Career development

 6h

Jobs in Detroit: Opportunities, workshops, resource fairs


Take a funding workshop for farmers, attend resource fairs, get a grant

From trainings to volunteering and paid gigs, find opportunities to get involved in Detroit every week -- brought to you by the Detroit Documenters.

Hey, Detroit.

Get application assistance for the Detroit Startup Fund today. Farmers can get tips on fundraising on Thursday. Green Grocer Program applications are due... Friday.

Plus, we have a bunch of new jobs listed -- and good ones. Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America is also hosting a Socialist Job Fair on Saturday.

And resource fairs are still happening. Get free stuff in Eastpointe on Friday, and free gun locks and clothes on the westside this Saturday. Apply to clear your criminal record at an expungement fair on Sept. 26.

Let's get involved.

Happening soon

Detroit Startup Fund Application Assistance

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2-4 p.m.

Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp., 19800 Grand River Ave., Detroit

The Detroit Startup Fund is back for another round. In-person application assistance will be offered today and Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2-4 p.m., at different locations. Apply by Oct. 5.

General Meeting

Thursday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m.

Vámonos, 4444 W. Vernor Highway, Detroit

Meet the Comité de Acción Comunitaria de Detroit and learn about its work to make Detroit a sanctuary city.

Fundraising for Farmers

Thursday, Sept. 17, 6-7:30 p.m.

Detroit Public Library Chaney Branch, 16101 W. Grand River Blvd., Detroit

Keep Growing Detroit is hosting a workshop to help land stewards create budgets, identify opportunities and make a strong request for funding. Pull up.

Resource Fair

Friday, Sept. 18, 5:30-8 p.m.

VFW Shafer-Rachelle-Latham Post 6782, 17645 E. 9 Mile Road, Eastpointe

EP FreeStore and The Little Free Pantry on Hayes are coming together to offer free hair cuts, free hot food and a free store with clothes, hygiene items and more. Check it out.

Green Grocer Program

Apply by Friday, Sept. 18

Apply for up to $25,000 to open a small grocery or expand fresh food options in an existing store. Get details and apply by Sept. 18.

Celebrating Earth's Water

Saturday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center, 19321 W. Chicago St., Detroit

Listen to talks from local environmentalists and spiritual guides. Reflect and express your joy for water. Register to be counted for lunch. Donations appreciated. Contact Sr. Janice at 586-565-2526 with questions.

Socialist Job Fair

Saturday, Sept. 19, 1-3 p.m.

Location to be announced

Find a job and discuss workplace organizing at this event, hosted by the Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America. Register to get the location.

Granny McNeil Community Giveback Fair

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2-5 p.m.

10201 Fenkell Ave., Detroit

The Movement Stop the Violence is hosting a community resource fair featuring food trucks, a DJ and bounce house. It'll be giving away gently used shoes and clothes, as well as gun locks, while supplies last. Pull up.

Feeding the Fight

Sunday, Sept. 20, 1-5 p.m.

General Baker Institute, 15798 Livernois Ave., Detroit

Build people power through shared meals, resources and skill-sharing with the local chapter of General Strike U.S. and its community survival program. Organizers are seeking volunteers from grassroots collectives, including artists, educators, organizers and mutual aid groups.

Keep It in the Family

Apply by Wednesday, Sept. 23

Woodbridge neighborhood homeowners 55 and older can apply for estate planning and home repair assistance. Get details on the program, including eligibility requirements, and apply now.

Expungement Fair

Saturday, Sept. 26, noon to 4 p.m.

Perfecting Church, 7616 E. Nevada Ave., Detroit

Learn more about clearing your criminal record, and apply to get started with the expungement process (which typically takes about eight months). Register now. Attorneys and law students can also apply to volunteer.

Documenters Speed Dating

Thursday, Oct. 1, 6-8 p.m.

Mockery Zero Proof, 7400 W. McNichols Road, Detroit

You don't want to miss this! Detroit Documenters have teamed up with The Outlier Collective to bring together more than 16 local journalism leaders, who will share insights on reporting, newsroom leadership, audio, audience engagement, visual storytelling, technology and more. This event is designed for Documenters and Collective members, but it's open to the public, and tickets are still available. Check out the lineup, and register now!

Call for Student Artists

Apply by Friday, Oct. 2

Detroit's Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity Department wants student artists to submit work for the upcoming Civil Rights Summit. Art will be displayed all day for attendees to vote on. Artists can submit work in any medium on the theme of what civil rights looks and feels like in the 21st century. Get details, and apply by Oct. 2, and attend the summit on Oct. 9. Email any questions to Naomi Barbour at naomi.barbour@detroitmi.gov.

Now hiring

Executive Director

The Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition is hiring someone to lead their strategic direction, raise funds and grow partnerships. The salary is $140,000-$150,000, plus benefits. Get details, and apply now.

Coalition Coordinator

The new Michigan Immigrant Justice Coalition is hiring someone to coordinate meetings and manage projects. The mostly remote, yearlong contract position is expected to start Oct. 19 and pays $5,000 a month. Submit a résumé or CV, cover letter, and two references by Sept. 22 to apply. Email MI Poder at info@mi-poder.org with any questions.

Multiple Positions

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) is hiring a part-time social media and digital content manager to boost its digital presence. The position pays between $30-$35 an hour. MOCAD is also hiring a full-time finance manager to oversee the museum's budget, payroll and more at $65,000-$70,000 a year; and a full-time major gifts officer at a salary of $75,000-$85,000 to help grow philanthropic support. Learn more about each position. To apply, send your résumé and cover letter in a PDF file to jobs@mocadetroit.org.

Communications and Design Coordinator

Detroit Disability Power is hiring a visual artist to expand its reach and create accessible graphics for social media, email, print and online spaces. The full-time position pays a salary of $55,000-$62,000 plus benefits. Learn more about the job requirements, desired skills and mindset. Then submit either a cover letter or audio or video recording, along with a résumé, and portfolio to apply by Sept. 23.

Human Resources Director

Local nonprofit health and wellness center American Indian Health and Family Services is hiring a full-time leader to ensure services are provided according to policy, procedure and standards. The HR director will earn full benefits and work in a new facility in Southwest Detroit. Learn more about the role and requirements, then apply.

Multiple Positions

Detroit Heals Detroit is hiring for several positions at The Healing Hub: Two part-time interns will help manage and evaluate activities and supervise youth participants. A part-time after-school program assistant will provide tutoring and homework help, and plan field trips and workshops at $20 an hour. A Healing Hub director will work full time with unlimited days off for a salary of $45,000. Board members are being recruited, too. All positions are hiring immediately.

Community Engagement Liaison

O'Hair Park Community Association is hiring someone to engage residents, businesses, churches and schools to share resources and opportunities. Working hours are flexible for this part-time job that pays $20 an hour for up to 10 hours a week. Get details and apply by sending a résumé to Joyce Daniel at detjrm@aol.com.

Community Captain

Rising Voices is hiring people to canvass neighborhoods and mobilize voters in Michigan's Asian American communities and explain what's on the ballot. The part-time, temporary position pays $25, starts this month and runs until the Nov. 3 election. Get details and apply now.

Organizing Intern

Rising Voices is also hiring a recent graduate or undergraduate student for its internship. The intern will help coordinate grassroots-level efforts to build political power in local Asian American communities through monthly meetings, canvassing and issue-based campaigns. The internship is 15 hours a week from September to mid-December, and pays $17 an hour. Get details, then gather your résumé, interest letter, two writing samples and two references to apply.

Electoral Canvasser

Detroit Action is hiring people to talk to residents about current issues and voter registration for November's general election. Canvassers are paid $22 an hour. Learn more and apply now.

Evergreen opportunities

We Walk Detroit

Join a walking group and exercise with friends. Through September, meet up for a one-hour walk at eight city parks, the Joe Louis Greenway and the riverfront. All participants get a T-shirt. Check out the schedule.

Free Showers

Detroit Heals Detroit offers residents access to free, luxurious showers, complete with towels, body wash and more, plus a mini hygiene kit to go. Get clean every Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Healing Hub, 19510 Alcoy St., Detroit.

Free Laundry Service

Detroit Heals Detroit offers residents access to a washer, dryer, detergent and laundry supplies in 90-minute slots every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sign up for an appointment starting at 11 a.m. on Mondays, and appointments are confirmed Tuesdays. Capacity is limited.

Free Health Screenings

Wayne Health's mobile units deliver health care and social services directly to neighborhoods and places of employment. Teams of registered nurses and other medical professionals offer screenings for things such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and kidney disease, as well as COVID-19 testing and vaccines. They can also connect you with mental health resources. To see when they'll be in your neighborhood, view the event calendar.

Free Tech Classes

Detroit Public Library offers a wide range of computer- and technology-related classes for all ages -- from basic computer skills and troubleshooting your phone or internet to classes in productivity and graphic design software. Find free group and individual support at multiple library branches.

Free Tutoring

PrepandMe helps students prepare for college, leadership and lifelong success. The free program offers tutoring and standardized test preparation, college counseling, a device to access online applications, a $1,000 annual stipend, college tours, summer programming and more. The organization is currently accepting rising eighth graders with a 3.0 grade point average for sessions starting this fall. Teachers can recommend students. Families must meet household income eligibility criteria. Learn more and apply now.

Immigration Office Hours

Detroit People's Assembly offers help with urgent immigration paperwork, including bond requests, stays of removal, temporary protected status filings and work permits. Office hours are 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Grace in Action Church, 1725 Lawndale St., Detroit.

Become an Immigration Court Observer

Take a self-paced course from the American Bar Association's Commission on Immigration in preparation to volunteer as an immigration court observer. Learn firsthand about the immigration court system while helping identify patterns that will inform advocacy and support access to counsel and due process rights for noncitizens. Enroll now.

Tell Your Story of Property Tax Foreclosure in Detroit

The Coalition for Property Tax Justice is collecting stories of Detroit property owners to build an archive of tax injustice. Have you experienced tax foreclosure? Share your story.

Neighborhood Vitality Index Survey

Detroit adults can earn a $25 gift card by participating in an annual community-driven online survey about neighborhood improvements. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete.

Regional Freight Plan

Give feedback on the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Regional Freight Plan draft policies and objectives. Take the survey.

Education Survey

Education policy is a critical issue for Michigan's next governor. Chalkbeat Detroit and the Detroit Free Press are teaming up to learn metro Detroiters' priorities. Take the survey.

Youth Engagement Survey

BridgeDetroit seeks to connect with local high school students ages 13-18 to understand how they consume news, what issues matter to them and how they want to engage civically. The survey will inform BridgeDetroit's coverage and events. Learn more and take the survey.

Detroit Wellbeing Survey

Be Well Beautiful People is leading a citywide effort to understand how residents feel about their well-being. The survey "will help shape future systems" that support collective well-being. Take the survey.

Donate Furniture

The Furniture Bank of Metro Detroit needs donations of mattresses, sofas and other home goods in clean, working condition for families in need. Wayne, Oakland and Macomb County residents can submit furniture donations online and schedule a free pickup.

Volunteer With a Chess Club

The Wise Guys Chess Club is seeking volunteers to help with everything from coaching to youth mentoring, including graphic design, social media work and more. Sign up now to help empower the next generation of thinkers.

Volunteer Usher

Detroit Public Theatre needs ushers this season. These volunteers can watch the shows they help with or get free tickets. Learn more and sign up now! more

Career development

 6h

How to Write a CLAUDE.md That Actually Helps Claude Code | HackerNoon


I'm CodePlato -- believer that human creativity is the true tree of AI Coding.

