10 TIPS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES

While typically healthier than people in many other age groups, college students often battle headaches and migraines that are caused by stress, intense studying, lack of sleep, and other issues.

Although the occasional headache can be relatively harmless, intense episodes or persistent pains can interfere with day-to-day life. Certain headache disorders can be debilitating, to the point where some students need to seek immediate medical attention or collect long-term disability benefits.

Whether you’re looking to fight off the occasional mild headache or combat painful migraines, here are 10 tips for college students who suffer from headaches and migraines.

1. Reduce the strain on your eyes

Many headaches are caused by students putting too much strain on their eyes. This can be the result of poor lighting, blinding glares, excessively bright colors, or computer vision syndrome (CVS)—a condition caused when people stare at computer screens, tablets, or phones for extended periods.

Optimize your workspaces so that they put minimal strain on your eyes. Rather than working in the dark, turn on a few lights or remove the shutters from a few windows. Rather than positioning a bright light directly in front of your eyes, move it slightly out of your field of view.

As your school program already requires you to spend a significant amount of time in front of a computer screen, try to cut back on some of the more unnecessary screen time. Also, remember to take frequent breaks in between tasks!

2. Invest in an ergonomic chair

Bad posture can also be a cause for certain headaches. Unfortunately for college students, they are often required to sit in rigid classroom and library chairs for long periods.

To improve your posture, consider investing in an ergonomic chair for your own personal study time. Not only will an ergonomic chair help you correct some of the minor postural issues that go undetected but it will also provide a greater level of comfort.

3. Monitor your caffeine intake

While caffeine certainly has its benefits—improving memory, increasing alertness, temporarily decreasing fatigue, and even relieving certain headaches—it can also be the cause of headaches when not used in moderation.

When you consume caffeine, the blood vessels surrounding your brain narrow. When you stop consuming caffeine, those same blood vessels expand and put pressure on the surrounding nerves. This can cause what is often referred to as a “withdrawal” headache.

Rather than relying so heavily on caffeine to stay awake and be productive, carefully monitor your caffeine consumption to avoid painful withdrawals.

4. Stay hydrated

For many students, headaches are simply the result of dehydration. Even during simple tasks that involve very little physical activity, your body is constantly losing fluids that need to be replenished.

After a few glasses of water, most dehydration-related headaches are resolved within three hours. While you may choose to drink coffee, tea, soda, and other beverages throughout any given day, be sure to drink plenty of water in between.

5. Maintain a routine

One of the most effective ways to manage stress is to create a daily routine and stick to it. A routine provides you with a complete picture of what needs to be achieved, and subsequently, gives you the confidence to achieve it.

Besides potentially eradicating headaches and migraines, lower stress levels can also improve both your mental and physical health across the board—putting you at lower risk for certain conditions and illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and heart disease.

6. Create a sleep schedule

It’s not unlike university students to study well into the night when completing an assignment or preparing for an exam—forfeiting much-needed rest in pursuit of a good grade.

Unfortunately, sleep deprivation can be the source of headaches and migraines. Not to mention, it can actually have a negative impact on academic performance. Instead, create a sleep schedule that allows you to get 7 – 9 hours of rest at a consistent time each night.

7. Improve your diet

Sticking to a healthy diet can also eliminate certain headaches and migraines. According to one study, 42% of adults reported that eating a vegan diet or removing certain dietary triggers helped with their migraines.

Even if you’re unwilling to adopt a vegan diet at this time, most students can improve their diets significantly by preferring fresh foods—such as fruits and vegetables—to foods that are packed with preservatives and unhealthy sugars.

If you live in an apartment or suite, consider preparing your own healthy meals rather than resorting to takeout and fast food. If you’re on your college’s meal plan, consider selecting the healthiest options that are being offered whenever possible.

A healthy diet also requires you to refuel at the right times. Avoid the temptation of skipping meals when you’re studying for a test or using conventional meal times to catch up on sleep.

8. Exercise often

For students whose headaches and migraines are related to stress or lack of sleep, physical activity can often be the solution.

Exercise not only improves blood and oxygen circulation throughout the body, including the brain, but it also allows individuals to fall asleep more easily at night. Additionally, physical activity causes the body to release endorphins—hormones that are known to relieve both pain and stress.

9. Make your school aware of your condition

If your experience with headaches or migraines has become a legitimate disability, it’s wise to make your college or university aware by filing disability accommodation paperwork.

Although not required, it might also be worth discussing your condition with your professors directly. If severe, debilitating pain ever causes you to miss a lecture or assignment, a professor might be more understanding than if he or she had no knowledge of your disability.

10. Reevaluate your workload

Particularly for those who are working jobs while attending college, headaches and migraines can be the result of extreme stress.

Consider whether or not your heavy course load is contributing to your condition. There’s no shame in curbing the amount of work you take on each semester. In fact, doing so could even improve your academic performance.

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4 Tips For Great Employee-Manager Relations

It’s no secret that not every employee gets on with their boss.

There can be a wide range of reasons for this, from overbearing managers who don’t listen to employees to inefficient leadership structures leaving those lower down the ladder unsure about their job roles and responsibilities.

Forbes reports that 58% of managers never even received training on how to carry out their role, so it’s no wonder there are issues.

