Let us end the era of the CFbrO and the She-E-O job title

Let us end the era of the CFbrO and the She-E-O job titleLet us end the era of the CFbrO and the She-E-O job titleAttention, please. Its time for a brief public service announcement.When deciding how to describe your titlein your company business cards, it can be tempting to be creative. Guru is often a popular choice, for instance, among some. But please, please, dont choose something like CFbrO.This detail came about in a long, unflattering profile ofGary Vaynerchuks chaotic, bro-tastic ad agency VaynerMedia.In a social-media-savvy company that was all about the CEOs hustle, Scott Heydt, Vayners former CFO, decided it would be cool to have a business card that identified him as aCFbrO.Thats the only detail we learn about Heydt in the whole profile, but it tells us all we need to know about him. It signals that his bro-tastic identity matters to him so much that he must feature it in his company title. This is a risk. For a client deciding whether to work with VaynerMedia, this busi ness card would signal a person who doesnt take his job seriously. Thats why job titles matter. Theyre the first impression you give a colleague or a prospective client, and as a representative of your company, yourtitle implicitly represents what values your company stands for.Is bro-iness the limiting, gendered message you want to be communicating to your employees and clients?Spoiler no.Why job titles matterVaynerMedia is not the only companyusing provocative business cards. Back when Facebook was known as The Facebook, 22-year-old CEO Mark Zuckerberg used business cards that read, Im CEOb- Its a phrase that comes off as dominant and self-centered, which is what young Zuckerberg, who modeled himself after fellow hothead Steve Jobs, was aiming for.According to early Facebook employeeAndrew Box Bosworth, the business cardswereintended as a joke for his friends and speaks to how unclear it was even in his own mind at the time that he would someday become such an important (and scru tinized) leader in our industry.It may have added to the unruly Lord of the Flies reputation that Facebook gained throughout its early years among investors, according to The Facebook Effect. Eventually, as Facebook aimed for bigger heights beyond one hackers viewpoint, the cards were phased out.SHE-E-O is a limiting titleGendered titles are also used by female executives and becoming increasingly popular. Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso branded herself as a Girlboss, a title she keeps even after she stepped down as CEOand her company filed for bankruptcy.Girlboss is a playful, irreverent title for a 22-year-old Amoruso founding a company but shes long outgrown it. As a 33-year-old grown woman, Amorusos decision to continue to identify herself as a girlboss infantilizes and diminishes her accomplishments.Its a limiting framework to describe a CEOand leader of a company because its inviting people toonly see you through one lens.But Amoruso isnt the only one to do this. Miki Agrawal , beleagured former CEO of period underwear company Thinx, is currently facingsexual harassment allegations, but before her downfall, she would call herselfSHE-E-O in external communications.Female bosses are already dealing with limiting biases and stereotypes about their competence in the workplace - no need to assign yourself one more limiting label.In this way,gendering your leadership skillsbecomes a way to sell yourself short. Even if it seems fun at first, its a great way not to be taken seriously later.

