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At SEJ Live, we sorted Q1's AI search changes into what's hot and what's not. Here's what we covered and where to watch it. The post What’s Hot, What’s Not: AI Search Changes In Q1 2026 [Recap] appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Google is expanding capabilities in Google Ads Editor to give advertisers more creative flexibility, automation control, and budget precision — especially as AI-driven campaign types continue to evolve. What’s new. The 2.12 release introduces a wide set of updates across Performance Max, Demand Gen, and video campaigns, with a clear focus on scaling creative assets and improving workflow efficiency. Creative expansion. Performance Max campaigns now support up to 15 videos per asset group, allowing advertisers to feed more variations into Google’s AI for testing. The addition of 9:16 vertical images also reflects growing demand for mobile-first formats, particularly across surfaces like short-form video. Campaign upgrades. Demand Gen campaigns get several enhancements, including new customer acquisition goals, brand guideline controls, and hotel feed integrations. A new minimum daily budget and a streamlined campaign build flow aim to improve stability and setup. Video & AI control. Updates to non-skippable video formats and real-time bid guidance give advertisers more control over performance, while new text and brand guidelines help ensure AI-generated assets stay on-brand and compliant. Budgeting shift. A new total campaign budget feature allows advertisers to set a fixed spend across a defined period — ideal for promotions or seasonal bursts — with Google automatically pacing delivery. Workflow improvements. Account-level tracking templates, better visibility into Final URL expansion performance, clearer campaign status filters, and bulk link replacement tools are designed to reduce manual work and improve account management at scale. Why we care. This update to Google Ads Editor gives them more creative flexibility and control over AI-driven campaigns, especially in Performance Max and Demand Gen. Features like increased video limits, vertical assets, and total campaign budgets help you test more, scale faster, and manage spend more efficiently. It also improves workflows and brand safeguards, making it easier to guide automation while maintaining consistency and performance across Google Ads. Between the lines. The update continues a broader trend: as automation increases, Google is giving advertisers more ways to guide AI rather than manually control every input. The bottom line. Google Ads Editor 2.12 is less about one standout feature and more about incremental gains across creative, automation, and control — helping advertisers better manage increasingly AI-driven campaigns within Google Ads. View the full article

Flexibility is an underrated aspect of fitness, especially since we tend to lose some of our mobility as we get older—how many of the older folks in your life can comfortably reach overhead? But whether you’re doing it for lifestyle improvements or athletics, stretching can be boring, and progress can be slow. How do you know if you’re stretching enough? Fortunately, a study has given us some guidelines. These guidelines are for static stretching, which is the traditional kind where you hold a position. (Other mobility work, including dynamic stretching, is still good for you, but it wasn’t included in this study.) For immediate improvement, stretch for 4 full minutesStretching has both short-term and long-term effects. We often think of flexibility as a long-term journey (we are becoming a more flexible person over time)—but there is also a more dramatic temporary effect that occurs during and right after the stretching session. Let’s talk about that first. You may remember that when I did a three-minute video with toe touching exercises, I couldn’t quite touch the ground at the start. By the end, I had my palms flat on the ground. This short-term effect is an excellent way to unlock flexibility that you need to use for a given purpose. For example, dancers will stretch right before a practice or performance. And if you need a little extra ankle mobility to get the most out of your squats, or some extra shoulder mobility to do overhead lifts, that’s a great reason to do some stretches for those body parts in your warmup. According to the study, you can maximize the short-term benefits of stretching from four total minutes of stretching for that muscle. That doesn’t have to mean a single four-minute stretch; it could be 30 seconds, eight times, or one minute four times. And they don’t have to be the same type of stretch, so long as they hit the same muscle. Less than four minutes will still give you some benefit, but four minutes is the most that the researchers found to help. For long-term improvement, stretch for 10 minutes per week (per muscle)If you’re looking to get more flexible in the long term, the number to aim for is 10 minutes, per muscle, per week. Again, this can be broken up. If you have a routine that stretches each muscle for two total minutes (4 sets of 30 seconds, for example), doing that routine five days a week will get you there. Or perhaps you’re already interested in those short-term benefits I mentioned above, so you’re doing a warmup session that racks up three or four minutes per muscle. Those count toward your ten minutes for the week, so you may not need to do any extra stretching sessions beyond those warmups—as long as those warmups include all the muscles you are targeting. You don’t have to do every stretch in existence; just pick a few muscles or body parts that you’d like to make more flexible. Pick a favorite stretch or two for each, and get into the habit of performing those stretches for a minute each day. Here are some of my favorite stretches to get you started: The best stretches for calves and ankles (especially good for squatting) The best stretches for your shoulders The best stretches for hamstrings The best stretches for your lower back The best stretches for your neck and upper back Should stretching hurt? Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that stretching is more effective the harder you do it. Stretching doesn’t need to be painful to be effective. The recent study found that hard stretching and gentle stretching both worked about equally well. Flexibility trainers often say that your best bet is gentle stretching, where you can feel the stretch but it’s not painful. Being gentle about it lets you stretch longer and more often (and enjoy the process more!), which are the factors that really help you to make progress. View the full article

See how PPC automation layering helps marketers shape automated campaign performance instead of relying on a single feature. The post PPC Automation Layering: How Smart Advertisers Combine Automation With Strategy appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

As Google rolls out AI Overviews, AI Mode in Search, and the Gemini ecosystem, we face a growing challenge: what happens when users get answers — and soon complete purchases — without leaving Google’s interfaces? Enter Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), now in beta. UCP is designed to help brands to sell to consumers without leaving the Gemini or LLM experience. Consumers can check out within the LLM, add rewards points, and fully execute the transaction. Here’s an example flow: How Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol works At its core, UCP standardizes how consumer AI interfaces communicate with merchant checkout systems. When a user tells Gemini, “Find me a highly rated, waterproof hiking boot in size 10 under $200 and buy it,” UCP is the invisible bridge that allows the AI to securely fetch inventory, process the payment, and confirm the order. While Google’s developer documentation leans into technical jargon like “Model Context Protocol (MCP)” and “Agent2Agent (A2A) interoperability,” the implications are remarkably straightforward: It uses your existing feeds: UCP plugs directly into your existing Google Merchant Center (GMC) shopping feeds. The inventory data you’re already managing for your campaigns is the same data that will power these AI transactions. You keep the data: Unlike selling on some third-party marketplaces, where you lose the customer relationship, UCP ensures you remain the merchant of record. You process the transaction, you own the first-party customer data, and you control the post-purchase experience. Frictionless checkout: By enabling checkouts directly within Google’s AI ecosystem, UCP can reduce cart abandonment and increase conversion rates among high-intent shoppers. Dig deeper: How Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol changes ecommerce SEO Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with Best practices for Google’s UCP Like many LLM optimization recommendations, these steps come down to the fundamentals of managing your shopping feed and Merchant Center account. Google outlined a few best practices. If you follow these four steps, you’ll be well-positioned for success. 1. Master your feed data hygiene In an agentic commerce environment, your product feed is your primary sales tool. To ensure the AI accurately matches your products to highly specific user queries, you need to enrich your feed with granular details. Write product titles that are 30 or more characters long. Expand product descriptions to 500 or more characters. Include Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), where relevant, to ensure accurate product matching. Include three or more additional images alongside your primary product photo to engage visual shoppers. Use lifestyle images, not just standard product shots on white backgrounds. Ensure your image quality meets the standard of 1,500×1,500 pixels. Categorize your inventory by product type and share key product highlights. Prepare specific feed attributes required for UCP, such as returns, support information, and policy information. Support Google’s Native Checkout when possible (checkout logic integrated directly into the AI interface). Google also offers another option called Embedded Checkout (an iframe-based solution for highly bespoke branding). This will work, but is suboptimal at this time. Dig deeper: Google publishes Universal Commerce Protocol help page 2. Highlight convenience and trust signals To set your brand apart when AI is helping consumers make immediate, confident purchasing decisions, you must pass trust and convenience signals directly through your feed. The data shows that these elements directly impact the bottom line: Indicate clearly if your brand offers free shipping. Share your shipping speed (next day, two-day, etc.). Display your return policy. Submit sale prices when available. Regardless, ensure the feed represents the most accurate pricing details. Include product ratings. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 3. Upgrade your technical infrastructure and SEO The shift to UCP requires foundational updates to how your backend systems interact with Google. You must work hand in hand with their development and SEO teams to prepare for these AI search experiences. Migrate from the Content API to the Merchant API to enable real-time inventory updates and programmatic access to data and insights. Upgrade your tag in Data Manager and implement Conversion with Cart Data to effectively use first-party data in your campaigns. Prioritize content-rich pages for indexing and crawling, and ensure structured data is always supported by visible content. Create your Business Profile and claim your Brand Profile to highlight your business information and brand voice on Google platforms. Have your development team explore and prototype with UCP open source on GitHub to map APIs for checkout, session creation, and order management. 4. Additional features and tools beyond UCP to consider Google is actively rolling out pilot programs designed specifically for the agentic era. Be proactive in adopting these new solutions rather than waiting for wide release: Prepare for the “Business Agent,” a virtual sales associate that acts like a brand representative to answer product questions right on Google. Consider the “Direct Offers Pilot,” a new way for advertisers to present exclusive discounts directly in AI Mode. Inquire about the “Conversational Attributes Pilot,” which introduces dozens of new Merchant Center attributes designed to enhance discovery in the conversational commerce era. Dig deeper: Are we ready for the agentic web? The future of search will happen within LLMs The launch of Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol signals a significant shift. The SERP is becoming a transactional engine that increasingly operates within large language models. UCP presents a meaningful opportunity. By removing friction between discovery and purchase, conversion rates could increase. However, taking advantage of this requires stepping outside the Google Ads interface and working directly in your feed data and technical integrations, much like with Google Shopping. While this isn’t new, it’s becoming more important. Ultimately, this comes down to the quality of your product data. View the full article

