4   
  • I'd like to know, what was your answer? Just curious

  • That’s definitely an unexpected question. While it may have been intended to test creativity and empathy, without context it's understandable why it... would feel confusing or uncomfortable, especially in a field where clear and respectful communication is so important. more

  • Have a talk with the CEO, move as a team with other staff who are sidelined. The other one is just a manager, otherwise if the CEO is not in the know... of all this, his/her business might collapse, customers will keep going and high staff turn over without her consent. more

  • You are dancing in the wrong box with wrong peers. Change the box not your attitude.

No degree, no job? Tighter labor market leaves many with fewer options


Cheryl Wilson's résumé is near perfect.

She has worked all her life, notching decades of experience at back-to-back corporate jobs that often tapped her to train new hires.

But after a software company laid her off two years ago, Wilson has struggled to land a new job for the first time in her career.

Because for all her experience, there's one missing element from Wilson's résumé: a college... degree.

The labor market slowed this year as economic uncertainty made employers hesitant to hire, a reversal from the worker-friendly Great Resignation period a few years ago. The loss of employee power has hit new college graduates hardest, with their unemployment rate now outpacing overall unemployment for the first time in decades.

Now, with year-end layoffs in full swing and the latest jobs reports showing continued sluggishness, jobseekers are facing even more competition.

"At this point in my life, I'm afraid I'm not going to ever get another job," said Wilson, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn. "I know a lot of people are laid off. Everyone is looking for jobs."

A recent survey found many Americans don't believe a college degree is worth the cost, yet the unemployment rate for college graduates as a whole remains lower than for those without a degree. And as employers tighten up hiring criteria in the loosening labor market, it's becoming even harder for the roughly 60% of Americans without a degree to land a job.

"It feels like the landscape is incredibly competitive. It feels like individuals who have those degrees are applying for a wider variety of positions, including entry-level positions," said Becca Lopez, vice president of career education and employment services at workforce nonprofit Avivo. "And so it can feel to our jobseekers like there maybe isn't room for them in this labor market."

The September jobs report, released Nov. 20 after a delay during the federal government shutdown, showed a 2.8% unemployment rate for degree-holders aged 25 and older. For high school graduates without a degree, that number was 4.2% -- slightly under the national unemployment rate.

Minnesota in September had a lower unemployment rate overall, at 3.7%, and a lower rate for college graduates, at 2.1%, according to data from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. But high school graduates without degrees had a higher unemployment rate, at 4.8%.

Faced with a historic worker shortage coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, major employers in Minnesota and across the country shifted to "skills-based hiring" that values experience rather than educational attainment.

Results have been limited: Less than 40% of employers that removed degree requirements in the past decade have significantly changed their hiring practices, according to a report last year from the Burning Glass Institute and Harvard Business School.

Though the college wage premium has stagnated in the past 20 years, according to research from the San Francisco Fed, college-educated workers still earn about 75% more than those without degrees.

"I think that for most higher-paying jobs, it's still the case that a four-year degree is just the cutoff," said Bill Baldus, career center director at Metropolitan State University. "Can people get great jobs without one? Absolutely. But you're going to be a much stronger candidate with a degree."

Students at the St. Paul university are either working or looking for work while pursuing their degree, Baldus said. The school offers resources including a course on navigating the job market in partnership with local employers.

Faculty have started to recognize the need to aid in closing the skills gap for students aiming to become "first-generation professionals," said career counselor Rachel Nihart.

"There's frustrations of, 'I don't have a degree. How do I get into this market?'" she said. "'I don't know what working with Microsoft Teams looks like. I don't know what working with Excel looks like.'"

Nihart said more students are visiting her office as the job market tightens, and more are still in contact six months after their initial visit. Many are applying for jobs and not hearing back, she said.

Kila Seki has worked in retail and other customer-facing roles since she was a teenager. When she pursued higher-paying work, she said, she faced rejection after rejection.

This spring, Seki transferred from a community college to Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn., and expects to graduate in about a year with a bachelor's degree in marketing management.

"The turning point for me was that talent and hard work is not always going to win, so you need credentials," she said. "I knew that I wanted a real opportunity."

As a teenager in Alabama, Wilson was on track to study fashion and design. Then she got pregnant.

Her mother offered to care for the baby while she pursued her degree, but because she had already raised 10 children and one grandchild, Wilson said no.

"I said, 'This is my responsibility, so I won't. I can't let you do that,'" she said.

Decades later, Wilson still wants to work full time. She's taking an online computer skills course through Minneapolis-based nonprofit Hired and plans to seek help brushing up her résumé and practicing interviewing.

She hopes prospective employers can look past what's missing from her résumé, and those of others without degrees, and see what's there -- experience, hard work, an eagerness to learn.

"College is really important, but that wasn't in the cards for me," Wilson said. "But I have worked. I've paid my taxes. Just give us a chance to prove ourselves."
 
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  • In Kenya, many graduates are unemployment with reports indicating that about 40% are jobless. Further reports indicates that about 70% of secondary... school leavers do not proceed to post-secondary education hence jeopardizing their chances of gainful employment. The situation is worsen by skills mismatch, a declining rate of work transition from secondary to post-secondary education despite the fact that about 50,000 of the youth graduates form universities annually. Therefore, the key drivers to high rate of unemployment in Kenya is attributed to the absence of practical skills and experience; lack of curriculum alignment with market needs; not integrating practical learning, community service, and research into the overall education system. The way forward is to embrace entrepreneurship, work-integrating learning, internships, and market-relevant skills that emphasis more on skill acquisitions and relevant knowledge on the job market.  more

At Tesla, Proof Beats Pedigree as Musk Asks Applicants to Keep Resume and Show Results - Tekedia


Elon Musk has never been sentimental about hiring rituals, but his latest recruitment call strips the process down to its bare essentials. If you want to work on Tesla's Dojo3 AI chip, he does not want your résumé front and center. He wants three bullet points. Specifically, the toughest technical problems you have solved.

The request, posted this week on X, is less a quirky billionaire flourish... than a window into how elite tech hiring is tightening under pressure. Musk's message was blunt: email three bullets describing hard problems conquered. No flowery cover letters. No sprawling résumés polished to perfection. Just outcomes.

For recruiters watching Silicon Valley's recalibration, the subtext is unmistakable. Companies are no longer hiring for potential narratives. They are hiring for demonstrated impact.

"He's basically just trying to cut through the noise of the job market," Business Insider quoted Michelle Volberg, a longtime recruiter and founder of Twill, a startup that pays tech workers to recommend peers for hard-to-fill roles, as saying.

In her view, traditional résumés and LinkedIn profiles often obscure more than they reveal, especially in technical fields where job titles can mean wildly different things from one company to the next.

Asking candidates to spell out a small number of hard-won victories forces clarity. It moves the conversation away from buzzwords and toward evidence. For hiring managers drowning in applications, that matters.

The timing is not accidental, as tech hiring is emerging from a period defined by excess. Pandemic-era overexpansion, followed by mass layoffs and a surge in AI investment, has produced a market where headcount is tightly controlled, and expectations are unforgiving. In that environment, the premium is on people who can show, not tell.

Volberg said she hears growing frustration from hiring managers about résumés that appear engineered for applicant-tracking systems rather than for humans. Some are so tailored that they reveal little about how candidates actually think or solve problems.

"They don't want to see fluffy résumés that have been written by ChatGPT," she said.

