Author Archives: William Zhang

About William Zhang

Will is currently a junior at Skidmore College, where he studies Business and French. He’s almost always in the mood for a burrito from Chipotle, especially after wandering around town taking photos. (Blog: illzhang.tumblr.com)

Will enjoys learning languages and travel—after recently studying in Paris, he’s off to Tokyo in March (but currently resides in quiet Newton, MA).

He is the author of:

Use Facebook to Find Your Next Job?

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As if it weren’t already the Swiss-army knife of all social networks, Facebook adds on yet another function to its laundry list of features: “Social Jobs”. Facebook teams up with the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), DirectEmployers Association (DE), and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) in a partnership aimed to help America’s unemployed find jobs with the help of social media. The idea behind using social media to advertise employment opportunities is its potential for widespread influence; since Facebook is such a high traffic website, employers have a better chance of finding the perfect fit in such a large pool of potential candidates. The Facebook Social Jobs page features a search bar similar to those on other job search websites. The user fills in keywords and chooses specific job categories, and then the system finds open positions that match the user’s request. Facebook combines information from other renowned websites’ databases. This is in line with its goal of becoming a one-stop, all-encompassing resource.

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Evolving your Group into a Team

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It’s game time; everything you’ve worked towards for the past semester culminates in one hour-long presentation. Sweaty palmed, you fix your tie, start up the power point presentation, take one last big, deep breath and face the panel of executives sternly sitting in a row across from you. Nerves almost take hold, but you look behind you and find solace in the faces of your team members. Everyone has done his or her part; you’ve rehearsed this a million times and you all trust each other to deliver the best presentation of your lives. Facing the judges, you begin the introduction:

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The Importance of “Cultural Fit” in the Workplace

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Getting hired isn’t just determined by the academic and work experience of a candidate, concluded sociological experts at Northwestern University. Research shows that more and more, employers are making hiring decisions in conjunction with “cultural fit.” The idea behind using this factor stems from the belief that a candidate’s personality traits and character will inform his or her behavior and attitude in the workplace. Questions such as “If your life were a movie, which actor would you like best to play your role?” and “Where do you vacation?” have found their way onto applications all across the job market. These questions shed light on the psyche of an applicant—a factor that doesn’t always reveal itself right away. With personality in mind, it is often better to hire an applicant with whom you hit it off over your typical “paper perfect” candidate. Asking someone about his or her “ideal sandwich” or “spirit animal” may seem frivolous, but this form of employee assessment is taken very seriously! A few pre-employment screening questions can make a world of difference. Questions aren’t the only way to assess a potential employee; a few big name firms have implemented their own ways of determining “cultural fit”.

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