Most of us don’t like being put on the spot in a job interview. But if you’re applying for work at Google, Amazon or other dot-com leaders be prepared to tackle some unusual questions. Like, why aren’t manhole covers square? I’ll let you ponder that universal mystery while I move on to my next item…. Continue reading
Archive for August, 2007
Job Listings – A Sign of the Times
The exodus of job listings from print to online highlights an inexorable trend that bodes well for job seekers and employers but is moving newspapers to the endangered species list. Searching for jobs, rather than browsing them, is the way of things in 2007. Within a few years, however, job seekers will mostly become the… Continue reading
How Do I Work This?
In the coming Conceptual Age, contends author Dan Pink, creative “right-brain” thinkers gain leverage with corporations while linear “left-brain” thinkers, dominant in the Information Age, become more of a commodity. In A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, Pink asserts that right-brained “R-directed thinkers … exemplified by creators and caregivers, [though] shortchanged… Continue reading
Latest Status Symbol? An American Passport
Did you hear about the New York multinational company that sought to dispatch a few dozen employees overseas only to discover that none of them had passports? When it comes to carrying passports most Americans have been ambivalent at best. But in the post 9/11 world – the globalization of work is more prevalent –… Continue reading
Future Jobs – Reading Between the Lines
You know Labor Day is coming when the media publishes more careers stories than you can stuff into a Transformers lunch pail. Earlier this week we spotlighted BusinessWeek‘s cover package on “The Future of Work“. Fast Company also weighs in with some cool thoughts about pursuing “Dream Jobs“. The piece that I’m commending to you now is MSNBC.com’s… Continue reading
Through a Looking Glass
In 2017, we may look back and laugh at the primitive nature of today’s work. Women will shatter the glass ceiling. Racial and ethnic minorities will get further ahead and working conditions will improve for the ‘average’ person. These are among the key findings from a BusinessWeek “Future of Work” survey of 2,000 optimistic managers…. Continue reading
Is the Google Gravy Train Over?
The escalating cost of hiring world-class talent is taking its toll on Google – and it could impact high-tech job seekers elsewhere too. At last week’s earnings announcement Google management indicated a new willingness to reconsider its hiring approach. Known for lavish spending on recruiting top talent, Google may reconsider its torrid pace of hires and… Continue reading
When HR Goes Too Far
While the streets of Madrid team with anti-globalization demonstrators, a multinational corporation pits seven candidates for a senior position through a cut-throat job selection process. The winner must be chosen by the end of the day no matter the cost. This is the premise of a terrific Spanish movie called The Method (El Método), now… Continue reading
