Seven Ways to Build Your Resume This Summer

Seven Ways to Build Your Resume This SummerSeven Ways to Build Your Resume This SummerSummer is almost over, and youre starting to plan your return to school, but you still havent found a job. Before the days get colder and the leaves begin to fall, here are a few ways to add value to your resume without a job.BabysittingWant to make some money while still building that resume? Try becoming a babysitter, nanny or mothers helper for the remainder of your summer vacation. While these may bedrngnis seem like traditional jobs, you can gain a number of valuable career skills by taking over the care of someone elses little ones. Caregivers are constantly called upon to demonstrate responsibility and reliability, two skills that are imperative in the workforce. Through the management of young children youll likely learn the art of patience as wellTutoringThere is almost no better way to prove subject mastery and leadership than through tutoring. Perhaps youre a great writer or very skilled at geometry. If you can, try to pick a discipline that you think lends itself to your chosen vocation. By teaching others what youve already grasped, your resume will prove to future employers that youre a self-starting leader who can support the development and growth of others, which are great management skills.VolunteeringYour resume doesnt need to only feature jobs that you were paid for. In fact, taking the summer to give back to your community or to a specific cause that resonates with you is not only admirable but also shows great leadership. When looking at volunteer opportunities, try searching for programmatic roles that allow you to take ownership of a specific project. This will not only highlight your global awareness but also build and develop your project management skills for future opportunities.BloggingFeeling creative? Try to pick a theme in line with your interests and start a blog. This medium will highlight your unique thoughts, experiences and creativity. It i s also an excellent way to help your name and personal brand become more approachable and discoverable online. Your resume will now show your unique perspective on a subject that interests you. This is particularly helpful for those exploring a career where creativity or writing are needed (marketing, business, design and many more).LearningThis is purposefully vague. Have you put off learning how to code, taking that class in Italian or attending a leadership conference? Now is the time to make a list of all of the skills and subjects you want to learn and to try to tackle a few. Whether you choose to learn how to code in C++ or work on your public speaking skills, taking the initiative to learn is always a desired trait in an employee. Your insatiable quest for knowledge will show prospective employers that youre not one to sit back and be complacent.TravelingPlease, take a vacation. Go somewhere new. If you can afford to leave the country and take that trip to Southeast Asia, do it. If not, take a road trip to your states capital or even the mountains for a camping trip. Traveling can be an underestimated experience. Traveling shows a natural curiosity and can even demonstrate adaptability. These are two skills that can help employees shine in any job. If you can travel to a new place and adapt, employers are going to feel comfortable relying on you in any situation.If you havent found that perfect summer job, dont worry. There are still plenty of opportunities for you to grow and develop. Best of luck and dont forget to enjoy the months off.

4 Work-Life Balance Tips To Keep Your Stress In Check

4 Work-Life Balance Tips To Keep Your Stress In Check 4 Work-Life Balance Tips To Keep Your Stress In Check Weve all been there thats why its so important to unwind at the end of the day. Heres some tips to help you make the most of your down time and keep balance in your life.Dont take your work home with you Constantly checking your email and cell phone for updates while youre at home? Your intentions might be noble, but your work ethic is unsustainable and youll eventually find yourself burned out. Even the most inherently demanding careers need to have some breathing room. Set some personal time aside and do something you love. Immerse yourself in anything fun and youll find yourself in a state of zen-like calm when its time to get back to business. The Blackberry is the primary culprit be koranvers to shelve it as you walk in the door. Take it out only at proscribed times. (By the way, make it a family affair no one should be texting at the dinner table.)Make a date Friends a nd family are important too, you know. Even if youre tired at the end of the day, force yourself to go out and socialize. Stimulate your mind with casual conversation and a couple of drinks over dinner youll find yourself refreshed from the easy going atmosphere and ready to take on the next work day. Since were all so used to scheduling our days, its easy to forget to do things spontaneously. So dont force yourself to be spontaneous to have a good time use your calendar just like you do for business. Get your friends time on your calendar and plan out casual and social time just like you would for work.Exercise often Living in front of the computer screen? No wonder you feel stressed. Find at least 30 minutes a day to get up and move around. Regular exercise will boost your mood and help you get in shape. Your body will naturally release stress relieving endorphins while you work out, helping you feel better, and helping you look better. And that will get anyone motivated If you c ant make it to the gym, just use the time you have. Walk up the stairs, take a walk for lunch, and find the active activities that you enjoy most.Take a vacation Plan ahead and make it happen. You could use a break. There is no better way to reset your stress than a long deserved vacation. Turn off your phone and live a little isnt that why youre working anyway? Only in America do people not take vacation, and dont set that expectation with your manager. Be sure to schedule vacations long in advance, and use every day that you get. If you plan ahead with your team and set the expectation that its a real vacation instead of a working vacation, there shouldnt be any problems. If taking a real vacation, even when planned and scheduled, isnt ok with your current employer, it might be time to get a new one.Navigating the delicate work-life balance can be a challenging ordeal. Often times the finer things in life are overshadowed by the pressing realities of a career. But if we step back from the work and reflect on our personal life, we just might find the energy to manage both, and reinvigorate our passion to keep at it. Remember that every way in which you improve yourself also improves your career. A sense of balance and enjoyment about life is not only necessary to your health, its the only way to perform well long term in your career.

