Going into an interview with strong knowledge of an organization, avoiding badmouthing former employers, holding off on asking about compensation until the end of the interview and keeping things polished and professional are key interview strategies for potential employees, writes WeCruitr founder and CEO Jack Kelly. Kelly also advises that when interviewing, potential employees should avoid using jargon and ensure they are polite to everyone in the building.

A US labor shortage during an economic slowdown makes sense as older employees retire, younger ones seek part-time work and people move from one job to another for more money or a better work environment, writes Josh Bersin. HR should respond by focusing on human capital strategies and the employee experience, writes Bersin, who recommends hiring people who fit the company culture, being clear about the value of working for the employer and providing career growth opportunities.

Online meetings are likely going to always be necessary, but they don't necessarily have to be boring, writes Stefanie Palomino, chief product officer and general manager of ROOM3D, who offers four suggestions for improving them, including reducing distracting background noise, creating rituals that connect participants and learning from mistakes. "It falls to you, as the leader, to find ways of keeping your employees energized, focused and happy," Palomino writes.

Layoffs in the technology industry continue as both Zoom and eBay announced workforce cuts. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said the company is reducing its workforce by 15%, affecting around 1,300 employees, while eBay CEO Jamie Iannone said it's laying off about 4% of its workforce, affecting 500 workers.

The National Security Agency is hoping to attract recently unemployed tech and cyber workers with targeted recruitment campaigns, by reaching out to workers via LinkedIn, and streamlining hiring practices. NSA is looking to hire 3,000 new employees, with half of those jobs in tech and cybersecurity, including "software engineers, systems engineers, capabilities development specialists, cybersecurity professionals, analysts, mathematicians and data scientists."

Research indicates that while pay transparency reduces salary inequities, it also can lead to lower overall wages and employee bargaining power, fewer performance-based raises and higher turnover among top talent, write professors Tomasz Obloj and Todd Zenger. "Given these findings, we submit that pay transparency should be viewed as a tool for change, but perhaps not an end in and of itself," the researchers write.

Spoiler/Shocker alert! The top country in this ranking is NOT located in Scandinavia. Wow ... it seems like that region always dominates this kind of list. Not this time.

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