Background Checks for Employment

hintergrund Checks for EmploymentBackground Checks for EmploymentSurveys show that up to 95% of employers require employees to undergo some type of hintergrund check sometimes including a credit check during the hiring process. Why do employers want this information? It could be for several reasons. For instance, if government security clearances are required for the job you are interviewing for, an employment hintergrund check may be required. For positions involving accounting or financial responsibilities, credit reports can provide insight into how financially dependable you are. Before you agree to allow an employer to run a background check during the hiring process, find out what kind of information they can discover and what your rights are. What is a Background Check? A background check is a review of a persons commercial, criminal, and (occasionally) financial records. Typically, an employer will contract with an outside vendor who specializes in background checks. T he background check company will review your records to determine if you are who you say you are and whether there are any red flags in your personal or professional history. Depending on restrictions imposed by state law, behauptung records might include criminal history, employment record, credit history, driving record, and even medical history. However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) cautions employers against using medical history or genetic information in hiring decisions. Why Employers Conduct Background Checks There are many reasons why background checks are commonly used in hiring. The employer may want to make sure you are telling the truth. Its estimated that over 40% of resumes can contain false or tweaked information, so employers want to ensure that you can do what claim. (Once they hire you, an employer may tout your qualifications to clients - if it is revealed that these qualifications are false, it reflects poorly on the employer.) The empl oyer may perform a background check to find out whether you actually graduated from the college you said you did or to confirm that you worked at your previous employer(s) during the time stated on your resume or your job application. These checks can also be used to protect employers from liability issues - if employees behave poorly, employers can sometimes be held responsible for negligence, or failing to do the research required. For example, if a bus company hires someone with a poor driving record, they can be held responsible if the driver gets into a crash the expectation is that a bus company should check the driving records of any candidate before hiring. Employers Must Ask Before Doing a Background Check Before doing a background or credit check, employers must request and receive written permission from you. If anything in the reports leads to the company deciding against hiring you, they are required to inform you and give you a copy of the report. These rules are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and are meant to protect you. For instance, perhaps something that turns up in your background check is incorrect- having access to the report will allow you to get in touch with the necessary organizations and agencies to correct the error. While some information on your background check may be of legitimate concern to employers, these checks canbedrngnis be used as an excuse to discriminate. Employers must request background checks of all applicants equally- for example, it would be illegal to check the criminal records of male job candidates but not female. And, employers cannot use background information to discriminate. Contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) if you suspect the background check was used in a discriminatory way. It is discrimination to make a hiring decision based on race, national origin, sex, religion, disability, genetic information, and age (for candidates 40 or older). Employment Backgrou nd Check Timing Many employers conduct background and reference checks during the hiring process, prior to offering a candidate the job. However, in some cases, a job offer may be contingent upon the results of the background check. That means the offer could be withdrawn if the organization finds negative information. If the checks arent finished before your start date, you could lose your job. Reference checking firm Allison and Taylor reports that many employment agreements and contracts include a stipulation that says the employer can hire you with a 90-day probation period. During this time, they will not only evaluate your job performance but, in some instances, will do background and reference checks. During this time, if the results are unsatisfactory, they have the legal right to fire you. Information Included in a Background Check Whats included in an employee background check? The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) sets the standards for screening for employment. The F CRA defines a background check as a consumer report. Before an employer can get a consumer report or run a credit check for employment purposes, they must notify you in writing and get your written authorization. In some states, there are limits on what employers can check. Employment History VerificationYour employment history includes all the companies you have worked for, your job titles, and the dates of employment and salary earned at each of your jobs. An employment history verification is conducted by an employer to confirm that the employment information included on your resume and/or job application is accurate. What Other Information Will Employers Seek? Employment background checks are being conducted by employers more frequently than in the past. Thats for several reasons, including concerns over negligent hiring lawsuits. However, background checks dont provide all the information many employers seek. If youre interviewing for a new job, you can expect to encounter some of these requests for information Job Applicant Credit ChecksIts becoming more common for companies to run credit checks on job applicants as well as employees being considered for promotion. Find out what information companies are allowed to check, how to handle a credit check, and how it might impact hiring. Whats in your credit report and why is it relevant to employment? Information available from your credit report can hamper your job search and can be grounds for knocking you out of contention for a job. Especially when it comes to jobs where money and financial information is involved, bad credit can be an issue. Drug and Alcohol TestsThere are several types of drugs and alcohol tests that candidates for employment may be asked to take. Hiring can be contingent upon passing pre-employment drug tests and screenings. Review information on the types of tests used to screen for drug use, what shows up in the tests, and how employment drug screening can impact hiring decisions. C riminal Records and Background ChecksLaws vary on checking criminal history depending on your state of residence. Some states dont allow questions about arrests or convictions beyond a certain point in the past. Others only allow consideration of criminal history for certain positions. Employment VerificationWhen hired for a new job, employees are required to prove that they are legally entitled to work in the United States. Employers are required to verify the identity and eligibility to work for all new employees. An Employment Eligibility Verification form (I-9 Form) must be completed and kept on file by the employer. One of the questions job seekers frequently ask is What can an employer say about former employees? Some job seekers presume that companies can only legally release dates of employment, salary, and your job title. However, thats not the case. While most companies will refrain from badmouthing a former employee to a prospective employer, they are legally allowed to d o so. Be aware of what a former employer might say before you begin the job interview process. The information contained in this article is not legal advice and is not a substitute for such advice. State and federal laws change frequently, and the information in this article may not reflect your own states laws or the most recent changes to the law.

