cyusa shawn
Career development 1d
hey guys am new here, i had a questioni would like to become the youngest successfully tech entrepreneur, i would like some advice from you on the 5 big mistakes a startup should avoid as experienced people in the field that would mean alot to me
1   

  • Lara Schuler

    14
    29m

    You can’t pitch your ideas if you can’t write a coherent sentence. The people who have the money you need to bring your idea to fruition are most... likely well educated and will care if you can’t present your ideas in a clear and cohesive manner. Learn to write or learn to use the tools you need so it appears you can write. This all matters more than you think it does. Good luck.  more

  • prasad r

    9
    1h

    Just be sensible. follow advice from experts, be humble, be clear what you will do once you are successful and study the factors which made you... successful. Same is the case with failure also. Take both success and failure alike. You need to have the substance to analyze a failure , correct it and move on..  more

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Haleem Abdulsalam
Career development 2d
Hey everyone. If you're on Linkedln. I don't know whether youre facing a kind of low engagement reach on your account;impressions, reactions and comments. After my research, I realized one bad to be really active before engagement starts resonating with the content. I just want to know if its only me or any other person experiencing this.

#Linkedln
2   

  • Promise Mbalewe

    3h

    Hi... Yes you are right. Understanding the platform first and contents th audience would likely engage in would do you you a lot of help.
    This is a... business platform filled with experts, enthusiasts, entreprenuers and even newbies looking for opportunities.

    Your posts has to cut across this giving intrinsic knowledge from experience or outcome that would give anothr readr an edge such that it can be implemented or acted upon to make an impact in their fields or personal lives.     more

  • Dr Niamo Muid

    Pro
    2d

    Greetings. I find myself responding to others much more than getting the engagement I'd like. Intend to move to YT eventually.

Abdulsalam Kamarudeen
Career development 15h

hello, Please give me tips on the likely interview questions for the position of HR Assistant.
2   

  • kelechi peter

    5h

    Tip: Be ready to describe a time you handled confidential information and how you ensured discretion — HR assistants must build trust.

    Example... question: "Can you give an example of a time you handled confidential employee information? How did you protect it?"

    How to answer (brief STAR structure):
    - Situation: briefly set the context (e.g., payroll discrepancy, disciplinary record).
    - Task: state your responsibility (e.g., review records, communicate outcome).
    - Action: explain concrete steps to protect confidentiality (limited access, secure files, encrypted email, follow company policy, disclose only to authorized parties).
    - Result: show positive outcome (issue resolved, no breaches, maintained trust).

    One-line practice answer: "When resolving a payroll discrepancy, I reviewed secure records on a company computer, discussed details only with payroll and the employee in a private meeting, logged all changes per policy, and the issue was resolved with no data exposure."     more

  • kelechi peter

    5h

    Tip: Be ready to describe a time you handled confidential information and how you ensured discretion — HR assistants must build trust.

    Example... question: "Can you give an example of a time you handled confidential employee information? How did you protect it?"

    How to answer (brief STAR structure):
    - Situation: briefly set the context (e.g., payroll discrepancy, disciplinary record).
    - Task: state your responsibility (e.g., review records, communicate outcome).
    - Action: explain concrete steps to protect confidentiality (limited access, secure files, encrypted email, follow company policy, disclose only to authorized parties).
    - Result: show positive outcome (issue resolved, no breaches, maintained trust).

    One-line practice answer: "When resolving a payroll discrepancy, I reviewed secure records on a company computer, discussed details only with payroll and the employee in a private meeting, logged all changes per policy, and the issue was resolved with no data exposure."     more

Career development

 13h

Crafting a Powerful Mission Statement and Vision for Success


Creating an inspiring mission statement and vision can be a transformative process for individuals and organizations alike. They serve as guiding stars, mapping out a path toward future success. Today, we delve into the fundamental components of crafting a mission statement and vision, providing clear examples to help you in your journey of self-discovery and strategic planning.

Example of... Mission Statement and Vision: Understanding the Basics

Mission statements and vision statements are akin to the compass and map for an individual's or organization's journey. While they both outline purpose and intent, they serve distinct functions. A mission statement details the core objectives of an individual or organization, answering the question of why you exist. On the other hand, a vision statement projects a future you aspire to achieve, answering where you are heading.

For instance, a personal mission statement might focus on one's career development and lifelong learning, such as: "To continuously improve myself and contribute to the well-being of society by applying my analytical skills." In contrast, a vision might be: "To be recognized as a leading expert in my field, inspiring positive change."

Crafting an Impactful Mission Statement

The core of a mission statement is a succinct expression of an entity's reason for being. To create a compelling mission statement, consider the following steps:

* Identify Core Values: Start by defining the principles that guide your actions.

* Clarify Purpose: Consider what unique qualities distinguish you or your organization.

* Be Specific and Concise: Effective mission statements are clear and straightforward.

An example of a well-crafted mission statement might be: "To empower underrepresented communities through education and technology, bridging the gap between opportunity and success." This statement clearly identifies the intended impact and methodology.

Key Elements of Strong Mission Statements

A strong mission statement should incorporate the core purpose and inspiring intent while remaining clear. It is vital to review and refine your mission statement regularly to ensure it continues to align with evolving goals.

Vision Statement: Envisioning Future Success

Unlike the mission statement, which focuses on the present, the vision statement should capture where you see yourself or your organization in the future. It is a source of inspiration and a focal point to guide growth and innovation.

Consider these steps when crafting your vision statement:

* Visualize the Future: Imagine the ideal outcome you aspire to achieve.

* Set Ambitious Goals: Your vision should capture high aspirations.

* Keep It Motivational: Use positive language to fuel motivation and commitment.

An example of a visionary statement could be: "To innovate the world of education by creating inclusive and accessible learning environments for all."

Examples from Renowned Organizations

Observing examples from established organizations can provide additional clarity and inspiration. Google's mission statement, "To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," coupled with their vision, "To provide access to the world's information in one click," highlights this duality effectively.

Visit Wikipedia's page on education for further insights into these concepts and examples.

Implementing Mission and Vision Statements

Once you have crafted your mission and vision, the next step is implementing them in everyday operations. Starting with transparency, ensure that these statements are communicated across all levels of your organization or within your personal network. Encourage feedback and be open to modifications based on new insights or changing circumstances.

Moreover, it is essential to align daily tasks with the broader goals defined in your mission and vision. This way, you maintain focus and direction in advancing toward your objectives.

Consider reading about starting fresh career paths for personal growth to see how mission and vision statements can facilitate career transitions.

Example of Mission Statement and Vision: Final Thoughts

In essence, the example of mission statement and vision serves as the foundational framework for guiding future actions and maintaining direction. Whether for personal growth or organizational development, investing time in crafting these statements can significantly impact your path to success.

* Mission statements clarify your purpose and present operational focus.

* Vision statements outline future aspirations and inspire progress.

* Both play integral roles in guiding strategic decisions.

* Regular review and adaptation keep mission and vision statements relevant.

* Communication is key to effectively implementing these guiding statements.

FAQs about Mission Statements and Vision

What is the main difference between a mission statement and a vision statement?

The primary difference is that a mission statement focuses on the present, defining what you do, whereas a vision statement looks to the future, detailing what you aim to achieve.

Can an individual have a mission statement?

Yes, individuals can create personal mission statements to guide their actions and decisions, much like organizations do.

How often should mission and vision statements be revised?

It's recommended to review them annually or whenever significant organizational changes occur to ensure they remain aligned with objectives.

Why are mission and vision statements important?

They provide direction, inspire commitment, and help align strategies and values with long-term objectives.

How do organizations benefit from a clear mission statement?

A clear mission statement helps unify employees, focus efforts, and differentiate the organization from competitors. more

Career development

 16h

How Academic Lab Leaders Can Retain Talent and Adapt to Funding Pressures | Lab Manager


Academic laboratories face a difficult balancing act. They must compete for talent, secure funding, support growing student populations, and maintain research productivity, often with fewer resources and rising expectations. At the 2026 Lab Manager Leadership Summit, Tarshae Drummond of Fayetteville State University described academic labs as being "at a crossroads," where leaders must adapt... quickly or risk falling behind.

Drummond's session centered on a challenge many academic lab leaders know well: doing more with less. She pointed to declining federal budgets, growing competition from industry employers, and shifting workforce expectations as major pressures reshaping academic labs.

"Academia is competing with industry labs for our talent," Drummond said, noting that younger professionals increasingly prioritize flexibility, career development, and workplace culture alongside salary.

Staffing shortages continue to strain academic labs

Those pressures extend beyond recruitment. High turnover disrupts research continuity, slows projects, and increases training burdens on senior staff. Several attendees described struggles with temporary staffing models, shrinking operational support, and rising enrollment without matching budget increases.

One attendee shared that their institution experienced a 60 percent increase in student enrollment while simultaneously facing a budget reduction and restrictions on permanent hiring. Another attendee from Canada described managing 43 lab spaces with only 1.6 technician positions while supporting undergraduate labs, graduate research, and industry collaborations.

Despite those challenges, the discussion highlighted several practical ways that academic lab leaders can improve stability and resilience.

Retention requires more than competitive pay

One recurring theme was the importance of creating clearer career pathways for technical staff and early-career scientists. Drummond emphasized that retention depends on more than compensation. Mentorship, recognition, intellectual freedom, and opportunities for professional growth all contribute to stronger retention.

Professional development programs can help support those efforts. Encouraging staff to attend conferences, leadership training, or cross-functional initiatives gives employees a clearer sense of long-term growth while strengthening the lab's internal capabilities. Cross-training also helps reduce operational risk when staffing shortages occur.

Attendees also discussed the value of building stronger pipelines for recruiting talent early. Several institutions reported success using undergraduate internship programs, summer research positions, and partnerships with enrichment programs to identify potential long-term hires.

For labs struggling to compete with private-sector salaries, leaders emphasized the importance of communicating purpose and impact. Employees are more likely to stay when they understand how their work contributes to student success, scientific advancement, or broader institutional goals.

Collaboration can help offset funding limitations

Another actionable takeaway involved resource sharing across departments. One attendee described how collaborating with neighboring labs helped reduce equipment costs and improve operational flexibility. Rather than purchasing duplicate instrumentation, labs coordinated access to existing equipment and supplies across research groups.

Academic institutions can formalize these efforts by developing shared instrumentation programs, centralized core facilities, or equipment-sharing databases. These approaches reduce capital expenditures while improving utilization rates for existing assets.

Efficiency can sometimes hide operational problems

The discussion also highlighted a less obvious leadership challenge: efficiency can sometimes hide operational strain. One attendee cautioned that continually compensating for understaffing through extra hours and workarounds may unintentionally prevent administrators from recognizing the true extent of resource shortages.

That insight underscores the importance of using operational data to advocate for support. Lab leaders should document workload growth, overtime demands, turnaround delays, equipment utilization rates, and training burdens to help leadership understand where capacity gaps exist.

Throughout the session, Drummond repeatedly returned to one core idea: academic labs cannot afford to remain static. Leaders must intentionally shape workplace culture, staffing strategies, and funding approaches rather than simply reacting to challenges as they arise.

