10 Things To Double Check On An Offer Letter

10 Things To Double Check On An Offer Letter10 Things To Double Check On An Offer Letter We often approach signing offer letters with as much caution as we do launching a new app completely skimming past the terms and conditions and clicking accept before knowing what were really getting into. I understand the temptation to do so - signing the offer letter is the final piece of the puzzle, and getting it over with as quickly as possible allows you to breathe a sigh of relief after all of the time and energy you put into the job hunt .But the fine print can carry some serious weight, and shouldnt be ignored.Job offer letters are tricky and should be read carefully. Sometimes information about title , compensation or duties will not make its way into the letter accurately - usually inadvertently, says Bryan Wood, Manager at The Wood Law Office, LLC . But offer letters frequently also include non-negotiable terms and conditions of the new job not routinely discuss ed in interviews in this case, you need to consider whether the stelle is right for you.Nikki Larchar, Co-Founder/menschlich Resource Business Partner at simplyHR LLC , agrees. Since the offer letter is a legal document, it can be difficult to make changes after it has been signed Wanting to make changes to the offer letter after this point causes a huge traffic jam, and creates additional work for others, Larcher says.So before you sign that dotted line, lookout for these ten things - whether you can negotiate them or not, being fully informed can only help you make better decisions.Paying close attention to your start date is a must there are few ways to make a worse impression at a new job than not showing up at the right time. Additionally, if you have a vacation planned or need to relocate, you may want to request that the start date be pushed back. But beyond your start date, there are a number of other important dates to keep in mind. Generally, there are specific dates w hen medical insurance, 401k, and time off accrual kick in, says Dana Case, Director of Operations at MyCorporation - so dont go planning a doctors appointment, vacation, or your retirement without first referencing the offer letter.Also worth checking? Whether or not youre subject to probationary periods during which you can be fired for no reason, Wood says. Of course, before you sign a job offer letter, you need to agree on what the job actually involves - you dont want to agree to take a position when the responsibilities have been misrepresented to you. Its also critical to have a record of these in case your position evolves in the future.Enaya that all your job responsibilities are clearly outlined and described in the offer letter, advises Valerie Streif, Senior Advisor at career services company Mentat . This is important so that if in the future your boss tries to change your responsibilities or downgrade you in some way, you have it in writing what you are supposed to be doing.You might have already discussed salary on the phone or in anemail, but nows the time to make koranvers that it matches up on paper, too. Make sure the compensation package meets your expectations. If you discussed it in the interview, confirm the letter has what you agreed upon. If not, reach out to the hiring manager to find out if its an error. If you didnt discuss salary and the numbers are lower than expected, you have the right to negotiate your salary. You dont want to agree to something that makes you feel undervalued, says Susan Joyce, owner and operator of Job-Hunt.org .If the salary listed on the offer letter is in a different format than what youve previously discussed - i.e. a bi-weekly paycheck amount - do the quick math to make sure it adds up to the yearly negotiated salary, recommends Krystal Covington, Director of PR at Natural Grocers and CEO/Founder of Women of Denver . Communication discrepancies can happen between the negotiating table and the HR department , so its important to verify that everything is solid before you make the paperwork final, Covington adds. I have personally had to reference my offer letters in conversations with HR departments when theyve mistakenly put the incorrect salary or vacation time in the system. Ive also had this happen during yearly raises and have had to bring the paperwork up for evidence that Ive been paid incorrectly. Although most people dont have my bad luck with HR mishaps I would still suggest keeping records to ensure you always have backup when something goes wrong.While the annual salary will probably be the figure that catches your eye the most, take heed of the bonus system description as well.Money matters can get incredibly messy - so making sure that both your salary and any guaranteed bonuses that you were told youd get are clearly stated in the letter is critical, Streif says. This way, if in the future you are denied a bonus, you can pursue it as a breach of contra ct if necessary. And beware of wishy-welcheshy language being used to describe bonuses.Know at least the basics of target percentage, timing (annual vs. monthly) and criteria, such as whether its discretionary or guaranteed, says Jill Santopietro Panall, HR Consultant/Owner of 21Oak HR Consulting, LLC .From parental leave to free lunches and even pet insurance , companies offer a number of perks - and while you cant expect all of these to be explicitly stated in your offer letter (more commonly, theyll be in the employee handbook), there are a few key benefits you should look out for.Some of my clients want to throw the kitchen sink in their offer letter and thats not necessary, especially for standard policies covered in the employee handbook (such as how many bereavement days you get and when you can eat lunch), says Santopietro Panall. However, the letter should contain anything special that you have negotiated such as extra vacation time, a paid cell phone, a company car, o r bonus potential. Its fairly easy for a hiring manager to say Oh, I never said you could have four weeks of vacation after you start and, without any written record, youre probably stuck with the company minimum.Besides that, Case advises checking to see if any other hidden perks are mentioned. After all, you cant take advantage of what you dont know aboutNon-disclosure and confidentiality agreements are standard practice in offer letters. Typically, they state that you must keep sensitive information that you learn in your tenure at a company private, or else face consequences such as firing or lawsuits. This may cover financial reports, communications, product design, or anyother number of internal items. Its best to stay on the safe side and keep any non-public information that you learn at your job private, but if youre the kind of person who has a particularly hard time keeping a secret, its worth looking into what exactly you need to keep on the down-low and what will happen to you if you dont (nothing like the added threat of litigation to help you keep your lips sealed).One of the most overlooked yet critical components of an offer letter that came up repeatedly in our conversations with legal and HR experts was the non-compete clause, which Rocket Lawyer defines as a contract between two parties, where one party agrees not to compete with the other for a period of time.These agreements can severely limit the employees ability to seek other employment down the road. For example, the employee can be prevented from working in his or her industry for some period of time within the geographic region where he/she is working. Therefore, to seek new employment, the employee would then have to wait for the agreement to lapse, move to another geographic area, or change industries, says Andrew Horowitz of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP . Since this can have severe ramifications for the employees life, it is important to be sure that you are not ente ring into such an agreement without careful reflection.Another legalese term to look out for is non-solicit agreement, says Horowitz. This is a contract in which an employee agrees not to solicit their employers customers for a certain period after leaving the company . You might be tempted to one day quit your job and start your own geschftlicher umgang using the relationships youve built with customers, but if youve signed a non-solicit agreement, be careful - the ramifications are significant.At-will employment means that an employee can be dismissed by their employer at any time and for any or no reason at all (barring cases of discrimination, retaliation, and other special circumstances). This may sound a bit alarming, but it doesnt mean that your company will go around firing people on a whim - its simply the law of the land for most of the United States. And, on the flipside, it means that you as an employee are entitled to leave your employer at any time, regardless of r eason.The final tricky provisions to look out for are arbitration clauses , which state that any disputes that arise between an employee and an employer must be settled by a neutral third party - i.e., not through a lawsuit. Streif advises looking out for these as they could potentially give you legal headaches down the road. Often, she says, employers will try to slip these in and it can cause issues if you try to take your employer to court some day Protect yourself and make sure that you are aware if these agreements are in your offer letter.

