Top 10 Colleges for Foreign Language Learning

While most people will think about King’s College in London or Harvard for learning a foreign language, it is not always the best choice because some other colleges and universities are better adapted in terms of educational tools. It means that various foreign language learning practices are adjusted to any person wishing to master a foreign language without being overly complex or demanding. 

Top 10 Colleges for Foreign Language Learning Courses

  1. Princeton University. It combines the social aspects of learning a foreign language with innovative technologies and digital solutions. Starting from Generation Y’s teaching approach to the preparation of technical writers, everything is based on care and attention to detail. It has a great community and team projects that are quite helpful for those who prefer learning through social interaction. 
  2. Columbia University. It is not only an excellent place to learn a foreign language but also an opportunity to secure your future employment. Start by checking various language curriculum offers and then read about top translation companies to determine what will fit your professional plans. Columbia University offers anything from African Studies to such languages as Catalan, Serbian, Welsh, and Icelandic. 
  3. Yale University. It needs no introduction and remains a prestigious institution to focus on the research aspect of learning a foreign language. They offer Directed Independent Language Study, which aims to provide languages that are not traditionally taught at colleges. Letting students direct their curriculum, it’s one of the most flexible foreign language learning methods. 
  4. Duke University. If you seek additional flexibility and want to try various ways of learning a foreign language, it is your safest bet. It would be helpful if you would like to get employment as a freelance translator by polishing your existing skills. You can check language translation services at TheWordPoint to see what certifications are most helpful and proceed from there. This university has a high acceptance rate. 
  5. Dartmouth College. If you want to combine great outdoor activities, online learning, and great academics by learning a language, Dartmouth College has it all. It offers multimedia learning programs and community projects. Their student support is top-notch! 
  6. Indiana University Bloomington. As one of America’s leading research facilities, it offers outstanding language certifications as you graduate. It also offers great employment options for such specialists. You can check professional document translation services to see how your salary will differ with a certificate. It also focuses on rare languages and dialects. 
  7. The University of Notre Dame. It has caring lecturers and an individual approach to every student. If you are still hesitant about learning a foreign language, try them. They have great emotional help service for students who cannot overcome linguistic barriers or start with one’s college studies. 
  8. Wellesley College. An elite college that offers assistance for female students that want to achieve academic success. Their language learning courses focus on Nursing, Political Science, and Journalism. They have an extensive internship network, which is something to consider. 
  9. Rice University Houston. The best choice for technical translators. If you want to combine your major with learning a foreign language, look no further. They offer improved language learning curriculums that focus on your original employment field. 
  10. Tufts University (Somerville). A great choice for students with a Christian background. Their Linguistic Department offers social sciences and cultural aspects. Even if you study Architecture and Biology, they will help you to learn specific terms related to every field. 

What if I Have No Skills?

It only depends on how you learn because there are no people who would be totally unable to learn a foreign language! All college entries in my list are aimed at innovative and flexible teaching methods that are unlike basic school language learning. The best way is to combine your major and future employment with specific language terms. Your initial subject confidence will help you to achieve success. 

BIO 

Henry is a true linguistic aficionado who seeks practical solutions when learning a foreign language. His posts offer innovative ideas that are worth trying as you want to start or continue your education. Follow Henry to learn something new and get inspired! 

How to Get a Job in Education: 5 Steps to Success

Education remains one of the industries with the highest employment rates. Since the dawn of formal education, the demand for teachers and teaching professionals to tutor students has remained constant or steadily increased, especially in major cities where significant population growth has occurred.

Due to the need for education, the industry has continued to attract many looking to make a career as teachers, administrators, professors, etc. What is so amazing about the industry is that there isn’t only one type of job but several. And the industry also has significant absorption capacity. For instance, in 2019, the education and health industry employed about 35.89 million people, with education jobs accounting for half of the figure. This statistic makes it one of the highest employing industries in the US.

Getting a Job in Education 

If you are looking for employment in the education industry, there are certain steps you should take to improve your chances of getting the job of your choice. Below, we review some of the crucial steps to brighten your chances.