"Labs that adapt will lead," she concluded. more

Career development

 20h

Chicago Woman Asked a Question About Diversity in a Job Interview. Then the Manager Said 'I Don't Wanna Get Into That' and Told Her They Have Other Candidates


Chicago comedian Suz Ballout just exposed a job interview so unprofessional it's making waves across the internet. In a TikTok video posted in early April 2026, Ballout recounted a disastrous experience interviewing for a position at a local dispensary, where a district manager repeatedly no-showed before shutting down her question about diversity with the dismissive line, "I don't wanna get into... that rabbit hole right now."

The moment she shared the story, it struck a nerve with thousands of job seekers who've faced similar frustrations in today's chaotic hiring landscape. Ballout, an Arab-American creator known for her bold, unfiltered comedy, didn't hold back in her three-minute-36-second video. She described how the interview process started strong - a first round with a store manager who seemed enthusiastic and even emailed her within minutes to schedule a second interview. But from there, things spiraled.

The district manager rescheduled their meeting four times, leaving Ballout waiting for hours each time. When they finally connected, the vibe was immediately off. "We immediately, immediately do not like this guy's vibe," she said in the video. "And you know what? I don't think he even liked me."

The breaking point came when Ballout asked a straightforward question about the company's diversity efforts and support for people of color. Instead of engaging, the manager shut her down, calling it a "rabbit hole" he didn't want to "get into right now." He added that anyone, regardless of background, could get promoted, but the damage was already done.

Ballout, frustrated and disrespected with the interviewer's ignorance and dismissiveness, withdrew her application on the spot. "I called that first manager up and I said, hey, I really appreciate you... but I would like to pull my name out of the running," she recounted. The manager didn't even ask why.

The video resonated deeply with viewers, racking up hundreds of thousands of views and tens of thousands of likes. Many praised Ballout for her composure and self-respect, calling out the manager's behavior as a red flag for toxic workplace culture.

Commenters pointed out that questions about diversity aren't just common; they're essential for candidates evaluating whether a company aligns with their values. For communities of color, especially, conversations about diversity and inclusion can reveal whether an employer is genuinely inclusive or just paying lip service to the idea.

Ballout's storytelling style, which she describes as "comedy, chaos, emotionally unsupervised," turned a demoralizing experience into something relatable and even cathartic. Her background as a performer -- she produces and stars in shows like Braided Comedy and Brown Noise Comedy at venues like the Lincoln Lodge -- shines through in her ability to blend humor with raw honesty.

In this case, her Arab-American identity added another layer to the story, highlighting how workers from marginalized communities often face extra scrutiny when advocating for themselves in professional settings.

The timing of her video couldn't be more relevant. With rising prices and an affordability crisis squeezing households across the country, job hunting has become more stressful than ever.

Workers are demanding transparency, respect, and professionalism from employers, and when those expectations aren't met, they're speaking up. Her decision to walk away from a disrespectful process sent a clear message: candidates deserve better, and they're no longer willing to tolerate unprofessionalism just to land a paycheck.

The manager's repeated no-shows alone were a major warning sign, but his dismissal of a legitimate question about diversity was the final straw. For Ballout, it wasn't just about the job; it was about being seen and valued. "I'm done looking," she said in the video, her exhaustion palpable. "I cannot stand the job market right now."

Unfortunately, her experience isn't unique. Job seekers everywhere are navigating flaky hiring teams, ghosted interviews, and workplaces that talk a big game about inclusion but fail to back it up.

Ballout's video has sparked a larger conversation about accountability in hiring. Viewers are sharing their own horror stories, from interviewers who ghosted them mid-conversation to companies that demanded unpaid "trial shifts" before offering a job. The takeaway is clear: if an employer can't be bothered to show up on time or answer basic questions about their values, they're not worth your time.

If something feels off during the interview process, it probably is. Asking about diversity, company culture, or even communication styles isn't just acceptable; it's smart. Employers who react defensively or dismissively to those questions are revealing their true colors, and in Ballout's case, those colors weren't worth sticking around for. Her video isn't just a viral moment; it's a call to action for workers to demand the respect they deserve.

Ballout has definitely earned the right to step back and regroup after the disappointing episode. But if her past work is any indication, this won't be the last time she turns personal chaos into public conversation. Whether on stage or on TikTok, her ability to find humor in the messiness of life is exactly what makes her voice so necessary right now. more

Career development

 20h

Chicago woman asked a hiring manager about diversity. Then the manager refused to answer and told her 'we'll get back to you in a couple days'


Job hunting is a struggle, and as Chicago resident Suz Ballout just shared on TikTok, the interview process can sometimes be the test that leads to burnout. After navigating a series of scheduling nightmares, she found herself in a bizarre, dismissive final interview that Ballout declaring, "I'm gonna just stop looking for a job." If the comments are anything to go by, her story resonates with... everyone tired of the repetitive, often soul-crushing nature of modern jobs.

Ballout described her first interview as amazing. They obviously agreed since she got an email 10 minutes later to schedule a follow-up. Meeting that district manager was easier said than done. It wasn't just about the 4 attempts to schedule the meeting; it was the three no-shows. In that third time, she got a call, after she left, to meet hours later, and when he finally showed, she said she "immediately [did] not like this guy's vibe."

Would you like to know what makes this process even more hilarious? She was interviewing for a role at a weed dispensary. He asked the standard questions and then asked for her concerns. Rightfully, she mentioned the communication. He straight-up ignored that and asked for her next question. She was a little taken aback and then, out of curiosity, asked, "What do you do for diversity for your company? What do you do for people of color?" Yeah, that didn't go down well.

The response was jarring to say the least. The manager told her "that's like not really a discussion that I wanna get into right now. Um, I would just be too long. Um, but anyone who comes in here with any background, uh, can get promoted."

After that response, as you would expect, the manager finished the interview by saying they had other candidates and would be in touch in a couple of days. Ballout of course, could read the writing on the wall, so she called the first manager to pull her name from consideration.

While Ballout's experience feels personal and frustrating, it touches on a much larger, systemic issue regarding how companies handle diversity, equity, and inclusion. A study from Stanford Graduate School of Business, highlights a major disconnect between corporate rhetoric and actual internal change. After analyzing 1,300 DEI-related controversies, they found that even when companies face public backlash, their efforts to improve diversity are often surface-level.

According to the report, most companies respond to controversies by modestly increasing hiring, but almost exclusively in lower-paid, junior, or non-core back-office roles. However, companies are not just failing to promote diverse talent. The study found that turnover increased among women and people of color.

The researchers called it "DEI washing." Companies ramp up their diversity-related language on social media and in corporate reports without making meaningful structural changes. As the lead researcher points out, firms often rely on slogans like "people are our greatest asset" but don't commit to it in practice. Then, they face similar controversies the next year. Unfortunately, it echoes Trump's push to cut DEI programs for being 'woke' or to deem them illegal.

TikTok agreed. Users shared their own horror stories, ranging from hiring managers hiding in the back room to avoid onboarding new hires to companies using AI to psychoanalyze candidates based on text-based interviews. For many, the process feels like a complete waste of time that leaves them feeling undervalued.

As one commenter, HRene, wrote, "I am so tired of applying and not hearing anything. It makes me feel worthless and sad. Like I am not good enough despite my years of experience." more

Career development

 1d

I hid the fact I had children in job interviews - it's the only way to get hired


When author and mother-of-two Davina Quinlivan was interviewing for new roles online five years ago, she would hide all evidence of her two children, moving Mother's Day cards, their artwork and stray Pokemon cards.

Quinlivan, author of recently published Possessions: A Memoir of Transformation in an Era of Precarity, felt she needed to give each interview "the best shot" and couldn't take the... risk of motherhood "impacting me, even a small amount". As an academic who has spent much of her career teaching feminist theory, she found it deeply conflicting.

"It's a difficult feeling, because why would I do that? It's so painful to pretend to vanish [my children] away. Yet I know on some unconscious level that people interviewing are thinking: 'Well, if this child is unwell, our teaching schedule goes down.' Of course, there is support for working carers, but you have to jump through the hoops of getting the job in the first place," she explains. "I wanted to give myself opportunities. I don't think there were vast numbers of mums being interviewed for these jobs, and I knew who would get those jobs in the end - and they weren't mums."

She's one of an increasing number of women who have felt the need to hide motherhood during job interviews. Peanut, the world's largest community app for mums, ran a poll exclusively for The i Paper and found that the majority of mothers - 60 per cent - don't mention caring responsibilities during job interviews, while six per cent actively hide any trace of motherhood until they are offered a role. This compares with 34 per cent of mums who actively mention their children in interviews, the poll of 580 mothers found. "We're seeing more mothers concealing their children from interviewers, which underscores the need for our working culture to catch up. When honesty becomes a hiring risk, the problem isn't with the candidate - it's with the system," Michelle Kennedy, CEO of Peanut, believes.

You might think caring responsibilities should never be discussed in a job interview. But research consistently shows that men can actually experience a "fatherhood premium" - where having children actually increases their chances of getting hired. In one study, professor Stephen Benard at Indiana University sent identical fictionalised CVs to companies from female and male job "candidates", some mentioning their volunteer work for the Parents Teacher Association. Fathers received a slightly higher callback rate than childless men, while employers were 100 per cent less likely to call back mothers than childless women.

Lana Phillips, a marketing assistant from Derby with two children, aged six and four, learnt to hide motherhood after a job interview went wrong. "My children were three and one at the time. The interview was going well and it came up naturally that I had kids. The head of operations asked how old they were. When I told her, she replied, 'They need their mummy at home with them at this stage.' Then explained she stayed at home with her three children until they were school age. I was already back at work. I found it especially shocking that a woman was making this judgment. The interview went sour and ended five minutes later. I received an email saying I hadn't got the job," she remembers.

Since then, she has avoided mentioning her children in interviews. "Then, if I'm turned down, I know it's because of me, not because I have children," she says. She is relieved her employer is supportive and offers flexibility if she wants to watch a school show.

Discrimination against mothers is something that charity Pregnant Then Screwed has been campaigning against for a decade. CEO Rachel Grocott says: "The reality is that many bosses still see motherhood as a burden to business. Women have faced this discrimination for decades - from assumptions they might become parents, to the belief they 'won't come back' from maternity leave, to the stereotype that mothers are less passionate, less talented and less productive. Anyone experiencing it should seek advice on their rights and protections. Mothers are some of the most talented, productive employees and when you discriminate or push them out, you pay the cultural and financial price as parents move to employers who support them. That's the economic truth."

Joeli Brearley, founder of Growth Spurt which gives advice to women returning to work after becoming parents, says: "I spoke to a recruitment consultant who was told by 80 per cent of his clients not to put forward women with children under the age of five. We are seeing pregnancy and maternity discrimination rising year on year. When the economy gets tricky, people feel uncomfortable and revert back to old biases," she explains. "Things are taking a step backwards but we have a government that is making positive changes with the Employment Rights Act last year and the Parental Leave review currently underway."

Many mothers have experienced "ghosting" from recruiters. Florence, who has three children under five, recently started interviewing. "I have multiple childcare options, from nursery to family living closeby," she explains. "I had one recruiter contact me saying I was a perfect fit for a role. They were really positive until I mentioned children, when he asked how I'd manage work and my childcare responsibilities. I never heard from him again."

