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The New Way to Target Ads at Consumers

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 05:00 PM PDT

If the refrigerator door's display changes from Pepsi to flavored water before your eyes the next time you walk into a Walgreens, don't be surprised.

Walgreens is rolling out a new technology that embeds cameras, sensors and digital screens into its cooler doors, creating smart displays that target ads to individual customers. The sensors and cameras connect to face-detection technology that can pick out a customer's age and gender, as well as external factors like if it's hot or raining outside and how long you stand there, and even pick up on your emotional response to what you're looking at.

This allows the doors to act as a dynamic, responsive marketplace, similar to how online ads use your information to more effectively advertise to your interests.

The doors boast several benefits, like real-time stock information and instant campaign feedback, but also bring up questions about the future of targeted marketing and where the line of intrusion exists in this modern marketplace.

Benefits

The doors were created by Cooler Screens Inc. and thought up by CEO and co-founder Arsen Avakian. As the former CEO of Argo Tea Inc., Avakian spent hours in cooler aisles trying to figure out how best to advertise his products.

The doors combine the best of digital power with the traditional lure of brick-and-mortar stores. They show off the products in their best light and provide real-time basic analytics, telling advertisers which items customers picked up or looked at and alerting retailers when certain items are low in stock.

Using proximity sensors, in conjunction with the facial recognition technology, to determine when a customer is approaching, the doors shift what products are in view based on what they think the customer will want to see – ice cream on a hot day, for example, or water for someone who looks like they came from a workout.

The doors can also be programmed to show specific advertisements and promotions. Cooler Screens has partnered with several advertisers like Aquafina, Red Bull, Gatorade, Coca-Cola and Pepsi to display their animated ads between the digital displays on the doors. This feature denotes the real purpose of the doors: a vehicle for advertisements. The doors will track what items you pick up and may show an ad based on that choice – for example, a promo for a frozen pizza if it sees you grabbing a six-pack of beer, which you may also have chosen based on the doors.

The Wall Street Journal piece on Cooler Screens noted that many customers do not know that a lot of drugstores sell beer, resulting in low alcohol sales for those stores. Cooler Screens offers an opportunity to more effectively market such unknown products and increase sales.

Concerns

As with most recent facial recognition technology, many consumers are concerned with privacy and data protection.

Cooler Screens maintains that it does not store any data and that the data is anonymized, which means it can't track repeated purchases or habits by any particular customer. However, some studies have shown that full anonymization is not possible, particularly in densely populated cities like New York and Chicago – which are two cities where the Cooler Screens have been placed.

Then there is also the perennial issue of AI – whether it is able to truly and accurately read a human's emotions and desires. For example, the technology will most likely rely on data to determine what products it shows, which does not always match up with what a customer is looking for when they come into a store. If a young woman walks up to the screens, she will probably be shown low-calorie frozen meals or diet protein ice cream, when she may actually be looking for Ben & Jerry's or a Red Bull. 

Marketing consultant Nicole Meyerson sees a potential issue in overstimulation.

"We're already approaching the risk of being bombarded by too much visually interesting stimuli in public," she said. "From tech-enhanced billboards to cars with built-in touchscreens, we're already very distracted."

What's more, because advertisements have become so ubiquitous, many consumers are developing banner blindness, the phenomenon of being so inundated with advertisements that we simply stop seeing or absorbing them.

The future of targeted advertising

Despite initial concerns, many feel that this is the logical next step in targeted advertising. After all, our internet browsers and social media are full of ads designed for and targeted to us. Most of the time, it is subtle enough that we just don't notice, write it off as a coincidence, or have already clicked 'accept' on too many cookie agreements to care.

"I think this is exactly where marketing is heading, if it's not already there," said Jonathan Mendoza, content marketing specialist at Fueled. "Millennials and Gen Z-ers are the top two demographics, [and] they want to feel seen and heard, so marketers have begun to target these demographics and their specific interests. I think it was only a matter of time before marketing became this personalized." [Read related article: What Businesses Should Know About Working With Gen Z]

Ultimately, the ability to advertise and to target products in real time to shoppers is the logical next step in modern marketing. Consumers want to feel seen and be given exactly what they're looking for almost instantaneously, and this new technology is a strong step in that direction.