10 Steps for Creating an Effective Proposal

10 Steps for Creating an Effective Proposal10 Steps for Creating an Effective ProposalYouveprospected effectively and have a qualified client who is interested in seeing a proposal. You also developed a rapport, built trust, and identified needs your product or service can remedy. Your next step is to design an effective proposal that shows your client why doing business with you is the best decision for their company. How to Create an Effective Proposal To create an effective proposal that impresses new clients requires some thought and preparation. It should focus specifically on the customer and be based on the following steps Learn about your clients industry and competition to determine how you can help them succeed.Research the client to determine any weaknesses or needs.Consider how your services or products can meet your clients needs.Explain how your company stands out from the competition and provide examples of your past work as well as references from satisfied custom ers.Create a cost/benefit information sheet that explains how the benefits of your product or service exceed the cost.Devise a sales plan that concisely details each step of the sales cycle and how each service or product will solve your clients need. Be mindful of the length, so that the proposal is not tedious to read.Add visuals to break up any long segments of text.Provide more than one option so your client feels they have a variety from which to choose and will be less likely to look to another service provider.Practice your proposal on others to get objective feedback and make any necessary improvements. One of the main reasons deals that are well structured, well designed, and patiently worked through fail is that the proposal presented to the customer is weak. The overall idea is that you design the proposal with the client in mind. In addition, each proposal you craft should be written for theperson or people who will ultimately give their approval. However, they may not b e the person with whom you worked during the proceeding sales cycle steps. Therefore, it is helpful to learn early in the sales cycle who will be the final decision-maker. Effective Proposals Achieve Positive Results A well-written proposal concisely details each step of the sales cycle and briefly explains how a specific product or service will solve an identified need. Your proposal should remind a prospective client of their pains and why they began seeking a solution initially. Your goal is to explain how you will solve their needs, increase their productivity, and save them money. The final decision-maker should be able to read your proposal and fully understand the business challenges you are proposing to solve, how you propose to solve them, and why they should choose your company over another one. Send a contract soon after you receive a favorable decision from the client. The client will be assured that they remain a priority and that you continue to focus on serving th em. You can even create a draft contract to bring to the initial meeting in case your client accepts your proposal at its conclusion and wants to review the agreement. Your proposal should include enough details to allow it to stand on its own. The delicate balance for which you must strive is providing enough information to allow for a decision while keeping the proposals length short enough so as to not dissuade the client from reading the entire item. By following these steps, you can get ahead of the competition by closing more deals, making larger sales, and increasing your number of clients.

