Saturday, May 30, 2020

The future of nuclear power

The future of nuclear power by Amber Rolfe Over the years, nuclear power has gained a somewhat negative reputation…But with technology advancing, the consideration for nuclear power could well be due a revisit.With pros including the preservation of fossil fuels, low greenhouse emissions and running costs, and the potential to become a renewable form of energy, nuclear power could actually help us keep up with growing sustainable power demands in the future.We spoke to global energy recruitment specialists, Spencer Ogden, for a quick rundown on what nuclear power’s all about, and how it’s changing for the better:  The pros of nuclear powerAlthough this type of energy can receive a negative reaction from the public, this is often due to not fully understanding how it really works. In reality, nuclear power has a large amount of positives that are perhaps undeservedly overlooked.It’s reliable. Uranium is in high supply, and with methods in place to make the fuel renewable, it could eventually turn into an unlimited supply. Additionally, nuclear power stations don’t rely on weather conditions to function properly, so energy is always guaranteed.The pollution is low. Nuclear power produces a low amount of greenhouse gases, and the stations themselves don’t affect the environment negatively, leaving water supplies and land intact.It’s relatively cheap to run. Because the cost of uranium is low, running a nuclear power plant is inexpensive.It’s efficient. Nuclear energy has a higher energy density than fossil fuels, so it doesn’t need as much fuel to run. It also doesn’t have to accommodate for fluctuating gas and oil costs, and its effect on the environment is minimal in comparison to coal and gas power plants.  The past and current climate of nuclear powerThe world’s first ever nuclear power station was opened in the UK in the 1950s, and ever since, it has been a growing source of energy, with nuclear power currently accounting for 11% of the UK’s energy (and 2 0% of USA’s).However, following accidents in Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, there have been growing concerns around the safety of nuclear power. Waste disposal and cost are also a common drawback, not to mention worries of nuclear energy being used to fuel terrorism.As a result, by 2025, over 40% of the UK’s older power stations are expected to close. Unfortunately, the closures come at a time when electricity demands are expected to be at an all-time high.Britain’s alternative resources of known oil and gas in the North Sea will also be running out, meaning a new way to accommodate for our growing electricity needs must be put in place â€" one that takes into account global warming, and preserves the earth’s fossil fuels.  The future of nuclear technologyThe good news is, hundreds of experts have researched a suitable way to fulfil the world’s power needs and replace the older power stations with new, more sustainable and environmentally friendly systems.Havi ng examined a range of reactor designs and associated fuel cycles, they came up with six basic concepts to focus on. Here’s a brief outline of three of them:The Very High Temperature Reactor is the next step in the evolutionary development of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Hydrogen can be produced using thermochemical, electro-chemical or hybrid processes. Best of all, it does it with a reduced emission of CO2.The Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor couples high power density with low coolant volume fraction, and includes a closed fuel cycle for efficient management of actinides and conversion of fertile uranium.The Gas-cooled Fast Reactor has fissile self-sufficient cores with fast neutron spectrum, robust refractory fuel, a high operating temperature, high electricity production, energy conversion with a gas turbine, and full actinide recycling.The other three concepts feature reactors cooled by water, lead, and molten salt.All reactors offer a more sustainable use of nuclear powe r, whilst producing a reduced amount of nuclear waste. They’re also safer and more reliable than previous reactors.Increased sustainability is primarily achieved through the use of a closed fuel cycle in fast reactors. This cycle enables plutonium, uranium, and minor actinides to be recycled and re-used, instead of becoming nuclear waste.The reduction of nuclear waste and increase in the reusing of valuable resources tackles one of the main concerns people have with nuclear power, making it a much more appealing energy source than it may have been in the past.These improvements also indicate that nuclear energy is getting better every day, and as the available technology grows, professionals become more knowledgeable and experienced in the field.Changing public perceptionThe majority of people have a limited understanding of the nuclear industry and what its processes involve, shown by a recent poll taken in the EU, proving that those in favour of nuclear power works out at roughl y the same percentage as those who are undecided (14% vs. 13%). The highest percentage of people (39%) had a negative view, voting that the number of operating nuclear plants should be reduced.However, this poll also showed that people with a lower level of education were less likely to approve, suggesting that those who voted negatively may not have been aware of how nuclear power actually works.The outlook of nuclear power could benefit from a greater emphasis on developing an awareness of energy in schools, focusing on how it’s improving and making the safety statistics clearer. Opening up the nuclear debate could also help with engagement in the nuclear industry and energy generation.Increased education surrounding issues such as how electricity is generated in reactors, whether it is possible to safely dispose of nuclear waste, the hazards (or otherwise) of radiation and climate change issues could improve the outlook of nuclear power from society’s perspective.  Final thou ghtsThe future views of nuclear power mostly depend on the way it’s portrayed.With a shift in focus from the negative issues and past events, to a much clearer explanation and increased awareness about the positives (not to mention, the recent improvements), nuclear power will benefit from a much larger following of people who actually understand and agree with the benefits it has on the whole.As nuclear power improves, and works to replace depleted and ineffective energy sources in the future, the public opinion of it will undoubtedly improve too.Think your next move could be in nuclear power? View all energy roles with Spencer Ogden now. Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. What job suits me?

