Reduce Stress for Nurses with a Healthy Workplace Culture

Reduce Stress for Nurses with a Healthy Workplace CultureReduce Stress for Nurses with a Healthy Workplace CultureReduce Stress for Nurses with a Healthy Workplace Culture ConlanNurseshave a tough job, no matter where they work. Yet a toxic workplace culture can make it especially difficult for nurses to provide top-level care.A recent survey from the American Nurses Association found that up to half of nurses said they had been bullied in some manner, either by a peer (50 percent) or a rolle in a higher level of authority (42 percent).The issue is so important that the ANA included workplace bullying in its 2015 position stellungnahme, says Holly Carpenter, a policy associate for nursing practice and work environment at the ANA. As the position statement says, the nursing profession will no longer tolerate violence of any kind from any source.These expert tips can help you create a better workplace culture for every nurse at your health care organization.Get Buy-In from All LeadersC hange starts at the top, so make the case to department and organizational leaders about the importance of a more supportive work culture. Enlist respected nurses who might be willing to share their stories about what theyve experienced in the workplace.Leaders must communicate, model and enforce desired behaviors, says Addam Marcotte, vice president of organization development for San Diego-based FMG Leading, a consulting company. That includes everyone from the chief medical officer to physicians to charge nurses, Marcotte says. People must see that those with supportive behavior are the ones who get promoted, and those who poison the well get let go, he says.Create and Communicate PoliciesNursing is a high-stress profession where workplace violence, inadequate staffing levels, fatigue, heavy workload and other unhealthy risk factors are not uncommon, Carpenter says.These issues can lead to abusive behavior, nepotism and opportunism. To avoid these issues employers and nurses must work together to develop appropriate bullying-prevention policies and programs.Even if an organization has policies in place to prevent workplace bullying, they may not be clear or enforced, Carpenter says. Make sure you communicate your anti-bullying policies clearly, consistently and frequently.Employers must create and enforce a zero-tolerance policy and program regarding bullying that is transparent, applicable to all cases of bullying and allows for corrective actions, she says.Include Staff in DecisionsPeople who feel like they arent heard may act out in an effort to gain some control over their work. On the other hand, staff who are heard and included in decisions about their work and patient care are less likely to be bullies, says Marilyn Stoner, professor emeritus at California State University, San Bernardino. In addition, they are likely to have happier patients and fewer occupational issues such as compassion fatigue.One way to combat this is to create teams or panels. Include rank-and-file nurses to address workplace issues and find solutions, says Stoner. While youre not obliged to adopt every suggestion, try to find ways to make changes that help everyone.The most important aspect of building a healthy workplace culture is the inclusion of staff in organizational decisions, Stoner says.Instill Core Values during OnboardingMarcotte points out that the tone of your workplace culture is often established during orientation and onboarding. Remember that each new hire is an opportunity to shape the desired culture.The way new nurses are brought into a healthcare system will greatly influence the way they show up and treat other staff, Marcotte says. Messaging about core values and how we work around here are vital at the very beginning.Throughout the application and onboardingprocess, be sure to highlight information about your companys core values be sure that current employees are able to articulate and display them as well. Include information a bout your workplace bullying policies during orientationand during thetraining process, Carpenter says.Neutralize SchedulingThe work schedule is a significant symbol of power in nursing culture and should not be underestimated, Marcotte says. When done poorly, it can become a tool to punish or bully outsiders or reward those who are in favor, leading to factions and resentment. He recommends that the person responsible for the monthly schedule be someone who is seen as neutral in the department, with no allegiances, preferential treatment or agendas.Mentor Young NursesMentoring new nurses is a great way to ensure your workplace culture for nurses is passed on to new employees. An ideal mentor will instill confidence and respect in and for the new nurse, providing all relevant information on bullying-prevention policies, programs, training and reporting processes, Carpenter says.Sharing stories about workplace bullying and how it was resolved can be particularly helpful for new nurse s. Train mentors to be aware of their interactions and communications with others, recommends Carpenter, particularly when mentoring new nurses, so they can serve as effective leaders who model the organizations culture.