#1. Decide on the kind of job you want 

The road towards a successful and fulfilling career in the education industry has many paths. Not everyone who works in the industry is a teacher. Although teachers represent a significant percentage of the industry, many other jobs and professionals also play key roles in shaping young minds. Some professions that come to mind include: 

  • Administrators 
  • Counselors
  • Security consultants
  • Sport coaches
  • Transport and logistics 

The list is endless, and so are the available jobs. With the rise in IT and E-Learning, there is an increased demand for IT professionals in the classroom. So before taking active steps towards building a career path in education, you first need to decide the job you desire if you haven’t already done so. This decision is important and will influence every other decision you will make moving forward.

#2 Choose the right Institution of Learning 

Before you start a career in education, you also must have the right qualifications. Earning a formal degree from a college is essential, especially if you want to be a teacher. So take your time to find the right college. Colleges that are solely devoted to education are always a good option. There are schools in Michigan, California, New York, and many other states that offer education degrees.

Before you pick a school, do your research to find out just how good the school is. Review their programs, ask former students questions about the school, and look out for their work experience opportunities.

#3 Gain valuable experience

The need for experience can not be overemphasized. One of the key elements to getting hired in education is to gain experience. Many schools and academic institutions only employ professionals who have some degree of expertise in their chosen fields. They do this because, in the field, there is little or no room for errors. Secondly, they frown at the idea of spending valuable time and resources on training recruits.

The next question that may come to your mind is, how can you possibly get experience for a job you’ve not even landed? Fortunately for you, there are thousands of internship and volunteer programs readily available to fresh college graduates looking to gain on-the-job experience. Even before graduation, you can work as a supplemental instructor, tutor, or substitute teacher. The more you engage yourself in the art, the more experienced you will become.

#4 Create a professional resume and cover letter

You may have graduated from college with good grades, and you might be the smartest person in the room, but you still have to prove to your potential employer that you are as qualified as your certificates suggest. This means putting together a quality resume and cover letter that showcases your skills and professional abilities in the best possible light.

Your cover letter should not duplicate your resume. This document is ideal for describing the reasons for choosing a profession, the strengths that will help you succeed in the desired position, and the motivation to join a particular educational institution. If you want to understand what an effective self-presentation looks like, check the substitute teacher cover letter example at www.getcoverletter.com.

A resume is an essential document, and part of the employment process you should never take for granted. If you want to get hired as quickly as possible, you need to make sure that your resume has the following essential qualities:

  • Professional
  • Contain your academic qualifications
  • Personal qualities and skills
  • Work history

Let us review these critical qualities in detail.

Professional outlook

Resumes are impressionist documents. They create the first impression of you in the employer’s mind, and as you already know, first impressions matter a lot. Your resume should contain bullet points because they are much easier to read and digest. The way you arrange dates also matters. Typically, chronological order is best to present a clear understanding of progress and emphasize the most relevant information. 

As for your cover letter, it should not duplicate what is in the resume. It is an opportunity to share information that didn’t fit in the resume to add to your candidacy. 

Both documents should be error-free if you want to impress your potential employer.

Academic Qualifications 

Your resume should contain your academic qualifications. Note the certificates and degrees you’ve earned and the institutions that issued them. The year you graduated from each of these institutions should also be included. It also pays to include your cumulative GPA and any relevant coursework you completed during your time in school.

Personal Skills and Qualities

Your academic qualifications are not the only thing employers are interested in. They also care about your interests, skills, and personal views. They do this because they understand that behind the profession is a human being with fears, hopes, interests, and dreams. Your resume should highlight your skills and hobbies using bulleted points. 

Work History

Where have you worked previously, and what were your duties in that capacity? Good resumes have previous jobs listed in chronological order, and they sell your application even before you open your mouth. Providing a detailed list of your work history will explain to the employers what qualities you will bring to bear on the job should it be given to you.

#5 Use References 

Another way to get a job in the education industry is to make use of references. Start contacting people you know with clout within the industry even before you finish school. Contact instructors, mentors, school mates, and people within your social circle. If you are volunteering at a school, inform them of your graduation date and let them know that you are going to be free to get permanently employed. Networking increases the chances of being shortlisted for an interview. And the more interviews you attend, the brighter your chances of getting hired in the end.