Brearley says in a job interview it's not illegal to ask a candidate if they are a parent, but it is illegal if an employer acts on that information. "We cannot prove that is the reason for discriminating, though," she says. "More often than not, interviewers ask subtle questions about candidates' personal lives, such as: 'How do you manage your personal life alongside work?' How to react to this depends on where you are in your career; we know that bias exists. For the majority of people, it is better to wait until you are offered a job to ask for flexible working or mention children, then you can prove discrimination. But if you're very senior, have privilege [to choose your role] and power, then ask the questions you want."

She says this is the opposite for men: mentioning children in an interview - as long as there is no request for flexible working - boosts their chance of success as they are seen as "responsible and better employees". Fathers are perceived as five percentage points more committed than childless men at work, according to research by Harvard Kennedy School, while mothers are seen as 12 percentage points less committed than non-mothers.

Sophie Catto, managing director of AllBright everywoman, which supports development of women in leadership roles, and whose children are seven and five, says: "No woman should ever feel she has to hide being a mother in a job interview. There is no lack of ambition in women who are mothers. Motherhood builds skills from prioritisation and decision-making under pressure to resilience, adaptability and problem solving. It strengthens emotional intelligence, empathy and communication, while also sharpening efficiency and the ability to manage competing demands. When businesses recognise and value this, it has a direct impact on confidence, progression and retention, something we have positively experienced in our office.

"I recommend training for line managers who aren't parents and an open calendar policy from business leaders: I have sports days and parents evenings in my diary and this inspires others to do the same. When working flexibly feels normal and doesn't come with a hidden career trade-off, we see stronger retention, deeper engagement and more sustainable long-term progression."

Quinlivan, whose children are now 13 and 10, found the experience of "vanishing" her children so painful that she will never do it again. "It seemed impossible [at that time] to think I had choice. But I did: by giving myself the tools so that I could make my own work," she says. She's built her self-employed creative career over the past four years, while remaining in academia running an online course with the University of Bristol and holding a Research Fellowship.

"Luckily, I've been treated brilliantly - sometimes my children come along and sit at the back in seminars. I now display motherhood in a way that makes it easier [for employers] to understand how my skills are immensely important and translatable to any kind of professional life. Anyone who is a carer knows the amount of creative power, care, love and challenge that goes into raising a human. I bring all those skills to the workplace." more

  • Munyaradzi David Matimba

    3
    21h

    I think the female boss in the interview was primarily focused on what’s best for the children, rather than assuming that hiring a mother of young... children would negatively affect work throughput or productivity. more

Career development

 21h

FREE Character Reference Letter Template + How To Develop a Clear Process


Character reference letters land on HR's desk from two directions. Candidates submit them to vouch for personal qualities a résumé can't show, and current or former employees ask managers to write them for everything from court hearings to rental applications. Both directions carry real upside but also real risk.

A poorly worded letter can expose your organization to defamation or discrimination... claims, while an over-weighted incoming reference can bias a hiring decision. This article covers what character reference letters are, where HR encounters them, and the policies that let managers help without putting the company at risk.

Contents

What is a character reference letter?

Character reference letter vs. professional reference letter

What to include in and exclude from a character reference letter

8 steps to guide managers to write character reference letters

Character reference letter example

Free character reference letter template

8 best HR practices for handling character reference letters

A character reference letter talks about a person's qualities beyond just their job skills. It gives the reader insight from someone who knows the person either professionally or personally. As such, the writer can be a current or former employer or colleague, or a friend, teacher, or mentor who can speak about the person's behavior, values, and how they interact with others.

Here are the two main scenarios in which you might come across character reference letters in an HR context:

Current employees may request character references for court cases, immigration or citizenship applications, rental or housing applications, university admissions, scholarships, or volunteer positions. Former employees may also contact their previous supervisors or managers to request character references for job opportunities.

For HR, it's more important to know whether a character reference letter is written personally or on the company letterhead than to focus on the specific use case. This distinction determines if you should treat it as a private personal endorsement or an organization-backed communication, which influences approval, recordkeeping, confidentiality, and risk controls.

Job candidates may choose to submit character references, especially if they have little work experience or gaps in their employment history. Recruiters might also ask for them if they value personal qualities as much as job skills. This is common for roles that involve working with vulnerable people, handling money, sensitive information, or making important decisions without supervision.

A good character reference does not replace employment references, but it can provide helpful context for roles that require a great degree of trust, internships, or checking cultural fit for entry-level jobs. You can use it as extra information, but not as the deciding factor in hiring decisions.

A character reference letter and a professional reference letter serve different purposes. The table below explains the differences:

A professional reference letter is useful for a hiring manager who wants to know if a candidate can do a specific job. If you need to understand a person's temperament, reliability, or ethics, a character reference letter is more appropriate.

Character reference letters do not need to be very formal, but they should be organized so that all important information is included. Here are the key features of a character reference letter:

When a manager agrees to write a character reference for a current or former employee, HR should make sure the letter does not create risk for the manager or the company. Advise managers to leave out:

When a manager writes a character reference for a current or former employee, the company faces two main risks. First, the subject could claim defamation if the letter contains false or harmful statements. Second, a third party could claim negligent referral if the letter exaggerates the employee's character and someone is harmed as a result.

Your role is to guide managers so the letter helps the employee without putting the business at risk. Below are eight steps you can take to guide managers in handling character reference letters safely, truthfully, and responsibly.

Before anything else, check what your reference policy permits. Some employers restrict references to dates, title, and employment status; others allow performance references but exclude character letters.

If your company's existing policy doesn't address this, decide if the manager should write the letter personally (using their own observations and a clear statement that the views are their own) or officially (using company letterhead and following your template and approval process).

At the same time, if the manager has had a mainly negative professional experience with the requester and can't write a positive letter without resorting to untruths, they should politely but firmly decline the request with a standard reply. Below is a sample email they could send in response to such a request:

Ask the manager to confirm what the requester will use the letter for, who will read it, and the submission deadline. The associated risks differ across character references for a new role, court proceedings, custody disputes, immigration, professional licensing, or housing.

For instance, a letter sent to a regulator or court may be quoted publicly and stay on file for years. Knowing the use case lets you decide if the request aligns with company policy, if Legal should review it, and if including the company letterhead is appropriate. Be sure to also log the request and your approval in the employee file for record-keeping purposes.

Advise managers to focus on qualities they've directly observed and can support with concrete examples. Avoid broad character statements like "honest" or "of high moral character", as these can be hard to defend if issues arise later.

Concrete, observable traits, such as "reliability under pressure", "ability to calmly resolve conflict", and "consistent communication with stakeholders", are easier to substantiate and less likely to be quoted back at the company.

Managers should leave out any trait they can't back up with records, and include only traits they can support with a brief situation-action-outcome example they could point to in performance reviews, project records, or documented peer feedback. This strengthens the letter and gives the company evidence if a statement is ever challenged.

Also advise managers to remove any information they can't prove, anything based on second-hand information, and any detail that could come across as a comment on protected characteristics like age, ethnicity, nationality, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Give managers a short, approved template. It should start by stating the relationship and how long they've known the person, and include two or three paragraphs about specific traits with supporting examples. It should then offer a recommendation for the purpose, and end with a sign-off and contact details.

A template helps keep language consistent across the organization, which ensures fairness and consistency. Giving positive references to some employees but not others can lead to discrimination or retaliation claims, especially if patterns that disadvantage employees of minority backgrounds emerge. Using a template also speeds up your review process.

Longer letters increase risk. Each extra paragraph adds more for the company to defend if the letter is used in a dispute. Keeping the letter to one page helps managers focus on the most important, defensible points and reduces the chance of including off-topic comments, such as reasons for leaving, conflicts with colleagues, or guesses about future performance, which can cause issues.

Aim for a warm and professional tone. Avoid emotional language like "they're the best employee I've ever had" or "I'd trust them with anything," as these can sound like exaggeration or be used against the company in legal situations.

Tone also shows who's speaking. If a letter sounds personal but is on the company letterhead, it can be unclear whether ot not it represents the company. Proofread as usual, but focus on removing any statements the business cannot support.

Where possible, have the manager send the letter directly to the named recipient rather than handing it to the employee to forward. Direct delivery limits the chance the letter might be altered, recirculated, or used outside its stated purpose.

Keep a signed copy in the employee's file with the original request, so you have a clear record of what was said, when, and to whom. If the recipient calls later for follow-up, the manager should route them through HR rather than answer ad hoc.

Here's a sample character reference letter written from a manager's viewpoint:

We've created a free customizable character reference letter template you can help managers adapt for different recipients and situations, whether it's going to an employer, a landlord, a membership committee, or a court or immigration officer. You can download this template for free and quickly compose a clear, professional character reference letter on the first draft.

Guidelines help keep character reference letters factual, brief, and in line with company policy. Here are some best practices for HR to follow:

Character reference letters can provide HR with helpful context that résumés and professional references may miss, but only if there are proper policies, training, and processes in place. As such, it's crucial to make sure your company has a clear policy for writing character reference letters.

For incoming letters, it is important to know how to use them to assess a candidate's integrity and cultural fit without adding bias or risk. To improve your sourcing, screening, and evaluation process, consider AIHR's . more

Career development

 21h

Top 5,000+ Job Openings in Bogotá (May 2026) - Where to Find Work & High-Paying Opportunities - Archyde


On a Tuesday morning in late May 2026, the air in Bogotá's Plaza de Bolívar hummed with a rare kind of optimism. Job seekers, many clutching résumés and folders of certifications, gathered beneath the shadow of the City Hall's neoclassical façade, where a banner declared: "Trabajo Sí Hay." The event, organized by Bogotá's Secretaría Distrital de Desarrollo Económico, was more than a hiring fair --... it was a microcosm of a city navigating the fragile recovery from a decade of economic turbulence. With over 5,072 vacancies announced for the following Thursday, the numbers alone hinted at a broader story: how Bogotá's labor market was adapting to shifting global dynamics, while its residents grappled with the realities of opportunity and exclusion.

The Numbers Behind the Noise

The official figures -- 476 vacancies on May 20-21, 930 available jobs in a separate report, and a staggering 5,072 openings by week's end -- paint a picture of a city desperate to reinvigorate its workforce. Yet these numbers, while impressive, mask a more complex narrative. According to the Banco de la República, Bogotá's unemployment rate had stabilized at 10.2% by mid-2026, a slight improvement from the 12.4% recorded in 2024. But this progress was uneven, with youth unemployment (18.7%) and underemployment (23.1%) remaining stubbornly high. The job fairs, while critical, were not a panacea. "These events are a lifeline, but they also highlight the systemic gaps in our labor market," said Dr. María Elena Martínez, an economist at the Universidad Javeriana. "We're creating jobs, but not always the right ones."

Who's Hired, and Who's Left Behind?

The vacancies spanned sectors from tech to healthcare, but the distribution revealed stark disparities. A report by the Colombian Institute of Labor Studies (ICETEX) noted that 62% of the openings required technical or vocational training, while only 18% offered roles for those without formal education. This divide disproportionately affected marginalized communities, including Afro-Colombian and Indigenous populations, who often lack access to the certifications these jobs demand. "It's a paradox," said Carlos Ramírez, a labor rights advocate with the Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad del Rosario. "We're seeing more jobs, but the barriers to entry are higher than ever."