This guide applies equally to

What CLAUDE.md Is For

First, let's understand what CLAUDE.md is for. A model is like a newborn. Every time you talk to it, it has no idea who you are, who it is, or what you've said before. It learns all of this from the context you pass it. Of course, Claude Code comes with some preset... context, so it knows it's Claude Code, a tool that helps you write code.

So at the start of every new session, it knows nothing about your project. The reason it still works reasonably well is that Claude Code's own preset context teaches it what to do to understand a project before touching it.

That's why it can seem to understand your project quite well, yet still frequently reinvents the wheel. It has a methodology for quickly getting up to speed, but it still can't know every detail of your project. And you wouldn't want it to try -- that would burn far too many tokens.

This is where someone needs to use short, plain language to tell it about the project's background, architecture, and so on. Doing this has two benefits:

This short text is what goes into , or . This guide applies equally to .

Writing Principles

A good CLAUDE.md should read like:

The shortest onboarding guide for a new hire: Imagine you're onboarding a new hire for a task. Try to convey just enough knowledge, in the fewest words possible, for them to start working without wrecking your codebase.

Wording as tight as a résumé: A while back I was job hunting, and I learned from an HR contact how to write a résumé. I racked my brain compressing my 4-page résumé down to 2 pages, cutting almost every redundant word, tightening every sentence until it couldn't be trimmed further. You should write the same way.

Highly abstract knowledge: You don't need to tell or how many spaces to indent, or which line of which file has the database connection. Leave a lot of that to hooks -- file names and line numbers change all the time. What you should tell the model are highly abstract design principles.

Generally speaking, a good should be under 200 lines.

Types

Including the at your project root, there are actually 3 kinds of .

Framework

There's no strict, perfect framework for . But drawing on some good examples of and related articles, I've distilled a reasonably sound structure:

One-Line Introduction

A brief description of what the project is and roughly what it does. Example:

Architecture

A brief description of the project's architecture, for example:

Tech Stack

A brief description of the project's tech stack, like:

Commands

Common commands for the project, for example:

Conventions

Abstract conventions that a linter can't capture, like:

Boundaries

Boundaries on which files can be modified:

Domain Doc Map

A mapping between domain terms and documentation:

Putting these examples together, a good should look something like this:

Should You Write a "Never" Section?

You may have seen a section in other guides called "Never," used to record past mistakes. Sounds good in theory. But I don't recommend adding this section. That's because a "Never" section has only the motivation to add, never the motivation to remove. It just keeps growing -- even Claude Code itself will add to it, and no one ever trims it. Over time it turns into a graveyard of historical incidents.

What I'd suggest instead: when a problem comes up, flip the failure mode around and write it as a positive rule. For instance, instead of "Never do synchronous database writes in ," write "Database operations only happen inside ."

Trimming

Even if you follow the framework above, for a large project, a long-lived one, or one that already has a , you'll still find it hard to keep the file under 200 lines. That's when you move to the trimming step.

Trimming means moving things out of . Here are the destinations and methods, in order:

Notice these are numbered. That's because extraction has a priority order -- from specific to abstract, from precise to general.

Custom Sub-agents

Move all guidance related to sub-agents into . For example:

You could define an agent dedicated to running integration tests, named , with content like:

Rules Folder

Specific rule files can live in . There are two kinds: path-scoped and non-path-scoped. Non-path-scoped rules carry the same priority as , for example:

Path-scoped rules only load when the given path condition is met, for example:

Rules vs. the domain doc map: You might wonder: "Don't rule files and the domain doc map end up defining the same thing twice?" Yes, that overlap can happen. For instance, you might specify that files under should follow the billing docs, and also have a row in the domain doc map like -- which is indeed redundant.

The fix is to split documentation into rules and background. Rule files are highly enforceable and belong in . Background files are comparatively looser and belong in .

Subdirectory CLAUDE.md

Rules specific to certain subdirectories can move into those directories -- common cases are , , folders. A in these directories doesn't need to follow the standard framework, but it should still stay short.

Fixed Workflows

If there are fixed, sequential operations, turn them into a project-level skill and put it under .

Other Docs

Everything else goes into the directory. This directory holds more general documentation -- things like a more detailed , or ADRs (Architecture Decision Records) under , e.g. .

Getting Started

If you don't yet have a or , start with these steps:

Also remember to run periodically going forward to keep optimizing . more

Michael Smidt


Career development 19h

I have an opportunity to become a director, but I know it will mean sacrificing most of my evenings for the next few years. I'm financially comfortable already. At this point, is chasing the title worth it?
1   

  • Steven Hamm

    7h

    I think the question becomes less about whether the title is impressive and more about what you want your life to look like over the next few years....
    If you’re already financially comfortable, the additional responsibility and career advancement need to provide something meaningful enough to justify what you’ll be giving up.

    Before accepting, I’d look beyond the title and ask what the position actually leads to. Will it open doors you genuinely want opened? Will you enjoy the work? And most importantly, are you comfortable trading a significant amount of personal time for that opportunity?

    There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, but there’s also nothing wrong with deciding that you’ve reached a point where time has become more valuable than another title.

    Success isn’t always about climbing higher. Sometimes it’s having the freedom to decide when you’ve climbed high enough.     more

Anonymous member


Career development 19h

My partner wants me to take a less demanding job because we're trying to start a family. I don't want my career to slow down, but I also don't want to resent them later. How do couples actually make decisions like this?
2   

  • Steven Hamm

    7h

    I think decisions like this work best when both people stop framing it as career vs. family and start talking about what they actually want their life... to look like together.
    Taking a less demanding job may be one option, but it shouldn’t automatically be the only solution—or something one partner feels pressured into doing.

    I’d talk openly about workload, finances, childcare, household responsibilities, career goals, and what each person is willing to adjust.
    There may be other possibilities, such as better boundaries, more flexibility, changing employers without stepping backward professionally, or sharing responsibilities differently.

    The biggest thing is making sure the decision feels like something you chose together, rather than a sacrifice one person made for the other.

    Major life decisions work best when both partners feel heard, supported, and invested in the solution—not when one person’s goals automatically take a back seat.     more

    1

  • John Mulanda

    8h

    Jobs are in most cases not easy to find. but if one is available with clear career progression, then you might consider changing. however, even with a... stressful job, there is always provision for maternity leave which is usually enough for providing the early intricate stages of the baby. That`s my opinion. more

Career development

 7h

China Cybersecurity and Data Protection: Monthly Update - August 2026 Issue


This newsletter summarises the latest developments in cybersecurity and data protection in China with a focus on the legislative, enforcement and industry developments in this area.

If you would like to subscribe to our newsletters and be notified of our events on China cybersecurity and data protection, please contact James Gong at [email protected].

Key Highlights

In July 2026, China... introduced multiple policies and standards in key areas such as personal information protection, data and network security, cross-border data flows, and data basic institutional system construction, and intensively carried out enforcement and released typical cases to continuously improve the institutional system and reinforce the responsibilities of operating entities:

* Personal Information Protection: At the legislative level, the Cyberspace Administration of China ("CAC") and the Ministry of Public Security ("MPS") jointly issued provisions simplifying measures for small-scale data controllers to fulfil their personal information protection obligations. On the enforcement front, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT"), the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre ("CVERC"), the National Cybersecurity Notification Centre, the Guangdong CAC, the Fujian CAC, the Hebei Communications Administration ("CA") and the Anhui CA respectively notified illegal applications ("Apps") and mini-programs infringing upon user rights and interests and ordered rectification or removal; the MPS published a typical criminal case involving suspected infringement of citizens' personal information, in which internet users were induced to complete real-name registration and their personal information was subsequently collected and sold.

* Data and Network Security: At the legislative level, the National Technical Committee 260 on Cybersecurity of the Standardization Administration of China ("TC260") issued plans to formulate and revise 13 normative guidance technical documents covering areas such as attack surface management and cyberattack protection; TC260 planned to issue an implementation guide clarifying the determination rules and allocation of responsibilities for data provision, entrusted processing and joint processing; the National Financial Regulatory Administration ("NFRA") planned to issue measures to strengthen cybersecurity management of banking and insurance financial institutions; the People's Bank of China ("PBOC") and two other departments planned to issue measures to regulate cybersecurity management in the financial sector. On the enforcement front, the Shanghai and Zhejiang CAs carried out 2026 network and data security inspections in the telecommunications and internet sectors to enhance network and data security protection; the Wanzhou District CAC in Chongqing, together with the local public security authority, imposed an administrative penalty on an enterprise for failing to adequately fulfil its data security protection obligations.

* Cross-Border Data Flows: At the legislative level, the CAC released policy Q&A addressing issues including how to fulfil notification and consent obligations for the export of personal information, the conditions for extending the validity period of data export security assessment results, and the assessment of necessity for exporting job applicants' résumés. On the enforcement front, the first case using the negative list for data exports in the Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone was completed, with a local automotive enterprise successfully passing a data export security assessment.

* Data Basic Institutional System Construction: At the legislative level, the National Data Administration ("NDA") issued the Guidelines for Data Property Rights Registration (Trial), aiming to implement the data property rights system and establish a unified national data property rights registration system. On the enforcement front, the Hubei Data Bureau invited applications from prospective data property rights registration institutions and clarified data security and system security requirements for such institutions. At the industry level, the Hunan Provincial Department of Science and Technology solicited proposals for application scenarios for the authorised operation of science and technology public data and clarified data security requirements involving personal information and important data; the Wenzhou Data Exchange Centre in Zhejiang issued China's first data property rights registration certificate for a natural person, implementing the data property rights registration mechanism.

Follow the links below to view the official policy documents or public announcements.

Legislative Developments

1. TC260 issued plans for 13 normative guidance technical documents covering attack surface management, cyberattack protection and other areas (1 July)

TC260 issued plans to formulate and revise 13 normative guidance technical documents, aiming to improve the cybersecurity technical guidance document system. This batch of guidance technical documents covers two major areas: cybersecurity and artificial intelligence security. In the cybersecurity area, the documents cover categories such as cyberattacks and cybersecurity test platforms. In the artificial intelligence security area, the documents cover categories such as large model gateway products, robustness evaluation and artificial intelligence corpora, as well as sectors including healthcare, radio and television, education and finance. Among them, the Cybersecurity Technology -- Implementation Guide for Attack Surface Management project falls under WG5, with the Third Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security as the leading implementing entity; the Cybersecurity Technology -- Security Guide for Large Model Security Gateway Products project falls under WG5, with Beijing NSFOCUS Technology Co., Ltd. as the leading implementing entity; and the Cybersecurity Technology -- Evaluation Methods for Large Model Robustness project falls under WG9, with the China Information Technology Security Evaluation Centre as the leading implementing entity. The required submission date for approval for all of these guidance technical documents is 29 April 2027.

2. TC260 planned to issue implementation guide clarifying determination rules and allocation of responsibilities for data provision, entrusted processing and joint processing (15 July)

TC260 solicited public opinions on the draft national standard Data Security Technology -- Implementation Guide for Data Provision, Entrusted Processing and Joint Processing, aiming to provide systematic, standardised and operational implementation guidance for various data processing entities when carrying out activities such as data provision to external parties. Addressing the core requirements of Articles 12 and 31 of the Regulations on Network Data Security Management concerning the provision, entrusted processing and joint processing of personal information and important data, the guide focuses on resolving the questions of "how to distinguish, how to carry out and how to assess" and sets out specific and detailed implementation rules for the three scenarios. The guide states that the key distinction among data provision, entrusted processing and joint processing lies in who has decision-making authority over the purposes and means of data processing, which in turn results in different mechanisms for allocating responsibilities among the parties. For example, in a data provision scenario, the provider and recipient are independent data controllers and separate legal entities, and the recipient may independently determine the purposes and means of processing based on its own needs. The provider is responsible for the lawfulness of the data source and has an obligation to supervise the recipient, while the recipient independently bears responsibility for the security of its data processing activities.