How to read people 5 secrets backed by research

How to read people 5 secrets backed by researchHow to read people 5 secrets backed by researchWed all like to learn how to read people like Sherbeilock Holmes. And research shows understanding things like body language is even morapowerful than you might think.MIT found that the outcome of negotiations could be predicted by body language alone 87% of the time.FromThe Charisma Myth How Anyone Can Master the species and Science of Personal MagnetismAfter extensive studies, the MIT Media Lab concluded that it could predict the outcome of negotiations, telephone sales calls, and business plan pitches with 87 percent accuracy simply by analyzing participants body language, without listening to a single word of content.But fruchtwein of what youbelieve about body language and analyzing othersisbased on myth or guesswork, leid real research.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard titelbilding Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraSo how ca n you learn how to read people the right way? Lets get answers from experts and studies.But first we need to understand all the mistakes youre makingHeres What Youre DoingWrongInThe Silent Language of Leaders How Body Language Can Helpor HurtHow You Leadthe author points out a number of common errors people make in reading peopleIgnoring context Crossed arms dont mean much if the room is cold or the chair theyre sitting in doesnt have armrests. Everything has to pass the common sense test given the environment. So ask yourself Should someone in this situation be acting like this?Not looking for rubriks One of the biggest errors youmake is looking for one single tell. Thats great in movies about poker players but in real life its a consistent grouping of actions (sweating, touching the face, and stutteringtogether) that is really going to tell you something. So ask yourselfAre fruchtwein ofthis rolles behaviors associated with X?Not getting a baseline If someone is always jumpy, jump iness doesnt tell you anything. If someone is always jumpy and they suddenly stop moving - HELLO. So ask yourselfIs this how they normally act?Not being conscious of biases If you already like or dislike the person, its going to affect your judgment. And if peoplecomplimentyou, aresimilarto you, areattractive these can all sway you, unconsciously. (I know, I know, you dont fall for those tricks. Well, the biggest bias of all is thinking youreunbiased.)(To learn the 4 rituals that will make you an expert at anything, clickhere.)Soyoure taking context into consideration, youre looking for clusters of behaviors, youre getting a baseline and youre aware of your biases. Tall order. Lets make it simple to startIn reading people, when can you trust your gedeihlich?When To Trust Your InstinctsGood News your first impressions areusually pretty accurate.Bad News whether they are wrong or right,first impressionsaffect us in a big wayandwe are slow to change them.Sam Goslingis about as close t oSherlock Holmes as you can get. Hes apersonality psychologist at the University of Texas and author of the bookSnoop.Heres SamFirst impressions are often quite helpful but you have to be willing to update them quite rapidly. Thats whats very hard to do.So with no tips from me or Sam, and nothing mora to go on than a glance, what should youtrust your gut about when you first meet someone?Studies show if someone seemsextroverted, confident,religiousorconscientious- they probably are.And if theyre good-looking, trust your instinctseven mora.Why?We all pay mora attention to pretty people - and so our evaluations end up beingmora accurateOverall, people do judge a book by its cover, but a beautiful cover prompts a closer reading, leading mora physically attractive people to be seen both more positively and more accurately.And Sam says you can trustsomeones visual identity claims.These are the things someone chooses to display that says something about who they are or how they want to be perceived.A class ring. T-shirts with slogans. Tattoos. Pay attention to them because theyre usually accurate signs.HeresSamIdentity claims are deliberate statements we make about our attitudes, goals, values, etcOne of the things thats really important to keep in mind about identity statements is because these are deliberate, many people assume we are being manipulative with them and were being disingenuous, but I think theres little evidence to suggest that that goes on. I think, generally, people really do want to be known. Theyll even do that at the expense of looking good. Theyd rather be seen authentically than positively if it came down to that choice.Now this is all pretty personal. So what about if youre trying to read someone in a professional context?Want to know if someone is good at their job? Thenwatch them do it for thirtyseconds - or even justsix seconds.Your guess about their competence is more likely to be right than wrongIn the 1st study, consensual judgments o f college teachers molar nonverbal behavior based on very brief (under 30 sec) silent video clips significantly predicted global end-of-semester student evaluations of teachers. In the 2nd study, similar judgments predicted a principals ratings of high school teachers. In the 3rd study, ratings of even thinner slices (6 and 15 sec clips) were strongly related to the criterion variables.Want to know if someones smart?Researchsays this is hard to tell from mere appearancewhen evaluating adults. But theres a trick that can help. Are they funny? Becausefunny people are smartThe current study lends support to the prediction that effective humor production acts as an honest indicator of intelligence in humans.And theres one other thing to listen for while theyre yakking.Theword I can be very tellingPowerful people dont say it much. Less powerful people say it the mostPennebaker finds that people who use I at higher rates tend to come across as more personal, warm and honest. While people who use I at lower rates come across as more self-confident He also finds that the highest status person in a relationship tends to use I the least, and the person who is the lowest status tends to use the word I the most.(To learn what Harvard research says will make you happier and more successful, clickhere.)Okay, so you know when to trust your gut. Now there are a gazillion studies on behavior, so lets focus on reading people to get answers to the questions we all want to know, likeCan ITrust This Person?Of course, people trying to deceive or manipulate you are going to fake signals that they are trustworthy.So we need to focus onunconscious behaviors that arent easily controlled and convey a clear message.InHonest Signals How They Shape Our World, the authors mention oneto keep your eye onSpeech mimicry andbehavioralmimicryAre they using the saatkorn words you use? Speaking at a similar speed and tone? Are they sitting the way you sit? Is a subtle, unconscious game of follow-th e-leader going on? This is a sign the other person feels emotionally in sync with you. Itcanbe faked but thats difficult to pull off across an entire conversation.Beyond that, trustpeople who areconsistently emotionally expressivein their body languageThese results suggest that cooperators may be more emotionally expressive than non-cooperators. We speculate that emotional expressivity can be a more reliable signal of cooperativeness than the display of positive emotion alone.