Alliance for Conflict Transformation

ACT Subscriber Guide

We have developed this quick-start guide to explain how to access the ACT site and highlight the most popular features. Note if you are an organization interested in posting jobs, scholarships, grants and events to the site please go to the posting section. We also encoruage you to visit our Frequently Asked Questions Section to learn more.

ACT FORUMS: CAREERS & OPPORTUNITIES IN

Peace and Conflict Resolution, Development, Human Rights and Related Fields

Over 100 organizations and universities throughout the world currently use the ACT Forums to recruit entry-level to advanced professional and academic candidates in the fields of peace and conflict resolution, sustainable development, human rights, and related fields. As the ACT Forums have developed, membership has grown to several thousand people internationally. The Forums are available for individuals seeking jobs, scholarships, and information on conferences/events, and for organizations interested in recruiting qualified candidates. There is a small subscription fee to receive regular announcements of opportunities. Posting messages is free.

LIST OF FORUMS:

· JOBS - Postings of job opportunities in the fields of peace and conflict resolution, sustainable development, human rights and related fields.

· SCHOLARSHIPS- Postings of scholarship, grants and other funding, training and publication announcements in the fields of peace and conflict resolution, sustainable development, human rights and related fields.

· EVENTS - Postings of talks, conferences, and cultural events worldwide related to peace and conflict resolution, sustainable development, human rights and related fields.

The Jobs and Scholarships Forums are subdivided into regions covering all geographic areas of the world (for example Eastern United States, Western Europe, Latin America, Asia).

RECENT NEW FEATURES:

Resume Database - Individuals can upload their resumes and employers can search for qualified candidates.

Expert Discussion - Features on-line discussions with leading scholars/practitioners in the field.

User Interaction - Subscribers can post their own profiles and interact with other subscribers from throughout the world.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE:

To access the ACT Forums you need to follow these steps.

1)Register at www.conflicttransformation.org – Follow the steps to register.
(Note that registering only gives you access to basic site features, such as the discussion boards. To see more detailed information on jobs, scholarships, and grants and to access other site features you need to be subscribed).

2)Subscribe – Once you have registered click on subscribe and follow the steps.

How to Receive Email Digests

In order to receive digests from the ACT Site you need to be registered and subscribed. Once you are subscribed, follow these steps:

1)Login on the main site www.conflicttransformation.org
2)Click on Jobs or Scholarships
3)Click on the Link to Receive Digests
4)Choose the Digests you Want to Receive
5)Click on Subscribe

Registration and Subscription

Registering
In order to use certain features on this site, such as the discussion boards, you must be a registered member. Basic registration is free. To register, simply click on the Register link on the upper right hand side of the page. You will be taken to the registration form. Once you have filled out the registration information and clicked the “register” link at the bottom, you will be sent a confirmation email. To complete the registration, follow the link included in the confirmation email and type in your username and password, as well as the confirmation code included in the email. You must follow the instructions in the email in order to activate your account. Once you have completed that step, you are a registered member.

Subscribing
In order to access and view the jobs, scholarships and grants boards, a subscription to the ACT Forums is required. The first step is you must be registered. If you have registered already, you should log-in. To subscribe, click on the Subscribe Now link on the top right portion of the page. After the terms and conditions page, you will be shown a series of subscription options. Once you have completed those forms, your credit card will be processed securely (or you can choose to send in a check). After your card has been approved, you will be upgraded to “subscribed” status and you will have full access to the features of ACT. Subscribers from some regions may be eligible to request a free subscription.

There are three subscription categories for the ACT site:

Organizational – For organizational subscription to the lists and/or when Forum information is regularly used by the recipient organization in their programming. Select Organizational members may be eligible to access and search the resume database to help recruit qualified candidates.
Professional – Individuals who have full-time employment and use the lists for their personal and professional use.
Student – For full-time undergraduate/graduate students.

To read more about subscription rates and payment options go to the subscription information page.

Logging In
Once you have registered or subscribed, you will be able to login to the website to access the features appropriate to your level. If you are not logged-in already, the words “Register” and “Login” will be in the upper right. To login using your new account, simply click on the Login link and enter your user name and password.

If you are already logged-in, your user name will be displayed at the upper-right of the site next to the word “Logout”.

Updating Membership Information
If you would like to change any of the information submitted during the registration/subscription process, you must go to your account profile page. You can access this page by clicking on your username, displayed in the upper-right side of the site (while you are logged-in).

Using this feature, you can change your contact information, preferred language, time zone, and password for your account. You cannot change your username.

