Bridging the Gap

There is a growing demand for professionals that possess STEM skills, yet there is a decline in young professionals in STEM. To add to this demand, according to a recent article by Business Insider, there has been a forty-four percent drop in the labor force participation rate since 2007 that can be directly attributed to retiring baby boomers.  Current trends show that this rate isn’t about to slow down anytime soon.  The problem is that there’s more people leaving and less people entering the STEM field. Of the students that pursue a Stem major, thirty-eight percent of them won’t graduate with one. How do we change this? It starts with the young.  Let’s look at the facts. In 2013,

·         56 percent of US high school graduates were not ready for college level math

·         69 percent of U.S. high school graduates were not ready for college level science

·         Students who progress through at least Algebra II in high school are two times more likely to graduate with a bachelor’s degree

·         29: The number of countries whose high school students performed better than U.S. students in math in 2012

·         22: The number of countries whose high school students performed better than U.S. students in science in 2012

 

These numbers were reflected in the number of U.S. bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering and science fields compared to other countries.  In 2008, 31 percent of U.S. bachelor’s degrees were awarded in STEM related fields, compared to 61 percent in Japan and 51 percent in China.

The statistics show that American students are not prepared to pursue a STEM degree in college. Young children are initially drawn to science and engineering, yet that interest quickly diminishes as they begin middle school. The facts demonstrate a problem in our public education.   Over one third of public math and science school teachers did not study their subject in college and/or are not certified to teach it. Most of us can agree that if we weren’t properly taught something, we aren’t going to become passionate about it.

Building a strong background in STEM skills for our children, teens, and young adults will provide rewarding and lucrative careers in their future.  Our world is now technology driven; there is no impending decline in STEM jobs in the future. An education that integrates STEM skills into our classrooms will allow our young people to reach their potential in STEM at the college level. Young people are our workers in training.

Paladin Consulting connects talented STEM professionals to exciting career opportunities. We are always looking for skilled professionals to place in innovative, new roles. If you are ready to take on a new opportunity, apply online today.

Sources:

http://nms.org/education/thestemcrisis.aspx

http://www.businessinsider.com/baby-boomers-are-retiring-2014-2

 

The Power of Connection: The User Group

Getting involved in a network of professionals in your industry has nothing to offer but benefits regardless of industry. In the IT industry, user groups are becoming an increasingly popular networking avenue. A user group is a group of IT professionals that come together to discuss the industry and share their experiences. Through special speakers and discussions, there is a great opportunity to learn and grow your expertise.

 

User groups offer more than just free food, free seminars, and giveaways. Even if you aren’t interested in the specific topic covered in a meeting, user groups still provide an opportunity to get to know people in your industry that may be people you will work with one day. If you don’t ever actually work with them, they are people that you can call up if a problem arises that may have a solution to offer. Your network can be one of your greatest assets to have in the industry.  

 

Paladin Consulting truly believes in supporting the I.T. Community and one area that emulates that is through our User groups we support in Dallas, Houston and Washington D.C. The vision we have is to provide an outlet for like-minded techies to share their expertise in a socially driven format to discuss current trends, upcoming technology updates and network with fellow techies in their core area of expertise.

 

We have been a host and sponsor to many groups over the past several years. Some of those groups would include:

Dallas & North Houston .NET Users Group

D/FW & Houston ColdFusion Users Group

Dallas ASP.NET Users Group

HP Mercury User Group

DevOps Live

Java Developers of Dallas

Cyber Security Professionals

Are you an IT professional interested in coming to one of our user groups? Check out our Linkedin or Meetup page for more information!

What Learning Style are You?

Research compiled from various university studies by The Online Journal of New Horizons shows that everyone learns and processes information differently.  According to the Online Journal of New Horizons in Education, learning styles canKnowing your learning style and the learning styles of your colleagues will help you conduct business more efficiently and improve internal communication.  There are three common learning styles that researchers have identified. As you can see the most common learning style is visual, followed by kinesthetic, and auditory. Below is a breakdown of common characteristics of each of the three most popular learning styles found in adults.