How QA Can Support Businesses in the Journey of Digital Transformation

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 02:00 PM PDT

The influence of technology is growing, and businesses strive to take full advantage of it. For many companies, digital transformation is a way to speed up processes, support innovations and embrace and open up new opportunities.

Quality assurance, being the indispensable part of the software development life cycle, has a key role along the path of digital transformation. Introducing quality checkpoints ensures the achievement of the planned business outcomes and flawless end-user experience and satisfaction, which is the objective of every digital endeavor.

How digital transformation changes QA

Digital transformation has significantly influenced the ways QA and software testing are performed and how the results are achieved.

Here are the main improvements:

  • Testing throughout the software life cycle

QA is no longer done at the end of the software development life cycle. Digital transformation has brought about the need to perform testing continuously. More and more often, testers are not asked to check the app functionality once the developers have deemed it to be ready. Today, testing and dev teams work in collaboration, doing their best to deliver a high-quality solution. To ensure testing accuracy and flexibility, organizations adopt Agile and DevOps practices.

But there are some exceptions. Many organizations still run software testing once the development is finished. Mainly, these are the companies representing highly regulated business sectors, for example, the healthcare domain. For the projects with medical devices used, a key component for the product to be released to market is the approval by the FDA. To receive this approval, the company has to submit test results obtained on different stages of software development, including the final tests results.

The obligatory final testing, however, doesn't count out the need of testing throughout the development life cycle. As a rule, such projects are tested during all development stages with the end-to-end tests run at the very end, and the results are documented as required by FDA policies.

On the other side of the coin, there are IT-driven companies engaged in social media or digital marketing business who tend to be much more agile. Due to their nature, they have to respond to feedback from users and implement changes as fast as possible. Of course, testing of new releases and new products will run continuously. Fast feedback allows these companies to support their loyal audience and minimize business risks.

  • Introduction of new roles

As the needs of QA and testing change, new roles have to be created to take control of different functions and operations. A few examples include Test Designers, Test Analysts, and Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs). These roles mainly serve as a bridge between testers and developers and improve their collaboration.

Another profession is Data Engineer, who simplifies the data analysis process within a company and ensures that analysts timely receive accurate data.

  • Testing tools augmentation

The variety of tools and techniques testers use has grown. To increase quality awareness, QA makes use of the latest analytical technologies to get data from various social and commercial sources. The data provides insight into the customer experience and can further be used in critical business decision-making.

Recent examples include ALM Octane, a lifecycle management tool that allows organizations to run Waterfall and Agile projects. Appium is another powerful tool that allows performing automated testing of mobile apps. Appium isn't the first of a kind, but for now, it's the best one. BDD projects have got the advantage of the frameworks like HipTest and Cucumber.

  • A transition toward quality engineering

Last but not least, more and more organizations reinvent testing in quality engineering. The main difference is that while testing is reactive and catches defects in the developed software, quality engineering is proactive and prevents bugs from entering the code base.

This is achieved by not simply shifting testing left in the cycle but addressing quality even earlier. Testers are invited to join the software design sessions where they can think of ways to build testability from the very start. It's also very important to test software requirements at the very start of the project. And this is another activity that should be performed by QA engineers. Early requirements testing allows eliminating inaccuracies and ambiguities before the code is written, which is much cheaper, of course.

Not always the requirements testing is performed with all the formalities observed. Sometimes, the QA team is invited to ask early questions and detect the bottlenecks. This can also work well.

How QA helps organizations not to be overwhelmed by digital transformation

As we see, digital transformation changes QA. On the other hand, QA supports the digital endeavor. Software testing efforts strengthen the product and eliminate security, performance, usability, and other risks that new technology poses.

A well-built quality assurance function helps the business meet three goals of the digital initiative: ensure high end user satisfaction, protect its reputation and increase quality awareness. Now let us see what activities help QA accomplish its mission in the digital transformation context.

1. QA elicits end-user requirements, considers them when designing test cases, and tests and measures customer experience across multiple channels. This helps identify areas to improve and increases brand consistency across multiple digital platforms.

2. Through proper test automation, QA gives organizations the speed they need during testing. Automation helps achieve the goals of DevOps and Agile. But it is very important to carefully choose a test automation approach that will fit the company's software development and testing requirements most.

