The Small Talker, The Box Checker & The Unprepared

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Doug White of renowned staffing firm, Robert Half International says to be prepared for the different personalities of hiring managers. In terms that remind this blogger of Seinfeld episodes (remember the “Low-Talker” or the “Re-Gifter”?) he outlines three typical HR managers’ personality types and provides information on how to prepare yourself should you run into one of them in your next job interview. Click here to learn how to address “The Small Talker”, “The Box Checker” and the “Ill-Prepared” varieties of hiring manager.

The Power of the Sun

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There is a new hotel in Vegas whose curved, reflective glass facade is focusing sunlight into a “death ray” that beams down onto a certain area on the hotel’s pool deck and giving sunbathers serious burns. Link to that story here.  Well if you thought that was cool (no pun intended) watch the video below where scientists have focused two square meters of sunlight in such a way that it can melt ROCK!  Explain to me why we are not using this simple, clean technology to fire steam turbines for emissions-free electricity?

Encore Careers

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In an article by Chris Kyle for Yahoo! Education, medical assistant and medical manager are two of the five top “encore” careers.  That is, fields for people wishing to retrain and re-enter the workforce, perhaps after losing a job in an industry hard hit by the recession.  The relative safety and immunity from economic downturn enjoyed by the medical field played a large part in vaulting these two jobs to the top of this particular list.  Click here to read all the details!

50 Worst Resumé Clichés

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Resume ClichesUS News and World Report published the 50 most overused phrases job seekers include in their resumés.  Trying to avoid them all seems like a difficult challenge.  However, if you succeed in avoiding them all, your resumé will be undeniably different and that is exactly what catches the eye of the recruiter!  Make the jump to see the full list: Continue reading…

Meteor Shower Tonight

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If you live in the Northeast (as many Allen School students and faculty do) and if you wake up early to start your day, you may be treated to an amazing sight.  The next few pre-dawn mornings will host the annual Leonid Meteor Shower.  Every November, the Earth passes through the tale of comet, Tempel-Tuttle.  The bits of frozen debris in the comet’s tail enter into the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up forming streaks of fire across the sky.  The shooting stars, as many as 20 per hour, will be most visible Thursday and Friday AM between 3AM and dawn.  So if you’re up early to make the coffee, and if you’re far enough away from city lights, have a look up at the dark, pre-dawn skies for an awesome celestial show.  For more about the Leonid Meteor Shower, click here for Wired magazine’s article on the subject.

Top 20 Industries Where Jobs Are Returning

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Well, no one here will likely be surprised, but according to US News & World Report the healthcare field is near the top of the list of industries where jobs are returning fastest.  According to their article linked here: “Healthcare. There was barely a recession in healthcare–employment has been rising consistently in almost every specialty. This is one of the few fields in which there are more jobs today than before the recession began. A lot more, in fact. Jobs gained in 2010: 204,000 Change since 2007: 738,000 jobs gained“ Mining, warehousing and oil extraction also made the list.  But aren’t you glad to be in healthcare rather than digging, lifting or drilling?

Is Fast Food “Less Delicious” than Slow Cooked Food?

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Science has been looking into the causes of obesity in the US population.  One interesting idea is that society has grown less interested in preparing its own food.  As both sexes in the modern world typically work out of the home, food technology has improved to shorten the time it takes to prepare meals.  As a result, the meals themselves are less satisfying and Americans try to regain the satisfaction by consuming more.  When we take our time to prepare a meal from scratch, our brains perceive it as “more delicious”.  Maybe they’ve never tasted my wife’s cooking!  (Just kidding honey!)  These are interesting ideas, but really, is there any evidence to support these conclusions?  Yes!  The article linked here appeared in Wired magazine and it discusses some of the experiments scientists performed to try and get to the bottom of this question.  You’ll be surprised to learn what they’ve found.  Read it and form your own conclusion.

More Ways to Improve Your Resumé

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One of our regular themes here at the Allen School Blog is resumé help/tips/ideas.  As our students graduate and make their way into new careers, the resumé takes on greater significance.  So here’s another in that series courtesy of Lifehack.org.  For the details on each of the eight tips below, click here for the full article.
  1. Make a great first impression.
  2. Select specific industries, businesses, and disciplines
  3. Highlight your expertise, capabilities, skills, and successes.
  4. Improve readability
  5. Quantify your career job, and work life accomplishments.
  6. Polish and showcase accomplishments.
  7. Resume length.

Medical Assistant is #1 Job for Work-Life Balance

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According to this article from Yahoo! entitled, ” Jobs that Let You Flex Your Freedom”, medical assistant is the best job for work-life balance.  The number four job on the list is medical transcriptionist.  Read the article at Yahoo! for the details.

Seeing is Not Always Believing

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Watch this fascinating video about the McGurk Effect.  It deals with the way our brains interpret the vast quantity of stimulus we absorb every minute.  From sounds to visual images, our amazing noggins are able to separate out all the different input and make sense of it.  However, just like optical illusions trick our eyes, there are also “auditory” illusions that can dupe our ears.  This is important as you enter (or re-enter) the career world.  Remember, you may hear your employer or supervisor say one thing, but the boss may have actually said something completely different.  The moral?  Listen carefully!