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Resume and CV Writing Services - Finding the Right Professional

Resume and CV Writing Services - Finding the Right ProfessionalA lot of people have been trying to find the best resume and CV writing services in Ottawa, and that's an easy task to accomplish. Knowing what to look for when it comes to hiring someone to do this work for you is key, and that's exactly what we're going to discuss today.For starters, a good resume and CV writing service will have your best interests at heart. That means the company will always take care of you even if you lose your job. You shouldn't be asked to pay an hourly rate or sign up for an expensive service just so they can help you with the rest of your life's work!Secondly, they should not cut corners when it comes to the writing. The companies I have used in the past didn't want to invest the time to do this because they were overworked and didn't want to bother. That is not an excuse. They needed to take the time to hire the right person, but they could not afford to pay for things like this.Their service s hould use many different techniques and angles to get your attention. Most professionals are going to have much better results if they know what they're doing, so they should be keen to show that. If you don't feel that your resume and CV is impressive, don't fret, as that's a sign that the writer is not producing results.In terms of how to improve your resume and CV, you may need to go through several versions before you settle on the final product. Each program will have its own set of guidelines and methods, but it's worth taking a look at them and seeing if they match the information you have already written. After all, your goals should also be similar. Find a writing style that you feel is easier to read, but still provide you with enough information to encourage a hiring manager to call you back.One great service to look into is Ontario Resume and CV Writing Services. They should have many years of experience in this field, and that's an impressive fact for someone looking to change careers or improve his or her skills. As well, they understand what employers are looking for, and that's an important thing to consider. They should also have the ability to work on numerous types of resumes and CVs, and many different types of organizations.As well, they should have the skills to rewrite your resume or CV to increase its effectiveness without you having to be present. This is great, and if you have questions about how to do this, they should be happy to help you out.If you're looking for a good resume and CV writing service in Ottawa, there are plenty of options out there. It's a matter of finding one that's both up to the task, and that having the right tools for the job.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

The Most Sought After Jobs of 2017

The Most Sought After Jobs of 2017 Thinking about a career change this year? Hard to believe, but it’s been almost 7 years since the great recession hit its peak. Things sure have changed in that time. I know, if you were on the job market around 2010 this is probably hard to believe, but it’s true, and it gets even better. If you’ll look at the first chart in the infographic  by Betterteam, you’ll see that employment followed a mirror image trend, and has ended up just a bit above where it was in 2006. On top of all that, we’ve got the longest time to hire in recent history, hovering around 27 days, and the most jobs going unfilled ever in the U.S. This perfect storm has created a job seeker’s market, making it tougher than ever for employers to fill positions. Good news if you’re considering a new job or career this year! So what are the very best places, jobs and industries to be in right now? If you’re thinking about making a career move, or a physical move, this is useful information to have. Some of the highest demand jobs going into 2017 are: Registered Nurses Monthly Demand of 9.1K. Office Manager Monthly Demand of 6.3K. Operations Manager Monthly Demand of 5.7K. Personal Care Aide Monthly Demand of 5K. Accountant Monthly Demand of 4.1K. These may not have been the jobs you dreamed of having when you were a kid, but if you want something that’s in high demand, they’re your ticket. The industries that are growing fastest include: IT 18 percent growth Healthcare 16 percent growth Design 14 percent growth Business financial 9.9 percent growth Sales 6.2 percent growth IT and healthcare were probably not that big of a surprise for people tuned in to the current job market. But design is interesting it’s mostly being carried by web design, an occupation that’s seeing a crazy 27 percent rate of growth. The popular cities were also interesting. They tended toward warmer climates, and five of the ten cities with the fastest job growth were in one state. Here’s the top 5 cities: Cape Coral, FL Myrtle Beach, SC Orlando, FL Naples, FL Tucson, AZ Interestingly, some of the most in demand individual jobs saw peak demand in states whose cities didn’t make our top 10 list. New York State, for example had some of the highest demand for home care aides, and California and Georgia saw high demand for certified nursing assistants and accountants. So, if none of the high growth cities are ideal for you, you may want to look at which states are best for your general industry. In general, if you’re looking to get a little more green, sunshine, or both in your life, now may be the time to make a big move. Maybe it’s time to hunt for a new job, or maybe it’s time to ask for that raise you’ve been wanting. Either way, the numbers are probably on your side. About the author:  Paul Peters is content marketer and job ad writer with Betterteam. Before Betterteam he spent 6 years building an education startup, where he was was involved with many aspects of the business, including hiring and marketing.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Is It Possible to Pursue Romance and Career at the Same Time

