One-Page Résumé Still Rules the Job Search

Despite major changes in the workplace, recruiters still rely on the single-page résumé as the gold standard for evaluating potential hires, according to research conducted by the online job posting site Monster.com.

In its Future of Work report, Monster found that résumés are the single most effective tool for weeding out candidates. In fact, only in-person interviews surpassed the résumé as hirers’ favorite way of evaluating candidates.

Interestingly, the time-honored document’s design and formatting have not changed much. The candidate’s name at the top with bulleted points listing work experience remains the gold standard. And despite the number of word processing tricks now available, simple is best, the survey found, primarily because résumés must be readable to both humans and applicant-tracking technology. That means foregoing fancy fonts for basic typefaces such as Calibri, Georgia, and Times New Roman.

Source: Beltran, G. (2022, January 22). The pandemic changed everything about work, except the humble résumé. The New York Times. https://www.nyt.com

Do Happy Animated Instructors Improve Virtual Learning?

Studies—and our own teaching experiences—confirm that students better connect with instructors who are animated and display positivity, thus providing more motivation to learn. But what about how students connect with computer animations of an instructor during video lessons?

Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara sought to discover whether students developed the same strong connection with virtual instructors displaying a “positive stance” compared to teachers who showed frustration or unhappiness. The study found that while the students did indeed relate better to the happy, upbeat virtual instructor, the test subjects did a better job at picking up when a human instructor demonstrated happy or frustrated feelings compared to the AI instructor. So live instructors win over virtual ones with regard to actual learning.

That seems obvious, so why bother testing such an idea? The reason is virtual training. As organizations turn to virtual instruction to comply with the plethora of policy and regulations relevant to the workplace, learning from those videos can be improved by using better graphics and improved human animations of instructors, the researchers concluded.

Source: Young, J. (2021, January 28). When virtual animations are teaching, can they make an emotional connection? EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com

Be Your Own Best Friend

Family and friends are great go-tos for a pep talk. But the best person to help you through life’s ups and downs is you.

Whether it be a life coach, best friend, or therapist, those people we rely on to help us through hard times simply aren’t available 24/7, especially when so many are feeling pandemic fatigue. So it makes sense to take responsibility for our own well-being. Doing so is called self-determination or the ability to use internal resources to guide ourselves through difficulties

Next time you feel low, try these self-help tips instead of reaching for the phone.

1. Focus. Turn off external noise such as the news, friends, or chatter in your head.
2. Reflect. Carve time out to think about what’s working, what isn’t, and where you’re headed. In the morning, set an agenda of what needs to be completed that day. At the end of the day, think about what went right or wrong. Look for one thing to celebrate.
3. Savor small pleasures. Focus on small pleasantries like a good meal, a relaxing walk, or a nice chat.
4. Accept sadness. If you try to squelch difficult emotions, they will keep popping up until you deal with them. Sometimes it’s best to accept that a time is difficult or that you just feel sad.

Source: Bernstein, E. (2021, December 8). Stressed out? Worn down? It’s time to become your own life coach. The Wall Street Journal. https://wsj.com