Of Course You Can Use Times New Roman for Your Resume

Of Course You Can Use Times New langerzhlung for Your Resume Of Course You Can Use Times New Roman for Your Resume Earlier this week, Bloomberg Business published an article on choosing the right typeface for your resume. It ran with the subhead, Using Times New Roman is the typeface equivalent of wearing sweatpants to an interview.Bzzzt. Wrong. Try again.Times New Roman is not sweatpants at a job interview- not even close. Sweatpants at a job interview are inappropriate, sloppy, and out of place. Never, ever called for.Fortunately, the experts consulted for the piece werent quite as melodramatic as the subhead implied.Brian Hoff, creative director of Brian Hoff Design, was quoted as saying that choosing Times New Roman for your resume is like putting on sweatpants.Now, Times New Roman can be accurately compared to many things. But not to sweatpants. (Not even to the high-end athleisure kind.)What Times New Roman is perfectly functional, but not flashy. Times New Roman is a Honda Civ ic. A glass of chardonnay. A middle relief pitcher. Beige.In other words perfectly serviceable and unobtrusive.Generic, commonplace, familiar, run-of-the-mill- yes, any of these could describe Times New Roman. When it comes to resume fonts, though, thats not necessarily a drawback.In fact, Times New Romans ubiquitousness means that itll be recognized by every applicant tracking system (ATS) out there. The same cant be said for the nonstandard typefaces recommended in the Bloomberg piece.And, should you be among the minority whose resume gets past an ATS and reviewed by an actual human, Times New Romans ubiquitousness means it wont distract that person from the actual content of your resume.Obviously, this is a good thing.Times New Roman will get the job done without stealing the show. Its legibility and familiarity make it easy to take in at a glance. And, really, a glance is all you have An eye-tracking study of recruiters showed that a resume gets looked at for an average of only 6 seconds before a decision is made.Generally, if something is common, its common for a reason It works.Times New Roman may be a conventional choice for a resume typeface, but that doesnt make it a bad one.When choosing a typeface for your resume, common sense- not clickbait- should prevail.

