Friday, December 27, 2019

These are the top reasons why people quit their jobs

These are the top reasons why people quit their jobsThese are the top reasons why people quit their jobsThat coworker of yours who just handed in his resignation and is striding towards the exit with his belongings in an old printer-paper box could be leaving the building for any number of reasons. Especially in this economic climate a tight labor market makes people bolder, and mora willing to take risks to get the job they really want. Compensation software company Payscale presented new research in a white paper about the top reasons employees leave.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraThe top reasons people leave their jobs25% want more pay15% are unhappy at their current organization14% want to work at an organization more aligned with their values11% are relocating10% are unhappy their current position is not full-time7% want a promotion2% want a more flexible schedule15% oth erWhats better about the new job?Payscale then asked people who quit and found a new job what attracted them to that organization. The hands-down winner? Meaningful work.27% said the opportunity to do more meaningful work17% said increased responsibilities16% said increased pay for this position11% said workplace culture6% said nothing in particular, it was just a job6% said better benefits and perks5% said they wanted to work for a larger organization10% otherPeople generally find a new job that offers them what the last one couldntIt was found that the reason people leave is along the same lines with the reason that they take a new job. For example, with those who quit because they wanted higher pay, 38% of those respondents chose a new job that paid them more.And 46% of those who quit because they didnt have value alignment at their previous job chose a new organization because they would get to do more meaningful and engaged work.And for the group that quit because they wanted a promotion, 46% of respondents ended up with a job in a new organization that offered them more responsibilities.For those who quit with go-getting in mind, its a happy ending.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Monday, December 23, 2019

10 Jobs in the Legal Marijuana Industry

10 Jobs in the Legal Marijuana Industry10 Jobs in the Legal Marijuana IndustryWith the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana in an increasing number of states, more and more jobs are popping up in the legal cannabis industry.And a booming industry it is. Marijuana is big business, worth over $10 billion in 2018 and responsible for creating over 250,000 jobs, according to economists. Beau Whitney, vice president and senior economist at New Frontier Data, a cannabis market research firm, tells NBC berichterstattung that he expects the legal marijuana industry to top $16 billion in 2019.A look at the marijuana-related job motherboard websites out there shows a vast number of available jobs supporting the growth and sale of legal marijuana.Ready to take your skills to a growing field? Theres almost certainly a marijuana job out there for you. Some are universal to many industries, e.g., delivery person or store manager, while others are unique to this emerging segment.There are jobs available in many different areas and for many different skill sets. See if one of these appeals to you 01BudtenderCasarsaGuru / Getty ImagesLooking for a marijuana job? Job searching in this emerging industry isnt very different from looking for a job in a more traditional field. The usual methods apply networking, referrals, and even job search sites can help you find your dream job in the legal marijuana industry.There are also several niche sites with a focus on marijuana jobs, including420Careers.com Includes full-time and part-time jobs, plus freelance and remote gigs.Cannajobs.com Submit your resume to jobs sorted into career paths including Growing, Artisan, Technology, and more.Ganjapreneur.com Search by keyword or browse job openings on this jobs board geared specifically toward workers in the legal marijuana industry.Ms. Mary Staffing Offers job listings sorted by state or job category. Popular categories include Account Managers, Budtenders, and Dispensary Manag ers.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