Musk's approach fits neatly into a broader shift toward what HR professionals describe as skills-based hiring. Instead of leaning on credentials, pedigree, or years of experience, employers are increasingly probing how candidates arrive at answers, how they navigate ambiguity, and how they perform under pressure.

In Musk's case, the emphasis on outcomes is also consistent with his long-held skepticism of formal qualifications. He has repeatedly said that a college degree is not a prerequisite for working at Tesla, arguing that evidence of exceptional ability matters more than where someone studied or whether they studied at all.

This is not the first time he has used bullets as a filter. BI reports that in 2025, while overseeing recruitment tied to the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk issued a similar call for "world-class" engineers and product managers, asking applicants to submit two or three bullets showcasing exceptional ability, alongside a résumé. The pattern suggests a philosophy rather than a one-off stunt.

From a hiring perspective, the bullet test raises the stakes for candidates. Volberg said it quickly exposes exaggeration. Anyone claiming to have solved complex technical problems must be prepared to unpack them in detail. In interviews, it becomes obvious who actually did the work and who merely inherited the credit.

"If you say you've solved these three things, you'd better be able to talk about them," she said. Candidates who cannot often do not just lose the opportunity; they risk damaging their reputation with recruiters.

Still, the approach is not without its blind spots. David Murray, chief executive of performance management startup Confirm, cautioned that asking applicants to self-select their greatest wins may disadvantage quieter contributors who are less inclined to market themselves. Technical excellence does not always correlate with confidence or self-promotion.

There is also the risk of overconfidence skewing the pool. The Dunning-Kruger effect, where weaker performers overestimate their abilities while stronger ones underplay theirs, could mean that some of the most capable engineers do not shine in a three-bullet self-assessment.

"What he is asking people to do is to market themselves," BI quoted Murray as saying.

Yet even those caveats underline the larger point. Musk is not trying to design a universally fair hiring system. He is optimizing for speed, signal, and intensity in one of the most competitive corners of AI development. Dojo3, Tesla's in-house AI chip effort, sits at the heart of the company's ambitions in autonomy and robotics. The margin for error is slim.

In that sense, the bullets are less about minimalism than about accountability. They force candidates to anchor their claims in reality. They also signal to the market that, at least at Tesla, the era of hiring on credentials alone is fading.

For job seekers, the implication is sobering but clear. The story you tell about yourself matters less than the problems you can prove you have solved. In Musk's world, results are the résumé.
 
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Woman slams RM1.3k job offer, claims employer was rude


A Malaysian woman turns down a RM1,300 admin cum marketing job in Petaling Jaya, sparking debate over low pay and unfair hiring practices.

JOB hunting is not only daunting but also challenging, not just because of the current job market but also due to certain employers' attitudes towards applicants.

A Malaysian woman recently shared her upsetting encounter with an employer who allegedly not... only offered a low salary but also mocked her current job.

According to a post on Threads, the woman claimed that the company is located in the Petaling Jaya area.

ALSO READ: "Did you only come here for the money?" - M'sian jobseeker called out for asking salary in interview

In terms of salary, the company allegedly offered her a meagre RM1,300 for an "admin cum marketing" role, without EPF or SOCSO contributions.

She also claimed that the employer insulted her for working as a freelancer.

According to a screenshot attached to the post, the woman ultimately rejected the offer, stating that she refused to work for a boss who "looked down on her current job".

In an update, she explained that she did not report the company.

Netizens nevertheless urged the woman to report the company, pointing out that the offered salary does not align with the national minimum wage of RM1,700.

The post also sparked a discussion on recruitment practices among Malaysian companies, with the majority of netizens recommending that jobseekers properly vet employers before submitting their résumés.

"Just report it to the Labour Department and the Public Complaints Bureau. There's no need to follow up. Submit all the evidence. What's important is that these companies are exposed for exploiting the labour system," a user commented.
 
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You Don't Need a Degree


People love to talk about education in business. Diplomas. MBAs. The right schools. The curated path that makes a résumé glow under fluorescent lights. I get it. I've worked with brilliant people -- strategic, refined, well-credentialed. Some can reverse-engineer a global supply chain with three whiteboards and a decaf latte.

But here's what I've seen: When it hits the fan -- and it always does... -- degrees don't save you. Grit does. And grit doesn't live in classrooms. It lives in the moments that burn.

The outsider's expertise

In 1997, I was running the State of Texas Access Reform program, and the Iowa Children's Health Insurance Program. I was 25. By optics? I shouldn't have been there. By capability? Absolutely. I didn't come from wealth. My story started on the streets at 16. But I had scars. Hunger. A work ethic built from not having another option. That mattered more than anyone knew.

I had just enough experience with a system called Vantive -- a clunky piece of software. I studied it obsessively. I opened it, broke it, and reverse-engineered it because I couldn't afford not to. That curiosity -- and the word Vantive on my résumé -- sent me to Silicon Valley to support a merger between Boole & Babbage and BMC Software. They wanted my "expertise."

"Expertise" was generous.

I packed a suit and flew out. I checked into a Motel 6 behind a Denny's off 101 -- with hallway carpets that smelled like mildew and floor wax. The front desk clerk didn't look up. The vending machine groaned louder than the air conditioner. That night, I ordered a Denver omelet. Overcooked eggs. Rubbery ham. Peppers that tasted like lighter fluid. By midnight, I was curled on the bathroom floor, violently sick, cold sweat on my neck, wondering how I was going to survive the week.

Morning came anyway. The sunrise is relentless that way.

I pulled on a wrinkled shirt, straightened a tie I wasn't sure matched, and walked into a room that smelled like espresso and glass cleaner. The table was surrounded by professionals twice my age, five times as polished. Salt-and-pepper hair. Stainless mugs gripped like trophies. They had presence. They had expectations.

And they turned to me: "So...where do we start?"

I spoke slowly. Carefully. Like I was walking barefoot across broken glass. I gave them just enough to buy time. Time to listen. Time to learn. Inside, I was chaos. Outside, I held still.

Built in the dark

That night, the motel room felt colder than it should've -- the way a place feels when you're far from home and in over your head. I opened my laptop -- a plastic brick that wheezed like it hated me -- and shoved in an AOL CD. That disc was the internet.

The modem shrieked like a dying robot, then finally connected. On the TV, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire played while I sat hunched over a scratchy motel bed, stomach twisted, brain buzzing, trying to decode acronyms I couldn't spell. I flipped through notes -- scrawled, frantic, half-legible.

It was 1997. No YouTube. No Stack Overflow. No ChatGPT. God, what I would've done for that in '97.

Still, I sat there. Tired. Nauseous. Determined. Not because I knew what I was doing, but because I had to know more tomorrow than I did today. I unrolled giant database diagrams across the bed until the sheets disappeared. I traced them with a pen like I was solving a crime scene.

I didn't sleep much. But I learned. Every morning, I walked back into that room a little more dangerous. I started building a plan. Not perfect, but something that could flex. That's all part of leadership: knowing just enough to start, and being relentless enough to adjust.

Consequences educate

Eventually, the room changed. The way they looked at me changed. I wasn't just tolerated; I was trusted. I didn't realize it then, but my value wasn't in what I knew -- it was in how I learned under pressure. It was in my ability to stay still when everything whispered, you don't belong here. I knew how to stay when others ran because I had lived in harder rooms than that one.

