Breaking () News State Supreme Court rejects noncompete clauses

Breaking () News State Supreme Court rejects noncompete clauses Been a LONG time since I posted on Saturday, but this is pretty interesting.   I got it from the YoungPRPros.com mailing list this morning. Read this article and the comments about Californias Supreme Court finally ruling noncompetes as garbage (er, unenforceable, even illegal). This single issue has plagued hundreds of professionals whom Ive met over the last two years, and Im sure hundreds of thousands of professionals who just want to make a living. One issue brought up in the comments is that now well have employees going off and starting their own gig with no regard for the employers intellectual property (IP): Well there goes a bunch of companies leaving California. Why would they want to be bound by laws that allow employees to steal their clients and the company secrets. Many comments are in favor of this.   I can imagine this will bring a whole rash of intellectual property lawsuits, and the reality is a company is going to be able to outspend me (and you, probably) in court.   They can sit around with their salaries and lifestyles, while we tap into our retirement to fund a legal proceeding in court, trying to get a paycheck again. Its not over, but its a good start, I think.   Everyone who seems to know anything about noncompetes have indicated they are virtually unenforceable this just seems like one more nail (a big nail) in the coffin. Will this help you?   Will this affect your future employment?   How will companies react to this (i.e., what policies will they put into place, perhaps not sharing IP as freely as before), and most of all, will the federal government follow in Californias tracks, and when? Interesting.   But Im sure there will be adverse consequences. Breaking () News State Supreme Court rejects noncompete clauses Been a LONG time since I posted on Saturday, but this is pretty interesting.   I got it from the YoungPRPros.com mailing list this morning. Read this article and the comments about Californias Supreme Court finally ruling noncompetes as garbage (er, unenforceable, even illegal). This single issue has plagued hundreds of professionals whom Ive met over the last two years, and Im sure hundreds of thousands of professionals who just want to make a living. One issue brought up in the comments is that now well have employees going off and starting their own gig with no regard for the employers intellectual property (IP): Well there goes a bunch of companies leaving California. Why would they want to be bound by laws that allow employees to steal their clients and the company secrets. Many comments are in favor of this.   I can imagine this will bring a whole rash of intellectual property lawsuits, and the reality is a company is going to be able to outspend me (and you, probably) in court.   They can sit around with their salaries and lifestyles, while we tap into our retirement to fund a legal proceeding in court, trying to get a paycheck again. Its not over, but its a good start, I think.   Everyone who seems to know anything about noncompetes have indicated they are virtually unenforceable this just seems like one more nail (a big nail) in the coffin. Will this help you?   Will this affect your future employment?   How will companies react to this (i.e., what policies will they put into place, perhaps not sharing IP as freely as before), and most of all, will the federal government follow in Californias tracks, and when? Interesting.   But Im sure there will be adverse consequences.

Evaluating the Job Offer - What is Missing - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Evaluating the Job Offer - What is Missing - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career When you get a job offer what is the first thing you look at? The Money! If all you are looking at is the money in the job offer, you may end up very disappointed a few months down the road. I wrote about determining what you want in non-financial terms in a previous post.  I wrote about the need to determine what you really care about before evaluating the job offer. What is Missing or Hidden in the Job Offer? There are two areas of compensation that are changing in the workplaceâ€"Paid Time Off (PTO) and health insurance. When I went to work for IBM in 1978, I was given two weeks vacation that was allotted to me at the beginning of the year, and I had virtually an unlimited amount of sick leave. Pretty generous! At five years, I was allotted three weeks of vacation, and we could carry any unused vacation forward. Most companies have moved to a Paid Time Off (PTO) model where you earn a certain number of hours of PTO with each paycheck. This way, companies do not have to track whether it is sick or vacation time. What you should be looking for in the job offer as it relates to PTO: Holidays Some businesses have cut the number of paid holidays back to a minimum and expect the employee to use PTO for the rest. Beginning PTO balance Is the PTO balance zero when you start? If you have a planned vacation within the next six months, you will probably not have enough PTO time. You can negotiate for PTO time to be added at your hire date. When does the accrual rate of PTO time increase? Do you have to wait one or three or five years to start accumulating PTO at a higher rate? You may be able to negotiate to start at a higher accrual rate. Can you carry the PTO balance over from year to year? Will the business pay out any remaining PTO balance when you leave? This was a huge issue for me when I left my last corporate gig. I had accrued over 5 weeks of PTO and I had to make sure I would get paid before I left. Time off from work is valuable. You need to look at this carefully. What you should be looking for in the job offer as it relates to health insurance: Is you spouse covered? Are you planning to put your spouse on the health insurance plan? Check to see if that is allowed. Many businesses are dumping insurance coverage for your spouse. Does the business contribute to coverage for your spouse and children? When I went to teach high school math for a couple of years, the school district allowed me to add my wife and child to the policy, but I had to foot the entire bill for the additional coverage. My out of pocket expense was double my COBRA payment from my last high-tech position. I stayed on COBRA until we could find alternative insurance for my wife and child. If your spouse is covered, but the out of pocket expense is very high, consider going to the Healthcare Market Place. Due to the fact that your spouse is eligible for group healthcare coverage from the job offer, you will NOT be eligible for any tax credits. This can be a balancing act with thousands of dollars dependent on your decision. Usually, the health insurance issue is not negotiable. What you do want is to be able to evaluate the offer with your eyes wide open. PTO and health insurance benefits can be a large portion of your compensation. Look at these items in the job offer seriously!

