How to Get a Job in Any Field By Humanizing Yourself

How to Get a Job in Any Field By Humanizing YourselfSometimes the job hunt can feel like a numbers game the average job search takes 43 days92% of recruiters use social mediathe average resume gets 6 seconds of attention. And our current obsession with data-driven decisions doesnt stop there. Were all walking, talking data points. But even though were up against numbers, dont forget that theres a menschlich element to resumes theyre written and read by humans (uh, after they make it through the automated keyword parsing systems, that is). And as such, theres a huge mental game component to resumes whos reading this, and what will make them remember me? googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) How can I present myself as a feeling, thinking, interesting part perfect for the job? Here is your guide on how to get a job by accomplish this.Pre-Game Psych Yourself UpBefore you even write your resume, its important to get yourself into shape for this me ntal game. It sounds a little goofy, I know, but the mora confident and winner-ish you feel going into the job search Olympics, the better youll feel about the whole thing. Now, you could start going to bed early and rising at 430 a.m. for sunrise jogs across town, but that kind of training isnt necessary here (unless youre applying for the actual Olympics). Its more about adjusting your mindplatzdeckchen and getting your plan in order so you can feel good about what youre sending out.Set up the game.Thinking of your job search as a game is more than just a distractionit can help you focus more on a successful outcome, believe it or not. It can be as easy as naming your goal, and setting partal rewards for making progress toward that goal (milestones). Maybe you give yourself bonus points along the way for doing well in an interview, or getting a call or schmelzglas response for a resume you submit online.Think long game, not sudden death.Think of your job search as a long process, with every step and challenge along the way as progress toward an veranstaltungual win. If your goal is to find a job within 6 months, dont get frustrated if your first few promising opportunities dont pan out. Take it as an extended training exercise, where you get to practice honing your resume and interview skills.Concentrate on the present.You cant control what happens in the future, and shouldnt dwell on what happened before. Theres only the present and what you can do in it. So while you can reflect on the past to learn from it, and think about what your goals are in the future, its most important to concentrate on your present, and what you need to be doing right now to make sure you make progress.Remember that you have choices.Part of envisioning your job search as a mental game is remembering that as a player, you have optionsplays to make, pieces to move. Nobody else is doing that for you. That puts all of the power in your hands to make this job search something that repr esents you, and your best abilities.It also helps if you feel stuck. If your career goal feels far away because youre missing something (experience, the right network, etc.), what can you do to change that in the short term? There could be many ways to get to your goal, if you keep your thinking flexible. You can take a class to get more expertise. You could start trying to link up with movers and shakers on social media, or look for special networking events in your industry. Waiting around for things to happen to you is rarely a winning strategy.Game Time Revamping Your ResumeIts time to play offense in the mental game, and that means working with your resume itself and prepping your application package. Here are 7 strategies you can use to try to reach the real person on the other end (recruiter, HR professional, hiring manager).Find a teammate.As you get started tailoring your resume for a particular job opening, try to network with someone already at the company where youre app lying. Not in, like, a creepy and ingratiating way so you can drop their anthroponym in an interview, but in a hey, Im applying to your companys marketing department and Id love to have a chat about what its like to work there way.You can also ask this person for feedback on your resumee.g. does my resume match the company culture? It