(To learn an FBI behavior experts tips on how to get people to like you, clickhere.)And now lets look at the other side of the coinwhattells yousomeones not-so-nice?Is This PersonUp To No Good?Lets start at the extreme. You can generally trust your gut as to whether someone is going to gofull-Jeffrey-Dahmer on youWe then report two experiments in which participants, given a set of headshots of criminals and non-criminals, were able to reliably distinguish between these two groups, after controlling for the gend er, race, age, attractiveness, and emotional displays, as well as any vermgen clues of picture origin.Now I dont want youstereotyping people or thinkingyoure ready to be acriminal profiler. But if you really want to know if a man is dangerous,ask a short guyAlthough men generally perceived masculinized faces and voices to be more dominant than feminized versions, this effect of masculinity on dominance perceptions was significantly greater among shorter men than among taller men. These findings suggest that differences among men in the potential costs of incorrectly perceiving the dominance of rivals have shaped systematic variation in mens perceptions of the dominance of potential rivals.But, in general, youre usually not sizing people upbecause youre worried about your physical safety. How can you tell if someone is going to cheat or mislead you?First,pay attention.Sounds obvious but youre probably not doing it consistently throughout aconversation.A simplebit of motivation can ma ke a real difference.When I spoke toMaria Konnikova, author ofThe Confidence Game, she saidWhen your motivation is high, you actually become much more accurate at judging other people accurately. Most of the time, our motivation isnt very high because that takes more of our resources, but when were motivated, we suddenly become much better judges of character. We become much better able to read cues. Then you start being able to discern certain things.And theres a consistent cluster of behavior that has been seen among people who are trying to cheat you.ViaWray Herbert, author ofOn Second Thought Outsmarting Your Minds Hard-Wired HabitsAgain and again, it was a cluster of four cues hand touching, face touching, crossing arms, and leaning away. None of these cues foretold deceit by itself, but together they transformed into a highly accurate signal. And the more often the participants used this particular cluster of gestures, the less trustworthy they were in the subsequent financial exchange.Andlets set aside violent people and liars - how can you just tell if someone is more likely to be a jerk? Give their clothing a look. A neat and formalappearance just says theyreconscientious.But aretheir dudsexpensive? Is a woman displayingcleavage? Is aguy showing off his muscles? Hello,narcissism.HeresSam GoslingagainNarcissiststend to put much more care into their appearance. The women tend to show more cleavage. The guys tend to show more muscles.(To learn how to deal with a narcissist, clickhere.)So youve got a better idea how to spot the Ted Bundys, the cheaters, and jerks of the world. I told you we were going to focus on the important questions were all curious about when it comes to reading othersSo how do you know if someone is interested in you?Are They Flirting?Ladies, you all consistently underestimate how attracted men are to you. (Andresearch shows thatwomen are more successful in their flirting when theyre more direct.)And less attractive guys consistent lyoverestimatehow interested women are. Now whoshould definitely trusttheir gut as towhether the opposite sexis flirting with them?Handsome men. Research says of all the people studied, theyrethe most accurate judgesthe less attractive men (who believed they were better looking thanthe womenrated them) were more likely to think beautiful women were hot for them. But the more attractive guys tended to have a more realistic assessment.And the women? Perilloux and her coauthors found that women underestimated mens sexual interest.So if youre not Brad Pitt (or Angelina Jolie for that matter) what should you be looking for to tell if that special someone has the hots for you?MIT research says the 1 sign a woman is interested in a maniswhether shes talking smoothly and quickly.FromDo Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? Bodies, Behavior, and BrainsThe Science Behind Sex, Love, AttractionThe number one tip-off that a woman was interested in a man for more than friendship was her own speaking rate. Did she talk smoothly and quickly (a good sign), or hesitantly and awkwardly?And both men and womendeepentheir voice when speakingwith someone of the opposite sex they find attractiveWe found that both sexes used a lower-pitched voice and showed a higher level of physiological arousal when speaking to the more attractive, opposite-sex target.And another clear sign to look for is touching. A touch on the shoulder, waist or forearm is a good. A face touch? You should hear slot machine noises when that happens.FromClose RelationshipsThe behavior that participants rated as reflecting the most flirtation and the most romantic attraction was the soft face touch, followed by the touch around the shoulder or waist, and then the soft touch on the forearm. The least flirtatious and romantic touches were the shoulder push, shoulder tap, and handshake.(To learn more about how to flirt scientifically, clickhere.)Alright, weve learned a lot about how to read people. Lets round it up and lea rn therealwayyou can project a better image so when people read you, you come off looking greatSum UpHeres how to read people 101Dont make the usual mistakesTake context, clusters, baseline, and biases into consideration.First impressions are oftenaccurateWith a number of traits youcan trust your gut. But know which ones.Trust mimicry and emotional expressionBut they have to be sustained and consistent.Awful people have tellsPay attention to notice them.And look for narcissists in flashy clothing.Deepening voice and touching says flirtingTrue for both men and women.And so now that weve been through a dizzying amount of research on reading others, how can you make sure you come off well when others read you?Do you need to pay more attention to your body language? Nope.Your facial expressions or your behavioral mimicry? ersatzdarsteller nope.When I spoke toOlivia Fox-Cabane, author ofThe Charisma Myth, she said all of that is doomed to fail unless you have an acting Oscar on your shel ftrying to control your facial expressions is not just impossible, it will even backfire. Since the micro-expressions will be incongruent with the main expression, theyll give the impression that something is not quite right and you can end up seeming fake - which, of course, ruins trust and charismaYour body language and the signals you send are determined bywhats inside your head. Change how you feel inside, and what you radiate will follow. HeresOliviaThe same way that athletes get themselves into the zone you get yourself into a mental zone of whatever body language you want to emanate. And that way it will cascade through your body from whatever mindset that you wanted to get. So it really is mind over matter in the sense that whatevers in your mind will come out through your body language.In the end, it really is whats on the inside that matters. We can shape that and smooth it, but you cant go through life acting for any considerable stretch.So try something simplebe the bes t you that you can be.Join more than 300,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.This articlefirst appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree.How to read people 5 secrets backed by researchWed all like to learn how to read people like Sherlock Holmes. And research shows understanding things like body language is even morepowerful than you might think.MIT found that the outcome of negotiations could be predicted by body language alone 87% of the time.FromThe Charisma Myth How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal MagnetismAfter extensive studies, the MIT Media Lab concluded that it could predict the outcome of negotiations, telephone sales calls, and business plan pitches with 87 percent accuracy simply by analyzing participants body language, without listening to a single word of content.But most of what youbelieve about body language and analyzing othersisbased on myth or guesswork, not real research.So how can you learn how to read people the right way? Lets get answers from experts and studies.But first we need to understand all the mistakes youre makingHeres What Youre DoingWrongInThe Silent Language of Leaders How Body Language Can Helpor HurtHow You Leadthe author points out a number of common errors people make in reading peopleIgnoring context Crossed arms dont mean much if the room is cold or the chair theyre sitting in doesnt have armrests. Everything has to pass the common sense test given the environment. So ask yourself Should someone in this situation be acting like this?Not looking for clusters One of the biggest errors youmake is looking for one single tell. Thats great in movies about poker players but in real life its a consistent grouping of actions (sweating, touching the face, and stutteringtogether) that is really going to tell you something. So ask yourselfAre most ofthis persons behaviors associated with X?Not getting a baseline If someone is always jumpy, jumpiness doesnt tell you anything. If someone is always jumpy and they suddenly stop moving - HELLO. So ask yourselfIs this how they normally act?Not being conscious of biases If you already like or dislike the person, its going to affect your judgment. And if peoplecomplimentyou, aresimilarto you, areattractive these can all sway you, unconsciously. (I know, I know, you dont fall for those tricks. Well, the biggest bias of all is thinking youreunbiased.)