Have you been searching for a new job for a while? Might your references or recommendation letters be holding you back?
If you’re a woman, chances are they say you’re nurturing, agreeable, helpful, kind and sympathetic. Sounds great, right? Not necessarily. These are exactly the qualities that won’t get you hired in some industries, like academia.
A new research project at Rice University and the University of Houston reviewed recommendation letters and found a major difference between how men and women were portrayed. Women had more “communal” terms in their letters — the compliments of being nurturing, supportive, etc. — while letters recommending men had more “agentic” terms, like confident, aggressive, outspoken and assertive.
The study also found that the more action-oriented letters had better chances in making people want to hire the candidate. The letters in this portion of the study had all gender markers stripped from them, and participants noted whether or not they would hire the candidate based on the recommendation.
Lifestyle site Lemondrop.com has come up with some great tips on how to eliminate gender bias in your recommendation letters:
Rethink the way you ask for a recommendation. Use active verbs and direct, concise language when making a request for a reference.
Paint a picture. Within the request, remind your former supervisor/colleague of your key accomplishments.
Make it easy to recommend you. Provide examples of problems you solved while working together. Include language that can be lifted verbatim into a recommendation. Give your potential recommenders a list of accomplishments and attributes that you want articulated.
According to a new survey of 3,000 new parents, Parents go out together just 15 times over the first five years of their child’s life. Seven in ten wish they could have more nights out together, and 57 percent say their relationship lacks romance since the arrival of their firstborn. About 25% of parents surveyed said that a night out isn’t any fun unless you can sleep in with your loved one the next morning.
What’s the biggest reasons for staying in? Not having enough money and feeling guilty about asking people to babysit.
Are you looking for the text of the poem that I shared with you today? Click here to find them. The one that I read from on-the-air is entitled “Freedom is not Free.”
Has the song “Light up the Sky” from The Afters impacted you in some way? If so, you have got to check out the new music video to the song. Grab a tissue.
Today must be sad video day. If my last post about the new music video from The Afters didn’t make a tear flow from your eye, this surely will.
After Wayne Giroux was killed by a drunk driver in June, Spot still seemed to carry the hope that her beloved owner would come back. Every day for the past five months, she’s been going to a quiet spot along a country road in Loan Oak, Texas, waiting for him to pick her up.
Grab a tissue and click play.
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For a short time there, the news was excellent! After spending nine weeks in the hospital, Bowen Hammitt, son of Matt Hammitt from the band Sanctus Real, was scheduled to be released. I can only imagine how excited mom and dad were to take their new baby boy home from the hospital.
Only two days after posting the good news on the blog BowensHeart.com, a new updated appeared, indicating that Bowen won’t be going home anytime soon. Doctors detected an infection, warranting Bowen to spend some more time in the hospital’s moderate care unit. Talk about a huge blow to the family.
Keep praying for Bowen, his speedy recovery, and the entire Hammitt family.
I imagine the use of antacids shoots through the roof around this time of the year. Not because of the turkey, but because of the stress of spending time with family. Family visits can be tense and contentious. Harmony and family are two words that most typically don’t put in the same sentenace when it comes to the holidays.
The folks behind the relationship website YourTango.com have put together their list of the Top 9 Tips for a Successful Visit with the Family. With a little prep work, you can survive the holiday! This is a must-see list for the holiday season!
For the first time, more women than men in the United States received doctoral degrees last year. According to The Washington Post, women now hold a nearly 3-to-2 majority in undergraduate and graduate education. Doctoral study was the last holdout – the only remaining area of higher education that still had an enduring male majority.
If you have been considering higher education for yourself, let these new stats be of encouragement to you. Even if you are raising a family, you can earn that degree!
What is the craziest diet that you’ve put yourself on? For 10 weeks, Mark Haub, a professor at Kansas State University, ate Twinkies, Nutty bars, and Powdered donuts every three hours instead of meals. To keep himself from getting bored, he also took in Doritos, sugary cereals, and Oreos.
The results? According to a news post on CNN.com, Haub lost27 pounds over the course of two months. His body mass index went from 28.8, .considered overweight, to 24.9, which is normal. He now weighs 174 pounds.
SoCal born, turned Chicagoan, and now a new resident of Las Vegas, NV. Rick is 26 years of age and more than happily married to his high school sweetheart.
Don’t forget to set the DVR! Switchfoot is slated to appear on the Tonight Show tonight (11/12).
According to a new survey of 3,000 new parents, Parents go out together just 15 times over the first five years of their child’s life. Seven in ten wish they could have more nights out together, and 57 percent say their relationship lacks romance since the arrival of their firstborn. About 25% of parents surveyed said that a night out isn’t any fun unless you can sleep in with your loved one the next morning.
SoCal born, turned Chicagoan, and now a new resident of Las Vegas, NV. Rick is 26 years of age and more than happily married to his high school sweetheart.