How to Run a Better Brainstorming Session

How to Run a Better Brainstorming SessionHow to Run a Better Brainstorming SessionWhen done right, theres no better tactic than team brainstorming to boost creativity and generate winning ideas. But theres an art to planning and running an effective brainstorming session. Heres how.A great brainstorming meeting can be a dynamic way to fuel innovative concepts, campaigns and solutions. The problem is that many brainstorming sessions are elend great - yet it isnt always easy to tell what exactly differentiates awesome brainstorming techniques from poor ones.The fact is that you cant leave first-class brainstorming to chance managers need to be proactive in preparing for their teams creative-thinking huddles. Here are some ways to plan for and manage brainstorming gatherings to maximize their efficiency and effectivenessTime it rightThe first decision you need to make is when to hold your brainstorming session. One benefit to scheduling a morning gathering is that people will be freshe r, with fewer competing distractions and priorities that often arise as the day goes on.If you cant book an early session, though, dont panic. Research has shown that counter to conventional wisdom, those who consider themselves to be morning people actually do their best creative work later in the day, while its the reverse for night owls. So, whichever time you choose, at least some of your team should be at the top of their game when it comes to ideation.Pick your spotAs you select your meeting time, youll also need to pick a place to brainstorm. Be aware that as with timing, the choice of the best venue in which to idea surf is notlage black and white. It can be effective to hold an offsite brainstorming session at a coffee shop, a park, or a conference center across town to shake people out of their routines, creating energy and excitement.On the other hand, you dont need to leave company grounds to get good ideas. An advantage of brainstorming in the office is that you can set up a dedicated area, so that your staff will associate that spot with idea generation.Fuel the creative juicesNo one does their best thinking on an empty stomach. Having treats in the room is part and parcel of brainstorming, particularly for creative groups. In addition to standard creative agency fare like coffee (always have lots of coffee on hand) and cookies, it helps to provide nutritious snacks that can circumvent sugar and caffeine crashes. Think protein bars, bagels and fruit for morning meetings, and sandwiches and veggie sticks for afternoon sessions.If youre working in-house, you can also stock your brainstorming room with a work table, white board and comfy furniture - as well as other creative paraphernalia like games and notepads - to encourage inspired ideas.Grease the wheelsWhile great brainstorming involves building on the groups concepts in real time, theres no reason creative directors and other managers cant kick-start the process before the meeting. A few da ys prior to your session, ask participants to begin thinking about the topics, and request that they arrive with some initial concepts to discuss as a starting point. That way, people will come in fired up with ideas, and youll have a head start in sparking the conversation.Hiring? Check out The Creative Group Salary Guide for average starting salary ranges and the latest hiring trends.Consider the kickoffYour creative team has arrived, and its time for the brainstorming session to begin How you launch the meeting will impact its effectiveness. If youve assigned participants pre-work, thats one way to get team members engaged in the free flow of discussion. Alternatively, if people havent had time to conceptualize in advance, you can distribute notepads or sticky notes and ask the group to spend the first five to 10 minutes of the meeting brainstorming silently on paper.Then go around the room and invite each participant to share his or her top-line thoughts - or deutsche bundespos t the papers on the white board so that the room has a visual to stimulate dialogue. Another way to loosen up the groups creative muscles is to begin with a fun sketching challenge or drawing exercise.Create a judgment-free zoneAs part of the kickoff, creative leaders should remind their team that the point of brainstorming is to unearth as many quality creative ideas as possible. Your goal as creative manager and lead facilitator should be to encourage active participation from everyone around the table. For this to work, your brainstorming sessions need to be recognized as a judgment-free safe place for people to share what comes to mind. If people are worried about being criticized or mocked, then they wont reveal their thoughts to the group.Dont allow editing during the brainstorming sessionThe purpose of brainstorming is simply that - to generate as many ideas on a topic as possible, without immediately trying to sort the wheat from the chaff. Managers should enkoranvers that the meeting stays focused on thinking up ideas, not crossing things off the list.Whittling down a brainstorm to the very best concepts can come at the end or during a separate session. Let the team know that everything they throw out there - no matter how crazy it sounds - will be included and documented. When employees know their opinions matter, they will be more likely to share their boldest blue-sky ideas, which just might end up being the ones that stick.Capture it allIn the frenzy of a successful brainstorm, you might be tempted to just go with the flow and hope that the group remembers the essence of the meeting. A far better approach is to capture every idea as its thrown out, writing it down on a white board or large easel pad for all to see. Again, now is not the time to try to figure out if its a good idea or not simply assign a team member to write down the ideas as they come.Creating this visual collection of the words can help inspire other thoughts and keep the ment al riffing going. After the meeting, the team can compile all the ideas and you can distribute them for follow-up.Know when to quitSometimes, the innovative spirit just isnt there, and the meeting becomes ineffective. As the manager, its important to recognize when the faucet has run dry and to call it quits (for the moment). It could be that youve maxed out the potential in the room and the team has hit a collective brick wall. If its the end of a long day or week when the creative team has been juggling many deadlines and responsibilities, they may be tapped out and need time to rest and recharge. Dont stretch it out if your staff is clearly sapped.Consider regrouping after a short hiatus - such as after a weekend - when people have had a block of time away from thinking about the issue to replenish their creative juices.With some proper preparation, brainstorming facilitators can make sure their idea-generating powwows with creative staff are both powerful and productive. Knowi ng when, where and how to conduct brainstorming meetings is half the battle - so do your due diligence and dont skip these crucial steps.For tips on filling jobs, read our free guide on how to hire top creative talent.