may not be a lifelong friendship, but if you find someone willing to be your networking buddy, it can give you good insight into what kind of people this place hires. And if this small request for a few minutes of insight opens the door to a word in the right ear or an introduction, then you definitely owe this person a beverage of their choosing to celebrate this new friendship.Quantity in addition to quality.If you have numbers to back up any point on your resume, use them For exampleInstead of Saved the company money by switching vendorsTry Coordinated a vendor change that saved 8% on office supplies in 2015.Instead of Mentored new hiresTry Mentored 16-20 new hires per year.Instead of Organized a fundraiserTry Spearheaded an event that raised $12,000 from 250 participantsDont be afraid to be quirkywithin reason.Theres not much leeway for jokes within your resume, because you want to present yourself as a genuine, serious candidate. But you can show some of your personality if you include your interests. This can catch the readers eye, and help them set you apart in their head as they sift through candidate resumes.For example, if your skills include being a world-class fly fisherperson, add it. If you won your companys bake-off over 30 other people (true story), list it along with any other awards. Little bits like this, used sparingly, can really sparkle in an otherwise straightforward resumeand again, you want to make yourself memorable to the person reading, kind of like a mnemonic device you set off in his or her head. The pie guyI liked him could get you to the next level.Dont use fancy fonts or visual tricks.This one mig ht run counter to the kinds of psychological trickery you might expectafter all, you want to stand out, right? Red Comic Sans might be the way to do that. Except its not. For one thing, your carefully chosen visual stunnery might be for naught if your resume translates through their system as plain text. Also, you run the real risk of an eye roll and being remembered for the wrong reasons. So you should try to stand out within the system, rather than showing what a rebel you are (design-wise).Follow the Rule of Seven.Jon Youshaei of Forbes recommends adapting the old Rule of Seven marketing policy, where your customer needs to hear your product name or message seven times before it really sinks in. You can use it here to create a kind of subliminal messaging. If you go to the companys website and read its mission statement/About Us section, find buzzwords that are clearly important to the company, and use them (or variations on them) seven times in your resume. It should be done pre tty subtly, thoughyou dont want the reader to feel like he or shes just reading the same thing over and over.For example, if the company puts a high priority on its status as an innovator, make sure to sprinkle in words like changed, disrupted, modernized, etc. throughout the resume. These kinds of keywords may or may not curry favor with the automated digital reader, but the human one will likely pick up on subtle connections to the company.Align yourself with bigger brands.Name-dropping can be insufferable (as George Clooney and mentioned to me the other day) in everyday conversation, but if you use some big names in your resume, it can help increase the impressiveness factor. For example, if the last company you worked for won an award or had a major client, try to (artfully) insert that information. Arranged sponsorship from Pepsi, Foxwoods, and Toys R Us.Emphasize what you want them to see.If youre a little thin on experience but have a ton of skills, use a top-loaded skills-ba sed resume. If you want to emphasize your work with notable companies, put the experience first. If the company has a reputation for hiring grads from schools with good basketball programs, put your UConn education front and center. Theres no single format for a resumeyou find the one that works best with what youre working with and how you want to say it.Whether you do see the job application process as a data exercise (collecting all your professional data) or more of a psychological give-and-take between you and The System, you want to put in as much work as possible to get to your goal. And either way, youll want to have your end zone dance ready for when you win the game, job offer in hand.