The US president has a better chance of cajoling help from Nato partnersView the full article

Markets left with ‘few places to hide’ from disruption caused by conflictView the full article

Veteran conservative Ali Larijani was one of regime’s key leaders after assassination of Ayatollah Ali KhameneiView the full article

Over the weekend, the The President administration threatened the broadcast licenses of news organizations that it claims are reporting unfair or distorted news about the war in Iran. On March 15, the president himself backed up Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, who made the initial threats. “I am so thrilled to see Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations,” The President wrote in a Truth Social post. “They get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES, both in News and almost all of their Shows, including the Late Night Morons, who get gigantic Salaries for horrible Ratings, and never get, as I used to say in The Apprentice, ‘FIRED.’” During a Pentagon briefing on March 13, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth took aim at CNN, saying, “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better,” referring to the recent acquisition of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, by Paramount. Ellison is Paramount’s CEO and a The President ally. But coverage of the Iran war has clearly struck a nerve with the administration, which is now making large and broad threats against news organizations in a markedly unprecedented way. The question: Do those threats carry any weight? Not really, experts say. Do the threats actually carry legal weight? “Carr’s threats don’t have much legal teeth,” says Tara Puckey, president and CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association. “The FCC regulates obscenity and technical operations, not editorial decisions. Courts have been clear on that for decades. If [Carr] tries to pull a license over news coverage, he’s going to lose. And he knows that.” Puckey says that doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be a downstream effect of the threats. “The chilling effect is the strategy. If local stations start pulling punches on stories—especially smaller [stations] that can’t afford a prolonged legal fight—Carr wins without ever setting foot in a courtroom. You don’t need a legal victory when fear does the work for you.” Why local broadcasters are most vulnerable Local TV stations are the ones on the front lines of the FCC’s war against broadcasters. Despite the administration’s aversion to news organizations like CNN, the FCC’s reach applies only to over-the-air broadcasters, like local news affiliates, rather than cable networks. “We’re just talking about over-the-air broadcasters using the public spectrum—that’s the basis of their threats,” says David B. Hoppe, founder and managing partner at San Francisco-based Gamma Law. “CNN is not within the jurisdiction of the FCC.” Hoppe adds that the FCC is leaning on “the news distortion” policy—a rule that could kick in “if there is an intentional distortion of news concerning a significant event and that results in direct and immediate public harm, then, in that case, the FCC could exercise its authority to suspend or revoke a broadcaster’s license.” That policy, however, is not a law. And as it relates to recent events that have sparked the administration’s fury? “The critical thing here is that the internal policy says that it has to be an intentional statement and cause direct and immediate public harm,” Hoppe says. “I just don’t see how that could apply in this particular case.” Lee Rowland, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship, says Carr and The President are simply using the power of the federal government to silence dissent. First Amendment concerns take center stage “Chairman Carr’s threats are astonishingly unconstitutional and should have no purchase whatsoever. But unfortunately, we are living in a world where we have already seen broadcasters comply with unconstitutional demands precisely because they know that their licenses are at their mercy,” says Rowland, who has extensive experience as a First Amendment litigator, having worked with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Brennan Center for Justice, among others. “Everything that the chairman of the FCC says, and while implying that licenses are at stake, is inherently coercive and fundamentally undermines the basics of a free press,” she says. As for what comes next? Rowland says the public needs to speak up, just as they did last year when the The President administration pulled strings to dismiss late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. For example, Kimmel was suspended indefinitely in September 2025 by ABC for his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, but then reinstated after massive public backlash against Disney, ABC’s parent company. “Broadcasters don’t have much of a spine,” Rowland adds. “What comes next will be determined by the public.” View the full article

Learn 6 ways to do keyword research to find relevant terms you can use on your site to grow visibility. View the full article

Knowledge panels show up in Google SERPs and can help you increase brand trust. Here’s how to earn one. View the full article

When Andrey Khusid cofounded Miro in 2011, the idea was simple: bring a whiteboard into the browser, and let people collaborate visually, not just with text. Now that digital canvas is evolving into what the CEO calls an “AI Innovation Workspace.” More than 100 million people use Miro these days, so the company’s ventures into AI are quickly reaching more than 250,000 organizations, including GitHub, Prudential, and Cisco. To serve those Fortune 500 companies, Miro now offers a platform for collaborative AI workflows with Sidekicks that work alongside teams on the canvas, and tools for turning rough sketches into clickable prototypes. The company, which sported a $17.5 billion valuation when it raised $400 million in 2022, recently acquired Butter, a workshop facilitation platform, to tackle what Khusid sees as broken meetings. Fast Company spoke with Khusid about why he believes AI’s real value lies in teams rather than individuals, how Miro can compete in an increasingly crowded software arena, and what he learned from scaling the company from 200 to 1,600 employees. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. You’ve said AI’s biggest opportunity lies in teamwork, not individual productivity. Why is focusing on solo work a mistake? When you work in a company, the company moves not with the speed of every individual. The company moves with the speed of the outcome that those individuals produce together. If I boost my individual productivity but I still wait two weeks between my milestone and the next person’s milestone, it doesn’t matter if I accomplish the task in one hour instead of one week. Before, you would do a workshop, then someone needs to summarize action items—that takes a week. Someone comes back, the group forgot what was discussed, you chase people—another week or two. Then someone breaks it down into tasks, someone builds a prototype. What AI allows you to do is see the final output in the first workshop. You brainstorm ideas, turn them into a project brief, a project plan, a prototype—and you see it immediately. You work backwards and iterate on the inputs. That’s a completely different game. With Flows and Sidekicks, you’re embedding agentic AI directly on the canvas. How do you see AI tools working alongside human teams? We are creative creatures. We like to think about things and come up with things. We’re less into executing repeatable tasks. So even if work can be fully automated, I don’t believe it should be—because what else will we do? In areas where it’s more defined and predictable, you can do more human-in-the-loop. In areas where you want to explore, you make it human-in-the-lead. It depends on the preferences of the organization and the type of project. We try to build a product that accommodates both. Miro Prototypes lets teams turn sticky notes into clickable prototypes. What are unexpected examples of how people are using that? One big unlock is that you don’t need to learn a design tool to express yourself visually. You put several stickies with your ideas and turn them into a prototype. That’s magical because you remove the friction of the learning curve. Another interesting use case: A lot of internal tooling was built 10 or 20 years ago with no design system. People take a screenshot of an existing product, add a button in one click, then use a Sidekick to validate it with a synthetic persona, check accessibility guidance—all without expensive resources or delays. Before, you’d need an outsourcing company to validate accessibility. Now you can do it with a Sidekick. The most interesting examples are at the intersection of prototyping and the validation work that happens before and after. You acquired Butter and launched Miro Engage. What’s broken about how teams run workshops and meetings? What we’re trying to solve is engagement in a distributed setting. When everyone’s in the room, you can observe the audience, call out things. In a digital setting, it’s a completely different challenge. You need to create an environment where people lean in, provide inputs, speak up—even if they’re off camera. Our vision is combining human intelligence and artificial intelligence together. Miro Engage is focused on collecting human intelligence in the most engaging way, then combining it with AI to synthesize and bring out the best insights. Apple launched Freeform, Figma has FigJam, Microsoft has Whiteboard, and project management tools are adding visual features. What keeps you up at night competitively? I focus on what we are uniquely positioned to solve. But you do need to navigate the marketplace—you have usage and budgets that can move to other platforms. I’m focused on how we progress toward our mission to empower teams to create the next big thing, not how we stick to the canvas. We may abstract from the canvas, double down on the canvas—whatever it takes. Innovation velocity matters. We’re building journeys, not features. And then taste—how we stand out in design, in storytelling, in helping companies transform. Because I don’t think we’re in a delivery competition anymore. Software development is so commoditized. It’s brand, taste, transformation partnership, thought leadership that will differentiate. Some argue horizontal platforms lose to vertical ones that go deeper. What’s your take? I totally agree we’ll see more consolidation. Our strategy is what I call T-shaped: how do you provide an experience accessible to everyone, but solve certain problems deeply that horizontal tools won’t go after because it’s too small for them, but sizable for us. Those jobs need to be connected to one platform, not separate tools creating more silos. You grew from 200 to 1,600 employees. What was the hardest lesson about scaling that fast? We had values, but we didn’t translate those values into behaviors. Tightening that up earlier would have helped a lot. The biggest unlock was bringing more hands-on players—what I call super ICs, super individual contributors. Leaders who know how to do the work end-to-end, not just sit and wait while people bring the job. Today, every manager should manage an army of agents, not just humans. That’s a new skill we’re looking for: hands-on with the craft, but also able to deliver work through both people and agents. What leaders do you admire or learn from? Brian Halligan—how he transformed HubSpot several times without fundamentally changing the core business. Jensen Huang—the journey he’s on is impressive. Des Traynor and the Intercom team, how they changed the business from major decline into a new rocket ship. Anton Osika from Lovable—he’s building from scratch with a very new approach to the operating model. For me, the most interesting are people who did a hard job—escape velocity from the ground up, or transforming the biggest companies into something completely new. The CEO of Axa went from 80% B2C to 80% B2B in a few years. Satya Nadella did an incredible job transforming Microsoft. I’m trying to learn as much as possible from those doing it in 2025 and 2026, not just those who transformed before. What’s in your personal tool kit? I spend my entire day in Gmail, Slack, Google Meet, and, of course, Miro. That’s my stack. I’m using Miro more and more because now we have all the AI models available—OpenAI, Anthropic, Google—inside the platform. So I do a lot of work inside Miro instead of context-switching between tools. For agentic stuff, I’m playing with Claude’s computer use and other tools to experiment with automating offline work. It’s too early to say it’s my tool, but I believe that’s the next horizon of experiences we’ll all bet on. View the full article

