Emily Young

Emily Young

Emily Young, a freelance writer and editor on the Gulf Coast, is a proud USF alumna dedicated to connecting readers to resources and helping students succeed.

More from Emily Young

Learn the Fundamentals of Evaluation and Metaevaluation

To the uninitiated, terms like evaluation and metaevaluation might feel intimidating. But the truth is, informal evaluations are already part of your life. “We conduct evaluations every day when deciding what clothes to wear or what type of breakfast to eat,” explains Dr. Liliana Rodríguez-Campos (who prefers to be addressed as Liliana), an internationally renowned expert in this field and the director of USF’s graduate certification in evaluation. When you become a professional evaluator, you learn how to formalize the process to ensure your evaluation is credible and data driven.

Process Improvement

How to Create an Employee Wellness Program That Actually Works

The American workforce is struggling. Take a look at these numbers: 

Human Resources

6 Ergonomic Tips for Working from Home

By now, it’s clear that the Work from Home movement is here to stay. “The pandemic has started a revolution in how we work, and our research shows working from home can make firms more productive and employees happier,” explains a Stanford University economist in this CNN article. Even as more workers return to the office, hybrid schedules — which allow employees to work a few days a week from home — will remain common. Of full-time U.S. workers who can do their jobs remotely, 41 percent work a hybrid schedule.

Process Improvement

Why Engineers Should Upskill Their Emotional Intelligence

You’ve worked hard to launch your engineering career. But in order to do your best work — and rise to the top – it’s time to develop your emotional intelligence. Although “emotional intelligence” (EQ) may sound touchy-feely, it’s actually a data driven set of competencies that are vital to both personal and professional success. Take a look at some of these numbers: 

Leadership & Management

7 Professional Development Lessons from Twilight

With the Aug. 4 release of Midnight Sun — Stephenie Meyer’s latest installment in the Twilight series — we’re ready to revisit the enchanted world of Bella and Edward. Vampires, werewolves, and rain-soaked redwoods are the perfect escape from daily life during COVID-19. But this fantasy series also offers real-world lessons for career development. Go ahead and enjoy the supernatural world of Forks, Washington, then come back here for these 7 professional development lessons from Twilight. 

Professional Development

Professional Development Lessons from 'Hamilton'

Do you find yourself bursting into song about your ambitions? Are you passionately smashin’ every expectation? Are you ready to rise up and achieve your professional goals? We thought so. Now that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton is available to stream on Disney+, we’re all feeling inspired by America’s coolest founding father. Cue up your favorite songs from the Broadway hit, and get ready for these 8 professional development lessons from Hamilton. 

Professional Development

Qualities of a Good Project Manager

You wear so many hats in your organization, you’re starting to look like an Alice in Wonderland character. Now, a new one has been placed on your head: project manager. You may feel the urge to go mad and start hosting nonsensical tea parties. Stay calm. We’ll help you take the reins on this important task and steer it to success. With a little practice, you can harness the top four qualities of a good project manager.

Project Management

How Time Management Drives Process Improvement

You want your team to be as productive as possible, and that means reducing waste. What do we waste a lot of? Time. Most organizations lose time to everything from inefficient meetings to outdated processes. But if you know how to wisely allocate your team’s time, you’ll be better prepared to meet deadlines, increase productivity, and attract top employees. Let’s take a closer look at how time management drives business process improvement.

Process Improvement

Understanding Personality Types: Communicating Effectively in the Workplace

“We all bring our lives to the workplace,” said Kathy Barnes, the associate director and operations manager of USF’s Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education. Understanding employees as individuals – each with unique personalities, strengths, and life experiences – is an essential leadership skill. Let’s take a closer look at how leaders can take steps toward understanding personality types and communicating effectively in the workplace. 

Leadership & Management

Cyber Security Basics for Remote Workers

You already know that your new work-from-home life demands a new skill set: Managing Zoom meetings, staying productive even when the cat crawls onto your lap, and hiding your office snacks from your toddler. But did you know that cybersecurity skills are key to WFH success? Now that you are working remotely, your company’s data is vulnerable in new ways, and it’s crucial that you know how to protect it. Luckily, you don’t have to be tech gods like Lisbeth Salander or Mr. Robot to know how to defend against cyber threats. By changing a few simple habits, you can master these cybersecurity basics for remote workers. 