Scars don't show up on a résumé, but they show up when it counts. They offer a perspective that comfort cannot provide because they strip away the luxury of pretense. When you've been burned, you stop caring about looking like the smartest person in the room and focus exclusively on being the most effective.

There is a clarity that comes with having struggled; it erases the indulgence of overthinking. You learn to move with a survival instinct that replaces hesitation with action. Most importantly, scars force ownership. You realize, usually in the middle of a long night, that no one is coming to save the project; it is entirely on you.

I've seen polished professionals freeze when a plan breaks. And I've seen the ones with scraped-up stories step in and carry it -- not because they had the right degrees, but because they'd already paid the price somewhere else.

So no, this isn't about dismissing education. It's about telling the truth. You don't need a degree to be ready. You need the kind of pain that teaches you how to act when no one has the answers. You need scars that taught you to move through doubt. You need to have learned -- not from comfort -- but from consequence.

I didn't build a career in spite of chaos. I built my career inside it. Some people are trained for the boardroom. Others are built in the dark. And when everything falls apart, you'll know exactly which one is in the room with you.

The early-rate deadline for the 2026 Inc. 5000 is Friday, January 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
 
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The First Impression That Most Homes Overlook


Have you ever stood on a porch in Seattle rain, keys in hand, judging a house before you even step inside? That pause tells a story. This piece looks at the first impression many homes miss, the entry moment that shapes trust, comfort, and value. In a time of remote work, rising energy costs, and porch cameras everywhere, the overlooked details matter more than ever.

The moment before the... welcome

The first impression of a home does not begin in the living room. It begins at the threshold, where visitors decide if a place feels cared for or tired. People notice how easy it is to approach, how the entry looks in poor light, and whether the door feels solid when opened. These details set expectations the same way a firm handshake once did in job interviews. With more people hosting delivery drivers, dog walkers, and neighbors than dinner parties, the entry has become a daily stage.

When curb appeal meets daily life

Curb appeal often focuses on paint and plants, but daily life tests the door itself. In cities where rain, wind, and temperature swings are common, a warped or sticky door quickly becomes an annoyance. Homeowners replacing old doors now look beyond style and ask about insulation, locking systems, and durability. In markets like the Pacific Northwest, many turn to a Seattle door company for options built for wet winters and long gray seasons. That choice reflects a broader trend of buying for performance, not just looks, as people expect their homes to work harder every day.

Sound, weight, and the handshake of a home

When a door closes, the sound it makes sends a message. A hollow rattle suggests shortcuts, while a soft, solid thud signals care and quality. The weight of the door matters too. Heavy does not mean fancy, but it often means better materials and longer life. Simple fixes help. Tighten loose hinges, replace worn weather stripping, and check that the latch lines up cleanly. These changes cost little yet improve how the home feels every single time someone enters or leaves.

Security anxiety in the age of porch cameras

Package theft has become a shared fear, and the front door sits at the center of it. Video doorbells and smart locks are now common because people want peace of mind. Still, technology cannot hide a flimsy frame or outdated lock. Reinforced strike plates, longer screws in hinges, and proper lighting around the entry reduce risk in practical ways. These steps show that security is not about gadgets alone. It is about building trust through solid basics that work even when the power goes out.

Energy bills, weather, and the seal you feel

Rising energy costs have made drafts impossible to ignore. The front door is often a major leak, especially in older homes. You can feel it in winter when cold air creeps in around the edges. A proper seal keeps indoor temperatures steady and lowers heating and cooling bills. Homeowners should check for light around the door when it is closed, test for air movement with a hand, and replace cracked seals. These actions improve comfort and show care in a way guests may not name but will feel.

Accessibility and aging in place

As families plan to stay in their homes longer, accessibility starts at the entry. Steps without railings, narrow doorways, and stiff handles become barriers over time. Wider doors, lever handles, and smooth thresholds help everyone, from kids carrying backpacks to grandparents using walkers. This reflects a social shift toward inclusive design, where homes adapt to people rather than the other way around. Planning for accessibility early avoids rushed changes later and adds quiet value that grows with time.

Smell, light, and the senses people never mention

While paint and hardware get attention, the senses do most of the judging at the door. Natural light spilling through sidelights or frosted glass makes an entry feel safer and more open, especially during shorter winter days. Smell matters just as much, because a musty odor or strong cleaner can create doubt before a coat is even hung up. Simple habits help, such as airing out the entry, using low scent cleaners, and placing a small plant near the door to soften the space. These details shape memory quietly, which is why people remember how a home felt long after forgetting what color the walls were.

Resale reality and the stories buyers tell themselves

When buyers walk up to a home, they begin telling themselves a story about upkeep, cost, and future effort. A worn entry suggests hidden problems, even when the rest of the house is solid. Real estate agents often advise sellers to start at the door because it frames every showing. Fresh hardware, aligned doors, and clear house numbers signal readiness and care. In competitive markets, this can shorten selling time and support stronger offers. Beyond resale, the same logic applies to renters, guests, and even repair professionals. The entry becomes a promise that the rest of the home will respect their time and attention.

Culture, color, and neighborhood signals

The front door also speaks to culture and community. Bright colors may signal warmth and creativity, while classic tones suggest tradition. During times of social tension, small signals of welcome matter. A clean, well lit entry says neighbors are paying attention and invested. In walkable areas, this shared care builds trust street by street. Choosing a color that complements nearby homes while still feeling personal strikes a balance between standing out and belonging, which many people crave today.

Small fixes that change everything

Improving the first impression does not require a full renovation. Start with lighting that turns on reliably at dusk. Add a sturdy mat that stays in place. Clean and oil hardware so it works smoothly. Check that the door opens easily and closes without effort. These concrete steps take an afternoon but reshape daily experience. In a world where first impressions often happen through screens, the physical moment of entering a home remains powerful. Getting it right pays off every single day.
 
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The One Thing That Can Hurt Your Security Clearance or Career More Than Almost Anything Else


If you are pursuing a job that requires a security clearance, nothing matters more than honesty. That is not just a best practice. It is the foundation of how the clearance system and cleared hiring decisions work.

Stories regularly surface in the security clearance community about candidates who inflated job experience, stretched employment dates, or spoke in present tense about roles they no... longer held. The intent is usually understandable. People want to look competitive. But the outcome is often the same. What starts as a résumé adjustment becomes a career-limiting mistake that is extremely difficult to undo.

Why Lying About Job Experience Is So Dangerous

Security clearances are built on self-reported information that is later verified. When you complete an SF-86, you are not simply submitting background information. You are establishing a record of how accurately and honestly you report facts about your life and work history.

When an applicant lies or deliberately misrepresents job experience, the issue could be evaluated under Adjudicative Guideline E: Personal Conduct. This guideline addresses behavior that reflects poor judgment, unreliability, or untrustworthiness, including falsification or omission of relevant facts.

The key issue is not whether the job experience itself was impressive or insufficient. Once dishonesty enters the picture, the investigation shifts away from qualifications and toward whether the individual can be trusted. From an adjudicative standpoint, that question carries far more weight than a résumé gap or limited experience.

What Happens When the Truth Comes Out

When investigators uncover inconsistencies between what an applicant reported and what employers or references confirm, several things can happen.

A clearance can be denied or revoked, even if the original issue was relatively minor. Adjudicators view deliberate falsification as a serious concern because it suggests a willingness to deceive when there is something at stake.