10 Reasons Your Resume Isnt Getting You Interviews

10 Reasons Your Resume Isnt Getting You Interviews10 Reasons Your Resume Isnt Getting You InterviewsIf youre sending out lots of resumes without getting many calls for interviews, its time to conclude that your resume isnt doing its job. If youre like most people, youre making at least a few of these mistakes- which will put your resume promptly in the no pile.1. Its generic. If your resume reads just like dozens of other candidates, no employer is going to call you. Your resume needs to convey that youre an exceptional candidate, not just an average one whos no different from other applicants. Which leads us to2. It just lists duties and responsibilities, not accomplishments. In a job market thats flooded with candidates, a resume that reads like a series of job descriptions wont excite a hiring manager. What will excite a hiring manager is a resume that shows a track record of achievement, so you need to list specific accomplishments, not just duties.3. Its full of dense paragraphs rather than bulleted lists. Employers will only skim your resume anfangsbuchstabely, not read it word-for-word, and large blocks of text are hard to skim. An employer will take in more information about you if you use simple bulleted points.4. It leads with your education, even though youve been out of school for more than a few years. Generally, your education should go beneath your work experience, because employers are most interested in what work experience youve had. Leading with your education just buries what will make you most attractive to an employer.5. It doesnt include the dates of employment for each job youve held. Employers want to know how long you were at each job and when. Resumes without clear dates are an immediate red flag that make hiring managers suspect youre hiding something.6. It wastes space on things that are irrelevant, like descriptions of your employers business. Some candidates devote two to three lines per job to describing the employer itself- its size and the nature of its business. Hiring managers might want that information when you move to the interview stage, but your resume isnt the place for it. Your resume should focus on you and you alone.7. Its not specific. Employers want concrete specifics. Its not enough to say that you revitalized a department or publicized a program. What exactly did you do and what did it result in?8. It includes everything youve ever done, rather than just the highlights. The longer your resume is, the less likely an employer is to see the parts you want them to see. The initial scan of your resume is about 20 seconds- do you want that divided among three pages, or do you want it focused on the most important things you want to convey? Short and concise means that employers are more likely to read the parts you most care about.9. It includes irrelevant details, such as your age or your childrens names. Yes, people really do this. Employers dont care about these details, and including them wil l come across as naive and unprofessional.10. It describes you in subjective terms. Your resume is for experience and accomplishments only. Its not the place for subjective traits, like great leadership skills, strong writer, or creative innovator. Hiring managers generally ignore anything subjective that an applicant writes about herself, because so many peoples self-assessments are wildly inaccurate theyre looking for provable facts. If you have those traits, list the accomplishments that demonstrate them instead.Alison Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues. Shes also the co-author of Managing to Change the World The Nonprofit Managers Guide to Getting Results, and former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development.

