Dear Abby, Dear Abby

by Mitch Byers :: Friday, June 20, 2008 :: posted in Interviewing to Win

Several years ago, my oldest brother began reading Dear Abby columns to my father, whose health was in decline. The daily reading brought about a chuckle, a point of disagreement, or led to a story of days gone by. Generations have looked to Dear Abby for advice – from what do about their pushy mother-in-law to how to confront a co-worker who leaves a mess in the microwave.

A recent column touched on the hiring process: [More…]

Explaining Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in the Interview

by Mitch Byers :: Friday, June 20, 2008 :: posted in Interviewing to Win, Enhancing Your Career

Last week, I received a Workforce Vision publication from SHRM. I have commented on the article in several posts, but today will try to tackle one of the central concerns. The article is a wake up call regarding the shortage of specific skills that employers expect to increase in importance over the next five years. The number one expected skill shortage is Critical Thinking/Problem Solving.
[More…]

Teaching Smart People How to Learn

by Mitch Byers :: Friday, June 20, 2008 :: posted in Enhancing Your Career

A business associate recently shared, Teaching Smart People How to Learn by Chris Argyris. Though the material was published in the Harvard Business Review back in May 1991, it still has relevance for today’s career professionals. As I was reading the article, two truths kept swirling in my mind: [More…]

Speed Interviewing: Coming to a company near you.

by Mitch Byers :: Monday, May 19, 2008 :: posted in Interviewing to Win, Selection & Hiring, News & Events, Enhancing Your Career

A recent article from Dr. John Sullivan discusses up an emerging trend – speed interviewing. Speed Interviewing takes its name from the once popular, Speed Dating. Speed Interviewing severely compresses the interviewing process. Compare cooking popcorn the old fashion way - heating up oil in a deep pan and adding a shallow layer of popcorn to today’s fast and easy microwave popcorn. The popcorn today is ready in jiffy with no mess or cleanup. Speed interviewing hopes to achieve the same results: faster and easier without all the messy protocols of a traditional interview. The slimmed down version is making inroads because [More…]

An easy way to check your life/work balance.

by Mitch Byers :: Thursday, April 17, 2008 :: posted in Enhancing Your Career

It is said that Baby Boomers live to work and that Gen Yers work to live. No matter what generation you fall into, it is always healthy to how you utilize your time in the week. There is an easy-to-use work/life calculator that factors your work hours, sleep, meal times, commute time, leisure and chores.

The calculator provides a snap shop of how you currently invest a rare commodity, your time. [More…]