Conclusion 

The education industry is one of the highest employers of labor. As teaching and training dynamics have evolved, the demand for more trainers, teachers, and instructors has steadily increased. This phenomenon has also opened up more vacancies in the industry with the rise of e-learning. The opportunities and positions available to new prospects and applicants are numerous and far-reaching. We hope that with the five steps highlighted in this article, your path to building a successful education career has only gotten brighter and better.

5 Organization Solutions for Your Office

Cleaning and organizing your office can seem like an endless task. You might gather the energy to revamp your office with a new set up, new organization, and new storage systems, only for everything to be a mess again in a few weeks. The key to getting this done correctly the first time is choosing ways to store and organize the things that your office needs that are easy to manage. The best part is, you don’t need to hire a professional organizer or spend money on expensive items. Your solution could be as simple as buying some corrugated boxes.

Keep reading for five ways to effectively organize your office.

1. Corrugated Boxes

Sometimes, the best solution for dealing with clutter is the simplest. Corrugated boxes are perfect for organizing your storage, especially when it comes to bulk items. You can store spare keyboards, phones, additional office supplies – the options are endless. What makes corrugated boxes the best option is that you can get them in virtually any size and shape, so you don’t need to worry about trying to fit oddly shaped things inside while wasting valuable storage room. And, because they are corrugated, you can fold them back up to lay flat when you are using the contents. This way you won’t need to worry about storing a bunch of big, empty boxes.

2. Refrigerator Bins

A lot of people don’t think about the refrigerator when it comes to organization in the office, because it is already organized to a certain extent. There are different drawers and shelves that are used for specific purposes, but going one step further and investing in some clear plastic bins can take your organization to the next level. This can solve any issues you might have, big or small, with storing everyone’s lunch and snacks. We all have at least one story where one of our work snacks mysteriously went missing from the refrigerator. With bins, you can avoid that. You can also use these bins to save your team some money when it comes to communal items. Simply put everything that needs to be used up in one bin, that way your coworkers know what to choose first.

3. Wires and Cords

Wires and cords can make any desk space, no matter how clean, look really cluttered. However, there are a lot of ways to keep this chaos to a minimum. If you have twist ties on hand, you can roll up your wires and secure them that way. You can also re-purpose an old cardboard toilet roll by rolling up your cords and fitting them inside. This step also comes in handy if you have trouble remembering which wires go where, since you can write directly on to the roll.

4. Turntables

Turntables can be used for numerous organizational methods. They come in varying sizes depending on what you wish to use them for, so the options are almost limitless. Common ways to use turntables to organize your office can include storage for office supplies that might otherwise be lost, like small boxes of paper clips or tacks. You can also set up some small mason jars in the turntable and use that to organize different types of pens, markers, and highlighters to make them easier to find. This also makes it easier to see what you need to reorder and what you don’t.

5. Binders for Important Documents and Protocols

While many companies are choosing to go digital, there are still certain things that need to be kept in a hardcopy format. This can be for a number of reasons; some companies need to have hard copies on hand in case power is lost or systems are compromised. When this is the case, it’s important to know what you have and how many copies you have of each document. It’s as simple as organizing these by topic or purpose, like human resources, and color-coding your options. You can even use plastic page protectors to store these documents in to avoid punching holes in the documents themselves.

Final Thoughts

Organization can be overwhelming, but taking a step back and thinking of easy solutions is the best way to ensure your office gets organized and stays organized. Anything from using turntables for your pens and markers to storing supplies in corrugated boxes can make a difference day today, so why not give it a try?

Understand The PMP Certificate And Its Perks

Many consumers are interested in improving their education so they can achieve more in life. Nevertheless, a lot of people will never take the first steps. Those interested in earning more money and getting more done should learn more about the Project Management Program. Completing this program will give you a certificate that you can use to earn more money. Once you’ve obtained this certification, you’ll be able to use it to obtain valuable jobs and earn more. What is the PMP program all about? Why should you complete this course? You’ll find out in the guide below.

What Is It?

First, consumers should learn more about the program management program. What is it about? A project management degree will prove to be a valuable asset for any engineer. By completing this course, people will gain the skills, knowledge, and tools needed to be a very effective manager. A bachelor’s degree in program management will provide you with skills that you can apply to a variety of sectors including healthcare.

