Choose Skill over Passion

Would you want to be treated by a doctor who had a passion for medicine but who consistently performed poorly in physiology, chemistry, and anatomy? Of course not.

That’s because we are meant to do what we’re good at, not necessarily what we love. If passion and skill happen to mesh, bravo. But often they do not, and that’s not so bad. Society works when people are effective in what they do, so instead of pursuing an unattainable passion, the better route for individuals is to discover what they’re skilled at and do it. The satisfaction of a job well done may not feel like passion, but it’s a lot better than trying to be a diva if one is tone deaf.

From medium.com

Surviving Rocky Interviews

Job interviews are stressful in the best of circumstances. But what to do when the interview is clearly not going well? Below is advice about how to navigate some of the most common causes of an interview that is headed for disaster.

Poor interviewer. If an interviewer is obviously unprepared or uninterested, it’s still up to the applicant to weather the storm with his or her best effort, advises Sarah Johnston, a former recruiter. She suggests showing the interviewer one’s suitability for the position with grace.

Unexpected questions or tests. It’s best to expect the unexpected, so preparation is the only way to push through this situation. However, even if an interviewee bombs an unexpected test or question, a rocky interview can still lead to a good outcome if the rest of the interview has gone smoothly.

Sudden realization the position is wrong. Many people discover in the middle of an interview that they are a poor fit for the position or the organization. In such a situation, the best course of action is continue participating in the interview. One can always turn down an offer.

From Linkedin

Are Social Media the Death Knell to Academia?

“The tinderization of scholarship” may lead to the downfall of academics, writes a contributor to

The Chronicle of Higher Education. Prof. Justin E. H. Smith notes that although he has not yet heard about tenure committees checking academic social media sites such as Academia.edu, he does see that social media are increasingly driving academics to favor “likes” above scrupulous scholarship.

Academia is like many institutions that slavishly follow page views and other metrics instead of measured, tried-and-true research. Especially prone to this new reality are academics who are precariously employed or underemployed.

The “tyranny of metrics” should be mitigated by scholars who are committed to the serious work of research and acquisition of knowledge, Smith writes.

From The Chronicle of Higher Education