The city that has the most adults living at home

The city that has the most adults living at homeThe city that has the most adults living at homeWhat are the factors keeping so many Americans from leaving the nest? Many experts have speculated about the various economic factors, but region may additionally play a role.Thankfully, MagnifyMoney recently published a comprehensive analysis of the cities that harbor the most adults still living with their parents. These included men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 that did elend identify as active students, across 50 of the largest metros in America.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreSo which city has the most adults living with their parents? Riverside, California currently houses the most adults still living at home, with 28%. The authors of the study conjecture that the citys high unemployment rate is a leading factor. New York, Miami, and Los Angeles trail close behind. On e in four adult residents of these cities, currently live at home with their parents.In every city reviewed, adult men were observed to live with their parents the most frequently with the exception of Austin, Texas.Collectively about one in four adults between the ages of 25 and 40 currently living with their parents had children of their own that also lived with them, and one in five of this same group does not currently contribute to the labor market (defined as individuals that are not currently seeking work), with 8.6% merely being provisionally unemployed, (defined as individuals that wish to work but have yet to have any luck finding a new job).Minneapolis features some of the lowest instances of adults living under their parents roof out of all the cities reviewed. Just under 12% of adults between the ages of 25 and 40 currently do so, just above Seatle (11.6%) and a four-way tie between Indianapolis (12.3), Kansas City, Raliegh, and Portland.Take a look at the Top 10 cities with the highest percentages of adults aged 25-40 living with their parentsRiverside (28.1%)Miami (27.7%)Los Angeles (26.6%)New York (24.7%)San Antonio (23.2%)New Orleans (22.9%)Philadelphia (22.5%)Providence, RI (22.3%)Baltimore (22.1%)Orlando, Fla. (21.1%)The key factorsAlthough the study correctly highlights the cost of living to reliably determine rates of adults living with their parents, they additionally add that his factor does not stand alone. Many of the factors that contribute to adults prolonging their tenure in the nest pertain to adifficultyto efficiently save up money a plethora of regional roadblocks that eat up wages much quicker than theyre earned.The cites that had some of the highest numbers tended to be coastal cities, Miamiand Tampa for instance, or even San Fransico and New Orleans. These metros all share similaritiesin these key factors housing costs relative to income, prices on goods and services, income inequality and commute times.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Customize this Outstanding Internet Marketing Specialist Resume Sample

Customize this Outstanding Internet Marketing Specialist Resume SampleCustomize this Outstanding Internet Marketing Specialist Resume SampleCreate Resume Beatrice Carr100 Broadway LaneNew Parkland, CA, 91010Cell (555) 987-1234example-emailexample.comProfessional SummaryStrategically-minded Internet Marketing Specialist experienced in email absatzwirtschaft, SEO/SEM, PPC, affiliate marketing, remarketing, social media campaigns and other online brand development activities. Successful in delivery of measurable results with strong acclimation to metrics-based accountability. Collaborative team player with enthusiasm for emerging technologies on the business marketing landscape.Core QualificationsSalesforce.comGoogle Analytics PremiumAdobe Creative SuiteCSS and HTML5Affiliate Network DevelopmentBudget ManagementExperienceInternet Marketing Specialist, October 2009 PresentInternational Association of Fashion Buyers New Cityland, CAExecute integrated campaigns across all internet marke ting channels to ensure company growth and consistent visibility among members and prospective members.Collaboratively design campaigns according to brand marketing initiatives.Responsible for 15% member engagement improvement in 2010, 27% in 2011, 24% in 2012, 34% in 2013 and 44% in 2014.Work with and supervise copywriting interns from local colleges on major IAFB website SEO improvement project for their marketing coursework credit.Internet Marketing Specialist, April 2005 October 2009StiltsShoes.com New Cityland, CACoordinated, programmed and executed 90 email campaigns per month to daily recipients of 1.5 1000000 mined from customer lists of over 8 million subscribers.Achieved an internet sales increase of $14 million over four years.Increased website traffic by 47% with reduced web marketing costs of 28% in first two years.Education2005 Bachelors Degree, MarketingUniversity of California New Cityland, CACustomize Resume