3. CAC and MPS jointly issued provisions simplifying measures for small-scale data controllers to fulfil personal information protection obligations (24 July)

The CAC and MPS jointly issued the Provisions on Simplified Measures for Personal Information Protection for Small-Scale Data Controllers, aiming to support the innovative development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and simplify measures for small-scale data controllers to fulfil their personal information protection obligations. The provisions define data controllers that process the personal information of fewer than 100,000 individuals as "small-scale data controllers" and provide simplified measures concerning personal information processing rules, notification obligations, obtaining consent, protection of individual rights, compliance audits, personal information protection impact assessments and management system development. Among other things, eligible controllers may fulfil their notification obligations by publishing personal information processing rules; where a network platform has already conducted a personal information protection compliance audit and personal information protection impact assessment covering personal information processing activities carried out by a small-scale data controller through that platform, the small-scale data controller need not conduct them again. For data exports, the provisions establish six exemption scenarios, including necessity for the performance of contracts with individuals, cross-border human resources management, emergencies involving life and property safety, performance of statutory duties or obligations, and data export volume threshold exemptions for non-critical information infrastructure operators. Small-scale data controllers falling within an exemption may be exempt from the three procedures of data export security assessment, conclusion of a standard contract and personal information protection certification; however, the exemptions do not cover important data, and the notification and separate consent obligations towards individuals must still be fulfilled. The provisions also provide simplified self-inspection and assessment tools and establish inclusive regulatory mechanisms such as "no penalty", "lighter penalty" and "mitigated penalty", encourage competent authorities to provide technical and consulting support, and clarify that cyberspace and public security authorities may conduct supervision and inspections in accordance with law. The provisions will come into force on 1 September 2026.

4. CAC released policy Q&A addressing notification and consent obligations for personal information exports, conditions for extending validity of data export security assessment results, necessity of exporting job applicants' résumés and other issues (24 July)

The CAC released the Policy and Regulatory Q&A on Data Export Security Management (July 2026), providing explanations on key compliance issues in data export practice and aiming to guide data controllers in conducting data export activities efficiently and in compliance with law. The Q&A clarifies that the export of personal information requires fulfilment of notification and separate consent obligations, and that separate consent must not be bundled with authorisation for other personal information processing activities or obtained through "blanket" authorisation. The export of sensitive personal information requires additional notification of the necessity of the export and its impact on individual rights and interests. Even where consent is exempted by law, the notification obligation for personal information exports must still be fulfilled in accordance with law. The Q&A also further clarifies the conditions for extending the validity period of data export security assessment results, including that: the purpose and scope of the data export and the data controller and overseas recipient remain unchanged; for personal information or important data exports, the increase over the next three years in the number of individuals involved or the volume of data exported does not exceed 20% of the corresponding number of individuals or volume of data approved for export over the preceding three years under the original assessment result; the relevant legal documents comply with applicable requirements; and the data export activities over the previous three years were conducted strictly in accordance with the assessment result notice and no major data security incident occurred. In addition, the Q&A specifically addresses recruitment scenarios, clarifying that where résumés and other personal information of job applicants in China are provided to an overseas group headquarters or affiliate, necessity should be assessed based on factors including the relevance between the export activity and the recruitment matter, the number of individuals involved and the scope of personal information items exported. For example, where the overseas headquarters or affiliate does not participate in recruitment decisions for applicants in China, the data export is not necessary; conversely, where it does participate, the number of applicants and personal information items exported should be limited to the minimum number and scope necessary for the overseas decision-making. The relevant personal information export activities must be carried out in compliance with law, and notification and separate consent must be obtained and a personal information protection impact assessment conducted in accordance with applicable laws and administrative regulations.

5. NDA issued guidelines to guide data property rights registration (1 July)

The NDA issued the Guidelines for Data Property Rights Registration (Trial), aiming to implement the data property rights system and establish a unified national data property rights registration system. The guidelines apply to the registration and management of data property rights in various forms, including data resources, data products and services. They expressly provide that data property rights comprise three types of proprietary rights: data holding rights, data use rights and data operation rights, and further specify the attribution of property rights in data from different sources, such as data collected and generated and data obtained by agreement. The guidelines clarify that data property rights registration certificates may serve as proof of the ownership and content of data property rights in scenarios including data circulation and transactions, recognition of data assets on balance sheets, resolution of data-related disputes and controversies, and cultivation and recognition of data enterprises. They also set out core elements such as eligibility requirements for registration institutions, registration procedures, registration types and registration validity periods. The issuance of the guidelines provides a unified national benchmark for local authorities to establish data property rights registration systems.

6. NFRA planned to issue measures to strengthen cybersecurity management of banking and insurance financial institutions (10 July)

The NFRA solicited public opinions on the Measures for Cybersecurity Management in the Banking and Insurance Sectors (Draft for Comments), aiming to strengthen cybersecurity supervision and management of banking financial institutions, insurance financial institutions and financial holding companies and to regulate cybersecurity work. The measures apply to financial institutions lawfully established within China, while other institutions regulated by the NFRA and its local offices, such as branches of foreign banks, loan companies, branches of foreign insurance companies, professional insurance agencies and insurance brokers, are to apply the measures by reference. The measures consist of eight chapters and 72 articles and set out clear requirements in core areas including cybersecurity governance, cybersecurity construction and operational management, cybersecurity risk monitoring, cybersecurity incident response and handling, critical information infrastructure management, and supervision and management. In terms of the regulatory framework, the measures interface with the Measures for Cybersecurity Management in the Financial Sector (Draft for Comments), on which the NFRA and three other departments jointly solicited public opinions on 3 July. In terms of compliance philosophy, the measures emphasise unified group-wide management, coordination between technology and business, and coordinated governance through the three lines of defence. Notably, the measures embody the principle of classified and graded management by imposing overall management requirements on banking and insurance financial institutions while setting higher requirements for critical information infrastructure management.

7. PBOC and two other departments planned to issue measures to regulate cybersecurity management in the financial sector (3 July)

The PBOC and two other departments solicited public opinions on the Measures for Cybersecurity Management in the Financial Sector (Draft for Comments), aiming to comprehensively regulate cybersecurity management in the financial sector, improve the cross-departmental comprehensive regulatory mechanism for financial-sector cybersecurity, and prevent cybersecurity risks from evolving into financial risks. The measures apply to the construction, operation, maintenance and use of networks within China by financial institutions and clarify that financial institutions bear primary responsibility for their own cybersecurity. The measures set out detailed cybersecurity protection obligations for financial institutions, clarify general requirements for network operation security, network data protection and network personal information protection, and provide principle-based requirements concerning cybersecurity work responsibility systems, cybersecurity governance, cybersecurity multi-level protection system, use of commercial cryptography, application of technological innovation and information service security management. They also set out requirements for identifying critical information infrastructure in the financial sector and impose special compliance requirements on operators in areas including organisational structure, safeguards for performance of duties, supply chain security, risk assessments and cybersecurity incident emergency response plans, including establishing dedicated security management bodies and conducting cybersecurity testing and risk assessments at least once a year.

Enforcement Developments

8. MIIT notified a batch of illegal Apps infringing upon user rights and interests, involving illegal collection of personal information, compulsory, frequent and excessive requests for permissions and other issues (2 July)

The MIIT detected 32 Apps and SDKs with issues involving infringement of user rights and interests. Among them, 27 involved illegal collection of personal information; 11 involved compulsory, frequent and excessive requests for permissions; four involved frequent self-starting and associated starting of Apps; two involved collection of personal information beyond the necessary scope; one involved an information pop-up that could not be closed; one involved an information pop-up redirecting users unexpectedly when clicked; and one involved inadequate disclosure of SDK information. The MIIT required the notified Apps and SDKs to rectify in accordance with relevant requirements and stated that where rectification is not properly implemented, further action will be taken in accordance with laws and regulations.

9. CVERC notified 72 Apps illegally collecting and using personal information, involving seeking users' consent in a non-explicit manner, difficult-to-access privacy policies and other issues (9 July)

The CVERC detected 72 Apps illegally collecting and using personal information, involving issues including failure to display a pop-up upon first launch prompting users to read the rules on collection and use, missing or incomplete privacy policies, failure to inform users of recipient information when providing personal information to third parties, collecting personal information before obtaining user consent, obstructing withdrawal of consent and account cancellation, and failure to encrypt stored data. The notice required the relevant developers to rectify; 28 Apps that remained non-compliant upon re-testing after the previous round of notifications were removed from App stores.

10. National Cybersecurity Notification Centre notified 35 illegal Apps (including mini-programs), involving collection and use of personal information without user consent, failure to disclose rules on collection and use of personal information and other issues (24 July)

The National Cybersecurity Notification Centre detected 35 Apps (including mini-programs) with illegal collection and use of personal information. The issues were concentrated in 11 categories: failure to disclose rules on the collection and use of personal information; processing personal information of minors under the age of 14 without formulating dedicated personal information processing rules or obtaining the consent of their parents or other guardians; collecting and using personal information without user consent; failure to completely and accurately inform users of the collection and use of personal information, or inconsistencies between the stated purposes, methods and scope of collection and use and the actual collection and use; failure to simultaneously inform users of the purpose when requesting permissions that may collect personal information or requesting the collection of users' sensitive personal information; forcing users to consent to the collection of unnecessary personal information; collecting and using personal information beyond the necessary scope, including collecting location, contacts, text messages and other personal information in irrelevant scenarios; failure to provide an effective account cancellation function; failure to establish and publish effective complaint and reporting channels for personal information security; failure to provide users with convenient channels to exercise rights such as correction, deletion and refusal of personal information processing, or having incomplete or inadequate functions for doing so; and failure to adopt security technical measures such as encryption and de-identification for personal information. The notice required the relevant Apps (including mini-programs) to rectify. Eleven Apps that remained problematic upon re-testing after the previous round of notifications were removed by the relevant mobile application distribution platforms.

11. MPS published a typical case involving suspected infringement of citizens' personal information, in which internet users were induced to complete real-name registration and their personal information was subsequently collected and sold (17 July)

The MPS published a typical criminal case involving suspected infringement of citizens' personal information, in which internet users were induced to complete real-name registration and their personal information was subsequently collected and sold. The individuals involved used registered internet technology companies as a cover and, under the guise of recruiting part-time workers, induced internet users to complete real-name registration for various accounts before selling those real-name accounts to others for profit, seriously compromising citizens' information security.

12. Shanghai and Zhejiang CAs carried out 2026 network and data security inspections in telecommunications and internet sectors to enhance network and data security protection (6 July, 15 July)

The Shanghai and Zhejiang CAs successively issued notices organising 2026 network and data security inspections in the telecommunications and internet sectors, aiming to implement legal and regulatory requirements and enhance network and data security protection in these sectors. Both regions focus their inspections on important network units and information systems carrying important data, covering industrial internet platforms, Internet of Vehicles platforms and applications, critical information infrastructure, enterprise portal websites and other areas. In terms of inspection content, both regions focus on six core areas: development of network and data security assurance systems, communications network security protection, data security protection, industrial internet cybersecurity protection, Internet of Vehicles security protection, and personal information and user rights protection. Shanghai additionally covers exposure surface risk management, cybersecurity threat monitoring, emergency response and handling of network and data security incidents, and internet basic resource management. In terms of implementation, both regions proceed in three stages: enterprises must complete self-inspection and rectification and submit materials to the competent authorities by 15 August, undergo targeted spot checks by professional technical institutions by 31 October, and complete all rectification before major events commence. Enterprises that refuse to cooperate with inspections or fail to rectify within the prescribed period will be subject to administrative penalties in accordance with law and included on lists of entities with adverse or untrustworthy records.

