Hunting For Software Developer Jobs

Software development jobs offer great opportunities for young professionals who managed to find them. Software developers in the United Kingdom get to work on great projects while earning a living. Depending on the market sector they are working within, a software developer can find the right balance between intrinsic and financial rewards. However, graduates and young professionals need to find these jobs first before they can think about earning a living and doing what they love. Hunting for software developer jobs is more difficult than it sounds for a number of reasons.

One reason why the job hunt for software developer jobs is so difficult is the availability of job listings to international applicants. UK graduates and young professionals interested in software development may find a great listing on their favourite job site. However, odds are that hundreds or thousands of applicants around the world have already seen the same listing. Applications flood into hiring managers and many talented professionals can be lost in the shuffle. In order to avoid getting lost amongst the avalanche of job applications, professionals need to streamline their application and CV to be eye catching.

Another reason why software development jobs are tough to find is that many companies utilize recruiting agencies to find the right candidates. Most recruiting agencies develop exclusive relationships with their software clients, which mean that the positions they recruit for are only available through the recruiter. As such, it is imperative for software development aspirants to work with recruiting firms to find their first professional job. Using a recruiting firm not only eliminates some of the competition of more general resources but most firms are able to help software developers become more skilled in the workplace through professional development.

Software development applicants also need to deal with the high standards for every position in the industry. Software development companies, no matter which market sector they work within, face tough competition from regional and international firms. As such, software professionals need to be highly skilled and ready to begin their jobs from day one. However, graduates and young professionals can break down these barriers in two ways. Graduates who seek temporary work while they are looking for their career track job will not only be able to pay the bills but gain the experience needed to impress hiring managers. As well, attending corporate-sponsored events will get candidates in front of recruiters who help make hiring decisions.

The Identical Concepts of Home and Family

Home and family are two inseparable concepts that provide significant experiences that help shape and form a person. The home is commonly construed as the resultant relationship of persons who have special sense of belongingness dwelling in a house. As such, the structural designs of a house does not automatically provide a home for its dwellers but rather, it is the relationship and bond that are created among the members of the family that provides the feeling of being at home.On the other hand, the family is universally referred to as the persons living in the house. The family is the actors and actresses that give life and spirit to the house as a home and the group of persons as a family. Although the legal and traditional concepts of a family require civil or blood ties, the idea of a family has already developed into more than the actual legal ties and kinship. It is the relationship among the persons itself that determines a family and not the aforementioned ties. As such, not all members of the family who dwells in one house feel at home and consider each other as part of the family. This awful situation requires paradigm shift and behavioral changes of the persons coupled with understanding and patience to remedy and heal their relationship and avoid the total disintegration of their bond.In dealing with persons belonging to the same home and family, it is important to know the strengths and weaknesses of the group and even the home itself. One should be able to determine some areas of the house where the dwellers can bond together. This feature of the house provide the family members opportunity to stay in one area either to talk and share with each other, watch movies and eat together, and other activities that strengthens their identity as a family and makes everyone feel the needed belongingness to the group. It is also an opportunity to understand and explain some issues hounding the family.As such, everyone would feel the special bond while at home and with the family. Since each family member is unique, there would always be instances when disagreements arise. The parents among other elders should provide the younger ones moral guidance on peacefully settling issues. This does not only benefit the present situation but ones the kids learn to respect each others differences and should any misunderstanding occur again, such issue would never become a potent force to challenge the strong relationship and bond among them.Indeed, the home and family are special sources of inspiration and strength of every individual. They provide every person the courage and hope amidst the challenges of life. They serve as the effective support mechanism and enlightened teachers to the young ones. Thus, the home and family should be considered a sacred place where everyone can be who they are, develop their potentials, and dream of dreams.Understanding the importance of home and family should render everyone on guard of things that could harmfully affect their togetherness. Home and family should not be treated separately. Home is where the family is and the family is one’s home. Thus, no matter how popular today the situation of getting busy and all, everyone should give time for their family where they feel at home with and go back to their home where their family is, not only to sleep but perform some bonding activities.