Why LinkedIn Is Good for Networking and Job Hunting

Why LinkedIn Is Good for Networking and Job HuntingWhy LinkedIn Is Good for Networking and Job HuntingLinkedIn is the largest professional networking site available today used by those on the low end of the business totem pole all the up to CEOs of international conglomerates. LinkedIn provides a way to connect with other professionals and will help you stay in contact with millions of users. LinkedIn is strictly used for exchanging knowledge, ideas, and employment opportunities and has increasingly become a leading tool for helping individuals expand their networks as well as a way to find jobs in their field. What Should Be on My LinkedIn Profile? LinkedIn is a professional way to promote your personal brand online. LinkedIn is usually one of the first websites to show up in search engine results and is, therefore, a great tool to establish your online presence and connect with professionals. Think of LinkedIn as a more dynamic and visual version of your resume. You can include traditional professional information, such as your education, expected graduation date, work experience, college awards, clubs, and hobbies. But rather than just listing this information, LinkedIn allows you to expand on each point. You can share projects you are particularly proud of, such as a PowerPoint restoration presentation that you did for your architectural design class or a brochure you designed for the non-profit where you volunteer. You can also include a headshot though it should not be a selfie or other kind of casual image. You want to present yourself as polished, professional and you should dress the way you would for a job interview. One of the best features of LinkedIn is the ability to include references and recommendations. If you have past professors or managers who appreciated your work, you can request that they submit a recommendation, which will show up on your profile for prospective employers to see. If you do this, be sure to have each reference say so mething different about your skills and work ethic. LinkedIn Groups LinkedIn also has thousands of groups related to virtually every industry and niche you could think of. You can find like-minded professionals in your area who participate in unterstellung groups. They often discuss the latest trends in the business, post advice, and share job postings. Joining and getting involved with these groups is a great way to expand your professional network. Job Hunting with LinkedIn LinkedIn has a powerful job listing section as well. Unlike other sites, listing a job on LinkedIn requires a fee, but that does eliminate the scam jobs so its worth it. LinkedIn also makes it easy to research the company youre interested in, other staff members, and the job description youre applying for is usually described in-depth. You can even connect online with the hiring manager to discuss the role via LinkedIns InMail service (although the site only allows for five free InMail messages- after t hat, you need to purchase a premium version which costs $30 a month. While LinkedIn can beessentialforstudents looking for an internship, or a first job, remember that LinkedIn is for professionals and you must maintain a professional presence in all of your interactions, posts, and photos- this is not Twitter where people often vent their frustrations or discuss their political views. When used thoughtfully, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for your job search. The Pulse Articles Section LinkedIn also has something called The Pulse, a section where people can post articles. Many of these are from industry leaders, but budding professionals can also post content. Articles often include tips on how to manage productivity and news about industry trends and changing business models. Engaging with authors and posting your own content is a useful way to build your network and get your name recognized in the industry.

How to Ace Your Next Interview

How to Ace Your Next InterviewHow to Ace Your Next Interview The Best (And Worst) Ways to Find a Job Interviews are one of the hardest parts of the job search process.Youre trying to make a great first impression, youre meeting with complete strangers, you want to do and say the right things, and at the same time, you are trying to evaluate the company to see if its a right fit for you. All of this can be overwhelming.Glassdoor teamed up with career coach and founder/CEO of WorkItDaily.com , J.T. ODonnell on an eLearning series designed to prepare you to ace your next job bewerberinterview . Whether you are a seasoned pro, a career transitioner or a recent grad entering the job market, you will benefit from the advice and insights shared in this series. Using real examples, tried-and-tested methods, plus feedback from candidates who have interviewed at companies like Target, Bain & Company, Facebook and more, we are aiming to make you the most informed candidate interviewing for ajob that fits your life.One of the takeaways is that interviewers will ask for anecdotes that demonstrate qualities essential for the job youre interviewing for, so prepare to provide anecdotes for prompts like these1. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.Always talk about an accomplishment that displays skills that are required by the job you are interviewing for.2. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.Choose a mistake from the beginning of your career that led to an important lesson being learned and useful experience being gained.3. Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.Make sure not to cast blame on others for and focus on the solution you provided.4. Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.First, define what was required of you and then define how you went beyond these requirements.5. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.Blaming or bad-mouthing isnt the right route to take. Focus on how you worked together with your boss to move past the disagreement and reach an understanding.6. What are some of your leadership experiences?Dont get caught up in just listing every leadership role youve ever had - think about the ones where you truly made a difference.