Throw Out the Job Description

Throw Out the Job DescriptionThrow Out the Job DescriptionThe job description was lost in translation, and you may be interviewing for the wrong position.You might be interviewing for the wrong positions, and it may not be your fault. Its probably not the recruiters fault either.The job descriptions that recruiters use to guide their candidate searches, and which you use to apply to jobs, are often poor translations of the position the hiring manager is looking to fill. The result candidates who appear qualified on paper but continue to disappoint frustrated hiring managers.The process is like a game of telephone that begins with the hiring manager who tries to describe the open position to the human resources professional charged with hiring for the company, who then delivers the katechese to the recruiter seeking candidates. By the time the message gets to the requiter, who must draft a job description, it may not be the most accurate representation of the candidate the hiring mana ger visualized.How are you, the job seeker, supposed to know?Recruiter Jon Ramos has a novel way of tackling this issue He makes his client (the hiring manager) write the job description.Actually, he asks him to describe it again, as if for the first time, putting aside his original job description and starting from scratch via questionnaires Ramos has used this method over nearly 30 years in the marketing industry and more than 10 years recruiting advertising, public-relations, graphic design and marketing executives.Without his structured prompting, Ramos said, a hiring manager often draws a fuzzy picture of the ideal candidate. Often its more enlightening to ask him what he isnt looking for than to pin down exactly what he needs. Some of these elements seem basic or insignificant to the hiring manager but prove fundamental when Ramos eliminates and qualifies candidates.Clients seem to think that the longer we take to find someone, the better that person is. Thats just not true, s aid Ramos, a staffing consultant at Marcom Choices, which specializes in marketing and communications jobs. With this approach, there is a certain amount of communication thats done beforehand to explain, We are sending the very best person to you based on what you told us, so make sure you are as clear as possible in your job description. The biggest hole in the job description for most hiring managers is almost always the budget, Ramos said.The financial issue is tricky with clients because we hear how theyve been blindsided with candidates who had no idea how to manage a budget, and that caused a lot of problems, he said. If candidates arent experienced with budgets and financials, thats OK, but clients (need) to know that upfront.A hiring manager often neglects to consider other basic elements of the job that to her might seem insignificant, like whether a candidate is strongest with strategies, tactics or both and, for marketing companies, whether he will be able to excel in an agency or corporate role.Ramos added that for marketing clients, a candidates experience with a specific font of product is usually secondary. Its more important for clients to know where a candidates end-market experience has been for instance, whether thats large technology firms or small business, or wireless, security, PCs, that sort of thing.Finding good candidates fast has become even more valuable as the recession ebbs and clients clamor to fill open positions, Ramos said. Marketing and communications departments were hit hard by the economic downturn, leaving many of Ramos clients in a desperate position as the employment market starts to heat up. By asking a client to fill in the blanks of marketing job descriptions, Marcom Choices can easily identify, vet and present highly qualified clients fast.