The Payday Loan Option

In today’s financial climate it is nice to have options to get cash when you need it. Many people have friends or relatives who they can turn to when they get behind on bills, but others may not be so fortunate. The latter groups of people are those who find that payday loans are a viable option, an option that gives them the ability to access cash quickly and at a reasonable rate as compared to the alternatives of destroyed credit and outrageous bank fees.I have been in the payday loan business for about five years, prior to that I had a good Federal job and was just two years away from being fully vested in my Federal retirement. My job was privatized and overnight, my Federal retirement was out the window. I had two options: to continue to work for the contractor 800 miles away for the same pay and no retirement benefits or to do something different. I started to look for something different. Luckily during my Federal career I had been steadily investing in small real estate projects and had some resources to work with. I looked at a large number of real estate based businesses but one day I came across an opportunity to buy into a payday loan corporation. At first I didn’t really understand the industry and couldn’t really understand why people used this type of business. My “ah-ha” moment came on the day when I got a call from my son who was in college at the time. He said he needed money because he had been overdrawn at the bank and didn’t know it. He had been using his debit card for a variety of small purchases like gas, slurpees, fast food, etc. The bank continued to allow his debit card to charge these items while charging $25.00 for each and every transaction for which he was “over drawn” resulting in “over draft fees”. By the time he figured out what was going on, he was $275.00 in debt to the bank for fees on his 11 transactions. From this point on, I started to realize the fallout for a lot of Americans who fall behind on their bills and don’t have credit options available to them.Here are some of the things that I have since learned about the payday loan industry. Payday loan stores started to spring up in the 1990s due to a number of factors taking place in the financial industry. Traditional banks were exiting small dollar, short term lending due to the high cost structure and high risk nature of this type of lending. In addition they saw the path of least resistance to higher profits as higher fees, higher NSF (non-sufficient funds check) fees and over draft protection fees. In short, the banks saw an opportunity in Americans’ lack of access to short term credit. These factors combined created a demand for a source of short term credit. Good old American capitalism provided a solution, payday loans.Detractors of the industry like to use APR (annual percentage rate) to describe why payday loans are expensive. An APR is the cost of borrowing money as if it were based on a 1 year loan. Payday loans are not one year loans; they are usually anywhere between 10 day and 30 day loans or up until your next payday. In the same way you would pay $35 for a 5 minute cab ride across town, you wouldn’t pay $7 per minute to rent or own a car. If you did your one day rental rate would be $10,008. But for the sake of this argument, let’s play by the payday industry critics rules and use APRs.So let’s compare costs of payday loans as compared to the alternative. We will look at 3 examples: a payday loan, a bounced check, and my son’s overdraft fee.How a payday loan compares:$100 payday loan with a $15 fee for two weeks = 391% APR $100 bounce check with a $35 NSF and $20 merchant fee for 1 day = 20,231% APR $1.59 slurpee at C store with a $25.00 overdraft fee for 1 day = 583,770% APRNow multiply the money the bank profited on their “overdraft protection” from my son on this transaction and multiply that by the 11 overdraft fees over the 7 days he used the card before he knew he was overdrawn. These are the simple truths about the industry that are often times glossed over by the industry critics.

