December 2006 Jones Academy, Los Angeles, California ResponsibilitiesAssisted the teacher in handling the students in class.Compiled records of students and evaluated them accordingly.Assisted in improving the social skills of the children.Assisted students who have learning difficulties in certain subjects.Communicated with parents regarding the performance of their children in class.EducationMasters Degree in Education, 2004University of ArizonaBachelor of Science in Education, 2001 University of Arizona Customize ResumeMore Sample ResumesDance Teacher Resume Data Analyst Resume Data Architect Resume Data Entry Clerk Resume Database Developer ResumeDay Camp Counselor Resume Daycare Director ResumeDaycare Provider Resume Daycare Teacher Resume Debt Collector Resume Demolition Worker Resume

The benefits and challenges of being your authentic self at work

The benefits and challenges of being your authentic self at workThe benefits and challenges of being your authentic self at workHave you ever been told to be authentic at work?Immediately, you picture those dinners spent laughing hysterically in the company of friends, being surrounded by family at a summer barbecue set to your favorite music, days on vacation enjoying yourself at the beach, or traveling to a new part of the world.You think, am I supposed to bring that whole part here? But being yourself in the office can come in many forms. Whether its being more (appropriately) open about your partal life, letting others see your professional struggles and successes in the spirit of vulnerability or breaking out of other self-imposed limitations, there are a myriad of ways to embrace who you really are - its just about picking the right way to go about doing so and being aware of where you work.Theres a fine line between being professional with your coworkers and leaving your pers onal life at home - and cutting off the things and feelings that matter to you because youre afraid they make you less able to do your job. Its important to recognize that each decision comes down tobalance and context, and its worth considering decisions of when to let your workplace guard down on a case-by-case basis. We consulted the experts on the ins and outs of being authentic from 9 to 5 and beyond. Start small and keep it positivePart of being yourself is saying what you would say in any given situation outside of work. You just have to remember whats off-limits. Emotional intelligence expertHarvey Deutschendorf recommendsyou steer clear of talking about anything going on in your life that can be viewed as negative (legal, financial, struggles youre having with people, past criminal activity, mental illness). Dont give people anything that they can use against you if theyre so inclined, Deutschendorf says.While it might be tempting to never share anything about your person al life, in order to avoid things that could potentially come back to hurt you, he said clamming up isnt a long-term solution.That makes for a very toxic environment. People need to know something about you to trust youpeople are afraid of people who never share anything and never open uppeople have a hard time trusting and building relationships with people like that, Deutschendorf told Ladders.In other words, you have to give to get something back- so dont completely ice people out in an effort to protect yourself. It will most likely backfire.Vicky Oliver, author of Bad Bosses, Crazy Co-Workers and Other Office Idiots says you could start cracking open the door to your personal life at work by picking the key parts of your - or your familys - personal interests that might dovetail with those in your office.So, for example,if you went to a fantastic college, or went to the saatkorn school as your boss, you might want to bring that up, or lets say your spouse is a member of the same golf club as your bossthats the type of thing you may want to tell your boss someday.She also recommended bringing up mutual social connections, people you know in common, to establish a shared bond or affinity.Oliver emphasized that the level of detail you share very much depends on where you work. One cue to staying within appropriate boundaries is to consider what other people in your workplace share, and whether youd be comfortable letting others know that level of information.Only share your vulnerable stories with people you trustWilliam W. George, Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School, Director at Goldman Sachs and author of books includingDiscover Your True North,says sharing significant moments in our lives in which we have overcome challenges shows that we are vulnerable and human and that we have also had times in our lives when we stumbled and continued on.For example, he says, he chooses to share with his classes at HBS that his mother and fiancee passed within a year and half of one another - a series of life-changing events that forged who he is today.He also chooses to share moments in his professional life in which he learned from his mistakes - adding that he once lost my way while working at the Fortune 100 company Honeywell, because he was chasing titles instead of my purpose.In his book, True North Groups, George and co-author Doug Baker recommend creating small groups of trusted associates who will spur you to be better, share personal struggles of their own and support you when youre struggling.In other words, sometimes, its okay to let your guard down - as long as you trust the person or people youre speaking to.Or, asWarren Buffett says, I believe in trusting people. Occasionally, someone will violate my trust, but on balance I am better off in continuing to trust others.Watch out for gossipersOne rule of thumb before you share is to ask yourself if you think youre closer to your colleagues than you actually are.Its importan t to notice whether your colleagues gossip about each other, or behave in other ways that are covertly competitive. If you pick up an undertone of gossip or covert competition, reel in your desire to be open and self-disclosing, Katherine Crowley, Vice President ofK Squared Enterprises, told Ladders.Kathi Elster, President of K Squared Enterprises, recommends seeking outa professional counselor or therapist rather than talking to your colleagues. But if you have to talk about issues at work because you you need extra time off to resolve them, head straight to the human resources department or your direct manager - never colleagues. While you can develop trustworthy friendships over time at your job, remember its a slow, daily process of earning trust, Crowley said.Many people, especially early in their careers, are hungry for connections and friendship on the job. As difficult as it may be, its wise to keep personal information outside of the office until and unless you know who ca n be truly trusted and who cant, Crowley added.How to avoid blurring the lines between friends and colleaguesLets say youre working in a small company and you get to chatting with your boss about your trip out of town with your significant other over the weekend. Youre feeling like youre on the same page.But then the time comes to get to work, and your boss turns into a different person.Some people find it difficult to switch back and forth between being friends and being colleagues, self-described Millennial Workplace Expert Lindsey Pollaktells Ladders. It can be challenging when your boss tells you about her weekend one minute and then reprimands you for a poorly written document the next. As a leader, you want to be mindful of managing that transition. For example, I know a manager who will humorously say, Okay, Im putting on my boss hat now. Lets talk about that report.No matter how friendly you are with your colleagues, and particularly your supervisors, its always crucial to r emain aware of the professional boundary between you. In other words, beware of getting too comfortable.Stand up for yourself if someone uses personal information against youWhen things go wrong, it can sting. But its possible to react with grace, no matter how hurt you feel.There will be occasions when you share something and get a less-than-supportive response.In that case, learn from it and move on, George says.In cases like these,Im gonna regret that I shared that with them, George says, and he makes sure to be a little more discerning and careful about who he communicates with next time.Steve Tappin, CEO of the executive coaching company Xinfu and host of the BBC s CEO Guru series, also said if your coworker uses personal information against you, you can stand up for yourself in a professional way.He recommends telling your colleague, I shared that with you in good faith, Im a bit surprised and disappointed that you judged it in that wayI would have hoped that you might have de alt with it in this way before telling them how you hoped their response differed.Theres no one right way to be yourself at workLife coach Tony Robbins defines being yourself as allowing yourself to be spontaneous, instead of responding to how you think youre supposed to be, according to an interview with Oprah Winfrey.https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk-xKNswtpYJust as no two people are the same, no two office settings are the same. But you can gain a lot from sharing aspects of your personal story at work - you just have to be wise about what you say and to whom you say it. Just keep in mind that every workplace has different standards, what works for you may not work for others, and that people have varying standards when it comes to what they find appropriate, so they may not always react the way you want them to. But letting people in by telling them about work-appropriate features of your life can help humanize you as a fellow employee, instead of alienating them by sharing not hing at all, ultimately leaving them in the cold.