By completing the PMP program and obtaining PMP certification, you’ll be ready to manage a project efficiently and effectively. The demand for people who can manage and people projects is increasing immensely. With that being said, you may benefit immensely from obtaining your certification.

How Long Will It Take?

When deciding to improve your education, you cannot rush the process. You have to understand that it can take a long time to get the certification. With that being said, you need to be ready to work hard for the long haul. How long will it take to obtain a PMP certificate? In most cases, it will take more than 6 months to complete the course and obtain the certificate. This may seem like a long time and it is.

Nevertheless, your efforts will pay dividends in the long run. As long as you’re willing to work hard, you’ll be able to get your certificate and earn more money for yourself and your family.

How To Obtain A PMP Certificate

You’ll want to obtain your PMP certificate as soon as possible. This will be valuable but it is a big commitment. Do you want to obtain real-world experience that can be used to your benefit in the long run. Before you can obtain this certification, you need to meet several requirements. You need to obtain a 4-year degree. Then, you need 36 months of experiencing leading projects and 35 hours of project management education.

Alternatively, you can have a high school diploma, 60 months of experience leading projects, and 35 hours of project management education. In addition to this, you’ll need to complete the PMP exam. As long as you’ve prepared for the exam, you’ll be able to pass the exam without any issues whatsoever.

Benefits Of Being Certified

At the end of the day, obtaining a PMP certificate will make your life much better. It is estimated that the median salary of PMP holders in the United States is 25% higher than people without one. Suffice to say, your efforts will pay dividends in the long run. If you work hard and complete the exam, and start a job like a website analyst, you’ll earn your certification and you’ll make more money. At this point, it is estimated that the world has more than 1 million PMP certification holders. This is a universally recognized knowledge so you can use your skills anywhere in the world.

In addition to this, you should know that this certificate will help boost your confidence. Once you’ve obtained the certificate, you’ll be ready to conquer the world and make more money.

Steps To Get Your PMP Certificate

You’ll need to follow a few steps before you can obtain your PMP certificate. Once you’ve met the requirements, you will need to apply to take the exam. The cost depends on the provider but you need to be ready to pay a little more. Then, you’ll need to take the exam. As long as you’ve prepared, you’ll likely be able to pass the exam without any issues. Since you’ve paid a lot to take it, you’ll want to make sure that you pass.

And, you have to remember that the process doesn’t end when you’ve received the certification. You’ll need to work hard to continue your professional development to maintain your certification.

 

Elevations RTC’s Campus: A Supportive Solution for Troubled Teens

There are countless options families can pursue if they have a teenager going through troubles. Every solution is different, but residential treatment centers are becoming more of the norm than ever before.

With popularity comes a lot of choices, and not all residential treatment centers are created equally. Only trusted options with the proper accreditation and experience can provide the type of support most teenagers need at this difficult time. At Elevations RTC, they spent years perfecting a safe, secure, and supportive environment for teenagers to get their life together and make changes that last.

Is a full-time residential treatment center the right option for providing support? Many families count on a campus-like Elevations RTC to provide that safety. Similar in fashion to a boarding school, getting support from all angles helps out exceptionally well. It only truly makes a difference when teens buy-in and living on campus changes a person’s mindset.

The campus

When Elevations RTC created the campus in the greater Salt Lake City area, the goal was to provide a community feeling for everyone involved. By providing a close-knit environment, teenagers can lean on each other for help and reach out to faculty at any time as well.

Similar options that do not require students to live on campus are unable to have the same effect. For some, it is as simple as getting away from distractions at home that might be hindering performance. Others need to feel surrounded by teenagers dealing with similar issues as a way to get the support they never knew they needed. The campus set up gives students a sense of freedom since they are away from home, but a different type of family to count on during the journey.

The campus is big enough for multiple classrooms, a sizable library, dining rooms, residence halls, and plenty of space for extracurricular activities. Students on campus get an opportunity to learn in a traditional setting while also taking advantage of interest outside of formal studies.

Support from others

Living on campus for months at a time requires teenagers to build relationships with others. It is easier than ever to find someone with a shared interest to jump into a new activity together with different interests to pursue. There are various activities to try and finding something to bond over with a peer can help tremendously with the overall development.