How to Create an ATS Resume

How to Create an ATS Resume How to Create an ATS Resume Rejection is part of the job search. Not every resume and job application is going to result in an interview or job offer. However, there are proven ways to increase your interview chances. Creating a strong ATS resume is one way to shift the odds more in your favor.Still getting up to speed? Read What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?Optimizing your resume for ATS keeps your application from getting buried in the system. The key to an optimal ATS resume is understanding what the systems (and the recruiters who use them) like and dislike.ATS resume keyword optimizationThe fruchtwein important aspect to creating an ATS resume that wont slip through the cracks is keyword optimization.ATS analyze the content of your resume to allow recruiters to search for keywords. Some ATS even automatically rate your resume based on how well your content matches the job description. These are two ways that recruiters can cherry pick candida tes without looking through every single resume.Become a top search result in ATSAccurately predicting which words the recruiter will type into the search bar is one of the best ways to get noticed in an ATS. Recruiters are likely to search forJob titles, like software engineer, administrative assistant, or distribution coordinatorHard skills, like marketing, customer service, editing, or Microsoft ExcelThe best indicator of which words theyll search is the job description. Ensure that the job title on the listing is on your resume if at all possible. Then notice which hard skills learned skills based on experience and training appear early or multiple times in the job description.Prioritize skills that are used multiple times in the job description. If you were applying for this job, your ATS resume should be riddled with the word marketing. ? Jobscan Tip Career coaches used to print out the job description then use a highlighter to isolate the fruchtwein important skills, kind o f like the example above. Jobscan automates this process by instantly returning a curated list of skills after analyzing your resume and job description.More ATS resume keywords and skillsTop 500 resume keywords (and how to use them)Hard skills vs soft skillsMatch the job descriptionIncluding the right search terms is only half the keyword battle. Some ATS automatically compare the entirety of your resume content to the job description. Recruiters can then sort applicants based on how well they match the job description. If your resume doesnt have a high match rate, the recruiter might never look at it.The ATS Taleo can compare your resume to the job description and assign a match rate, known as Req Rank.To increase your ranking in these ATS, match any and all applicable titles, skills, and other keywords found in the job description. They key word is applicable. Recruiters and hiring managers will find out if youre lying about which skills you actually possess.? Jobscan TipWhen you test your ATS resume with Jobscan, you can see how well your resume matches the job description along with a complete listing of missing keywords. The higher the match rate, the better your chances.More ATS keyword filtersHow the most popular ATS ranks and filters your resumeATS resume formattingThe way you design your resume can also have an effect on how ATS interact with it. Many top ATS strip out as much formatting as possible in order to analyze and parse the plain text. This helps with the searches and rankings mentioned above, but also allows some ATS to import your resume content into a uniform candidate profile.How accurately your ATS resume is analyzed and parsed will depend on some of your formatting choices. In short, keep formatting simple.? Jobscan TipYour resume can still look sharp and professional while remaining ATS compliant. Check out these ATS-friendly resume templatescustomized for each stage of your career.Use standard headingsWhen an ATS like iCIMS tries to import your information into a digital applicant profile, its programmed to look for specific headings and formatting structures. Use straight-forward headings to clearly label your work experience. For exampleWork HistoryWork ExperienceExperienceProfessional HistoryProfessional ExperienceGetting creative and veering away from these norms could cause a parsing problem for your ATS resume. The same goes for your education section and other common resume sections.Avoid tables, columns, headers, and footersUsing tables and columns are a great way to help organize your resume and get the most use out of your space, especially if youre trying to fit everyone on a single page. Headers and footers also help save space, and provide a seemingly logical place to keep your name and contact information.Unfortunately, when an ATS strips out the formatting of your resume, these features might cause errors that can result in critical information getting garbled. An ATS text parser might end up rea ding table content out of order, while header information can get lost or hidden in certain file formats.? Jobscan TipIts more than just resume keywords. Jobscan now helps you create the perfect ATS resume with premium checks for the formatting issues above in addition to checks for work experience formatting, fonts, margins, and more.Tailoring your resume with the right keywords and creating a simple, parseable format are the most important steps to beating beating ATS. An optimized ATS resume keeps your application in play longer and increases your interview chances.

