Companies are taking virtual interviewing to a new level with Avatar virtual world New Life Interviewing. IT and international companies are using virtual worlds for interviewing.
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2007/09/first-impressions-second-life.html
Friday, September 28, 2007
First impressions, second life
I blogged last week about people working in virtual worlds. But I must admit I didn't think about how the ritual of the job interview might look in a virtual world.
In fact, global consultancy Accenture has already started using job interviews in Second Life to recruit real-life employees. That's what Darren Nicholson at Rowan University, New Jersey, US, told me. He's been studying how teams of IT workers can collaborate using virtual worlds, as an alternative to email or instant messaging.
Since May, two large job fairs attended by multi-national companies including Microsoft and Accenture have been held and, as a result, Accenture spent three days interviewing candidates inside the virtual world at the end of August.
To me, it sounds a little pointless. Unless they were using the still-buggy voice chat in Second Life, it would be much like interviewing using instant messaging. I'd consider the avatars a distraction from the content of a conversation, but Nicholson thinks they make an important contribution:
"When I prepare students for interviews with big companies I advise them how to use the behaviour recruiters are looking for. With an avatar you are even more in control. Are you wearing power red? Are you rearing dark blue? There are so many social indicators that we use in real life that are being transported into virtual universes."
But Nicholson doesn't think virtual interviewees will be able to game interviews more easily. Interviewers will be ready for it, he says. "It could work in their favour - I think you can learn a lot about people by the avatar they create and the way it acts."
Nicholson predicts the IT industry is where the practice will become common first. Teams of software developers are already work together from different parts of the world so it makes sense, he says.
The first place this will be tried on a large scale is probably Beijing. The city government did a deal in May with the producers of a virtual world called Entropia, with a view to shifting thousands of the over-crowded municipality's workers into offices in a virtual city.
Tom Simonite, online technology reporter
Labels: virtual-reality, virtual-worlds
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Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
Showing posts with label interviewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interviewing. Show all posts
Body Language Tips For Job Interviews, Interviewing Tips
Body Language Tips for Job Interviews, Interviewing Tips
Interviewers go with their gut.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427312.500-cometowork-eyes-secrets-of-interview-success.html
Come-to-work eyes: Secrets of interview success
- 21 October 2009 by Michael Bond
- Magazine issue 2731. Subscribe and save
- For similar stories, visit the Careers Topic Guide
ONE thing you can be sure of when you walk into an interview is that you're not there to be tested on what you know. The people sitting in front of you are already aware that when it comes to technical skills and qualifications, you tick all the boxes. What they're dying to find out is what you're like as a person - whether you'll fit in, whether they can trust you, how you're likely to behave at the office party. From now on, it's all about chemistry - or, more accurately, psychology.
So how do you give yourself the best chance of success? The most common piece of advice you'll get is to "be yourself". Forget that, it'll only help if you're the chief executive's cousin. A better strategy is to exploit the psychological shortcuts that interviewers unconsciously use when deciding whether or not they like someone - cues such as eye contact and body language. We all use them when meeting someone for the first time, and research shows that interviewers rely on these more than rational analysis when assessing a candidate.
We're not advocating wholesale deception, just a bit of fine-tuning to help pitch things in your favour...
First impressions count
When we meet someone for the first time, we make our minds up about various aspects of their personality almost instantaneously. We can't help ourselves. Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov at Princeton University found that showing people an unfamiliar face for just one-tenth of a second is long enough for them to form judgements about the person's attractiveness, likeability, trustworthiness, competence and aggressiveness. Having more time to deliberate doesn't change our opinions, it only increases our confidence in them (Psychological Science, vol 17, p 592).
No doubt there are good evolutionary reasons for this, though it's not clear how accurate such snap judgements are
And it's best to keep it up, at least for half a minute. Tricia Prickett, while at the University of Toledo in Ohio, found that untrained observers who watched a video of the first 20 to 30 seconds of a job interview were astonishingly accurate at predicting whether the applicant would be offered the job. That doesn't mean the observers were especially good at picking good candidates. It means the interviewers, despite being fully trained, still go with their initial gut instinct.
