It’s the age-old quandary: experience or education. Is it better to have gone to a four-year school and be fresh in the job market or to have four years of applied experience in that same field? Or maybe the question is whether it’s more imperative to have a specific skill set or to fit in with the overall company culture of an organization. Moreover, maybe you feel work ethic and integrity trumps them all!
According to a recent survey by Express Employment Professionals, available jobs in the U.S. aren’t being filled due to unqualified workers. And though the unemployment rate hovers between 7 and 8%, many employers are struggling to get the workers they’re looking for. But, what’s the missing link between what employers need and what employees have?
We here at Refresh Leadership want to know, what do you look for most in a job candidate? Let us know by voting in our poll!
The number one problem I am having at all levels is communication. Although we have phones, faxes, texts, emails, tweets — 75% of the people I communicate with above and below me will not or can not read for comprehension. The primary reason seems to be that about half of those don’t understand words like “comprehension” and the other half won’t read any communication that has more than a central message, e.g. “The fax machine has been repaired.” Even slightly complicated emails are scanned for the title, often misunderstood and require longer face to face explanations to untangle misconceptions.
Nine of ten people who read this message will come away thinking it has something to do with the fax machine.