How to take advantage of October's hiring rush Career counselor Robin Ryan provides tips for landing a job on LinkedIn, such as applying on Mondays, using LinkedIn Skill Assessments, and narrowing your search. As the hiring process moves quickly in October, applicants should have resumes and cover letters ready with the most relevant and up-to-date achievements, Ryan writes. Forbes (10/8)
A survey of Americans found those job hunting significantly changed their social media habits, with 82% setting up some sort of privacy on their social media profiles. Half also say they do not think employers should look at a candidate's social media profiles, though 84% believe social media presence impacts hiring decisions. ZDNet (10/9) Using algorithms to hire can hurt diversity While many companies are switching to automated hiring processes, using an algorithm to accept or reject applicants can enable employment discrimination, writes labor law professor Ifeoma Ajunwa. These systems can automatically rule out certain groups, such as women returning to the workplace or people struggling with mental illness. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/8)Need tech talent? Try "upskilling" "Upskilling," or training existing employees in skills they don't have, is a good way for employers to fill gaps in their technology talent, writes Bethany Mily of Geekwise Academy. Mily recommends employers consider in-person training programs, which provide hands-on support and can bolster retention and soft-skill development. Training magazine (10/1)
Your Next Challenge
How to tackle 3 common sources of lost productivity Engaging in tasks such as commuting, attending meetings and sending unnecessary emails can drain hours from an employee's day. Geoffrey James explains how to address these challenges, starting with implementing a policy that allows for remote work. Inc. online (10/8)
Balancing Yourself
Checking your phone during a break reduces productivity Many workers check their smartphones during a break, but new research shows that might not be a smart move. Workers who checked their smartphone during a break appeared to have their cognitive capabilities reduced, and were 22% less accurate and took 19% longer to complete a task compared to people who didn't take a break at all. Business 2 Community (10/9)
NASA is using an all-electric aircraft to experiment with design concepts that could change the shape of planes in the future. The aircraft design tests include smaller wing designs as well as spinning propellers and different sizes of electric motors. Vox (10/9)
Understand well as I may, my comprehension can only be an infinitesimal fraction of all I want to understand.
Ada Lovelace, mathematician, founder of scientific computing
