It’s easier said than done. Mother Nature gave us this defensive mechanism even before humans appeared on Earth. If you see how your dog or cat responds to an unexpected event, like when something frightens them, you’ll understand why it’s so difficult for us to resist responding the same way. We’re simply hard-wired to perform this “fight or flight” response when there’s even a tiny possibility that we’re getting attacked. And the key word here is “possibility”. If we perceive an event, a phrase, anything really, written or said aloud, addressed to us or to anybody else, as offensive, we respond in an emotional and, naturally, defensive way. You can search the Internet to  learn more about the biological explanation to this phenomenon, my point is about its social (and business-related) effect.

So, what’s the problem? The problem is our brain is not consciously involved in such a response – it’s almost 100% emotionally driven. It also means that when we calm down, when are able to filter out the emotional component, we are (always!) able to find a better response – whether it be wording, tone, or any other verbal or non-verbal cue. So here goes the first sub-rule: if the request, message or news doesn’t require immediate response – do not  respond immediately! I never respond immediately to any email if it triggers an emotional response. Even just a couple of minutes allows me to think about the response and correct what could be an emotional response. The second sub-rule I have (and try to always follow) – if  time allows for it (and if my emotional response was very intense) then I need to “sleep” on my response and return to it a day later. A great example of when I’ve had to do this is during recent job change discussions – even when I received all the answers during a phone-call I took a one-night pause to think it over once again. An answer which is well considered, all-around over time, is the one you sub-consciously adhere to.

It’s also important to apply these rules to any emotionally “spiced” reactions, not just negative. There have been cases when I was very positive about news I just received, an opportunity or an idea, and I supported it using my feelings, not my intelligence. It may not be as destructive as a defensive response but the results may last even longer. For example, when I take part in negotiations with customers or government officials (and I do a lot of both) – an idea suggested by another party may seem super beneficial at first glance, but a thorough thought plus consulting other Intel stakeholders protects me from making commitments which would be very difficult to keep otherwise. So taking a pause is equally important in these cases, too.

As I said in the beginning, I’m sure you already know about taking timeouts, but do you always follow it? Can you share your best practices or tips of following it? Maybe you can share a story when taking a pause before emotionally responding saved you from something unpleasant or really bad? Or an instance where you hadn’t, but in hindsight, you wish you had.

I’m checking this one off the bucket list, the opportunity to see a President speak live. The President spoke at the Intel Ocotillo campus and touted Intel as a leader of innovation, the future of manufacturing and supporter of education.

Obama

It was amazing to watch and witness the day unfolded. I was there early around noon. First the magnitude of security and local support from the police department and fire station, the community came together to provide a beautiful and safe backdrop to President Obama’s visit. Secret Service men and women where there and even a platform stage had Sharp Shooters perched and scouting the perimeters of campus.

Sharp Shooters

Fabulous Fab 42 was the backdrop which, when finished, will be the most advanced high volume semiconductor factory in the world. And the backdrop boasted the biggest land crane on earth; it was a site to see. The event finally kicked off around 4pm, a few local Intel employees lead the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, everyone who had stood in the winter sun for hours chuckled when they were asked to “Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.” There was literally a lot of LOL, as they had been standing for well over 3, 4, or 5 hours.

Fab 42 Ocotillo, AZ

It was exciting for the President to use Intel as a proof point that the future is in manufacturing and innovation;  Intel exemplifies it, he said “the factory that sits behind me is an example of an America that’s within reach.”

As I sat in the press area as both a volunteer and blogger, I truly reflected on what a great company I work for and how Amazing Things do happen at Intel. To have the President come to personally acknowledge that was perhaps the biggest compliment a company and employee could get.

It was a Fabulous day at Intel, Fabulous time and a Fabulous visit at Fab 42!

Earlier this year, you heard about Intel’s Veteran’s Employment Training (VET) program to help those who are transitioning from military life to civilian life with respect to finding a job. The program is designed to train Vets who are exiting the military and match them to Intel employee mentors (also Vets) to help them transition to non-military employment.  Each month Intel holds a free three-day (mornings) workshop at the Intel Computer Clubhouse in Alexandria, VA where experts share tips and strategies on producing a resume for corporate and/or government positions, as well as networking, interviewing tips and actual mock interviews. We’re in the midst of getting ready for our next workshop that starts on Monday, February 6, 2012.