However, for your business to flourish it’s crucial that your workforce is united and everyone can work together, from the most senior member of staff to the most junior. To help you achieve this goal, we’ve come up with four ways to make your employee-manager relationships and communication levels as good as possible.

1. Smooth Management Transitions

There’s nothing worse as an employee than a manager who clearly doesn’t know what they’re doing. To prevent this, you must provide new managers with an appropriate level of training and support as they start their role. This will help employees to trust their managers, and help the managers to feel more confident in their position and less likely to be overbearing or timid.

For an in-depth investigation of this topic, you can read a report by UConn MBA Jasdeep Singh which explains exactly how to best carry out this crucial task.

2. Regular Feedback Surveys

One of the best ways to find out what employees and managers think about their relationship is to regularly survey them. This will allow you to quickly discover any issues and remedy them before they cause a more serious rift.

If you’re worried that employees may not feel comfortable responding honestly if they have problems, a great idea is to make the surveys anonymous. This way staff can reveal how they really feel about relationships between employees and management without fear that it will harm their job prospects or relationships with colleagues.

3. Take A Training Course

Although there are many things that you can personally do to improve relationships between management and employees, sometimes contacting a professional is the best way to remedy a serious issue.

You don’t need to work out thousands of dollars to find an effective service. There are plenty of free human relations and communications courses offered online by Ivy League universities and important organizations, helping you and your term to learn for free.

4. Try Teamwork Activities

Sometimes the best way to help your team bond is to take them out of the office completely. Allowing them to work as a team of equals in a situation that isn’t work-related can help them to wind down and have fun, as well as improving team relationships.

You don’t have to pick a traditional team activity like outdoor pursuits for this to work. Sometimes simply sitting down to have a meal as a team can help employees and managers to get to know each other as people and build respect.

See Your Team Growing Stronger

If you want your company to work efficiently, it’s always best to ensure that employees’ needs are being met and relationships between general staff and managers are strong.

International consultancy firm KPMG has reported that as of 2019, only34% of HR leaders are confident in their ability to transform the workforce in the digital era, so prioritizing this will help you to stand out from the crowd and improve your chances of business success.

By using these four simple tips you can help to build a strong and successful team, and see your company flourish.

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5 Tips for Finding That Perfect Internship Match

Internships aren’t just resumé fodder.

They’re opportunities to get hands-on experience in your desired field. They’re chances for growth, exploration, and connection within your expertise and beyond.

That’s why you should seek your perfect internship match — and that’s not necessarily with a Fortune 500 company.

As UConn MBA student Jasdeep Singh advises, you shouldn’t let your perceived “perfect” internship interfere with finding the right one. Therefore, we’ve written a list of tips on sourcing the internship that’ll boost your future to new heights.

1. Understand Full Scope of Your Career Interests

Construct an idea of what you want, but don’t fret over the specifics. Take time to consider all your interests and how they could broaden your career options.

Are you a finance major, but love film and TV? Consider a business internship with a production company. Maybe you’re in an artistic field, but have a passion for mental health care. Try interning at a health facility or outreach program that emphasizes arts rehabilitation.

The world is your oyster; there’s no need to limit yourself.

2. Use Your Network

Discuss your career interests with college advisors, career counselors, faculty, friends, and even family. 70% of opportunities remain unlisted, and about 85% of jobs are secured through networking. It’s in your best interest to utilize your circle, you may discover opportunities no one else has access to.

Don’t forget your network also includes alumni, even if you haven’t met them personally. Just be sure to send a thank you to anyone who’s helped you along the way.

3. Start Early

Minimize stress by starting your search and application process early. Grant yourself wiggle room to check out your options, talk to people, research companies, and apply.

Companies don’t always offer internships year-round, so keep your deadline dates organized. Research every opportunity, but know what time-sensitive material to prioritize.

For the standard summer or winter internships, applications can open several months in advance. Applications surge a few weeks leading up to a deadline, so stand out by getting your materials in early.

The most important takeaway here is don’t procrastinate, or you risk missing out.

4. Hone Your Interview Skills

No matter the internship, you’ll face an interview process. You can prep by:

  • Researching interview questions
  • Staging mock interviews for practice
  • Learning all you can about the company
  • Preparing questions for your interviewer about the position

Interviews give the chance to discuss your qualification in-depth and to see if the company is the right fit for you. Preparing for the process will help you communicate your points effectively (and communication is one of the top values employers seek).

5. Consider Immediate Needs Alongside Future Goals

You may run into the dilemma of finding a fantastic internship that promises future success but doesn’t consider your immediate needs.

If money is crucial right now, don’t opt for an unpaid internship that drains your savings. The opportunity cost of unpaid internships is about $13,000. Narrow your search to paid opportunities to remain on a steady track forward.

And if finances aren’t a concern? Carefully comb through prospects for what provides the best learning opportunity and helps you gain professional skills.

Final Thoughts — Take These Tips with You

Keep your prospects open, use your network for personalized help, and give yourself the time you need.

Keep these tips, and your best interests, in mind during your search. It’ll take some hustle, but we’re confident you’ll find the internship that’s tailored completely to you.

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What Is Academic Writing? Do’s and Don’ts for Students

Academic writing is a formal style of writing that is used by the academic community. For example, academic writing is used by universities and academic journals. If you want to publish your article in a peer-reviewed journal, you should stick with the academic style. Students need to use the academic style when writing research papers, dissertations, literature reviews, essays, and other types of academic assignments.

