How to Beat Hiring Software

How to Beat Hiring SoftwareHow to Beat Hiring SoftwareThe Problem To economize on using real people to screen job applicants resumes, some companies are turning to recruitment software, also known as screening apps, to sift through the pile. What are pseudo-requirements? Not only do writers for websites have to worry about keywords, but so do increasing numbers of job applicants, in a growing number of fields. Moreover, some resume screening algorithms even score applicants based on formatting. Then there is the matter of pseudo-requirements. That is, lengthy must have lists of ultimately unnecessary requirements that serve no other purpose than to eliminate virtually all resumes from consideration, whittling down the pile to a handful, if that. This is an approach akin to demanding an MBA as a screening device for jobs that really do notlage require one. Peter Capelli, the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, offers a particularly egregious example of excessive pseudo-requirements in a recent magazine interview. A company looking to fill what he describes as a voreingestellt engineering position could not identify a single qualified candidate out of 25,000 applications submitted. Of course, another possibility is that, given the ease with which people now can apply for jobs online, the company indeed may have received a torrent of applications from genuinely unqualified people. Another anecdote from Capelli involves a software developer who was turned down for a job that involved using a well-known software testing tool, never mind that he had built that very same tool himself. He was turned down because he did not have prior experience with another very simple tool that someone with his expertise can learn in just a few hours. Alternatively, it might be argued that he should have answered yes to the question, given his confidence that learning the tool would be quick and easy. Equally, absurdly, Capelli notes that some companies require experienced candidates to dredge up their high school GPAs for their applications. The list goes on and on. Top Tips to Beat the Software According to Capelli, his discussions with various experts has uncovered these top tips for getting your job application past resume screening software Headers and Footers Avoid using headers or footers, since they tend to confound most resume reading software. Reflect the Job Description Adjust the content of your resume to reflect the wording of the job description in question. For example, if the job description includes CPA be sure that CPA appears on your resume. Stated slightly differently, this is an example of the importance of including the proper keywords in your resume or application. However, do not copy and paste the job description verbatim into your resume. Not only is that unlikely to work, it may backfire. Layout and Typeface Avoid unusual fonts and layouts, as well as functional formatti ng. These tend to confuse the software. Use a simple style, including listing your experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Buzzwords Buzzwords in Context Be sure that buzzwords are used in proper context. Advanced resume parsing software can check the context of buzzwords like Java or C. Thus, to demonstrate more in-depth knowledge and experience than someone who just took a single course in subjects such as these, discuss your knowledge and experience in detail. File Format Put your resume in text format. PDF files often get read incorrectly by the software. By contrast, resumes submitted in Microsoft sie sagen es typically are interpreted correctly. Graphics Avoid using graphics. They also pose huge problems for resume parsing software and can be interpreted as a jumble of nonsense characters. Postal Address Never forget to place your postal address on the resume, since it often is a key element in how it is filed by the software. If you fail to include it, you may have no chance to be under consideration for the position. Correct Spelling, Syntax, and Grammar Not included among Capellis suggestions, but equally important, is making sure that there are absolutely no misspellings or typos in your submission. Computers tend to be rather, if not completely, unforgiving of such errors. However, an added complication is that spell checking software often does not recognize legitimate alternate spellings of common words (e.g., traveler as a variant of traveler), and editing software often parses sentences incorrectly. Meanwhile, although lapses in writing skills often result in rejection by menschlich readers on this score alone, there nonetheless is a possibility that a human will recognize what you really mean, and forgive this error if your resume or application is otherwise compelling. Source Why Good People Cant Get Jobs by Peter Cappelli, copyright 2012, Wharton Digital Press (as summarized in Home Depot Syndrome, the Purple Squirr el, and Americas Job Hunt Rabbit Hole, by Trey Popp, The Pennsylvania Gazette, January - February 2013).