Changing Email Address
You can change your email address at anytime by clicking on your account profile. However please note if you're already subscribed to receive email digests on any of the Forums (Jobs, Scholarships, Grants) it is important you do the following before changing your email:

A)Before changing your email address in the user profile, first opt-out from the mailing lists so your old email address will not continue to receive digests;

B)Next, change your email address in the user profile;

C) Finally go back to jobs/scholarships/grants and click on "Receive Email Digests" and subscribe to begin receiving email digests at your new email address.

Unregistering
If you no longer wish to be a part of the ACT community, simply go to the account profile page and scroll to the bottom of the form. Click on the “unregister” link.

Using ACT Job Boards

Using the Job Boards
The Job Boards are available to members who have registered and subscribed. Subscribed individuals may browse jobs of any region. Organizational members may post jobs subject to approval of the website administrator.

Browsing for Jobs
The job boards are organized by region, with each region displayed in a folder-tree on the left side of the job boards. Next to each folder is a number, indicating the number of jobs posted in that category. To access the category, click on the folder or name of the region in this folder-tree. You will then be able to view the jobs in that category and any subcategories for that section.

Note that some folders, such as Europe and the USA, have small plus marks [+] next to them. This indicates subcategories for that section. You may preview the subcategories by clicking on the plus [+] icon, which expands the list to include subcategories. Once opened, the icon will change to minus [-], which can be clicked to close the subcategory list.

Once you have chosen a category to browse, you will see a list of the available jobs. You may sort the jobs using the drop-down menus in the upper portion of the center screen. Options include sorting by date, salary, years of experience or company name. You may also filter the results if you prefer to view only full-time jobs, part-time jobs or contract jobs.

Searching for Jobs
In addition to browsing through the job boards, you may also find jobs by using the built-in “Search” feature of the job boards. To do this, simply click on the “Search” link in the middle section of the job boards. You may access this feature from any category within the job board.

Once you are at the search screen, choose the category within which you would like to search from the drop-down menu, then enter a search term in the text box and hit your “enter” key. You may also click on the binocular icon to the right of the text box to activate the search.

For more advanced search and filtering, click the “go to advanced search” link at the top of the search page. Here you may search in much the same way as described above, but pre-filter your results by employment type and salary.

Getting Email Digest of Jobs

Many users may prefer to have job postings emailed to them rather than browse or search through the web interface of the job boards. In order to activate your email services, go to the Jobs section, and click on the link to receive email digests. Select the digests you would like to receive and click subscribe. This feature is available to Subscribed members only.

Posting Jobs
There are two ways to post a job. If you're not subscribed to the ACT Site and want to post a job please send an email to ACT forums@conflicttransformation.org. If you're subscribed to the ACT Site, to post a job to the job board, first choose the category in which you would like the job to be posted. While viewing the category, you will see “Post New Job” at the upper-right side of the job boards. Click this link, and enter the job description in the fields provided below. You may also choose to upload a document (such as an application form or PDF of the job description) but note that these documents will not appear in the search results for candidates, so it is best to enter as much information as possible in the job description.

While posting a job you may also enter an expiration date, after which your job posting will be removed from the system. It is recommended that you set a date not more than two months from the day that you post the job, unless the application process is a rolling one, or there are multiple similar positions. When posting job announcements please try to be as specific as possible in your announcements including deadlines, required skills, etc.

After entering the job, you may edit it at any time. To edit a job posting that you have submitted, locate the job by either browsing the categories or searching the job boards. On the right portion of the individual job posting you will see a small pencil icon. Click this icon, and you will be taken to the job-editing page.

Once you have entered your job it must be approved by the site administrator. This process can take up to 24 hours. Your job will be viewable by you and the administrator alone during this time, and you will be able to tell that your job is not publicly available yet by the stop-sign icon that appears in the individual job posting info section.

Contacting Employers
To contact employers use the information provided in the posting.

Using the Resume Boards
Subscribed users may upload a resume to the website for employers to review. Viewing resumes is only available to select employers who are interested in finding candidates to fill positions.

Using ACT Scholarship Boards

Using the Scholarship Boards
The Scholarship Boards are available to members who have registered and subscribed. Subscribed individuals may browse scholarships of any region. Organizational members may post scholarships subject to approval of the website administrator.

Browsing for Scholarships
The scholarship boards are organized by region, with each region displayed in a folder-tree on the left side of the scholarship boards. Next to each folder is a number, indicating the number of scholarships posted in that category. To access the category, click on the folder or name of the region in this folder-tree. You will then be able to view the scholarships in that category and any subcategories for that section.

