Happiest Jobs
School principals, executive chefs and loan officers are among the happiest jobs in the country, according to online jobs site CareerBliss’ 2015 list. Also on the tech-heavy list: systems developers, senior software engineers, business development executives, website developers, database administrators, research assistants and automation engineers. The results are compiled from data from more than 25,000 reviews by site users asked to rate their job satisfaction in several categories.
Let’s Be Honest
Inaccurate profiles are among the biggest drawbacks to online dating sites, says a new report from researchers at the University of Iowa. Based on more than 300 participants’ reactions to eight fabricated OKCupid online dating profiles, the study found that people were turned off by profiles that sounded too good to be true, preferring those of individuals who appeared humble, genuine and real. The more specific the information in a profile, the more viewers trusted the profile as accurate.
Automated Job Loss
Nearly half (47%) of the U.S. workforce is at high risk of automation as a result of technologies that are already largely available, according to Technology at Work: The Future of Innovation and Employment, a recent report by CitiGroup. The key challenge will be to make growth inclusive again and ensure ordinary workers have the ability to shift into new job opportunities. This shift will require more investment in skills and training, and tax reform, the report continues. Visit citivelocity.com to download the report in its entirety.
Five Things To Remember When Asking for a Raise
A Wells Fargo employee emailed the company’s CEO asking for a $10,000 raise—and cc’d 200,000 other employees. Then there’s Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who said last year that women who don’t ask for raises will receive good karma. He later apologized for his comment, saying he was “completely wrong.” So what is the correct way to ask for a raise?
Jacqueline Whitmore, an internationally-recognized etiquette expert and author of Poised for Success: Mastering The Four Qualities that Distinguish Outstanding Professionals, offers the following tips:
- Timing is everything. The best time to ask for a raise is three to four months before your annual review. That’s when the budgets are being decided. You may also request a raise when you have been asked to take on additional responsibilities that do not fall under your job description.
- Be organized. Have all of your facts and figures in order and be ready to explain why you deserve a raise. Come prepared with a list of your yearly accomplishments, such as big projects you have completed, statistics and results of those projects (i.e. sales increased 15 percent as a result of X, Y, Z), how you saved the company money or increased its bottom line.
- Do your research. Find out how much others in your industry or job position are making. Use this data to request a certain sum or a percentage.
- Consider your alternatives. If your employer cannot meet the dollar amount requested, be prepared to negotiate for benefits (example: additional personal days per year or the ability to work from home and telecommute one day per week). If you don’t get the amount you want, reply with, “What would it take for me to earn a better raise in the future?” That way you’ll know exactly what your boss expects of you.
- Be polite and diplomatic. If you do not get the raise, don’t get angry and threaten to leave the company, even if you think you might do so. It’s best not to burn any bridges just in case you do get a better offer or need a letter of recommendation.
“It’s a fact that if you don’t ask, you may never get,” says Whitmore. “If you’re not earning a fair salary or not being given the raise you think you deserve, it’s time to focus on asking for what you think you’re worth. Asking for a raise is not only good business sense, it shows that you’re committed to your well-being and that of your family.”
Visit jacquelinewhitmore.com for more tips on business etiquette and protocol.
The Spies Inside Your Phone
You just had a flat tire along a dark country road. Luckily, you downloaded a flashlight app into your cellphone and can put it to use. But that app may just be a door you unwittingly opened to let spies take up residence inside your phone.
“Most free flashlight apps are creepware,” says Gary S. Miliefsky, CEO of SnoopWall, a company that specializes in cybersecurity. Creepware is malware that spies on your online behavior and could pass along information to others. In 2013, Goldenshores Technologies, the company behind the popular “Brightest Flashlight Free” app for Android phones, agreed to settle FTC charges that the software secretly supplied cellphone locations to advertising networks and other third parties.
It’s not just flashlight apps—many seemingly innocuous apps have the capability to eavesdrop on your activities. “Consumers trust first and verify never,” Miliefsky says. “As a result, most of their smartphones are infected with malware that they trust in the form of some kind of useful app or game.” He offers the following tips:
- Assume you’ve already been compromised. It’s nice to think all is well, but most likely it’s not. Somewhere in your phone, spies are at work, and it’s time to take the privacy behaviors and privacy policies of these apps more seriously.
- Verify the behavior and privacy risks for apps before installing them. Do some research and ask the question: “Why does this app need GPS, microphone, webcam, contacts, etc.?” Most apps don’t need these ports unless they want to invade your privacy. Find an alternative before installing risky apps.
- Do spring cleaning. Delete all the apps you don’t use that often. Replace apps that take advantage of too many privacy settings, such as GPS, phone and text-message logs, with similar apps that don’t.
- Turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Near Field Communication and GPS except when you need them. That way, if you are at a local coffee shop or in a shopping mall, no one can spy using nearby (proximity) hacking attack. They also can’t track where you are going on GPS.
- Check to see if your email has put a tracer on you and your phone. If you use a Google email account and have an Android phone, it’s tracking your every move—even with GPS turned off. Go into the phone’s settings to turn off that tracking feature. In your Android phone, go to “settings,” then “location.” Select “Google location reporting” and set “location history” to off. iBi