Work and Personal Life Balance

Work and Personal Life Balance You enjoy your job, and working your way up the corporate ladder is both challenging and satisfying. However, maintaining healthy relationships with your spouse and children is also one of your top priorities. Finding the right balance between work and home is not always easy, but it is not an impossible task. Although todays families are busier than ever, they also have a wide range of helpful tools at their disposal. With proper planning and organization, its possible to thrive in your business and at home. Before you can find a balance that works for you, you have to understand whats truly important in your life. Take some time to think about what a perfect work/home balance would look like for you. Maybe you want to be able to meet with clients one evening a week with no distractions, or perhaps you want to make coaching your sons soccer team a priority. Although you can achieve a balance that works well for everyone, you have to learn to say no in order to say yes to the most important things. If you are constantly stressed and exhausted, both your work and your family will suffer. Since the people you love are important to you, too, include them in the conversation about priorities. Sometimes, whats most important to you might not be as important to them. For instance, you might be making date night with your partner a priority while she would prefer for you to be home for family dinners each night. Youre already attending your daughters music recitals, but she would really love for you to have time to practice softball with her in the backyard. Once you have determined your priorities, you can start making plans to turn these dreams into reality. When you have schedule conflicts between home and work, youll have to get creative. Lets say your boss has offered to pay for you to further your education. Traditional schooling means too much time away from home and the office, but getting an MBA online could be a great option. When scheduling challenges arise, look for creative solutions instead of just seeing the problems. You dont have to sacrifice your family to have a successful career, and you also dont have to let go of your business goals because you have a family. The process might not always be easy, but the end results are rewarding.