Can we change an interviewer's first impression? That's difficult, but not impossible, says Frank Bernieri, who studies personality perception at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Though it's easier to dislodge a positive impression than a negative one, he says. "Socially undesirable information, such as picking your nose or farting, tends to be weighted more in our assessments. What this means is that good impressions are always at risk of being trashed at any moment."
DO be prepared to turn on the charm right from the start
DON'T pick your nose. Bad first impressions are even harder to dislodge than bogies
Look fabulous
Attractive people make more money and go further in their careers because we are all biased towards beauty - unfortunate but true. This was shown by V. Bhaskar at University College London in a study of a Dutch TV show in which the highest-scoring player at the end of a round chooses which competitor to eliminate. He found that the least attractive players were twice as likely to be eliminated, despite scoring no worse than the others.
Attractive people make more money and go further because we're biased towards beauty - unfortunate but true
One reason for this is what's known as the halo effect: people assume that someone who scores highly in one character trait also scores highly in others. Social psychologist Richard Nisbett demonstrated that the thought process behind the halo effect is almost entirely subconscious (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol 35, p 250). Use this to your advantage: most interviewers are mugs just like everyone else when it comes to the subtleties of social psychology.
DO make an effort: dress sharp and make sure you look your best
DON'T be tempted to test out the halo effect using your comic genius
Start with the handshake
Unless you plan on abseiling through the interviewer's window, shaking hands with them is probably the first opportunity you'll get to make an impression. Seize it. But not too hard. Give it a nice firm press, then some up and down movement.
That may sound disquietingly ritualistic, but several studies have found that people unconsciously equate a firm handshake with an extroverted, sociable personality - and that's more likely than a shy disposition to please an interviewer. What's more, a handshake can set the tone for the entire interview because it's one of the first nonverbal clues an applicant gives about their personality, says Greg Stewart at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, who last year tested the theory in mock interviews with 98 students. He found that those who had a firm handshake were more likely to be hired (Journal of Applied Psychology, vol 93, p 1139).
Looking for a job in science or technology? Take a look at the latest opportunities on Newscientistjobs.com.
Making The Most Of Your Media Interview
Patti Wood, professional speaker, author and speech coach, states that interviews are really fun but they are extremely time-consuming. Patti shares with Realty Success Magazine 5 tips that will help you get your "ducks in a row" before you begin this process so you don't waste energy. Check them out at the link!
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at http://pattiwood.net/. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
How to Always Look Young, Fashion for Fall
How to Always Look Young Fashion Musts for Fall.
1. The Little Black Jacket: this season the little black jacket is being hailed as, "The answer to every fashion question." My favorite is cropped and fitted just under the bust or boy cut in black leather or black denim. This is look made for us. The little black Jacket can dress you up and make you look youthful if you pair it with a little dress or jeans and a high quality little white t-shirt! Tuxedo, biker, military, or lady-like... velvet, wool, or embellished... so many to choose from! Make sure it fits. You have to be very careful with denim the “washed” or faded look or biker look is difficult to pull off when you are an over 40 woman, but if the jacket fits you and you pair it with crisp well pressed clothing you can look really cute. Do not pair denim with denim. It looks great on a teenager but it can make us look like we are trying to hard to get the "under twelve" discount at the movies. Wear your cute black fitted jacket with your jeans and flash your AARP card with a big ole’smile on your face.
2. Pants: Jeans are taking a back seat this season to cotton or leather trousers, I don’t know many women over 40 who can do leather pants, but we can look great in black denim. Ankles are this season's bare-skin. Great for us as they ankles don’t wrinkle! If your comfortable with your ankles roll loose-fit jeans above your ankle and give yourself some length with nice heals.
3. Skirts: Classic cuts and lines in vivid, can't-look-away colors dominate the skirt collections of this season. If A-lines and pencil cuts aren't for you, don't fret! Super short, super full skirts are just as noteworthy for fall. Love those full skirts. One of my sisters looks adorable in a short super full skirt. She is over 60 and a size sixteen!