Market Research Analyst - Career Information

Market Research Analyst - Career InformationMarket Research Analyst - Career InformationMarket research analysts help companies figure out what to sell, to whom to market their products and services, and how to promote them. To help them make these decisions, they design surveys that discover potential customers preferences. These marketing professionalsthen train and supervise interviewers who conduct the surveys online, by telephone, or through in-person interviews with individuals or focus groups. Quick Facts Market research analysts earn amedian annual salaryof $63,230(2017).595,400 people are employed in this occupation (2016).They work in a variety of industries. Many do market research for their employerswhile others work for consulting firms that specialize in providing this service to other companies.Most market research analysts work full-time during regular geschftsleben hours. Overtime is common.The job outlookfor this occupation is excellent. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment will grow much faster than the average for all occupations between 2016 and2026, and thus classifies it as a Bright Outlook Occupation. Job Duties and Responsibilities Job announcements on Indeed.com revealed market research analysts typically have the following job duties Manages all aspects of marketing research projects including identifying objectives, designing methodology, creating questionnaires or polls, implementing, and analyzing research and reporting resultsCollaborates with cross-functional marketing and product management teams to establish and refine business cases that support the offering definition, revenue forecast, business case, and go-to-market value caseTranslates data into summaries and analysis with conclusions that deliver on objectives and support proactive insights and recommendations Uploads summaries of critical information identified to company database, and ensures the data is readily available to all parties within the companyAnalyze existing data and incorporate into marketing strategy How To Become a Market Research Analyst If you want to become a market research analyst, you will need to earn at least a bachelors degree in marketing research or a related discipline like statistics or math. Regardless of what degree you decide to pursue, your coursework should include business, marketing, statistics, mathematics, and survey design. Some jobs may require a masters degree. What Soft Skills Do You Need? To be successful as a marketing research analyst, you must have specificsoftskills,which are personal qualities you were born with or acquired through life experience. They are Verbal Communication Excellent speaking skills will allow you to present the results of your research to clients and colleagues.Listening Strong listening skills are essential to understanding your clients needs and the scope of the projects on which you are working.Writing You must be able to present writt en reports of your research.Reading Comprehension You will have to be able to understand a large number of documents, including research reports and survey responses.Critical Thinking As a marketing research analyst, you will have to decide between different strategies to market products. Your ability to compare and contrast different approaches to make an educated decision is essential. Problem Solving You must be able to detect problems, and come up with solutions.Analytical Skills Your research will yield a lot of data that you must be able to analyze, understand, and from which you must draw conclusions. This part of your job will also require you to be detail oriented. Advancement Opportunities After getting experience assisting mora seasoned market research analysts, your employer will assign you to your own projects. To advance to a position with greater responsibility, you will have to take continuing education courses. This will allow you to keep up with the newest meth ods of developing, conducting, and analyzing surveys and other data. An advanced degree can help open up more opportunities. What Will Employers Expect From You? Employers indicate their requirements in job announcements on Indeed.com. They prefer job candidates with the following qualifications Ability to learn quickly and willingness to help out wherever neededExpertise with Excel, PowerPoint, and Office related softwareAbility to articulate complex concepts into language that can be understood by business partnersProven ability to manage multiple projectsMaintain a high level of flexibility and adaptability, reacting to changes and delivering solid results with the appropriate level of urgency at all timesStrong project management, prioritization, and organizational skills Is This Career a Good Fit for You? Conduct a self assessment to find out if yourinterests,personality type, andwork-related valuesare compatible with this career. Market research analysts should have t he following traits Interests(Holland Code) IEC(Investigative, Enterprising, Conventional)Personality Type(MBTI PersonalityTypes) ENFP, ENTJ, INTJ, ENTP, INTPWork-Related Values Achievement, Support, Working Conditions Take a Quiz Should You Become a Market Research Analyst? Occupations With Related Activities and Tasks DescriptionAnnual Salary (2016)Educational RequirementsBuyerBuys goods and services for a business or organization$53,340Bachelors degree in business, finance, or supply managementFundraiserRaises money for organizations through events and fundraising campaigns$54,130Bachelors degreeManagement AnalystConsults with businesses to improve their efficiency or increase profits$81,330MBALogisticianHelp companies manage their supply chains (the process of getting goods to customers)$74,170Bachelors degree in business, systems engineering, or supply chain management Sources Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,Occupational Outlook Handbook Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor,O*NETOnline(visited April 9, 2018).