A lot of my job - as a communications professional, as a parent, as a friend - is reading between the lines. Or mores precisely, listening between the lines.
Often it's not the question that is asked, but the concerns behind the question that need to be addressed.
"What are you working on today?" might be mere small talk, or it could be a sonar ping: "Do you have time for me? Are you too busy to talk to me? Am I important to you?"
When you talk with clients, family and friends, do you hear them? Are you sure? Try focusing your full attention on them (not your work, not yourself, not the long to-do list that is calling your name), and think before you automatically respond to questions. Tip: Ask "Why do you ask?" or "What's troubling you about that?" then listen. You may have your ears - and your eyes - opened. I know I have.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Looking for work? Clear out online clutter
More Americans than ever are daily users of online social networking sites, and more employers are are plugging in, too. A new survey by CareerBuilder.com shows that 22 percent of employers search networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace to screen job candidates. Another 9 percent plan to start soon. In 2006, only 11 percent of hiring managers screened using such Web searches.
In the new survey, of the hiring managers who peruse social networks, 34 percent reported finding information there that caused them to pass on a job candidate. More than 3,100 employers took part in the survey.
Areas of concern included:
- candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs 41%
- candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information 40%
- candidate had poor communication skills 29%
- candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or co-worker 28%
- candidate lied about qualifications 27%
- candidate used discriminatory remarks related to race, gender, religion, etc. 22%
- candidate’s screen name was unprofessional 22%
- candidate was linked to criminal behavior 21%
- candidate shared confidential information from previous employers 19%
But this doesn't mean we should all shut down our social sites. In addition to FB, I know many professionals who swear by LinkedIn, and I have found Twitter to be not just fun but a terrific way to connect with professionals of all stripes in Wichita - online and at weekly TweetUps, where friendships and business contacts are forged.
Indeed, the survey showed that social networking profiles gave some job seekers an edge. Of hiring managers who researched job candidates via social networking sites, 24 percent said they found content that helped to solidify their decision to hire the candidate.
Top factors that influenced their hiring decision included:
- candidate’s background supported their qualifications for the job 48%
- candidate had great communication skills 43%
- candidate was a good fit for the company’s culture 40%
- candidate’s site conveyed a professional image 36%
- candidate had great references posted about them by others 31%
- candidate showed a wide range of interests 30%
- candidate received awards and accolades 29%
- candidate’s profile was creative 24%
My former newspaper colleagues refer to online as a publishing platform. It has unique attributes, but that's what it is: A way to publish, to reach mass audiences. In their view, it can be edgier than the mainstream paper, but it's not boundless. Newspaper editors know what it's like to have to handle phone calls from readers who are angry or upset by what seemed innocuous the night before.
Job candidates might learn something from The Gatekeepers, as editors used to be known. Because the price they'll pay for indescretion might be worse than difficult phone calls - it could be no calls at all.
In the new survey, of the hiring managers who peruse social networks, 34 percent reported finding information there that caused them to pass on a job candidate. More than 3,100 employers took part in the survey.
Areas of concern included:
- candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs 41%
- candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information 40%
- candidate had poor communication skills 29%
- candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or co-worker 28%
- candidate lied about qualifications 27%
- candidate used discriminatory remarks related to race, gender, religion, etc. 22%
- candidate’s screen name was unprofessional 22%
- candidate was linked to criminal behavior 21%
- candidate shared confidential information from previous employers 19%
But this doesn't mean we should all shut down our social sites. In addition to FB, I know many professionals who swear by LinkedIn, and I have found Twitter to be not just fun but a terrific way to connect with professionals of all stripes in Wichita - online and at weekly TweetUps, where friendships and business contacts are forged.
Indeed, the survey showed that social networking profiles gave some job seekers an edge. Of hiring managers who researched job candidates via social networking sites, 24 percent said they found content that helped to solidify their decision to hire the candidate.
Top factors that influenced their hiring decision included:
- candidate’s background supported their qualifications for the job 48%
- candidate had great communication skills 43%
- candidate was a good fit for the company’s culture 40%
- candidate’s site conveyed a professional image 36%
- candidate had great references posted about them by others 31%
- candidate showed a wide range of interests 30%
- candidate received awards and accolades 29%
- candidate’s profile was creative 24%
My former newspaper colleagues refer to online as a publishing platform. It has unique attributes, but that's what it is: A way to publish, to reach mass audiences. In their view, it can be edgier than the mainstream paper, but it's not boundless. Newspaper editors know what it's like to have to handle phone calls from readers who are angry or upset by what seemed innocuous the night before.
Job candidates might learn something from The Gatekeepers, as editors used to be known. Because the price they'll pay for indescretion might be worse than difficult phone calls - it could be no calls at all.