It's not uncommon when test engineers were invited to the project and came across the test automation solution that didn't consider the end user scenarios or where test cases were prepared by different engineers and couldn't be compiled into one turnkey solution. Of course, such scenarios had to be fixed, which implied additional project costs.

3. QA accelerates transformation by means of software-level automation and, more importantly, the entire life cycle automation. This can be achieved with the introduction of DevOps and continuous delivery practices.

Talents matter

A proper QA function provides the full quality picture and allows analyzing software usage results in various browsers and operating systems and on desktop and mobile devices. However, to make it a reality and get the most of QA on the way to digital transformation, it is very important to address the talent gap.

Digital transformation initiatives will need new ways to manage bugs, and a tester with a traditional skill set may not have the right experience to face the challenge. That is why organizations have to either train/retrain their in-house resources or find a team of professionals with the right skills to support their transformation.

Bottom line

User demands and expectations are constantly increasing, and it is becoming more and more difficult to meet these growing demands and ensure a flawless end-user experience.

Quality assurance and software testing enable organizations to effectively adopt new and emerging digital technologies and guarantee the desired customer experience. Hence, leading enterprises and top-ranking CIOs are focusing specifically on QA to successfully implement digital transformation initiatives. They also recognize quality-associated risks and spend a large portion of their IT budget on the QA function.

In turn, QA elevates the digital customer experience and ensures the reliability of the software. With this coverage, companies can confidently embark on ambitious digital transformation projects.

How Security Can Help Your Business Grow

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:00 AM PDT

A business that is negatively impacted by crime can't grow, and will inevitably shrink and possibly collapse. Companies should consider investing in security, mainly because of how crime can adversely affect a business' long-term growth projections.

Criminal activity tends to impact the performance of small and medium enterprises negatively. As the journal Tourism Economics reports, a study based in Latin America finds that there is a negative correlation between increased crime rate and small business growth. How then does a business deal with the problem of crime while at the same time remaining profitable? The key to this discussion lies in how the business approaches its security.

Physical security measures

The first thing a small business must secure is its operating location. The real-world situation of a company is of extreme importance to its growth. Securing that property should be the business' first step. There are several ways companies can go about securing their premises, including:

Industrial strength locks

The standard locks that a commercial building comes with are usually not made to deal with dedicated criminals. Most commercial rental properties will allow tenants to change locks, once the owner also gets a key. Replacing the standard bolts that a location has with more sophisticated locks, designed for being difficult to break into should be among the first changes a business should make to ensure its continued security.

Security cameras

Surveillance of a commercial property can add to the safety of the premises as well as serve as a deterrent to criminals. It is important to note, according to Security Instrument, that a commercial grade security camera is different from a consumer-grade camera and one should not be used to replace the other. Security cameras offer peace of mind, and many systems come with an option for the user to log into the system remotely and view cameras from anywhere with an internet connection.

Alarm systems

The age of klaxon alarms to alert the surrounding regions of a break-in seem to be coming to an end. However, that doesn't mean that the need for security alarms has waned. Instead, companies have started investing in alarms that send notifications directly to security firms, which can then delegate an armed response if necessary. Some businesses may not require that level of security, but having an alarm that alerts local law enforcement should be high on the list of improvements to any commercial property location.

Security checks on external personnel

Dealing with vendors is part and parcel of being in business, but being aware of the risks that come with letting a vendor's registered personnel onto the premises should be considered beforehand. SHRM mentions that, in a survey done in 2018, as many as 95% of respondents indicated that they did at least one form of screening on employees to determine their background was suitable for the job. Understanding the hiring process for vendors can help to alleviate the risk that the company may find itself in. Ideally, businesses should try to avoid interacting with vendors that don't have transparent hiring practices.

Online security measures

While physical security is a significant factor, a company would do well not to overlook the safety of its data. Even physical locations require proper data security or else they risk falling prey to malicious users that can potentially steal customer data. Data breaches could lead to a loss of business, and potential legal action by affected users, which would negatively impact the growth of the company. Among the steps enterprises can take regarding their online security are:

Training employees in data security

CNBC mentions that the most substantial risk facing US businesses in terms of cybersecurity stems from employee negligence. While proper training might lower this risk factor, having employee screening that deals with potential employees that fail to follow security protocols exactly can also help to minimize the exposure to risk from this direction. Businesses should deal with training employees in the underlying security measures necessary to protect company data.