Finding the Best Skills to Put on a Resume

Finding the Best Skills to Put on a Resume Showing you have an understanding of what the organisation would like to achieve through its goods and services, and the way it competes in its marketplace. Its also wise to check their social networking pages and take note if theyre frequently citing specific hard and soft skills that are desired by the business. As being one of the absolute most important section of your resume, the skills section will want to get included all of the time on top of your resume. Your skills section stipulates a window into how much capability youll be able to bring to the firm. This cover letter for CMA Resume will support you in your job application procedure. Dont forget that your resume is your very first line of defense in regards to landing your ideal job. If youre interested in submitting an application for a particular job, review the post carefully and pay attention to the list of skill requirements. If a candidate desires a bit mora training to develop into fluent with a corporations proprietary software but has the necessary soft skills to be a flawless fit with the remainder of his team, the business is more inclined to hire that person instead of someone who already knows the software but comes across as difficult to cope with. The Most Popular Skills to Put on a Resume If youre hired to carry out certain tasks then you ought to have the skills. There are a couple of distinct varieties of skill sections and formatting options which you need to think about when crafting your resume. In the event the skills are of a specific type, they may be bulleted or separated with commas. Although constructing the very best account, remember to keep enhancing it. Read through it a couple of occasions and youll probably spot three or four important skills mentioned repeatedly throughout the document. Most receive on-the-job training, which normally lasts a couple of days to a couple of months. Tomorrows workers have to be well-equipped to juggle many tasks. Before you choose the right format, it is very important to appear thorough the college resume examples readily available online. It is crucial to demonstrate to prospective employers youve effective time management and personal organisational skills. Any job you apply for will call for interpersonal skills of some sort. You should simply put the correct skills on you job application when replying to a particular job posting. To begin with, you must customer the very best skills for your resume. As you proceed through the list of skills above, make a distinct list with the skills which you already possess. Make certain you list your relevant abilities and any certifications you might have, like your skills to devote a resume Handlers card. Only thing you may do is to boost your communication abilities. Based on the career sector and profession you opt to work in, there may be quite specific abilities, abilities and knowledge required to d o the job. Instead, you ought to showcase your soft skills by making an achievement-oriented expert experience section. Hard skills have a tendency to be more technical, and each business or sort of job will often have its personal essential set. Finding the applicants with the skills, education, and experience to fill the position is critical, yet to find truly great employees who will grow to be part of your business and help build it you will need to check beyond that baseline. If you are in possession of a bad typing speed, remember not to earn a mention of it and jeopardize your odds of locating the job. Irrespective of where you include your skills section on your resume, you can be aya that the hiring manager is likely to find it and definitely likely to ask about doing it. If youre selected, you must work in a team. You wish to promote yourself to the hiring manager so he or she is able to easily see all the means by which youd support clients and donate to the business s mission. A hiring manager will be searching for skills which are the absolute most relevant to the job available. Theres nothing to say Im likely to find the job or even an interview clearly, just curious. If you are aware of how to code but you doesnt find out how to approach an issue, then you may not have the ability to crack the interview. While hard skills are what earn someone the opportunity with an interview, the intention of the interview is usually not to test those hard skills. Prepare a minumum of one brief story during which you demonstrated every one of the top five skills given below.