(To learn the 4 rituals that will make you an expert at anything, clickhere.)Soyoure taking context into consideration, youre looking for clusters of behaviors, youre getting a baseline and youre aware of your biases. Tall order. Lets make it simple to startIn reading people, when can you trust your gut?When To Trust Your InstinctsGood News your first impressions areusually pretty accurate.Bad News whether they are wrong or right,first impressionsaffect us in a big wayandwe are slow to change them.Sam Goslingis about as close toSherlock Holmes as you can get. Hes apersonality psychologist at the University of Texas and author of the bookSnoop.Heres SamFirst impressions are often quite helpful but you have to be willing to update them quite rapidly. Thats whats very hard to do.So with no tips from me or Sam, and nothing more to go on than a glance, what should youtrust your gut about when you first meet someone?Studies show if someone seemsextroverted, confident,religiousorconscientious- they probably are.And if theyre good-looking, trust your instinctseven more.Why?We all pay more attention to pretty people - and so our evaluations end up beingmore accurateOverall, people do judge a book by its cover, but a beautiful cover prompts a closer reading, leading more physically attractive people to be seen both more positively and more accurately.And Sam says you can trustsomeones visual identity claims.These are the things someone chooses to display that says something about who they are or how they want to be perceived.A class ring. T-shirts with slogans. Tattoos. Pay att ention to them because theyre usually accurate signs.HeresSamIdentity claims are deliberate statements we make about our attitudes, goals, values, etcOne of the things thats really important to keep in mind about identity statements is because these are deliberate, many people assume we are being manipulative with them and were being disingenuous, but I think theres little evidence to suggest that that goes on. I think, generally, people really do want to be known. Theyll even do that at the expense of looking good. Theyd rather be seen authentically than positively if it came down to that choice.Now this is all pretty personal. So what about if youre trying to read someone in a professional context?Want to know if someone is good at their job? Thenwatch them do it for thirtyseconds - or even justsix seconds.Your guess about their competence is more likely to be right than wrongIn the 1st study, consensual judgments of college teachers molar nonverbal behavior based on very brief (u nder 30 sec) silent video clips significantly predicted global end-of-semester student evaluations of teachers. In the 2nd study, similar judgments predicted a principals ratings of high school teachers. In the 3rd study, ratings of even thinner slices (6 and 15 sec clips) were strongly related to the criterion variables.Want to know if someones smart?Researchsays this is hard to tell from mere appearancewhen evaluating adults. But theres a trick that can help. Are they funny? Becausefunny people are smartThe current study lends support to the prediction that effective humor production acts as an honest indicator of intelligence in humans.And theres one other thing to listen for while theyre yakking.Theword I can be very tellingPowerful people dont say it much. Less powerful people say it the mostPennebaker finds that people who use I at higher rates tend to come across as more personal, warm and honest. While people who use I at lower rates come across as more self-confident He als o finds that the highest status person in a relationship tends to use I the least, and the person who is the lowest status tends to use the word I the most.(To learn what Harvard research says will make you happier and more successful, clickhere.)Okay, so you know when to trust your gut. Now there are a gazillion studies on behavior, so lets focus on reading people to get answers to the questions we all want to know, likeCan ITrust This Person?Of course, people trying to deceive or manipulate you are going to fake signals that they are trustworthy.So we need to focus onunconscious behaviors that arent easily controlled and convey a clear message.InHonest Signals How They Shape Our World, the authors mention oneto keep your eye onSpeech mimicry andbehavioralmimicryAre they using the same words you use? Speaking at a similar speed and tone? Are they sitting the way you sit? Is a subtle, unconscious game of follow-the-leader going on? This is a sign the other person feels emotionally i n sync with you. Itcanbe faked but thats difficult to pull off across an entire conversation.Beyond that, trustpeople who areconsistently emotionally expressivein their body languageThese results suggest that cooperators may be more emotionally expressive than non-cooperators. We speculate that emotional expressivity can be a more reliable signal of cooperativeness than the display of positive emotion alone.(To learn an FBI behavior experts tips on how to get people to like you, clickhere.)And now lets look at the other side of the coinwhattells yousomeones not-so-nice?Is This PersonUp To No Good?Lets start at the extreme. You can generally trust your gut as to whether someone is going to gofull-Jeffrey-Dahmer on youWe then report two experiments in which participants, given a set of headshots of criminals and non-criminals, were able to reliably distinguish between these two groups, after controlling for the gender, race, age, attractiveness, and emotional displays, as well as any potential clues of picture origin.Now I dont want youstereotyping people or thinkingyoure ready to be acriminal profiler. But if you really want to know if a man is dangerous,ask a short guyAlthough men generally perceived masculinized faces and voices to be more dominant than feminized versions, this effect of masculinity on dominance perceptions was significantly greater among shorter men than among taller men. These findings suggest that differences among men in the potential costs of incorrectly perceiving the dominance of rivals have shaped systematic variation in mens perceptions of the dominance of potential rivals.But, in general, youre usually not sizing people upbecause youre worried about your physical safety. How can you tell if someone is going to cheat or mislead you?First,pay attention.Sounds obvious but youre probably not doing it consistently throughout aconversation.A simplebit of motivation can make a real difference.When I spoke toMaria Konnikova, author ofThe Co nfidence Game, she saidWhen your motivation is high, you actually become much more accurate at judging other people accurately. Most of the time, our motivation isnt very high because that takes more of our resources, but when were motivated, we suddenly become much better judges of character. We become much better able to read cues. Then you start being able to discern certain things.And theres a consistent cluster of behavior that has been seen among people who are trying to cheat you.ViaWray Herbert, author ofOn Second Thought Outsmarting Your Minds Hard-Wired HabitsAgain and again, it was a cluster of four cues hand touching, face touching, crossing arms, and leaning away. None of these cues foretold deceit by itself, but together they transformed into a highly accurate signal. And the more often the participants used this particular cluster of gestures, the less trustworthy they were in the subsequent financial exchange.Andlets set aside violent people and liars - how can you just tell if someone is more likely to be a jerk? Give their clothing a look. A neat and formalappearance just says theyreconscientious.But aretheir dudsexpensive? Is a woman displayingcleavage? Is aguy showing off his muscles? Hello,narcissism.HeresSam GoslingagainNarcissiststend to put much more care into their appearance. The women tend to show more cleavage. The guys tend to show more muscles.