How to answer the question "what are your strengths and weaknesses" in an interview No matter how perfectly you answer the other job interview questions from your interviewer, the question "tell me about your greatest strengths/weaknesses" can usually be a hot potato for a candidate in an interview. It's a common interview question but a puzzling one as well, which most candidates don't get right and may even panic and respond with something odd. Their answers may make them sound conceited, or not qualified for the role. This is a common mistake many job applicants make. You... view article details

Disintermediate. Recontextualize. Envisioneer. You’ve got to give business executives one thing: They love their jargon. Clinging to their buzzwords like Leo DiCaprio to a life raft, there are managers out there who seem to enjoy a squirt of dopamine every time they use a verb like architect (yes, as a verb!) or interface. Throw in some adjectives like constructivist, interdisciplinary, metacognitive or inquiry-centered, and then tack them on to nouns like bandwidth, convergence and methodologies and you’re well on your way to a minor stroke as you try to process the message lurking behind all... view article details

Pay Differences Between Telecommute & In-Office One persistent belief about work-at-home, or telecommute, jobs is that they almost always pay far less than in-office jobs. But is this really true?While it may have been the case many years ago when telecommuting was just starting to take shape as a movement, today’s at-home jobs pay salaries comparable to in-office jobs. Additionally, there are substantial cost savings that come with working from home, such as a reduction in commute costs, wardrobe and dry cleaning bills, eating out, and childcare costs to cover time spent commuting. I... view article details

Why You Should Bank on Taking It to the Bank When asking for a raise or promotion, many people ask the wrong way and ask for the wrong reasons.The wrong way to ask is to walk into your boss’ office and beg for a raise, demand a raise, or give an ultimatum. The wrong reasons to justify an increase are excuses like you need the money for rent, you heard that a friend of yours makes more than you, or you want to buy that new Jaguar convertible you saw on TV.In fact, if you’re like many Americans, even if you get that raise, you’ve already spent the additional money before it even clears ... view article details

You know what they say about all work and no play. But how often do you cut it up with your co-workers and colleagues? Socializing with co-workers isn't just fun and a good stress-reliever, it also provides some less obvious work-related benefits, according to Kerry Patterson, co-author of The New York Times bestseller 'Influencer.' Patterson says people who are successful in their careers share something in common: they are well connected to others within the organization.Socializing with co-workers allows you to build respect and likability, better understand the personalities of co-workers,... view article details

The entire job interview process is a bit of a crapshoot. There. I said it.From the endless networking and formal application process to interviewing with multiple people and negotiating your salary, there are a lot of things we’re told we “should do.” The problem is, if you don’t end up getting the job, you usually have no idea why.Did I lack the proper experience?Was my outfit too formal or too casual?Did I confuse the third interviewer with my Google Android analogy?Did I have a rogue piece of salad stuck in my teeth from lunch?Did I just get beat out by a better candidate?It’s an environme... view article details

The Red Sox. The Celtics. The Bruins. In New England, big teams dominated Boston TV sportscasts in the 1980s and Scott Fleishman followed them all.And in an unlikely way, these dynasties became destiny for the Massachusetts native. While Fleishman watched the teams, he studied the anchormen who brought their stories into his living room, setting the stage for the dream career he would pursue: New England Sports Anchor.The 33-year-old Fleishman is now living his dream as a sports anchor for WCAX in Burlington, VT, covering the teams he loves, both national and local, and presenting those storie... view article details

How to Handle Giving an Employee a Poor Performance Review Having a positive employee review is easy. You applaud your employee’s accomplishments, discuss plans for the future, and (hopefully) give them a handsome raise. Sadly, the same does not apply when you have to give a poor performance review to an employee whose efforts have been iffy at best. Here’s how to handle a negative employee review so that both you and your employee both feel positive and motivated at the end of it. 1. Most likely, your employee already knows his work has not been up to par. But there is a chance that yo... view article details

The Brains Behind the Brain Surgery Ever thought about finding a lucrative, fulfilling, high-status profession far beyond the reach of the average man or woman? Ever thought about brain surgery? Well, think again. A neurosurgeon studies for an absolute minimum of 14 years before being legally qualified to poke inside someone's head. But even after four years pre-med, four years MD and six years of residency, many neurosurgical candidates cram in a two-year master's degree and follow their residency with a one- to two-year subspecialty fellowship, if not significant Ph.D. research in neuroscien... view article details

Soul and Silicon "Imagine a world where the difference between man and machine blurs, where the line between humanity and technology fades, and where soul and silicon unite. This is not science fiction, but a very real possibility in a few short decades." Those words wouldn't command much authority if their author, Raymond C. Kurzweil, hadn't already proven himself as a high-tech visionary - an inventor who designs and makes the machines that will alter our future. Nearly everyone would like to create something unique, but Kurzweil has developed a remarkable system for doing it. "I do all my... view article details