Once you have chosen a category to browse, you will see a list of the available scholarships. You may sort the scholarships using the drop-down menus in the upper portion of the center screen. Options include sorting by date, salary, years of experience or company name. You may also filter the results if you prefer to view only full-time scholarships, part-time scholarships or contract scholarships.

Searching for Scholarships
In addition to browsing through the scholarship boards, you may also find scholarships by using the built-in “Search” feature of the scholarship boards. To do this, simply click on the “Search” link in the middle section of the scholarship boards. You may access this feature from any category within the scholarship board.

Getting Email Digest of Scholarships
Many users may prefer to have scholarship postings emailed to them rather than browse or search through the web interface of the scholarship boards. In order to activate your email services, go to the scholarships section, and click on the appropriate link. This feature is available to Subscribed members only.

Posting Scholarships
There are two ways to post a scholarship. If you're not subscribed to the ACT Site and want to post a scholarship please send an email to ACT forums@conflicttransformation.org. If you're subscribed to the site to post a scholarship to the scholarship board, first choose the category in which you would like the scholarship to be posted. While viewing the category, you will see “Post New Scholarship” at the upper-right side of the scholarship boards. Click this link, and enter the scholarship description in the fields provided below. You may also choose to upload a document (such as an application form or PDF of the scholarship description) but note that these documents will not appear in the search results for candidates, so it is best to enter as much information as possible in the scholarship description.

While posting a scholarship you may also enter an expiration date, after which your scholarship posting will be removed from the system. It is recommended that you set a date not more than two months from the day that you post the scholarship, unless the application process is a rolling one, or there are multiple similar positions.

After entering the scholarship, you may edit it at any time. To edit a scholarship posting that you have submitted, locate the scholarship by either browsing the categories or searching the scholarship boards. On the right portion of the individual scholarship posting you will see a small pencil icon. Click this icon, and you will be taken to the scholarship-editing page.

Once you have entered your scholarship it must be approved by the site administrator. This process can take up to 24 hours. Your scholarship will be viewable by you and the administrator alone during this time, and you will be able to tell that your scholarship is not publicly available yet by the stop-sign icon that appears in the individual scholarship posting info section.

Contacting Colleges or Universities
To contact employers use the information provided in the posting.

Using the Discussion Boards

The discussion board is generally open to the public to view, but if you would like to join in the discussion you must register with the site. Registration is free. Some discussion forums are open only to subscribed members of the site.

To use the discussion boards, click on the Discussions link at the top of the website. You will see a list of forums for discussions. Clicking on the name of the forum will show you the range of topics covered under that forum. Clicking on the name of the topic will show you the discussion. If you are a registered user, you may post a new topic by clicking on the “Add New Topic” link at the top of the forum to ask a new question or bring up new issues to discuss. Please search before posting a new topic to make sure that the topic hasn't been covered before.

Subscribing to Threads
If you would like to follow a conversation that is happening on the discussion board, you may subscribe to the conversation (also known as a “thread”) by either clicking the box above the topic that says “Email me when someone replies to this thread” or when you post a reply to the topic, by checking the box next to the text “Check this if you would like to be notified when someone replies.” You will receive updates whenever someone responds to that topic.

If you would like to unsubscribe to a topic, simply go to your user profile settings in the discussion board, and click “Edit Profile.” The threads to which you are subscribed appear near the bottom of the page. To no longer subscribe to any thread, simply click the “delete” link next to the thread name.

Creating a User Profile
In addition to your account settings, you may enter other personal information about yourself that other members of the ACT community may find of interest. Only registered members may have a user profile.

To create a profile, click on the Discussions link and then click on the “My Profile” link displayed at the top of the discussion board, and then click “Edit Profile.” Here you will be able to enter information such as your name, occupation, location, interests and contact information. You may also upload a picture of yourself and a bio.

Under your profile settings you may also enter a signature and upload an avatar. A signature is a simple text message that will appear below every comment you make on the discussion board. An avatar is a small picture (no larger than 100x100 pixels) that appears next to your username when you post any comment on the discussion board. You may use any picture you like, provided that it is within the bounds of the terms of service.

Using the Events Calendar

The Events Calendar is available to all registered and subscribed members. When you first view the Events Calendar you will be presented with a calendar showing the current month, with events displayed as links on the day that they are scheduled. To get more information about the event, click on the title of the event.

To view events occurring in upcoming months, click on the “>” icon located at the top-right side of the calendar. Clicking on the “<” icon on the top-left side will show you events from the previous month.

Only the administrator may add events to the calendar. If you have an event that you would like to be listed in the calendar, please forward it to the ACT Forums administrator at forums@conflicttransformation.org