The Stoics know 4 rituals that will make you well-liked

The Stoics know 4 rituals that will make you well-likedThe Stoics know 4 rituals that will make you well-likedDo you want tohave better relationships? Well, you should definitely take some advice from the Stoics.I know, it sounds weird. Most people think of the Stoics as being emotionless - not exactly good examplesfor how to handle relationships.But thats a myth. The ancient Stoics were big on virtue, self-control and reducingnegativeemotions. And those are pretty good things if youre trying to be more likable.And their methods are backed by science. Stoicism was one of the inspirations for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is currently the dominant method for helping people overcome psychological issues.To get some answersI spoke to Massimo Pigliucci, a professor of philosophy at the City University of New York, and author of the new book,How to Be a Stoic Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Hap piness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreSo what can we learn about being likable from the ancient Stoics? Lets get to itNot MePlain and simple stop talking about yourself so much. Focus on the other person.Heres Stoic grandmasterEpictetusIn parties of conversation, avoid a frequent and excessive mention of your own actions and dangers. For, however agreeable it may be to yourself to mention the risks you have run, it is not equally agreeable toothers to hear your adventures.Yeah, talking about yourself feels good. In fact, research shows your brain finds it more rewarding than food or money.FromBarking Up the Wrong Tree The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) WrongNeuroscientist Diana Tamir found that your brain gets more pleasure from you talking about yourself than it does fromfood or money.But you want other people to enjoy your company, right? So shut up and letthemfeel good by talking about themselves.(To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my new bookhere.)Okay, so youre talking about yourself less. But how do the Stoics think you should handle difficult interactions - like when someone insults you?Practice Insult PacifismWhen somebody says youre dumb as a deutsche post ag,how do the Stoics think you should respond?You give me too much credit. Im alotstupider than a post.Heres Stoic hall-of-famerEpictetusagainIf anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer He was unbeleckt of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned behauptung alone.Yeah, the other person was mean. But whats the benefit of escalating things into an out-and-out fight? When people insult you, respond with self-deprecating humor.Also,there are longer term personal benefits to this. Not reacting harshly improves your self-control.And by ignoring the tone and just listening to the content of the insult, you might occasionally get some useful feedback on how to improve yourself.FromHow to Be a Stoic Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern LifeThe more you train yourself to endure insults the stronger you feel psychologically it is worth ignoring the cutting aspect of what she is saying in order to focus on what it is that she may have gotten right and that may have eluded you. There is no reason at all why insults, even when meant as such, cannot also be teaching moments for us.(To learn 6 rituals from ancient wisdom that will make you happy, clickhere.)So if someone insults you, youre just going to use self-deprecating humor. But what ifyourethe one saying something awful?How do you make sure you dont say something youll regret?Listen To The Angel On Your ShoulderWant to make sure you behave properly? Pretend someone you respect is standing behind you. Maybe its your grandma or a mentor of yours.Would you want to actlike a jerk in front of them? No.Heres MassimoSeneca feltyou shouldgo about your life thin king that there is someone looking over your shoulder. Basically, act likeyou always have to explain your actions tothis alter ego.Would you act like that in front of grandma? Then dont act like that at all.(To learn the 4 secrets to productivity from the Stoics, clickhere.)So how do you click with new people you meet? Warning this next one may feel a little weird. But its also a little heartwarmingTreat Everyone As FamilyMost of us see family as closer than friends and friends as closer than strangers. Understandable.But what if youtried to pull all three of those levels a little closer together and a little closer to you?Heres MassimoHierocles invited us to imagine a series of concentric circles with ourselves in the middle, then the next circle is our family, and then the next circle is our friends, then out of that there is our fellow citizens, and out of that our fellow countrymen, and finally all of humanity. Then he saidtomentally try to bring all of the external circles clos er to you. Meaning that you try to remind yourself that these are all human beings, that these are all people that you should actually care about just in the same way that you care about your family and your friends.Sounds nice in theory, right? But how do you actually put this into practice?You know how someguys say hello to theirmale friends with the words, Hey, brother?Well, the Stoics approve. And they think you should give it a try.Heres MassimoHieroclessaid you should go around addressing people of your same age as brothers and sisters, and people older than you as aunts and uncles. Itsa sort of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach to things. Its like you do that, you keep repeating this thing, and then gradually you actually feel like other people are your brothers and sisters, your uncles and aunts.Yeah, it might feel a little weird to call people brothers and sisters. But if you do it with a wry smile - cool like Fonzie - it can be a warm and fun way to draw yourself clo ser to othersAnd them closer to you.