Holi

Posted on by Pamela Jimenez

In India, the festival of Holi marks the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season. The festival of colors, as it is known, is the most vibrant of all Hindu festivals. On this festive day, people play with color, meet and greet one another, and create new beginnings.

Communities get together, dance, smear colored powder, and throw water balloons at each other. The colors are derived from natural sources like leaves, fruits, and roots which are key ingredients of Ayurveda medicine.

Like other festivals in India, Holi is associated with a legend. Many stories are associated with Holi and legends that deal with the victory of good over evil. Holi is also known as a lunar celebration because it falls on a full moon day in the lunar month of Phalgun as per the lunar calendar. Phalgun occurs between February and March. This year, Holi is observed on March 8.

Source and additional resources:

https://www.holifestival.org/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/pages/article/holi

Black History Month

Posted on by Pamela Jimenez

Every February, we celebrate Black History Month to honor the contributions of African Americans and their central role in U.S. history. According to the NAACP, this celebration dates to 1926 when historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans noted “Negro History Week.” The origins of Black History Month began after the 13th amendment abolished slavery. This month highlights the achievements of Black Americans and other people of African descent. In 1926, Harvard-trained historian Carter Woodson, and others chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthday of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations to recognize “Negro History Week” in the decades that followed and, by the late 1960s, had evolved into a month on college campuses due in part to the civil rights and growing awareness of Black identity. In 1976 President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month to honor the contributions and accomplishments of Black Americans. Today, we continue to celebrate the legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society from activist and civil rights pioneers such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Malcom X and Rosa Parks to leaders in different industries, politics, science, and culture and more.

Source: History.com

Resources:

Black History Documentaries, Shows & More | History Vault
Black History Milestones: Timeline – HISTORY
The Man Behind Black History Month – HISTORY

Career Spotlight: E-commerce Manager

Posted on by Caitlin Abram

At this point in history, the “e” standing in for the word “electronic” in “e-commerce” seems charmingly antiquated. While people still make the statistical majority of their purchases from a physical retail location, buying goods and services on the internet has become part of the fabric of our daily lives.

The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce reports that e-commerce sales accounted for 14 percent of total sales in the first quarter of 2022. This may sound like a smaller percentage than you might expect, but keep in mind that in 2015, the percentage was only 7 percent and the share of online spending is expected to only continue to increase year over year.

What Is an E-Commerce Manager?

With customers, orders, products, and money moving at the speed of the internet, someone needs to make sure the entire online buying experience runs smoothly. An e-commerce manager oversees all online sales activities for a business and helps maintain the company’s digital brand.

From marketing and customer acquisition to managing payment platforms and order processes, an e-commerce manager’s goal is all about optimizing a potential customer’s experience to increase sales and create return visitors.

What Does an E-Commerce Manager Do?

As an e-commerce manager, your job, at its most basic, is to drive customers to the website and convince them to make a purchase. Distilled within that simple goal are several important responsibilities that are part of every e-commerce manager’s job description.

  • Develop Sales Strategies and Goals

    • Is your company’s goal to target new customers or to grow a larger base of repeat customers? Is the strategy to market new products or sell services and add-ons? Knowing what sales milestones your company is working toward will help guide strategies to reaching them.

  • Champion the Product

    • You can’t sell something successfully if you don’t know what you’re selling. E-commerce managers must be able to articulate the value of a product or service clearly and quickly. More than that, the brand personality of a product needs to come across throughout the entire online customer experience.

  • Know Your Customer

    • E-commerce managers should be acutely in tune with the demographics of their targeted customer. Knowing who they are, how they spend their time online, what they need, and what they like helps deliver targeted marketing and messaging that speaks directly to what they want.

  • Manage the Technology

    • Online retailers use a variety of systems, services, and software to keep business booming. As an e-commerce manager, you oversee online payment and checkout platforms, customer management systems, website management, and other commerce-related solutions. In addition to the technology that runs the purchasing process, you’ll also govern services that handle social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, and advertising to make sure that everything works together seamlessly to drive sales and maintain the integrity of the brand.

    What Skills Do You Need for E-Commerce?

    Any company selling a product or service online relies on the driving force of its e-commerce managers. And because there is so much more that goes into attracting and keeping a customer than just crunching numbers, e-commerce managers also have to possess a variety of hard and soft skills:

  • Attention to detail
  • Decision making
  • Time management
  • Grasp of basic business principles
  • Technological fluency
  • Data analytics and strategy
  • Collaboration and team building
  • Customer service
  • Verbal and written communication
  • Problem solving and critical thinking

    • Is an E-commerce Manager Job Right for You?