Choosing Office Appropriate Makeup That Will Last Your Whole Workday -

Choosing Office Appropriate Makeup That Will Last Your Whole Workday - Applying makeup for work is a double edged sword of issues. On the one hand, it has to look fairly natural and professional. But on the other, it has to stand up to hours of wear-time, under air conditioning or radiator induced heat, without sliding off cracking or generally making a nuisance of itself. But there are products which can fulfil both these needs. Here are the best products for office appropriate makeup that will last all day. Use A Primer To start with, in order to get the maximum longevity from your makeup, you’ll need to wear a primer. For a long time primers were sort of seen as the Emperor’s New Clothes of makeup â€" an invisible product whose benefits could only be noticed if you looked very closely. But this really isn’t the case anymore. There are many primers which help makeup glide on, smooth skin into almost porelessness, and make sure it’s all still there come clocking out. One of the best is the NYX Angel Veil, and as an added bonus, it’s a drugstore product, too. Many longwearing foundations can be a bit too full-on for office wear. Whilst high coverage looks amazingly glamorous, day to day it’s likely something a little sheerer will suffice. MAC Face Body is amazing for this. It’s one of the only lighter coverage foundations I’ve found which genuinely lasts all day. As you blend with fingers, you’ll notice the product thicken up and set. Once this happens, it’ll stay put come hell or high water, or at least until you remove it at the end of the day. Blushes and Bronzers Powder blushes and bronzers tend to disappear around lunchtime, leaving you with an afternoon of dull complexion woes. Cream stains tend to stick around longer, and none so much as the Glossier Cloud Paints. The shade Dusk is a great nude-brown tone which acts as a superbly natural bronzer, while Beam or Puff bring life back to cheeks. For darker skin tones, new shades Storm and Dawn are ideal. And Those Eyes . . . For eyes, a great way to maximise shadow wear time is by using a tinted primer. Think about it â€" primers are literally designed to help eyeshadow last, right? So it follows that using a primer as an eyeshadow gets the best longwearing results. A bargainous option are the Maybelline 24 hr Colour Tattoos. They also come in a range of more neutral, office appropriate shades. On and On Bronze is a perfect suits-all sheeny brown which draws attention to your peepers in a beautifully non-obvious way. One of the most common makeup woes is flaking mascara. There’s truly nothing more frustrating that glancing in the mirror and noticing black dandruff scattered across your cheeks. Luckily, it can be avoided â€" even for those who dislike waterproof options. Tubing mascaras are designed to form, you guessed it, tubes over each lash, which set in place but remove with warm water and a flannel. Glossier’s Lash Slick and Kevyn Aucoin’s Essential Mascara both fulfil the non-flaking requirements, whilst making lashes look long and fluttery. Lips to Last I’m of the belief that there’s no real way to make a lipstick last all day. Even liquid lipsticks with 24 hour wear claims don’t look great past the two hours mark. If you want to actually have lasting colour on your lips, a stain is the best option. Clarins Water Lip Stains are absolutely perfect for the job â€" apply, blend with a fingertip, and you’ve got hours upon hours of beautiful colour. The shade Rose Water is a perky pink which is natural enough but brightens the face up in an undeniably cheery manner. To keep your lips looking their best, apply some balm throughout the day. Nivea stick lip balms are a great mess-free option, and they come in tons of flavours. The Soft Rose and Watermelon Shine options deposit a barely there hint of colour and keep lips smooth, soft and slightly sheeny. Sarah Dixon writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in sourcing candidates for  internships  and  graduate jobs.

Resume Writing Services in Northern Virginia

Resume Writing Services in Northern VirginiaResume writing services are a great way to get noticed in the job market, but can you get in touch with such services? If you have a great idea about your skills, abilities and personal attributes, then that's fantastic. You should never settle for the first resume writing service that you find though. There are plenty of companies out there who can help you write a stellar resume.Resume writing services are out there, they can help you get hired, but they can also be very expensive, sometimes up to $500 or more. Of course you want to be able to get a job, but at what price? Not all resume writing services charge this high, but you want to make sure that the company you are considering using is going to provide you with a great resume.Before you commit to any service you need to go through all of their credentials and be sure they are legitimate. You want to make sure they are going to provide you with a quality resume, one that you can rel y on. It's not always easy to tell if they are legitimate, since they can often come with business names and logos on them, but you will know you are dealing with someone who is actually legitimate when they can provide you with great service.In the meantime, you are going to be able to go online and browse through all of the resume writing services in the area, so you can determine which ones you think might be the best ones for you. You will probably be able to narrow down your search based on price, as well as on the experience of the company itself. Once you have located the ones that sound like they might be right for you, you should check out their websites and see if you can find out anything about them, including any reviews from customers.Resume writing services in Northern Virginia provide some great services for people that are looking to get hired, but you also need to do your homework before you go into contact with them. Be sure that you are going to get a very profess ional job offer back, with detailed information about the qualifications they will need in order to hire you. You should also be careful about the type of information you give out about yourself.In order to protect yourself from any possible future charges, it's important that you are able to obtain your own, solid information, about a potential resume writing services in Northern Virginia. You need to make sure that they are not going to do anything illegal in order to get your resume written, or they will be charging you a huge fee to get it done. Of course you also want to make sure that they can provide you with a quality resume.Now that you are armed with the knowledge that you need, you should start looking for some great services. There are many places you can go online to get started, and of course you should still take time to see if you can get some quotes from these companies. Take the time to compare the prices, as well as the services that you receive, so you can ensure that you are getting the best deal out there.It can be challenging to get hired when you use resume writing services, but you can avoid being in this situation. Keep this information in mind and you will be able to land that first job that you have been looking for. In the end, this is a great way to secure a new career, and an affordable way to get a great resume.