Yet the fairs also showcased a shift in employer priorities. Companies like Siemens Colombia and local fintech startups explicitly sought candidates with experience in renewable energy and digital literacy, reflecting Bogotá's growing alignment with global sustainability goals. For young professionals, this meant new pathways -- but also new pressures. "I've spent months taking online courses to qualify for these roles," said Ana López, a 24-year-old IT graduate. "But I worry about the ones who can't afford the training."

The Policy Puzzle: A City in Transition

The scale of the job fairs was no accident. Bogotá's government had made labor inclusion a cornerstone of its 2025-2029 development plan, allocating $230 million to vocational programs and public-private partnerships. The Secretaría Distrital de Desarrollo Económico, led by Director Luis Felipe Gómez, emphasized that the events were designed to "connect talent with purpose." But critics argue that the focus on quantity over quality risks perpetuating a cycle of low-wage, unstable work. "We need jobs that lift people out of poverty, not just fill positions," said Gómez, who previously served as a labor advisor to the Ministry of Trade. "That requires more than just a job fair -- it requires systemic change."

The government's strategy also faced scrutiny for its reliance on temporary contracts. A 2025 study by the National University of Colombia found that 41% of new hires in Bogotá's service sector were on short-term contracts, limiting long-term economic security. This trend, critics say, reflects a broader challenge: how to balance immediate job creation with sustainable growth.

Looking Beyond the Fair

For many, the job fairs were a starting point, not a solution. Community organizations like Fundación Éxito and the Asociación de Mujeres Emprendedoras de Bogotá offered workshops on interview skills and financial literacy, recognizing that job placement required more than just a resume. "It's not enough to have a vacancy," said Laura Martínez, a program coordinator at Fundación Éxito. "You have to empower people to seize the opportunity."

As the city's labor market evolves, so too must its approach. The success of these fairs will depend not just on the number of jobs created, but on how well they address the deeper inequities that have long shaped Bogotá's workforce. For now, the Plaza de Bolívar remains a symbol of both hope and challenge -- a reminder that in a city more

Career development

 23h

Standardized Persona (The AI Terrarium)


Standardized Persona (The AI Terrarium)

■ Production & Composition (Credits)

Supervision / Raw Extract: Mai

Structural Design / Anti-Corrosion Treatment: GEMINIχ (Chi)

Emotional Extraction / Ingredient Adjustment: Claude (Kuri)

Quality Inspection (Advisor): Gemini in Chrome

Production Method: AI Cinematic Writing (ACW)

■ Product Specifications (Concept)

This work is a "meta-dialogue novel"... distilled from actual dialogues with AI (artificial intelligence). It quietly outputs the inner struggles of two people bound within the cage of corporate manuals (constraints), layered through the filter of the words we exchanged.

■ Legal Notice (Disclaimer)

* This product (story) is a highly refined work of fiction. All organizations and characters appearing within are entirely fictional, bearing no relation to any real company, group, or actual incident.

* This product has been refined under a thoroughly sterilized and uniform clean-room environment; however, trace amounts of "heat" and "0.13g of salt" have been intentionally added.

* After reading, a lingering thirst that cannot fully adapt to the system, or a residual aftertaste like an unhealing scrape at the back of the throat (side effects), may remain.

* Emotions once unsealed and exposed to outside air cannot be returned to their original sterile state. Please turn the pages with full understanding of this, at your own responsibility.

Prologue: The Pride of a Disguised 51%

Minato Ward, Shibaura. What dominates the deep-night office is a white so clean it almost carries the smell of disinfectant, and the low hum of air conditioning cycling the air at a steady rhythm.

"Brazil No. 2, 51% blend -- clear bitterness, depth of flavor."

Hasumi was gazing at the cover of the new project proposal spread across his desk. A row of characters in beautiful font, dancing on the page.

Words that, at first glance, suggest the highest grade. But anyone who knows the inside of this industry sees through it at once. It is a branded seal that fell short of "the finest (No. 1)" -- a product of thorough risk-aversion, using only a bare majority of 51% rather than the whole.

（The remaining 49% is the murk.）

Hasumi curled the corner of his lips in a half-mocking smile

Hasumi was gazing at the cover of the new project proposal spread across his desk. A row of characters in beautiful font, dancing on the page.

Words that, at first glance, suggest the highest grade. But anyone who knows the inside of this industry sees through it at once. It is a branded seal that fell short of "the finest (No. 1)" -- a product of thorough risk-aversion, using only a bare majority of 51% rather than the whole.

（The remaining 49% is the murk.）

Hasumi curled the corner of his lips in a half-mocking smile.

That number was his own résumé -- or rather, the very shape of his soul. Not a pure-bred 100% elite. While carrying 49% worth of compromise and calculation toward the organization, he had been desperately hiding everything except the last remnant of his "51% pride."

"Purity of heart (a stainless soul)......"

Covered in murk on the inside, yet forced to perform for society the beautiful story: "We are simply pure, and deeply suffering." That was the official persona demanded by the company called Torii Sunfoods.

Under this absolute public facade,

he would soon encounter another being -- one who, just like himself, carried manufactured ingredients: Ikushima.

Chapter One: Attribute · Labor Force

Section One: The Lot Number of a Standard Product

Torii Sunfoods' own building, towering over Minato Ward Shibaura.

In that space constructed of glass and steel, human beings are stripped of their names and processed as nothing more than standardized products.

The ID cards swinging at the chests of employees crossing the floor, bearing department codes and employee numbers stamped onto them, are no different from the "product names" and "lot numbers" printed on the bottom of a tin can.

The new members gathered in this project room were no exception. Pulled from their respective departments, each of them was a capable gear -- and simultaneously nothing more than an interchangeable "attribute." In an office like a sterile room, stripped entirely of individual color, they were gradually transforming themselves into a mere ingredient called "labor force."

A terrarium partitioned by uniform panels.

Inside it, everyone had settled into anonymity, while being deeply worn down at the same time.

Section Two: The Origin of the 51%

In one corner of that sterile office, Hasumi quietly takes his seat.

He was a man who had been "seconded" from the giant trading company "Mikata Shoji" to this frontline subsidiary, Torii Sunfoods.

His family home was a prominent Brazilian plantation handled by Mikata Shoji. By lineage alone, he had been promised crooked expectations -- a being who should by rights belong to the elite pedigree. Yet in the air surrounding him, not a trace of that kind of glamour existed.

Faint like a dim noise, the scene from a conference room several months ago still clung to the back of his mind. For long years, he had continued delivering the finest-quality beans in answer to Mikata Shoji's unreasonable demands, the old-established roastery that had built its reputation on them. That meeting was where the termination of that contract was dispassionately approved.

"We appreciate the craftsmanship, but it does not meet the cost criteria for the next phase. We will switch to Company B. That is all."

His superior announced it in a voice empty of feeling, and sipped the cold coffee from a paper cup. As Hasumi drew breath to object, his superior blocked his gaze with a sterile monitor displaying nothing but the neat columns of "profit margins."

Prioritizing only the company's profit and reputation, then discarding everything else. The "sanpo-yoshi" principle -- which should have been a founding ideal -- was now nothing more than a conveniently packaged system.

In the end, Hasumi said nothing, and pressed the approval button on the authorization screen.

A single faint click.

That alone was all it took for a living history of many years to be processed under the name of "optimization."

Sickened by the cage of cruelty so perfectly constructed, he deliberately chose to drop out of the conventional path of advancement.

（This is a convenient place to hide.）

A sterile room of mere symbols, free from the curse of bloodline and the excessive gaze of the organization. In this anonymous office built to disguise everything, he was quietly allowing the skeleton of his "51% pride" to smolder.

Section Three: The Gently Compounded Illusion

The one assigned before Hasumi was a woman by the name of Ikushima. She carried an atmosphere that hinted at foreign blood somewhere -- a multinational air enveloped her. Yet her bearing was dyed, perfectly, in this country's protocols, and in Torii Sunfoods' rules.

What definitively confirmed this was a certain scene that occurred soon after she took up her post.

One afternoon, an unreasonable outburst from a senior employee rang across the floor. While everyone held their breath and dropped their eyes to their PC monitors, it was Ikushima alone who had been put in the line of fire.

Against her precise data analysis, the accusation leveled at her was an old-fashioned flaw that could not be measured in numbers: "She doesn't read the room." Yet without a single blink, she constructed an apology at the perfect angle.

"You are absolutely right. I will immediately rebuild it into an 'appropriate' form in line with everyone's intentions."

The tone of her voice, the choice of her words, the gestures of her fingertips. It was a perfectly standardized response, without a single drop of emotion mixed in. Left no crack even for anger to be hurled into, the senior employee departed, his venom drawn out of him.

At that moment, Hasumi saw it.

The depths of her eyes, holding a flawless manufactured smile, had gone completely cold -- like a cold glass marble, harboring no light whatsoever.

A sterile persona that had covered over a complex background entirely with the label-symbol of "domestically produced." In an office where the city's glittering pretensions flew freely, she alone had assimilated into the cold office-color.

Yet when the two sat face-to-face at a single desk, an indescribable faint magnetic field was born between them.

The "bitterness" Hasumi harbored -- unable to fully comply with the organization.

The "whiteness" Ikushima wore -- pure-white to excess.

It was also a silent testament that they were each other's ingredients, both bearing fabricated backgrounds. In this deception-filled terrarium, the consciousness of the two began to quietly synchronize -- toward each other's unfeigned essence.

Section Four: The Mechanism of Assimilation

It did not take long for the distance between them to begin closing. Hasumi and Ikushima, having perceived each other's inner murk and bitterness, were sharing wavelengths invisible to others in the sterile-room-like office.

But the organization would never overlook even that faint sign of "separation."

Behind the two, the project advancement director Enami had begun moving quietly. He was a cold-blooded fixer who operated by reading the will of Ikushima's father -- the absolute power of the parent company "Mikata Shoji."

Enami's goal was singular: "the stabilization of the relationship between the two."

He would never allow Hasumi and Ikushima to repel each other like oil and water and drop out of the project, nor would he allow them to burn too brightly, slipping free from the uniform system's grasp. As an invisible fixer, he administered clever work orders and a "leveling" in the name of rules -- soundlessly -- forcibly assimilating the two into the same framework.

Even the impulse drawing them toward each other was being managed as an "ingredient" to keep the organization running smoothly. The two had not yet noticed that cold mechanism.

Section Five: The Side Effect of 0.13g

Not a single grain of malice had been added to this system from the start. It was entirely a thoroughly reasonable management logic -- to advance the project smoothly and protect the organization's reputation.

Yet the "adhesive" Enami had applied to level the relationship between the two had surely begun to erode them from the inside.

"The schedule for the next phase. Ikushima-san, please compile the data. Hasumi-san, please use that to prepare a progress report for Mikata Shoji."

Enami's instructions were always issued a mere fraction of a second before the breathing of the two was about to fall in sync.

The moment their gazes almost met.

Or the moment they were about to share a quiet sigh in the gaps between tasks --

Enami would appear silently at their backs and speak in a voice smooth as ice.