    To become an e-commerce manager, you need a bachelor’s degree in business, information technology, or marketing, but you should have a good base of knowledge and experience in all three of these areas to be successful.

    A career as an e-commerce manager could be a fit for a person with an entrepreneurial mindset who thrives on setting and achieving specific goals. Sales is essentially a numbers game, and a good e-commerce manager will have a keen mind for timelines, budgets, and the all-important revenue data. Deadlines and tight timelines should motivate and not intimidate you.

    There is plenty of room for career growth as an e-commerce manager, and the job can be a great opportunity for the right person. Indeed.com reports that the average base salary is around $58,442, but factoring in bonuses, experience, area of the country, and size of the company, that figure could more than double.

    E-commerce in the Cannabis Industry

    Up until recently, it was illegal to sell cannabis anywhere let alone online, but as legalized recreational use spreads, so have cannabis retailers. In U.S. states with legal use, you can now buy cannabis products online, but strict regulations about where cannabis can be grown, purchased, and transported means that selling outlets have been geographically limited. However, it’s expected that regulations will begin to allow for the interstate sale of cannabis, which will drive demand for e-commerce managers familiar with the space.

    A cannabis e-commerce manager will need all the experience and skills of a traditional e-commerce manager combined with expert knowledge of the national, state, and local regulations governing cannabis. Excelsior’s Graduate Certificate in Cannabis Control will help you keep pace with the opportunities, challenges, and complexities of the cannabis industry and confidently communicate with policymakers, industry leaders, and other stakeholders across the many professions this unique industry touches.

    If you’re interested in starting your career as an e-commerce manager or want to explore more promising careers in business or cannabis, contact an Excelsior admissions counselor to start a conversation about how to reach your goals.

    Career Spotlight: Nurse Researcher

    Posted on by Jenna Kerwin

    Thanks to medical research, doctors can deliver health care services more effectively and efficiently; patients’ quality of life can often be improved; patients’ safety can be increased; and specialized care such as prenatal and cancer care can be greatly advanced. Oftentimes, the professionals who conduct this research are nurse researchers.

    Nurse researchers are scientists who study various aspects of health care to search for ways to improve health outcomes and answer certain medical questions. If you are looking to combine your interests in nursing and research, this might be an appropriate career choice for you.

    What Is a Nurse Researcher?

    You can find nurse researchers in nearly any health care institution, including primary care facilities, insurance companies, biotechnology laboratories, hospital inpatient units, private clinics, pharmaceutical companies, and academic research centers, among others. These researchers work in fields such as pharmacy, nutrition, medicine, engineering, and more.

    Nurse researchers research, design, and conduct scientific studies as well as collect and analyze their findings. Sometimes they enroll research participants and patients into clinical trials to gather research. They may also work on research teams with pharmacists, physicians, and health care providers.

    What Does a Nurse Researcher Do?

    Depending on what field they are in and where they work, nurse researchers may have different duties. They may conduct individual studies or work as part of a larger research team. Usually, their roles and responsibilities include the following:

    • Design and implement research studies
    • Collect data from patients, such as medical histories
    • Conduct tests or specialized exams
    • Monitor patient vital signs and symptoms
    • Administer medications
    • Observe treatment or procedures to collect and analyze data
    • Write grant applications to secure funding for studies
    • Educate patients on what to expect during research
    • Ensure compliance with regulatory organizations

    Nurse researchers also often present their research at conferences and meetings, as well as publish their findings in medical, scientific, and nursing journals.

    Nurse Researcher Salary

    According to Salary.com, the average nurse researcher makes $89,938 as of October 2022, but the salary range usually falls between $80,343 and $99,535. Salary varies greatly depending on education, certifications, longevity, and research field.

    The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 19 percent growth rate for nurse researcher positions between 2012 and 2022, which is faster than average for other careers.

    How to Become a Nurse Researcher

    To become a nurse researcher, there are a few steps you need to take. The first is to become a nurse by earning an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing and passing the NCLEX-RN exam. Once you become a nurse, you should pursue a master’s degree with a focus on research and writing. It’s highly recommended that you find a program that includes courses in statistics and advanced research methodology.

