Many employers feel that a higher level of formal education provides an easily applicable screening criterion that helps weed out unqualified job applicants. In fact, CareerBuilder found that requirements for formal education have gone up in 38 percent of companies over the last five years, and 41 percent now require new hires to have a college education for positions that previously required only a high school degree. Having a degree feels familiar to the people in HR, but they are less likely to be familiar with nontraditional means of education and skill development....

I’m here to tell you it just doesn’t matter. What we define as “critical thinking” isn’t what makes a business grow and thrive. Critical thinking – as most see it – comes from a space of finding every reason that something won’t work; we spend so much time being negative it’s no wonder companies struggle. I’ll redefine the term with a better framework so critical thinking can move into the modern age....

But why? Google Hangouts is easily one of the more popular means of communicating for individuals outside of the workforce, and users had rarely raised issues concerning its functionality. So what spurred this move by Google? Well, let’s take a deeper dive into what they might be thinking. In 2013 though, Google Hangouts launched at the Google I/O event- though it came without any announcement to shutdown Google Talk (until 2015) and eventually Google+ (earlier this year)....

Jess Knox, founder of Maine Startup and Create Week and cofounder of Startup Portland and Venture Hall, is a force in the Portland, Maine scene and is making moves to grow entrepreneurship. In this interview with #StartupsEverywhere, he discusses the latest from Venture Hall, inputs that have help the community grow and what is next for Portland. I’m the Founder of Maine Startup and Create Week, cofounder of Startup Portland and Venture Hall, and the Director of Maine Accelerates Growth....

In the U.S., “networking” has a mixed connotation (at least to me it does). Indeed, for many, the word conjures images of large, impersonal conference centers, unwieldy client management software and pesky emails. However, as my experience in Brazil taught me, networking — when viewed as relationship building — can be an incredibly valuable personal and business skill. We just need to change the way we think about it....

These professionals bring to the table an extensive background in finance, accounting, ethics, and corporate structure. They help businesses prioritize tasks and uncover low-cost solutions to existing problems. Following are some of the reasons why your business needs the expertise of a business analyst. Deciphering Financial Statements and Formulas If you’re currently unfamiliar with basic business formulas, acquaint yourself with return on investment (ROI) and net income equations. These two formulas determine the basic value of your business....

According to those who have seen it in action, the feature also blocks anyone in that thread from retagging you once you’ve left. This new functionality gives users more control over who they allow to interact with them on the popular social media site — and is likely aimed at cutting back on the trolls and harassment that Twitter has a reputation for. How it Works This is not an official update: The evidence for this new feature is a screenshot of a “Leave Conversation” feature beta-test explanation card that researcher Jane Manchun Wong posted to Twitter last Friday....

For consumers, voice-related search tools like Google Now and Siri, to name a few, have become more and more important in their daily routine lives. Even television sets, DVD, Blu-ray disc players, and game consoles have started offering the voice command options to attract more and more consumers into buying their products. For any local organization to survive, they have to look up to using the futuristic voice-related search engine optimization as effectively as possible....

For the past few years, the buzzword for online marketing is the so-called Search Engine Optimization. The process was a bit simple. Marketers will optimize the client’s site to achieve greater campaign outcome. They, they will assign specific keywords that will be used for the whole SEO campaign. Add in a little strategy and their client’s site lands on the first page of search results. However, search engines have now become stricter when it comes to SEO....

Zoom’s meteoric rise continues to be the talk of the pandemic, with millions of users still taking advantage of the platform to conduct meetings, host shows, and safely hang out with friends and family. Given Zoom’s popularity, it was only a matter of time before early adopters of Apple’s M1 chip lineup would be in dire need during the holiday season of an update to keep the speeds fast and the features fresh....

But if 300 days of sunlight and beautiful beaches aren’t enough to lure you, Tech Cocktail caught up with a host of LA-based entrepreneurs to convince you on why Los Angeles is such an ideal location to both work and live. It’s the Epicenter of Entertainment and Media The entertainment industry brings together talent, creativity, and capital in a way that creates a one of kind atmosphere. The result is a truly unique melting pot of skills to build new products....

From task management to time management, here are 11 great apps to help you work more efficiently: Work+ One app that the FlexJobs team recently discovered is Work+. This is a great resource for remote teams to find places to work other than their home offices. It allows you to search based on needs (Wi-Fi, a table, food), and things like noise level, transportation options, and dog-friendly places. It’s a very handy app for digital nomads....

We asked twelve entrepreneurs about which new tech products or devices they’re most excited about. Take a look at their answers below and find out what entrepreneurs are saying about the latest devices: Tesla Solar Options From the solar roof tiles to the solar pods that Tesla is creating, I’m excited to see what they are doing to make us more responsible with energy and how to make it low cost....

With another National Dog Day celebrated last weekend (made known to all by social media), let’s take a look at some of the latest tech gadgets for pets as we look to bring our dogs or cats into the future while making sure they are happy and healthy. Activity & GPS Trackers for Pets Keep close tabs on your dog’s movements and exercise levels, and help retrieve your dog if they were to ever get lost, with the Whistle 3....

According to a LinkedIn survey that polled over 6,000 respondents, a full 75 percent of millennials between those ages have already suffered from a quarter life crisis. The pressures they cited as driving their anxiety — uncertainty about their career, concern about their low earning power, or simply feeling “stuck in a rut” — are unlikely to improve in 2018. And it’s not in your head: The quarter life crisis is indeed worse for this generation than for previous ones, as clinical psychologist Dr Alex Fowke has explained to Business Insider....

Companies Using Digital Signs Digital signage is becoming a notable trend in marketing. Both local and multinational companies are using digital signs to reach and engage with their customers, and if you’ve been paying attention, they’re working. Here are some case studies from companies using digital signs to boost their marketing: Westfield Shopping Centers, an Australian-based retail network, installed advertising pods in nearly 40 shopping centers throughout the country. These display systems were very compact to minimize the risk of accidents and lower energy costs....

However, it doesn’t always come naturally to everyone. Public speaking can be hard, especially when you don’t have practice or are under-prepared. Even for those who don’t excel at public speaking, there are three tools you can utilize (like this ultimate guide to public speaking) to improve your skills, and become a master at speaking to audience. Practice, Practice, Practice There is no replacement for getting out there and doing it....

1. Mobile advertising will continue to explode With more than 4.8 billion mobile devices in use around the globe – and smartphones becoming more common than toothbrushes – the adoption of mobile devices is by far the most transformative trend in advertising. Halfway through 2013, many brands reached the point where tablets and smartphones counted for more than 50% of total traffic to their sites. This really woke up marketing executives, and now more than 60% of businesses are integrating mobile into their broader marketing strategy....

How it Works The idea for the 3Doodler pen came when, Maxwell Bogue, the founder of WobbleWorks LLC, became frustrated waiting for a 3D printer to create an object. He thought, like many of us have thought, that he could just as easily draw the item rather than wait. The pen works somewhat like a hot glue gun. However, instead of extruding glue, the pen extrudes a thin stream of quick-drying plastic....

1. GunDetect Gun safety is on the minds of many people these days, so it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that some companies are hoping to use technology to prevent gunshot injuries and fatalities. GunDetect is one such business idea that looks to use a Cloud-based device to detect when a gun enters the home. The idea is that the camera used on the device will take an image, encrypt it, send it to the cloud, and determine if it is a gun or not....