(To learn how to deal with a narcissist, clickhere.)So youve got a better idea how to spot the Ted Bundys, the cheaters, and jerks of the world. I told you we were going to focus on the important questions were all curious about when it comes to reading othersSo how do you know if someone is interested in you?Are They Flirting?Ladies, you all consistently underestimate how attracted men are to you. (Andresearch shows thatwomen are more successful in their flirting when theyre more direct.)And less attractive guys consistentlyoverestimatehow interested women are. Now whoshould definitely tru sttheir gut as towhether the opposite sexis flirting with them?Handsome men. Research says of all the people studied, theyrethe most accurate judgesthe less attractive men (who believed they were better looking thanthe womenrated them) were more likely to think beautiful women were hot for them. But the more attractive guys tended to have a more realistic assessment.And the women? Perilloux and her coauthors found that women underestimated mens sexual interest.So if youre not Brad Pitt (or Angelina Jolie for that matter) what should you be looking for to tell if that special someone has the hots for you?MIT research says the 1 sign a woman is interested in a maniswhether shes talking smoothly and quickly.FromDo Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? Bodies, Behavior, and BrainsThe Science Behind Sex, Love, AttractionThe number one tip-off that a woman was interested in a man for more than friendship was her own speaking rate. Did she talk smoothly and quickly (a good sign), or hesitantly and awkwardly?And both men and womendeepentheir voice when speakingwith someone of the opposite sex they find attractiveWe found that both sexes used a lower-pitched voice and showed a higher level of physiological arousal when speaking to the more attractive, opposite-sex target.And another clear sign to look for is touching. A touch on the shoulder, waist or forearm is a good. A face touch? You should hear slot machine noises when that happens.FromClose RelationshipsThe behavior that participants rated as reflecting the most flirtation and the most romantic attraction was the soft face touch, followed by the touch around the shoulder or waist, and then the soft touch on the forearm. The least flirtatious and romantic touches were the shoulder push, shoulder tap, and handshake.(To learn more about how to flirt scientifically, clickhere.)Alright, weve learned a lot about how to read people. Lets round it up and learn therealwayyou can project a better image so when people read you, you come off looking greatSum UpHeres how to read people 101Dont make the usual mistakesTake context, clusters, baseline, and biases into consideration.First impressions are oftenaccurateWith a number of traits youcan trust your gut. But know which ones.Trust mimicry and emotional expressionBut they have to be sustained and consistent.Awful people have tellsPay attention to notice them.And look for narcissists in flashy clothing.Deepening voice and touching says flirtingTrue for both men and women.And so now that weve been through a dizzying amount of research on reading others, how can you make sure you come off well when others read you?Do you need to pay more attention to your body language? Nope.Your facial expressions or your behavioral mimicry? Double nope.When I spoke toOlivia Fox-Cabane, author ofThe Charisma Myth, she said all of that is doomed to fail unless you have an acting Oscar on your shelftrying to control your facial expressions is not just impossible, it will eve n backfire. Since the micro-expressions will be incongruent with the main expression, theyll give the impression that something is not quite right and you can end up seeming fake - which, of course, ruins trust and charismaYour body language and the signals you send are determined bywhats inside your head. Change how you feel inside, and what you radiate will follow. HeresOliviaThe same way that athletes get themselves into the zone you get yourself into a mental zone of whatever body language you want to emanate. And that way it will cascade through your body from whatever mindset that you wanted to get. So it really is mind over matter in the sense that whatevers in your mind will come out through your body language.In the end, it really is whats on the inside that matters. We can shape that and smooth it, but you cant go through life acting for any considerable stretch.So try something simplebe the best you that you can be.Join more than 300,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.Related postsHow To Get People To Like You 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertNew Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You HappyNew Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More SuccessfulThis articlefirst appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison Thomas Edison Thomas EdisonSystem of Electric Lighting, Commutator for Dynamo-Electric Machines, Arc Lamp, Electric Signaling Apparatus, Fuse-Block, Telephone. And thats just patent numbers 438-301 to 438-306. A biography of Thomas Edison could easily fill its pages with lists. The 8,000-odd materials kept in his famous Menlo Park, NJ, lab, for instance (an attempt to carry a stock of almost every conceivable material of every size)would make a plump catalog. Edison holds more patents than any other American, even 80 years after his death.Our lights, ur grid, our phones, our recordings, and our electric chairswe owe them all, perhaps, to a seemingly dense school teacher. Alexander Crawford thought Edison addled and unfit for school. Crawfords impressions may have had something to do with the fact that the boy, born in 1847, welches somewhat hard of hearing (this deafness is sometimes given credit for Edisons ability to concentrate, undistracted by the noise of others). When Edisons mother learned of Crawfords opinion, she pulled the young boy out of school and schooled him herself.After a look at Edisons first experiments Crawford could conceivably be forgiven for his remarks. As a boy, Edison thought hed try hatching goose eggs himself, so he sat on them. Conjecturing that it was a birds diet that gave it the ability to fly, the young Edison mashed up worms and fed them to a friend. By the age of 12, Edison had graduated to more dangerous experiments. A job selling snacks and papers on a train allowed him time to read and tinker. He convinced his boss to let him set up a lab in the baggage car, a privilege he enjoyed until an accident started a fire.Left, Thomas Edisons patent drawing for an improvement in electric lamps. Right, Thomas Edisons light bulb.On the train, though, Edison witnessed, and soon learned the rechenschritt of, the telegraph. By 15 he was working night shifts as a telegrapher, and a passion for the technology would pulse thro ugh his life and lead to a large percentage of his 1,093 patents as well as the nicknames of his first two children Dot and Dash. His knowledge of the workings of telegraph machinery led to his first patent, a voting machine that no one bought or used.A more profitable invention came just three years later. A take on the ticker tape, Edisons Universal Stock Printer was bought by the Gold and stock Telegraph Company for $40,000. The money, close to half a million today, allowed him set up his own lab. He was not yet 25.By 1876 hed moved the lab, and his family, to the now famous location in Menlo Park. Soon he invented the microphone that would make the phone useful, and the cylindrical phonograph. His massive collection of materials came in handy when searching for a filament that would allow the light bulb to burn for thousands of hours.Edisons genius inventions were equaled by the apparatus he would set up to kooperation them. Finding the baked cotton filament that allowed a light bulb to glow for 13 hours was a triumph, to be sure. But the arguably greater feat was how he showed it to the world. Wiring houses, stores, and the train station, he wowed witnesses when, on New Years eve of 1879, he threw a single switch and set the village aglow. The grid was born.Similarly, though the kinetoscope was certainly an improved version of the photo-animation that preceded it, Edison popularized it by distributing his sneezes and strip teases.Along the road, Edison also invented the electric meter, the talking doll, vacuum-packed foods, and an electric pen that could make copies of documents.While these and more of his substantial inventions improved the lives of many, another invention of Edisons would have different applications. Having built the infrastructure to power his light bulbs with DC current, he waged a legal and publicity war to crush his AC-promoting competitors (developed by former employee Nikola Tesla). To prove the dangers of AC current he took to pu blicly electrocuting animals, most famously the man-killer Topsy (Edisons own clip of the pachycide is conveniently available on YouTube). The success of these electrocutions led to the invention of the electric chair, which Edison eventually convinced New York to adopt in place of hanging.Edisons own death didnt occur until 1931. His final expression, arguably the last thing he made, was caught in the form of a death mask, now on display at the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park.Michael Abrams is an independent writer.Wiring houses, stores, and the train station, he wowed the world when, on New Years eve, he threw a single switch and set Menlo Park aglow. The grid was born.