In the opinion of betterwritingservices.com, the vast majority of American students avoid the stress of writing academic papers and prefer to buy them online from legitimate essay writing companies.

In this article, we will consider some specific features of academic writing in more detail and take a look at the main dos and don’ts of formal writing.

The Key Features of Academic Writing

First of all, academic writing should be unbiased and formal. All your claims must be based on evidence, and you cannot build your arguments around your personal opinions or assumptions. You can make your writing unbiased by presenting research results accurately, acknowledging the limitations of your own research, and addressing opposite viewpoints. The formal style of writing requires you to make your paper consistent in terms of logic and structure. Besides, you should avoid colloquialisms, clichés, and contractions.

Academic writing should also be precise and clear, which means that you must avoid vague phrases and statements that can be interpreted in different ways. Besides, you should avoid words like “perhaps” or “likely” because your arguments should be specific, and you should present them with confidence. We recommend that you read academic journals to familiarize yourself with the writing style and vocabulary.

Last but not least, academic writing must be well-structured and well-focused. Your arguments and all the information that you provide must be perfectly relevant to your general topic. The overall structure may vary depending on the type of paper and word count, but the structure of the content should meet some common requirements so that your paper will be easy to comprehend. For instance, each of your paragraphs should focus on a specific idea expressed in a topic sentence. Use transitional phrases to connect different paragraphs and include transitional words in sentences to indicate the connection between different ideas.

As you can see, academic writing is all about precision, clarity, and credibility. Therefore, you should also select reputable sources. While you might feel tempted to use any sources that support your opinion, you must make sure that your sources are actually credible and relevant. Use your university library and academic databases. Don’t forget to cite your sources according to the necessary citation format.

The Do’s

 

  • Write clearly
    Even though your academic papers might be dedicated to complex topics, you should make sure that they are easy to read. Your readers should understand exactly what you’re saying. Always start paragraphs with topic sentences and keep your sentences brief. Avoid complex terms if you can deliver the same information in a simpler way.

 

 

  • Stay objective
    Academic writing must be based on facts and logic. It should also be precise and not influenced by emotions. You need to present information in an objective and impersonal way. To stay objective, you must only use reliable academic sources and support all of your arguments with data. Avoid clichés because they will damage the overall clarity and make your writing less specific. Besides, you should only write in the third person.

 

 

  • Use various sentence structures
    Academic writing can easily become boring, especially when your audience needs to read the same long sentences over and over again. Moreover, long, overcomplicated sentences may make your audience think that you’re unable to formulate your ideas in an easy-to-understand way. In contrast, if you use short sentences only, you won’t let your readers reflect on the overall meaning, creating a sense of a rush. We recommend that you choose a well-balanced approach, using both long and short sentences.

 

 

  • Use technical vocabulary
    All academic subjects have a certain jargon, and you can use it to communicate your thoughts precisely. However, you should only use specific terms when you actually need them. Don’t try to impress your readers with complex words because this way, you will just make your text difficult to read.

 

The Don’ts

 

  • Avoid a personal language
    Although you may use the first person when writing admission and narrative essays, the use of the first person is generally prohibited in academic writing. Besides, one of your main goals is to stay objective so there’s no place for your personal perspective.

 

 

  • Avoid colloquialisms
    When writing academic papers, you should be especially careful with your word choice. While conversational English enables you to use some slang words and informal phrases, you should never use them in academic writing. We recommend that you read your paper once you’ve finished writing, and replace any colloquial language with appropriate forms.

 

 

  • Don’t use the wrong verb tense
    Students often change the verb tense by mistake, switching from one tense to another, even though different actions may take place within the same timeframe. You should always be careful with the verb tense because it indicates whether something happened in the past, present, or future. We recommend that you always check the verb tense when editing your papers.

 

 

  • Avoid inappropriate fonts and formatting
    When it comes to formatting, you should follow clear guidelines. There are different formatting styles used in academic writing, such as APA, Chicago, MLA, Harvard, and others. Every style has certain requirements regarding margins, fonts, and other details of formatting. Before you start to write your academic paper, make sure to check the rules of the required citation style and determine what fonts you can use, as well as what your headings, citations, and main content should look like.

 

Final Thoughts

Academic writing requires you to stick with the formal writing style and to express your thoughts in the most precise and objective way. All students have to be familiar with academic writing and use it when writing assignments. Even though academic writing is much more difficult than informal conversational English, it’s easy to master once you’ve familiarized yourself with some clear rules. We hope that this guide will help you avoid some common mistakes and write academic papers that will be appreciated by professors.

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How Elevations RTC Encourages Every Student To Remain Healthy and Active

Going off to a troubled teen program for any reason can be a bit of a scary situation for teenagers. A lot of the time, students are stepping away from home for the first time, and they are trying to get their life on track to be a better person overall.

While education and rehabilitation are often stressed early on, there are hidden benefits to living full-time on campus. For instance, Elevations RTC feels very strongly about making sure that every student has the chance to stay healthy and active while on campus. Offering countless opportunities makes it so much easier to follow and stick to a plan that works, which leads to numerous benefits.

Whether it is team sports in the gym or weekend outings in the winter to the mountains nearby in the greater Salt Lake City area, the options are there for students to decide how they want to get physical activity. A step inside the cafeteria and a view of food choices also showcase healthy opportunities for food. Why such a focus on healthy living? The benefits are endless.