How to Interrupt Someone During a Meeting

How to Interrupt Someone During a Meeting How to Interrupt Someone During a Meeting Picture this Youre in a client meeting along with a few of your colleagues. The client asks a question, and one of your colleagues starts to answer it - but you can tell he has misheard the question. You observe the client pursing her lips, a slight frown appearing on her face as she realizes she is not getting the information she needs. Your colleague is oblivious and continues talking. You silently think, Are you kidding me? and try to build up the courage to speak - but you just cant find a way in.As a public speaking coach, Ive heard about this problem time and again. People know they should jump in, yet theyre not sure how to.Depending on your sekretariat culture, your colleagues may simply love to hear themselves talk, or they may be strategizing to get the bosss attention. After all, speaking up comes with a variety of benefits for your professional life. In many organizations, your higher- ups will assess your leadership readiness based in part on how well you speak during meetings.Sometimes, you just cant wait for an invitation to join the conversation. If someone is hogging the airtime or seems off-base in your next meeting, here are a few ways you can diplomatically interrupt themCome to the meeting prepared.Ask what I call The Three Questions in advance Who is your audience, what is your goal, and why do you care about this? Armed with that info, you can prepare 2-3 points you want to make or questions you want to ask. That way, you dont have to think of something brilliant on the spot. Dont write a script just bring bullet points.Be fully present and listen to others. Its easy to get distracted thinking about what youre going to say. When that happens, however,you miss what is actually being said in the meeting. Stay present and you will hear your chance to jump in.Use deep breathing.Deep breathing will both calm you down and give your voice resonance so that, wh en you do speak, your voice is strong and confident.Wait for the person speaking to take a breath.They haveto breathe sometime, right? Whenthey do, jump in. A strategic filler word like so or actually can help you wedge yourself into the conversation.Build or bridge. Either compliment what the previous speaker said or bridge to a different direction. Try something like, Im glad Steve brought that up, or, Let me build on what Steve said and come back to your original question.Be concise. Keep your interjection brief. Otherwise, you wind up making the same mistake Steve did. Remember to speak with a calm, confident tone. Dont disparage Steve - though you may be doing so internally - and dont disparage yourself by second-guessing what you have to say.Be strategic about when you jump in. Remember to speak judiciously. If you constantly interrupt without giving others an opportunity to speak, you monopolize the meeting and reduce your credibility and authority. Just as youwant your tur n to speak, so do the other people in the room.Many of my clients have used these tips to get a meeting back on track and, in doing so, close an important deal or reach consensus on a key decision. At your next meeting, try out a few of these techniques and see what happens. Use the techniques well, and you can change the trajectories ofboth the meetingand your own career for the better.Allison Shapira is author ofSpeak With Impact How to Command the Room and Influence Others.

