1. Interviewing? Look for quick thinking, not ‘right answers’ from VentureBeat. Nice little read for both interviewers and interviewees.
“I’m not interviewing for the right answer to the questions I ask. Instead, I want to see how the candidate thinks on their feet, and whether they can engage in collaborative problem solving. So I always frame interview questions as if we were solving a real-life problem, even if the rules are a little far-fetched. I’ll then act as their “product manager” who can ask questions of imaginary customers to learn what they think. (I also act as their combined compiler, interactive debugger, and QA tester.)”
“My experience is that candidates who “know” the right answer do substantially worse than candidates who know nothing of the field. That’s because they spend time trying to remember the “correct” solution, instead of working on the problem together.”
2. 5 Ways to Fix a Tarnished Online Reputation - Alexandra Levit talks about managing an online brand.
- Listen and respond to online conversations before an issue reaches critical mass and damages your reputation. The best protection against negative comments and gripes is to build a positive reputation ahead of time.
- In the event of a crisis, you or your leader must take responsibility in order to recover corporate reputation.
- Explain your solution to the crisis/issue and then carry the solution into action.
- Set up specific online destinations to solicit negative comments and deal with them separately. Bank of America set up a Twitter rep to deal with customer complaints.
- To change how you appear on the Internet, push down the relevance of negative results and give the search engines positive new content.
3. Why LinkedIn Recommendations Really Are Valuable is a short read where Jacob Share (of JobMob) talks about why LinkedIn is important to use and get recommendations on. Here are his ideas on the topic condensed:
- The job search process is a sales process
- The relation between the recommend’er and the recommended is what matters most
- LinkedIn is reliable
4. Does HR Read Resumes? Probably not but cover letters help you stand out:
“The one thing that will catch my eye and make me look at a candidate that does not have the experience I need, a cover letter addressed to me. Yeah, my own name catches my eye; I bet $10 you’re the same way.”
5. How to Behave: New Rules for Highly Evolved Humans is a new feature from Wired Magazine. Here’s one for you to sample:
Seek Out Your Coworkers on Facebook - So you finally scored a new job and you’re wondering if you should connect with your colleagues on Facebook? Go ahead. Yes, even with all those embarrassing photos linked to your profile. (No, don’t delete the ones from spring break ‘97, when you hooked up with a beer bong every night.) Friending your coworkers actually makes good business sense. According to London Business School professor Lynda Gratton, companies in which employees feel they know each other personally tend to be more innovative—it helps them jell as a team. In any case, not friending people won’t protect you from mortifying revelations. We’ve all been blogging and Flickring and tweeting for quite a while now; anything potentially compromising about you will eventually make the rounds. So own it. Revealing awkward photos and posts yourself is the best way to limit their impact. Show that you don’t take yourself too seriously and you’re less likely to invite ridicule.
6. How to Write a Personal Bio is another nice little read from the brand yourself blog.