Emotional Intelligence In The Workplace And Why It Matters

Emotional Intelligence In The Workplace And Why It Matters Emotional intelligence (EI) is becoming an increasingly desirable trait in the workplace.As work environments are drastically shifting, communication is fast paced, and markets are more global than ever, its crucial for employees and their company to have high levels ofemotional intelligence. While its understandable that emotional intelligence is helpful when dealing with customers and business partners,working with coworkersin the office is just as important. TheWorld Economic Forumprojects that emotional intelligence will be one of the top 10 needed skills for employment in 2020.First, what is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is the skill to identify and manage your own emotions as well as the emotions of others. ansicht skills include a series of five key tenets self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.Being able to read and respond to your coworkers emotional intelligence can greatly improve both communication and productivity. If you have control and stability over your own emotions, that will greatly aid communication and resolution, especiallyduring conflict. Although youll likely have a good sense of your own emotional intelligence, since self-awareness is key, you can alsotake the EI quizby Harvey Deutschendorf. He is an emotional intelligence expert, internationally published author and speaker.How can you read your coworkers emotional intelligence? Being able to see your coworkers for who they are and what they are capable of as far as emotional intelligence will help you manage your own expectations of them. A good way to tell where your coworkers are on the EI scale is to watch how they respond to different situations.1. Are they transparent?Does your coworker speak from a place of their true self, or do they put up walls? Being transparent means youre able to communicate from your heart, you have integrity, are emotionally honest, and have self -awareness of your emotions and how you fit into a situation.2. Are they emotional?Is your coworker able to manage their emotions, stay focused on the goal, and away from drama? People with high levels of emotional intelligence are able toself regulate, meaning they are able to manage their emotions and behavior for a productive outcome. The ability to maintain control over ones emotions is a huge asset to a highly productive environment. Being able to receive feedback,grow from criticism, and manage expectations all help the common goal of the project to move forward.3. Are they flexible?Is your coworker able to easily adapt when projects change and pivot on a dime? How do they handle uncertainty and unpredictable situations? Coworkers with high levels of emotional intelligence will have the skills to productively adapt and change when project directions shift, and will have the stability to remain focused and secure when situations are unsteady. The ability to skillfully navigate the choppy waters of uncertainty, especially in the work place is essential for any leadership position.4. Are they motivated?Individuals with high emotional intelligence are also motivated to do the right thing. Is your coworkeropen to feedback, or even seek it out? If so they likely possess high IE. Being motivated to improve, refine and perform at a high level are some of the benefits of having a work environment enhanced by EI employees.5. Are they empathetic?Is your coworker able to think about other team members point of view, challenges and circumstance? If so, they likely have a high level of EI. Self-awareness and empathy go hand in hand when it comes to emotional intelligence. Coworkers with high EI are able to see things from others perspective and consider those perspectives in a productive way, all the while having their own self-awareness of how they contribute to a situation.Emotional intelligence is certainly an employable skill of the future. This is a trait employe rs are going to be identifying and looking for at an increasing rate. Beyond being hirable, EI is a benefit for workplace culture especially industries where high performance and low drama are key.--Jennifer Mayer supports parents through pregnancy, birth, new parenthood and the transition back to work. Shes the founder of Baby Caravan, a birth postpartum doula agency and Baby Caravan at Work, a corporate consulting practice based in New York City. Jennifer lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women. Join us by reviewing your employer

Working At Verisign

Working At Verisign At Verisign, they know the best employees think of their career as their lifes passion. In fact, Verisigns programs and benefits support their employees pursuit of their passions.Interested in creating a place for yourself at Verisign?If yes, then click here to see all of their available opportunities, and dont forget to press Follow to receive custom job matches, event invitations and more One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help t o reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard geschftliches miteinander Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the tot al 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive neuerung and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.