How to Develop Powerfully Successful Work Teams

How to Develop Powerfully Successful Work TeamsHow to Develop Powerfully Successful Work TeamsThe Path to Team Building Success Knowing how to create effective teams, teamwork, and team building is a challenge in every organization. Work environments tend to foster rugged individuals who are working on exceeding personal goals for personal gain. Typically, reward, recognition, and pay systems single out the achievements of individual employees- bedrngnis the combined effort of a team of employees. The culture that bred powerful individual contributors, both traditionally and in less egalitarian workplaces, is not conducive to nor does it encourage teamwork. So, if your goal is a teamwork culture, you have history and past practices to overcome. You need to overcome the past while doing the right things to institute a new culture of teamwork. Use Training, Coaching, and Leadership to Develop Effective Teams A reason exists for why a whole generation of consultants and trainers we re paid millions of dollars to help organizations become mora team-oriented. Employees needed consulting, coaching, training, and hand holding. They needed to learn about the significant powerful progress that people working in groups could achieve as a team. Managers needed all of these plus the leadership skills that would allow them to learn to manage teams without dampening their enthusiasm or disempowering them. What Work Systems Need to Change to Create Successful Teams? Appraisal, wertmiger zuwachs management, and goal setting systems most frequently focused on individual goals and progress, not on team building. So, in addition to the behavior of the employees and managers, employers needed to change the work systems to support the newly desired culture. Promotions and additional authority were also previously bestowed on individuals, not teams. Employers needed to change these factors to support the newly desired team culture. Whether it was paying the sales team member s the saatkorn percentage of the commissions to encourage a teamwork approach to customer service or making teamwork a goal on an employeesperformance plan, the systems had to change to foster teamwork. Given all of these factors that need to change, is it any wonder that teams and teamwork are an uphill battle to achieve in most organizations? The good news? In the various resources that follow, each aspect of team development has been further explained and illustrated. Training and Articles That Will Help You Build Powerfully Successful Work Teams Here is the information that you need to develop teamwork and effective work teams in your organization. Teams Employee involvement, teams, and employee empowerment enable people to make decisions about their work. This employee involvement, team building approachand employee empowerment increaseloyalty and fosters ownership. These resources tell you how to do team building and effectively involve people. Employee Empowerment How to Empower Employees Employee empowerment is a strategy and philosophy that enables employees to make decisions about their jobs. Employee empowerment helps employees own their work and take responsibility for their results. Employee empowerment helps employees serve customers at the level of the organization where the customer interface exists. Employee Involvement Involve Employees in Decision Making Employee involvement is creating an environment in which people have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their jobs. Employee involvement is not the goal nor is it a tool, as practiced in many organizations. Employee involvement is a management and leadership philosophy about how people are enabled to contribute to continuous improvement and the ongoing success of their organization. Team Building Creates Successful Teams People in every workplace talk about team building, working as a team, and my team, but few understand how to create the experience of team building or how t o develop an effective team. This makes developing a teamwork culture both difficult and exciting. Many employers and managers involve all employees in creating business success and profitability. Learn how team building helps enable the success of work teams and teamwork. Meeting Management for Team Meetings Ineffective team meetings use critical resources, sap organizational energy, and movement, and affect employee morale. Find out how to make your team meetings work for you. Team Energizers, Icebreakers, and Team Building Activities Icebreakers, energizers, and activities heighten the effectiveness of training and team building sessions when targeted to the training, speaking, or facilitation topic and the needs of the learners or participants. You can also use icebreakers to help build teams through employee laughter and sharing. Positive Work Relationships Contribute to Effective Teams Want to work more effectively with people at work? Whether your relationship is with your te am, supervisor, manager, customer or coworker, you want to make your interpersonal relationships positive, supportive, clear and empowering. The Bottom Line Use these resources to help you create successful and effective teams and teamwork. Happy team building. You can maximize the contribution of the people you employ when your organization gets out of the way and lets them work together for success.

Friday, December 13, 2019

Finance Internships With Bank of America

Finance Internships With Bank of AmericaFinance Internships With Bank of AmericaBank of America serves individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations offering a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. Bank of America is one of the worlds largest financial institutions, serving more than 54 million consumer and small businesses as well as over 5,700 retail banking offices, nearly 17,000 ATMs and 19.8 million active users from over 175 countries. Internships Available Corporate Staff and SupportGlobal Consumer and Small Business BankingGlobal Wealth and Investment ManagementGlobal Corporate and Investment Banking Eligibility Internships are available to full-time undergraduate or graduate students currently attending an accredited college/university and who also meet the following requirements Overall GPA of 3.0 or aboveBusiness or technical-related majorsNon-graduation po sition (graduation date no earlier than August of the year in which the internship takes place)Ability to work 40 hours per week for the entire program (10 to 12 weeks) Internship Compensation and Benefits Competitive compensation and benefits (such as access to Associate Banking and 2 paid days off for those working 10 weeks or more).Interns are classified as temporary associates for benefit purposes. Application Process and Deadline Applicants are required to register and submit a profile online to apply for all internships with Bank for America. To ensure that your application has been sent, be sure to get to the final Thank You page when applying. Internships typically begin in May and continue through August. The application deadline is mid-February of each year, and open positions are usually filled by mid-April. Locations AtlantaBostonConcordDallasJacksonvilleLos AngelesMiamiCharlotteChicagoNew York CityPhoenixSan FranciscoTampaWashington, DC Careers in Finance Recruiting on college campuses for finance jobs also begin much earlier than for most other industries. Students are often surprised to see recruiting deadlines for careers in finance beginning in September.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