The Upswing of Innovation

The Upswing of Innovation The Upswing of Innovation The Upswing of InnovationNew products and ideas seem to be adopted at an ever-increasing rate. The smartphone that most people keep in their pockets dates back to 2007 when the first iPhone was released. Tesla, the electric car manufacturer that seems to receive more press attention than the old Big Three car companies combined, was founded in 2003. And Twitter, the messaging platform that has changed the way politicians and celebrities talk toand hear fromordinary citizens, was launched in 2006.behauptung technologies are reshaping the world, and yet people the same age arent old enough to vote.While things are moving fast, the product lifecycle remains the same. Companies start with an idea, run them through a research and development process to turn that idea into a viable product, introduce that product to the market and support it while the customer is still skeptical. They manage growth when demand for the product finally take s off and then maintain the product line as the technology matures and competitors flood the marketplace.Getting to the point where a company has a viable, commercialized product is maybe the hardest part of all. Experts who study product development call it the Valley of Death, and for good reason. Scientists and engineers can solve all sorts of technology problems in the lab and create workable prototypes that can demonstrate limitless promise. They can even get a product launched with high hopes but little cash flow. Too often, though, even the best ideas cant escape the Valley of Death and start climbing in terms of customer awareness, ausverkauf, and profit.When I started in the music industry in the mid-1980s, sales of cassettes had just overtaken those of vinyl records. But the RD labs for the major industry players had been working to create new digital formats that would be superior to either records or tapes. And out of several competing efforts, one technology had emerged a digital storage ordnungsprinzip based on the old 240-mm (12-inch) LaserDisc video records of the 1970s, but smaller and designed for audio use only. While overall sales of these compact discs were tiny (just 4.3 million sold in the U.S. in 1984) and at that point few consumers even had CD players, it was clear that CDs were an ascending, emerging technology.Within just a few years, CDs would replace both vinyl records and tape as the way music recordings were sold globally, and American, Asian, and European factories would press hundreds of millions of compact discs each year.Theres no guarantee that any of the five technologies honored this year in Mechanical Engineering magazines Emerging Technology Awards will be the next compact disc, but each is remarkable in its own way. The editors have examined the trends in each of ASMEs five core technologiesenergy, manufacturing, robotics, bioengineering, and pressure technologyand looked for recent innovations that have hit the marketp lace. And from dozens of contenders, the editors have found five that seem poised to make an extraordinary impact on the coming decade.Watch videos honoring our 2018 winnersThe technologies honored this year are incredibly diverse. They run the gamut from being as gigantic as a skyscraper to being intimate enough to place on your head. One connects with hard-to-reach children one-on-one, while another is designed to provide for entire cities. And yet another reimagines a hidden component, finding a way to manufacture it, so that it weighs much less without giving up any of its necessary strength.In the following pages, youll be able to read about the Haliade-X offshore wind turbine being built by GE Renewable Energy, which is breaking all records when it comes to wind power. Each blade is as long as an American football field, and when the wind is blowing across the ocean, a single one of these machines will be able to generate 12 MW of electricity.Then theres the Microsoft HoloLens , a computer system that fits in a headset. The HoloLens tracks the users position and line-of-sight within a room so that it can project computer-generated images in a way that blends with the point of view. Microsoft is working to develop the headset system for use in such applications as training medical students in surgery, operating robots remotely, viewing renovation plans while construction is ongoing, and inspecting complex structures.Even more personal than a computer you wear is a robot that can reach children with autism. Thats why we are honoring the Milo, developed by RoboKind. The Milo robot has an expressive face, a screen on its chest, and is programmed with an extensive curriculum for teaching calming techniques, conversational skills, emotional understanding, and other social behavior. Milo is now in over 400 schools working with thousands of students. Through my volunteer efforts as a trustee at Montgomery Academy in Basking Ridge, N.J., I have experienced the pos itive virtues of this technology bettering the lives of students on the autism spectrum.Another human need is fresh water, which is whats being provided by IDE Technologies. Its desalination system pushes salty water through large membranes that keep the salt on one side, producing large quantities of fresh water without expending a lot of energy. IDE has built desalination plants in Israel and southern California, and people in dry regions around the world are looking at the system as a low-cost means to provide drinking water for their growing populations.The final technology being spotlighted was created by Airbus, the multinational aircraft maker. It isnt a plane or an engine, but a simple partition between the passenger cabin and the galley. But that partition was designed using advanced software and manufactured with 3-D printers, and it is just as strong and about half the weight as the component it replaced. Engineers at Airbus are looking to the day when entire airplanes ca n be built through similar advanced manufacturing techniques.None of these technologies are everyday items, but each is available for customers today. They arent RD marvels that might be commercialized in three to five years but are instead survivors that have emerged from the Valley of Death and are ready to take off. I think youll agree that these technologies and their creators are worthy recipients of the 2018 Mechanical Engineering Emerging Technology Awards.Thomas Costabile is Executive Director of ASME.Learn more about the winners of the 2018 Emerging Technology Awards. Readthe latest issue of theMechanical Engineering Magazine.

