Quick Activities Thatll Get Ahead in Your Career - The Muse

Quick Activities Thatll Get Ahead in Your Career - The MuseQuick Activities Thatll Get Ahead in Your Career When you think of what you can do in 10 minutes, you probably think of taking a shower or checking your email- nothing too crazy. But, what you may not realize is that this is actually plenty of time to do something far more productive and valuable, like get ahead in your career.Wait, but how? We asked nine successful entrepreneurs from YEC to share the best ways you can advance your knowledge and skillset in just 10 minutes of free time. Because why not take advantage of every second you have? 1. Research and Pick a New Podcast to Listen ToI love listening to podcasts as Im driving or walking. Ive learned so much from hearing different career stories, and it entertains me during my down time.- Allie Siarto, Allie Siarto Co. Photography2. Learn From ExpertsIdentify an expert in your field and spend 10 minutes a day analyzing his posts on social media, his blog, or videos of h im speaking. Pay attention to how he words things and how he appeals to audiences. Make time in your schedule for 10 minutes a day to do this, and in a years time, youll have spent over 60 hours learning from the masters.- Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now3. Learn Anything Outside of Your JobIts often the most unexpected things that contribute the most to our careers. If youre living in an information vacuum and only learning things directly relevant to your job, those bolts of lightning wont strike. Thats why I spend my free minutes during the workday unwinding and learning something completely new, whether its through a short video or an interesting article.- Elle Kaplan, LexION Capital4. Skim Industry PublicationsStay on top of your industry by using 10 minutes to skim through a relevant magazine or website. Not only does this keep you up-to-date with your profession, but it may spark ideas for new projects or initiatives at your company.- Chuck Cohn, Varsity Tutors5. Reach Out to Someone in Your NetworkWe all think were too busy to keep up with the vast majority of our connections, yet we know that there is undisputed value in maintaining those relationships. In 10 minutes, you can quickly text or email someone whom you havent spoken to in a while and let her know youre thinking about her. It goes a long way.- Darrah Brustein, Network Under 406. Watch a TED TalkWith each TED Talk you watch, even if its only for 10 minutes, you get to learn something fascinating about a new subject from experts in that field. Plus, you see firsthand how you too can turn any subject into a compelling narrative.- Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep7. Take a RiskSometimes, the only way to push forward is by taking a leap of faith. For example, write that email youve been hesitating to make to that potential employer. There are times when the only way to overcome stagnancy is to face rejection or accept an offer from someone whos willing to bet on you. Take the risk, and reap the rew ards (or fail and try again).- Blair Thomas, First American Merchant8. Take a WalkWhen I have 10 free minutes, I take a walk around the office or outside. I try not to think of anything in particular, but to observe whats happening around me. It refreshes you, and you may notice things that you normally wouldnt while actively engaged in a task. Its when Im doing nothing that solutions to problems occur to me.- Vik Patel, Future Hosting9. Subscribe to a PublicationSign up for a daily email from a publication related to your field. They usually contain a word or story of the day that teaches you something new and informs you of the different aspects of your industry. Reading these emails generally takes no more than 10 minutes and gives you a powerful bit of knowledge for the day- Manick Bhan, RukkusPhoto of woman on phone courtesy of Sam Edwards/Getty Images.

Interview Follow Up

vorstellungsgesprch Follow UpInterview Follow UpDid you know that the interview is not over when you shake the interviewers pranke and walk out that door? Many people believe that it is the end so they sit back and wait for the interviewer to give them a call. At least, this is what the armatures believe. The pros know that its more to it than that and the interview follow up comes next.The interview follow up is simply a thank you letter that you send to the interviewer within a twenty-four hour period. Although it may seem like an insignificant thing that wouldnt make very much difference in the outcome of the interview, its actually very important. Many interviewers look for these thank you letters to see which candidates are truly serious about the position they applied for. Once they have given it a few days to see who responds back, they will make their decision as to who they want to consider for the position.Typed Letter or EmailThere are two main options to choose from when you send out an interview follow up letter. You can send a typed letter or an emaille. So which one is better? The truth is it doesnt matter. Both options are acceptable and most business cards will have both the interviewers email address and their work address printed on them. In fact, you can even send out both if you want to be completely thorough.In some cases, you may want to send a handwritten letter instead but this will depend on the type of job you applied for, the personality of the interviewer and whether or not it was an informal interview. This would be rare but you should be able to tell if the interviewer would be the type of person that prefers the personal touch a hand written note would provide by the time you reach the end of the interview. If you do hand write the letter it must be legible so take your time.Create this ResumeCustomize Your Interview Follow Up LetterIts important to customize your follow up letter to include details specific to the interview. You want to be brief with only a couple of paragraphs but touch kusine on some important issues. Start out with a sincere thank-you for the interview opportunity. Follow that up with a recap of the main qualifications that make you a great candidate for the position.This is also the time to address any issues, concerns or anything that was not mentioned in the interview that would be relevant to the position available. Always proofread your letters or emails to ensure there are no typos, incorrect spelling or grammatical mistakes. Theres nothing worse than sending out a thank you letter to a potential employer that contains poor grammar and bad spelling. This would hinder you more than it would help.The interview follow up letter is similar to a sales letter because youre building yourself up and selling your qualifications. Take a few minutes and follow up your interview. It very well could make a huge difference and get you one step closer to being considered for the job.Customize Re sumeMore Sample Job Interview ArticlesIllegal Interview QuestionsInterview Answers Interview Follow Up EmailInterview Follow Up Interview Questions