Listing Reasons for Leaving on a Job Application

Listing Reasons for Leaving on a Job ApplicationListing Reasons for Leaving on a Job ApplicationWhen you fill out an employment application, employers will often ask for the reason why you left each of your previous positions. There are, of course, all sorts of reasons, both good and bad, for you to have left a job. As with any job search document, it is important to be honest when you respond. Its possible that prospective employers may call your former employers to verify that the reason you listed is accurate. You will also want to provide a reason that puts you in a positive light. So, if you left a job because you despised some of your day-to-day work or simply hated the position or the company, you might want to rephrase your reason as, Looking for new challenges. You may not need to include every job youve ever held on the application. Read the instructions carefully and follow the directions that tell you how much work experience you need to list. Read on for advice on how to list your reasons for leaving a job on an application, along with tips for dealing with tricky situations, like being fired or laid-off. Tips for Listing Reasons for Leaving on a Job Application Some reasons will be straightforward and easily accepted, like Career focus changedMoved on to a position with mora responsibilitiesOffered a new position from another companyLack of growth opportunities at the companyLaid-off from job due to corporate mergerLaid-off due to restructuringLeft for the beginning of the fall semesterLanded a higher paying jobLeft to focus on varsity baseball during the springLeft to devote more time to academicsLooking for a new challengePosition ended after summerPosition was part-time, contract, or temporaryWent back to school on a full-time basis In other cases, you may have had a concrete rationale like Caring for a sick family memberCoping with an illness yourself which has passedMoved to be closer to familySpouse transferred to a new cityStay-at-home parent for young children Of course, you will want to mention reasons which dont reflect negatively on you whenever possible. This is where giving yourself the benefit of the doubt can come into play. For example, say you were laid off from an employer that was experiencing financial difficulties. Even though a secondary reason as to why you were chosen was because you were a lower performing employee, it is fair enough to just cite budget cuts if you probably wouldnt have been let go otherwise. Try to Keep It Positive You should also avoid mentioning any reasons that reflect negatively on a former employer. You may have left the position because you did not get along with your manager or co-workers, but its preferable to say that you wanted a new challenge, were offered a higher paying position, or that the company restructured. Prospective employers tend to view employees who disparage their former colleagues negatively, so keep any notation about less than optimal circumstan ces as positive as possible. Tricky Reasons for Leaving When you leave a job for a positive reason, its a simple thing to explain, on your application and in an interview. Sometimes though, your reasons for leaving are a little more complex. Perhaps you quit your previous position because you were unhappy - your babo was difficult, your job was going nowhere, or you had co-workers who were unbearable. Maybe you were fired because your attitude was problematic, you got in a fight with your supervisor, or you werent doing a good enough job. Keep in mind that when leaving a job you can sometimes negotiate with your employer about how your departure might be represented to future employers. Doing this may help you avoid some of these tricky application issues. And, even after youve left, you can try contacting your former manager or human resources department, and asking if there is a neutral way they can describe your departure from the company. Quitting Your Job There are lot s of reasons to resign from a position, but some of them sound better to future employers than others. Hopefully gave some thought to leaving your job graciously before you turned in your resignation. You probably had a very good reason for quitting, but now you have to explain to your potential employer in a way that you and your former employer will agree on, in the likely event that they check. Whatever the circumstances, try not to place blame as it will only reflect badly on you. When You Have Been Fired Explaining being fired can be one of the fruchtwein difficult things you encounter during the job search process. Its likely an emotional issue for you, and even if its not, it can be difficult to explain while keeping your reputation untarnished. If you have to list a reason on a job application, it can be challenging to come up with an appropriate response that will be verified by your former employer. Heres a list of reasons for leaving a job to help you answer the quest ion in an appropriate way. Stick to the Facts Its important to make sure that your previous employers cant factually dispute the reason you list on your application. This is because your prospective employer can use any untruths on an application or a resume as grounds for dismissal, even if they come to light after you have been hired for the job.