The ALJ Exam Preparing for the All New Online Component

The ALJ Exam Preparing for the All New Online ComponentThe ALJ Exam Preparing for the All New Online ComponentThe ALJ Exam Preparing for the All New Online ComponentBREAKING NEWS Congratulations, if you are invited to the Online Component. We recommend our ALJ Writing Guide to review the 13 ALJ Competencies We also recommend our Structured Interview practice if you are invited to the Structured Interview component of the ALJ Examination.ur new ALJ Guide Book is an essential read for candidatesIn the book Two Federal Resume samples and the sample Litigation and Administrative Narratives will help you write the applicationApplication Writing and Test Preparation for Administrative Law Judge CandidatesAuthors Nicole Schultheis and Kathryn Troutman2nd Editionnow available in eBook and print ($49.95)Best deal Book and Webinar combo ($149.00) Immediate DeliveryPurchase NowSome (but leid all) qualified federal Administrative Law Judge candidates have received an email from OPM inviting them to sit for the Online Component of the examination process. The new ALJ exam measures 13 Competencies, compared to the 6 Competencies addressed when the exam was last opened, in 2009. The competencies include Decision Making, Interpersonal Skills, Judicial Analysis, Judicial Decisiveness, Judicial Management, Judicial Temperament, Litigation and Courtroom Competence, Oral Communication, Problem Solving, Professionalism, Reasoning, Self-Management, and Writing. None of ansicht are expressly defined in this years announcement.Candidates may sample the Situational Judgment Test and Writing Exercise online.The 2013 exam is the first to administer an avatar-driven Situational Judgment Test, and it is the first to include a timed, online writing exercise. Although candidates will not be able to access the Situational Judgment test or complete the writing exercise until the April 29-May 10 window opens, a sample is provided here https//www.usajobsassess.gov/assess/default/sample/Sample.ac tion?ALJSampleForm. This sample reveals that the SJT will be used to assess 6 of the 13 competencies decision making, interpersonal skills, judicial management, judicial temperament, litigation and courtroom competence, and problem solving. (Note some but not all of these 6 were tested for via narrative response in 2009.)Unfortunately, there is no OPM preview of the Experience Assessment.The online sample does not discuss Section 3- the Experience Assessment portion of the Online Component- nor does it define the competencies. We are left with the language from the announcement itselfSection 3 Experience Assessment The Experience Assessment includes multiple-choice and open-ended questions about work experience that is related to ALJ positions. Applicants select a multiple-choice response and write a narrative response, as appropriate, to indicate and document their experience associated with the targeted competency. The Experience Assessment is not timed.At this point, candidates should be preparing CCAR narratives (accomplishment stories in the Context-Challenge-Actions-Results format) relating to all 13 competencies so that to-the-point examples are ready for each of them. As of the date of this writing, we dont know what the character limits will be or whether 13 separate narratives will be required. Nevertheless we are coaching applicants through this process and working to build compelling narratives that fairly address this entire set of competencies.The Resume Place wants you to be ready to go with well-polished, relevant and recent examples in the narrative format that OPM likes. And even if you dont use all of these narratives for the online component, you will have paved the way for a successful structured interview, and will have given serious thought to issues and ideas that will be tested elsewhere in the exam.Fortunately, The Resume Places experts have compiled accepted definitions for all 13 ALJ competencies- and we can help candidates craft c ompelling narratives.Perhaps the hardest competency to explain is Judicial Temperament. OPM hasnt defined this term, so how do we know what it is? Well, weve researched it. The American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary evaluates the professional qualifications of nominees to the federal courts- covering Article III judges but not ALJs. Still, its views are worth heeding. The ABA measures judicial temperament based on a nominees compassion, decisiveness, open-mindedness, courtesy, patience, freedom from bias, and commitment to equal justice under the law.In his 2007 book, The Supreme Court The Personalities and Rivalries That Defined America, noted author and legal commentator Jeffrey Rosen quotes Supreme Court Chief Justice John RobertsI think judicial temperament is a willingness to step back from your own committed views of the correct jurisprudential approach and evaluate those views in terms of your role as a judge. Its the difference between being a judge and being a law professor, and appreciating that its not so much a question of analytical coherence or overview, its more a question of where this fits in with the Courts established body of law. And how its going to be received as law.Rosen opines that judicial temperament requires a judge to step away from personal ideologies and factor in the Courts institutional role, in the interests of consensus and stability.Here are definitions for all 13 CompetenciesCompetency 1 Decision MakingFrom 2009 ALJ Announcement Makes sound, well-informed, objective, and timely decisions perceives the impact and implications of decisions commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish goals.Competency 2 Interpersonal SkillsFrom 2009 ALJ Announcement Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others develops and maintains effective relationships with others deals effectively with individuals who are difficult, assertive, hostile, or d istressed relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.Competency 3 Judicial AnalysisFrom 2009 ALJ Announcement Analyzes, evaluates and weighs all evidence, including technical subject matter defines issues and makes findings of fact and conclusions of law, which are appropriate to the case clearly