So what can you expect from a workshop? As an instructor, I enjoy an interactive group, more than simply giving a lecture.  These Veterans arrived ready to engage in a dialogue.  They asked great questions, and we really did a deep dive on what works and what doesn’t in a job search. But don’t just take it from me, here are some comments from last month’s sessions:

• “Thank you for providing the opportunity to learn the proper format when creating a resume.”
• “Thank you for giving me tips to be more prepared at this and build more confidence for the next interview!”
• “Today’s workshop is by far the best and most helpful workshop I’ve been to.”

Intel was ranked 46 on FORTUNE Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list!

This was BIG news—news that we’d want to share with the whole world! But how?

We're on the cover!

Our small, yet mighty, team that was working on communicating this award put our heads together and realized what a crucial role employee input plays in selecting the companies that make this list (“Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on the results of the institute’s Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management’s credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie.” And yes, that’s taken straight from FORTUNE.) So who better than to express why Intel is a Best Company to Work For than Intel employees?

“I love working here because of the Great Place to Work events. I feel like I’ve seen the best shows, artists and sights in Portland–and I haven’t had to plan a thing! It was so much easier getting adjusted to a new city and meeting people when we had such a fantastic list of things to do that Intel planned for us.” Lisa, HR, Oregon, 7 months

“Innovation is at the heart of Intel. It is amazing to work for a company with such a strong culture of innovation, creativity and boundary pushing. That, to me, is what opens the door to unlimited possibilities. To me, the ability to shape tomorrow is just plain cool. Intel is a global brand, which allows me to do what I love – to work with people from around the world and see different perspectives and learn about different markets. The fact that Intel offers vast opportunities for career growth, fantastic benefits and a flexible working environment is just icing on the cake.” Ekaterina, Marketing, Oregon, 6 years

“One of the many things I love about working at Intel is walking down the halls and hearing 5-8 different languages being spoken. It makes me remember what global reach our products have and how we are changing the world.” Shawn, IT, Oregon, 11 years

“Intel is an awesome place to work because it puts its money where its mouth is when supporting children’s education locally and around the world. Intel walks the talk.” Esteri, Netbook and Tablet Group, California, 11 years

“The software effort has been regarded as one mainstream of Intel, which really makes me feel glorious. I am more than happy to work for a company that takes software seriously, instead of just as a tool.” Robert, Software and Services Group, Beijing, 5 years

“I think Intel is a great place to work because it’s a company that works hard everyday to do the right thing for its employees–whether it’s work/life balance or health care or resolving concerns or rewards and recognition, it’s a company that thinks ahead and solves tomorrow’s problems today!” Ramya, HR, India, 8 years

“I love working at Intel because the company gives me great work/life balance. My managers have understood my roles as a Mother, employee, student and wife.”Alicia, Training, Costa Rica, 13 years

“I joined Intel just 9 months ago as a senior director to build a new business focused on employee centered design and usability. Talk about innovation — and the opportunity to impact more than 100K employees globally. This is why I’m here.” James, HR, Oregon, 9 months

“Why do I think Intel is a great place to work? Because Intel lets me play in all roles. It is fun identifying new potential business solutions and from a position of a lone nut (who is working on cutting edge technology or new futuristic direction) and be able to influence and impact Intel’s road map. Throughout the years I worked at Intel, I always picked my next role and the ability to do these lateral moves always kept me energized and passionate. I would say that Intel allows me to be a start up entrepreneur in a safer more supportive environment. Even my friends consider me as the guy who is having fun at work!” Shai, Architecture Team Manager, Israel, 14 years

“Intel is a great place to work because of all the awesome benefits. There are those benefits you would expect from a large corporation – great healthcare, good bonuses, opportunities for advancement and a good retirement plan to name a few. But it is the flexibility to telecommute, the opportunities to volunteer in my community (on company time!), the fitness centers, the free fruit/coffee/tea/soda in the cafes (even the cafes themselves!), the health for life program and PAID SABBATICALS every 7 years to name just a few more that make me so glad that I work here!” Terry, Intel Learning and Development, Oregon, 15 years

From Recent College Graduates (RCGs) to experienced leaders, around the world and across different careers, Intel is a  great employer in many different ways! And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I have many, many more fantastic testimonials to share with you soon!

As for that grammar correction, you’re right, I should change the “a” in the title to “the” because that’s what we believe: Intel is THE Best Company to Work For.

