What You Can Ask In An Interview

This article on HR World – 30 Interview Questions You Can’t Ask and 30 Sneaky, Legal Alternatives to Get the Same Info – is making quite a splash on the web today.  I think it is an interesting read with some excellent suggestions regarding how to phrase interview questions. To give you a sample: 12. What you can’t ask: Do you have kids? This one is for positions in which the candidate may work with children. The added experience of children at home may be a bonus for you, but it’s not an employer’s place to ask about this. Rather, inquire about the candidate’s experience, and they may volunteer this information to… Read More

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Corporate Spying At Boeing

I suspect Boeing will be in damage control mode on this Seattle Post-Intelligencer article: One such team, dubbed “enterprise” investigators, has permission to read the private e-mails of employees, follow them and collect video footage or photos of them. Investigators can also secretly watch employee computer screens in real time and reproduce every keystroke a worker makes, the Seattle P-I has learned. I have read much about how Gen Y craves transparency in all things.  I can’t imagine the impact an article like this could have on their recruiting efforts.  Whether the story is true or not, the impact will still be felt. Recently, a Boeing investigator told a Puget… Read More

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A Memorable Resume Title

I’ve been mining through a major job board resume database looking for a specific type of salesperson this morning which is tedious work.  The “detailed” view includes very little information about the person.  The one item that does stand out is the resume title.  Most are boring and forgettable. However, I did find this one rather clever: “Dry Behind The Ears” Sales Pro That is a good approach to get noticed from a long list. In a separate resume, the person appears to have mistyped.  Well, at least I think he mistyped.  His desired salary is $801,000.  I have a feeling that number is going to keep him out of… Read More

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The Disarming Casualness Of The Web

We’re in full-fledge sourcing mode here at Select Metrix and I am taking up the task of resume mining.  I am aghast at what I am finding.  A new trend that I have seen before, but not to this level, is writing without capitalization.  I know this is an offshoot of texting.  My dislike of this improper writing format probably reveals my lack of appreciation for text messaging.  I don’t do it – email is fine with me. Online resumes are difficult to manage in that the formatting is often truncated and oddly spaced due to the job board’s coding.  Yet, capitalization is not affected.  I just read through a resume… Read More

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