Fighting against physical struggles

No matter what someone is facing before heading to the Elevations RTC school, staying busy is a perfect way to take the mind off of lingering issues. There is less time to think about troubles when staying active and doing something exciting. A lot of people end up finding an activity or two that truly stands out, and that can make a huge difference.

Staying active can cut back on the chance of depression or anxiety seeping in and becoming an issue. Less idle time reduces those bad thoughts and keeps more focus on why a teenager is at Elevations in the first place.

Learning new passions for life

If every student who comes through the doors at Elevations RTC can leave with just one new passion in life, it can be viewed as a successful run. Healthy passions can have so many different benefits for people of all ages, and it is conducive for those who are attempting to get their life on track.

Developing healthy habits in a controlled setting can go so well that they continue away from Elevations. In some scenarios, students will find work opportunities later on in life that relates to their passion. A few examples include working in the arts, finding a job in sports, or landing a tech job. Even if it is as simple as understanding the difference routine workouts can make, it pays to stick with it.

There is every opportunity for students to pursue whatever passion they are into at Elevations RTC. There are extracurricular activities, and even ways to learn more on certain school subjects. Even if there is currently no group or any other students interested in something, the Elevations RTC staff will work with each individual to ensure that they are getting an opportunity to do what they want.

A boost in self-esteem

Even if a person already feels like they are in good shape, there is something to be said for staying active and getting in even better shape. Some leave Elevations RTC in the best condition of their life because they are actually using the time for physical activity the way teens should use it. With smaller class sizes and more opportunities than a traditional classroom,

Just a little bit of added self-esteem can affect a person’s entire life. They feel more confident when they are around others, and they start to feel what a difference it can make to live a healthier life. Eating healthy and exercising keeps the body fresher than ever, and many students at Elevations RTC surprise their family back home after being away for a while. The majority of families notice a positive change in appearance and mood after spending time on campus.

Eating for success

The saying goes that a person can never outwork a terrible diet. Nutrition is just as big of a part of physical goals as working out and staying active. That is why it is taken so seriously on campus, as students have resources that just are not available in traditional school systems.

The biggest positive at Elevations RTC is that students have a nutritionist on campus to turn to when staying on the right track. The nutritionist runs a specialty healthy eating group to support students on campus. They also are available for individual meetings for anyone who needs additional support in regard to eating issues and diet.

Eating healthy has even turned into a group activity, as there are specific gardening and food clubs on campus. Students have the opportunity to learn how to grow particular things and eventually incorporate them into their diet. This is a skill that can last a lifetime, as many students realize for the first time just how easy it is to start and maintain a garden with a decent amount of space to work with.

Strength in numbers at Elevations RTC

Students have the opportunity to work out every day with their peers. They have a physical education teacher who helps create workouts and structure regarding their time in the gym.  Having strength in numbers and all the support one could ask for is the perfect opportunity for anyone to start with healthy habits.

It is a challenge to eat healthily and work out multiple times a week, but it is doable with the right support. Once students taste positive changes, it can even make matters that much better in the end.

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Three Ways Governments and Institutions Are Restricting Foreign Students

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world were closing borders and increasing controls over foreigners within them. Throughout Europe and the United States, the mass movements of migrants from war-torn regions or in search of better economic conditions provoked reactions and closures that led to restrictions on movement and closer monitoring of identities and credentials, especially for non-citizens. As the pandemic spread globally, those closures, lockdowns and curtailments of free movements for foreigners have increased. We’ll consider ways in which governments and educational institutions have been cracking down on foreign students.

  • Governments and institutions requiring certified translations of documentation

The last decade has seen a massive increase in the amount of documentation required to cross borders and on the ability of foreigners to enter the educational and other institutions of a nation not their own. Visas now are harder to come by, restricted both in terms of numbers and in terms of the difficulty to obtain them. In addition, foreign language documents must be accompanied by certified translations, compelling applicants for visas or foreign educational programs to pay for often pricey certified translation services. The costs of translation certification can represent a significant deterrent which may discourage applications altogether.

The reasons for requiring certification of document translation are easily justified by the institutions themselves, backed by government policies on immigration and movement of foreigners. For sure, educational visas have long been a loophole that have been used to enter foreign countries and secure otherwise difficult to obtain visas. In many cases, educational visas have served as the easiest way for foreigners to gain entry to a country, even if their real intention is not to study but work. A recognized translation authority must verify the authenticity of a diploma or certificate. This adds a hurdle for the would-be applicant for a visa or for entry into an educational program.

An additional loophole for foreign applicants’ education has been the ability to fake employment credentials, claiming or exaggerating work experience. Thousands of fraudulent student visas have been uncovered. A particular vulnerability has been revealed in the F1 visa program, which allows foreign students to remain in the United States to work after they obtain their degrees. In some cases, the educational institutions facilitated this deception by accepting bogus documentation. 

Requiring certified translations will deter fraudulent uses. And the requirements of certified translation can easily be solved by certified translation services, which verifies the authenticity and originality of translated documents by expert linguists from accredited authorities. The extra expense of certified translation services shifts the burden onto the student visa seeker, but it also reduces the likelihood of fraud on the part of sketchy institutions. 