The Bad Secret of Resume Examples for Students

The Bad Secret of Resume Examples for Students Top Resume Examples for Students Secrets Resume writing is daunting work for people that write a resume once annually, or once a decade in some instances. Your resume should be formatted in an easy, professional method. Utilizing resume templates allow you to make sure that you are appropriately laying out each of the accomplishments that youve done, and also enable you to make certain you can set your thoughts together in a fashion that will cause you to get attractive for a wide selection of unique work in the industry in which youre applying for. While using the later method, employers wont read every detail in your resume. Now, create your studienordnung vitae with the support of the above discussed tips and youll surely obtain a call for an interview. For example, professional successes ought to be ahead implemented employing the info on the entire expert expertise. By using the examples of resumes, you wont only be in a p unkt to add correct and precise info in your resume but will likewise be able to impress your prospective employer. To create a resume you want to understand the prerequisites of the perspective employer for that specific job profile. Resume is not merely a document. however, it defines you and is the very first important key that ensures your prospective employer takes interest in you. You need to understand where you desire the resume to take you, and you must make certain its crystal-clear to the prospective employer. Virtually every prospective employer may want to find a resume from you. There are plenty of ansichts one can utilize to make an effective resume. A bit of research and extra efforts may give you an ideal job specific career statement. Whats important is that you know of the techniques that you may use to compose an impressive objective. The focus ought to be on the education and abilities. Resume objective has become the most important component in the re sume to impress the employer since its the very first note that captures the interest of the recruiter. Actually, career objectives provide jobseekers a superb chance to set themselves apart from the remaining part of the applicants. Your career objective should clearly describe the position you are looking for in the organization and explain to them your abilities and unique traits which make you suitable for the position. Type of Resume Examples for Students Before writing the resume remember that, your job objective should concentrate on what it is possible to give to the company rather than that which you desire from the business. Targeting your job statement to the specific job will impress the employers and boost your odds of finding the work interview. You have to highlight certain abilities and experiences while putting in an application for a specific job. Applying with the work targeted resume for each job is a superb practice rather than sending same resume for eve ry single job. There are many openings waiting around for the ideal individuals, and plenty of potential workers seeking openings essential to them. Thus, the possibility of selecting the incorrect person escalate. The pivotal reason behind the same has become the change in the requirement of the prospective recruiters as well as the work profile. A lot of people struggle to gather a resume they are content with, and utilize that resume to aid them to land work. What Does Resume Examples for Students Mean? It is very important to plan your CV before you begin writing it. When writing the resume for any coach, it is very important to include all of the coaching related skills in the resume that could force you to stick out from different coaches. Each and every work type needs different kind of resumes. Basically, resume writing is an art and just some of the applicants have the ability to pull it off. As an issue of fact, longer objective statements full of job or industry -specific keywords are suggested. Its very simple for folks to discover and complete a resume template, which is precisely why many individuals elect to utilize it. On the flip side, not utilizing an objective statement on your resume gives employers the notion which you are not sure about what it is youre actually on the lookout for. Thus, knowing the entire idea behind a resume is critical. The position youre applying for just seemed as a great match for your skills, you truly feel like its an exciting opportunity and you opted to do it. You need to make your qualifications and expertise to shine out in your resume. Resume skills and abilities play a substantial part in boosting the standard of your resume. Working at home and having in-home classes isnt highly recommended. Resume Examples for Students - What Is It? A CV may also be described as an advertising device an individual uses to endorse himself. Resume writing Objective is an essential section in any type of r esume. Below are a few important benefits of using readymade CV templates Professional Appeal lots of people feel that using the resume templates will influence your odds of getting job. Marketing is a creative area and thus you will need to compose your resume in a creative method.