4. Tops: While jackets were a focus in the top-department, what goes under them is just as important! Ruffles are big big big. However, we must be very careful in how we choose them. We can look hip in deep jewel tone purple and like a little churchwoman in pastel pink. Don’t pull out your old ruffled blouses from the back of the closet. The ruffles this season are bigger often asymmetrical and the colors are bolder. In addition, when you wear the new ruffles make sure you pair them with something hip not dowdy. Mix the formally formal ruffles with jeans, corduroys, and an above the knee skirt or casual boy cut jacket. Boundaries of matching formal to formal are aging and are out out out this season. Mix and match the style and dressiness of your tops with your other pieces: a white t-shirt with a velvet blazer and patent heels goes just as well as a silk, puff-sleeve blouse with jeans. Rebels rejoice.
5. Dresses: perhaps the most understated piece of the current wardrobe, sheath dresses and draped frocks are the two most sought-after styles: think 50's style silhouette... and then pair it with high heels! I wish I could wear them.
6. Colors: Black is back! Black, white, black & white, navy (yes, navy,that has been out of style for several years is back) gray, deep yellows, reds, nudes, and my favorite, purple are the front-runner colors of this season's pallet. You have to be careful with this seasons hot stripes, sequins, hounds tooth, embellishments, studs, and plaid. Plaids and hounds tooth can make you look spinster aunt, Agatha Christie Miss Marple old and the hot looks in stripes, animal prints and sequins can make us look like you are ready to go to Las Vegas and sit on a stool at the end of the row of slot machines with a coin cup and a cigarette. You can pair a hounds tooth skirt with a low next cashmere sweater in bold color and you can look great with the new cute patched pockets on jackets and jeans, or candy-colored-footwear. Take the somber new looks that make you think of afternoon teas and foggy-morning-in-London main pieces and accent them with traffic-stopping, bold, bright accessories.
7. Accessories: Don’t you just love TJ MAX for purses and Marshals for shoes! So in Quilted clutches, gloves. So what if we can’t wear these seasons knew high socks. We may be able to do the leggings. I like me feet to be comfy but if you can do them heels and cut-away booties, metal and metallic detailing, riding boots, patent leather, fringe, and animal print shoes are so so in. The switch-up this season: bare your ankles, not your knees! Sadly, to say, nary a flat was in sight... unless, of course, it is a boot. I will be looking at out for what my favorite oh so comfortable no more sore feet and aching back shoe brand Q form Merrill’s has in a boot this fall.Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel
1. The Little Black Jacket: this season the little black jacket is being hailed as, "The answer to every fashion question." My favorite is cropped and fitted just under the bust or boy cut in black leather or black denim. This is look made for us. The little black Jacket can dress you up and make you look youthful if you pair it with a little dress or jeans and a high quality little white t-shirt! Tuxedo, biker, military, or lady-like... velvet, wool, or embellished... so many to choose from! Make sure it fits. You have to be very careful with denim the “washed” or faded look or biker look is difficult to pull off when you are an over 40 woman, but if the jacket fits you and you pair it with crisp well pressed clothing you can look really cute. Do not pair denim with denim. It looks great on a teenager but it can make us look like we are trying to hard to get the "under twelve" discount at the movies. Wear your cute black fitted jacket with your jeans and flash your AARP card with a big ole’smile on your face.
2. Pants: Jeans are taking a back seat this season to cotton or leather trousers, I don’t know many women over 40 who can do leather pants, but we can look great in black denim. Ankles are this season's bare-skin. Great for us as they ankles don’t wrinkle! If your comfortable with your ankles roll loose-fit jeans above your ankle and give yourself some length with nice heals.
3. Skirts: Classic cuts and lines in vivid, can't-look-away colors dominate the skirt collections of this season. If A-lines and pencil cuts aren't for you, don't fret! Super short, super full skirts are just as noteworthy for fall. Love those full skirts. One of my sisters looks adorable in a short super full skirt. She is over 60 and a size sixteen!