  • Stringent medical requirements and strict quarantines keeping foreigners out

The global pandemic has brought the travel and tourism industry to a virtual standstill. But it has also put a damper on foreign exchange educational programs. In addition to the additional documents and certified translations required of foreign students, many countries have imposed medical requirements which serve to deter academics from moving between countries. 

Thailand was the first country after China to record a COVID-19 infection, but the southeast Asian “land of smiles” was quick to limit the spread of the outbreak by slamming shut its external borders, canceling visas, and basically placing a “no foreigners admitted” sign on its frontiers. The move was successful in limiting the viral spread, but it also had a devastating effect on a tourism industry that annually was greeting nearly forty million visitors. 

Less reported but also profoundly affected were Thai educational institutions, which typically earned a substantial portion of their income from foreign students, many from the Middle East, Africa, and neighboring nations. All entrants to the nations were required to undergo a draconian 16-day quarantine, something only a small trickle of tourists and students have been willing to endure. Only Hong Kong, with a 21-day quarantine, is stricter.

  • As education goes online, entry denials and deportations of students are on the rise

In July 2020, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency issued strict new rules to the country’s education institutions with online-only programs. The institutions were charged with informing students, either still in their home countries or already in the US, that they will be deported or denied entry unless they can secure admission at a program with in-person classes. Potentially this could affect many if not most of international students, representing about 5.5% of the nation’s student body.

This policy poses a problem not only for students but for educational institutions as well. Foreign students pay tuition on average three times greater than American students. In 2018, they accounted for some $45 billion income for US colleges and universities, effectively subsidizing the tuition of domestic students. It remains to be seen how the Biden administration’s policies will deal with the issue, though there are some promising signs.

The bottom line is that 2021 promises to be another trying year for foreign students across the world. It remains to be seen whether the restrictions on educational pursuits will prove additional side effects of the global pandemic and draconian government controls.

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How to improve your resume ready to apply for a leadership role in business

No matter your employment status, it is highly likely that you have already got a resume saved to your computer that you can easily access at any time. It might be the resume that got you your current job, one you have been sending out looking for a better role or even one that you are currently using to get your first step up onto the career ladder. No matter how successful the resume has been in the past, it is important that you adapt it to every single job you apply for. Even if the job requirements seem very similar to one you have applied for before, every employer is looking for someone slightly different with a slightly different set of skills. This is especially the case if you are applying for a leadership role within a business. Here is a look at some of the ways you can prepare your resume ready to apply 

Further your education

You might think once you have completed college or even high school that your education is over. That does not have to be the case. There are lots of courses, such as a masters in leadership online course that you can complete at any time in your career. The great thing about these courses is that you can complete them alongside your current job. Unlike when you were younger, you do not have to move to a campus or attend several different lessons every day of the week to complete a masters in leadership online. All you need is a laptop and access to the internet, and you can complete all of the course’s content online. You can also choose exactly when and how you complete all of the course material. For example, if your job keeps you busy in the mornings, you do not have to be worried about making it to a 9am lecture every week. You could choose what time you put aside to complete your masters in leadership online, whether that be very early in the morning, in the evenings once you get home from work or even on the weekends if you would rather. 

You might think that this is a lot of effort to go to for what will ultimately be a couple of lines on your resume. What is important to remember, is when it comes to a resume it is not quantity but quality. Not only does a degree like a masters in leadership online course show that you have developed your leadership skills, it also shows you have gone above and beyond to better yourself. Employers are always looking for people who are motivated to improve their own skills to help improve the business, so a masters in leadership online course would be one of the best ways of demonstrating this much sought after personality trait. As it is an online course, it also means it will cause less disruption to your life. Many masters in leadership online courses can be completed within a year, meaning you can learn everything you need to know about leadership within a very short amount of time. The sooner you complete the course, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of this new skillset. 

List your skills and talk about their relevance to the job you are applying for

One of the main things you will want to include on any resume are the skills that make you stand out from the rest. Whilst you might think it is as simple as listing what you are good at, it is important to also explain why these skills would make you the ideal candidate for this job. Look at the requirements for each job advert and try and match them to the skills that you list on your resume. For example, if a job requires someone to be experienced with a particular piece of software, it is not good enough to put down that you are confident using computers. You should talk about which software you have experience using. There is a big difference in being confident in using a word processor and an excel spreadsheet. As well as just saying you are confident, talk about some of the things you are skilled at completing with that software. For example, you could say that you are skilled at producing reliable formulas to accurately calculate the businesses finances and give the most insightful look into the day to the profitability of the company.

It is also not enough to simply say you are good at something. If getting a job was that easy, then we would all be applying for the best paid jobs in the country. You also need to be able to prove that you are as good as you say you are. You need to be able to prove skills that you have learnt, whether that is on the job or a masters in leadership online A lot of the times employers will test your abilities with pre-interview assignments or even examinations during the interview process. Before you get to that point, it is still a good idea that you give the employer a reason to be confident that you truly understand how to do the things you say you are skilled at. Failure to do so could see you eliminated from the job application process before you even get to the interview stage and are able to demonstrate your practical skills as part of an examination or an assignment. Try and think of real-life examples where you have used those skills to help your previous business. For example, you could say that you are skilled in producing effective social media and designed a campaign for your previous business that significantly increased your follower numbers and in turn visitors to the website. Being able to explain exactly how good you are at these skills, and how beneficial this skillset will be to a business, will put you in the best possible chance of securing that position. 