Even if the clearance is not immediately denied, the issue becomes part of the individual's clearance history. That record can complicate future reinvestigations, upgrades to higher clearance levels, or assignments requiring polygraph examinations.

At that point, the person is no longer explaining a résumé decision. They are explaining a pattern of behavior.

How Lying About Experience Affects Getting the Job in the First Place

The damage often starts well before a clearance investigator ever gets involved.

Hiring managers and recruiters routinely verify employment history through reference checks. This is where small misrepresentations become obvious. A candidate may describe themselves as currently working in a role, while references speak about them in the past tense. Dates may not line up. Responsibilities may sound more senior than what the employer recalls.

Sometimes the candidate still gets the job, particularly in a competitive hiring market. But that does not mean the issue disappears.

Instead, it creates quiet doubt.

Hiring managers begin to question whether the inconsistency was intentional. That doubt often lingers. It can affect how much responsibility the person is given, how quickly they are promoted, and whether leadership is willing to advocate for them later.

Trust, once damaged, rarely resets completely.

When Employment Lies Collide With the Clearance Process

The situation becomes even more complicated when someone who lied to get hired is later required to complete an SF-86.

At that point, there are only two options. Tell the truth and admit the earlier misrepresentation, or continue the lie on a federal form.

Admitting the truth can raise concerns because it confirms deliberate falsification for personal gain. Continuing the lie makes the situation worse by extending it into official government documentation.

Either way, the issue is no longer about experience. It is about judgment and willingness to be truthful under scrutiny.

This becomes especially problematic for anyone who later seeks a higher clearance level or must undergo a polygraph. Those processes require disclosure of past dishonesty. When an individual has to admit that they lied to get a job and then lied again on official paperwork, the damage is often irreversible.

A Common Mistake With Long-Term Consequences

Many candidates pad experience because they believe everyone does it or because they fear being screened out. But in cleared work, honesty is not optional. Investigators expect imperfect careers. They do not expect deception.

Employment gaps, short tenures, or junior roles can often be explained. Being caught lying about them almost always becomes the bigger problem. The safer path is also the simpler one.

Be accurate about dates, titles, and responsibilities. Explain gaps directly. If your experience is limited, let your skills, training, and willingness to learn speak for you.

Most importantly, remember that in national security work, trust is cumulative. Every interaction builds or erodes it. A résumé may help you get noticed, but integrity is what allows you to stay, advance, and grow.

You can recover from being underqualified. You can recover from a non-linear career path. You rarely recover from being caught lying.
 
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  • Hello Kate,
    Great to meet you. Always especially if you are attractive problems that a nanny will have will be with parents especially of money who... are accustomed to controlling. Three things never to discuss is religion, politics and sex. A person of money will cripple you with any answer you give to any of those three.
    Give a closed end response and do not argue or debate and if its a problem seek another job before you give notice and give notice that you cant be beat out of pay.
    Victor
    contact me via email if needed
     more

  • Ask gpt

Deputy / Home Manager - Preston, Lancashire


Job Title: Deputy Manager - Supported Accommodation (16-18)

Location: Preston PR2

Contract: Full-time, Permanent

Hours: 42 hours per week (hybrid rota: 2 daytime shifts + 2 sleep-in shifts)

Salary: £41,500 - £45,000 per year + on-call allowances

Benefits:

* Fully funded Level 5 qualification

* NEST pension scheme

* 5.6 weeks' annual leave

* Comprehensive induction and ongoing training

*... Career development opportunities

* Monthly recognition awards

* Casual dress code

* Health & wellbeing programme

Role Overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated Deputy Manager to oversee a supported accommodation service for young people aged 16-18. This role is responsible for ensuring high-quality, child-centred care, compliance with regulatory standards, and effective staff management, while fostering strong relationships with external agencies and promoting positive outcomes for young people.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Staff Support

* Lead and support staff teams to deliver high standards of care.

* Promote a positive team culture through reflective supervision and professional development.

* Manage staff performance, including supervisions, appraisals, and development plans.

Young People's Outcomes

* Oversee personalised support plans to help young people achieve educational, emotional, and practical goals.

* Ensure staff actively support young people's progress in education, health, life skills, and employability.

* Encourage independence and prepare young people for independent living.

* Maintain robust safeguarding practices to ensure a safe environment.

External Relationships & Partnerships

* Build and maintain effective relationships with social workers, education providers, mental health services, and housing authorities.

* Attend multi-disciplinary meetings to represent the service and advocate for young people's needs.

* Support referral matching to ensure placements align with young people's needs.

Quality Assurance & Compliance

* Ensure compliance with Ofsted standards, safeguarding, health and safety, and other regulatory requirements.

* Monitor service quality through audits and assessments, identifying areas for improvement.

* Escalate risks or concerns to the Registered Manager as required.

Administration & Reporting

* Maintain accurate and timely records for each young person.

* Ensure staff adhere to documentation standards.

* Support the preparation of reports, reviews, and other administrative tasks.

Essential Experience & Qualifications

* Managerial or supervisory experience in supported accommodation, residential care, or similar social care setting (ideally with young people aged 16-18).

* Relevant qualification (e.g., Level 4 Diploma in Health and Social Care or equivalent).

* Knowledge of safeguarding practices, Ofsted regulatory requirements, and quality standards.

* Experience supporting young people with diverse emotional, behavioural, or mental health needs.

* Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships with young people, staff, and external partners.

Additional Requirements

* Level 4 qualification with children and young people (or equivalent).

* Enhanced DBS on the Update Service.

* Experience working with children (2 years preferred).

* Supervisory experience (1 year preferred).
 
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ZipRecruiter Now Lets Job Seekers Jump to the Top of the Resume


ZipRecruiter® (NYSE: ZIP), a leading online employment marketplace, unveiled Be Seen First today, a new product that helps job seekers break through the "application black hole" and get their job application to the top of the resume pile.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260122811841/en/

Job seekers can now add a short... note to their application detailing why they're excited about the role and why they're a great fit to get moved to the top of the employer's applicant list.

For millions of people, job searching feels like hitting "submit" and hoping for the best. You apply, you wait, and you're left wondering if anyone ever saw your name. The reality is that hiring has become increasingly automated, and many employers are inundated with hundreds of applicants for open positions, which means great candidates are often buried from the start.

Be Seen First is designed to change that.

"Something as simple as telling a veterinary clinic, 'I've been in pet care for 5+ years, and I'm the person who remembers every dog's favorite scratch spot. I'm local and could get started right away!' can make all the difference," said Megan Allen, Chief Product Officer at ZipRecruiter. "Those few words put your best foot forward and help an employer instantly see who you are. Be Seen First gives job seekers a way to rise to the top instead of starting at the bottom of the pile."

Some of the most important things about a candidate -- communication, effort, enthusiasm -- are hard to show in a traditional application. Be Seen First gives job seekers a way to bring those qualities to life. People who use Be Seen First are nearly 2x more likely to start a conversation with an employer, turning one-way applications into real conversations and opportunities.

For employers, Be Seen First helps cut through overwhelming application volume by prioritizing candidates who are not only qualified but genuinely interested in the role. A dedicated dashboard shows these high-intent applicants first, helping recruiters screen and hire faster. Employers hear directly from candidates, in their own words, why they're excited about the role, adding valuable context beyond a resume.