articulates the basis for the outcome.Competency 4 WritingFrom 2009 ALJ Announcement Recognizes and uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in writing in a succinct and organized manner produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.Competency 5 Judicial ManagementFrom 2009 ALJ Announcement Knows and applies legal, trial, and evidentiary rules and procedures presides at, participates in, and/or facilitates conferences , hearings, and meetings with sensitivity, diplomacy and impartiality develops a full and fair record (for example, elicits facts, when appropriate, by examining lay and expert witnesses and by other means) gives all sides a fair opportunity to be heard works with others to find mutually acceptable solutions.Competency 6 Oral CommunicationFrom 2009 ALJ Announcement Expresses information (for example, conclusions, rationale, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial) makes clear and convincing oral presentations listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.Competency 7 Judicial DecisivenessFrom American Judicature Society JNC Handbook (Ch 5 Evaluative Criteria) Decisiveness. A trial judge in particular must be capable of making quick decisions under pressure. Often a trial judge will be required to rule on objections as soon as the y are raised. Motions, too, will require eingabeaufforderung decisions if cases are to progress. A trial judge must be able to keep cases moving and be willing and able to reach decisions. He or she must be able to quickly assimilate law and facts and to respond to issues raised by counsel with confidence and without hesitation. The judge must be willing to make hard decisions and be able to rule with firmness. An appellate judge also must act decisively to draft and circulate arguments in support of, or in dissent to, draft opinions in order to facilitate the appellate decision-making process.Competency 8 Judicial Temperament(A) From American Judicature Society JNC Handbook (Ch 5 Evaluative Criteria) Judicial temperament. The judges job includes contact with lawyers, members of the public and court employees and requires an inordinate amount of an elusive quality called judicial temperament. Judicial temperament encompasses a variety of noble qualities. One of these qualities is d ignity. To be dignified a judge must possess quiet, tactful ways, and calm yet firm assurance.6 A jurist with appropriate judicial temperament uses authority gracefully. Judicial temperament also requires sensitivity and understanding. An understanding judge is sensitive to the feelings of those before the court, recognizing that each and every case is important to the participants. Finally, a candidate is not temperamentally suited for the bench unless he or she possesses great patience. Patience is simply the ability to be even-tempered and to exercise restraint in trying situations.(B) From Standards on State Judicial Selection (ABA Standing Committee on Judicial Independence, July 2000) (iv) Judicial Temperament. Judicial temperament includes a commitment to equal justice under law, freedom from bias, ability to decide issues according to law, courtesy and civility, open-mindedness and compassion.Competency 9 Litigation and Courtroom CompetenceFrom Standards on State Judicial S election (ABA Standing Committee on Judicial Independence, July 2000) (iii) Professional Competence. Professional competence includes intellectual capacity, professional and personal judgment, writing and analytical ability, knowledge of the law and breadth of professional experience, including courtroom and trial experience. Candidates for appellate judgeships should further demonstrate scholarly writing and academic talent, and the ability to write to develop a coherent body of law.Competency 10 Problem SolvingFrom OPMs MOSAIC Competencies Professional Administrative Occupations 1996-1997 (opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/competencies/mosaic-study-competencies-master-list.pdf) Problem Solving Identifies problems determines accuracy and relevance of information uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.Competency 11 ProfessionalismFrom American Judicature Society JNC Handbook (Ch 5 Evaluative Criteria) Integrity . This is another touchstone criterion. The responsibility of judges to make decisions that affect lives and fortunes requires the selection of men and women of unquestioned integrity. At a minimum, integrity means intellectual honesty, moral vigor and professional uprightness. It also requires a sense of honor, trustworthiness and absolute sincerity and reliability. A judge with integrity is unswervingly ethical. Ethical conduct by judges requires, at a minimum, commitment and adherence to the law, the Code of Judicial Conduct and the Code of Professional Responsibility. To emphasize the importance of integrity, and to alert profil candidates to the ethical standards to which judges must adhere, a number of nominating commissions, Nebraska and Utah, for example, send potential candidates a copy of their Code of Judicial Conduct along with the applicant questionnaire.Competency 12 ReasoningFrom OPMs MOSAIC Competencies Professional Administrative Occupations 1996-1997 (opm.gov/pol icy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/competencies/mosaic-study-competencies-master-list.pdf) Reasoning Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.Competency 13 Self ManagementFrom OPMs MOSAIC Competencies Professional Administrative Occupations 1996-1997 (opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/competencies/mosaic-study-competencies-master-list.pdf) Self-Management Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner works with minimal supervision is motivated to achieve demonstrates responsible behavior.Need more help?The Resume Place is standing by to provide ALJ applicants with the expert help they need to respond appropriately to the online experience assessment. This part of the evaluative process is not timed, and provid es candidates with the opportunity to deliberate the merits of their own record, and provide the most accurate and useful responses in keeping with OPMs standards and accepted techniques for providing accomplishment narratives in the format OPM prefers.