Lease Accounting Trends in the New York Area

Lease Accounting Trends in the New York AreaLease Accounting Trends in the New York Area LEASE ACCOUNTING TRENDS IN NEW YORKHas your company begun the transition to the new lease accounting voreingestellt?New YorkU.S.Yes51%44%No49%56%Finance leaders who reported their company has begun the transition also were asked As part of that transition, have you begun the diagnostic work necessary to determine the level of effort which wil be required for you to be ready to adopt the new standard?New YorkU.S.Yes, already completed60%48%Yes, started but not completed40%51%No, havent started0%1%Have you completed the following?New YorkU.S.Identified team members and responsibilities for completing the transition to a new standard53%61%Made an inventory of, and prioritized, any systems changes which might be required55%51%Developed a project plan to address all gaps emanating from the diagnostic work66%49%Identified, at a high level, the magnitude and type of the lease inventory (e.g., property, equipment)43%49%Written new accounting policies62%47%Written new accounting procedures48%43%Investigated any lease or property management systems which will facilitate adoption43%42%What is the most challenging aspect of the transition to the new standard?New YorkU.S.1.Finding professionals with the requisite expertise1.Training staff2.Training staff2.Diagnosing the needed changes3.Diagnosing the needed changes3.Finding professionals with the requisite expertiseFor your company, which new accounting standard has been more challenging to adopt?New YorkU.S.Revenue recognition76%71%Lease accounting24%29%How much of the processes and learnings from transitioning to the new revenue recognition standard have you been able to apply to adopting the new lease accounting standard?New YorkU.S.fruchtwein of them39%29%Some of them46%54%Almost none of them15%17%Source Robert Half and Protiviti survey of more than 2,000 finance leaders in the United States, including 101 in New YorkTotal may not e qual 100 percent due to rounding.

Top Guide of Failure Resume

Top Guide of Failure Resume When you take a look at your previous failures, a pattern will probably begin to emerge. The 2 qualities sound like opposites, but they are able to go together. So, the variety of a great monitoring tool gets important. To repair this you are in need of a program called matter control. Hungry folks are driven to be successful. So every time a man turns away and starts looking at different areas of the room, women have a tendency to think he is not interested in whats being discussed. All About Failure Resume Each task ought to be something you know that you can do with hard work and self-education. For instance, maybe youve got a propensity to take on an excessive amount of work leading to missed deadlines and getting fired. It is simpler than you might think to compose a superb administrative resume that may allow you to find the job of your dreams. Ever since then, several have commented on the ability of developing a dark-side companion to their resume as a means to overcome adversity and persevere. To put it simply, a failure resume highlights all your previous failures and unsuccessful ventures. The government isnt weak and reforms will be put into place at any price tag. In these instances, your microservices want to communicate with one another. It is just a document that highlights all your unsuccessful attempts and previous failures. The Failure Resume Game Getting in the pattern of reframing your failures are going to teach you how youre able to be effective later on. Nobody likes failing, but when you take a while to process what happened, youre going to be in a position to reflect on what youve learned and the way that its helped you grow in your career. Failures are needed to make your living a wonderful experience. They increase the chance that you wont make the saatkorn mistake again. Your resume doesnt just help you to find work. Today on the job you might learn about business processes that are supposed to recognize mistakes and adopt adjustments to prevent them later on. The obviously best approach to do thats to design your services so they dont depend on each other. What a colossal waste of electricity and an illustration of small-mindedness. Hiring managers do the exact same thingonly theyre taking a look at resumes. Hiring on culture fit reflects too little humility. It will be six times so long as your usual CV. Responding to the question provides the job seeker a chance to prove that she can be calm under pressure while at the same time demonstrating problem-solving abilities. A Secret Weapon for Failure Resume Therefore, its not surprising that its the exact same on the customer side. The work remains the work. You must figure out what went wrong and what things to do better next moment. Rockwell suggests sitting with a child when they receive a terrible grade or bad test score to check at how they might have done better. Sure, most applications ha ve many tasks that are independent of the remainder of the application. So long as you deploy your system as one huge monolith, you only need to monitor 1 application, and you find all log files in one location. A spreadsheet will allow you to get everything organized, but nevertheless, it wont help you remain on track daily. Reviewing your full SMART plan spreadsheet regularly isnt the best idea either.

