There’s a fine line between an enthusiastic job candidate and one that reeks of desperation. On one hand, you don’t want to hire someone with a laissez faire attitude toward working at your company, but you don’t exactly want someone who is so frantic to get a job, they are practically exploding with eagerness over the opportunity.

Many employers consider lack of enthusiasm a deal-breaker, but the question remains whether that should always be the case. If a candidate is technically qualified for a job, but seems less-than-enthusiastic about the opportunity, you may be tempted to reject them out of hand. After all, conventional wisdom holds that skills can be taught, but it’s next to impossible to change someone’s natural drive to perform and succeed. An enthusiastic employee is likely to give their all day-after-day, helping to drive the company to greater revenues. 

If you reject an apparently unenthusiastic candidate, you could be making a huge mistake, however, as that person may have been absolutely perfect for the position – and for your company. Before making a critical hiring decision, you must consider that you may have not been seeing the candidate’s true colors when it comes to their enthusiasm level. And there could be some very good reasons behind their inability – or unwillingness – to clue you in on just how excited they are to be interviewing for the position. 

It should go without saying, but you must remember that some people are naturally shy. They may be bumbling over with enthusiasm, but simply unable to communicate that adequately. Granted, some employers steer clear of shy candidates, believing their natural proclivity to introspection may prevent them from working well with others, but you must remember that shy people often make better employees, as they spend less time gossiping around the water cooler and engaged in unnecessary inner-office emails. 

At the same time, a candidate may have been excited beyond belief to be interviewing for the job, but merely afraid they would appear desperate if they came across as too enthusiastic. Therefore, they may have tempered their enthusiasm – perhaps a bit too much – and unintentionally come across as disinterested. 

During the interview process, if a candidate doesn’t seem suitably interested in the job, try engaging them in a conversation that may elicit their true level of interest. If they still seem somewhat lackluster about the position, you can just come right out and say, “I’m getting the impression you’re not particularly enthusiastic about the job.” That gives the job seeker the opportunity to tell you how they really feel about the opportunity. It’s far better to make your final hiring decision based on the truth, rather than merely assuming a shy – or cautious – candidate isn’t excited about working for you.

Getting the right person for the job starts with writing an effective job description. These days, that entails much more than getting all the facts right. It means writing a job description that stands out amongst all the rest. Particularly when it comes to tech-savvy Generation Y (aka the Millennials), job descriptions must be ultra-appealing. They have to speak to the individual and give them a reason to apply for a job with your company.

After all, this is the “everybody gets a trophy generation.” Some generational experts have branded them the most spoiled generation in history. They are used to being given what they want. Now, it’s your job to make them want a job with your company – and to want it so badly they will actually go out of their way to pursue it.

Millennials want to feel like they are part of something important right out of the gate. The concept of “paying your dues” couldn’t be more foreign to them. So make sure to describe why the position matters to the company and where it stands in the grand scheme of things. Be clear about the importance of the role this individual will play once they are hired. And don’t forget to include how much they will be interacting with decision-makers.

Members of Generation Y are expected to job-hop more than their predecessors. Paradoxically, however, they are incredibly brand loyalty. Start building their loyalty to your brand right off the bat. Use your job description to explain why they should want to work for you. Woo them and seek to make them fall head over heels in love with your company. Avoid jargons and clichés and get to the point when describing your ideal candidate.

There’s no doubt that salary and benefits are important to a Millennial. After all, surveys have shown they expect something in the neighborhood of $75,000 starting pay. But they are also savvy enough to recognize that a job can benefit them in other ways, too. So be sure to describe the skills they will gain, the professional connections they will make, and the opportunities they will have to grow and advance within the company. Be sure to mention the other fringe benefits, like gym memberships and flexible work hours, too.

Finally, take the opportunity to tell your company story and explain your vision for the person who gets the job. Make sure you do it quickly, however. Generation Y has no patience for rambling, off-the-shelf, stodgy old mission statements. They want something short, to-the-point, and catchy. Think of it this way: This is the generation that grew up having conversations via text message. Short-hand and slogans are their language.