    In addition to a master’s degree and an active RN license, you may consider obtaining certifications. They are not always required, but some employers prefer candidates who have earned the Certified Clinical Research Professional credential, the Clinical Research Associate certification, the Clinical Research Coordinator certification, or the Association of Clinical Research Professionals—Certified Professionals credential.

    Skills Needed to Become a Nurse Researcher

    Aside from education and certifications, there are skills and attributes you should possess to become a nurse researcher. At the top of this list is the ability to analyze data, but there are other critical skills as well. These include:

    • Independence
    • Decision-making skills
    • Adaptability
    • Assertiveness
    • Flexibility
    • Negotiating skills
    • Communication skills
    • Creativity

    Education Needed to Become a Nurse Researcher

    As mentioned, you need the right education to become a nurse researcher. First, you need to become a nurse, then you need to gain higher education.

    Excelsior University’s Associate in Applied Science in Nursing program helps students build their knowledge of nursing theory through educational experiences and then demonstrate their RN-level competency in a clinical setting. In the RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, students build on prior learning and gain knowledge that will prepare them for graduate study and the pursuit of lifelong learning, which is essential for practice in the nursing profession. Finally, Excelsior’s Master of Science in Nursing Informatics program prepares students to know how to use data and information to respond to health care problems, improve client care and organizational operations, and make and communicate information-based decisions in a variety of health organizations. This master’s program is an appropriate choice if you’re looking to pursue a career as a nurse researcher.

    Career Spotlight: Director of Talent Management

    Posted on by Mary Kate Weaver

    What Is Talent Management?

    Talent management is exactly what it sounds like—finding and hiring talented people for an organization. Talent management can be a challenging but rewarding career for people looking to work with colleagues across an organization, meet new people, and help others reach their goals and potential. Check out this guide to become the next director of talent management at your organization.

    Talent Management Roles and Responsibilities

    A director of talent management is a key member of the human resources team for any organization. They recruit new employees for positions that align department and the overall mission and goals of the organization. Usually, an organization has one director of talent management, and depending on the size of the organization, they have specialists and coordinators who support the responsibilities of the talent manager.

    Typically, responsibilities for the director of talent management include:

  • Recruitment. This includes finding qualified candidates, representing the organization’s brand, and interviewing applicants. Talent managers are the first person employees usually interact with when applying to jobs.
  • Workforce planning. Talent managers work with department heads to create meaningful job descriptions. They help define the skill sets needed for each position as well.
  • Onboarding. After a candidate has been selected for and accepted a job, they must go through an onboarding process. Talent managers are responsible for creating this process and ensuring it includes all necessary information. This can include information regarding benefits and connecting them with their new team.
  • Performance management. A director of talent management must check in with team leaders to make sure new and current employees are performing appropriately. These check-ins help improve the hiring processes for the future and reduce turnover.
  • Benefits and compensation. The best way to attract qualified candidates is to create a strong benefits package. Not only does this include good salaries, but candidates also look at insurance rates, time off, holidays, retirement, flexible schedules, and other benefits that organizations can offer.
  • Succession (or replacement) planning. Most employees want to succeed in their career, which likely means they want an organization that offers strong career advancement opportunities. A director of talent management helps team leaders ensure strong employees move up when it is time. On the other hand, they also help team leaders if an employee is not performing to the standards of the job. Talent managers can help with the resignation, termination, and retirement of employees.

    • How to Become a Talent Management Director

    A director of talent management is usually a middle manager position within the human resources department. Most directors of talent management report to the director of human resources and have a team that reports to them to support the goals of talent management.

    Many directors of talent management need at least a bachelor’s degree in business, psychology, or a related field. Now more than ever, hiring managers are looking for talent managers with a graduate degree. Typically, directors of talent management have a master’s in business administration, management, human resource management, or organizational leadership.

  • Business Administration: This program is designed for managers looking to grow their careers in strategy, development, operations, or human resources.
  • Management: This degree equips you with knowledge and skills needed for managerial practice that can be used on the job today.
  • Human Resource Management: This degree provides you with knowledge to lead organizations through challenges associated with all functions of human resources, including recruitment.
  • Organizational Leadership: This program provides you with knowledge in leadership, technology, and data analytics that allows you to lead an organization through transformational changes.

    • Any of these degrees combined with experience working in human resources or recruitment can set you up to be a director of talent management.

