If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Email to Send Resume

If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Email to Send Resume The Downside Risk of Email to Send Resume Well, you wish to stand out. At times youll discover clear instructions on what they want in the topic line. It is alfruchtwein always better to handle correspondence to a name instead of a title. Email to Send Resume Options Its possible to also have your complete name and position (if its a work application emaillelelelele). Email and sample templates are among the most truly effective strategies to accelerate your work search and enhance your odds of landing an interview. Use the search box to find precisely what you want to get. When applying for employment by email, double check the instructions in the work listing to be certain youve ticked all the proper boxes. Dont use HTML or other formatting options as you dont know which email client is used by the recruiter. After that, move to LinkedIn to see whether you may locate their email address. COM is so straightforward, If youve got a LinkedIn profile you are able to convert it into a resume in seconds. COM which provides you with a secure short linkfor you instantly after you make a resume. The Fight Against Email to Send Resume Knowing the format by which the business assigns email addresses, together with the hiring managers name will offer you a great idea about what the email address is inclined to be. So long as youve got the name of the hiring manager and the name of the business, you will be able to produce an educated guess. Its a lot easier for a hiring manager to go the standard route to locate your resume. You might not know the hiring manager, but you probably know somebody who does. Getting the Best Email to Send Resume You should get your cover letter facing the folks that are doing the hiring. You also shouldnt put anything in the topic line that seems like an advertising email. In addition, in the email, attempt to specify the main reason for which youve applied the job and additionally the reason behind sending the mail. Such emails are among the most helpful ways youll be able to get work. What About Email to Send Resume? Job postings frequently dont list the name of someone to contact and just offer an email address. If youd prefer to include only a normal email signature, make certain that you include your complete name, email and telephone number. Just attempt to create the email really short and easy, so the employer could read the email easily. The email you send is the very first thing they see so that it is crucial to receive it right. The Benefits of Email to Send Resume Theres a significant possibility that youll eventually locate a connection who can get you the info you require. Ensure you make the most of the name of the individual who referred you in the topic line. There are steps that you may take to make your resume email stick out from the rest. If you dont know the name of the contact person, researc h his name on the web or call the corporation. Ruthless Email to Send Resume Strategies Exploited Steer clear of any formatting in the resume email text If you would like your email to be read, it is best to remove all of the formatting. There is an assortment of steps involved with sending a resume via email. When its by email, you might be advised in regard to what format you need to use for your resume, what things to include in the topic line of the email message, and by once the employer should receive it. Your resume email needs to be short and sweet. For the matter, ensure that your email address has an appropriate (but smiling) photo and signature. As a consequence, the email ought to be short and easy and ought to be in point. Writing a perfect resume email is merely a fraction of all of the situations you must keep in mind before you click send. Facts, Fiction and Email to Send Resume Read some suggestions on selecting a good resume file name to make certain that it is named appropriately. Write the content of the email in a distinct document first It is highly advised to compose your letter in another Word document first rather than typing this up on the authentic email client in 1 go. In case you decide you need or will need to incorporate a cover letter, you are able to either post the text directly in the email or attach it like a second file along with your resume. Its possible to still attach your cover letter in a different file, just make certain it matches the content of your cover email. How to Choose Email to Send Resume Concentrate on different facets of the job, like the job-scope and the way you can uniquely add to the company without forgetting basics. Examine the sort of jobs that youre interested in for the forms of keywords they use. Therefore, you must have an official approach to writing your email job application. When you send an email to possible employer, make sure its flawless when it has to do with the spel ling and the grammar aspect. A cover letter is a document together with your resume that states and extra information regarding your abilities and experience. When youre asking for work, you must always send a resume and cover letter. You are able to keep it short and easy, simply dont forgo formal language.