On Monday, January 16, 2012 our country celebrated the 83rd birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Over the years I have written numerous articles and blogs about Dr. King and the phenomenal impact he had on the world. I was honored to spend this past weekend speaking in Washington, D.C. and had the special opportunity to visit his memorial on the National Mall with my two oldest children. It is simply stunning and while I had already been, experiencing it with them was a lifelong memory. We shared stories and spoke often of my now deceased grandmother and how proud she would be. Somehow in the moment, it really hit home how much my life has been impacted by this man who sacrificed so much so that we could all live up to our full potential without barriers. I watched my grown children read the quotes and look up in awe of a man who they had never met, but yet impacted their lives and my ability to raise them.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Working Women a few month ago for the story below, which was recently published. I have been incredible surprised at how many women from around the country of many ages and ethnicities have reach out to thank me for the helpful tips about how to focus on themselves. I was asked last week to share it with my Intel family and when I saw the posting date was on Dr. King’s birthday, at first I was going to delay, but after spending this past weekend speaking about Intel’s commitment to diversity and then visiting the MLK Memorial with my children, I felt the timing was perfect.  My grandmother ironed so my mother could become educated.  My mother taught so that I could as well and now I’m able to publish an article on tips that women from around this country have found helpful.  Knowing that gives me great pride in our progress and reminds me that we live in a world of infinite possibilities.  I hope this article helps remind some of that reality.  Happy Birthday Martin Luther King, Jr. and Happy New Year to all!

Make a Real Impact – Original Article Published in Working Woman, January 2012

As a little girl, Rosalind Hudnell’s mother and grandmother believed that she could do the impossible, and Roz has fulfilled their expectations—when she sets her mind on something, it happens. This pioneering leader reinvented herself several times within and outside Intel. Originally a human resources professional for a cable conglomerate, the president of the company asked her to lead an operations unit; he saw something in her that she hadn’t seen in herself. And she took on the assignment. Within Intel, her career has been about making an impact. Heed the strategies of a woman who is invested in your growth and knows how to help you advance:

Take Time to Reflect

One of the biggest challenges we have as women is that we don’t take the time to focus on what we want. Our lives become about how we can help others. Think about what your priorities should be and assess what you’re spending your time on. Then ask yourself, “What might I be able to let go of if I had more help?” and “What am I not doing that I would really want to do?”

For those with children — know what transition points will happen naturally, when your child enters grade school, for example. Figure out where you want to be and what do you want to be doing leading up to that. So many women wait to find out what they want to do and realize they should have started the process years before.

Do More Right Now

Instead of looking for a different job or a promotion to advance, ask yourself, “How can I do more and deliver value to my company, my business, my family and myself from the seat I’m sitting in?” When we begin to think about it that way it gives us more control. Because then you don’t have to wait for somebody to give you permission to do more.

Your Development Plan

Shift your focus from your current job. Instead, think about the impact you want to make on the world, on your company and on the people you care about. Reflect on these three things as part of your development plan:

Take Smart Risks

I have always taken risks — that goes back to my mother and grandmother. Because no matter what risk I took, I knew that if I really fell on my face the worst possible thing that could happen was I’d go back home — which was a pretty cool place. When I’ve taken risks in my career, I didn’t go into them fearfully. I would think, “I don’t know anything about this, so I’m going to have to learn really quickly, and in any way I can.”

Differences Can Be Advantages

Sometimes we don’t want to stand out — we want to fit in and be like everybody else. We don’t embrace the fact that we are different. And, standing out gives us a platform that others would actually envy. If you have the platform, use it.

More from Roz: Navigating Work/Life

Roz has traveled her entire career, and she and her husband (who travels as well) have had to find creative ways to manage schedules for their three children — one now grown and two still in college. Here are some of her tips:

You see, my roommate was suffering from a nasty sinus infection and had been sick all week. Earlier that day she went to the doctor who gave her some new meds. It was a pretty low-key Friday night with her being sick and me wanting to lounge around on the couch after a fun, but exhausting, trip home for the holidays. But about 20 minutes before I went to bed, she started coughing and her voice went from normal to 11-year-old boy going through puberty. I was about to fall asleep when she asked me to stay up with her for a few minutes because she wasn’t feeling well. So we made some small talk for a few minutes before I suggested we go watch some TV to distract her from her cough. (Note: How I Met Your Mother streaming on Netflix is the best news I have heard in a long time. And the show is truly so good that you will forget about everything else (including possibly dying) while you watch it. Just ask my roommate.)