A Guide to Resume Qualifications

A Guide to Resume Qualifications The Unexpected Truth About Resume Qualifications In that time period, an employer will decide whether he or shell call you in for a job interview. On occasion a work listing could be printed on only a single day in the newspaper. For instance, you might attempt to send out a specific number of resumes weekly. Working hours occasionally consist of regular added hours. Lastly, you should list your experience. Others could have a background in a horticulture discipline or extensive voluntary knowledge in horticultural pursuits. Technical skills are either something youve got or you dont, but theyre always something which youre able to learn. Youll also have to work on your interpersonal abilities, including developing a larger feeling of empathy. Last, list all the activities that youre involved in. Not every employer will request or even permit you to offer a resume, whereas fruchtwein if elend all will require you to complete some kind of job application. Your profile needs to be professional and consistent. Use websites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to ensure your professional profile can be obtained by potential employers. The Downside Risk of Resume Qualifications Employers dont want to employ people who require close scrutiny or who cant be trusted to be a symbol of the organization in public. They want and need to be able to trust their employees to work professionally to meet the employers best interests. They will usually identify their expectations from a potential candidate right in the job description and requirements. An employer cannot act on it if it cant be read and understood. Introducing Resume Qualifications For example, more than a few people are medical assistants and phlebotomists. When it regards your experience, write about the latest experiences first. No matter what you do, do not quit looking until you find what you are searching for. If youre unemployed, be certain to tell everyone that youre looking. What You Need to Know About Resume Qualifications Too many resumes are really wordy and difficult to follow. There is a particular manner of resumes called Internship resume. Be realistic regarding the varieties of jobs youre applying for. On the program, youre made to incorporate every job. If a job happens to open up or a new sttte is made, then youre at a greater advantage then others applicants who might be applying for that exact saatkorn job. At the bare minimum, you must always list a present job in case you have one. Furthermore, you can look for assistant manager jobs on Monster. If it comes to discovering the perfect assistant manager job, an intriguing resume is critical. Records management and lab results are entirely moving to electronic platforms, and hospitals want to employ administrators to manage the data. Accounting professionals often wade through plenty of data that they need to analyze and interpret. Getting in a positio n to analyze numbers and figures in documents is a crucial skill for a great many accounting jobs. The Profede solution is thought to be a protocol as a result of simple fact that third parties will be in a position to have their apps implement the Protocol to reap the advantages from Profedes userbase. Possessing a career advisor or an unaffiliated career service is able to help you revitalize your work hunt. You may use the next list of top, sought-after skills to decide if a career in accountancy may be a fantastic match for you. Pick an industry or career field you know you may succeed in and focus your work search in that area. Based on your particular situation, look at hiring a professional career advisor or career counselor. The Resume Qualifications Trap The educational part should incorporate the most crucial elements of your educational history. The objective should speak about your targets and express your interest in a particular job or vacancy. An overview of qualifications is utilized to highlight the range of work experiences youve built up as time passes. To begin with, one of several sections that has to be altered is the work objective. Life After Resume Qualifications Your summary of qualifications should incorporate a great variety of examples which make your resume really stick out. Looking at examples will provide you with a superior guide and knowledge of what is expected. In Summary Creating the perfect resume should not need to be a significant ordeal. Just take a peek at our list of guides and resume examples for particular professions. At the same time that youll learn many essentials at work, you will want to start out with a good grasp on some basic skills. Give emphasis to the most recent in addition to the absolute most important abilities and qualifications that are related to the job. Perhaps your skill set is wholly different. If the most crucial skill or qualification doesnt happen to be absolutely the most recent, dont be worried. In addition, there are certain licenses and certifications that youll need to obtain based on what state you work for and you need to maintain proof of practice throughout your career, according to Inner Body. Carried out various audit checks to make sure the appropriate procedures were carried out and to recognize any training requirements. If youre lacking in the experience department, it may be better to try out a different resume introduction. To stick out from the pack, some crucial areas ought to be highlighted. By way of example, pick the most important elements of your education, particularly if youre licensed in the area. When you compose a list of Core Competencies, you are going to want to include about 10. Strong planning abilities and organization are traits which are highly desired in an employee, particularly in the plan world. Or you might demonstrate your skills with respect to public speaking or giving presentations.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The new degrees that are shaking things up