Here is a hack for keeping your keyboard germ free

Here is a hack for keeping your tastatur germ freeHere is a hack for keeping your keyboard germ freeYou will want to get your hands off of your grimy keyboard after reading this. In 2008, microbiologist James Francis swabbed33 keyboards, a toilet seat and a toilet door handle in an bro for Which?, a U.K. consumer advocacy group, and he found that keyboards can be a bigger cesspool for disease than a toilet. Four of the keyboards posed a health hazard. Two of the keyboards had Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogen that can infect us with food poisoning. One of the keyboards he tested was five times dirtier than the toilet seat.close dialog Advertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012257 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-a nim-1012257-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012257 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx-campaign-1012257 bx-creative-1012257 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was not necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-act ive-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparentborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-AFvXBOB padding 10pxdisplay blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)The Which? report found that food crumbs left over from an desk lunch were often the culprit. The sticky sauce residue that got stuck in your QWERTY keys can be a breeding ground for bacteria. To make sure your keyboard is not a health hazard, you need to be proactive about wiping down its surface and cleaning off hard-to-reach crevices. Heres howHow to keep your keyboard germ-freeBefore you get a liquid cleaning product near your machine, you will want to disconnect your keyboard from your computer and take out the battery if it uses one. To blow off surface dirt, you can use canned air directed at your keyboard in a short burst. For laptops, Apple recommends keeping the straw a half-inch away as you spray and holding the computer at a 75-degree angle so it is almost vertical.For dirt that still clings to the keyboard, you can simply use a cotton swab dipped into some isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol, and use the cotton swab to wipe off grime and sterilize the keys. For the corners between keys, you may want to use a q-tip.If keys are still gross, you may want to take your keyboard apart if you are comfortable with knowing how to put it back together again. There are toolkits to facilitate this removal. Beyond cleaning the keyboard, you want to make sure your hands are clean so that you minimize bac teria exposure. Remember to wash your hands often, so you do not become a carrier of disease yourself.Like flossing your teeth, cleaning your keyboard needs to be a regular habit for it to be of any use. Make wiping down your keyboard a weekly practice, so that dust bunnies do not transform into infectious dust monsters.

Racetrack Starter Job Description

Racetrack Starter Job DescriptionRacetrack Starter Job DescriptionStarters oversee horse racing events to ensure that horses are safely and efficiently loaded into the starting ausgang. Duties Racetrack starters oversee the start of each horse race, ensuring that all horses are loaded quickly and are all set for a fair start. Once all race entrants are loaded into the flugsteig and are standing attentively, the starter presses a button that simultaneously rings the starting bell and flips open the magnetic gate doors. The starter oversees the starting gate crew, a team of 12 that is responsible for getting each horse into the gate. Generally, each gate crew member leads their own horse into the starting gate and then hops up on the side of the stall until the gates open. If a horse proves to be a challenge to load, the starter may direct the gate crew to use a variety of loading techniques such as the use of blindfolds or gate blankets, having the jockey dismount for loading, ope ning the front gate to encourage a horse to enter, or having gate crew members band together to physically push a reluctant horse in. During morning training hours, the starter supervises gate schooling for young horses or experienced runners that have had serious recent gate issues. All horses must be approved by the starter via receipt of a gate card before they are allowed to race. Young horses begin by walking through the gate, then standing with both front and back gates closed, and ultimately work up to breaking from the gate with the starting bell. Starters also contribute to and review a nationwide database (the widely used track management program InCompass) that lists details about difficult horses as observed in morning workouts and during their participation in other race meets. The gate crew always appreciates advance warning from the starter about potentially troublesome horses. The starter may also confer individually with trainers to find out about any known quirks o r issues that their runners may have. Starters may work both morning hours (during training) and afternoon or evening hours (for live racing). Weekends, evening, and holiday hours may be required depending on the schedule of the track. In addition to managing the gate crew, starters regularly interact with a wide variety of racing industry professionals including jockeys, veterinarians, trainers, exercise riders, and other track personnel on the backside of the track. They may also interact with track management, industry representatives, and racing fans from time to time. Career Options Starters may specialize by working the gate in either Thoroughbred racing or stock horse racing. Some starters rotate between two or more tracks during the year to maintain a full schedule. Others, who are employed by tracks with more days of racing and training, are able to work exclusively for that track. Education and Training While no particular educational background is required for rac etrack starters, they must