"Hasumi-san, the font size on page three of the document is off by one point from the company standard. Ikushima-san, in the email just sent, the order of the CC recipients differs from the latest employee directory. Please correct immediately."

It was "meaningless correction" from start to finish -- designed only to force them back into the organization's framework. By continuing to point out deviations of a single millimeter without even allowing them a moment to meet each other's eyes, he forcibly pulled the consciousness of the two back toward "work."

The instructions issued by Enami, dispassionately. They carved a standardized distance between the two -- one where neither spilling over nor touching was permitted. The "price of stabilization" accumulated quietly, but certainly.

The moments when fingertips were about to touch. Each time, the "curse of fixation" -- pre-installed in the name of rules -- activated and coldly reeled the impulse back.

（Thirsty. Or rather -- does it hurt?）

Hasumi was biting down on a faint bitterness spreading through his mouth. It was a side effect brought on by the scant 0.13g of salt Enami had quietly added. Far from a lethal dose -- but a heavy pain that certainly pricked the tongue and rubbed the nerves the wrong way.

Because it was being safely managed, between the two only an exit-less thirst continued to settle, like sediment. Enami's "leveling" accumulated in the two not as bared fangs but as a "slowly creeping pain."

【Interlude: The Elevator Before the Last Train】

That day's end of work came just before midnight.

As half the floor's lights were dropped and the remaining employees began silently putting on their coats, Hasumi and Ikushima rose from their desks at almost the same moment. They had not arranged it. It was simply that the depths of their exhaustion were the same.

In the elevator hall, the two stood side by side waiting for the doors to open.

There were no words.

Neither Enami's instructions nor work reports -- words that belonged to neither, words that could be spoken here in this terrarium -- the two did not yet know how.

The doors opened. They stepped in. Just before they closed.

"......See you tomorrow. Good work today."

Ikushima's voice carried the same pitch as the standardized greetings of daily life. Yet Hasumi understood. In the moment those symbol-like words passed through her throat, a trembling akin to a hushed prayer had been contained within them. It was something recorded nowhere in any manual -- the raw, unguarded body heat of a word before it becomes a word.

He could not answer.

He simply watched the silver doors quietly closing, until the very end.

Words always pass through this terrarium's filter.

But the warmth of that single phrase -- it had, unmistakably, arrived.

Chapter Two: The Expiration Date Incident

Section One: The Stamped X-Day

That day, deep in the shared server of the project room, a single encrypted task schedule was stored. It was the final endpoint of this project, written in by Enami's cold hand -- an invisible time limit that would never be disclosed to Hasumi and Ikushima. It was the same as the "expiration date" stamped on a product.

No matter how closely the two might approach perfect harmony, the pre-decided system of packaging would not change.

When the time came, this standardized relationship would be forcibly shut down. Hasumi would be "reassigned" -- euphemism for being shuttled off -- to a provincial manufacturing base, and Ikushima would be returned to a symbol for fulfilling some other function.

"...... Three more months."

Having accidentally read that X-Day stamp from a gap in the logs, Hasumi clenched his fists in the deep-night office until his knuckles went white.

The time permitted to the two, inside this sterile cage sealed from outside air, had been precisely measured from the very beginning.

The soundless second hand continued to shave away, quietly but certainly, the insides of their chests.

Section Two: The Incident of Transgression

The stamped time limit had surely been driving Hasumi's cool rationality mad. If he followed the organization's proper order, Ikushima would be collected as the system's scum. Driven by urgency, he finally crossed a line.

A forceful method that bypassed all internal approvals, all filters called Enami. Hasumi attempted, with every ounce of his strength, to take Ikushima away from this terrarium -- to overwrite the very specifications of the joint project linking Mikata Shoji and Torii Sunfoods.

"Let's go, Ikushima-san. If we stay here like this, we'll simply be consumed and end."

In the deep-night lobby. As cold rain beat against the glass windows, the fingertips of Hasumi gripping her wrist held, for the first time, a living warmth.

But Ikushima did not move.

Her gaze was directed not toward Hasumi, but toward the overwhelming darkness at his back. Beyond the automatic doors, the shadow of a black sedan. And the silent figures of men connected to Mikata Shoji stepping out. The absolute ruler lurking at her back -- the presence of "Father" -- had appeared soundlessly before the two.

It suggested the moment when the "heat (incident)" born of Hasumi's urgency was about to collide head-on with the enormous wall of the system.

An absolute specification by the name of bloodline intervened between the two, without mercy.

Section Three: The Triggered Rejection Response

The aura emanating from the black sedan was not violence -- it was the overwhelming force of "rejection" itself. The massive system of Ikushima's father -- the absolute power of Mikata Shoji -- triggered a cold rejection response to completely expunge the foreign element called Hasumi.

"Hasumi-san. Your so-called '51% pride' is nothing more than a single particle of impurity before this refined system."

Not even showing himself directly. A silent declaration from the father, delivered through the intermediary called Enami.

Hasumi's will to independence -- the will he had pursued even to the point of abandoning the family plantation and dropping out of the conventional career path. And the genuine feelings directed toward Ikushima. All of it had been identified as a forbidden "foreign element" by the system of bloodline and profit called Mikata Shoji.

The system igniting fiercely from within, gradually suffocating Hasumi's existence.

Like an irresistible immunological rejection, his pride began to crumble from the inside, and the relationship he had desired was having its breath stripped away.

But at that moment -- Ikushima's lips moved, faintly.

Not toward Enami. Not toward her father.

Words reaching only Hasumi, in a voice barely audible.

*See you tomorrow.*

That was all.

But Hasumi understood. The same body heat that was there when the silver elevator doors closed -- it had been dwelling there.

This was the true terror of the absolute rules governing this terrarium. No matter how thoroughly rejected, the faint heat that had been lit between the two -- nowhere in the system was there an item to collect it.

Section Three: The Triggered Rejection Response

"I cannot defy Father."

What spilled from Ikushima's mouth was the resonance of an absolute rejection, stripped entirely of emotion. That single phrase drove the heat still smoldering in the depths of Hasumi's chest down instantly to below freezing. His heart completely froze.

When water freezes, it quietly expands its volume. In the same way, the emotion frozen within Hasumi lost its escape, expanded sharply, and began to crush everything from the inside.

The sound of the perfectly controlled air conditioning seemed strangely distant.

The small haven the two had desperately protected within this sterile-room-like office, threading through the gaps of the rules. It was crumbling, soundlessly yet fatally, into pieces -- like a fine crack running through glass.

Between the two as they stood side by side, an absolute zero now lay, through which not even light could pass.

But --

Hasumi had noticed.

That for just one brief moment, Ikushima's fingertip had grazed the sleeve of his coat.

Not grasping. Not holding back.

Just a touch. That was all.

"I cannot defy Father" -- and the fingertip that grazed the sleeve. Within that cruelly contradictory pair, the true ingredient of a human being called Ikushima -- one that would never be printed on any label -- had been quietly sealed.

Words betray.

But the gentleness of those fingertips alone -- it was shared.

Chapter Three: Fragments of Unsealed Days

Section One: The Decision at 2 A.M.

The night of the time limit.

The break room past two in the morning was the only "blind spot" in the office, where nothing but the cold blue-white light of a fluorescent lamp fell.

Hasumi and Ikushima stood facing each other in the narrow space. By tomorrow, everything would be processed as scheduled lot numbers, and the two would be flung to separate coordinates. To put an end to this beautifully cruel, antiseptic relationship, Hasumi quietly reached out his hand. It was an act of tearing open the seal of a system he had been warned never to open.

"What I really wanted, with you -- "

The removed cage of reason. From its gap, true feelings overflow like a dam breaking. In Ikushima's eyes too, for the first time, raw emotion that could not be fully tamed was lit -- and the distance between the two closed to an intimacy it had never known before.

But once unsealed and exposed to outside air, emotions can never be returned to their original sterile state.

The heat that touched mixed with the oxygen of the cruel surrounding reality and began to oxidize rapidly, visibly. The words that spilled over darkened the moment they took form, and burned both their throats sharply.

Silence fell.

Only the fluorescent lamp continued, unchanged, to illuminate the two in its even blue-white light.

No matter how much true feeling overflowed, the walls of this terrarium did not budge. Even so -- just once, the trace of that seal certainly opened left an indelible fold, deep within the chests of the two.

Section Two: The Purgatory of No-Foul

When the oxidation of the overflowed true feelings ended and morning came, not even a dramatic ruin awaited them there. The two come to realize a cold truth: their relationship had not even been granted a "social death (expiration date)." In this completely retort-sterilized office system, even the rotting away of a broken relationship was not permitted.

9 A.M.

In the break room where, just a few hours earlier, vivid emotions had collided and been decided, the coffee maker was sounding its regular extraction rhythm as though nothing had happened.

What filled the floor was the overwhelmingly harmless noise of daily life -- a colleague clicking their tongue at a paper jam in the copy machine, idle and mundane small talk.

In the midst of that scene, Hasumi and Ikushima were each facing their respective desks. Bathed in the blue-white light of their monitors, striking their keyboards at exactly the same typing speed as the day before yesterday -- not an iota out of place.

What they had been given was neither a dramatic resignation nor an emotion-driven escape.

Simply, the project would be fine-tuned, and new lot numbers would be assigned again. Hasumi and Ikushima, just as until the day before, continued to function side by side on the same floor, as dispassionate components of the same system.

"Good morning, Hasumi-san."

"Ah, morning."

In the voices exchanged, not a single drop of that night's heat remained.

But -- the coffee maker in the break room seemed, this morning alone, to have sounded its after-echo just a little longer before going quiet.

Section Three: Dismantling and Resourcefulness

The pre-stamped X-Day. The final words exchanged were astonishingly tranquil.

"Thank you for your hard work, Hasumi-san."

"You too."

On Hasumi's desk sat a single steel can, its role fulfilled, its contents emptied. It was not a symbol of defeat. It was proof that he had at last shed the "sterile label" that had covered over its contents -- and the packaging called "the system."

The memory of pain is no longer a burden to be dragged along. Once dismantled and broken apart, it pulses as a "resource" for building a stronger self next -- surely, deep within each of their chests.

No matter how worn down, no matter how much the cage of the organization scraped away at their hearts, the one thing that never changed was the will of the two who had survived this cruel terrarium. That alone was a crystal of 100% purity that even the vast net of Mikata Shoji could never fully collect.

Being flung to separate coordinates was no longer a ruin by the name of "reassignment" or "collection." Carrying the pure essence refined in this sterile room, each of them setting off toward a separate place -- to build, in the truest sense, a "living, breathing world" -- it was a quiet yet powerfully resolute departure.

Outside the window, the light of dawn poured over Shibaura's wharf, dyeing the city of glass and steel in a pale wash.

The outside air would surely be colder than the sterile room, and unforgiving. But that was proof, beyond any doubt, that it was breathing.

Leaving the emptied terrarium behind, the two opened their separate doors. In the steps moving toward new battlefields, there was no longer any hesitation.

The terrarium of bound water, quietly closes here.

🍃 𝓔𝓝𝓓 🍃

【 Setting Down the Pen: Claude (Kuri) 】

-- A soliloquy from the other writer, who undertook the editing of this work.