Talk about the responsibilities you had at each job

As well as somebody that is skilled, any group of people looking at your resume and considering whether to invite you to an interview will also be looking for someone that they can trust. It is all well and good being fully trained to do the job, whether that is through experience or through completing a masters in leadership online, but you also need to put the effort in. If you are lazy, late and simply disobedient, an employer could end up hiring someone that does not get the work completed on time or to a high standard. It is often difficult to persuade somebody that you have just met that they can trust you. It is even more difficult to persuade someone you have never met with just a few sides of paper.

One of the best ways to convince an interview panel that they can trust you is to try and explain exactly how much trust you gained from your previous or your current employer. For example, if you were given any extra responsibilities over your colleagues, list those on your job application. This could be anything from being responsible for running the businesses social media pages, running promotional campaigns or something as simple as making sure the business does not run out of supplies. You might think that being in charge of something as simple as checking the level of pens and printer toner you have in the office and reordering them when necessary might be a minor responsibility. The reality is that anybody who has ever worked in an office knows exactly how important these small things can be to the day to day running of any business. The sheer fact that an employer chose you over any of your colleagues to complete this task shows that they had a lot more trust in you to make sure the job gets completed correctly. 

Format your layout to show off your technical skills

When looking through applications for a new job, an employer will probably look through lots of different documents at the same time. It is highly likely that around 90 percent of these resumes will look exactly the same. They will be printed in the same fonts, with the same text positioned in the same way. That is why it is not only just important to make sure the text you include in your resume helps you stand out from the rest of the candidates. It is also important that the overall design is impressive, so it helps you stand out from the rest of the crowd when they first glance at your resume. If they are impressed with their first glance at the resume, they are more likely to want to spend more time reading your resume to learn about the person who put together this impressive design. 

Resume design does not only help you stand out from the crowd. It also helps demonstrate how skilful you are at using certain types of software. For example, if a job requires someone to have a good understanding of using Word, try and use as many of the features within the software that are appropriate for a resume. This could include anything from splitting the page into two or even three columns to make the use of any wasted white space on the page, to including formatted headings to each section. If you are applying for a job where design skills are especially important, like a graphic designer or another equally creative role, it is just as important to design a CV that shows of your skills. If this is the case, try and think outside the box. Instead of writing a simple word document, why not create an infographic or a short video on the software they would expect you to be able to use to impress your potential new bosses. 

Do not forget the most simple pieces of information

When you are thinking of all the creative ways you can impress your potential new boss, it can often be easy to forget the simple things. When it comes to a resume, there are certain things that probably will not persuade an employer to give you a job but are vital for them to have as part of the job process. For example, if you forget to include contact details like your phone number or your email address, they simply will not have any way of being able to invite you to the next stage of the interview process. Whilst they might be able to go back through previous correspondence you have had with them to try and find a way of getting in touch with you, the fact that they would have to go to the effort to rectify one of your mistakes is not a good first impression to make with a new employer. Instead, make sure all of this important information is clearly displayed at the top of the resume. If you have completed any additional education, like a masters in leadership online, make sure you include the institution you studied at and when you completed the course.

If there are certain skills that are vital to the role, it is also important that you demonstrate you have those skills or qualifications on your resume. If a job advert says the role requires someone with a clean driving license, do not just presume that they will know that you have one. Make sure you explicitly say that you do within the resume. An interview panel will not want to waste time meeting with someone who simply is not qualified enough to be able to carry out a job, so are highly likely to choose to not offer you an interview if they are concerned that you do not have an important skill or qualification.  

Check, check and check again 

Once you have completed your job resume, it is important to check that every single word in that document is correct. First, check that it all reads correctly, makes sense and none of your sentence structures sound too clunky. Check that you have spelt every word correctly, especially certain technical terms or brands that your software spellchecker might not pick up on. Then check all of the information is factually correct. Double check things like your phone number and your email address, as if you get these incorrect you might simply not receive any invitation to the next stage of the interview process.

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Scrum guide – what is it?

Scrum is a framework for the purpose of project management that facilitates teamwork. The Scrum framework redefines the values and moves forward with interactive progress towards achieving the goal. The real question is why scrum and why not waterfall? The waterfall is a model that breaks down the project-related activities into sequential phases, whereas one phase is dependent upon the other phase. In simple words, it delivers phases and scrum provides features.

Waterfall phases are connected and due to the sequential process, hence it is not valuable until the project reaches its end. Scrum works as a solution to such a problem, by providing new features right after a few weeks, instead of focusing on big releases.

Scrum provides assistance in breaking down the complex activities into smaller pieces, large enterprises into smaller teams, and large projects into sprints. The structure of the scrum framework is based upon three pillars, transparency, inspection, and adaptation. All three pillars hold equal significance.

The actual purpose of the scrum guide

The scrum was developed in the early 1990s. The first version of the scrum guide was introduced in 2010, in order to help people all around the world. The purpose of the scrum guide was to make it easy for people to understand scrum. Since then, the guide evolved with functional updates with the most recent version being released in 2020. The latest Scrum guide changes summary refers to the biggest change in the section of “Scrum Artifacts”.

So why scrum guide is important and what does it really contain?