Is It Possible to Pursue Romance and Career at the Same Time When it comes to life plans, so many of us think that we have things sorted out. We have a clear idea of where we’re going, what we’re going to do, and how we’re going to go about achieving everything that we want. But when we try to put things into practice, they don’t necessarily always work out as planned. Life, after all, gets in the way. This is fine! One question that you’ll often be asked in regards to your life plan as a woman, is “but when will you settle down?” This can be frustrating. Men aren’t asked this question. But if a man can balance a romance and career at once, so can you! Here’s everything that you could possibly need to know about succeeding in your career and personal relationships all at once. Don’t Waste Time Playing Games The majority of modern dating seems to have the frustrating aspect of game playing involved. People tend to stick with certain waiting periods between replying to messages. But why mess about if you are both clearly into each other? Once you’ve mastered the skill of how to tell when a guy is flirting with you or how to tell when a girl is flirting with you, you should be pretty set to go. If they’re flirting and you’re interested, hop to it! Ask them out on a date if they haven’t asked you yet. What’s the worst that can happen? They say no and you haven’t wasted your precious time over it. You don’t want to spend months messaging to and fro only to realise way down the line that they only consider you a friend. Be upfront with your emotions. It takes confidence, but it will make life a whole lot easier for you. Moving Past the “Just Dating” Phase If you’re into someone and things seem to be going well, then it’s probably about time that you settle into a relationship. This makes things much more comfortable. You will both know where you stand and you can spend less time worrying about what the other person may or may not be up to and focus your attention on what you should be concentrating on through the days. No more spending hours scrolling through social media wondering whether they’re going on dates with whoever it may be that is posting on their timeline, tagging them in photos, or liking all of their pictures! Separate Work and Play When it comes to succeeding in your career without letting it consume your whole life, you need to separate work and play. This goes for all aspects of your personal life. While you should invest as much effort as possible into your job, you do need a little time for yourself and the people you love. When it comes to work and your romantic relationship, you need to ensure that your time is shared equally between the two. Don’t spend your working hours texting, calling, or emailing each other. Dedicate your working hours to work. This way, you’ll get everything ticked off your to-do list and won’t end up having to pull overtime or late nights in the office to meet your deadlines. You can head home at the end of your shift and spend some real quality time with your partner. Believe it or not, it will be much more rewarding than tagging one another in various memes sporadically throughout the day. At the same time, cut off from your work once you’ve left the workplace. Hometime is quality time with your partner. You shouldn’t be checking your phone constantly for work emails, taking business calls, and filling in paperwork over the dinner table. This kills conversation and can make the person you’re spending time with feel inadequate. What’s more? They’re likely to get their phone out too, resulting in a vicious cycle of ignoring one another. Avoid this at all costs. Draw a line between your work day and your relationship to keep everything running smoothly and to have a nice time too! Don’t Be Afraid to Call It a Day If you find that things aren’t working out and you’re spending more time arguing with one another than getting on, don’t be afraid to call it a day. Many of us are reluctant to let go of relationships, as we feel that we have invested too much time and effort into them. We also worry that we’ll feel lonely and won’t find anyone else ever again. Melodramatic, sure. But we’ve all been there. However, wasting time on a doomed relationship is doing you no favours. You won’t be able to concentrate on your career properly if you’re constantly arguing, worrying about your partner’s behaviour, or are upset by their actions. You may also find that you both just have different ambitions. Perhaps you want to move away for business elsewhere. Maybe a job overseas has your name written all over it but your partner is reluctant to move. Don’t ever let another person hold you back if they aren’t bringing something brilliant to the table. Sure, you can compromise every now and then. But if you are unhappy more frequently than you’re happy, you not doing yourself any favours. Be brave and consider cutting things off. Balance is Key Of course, balancing different aspects of your life in a seemingly straight cut fashion can be difficult. We’re all fully aware of that. A romantic relationship can have profound effects on your career and where it takes you. Sure, a negative relationship can prove detrimental to your work. They may distract you, or they could talk you out of pursuing something that you thought you had your heart set on. But if you think things through and meet someone who is as flexible with your wants, needs, and ambitions as you’re willing to be with theirs, you may be onto something special. This person could help you bloom and flourish, exceeding even your own expectations. As with all things in life, you need to moderate your romantic relationships and career with a keen eye for detail. Try stepping out of your own shoes for just a moment to survey how things are going. Advise yourself in the same manner that you would a friend. Fortunately, the answer is that yes. You can pursue romance and a career at the same time. You just need to follow the above advice to ensure that one doesn’t impose on the other.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Hiring the Best Marketing Resume Writing Service