How to Welcome and Onboard a New Employee

How to Welcome and Onboard a New EmployeeHow to Welcome and Onboard a New EmployeeWelcoming a new employee is more than making a company announcement and a babo assignment. Welcoming a new employee, to give the new employee the best possibility of integrating successfully in your company, requires a series of steps that start after your job offer is accepted. Integration and retention of your new employee start during the hiring process, and they also intensify when the new employee starts the new job. You have a lot at stake in how you welcome your new employee. ansicht recommendations will help you get it right. These welcoming steps for the new employee continue right into his or her employment. If you do these welcome and onboarding steps well, you will create a successful new employee. Heres how. New Employee Welcome Steps If you follow these recommended steps, your new employee is set up for success. Contact the new employee shortly after he or she signs and returns your jo b offer. The purpose of the note or phone call is to express your excitement that the new employee has joined your team.This call is best made by the hiring manager, the employee to whom the new employee will report. Set up the expectation that the new employee will hear from you regularly during the normal two-four weeks before the start day.Send benefits information and the employee handbook early so that the new employee may review them at his or her leiaya and arrive for the first day with questions.You may have other documents that are pertinent to your business to share as well. If these are online, provide the employee with a link and early access. These actions contribute to the trust you are establishing with the new employee. If your organization has an online wiki or another intranet, provide the new employee with early access. This is especially important if you have an online staff directory with photos of employees. Your new employee will feel as if he or she is gettin g to know coworkers early. Lacking an online photo album, consider setting up an employee bulletin board in each department with employee photos and other business and employee information. Or, do both.Send an official company welcome letter from Human Resources. This welcome letter for the new employee should contain a confirmation of such items as start date, start time, work dress code, where to go, the first days schedule, and other details that the new employee needs to know. Assign a new employee a mentor, a more experienced employee with no reporting relationship to the new employee. The mentor should call the new employee to get to know him or her before the start date.Prepare for the employees first day by having everything ready for his or her arrival. An earlier article stressesthe ten best ways to turn off a new employee. Many of them have to do with the organizations failure to prepare to welcome the new employee from day one.These items seem so simple. For example, don t ask an employee to start during a week when his or her new boss is out of town. Dont schedule a new employee without preparing their work area. Demonstrate respect for the new employee. Develop a checklist for new employee preparation that includes assigning a computer or laptop, installing software programs necessary, preparing a desk and cubicle or office, providing mail access and an email account, and so forth. Every office needs a list and an employee assigned to make the items happen before the new employee starts work at their new job.Decorate the new employees office area with welcome signs, flowers, and snacks. Let the quirkiness of your employees and work culture shine through in the items that you provide to welcome the new employee. Company swag is appreciated, too. A mug with the company logo and other items that welcome the new employee will make him, or her feel quickly at home. Make sure that the first days schedule is full of meeting people and onboarding activiti es. Schedule a good portion of the morning with the new employees boss and mentor.This is your last chance to make a positive impression on your new employee. Dont let the day go to waste and contain nothing but paperwork and HR meetings. The day is for bonding with the boss, the mentor, and coworkers not about filling in forms.Prepare an onboarding schedule in advance that is customized to the needs of the department and the new employee. Make sure that the onboarding schedule fills only part of each day so that the new employee can feel productive immediately in his or her new job.One company required that the employees manager put together a 120-day onboarding plan that provided something new for the employee to learn every day. The employees boss and mentor are responsible for creating, sharing, and monitoring the onboarding schedule. Make sure that the new employee meets with Human Resources staff on the first day so he or she can ask questions about benefits, policies, and com pensation.HR cooperates with the manager and mentor to tell the new employee what he or she needs to know and to introduce the culture and the organizations expectations of employees. This is also an opportunity to begin communicating the value of your comprehensive benefits package.Schedule lunch on the first day with the new employees coworkers and set up a schedule to make sure that he or she has a coworker with whom to eat each day of the first week. The new employees boss and mentor should also attend this lunch. The goal is that the new employee has the opportunity to meet many new coworkers from across the organization so they feel welcomed and part of their new workplace. The impressions the new employee forms during the first few days and the onboarding period will have an enormous impact on the new employees experience of your organization. It is well worth your time and attention to make the new employees welcome positive, affirming, and exciting.

How to Use Github to Find Your Next IT Job

How to Use Github to Find Your Next IT Job How to Use Github to Find Your Next IT Job Github has a lot of functions you can write code, share your code, and collaborate with others on DevOps projects. But did you know that Github can also be a tool you can use to find your next position? Github is used by recruiters and managers hiring for high-level IT jobs to see what you can do. Here are a few reasons you should be using Github to sell yourself and your skills.Recruiters and hiring managers have made scanning Github part of their standard procedureTechnology recruiters consistently review candidates profiles on Github. Sometimes, they might peruse your profile if youre being heavily considered for a position. Other times, they use itto find professionals with a particular set of skills. Still other recruiters respond to candidates who have reached out to their tech teams or demonstrated interest in projects that were similar to projects their teams had on the docket.You can use it to demonstrate the range of your abilitiesA strong profile can attract attention from companies that seek out employees with your skill set. If your profile is JavaScript heavy, for example, youre communicating to potential employers that this is the area where you want to focus your attention.To use Github to your full advantage, tweak your profile to make sure it demonstrates that you are an engineer who can provide complete functionality to a potential team rather than someone who is just a programmer. A good way to do this is by creating a thoughtful readme file demonstrating how you think about and solve problems with your coding.Itcan help you find a company that fits your interestsGithub can give you mora information about teams that might be good fits for you, too. You can look to see what companies are working on projects that interest you, and follow team members who are working on exciting side projects. Then you can have a better sense if a company you admire would be a good fit for you.But Github isnt all you should be using to land your dream jobGithub is only one tool in what should be a complex tool belt for self-promotion. First, make sure youre using the resume conventions that best highlight your accomplishments. Next, write a resume that makes you attractive to fill new jobs in engineering. After youre happy with your resume, run it through Jobscan. Jobscan helps you optimize your resume by ensuring a job postings keywords match the words youre using on your resume. As a developer is especially important to have your technical skills readable to ATS algorithms.

