Tag: skills

How Interesting are You?

by candacemoody

Heather Huhman wrote a great post about the personal qualities that hiring managers don’t like to see in a candidate. But it’s the Smart Brief link title that caught my eye: Are you too boring to hire?

Huhman writes:

“Hiring managers don’t want to see a candidate who has no additional interests or personality beyond what’s required to get a job in their industry. You need to show you’re a human being, not a robot. Hiring managers love to see candidates with hobbies, or even those who have taken on a second job—it shows you’re able to make good use of your free time to expand your skills and interests, and this is a quality that’s likely to spill over into your professional life.”

The Language of Talent

by candacemoody

Buckingham starts out by defining “strength” as “near perfect, consistent performance.” Being pretty good at something is not enough. It starts with talent, which Buckingham describes as an innate ability – something you may have been a natural at all your life. In fact, being a natural is what keeps many of us from understanding true strengths; if it’s that easy for me, doesn’t everyone find it to be easy too?

Five Questions: Melissa Ross on Broadcast Media

by candacemoody

I meet people all the time who ask for advice about transitioning to a new field. In this occasional series, I’ll ask friends with cool jobs five questions about how they got to where they are today. This post features Melissa Ross, host of WJCT’s First Coast Connect.

Five Hot Information Technology Jobs

by candacemoody

More than three years past the point when economists say the national recession ended, many Americans are still struggling to find jobs. Industries are slowly becoming more profitable, but most are not yet creating many new jobs. One industry, however, remains strong and growing: information technology. The unemployment rate in the tech field was only 3.5 percent in July 2012, less than half of the national unemployment rate.

Guest Post: Landing Your First Job Out of College

by candacemoody

If you’re finishing up a degree and getting ready to enter the job market, you may be feeling overwhelmed about the prospects for landing your first job out of college. Despite the current economic climate, the job outlook for new college graduates is becoming more positive. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that employers will employ at least 10 percent more new college graduates in 2012.

Your Chances Ain’t Good

by candacemoody

Wiens writes, “Good grammar is credibility, especially on the internet. In blog posts, on Facebook statuses, in e-mails, and on company websites, your words are all you have.” People do judge you by how well you speak your native language, and there is still (believe it or not) a standard for how English is spoken and written.

Guest Post: What your College Degree Means to an Employer

by candacemoody

There’s no denying the fact that college graduates face a tough job market today. That will discourage a lot of new graduates, but there’s a silver lining to their predicament. The college degree that they worked so hard to earn is probably the most important piece of paper in their job search – more important than any resume or cleverly written cover letter. Not enough college graduates understand that they’re part of a lucky demographic that gets first consideration when employers consider new hires. Despite what some critics claim, a college education is still the standard qualification for most entry level professional positions.