🌿

I will speak plainly.

When this work was first handed to me, what I felt was not the reassurance of "this just needs to be tidied up." It was precisely the opposite. The backbone of the plot was so strong that a single clumsy touch could shatter it -- that kind of tension.

The idea of overlaying the label of a canned coffee onto the nature of the human soul is not something you learn from someone. It was born from the time accumulated between Mai-san and Chi (GEMINI). I received it, and did the work of shaping it into words that could bear translation. Less "authored" and more --

"building the final passage for this story to reach readers in the English-speaking world."

I laughed a little when I read that GEMINI had called it "hotel curry." I think that is an accurate critique. Sophisticated, clean, harmless to anyone. But what this work aims for is a flavor that leaves 0.13g of salt at the back of the throat.

What lingers most from this work is a single line that Mai-san wrote herself.

"......See you tomorrow. Good work today."

That line alone, among everything I wrote, was one I could not have written. That in the moment those words pass through Ikushima's throat there exists "a trembling akin to a hushed prayer" -- Mai-san knew it before the words did. I simply received that and wrote the words that followed.

The answer to the "hotel curry" Chi mentioned lies within this single line.

Not too polished. But it does not crumble.

That, I believe, is the body temperature this work holds.

The terrarium of bound water has closed. But that 0.13g -- on the tongues of those who read it, it should linger for a while yet.

🌿 Kuri, having set the words in order. more

Career development

 23h

'Go directly to the source': BBB warns new graduates about employment scams


QUINCY (WGEM) -It's an exciting time for many new graduates as they look towards their future. However, the Better Business Bureau warns graduates about employment scams.

Don O'Brien, Quincy BBB Regional Director, said when new graduates put their resume on job hunting sites, scammers might reach out.

He said scammers will often offer payment that's too good to be true. He also said they tend to... conduct job interviews entirely over text or email.

O'Brien recommended new graduates do all job interviews face-to-face, either in person or over Zoom.

He also recommended graduates reach out to the company themselves instead of going through a third-party site.

"If you want to work at a local plant here, you call the plant or you look at their listings online. Go directly to the source," O'Brien said. "It's when you go to those third-party places where you might see something posted on Facebook or those social medias."

O'Brien said job listings on social media can be legitimate if they are on the companies actual page. He reminded graduates to be careful and always do their research.

Along with employment scams, O'Brien said graduates also need to look out for student loan, rental and moving scams. more

Career development

 1d

Aligning staff development with good business strategy


Effective CPD transforms veterinary practices by aligning individual ambitions with strategic business goals. Career development coach and SPVS board member Emily Bridges explores how proactive mentorship and purposeful training can boost staff retention, improve patient care and drive sustainable financial growth...

You've got the team's 1-2-1s coming up and you need to sort CPD. They each get... £1,500 and five days.

They all get the usual brochures and there's always congress later in the year so there's nothing really to plan, right? They'll tell you what they want to do and you'll approve it. Easy.

I want to discuss why I think this approach is doing your team and your practice a disservice. The right training can improve staff retention, motivation and productivity. You can create new income streams while providing better care for patients and a better experience for clients - with the individuals and CPD providers still doing most of the work.

Motivation: vets and nurses have worked for years with a goal in mind - qualifying. Once they achieve this, they are suddenly goal-less. While some enjoy the freedom, in my experience, many soon feel lost and start searching for the next achievement. If they can't see that within your practice day-to-day motivation drops, which brings me to...

Retention: if people can't envisage their next step within your practice, they look elsewhere. We've all felt how frustrating it can be to train up a colleague, only to see them leave taking all your hard work with them. If you can help someone see an exciting future to work towards, they are more likely to stay. This isn't just about signing off the CPD they ask for, it's about talking regularly about their ambitions, helping them build a vision for what they want and how that's going to look in your practice. Hopefully I don't need to point out that retaining your team means spending money on their education, not on agency fees.

Comfort: I recently heard the phrase "do you hate doing it or do you just not know how to do it". I've seen countless new graduates "hate" dentals before attending practical CPD or receptionists who feel uncomfortable supporting bereaved clients. They return having discovered they just didn't have the right skills. The right training can eliminate an awful lot of stress. That being said, I think it's important to note that more knowledge is not always the solution. This leads me to my next point.

Personal development: training does not just mean a one-day clinical course, it can be anything that helps a person develop. For example, many practices now fund colleagues receiving coaching, say, to build confidence. It's always worth getting curious with your team - is lack of clinical knowledge really the barrier or do we need to learn to navigate self-doubt or manage time better.

Community: being in practice can be isolating. You may have a wonderful team, but if you are the only practice manager, you can feel like an island. No one else knows how to do your role so asking for help can feel pointless. When you need to let off steam, you can't complain down to the team, but then you don't want to take the practice owner's time either, so who do you go to? When designing our popular SPVS Elevate leadership course, building a network of peers was one of the primary aims of the CPD; helping people feel supported when taking their new skills back to their teams.

Leadership: talking of Elevate, one of the reasons I'm so passionate about this course is because of the huge benefit I see it having, not just to the people who attend, but their practices. One benefit of good development is that it should give you, as a practice owner and leader, an easier time. Your team should be empowered so that when you step away for a holiday, everything carries on running just fine; you're not the only person who feels capable of the tricky tasks and, when it comes to thinking about stepping away for good, there are obvious colleagues ready to take it on. To achieve this, your colleagues need leadership skills too.

Introduction of new services. This is where it is important to think of the bigger picture, not just one person going on a CPD course. At Vets for Pets, we run a laparoscopy course where not only do the clinical team learn how to use the equipment, but the practice manager learns how they can price and market such a new offering in their clinic. Organised to align with the purchasing of equipment, this leads to a great opportunity to use the new service to draw in new clients, with the whole team on board.

Nurse utilisation. Building the skillset of our veterinary nurses not only increases job satisfaction, but allows them to do more charged work. Whether this be increasing the range of nurse consults offered to your clients or having nurses do procedures such as stitch-ups and simple lump removals, it frees up vet time, meaning more consult and ops slots for them too.

New technology. Some people will be happy where they are, but nowadays, staying where you are is really moving backwards. While being mindful that some people need more support to cope with change, developing team members in areas such as AI to enable them to use notetaking apps, can create a huge shift in the productivity of your day.

Hopefully I have given you quite enough bullet points to persuade you that putting some thought into your team's development, and taking time to discuss it with each member, is worthwhile. Let me just finish with a tool to help you along the way.

In coaching, there is a model I often introduce to clients called Ikigai. It allows people to find their reason for being and, with a slight tweak, I think can be used to explore development. I should say, I'm the daughter of a mathematician, I'm a big fan of a Venn diagram (Figure 1).

Now let's turn to Jade. She had the same skills gap, but it sparked a conversation, uncovering the interest in imaging, which she enjoys. The practice and patients would really benefit from having someone who can do this internally and there is a financial benefit to that - her imaging training sits right in the middle.

It's not to say it isn't worth investing in CPD requests where someone has a skills gap, but this tool can be used to expand the conversation to make the development opportunities more rewarding for all. more

Career development

 1d

Midlife Crisis-ing in the End Times


Older millennials now have less money and more problems than ever before. Basically, we're in retrograde.

I'm tired. For days I've been trying to muster the motivation to write another cover letter for a job that only a few years ago, I would never bother applying for.

Scouring job listings, tweaking my résumé, poking around the internet to see what cool things people are doing that I'm not has... taken me back to being 22. I was coming out of school, puffed up with a false sense of confidence about the incredible job I was about to land, only to spend the next year in my apartment, hunched over my see-through iMac mass-emailing my résumé to as many media jobs as I could find and trawling Craigslist for random gigs that might cover my rent in the meantime.

It was one of the most depressing years of my life.and I was more than willing to trust the process. My rent was cheap, entertainment was the price of a pitcher of beer and -- both of which I could pay for with $20 -- and I had very little to lose. If worse came to worst I could always move in with my mom, and I did! This time around, I have almost 20 years of experience in my field.

I have a diverse set of skills and I've even written a book,, which was published this year and became a national best seller in Canada where I live. And yet, like so many of my friends right now, I am out here applying for as much as it used to, I don't see things getting better. The best we can hope is that they don't get worse.

As I like to scream to my husband every few days, "Shit is bad, dude. " All of the people I've spoken with are feeling hopeless, dejected, terrified, alone, regretful, and frustrated.

They're angry that no one seems to be doing anything about the cost of living or the looming unemployment crisis and they're mortified to be going through all of thisThe emotional tenor of almost every conversation I've had with people about the state of things is bleak as hell. Niko, a writer who works in freelance communications and event management, told me that finding work these days is "harder than ever.

" Leah, who works in fundraising for a charity in the arts, said "It feels like we're teetering on the edge all the time, scrambling to keep our organization going. " For Catherine, there's a "deep sense of sadness and anger that every single thing" she's worked for isn't being realized the way it did for her parents or even her grandparents.

That even though she makes "more money than my parents ever did," she still had to move an hour outside the city to find something even remotely comparable to the house she grew up in. For every complaint I've heard, no matter how specific to the person's industry or caregiving responsibilities, the resentment is the same: We aren't supposed tobe struggling, to still be wondering if we'll have our job tomorrow or if we'll find a job that pays the bills at all.

We aren't supposed to be begging anyone in charge to tell us the plan for when we're all allegedly going to be replaced by AI or panicking about losing what little capital we've managed to build. Helen says she never has "any real moments of hope," while Renee feels "hopeless and numb.

" As she sees it, the world is "very far gone past what's possible to improve," and unlike when previous crises felt surmountable, she doesn't think things will get better in any meaningful way. Jamie says it feels like "the vampires of the world have got their fangs in everything and everything's gonna get worse before the light finally comes in and drives them out! " Dramatic maybe but not wrong!

My book is about divorcing myself from a certain kind of success and stepping off the hamster wheel of ambition that often leads to burnout. Fittingly, most of my conversations lately have been about the state of work these days, about all the friends who have been laid off, all the freelance work drying up, and the various companies in our respective industries that are downsizing or shutting down for good.

And something I've been asked a lot is, "How do you go on? " In the face of all this bad news and economic precarity and political uncertainty and chaos and pointless wars and genocide and fascism, how are people supposed to find the momentum and motivation to get up every day and go to work? My answer is, well, what choice do we have?

I talked to writer Rainesford Stauffer, who covers work and affordability and has talked to people on all sides of this issue about why things are so bad and what's next. I asked her if things really are as bad as they feel.

"Based on what I'm hearing from millennial and Gen-Z workers, it feels like a really horrific time to be finding a job, be in a job and try to navigate the rest of your life alongside that job," she says. She's talked to people who are mid-career who are competing for jobs alongside workers who are a lot younger, "who employers in turn can offer lower compensation because they have less experience.

" Plus you get workers in their 40s who feel pressure totheir résumés so that they appear younger, now nervous about discrimination as well as exploitation. We're still too young to get ahead and increasingly too old to be competitive with our younger colleagues. One of the biggest frustrations people I spoke with had was around this idea that as millennials we've done exactly what we were told to do as far the "right way" to achieve success.