4 Small but Significant Steps to End the Skills Gap - Spark Hire

4 Small but Significant Steps to End the Skills Gap - Spark HireWe hear you. Youre struggling to find qualified candidates for numerous positions at your organization and youre not alone.As the unemployment rate drops to 3.6 percent in the US, the need for qualified, highly-skilled employees continues to rise. Business leaders and menschlich resources professionals watch as the ever-widening skills gap becomes one of their biggest challenges. In fact, a 2019 SHRM study exploring the skills gap found 83 percent of companies report having trouble finding qualified talent. More than half of talent acquisition pros surveyed say educational institutions are doing little to correct the issue. But pointing fingers doesnt get anyone to a solution.Its time to look beyond your traditional hiring process at alternatives that offer a quick and lasting fix. Close the skills gap in your company by implementing these stepsCurate professionalism tips on your career siteThe skills gap isnt isolated to finding high-quality hard skills in candidates. Job seekers are also, reportedly, sans valuable soft skills. Open-ended responses in the above SHRM study revealed HR professionals feel candidates are lacking professionalism and skills like business acumen. Start educating kompetenzprofil applicants about professionalism and other key tips to career success in your organization directly on your career site. This allows talent to access advice to build out their necessary skill sets as they connect with your company brand and seek potential employment.Educate potential applicants about professionalism and tips for career success by putting advice on your career page.Click To TweetAdminister on-the-job trainingTackle the skills gap head-on by bolstering your employee training programs. Offering more in-house training opportunities allows you to open the door to potentially under-qualified candidates with a base skillset and invaluable interest to grow with you. Remember, investment in your employees reaps long-term rewards. The ROI of committing to creating highly-skilled employees is high. You will have an empowered, devoted workforce equally invested in their future and career growth with your company. On-the-job training programs can start as small as routine webinars and seminars and grow into something as intensive as certification programs.Upskill your current teamRather than hiring new employees, look to your current top performers. Assess who has the potential to gain new skills and power the company forward. Take your on-the-job-training to the next level by providing skills-specific training for interested employees. Upskilling takes your talent retention to the next level by investing in high performers with the curiosity and willingness to grow to support your needs. Training and upskilling works to fuel motivation. These employees investments come with increased morale, job satisfaction, and succession planning. Upskilling also offers opportunitie s for employees to take the next step in their career with your company. Bridge the skills gap by providing training and upskilling for your employees.Click To TweetSeek out alternative candidate sourcesVeterans, retirees, the displaced, and former employees may be invaluable assets to fill the skills gap at your company. Hiring individuals from other countries may even be an option. While not appropriate for every organization or position, some employers find these alternative sources to be an impactful solution for various reasons. There are benefits to dipping into talent pools that have little competition that outweigh filling open roles quickly. There are a number of soft skills and experiences that can bring a fresh perspective to your team. Often, these talented candidates have gone above and beyond to acquire the most recent training or certifications to stand out over other candidates.The key traits to look for are passion for your company and role, evidence of an eagerness to learn, and dedication to work alongside your team to close the skills gap little by little.

Powerful E Commerce Sample Resume to Get You Hired

Powerful E Commerce Sample Resume to Get You HiredPowerful E Commerce Sample Resume to Get You HiredIn both the real world and the digital world, your resume opens the doors that lead to employment. Creating a resume that looks professional in terms of design and content makes a good impression on hiring managers so they call you in for that important interview.Your digital skills make a big difference when applying for an esBusiness Management ResumeDirector Of Human Resources Resume Disaster Recovery Manager Resume E Commerce Resume Financial Services Resume Food Services Manager Resume Help Desk Support Resume Hospitality Management Resume Human Resources Director Resume Industrial Engineer Resume Information Security Manager ResumeInformation Security Resume Information Technology Director Resume Information Technology Resume