Why No One Is Discussing Education Resume and What You Should be Doing Right Now About It

Why No One Is Discussing Education Resume and What You Should be Doing Right Now About It Resume can earn a lasting impression on the employers and you cannot take any risk by compromising on the characteristic of resume. Resume Length Length of your application another major factor playing a major role your selection. Becoming able to make an education resume thats well-formatted can give an impression which you can also make effective educational documents for students and other entities involved with academic transactions. The keywords linked to the education field needs to be included. In addition, you can learn more on the subject of education careers on Monster. Students receive a CRF completion guideline, monitoring plan, and a protocol. Education Resume Secrets Resume contractors are an exceedingly great techniques can help you organize your resume. For making positive influence on the recruiter, its important to get a unique resume portraying your job particular de tails. For a normal job an employer has to experience a vast quantity of applicants and their documents. Your employer ought to have a crystal clear picture what you could do on their behalf. Getting the Best Education Resume The very first thing we have to cover is what you may include in the professional development section. When our very first priority is helping others amazing things can occur. The very last thing you wish to do is apply for work in education with a subpar resume. If its been a very long time as you read your books, its now time to begin flipping through the pages again. Overview of Qualifications Unless you will need to incorporate an objective to clarify your situation, look at using an overview of qualifications instead. Resume is a significant document stating your information essential for the job. Contact Information The very first section of your resume should incorporate information on the way in which the employer can contact you. Professio nal Looking Presentation It is quite important to get a professional looking presentation. The 5-Minute Rule for Education Resume Check with the psychologist resume templates you ansturm into on the website to acquire a concept of what you will need to include in your resume. Resume templates can simplify your work substantially, irrespective of how you have to make a resume for a fresher or a seasoned professional. Our 20 templates offer you examples for most instances you can face. There are templates for various fields. The very first key is to realize how resumes are organized. Lengthy resumes wont ever get attention from hiring managers and wont be read and hence wont get you the desired job prospect. For instance, in CV, if youre asking for work in education, you find it possible to want to set your coaching experience and the CV. Of course if youre asking for a particular job, its simple enough to amend a resume to incorporate an objective that matches the work descr iption. It is possible to include how certain transferable skills like communication skills will assist you in your new career. There are numerous job opportunities that are offered in educational sector. The Secret to Education Resume For medical jobs, or other specialties like law or science, a particular education level may be an absolute requirement. Your latest qualification is put first together with the institution you received it from. Individuals that are looking to obtain a job as a physical education teacher may use the physical education resume. You didnt make a decision to be a teacher since you wished to turn into rich, you did it as you have passion for education. In order to acquire your possible employers attention, youve got to individualize and cater your teacher resume for that specific school district or organization. If youre an elementary teacher resume, note an elementary school teacher accounts for assisting children with educational and emotional dev elopment in the start of their academic decades.

The Essentials of The Resume Writing Experts You Can Benefit From Starting Immediately

The Essentials of The Resume Writing Experts You Can Benefit From Starting Immediately Thus, the essay for our staff it is simpler than ever. At our essay assistance, essays are always delivered in a brief moment. Resume writing experts can tell you what things to include in your resume anytime you desire. So far as the students are involved, writing a research paper is among the toughest and frustrating undertaking in their opinion. Representing your skills precisely the way you would like isnt a tough job to achieve. One must pick the appropriate tool to get best output in conditions of career building. If you dont possess the skills to compose an effective resume, take the assistance of professional writers. What to Expect From the Resume Writing Experts? The CV writing services firm will assess the content of the CV together with highlight the shortcomings concerning design, layout, and the vital keywords and phrases. A cover letter enables you to introduce yourself i n your own words and fashion. It provides you with an opportunity to expand upon your resume and share a bit of your personality and passion. It allows you to expand upon your skills and provide a clear example of your strengths. The price of a resume writing specialist is much less than the price of not having a job. The work, which demands the complete attention and a very clear mind. Moreover, in regards to seek out job, then, being specific is the real key to entice the interest of employer significantly. History is part of the past so all you are able to do is explain the circumstance and move forward. Choosing The Resume Writing Experts Apparently, CV writing shouldnt be viewed as a road-block, in reality, you ought to conduct quick research to comprehend the format of resume. Scannable resumes need specific page designs because computer scanners cannot read certain products. If youre not pleased with the finished document offered in the Word format, we will rewrite it free of charge. Think about all of the vital documents you have gotten. The FAQ could use just a little expansion here or there, but nonetheless, it generally answers most questions that you will have concerning the service. You attempt to utilize Google search to discover a response to your question. In just about all scenarios, the response is yes. The easy answer is... no one is totally perfect. The Most Popular Resume Writing Experts Professional Resume Writing Having a strong resume is an essential part of the work search practice. Writing an essay is quite an easy and very hard job, at the exact same moment. Resumes are completed in as few as 1 day All resumes arent created equal.