    Skills Needed for a Director of Talent Management

    Superior management skills are needed to be a successful director of talent management. These skills include:

  • Excellent interpersonal, counseling, and negotiation skills
  • Strong analytical and critical thinking skills
  • Powerful decision-making skills
  • Excellent leadership skills

    • Talent managers must also be positive, creative, and be able to make goals not only for themselves, but also for the organization in which they work.

    Director of Talent Management Salary Levels

    According to Glassdoor, the average salary reported for a director of talent management position is $121,170 per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that all human resources leadership positions can expect to grow about 9 percent in employment by 2026. Don’t wait on this opportunity; reach out to an admissions counselor at Excelsior University to get started today!

    World Social Justice Day

    Posted on by Pamela Jimenez

    As declared by the United Nations General Assembly, February 20 is annually celebrated as the World Day of Social Justice. The day is meant to highlight and honor the importance of social justice for all. Significant issues, including serious financial crises, high unemployment rates, poverty, discrimination, and lack of access that prohibit full participation in the global economy for developing countries, are all issues faced today.
    In 1995, Copenhagen, Denmark, hosted the World Summit for Social Development where over 100 political leaders took a pledge to alleviate social justice issues and to create stable, safe, and just societies. As a result, in 2005, the U.N. reviewed the Copenhagen Declaration and Social Development plan and agreed to commit to advancing social development.
    The U.N. recognized that without social development and social justice, there could never be hope for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security.
    Excelsior University and its Center for Social Justice join the observance of World Social Justice Day by asserting our fundamental belief that all people have the right to pursue economic, social, educational, and professional opportunity, that there is a shared responsibility to ensure that nothing stands in the way of that pursuit, and that this work stands on the four principles of equity, access, participation, and human rights. Following through on this belief requires the intentionality and investment of each one of us, so let’s celebrate World Social Justice Day by challenging ourselves to see everyone’s humanity –however different–, to learn about and from them, to leverage our diversity of perspectives and experiences to do better, and to procure the social justice impact of all our interactions, organizations, communities, nations, and globe.

    Three ways to observe Social Justice Day:
    1. Advocate for a social cause
    2. Organize a social justice event to bring awareness to an issue
    3. Educate yourself on social justice issues

    Resources:
    WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE – February 20, 2023 – National Today
    World Day of Social Justice – Global Campaign for Peace Education (peace-ed-campaign.org)

    Key Resume Skills to Land Your Next Marketing Job

    Posted on by Caitlin Abram

    Do you want to work in marketing? Great! Job opportunities are plentiful, but so is the pool of candidates you’ll be competing against, and you need to make sure your resume can stand out from the crowd. But what skills are top employers really looking for, and how can you optimize your resume to land your dream job in marketing?

    Stand Out with Must-Have Marketing Skills

    Marketing is a wide umbrella, and jobs in the marketing category can encompass skills from across the spectrum of public relations, strategy, sales, writing, design, web development, and more. The ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team finds that the most common marketing job skills and keywords referenced in their job postings are: Marketing Planning, Social Media, Collaboration, Technical, Marketing Campaign, Innovation, and Communication Skills, as well as terms such as MBA, Adobe Products, Proactive, Forecasting, Graphic Design, and Lead Generation.

    You’ll notice there are both “hard” and “soft” skills in the mix. Hard skills are measurable, definitive, and teachable abilities like proficiency in a certain software or experience performing specific tasks. “Marketing Planning,” “Adobe Products,” and “Graphic Design” are all examples of hard skills from ZipRecruiter’s list.

    Soft skills, like collaboration, communication, and creativity are harder to quantify but are just as important since they shape your professional personality and inform your ability to work with others and deal with difficult situations.

    Employers value both, so make sure you’re prepared with resume examples that show you have what it takes.

    Make the Most of Your Marketing Job Search

    To make the most of your job search, first, spend some time thinking about your career priorities. Are you looking for a marketing job with similar responsibilities but with more leadership potential? Are you looking for a culture change like a workplace that’s more focused on creativity? Or are you looking to shift your marketing career focus altogether?

    Browsing job listings that meet your goal criteria will give you a good idea of the must-have skills employers are looking for in those specific areas. Seeing which keywords match up to your unique set of skills will give you a good idea of where you might fit best and can provide insight into how you can craft the perfect resume that will get you noticed.

    How to Lay Out Your Marketing Resume

    Think of your resume as another marketing project, except this time the product is you! It’s your job to maximize the skills you already have to best appeal to your ideal “customer.”