Lies Youve Been Told About Resume/cv Means

Lies Youve Been Told About Resume/cv Means If youre suffering from the signs of low libido, you can try out some critical oils to improve testosterone level. Over-the-counter medications might be utilised to see to the neuropathy. Such pills help to improve testosterone and thus libido. Your pills must consist of herbal components that will aid you, but there is not going to be a dangerous components like Yohimbe. What You Need to Do About Resume/cv Means Beginning in the Next Four Minutes If it comes to CVs, some employers are extremely specific about what they would like you to include and the way the info ought to be laid out. The absolute most important thing to consider is that the info you place up front should be the absolute most important for the CVs purpose. The elements that you include will be dependent on what it is you are applying for, so make sure to incorporate the most relevant info to strengthen your candidacy in your CV. This functional CV example can h elp you learn to compose a CV when you should platzdeckchen out your CV under separate functional headings. NOA1 and NOA2 NOA thats Form I-797 or I-797C are almost the exact same only you get different versions at various times. Many times, the application instructions for a specific position will state if a CV or resume is requested. Or false the application is the most crucial. Select an Appropriate Curriculum Vitae Format Make sure you pick a studienplan vitae format thats ideal for the position youre applying for. Top Choices of Resume/cv Means Theres no page limit, but nonetheless, it still has to be error-free, concise and formatted well. The aim of this document is to demonstrate you have the crucial abilities and some complementary ones to do the job for which youre applying. On the flip side, there are some exceptions to sentencing rules, based on wherever your offense occurred. Understand ones individual statement. Resume/cv Means - Dead or Alive? When you realis e that the time isnt enough, you start to work more productively. Not everybody wants to sit in an office all day 5 days weekly. Simply download our on-line casino, deposit and begin playing Consequently, value your time and take pleasure in the training. Google Analytics keeps track of everyday page visits, time spent on the website, and places where folks click. Despite the fact that its still feasible to strike an interview with this kind of a shot-gun strategy, its certainly not the most productive way. Many seem to get a tough time turning the other cheek. Be extensivethis isnt the opportunity to fret about keeping things to a single page. Resume/cv Means Secrets That No One Else Knows About A curriculum vitae on the opposite hand is quite a bit longer and covers much much more details. March 20 2019 24 comments in regards to writing a cv it will help to have a good instance of a superior cv to benchmark your own cv against. Do you have to compose a curriculum vitaea c urriculum vitae commonly referred to as a cv is an alternate to writing a resume to apply to get a job. Its essential everywhere once you apply to a job you have your cv alongside you. Things You Should Know About Resume/cv Means Most penile enhancement reviews imply that such essential oils may be used to boost testosterone and enhance sexual drive with no hesitation. In addition, it would make very tough for individual to attain appropriate erection firmness and ejaculate. Not all are conscious of it, but there are many reliable methods of getting a firmer erection in various way. Penis pills of pure origin are extremely good in achieving firmer erections, and they are completely safe. A Curriculum Vitae can likewise be requested as soon as a person is applying for grants, scholarships, and in a number of instances, internships also. Obviously, it is fairly possible you will also be asked for a resume in Europe, especially if youre applying with a multi-national. Emphas is is put on credentials and achievements and thats why theyre used by academics and doctors. In your academic cv youll want to reveal the admission committee your abilities and qualifications turn you into an excellent fit for their programme. Usually NOA1 is reported to be received within a week or so but its not similar in all instances. The term you should use is dependent on where youre asking for work. Taking advantage of the web is a wise approach to create new advertising and advertising and absatzwirtschaft campaigns for your real estate company. Pinning has gotten so popular and for people who advertise, nearly 30% have a yearly income of over 100K.