"In a sea of applications, a short, optional note becomes a powerful signal of intent, communication skills, and fit," said Scott Steinberg, VP of Job Seeker Product at ZipRecruiter. "Hiring teams want to move quickly from scanning applications to having real conversations, and they're eager to prioritize candidates who take extra effort to show their enthusiasm."

How Be Seen First Works:

* Eligible jobs will now display a purple Be Seen First badge

* After applying to one of these jobs, job seekers can tell the employer why they're interested

* Applications with these personalized messages are then boosted to the top of the employer's list

Be Seen First is now available on tens of thousands of job listings across ZipRecruiter. For more details on how this changes the game for job seekers, read our blog post. To learn more about the new product, visit ZipRecruiter.com/be-seen-first.

About ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter® (NYSE: ZIP) is a leading online employment marketplace that actively connects people to their next great opportunity. ZipRecruiter's powerful matching technology improves the job search experience for job seekers and helps businesses of all sizes find and hire the right candidates quickly. ZipRecruiter has been the #1 rated job search app on iOS & Android for the past nine years and is rated the #1 job site by G2. For more information, visitwww.ziprecruiter.com.

ZipRecruiter internal data from 09-29-2025 to 11-17-2025

Based on job seeker app ratings, during the period of January 2017 to January 2026 from AppFollow for ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, and Monster.

Based on G2 satisfaction ratings in N. America as of January 12, 2026.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260122811841/en/
 
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ZipRecruiter Now Lets Job Seekers Jump to the Top of the Resume Pile


ZipRecruiter Now Lets Job Seekers Jump to the Top of the Resume Pile: New product helps job seekers nearly double their chances of talking to an employer by moving their application to the front of the line

Job seekers can now add a short note to their application detailing why they're excited about the role and why they're a great fit to get moved to the top of the employer's applicant... list.

For millions of people, job searching feels like hitting "submit" and hoping for the best. You apply, you wait, and you're left wondering if anyone ever saw your name. The reality is that hiring has become increasingly automated, and many employers are inundated with hundreds of applicants for open positions, which means great candidates are often buried from the start.

Be Seen First is designed to change that.

"Something as simple as telling a veterinary clinic, 'I've been in pet care for 5+ years, and I'm the person who remembers every dog's favorite scratch spot. I'm local and could get started right away!' can make all the difference," said Megan Allen, Chief Product Officer at ZipRecruiter. "Those few words put your best foot forward and help an employer instantly see who you are. Be Seen First gives job seekers a way to rise to the top instead of starting at the bottom of the pile."

Some of the most important things about a candidate -- communication, effort, enthusiasm -- are hard to show in a traditional application. Be Seen First gives job seekers a way to bring those qualities to life. People who use Be Seen First are nearly 2x more likely to start a conversation with an employer, turning one-way applications into real conversations and opportunities.

For employers, Be Seen First helps cut through overwhelming application volume by prioritizing candidates who are not only qualified but genuinely interested in the role. A dedicated dashboard shows these high-intent applicants first, helping recruiters screen and hire faster. Employers hear directly from candidates, in their own words, why they're excited about the role, adding valuable context beyond a resume.

"In a sea of applications, a short, optional note becomes a powerful signal of intent, communication skills, and fit," said Scott Steinberg, VP of Job Seeker Product at ZipRecruiter. "Hiring teams want to move quickly from scanning applications to having real conversations, and they're eager to prioritize candidates who take extra effort to show their enthusiasm."

How Be Seen First Works:

* Eligible jobs will now display a purple Be Seen First badge

* After applying to one of these jobs, job seekers can tell the employer why they're interested

* Applications with these personalized messages are then boosted to the top of the employer's list

Be Seen First is now available on tens of thousands of job listings across ZipRecruiter. For more details on how this changes the game for job seekers, read our blog post. To learn more about the new product, visit ZipRecruiter.com/be-seen-first.

About ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter (NYSE: ZIP) is a leading online employment marketplace that actively connects people to their next great opportunity. ZipRecruiter's powerful matching technology improves the job search experience for job seekers and helps businesses of all sizes find and hire the right candidates quickly. ZipRecruiter has been the #1 rated job search app on iOS & Android for the past nine years and is rated the #1 job site by G2. For more information, visit www.ziprecruiter.com.

ZipRecruiter internal data from 09-29-2025 to 11-17-2025

Based on job seeker app ratings, during the period of January 2017 to January 2026 from AppFollow for ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, and Monster.

Based on G2 satisfaction ratings in N. America as of January 12, 2026.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260122811841/en/
 
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New LLMs Could Provide Strength-based Job Coaching for Autistic People


Georgia Tech researchers are using an NSF grant to create new large-language models that help autistic job seekers understand their strengths and how to leverage them during the application process.

People with autism seeking employment may soon have access to a new AI-based job-coaching tool thanks to a six-figure grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Jennifer Kim and Mark Riedl... recently received a $500,000 NSF grant to develop large language models (LLMs) that provide strength-based job coaching for autistic job seekers.

The two Georgia Tech researchers work with Heather Dicks, a career development advisor in Georgia Tech's EXCEL program, and other nonprofit organizations to provide job-seeking resources to autistic people.

Dicks said the average job search for people with autism can take three to six months in a good economy. It can take up to 18 months in a bad one. However, the new LLMs from Georgia Tech could help to reduce stress and fast-track these job seekers into employment.

Kim is an assistant professor who specializes in human-computer interaction technology that benefits neurodivergent people. Riedl is a professor and an expert in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies.

The team's goal is to identify job-search pain points and understand how job coaches create better employment prospects for their autistic clients.

"Large-language models have an opportunity to support this kind of work if we can have more data about each different individual strength," Kim said.

"We want to know what worked for them in specific settings at work, what didn't work, and what kind of accommodations can better help them. That includes how they should prepare for interviews, how they can better represent their skills, how they can address accommodations they need, and how to write a cover letter. It's a broad range."

Dicks has advocated for neurodivergent people and helped them find employment for 20 years. She worked at the Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta before coming to Georgia Tech in 2017.

She said most nonprofits that support neurodivergent people offer career development programs and many contract job coaches, but limited coach availability often leads to long waitlists. However, LLMs could fill this availability gap to address the immediate needs of job seekers who may not have access to a job coach.

"These organizations often run at a slow pace, and there's high turnover," Dicks said. "An AI tool could get the job seeker quicker support. Maybe they don't even need to wait on the government system.

"If they're on a waitlist, it can help the user put together a resume and practice general interview questions. When the job coach is ready to work with them, they're able to hit the ground running."

Nailing the Interview

Dicks said the job interview is one of the biggest challenges for people with autism.

"They have trouble picking up on visual and nonverbal cues -- the tone of the interview, figuring out the nuances that a question is hinting at," she said. "They're not giving the warm and fuzzy vibes that allow them to connect on a personal level."

That's why Kim wants the models to reflect a strength-based coaching approach. Strength-based coaching is particularly effective for individuals with autism. Many possess traits that employers value. These include:

* Close attention to detail

* Strong technical proficiency

* Unique problem-solving perspectives

"The issue is that they don't know how these strengths can be applied in the workplace," Kim said. "Once they understand this, they can communicate with employers about their strengths and the accommodations employers should provide to the job seeker so they can successfully apply their skills at work."

Handling Rejection

Still, Kim understands that candidates will need to handle rejection to make it through the search process. She envisions LLMs that help them refocus their energy and regain their confidence after being turned down.