(To learn the 4 rituals from Stoicism that will make you mentally strong, clickhere.)Okay, weve learned a lot. Lets round it all upSum UpHere are the 4 rituals from Stoicism that will make you lovedNot meStop talking about yourself. Let me talk about me and Ill enjoy your company more. (Wow, this is more fun already.)Practice insult pacifismThis is the worst blog postIve ever written? Trust me, Ive writtenfarworse.Listen to the angel on your shoulderGrandma is watching, potty-mouth.Treat everyone as familyTreatpeople as your brothers and sisters and theyll likely reciprocate.Now is this going to turn you into Dale Carnegie overnight? No. But that wouldnt be a very Stoic expectation.They were big on practicing exercises to improve over time.Massimo paraphrased SenecaDont ask me to be perfect just ask me to be better than yesterday.If you talk less about yourself, laugh off insults, and act like grandma is watching, youll find that people will enjoy your company much more.Trust me, brother or sister.Join over 300,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.Thisarticleoriginally appeared atBarking Up the Wrong Tree.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Automated Guided Vehicles Do the Heavy Lifting

Automated Guided Vehicles Do the Heavy Lifting Automated Guided Vehicles Do the Heavy Lifting Human beings arent perfect, which is why we make mistakes, hurting ourselves on the job, or mishandling equipment that damages products and the bottom line.Take, for example, palletized goods, which are hustled through manufacturing plants and distribution facilities 24/7. Pallets are often dropped, lifted, and pushed across hard floors. Pallet damage often results in damaged products and unsaleable merchandise that averages about 1% of gross sales for retailers and distributors.An innovative solution to this problem is automated guided vehicles (AGV) that serve as unmanned pallet trucks and tow tractors that operate with much higher precision than human operators.Vision-Guided NavigationWhat makes AGVs so special? Sophisticated, vision-guided technology.Seegrid Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, is a manufacturer of AGVs for the material-handling industry, including robotic pallet trucks, tow tra ctor, and walkie stackers. These vehicles are equipped with range-finding stereo cameras that record and store thousands of features along the route, allowing the AGV to remember the route by replaying the recorded features.This type of vision-based evidence-grid technology, an application of probabilistic volumetric sensing, was invented and initially developed by Dr. Hans Moravec at Carnegie Mellon University.Seegrid has built upon this technology with its AGVs, using stereo cameras to construct 360-degree maps of the environment. The images are analyzed in real time to identify features, and their locations, in three-dimensional space. Five pairs of stereo cameras operate concurrently to analyze thousands of interest points per second, with a margin of error of only one to two inches.This allows the vehicles to be deployed easily, says Mitchell Weiss, chief operating officer for Seegrid. They are walked through the path once to build the map, and then they repeat the route. Becau se of the high density of map data, they can maintain precise navigation even in changing environments.Seegrids automated guided vehicles use stereo cameras to construct 360-degree maps of the environment. Image Seegrid.comHighly Integrated SystemsFrom an engineering perspective, AGVs are highly integrated systems. They start out as a basic chassis. Because the optical equipment is so sensitive, Seegrid engineers must devise methods that allow these high-precision components to be integrated with the chassis, and also withstand harsh shock and vibration conditions.To accomplish this we have designed rugged mechanical components, which can be adjusted or adapted to the truck chassis at time of manufacture, says Weiss. Camera-to-camera and camera-to-vehicle fine-tuning is accomplished with software.The size of components is very diverse, ranging from customized miniature cameras to one-half-inch-thick steel plate to batteries that weigh 1,000 pounds. This requires a variety of manufac turing environments, including near-clean rooms with special calibration tools for the cameras, ESD-controlled environments for electronics assembly, overhead cranes and lifts for the trucks, and simulated warehouse environments (cold, dim) for testing.We have also added more time for AGV burn-in than is normal for the industry, to detect infant mortality in hydraulic system seals, bearing contamination, and other infant issues, adds Weiss. We have also improved battery monitoring to compensate for the lack of a driver, who can notice changes in vehicle performance duringa shift.Future PlansThe fruchtwein expensive part of operating a truck is the cost of the driver. This cost includes wages and benefits, accidents, injury, lost time, and errors. Also, human drivers cannot operate without breaks for instruction, food, stretching, etc. In comparison, robotic pallet trucks, priced at $85,000, operate at significantly higher duty cycles, improving capital performance.AGVs are the ultim ate electric vehicle, says Weiss. Unlike the cars we drive, they really can run 24/7, do it for up to 10 years, emit zero emissions, and tow up to 10,000 pounds. All of this comes in a package size that fits in the bed of a pickup truck.Seegrids vision-guided AGVs currently operate from point to point along planned routes. Company engineers are continually developing new methods for improving camera performance, using field data collected from hundreds of deployed systems, says Weiss.For example, the company has just developed a new walkie stacker that automatically picks, drops, stacks, and puts away loads up to 72 inches, at a maximum load capacity of 3,500 poundsideal for automatic lane building or deep lane storage at dock and staging locations.Mark Crawford is an independent writer.AGVs are the ultimate electric vehicle.Mitchell Weiss, COO, Seegrid