Working in the Dark Coping with Scotlands Winter Solstice

Working in the Dark Coping with Scotlands Winter Solstice A travel memoir As I wrote this, on December 22nd, I welches looking through a glass darkly, out an Edinburgh window at a very dark world and the black silhouette of a darker Edinburgh Castle. ________________Its only 300 PM, mid-afternoon in my understanding. But its black outside. Scotlands winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and shorter here than anywhere Ive ever been, has arrived on timebut my work day is not supposed to end so early.I dont know how the Scots cope with it, but Ive been having a tough time of it, as my brain shuts down with the Sun, before 4 PM. At first, about two weeks ago, in Inverness, I pretended that I could start workwriting articlesin mid-afternoon, after racing the Sun across the Scottish terrain to take in the sights and sites before scurrying back to my rented room, like some terrified Transylvania n villager racing the fading rays of the sun and against the increasing odds of becoming vampire food as the light vanishes.Artificial indoor lighting, as Thomas Edison knew, helps deal with or partially offset that solstice shutdown, but only somewhat. At the end of the day (as the Brits are wont to sayaround tea time, this time of year), the primal tug of the solar cycle is too strong and very resistant to my feeble, futile rationalizations of my defiant proposed post-sunset work schedule. Too often, in this short time with short days and long nights, its knocked me out (compounded by my slightly lingering China-departure jet lag).As Bad as Last ClassIm not the only one whacked by it. Edinburgh winter resident, seasonal hospitality-industry staffer and Australian world traveler, Geoff Forster, 25, describes his battle with the forces of darkness this wayBetween the hours of 3 PM and 8 PM in the summer you can go grocery shopping, climb Calton Hill and have a picnic you can still b e productive after that. But in winter, after 3 oclock, the difference is that instead of saying (with respect to work) we can do, you say, we are meant to (i.e., expected to). Never in my life before did I ever think of taking a vitamin D supplement, but now I do.Its not just that the darkness is inhibiting, distracting, depressing or soporific (sleep-inducing) Citing serious darkness-induced interference with memory and comprehension, Geoff says,It reminds me of last period in high school, when nothing makes sense. You can walk away and recall nothing, after being able to focus on nothing. Just drained and wrung out. Things that went as smoothly and effortlessly as clockwork in Septembernow, I have to write them down, on lists, which I cant find, because I forget where Ive put them.(After our conversation, around 300 PM, to be almost precise, I found a piece of paper on the floor near his feet. It was his to-do list he had lost track of. Really.)The SAD TruthOf course, S.A.D. (sea sonal affective disorder and its associated winter depression) and softening bones spring to mind when confronted with no more than the approximately 6 hours of daylight available at this time of year here in Scotland. (Hence the vitamin D supplementationa very good and now very popular idea.) That includes the 15% who plod through the winter months in a state of slowness and gloominess that they may just be able to hide from others, as well as the 5% with seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, who confront major depressive episodes every winter. Together, they add up to some 60 million Americans.Interestingly, the winter blahs-and-blues linger, through a kind of inertia, well past the winter solstice, in fact peaking after it. One Psychology Today report published on the verge of the 2012 winter solstice puts it this wayThe winter doldrums and SAD lag behind daylight availability. Think of it as physiological inertia. Our research shows that the problem indeed gets more common as we go from the southern states to the middle states (at about 38 degrees latitude). But from then on it levels off and stays equally badeanstalt all the way north into the northern states and Canada.Time Zoned OutThe report adds,By the way, most of Western Europe is north of the 38-degree line, which explains while someone who lives in Rome is just as likely to suffer SAD as someone who lives in Stockholm. Another factor, generally overlooked, is where you live within your particular time zone. Those who are more toward the western edge are at greater risk for winter doldrums and SAD. This fact tells us something important about the underlying trigger for relapses into winter depression. Time zone boundaries are simply arbitrary lines on a map, but they generate a situation in which the sun rises a full hour later at the western edge of a zone than at its eastern edge.In fact, the difference can be as much as