Another benefit of having support from others comes when times might be less than ideal. In a perfect world, there would never be any complications whatsoever while on campus. However, teens will have some challenging times that they need to get through one way or another. Having a built-in support group with peers on campus helps out in that regard. What ends up happening each year is that students rely on each other and confide in each other to make it through the challenging times.

This strong connection is hard to come by in a traditional setting where teenagers do not live on campus. Bonding goes on outside of the classroom, and it takes time for strangers to create a bond if time is limited. Since teens on campus are around each other all the time, it speeds up the process of developing friends and learning who to trust.

Finding a passion or hobbies

One of the more overlooked aspects of many residential treatment centers is the lack of extracurricular activities to help with the development and overall atmosphere on campus. This emotional and social support through extracurricular activities can go a long way towards a breakthrough for certain teenagers. For some, it is as simple as finding some type of passion that they can start investing in while enjoying life.

Even if it seems like an extracurricular activity to some, a hobby can turn into a career. It is one reason why Elevations RTC is so adamant about offering a wide range of options. Instead of limiting what a teenager can and can’t pursue, opening up opportunities for many different paths increases the chance of finding something that works.

Why a campus setting is the best way to go

The initial separation between families and teenagers is tough to handle, but most graduates agree that it is for the best.

In the grand scheme of things, months at Elevations RTC is a minor investment into lifelong changes. The program is designed to take full advantage of the spacious campus that allows teenagers to live their lives normally.

The community built within the campus during a short stay can translate to the outside world. It makes sense to reduce the bubble and get the little things right before transitioning back to home. This is a way to isolate problems and work through them without ever feeling overwhelmed. A campus setting is a beneficial place for many troubled teens, and one that offers all the different amenities as Elevations RTC is a great choice. Teens are allowed to be themselves and receive all the support they could ask for on their road to changing their life for the better.

How To Prepare For The LSAT Test

If your dream is to defend people in the courtroom and impress judges with your legal knowledge and skills, you have to know the best ways to prepare for the LSAT test.

While law schools look at various extracurricular activities you took part in, your average grade, and some other factors, these institutions place a high importance on your LSAT scores. With high scores, you may have the chance to get a spot in any law school you wish to enter. Fortunately, there are many ways on how to get a good score on LSAT, and one of these is to prepare for by following these tips below:

1. Take A Diagnostic Test Or Prep Courses

Before you start your study regimen, Test Prep Toolkit recommend these LSAT courses. Taking such courses won’t only help you get familiar with the LSAT content and format, but it will also provide you a baseline to measure your progress. If you are planning on retaking, then you are in a much better situation since you already know what to expect and what to focus your studies on. That does not mean you won’t be needing any preparatory books or courses as retaking the LSAT exam can be a different experience every time you take it

Your prep courses must be taken under the real test-taking conditions, and it’s essential to add an experimental section to your test, even if it means borrowing another section from an older test.

2. Start Early

Another way to prepare for the LSAT test is to start early. People who get the best scores are the ones who start early and make more time to study. Cramming the night before the exam date or  studying only several times beforehand may leave you feeling stressed and anxious about the examination. Being unprepared for the LSAT can make you lose your focus and confidence, on top of not having enough knowledge of the subjects being covered.

3. Know The DOs And DON’Ts

It’s a must for you to know the DOs and DON’Ts of preparing for the LSAT to ace the exam, and these may include the following steps:

  • Keep Track Of Your Scores On Each Test – You have to know if your scores are improving and if a section drags you down. If you aren’t seeing any improvement, you should change your method of studying.
  • Follow The Standard Test Preparation Rules – It might seem obvious, but LSAT preparation also involves lots of sleep, stress relief exercises, and eating well, among many others. Oftentimes, students are utterly fixated on achieving high LSAT scores that they already forget about maintaining their mental and physical health.

Panicking and thinking about the future of your law career may depend on the test won’t give you the right mindset for the LSAT. So, if possible, do the best you could, but know that you could always take the LSAT again and consider some qualified law schools that would accept you without a high score.