One of Hollywood’s highest earners stands to reap huge rewards from Paramount’s $111bn takeover of Warner Bros DiscoveryView the full article

The North and South Porticoes of the White House are lined by Ionic columns, a style recognized by its elegant scroll-shaped capitals, or ornaments, at the top. That could change if Rodney Mims Cook Jr., chair of the Commission of Fine Arts, gets his way. Cook recently suggested the columns should be changed to the ornate Corinthian style seen on the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court buildings (not to mention on some The President properties and in the latest plans for the president’s proposed White House ballroom). Cook explained his recommendation as a matter of matching and taste. “Corinthian is the highest order [of column], and that’s what our other two branches of government have,” Cook told The Washington Post, which first reported the proposal. “Why the White House didn’t originally use them, at least on the north front, which is considered the front door, is beyond me.” For now, the White House doesn’t seem poised to redesign its famous front and back doorways, telling The Post there are no plans to change the White House columns. Shalom Baranes Associates, the architectural firm behind the ballroom design, did not respond to an email request for its thoughts on Cook’s proposal. Still, the recommendation is an example of an anticipatory architectural proposal, like the recent bid for a federal contract to build a new terminal at Washington Dulles International Airport by a pair of architectural firms that named the terminal after The President in renderings without being asked. Knowing The President’s tastes—like that he favors putting his name on buildings and tends toward the style of columns at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida—can help get his attention and win his approval. (The argument about columns matching the buildings of the other branches of government, however, might be less convincing to an administration that seems uninterested in architectural balance.) The porticoes weren’t part of the original White House, but the South Portico, completed in 1824, was designed by the original White House architect, James Hoban, who also led reconstruction efforts after the building was destroyed by the British in the War of 1812. The North Portico was added in 1829. Cook said he hadn’t yet talked to the president about his idea to change the columns. The President named Cook and others to the commission’s board for four-year terms in January, after firing the entire board last year as part of an effort to install loyalists at an organization that could stymie him from making sweeping changes to the White House campus. Although a National Park Service report found The President’s plan for a White House ballroom would alter and disrupt the grounds, and a preservationist group filed suit over the president’s ambitious plans, the The President-appointed Commission of Fine Arts approved the ballroom plans last month. If The President takes up Cook’s idea to remodel the White House columns next, the construction zone at the People’s House will continue to expand. View the full article

Cursive handwriting is making a big comeback in schools for students of the Gen Alpha generation (born between 2010 and 2025). New Jersey and Pennsylvania are the most recent in a growing number of states to bring old-fashioned penmanship back into the classroom, with governors in both states enacting legislation this year requiring schools to teach it. New Jersey had stopped requiring it in 2010—but new legislation now mandates schools there to teach cursive to kids ages 8 to 11, in third to fifth grades. The Garden State follows about two dozen states in mandating that cursive handwriting be taught. Those states include California, which signed a law in 2024 requiring first through sixth graders to learn to write in cursive as part of the public school curriculum. Now, over half the states in the U.S. either require or strongly encourage schools to teach students to read and write in cursive, per Education Week. That’s a reversal of the trend of the last decade or so, in which the rise of computers emphasized typing—which made handwriting somewhat of a lost art for many young students, as Common Core standards focused on math, English proficiency, and keyboard skills. Handwriting activates the brain differently than typing One benefit of cursive writing is the effect it has on the brain. A recent study in the journal Nature found that handwriting and typing activate brain regions associated with motor control, sensory perception, and higher-order cognitive functions differently. “Handwriting activates a broader network of brain regions involved in motor, sensory, and cognitive processing,” the study reports. “Typing engages fewer neural circuits, resulting in more passive cognitive engagement.” It goes on to conclude that “despite the advantages of typing in terms of speed and convenience, handwriting remains an important tool for learning and memory retention, particularly in educational contexts.” In short, handwriting activates memory and language centers in the brain that are needed for neural development, according to the University of California, Riverside. Handwriting could help stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia Additional research shows handwriting may help stave off Alzheimer’s disease. According to research from Rush University Medical Center that was published in the medical journal Neurology, handwriting (not typing), along with reading and playing games, can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by up to five years. Researchers followed 1,903 participants with an average age of 80, who were asked about activities such as visiting a library, writing letters, doing puzzles, and playing checkers or board games. “Our study shows that people who engage in more cognitively stimulating activities may be delaying the age at which they develop dementia,” study author Robert S. Wilson said. “Our research suggests that the link between cognitive activity and the age at which a person develops dementia is mainly driven by the activities you do later in life.” View the full article

Coleman just invented a hard cooler that can collapse in on itself like an accordion, shrink to one-third of its full size, and slot neatly onto a storage shelf. The cooler, called the Snap ’N Go, officially launched on March 17 in three sizes, with prices ranging from $199.99 to $239.99. It’s a first of its kind in the world of food and beverage insulation: While companies like REI, Yeti, and Coleman itself have created large soft cooler bags that can be compressed for storage, no one has ever manufactured a collapsible hard-sided cooler. That’s somewhat surprising, given that hard coolers are often more durable, more insulated, and easier to clean than their soft counterparts, making them the preferred choice for many consumers. The main issue with hard coolers, of course, is that when they’re not in use, they’re essentially a bulky box of air taking up room in storage. But according to Nicolas Duran, Coleman’s president of outdoor and recreation, there are a few good reasons why no one else has cracked the code on a collapsible hard cooler. “It’s a problem that’s really difficult to solve for,” Duran says, noting that you’re not only attempting to take a cooler from a bulky box to a unit “that replicates the size of a laptop case,” but you’re also seeking a way to maintain cold and prevent leaks. After 18 months of development, the Coleman team finally solved this design puzzle using a clever external structure, several hidden internal details, and a very intensive testing process. A cooler that folds like an accordion The crux of Coleman’s new collapsible cooler design is its external plastic shell. Unlike a typical hard cooler’s sealed edges, the Snap ’N Go relies on multiple separate panels that bend and fold together. The cooler’s final design has front and back panels set on a series of hinges that allow them to fold in the middle, stacking their top and bottom halves together. Meanwhile, the two smaller side panels are hinged to flip fully upward. When the cooler is compressed, these pieces slide like origami until the small side panels are nestled on top of the larger front and back panels. Luke Eck, Coleman’s director of R&D, says this system technically worked in early prototypes—but it presented a pretty major problem for users. “On the initial hinges, you would have to hold it to manually set it down,” Eck says. “But what was happening was your hands were in an improper position and you would risk almost smashing your fingers.” To fix that issue, Eck’s team resituated the cooler’s handles so they don’t interfere with the closing process, formatting them to snap outward when the cooler is opened and fold downward to its sides when it’s closed. Then, they created an internal tab mechanism that shuts the cooler without requiring any downward force or manual folding from the user. Pulling upward on this tab releases the cooler’s two smaller sides, allowing the rest of the structure to collapse smoothly on its hinges. Innovating in a stale category While the Snap ’N Go’s shell is the most obviously innovative element of its design, Eck says it wasn’t the most difficult part of the prototyping process. That came when his team had to design the cooler’s internal waterproof liner, which is the component of the cooler that keeps it insulated and leak-proof. “In the first concepts, we were folding it kind of like a bed sheet,” Eck says. “It was very cumbersome.” Each time the liner needed to be expanded or tucked away, he explains, the user had to do it manually. That added step made the design feel less elegant and more time-consuming. After plenty of concepts, the solution finally arrived during a team meeting. “Someone walked in with an iPad, and they unfolded their case and set it up to work,” Eck recalls. “We all just kind of looked at that person and were like, ‘Oh, that’s it.’” Like a standard iPad case, the insulated liner comes with predetermined creases set into the fabric. When the cooler’s internal tab is pulled, these creases allow the liner to fold neatly under its own weight. As a final step in the R&D process, Eck’s team subjected the Snap ’N Go to a series of trials in Coleman’s Wichita, Kansas, testing facility that read like medieval torture. The cooler was put on a machine that opened and closed it tens of thousands of times to ensure that its hinges and plastic would hold their form; left in a hot, temperature-controlled room to gauge its insulation; and tossed out the back of a moving vehicle and over the side of a building to test its durability. Eck’s team left no stone unturned in ensuring that the design would hold up to extensive use. The result is a cooler that can keep drinks cold for up to 64 hours (that’s around 80% as efficient as Coleman’s other hard coolers), folds to a third of its original size, and, the company claims, has the highest size-to-volume efficiency of any cooler on the market. It’s a rare innovation in an industry that has basically operated under the same design constraints for decades. “We’re creating value in a category that, in many instances, was stale,” Duran says. “If you think about it, some of the innovation that’s come into the category lately is low on the scale of true innovation. We are really resetting the expectation for the consumer.” View the full article