Cybersecurity infrastructure

Having a cybersecurity system installed does have a significant impact on whether hackers consider the business worth breaking into. Small businesses tend to be the easiest targets for malicious users because they offer a similar prize as large corporate structures, but without the level of security that corporations invest in. The more complicated a system is to crack, the less attractive it is for a hacker to spend time and effort on it. By having a basic cybersecurity system, a business is already working to deter hackers from trying to gain access to its data.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

If there are remote workers associated with the business or sensitive data that needs to be sent to anywhere online, there will be a risk of a data breach by interception. VPNs have long been a bastion for those users who seek anonymity online but more than that, it can be used to protect a business from falling prey to interception attacks. VPN's create a direct tunnel between the source location and target location so that data is sent directly from sender to recipient without any third party having access to that data while it is in transit. For businesses, this adds a layer of impenetrable security to their data transmission.

Why invest in security?

Business prosperity is directly proportional to the company's profitability. The more security breaches it has, both offline and online, the less profitable the business stands to be since it will be losing money dealing with restoring systems and appeasing customers. Security is a preventative measure to ensure that the company can withstand attempts to get access to its data or premises. It's an investment that sees a return by allowing the business to be profitable instead of having to reinvest profits into mitigation and settlements. It might not be such a prominent contributor to the growth of an enterprise, but without security, the business would likely fail because of an inability to deal with the constant threats on its location or customer information.

Slack vs. Skype: Which Is Best for Business?

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 08:20 AM PDT

Editor's note: Skype for Business is no longer Microsoft's main communication app to rival Slack. With the new 8.0 update, the application's main function is video chatting, although it does still support instant messaging. If you're looking for a comparison between Microsoft and Slack products that are on a more even playing field, see our breakdown of Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Skype was once a titan of office communication, but with the recent unveiling of the new and improved Microsoft Teams, this former player is being relegated to a single function. Still, Skype and Slack are among the most used communication apps in the workplace, as they're ideal tools to directly message colleagues and spur collaborative conversations.

The right internal communication tool for your business depends largely on your type of company and what kind of services you need. Slack and Skype for Business are ideal instant messaging tools that have some call and video features. If you need more robust video tools, it may be worth looking into separate video conferencing software. It's not uncommon for companies to use an instant messaging tool alongside separate video conferencing software. If you'd like to see our recommendations for the best video conference services, visit our best picks page. You can also check out our full review of Microsoft Teams.

To help you find the right communication solution for your business, here's a breakdown of how Slack compares to Skype for small businesses.

Cost

Slack – The basic version of Slack is free, but it's limited to two-person voice and video calls and only 10 app integrations. Paid versions start at $6.67 per active user per month and come with group voice and video calls, unlimited searches, unlimited integrations, priority support, and better security. Slack also offers a plan that costs $12.50 per user per month and comes with more advanced IT features, such as single sign-on, a 99.9% uptime guarantee and 24/7 support.

Skype for Business – Skype is now part of the Microsoft Office 365 for Business plans, but it can still be purchased individually for your business. [Read related article: Collaboration Tools for Small Business]

Messaging and calls

Slack – Slack offers one-on-one and group messaging via direct messages and multiple channels. Users can also hold individual and group audio and video calls. One nice feature in Slack is your own private channel – you can message yourself to set up a to-do list, organize tasks or set reminders.

Skype for Business – Like Slack, Skype offers instant messaging and one-on-one and group audio and video calls.

Editor's note: Looking for a video conferencing solution? Fill out the below questionnaire to be connected with vendors that can help.

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Collaboration tools

Slack – Slack makes it easy to collaborate via Channels. Users create Channels, using hashtags, to organize projects, teams and other topics to keep everyone in the loop. Slack also lets users easily share all types of files simply by dragging and dropping them into the app, or by syncing the service with file-sharing services like Google Drive and Dropbox. Slack conversations and shared files are also fully archived, so users can quickly search for what they need at any time.

Skype – Skype offers true collaboration during audio and video calls. This includes screen sharing and the ability to record meetings. There's built in instant messaging, PowerPoint upload features and a whiteboard. You can also hold meetings with up to 250 people, record those meetings, take quick polls or add attachments to a meeting.