Hiring the Best Marketing Resume Writing ServiceThe marketing resume writing service that you will be employing should be professional, aware of the latest techniques and marketing trends. It should have a good marketing profile, which will help your applicant get an instant job interview. However, hiring the wrong services from these resume writing companies may not only ruin your chances of getting an interview but also might help you lose a great deal of money as well.There are many things that you should consider while hiring a resume writing service. First of all, you should know what sort of marketing job that they specialize in. If they are used to do marketing resumes, they will need to have a better understanding of the things that you need to include in your resume.Another good thing about hiring the services of a resume writing company is that the writers are well experienced and can provide you with the best results. You should ensure that you have nothing to hide in your resume and should never mind regarding the fact that you do not know the technicalities of writing resume. It is always important to leave yourself all the room in your resume to speak out and make your own ideas more visible.There are different types of resume writing services available online and it is important to choose the best one among them. You should never hire a service that makes you think that the work is complicated, that it will take a long time to finish the project and you will spend too much money for such an expensive service. A resume writing service that is professional and has a good reputation will ensure that the resume that you write will help you get the interview that you deserve.To avoid making the mistake of hiring a wrong resume writing service, you should carefully choose the company that you would like to use. A good resume writing service is an added advantage to your job search and it is always advisable to give some amount of consideration to the o ptions that are available in this business. To choose the best resume writing service, you should read reviews and select one that can guarantee your satisfaction.If you want to start with a small project, you will not be required to pay too much attention to the details. In order to get a faster result, you will have to pay more attention to the details in your resume. Try to make a resume that will give you the results that you want without any sort of problems. With the resume writing service that you chose, you should ask your colleagues for some feedback.The best thing about a resume writing service is that you can work according to your convenience. This is why you should consider hiring the services of a marketing resume writing service that is easily accessible. Some of the factors that you should look for when choosing a resume writing service include; affordability, how easy it is to access the writing service, the number of people who work with them and the number of writ ers that they have. If you are not able to get a decent result from the resume that you have written, you should reconsider the services that you had taken.A resume writing service can be a great help if you are not very skilled at writing a resume. However, the success of your resume will not depend on the quality of the resume but on the way you managed to convey your ideas to the reader.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Top 5 reasons to celebrate mistakes at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Top 5 reasons to celebrate mistakes at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh recently tweeted this: ?$1.6 million mistake on sister site @6pm.com. I guess that means no ice cream for me tonight. Details: http://bit.ly/blfLnF? Apparently an employee had made a mistake while updating the prices on the web site, which meant that for a whole day, no item could cost more than $49.95. Some of their items cost a lot more. Ouch! Now what do you do? In many organizations a mistake like this would be the starting point for a witch hunt. Who is responsible? How did they screw up? What would be an appropriate punishment? But this is not how they do business at Zappos. At the link above, Tony Hsieh writes: To those of you asking if anybody was fired, the answer is no, nobody was fired this was a learning experience for all of us. Even though our terms and conditions state that we do not need to fulfill orders that are placed due to pricing mistakes, and even though this mistake cost us over $1.6 million, we felt that the right thing to do for our customers was to eat the loss and fulfill all the orders that had been placed before we discovered the problem. PS: To put an end to any further speculation about my tweet, I will also confirm that I did not, in fact, eat any ice cream on Sunday night. This is not soft or wishy-washy, itis a great way to handle mistakes in a business. Rather than stigmatizing failure, we should acknowledge and even celebrate it. Yes, thats right, I said celebrate our mistakes. Ive long argued that we should celebrate success at work, but we should also celebrate mistakes, failure and fiascoes. Here are the top 5 reasons why this is a good idea. 1: When you celebrate mistakes, you learn more from the mistakes you make In one company, the CEO was told by a trembling employee, that the company website was down. This was a big deal this company made most of its sales online, and downtime cost them thousands of dollars an hour. The CEO asked what had happened, and was told that John in IT had bungled a system backup, and caused the problem. Well, then, says the CEO Lets go see John! When the CEO walked into the IT department everyone went quiet. They had a pretty good idea what wass coming, and were sure it wouldnt be pretty. The CEO walks up to Johns desk and asks You John? Yes he says meekly. John, says the CEO, I want to thank you for finding this weakness in our system. Thanks to your actions, we can now learn from this, and fix the system, so something like this cant happen in the future. Good work! Then he left a visibly baffled John and an astounded IT department. That particular mistake never happened again. When we can openly admit to screwing up without fear of reprisals, were more likely to fess up and learn from our mistakes. 