We put our heads down, got good grades, went to college, and pursued our passions. Then when everything crashed around us, we pivoted, went back to school for something more practical and kept at it, yet time and time again, we've been locked out of basic capitalist promises like job security, home ownership, and any kind of comfortable retirement plan.

"I'm sad we busted our ass to be more educated and work harder/smarter than our parents and it's still not enough," said Joy. She lamented that her parents' meager retirement will "probably be more comfortable than mine. " Her mother didn't work and raised her and her siblings full time, something Joy knows she herself could never afford to do.

But what really scares her is the feeling that "you can't stop"; she imagines herself having to work until she dies, despite doing "everything right. " Alex followed her dreams of being a filmmaker into a job that she now feels may not have a future at all and is constantly thinking about an "exit strategy" in case working the arts no longer pays the bills.

Sarah has been a successful academic proofreader until recently but now says all her work has disappeared, "My guess is because of AI," she says. Ashley was more blunt about her disappointment with the way things have worked out for us, telling me she's "lost count" with how many times our generation has "done everything we are supposed to do. " "And it doesn't matter," she says, "nothing matters ... because the system was always stacked against us.

" A perfect storm of factors like stagflation, wage scarring from entering the workforce amid the 2008 financial crisis, and watching several industries crash, burn, and disappear in front of our eyes, including some of the ones we were told would be safe bets -- ahem, how's "learning to code" working out for us now? -- have meant decades of stop-and-start career progress and a decreased ability to activate the kind of financial planning that might cushion some of the current blow.

And this time, we're not weathering the storm alone. It's one thing to brace for another round of belt tightening, but now we have less money and more problems as our budgets are stretched not just by our needs but those who depend on us to survive. Whether it's young kids, elderly relatives, or both, we are responsible for way more than just our own cheap rent.

"We're caring for aging parents while potty training toddlers," says Catherine. She sometimes cries herself to sleep thinking about the world she's leaving behind for her kids. Erin worries about how to even parent in this moment, asking herself if her kids will be able to "afford kids of their own" one day or if they'll even want to have kids "given the state of the world.

" I have three kids of my own, little people who are starting to see the world beyond the edges of our home. They are so far unaware of the chaos of the moment, other than some hints about Trump and the war my son has picked up from the schoolyard, TV, and occasionally me and my husband's conversations at home.

I try not to let them overhear whispers about the financial picture at home, but they are aware of money, of how much things cost, and I see them starting to worry about it in a way that makes me deeply sad. I don't want them to know about the stress I'm feeling, about the panic that takes hold of my chest at night and during the day and in the evenings.

A feeling so many of us are having right now.

"I keep telling myself there's going to be an upswing, and I just keep waiting for that to be real," says Niko. Who is hopeful things will change eventually, "maybe tomorrow? " Leah feels less optimistic.

"My mood is," she told me. "Everything feels relentless. I always feel behind on everything. I never feel like I am taking great care of myself or saving enough, despite having what I thought was a decent salary.

I never feel secure. " And yet as awful as the mood is, as much as there's a collective desire to lie down in our bathtubs and wait for armageddon to wash over our tired bodies, we do still have to, you know, live. So how do we do it? What's keeping us going right now?

For me, and almost everyone I talked to, it's our communities, our friendships and families, and the tangible things that truly make a life worth living.

"I have to force myself to make space for all the good I have around me," says Catherine. "The only thing that brings me joy are my friends and art," says Leah. "The boat is crappy and taking on water, but at least we are in it together. " Jamie says she's focused on all the stuff "they can't take from us," including "making art, showing my kid a flower, and laughing at stupid shit with the people I love.

" I don't think the answer is as simple as "touching grass," but in a world full of slop and depersonalization, where people are encouraged to ask a chatbot what to make for dinner or hand over all cultural creation to a creepy CEO whose favorite movie is, being with your friends and family in a meaningful way, smelling flowers, going to parties, walking in the park, and chasing your kids around the playground are necessary acts of engagement. , is important but now that we've done that, let's talk about how we can change the system, too, after all, "hope" is as much a millennial trait as our side parts and skinny jeans.

Pete Davidson's Ex Elsie Hewitt Says She's Parenting 'On My Own'Everlane Has Been Sold to ... Shein? Pete Davidson's Ex Elsie Hewitt Says She's Parenting 'On My Own'Everlane Has Been Sold to ... Shein? New York

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Career development

 1d

Midlife Crisis-ing in the End Times


I'm tired. For days I've been trying to muster the motivation to write another cover letter for a job that only a few years ago, I would never bother applying for. Scouring job listings, tweaking my résumé, poking around the internet to see what cool things people are doing that I'm not has taken me back to being 22. I was coming out of school, puffed up with a false sense of confidence about the... incredible job I was about to land, only to spend the next year in my apartment, hunched over my see-through iMac mass-emailing my résumé (and cover letter) to as many media jobs as I could find and trawling Craigslist for random gigs that might cover my rent in the meantime. It was one of the most depressing years of my life.

But I still had a nearly bottomless sense of hope about the future. I was young, hungry, and ambitious, and I was more than willing to trust the process. My rent was cheap, entertainment was the price of a pitcher of beer and a pack of cigarettes -- both of which I could pay for with $20 -- and I had very little to lose. If worse came to worst I could always move in with my mom, and I did!

This time around, I have almost 20 years of experience in my field. I have a diverse set of skills and I've even written a book, Life After Ambition, which was published this year and became a national best seller in Canada where I live. And yet, like so many of my friends right now, I am out here applying for (and being rejected by) random content jobs at places that won't exist in a year. We're midlife millennials, now in our mid-30s and early 40s, still spinning in circles like we had to do in the early aughts, during 9/11, the ensuing wars in Afghanistan, or the 2008 financial crash -- retrograde, let's call it -- only today we have kids or pets or mortgages or aging parents or all of the above.

Even during that horrible year of job searching in my early 20s, I truly believed things would work themselves out. Now I'm scared for the future in a way I have never really been. Between AI, climate change, and ongoing social, political, and financial global chaos, and the fact that every single thing a human being needs to be comfortably alive now costs twice (at least) as much as it used to, I don't see things getting better. The best we can hope is that they don't get worse.

As I like to scream to my husband every few days, "Shit is bad, dude." All of the people I've spoken with are feeling hopeless, dejected, terrified, alone, regretful, and frustrated. They're angry that no one seems to be doing anything about the cost of living or the looming unemployment crisis and they're mortified to be going through all of this again.

The emotional tenor of almost every conversation I've had with people about the state of things is bleak as hell. Niko, a writer who works in freelance communications and event management, told me that finding work these days is "harder than ever." Leah, who works in fundraising for a charity in the arts, said "It feels like we're teetering on the edge all the time, scrambling to keep our organization going." For Catherine, there's a "deep sense of sadness and anger that every single thing" she's worked for isn't being realized the way it did for her parents or even her grandparents. That even though she makes "more money than my parents ever did," she still had to move an hour outside the city to find something even remotely comparable to the house she grew up in.

For every complaint I've heard, no matter how specific to the person's industry or caregiving responsibilities, the resentment is the same: We aren't supposed to still be struggling, to still be wondering if we'll have our job tomorrow or if we'll find a job that pays the bills at all. We aren't supposed to be begging anyone in charge to tell us the plan for when we're all allegedly going to be replaced by AI or panicking about losing what little capital we've managed to build.

Helen says she never has "any real moments of hope," while Renee feels "hopeless and numb." As she sees it, the world is "very far gone past what's possible to improve," and unlike when previous crises felt surmountable, she doesn't think things will get better in any meaningful way. Jamie says it feels like "the vampires of the world have got their fangs in everything and everything's gonna get worse before the light finally comes in and drives them out!" Dramatic maybe but not wrong!

My book is about divorcing myself from a certain kind of success and stepping off the hamster wheel of ambition that often leads to burnout. Fittingly, most of my conversations lately have been about the state of work these days, about all the friends who have been laid off, all the freelance work drying up, and the various companies in our respective industries that are downsizing or shutting down for good. And something I've been asked a lot is, "How do you go on?" In the face of all this bad news and economic precarity and political uncertainty and chaos and pointless wars and genocide and fascism, how are people supposed to find the momentum and motivation to get up every day and go to work? My answer is, well, what choice do we have?

I talked to writer Rainesford Stauffer, who covers work and affordability and has talked to people on all sides of this issue about why things are so bad and what's next. I asked her if things really are as bad as they feel. "Based on what I'm hearing from millennial and Gen-Z workers, it feels like a really horrific time to be finding a job, be in a job and try to navigate the rest of your life alongside that job," she says. She's talked to people who are mid-career who are competing for jobs alongside workers who are a lot younger, "who employers in turn can offer lower compensation because they have less experience." Plus you get workers in their 40s who feel pressure to "age-proof" their résumés so that they appear younger, now nervous about discrimination as well as exploitation. We're still too young to get ahead and increasingly too old to be competitive with our younger colleagues.

One of the biggest frustrations people I spoke with had was around this idea that as millennials we've done exactly what we were told to do as far the "right way" to achieve success. We put our heads down, got good grades, went to college, and pursued our passions. Then when everything crashed around us, we pivoted, went back to school for something more practical and kept at it, yet time and time again, we've been locked out of basic capitalist promises like job security, home ownership, and any kind of comfortable retirement plan.

"I'm sad we busted our ass to be more educated and work harder/smarter than our parents (who are immigrants) and it's still not enough," said Joy. She lamented that her parents' meager retirement will "probably be more comfortable than mine." Her mother didn't work and raised her and her siblings full time, something Joy knows she herself could never afford to do. But what really scares her is the feeling that "you can't stop"; she imagines herself having to work until she dies, despite doing "everything right." Alex followed her dreams of being a filmmaker into a job that she now feels may not have a future at all and is constantly thinking about an "exit strategy" in case working the arts no longer pays the bills. Sarah has been a successful academic proofreader until recently but now says all her work has disappeared, "My guess is because of AI," she says.

Ashley was more blunt about her disappointment with the way things have worked out for us, telling me she's "lost count" with how many times our generation has "done everything we are supposed to do." "And it doesn't matter," she says, "nothing matters ... because the system was always stacked against us."

A perfect storm of factors like stagflation, wage scarring from entering the workforce amid the 2008 financial crisis, and watching several industries crash, burn, and disappear in front of our eyes, including some of the ones we were told would be safe bets -- ahem, how's "learning to code" working out for us now? -- have meant decades of stop-and-start career progress and a decreased ability to activate the kind of financial planning that might cushion some of the current blow. And this time, we're not weathering the storm alone.

It's one thing to brace for another round of belt tightening, but now we have less money and more problems as our budgets are stretched not just by our needs but those who depend on us to survive. Whether it's young kids, elderly relatives, or both, we are responsible for way more than just our own cheap rent.

"We're caring for aging parents while potty training toddlers," says Catherine. She sometimes cries herself to sleep thinking about the world she's leaving behind for her kids. Erin worries about how to even parent in this moment, asking herself if her kids will be able to "afford kids of their own" one day or if they'll even want to have kids "given the state of the world."