Important Employment and Labor Law Provisions in Los Angeles

In the United States, the Department of Labor takes charge in implementing above 180 laws that are related to employment. Hence, if you are working in Los Angeles, California, you might as well be covered by these provisions, which possibly give you rights and privileges as well as set rules in various aspects of labor and employment.This is the main reason why it is indeed important for all the employers and employees to understand some basic principles of the Employment and Labor Laws. By having knowledge about it, you will be more familiar with the procedures on how to handle any violation. Yet, you may still depend on the expertise of Los Angeles Employment and Labor Law attorneys if, still, you find it hard to handle your situation.Major Laws Intended for Labor and Employment The following law provisions commonly apply to employers, employees, retirees, job seekers and other individuals or parties who play a part in the employment sector. This summary is intended to lay down some important information regarding labor law compliance and privileges. For a detailed knowledge about these laws, better read the whole provisions or have a consultation with your employment attorney in Los Angeles.Workplace Safety and Health Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers have the general obligation to provide their workers with jobs and workplaces, which are free from any identifiable and serious risks. Any violation regarding this provision may be brought up to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is the agency tasked to implement injunctions for such non-compliances among the public sector employees.Worker’s Compensation Federal employees may take the advantage of benefits payments due to loss of wages caused by their total or partial disability. This also includes payments to cover other related medical expenses and vocational rehabilitation. The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act applies to those workers who have obtained disability or died in performing their duties.Among other statutes related to Worker’s Compensation are:Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act – maritime employeesEnergy Employees Illness Compensation Program Act – Department of Energy employeesBlack Lung Benefits Act – coal minersWages and Hours The Fair Labor Standards Act covers both private and public employers. This particular law sets the standard of paying wages as well as overtime hours for covered workers. Added details about this statute may be obtained from the Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration, which administers the act.Employee Benefits Security Another useful law that regulates pension and welfare benefit plans offered by employers to their workers is the Employee Retirement Income Security Act or commonly known as ERISA Law. This requires various conditions regarding employees’ pension and welfare benefit plans and other related issues. The agency regulating this act is the Employee Benefits Security Administration.Family and Medical Leave Act This Labor Law provision compel all employers with at least 50 workers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to qualified employees without the threat of reassignment to other job position. Employees may take their unpaid leave for these causes:Giving birthTaking care of a newborn or adopted childCaring for spouse, children or parents having serious illnessThese are just some of the important Employment and Labor Laws. If you feel that your employer has violated any of these provisions, act immediately and seek the aid of your Los Angeles Employment and Labor Law attorneys. You may be entitled of compensatory damages or recoveries.

Gadgets and Health

We all love our gadgets but do our gadgets love us? The news is full of  reports about the links between health and gadgets. Parents are equipping their children with cell phones at younger ages, and new laws are in place to make driving with cell phones safer. We thought we’d take a look at the current state of health and gadgets and came up with this assessment.Cell PhonesMicrowave radiation, thermal radiation, electro-magnetic fields, repetitive stress, and even psychological harm; the list of potential threats goes on and on. There is a lot of science being applied to studying the effects of gadgets on our health. At the same time there are also a lot of myths in circulation.History is full of examples where health hazards like asbestos, cigarettes, and lead in paint went unrecognized or even intentionally suppressed. Many recent studies show no harmful effects from cell phone use however, some long terms studies have turned up disconcerting findings. And there are always that  group of neurosurgeons who won’t hold their phones next to their ears.In either case there is enough doubt to warrant some caution. According to one recent report from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, “Studies in humans do not indicate that cell phones are safe, nor do they yet clearly show that they are dangerous. But, growing evidence indicates that we should reduce exposures, while research continues on this important question.”Real or perceived, cell phones represent potential threats for a number of reasons including:Microwave Electromagnetic RadiationA typical GSM cell phone can generate up to 2 watts of power at microwave frequencies. SAR (Specific Absorption Rates) values indicate how much radiation is absorbed by the body and is limited by government standards. Despite the fact that cell phone radiation is characterized as non-ionizing or too weak to damage genes, concern remains for thermal effects and blood-brain barrier leakage. Younger cell phone users could be more vulnerable to adverse effects.A 2007 Israeli study recently linked microwave radiation from frequent cell phone use (22 hours a month) to an increased risk of salivary gland cancer. The report, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology also notes that  risk was higher in rural areas where cell phones transmit at higher levels to compensate for weaker signals.Thumbs Down for Texting to Prevent RSIOne saving grace for young people using cell phones is that they typically spend more time texting than talking. The only problem is that thumbs, having evolved for gripping things, are not so well adapted for poking things and as a result many cell phone users are suffering from RSI (repetitive stress injury). Recent reports recommend texting with two thumbs at a time.Cell Phone ElbowFrom the same orthopedic specialists that brought you carpal tunnel syndrome, we now have cubital tunnel syndrome. The ulnar nerve runs under the funny bone to your fingers. When this nerve gets stretched by cell phone users holding a phone up to their ear for long periods, it can become weakened. Blood supply to the nerve can also be affected. The result is pain.Car AccidentsIf it’s not one thing like microwave radiation, it could be another thing like being distracted while driving and crashing your car. Many statistics now point to dramatic increases in traffic accidents from talking or texting while driving. Apparently hands free devices don’t help much.Minimize Risks
Talk and listen from a distance when possible; use the speaker phone or use hands-free devices (Bluetooth is good, wired headsets are best)
Avoid “second hand,” radiation; keep your distance from someone talking on their phone.
Be aware of the radiation coming from your own cell phone and don’t use it in close proximity to a child.
Cell phones communicate to the carrier even when you’re not using your phone. Put your phone on the desk when in the office, carry it in your purse, and don’t sleep with it under your pillow
In addition to distance, shorter duration of exposure can minimize risks. Be brief, limit your calls and use a landline if possible. Switch ears periodically or use text messages when possible. Other Gadgets, Other Risks?Cell phones are just one type of gadget that might represent a health risk. Some other potential harm could come from these:
MP3 players at high volume levels can damage your ears and cause hearing loss. MP3 players may interfere with pacemakers and we’ve heard that you can hurt your thumb from too much iPod “scrolling?”
Big flat panel TVs can be dangerous falling objects that have caused serious injuries to children.
There is concern that laptops can cause fertility problems in men from the heat t laptops generate on the lap (area).
We’ve seen some reports about laser printers emitting ultrafine particles from the toner that can damage your lungs and there are also ozone emissions from laser printers. No Cause for AlarmAfter all is said and done, are we going to stop using our cell phones – probably not. With a little caution especially for kids and cell phones and a little common sense about using gadgets, we don’t see any reason not to go out and buy that new flat panel TV, smart phone, camcorder, or new laptop. In fact, Retrevo is just the place to learn what to buy, when to buy it, and where to get the best deal. 

