Archive for March 8, 2021

New LinkedIn Data Reveals The Gender Differences In Job Seeking

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 8, 2021 by itnerd

To mark International Women’s Day, this month’s edition of the Workforce Confidence Index breaks down the challenges and strategies that Canadians face in the job hunt, and how they differ between men and women. LinkedIn then looked at aggregate confidence scores by gender based on perceived job security, personal finances, and career outlook.

LinkedIn’s latest research looks at gender differences in job seeking:

  • LinkedIn found that women were far more likely to consider education as a job-seeking strategy than men. Some 40% of women said they would be willing to go back to school part-time or take online classes to gain knowledge and skills, compared with just 26% of men. Meanwhile, 13% of women said they would consider going back to school full-time, compared with 8% of men.
  • Women were also marginally more willing to pivot into working in a different industry (53% versus 50%) or work in a different job function (49% versus 46%).
  • While men and women were equally willing to start their own business, men were much more willing to consider working as freelancers or contractors than women.
  • Men were also a bit more open to taking a step back in their careers, with men slightly more likely to say they would accept a sizeable reduction in income (10% of men versus 7% of women) and more likely to accept a sizeable reduction in seniority or job title (19% versus 13%).
  • Overall, women in Canada have consistently reported lower Workforce Confidence Index scores than men since LinkedIn began collecting data early in the pandemic, although that gap has narrowed significantly since the summer.

For the full results, including additional insights on what’s keeping Canadians from finding new jobs, visit here.

Methodology

LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index is based on a quantitative online survey that is distributed to members via email every two weeks. Roughly 1,000+ Canada-based members respond each wave. Members are randomly sampled and must be opted into research to participate. Students, stay-at-home partners & retirees are excluded from analysis so we’re able to get an accurate representation of those currently active in the workforce. We analyze data in aggregate and will always respect member privacy.

Data is weighted by engagement level, to ensure fair representation of various activity levels on the platform. The results represent the world as seen through the lens of LinkedIn’s membership; variances between LinkedIn’s membership & overall market population are not accounted for.

*Gender is based on self-reported data from survey respondents. Respondents could also identify outside Male or Female, or could select “prefer not to answer.”

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It’s International Women’s Day! Celebrate On TikTok With Shania Twain’s #LetsGoGirls

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 8, 2021 by itnerd

Pop-country icon Shania Twain is joining TikTok just in time for International Women’s Day and to ask the TikTok community to join her in the #LetsGoGirls challenge, soundtracked by her immortal hit “Man! I Feel Like A Woman.” Users can demonstrate what they think is the best thing about being a woman by creating a transition or stitch to showcase what happens when they hear Shania utter her famous phrase “Let’s Go Girls.” 

TikTok LIVE Telethon

TikTok will also be hosting a special six-hour LIVE telethon today from 1:00-7:00 p.m. PST, in celebration of International Women’s Day, to raise money for organizations that are committed to providing support and resources to help women continue flourishing in their lives. Starting today, #ThanksToHer will be a featured banner on the Discover page, connecting their community to a schedule of TikTok LIVE programming featuring women creators and artists, including @mayemuskofficial, @lillysingh, LGBTQ+ TikTok Trailblazers @team2moms, @kaliuchis, @christaallen, and more.

Community Support

TikTok is a platform that empowers women to own their voice and showcase their best selves but we know there is still work to be done. TikTok will be donating $250,000 to non-profit organizations across the US and Canada that commit to the advancement of women’s leadership and economic empowerment globally. In Canada, TikTok will be supporting YWCA Canada’s Young Women’s National Leadership Program, and the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s Art Expression Project.

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Canadian Women In Tech Feel Employers Have ‘Patched The Pandemic’ But Worry About Career Prospects: SAP

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 8, 2021 by itnerd

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, more Canadian women working in technology agree that they have a good work-life balance and feel supported by their company, compared to Canadian women working outside of technology. However, they are more likely to report feeling like their career growth and goals have been stunted, and an astonishing 44 per cent of respondents agree that the pandemic notwithstanding, technology companies do not really want to hire women.   

The survey shows that technology companies have done a good job helping women manage the new way of work: Women in technology are more likely to agree they feel supported by their company (63 per cent vs. 51 per cent in non-technology roles), have a good work-life balance (57 per cent vs. 50 per cent in non-technology roles) and feel more productive (54 per cent vs. 33 per cent in non-technology roles).   

