Boundless Thinking Affords Daniel Kearney a Pathway for Career Success

Boundless Thinking Affords Daniel Kearney a Pathway for Career Success Boundless Thinking Affords Daniel Kearney a Pathway for Career Success Boundless Thinking Affords Daniel Kearney a Pathway for Career SuccessBy Carol MilanoWhen Daniel Kearney joined ASME during his PhD program at the University of Limerick, in 2006, he never suspected that eight years later, hed be ASMEs College Relations, Honors and Awards officer in its Switzerland section Earning his doctorate in Thermal Management of Electronics in 2009, Kearney recognized that, I liked the research environment, but didnt want the academic life. I wanted to explore engineering opportunities in Europe. Eager to be in a community attracting people with very different backgrounds, he selected southeastern France, near Switzerland and Germany almost a Silicon Valley, rich in science and technology research. Kearney, now 30, spent 2010 as a post-doc Research Engineer at Leti- MINATEC in Grenoble, France.When he began job-hunting , Kearney had the opportunity to go on numerous interviews. He stresses the importance of building and using a network. Everyone talks about networking, but it isnt just clicking on Connect he declares. One reason why I get so much benefit from ASME is that when I meet people, I keep in touch. I might want to draw on their advice one day. In Grenoble, the professor of his Heat Transfer training course, an ASME member in Switzerland, put me in touch with the ABB Corporate Research Centre in Zurich. Other contacts in my network told me about some work ABB does that parallels my own interests. I realized that Id have lots of opportunity to continue my career there. The company flew him to Zurich for interviews he joined ABB Switzerland as a Research Engineer, in mid-2011.Kearney, who speaks fluent French and basic German, discovered that, The official language of many research companies, including ABB, is English, because of the multi-national workforce. Science over-rides cultural dif ferences, too, he finds. At meetings, when someone asks a scientific question, no matter where my colleagues are from - Brazil, Russia, anywhere - we all speak the same language when it comes to engineering.He sees good engineering opportunities now in Dublin (another Silicon Valley), France, Germany, and Switzerland. Whats the best way to understand cultural differences? Embrace and experience, Kearney maintains. Take opportunities to travel and absorb not just the technical stuff, but also various cultures, and how you interact. Be open to new experiences, and you should have no problem in a multi-national setting.Kearneys grateful for the mentors hes had during his ECLIPSE internship (Early Career Leadership Intern Program to Serve Engineering). Ive gained a more strategic, high-level perspective on how the ASME system works, he reflects. A key question during his internship has been, Do you ask why enough? Sometimes we accept things as they are, without questions ECLIPSE has giv en me the confidence to push forward with my new ideas to the top level of ABB, which has 140,000 people.Daniel with fellow 2013-14 and 2014-15 ECLIPSE interns at Engineering Public Policy SymposiumHes relished the programsopportunities ECLIPSE has brought him to, including leadership training in St. Louis, and the Board of Governors meeting in Rio de Janeiro, which explored ASMEs next ten years and discussed their views of the organization with local industry leaders. Another highlight the Energy and Public Policy Symposium in Washington DC. We were advocating for the STEM workforce, pressing the U.S. Congress to pass the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act. We explained that STEM is great but equally important is the creation of innovation hubs to provide jobs for the educated workforce. Engineers are very humble people, but en masse, we can really make an impactExpanding on his know-how, Kearney helped plan a rare ASME event in Zurich touring a completely self-su fficient plant that uses heat from trash incineration to produce heat for thousands of nearby homes. They also extract metals like gold, aluminum and lead to resell on the metal market. Kearney arranged for ASME Swiss Sections Young Engineer Awards presentation to be held afterwards, at a wine-and-cheese reception in the incineration plants lobby an apt backdrop for Daniel Kearneys career advice to young engineers Its so important to step out of your comfort zone - thats where you really learn the most. Just think outside the box

How to Handle Helicopter Parents Robert Half

How to Handle Helicopter Parents Robert HalfHow to Handle Helicopter Parents Robert HalfWhat do hiring managers have in common with youth sports coaches, high school teachers and college administrators? All these professionals are likely to encounter helicopter parents (parents who are hyperinvolved in their kids lives, holding their hands through every stage of growing up, whether the kids want them to or not).It should come as no surprise then that, as their sons and daughters enter the workforce, helicopter parents are hovering nearby to help them land their dream jobs. Helicopter parents have been known to submit their kids resumes, attempt to negotiate salary and benefits, and even show up to sit in on job interviews. As surprising as this phenomenon may be to you, helicopter parents are a reality that todays hiring managers face.Tips for handling helicopter parentsBe clear about compensation discussi ons. State in your application materials or job posting that issues such as compensation and benefits can be discussed only with an applicant. You may even stipulate that parents are not allowed to sit in on job interviews.Recognize the parents influence. Even though you want to discourage too-close parental involvement in your hiring process, realize, too, that a parent who thinks yours is a good company to work for will likely have an impact on the childs opinion of your workplace. To that end, some companies send the same recruitment package to parents that they send to the applicants themselves.Be prepared at the job fair. If parents appear at a job fair to present you with a resume, diplomatically inform them that, although you appreciate their involvement, youll likely get a better impression of their son or daughter if he or she is the one submitting the resume.Handle calls from parents diplomatically. If parents call you multiple times or attempt to go above your head, remai n polite and keep your cool. Offering a curt response will only add to your headaches. Parents who feel dismissed or disrespected - whether for legitimate reasons or not - are apt to let others know about their poor experience with your firm. In the age of social media, you dont want to give anyone cause to complain about you or your company.Robert Half has been helping companies with their hiring since 1948. Let us help you.REQUEST TALENTWhats actually going on here?Parents who insert themselves into their sons and daughters hiring process should give you reason to wonderIs the applicant mature and self-sufficient enough to conduct a job search on his own?If hired, will the parent continue to contact you and interfere?Will the applicant be able to perform the duties of the job if she had the help of a parent to write a resume or cover letter?These are reasonable questions to ponder, but dont rule out a promising applicant simply because of a parents actions. Consider following up with the candidate to gain more insight. He may offer an apology or reassurances that the third-party intrusions will end. You may even find that the embarrassed applicant didnt know a parent had interceded.

Americans are spending more time sitting than they were ever before

Americans are spending more time sitting than they were ever beforeAmericans are spending more time sitting than they were ever beforeIf you feel like youre strapped to a chair all day, you probably are, according to a new study.Americans spend nearly a third of their day sitting down, taking life from a seat with adolescents leading the pack. US teens are sitting around eight hours while adults sit almost 6 hours a day, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreResearchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that both adults and teens have increased their seated time by nearly an hour a day from 2007 to 2016. The compiled data included school and workloads, but the study also found that Americans of all ages have increased their computer time.Its very concerning when theres such an increase in sit ting time on a national level across all age groups, especially taking into consideration the health risks that come with this, Dr. Yin Cao, the author of the study conducted by Washington Univesity in St. Louis, said, via the Guardian.There are medical risks attributed to sitting down for too long. A study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2018 claimed too much leisure time increased your chances of death from multiple causes including cancer, stroke and other ailments.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people