Hiring the Best Person for the Job
A new study in the December issue of the American Sociological Review suggests that employers are often more focused on hiring someone they would like to hang out with than they are in hiring the most competent person for the job.
“Of course, employers are looking for people who have the baseline of skills to effectively do the job,” said study author Lauren A. Rivera, an assistant professor of management and organizations and sociology at Northwestern University. “But, beyond that, employers really want people who they will bond with, who they will feel good around, who will be their friend and maybe even their romantic partner. As a result, employers don’t necessarily hire the most skilled candidates.”
Although Dr. Rivera is quick to point out that the findings don’t mean unqualified candidates are being hired, the findings might give pause to those who are concerned about employement shortages and competitiveness.
Tags: Careers, employee attitudes
When Work-Life Balance Ceases to Exist
Most families take juggling home and career as a given. And over at the new Atlantic channel The Sexes, there’s another conversation going. Eleanor Barkhorn, the site’s editor writes people who don’t have kids want work-life balance too. Read the rest of this entry »
Does Your Resume Reflect Your Strengths?
In an age of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and LinkedIn, there is a lingering question about whether the traditional resume is even necessary, especially for digital natives. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: college graduates, employee attitudes, leadership, National Association of Colleges and Employers
Hiring Expectations for the Class of 2013
In a press release last week the National Association of College and Employers had some good news for the Class of 2013. Hiring Hiring will be up 13% ov the Class of 2012.
Finance, computer and information science and accounting majors are expected to be in greatest demand. Engineering, marketing and economics graduates are also expected to fare well.
Tags: career choice, college graduates, college students, National Association of Colleges and Employers
No Let Up in Employee Stress
Towers Watson the global human resources consulting firm is out with a new survey today. Its findings won’t surprise any employee who is experiencing stress on the job. It’s a trend that is being noticed by many employers as well and it is continuing unabated. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: employee attitudes, leadership, management
Salaries for New Grads Inch Higher; Workplace Flexibility Sought
In perhaps another encouraging sign in the job market the National Association of Colleges and Employers released data that showed salaries inched up for the graduates of the class of 2012.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: career choice, employee attitudes, National Association of Colleges and Employers, The New York Times, work-life balance
Hiring Vets
It’s been widely reported that Michelle Obama traveled to Florida this weeky to announce that more than 2000 businesses have participated in the Joining Forces Initiative and have hired or trained 125,000 veterans and militiary spouses in the last year. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: career transitions
An Office with No Boss
For anyone who has every considered the possiblity of a boss less office, there is an interesting explanation this week from Knowledge at Wharton. Knowledge at Wharton. Read the rest of this entry »
Paid Vs. Unpaid Internships
Should you take an unpaid internship? It’s a question students, their colleges and their families debate. Will it make a difference in a job search later? The answer, according to a new study from the National Association of Colleges and Employers is unclear. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: college graduates, college students, National Association of Colleges and Employers, paid internships, unpaid internships
Having It All–A Generational Saga
With the death of screenwriter Nora Ephron at 71 and the appointment of Marissa Mayer the CEO of Yahoo at 37 the conversation about Having It All by Anne-Marie Slaughter, a 53 year old Princeton University professor and former State Department official took an interesting twist.
Eighteen years separated Ephron’s graduation from Wellesley College in 1962 from Slaughter’s graduation from Princeton University in 1980. Ephron headed first to the Kennedy White House and then to New York City to the Newsweek mailroom. (Newsweek didn’t hire women writers then. The Ivy League didn’t accept female student either.) While Slaughter headed to Oxford University after graduation for further study and then a degree at Harvard Law School, Mayer graduated with honors from Stanford University and then took an M.S. in Computer Science. She became the 20th employee at Google.
To what extent is each woman a product of her times? And is it possible the question of having “Having It All” is defined and interpreted anew each generation?
Tags: Anne-Marie Slaughter, career choice, female executives, gender parity, Google, Marissa Mayer, Nora Ephron, work-life balance