How to Get a Job without a Car My Story

How to Get a Job without a Car â€" My Story How to Get a Job without a Car â€" My Story One of the biggest obstacles to a job search in  the United States today is the lack of a car. Only some of the country’s cities have good public transportation systems, and many rural areas are not served by public transit. Yet I was able to work and support myself until age 32 without a car. Here’s how I did it and some tips to consider if you venture into the workforce sans auto. I got my first job when I was 15 at a summer amusement park. The company ran a bus service from my high school, and the route passed just a few miles from my parent’s house, which was in a remote area. One of my parents was usually able to drop me off and pick me up at the bus  stop. Luckily my mother worked at a general store across from the bus stop, so she could wait for me, or I could go to work with her and wait until the bus came. Somehow we managed to make it work six days a week. In college I lived on campus and worked at a dining hall. Walking to work was the same as walking to eat. At the end of each school year I would catch a ride for the five-hour drive south to Cape Cod, where I rented an  apartment and worked in a sandwich shop. When I first moved there I looked specifically for jobs close to  where I lived, and there were plenty of places looking to hire service help for the busy summer season. This was before the Internet. I found my job by going door-to-door and speaking to business owners. The bike ride to work was a pleasure, except on rainy days. After college I moved to Boulder, Colorado, where I managed to make life work with only a bike. I temped a  lot, and many businesses were outside of town. I would sometimes ride 20-30 minutes to an employer’s site. I  was an avid  runner and  was probably in the best shape of my life. Winter was another story. One winter I was lucky enough to have a job that was only a five-minute walk from my home. Another winter I  tried riding the half hour to work in zero degree weather and ended up with frostbite, which had permanent  consequences. My hands now have such poor circulation that they turn blue and go numb when it’s below 65 degrees. They also go numb in grocery stores after handling produce. If you live in a cold climate, find a job where you can take a bus or get a ride to work in the winter. Moving to San Francisco opened up my job opportunities significantly. I chose to live in a neighborhood with access to public transportation. I had no problem finding a job downtown and worked for several different companies  that  were in or close to downtown. In 2004 I was laid off from Levi Strauss. After several months of searching, the best job opportunity I found was at a company 25 miles south of San Francisco with no public transit option. I was so excited about this job that I decided I would find a way to make it work. I rented or borrowed cars to get to each of the three rounds of interviewing. Once I accepted the offer  a friend who had a car but took public transit to  work offered to let me use hers until I got one of my own. During the first week  on the job I test drove cars every evening after work and made my purchase on that Friday night. Since I had a job and enough saved for a small down payment, it was easy to get a loan. After 10 years of car ownership I can’t imagine how I did it all without one. It took a lot of ingenuity, planning and asking for help. Here are some things you can do: Narrow your company targets. Look at bus maps, and use Google Maps to find businesses near bus routes that are convenient for you. Look for job listings at those companies and try to network your way in. Educate yourself before you apply. Look up the address of every company you apply to and calculate bus or bike commute times. Is it worth the trade-off a long commute for the opportunity? Look for bike routes and showers. If you’re a cyclist, find out which companies are on bike-friendly routes, and ask if there’s a shower on site. Rely on your community. Talk to your neighbors, and find out where they work. You might be able to find a job at a neighbor’s company or in the vicinity. Offer to contribute by paying for half of the gas in exchange for carpooling. Know your commute costs. In some cities you can buy a monthly transit pass. In others, you pay by the ride, and some rides can turn out to be costly. See if potential employers subsidize public transit. Look for employer-provided transit. Many companies in the Bay Area now have shuttles that run from the city of San Francisco to their Silicon Valley campuses. Others provide shuttles from transit stations. Read employer websites, and use your network to find out about companies with these options.