Friday, September 5, 2008
A new series
I'm excited about seeing one of my big projects on the air! The fall season of "Wichita State & The World" kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 7, with an episode that features Associate Provost David McDonald of WSU and Paul Wooley of the Orthopaedic Research Institute at Via Christi talking about biomedical composites research and its impact on business and medicine.
"Wichita State & The World," hosted by Provost Gary Miller, is a series that examines how Kansas' only urban-serving research university is changing our community, our nation and the world. It's on WSU TV, Channel 13 on Cox Cable.
Episode 1 airs at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, with repeats at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18; Sunday, Sept. 21; and Thursday, Oct. 2.
You'll find more information about this and upcoming episodes at www.wichita.edu/provost.
"Wichita State & The World," hosted by Provost Gary Miller, is a series that examines how Kansas' only urban-serving research university is changing our community, our nation and the world. It's on WSU TV, Channel 13 on Cox Cable.
Episode 1 airs at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, with repeats at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18; Sunday, Sept. 21; and Thursday, Oct. 2.
You'll find more information about this and upcoming episodes at www.wichita.edu/provost.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Rover, Fido or Izzy?
Best friend adopted a shelter dog today - pre-named Izzy. Odd name for a girl, and a golden retriever, we think, tho my friend says "she kinda looks like an Izzy." 
That's the fascinating thing about names: They have connotation and undefinable mojo. And they have the power to attract and repell. There is a certain boy's name that I could swear is a marker for ADHD -- I've yet to meet a child with this particular moniker who didn't exhibit the signs -- but it continues to be wildly popular with other parents, so maybe it's just me. Then again, the only Izzy I can recall was a pretty cool character in the novel "Fried Green Tomatoes," so that name is growing on me.
That's the fascinating thing about names: They have connotation and undefinable mojo. And they have the power to attract and repell. There is a certain boy's name that I could swear is a marker for ADHD -- I've yet to meet a child with this particular moniker who didn't exhibit the signs -- but it continues to be wildly popular with other parents, so maybe it's just me. Then again, the only Izzy I can recall was a pretty cool character in the novel "Fried Green Tomatoes," so that name is growing on me.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Understanding the risks
I'm a stats junkie, and I love to go to the source whenever there's news about research. The Web makes it easy to go deeper than the headlines and sound bites -- and too often, a little digging turns up the real news: That the reporter didn't really understand what the researcher had discovered. Oversimplification takes a toll.
That's why I like the innovative charts that accompany a paper published in the June Journal of the National Cancer Institute. They provide a broader perspective than most risk calculators, covering 10 different causes of death while differentiating between nonsmokers, smokers and former smokers -- at various ages -- and by gender.
With this method, it's apparent that a 35-year-old male smoker is seven times as likely to die of heart disease as a nonsmoker the same age. Of course, some hardy smokers will manage to survive into their 70s, and by age 75 smokers and nonsmokers have nearly the same risk of death from heart disease. For women who have never smoked, the magnitudes of the 10-year risks of death from breast cancer and heart disease are similar until age 60; from this age on, heart disease represents the single largest cause of death. For women who smoke, the chance of dying from heart disease or lung cancer exceeds the chance of dying from breast cancer from age 40 on (and does so by at least a factor of 5 after age 55). This is especially significant given that cancer risk generally increases with age.
Paper co-author Lisa M. Schwartz, an associate professor of medicine at Dartmouth University, said the the 10-year risk increments of the charts are especially informative. “Often numbers are presented as lifetime statistics, which make the risk look too large, or as one-year statistics, which make the risk look too small. The charts provide the information you need to understand a risk, and whether to consider taking some action to reduce it.”
That's why I like the innovative charts that accompany a paper published in the June Journal of the National Cancer Institute. They provide a broader perspective than most risk calculators, covering 10 different causes of death while differentiating between nonsmokers, smokers and former smokers -- at various ages -- and by gender.
With this method, it's apparent that a 35-year-old male smoker is seven times as likely to die of heart disease as a nonsmoker the same age. Of course, some hardy smokers will manage to survive into their 70s, and by age 75 smokers and nonsmokers have nearly the same risk of death from heart disease. For women who have never smoked, the magnitudes of the 10-year risks of death from breast cancer and heart disease are similar until age 60; from this age on, heart disease represents the single largest cause of death. For women who smoke, the chance of dying from heart disease or lung cancer exceeds the chance of dying from breast cancer from age 40 on (and does so by at least a factor of 5 after age 55). This is especially significant given that cancer risk generally increases with age.
Paper co-author Lisa M. Schwartz, an associate professor of medicine at Dartmouth University, said the the 10-year risk increments of the charts are especially informative. “Often numbers are presented as lifetime statistics, which make the risk look too large, or as one-year statistics, which make the risk look too small. The charts provide the information you need to understand a risk, and whether to consider taking some action to reduce it.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