  • Never Assume That Getting A High Score Once Is Enough – LSAT exams may vary yearly in terms of the level of difficulty of every section. There’s a time that the analytical reasoning section would have the trickiest questions, while the other sections might have easy questions. So, for you to know that you’ll do great in the real LSAT test, you have to see your top scores before you can say that you’re ready.

4.Analyze

Since most of the questions that you might encounter once you take the LSAT would be unfamiliar to you, practicing may help you get accustomed to their format. However, mere practice isn’t enough. After practicing a test, don’t just tabulate the results and record the scores. But, look closely at every question you missed and try discerning what led you to answering it wrong.

Real reviews take time. If you’ve answered some questions wrong and you’re not sure with the other questions but you got them right, it may take at least three to four hours when done properly, which could mean a full day of studying.

5.Prepare For Each Area Separately

The LSAT is composed of various components, which may include logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and analytical reasoning. A lot of students take practice tests and try to study all sections at once, leaving them feeling confused and leading to them getting low scores during the real exam.

Take some time to focus on every component separately. For instance, you can study logical reasoning for this week, and focus on analytical reasoning and reading comprehension on other weeks. 

6.Know The Best Technique For You

Know the best study technique for you before purchasing any study materials. It isn’t a secret that before law schools starts, things can get quite expensive. There are basic paths you may take to learn, and these may include self-studying and taking online courses.

Online courses may be advantageous for somebody who requires accountability of their peers or instructors. However, once you go this way, you’ll need to shell out funds. On the contrary, self-studying requires discipline and time management to stay on point, but it won’t break the bank as much. This is most particularly true if you could find great deals on your books.

Conclusion

Preparing for the LSAT test effectively could mean achieving success for all your efforts. By keeping the above tips in mind and sticking with your study plan, you’ll be able to nail the LSAT and get into your dream law school.

Protecting a Classroom – Making a Safe Studying Space for Students

We have all had to readjust our lives to stay healthy. But just because the world is facing a considerable challenge doesn’t mean that we should change the way we live. In fact, if all precautions are taken, then there’s no place for worry. You just have to be vigilant. 

So, what PPE for classroom do you need? How can you make sure the place where tens of people join in to study safer?

Well, it turns out that there is quite a bit that you can do to ensure that a classroom is a safe space for people to study. From making rules to follow to making sure that people are actually following them, we’ve made a quick list of the most important things that you can do to ensure a classroom is safe for people to be in. 

Now, without wasting any more time, let’s get started with the very first thing on the list. 

Physical distancing is very important, so make sure everyone is following the rules. 

Well, if that wasn’t obvious enough already. One of the most important things that we can all do right now is to physically keep at least two meters from all sides from anyone around us. 

This especially applies when we’re in a closed space where people generally tend to sit closer to each other.

So, one of the best ways to ensure that everyone is following the instructions and keeping others and themselves safe, make sure you create an easy to follow list that you give to everyone that is attending your classes.

But that also includes increasing the physical space between desks and educating everyone not to gather in groups, limiting the number of students in a classroom, and such. 

Make sure the cleaning and disinfecting are done on time, following all precautions.

Yet, just making sure everyone is keeping a cool, two-meter distance between them and other people in the room, disinfecting is also a very important step to keep students and teachers safe. 

Make sure to clean every keyboard, computer, or desk every two hours or so. This would ensure that you’re limiting any potentially harmful bacteria and keeping the classroom safe. 

Once a day, you may want to consider hiring a professional service that will do antiviral fogging in the room. 

Every student should have personal protective equipment with them. 

And finally, you have to be extra vigilant about personal protective equipment. That means that everyone should wear masks. 

On top of face covering, you should prompt everyone to disinfect their hands, not touch their face, and overall keep their desk and belongings clean. 

It’s definitely a huge change in how we are used to doing things. But with that said, it’s not that big of a difference, so we can afford not doing the right things and taking the precautionary steps to keep ourselves and everyone around us safe. 

And finally, if possible, consider rotating students and letting them join online, via a Zoom call or a similar type of software. 

How to Improve User Experience Using Video Interactions

Both the customer and the experience of the customer are both important whether you are a social media influence or a product designer. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Ascend Finance and writer for Ascend’s bankruptcy and debt settlement blog, I always ensure that the experience of the customer is always a priority to me—and this is reflective in our marketing channels. Due to this, I always put in resources into finding products that can assist me to understand the experience of my customer without necessarily asking the customer.  These actions help my business run more efficiently.