4. Tops: While jackets were a focus in the top-department, what goes under them is just as important! Ruffles are big big big. However, we must be very careful in how we choose them. We can look hip in deep jewel tone purple and like a little churchwoman in pastel pink. Don’t pull out your old ruffled blouses from the back of the closet. The ruffles this season are bigger often asymmetrical and the colors are bolder. In addition, when you wear the new ruffles make sure you pair them with something hip not dowdy. Mix the formally formal ruffles with jeans, corduroys, and an above the knee skirt or casual boy cut jacket. Boundaries of matching formal to formal are aging and are out out out this season. Mix and match the style and dressiness of your tops with your other pieces: a white t-shirt with a velvet blazer and patent heels goes just as well as a silk, puff-sleeve blouse with jeans. Rebels rejoice.
5. Dresses: perhaps the most understated piece of the current wardrobe, sheath dresses and draped frocks are the two most sought-after styles: think 50's style silhouette... and then pair it with high heels! I wish I could wear them.
6. Colors: Black is back! Black, white, black & white, navy (yes, navy,that has been out of style for several years is back) gray, deep yellows, reds, nudes, and my favorite, purple are the front-runner colors of this season's pallet. You have to be careful with this seasons hot stripes, sequins, hounds tooth, embellishments, studs, and plaid. Plaids and hounds tooth can make you look spinster aunt, Agatha Christie Miss Marple old and the hot looks in stripes, animal prints and sequins can make us look like you are ready to go to Las Vegas and sit on a stool at the end of the row of slot machines with a coin cup and a cigarette. You can pair a hounds tooth skirt with a low next cashmere sweater in bold color and you can look great with the new cute patched pockets on jackets and jeans, or candy-colored-footwear. Take the somber new looks that make you think of afternoon teas and foggy-morning-in-London main pieces and accent them with traffic-stopping, bold, bright accessories.
7. Accessories: Don’t you just love TJ MAX for purses and Marshals for shoes! So in Quilted clutches, gloves. So what if we can’t wear these seasons knew high socks. We may be able to do the leggings. I like me feet to be comfy but if you can do them heels and cut-away booties, metal and metallic detailing, riding boots, patent leather, fringe, and animal print shoes are so so in. The switch-up this season: bare your ankles, not your knees! Sadly, to say, nary a flat was in sight... unless, of course, it is a boot. I will be looking at out for what my favorite oh so comfortable no more sore feet and aching back shoe brand Q form Merrill’s has in a boot this fall.Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel
College Students Body Language Interviewing for Jobs
Last week I spoke to the career counselors for MBA programs across the country and I have been reading about college students concerns about finding a job and what they are most concerned about in their interviews. In last month's issue of Campus Activities Programming magazine, Megan Stumph from www.Cbcampus.com wrote a great article about college graduates persevering through difficult situations while looking for jobs. She mentioned several specific experiences of college grads and offered up some advice for those trekking through the job market. Here are a few recommendations Megan Stumpth made in her article:
1) Focus your resume and cover letter on the positives. If some of your college courses relate directly to the job you're applying for, mention them in the cover letter. If you balanced school and job to pay your way through, mention your drive and determination.
2) Be persistent in making contact with places you'd like to work for. Show them you know how to work hard for something.
3) Continue self-improvement. If you're working right now, consider how additional education could increase your pay or advance your career further down the road.
I would add work on your body language. Click Here to link to my article on interviewing written by my summer intern Julie Levin.
http://community.naca.org/blogs/edblog/archive/2009/04/23/difficulties-in-job-searching.aspx
1) Focus your resume and cover letter on the positives. If some of your college courses relate directly to the job you're applying for, mention them in the cover letter. If you balanced school and job to pay your way through, mention your drive and determination.
2) Be persistent in making contact with places you'd like to work for. Show them you know how to work hard for something.
3) Continue self-improvement. If you're working right now, consider how additional education could increase your pay or advance your career further down the road.
I would add work on your body language. Click Here to link to my article on interviewing written by my summer intern Julie Levin.
http://community.naca.org/blogs/edblog/archive/2009/04/23/difficulties-in-job-searching.aspx
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