I managed to doze off (I tend to do that if I’ve already seen the episode) but woke up 10 minutes later to a Netflix menu screen and my roomie reading her prescription info. She wasn’t feeling worse but she didn’t think she was feeling better either. Her voice had gotten more raspy though. Getting concerned, I suggested we call the 24 Hour Nurse Hotline to get their advice. As part of our health insurance, we have access to a 24 hour hotline that connects us directly with a nurse who can provide a recommendation based on our symptoms. (I’m a big fan and have used it in the past when I wasn’t sure if I should go to the doctor or not after getting food poisoning or a sprained ankle.) After sharing the symptoms (coughing, raspy voice, difficulty breathing, tightness in throat), the nurse on call was not messing around with her recommendation: call 911.

Umm, what? We exchanged bewildered looks and hung up with the nurse. (We weren’t going to call 911 when we lived 3 blocks from the hospital. We could get to the hospital faster then 911 could get to us.) At this point, my roommate didn’t think she needed to go to the ER so we talked it through. The first point that came to mind was our benefits. (My roommate works in the Compensation and Benefits group so she REALLY knows our benefits! She even volunteered at the Intel roadshows. What are roadshows you ask? There are open houses where employees can ask questions about the available plans and learn more about their benefits so that they can pick the best plan for themselves. They are held right before and even during the Annual Enrollment period which is when employees need to make their health care elections for the following year.) There is no doubt about it: we have solid benefits. Even with an emergency room visit and care, Intel had invested in a plan that would take care of most of the expenses so as employees we can focus on our health and staying well. Knowing that our benefits are comprehensive and cover a lot of expenses, including unexpected ones, really did help in making the decision to go to the ER. (That, plus the fact that we live close to the hospital and the thinking that if it’s nothing, they’ll just send us back home, but at least then we know what’s wrong.) So off to the ER we went.

It’s kind of crazy how quickly you’re seen at the ER when your key symptoms are shortness of breath, wheezing and tightening of your throat. Within minutes there were 2 nurses and a doctor taking us to a room and starting their diagnosis. Long story short, she was having anaphylactic reaction to a medication she had taken for the first time that night but we got to the hospital at the right time to combat the reaction. (More people are allergic to penicillin then the medicine she took so there was no way of knowing she’d have this reaction!) After an IV, some meds and a nebulizer treatment, all we could do was wait. So we did. Around 3am, things were looking better. My roommate’s voice went from a squeak to hoarse whisper, her Jay-Z-esque lips were returning to normal size and she was looking less sunburnt and more Lithuanian-Italian than when we got to the hospital. The meds were working, the nurses and doctors at the hospital were great, and our spirits were high as we were cracking jokes and passing time.

We later found out that if we hadn’t come into the ER, the results would have been fatal. (And I’m not talking still wheezy in the morning fatal, I mean fatal, fatal.) We are so thankful that they weren’t. There were several things that we were grateful for that night and a few lessons we learned—not too surprising considering what a close call the entire situation was. It was a wakeup call for me with regard to my attitude towards benefits. I, like many, joined Intel as a Recent College Graduate (RCG), and as an RCG, I appreciated good benefits but for the most part, I didn’t have many health concerns so benefits wasn’t at the top of my priority list when I was evaluating employers. I’m a little embarassed that it took a major incident to help me see the light, but I’m glad I did. I say it loud and I’ll say it proud: THANK YOU INTEL FOR YOUR GREAT BENEFITS!

As for my roommate: she was admitted for observation for a few hours but was back home the next day and on a new antibiotic that she isn’t allergic to. Today, she’s feeling much better and is grateful for great benefits, great providers, a great employer and great friends.

Me too roomie, me too.

A tech company recently pulsed students on what their latest and greatest compensation/benefits expectations are.  It was a small sampling if you consider it went to a global audience, but needless to say, it sounded like most students were in agreement.  A few of the key takeaways I had were that these few things were a top priority to today’s New Grads as they enter the workforce (besides a competitive salary of course):

1.  They don’t want to work for a company that bans social media.
2.  They want flexibility in selecting devices that they use for work.
3.  They think flexibility in working remotely is critical.

Well, hallelujah because Intel offers some flavor of each of these… so I don’t suspect I’ll be seeing offers declined for lack of these perks.

When you think about those items though, how do you prioritize them?  Do you care? Are these ‘trash’ or ‘treasure’ to you?