13. Guangdong CAC notified 18 illegal Apps, involving failure to disclose the purposes, methods and scope of personal information collection by third-party SDKs and other issues (8 July)

The Guangdong CAC notified 18 illegal Apps and mini-programs and required them to complete rectification within a prescribed period. The illegal issues involved included failure to disclose in privacy policies the purposes, methods and scope of personal information collection by third-party SDKs, failure to inform users of collection purposes when requesting permissions to collect personal information, collection of personal information beyond the necessary scope, and failure to prompt users to read the privacy policy upon first launch. The Guangdong CAC will verify the rectification status and take further action and impose penalties in accordance with laws and regulations.

14. Fujian CAC notified 23 illegal Apps, involving failure to explicitly state the purposes, methods and scope of personal information collection and use, collection and use without user consent and other issues (21 July)

The Fujian CAC detected 23 Apps with illegal collection and use of personal information. The issues included failure to explicitly state the purposes, methods and scope of collecting and using personal information; collection and use of personal information without user consent; provision of personal information to others without consent; and failure to provide functions for deleting or correcting personal information as required by law or to publish complaint and reporting methods. The notice required the relevant operators to complete rectification within 15 working days from the date of publication and submit the rectification status to the Fujian CAC, which will conduct verification together with relevant departments and take further action and impose penalties in accordance with laws and regulations based on the rectification status.

15. First case using negative list for data exports in Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone completed, with a local automotive enterprise successfully passing data export security assessment (27 July)

A local automotive enterprise in Chongqing used the Data Export Management List (Negative List) for the China (Chongqing) Pilot Free Trade Zone (2025) to successfully apply to the national CAC for a data export security assessment and pass the assessment, becoming the first enterprise in the Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone to benefit from the negative list policy. The enterprise has relatively frequent cross-border data needs in business activities such as overseas after-sales services, vehicle certification and Internet of Vehicles information services. Use of the negative list helps it further clarify the compliance boundaries for data exports and reduce the time and costs of cross-border data compliance. To facilitate implementation of the negative list, the Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone formulated the Implementation Guide for the Negative List for Data Exports of the China (Chongqing) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Trial) and established a cross-border data public service platform relying on the Chongqing Foreign Investment Promotion Centre. Through standardised procedures and the establishment of an expert team, the platform provides enterprises with services including policy consultation, compliance assessment and risk diagnosis. The Chongqing Municipal CAC stated that it will continue to improve the management and service system for the data export negative list and promote application of the negative list across more industries and sectors.

16. Wanzhou District CAC in Chongqing and local public security authority imposed administrative penalty on an enterprise for failing to adequately fulfil data security protection obligations (21 July)

The Wanzhou District CAC in Chongqing, together with the local public security authority, imposed an administrative penalty on an enterprise in accordance with law. The platform service developed and operated by the company conducted data processing activities over the internet without implementing the cybersecurity graded protection system. Its business system contained security vulnerabilities such as weak passwords and, despite storing a relatively large volume of data, it failed to adopt security protection measures such as de-identification and encrypted storage for sensitive personal information and related data. At the same time, the enterprise failed to establish and improve a full-process data security management system, organise data security education and training, or conduct data security risk assessments as required. Its conduct violated Articles 27 and 30 of the Data Security Law of the People's Republic of China. Pursuant to Article 45 of the Data Security Law of the People's Republic of China, the Wanzhou District CAC ordered the company to rectify, issued a warning and imposed an administrative fine of RMB 50,000.

17. Anhui CA notified 10 Apps that failed to rectify, involving illegal collection of personal information, compulsory, frequent and excessive requests for permissions and other issues (14 July)

The Anhui CA detected 10 Apps that infringed upon user rights and interests and had not completed rectification. Among them, six involved illegal collection of personal information; four involved compulsory, frequent and excessive requests for permissions; two involved collection of personal information beyond the necessary scope; one involved frequent self-starting and associated starting of the App; and one involved forcing users to use targeted push functions. The Anhui CA required the notified Apps to implement rectification requirements by 17 July and stated that where rectification is not properly implemented, further action will be taken in accordance with laws and regulations.

18. Anhui CA announced the removal of 11 Apps that failed to rectify, involving illegal collection and use of personal information, frequent self-starting and associated starting of Apps and other issues (16 July)

The Anhui CA removed 11 Apps that failed to complete rectification by the deadline. Among them, seven involved illegal collection of personal information; six involved collection of personal information beyond the necessary scope; four involved compulsory, frequent and excessive requests for permissions; one involved illegal use of personal information; and one involved frequent self-starting and associated starting of the App. The Anhui CA required relevant App stores to immediately remove the 11 Apps.

19. Hubei Data Bureau invited applications from prospective data property rights registration institutions, clarifying data security and system security requirements (30 July)

The Hubei Data Bureau invited applications from prospective data property rights registration institutions, open to enterprises and public institutions that are lawfully established legal persons in good operating condition within Hubei Province. Applicants must satisfy the qualification requirements for registration institutions under Article 7 of the Guidelines for Data Property Rights Registration (Trial), including requirements concerning paid-in capital or funding guarantees, office infrastructure, relevant business service experience, internal systems and contingency plans, a dedicated professional review team, an information system that has completed Level 3 filing under the Multi-Level Protection Scheme, and no major unlawful or untrustworthy records in the previous three years. Application materials mainly comprise nine categories, including the application form, proof of entity qualification, office premises, evidence of business service experience, internal system and contingency plan documents, résumés and qualifications of the dedicated team, information system and graded protection filing materials, credit records and a declaration of authenticity; other evidence of capabilities may also be submitted as supplementary materials. Following publication of the notice, applicants may submit stamped hard-copy materials together with corresponding electronic materials. The provincial data bureau will conduct a formal preliminary review, with only one opportunity for supplementation and correction, and will then organise a comprehensive expert review and, where necessary, an on-site inspection to select one proposed recommended institution. The selected institution will then be submitted to the NDA for participation in the national selection process and, once confirmed at the national level, will be included in the national catalogue of data property rights registration institutions.

20. Hebei CA notified 10 Apps infringing upon user rights and interests, involving compulsory, frequent and excessive requests for permissions, illegal collection and use of personal information and other issues (2 July)

The Hebei CA detected 10 Apps with varying degrees of illegal collection and use of personal information. Among them, eight involved illegal collection of personal information; two involved compulsory, frequent and excessive requests for permissions; one involved illegal use of personal information; and one involved frequent self-starting and associated starting of the App. The Hebei CA required the relevant operators to complete rectification and stated that where rectification is not properly implemented, further action will be taken in accordance with law.

Industry Developments

21. Hunan Provincial Department of Science and Technology solicited application scenarios for authorised operation of science and technology public data, clarifying data security requirements involving personal information and important data (30 July)

The Hunan Provincial Department of Science and Technology issued a notice soliciting application scenarios for the authorised operation of science and technology public data, aiming to unlock the value of science and technology public data in the province. The solicitation targets relevant entities and seeks application scenarios for the authorised operation of public data in the science and technology field, covering two categories: public welfare and industrial development. The notice clarifies that submissions must include required data items, a scenario description, a description of benefits and a case description. In addition, with respect to data security, the use of data in submitted scenarios must strictly comply with relevant laws and regulations. Where personal information or important data is involved, desensitisation or other security measures must be adopted in accordance with laws and regulations. Data demand-side entities must use data lawfully and must not infringe personal privacy, trade secrets or national security.

22. Wenzhou Data Exchange Centre in Zhejiang issued China's first data property rights registration certificate for a natural person, implementing data property rights registration mechanism (7 July)

The Wenzhou Data Exchange Centre in Zhejiang completed China's first data property rights registration for a derivative dataset created by a natural person. The registered dataset is the Chinese Esperanto -- Chinese Digitalisation Scheme dataset, marking an important breakthrough in the business model for data property rights registration for natural persons. The registration adopted the SPV standard review mechanism for derivative data pioneered by the Wenzhou Data Exchange Centre, combined with measures including interviews and verification of materials, providing a complete pathway covering efficient rights confirmation, secure evidence preservation and compliant circulation for derivative data created by natural persons, and offering a practical approach to protecting individual data rights and interests. Enterprises may take note of current practices in data registration and, based on the status of their own data assets, actively explore arrangements for confirming rights in and enabling the compliant circulation of data assets through data property rights registration. more

Anonymous member


Career development 2d

My manager sent me a message at 11:30pm and expected an immediate response. I ignored it until morning and got criticized for not being "responsive." Would you consider this enough reason to start job hunting?
2   

  • Dr. Sydney Epps

    1d

    Any non-on-call role should safely anticipate their employees are at rest at such late hours. 7-7 is usually my rule. I do not expect immediate... responses during the evening to early morning. No traditional role should.  more

  • peter elweu

    1d

    Yes!

    1
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Career development

 8h

Teacher of Geography - Engage Education


At Engage Education, we're recruiting for an exciting opportunity to work in a successful secondary school in Bradford. We are currently looking for an enthusiastic and committed Geography Teacher who can teach Geography across Key Stages 3 and 4.

This is an excellent opportunity for a teacher who is passionate about their subject, enjoys inspiring young people and is committed to helping... students achieve their full potential.

About the role:

This is a full-time, long-term role teaching Geography to Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 students.

You will be responsible for delivering engaging and challenging Geography lessons, supporting students' academic progress and creating a positive learning environment. The successful candidate will join a supportive school community that places a strong emphasis on high standards, student development and staff wellbeing.

There is plenty of opportunity for professional and career development for teachers who share the school's commitment to providing a supportive and enriching environment for young people.

About you:

The successful Geography Teacher will:

* Have experience teaching Geography at KS3 and KS4

* Have a strong subject knowledge and the ability to deliver engaging, well-structured lessons

* Be passionate about Geography and able to inspire students to develop a genuine interest in the subject

* Have the ability to build strong, positive relationships with young people

* Demonstrate excellent classroom management and behaviour management skills

* Have a proven track record of supporting and raising pupil progress and attainment

* Be able to differentiate lessons effectively to meet the needs of students with different abilities

* Have strong communication, organisation and teamwork skills

* Be committed to creating an inclusive, respectful and positive learning environment

* Demonstrate resilience, patience and a positive attitude

* Have a genuine desire to make a positive difference to the lives and educational outcomes of students

* Have a background in education; this does not necessarily need to have been within a school setting

* Hold a formally recognised teaching qualification

Key skills and traits:

Subject expertise: Strong knowledge of the Geography curriculum and the ability to teach effectively across KS3 and KS4.

Communication: Able to explain geographical concepts clearly and communicate effectively with students, colleagues and parents/carers.

Classroom management: Confident in establishing clear expectations and maintaining a calm, purposeful learning environment.

Relationship building: Able to develop positive rapport with students and provide appropriate encouragement, mentoring and support.

Adaptability: Able to respond to different learning needs and adapt teaching strategies to ensure all students can make progress.

Passion and enthusiasm: A genuine enthusiasm for Geography and a desire to inspire curiosity about the world.

Resilience: Patient, consistent and able to remain positive when faced with challenging situations.

Commitment to student progress: Focused on securing strong outcomes while supporting students' wider personal development.