four hours in China, which has, despite its enormous size, only one time zone . As a result, residents of Kashgar, in the far west of China, will presumably be at an even greater risk of winter SAD than people on the east coast, e.g., in Shanghai.Zapped and Sapped WillBut, for some, e.g., for Geoff and me, the impact is not so much emotional. Rather, the short days seem to affect our energy and cognition, with the will to do, in particular, taking a huge hit.Now, it may seem that there is an obvious and simple way to counter this effect Stay indoors and away from windows. Thats basically what Ive done after 3 PM, but, ironically, mostly because its too dark outside to stay there after that. As for the windows, why would anyone want to sit next to a black one?Another impact of the preposterously short solstice days is a shift in the sleep cycle. One 1990 Temple University small-scale study of four volunteers reported that the months with the latest wake-up and latest to-sleep times concentrated around the winter solstice.Battling the Forces of DarknessIf you w ant to get a clearer idea of what your natural sleep-cycle is like or, more importantly, suffer from SAD, and, therefore, want to adapt to or overcome the winter solstice, you might try the free online diagnostic Automated Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire at the online Center for Environmental Therapeutics.It provides a very detailed analysis and recommendations, based on your responses, in terms of your personal melatonin-production onset, your natural bedtime and the appropriate light-therapy to offset SAD, in terms of the nature of the light, its timing and duration.According to the questionnaires results, my melatonin onset begins at around 9 PM, my natural bedtime is around 1115 PM and my optimal light therapy (if I have sleep irregularities or have symptoms of SADwhich I do not) is 30 minutes at 6 AM using a 10 K lux fluorescent light box with an overhead screen.Solstice Damage When it and You ArriveIf working during or around the winter solstice seems tough, take a look at the impact of the winter solstice and the other dark days of winter on conceptionand the career implications.In the first place, the winter solstice can make you nuts when it arrives and before you do, as a newborn, as these cited studies suggestSeason of birth in schizophrenia a maternal-fetal chronobiological hypothesis Alternatively, around the winter solstice, reduced maternal sunlight expokoranvers during the second trimester of pregnancy may result in a reduced amplitude maternal circadian pacemaker, reduced maternal nocturnal plasma melatonin concentrations, elevated maternal nocturnal core body and incubator temperatures, and elevated fetal core body and brain temperatures. Thus, the maternal-fetal chronobiological dysfunction hypothesis could account for the birth seasonality in schizophrenia and warrants further investigation.Seasonal differences in suicide birth rate in Alaska Natives compared to other populations Hours of daily sunlight at the summer and winter solst ice correlated with the proportion of suicide victims born during those seasons. Seasonal differences in birth rates of suicide victims correlated strongly with latitude and seasonal differences in daylight. De novo chromosomal abnormalities and month of conception We cannot explain the unusual findings concerning Robertsonian translocations a marker for Downs Syndrome that were only found for conceptions in December. This may be related to the annual minimum daylight hours (winter solstice) as opposed to the summer solstice.But Dont DespairBefore despairing about your winter birthday, if thats when you were born, you can take comfort in the always to be expected counter-studies, like the following, Conception season and cerebral asymmetries among American baseball players implications for the seasonal birth effect in schizophrenia, which claimed not only the highest incidence of schizophrenia among May-June births, but also the lowest in November-December, a month before the winter solstice.As a quirky additional conclusion, the study claimed to have discovered correlations between winter birth and baseball handednesswith career implications for being (un)able to switch-hit as a pro baseball playerWe found that not only strict left-handers (those both batting and throwing left) were most often conceived in May-June but that also strict right-handers and other players denoting more extreme levels of cerebral lateralization were most often conceived in November-December (a genetic quirk, mentioned along with heightened risk of schizophrenia).Still, there is another dark side to Scotlands winter solstice If such reports about the winter solstice dont keep you up and pacing during the night, you can pretty sure that the winter solstice itself will.because night is mostly what your day will be.