However, due to the pandemic, nearly half (48 per cent) of women in technology agree that their career growth or goals have been stunted, higher than those not in the technology sector (31 per cent). This is particularly true with younger women in the industry and those who are also caregivers. Over half (53 per cent) of younger generations are more likely to agree that their career growth or goals have been stunted than older generations (37 per cent). Nearly two-thirds (59 per cent) of women in technology who care for an adult and over half (52 per cent) of women with childcare responsibilities agree with the sentiment.   

The survey identifies other factors that technology companies need to address during and post-pandemic:  

As a result of the pandemic, women in technology are more likely to feel unmotivated in their careers (45 per cent vs. 39 per cent in non-technology roles), feel stifled in their career growth or goals (43 per cent vs. 33 per cent in non-technology roles), and overall have felt their careers have been impacted negatively (41 per cent vs. 29 per cent in non-technology roles). 

The majority of women in technology indicate it is important that their employer offers career growth workshops or programs (78 per cent vs. 68 per cent in non-technology roles) and increase informal meetings to foster employee engagement (74 per cent vs. 65 per cent in non-technology roles).While companies are still facing the challenges of the pandemic, the technology industry needs to focus on both recovery efforts and continuing to support women as future leaders.   

True Global Intelligence fielded an online survey on behalf of SAP Canada of 592 Canadian women who are professionals in technology and non-technology fields. The survey was fielded online from February 18 to March 2, 2021. Women in technology were identified as employed in a technology role or technology company.  

For more information, visit the SAP News Center or follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews.  

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Review: Victorinox Cyber Tool M

Posted in Products with tags on March 8, 2021 by itnerd

I will say this up front. I’ve had this tool for years. As in over 15 years. It’s survived everything that I could possibly throw at it and it has not failed me once. That tool is the Victorinox Cyber Tool M:

Like I said, I bought this 15 years ago or so and while it does have some light scratches on it, it still looks great. That’s a testament to the quality that Victorinox builds into I use it to do everything from open up computers and to open up Amazon boxes. It fits into my pocket without an issue though it is on the heavy side. The CyberTool is a geek and computer tech’s dream tool because of the amount of tools it provides:

To save you the trouble of figuring out what all of this stuff is, here’s a list:

  1. large blade
  2. small blade
  3. corkscrew
  4. reamer, punch and sewing awl
  5. can opener
  6. screwdriver 3 mm
  7. bottle opener
  8. screwdriver 6 mm
  9. wire stripper
  10. key ring
  11. toothpick
  12. tweezers
  13. mini screwdriver
  14. pressurized ballpoint pen
  15. pin, stainless steel
  16. pliers
  17. wire cutter
  18. wire crimping tool
  19. scissors
  20. multipurpose hook
  21. bit slotted 4
  22. bit Phillips 2
  23. bit Phillips 0 (Pozidrive)
  24. bit Phillips 1 (Pozidrive)
  25. bit Torx 10
  26. bit Torx 15
  27. bit case
  28. bit wrench
  29. female Hex drive 5 mm for D-SUB connectors
  30. female Hex drive 4 mm for bits
  31. bit Hex 4
  32. bit Torx 8

There’s a few things that I would like to highlight here:

Items 29 and 30 are actually located here. I love the fact that they put both of these in the same slot that the bits go into as that saves space.

The pin which is item 15 is hidden here so that it doesn’t slip out and stab you while you have this tool in your pocket. You also are getting a look at the scratches that I have on the tool after 15 years of use.

I found that this covers all my needs with the exception of tools to open an Apple product which tends to use their “unique” screws. I’ll admit that I don’t use all the tools that the CyberTool offers. Like the crochet hook, corkscrew and can/bottle openers and tweezers. But the blades and screw drivers see very frequent use from me. I’m always needing to do things like open the back of a computer, cut open a box, or tighten the screws on my wife’s eyeglasses. Having dropped it in server rooms and kicked it across the room accidentally, I can say it’s a very durable product that will last you years. It also has a very high quality feel as the blades and the like snap into place and that feels the same as they did on day one.

The only thing that you might not like is the price. I found it ranging between $160 to $180 CDN on Amazon. It’s not cheap. But I’ve had mine for 15 years and it’s survived everything that I have thrown at it. Which means it will survive your daily activities with ease.

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