So you want to boost your career, climb the corporate ladder, and improve your earning power. In today’s economy, it’s all too easy to feel powerless and fall into the mindset that someone else occupies the driver’s seat when it comes to steering your career in the right direction. 

Fortunately, that’s not altogether true. While your job options may be limited at this time, you possess a great deal of power to transform your career over the long-term. The secret lies in thinking of yourself, your personal brand, like a start-up business and taking the same approach to building your career as you would to building that business.

It’s important to begin by facing the facts. You may be an extraordinarily talented individual, but the fact remains that a million different people could do your job. Attempting to be better than everyone else will get you nowhere. Instead, you must focus on carving out your own professional niche and becoming the best in that particular realm. 

In their new book “The Start-Up of YOU: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career,” authors Reid Hoffman, co-founder and chairman of LinkedIn, and Ben Casnocha lay out three dynamic pieces to help you position yourself in the market: 

• Assets – This basically refers to what you have going for yourself right now. It includes soft assets, like knowledge, skills, and connections, along with more traditional “hard” assets, like cash in the bank.
• Aspirations and Values – This piece entails where you would like to go career-wise in the future.
• Market Realities – This part focuses on what people will actually pay you for.

 The authors continue by laying out a number of tips for surviving and thriving in today’s competitive world. Adopting them will help you create the right job search mindset and marketing message. They include: 

• Developing a competitive advantage to win the best jobs and opportunities
• Adapting your career plans as you change, as the people around you change, and as industries change
• Strengthening your professional network by building powerful alliances and maintaining a diverse mix of relationships
• Identifying unique breakout opportunities that will accelerate your career growth
• Take proactive risks to become more resilient to industry tsunamis
• Tapping your network for information and intelligence that will help you make better decisions

Regardless of whether you take the initiative to read the book, the main lesson is this: If you want to build your career, you must adopt the mindset of a small business owner. Think of yourself as the business and your skills and knowledge as the product or service. Brainstorm about what steps you would take to build a business and adapt those same steps to your own personal brand. Invest in yourself, build your professional networks, take intelligent risks, and find ways to make uncertainty and volatility work to your advantage. As the recovery continues and you look to the future, you may just find yourself a couple of rungs up the ladder after all.

When great performance is the goal, it’s easy to turn to criticism in an attempt to make it happen. After all, if you can get an employee to correct the things they are doing wrong, the end result promises to be better. Right? Well…yes…and no. 

Conventional wisdom holds that pointing out an employee’s shortcomings will cause that employee to bring their A game. While it’s true that criticism can lead to temporary improvement, experts now say that employee’s performance likely would have improved even if you hadn’t said a word. The philosophy behind their claim is called “regression to the mean.” It centers on the belief that human performance is never completely consistent. That applies to everyone from world-class musicians and athletes to college professors and line workers.

An individual’s performance varies from day to day. That’s why a baseball player may hit three home runs in one game and strike out five times in the next. Or why a classical musician may fumble a few notes in one performance, only to play the same piece flawlessly the very next night.

For this reason, we do not typically judge a person’s ability based solely on one performance. Instead, we consider their average performance over time. Statisticians refer to that as an individual’s “mean performance.” If one were to track a person’s performance day-by-day or task-by-task, they would likely discover that an extraordinary performance – one that is far greater than that person’s average – is almost surely followed by one which is decidedly lackluster.

In the workplace, therefore, someone may have an off-day – or an off-week or off-month, for that matter. As their boss, you will probably feel compelled to criticize them for their poor performance. Afterwards, their performance will most likely return to their pre-slump level, as did our baseball player and musician in the hypothetical example above. The “regression to the mean” philosophy holds that they would have returned to that same level – their norm – with or without your criticism, simply because it is their norm.

One of the key areas of any performance review is “opportunities for improvement.” As a result, much of the formal discussion of the review revolves around the employee’s shortcomings. It’s basic human nature to pay more attention to what’s wrong than what is right. The problem with that approach is that it does little to improve the employee’s long-term performance because they will invariably return to their normal, the mean.