Hire Top Talent on a Dime With This Expert Hiring Strategy

Hire Top Talent on a Dime With This Expert Hiring StrategyA remarkable 77 percent of rapidly growing companies plan to increase their staff by 25 percent in the coming year, according to research for a recent report done by ur team here at Spark Hire. With such a high rate of growth anticipated, companies must be strategizing around large hiring budgets, right? Not necessarily. Actually, only 16 percent of rapidly growing companies said theyre increasing hiring due to the lower taxes they expect to pay this year. Even without new money, companies are finding ways to create a competitive and dynamic hiring strategy. We spoke to a few experts who are attracting and hiring the best talent for their teams without breaking the bank. Heres what they had to say 1. Show off opportunities that make a difference.Most of our hiring strategy efforts are focused on recruiting young people. The most important thing that small businesses have to offer millennials is that every employee has the pote ntial to make a difference. When you are in a small company, your efforts and accomplishments have an excellent chance of being recognized. You are never more than a couple levels away from the decision-maker.Additionally, the flexibility that we can offer as a small company is practically undefeatable. We currently have 30 people working remotely and have a policy of working from home on Fridays. Weve also tried to make our structures more flexible so that every employee has direct contact with senior management. Even I, personally, have participated in many interviews to show our candidates the growth opportunities that our company offers.Sophie Miles, CEO of QuotesAdvisor.comShow younger talent they have a chance to make a big difference in your smallbusiness. recruitingClick To Tweet2. Provoke greatness.Recruiting people simply means, You gave me a job. Getting people into the job only fills the fleck until something better, closer to home, and more challenging comes along. The goal should be provoking greatnessProvoking greatness requires a culture of passionate employees who are eager to go the extra mile and radiate a sense of joy (not indifference) in their job. So, one rapidly-growing, Baltimore-based company put a stop to all talent acquisition, brought the executive team and, ultimately, the whole company together to get clear on their collective vision and values. They identified the kind of person who fits best into the culture and then asked the entire team to refer that kind of people. Each time a new hire was made, the person who made the referral got a cash bonus, along with bragging rights.Misti Burmeister, Author and Chief ProvokerProvoking greatness requires a culture of passionate employees. talentacquisition mistiburmeisterClick To Tweet3. Offer out-of-the-box perks.A unique perk we offer to all of our current or future employees is a music room. Playing an instrument has been scientifically proven to engage practically every area of the brain at once, especially the visual, auditory, and motor cortices.The brain is a muscle and learning and playing music is like a full body workout. It strengthens those brain functions, allowing us to apply that strength to other activities like productivity. This has helped us hire talent that is above our pay scale. Its something fun that is not offered in larger corporations we are competing against. Gene Caballero, Co-Founder and CEO of GreenPalFind unique perks that get candidates excited about your career opportunities. gene_caballeroClick To TweetHow do you build an efficient hiring strategy without breaking the bank? Let us know

3 leadership lessons can we take away from the downfall of Theranos

3 leadership lessons can we take away from the downfall of Theranos3 leadership lessons can we take away from the downfall of TheranosTheranos was a company positioned to revolutionize blood testing. Just a few short years ago, the company was hailed as Silicon Valleys next great unicorn. Investors valued it at $9 billion, making Theranos founder and CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, the youngest woman self-made billionaire, at least on paper.Holmes image blanketed the cover of major geschftsleben magazines where she often sported her trademark Steve Jobs turtleneck, evoking comparisons between the two leaders. Apparently, they also had a shared love of secrecy.Weeks ago Theranos quietly announced that it was shutting down its operations and Holmes is facing criminal fraud charges along with another key executive. Shes accused of defrauding investors, doctors and patients and is barred from serving as an officer or director of a publicly traded company for the next decade.So, what happened?How did a company that raised more than $700 million, with promises to revolutionize blood-tests by using just a few drops of blood, fall so spectacularly from grace?There is a lot to the story, which has been covered in the bestselling bookBad Blood, however here is the very high level version.As Theranos progressed from concept to reality, the technology didnt work as planned. Instead of coming clean, Theranos leadership, led by Holmes, chose to exaggerate and outright lie about the technology. This included running their blood test on traditional equipment, claiming it had been done on their machine.Theranos story is almost identical to the circumstances that led to theVolkswagens diesel engine scandal.Was it massive hubris? A crippling fear of failure? Deliberate deception?Perhaps well never know the underlying why behind it all, but we can take away a few leadership lessons from it beyond the obvious issue of Holmes integrity.1. Dont over promise and under deliverOver-promising i s something of an occupational hazard for leaders of fast-growing companies. While a promise of great things is by no means terrible, its the under-delivering part that is problematic. Once a promise is on the table, it creates serious pressure to meet goals, potentially unrealistic ones. Thats the danger zone.Before long, poor choices are being made as are claims that border on fiction. The line between aspirational thinking and truth begins to blur. By all means, set big, hairy, audacious goals. Just make sure to keep a sharp eye on progress and keep yur ego in check if outcomes arent as audacious as you had hoped.In high pressure situations, its all too easy to get caught up in our own vision however blurry and tweak the facts to support our goals.2. Trust but verifyIts amazing how many smart people will jump on a bandwagon just because its full of other smart people. Theranos had no shortage of star power. Both Secretary of Defense, James Mattis and former Secretary of State, H enry Kissinger, served on its board. But did they or any other powerhouses independently corroborate the companys claims before joining up? Apparently not. Google Ventures, who passed on investing, actually sent a venture capitalist to a Theranos Walgreens Wellness Center to take the revolutionary pinprick blood test and noticed they asked for far more than a prick.In our fast-moving society,its critically important to do your own due diligence. Following the herd might get you trampled.3. Build a team of dissentersAs I mentioned in last weeks Friday Forward, Respectful Disagreement, its critical that we have people in our life and on our professional team who are willing to disagree and push back. Holmes started down a path of lying and covering up poor results without anyone willing or able to stand up and challenge her decisions. She was known for hiring people close to her and insisting on extreme secrecy and security of information.Theranos downfall is yet another example where the cover-up is worse than the crime. Holmes may not have set out to deceive, but that doesnt matter anymore. What the situation reveals is how a few seemingly little lies can quickly evolve into something much bigger, ruining careers and reputations in the process.The path of no return is one every leader should strive to veer from. But if you do find yourself on this path, remember youll be more valued and respected for taking responsibility andowning your failures.This article was originally published on Quora.com.