Has an event outside of work ever made you stop and realize that work has taken over more of your life than you realized? These events are called crossover jolts. They often sneak up on us after we’ve been in a job for a while. When we begin a new role, we start by mastering the tasks in our job description. But then we start taking on more responsibilities. There’s a name for this phenomenon—job creep. Tasks that were once above and beyond our job duties slowly become the norm. Imagine working toward the deadline on a big project. During the final week, we respond to emails at night after the kids have gone to bed (even though we promised ourselves we would never be a person who does that). In doing so, we’ve sent a signal to our coworkers that we’ll respond at night. So even after the big project is done, we feel the need to occasionally check our email before bed and respond. Without realizing it, our work life has annexed a small part of our personal life. We’ve chosen to go beyond our job description on behalf of the company. When job creep turns from good to bad When we love our job and are advancing in our careers, job creep isn’t bad. It’s how we develop as employees and climb the organizational ladder. Because it happens gradually, we often don’t notice this ballooning. Until it causes an event that disrupts our well-being or relationships outside of work. At that point, job creep becomes a potential barrier to our pursuit of the good life. So why do so many of us unwittingly give in to job creep? Because companies reward this behavior. What motivates us at work To truly understand the roots of crossover jolts, we need to take a journey into our motivation at work. We also need to examine the good, the bad, and the ugly of being seen as a good “organizational citizen.” Think for a moment about what being a good citizen in society means to you. You’ll probably imagine someone who helps neighbors in need. Picks up trash on the sidewalk. Attends community meetings. Similarly, acts of citizenship at work refer to the positive things you do, often of your own accord, that are above and beyond your job description. When you manage this well, citizenship behaviors can be part of a healthy cycle between you and your company. Let’s spend a minute talking about this cycle, because one of the neatest discoveries ever made in organizational psychology had to do with it, citizenship, and our relationship with work. It began with a big question: Are happy employees more productive than unhappy employees? The relationship between happy employees and productivity For a long time, researchers tried to find a clear answer to this question. If employee satisfaction leads to higher performance, companies would be wise to spend big to make and keep employees happy, which ends up driving higher performance. To many of us, it makes intuitive sense that satisfied employees would perform better at their jobs than disgruntled ones. The only problem is that the relationship between worker happiness and worker performance proved difficult to find. It’s not that happiness lowered productivity. But in a lot of jobs, how happy employees were at work had no relationship with their job performance. This led some to conclude that how employees feel at work doesn’t matter, leaving leaders to question how important it is to invest in employee satisfaction. (For context, this was back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, an era that gave us the start of mass corporate layoffs and the phrase “greed is good.”) Worker satisfaction and productivity It was during this time that an organizational researcher named Dennis Organ made an astute observation. In many jobs, employees don’t have much influence over their job performance. Think of an assembly line. Whether a worker is happy or not about their work probably has minimal bearing on how the line runs on an average day. When they’re dissatisfied, they really can’t slow down much. But if they’re feeling great about their job, it’s not like they can speed up the line. When you look at the core of many jobs, you see that a good chunk of worker performance is determined by things outside the worker’s direct control. As a result, whether workers are happy or dissatisfied often has little effect on their output. The true impact of worker satisfaction So, does that mean that worker satisfaction doesn’t matter to the bottom line? Here’s where Organ made his brilliant prediction. Workers’ happiness may have a limited effect on performance in the core aspects of their jobs. But whether workers are satisfied at work should predict whether they engage in good deeds at work beyond their required duties. Per Organ’s reasoning, when workers are happy at work, they’ll be more likely to help coworkers who need a hand, to stay late and arrive early if needed, and go to optional meetings. The downside of being a good corporate citizen Workers have control over whether they engage in these extra behaviors. All these things, which he labeled organizational citizenship behaviors, should contribute to higher company performance. In essence, Organ predicted that companies that invest in employees’ happiness will outperform those that do not, because happier employees lead to greater citizenship, which provides a competitive advantage. Research has gone on to support Organ’s prediction. When employees have positive job attitudes or when the company invests in them, they become more likely to engage in citizenship. In turn, when a company invests in employees, it makes their workers happy and willing to reciprocate by engaging in citizenship behaviors, and they are rewarded for doing so. That’s a happy story, right? But citizenship behaviors are a double-edged sword for employees. Sure, they can be a ticket to career satisfaction and success. But they also have a darker side and can be a source of harm. By definition, citizenship behaviors involve employees spending energy above and beyond that required by their normal tasks. In many cases, that extra effort leaves people depleted when they get home from work. The evidence is clear that if left unchecked, being a good citizen at work can lead to being a bad citizen at home (even as you are praised for it at work). The signs of job creep To assess whether job creep is taking over your life, look to “the how” and “the who” of your time and energy outside of work. Most of us have an idea of the ideal activities that would make up our mornings, evenings, and weekends. Perhaps a slow cup of coffee after waking up, some reading time in the evening, and a long bike ride on the weekend. Often, when we realize our ability to engage in these desired nonwork activities has slipped away, we blame ourselves or just tell ourselves that we’re in a busy period, and put it out of mind. But there’s a good chance that job creep is at work. In terms of the who, you could probably easily list the small or big handful of relationships that are most important in your personal life. If you’re increasingly chiding yourself for either not spending enough time with these folks or not showing up for them with the best version of yourself (or they’re telling you these things directly), job creep is a likely culprit. How to mitigate job creep A key to mitigating job creep is having regular “check-ins” with your job. Every six months or so, track your time closely for one week. Record how you spend your minutes and hours inside and outside of work. You can then compare that to your last check-in. Or, for the first time, compare it to the mental image of your ideal workweek, and identify any areas where work has crept up around your personal life. If you find that it has, the next step is to look for opportunities to either prune back those areas or keep the creep but pinpoint other areas you can trim to reclaim your personal time. This could involve delegating some tasks to others or outsourcing some duties to AI. Or simply stopping activities that don’t create value for you or the company, like listening to a coworker’s repeated venting. The idea here is not to avoid being a good citizen, but to develop a rhythm of letting go of low-value tasks as you pick up new ones, rather than simply letting it all creep up over time. This is an excerpt from JOLTED: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why It Matters. It is reprinted and adapted with permission from Viking. Copyright © 2026. View the full article