Teamwork: Able to work collaboratively with colleagues and contribute positively to the wider school community.

About us:

We are Engage Education, the most trusted education recruitment agency, with professional development and support at our core.

* Get paid in line with national scales (AWR compliant)

* Free CPD sessions

* Your own dedicated consultant

* Receive a £50 Amazon voucher when you refer friends!

* Wellbeing support, travel discounts and retail offers from our partners

How to apply

You can apply for this role below or get in touch with us directly.

All applicants require the appropriate qualifications, and all teachers require a formally recognised teaching qualification.

If you are not contacted within 2 working days, unfortunately, you have been unsuccessful for this role.

All candidates must have a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before starting work. Full assistance will be provided.

By applying for this role, you are consenting to Engage Education Ltd storing your personal details in our fully encrypted database, in line with GDPR requirements. more

Erica Bailes


Career development 1d

I accepted a job that pays less because they promised a four-day workweek. Three months later, the company quietly went back to five days. I feel completely misled. Would you stay or leave again?
2   

  • imrana tukur

    8h

    You're right 🙏

  • Kabunga Elvis

    1d

    Did you indicate that in the contract? I believe it's not.
    My advise is go back to the drawing board and negotiate the new developments. If they have... added another day, remuneration would have changed. And then request for a written contract for future safety. more

    1
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Career development

 8h

Not Just What You Say, but How You Say It: Timlul's AI That Finds Insights in Speech - iHLS


This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Timlul is a graduate of the INNOFENSE Innovation Center operated by iHLS in collaboration with IMoD. This unique acceleration program removes entrance barriers to the technological ecosystem, turning startups into mature, leading companies while connecting them with relevant investors, which is designed to strengthen the links between the civilian... and defense markets via the collaborative development of the technologies, thus advancing and improving their integration in both markets.

Organizations that assess and screen people face a fundamental challenge of scale and consistency. Whether in the military, human resources, academic research, or speech therapy, much of the relevant information comes through language: interviews, questionnaires, recordings, résumés, and conversations. Yet in many cases, this material is still analyzed by people, who struggle to thoroughly review thousands of documents or hundreds of hours of recordings, can experience fatigue, and may be influenced by bias. Moreover, valuable information does not always lie solely in what a person says, but also in how they say it.

Founded in 2023, Timlul develops decision-support systems based on natural language processing (NLP), speech recognition, and the analysis of voice and textual data. Rather than offering a single standardized product, the company builds each project around the organization's specific challenge and data, adapting its engine to the relevant assessment methods, historical information, and datasets. The system transcribes and analyzes the material, extracts measurable parameters, and combines algorithms, language models, and statistical analysis to generate scores or insights designed to assist human decision-makers.

One application of the technology is in the defense sector, where it serves as a decision-support tool for analyzing interviews and questionnaires. The system examines speech and language patterns to identify characteristics, anomalies, and risk factors that may be relevant to assessing individuals and determining their suitability for different roles. The goal is not to replace the professional making the final decision, but to provide an additional, consistent layer of analysis capable of processing large volumes of information while reducing reliance on human assessment alone, which is usually based on numerical assessments without in-depth language processing.

The same engine allows the company to operate well beyond the defense sector. In speech therapy, for example, vocal characteristics such as speech patterns, sequences, and segments can be analyzed to help identify pronunciation difficulties. In human resources, the technology can analyze résumés and job interviews, while academic researchers can rapidly process large collections of interviews and conduct qualitative studies on an unlimited amount of content. In one proof of concept for research examining Israeli ethos following October 7th, a task estimated to require approximately 331 hours of human work was completed by the Timlul.ai system in less than seven hours. The system is also multilingual and its solutions can be implemented globally.

The technological approach is largely built around automation. Verbal and numerical assessment methods are translated into algorithms, combined with an LLM, and then subjected to statistical weighting. According to the company, in its defense-related work, the system achieved twice the predictive capability for applicants' riskiness and resilience using existing data and methods, with the aim of quadrupling the predictability. The company also says that results can be broken down into different personality-related metrics, making it possible not only to flag an anomaly but also to understand which characteristics contributed to the assessment.

The company has not raised external funding to date and operates with private funding of the initiative as Bootsrapping. Dr. Zvi Tubul-Lavy leads the company's research and development, supported by a part-time backend developer. The small human team, however, is part of the operating model: according to the company, it works alongside more than 30 AI agents, which perform a significant share of the workload and allow operations to scale without increasing headcount at the same rate.

The idea itself emerged when Dr. Tubul-Lavy watched his mother, a speech therapist (Dr. Gila Tubul-Lavy), working with headphones and manually transcribing material, and began developing an automatic process. What started as a transcription tool and developed into a biometric data system with insights: if a machine can already understand the words, why not use it to help understand what can be learned from them? more

Anonymous member


Career development 3d

My husband thinks I should leave my high-paying job because I'm constantly stressed and bringing work home. I don't hate my job, but I know I'm not the same person I was before. How do you know when enough is enough?
4   
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Career development

 10h

MBA Admissions Tip: Interview Etiquette 101


Whether your admissions interview will be online or in-person, resume- or application-based, or one-on-one or with a group, we want to share tips that comprise MBA Interview Etiquette 101.

Though the content of your application materials and comments during the interview are of paramount importance, it's also crucial to put your best foot forward and make a positive initial impression.

Here are... a few guidelines for interviewing applicants to keep in mind:

Be early.

Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of your interview. This will help remove the stress you will experience if you think you might arrive a little late. It will also help the interviewer, who may have back-to-back interviews, and cannot afford any delays in their schedule.

Dress the part.

Unless meeting with an alum who explicitly specifies a more casual dress code, assume that business attire is appropriate. We recommend that applicants dress conservatively, opting for a dark suit (pants or skirts are both fine for women) and a blue or white shirt. Steer clear of flashy brand gear and loud ties, and go easy on makeup and fragrances; you want to be remembered for what you say and who you are, not what you wore.

For those who do not work in an environment where professional dress is worn on a regular basis, you might want to get comfortable wearing your interview attire prior to your interviews.

Be pleasant.

This likely goes without saying, but we wanted to state for the record that in addition to fostering a friendly discussion with your interviewer, it's also important to be polite to administrative staff and anyone else you might encounter while on campus or in your alum interviewer's office. Flippant comments to the administrative assistant at the front desk often find their way up the chain of command.

Be aware of body language.

In addition to your comments about your experiences, interests and reasons for seeking an MBA, your interviewer will also be taking note of the way you present yourself. You'll also want to avoid taking notes or reading from your résumé; it can be fine to have the latter in front of you as a reference, but remember that you should be familiar enough with its content to focus on maintaining eye contact and establishing a rapport.

Bring your résumé.

It is always best to have an extra copy of your résumé with you, in case your interviewer needs it. The only exception to this case is when you interview with the University of Virginia's Darden School, which explicitly states not to bring your resume. But even in that case, you may prefer to have a copy for yourself as you interview - though we caution against using the résumé as a crutch or a prop to the point of distraction, as successful candidates typically can speak to their résumé without needing to refer to it much.

Follow up.

Make sure that you get your interviewer's card and take his or her contact information in order to send a "thank you" email within 24 hours of the interview. This is not only common courtesy but could also serve as the first step in forging a lasting correspondence.

We hope these suggestions from MBA Interview Etiquette 101 help you prepare for your interviews. Meanwhile, applicants who are curious about what to expect might want to check out the Clear Admit MBA Interview Archive, which features firsthand accounts of interviews at all of the top programs, and the Clear Admit Interview Guides, which offer in-depth, school-specific interview guidance for nearly every leading MBA program.

Good luck to everyone hoping for an MBA interview invite! more

Career development

 10h

Veterans Say the Job Search Feels Broken. Here Are 3 Things to Do Differently


Submitting application after application and hearing nothing back has long been one of the most frustrating parts of looking for a job after military service. But Tim Best says something has changed.

After decades working in veteran employment, the RecruitMilitary CEO says the frustration he hears from job seekers today is different, and more intense, than at any other point in his... career.

"There's a lot of frustration more than I've ever seen in my career from job seekers around the job search right now," Best said.

Best, a former Army special operations helicopter pilot, recently sat down with Military.com to discuss what he is seeing in the employment market and how veterans and transitioning service members can navigate a job-search process that many increasingly believe isn't working.

The problem extends beyond veterans. But transitioning service members can face additional hurdles as they try to explain military experience to civilian employers while simultaneously navigating an employment system being transformed by technology.

Best says the answer isn't simply submitting more applications. Veterans may need to fundamentally rethink how they search for work.

Why the Job Search Feels Different Now

RecruitMilitary recently brought together current and former job seekers for a focus group examining their experiences with artificial intelligence, employer technology and other tools used during their searches. Participants included civilians, veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses.

Best said the conversation became surprisingly emotional.

I would categorize it as generally people feel like the current process is broken, he said.

Job seekers have always complained about putting significant effort into applications and getting few responses. But Best said the current frustration goes beyond that.

"It's not just that, oh, this is a lot of work for little results," Best said. "It's that it feels meaningless."

Easy-apply technology can allow candidates to submit applications rapidly, but it can also leave recruiters sorting through hundreds or thousands of applicants, including many who aren't qualified for the position.

Meanwhile, job seekers see postings that already have hundreds of applicants and wonder whether anybody will ever see their résumé.

"I've never been a big fan of easy apply in any in in in any ecosystem, because to me, easy apply means lots of applications means you're burdening recruiters on the other end," Best said. "How can they possibly do their jobs when there are hundreds or 1000s of applications that aren't relevant?"

For veterans navigating that environment, Best recommends focusing on three things they can control.

1. Make AI Your Partner, Not Just Your Résumé Writer

Best believes artificial intelligence can be extraordinarily useful to transitioning service members but many aren't taking full advantage of it.

Instead of treating an AI tool as something that simply rewrites a résumé or cover letter, he recommends giving it enough information to understand a veteran's experience and career objectives.

Really treat the AI as your partner because it can be, Best said.

For example, a veteran could provide an AI tool with a résumé and a job description and ask it to analyze the match.

* Why am I qualified for this position? Why am I not?

* What skills does my résumé demonstrate that I'm failing to communicate?

* What would the ideal candidate look like, and how am I different?

* What might cause a recruiter to reject my application?

* What other job titles could match the skills I've accumulated in the military?

"What am I missing that you know about me that I could convey better to show that I am a fit?" Best said. "What's the reason a recruiter would see my resume or application for this and say no? And what can I do about that?"

Best cautioned against treating AI as a replacement for a human career coach.

"It's not a coach," he said. "It'll never be what a coach really is because, as you know, coaches provide so much more than just information."

But as a tool for analyzing opportunities and challenging assumptions, he believes AI can help veterans become smarter applicants.

2. Stop Trying to Become a LinkedIn Influencer

Networking is hardly new advice for transitioning service members. Best's advice is different: Stop assuming you need to build an entirely new network.

He is particularly wary of what he calls the "LinkedIn influencer approach" to military transition, which is the idea that service members need to accumulate followers and create a personal brand to successfully enter the civilian workforce.

"I really get nervous when they're paying attention to the wrong approach to networking," Best said. "You know, I'll call it the LinkedIn influencer approach."

LinkedIn can be extremely valuable, he said, but veterans may overlook the network they already possess. Family members. Friends. Neighbors. Former colleagues. People they served alongside who have already left the military.

"Most people already have that network in their family or in their friend groups," Best said. "They never think about their cousins, their uncles, their aunts, their neighbors, people they served with that already got out."

Once veterans exhaust those connections, LinkedIn can help expand the search. But Best recommends making requests specific.