have extensive experience working with horses (with this experience preferably having been gained through work at the track). Many starters begin their careers as starting gate crew members, grooms, exercise riders, barn foremen, or other related industry positions. Starters must have an excellent knowledge of equine behavior so that they can anticipate potential problems from the behavioral signals of the horses they are supervising. They must also work well with people, as they are directly in charge of the large gate crew. They must also coordinate with the veterinarians and outriders to ensure the well-being of any horses that unexpectedly break through the gate early. Salary The salary of a racetrack starter can vary widely based on many factors such as the number of days and hours worked per race meet, the number of live racing days per year, the size and geographic location of the track, and whether the individual is a head starter or an assista nt starter. Head starters at the largest tracks tend to earn top dollar, while assistants will have to put in their dues and work their way up the pay scale. Job Outlook The number of available racetrack starter positions is not expected to show any significant growth in the near future since the total number of tracks in operation is expected to remain steady. Some job turnover is to be expected as some starters reach retirement age or choose to transition into other roles in the horse racing industry. Starters with significant experience in the field can expect to have the best prospects when seeking employment opportunities.

Hired! Switching Lanes from Auto to Chemical Sales

Hired! Switching Lanes from Auto to Chemical Sales Hired! Switching Lanes from Auto to Chemical Sales An automotive salesperson switches industries and lands a job selling specialty chemicals.“Dan” was working as a salesperson for a semiconductor supplier in the automotive sector last year, when he started thinking about his future. At the age of 29, he realized that he might not be able to continue working in the auto industry forever.“I felt like I was mid-career, and I wasn’t in the automotive industry for the long term,” the SalesLadder member said. “I started looking for a growth industry.”Pinpointing a growth industry: Specialty chemicals He wasn’t looking for just any growth industry, but something that would challenge him and allow him to transfer his skills and knowledge so that he could make a lateral move to a new sector. In July, he started researching his options. “It took me three months to narrow down the sectors,” he said. Finally, he hit upon specialty chemicals produced for technical applications. (Inks, coatings and photographic chemicals are examples of specialty chemicals.)By October, he was much more focused, and his job search on Ladders became more targeted as well. “I had spent a lot of time looking at job descriptions by then,” he said. “So I was able to tailor my resume to the jobs I wanted to apply to.” Dan learned that it was useful to concentrate his search on the recruiters. “The recruiters have information about the positions that are posted, including insight into when the job became available and what potential employers are expecting from applicants,” he said. “It’s g ood to hear employers’ expectations prior to the interview, to make sure there is not a misalignment of expectations.”Customization and flexibility became key Looking back, Dan admitted that he probably sent too many resumes at first, and most of the jobs were not a good fit. But as he narrowed his search to specialty chemicals, he spent more time tailoring his resume and cover letters and slowed down the pace. “When I started sending one or two a week, I started getting calls. A lot of them said, ‘We want to hold onto your resume,’ ” he said. “But at least I knew I was getting their attention.”Something else Dan did to make himself more attractive to potential employers: He told them he would be willing to relocate. “I was trying to stay in Michigan,” he said. “But I was looking for a job in an industry in which I did not have experience. I had experience and skills they were looking for but not directly related to that industry. I felt I needed to be as flexible as I possibly could. And I think by telling employers I would move, it really opened up some doors.”Eventually, he did get two offers; one was in Michigan, bu t it depended on the automotive sector, and Dan decided he really needed to move on.So, he did - to another Midwestern city, where he took a position as a regional sales manager for a specialty chemicals company, selling to pharmaceutical companies.He knew he had found the right position when he met his boss, whom he described as someone he knew he’d like working for. “I knew it was a good fit in the first two hours of the six-hour interview,” he said. “You have to go with your own judgment, on the people you are working with and the products they have to offer. I felt they were very good products.” In addition, he said, the company has room to grow in a market that is not saturated.He said he does miss a few things about his previous job, including the relationships he had with clients, as well as “the three- to five-year contracts, which you just don’t get anywhere except in the auto sector,” he said. The trade-off: He has been getting to know his new customers, a t smaller companies that he had been dealing with in Michigan.He said that moving from the auto sector to specialty chemicals did indeed allow him to transfer his expertise from one industry to another. “Technical sales is very transferrable,” he said. “Understanding what customers need to hear before a purchase is key in both.”And he said he feels the move will put him ahead once the economy starts to pick up again. “The most important thing is that I be proactive with my career,” he said. “I think I am now in a better position for when things turn around with the economy. I will be more successful in this job than in my previous job.”