What Every Resignation Letter Should Include

What Every Resignation Letter Should IncludeWhat Every Resignation Letter Should IncludeWhen an employee notifies you of the desire to terminate employment with your company, ask for a letter of resignation. You need the resignation letter as an official document for the employees personnel file that demonstrates the employment ending was employee initiated. You need this documentation even if the employee has announced verbally the decision to leave your company. Contents of a Resignation Letter Dont ask the employee to document in the resignation letter the reasons he is leaving. In fact, smart employees wont put anything in a resignation letter that a reader might misconstrue or take personally at a later date. The current reader of the resignation letter, who understands why the person quit, may not be the person relying on the contents of the personnel file to provide a reference sometime down the road. With easy hintergrund checking, smart employees write nothing in a resig nation letter that could potentially burn any bridges when they move on to a new job- even if they have bad feelings for the company they are leaving or want to air grievances. Keeping each former employer as a potential job reference is much more important than the momentary feeling of playing gotcha with their current employer. The resignation letter, in its simplest form, states that the employee is resigning and gives the final date of employment. Generally, an employee states in the letter that he is providing the current employer with two weeks notice for a positive employment reference in the future, two weeks notice is essential. A slightly more in-depth resignation letter provides details about why the employee is leaving, such as the opportunities available in the new position. Handling the Two-Week Notice Assuming that the employee is valued and leaving your company in a positive manner, most employers are happy to have the employee finish working their two weeks afte r turning in the resignation letter. However, if you are concerned about an exiting employees access to confidential information or computer equipment, or the impact of the resignation on co-worker morale, it is best to walk the employee out of the company upon receiving the resignation letter. Some employers ask the employee to complete an exit interview before the two weeks are done. It can be a good opportunity to get feedback on your organization, practices, compensation, and culture. More About Resignation How to Handle an Employee ResignationWhat to Do When Employees ResignTop 10 Reasons to Quit Your JobHow to Resign From Your JobAll About Resignation Sample Resignation Letters Introduction to Resignation LettersResignation Letter TemplateSample, Simple Resignation LetterSample Resignation Letter Future PlansEmployment Sample Employment Resignation New Job OpportunityResignation Letter Happy to ResignSample Employment Resignation Personal ReasonsSample Employment Resig nation Returning to SchoolSample Resignation Letter Spouse RelocationResignation Letter Example Better Use Skills More Sample Employer Letters Disciplinary Action / Warning LettersEmployment LettersRecognition LettersRejection LettersResignation LettersThank-You LettersEmployee Welcome LettersAward LettersRecommendation LettersEvaluate an Application Letter Submit a word for the Glossary. Visit the complete Glossary. Glossary Introduction.