Instead of contacting someone and vaguely asking for help transitioning, a veteran might say he or she has applied for a particular position and ask whether the contact knows the hiring manager and would be willing to make an introduction.

"Making it a layup is the key," Best said. The easier and more specific the request, the easier it becomes for someone to help.

3. Treat the Job Search Like a Mission

Military members routinely spend weeks or months preparing for important missions. Best believes they should bring some of that same discipline to their civilian job searches.

He said too many job seekers approach the process intermittently by working on it for a while, stepping away and returning when they have time.

Instead, he recommends something familiar to military members: planning, developing courses of action and executing against the plan.

I know that sounds a little hokey, but I think a lot of people think of their job search as this thing they plug in and out of, Best said. "You know, let me spend a little bit of time on this, and I just don't think that's enough right now."

That means identifying employers in the location where a veteran wants to live, understanding the positions they offer, researching how military skills correspond to those positions, submitting targeted applications and systematically working personal and professional networks.

The payoff isn't necessarily just getting a job. It can be having choices.

"And the work that goes into that often is the reason for that," Best said.

A Harder Search Doesn't Mean There Aren't Jobs

Best acknowledges that even highly prepared veterans can face difficult searches.

A senior military leader pursuing an executive position in a small geographic market, for example, will naturally have fewer opportunities than someone with highly transferable technical skills who is willing to move anywhere.

"Sometimes the person who is most prepared, the hardest working and is the most qualified can also be the person with the toughest job search because sometimes they've reached a level in their career where there are just fewer opportunities," Best said.

The objective, he said, is to concentrate on what the job seeker can actually control.

Despite the frustration he sees in the current employment environment, Best remains optimistic about military talent. Employers still tell him they need people, he said, and many want to recruit veterans. The disconnect is often figuring out how military experience maps onto their needs.

"It is harder. and it can be frustrating," Best said. "But what hasn't changed is there's still incredible opportunity out there."

And the qualities service members develop while navigating constant change may become increasingly valuable as civilian workplaces contend with technological and organizational disruption.

"You're needed more now than maybe ever," Best said. "Actually, when we think about how quickly things are changing and the adaptability and change management skills you bring, it's a natural match."

The hiring process may be changing. Best's advice to veterans is to change with it rather than disengage from it.

"It's not a time to give up," he said. "It's a time to understand the problem." more

Career development

 15h

Managing the Algorithm: Who is accountable when AI makes a business decision?


By Dr Kavita Kanabar, Associate Professor, HR and General Management, Vivekanand Education Society's Institute of Management Studies and Research (VESIMSR)

A loan applicant is turned down by a system, not a person. A résumé is filtered out before a recruiter ever opens it. A delivery app quietly raises its price the longer a customer hesitates. None of these decisions was made, in any real sense,... by a human being -- yet each one changed a life. That gap between who made the call and who has to answer for it has become the central governance problem of the algorithmic economy.

Artificial intelligence currently lies within the daily machinery of commerce: examining job interviewees, recording credit risk, deciding prices in real time, and triaging consumer criticisms. Executives are inclined to appreciate these AI-enabled systems as tend to praise these systems as propellors of speed and reliability, devoid of exhaustion and inconsistency that crawl into human reasoning. That narrative isn't wrong, but it is not accurate -- since it bypasses the difficult question currently confronting regulators, law courts, and executive boardrooms: when the technique comprehends wrong, discriminates, or merely cannot elucidate itself, then who is accountable?

The Black Box Problem

Majority of the machine learning models have been training on massive datasets and deliberate hundreds, sometimes thousands, of variables at once. Because so many factors interact, no single input fully explains a given output -- the model isn't following one traceable rule so much as a web of statistical correlations. Some of those variables end up carrying far more weight than others, often in ways that aren't obvious even to the engineers who built the system. The result is a process that can be highly accurate on average and still nearly impossible to explain in any individual case -- the essence of the "black box" problem.

Four Industries, One Pattern

During the designing of algorithms for hiring, they are trained to reduce the human mistakes by exposing these algorithms to a company's current workforce -- which indicates that they can wind up replicating the same model already available in the staffing records. Some of the schemes silently screen out the applicants whose résumés display employment interruptions, or sort out résumés with specified language patterns, before a recruiter examines them.

In lending, prejudice can crawl in even when safeguarded characteristics are never entered as inputs: a ZIP code or a shopping pattern can act as a surrogate for race or income, letting bias seep in through approaching from the back.Dynamic pricing raises a related concern -- regulators have scrutinized platforms, Priceline among them, over pricing algorithms that adjust fees in ways closer to opaque, black-box decision-making than to a straightforward response to supply and demand. And in customer service, systems built to categorize and triage complaints can end up minimizing the human contact that the most vulnerable customers need most, at exactly the moment a human touch matters.

None of this is necessarily intentional. It is more a failure of oversight -- a tendency to treat a deployed model as something that now runs itself, and to treat that autonomy as an excuse.

According to one regional bank's compliance officer, "The algorithm doesn't have a bank account, a job, or a conscience. So the responsibility has to sit with the human being who put it to use."

The Law Is Catching Up

Regulators are only beginning to catch up with the pace at which these systems are being deployed. Until recently, a company could adopt an algorithm and answer to little more than its own board; that grace period is ending fast.

The European Union's AI Act now classifies hiring, credit-scoring, and similar systems as "high-risk," requiring documentation, human oversight, and the ability to explain individual decisions. In the United States, the picture is more fragmented: a patchwork of state and city laws -- including New York City's audit requirement for automated hiring tools -- has emerged in the absence of a single federal standard, leaving companies to navigate different rules in different jurisdictions.

Even where such rules exist, the harder legal question is what "transparency" actually requires. Is it enough for a company to disclose, in general terms, that an algorithm was involved? Or must it be able to explain the specific factors behind a specific decision? Courts and regulators are increasingly leaning toward the latter -- a standard that is far harder, and far more expensive, to meet.

What Accountable Deployment Requires

Systematic and organized corporate entities exhibit few common traits. These firms ensure involvement of human in the -- a person with proper authority to overrule or depart from the system's suggestion, not just a rubber stamp. These professionals provide directives for external audits, even if they are costly and laborious as these audits, instead of settling for a tokenish internal sign-off. They create systems and processes that can generate a restricted, case-precise explanation for a particular decision, in place of generic disclaimer claiming that AI was included in the process. And they allocate well-defined ownership: a named senior manager responsible for how a particular system operates.

Everything is associated with cost. The processes such as controls, regular compliance inspections, and grievance procedures slow down processes that were constructed for giving momentum to the system. However, companies now confronted with lawsuits, governing penalties, and reputational injury due to impenetrable automated decisions, are realizing that sometimes alternative do have their own steep price to be paid.

The Bottom Line

Algorithms typically going to render majority of these significant decisions, not smaller number -- that trend isn't moving backward. What is changing is how far society is inclined to accept decisions that anyone can fully justify. The establishments best prepared to withstand that change will not be the units with maximum powerful algorithms, but the ones prepared to reply a short, unpleasant query, simply put: "If this system hurts somebody, who in this association has to elucidate why -- and can they?"" more

Career development

 18h

The 7 Essential Parts of Your Online Presence


Your online presence often gives potential employers, clients, partners, and recruiters their first impression of you. It's likely what they see before they ever meet you.

They search your name, read your posts, and look at your profiles. All of this happens before the first call.

A strong online presence doesn't mean joining every social network. It means that the places people find you tell... one clear, credible story about what you do.

Here are the seven parts that matter most:

1. A Strong Professional Profile

After finding your name, most people check your profile next. For many, that means LinkedIn.

Treat it as more than a résumé. Your headline should explain your focus, not just your job title. Your summary should say what problems you solve and what work you want more of.

Your experience section should show outcomes. Don't write that you "managed a team." Write what the team achieved. Don't write that you "worked on a product." Write the problem you solved and what changed because of it.

Keep it consistent: your name, title, history, and photo should match your website. A recruiter should never wonder if they found the right person.

Here are a few LinkedIn profiles that will show you how to build a profile that stands out from the rest.

2. A Personal Website

Your website is the base of everything else. It's the one place you fully control.

Social profiles are useful, but they belong to platforms. Designs, algorithms, and rules change. Your own site does not.

More importantly, your website and your LinkedIn profile aren't just the same thing in a different wrapper.

LinkedIn is structured around employment history. It lists your roles in chronological order, inside a template you share with hundreds of millions of people.

Your website is structured around you. It can lead with the specific problem you solve, put your best work front and center, and give visitors a feel for how you think, none of which a profile page can do well.

A consultant, for example, might open their site with a one-line summary of the outcome they deliver ("I help fintech startups reduce churn in their first year"), followed by two or three case studies, and a short essay about their approach. That combination would be invisible on LinkedIn and is exactly what a website is for.

It doesn't need to be complex. One page is often enough. Include your name, your role, a short intro, your experience, a few work samples, and how to reach you.

Clarity beats polish. A visitor should know in five seconds who you are and why it matters.

If you don't want to code, Onepage is an AI-powered website and landing page builder that lets you turn a simple prompt into a professional website within minutes. The AI can generate the initial layout, content, images, and individual sections, while everything remains fully editable through OnePage's visual no-code editor.

You can refine the design and content, add forms and other elements, connect your own domain, and publish the finished site with built-in hosting, without needing a developer or managing a complicated technical setup.

Prefer open source? GitHub Pages hosts a site, blog, or résumé for free. Jekyll works with it out of the box. Hugo is faster and gives you more control, and both have large theme libraries so you can skip the design work.

The goal isn't the most impressive site. It's a reliable home that represents you well.

3. A Portfolio of Real Work

Credentials say what you did, while a portfolio shows it.

This matters most for designers, developers, writers, marketers, consultants, and researchers. If your work can be shown, show it.

A long project list isn't a portfolio. Each piece needs context. Explain the problem, your role, what you did, and the result.

An engineer can walk through the technical problem, the architecture choices, and the outcome. A marketer can cover the strategy, audience, and numbers. A designer can show how research shaped the final screens.

The most useful projects to include are ones where you can clearly explain the problem, your specific contribution, and a measurable result.

A developer might show a tool they built to automate something tedious, explaining the technical tradeoffs and the time it saved. A product manager might walk through a prioritization call , why they chose one feature over three others, what data drove it, and what shipped as a result.

A UX researcher might document a usability study: the questions, the findings, and how the design changed because of them. These are more convincing than a list of company names because they let someone evaluate how you think, not just where you've been.

Is your work confidential? You can still prove skill. Use anonymized case studies, technical articles, talks, or written lessons.

For developers, open source work is one of the strongest portfolio signals available. A public repository shows real code, real decisions, and (if it has contributors or stars) real adoption.

If you've contributed to an existing project, link to specific pull requests and explain the problem you solved. If you've built your own tool or library, make sure the README reads like a case study, what does it do, why did you build it, and who is it for?

If you're looking for inspiration on how to present your portfolio site itself, the portfolio-website topic on GitHub is a useful starting point: developers have tagged thousands of live portfolio sites there, covering a wide range of tech stacks and layouts, and you can browse them to find patterns that work or fork one as a foundation.

The rule is simple: show evidence, not claims.

4. A Content Trail

Your presence gets much stronger when you publish useful ideas.

You don't need to post daily. A few solid articles a year beat a hundred empty ones.

Write about what you know. Explain a hard concept. Share a project lesson. Break down a trend. Document something you built. Describe a mistake and what it taught you.

Over time this becomes a searchable record of your expertise.

It also does something a résumé can't. A résumé lists what you did, while your writing shows how you think.