"When you get a lot of rejection emails, it's easy to feel you're not good enough," she said. "Being constantly reminded about your strengths and their prior successes can get them through the stressful job-seeking process."

Dicks said the models should also be able to provide feedback so that candidates don't repeat mistakes.

"It can tell them what would've been a better answer or a better way to say it," Dicks said. "It can also encourage them with reminders that you get 100 noes before you get a yes."

You're Hired, Now What?

Dicks said the role of a job coach doesn't end the moment a client is hired. Government-contracted job coaches may work with their clients for up to 90 days after they start a new job to support their transition.

However, she said, sometimes that isn't enough. Many companies have probationary periods exceeding three months. Autistic individuals may struggle with on-the-job training or communicating what accommodations they need from their new employer.

These are just a few gaps an AI tool can fill for these individuals after they're hired.

"I could see these models evolving to being supportive at those critical junctures of the probationary period being over or the one-year job review or the annual evaluation that everyone dreads," she said.

Dicks has an average caseload of 15 students, whom she assists in landing jobs and internships through the EXCEL program.

EXCEL provides a mentorship program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities from the time they set foot on campus through graduation and beyond.

For more information and to apply, visit EXCEL's website.
 
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Interviewing? Hone the art of the thank-you email


After a job interview, what should your thank-you email state?

Let's get back to basics. If you're interviewing, in my opinion, you absolutely need to thank the interviewers. It's a simple email, but it can be effective. First, it's the right thing to do; you're thanking the interviewers for their time and the opportunity to be considered. Second, you're expressing interest in the job. And... third, there's no reason not to; it truly takes two seconds.

For some employers, the difference between sending a thank you and not sending one may tip the scales when it comes to extending a job offer. According to data from Accountemps, 80% of human resources managers said thank-you messages are factored into hiring decisions.

If you're wondering whether to send something on social media or an email, go with an email. During the interview if you don't have the interviewer's email addresses, ask if it's OK to reach out if you have any questions. In case you're wondering if snail mail is still a thing, as long as you know the interviewer isn't working remotely and they're working from the office location, do both. Send an email, because it's immediate, then send a handwritten note via the mail.

When I worked in recruiting, I only received two handwritten thank-you notes. That said, they went a long way! Days after the interview, one of the cards remained perched on my desk for weeks. It was a nice gesture. While a thank-you note won't necessarily automatically grant you a job offer, overall, it leaves a nice sense of gratitude with the employer, and can help slightly set you apart from others. Every time I glanced at that note, it kept the candidate top of mind.

There's no excuse not to send one. For email, send it within 24 hours of the interview and vary it slightly. I've seen interview teams forward the emails they received to each other, remarking on how impressed they were with the candidate.

These emails don't have to be very long -- succinctness is your friend. You can reference the job title and keep it short and sweet. The purpose is to thank them for their time and interest in your candidacy and express how interested you are in the position. You may want to include something that you connected with during the conversation such as a mutual hobby. Lastly, you can indicate you look forward to hearing from them soon.

I wouldn't necessarily limit the thank-you email only to interviews. If you've had a meaningful conversation with someone for an informational interview, someone forwarded a contact to you, or for other reasons, those two simple words, "thank you," can go a long way.
 
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  • Great idea... thank you for bringing this forth and reminding us.

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Elon Musk is hiring, and his simple application process reveals what he values in employees


* Elon Musk is looking for tech talent to work on Tesla's latest AI chip.

* On X, he told job seekers to list the toughest technical hurdles they've overcome in 3 bullets.

* The approach is a way to focus on results and avoid "the noise of the job market," a recruiter said.

Elon Musk wants to see your results, not your résumé.

The Tesla CEO this week requested that people who want to work on... the company's Dojo3 AI chip email three bullet points describing the "toughest technical problems you've solved."

Musk's just-the-facts approach, outlined in a post on X, reflects a focus on problem-solving over fancy résumés or cover letters.

"He's basically just trying to cut through the noise of the job market," said Michelle Volberg, a longtime recruiter who is the founder of Twill, a startup that pays tech workers to recommend peers for key jobs.

She said that résumés or LinkedIn profiles don't always make it clear to employers where a person's skills lie. Asking a job seeker to lay out a trio of battles won can help hiring managers get to the meat of someone's abilities, Volberg told Business Insider.

It's a way of thinking that she expects more employers will adopt.

"Elon is showing the way that the job market is going to go," she said.

Already, some tech companies are eager for job candidates to demonstrate their abilities by highlighting how they arrived at an answer. It's part of what appears to be a show-your-work ethos in Silicon Valley, where hefty spending on AI projects and a hangover from the pandemic-era staffing boom are driving hiring austerity in all but the hottest areas.

The AI effect

Volberg said that hiring managers at large companies have told her that they're sick of relying on résumés so tailored to a job opening that they reveal little about candidates themselves. Asking job seekers to identify a small number of concrete problems they've solved can help overcome that challenge and help bring clarity for hiring managers, she said.

"They don't want to see fluffy résumés that have been written by ChatGPT," Volberg said.

Bullets over bona fides is, of course, a departure from the conventional approach of stuffing a résumé with bolded job titles, years of experience, and skills.

Asking applicants to summarize the value they would bring by sharing vignettes of success can elevate technical accomplishment over pedigree or background, she said. It's an example of what some HR types call "skills-based hiring."

Musk's no-frills call for applicants appears to build on his prior statements about being open to candidates from nontraditional backgrounds. For years, the billionaire has said that people didn't need a college degree to work for Tesla. Musk has said that he's more focused on evidence of "exceptional" ability or achievement.

He also requested bullet points in 2025 when he oversaw efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency group to remake swaths of the US federal government. A nearly year-old post on X said that DOGE was seeking "world-class" software engineers, product managers, and data scientists, among other roles.

An application portal linked to the post contains a field instructing applicants to include two or three bullets "showcasing exceptional ability," and to upload a résumé.

A focus on outcomes

Volberg said the bullet method is similar to guidance that her company already gives job seekers: Focus less on adjectives and more on outcomes.

From a hiring manager's perspective, she said, the central question is whether a candidate can make their job easier by solving real problems.

The corollary, Volberg said, is fakers beware: "If you say that you've solved these three things, you'd better be able to talk about them in detail."

She said that it's often immediately clear to tech recruiters whether someone has actually done the work they describe. Candidates who exaggerate or fabricate their accomplishments are likely to be found out -- and potentially blacklisted, Volberg said.

Bullets might not work for everyone

Beyond candidate chicanery, there could be other risks to Musk's strategy, said David Murray, CEO of Confirm, a San Francisco startup focused on reinventing performance reviews.

Asking people to submit summaries of their greatest tech wins could mean that an employer like Tesla misses out on the quiet contributors and introverts who might not do as good a job promoting themselves, he told Business Insider. Bullets of key achievements -- even more than with a typical résumé -- require people to make the case for their own work.

Murray said that Musk's approach also overlooks the impacts of the so-called Dunning-Kruger effect, in which people who aren't great at something tend to overestimate their abilities, and those who are ace might assume a task is easy for anyone.

"What he is asking people to do is to market themselves," he said.

Do you have a story to share about your career? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

Read the original article on Business Insider

The post Elon Musk is hiring, and his simple application process reveals what he values in employees appeared first on Business Insider.
 