The new degrees that are shaking things up The new degrees that are shaking things upPosted June 16, 2015, by Marni Williams Ever hear the criticism that university graduates just arent job-ready? When you consider that peak body Universities Australia recently launched a national strategy to address this criticism, it would seem that some university degrees really are failing the relevance test. Their new program is all about encouraging Work Integrated Learning (WIL), which is about finding ways to get businesses to work more closely with education providers to design curricula that combine theory and practice. While WIL has long been the staple of selected degrees such as teaching and health, many other study paths lack the same hands-on experience and todays students are asking why. Universities Australias Chief Executive, Belinda Robinson, says student demand for WIL is on the rise, as such programs play a practical role in giving students the skills and experience they need to match employer expectations. So where can angeschlossen students go to get some WIL? Enter the newest player in Australian business degrees Ducere. Just this month, the innovative course provider has partnered with the University of Canberra to launch online business degrees in entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, marketing and management, and each is delivered with a twist a third of the course is project-based, meaning students can build on their skills and knowledge in real-life industry-based situations before they graduate. Duceres MBA takes this a step further it has no set units and requires no course work. Instead, students work on three major projects, which can take between four and six months to complete, under the guidance of Duceres industry partners, the likes of which include national and multinational organisations KPMG, NAB, Linfox, PWC, Save the Children and SEEK. You might expect that these professional development opportunities are what make Ducere unique, but its only part of their story. They make good use of their video-based e-learning platform and have built up a seriously impressive Global Faculty boasting over 250 CEOs, entrepreneurs, ex-prime ministers, Nobel Prize winners, United Nations humanitarians, ex-chief scientists and all manner of other experts who provide students with their personal knowledge and experience along the way. Its an ambitious model that sees students learning about leadership alongside exclusive insights from Julia Gillard and John Howard, hearing the tricks of the marketing trade from David Copperfield and getting the insider tips on negotiations from self-made billionaire Lindsay Fox. While you can expect to be schooled online by some intimidating figures, these courses are designed to fit your lifestyle and slot in with your current business goals. Like other online education providers, Ducere offers the flexibility of self-paced learning, meaning you can take anywhere between six months and 10 yea rs to get your qualification. As a provider of the Bachelor of Applied Social Entrepreneurship, Ducere also practices what it preaches its business and management courses are offered on a fee-paying basis, allowing the profits they generate to fully fund the philanthropic programs of the Ducere Foundation. The Foundation operates with the conscience of a not-for-profit, and the mindset of a global enterprise with initiatives so far including the Ducere Peace Centre Project and the Ducere Publishing House, which continue to create opportunities for leadership and training for disadvantaged African youth. So if you want a qualification that gets you as close as possible to the real experience of those who have been there and done that, then it might be time for a little more WIL and Ducere certainly has the way Check out Duceres latest courses Bachelor of Applied Entrepreneurship Bachelor of Applied Business (Management) Bachelor of Applied Business (Marketing) Bachelor of Applied Social Entrepreneurship ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice AdministratorPopular Career Searcheshow to get cpaapprentice chef wageseco social workoperations manager job descriptiongraphic designer job description CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire zugnglich Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineMarni WilliamsRelated ArticlesBrowse moreBossWork etiquetteHow To Ask For Time Off An Email TemplateNeed to take some time off work but struggling to put this into an email? Use this pre-written email template to explain your situation (without going into too much detail) and to ask for personal leave.EducationWORKFORCE TRENDSAgeing workfor ce means future teacher shortagesAn ageing workforce in the education sector may mean upcoming skills shortages at schools and TAFE institutions.Workplace cultureFriday Playlist Music to get you motivatedGetting back into the swing of things can be tremendously difficult if youre returning from the Best Holiday of Your Life. Our Friday playlist can ease the pain.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Small Business Philosophy for Mechanical Engineering

