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July 21, 2006

Global Warming Available Now


There was a short debate this morning on BBC Breakfast, between Trewin Restorick, from the environmental charity "Global Action Plan," and Times columnist Mick Hume, self-appointed spokesman of the decadent. They were discussing the merits vs environmental dangers of home air-conditioning (relatively rare in the UK - 5% of homes have some form of air con - but gaining popularity).

Mr Hume was scathing of what he called "Pseudo religious puritanism" but in his argument he made a small Freudian slip...

"I've just come back from a... a Turkish village - and every apartment there had global warming."

I don't know if anyone else spotted it, but you can view the clip here and his paux pas is after about 1 minute.

Posted by Mark at 05:40 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2006

25 words that hurt your CV

I wonder if any of these words appears on your CV:

  • Aggressive
  • Ambitious
  • Competent
  • Creative
  • Detail-oriented
  • Determined
  • Efficient
  • Experienced
  • Flexible
  • Goal-oriented
  • Hard-working
  • Independent
  • Innovative
  • Knowledgeable
  • Logical
  • Motivated
  • Meticulous
  • People person
  • Professional
  • Reliable
  • Resourceful
  • Self-motivated
  • Successful
  • Team player
  • Well-organized

    If so, you may be sending unwanted signals to an employer.
    (see CNN.COM)


    Vaguely positive words and phrases such as these, are increasingly seen as empty and valueless, according to Scott Bennett, author of "The Elements of Resume Style." They flag up to employers that you might just be full of *BS*

    You would do better to replace them with your specific accomplishments. Show don't tell.

    SO
    Instead of... "Experience working in fast-paced environment"
    Try... "Registered 120+ third-shift emergency patients per night"

    Instead of... "Excellent written communication skills"
    Try... "Wrote jargon-free User Guide for 11,000 users"

    Instead of... "Team player with cross-functional awareness"
    Try... "Collaborated with clients, A/R and Sales to increase speed of receivables and prevent interruption of service to clients."

    Instead of... "Demonstrated success in analysing client needs"
    Try... "Created and implemented comprehensive needs assessment mechanism to help forecast demand for services and staffing."

    Posted by Mark at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)

    July 19, 2006

    The STAR interviewing technique


    One strategy for preparing for behavioral interviews, as presented by Quint Careers, is to use the STAR Technique, as outlined below.





    Situation or Task Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.
    Action you took Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did -- not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what you might do, tell what you did.
    Results you achievedWhat happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn?

    More interviewing techniques from Quint Careers

    I suppose the key point is that you have a strategy for the interview; you decide what you want to say, and how to say it. It's not a bad thing to focus on your efforts, as opposed to your team's efforts - after all, the interviewer isn't looking to employ your entire team!

    Posted by Mark at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)