AM Needs MEs

AM Needs MEs AM Needs MEs AM Needs MEs When I started working in additive manufacturing three years ago, I thought 3-D printing of metals would be easy because I had worked with 3-D printed plastics for nearly two decades. I could not have been more wrong. AM is rewriting the rules of how we design, make, and qualify parts, and 3-D metal printing needs all the help it can get from mechanical engineers. For starters, mechanical engineers have traditionally designed parts by selecting a material with the best known properties (based on how it was processed and heat treated) and then creating the shape they want. With additive manufacturing, the process is reversed. We print the shape that we want, and then we relieve stress, heat treat, age, or anneal the part until we get the material we want. The process sounds simple, but it is not. The thermal cycling that 3-D printed metallic parts see during the layer-by-layer melting and fusion process, be it by laser or electron beam, has a huge influence on the microstructure, which in turn affects the material properties. So, the part that we thought we had designed and engineered for specific strength and mechanical properties is not necessarily the part we getor it may be, depending on how it was made and post-processed. Because there are no good models to predict any of this, companies are currently treating each part as a one off, which equates to extensive testing and verification for each part made by additive manufacturing, which is neither cost effective nor an efficient use of resources. Residual stresses accumulated in this titanium part during the build and caused the material to rip itself from the build plate. Image: Penn State CIMP-3D So why should we, as mechanical engineers, care about this? The answers simple: every step of the process has numerous unknowns right now, and the tools, methods, and fundamental understanding needed to answer these questions do not exist. In short, MEs have a lot of work to do to help additive manufacturing reach its full potential. Even though manufacturers have been selling powder-bed fusion and directed energy deposition systems for several years, we still do not really know exactly what is going on in these machines as the parts are being made. Modeling laser-powder interactions is difficult, especially since the physics and heat transfer phenomena are not fully understood in AM systems, particularly powder-bed fusion systems. The models and simulations that have been created are computationally expensive and still undergoing validation and verification. Few can simulate a full part through its entire build process. Engineers trying to model and simulate 3-D metal printing using existing finite element analysis packages, such as Nastran or Abaqus, need billions of elements and billions of time steps, which invariably crash the software for even simple part geometries. Even if you can predict the thermal history the part experiences during a build, that is only half the problem. Models are needed to predict the residual stresses that will result and distortions that will occur, and estimate what the resulting microstructure is going to beall of which will change for different process parameter settings, build orientations, and metallic alloys and powder parameters including particle size, distribution, and morphology. Finally, because these AM processes are not well understood, we do not have any good tools for designing build supports in powder bed systems that can anchor the part to the build plate and counteract the thermal stresses that develop as the part is built up layer by layer. Based on our experience in the CIMP-3D lab at Penn State, at least 80 percent of build failures in powder bed fusion systems result from poorly designed support structures, yet analytical tools to optimize supports and corresponding build orientation of the part are limited at best. Polymer 3-D printing systems can use supports to counteract gravity and to ensure a successful build, but polymer supports are water soluble and easy to remove. Not so when 3-D printing metalssupports anchoring the part to the build plate must be removed by cutting, grinding, and other labor-intensive processes. Parts want to curl up (like a potato chip) during a build and have been known to tear themselves from the build plate, particularly titanium parts fabricated using laser-based powder-bed fusion. There are ways to overcome this, but the process requires a lot of trial and error right now, which is expensive and time-consuming. ;custompagebreak; Because we do not have a complete understanding of what is going on inside an AM system as a part is being fabricated, design guidelines and design rules for AM are not readily available, or are nascent at best. Studies are starting to become available, for example, to understand what overhangs, wall thicknesses, and geometries can be easily built with (or without) supports. But these values vary by material (e.g., Ti64 vs. IN718) and by machine (e.g., an EOS system vs. an Arcam system). Private companies are spending millions of dollars of their own RD funding to create AM knowledge bases. Little of that knowledge, however, is being shared because it provides a competitive advantage for those companies that have it. Since anyone can buy an AM system, the real power lies in knowing how to use it. But everyone will benefi t if we collaborate and utilize resources like America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, to share information and advance AM. Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center placed a 3D printed part â€" made of nickel-chromium alloy powder, fused by a high-power laser. Images: NASA/ Marshall Space Flight Center/Emmett Given Engineering lightweight structures, designing sophisticated internal cooling passageways, or combining multi-part assemblies into a single printed component are just some of the benefits touted for additive manufacturing. Without the design rules, though, we do not have good computer-aided design tools to achieve those ends. Like 3-D printing technology, topology-optimization tools, for instance, have been around for many decades, yet we only now have the means to fabricate the intricate and organic shapes that provide optimal loading for minimum weight structures. GEs jet engine bracket challenge was a great example of how AM can be used to lightweight components. In 2013, NASA put an injector printed by selective laser melting through a test that generated 20,000 pounds of thrust. Images: NASA/ Marshall Space Flight Center/ Emmett Given GE posted the design specifications and loading conditions for one of its jet engine brackets and crowd-sourced ideas to reduce its weight (https://grabcad.com/challenges/ge-jet-enginebracket-challenge). Nearly 700 entries from more than 50 countries were submitted within a few months, and the top ten designs were identifi ed, 3-D printed, and then tested. The winning bracket, designed by M Arie Kurniawan from Salatiga, Indonesia, weighed 0.72 pound, nearly 84 percent lighter than the original 4.48-pound bracket made using subtractive manufacturing processes (gereports.com/post/77131235083/jet-enginebracket-from-indonesia-wins-3dprinting). Making the part using additive manufacturing is not straightforward either. A lot can go wrong during the build process. The 3dprintingindustry.com blog carried a three-part entry called, 3D Printing Titanium the Bin of Broken Dreams. In Part 3, Spencer Wright, a design expert at the organizational consultancy Undercurrent, describes six build failures, which he attributes to various causes, including the stripped-down simplicity of STL fi les and manufacturing tolerances too generous for larger parts. Mechanical engineers are salivating at the potential to put any material they want at any position they want in three-dimensional space with additive manufacturing to optimize its performance, ;custompagebreak; but the design tools and analyses do not yet existmore opportunities for mechanical engineers to help AM. The interactions between how you design a part and how you build it in an AM system are tightly coupled, yet not well understood. Engineers and designers are used to working with design allowables for materials made by known processes (such as casting, forging, and machining), but those design allowables do not yet exist for AM, nor do the Design for Additive Manufacturing guidelines that engineers need to successfully design parts for AM fabrication. A forthcoming issue of ASMEs Journal of Mechanical Design is gathering the current state of best practices, which are far more advanced for polymers than they are for metals. GE has received FAA approval of a 3-D printed housing for the T25 compressor inlet temperature sensor in the GE90-94B jet engine. The part is being retrofitted on Boeing planes. Image: GE Aviation Even if we can solve the design and material issues, manufacturers are still hesitant to fully embrace the technology. High-end AM systems are still pricey (more than $500,000 in many cases), and machine operation and maintenance are costly. Maintenance agreements can run upwards of $50,000 per year for some systems, putting them well out of reach of many small and mid-size enterprises. The materials are also extremely expensive. This is particularly important for powder-bed systems as the build height defines the volume of powder needed. We once needed $5,000 of powder to build $200 of parts due to a tall part that we had designed, a mistake we do not want to repeat. Meanwhile, many AM systems lack the monitoring and sensing capabilities needed to control the processes, making it difficult to qualify equipment for production. It also makes it difficult to determine when and why a defect occurred if the process cannot be monitored. Mechanical engineers with expertise in sensing and