Human Resources Systems for Finance Executives

Human Resources Systems for Finance ExecutivesHuman Resources Systems for Finance ExecutivesMany CFOs find that their responsibilities have been expanding lately. In a Robert Half Management Resources survey, 85 percent of CFOs said their role now extends beyond the accounting and finance department, most commonly into menschengerecht resources.Financial executives are often collaborating with HR on benefits and other areas that not only affect a firms bottom line, but also its ability to attract and retain leading employees, says Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half.In light of this trend, CFOs should understand how and why their organizations use human resources systems. Following are three functions of particular interest1. Generating performance dataHR data is not always as cut-and-dried as financial data. Even when the metrics for assessing employee performance are rigorously defined, theres subjectivity when assessing people. If you want to get to the bottom of quantifying performance, you must first understand what is being measured and how.Performance appraisal systems are designed to measure as accurately as possible how well an employee is meeting the responsibilities and challenges of his or her particular position.A key advantage of these types of human resources systems is the capacity to minimize any subjectivity in the overall review of an employee. Comprehensive job descriptions and competencies in the program can help provide an empirical picture of whether an employee is, in fact, fulfilling the requirements of that particular job.Get acquainted with how your human resources systems are being used to track employee performance data. Doing so can help you to crunch the numbers when human resources systems reports come in.We can help you and your team by providing expert support when you need it most.WORK WITH US2. Implementing a talent strategyImplementing a strategy for recruiting top talent is a fundamental role of the HR function in any organization. The businesss longevity depends on its ability to attract top performers, as well as its employee retention. And if the talent calculus isnt adding up, there could be a major recruitment expenditure in your companys future.Many of todays talent management systems aid in a variety of decision-making processes by focusing on improving employee performance and helping managers plan for the future of their workforce. CFOs should know how to pull data from this program and assess whether the company is on track.3. Automating common HR tasksKeeping up to date with technology and software can reduce the workload for your HR team. Online options enable employees to manage documents such as vacation allowances and keeping their tax information up to date. E-learning systems can deliver notices about regulatory compliance training, automate the scheduling of training, and dispatch reminders when refreshers are due.When these functions are streamlined and automate d, it becomes easier, quicker and less expensive to implement new policies - which benefits your bottom line. Understanding the human resources systems at your disposal can facilitate better decision-making, including to help your company keep costs under control.Human resources systems are only one area in which CFOs need to understand the workings of their HR department. But its a critical aspect of staying current with personnel issues for your business.Want more management insights? Subscribe to our newsletter

PhD or Not to PhD

PhD or Not to PhD PhD or Not to PhD To Ph.D. or Not to Ph.D.?Youre speeding along in your career when suddenly you see the top executives in your company have doctorates. Or youre getting ready to graduate with your B.S. and dont know whether to go for the doctorate while youre already in student mode or get some income coming in. It brings up that great question To Ph.D. or not to Ph.D.?Dr. Jason Somerville, chief technologist for Aerophysics, Inc., Houghton, MI, received a degree in physics from The Ohio State University in 1998 and worked for National Instruments in Austin, TX. But, eventually, the Ph.D. question hit. I did software development but wasnt exercising my full capabilities, he recalls. It prompted me to start looking around within the company and outside the company to find a better job. I saw what I wanted probably didnt exist where I was and to get it outside the company I needed at least a Masters and maybe a Ph.D.Staying FocusedSomerville committed to focusing on engineering mechanics at Michigan Technological University. Having finished his doctorate in 2008, he feels it was easily the right decision, a decision he saw had an even better outcome by not working full time while attempting it. You have more time to focus on school and its helpful to not have any outside work responsibility pulling you from completing your dissertation, he says, his final thesis dealing with cathode coupling.A masters degree or Ph.D. is needed for many research jobs.Dr. rocknroller Lynch, CEO at Southland Industries, Washington, DC, a mechanical contracting firm, decided to go for a doctorate in architectural engineering and also doesnt recommend sticking with a full-time job while you do. Its not just the workload, its the mindset, he says. A doctorate can become all-consuming in your search for knowledge and its very difficult to throw in other variables. Even having a family can be tough. Lynch, who worked his last two summers at Southland Industries while p ursuing his doctorate, says the Ph.D. was absolutely worth it, not necessarily for the research but how it got him to take a step back and evaluate his overall direction. I looked at my future and what company do I want to work for, he says. It gave me exposure to a lot of different companies, that piece is invaluable.New KnowledgeHe also thought his Ph.D. was an advantage because it allowed him to do research on the business side, giving him the kind of thinking that cant often be ignored as a CEO. Finally, he says it gave him time to realize he wanted to be with a firm that had both the construction and engineering piece in-house. It gave me time to pick between the right companies for me, he says.But what about that thesis we keep hearing about? Should thatscare people off? Both agree its manageable but Lynch says the real challenge is the originality it requires. Its hard because half the battle is identifying the problem, Lynch says. You have to contribute new knowledge, so you need to ask what else has been researched at that point, what piece are you solving that no one has worked at yet. You can go down a number of different roads.But with the chosen road leading to the most complex paper youll ever write, Somerville advises not to expect it to be easy, either.Eric Butterman is an independent writer.A doctorate can become all-consuming in your search for knowledge and its very difficult to throw in other variables. Even having a family can be tough.Ted Lynch, CEO, Southland Industries