Business and Technology, Technology

How to Ensure LGBT Plus Diversity in Your Workplace

If you want to be a true ally to LGBTQ+ colleagues, we can help you go beyond rainbow Zoom backgrounds, Pride parade attendance, and sparkly Taylor Swift anthems. Supporting team members of all gender identities and sexual orientations means taking active steps towards a more diverse and inclusive work environment. From strategic recruitment efforts to workplace training, here are a few simple ways to ensure LGBTQ+ diversity in your workplace.

Human Resources, Leadership & Management

6 Ways to Improve Employee Wellness for Productivity

As a leader in your organization, you’re faced with a tough challenge. How can you maintain productivity (and profitability) when workers are chronically stressed due to COVID-19? The answer is simple: Take care of your employees’ emotional and mental well-being. Read on to learn six ways to improve employee wellness for productivity during the coronavirus crisis. 

Human Resources, Professional Development, Leadership & Management, Process Improvement

9 Tips for Optimizing Your Social Profiles for Employment

Job hunters, we know it’s tough out there. Unemployment has soared to record levels, which is scary enough. On top of that, your typical means of networking (in-person events, career fairs) are no longer an option. Social distancing is crucial to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But it’s awfully hard to impress recruiters when you’re confined to your house. Or is it? 

Professional Development

Our Wellness Challenge: 30 Ways to Reduce Stress This Month

It’s been a rough month. You may be transitioning to remote work due to concerns about COVID-19. You may be juggling deadlines and home-from-school kids. You’re definitely scrolling through scary headlines. You are (hopefully) practicing social distancing, which means you can’t go to your favorite gym or local coffee shop to destress after a long day of work. How do you keep calm? We’re here to help. Dive into our wellness challenge: 30 ways to reduce stress this month.

Professional Development

6 Leadership Lessons from Children’s Literature

Think back to your favorite childhood book. Maybe you cavorted with wild things. Maybe you befriended a bear of very little brain. Or maybe you listened to the wise words of the Lorax. The characters in your beloved picture books helped shape who you are today. But if you’re like most of us, those stories are now gathering dust in your parents’ basement. It’s time to change that.

Leadership & Management

How to Find Job Openings with Social Media

If you’re job searching, we’ve got good news: Employers are waging a war for talent, which means the odds are in your favor. A savvy social media strategy can help you land that dream position. From reading our other posts, you already know how to use your online presence to leverage your career and network with professionals. Now we’ll show you how to find job openings with social media. 

Professional Development

Evaluating (and Diminishing) Risks in HR

All organizations, no matter how different they seem, have one thing in common: risk. And if you’re a human resources professional, risk management is part of your job. Whether you work at Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. or Jurassic Park, you’ve got to tackle potential pitfalls – before Michael Scott opens his mouth or the T. rex eats the customers. Where do you start? Keep reading to learn how to evaluate and diminish HR risks for your organization.

Human Resources

5 Leadership Lessons from Harry Potter

You need some advice. Go ahead – say the password, “Sherbet lemon.” See how the stone gargoyle hops aside, revealing that spiral staircase? You’ll find the headmaster’s office at the top. Inside, it’s warm and comforting: Fawkes the phoenix is perched in his corner, the Sorting Hat is right where it should be, and the most powerful wizard in the world is behind his claw-footed desk. This is where Dumbledore lives. And you don’t need to be a Hogwarts student to benefit from his wisdom.

Leadership & Management

9 Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones

The world of Game of Thrones is a lot like the workplace, except with more dragons. Just like our Westerosi heroes, you want to advance in your career — maybe not all the way to the Iron Throne, but far enough that you get one of those World’s Best Boss mugs. Which is basically the same thing, except you can enjoy drinking coffee out of your mug while whoever sits on the Iron Throne has to deal with a thousand swords poking into their back. Seriously, you think your office chair is bad?

Leadership & Management

What You Can Expect as a Paralegal

You’d like to advance your career, and you think becoming a paralegal might be the way to do it. It’s a fast-growing field that offers challenging legal work for go-getters and problem-solvers like you — and the certification process is much faster than for a law degree. Got questions? Read on to know what you can expect as a paralegal.

Paralegal Certificate
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