controls have a wide-open playing field in this area. Heat treatment schedules and post-processing considerations for AM-fabricated parts have received little attention to date from the broader mechanical engineering community, yet are crucial for achieving a functional AM part. The question about whether or not to apply hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to a 3-D printed part remains unanswered. Some manufacturers use HIP for all their AM parts to improve fatigue strength and reduce porosity, while others feel it is not needed or too expensive to use on every AM part. GE and GrabCAD asked designers to improve the bracket shown at top, which weighs almost 4.5 pounds. M Arie Kurniawan's design using 3-D printing reduced weight by nearly 84 percent to 0.72 pound. Image: GE While HIP may reduce internal porosity in some printed parts, it does little to the exterior surface finish, which can vary considerably based on build orientation and material. Identical parts built in the same orientation using two different materials will have two different surface finishes. This three-way interaction among part features, build orientation, and material choice is difficult enough as it is, but the extent of the interaction also varies by machine. A laser powder-bed fusion system will produce a very different part from that of an electron beam-based powder-bed system, everything else being equal. Finally, even though we can now realize complex internal features and passageways for conformal cooling and improved heat transfer, how do we know they printed as we designed them? We cant see them to inspect them; so, new techniques for non-destructive inspection are needed to help certify parts. While X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning shows promise, part size and material composition limit what this technology can do. CT scanning systems are still rather expensive, and companies certainly do not want to scan every part that they produce using AM. We need mechanical engineers to help rethink and develop new technology for inspection and certification of 3-D printed parts without having to resort to printing 10 parts, testing nine of them, and keeping the last one for use, hoping it is as good as the ones we tested. The issues and challenges are far too numerous for one person or team to solve, and so we hope that more MEs will not dismiss AM outright as a new fad for 3-D printing and instead will talk to their colleagues in materials science, metallurgy, industrial engineering, and other fields to see what they can do to help. Additive manufacturing is poised to become as pervasive as computersused almost anywhere for almost anything. At home, if a handle or connector breaks, then we will just print a new one. At work, if we want to verify the fit and feel of a part that we designed, then we will just make one on our desktop 3-D printer; we wont have to wait anymore for the prototype shop to make it. At school, we are already starting see a huge shift in how we integrate 3-D printing into the classroom. Entering freshmen are clamoring to access and use 3-D printing as soon as they come to campus; they do not want to wait until their senior year to use 3-D printers on their capstone design projects. These students have had easy access to these capabilities in middle and high schools, and many mechanical engineering students are bringing (or building) their own 3-D printers and running them in their dorms and apartments. It may not be long before mechanical engineering students may be required to bring their own laptop and 3-D printer to campus their freshmen year. Most mechanical engineering curricula have not yet integrated 3-D printing and additive manufacturing into the classroom. We have a huge opportunity to reinvent how we teach and train mechanical engineers if we embrace AM. Its all there, and its never been more affordable and within reach. Low-end polymer 3-D printers now cost about the same as the original 2-D laser printers (which simply drew images on paper) did when they first came out. Prices of metallic AM systems are starting to drop as the field gets more competitive and patents expire, and everyone is trying to reduce material costs and offer a wider palette of materials to 3-D print. We just have to be willing, as mechanical engineers and educators training the next generation of mechanical engineers, to look beyond the hype to understand whats real, identify the possibilities, and help advance AM technology and education. Only then will additive manufacturing realize its full potential and help revitalize manufacturing in the United States. Our K-12 students are already doing it. Will we be ready when they go to college and enter the workforce? Timothy W. Simpson is a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, and co-director of the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D) at the Pennsylvania State University.