Most of the time, the tools I use don’t give me the insight I need, as I’m only informed when something is wrong. Unfortunately, when the negative information comes in, the customer has already made up his/her mind about my business. And chances are very high of losing such customers. 

To prevent such occurrences, I have engaged tools like Google Analytics and other Analytics software in the past. However, these tools never seem to provide the granularity that I need about how customers are being treated. 

Due to this, I have explored many things about customer video interaction software. With the video interaction software, I have built the capacity to adequately view the experience of a customer and make necessary alterations to areas where improvement is needed. As you read this article, you will learn what I learned using this software and how I made use of it to ease the pain of customers. 

What is video interaction software? 

Video interaction software is exactly as the name depicts: it is a video tool that gives a real-time video of how an individual interacts on your website. While searching for good software, I have tried out a few of them in this area. Each provider has its merits and demerits, however, it all depends on your goal for using the software. Irrespective of the platform you select, what you’ll benefit from using the software is far greater than what it’ll cost you. A great thing about this software is that you can directly observe how the customer interacts with your platform. 

What process did I utilize to solve customer’s pain points?

The major goal that I had in mind while searching for video interaction software was to solve both the obvious and subtle customers’ difficulties. At Ascend, we help people understand  whether filing bankruptcy or another debt relief option may be best for them. These are based on bankruptcy forms, which are long and complex. The complexity resulted in us having to build a complete Chapter 7 means test calculator and a Chapter 13 repayment plan calculator  that were  long and arduous, so our goal was to understand the customers’ pain points and try to optimize the process.

You can see the process we used to achieve our result in the steps given below: 

  1. Use the video interaction software to watch the interactions 

Firstly, we watched the interactions on the software. We put a lot of time watching the way customers interact. You must do that above anything else. 

  1. Watch out for errors 

While you’re watching the interaction, ensure that you notice the errors that occur on your site when there is an activity on it. As such, you should watch as many interactions as you can, this way, you can notice any widespread error and correct them as soon as you can. 

For example, when we were searching for errors on our bankruptcy calculator, we found out that there was a 0 in front of every digit they’ll have to enter. As such, they’ll have to first get rid of the 0 to type in what they want. Although deleting the 0 may not seem like a big problem, this little correction increased our customer’s experience immensely. Have it in mind that an error may be minor or major, you just need to pay enough attention to notice those errors. 

  1. Fill out the Google form and include the video snippet 

We kept track of the errors we noticed by filing a Google form to remind us of them. We also included the video snippet where the error occurred—this helps to make it easier to reference when we’re fixing the error. 

  1. Product and engineers meet to fix the problem 

After documenting the error, our product team took the video interaction and used it to identify and fix the problem. 

Conclusion

if you’re tired of flying blind like I was, and you want to properly observe and address the experience of the customer. Then you should use the video interaction software to help you know the customer’s pain point whether it’s on your product or even seeing how people interact with a blog post covering debt payoff apps. This software helped me a lot, and I know that it will do the same for you. 

The best benefit that this software has to offer is the ease it offers to help fix the challenges customers may be facing on the website.

3 Things Businesses Can Do to Run More Efficiently

Among the primary goals of all companies is to be the most productive and efficient  as possible. Efficiency breeds success, and finding those tips and tricks to be more profitable with each coming year is important. If a company isn’t growing, it’s essentially dying, and the most surefire way to encourage growth is by finding all the ways to build the brand and income.

As Entrepreneur.com notes in a recent article, inefficiency can cost businesses a significant amount – up to 30 percent of their revenues annually.  With percentages as high as that, it’s no wonder why efficiency is at the top of every smart business’ list of things to assess frequently. Even the smallest overlooked detail could be the root cause of a large economic loss. Here are the three things that businesses can do to run more efficiently.

Delegate the Small Things

For a company to be a well-oiled machine, delegation is incredibly important. Take the time to interview and talk to your employees to discover their strengths and weaknesses, then assign things accordingly. Not only will they learn their job better, but they will likely develop more of a passion for the company getting to use some of their strengths. It doesn’t hurt to put a check and balance system in place to help employees get their ducks in a row and then give them space and trust to conduct themselves. Employees who are confident and given some freedom to do things in their own manner are often more efficient and happy with their workload. 