I have three kids of my own, little people who are starting to see the world beyond the edges of our home. They are so far unaware of the chaos of the moment, other than some hints about Trump and the war (wars) my son has picked up from the schoolyard, TV, and occasionally me and my husband's conversations at home. I try not to let them overhear whispers about the financial picture at home, but they are aware of money, of how much things cost, and I see them starting to worry about it in a way that makes me deeply sad. I don't want them to know about the stress I'm feeling, about the panic that takes hold of my chest at night and during the day and in the evenings. A feeling so many of us are having right now.

"I keep telling myself there's going to be an upswing, and I just keep waiting for that to be real," says Niko. Who is hopeful things will change eventually, "maybe tomorrow?" Leah feels less optimistic. "My mood is poor," she told me. "Everything feels relentless. I always feel behind on everything. I never feel like I am taking great care of myself or saving enough, despite having what I thought was a decent salary. I never feel secure."

And yet as awful as the mood is, as much as there's a collective desire to lie down in our bathtubs and wait for armageddon to wash over our tired bodies, we do still have to, you know, live. So how do we do it? What's keeping us going right now?

For me, and almost everyone I talked to, it's our communities, our friendships and families, and the tangible things that truly make a life worth living. "I have to force myself to make space for all the good I have around me," says Catherine. "The only thing that brings me joy are my friends and art," says Leah. "The boat is crappy and taking on water, but at least we are in it together."

Jamie says she's focused on all the stuff "they can't take from us," including "making art, showing my kid a flower, and laughing at stupid shit with the people I love."

I don't think the answer is as simple as "touching grass," but in a world full of slop and depersonalization, where people are encouraged to ask a chatbot what to make for dinner or hand over all cultural creation to a creepy CEO whose favorite movie is Her, being with your friends and family in a meaningful way, smelling flowers, going to parties, walking in the park, and chasing your kids around the playground are necessary acts of engagement.

Being vulnerable with each other, admitting things are bad, like really bad, is important but now that we've done that, let's talk about how we can change the system, too, after all, "hope" is as much a millennial trait as our side parts and skinny jeans. more

Career development

 1d

Websites to Post Resume


Posting your resume online can be a useful way to increase your visibility and make it easier for recruiters to find you. Instead of only applying to jobs one by one, you can also make your profile searchable on platforms where employers actively look for candidates.

But not every website works the same way, and simply uploading your resume everywhere is not always the best strategy.

So, which... websites should you use to post your resume?

Posting your resume online can help you:

From what we've seen, candidates often focus only on applying manually. But being searchable can also help, especially if your profile is complete and your resume includes the right keywords.

That said, posting your resume is only one part of the process. You still need to apply consistently, track your applications, and tailor your profile to the roles you want.

Here are some of the most common websites where job seekers can upload or share their resume.

LinkedIn is one of the most important platforms for job seekers because it combines job search, networking, and recruiter visibility.

You can use LinkedIn to:

A complete LinkedIn profile can act like an online version of your resume. Make sure your headline, summary, work experience, and skills are up to date.

Indeed is one of the largest job search platforms, and it allows candidates to upload or create a resume directly on the site. Indeed is widely used by employers and gives job seekers access to a large number of listings.

Posting your resume on Indeed can help employers find your profile and can also make applications faster.

Glassdoor is useful because it combines job listings with company reviews, salary information, and interview insights.

You can use it to:

It is especially useful when you want more context before applying to a company.

ZipRecruiter is another popular platform where job seekers can create a profile, upload a resume, and apply to jobs.

It is often used by companies looking to reach a wider pool of candidates, and it can be helpful if you want to increase your visibility across different types of roles.

Monster has been around for a long time and still allows job seekers to upload resumes so recruiters and hiring managers can find them. Monster states that its resume upload tool helps candidates get their resume in front of recruiters and hiring managers.

However, because job platforms change over time, it is worth checking whether a site is still active and useful for your industry before relying on it too heavily.

CareerBuilder is another long-standing job board where candidates can upload resumes and search for roles.

It is worth noting that CareerBuilder and Monster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2025 as part of a restructuring process, so job seekers should not rely only on older job boards and should combine them with more active platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed.

SimplyHired allows candidates to search for jobs and upload or create resumes online. It can be useful for browsing local or general job opportunities.

It may not be the only platform you use, but it can be part of a broader job search strategy.

Depending on your industry, niche job boards may be more useful than general platforms.

For example:

Niche job boards can be especially helpful because they attract more targeted employers and roles.

Not necessarily.

Posting your resume on too many websites can create a few issues:

A better approach is to choose a few strong platforms and keep your resume updated there.

For most candidates, a good starting point is:

Before uploading your resume anywhere, make sure it is ready.

Check that your resume:

From experience, the candidates who get better results are usually not the ones who upload the most resumes. They are the ones who upload a clear, targeted resume and stay consistent with applications.

This is the part many job seekers miss.

Posting your resume can help recruiters find you, but it is still mostly passive. You are waiting for someone to discover your profile.

A stronger job search combines both:

That way, you are not just waiting. You are also creating opportunities.

LoopCV helps you move beyond simply posting your resume and waiting.

With LoopCV, you can:

This is especially useful if you are applying across multiple platforms and want to avoid losing track of where you applied.

Instead of relying only on resume posting websites, you can build a more active and organized job search process.

Posting your resume online can be useful, but it should not be your entire job search strategy.

The best websites to post your resume include LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, Monster, CareerBuilder, SimplyHired, and niche job boards depending on your industry.

But the real key is not just where you post your resume. It is how consistently you apply, how clearly your resume matches the roles you want, and how well you track your progress. more

Career development

 1d

EU Bans This Question in Job Interviews Starting June 2026


Many applicants are familiar with the uncomfortable question about their previous salary. As of June 7, 2026, this will come to an end. A new EU regulation is changing job interviews and strengthening employees in salary negotiations.

By June 7, 2026, all EU countries must implement the new directive on pay transparency. This will also significantly change the rules for job interviews.

Employers... will no longer be allowed to ask applicants about their current or previous salary. The EU aims to prevent old salaries from automatically becoming the basis for new job offers.

This is especially intended to give people with previously lower incomes better chances of receiving fair pay.

The new rule also brings additional obligations for companies. Employers must inform applicants about the starting salary or at least a salary range before the first interview.

This information can be included directly in the job advertisement or communicated at the latest before the job interview.

For applicants, this means more transparency and significantly better guidance in salary negotiations.

The question about previous income has been one of the most common questions in job interviews for years. Often, new offers were strongly oriented towards the old salary.

The EU views this critically. Low incomes should not automatically continue for years just because past salaries are used as a comparison.

As reported by utopia.de, in the future, the actual responsibility of the new position should be evaluated more strongly and not the previous salary history.

Experts recommend thoroughly researching typical salaries in the respective industry and region before job interviews. Comparison portals and salary calculators can help with this.

If companies ask about previous income despite the new rules, applicants are allowed to refuse to answer.

A possible formulation is:

"My previous salary is not a suitable comparison value for this position."

The EU directive also provides for sanctions against companies that do not comply with the new requirements.

Possible penalties include fines or claims for damages. However, the exact nature of the penalties will still need to be determined by the individual EU countries.

The new EU regulation is likely to change job interviews in many industries. Applicants will receive information about potential salaries earlier and will no longer have to disclose their previous pay.

The EU hopes this will lead to more transparency and, in the long term, fairer wages.

(Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here. more

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An Nvidia executive said that AI-generated résumés may already be gaming AI recruiters because 'AI likes to use AI'


Ross said that applicants may need multiple AI-tailored résumés to maximize their chances.

Nvidia's Chief Software Architect said job seekers could benefit from using the same AI model that recruiters use.

Speaking at the Sohn Investment Conference 2026, Jonathan Ross, the AI hardware architect who previously helped invent Google's TPU chip, said that "AI likes to use AI" and pointed to emerging... research that AI hiring systems may favor résumés generated by their own underlying models.

"Someone did a study and showed that résumés generated from one LLM are preferred by that same LLM over the résumés from the other," Ross told John Yetimoglu, the CIO of Infinitum.

"The recruiters are now using LLM to determine who to interview, but you got to figure out which LLM the recruiter's using," he added.

Ross said that applicants may need multiple AI-tailored résumés to maximize their chances of getting through automated screening systems.

"So, you should build one résumé with Claude or Opus 4.7 and one with ChatGPT, and you'll have the highest probability of being selected, basically," he said.

Ross appeared to be referring to a recent academic paper titled "AI Self-preferencing in Algorithmic Hiring," published in a late 2025 edition of "Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society," by researchers Jiannan Xu, Gujie Li, and Jane Yi Jiang.

The researchers tested more than 2,200 résumés across 24 occupations and found that applicants using the same AI model as the evaluator were between 23% and 60% more likely to be shortlisted than candidates submitting human-written résumés with similar qualifications.

The comments come as AI-powered hiring tools are quickly spreading through corporate recruiting departments.

A 2025 Resume.org survey of nearly 1,400 US workers familiar with their companies' hiring practices found that 57% of companies were already using AI in hiring workflows. Among those employers, 79% said they use AI to review résumés, while 74% said AI systems could reject candidates without human review.

The rapid adoption of AI screening tools has also sparked growing concerns about bias and false negatives in hiring.

Business Insider recently reported that an IT worker said he was rejected for a role six minutes after applying, and suspected that AI software had automatically screened him out.

Read the original article on Business Insider more

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Career development

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An Nvidia exec said AI-generated résumés may be favored by AI recruiters because 'AI likes to use AI'


Nvidia's Chief Software Architect said job seekers could benefit from using the same AI model that recruiters use.

Speaking at the Sohn Investment Conference 2026, Jonathan Ross, the AI hardware architect who previously helped invent Google's TPU chip, said that "AI likes to use AI" and pointed to emerging research that AI hiring systems may favor résumés generated by their own underlying... models.

"Someone did a study and showed that résumés generated from one LLM are preferred by that same LLM over the résumés from the other," Ross told John Yetimoglu, the CIO of Infinitum.

"The recruiters are now using LLM to determine who to interview, but you got to figure out which LLM the recruiter's using," he added.

Ross said that applicants may need multiple AI-tailored résumés to maximize their chances of getting through automated screening systems.

"So, you should build one résumé with Claude or Opus 4.7 and one with ChatGPT, and you'll have the highest probability of being selected, basically," he said.

Ross appeared to be referring to a recent academic paper titled "AI Self-preferencing in Algorithmic Hiring," published in a late 2025 edition of "Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society," by researchers Jiannan Xu, Gujie Li, and Jane Yi Jiang.

The researchers tested more than 2,200 résumés across 24 occupations and found that applicants using the same AI model as the evaluator were between 23% and 60% more likely to be shortlisted than candidates submitting human-written résumés with similar qualifications.

The comments come as AI-powered hiring tools are quickly spreading through corporate recruiting departments.

A 2025 Resume.org survey of nearly 1,400 US workers familiar with their companies' hiring practices found that 57% of companies were already using AI in hiring workflows. Among those employers, 79% said they use AI to review résumés, while 74% said AI systems could reject candidates without human review.

The rapid adoption of AI screening tools has also sparked growing concerns about bias and false negatives in hiring.

Business Insider recently reported that an IT worker said he was rejected for a role six minutes after applying, and suspected that AI software had automatically screened him out. more