Employer Surveillance, Interview Jitters, Skills/People Gap

Alaant Influencers feature regional influencers and local luminaries sharing their career advice and secrets to success—in their own words. These influencers are the people making a powerful impact for good across the community. Rose is President of Pinnacle Human Resources, LLC, a NYS (#55656) and nationally certified Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) in Albany and Syracuse, NY. With more than 25 years HR professional experience, she partners with companies to provide strategic HR support and expert HR best practices while helping them find solutions for their human resources delivery system…

The more bosses try to keep track of their workers, the more precious time employees waste trying to evade them. Jason Edward Harrington spent six years working the luggage-screening checkpoint at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. A college graduate and freelance writer, he initially took the job as a stopgap, but found that he enjoyed meeting passengers from all over the world, some of whom showed a real interest in him. But while working for the TSA, Harrington noticed that his bosses were following and video-recording his every move, a practice they said was at least in part for his protection…

If you grow fidgety during interviews, have sweaty palms and a dry throat, or become tongue-tied, you might just have interview jitters. A recent Monster study revealed that 38% of U.S. candidates are afraid of interviewing. Interview jitters are pretty common, but they can cause job seekers to perform poorly and cost them amazing career opportunities. The good news is, it gets better with each interview…

Workplace wellness programs that offer employees a financial carrot for undergoing health screenings, sticking to exercise regimens or improving their cholesterol levels have long been controversial. Starting January 1, they may become even more contentious. That's when a federal judge's decision to overturn existing rules about the programs takes effect. The decision casts uncertainty over what the appropriate upper limit for these types of financial incentives should be — specifically when employers offer them to workers to participate in programs that require clinical testing or the disclosure of their personal health data.

In response to growing U.S. workforce challenges, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue today outlined the two critical factors to maintaining America’s competitiveness in the modern economy: closing the skills gap and closing the people gap. Delivering the keynote address at the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s “Talent Forward” conference, Donohue addressed the “business-led” solutions the Chamber is advancing to bridge these gaps to ensure continued economic growth. “There are not one, but two gaps preventing our nation from fully leveraging talent in our economy,” Donohue said…

Are you hoping to move your career in a new direction? Or considering transitioning into a different industry? Perhaps you are coming back to the workforce after taking a break from your career? While each of these situations has its own challenges, your chances of making a successful transition will be boosted by identifying and highlighting your transferable skills. These are strengths in your repertoire that can be used in another area or field in ways similar to or different from how you've used them before…