United States Consumer Confidence

United States Consumer ConfidenceUnited States Consumer ConfidenceUnited States Consumer Confidence07/25/2017The latest Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index was released on Tuesday, July 25 based on data collected through July 14. Consumer confidence rose to the second highest level in 16 years exceeding expectations from some economists. Americans are feeling great about the current state of the economy and mora hopeful about the future.The Index now stands at a preliminary 121.1, up 3.8 points from the downward revision of 117.3 in June reflecting improved business conditions. The overall confidence reading of 121.1 was the highest since the confidence datenbankindex hit 124.9 in March of this year and both readings were the highest since the index stood at 128.6 in December 2000.Consumer confidence increased in July following a marginal decline in June, said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. Consumers assessment of current conditions remai ned at a 16-year high (July 2001, 151.3) and their expectations for the short-term outlook improved somewhat after cooling last month. Overall, consumers foresee the current economic expansion continuing well into the second half of this year.Americans assessment of the labor market improved. Those surveyed stating jobs are plentiful rose from 32.0 percent to 34.1 percent while persons claiming jobs are hard to get decreased slightly from 18.4 percent to 18.0 percent.The outlook for the labor market also improved. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead was unchanged at 19.2 percent, but those anticipating fewer jobs decreased from 14.6 percent to 13.3 percent.Consumer confidence for August 2017 will be released on Tuesday, August 29, 2017.Consumer confidence is a key measure of consumers attitudes. The survey, a closely followed barometer of consumer attitudes, measures confidence toward business conditions, short-term outlook, personal finances and jobs. In other wo rds it measures the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation. If consumer confidence is high, consumers are more likely to make purchases. Vice-versa, if consumer confidence is low, consumers are more likely to save and spend less.