Integrations

Slack – Slack shines when it comes to integrating apps that businesses use. This means users get all their notifications and can get most of their work done within the Slack platform without switching between apps. Integrations include Salesforce, Dropbox, Twitter and GitHub, as well as other communication tools like Zoom, BlueJeans and Google Hangouts. Additionally, Slack is fully integrated with Google Drive, which allows users to share and view Google Doc, Sheet or Slide files during calls and within conversations. 

Skype – One of Skype's highlights is that it is fully integrated with Microsoft Office. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook (users can also schedule meetings right from Outlook).

Which is best?

Which service is best for you depends largely on your business. Either way, Microsoft Teams is now Microsoft's flagship business communication tool. It's also included with Office 365 subscription plans and possesses much of the same capabilities as Skype. Microsoft introduced a free version of Teams, so very small businesses can use this program without signing up for a full-fledged Office 365 subscription plan.

Where's That 15-Hour Workweek We Were Promised?

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 07:00 AM PDT

The 44-hour workweek was considered long overdue when it became a right under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Two years later, Congress shortened it to 40. A lot has improved since then, but not this particular figure – in fact, it's gone in the other direction. Today, by some estimates, the average American works as many as 47 hours per week. In certain industries, such as tech or finance, you're lucky to manage a week under 60.

This wasn't always the plan. In 1930, British economist John Maynard Keynes made a series of predictions about the state of the Western world 100 years hence. One prediction was that technological change will have progressed far beyond anything he could imagine. For another, compound interest will continue to accrue at 2%, such that the standard of living will increase four to eight times over. Finally, because of all this, no one will have to work.

OK, we'll work occasionally – only because, according to Keynes, "we'll be too glad to have the small duties and tasks and routines … three-hour shifts or a fifteen-hour workweek may put off the problem for a great while."

We're now only 11 years away from Keynes' future, and so far, he's two-for-three on his predictions. Mechanization has replaced most forms of manual labor, machine learning targets us with ads based on our internet history, and computerization allows us to summon all the world's knowledge at our fingertips, whether that's Ariana Grande's birthday or the current value of your Bitcoin wallet.

Meanwhile, not only has standard of living increased four times over since the 1930s, but U.S. per-capita income has increased more than eightfold. We may take economic growth for granted now, but at the dawn of the Great Depression, Keynes' predictions were bold – and his back-of-envelope calculations have proven startlingly accurate.

With the first two predictions right on target, we can assume that Keynes was not totally bonkers when he claimed we'd be working 15 hours per week right about now. In some regards, work has indeed declined. Time spent on housework dropped from 40 hours per week in 1930 to 18 hours per week in 1975 (though women joining the labor force played a part in this). Many European countries have seen a decline in working hours and an increase in vacations in the last century (though nowhere near 15 hours per week).  

Despite all this, most of us are still grinding away at our 40-plus hour workweek – a fixture that has remained unchanged in the United States for nearly a century. Nor is leisure a luxury of the wealthy – indeed, those most likely to work long hours are highly educated, highly paid, upper managerial, salaried and male. No supply-and-demand curve nor compound interest calculation could have prepared Keynes for this paradox.

For those of you who are miffed by now – cheated of the 15-hour workweek you were promised – here are five possible explanations for where Keynes went wrong in his prediction, and why he's unlikely to be proven right in the next decade.

1. The opportunity cost is too great.

Keynes' prediction makes sense under the logical assumption that the more money we make, the less we need to work. If standard of living continues to multiply, then eventually, he reasoned, we'll all be living a Downton Abbey-like life of leisure, supplemented by the occasional bird shooting or local hospital fundraiser (but for only fun, not for want of sustenance or wages).

Instead, the more money we make, the more we suffer from the knowledge that every hour not optimized, week of vacation or year of sabbatical is money down the drain. The higher the wage, the greater the opportunity cost of leisure, which leads to the next point: Why work less when you could buy more?

This paradoxical response to an increase in wages – where some work more because they earn more, while others work less because they don't need to work – was first observed by economist Lionel Robbins in the same year that Keynes made his prediction. If only Keynes had the high-speed technology he predicted, perhaps he wouldn't have spoken so soon.  