5 Power Words to Make Your Resume Get Noticed

5 Power Words to Make Your Resume Get Noticed5 Resume Power Words5 Power Words to Make Your Resume Get NoticedYou dont have a lot of time to grab a hiring managers attention when he or she begins looking at your resume. Get your resume noticed by using action jas that carry more impact than their milder alternatives. Here are five examples of resume power words that outshine their blander cousins.SPEARHEADEDMeaning To spearhead means to be the leader of something. But more important is the words connotation. This word just oozes leadership, taking charge, and being a self-starter. And employers like any or all of those qualities in an employee. This word is especially helpful if you took charge of a project that delivered noticeable results.Example Spearheaded development of new distribution scheduling system that saved 25% in labor costs in first year after deployment.Milder Alternatives to Avoid Led or Played a Key Role. The first is just bland when compared with Spearheaded the se cond doesnt say anything about how you were a key player.CREATEDMeaning To create means to cause or bring something into being. As for the connotation, theres nothing ambiguous about this word. It says action and tells the hiring manager that the potential employee may have some creativity that we could use in this role.Example Created new e-commerce functionality that helped increase page views 30% and drove 10% increase in Internet sales in first three months of operation.Milder Alternatives to Avoid Helped make or Facilitated. The first downplays a potentially critical accomplishment if, in fact, you were out in front doing the creating and not taking a back seat, supporting role. The second conjures up images of someone leading a group discussion or moderating a dispute. You dont want to confuse that with creating.INITIATEDMeaning To initiate means to start, launch, or ignite. But again, it carries that sound of action, which translates into, Heres someone who can make things ha ppen, and we need someone like that in this middle management role.Example Initiated follow-up campaign to discover why former customers turned to competitors products. Effort led to reorganization of customer service function and 20% increase in customer retention within one year.Milder Alternatives to Avoid Started (duh) or began. Slightly less mild but still on the avoid list proposed.ACCELERATEDMeaning To accelerate means to cause faster or greater activity, the same as stepping on the accelerator in your car. So, whats not to like about this word? It connotes speed, action, making something happen, or making a difference.Example Accelerated development of new line of power tools in response to market trends, securing companys first-to-market lage with new offerings.Milder Alternative to Avoid Sped up. Its OK but just doesnt carry the vigor that accelerated does.CONSOLIDATEDMeaning To consolidate means to bring together into a single or unified whole. The word is especially eye- catching when employers are looking for people who can help control costs by finding more efficient ways to get work done anything that makes a process faster, better, or cheaper.Example Consolidated functions while maintaining efficiency levels in Finance Department by identifying redundancies, reassigning staff, and reorganizing workloads.Milder Alternatives to Avoid Brought together, Merged, Combined, United. Of these four, merged is only slightly better than the rest, but not as strong and impactful as consolidated.