When applying for a job, it’s important to know that First Advantage does contact your previous employers as part of their employment verification process. This step helps confirm key details about your work history, such as job titles and employment dates. Comprehending how this process works can help you prepare, ensuring that the information you provided matches what your former employers will share. But what happens if discrepancies arise? Key Takeaways Yes, First Advantage contacts previous employers to verify essential details like job titles, dates of employment, and company names. The employment verification process helps ensure accuracy and mitigate hiring errors for employers. First Advantage gathers feedback from former employers regarding performance and conduct during the verification process. Employers are limited by legal considerations in what they can share, focusing primarily on factual employment details. Candidates are encouraged to prepare by verifying their records and acknowledging any discrepancies proactively. What Is Employment Verification? Employment verification is an essential step in the hiring process, where employers confirm an applicant’s work history by reaching out to previous employers. This process involves validating key details such as job titles, dates of employment, and company names to guarantee accuracy. Companies like First Advantage utilize automated systems and support teams to follow up thoroughly with past employers. You might wonder, does First Advantage call previous employers? Yes, they do, as part of their commitment to thorough verification. The main goal of employment verification is to help mitigate hiring errors by confirming the information you’ve provided. Employers receive detailed reports on the verification outcomes, including confirmations of your positions and the duration of your employment. This process not only improves the accuracy of hiring decisions but also contributes to a more reliable recruitment experience, which is essential, especially when checking Walmart background check status or similar inquiries. The Background Check Process When you apply for a job, it’s common for employers to conduct a background check to verify your credentials and work history. First Advantage plays a significant role in this process by directly contacting your previous employers. They validate vital details like company names, locations, dates of employment, and the positions you’ve held. This employment verification is fundamental, as it helps identify any discrepancies that may exist in your resume or provided information. The background check process often involves following up with HR departments or other relevant contacts at your former workplaces to gather accurate data about your employment history. First Advantage compiles detailed reports on the verification outcomes, which enable employers to make informed hiring decisions based on reliable information. This thorough approach guarantees that candidates are accurately represented, helping employers select the best fit for their teams. What Information Is Verified? A thorough background check involves verifying various significant details about your work history. First Advantage directly contacts your previous employers to confirm the information you’ve provided. This verification process includes validating company names, locations, positions or titles held, and dates of employment. They focus on confirming objective information to guarantee accuracy in your work history, which is fundamental for potential employers. First Advantage aims to mitigate hiring errors by providing reliable data that supports informed hiring decisions. You’ll receive extensive reporting on the verification outcomes, detailing the results of these checks. This level of scrutiny helps employers make better choices by ensuring they’ve a clear and accurate perception of your professional background. By confirming key details, First Advantage plays an important role in the hiring process, ensuring that the information you present aligns with what your previous employers report. The Importance of Previous Employer Feedback When First Advantage contacts previous employers, they not only confirm your employment history but additionally gather insights on your performance and conduct. This feedback can greatly impact hiring decisions, as employers weigh the perspectives of former managers against your qualifications. Comprehending how previous employer feedback shapes your job prospects is essential for maneuvering the hiring process effectively. Verification of Employment History Verifying employment history is crucial for employers aiming to make informed hiring decisions, as it relies on accurate feedback from previous employers. First Advantage conducts direct verification by contacting these employers to confirm details like company names, locations, dates of employment, and positions held. This process guarantees accuracy and helps mitigate the risk of costly hiring errors. Detailed reporting on verification outcomes provides valuable insights, allowing you to base decisions on reliable data. Furthermore, the employment verification process streamlines background checks, enhancing the overall applicant experience. Impact on Hiring Decisions Comprehending the impact of previous employer feedback on hiring decisions is critical for organizations aiming to select the best candidates. When First Advantage contacts prior employers, they verify crucial details like employment dates and job titles, which influences hiring choices. Moreover, insights into an applicant’s work ethic and performance can greatly affect how potential employers view candidates. Negative feedback, especially from a current manager, might raise red flags, even though it’s unfounded, leading employers to hesitate in extending job offers. Managerial Perspectives and Biases Grasping managerial perspectives and biases is crucial when evaluating feedback from previous employers, especially since such insights can greatly shape hiring decisions. Comprehending this context helps you navigate the nuances of references. Here are three key points to reflect on: Bias from Current Managers: Current managers may harbor negative feelings about an employee’s departure, which can skew their feedback. Performance vs. Attitude: High performance ratings might clash with a manager’s sour attitude, making it fundamental to contextualize their comments. Legal Limitations: Previous employers often focus on objective data because of legal constraints, so subjective insights may be limited. Addressing Potential Negative Feedback When considering the possibility of negative feedback from your current manager, it’s essential to take proactive steps. Documenting your performance evidence can help you present a balanced view of your work, whereas communicating openly with prospective employers about any concerns can encourage comprehension. Current Manager’s Sentiment Steering through the potential fallout from a current manager’s sentiment can be crucial during job changes. If you’re worried about negative feedback impacting your job search, consider these strategies: Communicate openly: Let prospective employers know that your current manager may have mixed feelings about your departure, offering context for any negative remarks. Provide additional references: Supplement your application with references from past employers who can highlight your strengths and work ethic, balancing any adverse feedback. Be proactive: Address any concerns during interviews by discussing your accomplishments and how they relate to the new role, reinforcing your value in spite of potential negativity. These steps can help you navigate the intricacies of employment verification and mitigate the impact of your manager’s sentiment. Documenting Performance Evidence Addressing potential negative feedback from a current manager requires a strategic approach to documenting your performance evidence. Start by compiling review documents that showcase your positive evaluations, metrics, and accomplishments, such as successful project completions or awards received. This documentation not only emphasizes your strengths but likewise serves as a counterbalance to any negative remarks. Keep a thorough record of your achievements, including quantifiable results, to improve your credibility. Furthermore, consider providing references from previous employers who can offer a balanced perspective. Transparency about any potential negative feedback, paired with your documented performance evidence, helps prospective employers understand the full context during background checks, in the end strengthening your position. Communicating With New Employers Communicating openly with new employers about potential negative feedback from your current manager can greatly impact their perception of your candidacy. Transparency helps establish trust and context for any concerns that may arise. To effectively address this issue, consider the following: Provide Additional References: Include references from previous employers who can offer a more balanced view of your capabilities and accomplishments. Highlight Documented Evidence: Share any performance metrics, such as high ratings or recent promotions, to reinforce your credibility and demonstrate your value. Discuss Subjective Opinions: Inform potential employers that negative feedback may stem from your current manager’s sour attitude, which mightn’t accurately reflect your skills and work ethic. Being proactive in this communication can improve your chances of securing the position. Legal Considerations in Employment Verification In relation to employment verification, grasping the legal considerations is crucial for both employers and candidates. Employers are often limited in the information they can share, typically only confirming dates of employment and job titles. Legal protections against slanderous remarks in many regions prevent former employers from sharing subjective opinions about an employee’s performance, focusing instead on objective data. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that candidates are informed if a background check uses information from previous employers, giving them the right to dispute any inaccuracies. HR personnel conducting these checks are usually trained to follow legal standards, which helps mitigate risks. Furthermore, companies could face legal repercussions for providing misleading or inaccurate information during employment verifications, emphasizing the importance of accuracy. Grasping these legal frameworks can help both parties navigate the verification process more effectively and responsibly. How to Prepare for a Background Check Preparing for a background check can feel overwhelming, especially when you consider that companies like First Advantage will directly contact your previous employers to verify your work history. To guarantee a smooth process, follow these steps: Verify Your Records: Double-check that your employment dates, job titles, and company names are accurate and match what your previous employers have on file to avoid discrepancies. Gather Supporting Documentation: Compile offer letters, performance reviews, or any relevant communications that can substantiate your employment claims and address any potential negative feedback. Be Transparent: Acknowledge any gaps in your employment history or discrepancies. Proactive communication helps alleviate concerns during the background check. Additionally, familiarize yourself with First Advantage’s processes. Know your rights regarding background checks, including your ability to request a copy of your report and dispute any inaccuracies. This preparation will help you navigate the process with confidence. Frequently Asked Questions Does First Advantage Check Employment History? Yes, First Advantage checks employment history by directly contacting previous employers to verify details you provide. They confirm crucial information, such as company names, locations, and employment dates, ensuring accuracy. Their process includes automated follow-ups and dedicated support teams to improve reliability. Once completed, they generate detailed reports outlining the outcomes of these verifications, helping employers make informed hiring decisions based on accurate employment history checks. Do Background Checks Actually Call Previous Employers? Yes, background checks often involve contacting previous employers to verify your work history. This process typically confirms details like company names, employment dates, and job titles. Background check companies, such as First Advantage, utilize automated systems and support teams to streamline these verifications. They aim to guarantee accuracy in the information collected, which helps employers make informed hiring decisions during reducing risks related to inaccurate employment history. What Fails a First Advantage Background Check? A First Advantage background check can fail because of discrepancies in your employment history, such as differing job titles, dates, or failures to disclose gaps and unpaid roles. Negative feedback from former employers can likewise impact the results, especially if it’s objective. Furthermore, if you provide inaccurate information or omit important employment details, that can lead to a negative outcome. Always verify your history is accurate and complete to avoid complications. What if I Lied About My Employment Date? If you lied about your employment date, it’s essential to understand the potential consequences. During a background check, discrepancies may be uncovered, leading to trust issues with employers. This could jeopardize your job application and result in a rescinded offer. To mitigate the impact, be transparent about any inaccuracies you might have. Providing documentation, such as offer letters or performance reviews, can help clarify your situation and support your case. Conclusion In summary, First Advantage does contact previous employers as part of its employment verification process. This step is vital for confirming the accuracy of your work history, including job titles and dates of employment. By comprehending this process, you can better prepare for background checks and anticipate potential feedback from former employers. Being aware of these aspects can help you present your work history confidently and guarantee you provide truthful information to prospective employers. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "Does First Advantage Call Your Previous Employers?