I personally am thrilled that Intel has embraced this age of transparency and allows ME to be ME out in social channels.  I tweet, Facebook, connect on LinkedIn and even +1 pretty regularly and know that the company is all for it. (We have our own corporate recruiting profiles on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn   and Google+!) I have a few friends that have told me that their employer blocks sites like Facebook though.  I think that would be an annoyance for me, but I’m not sure I’d decline an attractive job offer because of it. (let’s face it, my smart phone can help me connect whether they like it or not)

Working from home as needed was definitely something I discussed at the time I was contemplating job offers.  Knowing that the work I do can be done from anywhere around the globe, it would seem silly if my employer told me that the only way they would trust me to get the job done is to be in the office 5 days a week… (My fellow bloggers Keith and Sejal also love this benefit!)

What other kinds of perks do you look for/expect from employers these days?  For me personally, I really love that we have an onsite physician that I pay next to nothing to see as needed.  I like that I get free fruit and drinks every day.  Our newly remodeled onsite gym is fabulous (although I admit I don’t get there NEARLY as much as I should).  I swear this year is my year though!  :-)  I really could go on and on about the small benefits I take advantage of every week.  Free tickets to shows and sporting events, discounts on electronics/vacation packages/restaurants, Health and Wellness programs, access to numerous classes/development opportunities, etc.  It really would take me several hours to write it all down.  Some of these lesser known benefits can definitely add up.  What kinds of perks have you enjoyed from your employer?  What are the deal breakers when you start to negotiate a job offer?  I want to know if you think the ban of social media would really force you to re-evaluate a company or if you think that is a silly request in the first place.

Happy New Year to you all and looking forward to hearing your comments!

Note from the editor: This poignant piece about how Intel technology truly is changing the world was shared through our internal communication site. Thanks to our guest blogger, Rob Kelton from Intel’s Internal Employee Communications team, we get up close and personal with the Intel engineer who customizes PCs for Stephen Hawking.

For a man who was diagnosed with a devastating motor neuron disease at age 21 and given just 3 years to live, the brilliant British scientist Stephen Hawking, who celebrated his 70^th birthday Sunday, continues to amaze. Despite his severe physical disabilities, the University of Cambridge professor has advanced the theories of physics and cosmology, including the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation. His 1988 bestseller, A Brief History of Time, sold 9 million copies and made him one of the world’s most famous and popular scientists (complete with a guest role on The Simpsons TV show).

What you may not have known about Stephen Hawking is how Intel has helped the paralyzed, voiceless scientist communicate to the world since 1997.

Travis, an Intel application engineer, has traveled from Oregon to England every couple of years for the last decade to hand-deliver a customized PC he has created for Hawking.

Here Travis talks about his unique project, the technology that powers the customized system, and how Intel co-founder Gordon Moore got Hawking to switch from AMD to Intel.

Q. How did you come to be the guy who helps Stephen Hawking?
In 2001, I started a new lab called the Mobile Power Lab. One of the engineers who got hired on to work in that lab was already working on this project. Through a series of events, he ended up transitioning that project over to me, and I’ve been running with it ever since.

It’s not my full-time job. I’m an application engineer with the Platform Launch and Revenue Team under PCCG [PC Client Group]. I support mobile and desktop chipsets on the revenue side.

(L-R), Travis, Rob. Intel Swindon employee who is IT support for Hawking, Sam Blackburn, graduate assistant for Hawking, and Stephen Hawking.

Q. What technology does Stephen use?
The computer is made up of three parts: a Lenovo X220 tablet PC, a custom black box containing various peripherals, and the hardware voice itself. The computer features an Intel Core i7 processor along with a forward-facing webcam which Stephen uses to place phone calls using Skype.

Underneath the wheelchair is the black box which contains an audio amplifier, voltage regulators and a USB hardware key which receives the input from the IR sensor on Stephen’s eyeglasses. The hardware voice synthesizer sits in another black box on the back of the chair and receives commands from the computer via a USB-based serial port.

Q. How does Stephen control what comes out of his voice synthesizer?
When I first met Stephen, he still had some use in his thumbs. In fact, he’d still attempt to drive his own wheelchair. He pinned me against the wall once [laughs]. He had basically a clicker, a binary switch that he held in his hand. He’d press it with his thumb to highlight the words or commands on the computer screen. He was typing at about one word per minute when I first met him. He was actually pretty snappy with it.

Over time that nerve that allowed him to move his thumbs degraded, and he had to find another way to communicate. They originally talked about using one of his pectoral muscles and putting a sensor there. He wasn’t too thrilled with that idea.