Questions to Ask Before You Work With a Music PR Firm

Questions to Ask Before You Work With a Music PR Firm Questions to Ask Before You Work With a Music PR Firm Is it time to hire a music PR firm? Its a big decision. After all, PR is expensive, and the results are never guaranteed. Music PR, or  public relations  for music,  is the strategic promotion of  a new release, tour, or other  music related  news  to the public via the media.  People who work in PR liaise between labels and/or musicians and the media to try and get album reviews, profiles of the band, reviews of live shows and so on. Many music PR companies have a dedicated focus- for instance, they only do print media or only digital. Some PR firms have an even more pointed focus, in that they only do college and club  radio promotion  where they work to get an  on air  plug  with a popular radio station geared at a specific market,  or they only do online promotions and social media work with key  online influencers,  for example. Campaigns andPromotions Most music PR is done on a campaign basis. If a label wants to promote a new release, they may hire a PR company for a set period, during which the PR company will try to generate as much press as possible. If the band is touring during the promotional campaign, sometimes the  PR firm  will also do a round of press for the tour, or sometimes they will charge an extra fee for that service, especially in the case of large PR firms working with large record labels. At the end of any campaign, the PR company issues a report with press clippings of all of the coverage the album received. They may also report at intervals during the campaign. Before you sign up with a music PR firm, ask yourself- and them- plenty of questions, so you can be sure the PR firm is the right choice for you.   Cost Concerns PR is expensive. In many cases, it is very expensive. Although hiring PR can eventually help you make money, you have to put it into the right space in your budget. You need money to get your release ready, distribution set up, and a reserve to cover the costs of playing shows. If you have to divert money from these expenses to pay for PR, you may not be able to afford to hire a PR company right now. If you compromise the basics, you wont get the most of your PR campaign anyway, since you wont be in the position to take advantage of it. Self-Promotion If you want a small, regional promotional campaign, chances are you can handle the work yourself. It will require some research and time, but if money is an issue, this might be your best bet. A PR company is most valuable when you are ready to mount a national promotional campaign that you might not have the time or contacts to accomplish yourself. If you dont have the time and inclination to do a regional press campaign, outside PR can certainly handle the job. Just be aware that a campaign of that level is easily handled in-house and if money is a problem, this kind of campaign is a luxury. Target Product A PR campaign shouldnt be general. It should be centered around a specific project and have specific goals. Such a project may be a new release or a tour. It should have a start date, and that start date should give the PR company plenty of time to run the campaign. For example, dont hire a PR firm three days before your tour starts. Effectiveness What is the likelihood that the specific project you want PR to work on will actually generate enough press coverage to justify the investment in outside PR? Be realistic. Your first indie release is probably not going to get reviewed in Rolling Stone. The best time to hire PR is when you have built up a little bit of buzz through your own work and have a project with a good promotion angle. This angle can be anything from an album promotion anchored to some tour dates or a unique story about how the project came together, so the PR company has something to start with. Realistic Expectations When you hire a PR firm, you arent buying guaranteed press and exposure. You are paying for the service of PR- someone to send out your music, tour dates, and news to the media, follow-up with them, and try to convince them that you deserve coverage. They cant make anyone want to cover your projects and cant make anyone give the music a good review. Even the best PR company in the world with a lofty past client list cant guarantee even a single person will want to write about or play your music. Thats reality. Get comfortable that you are paying for effort, not guaranteed fame and fortune. Possible Overselling Hire a PR company that is going to be honest about what they think they can achieve. If someone is trying to sell you the moon, steer clear. A PR company that is really on your side can sell you their services without pulling the wool over your eyes. Take promises that sound a little far fetched as red flags. Reputable Firm Concerns Hiring a PR company can be a great move for your career. When youre working with an established PR company, then you know that first hurdle- the building of press contacts- has already been tackled. An envelope bearing the logo of a known PR company can carry a lot of weight at a magazine that receives hundreds of promos  and press releases  a day. Unfortunately, working with a PR firm can be extraordinarily expensive, and there is no guarantee of any payoff. Some PR campaigns end with zilch in the way of press, but you still have to pay the bill. For this reason, small labels should think carefully about hiring a music PR firm, for many reasons, including: 1. How many clients does the firm currently have on their roster, and do  they have ample time to dedicate to your project? 2. Who else do they currently represent, and could other clients be in direct competition with you or your campaign? 3. Where has the firm recently landed media coverage, and what outlets do they think might be a good fit for you?   4. What other artists or bands have they worked with in the past, and are they at a similar level and genre? 5.  How often do they send reports, and how can you see who they have pitched on your behalf? You dont want to spend a lot of money on a PR firm or campaign only to see very little come from it. Start with a clear vision of what you want, what you expect from a successful campaign, and the time frame you require. Only move forward if you are confident that the PR company has addressed all of your questions and can deliver on their promises.