Small Business Philosophy for Mechanical Engineering Small Business Philosophy for Mechanical Engineering There are many opportunities for small geschftliches miteinanderes in mechanical engineering, but it comes down to financial and sales understanding as much as ability in the field. According to Mike Brown, vice president of marketing and sales for ZAPS Technologies, you better get number-crunching. Ive seen many engineers who were brilliant but didnt realize it comes down to profitability, he says. You should be able to forecast how much money youll need and how much you think your product will make. Its terrific if it serves a greater purpose, but financial backers are trying to make a living. Christopher Neils, a bioengineering lecturer at the University of Washington, Seattle, sees government agencies as a key to his areas small business opportunities. I see the field divided between those technologies/applications that require FDA approval and those that dont, he notes. I th ink that small business and inventors will pursue mora of the latter as biotech components become more readily available at moderate cost. The results would be things like biosensors for geoengineering and cool living materials like the bacteria that are designed to fill cracks in concrete. Neils believes that FDA-approval projects like gene therapies will get more of the press. There is some room for small companies in therapies that target specific cells or cell components, implantable drug-delivery devices, and inventive mechanical surgical devices. Much of the actual production of these technologies will eventually be by the big companies that buy out the small ones. There will continue to be exciting advances in imaging technology, too, but I expect that the associated equipment will be too pricey for most startup companies. Again...Those Other Skills Though engineers may fill some business skills, they have to be willing to admit when they lack in major and important areas. An swering a request for a proposal can lead to strong work but writing one properly is its own art, along with being time consuming. Honestly search yourself as to whether you can hit it in a strong way. Meetings for potential sales are also not everyones strong suit, so a small business owner cant be afraid to be trained in that area or bring someone else to sell, Brown says. Finally, negotiation can be highly stressful and an easy game to lose when you dont understand the ins and outs. If the topic of money makes you nervous, it may be a situation to defer to someone else with a steady hand. Eric Butterman is an independent writer. Ive seen many engineers who were brilliant but didnt realize it comes down to profitability.Mike Brown, ZAPS Technologies

Sunday, November 24, 2019

What to do when youre distracted and cant focus

What to do when youre distracted and cant focusWhat to do when youre distracted and cant focusDo you struggle to finish your tasks? Are you always distracted by notifications, gossiping, or anything thats random?In that case, you and I are alike. Because focusing on a single thing is one of the hardest things at work.Theres always something that interrupts you, right?Another personA callA meetingA false emergencyYour catA strangers catNews about last nights NBA gameSure, you can blame those things - but thats weak. You and I both know that those things cant interrupt you without your permission.That means every time youre not focused youre giving someone or something permission to enter your mind.Scary, isnt it?Thats how I look at interruptions. But I have to admit that I cant maintain my focus all the time. Sometimes, I give in. Its not good.Your life doesnt benefit from gossiping, looking at Instagram 439 times a day, watching 49 YouTube videos, and reading negative news articles. So, what can you do to improve your focus? Here are 2 things that I always do when I find myself not being able to focus on what matters.1. Eliminate. Eliminate. EliminateEvery day, we accumulate stuff. Im not only talking about the stuff youre buying like clothes, kitchen equipment, house decorations, toys, gadgets, or whatever.We accumulate ideas.Have you ever thought about that? Were exposed to so many ideas that we adopt some of them, and make them our own.For example, many people have told me to create mora YouTube videos. My family, friends, team members, readers, students - everybody has ideas. And they want to help.Likewise, I also share my ideas with others. Ideas about how you can improve your life, career, business, or relationships. We all do it. And theres nothing wrong with that.It only becomes a problem if you dont filter the input you get from people. So after I heard from people that I should make YouTube videos, I thought to myself Hey I should make YouTube videos Ive been thinking a lot about that for the past six months. And I also invested a lot of time in creating a strategy. What should my videos be about? Where should I record them? How should I edit them? What music should I use?Ive been working on it a lot. And I recently published a video as well. The response was positive.Theres only one problem It consumes too much of my time and attention. As a consequence, I can spend less time on writing, podcasting, and creating new courses.And those are exactly the things that I want to do. I started a blog for a reason I love to write, and Im good at it. Therefore, the work is easier, compared to creating YouTube videos, which Im not that good at.Plus, I thoroughly enjoy writing articles, books, and material for my online courses. When the work gets hard, I dont mind.But when I was working on YouTube videos, I got frustrated a lot. And again, my focus and work suffered from it.What did I do when I lacked focus? I asked myself this questionWha t thing(s) should I eliminate to make my life so simple that its easy to focus?In this case, I stopped focusing on YouTube. Elimination is a key strategy that I use for many aspects of my life.We accumulate so much unnecessary baggage throughout the years that we consistently need to eliminateIdeasProjectsWorkObjectsAnd so forthIf you find yourself struggling to focus, try this strategy. Make your life so simple that its a breeze to live.And lets be honest here. Who wants to live a life thats impossible? Life is already hard enough. Dont make it harder.2. Think about past successThinking about past success and happiness stimulates the production of serotonin, a chemical nerve our cells produce.Serotonin is the key chemical that affects every part of your body. Serotonin plays a huge role in our bodily functions. But it also helps to reduce depression, increase libido, stabilize mood, control sleep, and regulate anxiety.Serotonin also plays a massive role in our general well-being.Bu t heres why serotonin matters to your focus. Serotonin also regulates delayed gratification. When your serotonin activity goes down, it can lead to a lack of focus on the long-term. You are less likely to act on your plans.When you lose focus, theres a big chance that your serotonin activity is low. Thats why you are giving into short-term pleasures like going out, drinking, shopping, having sex, watching TV, or anything else that gives you short-term pleasure.To improve your focus, boost your serotonin activity. Research shows that exercise can do that. But something else, thats equally effective, and a lot easier is a simple mind-exercise.All you need to do is remember positive events that happened in the past.Alex Korb, a neuroscientist at UCLA, and the author of The Upward Spiral, explains why remembering positive events helps you to focus on what mattersAll you need to do to increase serotonin levels is remember positive events that have happened in your life. This simple act i ncreases serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex, which is a region just behind the prefrontal cortex that controls attention.When serotonin goes up, your focus goes up. Ultimately, thats what you should do.I know that it sounds cheesy, but when something is wrong, you must fix it.When I cant focus, the first thing I do is to acknowledge that I have a problem that needs a solution. Some people go through life without even acknowledging that they have problems.No, its not normal to check your phone every 2 minutes.No, its not normal to gossip all the time.No, its not normal to be bored.Focus on your life. Think about what matters to you. Then, do those things and dont get distracted - stay on the path.Good luck.This column originally appeared on DariousForoux.com.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