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When applying for a job, it’s important to know that First Advantage does contact your previous employers as part of their employment verification process. This step helps confirm key details about your work history, such as job titles and employment dates. Comprehending how this process works can help you prepare, ensuring that the information you provided matches what your former employers will share. But what happens if discrepancies arise? Key Takeaways Yes, First Advantage contacts previous employers to verify essential details like job titles, dates of employment, and company names. The employment verification process helps ensure accuracy and mitigate hiring errors for employers. First Advantage gathers feedback from former employers regarding performance and conduct during the verification process. Employers are limited by legal considerations in what they can share, focusing primarily on factual employment details. Candidates are encouraged to prepare by verifying their records and acknowledging any discrepancies proactively. What Is Employment Verification? Employment verification is an essential step in the hiring process, where employers confirm an applicant’s work history by reaching out to previous employers. This process involves validating key details such as job titles, dates of employment, and company names to guarantee accuracy. Companies like First Advantage utilize automated systems and support teams to follow up thoroughly with past employers. You might wonder, does First Advantage call previous employers? Yes, they do, as part of their commitment to thorough verification. The main goal of employment verification is to help mitigate hiring errors by confirming the information you’ve provided. Employers receive detailed reports on the verification outcomes, including confirmations of your positions and the duration of your employment. This process not only improves the accuracy of hiring decisions but also contributes to a more reliable recruitment experience, which is essential, especially when checking Walmart background check status or similar inquiries. The Background Check Process When you apply for a job, it’s common for employers to conduct a background check to verify your credentials and work history. First Advantage plays a significant role in this process by directly contacting your previous employers. They validate vital details like company names, locations, dates of employment, and the positions you’ve held. This employment verification is fundamental, as it helps identify any discrepancies that may exist in your resume or provided information. The background check process often involves following up with HR departments or other relevant contacts at your former workplaces to gather accurate data about your employment history. First Advantage compiles detailed reports on the verification outcomes, which enable employers to make informed hiring decisions based on reliable information. This thorough approach guarantees that candidates are accurately represented, helping employers select the best fit for their teams. What Information Is Verified? A thorough background check involves verifying various significant details about your work history. First Advantage directly contacts your previous employers to confirm the information you’ve provided. This verification process includes validating company names, locations, positions or titles held, and dates of employment. They focus on confirming objective information to guarantee accuracy in your work history, which is fundamental for potential employers. First Advantage aims to mitigate hiring errors by providing reliable data that supports informed hiring decisions. You’ll receive extensive reporting on the verification outcomes, detailing the results of these checks. This level of scrutiny helps employers make better choices by ensuring they’ve a clear and accurate perception of your professional background. By confirming key details, First Advantage plays an important role in the hiring process, ensuring that the information you present aligns with what your previous employers report. The Importance of Previous Employer Feedback When First Advantage contacts previous employers, they not only confirm your employment history but additionally gather insights on your performance and conduct. This feedback can greatly impact hiring decisions, as employers weigh the perspectives of former managers against your qualifications. Comprehending how previous employer feedback shapes your job prospects is essential for maneuvering the hiring process effectively. Verification of Employment History Verifying employment history is crucial for employers aiming to make informed hiring decisions, as it relies on accurate feedback from previous employers. First Advantage conducts direct verification by contacting these employers to confirm details like company names, locations, dates of employment, and positions held. This process guarantees accuracy and helps mitigate the risk of costly hiring errors. Detailed reporting on verification outcomes provides valuable insights, allowing you to base decisions on reliable data. Furthermore, the employment verification process streamlines background checks, enhancing the overall applicant experience. Impact on Hiring Decisions Comprehending the impact of previous employer feedback on hiring decisions is critical for organizations aiming to select the best candidates. When First Advantage contacts prior employers, they verify crucial details like employment dates and job titles, which influences hiring choices. Moreover, insights into an applicant’s work ethic and performance can greatly affect how potential employers view candidates. Negative feedback, especially from a current manager, might raise red flags, even though it’s unfounded, leading employers to hesitate in extending job offers. Managerial Perspectives and Biases Grasping managerial perspectives and biases is crucial when evaluating feedback from previous employers, especially since such insights can greatly shape hiring decisions. Comprehending this context helps you navigate the nuances of references. Here are three key points to reflect on: Bias from Current Managers: Current managers may harbor negative feelings about an employee’s departure, which can skew their feedback. Performance vs. Attitude: High performance ratings might clash with a manager’s sour attitude, making it fundamental to contextualize their comments. Legal Limitations: Previous employers often focus on objective data because of legal constraints, so subjective insights may be limited. Addressing Potential Negative Feedback When considering the possibility of negative feedback from your current manager, it’s essential to take proactive steps. Documenting your performance evidence can help you present a balanced view of your work, whereas communicating openly with prospective employers about any concerns can encourage comprehension. Current Manager’s Sentiment Steering through the potential fallout from a current manager’s sentiment can be crucial during job changes. If you’re worried about negative feedback impacting your job search, consider these strategies: Communicate openly: Let prospective employers know that your current manager may have mixed feelings about your departure, offering context for any negative remarks. Provide additional references: Supplement your application with references from past employers who can highlight your strengths and work ethic, balancing any adverse feedback. Be proactive: Address any concerns during interviews by discussing your accomplishments and how they relate to the new role, reinforcing your value in spite of potential negativity. These steps can help you navigate the intricacies of employment verification and mitigate the impact of your manager’s sentiment. Documenting Performance Evidence Addressing potential negative feedback from a current manager requires a strategic approach to documenting your performance evidence. Start by compiling review documents that showcase your positive evaluations, metrics, and accomplishments, such as successful project completions or awards received. This documentation not only emphasizes your strengths but likewise serves as a counterbalance to any negative remarks. Keep a thorough record of your achievements, including quantifiable results, to improve your credibility. Furthermore, consider providing references from previous employers who can offer a balanced perspective. Transparency about any potential negative feedback, paired with your documented performance evidence, helps prospective employers understand the full context during background checks, in the end strengthening your position. Communicating With New Employers Communicating openly with new employers about potential negative feedback from your current manager can greatly impact their perception of your candidacy. Transparency helps establish trust and context for any concerns that may arise. To effectively address this issue, consider the following: Provide Additional References: Include references from previous employers who can offer a more balanced view of your capabilities and accomplishments. Highlight Documented Evidence: Share any performance metrics, such as high ratings or recent promotions, to reinforce your credibility and demonstrate your value. Discuss Subjective Opinions: Inform potential employers that negative feedback may stem from your current manager’s sour attitude, which mightn’t accurately reflect your skills and work ethic. Being proactive in this communication can improve your chances of securing the position. Legal Considerations in Employment Verification In relation to employment verification, grasping the legal considerations is crucial for both employers and candidates. Employers are often limited in the information they can share, typically only confirming dates of employment and job titles. Legal protections against slanderous remarks in many regions prevent former employers from sharing subjective opinions about an employee’s performance, focusing instead on objective data. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that candidates are informed if a background check uses information from previous employers, giving them the right to dispute any inaccuracies. HR personnel conducting these checks are usually trained to follow legal standards, which helps mitigate risks. Furthermore, companies could face legal repercussions for providing misleading or inaccurate information during employment verifications, emphasizing the importance of accuracy. Grasping these legal frameworks can help both parties navigate the verification process more effectively and responsibly. How to Prepare for a Background Check Preparing for a background check can feel overwhelming, especially when you consider that companies like First Advantage will directly contact your previous employers to verify your work history. To guarantee a smooth process, follow these steps: Verify Your Records: Double-check that your employment dates, job titles, and company names are accurate and match what your previous employers have on file to avoid discrepancies. Gather Supporting Documentation: Compile offer letters, performance reviews, or any relevant communications that can substantiate your employment claims and address any potential negative feedback. Be Transparent: Acknowledge any gaps in your employment history or discrepancies. Proactive communication helps alleviate concerns during the background check. Additionally, familiarize yourself with First Advantage’s processes. Know your rights regarding background checks, including your ability to request a copy of your report and dispute any inaccuracies. This preparation will help you navigate the process with confidence. Frequently Asked Questions Does First Advantage Check Employment History? Yes, First Advantage checks employment history by directly contacting previous employers to verify details you provide. They confirm crucial information, such as company names, locations, and employment dates, ensuring accuracy. Their process includes automated follow-ups and dedicated support teams to improve reliability. Once completed, they generate detailed reports outlining the outcomes of these verifications, helping employers make informed hiring decisions based on accurate employment history checks. Do Background Checks Actually Call Previous Employers? Yes, background checks often involve contacting previous employers to verify your work history. This process typically confirms details like company names, employment dates, and job titles. Background check companies, such as First Advantage, utilize automated systems and support teams to streamline these verifications. They aim to guarantee accuracy in the information collected, which helps employers make informed hiring decisions during reducing risks related to inaccurate employment history. What Fails a First Advantage Background Check? A First Advantage background check can fail because of discrepancies in your employment history, such as differing job titles, dates, or failures to disclose gaps and unpaid roles. Negative feedback from former employers can likewise impact the results, especially if it’s objective. Furthermore, if you provide inaccurate information or omit important employment details, that can lead to a negative outcome. Always verify your history is accurate and complete to avoid complications. What if I Lied About My Employment Date? If you lied about your employment date, it’s essential to understand the potential consequences. During a background check, discrepancies may be uncovered, leading to trust issues with employers. This could jeopardize your job application and result in a rescinded offer. To mitigate the impact, be transparent about any inaccuracies you might have. Providing documentation, such as offer letters or performance reviews, can help clarify your situation and support your case. Conclusion In summary, First Advantage does contact previous employers as part of its employment verification process. This step is vital for confirming the accuracy of your work history, including job titles and dates of employment. By comprehending this process, you can better prepare for background checks and anticipate potential feedback from former employers. Being aware of these aspects can help you present your work history confidently and guarantee you provide truthful information to prospective employers. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "Does First Advantage Call Your Previous Employers?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The official WordPress Plugin Checker provides automated code review for security and best practices, perfect for checking vibe coded plugins. The post Vibe Coding Plugins? Validate With Official WordPress Plugin Checker appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Regional travel hubs Doha and Abu Dhabi also severely constrained by fallout from conflictView the full article

