Friday, November 29, 2019

7 types of words you need to stop capitalizing

7 types of words you need to stop capitalizing7 types of words you need to stop capitalizingLook, I dont want to rain on NASAs interplanetary parade.In 2014, NASA scientists did send the new Orion spacecraft 3,604 miles beyond Earth as they prep to one day put humans on roter planet.Remarkable achievement. Bravos all around. Yet even an historic flight into outer space doesnt excuse writing errors.NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr. called the space mission Day One of the Mars era.Lets examine Boldens words. He capitalized words that feel important to him (Day One and Mars). As for era? Meh, not as notable. LowercaseThe corrected version day one of the Mars era. The only proper noun in the phrase is Mars.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.Capitalization matters. When you handle upper and lowercase words like a pro, it shows poise, smarts and maturity. Proper capitalization is on e more way to distance yourself from the competition (just like a storytelling cover letter).Here are seven types of words we need to stop capitalizing.1. Job titlesIncorrect I am a Marketing Coordinator at Acme Industries.Correct I am a marketing coordinator at Acme Industries.Explanation Job titles are lowercase unless they come before your name (ex Marketing Coordinator Jane Doe is ).More on job titles and capitalization.2. College majorsIncorrect In college, I Majored in Political Science and Minored in Religious Studies.Correct In college, I majored in political science and minored in religious studies.Explanation College majors and minors are lowercase. Uppercase comes into play if you describe the actual program/school (ex I studied political science at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin).3. Special occasionsIncorrect Classic Facebook deutsche post dhl - Thanks to everyone for the Birthday wishesCorrect Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishesExplanation Words like birthday, anniversary, reunion and gala are lowercase. If you describe an event with a proper name (Lizzys Surprise 30th Birthday Bash), then its uppercase. Also, Happy Birthday is capitalized if you write, Happy Birthday, Zack Its lowercase when you write, I hope you have a happy birthday4. Important-sounding career wordsIncorrect Common phrase in a resume objective statement - Experienced Team Leader with strong Organizational Skills and a Successful career in Management.Correct Experienced team leader with strong organizational skills and a background in management.Explanation We dont capitalize non-specific career words no matter how important they seem (Successful). If you attend the Acme Team Leader Training Seminar, then the words are uppercase because theyre part of a proper title.To make your resume objective statement to be even more correct (and impressive), remove adjectives like Successful altogether. Read this post - Ill expl ain.5. SeasonsIncorrect I began at Acme Industries in the Fall of 2012.Correct I began at Acme Industries in the fall of 2012.Explanation Seasons are lowercase unless part of a proper title (ex Fall Fling Art Show).6. DirectionsIncorrect After college, I headed West to Los Angeles to pursue acting.Correct After college, I headed west to Los Angeles to pursue acting.Explanation Directions are lowercase. If you write about a specific part of the country, then its uppercase (I live on the East Coast.)7. Any other word that feels special but isnt a proper nounYour time at the political internship made a big impact on your career. Awesome. That doesnt mean you had an Internship. Nope, totenstill an internship. Its not a proper noun.However, if you write about your experience in The White House Internship Program, then Internship is capitalized.See the difference?Capitalization is a small detail, I know. But then again, the little stuff often makes the biggest difference.Thiscolumnfirst a ppeared onDannyhRubin.com.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Wearing Military Medals and Ribbons on Civilian Clothes

Wearing Military Medals and Ribbons on Civilian ClothesWearing Military Medals and Ribbons on Civilian ClothesIn advance of Veterans Day 2006, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) began encouraging all military veterans to wear their medals and decorations during Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and other patriotic holidays as well as formal occasions such as a parade honoring the military, retirement ceremonies, funerals, or weddings. According to the VA, veterans dont need to wear their medals only if theyre in a parade. Wear them when you go play golf. Wear them when you go to the store. Let America know that you took that oath and served. Obtaining Decorations The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 makes it a federal crime to wear a medal or decoration that youre not entitled to.Therefore, you should double-check to make sure that youre only wearing the decorations that youve earned). You can do this by requesting a copy of your DD Form 214 from the National Military Per sonnel Records Center in St. Louis. If youve lost your decorations or never received them, veterans may be entitled to a one-time free replacement of medals and decorations. Active duty personnel, reserve, and military retirees can purchase replacement decorations on base, at the Exchange Clothing Sales Stores. For other veterans, pawn shops, and military surplus stores often carry decoration replacements. In many cases, you can even order medals and ribbons online. How to Wear Decorations There is no federal law that describes the method of wearing military medals and decorations with civilian clothes. However, each of the military services has uniform regulations which cover this question. Army Decorations Army Regulation 670-1, paragraph 30-6, says that former members of the Army (including active duty, reserves, or Army National Guard), may wear medals on appropriate civilian clothing on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Armed Forces Day, as well as at formal occasions of ceremony and social functions of a military nature. Appropriate civilian clothes include clothes designed for veteran and patriotic organizations, such as VFW or American Legion uniforms. You can wear either the full-size or miniature-size medals. You should place the medals and decorations in approximately the saatkorn location and in the same manner as for the Army uniform, so they look similar to medals worn on the Army uniform. Air Force Decorations Air Force Instruction 36-2903, paragraph 4-4 says that honorably discharged and retired Air Force members may wear full-size or miniature medals on civilian suits on appropriate occasions such as Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day. Female members may wear full-size or miniature medals on equivalent dress. As with the Army, medals should be placed in the approximate same location and in the manner they are placed on the Air Force Uniform. Navy Decorations The Navy Uniform Regulations, Chapter 6, paragraph 61002, subparagraph 7 includes the requirements for wearing Navy decorations on civilian clothes. The regulation authorizes the wear of miniature medals and Miniature Breast Insignia on civilian evening dress (white tie) or civilian dinner dress (black tie) in the same manner as for dinner dress jackets. For non-dress-up affairs, you may wear miniature replicas of ribbons made in the form of lapel buttons, or ribbons made in rosette form, on the left lapel of civilian clothes. You may also wear miniature distinguished marksmanship and pistol shot badges as a lapel pin or as part of a tie clasp on civilian clothing. Marine studentencorps Decorations The Marine Corps Uniform Regulation, MCO P1020.34G, says that decorations, medals, appropriate ribbon bars, or lapel buttons may be worn on civilian clothes at the individuals discretion. Individuals should ensure that the occasion and the manner of wearing will not reflect discredit on the award. Miniature medals may be worn with civilian evening dress. For non-evening dress, miniature replicas of ribbons made in the form of enameled lapel buttons, or ribbons made in rosette form, may be worn on the left lapel of civilian clothes. Coast Guard The Coast Guard Uniform Regulation, Table 3.G.1, allows the wear of miniature medals with civilian evening dress (white tie). You should wear them in the same manner as prescribed for Formal Dress uniform, and with civilian dinner dress (black tie) in the same manner as prescribed for Dinner Dress uniforms. Miniature ribbon replicas may be wornthe left lapel of other civilian clothes.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