The cities where retirees are in the most (and least) debt

The cities where retirees are in the most (and least) debtThe cities where retirees are in the most (and least) debtWorkers are increasingly retiring with debt, data shows. 4 in 10 retirees say paying off their debt is a top priority, according to a survey from TransAmerica Center for Retirement Studies.Americans aged 60 to 69 had $1.99 trillion dollars in overall debt at the end of 2017, compared to $1.33 trillion in 2007,according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New Yorks Center for Microeconomic Data.Its clear that carrying a large debt load when you approach retirement age is a problem for Americans.Credit monitoring service LendingTree calculated the median non-mortgage debt balances for retirement-aged Americans (65-70) to find the cities where retirees are most burdened by debt.Using an anonymized sample of over 75,000 My LendingTree users born between 1948 and 1953, researchers calculated total debt balances from second quarter 2018 credit reports.The averagemedian debt for re tirees (or people working towards retirement) across all 50 of the largest U.S. metro areas is $20,643, according to their findings.Cities where retirees owe the most (with median balance)San Antonio$29,993. (46% owed on auto loans32% on credit cards.)Austin, TX $26,424Houston, TX$26,219Dallas, TX $25,604Washington, D.C. $25,202Oklahoma City, OK $24,644Richmond, VA $23,642Virginia Beach, VA $23,398Buffalo, NY $22,482Memphis, TN 22443Cities where retirement-age Americans owe the least (with median balance)Louisville, KY $15,093 (41% credit card debt)San Jose, CA $15, 499Portland, OR $16,224Sacramento, CA $16,910Milwaukee, WI $17,142Detroit, MI $17,490Providence, R.I. $18,356San Diego, CA $18,377San Francisco, CA $18,495Nashville, TN $18,567As for the types of debt owed, student and personal debts were the smaller categories, compared with the major sources of debt auto loans and credit cards. About 10% of Americans aged 65-70 still have student debt, but not for themselves it likely comes from students loans co-signed for a child.

Media Sensationalism in Todays News Coverage

Media Sensationalism in Todays News CoverageMedia Sensationalism in Todays News CoverageMedia outlets are often blamed for sensationalism in todays nachrichtensendung coverage. Reporters are criticized for exaggerating the facts in the name of getting higher Nielsen ratings or more newspaper subscriptions. Are the Criticisms Valid? Violence breaks out in the county jail, leaving some inmates injured. The sheriff holds a news conference, saying that his deputies are investigating an incident at the jail. As a reporter, you know theres a better way to describe the scene. The sheriff insists on only calling it an incident in order to downplay the violence so that it looks minor. You have a choice of sticking with his word or calling it something else- a scuffle, an uprising, even a riot. Theres no rule on which word to use. Unfortunately, no matter what choice you make, its likely the sheriff will accuse you of sensationalism. While hes trying to use language to protect himself, you need to accurately describe the situation. One solution is to say, While the sheriff calls this an incident, the families of the inmates hurt say it was an all-out brawl. You let others label the fighting. A common misconception is that large font or bright colors make the story sensational. Its the content that matters more than the presentation. Fair Reporting Every news reporter wants to see her story on the front page or at the top of the 6 oclock news. That may lead to the temptation to make a story sound bigger than it is. Let achecklist of fair reporting be your guide. Theres nothing wrong with using words like chaos or shocking if you can back it up with facts. Avoid using behauptung words every day, or else your audience will grow bored. Assignments Leading to Criticism Sometimes its the news story assignment itself that leads to charges of sensationalism. At no time was that truer than during the Monica Lewinsky scandal involving President Bill Clinton. It became one of the 12 events that changed news coverage because every news outlet was forced to decide how to cover taboo sexual topics. Sure, it sounded like sensationalism on the surface. Except that the Clinton presidency was at stake. Reporters had to merge the titillating details with the mundane mechanics of federal government because President Clinton faced impeachment. Valid Criticisms There are cases where the critics are right, that a news report is sensationalized. That usually happens when promises of coverage arent kept. The culprit is usually media advertising, which is typically produced by someone other than a news reporter, likely someone not even in the news department. That person will create a topical ad saying something like, landsee the worst fire in the citys history Viewers that tune into the 6 oclock news see the fire and think its not all that bad. Once that happens, viewers become skeptical toward your advertising claims. Make sure that the person creating dai ly advertising for your news product has accurate information. While its his job to sell the product, remind him not to oversell. For him, it would be no different than if he created an ad for a restaurant promising that it has the worlds best chili when it doesnt. Reporters and newsroom managers need to develop a gut instinct on setting limits in promoting coverage. If you have a legitimate, exclusive news story that no one else has, theres no harm in advertising that fact. But words like exclusive can become so overused on mundane, daily news stories that they lose their value. As you can see, sensationalism is difficult to pin down. Thats why its easy for so many people to label the news media as being driven by sensationalism because it means different things. For any journalist, if you deliver factual, accurate stories every time, you can defend your work against these claims.