Use Available Tools and Services

There are so many tools and services available to businesses now that weren’t around even a decade ago. With services such as auditors and consultants, it’s no surprise that companies who employ these things to grow and become more successful. For example, a California-based company may discover a lot of knowledge on the specifics of their efficiency by hiring some economic consulting in Los Angeles. There are also talented bookkeepers off-site who can show you numbers and forecasts from an unbiased point of view. This information is especially useful for getting some insight into some overlooked inefficiency. 

Consolidate Tasks and Remain Focused

It’s been proven by science that when someone is focused on one thing, they are significantly more productive than spreading their attention on multiple things. A simple way for companies to ensure that things are getting done quickly without sacrificing quality is by batching and consolidating similar tasks. For example, it might make the most sense for a manager to choose a slot of time each morning to answer emails, instead of returning to his inbox four or five separate times and interrupting whatever other work he was doing. Being able to laser focus on just one area of your job will not only make you quicker at doing it, but over time, it will also make you better at it with each repetition. 

Taking Real Estate Courses Online? Here are 8 of the best online journals that will help you through it

Studying real estate online can be a good idea if you want to be a licensed realtor, especially with the current pandemic. But even without it, taking courses online is a cost-effective way to get that license without the hassle.

Still, that means becoming savvier in doing your research and getting reputable sources. After all, you won’t have a library at your disposal. But fret not, because we’ve listed 8 of the best online journals to help you with studying real estate courses online.

 

(Image source: Unsplash)

The Journal of Real Estate Research

The journal of real estate research provides key insights not just for academics but for real estate practitioners as well. The focus area of this journal is to cover business decision-making as it applies to real estate. This means it might be useful to areas like development, management, market analysis, and real estate valuation. Skimming through this journal might help you make valuable decisions as you scroll through real estate prices in Toronto and the like.

The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics

Read this journal whenever you need to see real estate through the double lens of finance and economics. This journal’s scope includes the structure of real estate markets, the different roles of various financial and non-financial institutions, and even public policy and regulation. Subject areas of this journal are centered around urban economics, housing, regional science, and public policy.

Journal of Property Research

The journal of property research focuses on applied research focusing on property investment and development. You can find papers here in any area of real estate investment and development. The major areas of focus are property investment and finance and land development. The former focuses on the application of techniques developed for real estate from other kinds of investments. The latter deals with a multitude of issues regarding property development and redevelopment.

Real Estate Economics

This journal, Real Estate Economics, has a lot of articles about real estate that spans topics from tax rules to corporate real estate so this is a good journal to read for a broad range of topics before looking at more specialized journals.

Journal of Sustainable Real Estate

This is a more specialized journal that focuses on sustainable real estate. As such, their topics focus on energy efficiency, environmental improvement, and reduced carbon footprint as it relates to real estate.

Journal of Real Estate Literature

The Journal of Real Estate Literature on the other hand, focuses on the academe side. Its objective is to provide information for real estate educators and researchers. So expect a lot of published research, dissertations, and the like.

Journal of Housing Research

The Journal of Housing Research’s primary goal is to provide high-level research from core businesses and urban studies researchers. Topics you can expect from this journal include economics of housing markets, brokerage, and international housing issues, among others.

Journal of Real Estate Practice and Education

The Journal of Real Estate Practice and Education is another publication by the American Real Estate Society (ARES). Its main objective is to encourage excellent real estate practice in both training and teaching. Read through this journal if you want to know more about teaching real estate in study areas such as development, management, finance, marketing, valuation, and market analysis.

As you look for more journals for your studies, another tip that’s important to note is looking at a journal’s Impact Factor. More reputable journals have higher impact factors, so aim to look at journals on the higher end. Also, it’s important to look for journals that are peer-reviewed so you can ensure that the information is more trustworthy than journals that aren’t.

There are, of course, a lot more journals available online if you look around, But these 8 are the ones we’ve found cover the widest range of topics that you might need as you study real estate online. If you want to practice what you’ve learned, you can check this site and see what your newfound knowledge can do.