2: You dont have to waste time on CYA (Cover Your Ass) Huge amounts of time and energy can be wasted in organizations on explaining why the mistakes that do happen are not my fault. This is pointless. 3: When mistakes are celebrated, you strengthen creativity and innovation Randy Pausch, was a college professor who became famous after giving his last lecture when hed been diagnosed with terminal cancer. In his classes, Pausch would give out an award called The First Penguin to the team that took the greatest risk and failed. The award is inspired by that one penguin out of a whole flock up on dry land who is the first to jump in the water, knowing full well that there may be predators just below the surface. That penguin runs a risk but if no one jumps in first, the whole flock will starve on land. And check out this sign that hangs in the offices of Menlo Innovations, an IT company in Ann Arbor, Michigan: Yep, it says Make mistakes faster. They know that mistakes are an integral part of doing anything cool and interesting and the sooner you can screw up, the sooner you can learn and move on. 4: Failure often opens new doors Also, failure is often the path to new, exciting opportunities that wouldn?t have appeared otherwise. Closing your eyes to failure means closing your eyes to these opportunities. Just to give you one example: Robert Redford was once an oil worker and not a very good one. He once fell asleep inside an oil tank he was supposed to clean. But failing at that, opened his way to movie stardom. 5: When you celebrate mistakes, you make fewer mistakes I know that a lot of people stick to the old saw Failure is not an option. But guess, what no matter how many times you repeat this maxim, failure remains an option. Closing your eyes to this fact only makes you more likely to fail. Putting pressure on people to always succeed makes mistakes more likely because: People who work under pressure are less effective People resist reporting bad news People close their eyes to signs of trouble This is especially true when it?s backed up with punishment of those who make mistakes. The upshot Peter Drucker provocatively suggested that businesses should find all the employees who never make mistakes and fire them, because employees who never make mistakes never do anything interesting. Admitting that mistakes happen and celebrating them when they do, makes mistakes less likely. James Dyson says this: I made 5127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right. There were 5126 failures. But I learned from each one. That?s how I came up with a solution. So I don?t mind failure. I?ve always thought that schoolchildren should be marked by the number of failures they?ve had. The child who tries strange things and experiences lots of failures to get there is probably more creative? We?re taught to do things the right way. But if you want to discover something that other people haven?t, you need to do things the wrong way. Initiate a failure by doing something that?s very silly, unthinkable, naughty, dangerous. Watching why that fails can take you on a completely different path. It?s exciting, actually. So my challenge to you is to start celebrating your failures. Next time you or someone on your team messes up, admit it, celebrate it and learn from it. Tackle the situation with humor (as Tony Hsieh did) rather than with fear and shame. Your take How does your workplace handle mistakes? Is it more like a celebration or a witch hunt? What has been your most spectacular screw-up at work so far? How did you handle it and what did you learn from it? Please write a comment, Id like to hear your take. Related posts Create a culture of forgiveness in the workplace Quote: You have to honor failure Top 5 Business Maxims that need to go Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Friday, May 8, 2020

Dont buy the happiness hype - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Dont buy the happiness hype - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I got this comment last week on my post on how to find a job youll love: My advice, find a job that pays well, stay there and make your life outside work worth it. Don?t believe the hype about getting your degree and living a great life with a job you love. I tried it and now I?m going to lose my house, my car and probably my family cause I can?t find work. Theres something to this. Making happiness one of the primary goals of your career and work life carries a cost. It may make finding a new job harder, because you cant just take any job out there. It means taking action and working to improve you job if youre not happy. It may even mean having to leave a workplace because you realize that you will never be happy there no matter how hard you try. This is why I never tell people to put happiness first. I ask them to consider making that choice and making it with open eyes. However, the simple counter-argument to the comment above is this: People who hate their jobs get fired all the time too. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related