Research shows that positive reinforcement produces better long-term results than focusing primarily on faults. After all, few employees are going to be motivated to raise their norm if they feel like all you’ve done is tear them down. Thus, our goal should be to shift our focus from increasing performance on specific tasks to increasing someone’s overall performance. The best way to accomplish this goal is to focus on that which a person does well, rather than dwelling on the times they’ve faltered. Identify and reward employees’ strengths and then help them map out a plan for building on them. Then and only then will you truly see employee performance improve, rather than shoot up temporarily only to regress to the mean.

An unseasonably warm winter and a downright hot spring have many employers thinking about summer. For many organizations, summertime brings the specter of seasonal hiring. The good news is there are plenty of talented people out there just chomping at the bit for a summer job — if you know how – and where – to look.

Unfortunately, small companies often feel they are at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting summertime help, simply because they don’t have the same reach as a major employer. While it’s true that large companies have broader resources for casting a wide net, there’s no reason why small companies can’t have a successful seasonal recruitment effort, too.

Successful seasonal hiring requires a well-thought-out process, based upon the following key principles:

Begin Early: While it may be difficult to start thinking about summer when the snow is still falling, it’s best to start planning for seasonal hires as early as possible. Savvy companies begin the process in January, seeking to lock in the best people before someone else snatches them up. This strategy is particularly helpful when you are looking to hire high school or college students, as they feel a sense of security going into their spring semester knowing they have a summer job already lined up.

Be Choosey: Last year’s summer job market was an employer’s dream. High unemployment rates led many terrific employees to seek out seasonal jobs as a means of making ends meet. Employers were clearly in the driver’s seat, receiving countless applications for each open position. That gives them the opportunity to pick and choose to their liking, never having to settle for a substandard hire.

Extend Your Search: When looking for professional entry-level hires, it’s tempting to gear your recruitment efforts towards Harvard, Stanford, and other top-notch schools. It’s important to remember that smaller, lesser known schools also produce desirable candidates, so be sure to reach out to them as well.

Act Quickly: Once you’ve identified someone you wish to hire, make the offer immediately. Any worthwhile candidate is likely to be deluged with offers, so you must act quickly if you want them to commit to your company in advance.

Whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute to start looking – or to make your hiring decisions. Even in today’s job market, that could be a fatal mistake, as you just may find yourself heading into the summer months without a sufficient staff to deliver warm weather success.

Throughout the recession and continuing even today, many employers have found themselves doing more with less. Tough times led some of them to trim their staff back so far that only the very best employees remained. Retaining those valued workers took on heightened importance as they literally became the people who were keeping the company in business.

Compensating employees during – and immediately following – a recession can be challenging, as budgets make it difficult to pay the kind of wages that will keep top performers from jumping ship. While it’s certainly true that a generous salary can help make your company an employer of choice, it’s important to remember that compensation encompasses far more than just an employee’s salary. From health insurance and gym memberships to continuing education and opportunities to participate in corporate social responsibility activities, employees consider the whole picture when evaluating if an employer is giving them what they expect.

Employees who do not feel they are being fairly compensated are far more likely to be unmotivated and unengaged. They may grow hostile or they may simply jump ship. Either way, the consequences are undesirable. Thus, it’s important to ensure that your employees are receiving satisfactory compensation, through salary, perks, and opportunities.

The key lies in finding out what your employees value. Understanding what current and potential future staff members expect is crucial if your goal is to become an employer of choice. Your first step, therefore, is to ask them. This can be accomplished through a survey or in a series of departmental or town hall meetings.

When it comes to compensation, salary is always the first thing that comes to mind. Certainly, base pay is the centerpiece of any employee’s compensation. If they don’t feel they are receiving a decent salary, employees will always be looking for better opportunities. In today’s economy, however, it’s not always possible to “up the ante” for even the most top-notch employees. Still, it’s crucial to ensure that their pay is consistent with the market, so do your research and make sure you are offering competitive pay. 

Among the most popular components of compensation are opportunities for advancement. Few employees want to stay in the same position throughout their entire careers, so make sure you offer plenty of opportunities to move into new and exciting positions. Devise a system of career pathing so employees can easily see that they have a future with your company. Whenever possible, give employees access to continuing education, whether online, at company headquarters, or through a local college or university.