2. There's so much more to buy.

That leads to another problem with Keynes' assumption that more wealth plus better technology equals less work: Middle-class people back then didn't have smartphones. They also didn't have refrigerators, modern cars, sprawling single-family homes, fancy college degrees required for every type of job, or AirPods, all of which necessitate more time working.

Some of this consumption is arguably our own fault. If only we could step off the consumer treadmill, we wouldn't have to work so much.

But before you beat yourself up too much, think about where you'd be in life if it weren't for your smartphone or personal computer, with their ease of communication and information-locating. Sure, you could've done fine in the '90s (or even '30s), but the playing field was level back then. Today, no one is going tolerate an employee who uses snail mail to communicate or writes market research reports with outdated library books in twice the amount of time. As our technology improves, so do our standards – and the standards of those around us.

3. We're incentivized to work longer.

Even among those who can afford it, resolving to work less is easier said than done. The 20th century replacement of hourly wages with fixed annual salaries means few white-collar workers have such customizability over their hours. The modern work contract also rules out job-sharing. Fringe benefits such as healthcare represent fixed costs for employers, making two 20-hour employees more expensive than one 40-hour employee.

Meanwhile, tournament rewards systems, such as the promise of promotions or bonuses, encourage greater levels of time commitment. In Psych 101, this is described as variable interval reinforcement. Unlike with an hourly wage, it's unclear how much input it takes to get an output, which only encourages a faster rate of work over a longer period of time. When there's no guaranteed amount of time it will take to get a promotion, there's no cap on working hours for ambitious employees.   

4. There's a higher economic ladder to climb.

That's not to say no one has managed to quit the rat race. Thanks to an extremely frugal lifestyle and the successful sale of his business, Jeremy Schneider, a former tech entrepreneur, was able to retire at age 36.

"Some people can certainly live working 15 hours per week. I can personally live indefinitely working zero hours per week," said Schneider, who spends his retirement working on his blog, Personal Finance Club. Schneider is an active member of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement on Reddit, which advocates for living well below one's means for as long as it takes to achieve financial freedom – which, for many, means achieving the goal of retiring in their 30s or 40s.

"It seems like there's plenty of wealth, at least in the U.S., for most of us to be able to live on 15 hours per week of work," Schneider said. "One problem seems to be massive wealth inequality."

Income inequality has indeed been on the rise. A 2017 review found that the top 1% of U.S. adults earn, on average, 81 times what the bottom 50% of adults earn, compared with 27 times in 1981. As Schneider points out, while it may be possible to work less with the average American wealth, that's not possible when it's concentrated among a select few.

Widening income inequality also means the goalposts are constantly moving. In his book The Price of Inequality, economist Joseph Stiglitz argues that one problem with Keynes' prediction is that the higher the ceiling of wealth becomes, the more there is to work toward – and the more hours they're going to put in to get there.  

5. Work to live or live to work?

Finally, there's something Keynes failed to consider that's probably foremost on everyone's mind – work is fulfilling. A cynic may call it workaholism, or blame it on America's Puritan roots, but for many, work gives meaning to one's life and can even be enjoyable.

In fact, perhaps even more surprising than Keynes' 15-hour workweek prediction is his "general disparagement of working overall," said economist Richard Freeman in an essay on Keynes. "Evolution presumably imbued us with a work ethic for our survival and not a Garden of Eden existence. That is fine with me."

Immigrants Flock to U.S. for Better Life and More Pay

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT

  • 92% of expats living in the United States told researchers they've been able to develop new skills.
  • More than 60% of respondents said they noticed an increase in pay, while 9% saw a decrease.
  • Since moving to the U.S., 63% of respondents said their quality of live has improved.

A newly released survey suggests that when it comes to expats, the United States remains the "land of opportunity" where people go to better themselves.

Released yesterday by HSBC Bank, the annual Expat Explorer survey found that, among the more than 10,000 expats from 163 countries and territories polled, 49% said they opted to come to America to advance their professional lives. That figure marks a 13% uptick from the global average of 36% and an almost 30% gulf with our neighbors to the north, Canada (20%).

The data also shows that 92% of expats reported that, since coming to the U.S., they've been able to develop their professional skills. As a result, 57% said they felt more confident at work, and 61% said they were more adaptable.

