7 soft skills recruiters value during uncertain hiring times

The pandemic has created radical changes in the way we work. Hiring the right employees, who can not only survive but also thrive during these unprecedented times, has become even more critical. While technical and functional skills are still as important as ever, recruiters and hiring managers have also been seeking candidates who have specific transferable soft skills that are especially relevant during this time when the workplace as we know it has undergone such a radical transformation. Emotional Intelligence The ability to read situations and approach them with sensitivity is now absolutely critical, especially for team leaders, because “customers and colleagues are balancing so many competing demands in their personal and professional lives,” according to Amanda Georgoff, regional vice president of sales at SalesLoft. With face-to-face contact reduced, executives have to be able to pick up on the nuances of Zoom calls or Slack messages to ascertain employees’ struggles that affect productivity, according to Sean Walker, partner at the Bowdoin Group, an executive search firm. You can demonstrate emotional intelligence during your interviews by weaving in concrete, personal examples of how you changed your work approach with others based on what you ascertained was happening behind the scenes in their lives. Resilience Resilience is also critical to managing stressful situations. “We’re living in a world that can be disrupted at any moment, and those who demonstrate resilience will pull us forward faster,” says Robin Stenzel, chief solutions and talent officer at Outmatch, a talent decision platform. Therefore, hiring managers are now looking for candidates who have displayed optimism in the face of challenge, especially since the pandemic placed many people in front of many uncertain situations. The ability to adapt, learn, and work toward a successful transition has been a key factor in hiring, according to Sheila Ryan, chief people officer at Clear Capital, a financial technology and real estate valuation company. A way to demonstrate resilience to a hirer is to share specific examples in your cover letter or résumé of stressful situations you were in, the actions you took in response, and the ultimate result of those actions. Empathy While separating your work life from your personal life has always been tricky, the pandemic has made this separation nearly impossible. Whether caring for a loved one sick with COVID-19, working remotely while home-schooling, or dealing with the income loss from a partner’s unemployment, being sensitive to our colleagues’ challenges can make a huge difference to employee morale, retention, and productivity. Read More …

‘No one was in the driver seat’ during Tesla crash that killed two

Authorities in Spring, Texas, say they’re 100% certain that no one was driving during a fatal Tesla crash on Saturday evening. According to KHOU-11 , the 2019 Tesla Model S had two passengers inside, one aged 59 and the other aged 69, when the car went off the road at a slight curve and crashed into a tree, bursting into flames. Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said the fire took four hours and more than 30,000 gallons of water to extinguish, as the car’s batteries continued to reignite the flames. Two men dead after fiery crash in Tesla Model S. “[Investigators] are 100-percent certain that no one was in the driver seat driving that vehicle at the time of impact,” Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said. “They are positive.” #KHOU11 https://t.co/q57qfIXT4f pic.twitter.com/eQMwpSMLt2 — Matt Dougherty (@MattKHOU) April 18, 2021 While authorities haven’t confirmed whether Tesla’s Autopilot feature was engaged at the time of the crash, Herman said it was “almost impossible” for anyone to have been in the driver seat at the time. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read More …

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., America’s first Black Air Force chief, on race, tech, and the trouble with AI

General Charles Q. Brown Jr. became the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force during a perilous moment for the United States. In the time between Brown’s nomination and his unanimous confirmation by the Senate, George Floyd died under the knee of officer Derek Chauvin on the street in Minneapolis. While angry protests and a national reckoning over race unfolded around the country, Brown made the difficult decision to speak out with unusual frankness and depth of feeling for a military leader. “I’m thinking about how my nomination provides some hope but also comes with a heavy burden,” he said in a video addressed to Air Force personnel. “I can’t fix centuries of racism in our country, nor can I fix decades of discrimination that may have impacted members of our Air Force.” [Photo: U.S. Air Force] Brown also entered his role as the U.S. was navigating a rapidly evolving global threat environment. The four-star general spent a good part of his career leading the Air Force’s fight against nonstate terror groups, chiefly ISIS, in Iraq and Afghanistan. But now the U.S. is increasingly threatened by major state actors, mainly a resurgent Russia and emergent China. These new opponents may attack in ways that aren’t necessarily addressable using fighter planes and missiles. It’ll be Brown’s job to oversee the Air Force’s shift in investment away from legacy platforms and toward technologies that will allow the U.S. to compete in the battle theaters of the future. I spoke to the general about these emerging threats, the Air Force’s work with U.S Read More …

This immersive technology turns hospitals into less stressful places

There is quality sound, and there is noise. Sadly, in our day-to-day lives, we have way too much of the latter. Excessive noise can cause several short- and long-term health problems, such as sleep disturbance, cardiovascular effects, poorer work and school performance, and the most obvious risk: hearing impairment. Noise has emerged as a leading environmental nuisance in the World Health Organization’s European region, and the number of public complaints about excessive noise is growing. Read More …

Scientists created embryos with human and monkey cells, stoking ethical concerns

Scientists are locked in debate over the necessity of creating chimera embryos that contain both monkey and human cells. A study released on Thursday  showed that human cells can indeed grow when implanted inside macaque monkey embryos. The goal of the research is to find ways to develop human organs and tissue that can be used for transplants. But some scientists are urging caution and question the need for this type of research at all. The study took 132 monkey embryos and injected them with human stem cells. Scientists used a process that allowed them to develop monkey embryos for up to 20 days in a lab. Only three of the embryos made it to day 19 before they collapsed. What was most exciting to the scientists involved is that the human and monkey cells were able to communicate with one another, allowing the human cells to survive. Past research has shown that trying to grow human cells in pigs or sheep yields far less stunning results, though humans and macaques are much more closely related than humans and pigs. The study’s authors see this research as key to better understanding human development and primate evolution, and an opportunity to advance the use of chimeras for organ creation. The need for organs is great. In the U.S. alone, over 100,000 people are registered on the national waiting list for a transplant. Approximately 17 people die every day because they were unable to secure a transplant, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Still, some scientists are concerned about what this research could mean in the future. The loudest worry is about the potential for so-called “rogue scientists” to use this research to develop true human-monkey chimeras. Another is that such experiments may develop in unintended ways. Plus, there are ethical questions about creating chimeras purely for organ extraction Read More …