13 Best Companies for New Parents to Work

13 Best Companies for New Parents to Work13 Best Companies for New Parents to Work13 Best Companies for New Parents to WorkBalance work and family life like a boss - with the help of the right employer.Is this the year that you take on your most challenging, yet rewarding, job to date? Parenting that is. If youre thinking of becoming a parent, its important to know your companys policies in regards to parents. Does your employer offer paid maternity and paternity leave? If so, how much leave do they provide? What other programs or policies does your company have in place to help working parents?Paid maternity and paternity leave is about mora than just getting a break from your job for a few weeks. Its been proven that significant paid leave leads to healthier babies and happier parents. Postpartum depression increases when the mother receives less than 12 weeks of maternity leave or eight weeks paid leave.When it comes to supporting parents in the workplace, not all companies are e qual. Out of 196 countries in the world, there are only four that do not have federally mandated maternity leave policies. Unfortunately, the United States is one of them. While there are many countries that are far ahead of the U.S. when it comes to supporting parents in the workplace, you may not be ready to move abroad to start your family.That means youll want to find a great company right here in the United States.The good news is that there are companies that are taking it upon themselves to be proactive in the arena of supporting new parents in the workplace. Here are 13 of the best companies to work for if you plan on starting your family.A.T. KearneyHow does a year off with partial pay sound for a maternity or paternity leave? A.T. Kearney offers that to new parents (birth or adopted), plus the vorkaufsrecht to come back as part-time for the next year as a part of its Pathway for Parents program. The company also offers free family counseling and resources for caregivers an d educational assistance. On top of that, it is a very work-from-home friendly workplace, which helps its employees maintain a better work-life balance. IKEAIKEA is now offering up to four months leave for new parents. The best part of the policy is that its applicable to both mothers and fathers as well as adoptive and foster parents. The maternity and paternity leave policy works for both salaried and hourly employees. Its rare to see such progressive parental policies in the retail sector. On top of that, IKEA employees get a 15 percent discount, so you can save money while setting up that new nursery.SpotifyThis music streaming company is a hit with new parents. Spotify offers six months of paid leave to both mothers and fathers, regardless of their country. Flexible work arrangements and part-time return options also boost this already generous policy for working parents. Not surprisingly, Spotify stems from Sweden, where such policies are much mora commonplace.EtsyEtsy maintai ns a very inclusive parental leave policy. It offers a generous 26 weeks of 100 percent paid leave for all employees, regardless of gender or country of residence. It also does not discriminate against surrogates, adoptions, or other means of becoming new parents. The time off can be taken over the course of the first two years of the newborns life.AdobeAdobe also offers 26 weeks of maternity leave, but only 16 weeks for a paternity leave. While it may not be as impressive as Etsys policy, its still well ahead of the curve in accommodating working parents. Both birth and adoptive parents are titelblatted in the maternity leave.Johnson JohnsonWho knows babies like the people who make your favorite baby shampoo and baby powder? Johnson Johnson offers 17 weeks leave to new mothers and nine weeks to new fathers. Its policies cover all forms of new parents including adoptive and same sex. The time off can be spread out over the first year to help balance work and life while adjusting t o the new family dynamic.FacebookThe social networking giant dishes out 17 weeks for mothers and fathers that can be split up over the first year. The company wants to make sure you have enough time to post all those new baby pictures to Facebook. On top of that, new parents get $4,000 of baby cash for each baby born to help with some of those early bills. Facebook also subsidizes a number of programs to help with adoption, child care, and even egg freezing.TwitterNot to be left behind in the social media realm, Twitter dishes out 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave regardless of gender or birthing means. This new policy was established in 2016 to help even the score between moms and dads and create happier families and employees. Isnt that progressive?AmazonNew mothers can get 20 weeks of paid maternity leave from Amazon. Other parents (fathers and same-sex partners) only receive six weeks of paid leave. One interesting touch is that parents who work at Amazon can share up to six weeks of their leave with a partner who works at a company where there is no parental leave offered. Once the mother or primary caregiver is ready to head back to work, they can take advantage of the Ramp Back program, which offers eight weeks of flexible time as they get re-adjusted.NetflixNetflix offers new parents a full year of unlimited paid leave. The parent has the option to take the full year, work part time, or go back to work for a while and then take more leave within that year. The policy includes both salaried and hourly workers. To make it even better, Netflix offers unlimited vacation time.CitiAs of 2017, Citi has upped its maternal leave to 16 weeks. The banking giant also offers eight weeks for a second parent. These are upgraded from 13 and two. Not enough? How about an additional 10 weeks of protected unpaid leave within the first year? Thats a total of 26 weeks possible for a new mother. Parents can also take advantage of benefits offered by the Bright Horizons Care Advantage program.GoogleNever one to be left behind, Google offers 18 weeks paid leave for biological mothers and bumps that up to 22 weeks for mothers who experience difficulties during childbirth. Other primary caregivers can get up to 12 weeks of leave while secondary caregivers get up to seven. New parents are also given $500 worth of baby bonding bucks and priority placement at Bright Horizon child care centers.MicrosoftMicrosoft offers 20 weeks paid leave for birth mothers and 12 weeks for other new parents. New mothers also have the option to take 2 weeks of short term disability during the time leading up to their due date.These are by no means the only companies out there that are offering great benefits to new parents, but they are some of the most widely recognized. If trends continue, this list could continue to grow each year.While parental leave policies are not the only reason to choose an employer, with so many companies in the U.S. offering very little or even no perks at all for new parents, its worth noting. If youre planning on starting a family in the next year or two, it may be worth brushing up that resume and applying to one of these progressive companies to balance your work and family life.Click on the following link for more advice on work-life balance.The perfect job starts with the perfect resume. Submit yours for a free resume review.Recommended Reading10 of the Most Mom-Friendly WorkplacesLeadership Lessons From Kid PresidentThe vergammeln Fathers Guide to a Work-Life Balance