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Elon Musk is hiring, and his simple application process reveals what he values in employees


The approach is a way to focus on results and avoid "the noise of the job market," a recruiter said.

Elon Musk wants to see your results, not your résumé.

The Tesla CEO this week requested that people who want to work on the company's Dojo3 AI chip email three bullet points describing the "toughest technical problems you've solved."

Musk's just-the-facts approach, outlined in a post on X,... reflects a focus on problem-solving over fancy résumés or cover letters.

"He's basically just trying to cut through the noise of the job market," said Michelle Volberg, a longtime recruiter who is the founder of Twill, a startup that pays tech workers to recommend peers for key jobs.

She said that résumés or LinkedIn profiles don't always make it clear to employers where a person's skills lie. Asking a job seeker to lay out a trio of battles won can help hiring managers get to the meat of someone's abilities, Volberg told Business Insider.

It's a way of thinking that she expects more employers will adopt.

"Elon is showing the way that the job market is going to go," she said.

Already, some tech companies are eager for job candidates to demonstrate their abilities by highlighting how they arrived at an answer. It's part of what appears to be a show-your-work ethos in Silicon Valley, where hefty spending on AI projects and a hangover from the pandemic-era staffing boom are driving hiring austerity in all but the hottest areas.

The AI effect

Volberg said that hiring managers at large companies have told her that they're sick of relying on résumés so tailored to a job opening that they reveal little about candidates themselves. Asking job seekers to identify a small number of concrete problems they've solved can help overcome that challenge and help bring clarity for hiring managers, she said.

"They don't want to see fluffy résumés that have been written by ChatGPT," Volberg said.

Bullets over bona fides is, of course, a departure from the conventional approach of stuffing a résumé with bolded job titles, years of experience, and skills.

Asking applicants to summarize the value they would bring by sharing vignettes of success can elevate technical accomplishment over pedigree or background, she said. It's an example of what some HR types call "skills-based hiring."

Musk's no-frills call for applicants appears to build on his prior statements about being open to candidates from nontraditional backgrounds. For years, the billionaire has said that people didn't need a college degree to work for Tesla. Musk has said that he's more focused on evidence of "exceptional" ability or achievement.

He also requested bullet points in 2025 when he oversaw efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency group to remake swaths of the US federal government. A nearly year-old post on X said that DOGE was seeking "world-class" software engineers, product managers, and data scientists, among other roles.

An application portal linked to the post contains a field instructing applicants to include two or three bullets "showcasing exceptional ability," and to upload a résumé.

A focus on outcomes

Volberg said the bullet method is similar to guidance that her company already gives job seekers: Focus less on adjectives and more on outcomes.

From a hiring manager's perspective, she said, the central question is whether a candidate can make their job easier by solving real problems.

The corollary, Volberg said, is fakers beware: "If you say that you've solved these three things, you'd better be able to talk about them in detail."

She said that it's often immediately clear to tech recruiters whether someone has actually done the work they describe. Candidates who exaggerate or fabricate their accomplishments are likely to be found out -- and potentially blacklisted, Volberg said.

Bullets might not work for everyone

Beyond candidate chicanery, there could be other risks to Musk's strategy, said David Murray, CEO of Confirm, a San Francisco startup focused on reinventing performance reviews.

Asking people to submit summaries of their greatest tech wins could mean that an employer like Tesla misses out on the quiet contributors and introverts who might not do as good a job promoting themselves, he told Business Insider. Bullets of key achievements -- even more than with a typical résumé -- require people to make the case for their own work.

Murray said that Musk's approach also overlooks the impacts of the so-called Dunning-Kruger effect, in which people who aren't great at something tend to overestimate their abilities, and those who are ace might assume a task is easy for anyone.

"What he is asking people to do is to market themselves," he said.

Do you have a story to share about your career? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.
 
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Interviewers have been sharing the weird reasons they instantly decided not to hire candidates - 17 examples of how not to job hunt


Job hunting is a pain. As well as worrying about money, you've got to prepare a CV, write a covering letter, and win over people in the interview.

If you're looking for a job, improve your chances of success by avoiding the weird behaviour that DemonSkank stumbled across when they put the following question to interviewers over on r/AskReddit:

'People who have conducted job interviews, what's... something someone said/did that made you instantly decide not to hire them?'

Here are the top replies from people who are presumably still signing on...

1.

'Had a guy show up to a design interview with my work in his portfolio.'

-killersim

2.

'Told about how he stole goods from a store they worked at, put them in his buddy's car, called the cops so his buddy would get arrested. Then slept with his buddy's girlfriend while the buddy was in jail.

'All this in response to the question, "Tell us about a time when you had an ethical dilemma, what did you do, and what was the outcome?"

'Apparently his buddy's was cheating him on their shared drug business and so he told us what he did when his best friend wasn't splitting the profits 50/50.'

-C130IN

3.

'Candidate kept boasting about how many languages he speaks even though it was not a requirement for the position. Finally asked him in which foreign language he was most fluent, and he replied Spanish. Followed up with a simple question asked in Spanish. He did not speak Spanish.'

-L48Shark

4.

'She brought her boyfriend and the boyfriend was answering all the questions.'

-Medium-Sized-Jaque

5.

'He pulled his pants down to his knees, to fix/tuck in his shirt. Didn't break eye contact with me as he stood up to do it.'

-chrec

6.

'Interviewing for an IT position, asked a basic question about virus removal. "Oh I dunno my husband does that"

Well then tell him to apply'

-xMcRaemanx

7.

'Described former colleagues as 'bitches' within fifteen minutes of the interview starting. I ended it immediately.'

-GlitteringFlame888

8.

'She sat down, plunked her purse on the desk and started with, "I need to let you know, I have issues."'

-DrakeSavory

9.

'I worked at a big-box retailer and got called up to the service counter to deal with a customer who was upset. This was only a couple minutes before I was scheduled to conduct an interview with a potential new hire.

'I get up there, and this woman is berating the employee behind the counter, referring to her as "this bitch", etc.

'I ask her to lower her voice and please stop being disrespectful to my employee. She isn't happy but she does eventually calm down enough to be reasonable and we resolve the situation at the service desk. I turn to walk away, thinking we're done here, and she goes

'"Anyway, I'm here for my interview."

'I can't believe that this is actually happening, it seems like awful rom-com movie type shit, but this rude ass woman actually expected me to proceed with interviewing her.

'"I'm sorry ma'am, that position is no longer available."'

-DamnitBlueWasOld
 
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LinkedIn-Style Recruiting Site Build


I need a full-scale employment platform that blends the social networking feel of LinkedIn with the power of LinkedIn Recruiter. The site has to let companies source, engage and directly hire talent while giving job seekers an easy way to showcase their profiles, apply, and track opportunities. Core experience I want separate yet connected workspaces for candidates and corporate talent teams.... Candidates create rich profiles, upload résumés, and follow companies. Recruiters should be able to push vacancies live in minutes, search a résumé database with advanced filters, and move applicants through a Kanban-style pipeline with built-in analytics on time-to-hire and source quality. Key expectations * Modern, responsive web app built with a robust back-end (Node, Django or comparable) and a clean React / Vue / Angular front-end. * Secure sign-up via email/password plus optional social auth -- especially LinkedIn -- to lower friction. * Real-time messaging and notifications so companies can reach out and candidates can respond without leaving the platform. * Role-based dashboards: candidate, recruiter and super-admin. * Exportable reports covering applicant flow, diversity metrics and campaign ROI. * Scalable database architecture prepared for large-volume profile and job data. * Clear documentation and a hand-off session so my in-house team can take over future maintenance. Acceptance criteria 1. A user can register, complete a profile and apply to an open role in under five minutes. 2. A recruiter can create a job post, set screening questions, publish it and receive the first application -- all within one guided wizard. 3. Admin analytics board accurately reflects live data (no more than 60-second delay). 4. Platform passes an independent security audit for OWASP Top 10. 5. Codebase installs locally with a single command and deploys to staging via CI/CD. If you have built applicant-tracking systems, social networks, or SaaS dashboards, your experience will be invaluable. Please include links to past work that prove it, outline your proposed tech stack, and estimate a realistic timeline to MVP.