Studies have shown that employees place a high value on intangibles, oftentimes an even higher value than they place on base salary or benefits. These include interesting and challenging work; recognition and acknowledgement; a positive working environment; and a sense of job security. Remarkably, it is not hard to provide these factors to employees. Chances are you have already planted the necessary seeds. Now you simply need to tend to them and watch them grow.

Getting called for an interview is an exciting experience, particularly in today’s shaky economy. You may have been unemployed for months, even years. Understandably, the prospect of an interview fills you with a sense of hope. Perhaps your day has come. You are just one final step away from being gainfully employed.

But then suddenly, the interview’s over. Days go by and you don’t hear anything from your potential new employer. Those days turn into weeks. Maybe you receive a rejection letter, maybe not. Either way, the truth becomes painfully clear: you have not been chosen for the job. 

In many instances, this same chain of events repeats itself over and over again, leaving the job seeker completely dejected, wondering if they will ever have a job again. The secret to finding a job lies in capitalizing on identifying what the company needs and then convincing the hiring manager that YOU are the one who can meet that need. 

Begin by making a list of 10 to 25 companies you would like to work for. Many job seekers skip this step and merely hop online to visit their favorite jobs site without first taking a good long look at exactly what they want from their job search. By compiling this list first, that gives you the opportunity to study these potential employers and identify what exactly they need from their employees in order to meet their business goals.

Learn more about potential employers through LinkedIn and Zoominfo. Also, remember to Google the company in question. You may even wish to sign up for Google Alerts on the companies you have targeted. Doing so will ensure you are notified every time that company makes the news. Perhaps the most effective tactic, however, is to simply visit the company’s website. You can learn a great deal about their goals and activities by reviewing their press releases, annual report, and other key sections of the corporate website. Don’t forget to tap your personal and professional contacts for information, too.

Once you know what potential employers need, it’s your job to demonstrate that you are the one to deliver on what they want. First, do a little introspection by defining your most marketable skills. This is a key point, so spend some time really considering what you have to bring to a potential employer.

 Next, compare your list of qualifications to a potential employer’s list of needs. Find a way to weave any potential matches into your cover letter. A note of caution: Do not write, “I understand you need people with strong marketing skills. I have lots of experience in marketing.” Subtly mention your qualifications, but do NOT make the connection in your letter. Leave that to the employer. Trust me. They will.

Take advantage of similar opportunities during the interview to mention the myriad ways you are a good match for the employer. Again, don’t be too blatant about the fact that your skills and experience perfectly answer their needs. If you do, they may begin to suspect that you are merely claiming to have certain characteristics because you have read about their business. Instead, casually talk about your past jobs and experiences as a means of demonstrating the fact that YOU are the one person to meet their needs.

Addressing a group of graduating students in the spring of 2001, George W. Bush uttered the now infamous comment, “To all the C students, I say, ‘You, too, can be President of the United States.’” Bush supporters got a big chuckle out of the remark, as they felt it demonstrated the man’s sense of humor. For those detractors already convinced the former Texas Governor was a few brain cells short, the comment served as further evidence that the wrong presidential candidate was occupying the White House.

Regardless of which side of the political fence you reside, Bush’s comment opens the door to an important conversation: Should a person’s GPA really matter when they are applying for a job? Is it truly an accurate predictor of what kind of employee they will be?

Naturally, it depends who you ask. According to a CareerBuilder survey, just half of employers have a specific GPA requirement. Of those that do, 25 percent received a GPA of 3.0 or higher, while 12 percent required higher than a 3.5. Just 1 percent was looking for a perfect 4.0.

Some fields prize a high GPA more than others. These include accounting, nursing, and highly technical fields like engineering and computer science, where a mastery of the body of knowledge is necessary. Large companies which are likely to receive thousands of applications for each opening may look to GPAs to help them weed out less-desirable candidates.

Where you are in your career also matters. A recent graduate may be judged by their GPA simply because they don’t have much else for the employer to review. However, an experienced professional is far more likely to be judged on their experiences and accomplishments than a two- or three-decade-old GPA.