Acing the interview process

Acing the interview process Acing the interview process How to effectively prepare for, manage and follow up an interview.Congratulations; your hard work has paid off, and you have secured an interview. The interview is extremely critical given employers and recruiters use your presentation to make their final decision. Despite the growing discomfort in today’s job market, this remains true.Preparing for the InterviewEnter an interview armed with a wealth of information on the company. When this is coupled with a solid understanding of how you can make a valuable contribution, you are automatically put at the front of the pack. Here are a few methods to ensure you stand out from the competition: Fully exhaust the Internet when researching the company’s reputation, financial status and recent developments. Reach out to your professional network for anyone who may have the inside scoop, and review annual reports and industry trade magazines to get all the facts. Review your resume again and familiarize yourself with the key points that you want to get across during the interview. It is very beneficial to create your mini career success stories ahead of time â€" make sure that you choose examples that demonstrate how your qualifications are the right fit with the company’s needs. Practice and rehearse your responses to standard interview questions like, “Tell me about yourself,” “Describe your top accomplishments” and “Why should we hire you?” Conduct a dress rehearsal to make sure that your suit or business attire fits right; check your portfolio to make sure you have additional copies of your resume, and consider doing a road trip to the interview location ahead of time to assess commuting time. Managing the Interview ProcessThroughout your face-to-face interview process, you want to make sure that you are consistently promoting yourself as the solution. Clearly define your personal brand, unique value proposition and concise success stories in the Challenge-Action-Results format. Not sure where to start? Follow the steps below. Limit your responses to about 2- 3 minutes, and practice your presentation with a trusted colleague in order to minimize your level of nervous talk or rambling. Listen carefully to the interviewer’s questions, statements and comments to get a deeper understanding of the company and whether its corporate environment is the right fit for you. Remember it needs to be a two-way match. Don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer to repeat a question for clarity, and take your time giving the correct response. Make sure that you ask specific questions about the company and the position requirements before forming an opinion. Lean towards enhancing your career, not simply getting a job. Questions that you should consider include: “Is this a new position or am I replacing someone?” “How would you describe the work environment?” ”What are the growth or promotional opportunities?” and “Tell me about your experience with the company.” Always ask the interviewer about the next steps â€" you should always walk away from an interview with clear expectations. After the InterviewIt seems like a simple, common-sense gesture, but so many job seekers overlook a thank-you note or e-mail sent within 48 hours of the interview. (Only five percent of executive job candidates actually say thanks.) A highly effective thank-you note should mention highlights of the interview conversation and reiterate your interest in the position. Here are some pointers: Do more than say “thank you;” use the follow-up letter to address any questions that you feel you didn’t answer well during the interview. If you may have neglected mentioning any critical additional information in the interview, use the card to relay your strengths.. Evaluate your own interview performance. Consider questions like ”What were your feelings going into the interview?” ”Were you uncomfortable during the process?” ”Was this interview easier or harder compared to your last one?” and ”What would you do differently in the next interview?” Keep your job search going and accept other job interviews along the way. You should never cease your job search activities until you have been offered a position and you have accepted. No matter how well the interview went, never take that as a sign to slow down your overall job search efforts.