"Whether through choice or circumstance, moving to a new country brings a host of exciting and often life-changing opportunities," said Paul Mullins, regional head of international banking for HSBC in the U.S. and Canada. "Our research shows that people don't just move to the U.S. for career opportunities – they stay because of them too."

Expats finding betterment in America

While the survey examined how expats were getting on after leaving their home countries, it also sought to understand why people stay in their new homelands. Researchers found that respondents felt staying in the U.S. benefited their careers.

According to the survey, 49% said they stayed in America longer than they initially intended to so they could "continue to progress their career." A majority of expats in the U.S. have also enjoyed consistent employment, as 73% reported having full-time work, compared to the global average of 64%. Perhaps unsurprisingly, approximately 53% said they planned to stay for at least 11 years.

Being able to find work and keep it is important, regardless of where you're from. According to the survey, expats in the U.S. are happy with their chances of doing both, as 68% said there are "fantastic job opportunities" available.

Among those who came to America, 64% reported seeing an increase in pay, with 6% reporting an annual income between $300,000 and $349,999. Though the 6% at that pay grade isn't a large group size, researchers noted that it was the highest percentage of any country.

Finding opportunity

Thanks to those job opportunities, 63% of expats reported having a better quality of life, with the ability to purchase better material things like cars, bigger homes, more clothes and the latest gadgetry.

When it comes to living in a foreign country, work isn't everything. America's culture and social opportunities are a major draw for expats, with most saying they're happier here than in their home country. Approximately 69% said they enjoyed a "vibrant cultural scene with events and exhibitions," though that naturally depends on where you live in the country.

After years of success in the U.S., 43% of expats polled said they found property in the U.S. that's affordable, compared to the global average of 35%.

Countries that rank higher than the U.S.

While expats in the U.S. reported being happier, the country doesn't rank particularly high overall in the Expat Explorer survey.

In a table of 33 countries and locales, the United States ranks 23rd overall. The ranking table is based on findings in a number of key criteria, including the quality of life and aspirational goals available for expats. The survey and resulting table also considered how expats' children would adapt and benefit from such a move.

By those criteria, Switzerland, Singapore, Canada, Spain and New Zealand rank as the top five best countries for expats. According to the data, America ranks particularly high in nearly all the aspirational criteria except for work-life balance, where the country ranked 31st.

The survey's living criteria was where the U.S. faltered the most, with issues like a person's physical and mental well-being ranking 27th overall, which could potentially reflect the country's expensive healthcare system. This area also saw America rank 28th in political stability and 26th in an expat's "ease of settling in."

How Micro-Interns Can Help Your Business

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT

If the overflow of office selfies on Instagram doesn't convince you, just look at the last-minute job postings for summer interns on Indeed. This year, companies are looking at fresh ways to leverage young talent during the summer and beyond while students are looking outside traditional channels to get experience. Enter: micro-internships. 

What Are Micro-Internships?  

Micro-internships are highly specific, often virtual, project-based contracts that consists of anywhere from five to 40 hours of paid work over a few days or weeks. Unlike its traditional counterpart, a micro-internship is a task with a deadline – not a full-time job. Assignments can range from market research to data entry and web testing.  

A product of the gig economy 

The gig economy is here to stay whether we like it or not. So it is no surprise that internships have joined the mix of freelance work available.  

Like many freelance or contract positions, micro-internships are usually remote. This means that students can take on virtual internships while still completing their coursework. For companies, this means having access to ambitious, young talent year-round.  

With more full-time employees having the option to work remotely, a growing number of companies now have the infrastructure and know-how to manage remote projects and workers. A virtual internship program, therefore, shouldn't be too out of place. 

In addition, many companies are already using freelancers. Instead of simply ignoring or tolerating the trend, why not harness it? Through the increasing acceptance of the gig economy, managers at companies from startups to giants like Microsoft have found micro-internships a useful tool to build their talent pipeline.  

A diverse talent pipeline 

With financial risk minimized, companies can more confidently take a chance on someone that may be from a different major or background than their usual candidate profile. For example, a seasoned and talented programmer may have chosen to pursue a business degree. A tech company's applicant tracking system could automatically filter out this high-potential candidate simply because he/she does not have an engineering or computer science degree.