What Is Digital Marketing and How to Use It

You will have to devote lots of time marketing yourself and earning referrals. Content marketing thus will be more prone towards user-generated, instead of professional, content within the next calendar year. The secret to content marketing is that the content has to be interesting to your audience and will supply value to them.There are a number of reasons to put money into influencer advertising. It is a way to get past the need to use ads to reach your audience. Though email promotion is highly effective, not all startups can harness the real power of email marketing.Digital marketing isn’t rocket science. It has no boundaries. Since you may see, digital promotion is a big and complicated topic. Digital Marketing is a huge subject and you cannot turn into a hero in 30 hours! It is a type of marketing technique where the marketing activity is carried out with the help of channels and platforms available on the internet. It uses the internet as a main promotional medium, in addition to traditional TV and radio.It is one of the fastest growing industries so there is much room for growth and development. It is one of the top 5 growing sectors since the year 2009. In simple terms, it is the promotion of products, services or brands via digital marketing channels. It is much more advanced than the traditional style of marketing because, One has to be very careful in selecting the right strategy to generate reach.Getting your very own digital advertising and marketing blog is able to help you set yourself apart from others in the business and stand out when you should speak to an influencer or potential employer. The ideal marketing influencers are individuals who speak and reveal themselves in front of individuals.Your email marketing strategy will vary a lot based on the essence of your small business. Needless to say, there are a number of different reasons your data-driven advertising and marketing strategy could fail in addition to a deficiency of comprehensive tools. It’s simple to separate your digital advertising strategy into various channels like pay per click ads, social networking, search engine optimisation and so forth. A digital marketing and advertising strategy does not necessary demand a detailed analysis, it merely takes a set of objectives and goals which you are seeking to realize. You should develop a content marketing strategy based not just on the info you need to give your clients, but also based on your understanding of what information people are trying to find.Your digital marketing and advertising strategy might incorporate elements of all 3 channels, all working together to assist you achieve your objective. An intelligent and powerful digital marketing and advertising strategy has many faces. Then you’ll have a fully integrated digital marketing and advertising strategy.Developing a digital marketing and advertising strategy does not need to be hard work. Based on the scale of your organization, your digital marketing strategy might involve a number of objectives, but coming back to this easy manner of thinking about strategy will be able to help you stay focused on meeting those objectives. It needs to deliver the right content based on their buying stage. A clearly defined digital marketing and advertising strategy encourages existing customers together with new customers to engage and stay loyal.You need to construct a marketing system which focuses on a group or groups of individuals. The key issue is to develop your promotion system with the most suitable expectations. Fortunately, marketing software has come a very long way in the past few decades, and there are a lot of tools which may help. Ask yourself these questions before you pick any new marketing and advertising tool. You are going to learn how to use the digital instruments and techniques effectively for a prosperous campaign. In other words, it’s because digital instruments and skills have an established capacity to create revenue, and companies wish to harness that power and keep competitive.Using digital radiography has rapidly increased in recent decades. You could also take advantage of sophisticated email marketing software to run targeted campaigns with an objective of convincing your audience to have a particular action such as signing up for a class, buying your goods, attending an event, or in any case may be. It explains using email marketing, online affiliate marketing, Facebook marketing, and the way to use social networking tools like Twitter, podcasting and blogging.