The Race to Patent and Cash in On Blockchain Technology

The Race to kapitnskapitnskapitnspatent and Cash in On Blockchain Technology The Race to Patent and Cash in On Blockchain Technology The Race to Patent and Cash in On Blockchain TechnologyBitcoin is a prime example of the old saying, Something that sounds too good to be true probably is.But even if cryptocurrencies have lost a lot of their investor interest, the technology behind themblockchainis still worth examining.The blockchain encryption technology protects digital files against tampering by linking shared ledgers storing data in time-stamped digital groups or blocks. Interestingly, the first patent for the blockchain technology (No. 5,136,647 dated achter monat des jahres 4, 1992) by researchers at Bell Communications Research uses, as an example, the need to protect against later revisions to invention notebooks that might be electronically stored. This patent welches reissued (RE 341,954) by the Patent Office in 1995 to add more claims, but has now expired.Kirk TeskaThat has nt stopped others from patenting improvements to the basic blockchain technology. For example, the inventors of the original patent formed a company, Surety Technologies, to exploit their discovery. They won yet another patent for an improvement to the original patented method, No. 5,781,629 dated July 14, 1998. It took 10 more years before Bitcoinbased on the blockchain technologycame into being.ASMES Top Story Air Taxi Aces Test FlightMore interesting is how others are attempting to patent different uses of the blockchain technology. The original blockchain patent is cited in 258 later patents and patent applications.For example, Patent Application No. 2015/0332283 (2015) is for a method of using the blockchain technology for healthcare transactions validation.No. 2017/0109955 (2017) is for a blockchain electronic voting system and method.Nasdaqs Patent Application No. 2017/0330174 (2017) attempts to cover storing information concerning ownership of shares in a company using a dis tributed blockchain ledger.Patent Application No. 2017/0236094 (2017) attempts to protect a blockchain configured distributed architecture-based crowdsourced initiatives ecosystem.More on Disruptive Tech Who Are the Engineers of the Future?This scenario where someone invents a disruptive technology and then others later patent different uses for the technology is not new. I first encountered it long ago when microprocessors became fairly inexpensive and widespread. Lots of people basically patented microprocessor-based technologies that had before been carried out in the analog world.And then came the internet. The dotcom bubble was itself created, at least in part, by companies patenting different ways to use the internet.The Patent Office handed out patents to inventors who took no part in the creation or improvement of the internet and instead claimed as their own the idea of using the internet to do various things. In one notable patent case, that thing was sending out bulk emai ls in marketing campaigns.Various court decisions and changes in the patent laws, however, have curbed these practices somewhat. For example, the obviousness bar to patenting was raised by the United States Supreme Court in 2009. Just before that, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had ruled that adapting previously known methods to an internet web browser was obvious and not patentable. That same court invalidated the internet bulk email patent referred to above.More Big Ideas Six Lean Principles for an Industry 4.0 WorldThe Patent Office too released new guidelines for determining what is obvious under the patent laws and thus not patentable.Another example is when a court finds an idea not patent eligible because the idea is too abstract. Those kinds of rulings are now commonplace.So, what will happen to all the patent applications attempting to cover new uses for blockchain? My prediction is some will issue while others will be rejected by the Patent Office.The Patent Office has not yet substantially reviewed the blockchain patent application examples listed above. For those that do issue, expect heavy litigation. A few patent trolls will inevitably emerge and make headlines. (Do an online search for blockchain patent trolls and youll binnensee what I mean.)My next prediction someone will invent the next disruptive technology, some will patent improvements to it, and others will attempt to patent new uses for it. These cycles will probably continue forever.Kirk Teska is the author of Patent Project Management and Patent Savvy for Managers, is an adjunct law professor at Suffolk University Law School, and is the managing partner of Iandiorio Teska Coleman, LLP, an intellectual property law firm in Waltham, Mass.Read More Exclusive Stories from ASME.org Robots to the Rescue Engineers Making Waves in AquacultureListen to ASME TechCast to Find Out How a High School Senior Helped a Wounded MarineMore interesting is how others are attempting to patent different uses of the blockchain technology. The original blockchain patent is cited in 258 later patents and patent applications. Kirk Teska