John H. Lienhard Engineer, Educator, Communicator

John H. Lienhard Engineer, Educator, Communicator John H. Lienhard Engineer, Educator, Communicator John H. Lienhard Engineer, Educator, CommunicatorIf John Lienhard, of Engines of Our Ingenuity fame, had not lived his life following the advice of the early Roman poet Horace to Carpe diem (Seize the day), he likely would not have been able to have a career that has combined his love of engineering, teaching, and cultural history. His personal story of struggle to earn a Ph.D. in engineering and of broadening horizons much further is an inspirational one although not a master plan. Commenting on his career track, he noted, Is anyones path built in from the outset, or is it formed by a succession of circumstances? Perhaps the person in question is least qualified of anyone to say. His early school years did not portend well. I couldnt read and write, could barely scrape through school, he said. Finally, his world opened up, when he began a drafting course as a high school senior. I jus t loved it and realized here is something I can do, he said. I didnt think I welches stupid, but I recognized that there welches a hurdle to overcome.The hurdle was dyslexia, which was identified in the late 19th century, but which was not on educators radar when Lienhard was struggling. There was no diagnosis back then except for lazy and stupid, he said. In 1980 John H. Lienhard received the ASME Heat Transfer award.But overcome it he did, mostly on his own, and then went on not only to train future engineers but also to incorporate his love of teaching and cultural history reaching the general public via radio with stories of how culture formed by technology and other creative enterprises in turn shapes technology and science.It was the drafting course that gave him some confidence, but he still struggled at community college as a C or D student in pre-engineering until he figured out how to make As. He repeated the same pattern before earning a B.S. in mechanical engineering at Oregon State College and took a job in the drafting department at Boeing. But drafting was mind-numbing for him. After some aptitude tests, he transferred to Boeings education department training new hires in skills such as drafting and design practices, and he loved it. But then he knew that meant he would need a higher degree to continue in education, and he enrolled to earn a masters in mechanical engineering at the University of Washington, only to be drafted by the Army upon graduation.In the Army, he found himself spending a lot of time just standing in lines. Again, carpe diem came into play. He tucked a paperback book in the breast pocket of his fatigue jacket. When I was standing in line, I would practice eye tracking, he said. That was his solution to improve his reading with his dyslexia.Discharged from the Army, he returned to the University of Washington as a teaching instructor and. Knowing he should have a Ph.D. for a career in academia, enrolled in the engineering pr ogram at the University of California at Berkeley. Same old story, he says, I started out as a C student and ended up with As. After graduation he returned to his first love teaching first at Washington State and subsequently as a full professor at the University of Kentucky, while continuing work in thermal sciences for which he was recognized as making outstanding contributions to the science of heat transfer and phase change.Always eager to learn new things, one summer he applied and was accepted at a Smithsonian course on how to write about the history of technology. Immersed in the Smithsonian archives, he was captivated by how much art, technology, and cultural ideas are all intertwined and have shaped society. Back teaching in Kentucky, he wanted to share that insight with his engineering students so he created a course in cultural history, a program of study that went so well that he also introduced it when he joined the engineering faculty at the University of Houston in 1980. One summer in the late 1980s in a chance conversation, the dean of engineering mentioned that he was considering creating 30-second radio spots to highlight engineering. Lienhard responded that they shouldnt be short advertising spots. We want to be telling stories, he recalls saying. Three days later, he had prepared three scripts, about four minutes each. Nobody thought it would work at that length, he said. But the show, Engines of Our Ingenuity, was produced by the University and its public radio station and began airing Jan. 4, 1988. It continues to this day as a five-day-a-week radio series now available on scores of public service stations across the country and other outlets overseas as well as in space (the International Space Station) and online. As of Jan. 7, 2016, 3,038 new episodes have aired and are posted on the Engines web site.The essays tell the story of human invention and creativity. The stories focus on engineering and technology, but bring in math, other sciences, art, literature, medicine, and music. For mora than two decades while still teaching, writing, researching, Lienhard was the author and voice of the show before others joined his team. At first I cherry-picked things from teaching and put them together in episode form, said Lienhard, author or co-author of four books and more than 300 published articles. Then I had to learn new material and spent an enormous amount of time in the library and seeking out stories wherever I could find them, establishing threads of continuity. The threads weave, mix, and blur and start bifurcating into other topics. Something emerges out of this whole business of creativity and invention, and its that invention is a matter of catching the fleeting idea as it whips past you, and other people miss it. Carpe diem, full circle. Nancy S. Giges is an independent writer.Invention is a matter of catching the fleeting idea as it whips past you, and other people miss it.John Lienhard