Kim Fletcher - Milliner

Kim Fletcher - Milliner Kim Fletcher MillinerPosted October 13, 2011, by Elizabeth Fenech We can make some wonderful patterns for women in Australia because we know that there are clients here who will buy them. Australian women are lots of fun and very adventurous with their fashion. What does a milliner do? Milliners design and make hats. They take headwear from concept to completion. What is a fascinator and what is a hatinator? Fascinators originated in a time when women didnt have many showers and baths because water welches scarce. They used to put a piece of veiling across their hair to disguise the fact that their hair was greasy and dirty. The more modern version of a fascinator now is a kind of hair band featuring a couple of feathers or small flowers. A hatinator is a term that someone in a marketing department made up this year theres no such thing historically Whats happened over the past two years is fascinators have grown up. Theyve become bigger, so theyre not fas cinators any more, but theyre not quite a hat. I guess someones tried to find a term that describes this new in-between style. A hatinator has a small cocktail shape with a large trimming on it. How did you get started in the industry? By mistake I used to work in administration doing payroll for a trucking company. But my husband always had horses and hes always been a punter so I always went to the races. My daughter was born in 1990 and I went back to work soon after. Like a lot of women I struggled to find myself. When you try to make time for everything, work and looking after a child, you disappear to a certain extent and I felt that I had nothing of my own. Just by chance, I saw an ad for a millinery course. The class was one night a week for six months. I thought, the worst thing that could happen was Id end up with an odd hat I started the course in 1993 and I was hooked. That six-month course was extended to 12 months. After that I started my own little market stall in the city on Sundays. I got a really good grounding dealing with people and looking at styles. It was hard yakka though Two years after that that I got a studio to start my millinery business. I now have a shopfront and Ive been here for nine years. Where do you draw inspirations for designs from? I get most of my inspiration from the actual material. The fabrics tend to set the direction of where Im going with design. You have to take into consideration that we dont make the fashion we follow the clothing. We look at spring clothing designs and what styles are coming through. This year, there are lots of frills and ruffles, dresses are huge and its all very light so we havent made lots of heavily structured hats because they just dont work with those types of garments. Does making hats involve any trial and error or test runs? If its around April, sure But when its this close to the Carnival, we cant afford to do test runs The hats we make now must be ones we know how to create technic ally because we havent got time to muck around. When we come back from the Dubai World Cup in April, we sit down and brainstorm ideas for spring, because, by that time, Ive had a look at the collections of the designers I work with. Their collections give me an idea of whats coming through in terms of colour and style, and we go from there. Whats involved in Fashions on the Field? Fashions on the Field was originally held to try to get women to the racecourse. The annual fashion competition, held at Flemington, is now arguably more popular than the races themselves. Contestants are selected from each state to compete in the competition and the winner is awarded with prizes and publicity. Lots of countries overseas have seen the kind of reception the races get in Melbourne and theyre trying to replicate this popularity. Theyre using the fashion komponente to do that. Does your workload increase in the lead-up to the Spring Carnival? Because most of what we do is made-to-measure, it i s very laborious and there is obviously a rush around the Spring Carnival. It can mean working to very tight deadlines. Whats your favourite material to work with? Is there any material you wouldnt work with? This season, my favourite is a material called jinsin. Its a woven fabric where straw is intertwined with silk and you can make some really great sculptural shapes with it, which is a bit different to what weve done