Do these 5 things by Dec. 31 to cut your tax bill

Do these 5 things by Dec. 31 to cut your tax billDo these 5 things by Dec. 31 to cut your tax billIt may seem too early to start thinking about your tax return, but procrastination could cost you thousands of dollars.Here are a few simple maneuvers that could save you a bundle on your taxes - if you make them by Dec. 31.1. Move money into a 401(k)Traditional 401(k)s can shield a decent chunk of your income from taxes. In 2018, you can funnel up to $18,500 ($24,500 if youre 50 or older) of your pay into one and avoid paying taxes on that money until you withdraw the funds. If your employer offers a match on contributions, youll get free money to boot, and those matching dollars are on top of the $18,500 limit.If you dont have access to a 401(k), you may still be in luck - you may be able to shield up to $5,500 from taxes ($6,500 if youre 50 or older) byputting the money into a traditional IRA. If you qualify, the size of the tax deduction depends on your income and whether you or yo ur spouse are covered by a retirement plan at work. Bonus You have until April 15, 2019, to move money into an IRA and still make it count as a 2018 contribution. (And yes, its possible to contribute to a 401(k) and a traditional IRA in the same year.)2. Bunch your charitable donationsItemizing on your taxes generally only pays off when your itemized deductions add up to more than the standard deduction (and withthe new tax rules for 2018, the standard deduction is much higher $12,000 for single filers, $18,000 for heads of household and $24,000 for joint filers). Thats why charitable donations and other itemized deductions might not get you much of a tax break if theyre so small that you just end up taking the standard deduction instead. Its no reason to stop giving, but you may want to tinker with the timing.Donating one big amount instead of a series of small amounts could change the tax game, says Kerry Garner, a CPA at Patterson Hardee Ballentine in Franklin, Tennessee. A marr ied couple might not score a tax break from a $15,000 annual donation, for example, but bunching the donations into a $30,000 gift every other year could, he notes.3. Sell the losersIf you made money on the sale of investments in 2018,you might have some capital gains tax to pay in April. But you might be able to offset some of those gains with losses.If youve got an event that generates a significant capital gain during 2018 - maybe that happened earlier in 2018 or sometime throughout the year - to the extent that youve got investment holdings that are sitting at a loss position, it makes sense to liquidate those losses during the year to offset capital gains, explains Nicholas Shires, a CPA and tax partner at Dannible McKee in Syracuse, New York. If your losses exceed your gains, you may be able to deduct the difference on your tax return, up to $3,000 per year ($1,500 for those married filing separately).4. Make a decision on that divorceIf youre still negotiating with your so on-to-be ex and expect to pay or receive alimony, keep an eye on the calendar. In general, for divorces finalized after Dec. 31, alimony payers will no longer be able to deduct their payments, and alimony recipients will no longer have to include that money as taxable income. If youre the one thats going to be paying the alimony, you would want it to be finalized prior to December 31, 2018, Shires says.5. Meet your tax preparerThe sooner your tax preparer has an idea of how your year is shaping up, the sooner he or she can find you more ways to save. Thats especially true for people who are self-employed or have unusual sources of income, Garner notes. I try to do it the first week of December, so it still leaves them plenty of time to actually get things done, he says.This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

Heres How to Write a Killer Resume Summary (Video)

Heres How to Write a Killer Resume Summary (Video) Heres How to Write a Killer Resume Summary (Video) A well written resume summary is vital. Recruiters are busy and make very quick decisions on each resume they see, and the content in the top third of your resume makes all the difference. Heres a short tutorial on how to write a powerful summary one that will grab attention, get you noticed and ensure you are invited to interviews.

8 Benefits of Decluttering Your Workspace

8 Benefits of Decluttering Your Workspace8 Benefits of Decluttering Your WorkspaceClutter everywhere might seem like a joke sometimes, but it can actually have a detrimental effect on your productivity at work.An organized workspace is more than just a pretty area it can have effects that benefit you on a psychological level, too. In other words, learning how to organize your desk office or cubicle at work can lead you to results that make you feel good.1. Improved impressionsIf your boss constantly sees clutter in your workplace, he or she might look upon you unfavorably. Bosses or managers might think that you dont care about the job. Also, they may worry about the impression your desk will give to customers, clients, or businesses with whom they are trying to build relationships. When individuals with power in a company feel good about your presence there, you can feel more motivated yourself.2. Improved comfortabilityChances are that youve tried to put an important file on your d esk at some point but couldnt find a space to put it on the cluttered workstation that seems to be shrinking around you. You may start to feel closed in at your office desk. Keeping your workspace tidy can help make you more comfortable at work. A more open space and a more comfortable environment can lead to greater productivity. Consider how hard it is to complete a task when youre physically uncomfortable and then apply it to this situation.3. Boosted confidenceA cluttered desk also probably means that you have lost items at some point. Maybe your manager came by to ask for an important file. When you went to look for it, the item welches nowhere in sight. Even if you did eventually recover the file, you probably didnt look too good in front of your manager. When you can easily produce needed materials and dont have to shuffle around your desk looking for them, you can feel more confident in your work. Knowing that youre giving a better impression to your managers can boost your confidence even more.4. Improved immunityIf it has been awhile since your desk had a professional cleaning, you might have germs lingering on the surface from the sick coworker who stopped by. If youre constantly noticing that you arent feeling well, you might want to blame other people in your office. However, it might be your desk that is causing the weakness to your immune system. Clear up the clutter and give your desk a wipe down with some disinfectant.5. AccomplishmentWhen life is moving along slowly at work, you may feel as though you arent contributing anything to the environment or that you have stopped reaching milestones. While the ultimate goal is to feel fulfilled in your career, you can also look to smaller accomplishments along the way. When you take the time to declutter your desk, you can feel good about checking an item off from your to-do list. Instead of looking at another project that hasnt been completed, you can know that you achieved a small win.6. Dealing wi th procrastinationOne of the reasons for delaying the organization of a cluttered desk might be that you are a procrastinator. When you see a task that appears overwhelming, you tend to push it off. Unless you are required by your office to clean and declutter your desk, it might never get done. However, learning how to avoid procrastination without being forced to do so is important. Procrastination can have some benefits, especially for those individuals who work well under pressure, but it can also mean that you dont get anything done.7. Building time management skillsClearing your clutter might seem like a daunting task that will take a lot from your workday. Depending upon how bad the situation is, resolving it could take some time. However, that doesnt mean you need to complete the project in one sitting or even in one day. Instead of attempting to do that, make a plan. You can allocate a certain amount of time each day to work on the decluttering process. This strategy will h elp to teach you better time-management skills, which can then be applied to your work in general.8. Developing creativityHaving clutter around you might stifle your creativity. For example, you may look to the environment around you only to find that you have no inspiration. You may lack access to the tools that you need to sharpen your creativity or to finish your project because you cant find them.Taking the time to declutter your desk can change your day to day work life. A clear workspace can alter the way that you perceive yourself and encourage you to be more productive at work.This article was originally published on BossedUp.org.