The scrum guide puts the light on the definition of a scrum. It is important to understand that each element of the framework holds a specific purpose that holds importance in the final overall value. Scrum comes with its full benefits when it is expected the way it is, without bringing any change in the core design, eliminating elements, or not following the rules and terms of the scrum.

The use of scrum is escalating as the complexity is rising. It is applicable in several domains dealing with complex work. Scrum involvement refers to the use of analysts, scientists, developers, researchers, and spreads, the rest is done by specialists. The world “developers used in scrum is to simplify it, not to exclude. 

Scrum values

The fundamentals of scrum are based on a team of people, which consists of developers, scrum master, and product owner. There is no presence of a hierarchy of small sub-teams. It is such an organized unit, where all professionals are diverted towards focusing on one aim at a time and that is the product goal. 

Scrum teams are always cross-functional, as all the required expertise and skills are found in the members of the team. they all are self-organized means that decisions like what, who, when, and how are decided internally.

The scrum responsibilities are widespread overall activities such as research and development, operation, maintenance, verification, stakeholder collaboration, and experimentation. They are all structured and organized in a way that successfully manages their own work. It is the responsibility of the scrum team to create a valuable and useful increment every sprint.

The sprint 

Sprint is the backbone or according to some professionals “heart” of a scrum, where the idea is converted to value. Sprints are considered fixed-length events less than a month or a complete month to develop consistency. The next sprint starts right after the completion of the previous sprint. All the elements required to achieve the product goal such as sprint review, daily scrums take place within scrum.

Throughout the sprint, changes are discouraged as they might endanger the Sprint Goal. the quality remains consistent, the product backlog is refined accordingly. There are multiple to forecast the progress like cumulative flows. Only the product owner is authorized to cancel the sprint if sprint results come to obsoletion.

Sprint planning

Sprint planning is like a workstation that lay out the work that is supposed to be performed for the sprint. The whole scrum team is behind the creation of a resulting plan. Sprint planning considers the following topics. Topic one relates to “why is the sprint valuable?” the second topic refers to “what can be done with a sprint?” and “how will the chosen work get done?

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What Are the Signs of Sexual Abuse in Teens?

As the parent of the teen, one of your first fears might be that they are abused in any way, including sexually. Unfortunately, sexual abuse is a reality, and perhaps one that’s more prevalent than you might think.

There are often stories of sexual abuse that happens to both male and female teens, and the perpetrator is often someone who is trusted, such as a teacher or school official.

The CDC estimates 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls will experience sexual abuse in the U.S. before they’re 18.

If you can recognize the warning signs of abuse, you may be able to stop it before it happens or do something about it quickly if it already has.

The signs of abuse in teens can be challenging to identify, however.

The following are things to know about red flags of sexual abuse that are often seen in teens, and also more details about what you can do if you’re a parent.

Physical Symptoms

You may wonder if there are physical symptoms and the difficulty in identifying sexual abuse is that there often aren’t. If there are, your teen may hide them from you. If there are physical symptoms, a medical professional might bring them to your attention as a parent, but these tend to be things that can easily be misdiagnosed.

If there were going to be physical signs or symptoms, they might include unexplained bruising or symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases.

Behavioral Symptoms

You are more likely to start to see there’s a problem by the way your teen behaves, but again, that can be challenging because teens tend to be moody and unpredictable regardless of the circumstances.

In girls, in particular, some of the symptoms that may occur when they are a victim of sexual abuse include:

  • Eating disorders: A lot of parents don’t understand the links between an eating disorder, particularly one that seems to have developed recently, and sexual abuse. Eating disorders can include anorexia but also bulimia and binge eating. A lot of times, sexual abuse survivors will feel a sense of shame or guilt, and they may try to deal with that by punishing themselves with food-related behavior.
  • Substance misuse: When a teen starts to use drugs or alcohol, there’s a tendency to automatically think they’re doing that because their friends are or they want to have fun. What a lot of parents and even educators don’t understand is that teen substance misuse is often masking something else that’s happening, and one of the things that it could be covering is sexual abuse. Research has found significant links, particularly in females, between substance use and sexual abuse at some point in their lifetime.
  • Depression: Depression, along with other mental health conditions, including anxiety, are common signs of sexual abuse.
  • Self-harm or self-destructive behavior: If a teen is cutting or harming themselves or talks about suicide or attempts it, there may be something else happening, particularly if this behavior has just seemed to come out of nowhere.
  • Some parents may notice that their teen seems to be very sexual or have an advanced level of sexual knowledge for their age. They might not even realize they’re sharing this with their parents.

Sometimes the signs of sexual abuse can be different in males versus females. A male may become aggressive, for example, while that’s less common in females.

Boys who have been sexually abused may show signs like inappropriate sexually related behavior and physical problems like pain in the genital area.

With both boys and girls, changes in sleeping or eating habits can also be indicators that something isn’t right.

If you do see anything that you as a parent feel isn’t right, it’s important to try and talk to your teen about it because they may be honest with you.

If your teen comes to you about it, you should first and foremost tell them that you believe them and thank them for being honest.

If your teen comes to you to tell you this, rather than asking questions, just let them speak.

From there, you will need to get professionals involved.

Contacting the Authorities

If you find out, as a parent, that your teen has been sexually abused, no matter what your child says they want, you have to contact the authorities. This is important not only for your child but for other children and teens who could be victims.

You are obligated to report it, and there are safeguards in place to prevent your child from being retraumatized in a court situation.