Project ID: 40169511

About the project

83 proposals

Open for bidding

Remote project

Active 56 yrs ago

Place your bid

Benefits of bidding on Freelancer
 
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Top 5 mistakes students make in job interviews and how to fix them


This guide has identified the five most common errors students make in job interviews.

Job interviews remain a critical barrier between students and employment, and employer surveys show that many candidates fail for avoidable reasons.

According to the NACE Job Outlook 2025 survey, which gathers responses from hundreds of US employers hiring new graduates, professionalism, communication and... career self-development are among the most valued competencies.

Yet employers consistently report gaps between what students claim on their resumes and how they perform in interviews.

Recruiter-led research supports these findings. A CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,500 hiring and HR managers shows that behavioural issues, weak answers and lack of preparation often outweigh academic performance.

Together, these studies highlight five recurring interview mistakes that continue to cost students job offers.

1. NOT RESEARCHING THE COMPANY OR ROLE

Failing to research the employer is one of the most frequently cited mistakes.

The student-focused article "Seven Common Mistakes Students Make During Job Interviews" (HR Gazette, 2023) lists lack of company research as the top error, noting it signals low motivation.

The NACE Job Outlook 2025 report also stresses that employers expect candidates to connect their skills to organisational needs, something impossible without preparation.

Do this instead: Read the employer profile, recent news and the job description; prepare brief lines that link your experience to team needs.

2. WEAK, VAGUE ANSWERS AND POOR SKILL COMMUNICATION

Employers rarely reject students due to lack of ability; instead, they struggle to explain it.

Recruiter Michael Frank, in his LinkedIn article "35 Interview Mistakes to Avoid," highlights "surface level answers" and failure to demonstrate problem-solving as common rejection triggers.

The NACE Job Outlook 2025 survey similarly reports gaps between the importance of communication and critical thinking and graduates' demonstrated proficiency.

Do this instead: Use the STAR structure -- Situation, Task, Action, Result -- to shape replies and include outcomes where possible. Short, specific stories showing problem-solving and impact beat abstract claims.

3. POOR PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE AND BODY LANGUAGE

Professional behaviour strongly shapes first impressions.

The CareerBuilder hiring manager survey, reported by Jails to Jobs, found that 67 per cent of interviewers flagged lack of eye contact, while 32 per cent cited fidgeting and crossed arms as negative signals.

Dressing inappropriately and appearing arrogant were also listed among the most damaging mistakes.

Do this instead: Small gestures matter. Eye contact, a genuine smile, upright posture and calm hands project confidence. Turn phones off, dress appropriately and arrive punctually -- these signals shape impressions more than many realise.

4. NOT ASKING QUESTIONS OR SHOWING GENUINE INTEREST

Employers expect engagement. HR Gazette and Michael Frank both note that failing to ask questions suggests disinterest.

Employer guidance based on NACE Job Outlook data, shared by PennWest Career Center, shows that initiative and communication are highly valued and often assessed through candidate questions.

Do this instead: Ask about immediate priorities, success metrics and team dynamics. Good questions demonstrate curiosity, preparation and long-term interest.

5. DISHONESTY OR EXAGGERATING SKILLS (AND PHONE USE)

Dishonesty remains one of the fastest ways to fail an interview.

The CareerBuilder survey reports that 66 per cent of hiring managers consider being caught lying a serious mistake, while 64 per cent strongly object to phone use during interviews.

PR Newswire's CareerBuilder release echoes these findings, ranking phone use and dishonesty among the worst behaviours.

Do this instead: Be honest about experience and back claims with examples. Never answer calls or messages during an interview; it undermines trust.

The evidence is clear. Employer surveys consistently show that interview success depends less on grades and more on preparation, clarity, professionalism and honesty.

Students who research employers, practise concrete examples, manage body language, ask thoughtful questions and remain truthful significantly improve their chances.

Interviews reward preparation, and the data proves it.
 
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BLOG: "Why estate agents wearing 'pyjamas' needs to stop!"


Independent property consultant, Alex Goldstein, says estate agents need to ditch the dress-down days of Covid and return to professional attire.

I have long said that estate agency is a people business and we deal in emotions. This principle is at the very core of everything property related. Technology has always taken second place, yet so many self-proclaimed disruptors have failed to grasp... this most simple mantra.

However, there is an even more basic principle on the other side of the equation, where so many estate agents have fallen short of the mark and continue to do so. This puts your entire transaction out of kilter from the very outset, so let me explain.

When estate agents come to do a market appraisal of your home, they are effectively doing a job interview. They are there to extoll their virtues, why you should instruct them and what differentiates them from the competition.

Yet so many of them essentially turn up in their pyjamas. This dress-down hangover from the days of Covid, has put estate agents and sellers on the back foot from the get go.

First impressions

If someone turned up to a professional job interview in jeans, trainers and a fleece, what would your first impressions be without them even saying a word? As humans we are hard wired to make snap decisions and this is usually done within the first seven seconds of meeting someone new.

Afterall body language accounts for 93% of nonverbal behaviour and tone. Only 7% of communication takes place via words.

What attire we choose significantly affects how others perceive our personality, capabilities and trustworthiness."

Psychologically, what attire we choose significantly affects how others perceive our personality, capabilities and trustworthiness. There is a reason why judges, police, fire service, lawyers etc all wear uniforms.

So many estate agents feel it appropriate to have this relaxed casual look, as they think they appear more approachable to clients and can saunter around properties on their social media channels in the latest trendy clothing hoping for more likes.

Clothes equals clout

Going beyond the lacklustre first impressions and nonchalantly wandering around someone's home, there is a far bigger issue underneath it all. If an estate agent doesn't class themselves as a professional advisor in their own mind, nor gives a new client the respect to turn up in attire befitting of the occasion, it immediately puts them behind.

If the estate agent then needs to have a tough conversation about the guide price or perhaps that offer that didn't quite hit the mark, they don't have the psychological clout with the client to give them that news. Is there any wonder then why so many estate agents just simply roll over and overvalue property to secure business or can't even negotiate their fee?

Going one step further, if they are unable to do these basics, are they really looking in their clients' best interests? Afterall, if an agent can't negotiate their fee, how are they going to negotiate the sale of your home? It is a bit difficult to do so if you are dressed in your pyjamas.

When I go to see clients, I am always suited and booted. Partly because few people do this and I stand out, but it also means that psychologically if I needed to have a robust conversation with the client or give my honest opinion, then I am able to do so from a position of strength and can have a more meaningful conversation.

So my message to the casual estate agents out there, please keep doing what you are doing as you literally make me look good.
 
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