Learn how to effectively track AI prompts for better insights and smarter decision-making in search and content strategies. The post How To Track AI Visibility & Prompts The Right Way appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

College basketball is like a comet. It burns at the center of the national sports world for exactly three weeks, and then largely disappears until the next year. During this brief window American sports fans become obsessed with figuring out who is going to win March Madness games, often involving teams they’ve never watched play and know nothing about. The old adage is that the more college basketball you watch, the worse your NCAA Tournament bracket will be. But in the information age, you can gain an edge. If you know where to look and how to parse the information, you can find all the data you need to make educated calls on your tournament bracket. Here are seven websites that could help you dominate your bracket pool: Bart Torvik Bart Torvik’s T-Rank is such a staple within the college basketball community that the predictive team ranking metric is on the list of criteria that the NCAA Selection Committee uses to determine the field. But Bart Torvik goes much deeper than just one number. It’s a hub for team and player statistics, with a deep repository of free data. You can look at advanced box scores from every Division I game; split up rankings by date range, opponent quality, venue, and more; and look at a vast array of different player stats. While the database isn’t as vast, there’s also a deep array of women’s basketball statistics on the website, including full T-Rank pages for each team. Among my favorite features is the one that lets you look at which teams have the most similar profiles, historically, to this year’s teams. For instance, based on the base weights of four factors (shooting, turnovers, rebounding, and free throws), results, adjusted efficiency metrics, and play style metrics, the most similar team to Arizona this year (at least since 2008) is the 2007-08 Memphis team that lost to Kansas in the National Championship game. Bart Torvik is what you make of it: a rich database of free information. KenPom Just like Bart Torvik, KenPom is a flagship predictive metric that is part of the NCAA’s selection criteria. This one has become such a part of the college basketball conversation that you’ll often hear it mentioned on national television broadcasts, and it’s always the first place I go for information about a team or player. KenPom has many of the same basic features as Torvik, but with a more accessible user interface, a more robust history, and super clean visuals that make it easy to understand everything you’re seeing. Without paying, you can access KenPom’s rankings, offensive and defensive efficiency, tempo, and strength-of-schedule stats dating all the way back to 2001-02. With a paid subscription ($24.95 per year) you can access detailed team and player pages, schedules, national leaderboards, game previews and box scores, and more. One thing I love doing on KenPom this time of year is going to the “opponent tracker” tool and seeing which types of teams certain teams have struggled with throughout the year. For instance, Louisville went just 3-8 against teams with a top 50 defensive efficiency (20-2 against all other teams). Its first-round opponent, South Florida, has the 40th-ranked defense. You have to be smart to determine which of these statistics matter, how much they matter, and why, but it puts things into perspective in a digestible way. Hoop Explorer If you’re a little more of a hoops sicko, Hoop Explorer is a terrific resource for finding plenty of data that you can’t find on Torvik or KenPom. I’ve spent hours on Hoop Explorer throughout the season looking at the Team/Roster Analysis Tool, parsing through on-off statistics of four factors, rim rates, and much more for hundreds of different teams and players. Looking to find out how a team has survived without a player who may be injured? Hoop Explorer’s on-off data can show you not only exactly what the difference is for a team when a player is on or off the floor, but also what changes in terms of how they generate offense and how opposing offenses generate offense. Do you want to know which teams run the most high-low actions or generate shots through a drive-and-kick offense, and who is the most efficient at it? Hoop Explorer has that, and you can even analyze each team’s tendencies by lineup as well. Like Bart Torvik, it also contains data on women’s college basketball. Haslametrics Haslametrics is based on a flagship predictive metric that ranks each team in the country. It’s similar in premise to T-Rank, but it has a few additional interesting metrics. Each game is given a predicted outcome based on predictive metrics, and then each team is given a score for each game’s performance based on that prediction, both offense and defense. Those scores help Haslametrics generate rankings for momentum and consistency. Momentum tells you which teams are playing the best relative to expectation over the last few weeks, while consistency tells you which teams tend to play the closest to their projections and previous projections. EvanMiya Evan Miyakawa’s Bayesian model gives a different perspective to player and team modeling than other metrics. Miyakawa rates each player in the country offensively and defensively, and also puts together a predictive team metric. His statistics are commonly used and referenced by coaching staffs. You can access a lot of the data on EvanMiya for free, such as player and team ratings, and data on which teams go on the most 10-0 scoring runs, known as “kill shots.” Miyakawa found in studies that teams that go on more 10-0 scoring runs than their opponent in a given game win that game 82% of the time. The website also has free data on which teams play the best against better teams, and which play worse against better teams. With a basic $5-per-month or $30-per-year subscription, you can see lineup ratings, on-off splits, and game predictions. You can even export the data to CSV if you want to go through it yourself. With a premium subscription, which he’s offering for $22 for one month on a March Madness deal, you can look at player skill grades, keys to victory for every team, and more. CBB Analytics This one is for total sickos. CBB Analytics is mostly designed for coaches, but it has public-facing subscription packages that fans can use. It essentially has everything that all the other sites have, but put together in one place. You can dive into more splits on CBB Analytics than on any other site, and view more detailed team, player, and conference pages. Its shot charts, both team and player, are wildly customizable and can give you insight into which types of shots teams and players take. You can customize a leaderboard of pretty much whatever you want for player stats or team stats and then make a graph of it. I’ve been looking at shot volume and box score differentials a ton recently, and CBB Analytics features a dashboard that helps me figure out which teams generate the most opportunities to score compared to their opponents. Depending on your subscription level, you can view extremely customizable on-off splits, player pages, and more. Everything that you can find on CBBAnalytics.com for Division I men’s basketball you can also find for Division I, II, and III men’s and women’s basketball. Her Hoop Stats Her Hoop Stats is a dedicated site for women’s basketball analytics and articles. Like KenPom and Torvik, it has a flagship predictive metric, known as Her Hoop Stats Rating. Most of the site’s analytics features are locked behind a paywall, including ranks and percentiles, résumé comparisons, and a vast suite of sortable and customizable data relating to both women’s college basketball and the WNBA. A basic subscription costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, but there are more expensive tiers that feature automated game predictions and expert betting picks. View the full article

It’s a familiar frustration for car owners: Before heading to a meeting downtown, you open a navigation app to ensure you’ll get there on time. Driving takes about as long as predicted, but you hadn’t planned for the hassle of parking. The closest lot turns out to be full, as are two others nearby. Anxiety rising, you finally find a spot further away and race several blocks to your appointment. When you arrive, you’re embarrassingly late. Popular navigation apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps have given little guidance about parking, leaving users to fend for themselves as they decide where to hunt for a spot and how much time to budget for the search. New research from MIT suggests that these services could take some of the guesswork out of parking by giving better advice. Doing so wouldn’t just lower stress levels; it could also help travelers waste fewer minutes cruising for a spot, thickening traffic and spewing pollution as they circle. The new paper, entitled “Probability-Aware Parking Selection,” is written by Cathy Wu, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at MIT, along with Cameron Hickert, Sirui Li, and Zhengbing He. Wu says that she grew curious about navigation apps’ handling of parking when she noticed that they predict time spent walking to and from transit stops but not to and from parking spaces. “What my colleagues and I have been calling ‘time to arrive’ is a metric that is not uniformly presented across modes,” Wu says. If drivers had more useful information, she and her coauthors wondered, could they make better travel decisions? The answer they reached was a resounding “yes.” Accessing data from the city of Seattle about occupancy of paid parking lots, Wu and her colleagues constructed a model to guide hypothetical drivers toward the lot that best balances proximity to a chosen destination and the likelihood of finding a spot available. (Due to data limitations, their model assumes all parking costs the same.) The researchers concluded that the potential time savings are substantial: as much as 35 minutes per trip when compared with driving toward the closest lot and waiting for a spot to become free. In the most congested environments, travelers’ total time to arrive drops by as much as two-thirds. Taking the stress out of finding a parking spot Adam Millard-Ball, a professor of urban planning at UCLA and codirector of the university’s Center for Parking Policy, was not involved in the study but agrees that navigation apps can skew travel decisions by presenting incomplete parking information. He notes that mapping tools ignore some common annoyances, such as the time drivers need to navigate a crowded, multi-storied garage to reach the level where remaining spaces are located (and exit such garages on foot, which can also take several minutes). But in the United States, a country with an estimated two billion places to park—more than five for every man, woman, and child—scarcity is not always a problem. Millard-Ball notes that many car trips conclude without any parking headaches at all, including visits to shopping centers with a big lot and commutes to an office with reserved spots. According to a 2023 federal analysis, 7.3 percent and 6.8 percent of car trips in Seattle and Chicago, respectively, involve cruising for parking, although the share can be significantly higher in particular neighborhoods and at busy times. In bustling cities like New York, a third of all street traffic can consist of drivers looking for a spot. Millard-Ball says that people taking unfamiliar trips could disproportionately benefit from upgraded guidance. “If you’re a visitor and you don’t know the area, you’re not sure where to park,” he says. “Finding a spot is going to take much longer.” For instance, improved information would allow drivers to avoid leaving too little time for their trip, and it would prevent fruitless journeys to lots that are conveniently situated but already full. And if travelers were given true overall time to arrive at their destination by car—including minutes spent searching for a parking place and then walking from it—they might instead opt to take public transit or bike. Doing so would reduce urban congestion and particulate pollution. Additional benefits down the road Ball believes that reducing parking pain will be more than its own reward. Improved parking guidance could also bolster efforts to build safer and more enjoyable communities by repurposing street space away from automobiles. “Most public anxiety about parking—whether it’s about removing spaces on the street to make a bike lane or pressure to build more street parking—is really driven by this perception that parking is scarce,” he says. If it’s easier to find a spot, car owners may feel less determined to retain every last one. But historically, navigation apps from Google and Apple have largely treated parking as an afterthought. Neither company currently attempts to quantify the expected time required to locate an available spot. Google Maps simply offers a parking difficulty icon (“easy” or “hard”) derived from the circling behavior of vehicles that have completed their journey. Last week, Google Maps announced a redesign that incorporates Gemini, Google’s AI product, into vehicle navigation, including a feature that draws drivers’ attention to specific parking garages. Amanda Leicht Moore, director of Google Maps, says that the revamp allows users to “ask Gemini for hands-free tips while navigating and see nearby lots highlighted as you approach your destination.” Both Google Maps and Apple Maps also offer integrations with SpotHero that allows users to reserve and pay in advance for a spot in select lots. (Apple Maps did not respond to a request for comment.) Wu says that she and her colleagues have shared their findings with navigation apps and received a positive response. In future research, she hopes to explore how improved travel information could reduce some of transportation’s ugliest externalities, like gridlock and emissions. She also plans to examine ways in which other kinds of travel information might be systematically flawed, such as ride-hail apps that misrepresent the time users will ultimately wait for a pickup. It’s intuitive that better information would beget better travel choices. It might lead to better cities, too. View the full article