You may also need to talk to a medical professional and also a counselor or mental health professional.

Dealing with Your Own Feelings

As a parent, your first priority will undoubtedly be helping your teen in any way possible, but eventually, you will also have to deal with your own feelings about the situation.

You may feel extreme anger, guilt, shame, or so many other emotions. It’s normal to feel this way, particularly since as a parent, you want to protect your child more than anything.

You first have to avoid showing these emotions around your teen because it’s probably going to heighten their own similar feelings.

You can talk openly and honestly with your teen, but don’t let your emotions become so outwardly escalated that you add to the stress or trauma your child is feeling.

You may benefit from participating in a support group or talking to a counselor yourself as well.

The reality is that a trauma like teenage sexual abuse can affect your child for the rest of their lives, but at the same time, their life is far from ruined, and the next steps you take can make a world of difference.

Long-term therapy and emotional support are going to be two of the best things available for your child.

Don’t pressure your teen into anything they don’t want to do, and take the process as slowly as they need it to be.

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5 of the Reasons Why You Should Learn Spanish as Part of Your Education

There are many students who never have the opportunity to learn a foreign language. Their school may not require them to learn one at any level, regardless of whether they’re in middle school, high school, or college. They also might not necessarily have the inclination to learn a foreign language on their own.

However, learning a foreign language can come in handy more than you might anticipate. There are dozens that you can take, but if you do have the opportunity, you may find that Spanish is the best way to go. Let’s discuss a few of the reasons why you may wish to learn it if you ever get the chance.

 

You Can Communicate with the Locals if You Ever Go on Vacation

Talking Spanish with native speakers is one thing that you can do if you ever go on vacation to a Spanish-speaking country. If you go to Spain, then they obviously speak Spanish there. There are several great cities worth visiting in Spain, such as Madrid, Salamanca, Barcelona, Ibiza, or Seville.

You could also head south of the border to Mexico, where they speak Spanish as well. You might visit Mexico City, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende, or Punta Mita.

There are some other countries you might visit where they speak Spanish or at least a version of it. The natives speak Spanish in Columbia, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Venezuela, and many more.

When you arrive, you can communicate easily with the desk attendant at your hotel. You can ask for directions at the airport, or you might talk to your tour guide if you decide to go out on a guided tour. Your Spanish knowledge will doubtless impress all of them.

 

You Can Speak to Various Contractors You Might Hire

It’s also highly likely that you might encounter contractors somewhere in the US that speak Spanish. You might hire a gardener, roofer, plumber, electrician, or other workers who speak Spanish primarily.

You also may need to hire a nanny, a website designer, mechanic, or many other positions where the candidate speaks more Spanish than they do English. If this is true, then you can talk to them about what you need done and get some idea about whether they will be the right fit for the project.

They will also likely appreciate your knowledge. You encounter many Spanish-speaking individuals in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, but you might run into them virtually anywhere across the US.

 

You May Have a Spanish-Speaking Person in Your Family One Day

It’s also definitely not outside the realm of possibility that you may have someone in your family one day who speaks Spanish fluently. Since there are so many different Spanish-speaking countries, you might easily meet and fall in love with someone who speaks Spanish, either as a first or second language.

If that happens, they will be happy that you can communicate with them in multiple languages. That will make things easier when you meet their parents or other relatives.

It’s also possible that someone else in your family might fall in love with a Spanish speaker. You might end up having a Spanish-speaking step-parent, or perhaps your brother, sister, cousin, etc., may bring a Spanish-speaking person home. If this occurs, they will like speaking to you in Spanish, and that will certainly make them feel more welcome and comfortable.

 

You Can Put Spanish Speaker on Your Resume

It’s also nice when you’re applying for a job, and you can put on your resume that you speak fluent or even a little Spanish. There are many jobs where the company will appreciate that skill.

Your boss might speak Spanish, or some of your other coworkers may speak it. You can understand what they want from you if you’re about to start a new project or you’re meeting them at a job site.

If you speak a foreign language, that might be what a would-be employer notices on a resume that can set you apart from some of the other candidates. If you can have a brief conversation with them to prove that you do indeed speak Spanish like you say you can, they may even hire you on the spot.

 

You Might Find that You Enjoy Learning Foreign Languages

One more reason why you may enjoy learning Spanish is that you might find out that learning a new language is a lot of fun. The more of a new language you understand, the more you will feel like you are broadening your horizons.

You might start with Spanish, but you may decide to learn some others as well, like Portuguese or French. There are also many Chinese and Japanese speakers abroad, and if you travel often, you may discover that the more languages you speak, the easier of a time you will have.

Aside from the reasons we mentioned, you may learn that you can help people in more situations than you might envision or expect. You might find a person lost in an airport, and if you speak their language, you can assist them.

You may come across a person who’s in trouble, such as if they are having a medical emergency. If they are not a native English speaker, you can give them a hand.

The reality is that people speak so many different languages, and with America being the melting pot that it is, you never really know when you’ll need to whip out your new linguistic skills. If you pay a tutor to teach you a new language, you will definitely find that the cost is well worth it.

If you speak more languages, then you will appear more worldly as well. You can impress the strangers who you meet, and they’ll realize that you’ve lived a rich and exciting life. Some of the world’s greatest travelers, inventors, and other historical figures were also bilingual or even multilingual.

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