Companies are realizing that factors like GPA, major and school are not the end-all-be-all in assessing fit. In fact, they simply aren't enough anymore. By encouraging managers to think outside of their traditional recruiting networks – such as target schools and referrals – and to include those candidates whom they may have otherwise overlooked, micro-internships can increase a company's diversity. Through an untapped candidate pool that could include talented future employees, these gig-economy internships could give companies an edge in recruiting. 

Huge savings 

Internship programs can be very expensive. A full-time, $14/hr intern for 10 weeks is a $5,600 dent in payroll. Add to that the need for desk space, a computer, and an employee to hire and manage them. Some companies may also include transportation and accommodations, further increasing expenses. 

A micro-intern, on the other hand, is paid a flat fee (usually a few hundred dollars), requires no desk or computer, and companies won't feel obligated to provide – or guilty for not providing – transportation and housing stipends. 

Speaking of savings, it is important to note that the high costs associated with bad hires is a prevalent fear in many hiring managers. With financial risk minimized, micro-internships provide a "try before you buy" solution to staffing. Companies can test-drive talent and get insight on a person's work quality and work ethics through a short-term, tangible assignment. At the end of a project, a manager may choose to continue the relationship through another project, an official internship, or even permanent employment.  

Fewer barriers to access 

The topic of privilege surrounding internships has been covered exhaustively. What hasn't been discussed enough, however, is the opportunity for greater access in micro-internships. They are an intuitive solution for students whose circumstances don't allow for traditional brick-and-mortar internships, whether that's because of finances, geographic location, lack of connections, or some other reason. The remote nature of micro-internships accommodates not just class schedules, but also work schedules for students who need to have a part-time job.  

Fixing the supply curve 

It is not an uncommon tragedy that a young graduate is forced to take on a menial job because of the difficult transition from student to professional. It shouldn't come as a surprise that many choose to pursue healthcare, teaching, or law – not because it is their passion, but because those are one of the few programs with a clear line of sight to a job. It is clear that the college-to-career link is broken; there are simply not enough co-op or internships available. 

When young graduates are barricaded from entering the industry, there is a terrible waste of talent. Though not as immersive as full-time co-ops or internships, micro-internships can still serve as career launchers. A savvy graduate who can string together a handful of them can get quite an enriching experience – much better than whipping together lattes at the local Starbucks. 

Instant access to quality talent  

Micro-interns can be especially valuable to startups and small businesses. With such limited bandwidth, it is critical that extra help comes fast, on-demand, at a low cost, and with minimal administrative burden. The reality is that many companies don't have the resources or even the need for a full-time intern. With micro-internships, a small company can farm out specific one-off tasks for a fixed fee. Gone are the lengthy hiring processes and orientations, allowing managers to organize and hand-off projects quickly.  

How it works 

Generally speaking, a hiring manager simply posts a project description and sets the price. This can be done on any freelance platform such as Upwork or Fiverr, traditional job boards, or simply the company's website. Then he/she reviews the applicants, selects the best one, and provides instructions for the project. The manager can set points for feedback along the way, as well as a final deadline. If the intern performs well, he/she may be hired for another project or referred to HR to be recruited as a longer term intern or even a permanent employee.  

Possible drawbacks 

If unpaid, micro-internships can take advantage of free labour by offloading "grunt work" while offering very little in terms of experience. However, this can be said for any internship – traditional or micro. The key here is to establish clear expectations from the start. The student and manager should agree on the scope of work, deadline and who to report to and get feedback from. This way, a student can quickly assess whether an opportunity will benefit them, and the manager can avoid having to restart and reassign a project. A successful micro-intern needs a different skillset than a traditional intern. He/she must be more independent and self-driven, must communicate well across different platforms, and must be proactive in getting responses or feedback as a remote worker. A successful employer, on the other hand, would approach the micro-internship as a learning opportunity for the student by providing constructive feedback.  

Are micro-internships a passing trend or the next big thing? While they are not meant to replace traditional internship programs, they have a place in the college-to-career transition, whether that's through an opportunity to gain work experience with a full-time course load, a stepping stone to a full-fledged internship, or a gateway to permanent employment. For companies, the benefits speak for themselves: lower overhead, on-demand help, and possibly an introduction to a future high-performing employee.

 
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