This Company Proved a 4-Day Work Week Is Better - The Muse

This Company Proved a 4-Day Work Week Is Better - The MuseThis Company Proved a 4-Day Work Week Is Better When Andrew Barnes announced plans to test out a four-day workweek at his New Zealand company, his employees were shocked. He explained that for six weeks, theyd work four days instead of five- 32 hours instead of 40- but continue to get paid their full salaries. We are going to give you the responsibility to figure out how this works for each team, how productivity stays up, and how we can continue to deliver to our customers despite the changing work hours, Barnes told more than 230 employees at Perpetual Guardian. He gave them a months head start to plan and challenged them to design new ways to work and to find better balance in their lives. And, as it turns out, the trial welches a success on both fronts. Not only did employees report less stress and significant improvements to their work-life balance, but they were also able to get their work done. Supervisors said staff we re more creative, their attendance was better, they were on time, and they didnt leave early or take long breaks, Jarrod Haar, a professor at Auckland University of Technology who was one of two researchers to study Perpetual Guardians trial, told The New York Times. Their actual job performance didnt change when doing it over four days instead of five, he added. They worked out where they were wasting time and worked smarter, not harder.Both Haar and Helen Delaney, a lecturer at the University of Auckland Business School, found the results to be promising despite some challenges. Delaney conducted a series of focus groups following the trial and found that it helped employees be more focused and motivated, to feel intellectually engaged and empowered to have a say in new initiatives, to improve their collaboration and teamwork, and to develop goodwill toward the company. However, some said it was stressful to try do the saatkorn amount of work in less time, and others felt they cou ldnt fully participate. Managers observed that not all employees made as much effort as theyd have liked to improve or innovate to accommodate the new schedule. And outside of work, people said they had more time to run errands and accomplish other tasks, to spend with their families, to rest and rediscover hobbies, to study or volunteer, and to explore through travel and other leisure activities. Someone said to me now youve got at least 48 extra days in your life every year, imagine if it went forward, what are you going to do with that? one employee told Delaney. And that was just like a passing comment from someone but it keeps ringing in my ear and I keep thinking to myself, you know, what am I going to do? What could I do for me?Lucky for that employee and the majority of others who had a positive experience, Barnes has recommended a permanent four-day work week schedule and the companys board will consider making the change. Now, if youre rolling your eyes as you read this an d thinking something along the lines of, Thats super great for them but my company would never go for this, youre probably not alone. Companies are hardly rushing to give their employees an extra day off every week, especially without an expectation that theyll make up the hours. (Its not unheard of some American companies have tried to offer four-day work weeks for some employees in some situations, but it seems that most still expect them to fit in the same number of hours.) Lets just say a company-sanctioned four-day work week isnt in your immediate future- and lets be honest, here, its probably not- there are still plenty of other ways you can try to make your work-life and life-life better. Heres where to start ifYou Want More Balance3 Realistic Ways to Stop Stressing About Work When Youre Not at the Office5 Smarter Ways to Spend Your Weekend Time, According to Super Successful PeopleThe Secret to Getting More Done in Less TimeYou Want to Stop Feeling So Overworked3 Realistic S trategies You Should Turn to When Theres Too Much on Your PlateA Solution if You Just Realized Theres No Way Youll Get Everything Done10 Ways to Work Less Without Losing Your Boss RespectYou Want to Work From Home MoreHow to Convince Your Boss to Start Letting You Work From Home (Email Template IncludedAll the Scientific Proof You Need to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work From Home7 Tried-and-True Secrets for a Productive Home OfficeYou Want to Go on VacationThe Right Way to Ask Your Boss for Time OffThe Free Worksheet Thatll Make Taking Vacation So Much Less StressfulThe Stupid Easy Way to Lighten Your Workload Before You Leave on Vacation