 

Visual

·         Use visual objects such as charts and pictures to see information

·         Generally can read body language of other people and interpret what people are saying though their body language

·         Able to memorize new information in notes if the information is organized in color

·         Can easily pick up on a process when watching someone else do it.

Auditory

·         Processes and retains information through hearing and speaking

·         Picks up on someone’s tone and responds accordingly

·         Can listen to lectures on audio and quickly retain what they heard

Kinesthetic

·         Learns new material by using a hands-on approach

·         Would much rather demonstrate how to do something than to verbally explain

·         Prefers to work in teams more than others

Interested in knowing what learning style you possess? Follow the link to take the VAK Test.

Protect yourself from the Internet Heartbleed

If you haven’t heard already there is a new flaw found in the encryption tool used by two-thirds of all internet servers. This flaw is so scary that security researchers named the flaw the Heartbleed. In layman’s terms, the heartbleed has the potential to be exploited leaving your login names and passwords at risk of getting into someone else’s hands.  With the risk of exploitation at a high right now, it is a good time to change your passwords.  Even without this heartbleed, it is a good practice to change all your passwords every 90 days to protect your accounts from being compromised.  Here are a few guidelines when deciding to change your password.

Use different passwords

The biggest mistake which happens to also be the most common mistake is to choose one password and use it as your login to everything.  If there is a breach in one of your accounts, it is easy for hackers to hack into your other accounts if you have the same password.

Strengthen your passwords

Passwords should be at least 6-8 characters in length and include both numbers and letters.  Names of people or things connected to you should be avoided, as the first place criminals may look to extract personal information is on your social media sites.  Your password for your email is one of the most important passwords to protect. If hackers can gain access to your email, they can easily see your accounts linked to the email and reset passwords.

Use the two- factor authentication

In addition to passwords, a new option is offered by many banks, social networking sites and email services called two factor authentications. This requires an additional verification after entering your username and password. Every time someone tries to login to the account, a one-time code is sent to you (generally via text message) that you must type in to gain access to the account.

Don’t be an easy target for hackers. Take the time to change your passwords to protect yourself.

10 Habits of the Happiest People

It’s human nature to see the negative in situations and miss the positive.  Our goals, career choice, relationships and hobbies are all driven by the simple desire to be happy, yet most people don’t make the choice to be happy in their everyday life. Happy people are more productive in every aspect of life. A common misconception is that productivity fuels happiness when reality is just the opposite. Happiness fuels productivity and success. Here is a list of 10 simple habits the happiest people share on a day to day basis.

1.       They make happiness a priority. When these happy people make decisions, they think about their happiness as part of the decision.

2.       Decide to be happy. Too often, we choose to let stressful circumstances take away our happiness. You have to make a decision that through every circumstance, you will think positively.

3.   They accept responsibility for their own happiness.  Often, we tend to put our hope for happiness on another person. If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, other people will let you down sometimes. That is why you must realize that one person won’t make you happy 100% of the time which brings us back to the last habit, it is your responsibility to make a decision to be happy.

4.       They express gratitude. The happiest people are also the most gracious people. They focus on all the blessings in their life and not the hardships. The happiest people still have many hardships they must overcome; however, they choose to focus on all the good in their life. A good habit to get into is to make a list of all the blessings in your life and put it somewhere you can see it every day to serve as a reminder that you have a lot to be thankful for.

5.       They forgive.  The happiest people don’t hold grudges but instead make a conscious effort to forgive.  When you forgive other people, you aren’t just doing it for them; you’re doing it for yourself.  Holding a grudge will undoubtedly cause unhappiness in your life.

6.       They disregard other peoples’ opinions of them. Chances are there will be someone, somewhere who won’t have a high opinion of you. Ignore it. When you try to start changing who you are to gain the high opinion of someone else, you will lose your authenticity along with your happiness.

7.       They focus on today. They refuse to focus on the past that they can’t change and the future that has yet to happen.  Today brings enough challenges on its’ own, don’t focus on things that can’t be changed or planned. 