    When it comes to laying out the perfect marketing resume, Tammy Spenziero, director of Excelsior University’s Career Readiness Center, advises that you consider these three core elements:

    1. Content: Keep it clean, lean, and appealing
    2. Format: Clearly showcase accomplishments
    3. Design: Use a look and feel appropriate for your field, industry, and level of experience

      4. While your resume will be unique to you, Spenziero also shares some key resume tips that everyone can use.

    4. Exclude personal pronouns or any abbreviations and maintain a business-appropriate tone.
    5. Do not use a photo or include general hobbies, interests, and activities.
    6. Do not feel you need to limit your resume to one page or follow a template; make it your own!
    7. Don’t list references on the resume itself. These will be requested separately.
    8. List experiences starting with your most recent position.
    9. Stay honest, authentic, and accurate; don’t embellish.
    10. Quantify successes using metrics and data when possible.
    11. Proofread! Have someone else in your field take a second look.
    12. Consider adding sections for:
      • Leadership
      • Volunteer Work
      • Professional Affiliations or Academic Groups
      • Honors and Awards
      • Presentations and Publications

      Ensure Your Key Marketing Skills Stand Out

      Having a good basic resume doesn’t mean you should use it for every application. Read each job description carefully, do some research on the company, and then organize your resume around the specific skills the position requires.

      Hiring managers often scan for keywords on a resume during their initial review so you want to make it easy for them determine if you’re a potential good fit for the job. If the business has a large online presence, for example, you’d do well to highlight any SEO or social media work you’ve done. If you’re after a job in a non-profit or government agency, you may want to play up any projects with donors, volunteers, or the public. Even if you’re new to an industry, you can find ways to pull out examples from your previous experience that will make your skills relatable.

      If you are lucky enough to get that all-important first interview, make sure you come prepared with a few of your “greatest hits,” stories that show and tell how you’ve used those key marketing skills. Employers are looking for narratives that illustrate how you behave in certain situations using specific examples, not vague generalities, of your success on various projects.

      Finally, remember all marketing pros know that good communication and a little confidence goes a long way in letting your skills shine. Good Luck!

    Deepak “Danny” Singh, BPS in Business and Management, 2014; BS in Business, 2016; MPA, 2020

    Posted on by Mackenzie Veglia

    Danny Singh began his studies with Excelsior University (then Excelsior College) in 2014. Singh shares, “I had no idea of the success I would achieve. I value the advisors, staff, and faculty at Excelsior. They are extremely amazing and without them, it is unlikely I would have accomplished my goals.” In 2015, Singh completed a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Business and Management, and in 2016, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business. A scholarship awarded by Excelsior motivated him to pursue a Master of Public Administration, which he completed in 2020.

    Singh works as an English as a Second Language instructor at the University of Central Florida and at two private schools. He shares that he loves what he does.

    Kevin Derby, MA in Liberal Studies, 2009

    Posted on by Mackenzie Veglia

    Kevin Derby has worked in the media and as an editor since graduating from Excelsior University (then Excelsior College) in 2009. He shares, “My time at Excelsior taught me to work remotely, which came in handy during the pandemic. I also learned the ins and outs of online classes, which proved useful as I studied for my doctorate in leadership—which I will finish up in May—and now working as a professor teaching online classes. Looking back at my time at Excelsior, I would not be in my current position had I not studied there.”

    Leroy Greene II, BS in Liberal Arts, 2006, MS in Management, 2022

    Posted on by Mackenzie Veglia

    Leroy Green II shares, “My degree was more of a personal statement, a personal sense of achievement.” Since leaving federal employment in 2010, Greene has been self-employed. A two-time graduate of Excelsior University (then Excelsior College), he earned a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts in 2006 and a Master of Science in Management in 2022. He believes that his master’s degree will be helpful as he moves back to the western United States.

    Timothy Leaks, BS in Liberal Arts, 2019; MS in Criminal Justice, 2022

    Posted on by Mackenzie Veglia

    Timothy Leaks earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Excelsior University (then Excelsior College) in January 2022. He joined the Excelsior University Alumni Leadership Council in July 2022 and, that same month, attended his first Commencement as part of the council. Leaks serves in the military and is looking to continue to serve his community by becoming a law enforcement officer, probation agent, or parole agent in the Military District of Washington area. Previously, Leaks earned a BS in Liberal Arts from Excelsior.