You can publish anywhere. A hosted platform like Substack needs zero setup. A blog on your own domain gives you full ownership. Developers can also write in their repo docs or on a community site.

Stay focused. You want your name tied to two or three areas, not twenty.

5. One Identity Across Platforms

Your presence has many pieces. They should feel like one person.

Use the same name everywhere. Keep your photo roughly consistent. Link your site from your profiles, and your profiles from your site.

Picture someone finding your website, then LinkedIn, then GitHub. Each stop should add something. None should confuse.

This doesn't mean posting the same thing everywhere. Each platform has a job. Your site is the hub, LinkedIn carries your history, GitHub shows your code, and a social account or blog shows your thinking.

Think of them as different windows into the same room.

6. An Obvious Way to Reach You

A lot of professional sites make contact hard. That's a costly mistake.

If someone wants to hire you, work with you, or invite you to speak, they shouldn't have to hunt. Give them one clear next step.

That could be an email address. It could be a contact form, a LinkedIn link, or a booking page like Cal.com.

You don't need to share personal details. A separate work email keeps things clean.

What matters is that the method is visible, current, and actually checked.

7. Upkeep and Reputation Checks

An online presence isn't a one-time build.

A stale site can hurt as much as no site. Old titles, dead links, dropped projects, and expired domains all signal neglect.

Every few months, set aside an hour. Check that your site loads. Update your current role and recent wins. Cut what's out of date. Then search your own name and see what shows up.

That last step is the most useful one. Search engines surface old profiles, forum comments, conference pages, and accounts you forgot. Google Alerts can flag new mentions for you, and Google's results about you tool lets you request removal of sensitive listings.

You can't control everything online, but you should know what's there.

Making It Actually Work

A good online presence isn't a pile of profiles or a fancy website. It's a clear digital identity that makes your skills easy to grasp and your work easy to check.

Start small: build a simple personal website. Sharpen one professional profile. Add two or three real work examples. Publish a few useful pieces. Then make your contact details obvious.

Use a no-code tool if you want speed. Use GitHub Pages with Jekyll or Hugo if you want control. Either path works.

The best presence isn't the one with the most features. It's the one that answers three questions fast. Who are you? What can you do? And why should anyone trust you?

Answer those clearly and your presence stops being a digital résumé. It becomes an asset that brings you opportunities, even when you aren't looking.

Hope you enjoyed this article. You can connect with me on LinkedIn. more

Career development

 19h

Beyond the Algorithm: How to Hire Top Finance and Accounting Talent


Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses operate, and recruitment is no exception. From drafting job descriptions to managing information, AI is becoming an increasingly common workplace tool. Technology can improve recruitment efficiency, but understanding what candidates want from their next opportunity requires a human connection.

After more than a decade in recruitment, I've seen... strong accounting professionals make career decisions based on factors beyond their qualifications. Compensation matters, but career goals, flexibility, workplace culture and meaningful responsibility matter too. These priorities rarely appear on a résumé or job description. They emerge through conversation.

At Stevenson & White, we don't use AI to screen candidates or manage the recruitment process. We take the time to understand what an organization needs and what a candidate is looking for. For Ottawa employers, making that human connection can be the difference between finding a qualified accounting professional and hiring the right person.

The opportunity must match the market.

Compensation is one of the biggest challenges in recruitment. Employers may establish salary ranges based on historical internal benchmarks or what a previous employee earned. Compensation expectations vary significantly depending on experience, industry, company size, technical expertise and the scope of the position.

Consider a controllership role; if the position involves financial planning, team leadership, systems implementation and interaction with senior management, the responsibilities are broader than traditional accounting duties.

Employers need to understand the entire scope of the position and how it compares with the current market before beginning the search. The goal is not to offer the highest salary; it's to be realistic and transparent about the responsibilities while understanding the other factors that are important to the candidate.

Efficiency shouldn't come at the expense of communication.

AI can make some recruitment processes faster. But hiring is about people, and a process that becomes too impersonal can cause strong candidates to lose interest. Highly qualified accounting professionals are often considering multiple opportunities. If an organization takes weeks to schedule interviews, provide feedback or approve an offer, there is a much greater risk of missing out on that candidate.

Delays can create uncertainty for candidates. When communication stops, candidates may question whether the organization is genuinely interested. Employers can avoid these delays by defining the hiring process up front. Who needs to be involved and how many interviews are necessary? Who makes the final decision and how quickly will feedback be provided? The goal isn't to rush the decision; it is to eliminate unnecessary delay while maintaining meaningful communications.

A résumé doesn't tell the whole story.

Another recruitment challenge is creating a candidate profile that is too specific.

Organizations want someone with the right education, professional designation, industry experience, software knowledge and leadership capabilities, but when every qualification is a requirement, the available talent pool becomes very small.

A strong accounting professional does not need to have every qualification on day one. The right candidate can bring the technical foundation, communication skills and ability to learn that will allow them to drive success in the role. This is where human judgment matters.

A résumé can tell an employer what someone has done; a conversation can reveal why they made certain career decisions, what motivates them and what they want to accomplish next. Those details are important when determining whether a candidate will succeed in a particular organization.

Candidates are evaluating employers too.

Recruitment is a two-way assessment.

Employers are considering whether a candidate can do the job, while candidates are deciding whether they want to work for the organization. Salary matters, but it isn't the only factor. Accounting professionals also consider flexibility, benefits, professional development, career progression, leadership exposure and opportunities to take on greater responsibility.

The strongest candidates are often asking a simple question: Why should I leave my current organization to join yours?

Employers need to be prepared to answer that question through genuine conversation. That doesn't mean offering every possible benefit. It means understanding what makes the opportunity compelling and communicating that clearly.

The offer isn't the end of the process.

An offer should be the culmination of the conversations that came before it, not simply the final administrative step. By the time an offer is presented, employers should understand what matters most to the candidate. If career progression is important, the employer needs to explain what that can look like. If flexibility is a priority, that conversation needs to happen before the offer is made. If the candidate is looking for greater leadership responsibilities, the organization needs to clearly explain how the role provides that opportunity.

Understanding these priorities doesn't mean the employer has to accommodate every request. It means both sides can make an informed decision.

The human connection still matters.

AI will continue to change how businesses operate, and technology has a valuable role in improving efficiency. But hiring the right accounting professional requires more than matching qualifications to a job description.

For Ottawa employers, the most effective approach is to understand the market, define the role clearly, communicate consistently and take the time to understand the person behind the résumé.

In our experience, the strongest long-term hires happen when there is alignment between what an organization needs and what a professional wants from their next opportunity. Technology can help businesses be more efficient, but when it comes to understanding people, asking the right questions and building trust, there is no substitute for human conversation.

About the author

Matt Stevenson is a Partner at Stevenson & White, an Ottawa-based specialized recruitment firm focused on finance, accounting and payroll professionals. He takes a people-focused approach, listening to clients and candidates to understand their needs, expectations and long-term goals. Matt connects skilled finance professionals with organizations where they can thrive, recognizing the importance of attracting and retaining top talent. His approach reflects Stevenson & White's core values of honesty, integrity and professionalism, and he has over a decade of dedicated experience in finance and accounting recruitment. more

Anonymous member


Career development 1w

My employer wants me to relocate to another city for a promotion. The salary increase is significant, but my partner has a good career here and doesn't want to move. Has anyone chosen their relationship over a career opportunity?
6   

  • Rachel Talbot

    20h

    A commitment to one's partner may very well be worth the cost. A commitment to one's spouse, on the other hand, is absolutely, certainly, without a... doubt, worth the cost. Many good marriages have been divorced simply because one partner or other has been unwilling to pay the cost of commitment. That is really the biggest issue with marriages today: it is so easy to divorce that even good marriages are lost, because the people in those good marriages have lost the vision that they promise to. "In sickness and in health" means commitment, whether that sickness is emotional or psychological, relational or, yes, physical. Commitment to a partner is trivial compared to that commitment between a man and woman bound in marriage. But that doesn't mean it doesn't mean something to you. Take your time to weigh it out. People say follow your heart. I think we need to balance that with duty and commitment. Consider the duties you have with your family; the commitments you have made. Then decide.  more

  • Rachel Talbot

    21h

    Many have chosen a relationship over a career opportunity. Many have chosen a career opportunity over a relationship... and regretted it. The reviews... here are mixed, in part because of how much context we are missing. You have the details of your life. We don't. So, the choice is yours. You might consider the following questions: How is my relationship with my partner? How much do I value the commitment I have with my partner? If partner is not also spouse: Would I consider marrying my partner [a marital situation Requires that the Commitment to one another be Prioritized.]? How many blessings do I have right here where I am? How many blessings can I anticipate in the place I might move to? What kinds of people can I bless right here in this place, because I know them? Can I find similar work right here? Can my partner find similar work to his current job there? What things that are important to my partner can be found there?  more

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Career development

 23h

I'm in my 60s and can't find full-time work. I took Social Security early and filed for bankruptcy to stay afloat.


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* Thomas Heep was laid off last year and thinks age discrimination could be hindering his job search.

* He's working part time and collecting Social Security, but says he's just scraping by financially.

* Heep recently filed for bankruptcy and believes it was the right decision.

This as-told-to essay is based on... conversations with Thomas Heep, a job seeker in his 60s who lives in Denver. He was laid off in April 2025 and is still looking for full-time work. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was laid off from my job as an operations manager on April 4, 2025. I've been looking for full-time work since then.

I'm currently working part-time, delivering prescriptions to patients in the Denver area, and I started collecting Social Security in my 60s, before reaching my full retirement age of 67. Both combined aren't enough to pay all my bills. Earlier this year, I filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

I'm an only child and the last living member of my family. Not having a family to turn to definitely increases the pressure in a situation like mine.

I recently had an in-person interview for a job that paid $20 an hour. I felt like the interview went well, and I'd be grateful to get the job.

But there's always a part of you that thinks: I've worked all my life to maybe get to this. A $20-an-hour job.

I feel like I'm basically starting at zero.

The job search process feels broken

My job search has been 99% online -- LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and stuff like that. Looking for work primarily online wasn't new to me, as I'd landed my last job only about a year before I was laid off.

But this job search has felt different. I think the system is broken.

First of all, so many of the companies I apply to don't respond at all. I started working during a time when you could just walk into a business, maybe they had a "We're hiring" sign, and you could talk to somebody right there. That doesn't happen anymore. You have to go online and fill everything out, with a very high chance you'll never hear back. It's such a process now, and I don't think it's as effective as people think.

Companies can also easily get buried by résumés when they post a job opening. A decent-paying job in a stable field will get hundreds of applications. "Work from home" roles are worse. I've seen application numbers in the 2,000s and higher. How is anybody going to get through that number of applicants?

I also think companies are looking for people who fully match every skill they list and don't need any training. That's just not going to happen.

Jacob Zinkula writes about how workers in tech and other industries are navigating their careers. Share your story with him by filling out this form, emailing him, or reaching out via Signal at jzinkula.29. Follow his work by clicking here.

I believe my age is a major hurdle

I believe age discrimination could be a big part of why my job search has been so challenging.

Even if a company loves my résumé, skill set, and work history, they're going to look at my age and go: How long is he going to stay? He's close to retirement age. It's too risky. I've tried shortening my work history or omitting my age from my résumé, but I think they can still probably figure it out.

At a recent in-person interview, they needed my driver's license, so they knew immediately how old I was. They asked whether I knew I would be on my feet all day and whether I could lift 50 pounds. It felt like they were trying to figure out whether I could really handle the work.