Alex Cooper was driving a hot pink Jeep through the desert with former Saturday Night Live cast member Aidy Bryant and Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore, of White Lotus fame. Suddenly, their cell service dropped to zero, just as Bryant was trying to send an important contract and Impacciatore was in a heated text exchange with her boyfriend, Jared. But Cooper had their backs. Thanks to the satellite service on Cooper’s phone, Bryant was able to send her document and close the deal. Impacciatore, meanwhile, got through the text-dot purgatory (“DOT DOT DOT WHAT?”) to find out that Jared wanted to move in together. “Time to move on,” Impacciatore declared, upon receiving the news. “It’s a little too much,” Cooper agreed. The clever and stylish ad, which debuted in October 2025, was for the Google Pixel 10 phone and Google’s partner on the release, T-Satellite from T-Mobile. And it was written, codirected, edited, and starred in by Cooper, host of the wildly popular podcast Call Her Daddy and founder and CEO of the millennial- and Gen Z–focused media company Unwell. Unwell, which has roughly 100 employees, already comprises 11 different podcasts, a film and TV production arm (a reality show called the Unwell Winter Games will launch on YouTube on April 6), live events (multiday 2025 extravaganzas in Vegas and Miami), clothing (a limited apparel line hit Target in January), and a beverage brand. But in October 2025, Cooper, 31, extended her reach even further by launching the Unwell Creative Agency to help brands connect with her massive, mostly female audience. Shortly thereafter, the agency struck a multiyear partnership with Google. Adding a creative agency on top of a sprawling media company may appear like just another celebrity boondoggle, one in which an A-lister leverages their name recognition to score corporate clients. But unlike others who’ve been successful in this space, such as Ryan Reynolds, Idris Elba, and Kristen Bell, Cooper isn’t capitalizing on fame achieved from film and TV roles to build an agency business. She’s drawing on an audience and brand she has built from scratch, around her actual self. And that audience is devoted. Over the past seven years, Cooper has grown Call Her Daddy’s weekly listenership to about 10 million people—expanding the show’s content from its early focus on sex and dating advice to female empowerment, mental health, and relationships. Her ability to land A-list guests such as Michelle Obama, Hailey Bieber, and Kamala Harris—and get them to open up about their personal and professional challenges—helped her ink a three-year, $125 million deal with SiriusXM in late 2024. As her audience has grown, so has her vision for what Unwell can be. “I remember being blown away by Alex’s insights on connecting with millennial and Gen Z audiences, and how we might rethink some of the approaches that we had been taking,” says Nick Drake, Google’s vice president of global marketing, who met Cooper and her husband, Ace Entertainment CEO Matt Kaplan, at a party during Cannes Lions in 2023 and became Unwell’s first agency brand client. Dana Trippe The nascent agency is still lining up clients: It’s in talks with several prominent brands across various product categories and works with Nestlé through its partnership on Unwell Beverages. But Unwell’s first spot, Google’s “Get Lost,” was a breakout hit and a clear sign of the agency’s ability to capture attention for the world’s biggest brands. It has more than 39 million views alone on Cooper’s personal TikTok feed, with another 2 million for her post about making the ad. Drake says the two-minute commercial delivered more than double the brand’s social benchmark goals. He considers it one of the company’s strongest pieces of advertising in 2025. “We always say Unwell moves at the speed of a group chat,” Cooper says. “Our competitive advantage over traditional media is that it’s never been able to have a two-way conversation. [We can], and that is something that I take pride in.” As Cooper brings her millennial charisma-as-a-service to brands, finding the right tone for that dialogue is key. That’s why she wants to work with her team on every step of the process, from recruiting the talent in the agency’s campaigns to sweating even the smallest details in the editing room, a skill she originally honed as an aspiring vlogger. (Her father, a former TV sports producer, introduced her to media production at an early age.) Today, as one of the most social-media-savvy podcasters around (with nearly 9.5 million followers across Instagram and TikTok), she has an uncanny ability to find conversational hooks that draw people in. The Unwell Creative Agency represents a needle-thread of a challenge for Cooper, however. She must prove to brands that they can get as close to audiences as she can without losing her authenticity with her fans. If ever there was a time to take her own advice and “Be a Daddy”—someone confident in their abilities and beliefs—it’s now. The early installments of Call Her Daddy, which debuted in October 2018, are decidedly brand-unfriendly. In the first episode, “Sext Me So I Know It’s Real,” Cooper introduces herself as “a stay-at-home try-hard vlogger by day and an insta-ho by night.” It’s crass, sexually graphic, and completely unfiltered, giving listeners a peek into how young women talk to each other when men aren’t around. It skyrocketed to the top of the podcast charts, going from 12,000 downloads to 2 million in two months. Barstool Sports acquired the podcast just four weeks after it debuted. Three years later, Cooper brought the show to Spotify, signing a $60 million, three-year deal and gradually shifting the focus to broader issues. By the time SiriusXM swooped in, there were several podcasts in the Unwell Network from other hosts, and Cooper was overseeing Unwell Beverages—all efforts geared toward the audience she has cultivated over the years, largely through her unvarnished persona. “Unwell is a testament to the idea that it’s okay if you are not perfect,” she says. “You don’t need to feel like there’s a standard you need to meet. You don’t leave feeling less-than. Because there are some brands right now that are still creating unattainable expectations.” With the agency, she says she knows better than to try to sell her audience on something she knows they don’t want. “Gen Z sniffs bullshit when it feels like, ‘Oh, you just took a brand deal because you got a lot of money for it,’” she says. “We don’t do that. We have turned down millions of dollars for [advertising and brand deals on] Call Her Daddy because it did not align with who our audience is.” Companies like Google come to the agency because of that ethos, says TJ Marchetti, Unwell’s chief brand officer since 2023. “They recognize that this demographic of Gen Z and young millennial women is essential to their business,” he says. “And they recognize that we engage that demographic in ways that build long-term trust.” Which is how Cooper ended up in the driver’s seat of a hot pink Jeep for her Google commercial. Cooper and Drake had stayed in contact after that Cannes Lions meeting, and when she started planning the new agency, he was her first call. “I said, ‘I know I can talk about Google better than Google can talk to my audience,’ so give me the keys and let me drive,” she says. In Call Her Alex, a 2025 doc series produced by Unwell Productions that streamed on Hulu, Cooper includes reams of footage showing her writing, directing, recording, and editing video skits in her parents’ suburban Philadelphia basement as a young girl in the early 2000s. “That was training,” she says. Today, especially when working on brand campaigns, “I’m constantly going between marketer brain, consumer brain, and creator brain.” She says that when she was in the edit room on “Get Lost,” she was analyzing it frame by frame, like she would her own social feed. “If someone is [likely to] click out of this in the first five seconds, what is our opening shot? How are we going to make people engage?” she says. As she takes on this brand work, in addition to running the podcast network and her own twice-weekly podcast, Cooper knows that Unwell’s future success can’t rely on just her. It was especially clear at the company’s Unwell Vegas fan event, a two-day festival of stage talks, interviews, and parties held for about 2,800 fans at the Cosmopolitan in October. The gathering, which featured an assortment of musicians, reality stars, and rising Unwell-ebrities, connected all the dots of Cooper’s business. Attendees sipped bottled Unwell energy and hydration drinks, Paris Hilton and the Chainsmokers deejayed at parties, and Cooper herself served as a host and emcee. But Harry Jowsey, host of Unwell’s Boyfriend Material podcast and star of Unwell Productions’ forthcoming Netflix dating show Let’s Marry Harry, got his own main-stage event. Jowsey spoke onstage with reality star and entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel, replicating the vulnerability he shows on his podcast when talking about relationships. His appearance signaled that Cooper is beginning to widen the spotlight at Unwell beyond herself—something she knows will be necessary for her business to grow. There isn’t a lot of precedent when it comes to a popular podcaster building a broader brand around themselves. For Cooper, it helps that there is already a stable of people with whom her fans are happy to engage, even outside of her podcast. “I enjoy being a CEO and a host of Call Her Daddy, but there is enough room to help other people rise,” she says. “We have 50 million people engaging with Unwell on a daily basis. And the fact is that Alex Cooper is not driving all 50 million of those views.” Explore the full 2026 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 720 honorees that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the companies making the biggest impact across 59 categories, including advertising, applied AI, biotech, retail, sustainability, and more. View the full article