Study: The best states for working moms A study used 16 metrics involving child-care quality, professional opportunities and work-life balance to discern which states are best for working moms, writes John Kiernan. States in the Northeast and Upper Midwest populate the top ten, with Massachusetts ranking first and Louisiana coming in last. WalletHub (free registration) (5/7)3 characteristics of toxic people Toxic people share three distinct traits: narcissism, a thirst for power and the inability to deal with negative emotions, says MIT Leadership Center founder Deborah Ancona. What to do with such people depends on how much authority you have and whether indirect approaches have been tried. Ideas Made to Matter (MIT Sloan School of Management) (4/29)
Making the Connection
5 tips for conference networking Conferences offer great opportunities to meet people who may help advance your career, so it's wise to keep the dialogue professional, writes Kim Thompson. Avoid expressing opinions too vehemently, criticizing your employer or listening too much, offering little information about yourself. Houston Chronicle (tiered subscription model) (5/9)
Poll
Poll results: At what age do you plan to retire? The average age of retirement in the US is 63, with states in the Appalachia region at the lower end, often due to higher unemployment rates, according to SmartAsset. Nebraska is the state with the highest average. New poll question on Monday.
Content moderators hired as contractors by Facebook through Accenture, with lesser benefits and pay, are publicizing work conditions. "We live in this Facebook world, but we're like these weird stepchildren that they kind of claim but don't really claim," one moderation trainer says. The Washington Post (tiered subscription model) (5/8)
Your Next Challenge
Why it's OK for careers to follow more than one path The single-career trajectory is not for everyone, and those who choose to explore ways to use their different talents in a variety of jobs shouldn't feel ashamed, writes leadership coach Amy Blaschka. Instead they should relish how each experience builds on the others, creating skill sets "that transcend industry or job junction." Forbes (4/30)Study: Communication skills in demand across industries A study of 30,000 job postings in accounting, marketing, graphic design, sales and software development finds the five skills most in demand for each field, writes Melissa Locker. Teamwork, communication, customer service and sales are the most sought-after skills overall, with communication common to all five fields. Fast Company online (5/8)
It's National Pet Week so it's worthwhile to note pet ownership is proven to decrease physical and emotional health problems, writes Matt Boyle, chief operating officer of Landmark Recovery. In addition to helping heal suffering from loneliness or stress, pet ownership lowers blood pressure in their owners. Thrive Global (5/9)
The Water Cooler
Millions of Australian $50 bills misspelled "responsibility" The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced that roughly 400 million $50 bank notes were printed that contain a typo. The word "responsibility" -- which appears three times in an excerpt of a speech by Edith Cowan, the first woman in the Australian parliament -- is missing the third "i" but the bank has specified that the currency is still valid. The Guardian (London) (5/8)