8.       They give back. Happy people tend to be givers in the community.  Givers realize their blessings and take joy in giving back to others.  There is a different, special kind of happiness that comes to those who help others.

 

9.       They spend time with people.  Happy people enjoy making time for the people that mean the most to them and connecting with new people.  A common habit of the world’s happiest people is to say hi to someone new every chance they get.

10.       They take action. The happiest people don’t just dwell on planning, they take action swiftly.  Action takers get things done at work and at home which brings a sense of achievement. Feelings of accomplishment will fuel your happiness.  

 

The First Six Things Interviewers Notice

We know our interview attire is immediately acknowledged by interviewers, but there's many other things interviewers take note of during an interview.  In a survey of employers across America, 6 things were identified as common things noticed first when interviewing.

Arrival Time.  It should go unsaid that arriving on time is a must for an interview.  Arrive around 5 to 10 minutes before your scheduled interview. If you arrive earlier than 15 minutes for your interview, take time to review your resume and gather your thoughts.  You may also want to run to the restroom in the lobby before checking in to freshen up. 

Attire. Dress neat and clean and accessorize minimally.

Body Language.  When meeting your interviewer, shake his or her hand firmly. A firm handshake shows you’re genuine and confident. Position yourself towards the interviewer. You don’t want to slump in your chair or look too relaxed; however, you should carry yourself with confidence.  It is also important to resist the urge to fidget with your hands out of nervousness.

Speaking Style. Speak concisely and minimize the use of filler words or ramblings.  A good practice is to mimic the speaking rate of your interviewer; people subconsciously identify with people that operate like they do.

Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Do your homework before your interview. Research the company in-depth. Some notes you may want to take to bring with you to the interview may include the company’s mission statement, values, and any recent company press releases.  Interviewers can tell how prepared you were for the interview based on your responses and questions you have for them.  Always come prepared with a list of questions to ask at the end of the interview. This reflects both your level of preparedness for the interview and your level of interest in the position.

Your qualifications. While everything else listed is very important to establish a rapport with a prospective employer, your ability to sell your qualifications for the job is the last and most important note your interviewer will make.

Ready to explore opportunities with Paladin? Contact us today!

 

 

Dress to Impress:The Business Professional Interview

Seven seconds. That is the amount of time you have to make a first impression that could determine the entire course of your interview.  Like it or not, those seven seconds are based strictly on appearance and professionalism.  One of the most common mistakes job seekers make is in their wardrobe choice for an interview.  Here are a few guidelines that should be followed when dressing for an interview where the culture is business professional. 

Guidelines for Women	Guidelines for Men
Suits, Dresses: Conservative business suit, pantsuit, or dress of natural or woven-blend fabric; skirt length should be at your knee. Choose a color that complements your skin tone and hair color; beige, black, navy, or gray. Make sure your clothes are not too tight or too loose.	Suits: Preferred dark blue, gray, or muted pin-stripes. Muted brown or black also acceptable. A quality woven blend of natural fibers looks professional. Avoid bold pin-stripes, contrasting slacks and sport coat, or light colors.
Blouses or tops: Simple style. Avoid low-cut necklines or very frilly styles.	Shirts: A nice quality white button-down or white classic collar is preferred. Oxford blue or a muted stripe is also acceptable. Be sure it is ironed.
Shoes: Polished pumps or medium heels in a neutral color that matches your outfit.	Ties are a MUST
	Shoes: Highly polished slip-ons or laced dress shoes; brown, cordovan, or black.

 

A good rule of thumb: Dress for the job that you want, not necessarily the job that you are interviewing for. If you are interviewing for an entry level position, dress like you were interviewing for a more senior position. Why? Because employers like to hire people that they believe can grow in the company. Someone who presents sloppy doesn’t exactly scream a go getter. Nailing a good impression in the first seven seconds will set the tone of the interview. Don’t let something as simple as your choice of clothing get in between you and your dream job. 

Looking for a new job? Check out opportunities available with Paladin!