Category Archives: Career

May 15, 2014 · 16:22

Problems With A Perfect GPA

When consider hiring a recent graduate I am not looking for a perfect GPA.

Yes, getting a perfect GPA is difficult, and shows a lot of dedication and intelligence, but each time I see a candidate with one, it prompts a new set of questions. I want to know about times they have failed, challenges which required help, how they have solved problems no-one has ever solved before… anything that shows they don’t freeze up when they encounter difficulty. Schools provides a very structured format where requirements are clear; the real world isn’t like that. It’s messy, and there is no answer key. Sometimes you will fail, and have to have what it takes to brush yourself off, learn from the experience, and move forward.

I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. Michael Jordan

1 Comment

Filed under Career, interviewing, Recruiting, staffing

Tagged as gpa, interviewing, recruit

March 21, 2013 · 05:03

How Do You Get Things Done?

Everyone has their own idea of the best way to manage your time, email, calendar free time and all other aspects of your life, and is happy to sell it to you. Whether it is the getting things done, win, zen of outlook or any other current fad, the good ones all have a few basic principles.

Discipline. We are all lacking it at times. Having and working a system can help enforce discipline when we need it.
Simplicity. If you can’t remember it, it won’t work.
Focus on importance. Distractions abound. Avoid them.
Uses the right tool for the job.
Personalized to you. If it doesn’t fit you and your working style, it won’t work. Continue reading →

Constructive Criticism – Focus on the Constructive, Accept Critique Without Crumbling

Most people don’t accept criticism well, which is a shame, since it is only through learning how to control our negative features that our best features can shine. Certainly we all like flattery, and positive feedback, but being able to listen to and learn from critique is crucial to career and personal advancement. Continue reading →

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Filed under Career, Learning, Self-improvement

Tagged as constructive criticism, continuous learning, count to 10, critique

November 26, 2012 · 08:31

Give Good Feedback; Make More Money

If you are a manager of others, one of your most important tasks is to provide feedback to those who report to you, and help them become more effective employees – and usually happier in the end too. Most managers are never given training on this, and wind up either aligning at one of the extremes. Either Continue reading →

9 Comments

Filed under Career, Management

Tagged as brutally honest, cowardice, earning, feedback, salary potential

November 9, 2012 · 02:56

What do you love (enough to do it for a long time)?

Readers of the popular Dilbert comic strip will have no-doubt seen this recent comic.

This concept comes from the book, Outliers, where author Malcolm Gladwell repeatedly talks about how it requires 10,000 hours of practice to become truly good at something.

Some questions this raises: Continue reading →