What he’s got now is an infrared sensor hanging off of his glasses. It basically detects the changes in light as he twitches his cheek. They call it the “cheek switch.” [Watch a quick video of Stephen using the software that interprets twitches from his cheek to produce a synthesized voice. Run time 27 seconds].

Q. You said a group in Swindon and Intel Labs is working on speeding up his word output?
Stephen sent a letter to Gordon Moore several months ago in which he said, “My speech input is very, very slow these days. Is there any way Intel could help?”

Since that time, we’ve gotten a couple of groups at Intel involved with looking at what can be done to help Stephen. This is still very early on. XTL, the Experience Technology Lab, is looking at facial recognition software to try to come up with some sort of a new input method for Stephen that would be quicker than what he’s currently using. 

Q. Talk about Gordon Moore and Stephen Hawking and how this project came to be.
Stephen and Gordon met at a conference around 1997. Gordon noted that Stephen was using an AMD machine. Gordon asked Stephen, “Would you like to use an Intel computer moving forward? We’d be happy to build that for you and support it.”

Stephen said yes, and we’ve been building these custom PCs for him ever since. We’ve done an average of one every two years or so.

Q. So when you take this to Stephen, do you fly commercial holding the customized PC on your lap?
I actually take two systems out to Stephen [one is a back up]. One year I packed them in cases, checked them in as luggage and the airlines lost them for three days. The year after that I thought I’d ship them ahead of time. They got held up in Customs for three days. This time I got lucky. My luggage showed up with me [laughs].

Q. Was this year’s deployment a success?
The interesting thing around this time is all the hardware work was finished within a few hours on the first day. It’s configuring all the software that really took a long time. I think that’s due to some customizations that Stephen’s assistant has made in recent years.

This is also the fastest computer we’ve ever deployed to Stephen. We found out that when you turn on the computer, it’s supposed to basically come up with all his applications and programs and his Words+ speech synthesizer software right from the get-go. But what we were finding out is that it would start all those applications so fast that it didn’t have time to initialize the hardware devices yet.

So his voice application would be started, but the security key for the voice application wouldn’t be initialized yet. We actually had to put some startup delays in and make it wait five seconds so that the hardware devices could finish being initialized by the time the CPU started running all those applications. We’ve gotten that fast. [Watch a quick video of graduate assistant Sam Blackburn unveil Stephen Hawking's custom PC for the first time.]

Q. Who provides tech support if his computer has problems?
Robert in the Swindon office. He’s the feet on the ground, a couple hours’ drive away.

Q. What does your family think about you working with Stephen Hawking?
My wife’s stepmother is a teacher. She gets pretty starry-eyed and shares what I’m doing with her grade school students [laughs]. Personally, it’s interesting to build something that no one else is building. I debug things for a living and it’s a job I enjoy.

Interested in hearing more about this unique project? Check out this article.

I can honestly say that I enjoy getting up and going to work every morning. I meet so many new people from various backgrounds, spend my days interacting with some of the most brilliant minds in the world, and generally laugh more than most people might consider normal. As a Recent College Graduate(RCG)  having just six months under my belt with Intel, my rotation with Global Diversity has been an incredible opportunity to learn how the company relates to students, external partners, and the nonprofit organizations that we partner with. At our “Act Now” event at San Jose State University, I think I had my “Aha” moment. Having played a part in planning the panel event and reception, I was humbled and pretty inspired watching the event come to life. As a woman at a respected tech company, I felt  closely connected to the messages we were sharing around the power of educating girls.

I don’t quite believe in resolutions, but I do like setting goals. One of my goals is to blog more often, both professionally (on this blog and on the Student Branding blog) but personally too (stay tuned and maybe I’ll give you a sneak peek!)

Content is definitely what keeps people coming to a blog, but the way things are set up and the platform make a difference too. Notice anything different around here? There are minor tweaks, but we changed some of the behind-the-scenes workings on the blog. Stay tuned though because we have more great things coming. As we look at giving the blog a bit of a facelift, we’d love to hear your ideas!

Speaking of ideas:

What do you wish we’d cover more of?

Dying to hear from a specific business group or Intel employee?

Like things exactly the way they are?

Let us know  and we’ll try my best to deliver!We’d love to get your take on what we should do differently or what we should keep doing the same to make this blog more valuable to you! Fire away by leaving us a comment!