When Traveling Musicians Need Work Permits

When Traveling Musicians Need Work PermitsWhen Traveling Musicians Need Work PermitsWhether your band is getting ready to head out on its first world tour, or youve been eyeing a Canadian music festival where youd love to play, it is important to remember that like anyone visiting a foreign country for work, you may need a permit or visa. Whether or not you need a work permit or work visa for your tour obviously depends on where your tour is and what citizenship you hold. Keep in mind a work visa is different from a passport any zwischenstaatlich travel outside the U.S. requires at least a passport card (to Mexico and Canada) or a full passport (to anywhere else). Make sure your passport is up to date as well, obviously. When You Need a Work Permit Besides geography, there are other factors that will determine whether you need a work permit. How many shows are you playing? How much money do you expect to earn? How long will your tour last? In some cases, the group putting togethe r your tour may require you to have a permit to play. For instance, if youre a non-American performer traveling to the U.S. to perform in the Coachella or South by Southwest (SXSW) festivals, youd need a work visa. Likewise, American artists who want to play at international festivals or locationswill almost always be required to have a permit. How to Find Out What You Need to Apply for a Work Visa Your first point of contact in determining whether you need a work permit should be the embassy website for the country you plan to visit. The website should have information that applies directly to citizens of your country. Keep in mind that entertainment and music-related work permits or work visas are almost always handled in a different way than other work permits, so be sure to check out the information about these specific kinds of visas. If youre only playing at a one-time event, like a festival, you should be able to contact the festival organizers directly to find out what w ork visas may or may not be required. Youll also want to get familiar with any fees that are involved. How Long ItTakes For Paperwork to Be Processed Another thing you should remember about work permits Some countries have application fees as well as fees for issuing the permit, so they can represent an extra expense. And as anyone who has ever applied for a passport or work visa knows, it can take an excruciatingly long time for all the paperwork to be processed. Make sure you know what kind of identification youll need before you begin the application process, whether a drivers license, passport, or birth certificate. Many countries can take a very long time to approve these applications or may charge a priority processing fee to applicants who need their visas sooner rather than later. The U.S is a prime example of a country that has extremely high priority processing fees. If you know you will be touring overseas, figuring out your work permit situation should be at the top of your list of things to do. Absolutely do not wait until the last minute. Otherwise, you may find yourself forced to cancel shows when your paperwork doesnt come in on time.