For me, 50 pounds is nothing. If there's one thing that's gone right in my life, it's my health. But I struggled to figure out exactly how to convey that in an interview. I want to reassure them that I can do the work without coming across as egotistical.

Regardless, I was proud that I'd gotten the interview in the first place. The company told me it had received over 200 applications for the job.

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place financially

I'm scraping by financially. Since I started collecting Social Security before reaching my full retirement age of 67, some of my benefits can be withheld if I earn above a certain amount.

If I earn more than $24,480 from working this year, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 I earn above that amount. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. What else am I going to do? I have to have income somehow. I really don't have a choice.

Earlier this year, I filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after exhausting what I felt were my other options. So far, I think it was the right decision. My credit score actually went up after I filed, and bankruptcy ended up looking much better to me than some of the debt-consolidation programs I'd explored.

With less income, I've had to learn how to budget. I used to think I was good at budgeting, but I really wasn't. I've become better at it because there's no soft landing here. I either work, or I'm screwed.

This job search might be the greatest challenge of my life

I've never been in this situation before.

Has it affected me mentally? A hundred percent. I've gone through days where I don't want to get out of bed, and I have to convince myself to do this or that sometimes.

It's especially hard when you look in the rearview mirror and look at what you've done in your career. I believe that every place I've worked at, I've made it better. To think that now, because of my age or whatever the case may be, that I can't get a job -- it's devastating.

But I just keep going. I keep grinding. You have to constantly convince yourself not to lose faith in a situation like mine. If you lose that, then you're going to be in trouble.

Do you have a story to share? Reach out to the reporter via email at jzinkula@businessinsider.com, or via Signal at jzinkula.29.

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Yahoo. more

Career development

 23h

Desperate For A Job, I Applied At A Sandwich Shop. The Response I Got Was Soul-Crushing.


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I handed in a job application at a sandwich shop last week. There was a giant Now Hiring sign taped to the front window, so I walked in and, to my surprise, they handed me a paper application. I filled it out, smiled, and returned it to them.

They never called me.

Also Read: I Wanted My Daughter To Feel Welcome At School.... Then Her Teacher Made A Decision That Shattered My Hopes.

I tell myself it's probably because I'm too old. Maybe it's because I didn't apply online, or because the kid behind the counter didn't scan my info into the system. I don't know. I only know that I was ready to make sandwiches for minimum wage, and nobody even wanted that from me.

I have a master's degree in interdisciplinary arts and decades of experience, both personal and professional. I speak two languages. As if any of that matters.

I've been told all my life that I'm smart, and yet here I am, chronically underemployed, invisible in the job market, and applying anywhere I can -- hardware stores, pet supply chains, and garden centers. No one writes back. No one calls.

"Please upload your résumé," I'm told. I do and it disappears into the algorithmic abyss, and I never hear from a human being.

Also Read: At 62, I Hadn't Been On A Date In Decades. Here's What Happened When I Tried The Apps.

I don't need a career. I need a paycheck. But the system seems to think I'm either aiming too low or not playing the game right, or worse, that I don't exist at all.

This has been going on for years. I've rewritten my résumé more times than I can count, tried leaving off my degree, tried playing up my "people skills," tried the QR codes and portals and ghost-job listings that don't lead anywhere. Nothing works. Every rejection chips away at something I used to believe about myself. Something like worth.

At one point, I thought maybe I had undiagnosed ADHD. Or social anxiety. Or something that could explain the gap between what I know I can do and how the world seems to view me. But mostly, I return to one haunting possibility: Maybe I'm just clueless. Maybe I've been clueless for years, and everyone else knows it except me.

That is, hands down, my greatest fear -- not failure, not poverty, not even loneliness: the idea that I might be fundamentally out of sync with the world, and not even aware of it.

Also Read: This Is The Single Most Valuable Free Resource In America -- And Conservatives Want It Gone

Because here's the truth that nobody likes to talk about: being educated, competent and willing to work is no guarantee that you'll find work. Especially not in a system where hiring has become automated, impersonal and biased in a hundred tiny, invisible ways. Especially not in a country where being overqualified is treated like a liability, where aging disqualifies you from entry-level jobs, and where the tech used to "streamline" applications often ends up gatekeeping the people who need the job the most.

I'm not homeless. I'm not addicted. I'm not mentally ill. I've never made more than $20,000 in a year, either. I'm somewhere in the gray area where you're struggling but not visibly enough to qualify for help. The kind of person nobody builds policy for. The kind of person nobody notices when they fall through the cracks, because we don't fit any of the typical narratives about success or failure.

I know work isn't just about money. It's also about rhythm, purpose and dignity. It gives your days structure and your brain something to do besides spiral into self-questioning. But when you're perpetually locked out of even the most basic opportunities, the effect isn't just economic. It's existential.

I know I'm not the only one. There are millions of us -- smart, willing, even desperate to work -- stuck in the liminal space between unemployment and invisibility. Nearly half of all college graduates are underemployed, many for a decade or more. Résumés vanish into algorithmic black holes, and being "overqualified" is often treated like a red flag. Older applicants, especially women, are routinely overlooked. It's not just me. It's a quiet crisis, and it's growing.

Also Read: I Gave Up My High-Profile NYC Job And Moved Home To Serve Ramen. It Changed My Life.

This piece may sound absurd to some people who believe success is tied to how hard a person tries, and failure indicates a flaw in someone's character, an inherent lack of discipline, or an unwillingness to go all out for what you want.

But what if the reality of success or failure is not dependent on a person's character but is simply the result of a person's circumstances, which are, ultimately, rarely within one's control?

Or what if the world has finally arrived in the digital age, and those of us still fumbling around in the world of history, philosophy, humanity and faith have become ... obsolete?

I used to think people like me would be the ones shaping the future. Now I'm just trying to survive in it. I was trained to think critically, to lead, to imagine better systems. But I'm being overlooked by people -- and AI -- who aren't capable of doing what I can do. They don't realize they're saying no to the very resources that could help us navigate the crises ahead.

Also Read: At 19, I Was Forced To Marry A Stranger And Was Sexually Assaulted Every Month For 12 Years

And if I can't do that, I just want a chance to be useful somehow.

I have so much to give.

I would make the best sandwiches anyone has ever tasted.

Karen D. Garman is a writer, artist and educator whose work explores trauma, transformation and the search for meaning in a fractured world. Her essays and hybrid narratives blend memoir, social critique and poetic language. She writes frequently about addiction recovery, neurodivergence, ecological consciousness and the edges of human connection. Karen is currently developing a contemporary art movement inspired by the Situationists and working on a hybrid literary novel.

This piece was previously published on HuffPost and is being shared again now as part of HuffPost Personal's "Best Of" series.

Do you have a compelling personal story you'd like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we're looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.

Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost. more

Career development

 23h

Desperate For A Job, I Applied At A Sandwich Shop. The Response I Got Was Soul-Crushing.


"I know I'm not the only one. There are millions of us stuck in the liminal space between unemployment and invisibility."

I handed in a job application at a sandwich shop last week. There was a giant Now Hiring sign taped to the front window, so I walked in and, to my surprise, they handed me a paper application. I filled it out, smiled, and returned it to them.

They never called me.

I tell... myself it's probably because I'm too old. Maybe it's because I didn't apply online, or because the kid behind the counter didn't scan my info into the system. I don't know. I only know that I was ready to make sandwiches for minimum wage, and nobody even wanted that from me.

I have a master's degree in interdisciplinary arts and decades of experience, both personal and professional. I speak two languages. As if any of that matters.

I've been told all my life that I'm smart, and yet here I am, chronically underemployed, invisible in the job market, and applying anywhere I can -- hardware stores, pet supply chains, and garden centers. No one writes back. No one calls.

"Please upload your résumé," I'm told. I do and it disappears into the algorithmic abyss, and I never hear from a human being.

I don't need a career. I need a paycheck. But the system seems to think I'm either aiming too low or not playing the game right, or worse, that I don't exist at all.

This has been going on for years. I've rewritten my résumé more times than I can count, tried leaving off my degree, tried playing up my "people skills," tried the QR codes and portals and ghost-job listings that don't lead anywhere. Nothing works. Every rejection chips away at something I used to believe about myself. Something like worth.

At one point, I thought maybe I had undiagnosed ADHD. Or social anxiety. Or something that could explain the gap between what I know I can do and how the world seems to view me. But mostly, I return to one haunting possibility: Maybe I'm just clueless. Maybe I've been clueless for years, and everyone else knows it except me.

That is, hands down, my greatest fear -- not failure, not poverty, not even loneliness: the idea that I might be fundamentally out of sync with the world, and not even aware of it.

Because here's the truth that nobody likes to talk about: being educated, competent and willing to work is no guarantee that you'll find work. Especially not in a system where hiring has become automated, impersonal and biased in a hundred tiny, invisible ways. Especially not in a country where being overqualified is treated like a liability, where aging disqualifies you from entry-level jobs, and where the tech used to "streamline" applications often ends up gatekeeping the people who need the job the most.

I'm not homeless. I'm not addicted. I'm not mentally ill. I've never made more than $20,000 in a year, either. I'm somewhere in the gray area where you're struggling but not visibly enough to qualify for help. The kind of person nobody builds policy for. The kind of person nobody notices when they fall through the cracks, because we don't fit any of the typical narratives about success or failure.

I know work isn't just about money. It's also about rhythm, purpose and dignity. It gives your days structure and your brain something to do besides spiral into self-questioning. But when you're perpetually locked out of even the most basic opportunities, the effect isn't just economic. It's existential.

I know I'm not the only one. There are millions of us -- smart, willing, even desperate to work -- stuck in the liminal space between unemployment and invisibility. Nearly half of all college graduates are underemployed, many for a decade or more. Résumés vanish into algorithmic black holes, and being "overqualified" is often treated like a red flag. Older applicants, especially women, are routinely overlooked. It's not just me. It's a quiet crisis, and it's growing.

This piece may sound absurd to some people who believe success is tied to how hard a person tries, and failure indicates a flaw in someone's character, an inherent lack of discipline, or an unwillingness to go all out for what you want.

But what if the reality of success or failure is not dependent on a person's character but is simply the result of a person's circumstances, which are, ultimately, rarely within one's control?

Or what if the world has finally arrived in the digital age, and those of us still fumbling around in the world of history, philosophy, humanity and faith have become ... obsolete?

I used to think people like me would be the ones shaping the future. Now I'm just trying to survive in it. I was trained to think critically, to lead, to imagine better systems. But I'm being overlooked by people -- and AI -- who aren't capable of doing what I can do. They don't realize they're saying no to the very resources that could help us navigate the crises ahead.

And if I can't do that, I just want a chance to be useful somehow.

I have so much to give.

I would make the best sandwiches anyone has ever tasted.

Karen D. Garman is a writer, artist and educator whose work explores trauma, transformation and the search for meaning in a fractured world. Her essays and hybrid narratives blend memoir, social critique and poetic language. She writes frequently about addiction recovery, neurodivergence, ecological consciousness and the edges of human connection. Karen is currently developing a contemporary art movement inspired by the Situationists and working on a hybrid literary novel.

This piece was previously published on HuffPost and is being shared again now as part of HuffPost Personal's "Best Of" series.

Do you have a compelling personal story you'd like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we're looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com. more

Career development

 23h

How Gilt Groupe Helped Pave the Way for Female Startup Founders in New York


The flashy e-commerce company gave many employees their first taste of startup culture -- and the experience they needed to start their own companies

Gilt Groupe's exit as a venture-backed company was unremarkable. It sold to Hudson's Bay Co., then owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, in 2016 for a fraction ...