How The US Marines Created A Successful Surge By Using Their Brand

In social media, a brand is created when there is a co-ordination between brand identity and brand culture. Brand identity and brand culture are complex terms. They are terms that must be understood in order to create a brand in the social media era. The best way to explain complex issues is to give an illustration.The U.S. Marines have a brand. This brand has both an identity and a culture. The identity of the Marines is they are to obey orders. This is best illustrated by the movie, “A Few Good Men”. In this movie, two Marines are convicted of a murder because even though they obeyed orders, they failed to protect the weak. The Surge in Iraqi was successful because the Marines understood their brand.The success of the Surge in Iraq is an illustration and an analogy of how of how brand identity and brand culture work together to create a brand. In very simple terms, the surge in Iraq was a branding campaign. The surge was successful because the U.S. Marines understood their brand and they knew how to communicate this brand successfully to the Iraqi people. This is analogous to a successful social media strategy. To have a successful social media brand, a marketer must know their brand, and they must know how to communicate this successfully. The marines knew how to do this.To understand how the Surge worked, let’s use the analogy of going to the store. We go to a shelve and we have a choice in purchasing one of either two products. The choice of which product you purchase will come down to which product is branded the best. A brand is a combination of brand identity and brand culture. These two things create a brand.The “product” the Iraqis were choosing was the establishment of a government. They had two choices in their “market place”. They could choose either a government of their own choosing, or they could choose a government installed by the insurgency. Their choice would be same as if it were for any other product. The choice would come down to branding.The branding of the Marine Corps involves two things; brand identity and brand culture. The identity of the Marines is that they are people of honor who obey orders. There was an election in Iraqi in which Iraqi citizens decided who they wanted to govern them. The orders for the Marines were that they were to enforce the results of this election because the Iraqis couldn’t do it themselves. This created a brand for the Marines in Iraq.The insurgency offered a product revolving around having an installed government, based on a narrow interpretation of Islam. This is the brand of the insurgency.To the mind of the insurgent, they are men of honor as well. Their culture was not one in which the weak would be protected. In Iraq there were two factions of Islam. If you belonged to the opposite side of the insurgency, you would be killed or terribly abused. Insurgent religious precepts demanded this. The weak would not be protected. Just the opposite. The weak would be abused. An insurgent government offered no choice and no protection for the average Iraqi citizen. Iraqi citizens had a choice among two brands, the Marines or the Insurgency, in establishing a government.The choice would come down to branding. The Iraqi people made their choice based on a terrible incident that established the Marine brand in the minds of Iraqi citizens.An Iraqi family was massacred by a Marine patrol. There was an attempted cover-up. The Marine’s brand identity is that they are men and women of honor. The Marines have mechanisms for reporting battlefield abuses. Several marines who were present reported this incident to a higher chain of command. These were low rank, patrol marines.Investigations followed and several marines were accused, tried, and convicted of serious crimes. Some of these were Marine officers. These officers had a court martial and were imprisoned after they were convicted. This process impressed the Iraqi population. The Marines brought their own to justice through the words of lower ranking Marines.In Saddam’s era something like this wouldn’t happen. Rank would protect you. The right group could and would do anything they wanted to.The Iraqi chose the Marine brand. Under the Marine brand, honorable men protect those who can’t protect themselves. It was this brand that created success for the Surge. Under the Marines, the average Iraqi citizen saw that they would be protected. This is why surge worked and why the Iraqis could choose a government of their own making. The Surge worked because the Marines understood how to create a brand. A brand is created by co-ordinating a brand and a culture.Dean [email protected]