Summary Sunday Powerful Steps to Take Control of Your Career and Job Search

Summary Sunday Powerful Steps to Take Control of Your Career and Job Search Powerful Steps to Take Control of Your Career and Job Search There is nothing worse than finding yourself out of a job or stuck in a job you hate. Isnt it time to take control of your job search and career?  This weekly roundup of popular posts features posts to help you learn how to take control of your career and job search. Passively applying to jobs online or just doing your job can be detrimental (not to mention ineffective). From how to get sourced (found) to inspiring personal websites, theres one thing for sure. This isnt the job search of yesterday! Today, employers are looking for people with specific skills and they are not just relying on job boards to find these folks! Increase your odds of getting found by following some of the tips in these posts! Powerful Steps to Take Control of Your Career and Job Search JOB SEARCH 4 Steps to Take if You Want to Get Poached, According to a Real, Live Recruiter  by  Jaclyn Westlake | The Muse As Westlake says a good recruiter doesn’t rely on postings alone to find the right personâ€"she goes out looking. Sourcing is the act of looking for the perfect candidate by searching online (or off) for someone with the right set of skills. And yes, it happens more then you would think- if you have a desired set of skills AND have a strong online presence! Lose Your Job? It May Pay to Announce It PBS News Hour It is amazing how many people want to help you if they know you are looking for work. See how the former Chief Digital Officer at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art landed his job after being laid off! ONLINE VISIBILITY 18 of the Best Personal Websites Weve Ever Seen by Sophia Bernazzan  | HubSpot These personal websites might just inspire you! Owning digital terrain is one of the BEST ways to get your name out there and ensure the RIGHT and best information gets found when people search for you. Its about personal branding and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). CAREER 4 Email Tools That Genuinely Save Me an Hour Per Day by Bryan Adams | Inc. If you find youve become a slave to email, and honestly, who doesnt feel this way. You must know about these four email tools. The Skills Gap Is Real What skills are the hardest to find and what are employers doing about it? Dr. Peter Hirst, assistant director of MIT Sloane Executive studies provides answers. Tune up your career using the information shared in this post!

The Unending Search for Work-Life Balance

The Unending Search for Work-Life Balance Neverending Search for Worklife Balance The need for improving work-life balance is staring us in the face; it’s front and center. Proof? According to a recent Gallup poll, 70 percent of employees have checked out at work or are actively disengaged â€" costing U.S. companies over $300 billion annually. Disengagement is a clear sign that something is out of balance! Are you on the hunt for a new job? When evaluating employers, wellness benefits should play a key role in your decision-making process. Take stock of potential employers’ wellness offerings â€" most notably, programs that focus on supporting you across all aspects of your life, both at work and at home. Great companies want their employees to be healthy and engaged both inside and outside the work environment. These companies care about their employees’ well-being and show it with robust workplace wellness programs and perks like healthy options in the cafeteria, free group exercise classes in the corporate gym, even paid time off to volunteer within the community, and â€" maybe the best of all â€" cold, hard cash to get and stay healthy. David Coppin, President, Client Services and Member Engagement, VirginPulse.com, part of Sir Richard Branson’s famed Virgin Group, says that, “By honing in on all aspects of life, including your mental, physical, social and financial health, both at work and home, you’ll improve your total quality of life and maximize your potential in your job. Smart companies know this, and smart job seekers do, too. According to our own research, 87 percent of employees believe robust workplace wellness programs are paramount when choosing a place to work.” In recent years, with the explosion of “always on” technology, apps and devices that help us get our jobs done regardless of our location, there’s a narrowing divide between work and home life. David advises that, “Leading employers should help employees improve their total quality of life by not only offering stellar benefits and workplace wellness programs, but by extending those benefits to their family and friends. Incorporate the people who matter most in their life so your employees have an influential support system beyond their peers at work.” Let’s take fitness as an example of a great wellness benefit. According to the Framingham Heart Study, you have a 57 percent greater chance of losing weight when exercising and dieting with a friend or family member than when you go it alone. With innovative wellness programs that include your family and friends, you can challenge each other to healthy competitions, like who takes the most stairs or who eats the most fruits and vegetables each week. Branson’s subsidiary, Virgin Pulse, strongly believes the link between companies that provide robust workplace wellness programs and sustained employee engagement is strong. “Eighty percent of employees at companies with robust health and wellness programs feel their employer cares about their well-being, according to our own research,“ confirms Coppin. So what can companies expect in the long run? The benefit of fewer sick days, fewer safety incidents, and something even more important: positive feedback from employees who feel their contributions at work have a greater overall impact. And back to you, job-seekers or career-changers. Factor wellness benefits into your job search today and you’ll find greater wellness tomorrow.