Increasingly, employers are looking to factors other than GPA when reviewing applicants. They are more interested in a potential employee’s relevant professional experience (including internships), portfolio, presentation skills, and writing skills. Time management is also a key indicator, as is how the employee learns, their ability to give and receive feedback, and their ability to apply theory to real-life situations.

Regardless of whether your GPA was stellar or lackluster, don’t leave it off an application if an employer asks for it. Such an omission will only lead them to assume the worst and you may find yourself eliminated from the running unnecessarily. Never inflate your GPA, although you can fudge things a bit by listing your Major GPA, rather than your overall GPA, as long as you designate it as such.

So the holidays are here and you’ve managed to snag a seasonal job. Congratulations! But don’t automatically assume you’ll be sent packing once the band has finished playing “Auld Lang Syne.” While seasonal gigs typically last only a few weeks, you could parlay your yuletide employment into a permanent position – if you play your cards right.

Here are a few tips that may help you make the transition from seasonal to year-round:

 1-     Be Punctual – It may seem like the most obvious advice in the world, but it can’t be stressed enough. Show up to your seasonal job on time every time. In fact, be early whenever you can. You never know when a holiday rush might strike or another employee may simply not show up.Holiday workers can be flighty, but you demonstrate yourself to be reliable, you will stand out as the kind of employee the company would benefit from hanging onto for the long haul.

2-     Be Flexible – Perhaps the most valued attribute of a seasonal employee is their willingness to roll with the flow. Make yourself available as much as you can. Day shifts, night shifts, be open to them all. And if your boss calls up, asking you to swap hours with another employee – or take on an extra shift, be sure to accept. There’s nothing more desirable than an agreeable employee.

3-     Be Cheerful – Depending on your outlook, working during the holidays is either a dream come true or Hell on earth. Some people thrive on the holiday cheer and end up being a pleasure to work with. Others grumble their way through every minute and make the whole experience miserable for co-workers and customers alike. Remember all the good things about the season, including the fact that you have a job, and let that good cheer come through in your attitude. Smile and strive to please everyone you come in contact with.

4-     Be Ambitious – Working holiday shifts can be exhausting. Sometimes, it’s all you can do to finish your shift, then go home and collapse. While you are still on the job, however, be sure to always go the extra mile. Look for ways you can help the business run smoother. Volunteer to mop the slushy, snowy floor. Offer to assist customers with packages. Politely tell your boss the sidewalk needs a little salt – and then ask if he would like you to take care of it. 

Seasonal employment is a great way to earn some extra money during the holidays, but it can also be a means of getting your foot in the door. If your goal is to turn a seasonal job into a permanent position, aim high and always give your best. Put in extra hours, be flexible, be friendly, and go the extra mile. Make yourself invaluable and you just may find yourself being asked to stay on after the holidays.

Forget everything you’ve heard about employees valuing raises above all else. It turns out most workers actually prize opportunities for advancement over greater compensation. 

A recent survey by Right Management, a subsidiary of ManPowerGroup, found that job seekers’ number one priority is the opportunity for advancement. When asked, “What is your highest priority in your next position?,” 27 percent of respondents cited a greater opportunity for advancement. Other responses included better management team (21 percent); more flexible work environment (21 percent); better compensation (17 percent); and less work pressure (14 percent). 

This is not a new trend. A survey conducted a decade ago byTMPWorldwide Inc. found that advancement opportunities were considered the greatest driver of employee satisfaction even then. From entry level to the management ranks, advancement opportunities trumped everything else. Interestingly, female respondents were more likely to cite advancement opportunities. (So much for men being more determined to climb the corporate ladder!) Men still considered a competitive salary to be a job’s most important attribute. 

Michael Haid, Right Management’s senior vice president for talent management, says his company’s findings mean that employees recognize that raises and bonuses may be few and far between in the current economy and that workers are willing to accept other recognition for their efforts. Afraid to jump ship, they feel trapped and cling to their current jobs, negatively impacting engagement. All the while, they long for opportunities, even within the same organization. 

Savvy employers will interpret the results as a signal that more attention should be paid to career pathing. It can also be beneficial to shuffle work teams, engage in cross-team training, and vary employees’ responsibilities. You may wish to use the annual review process to open a dialogue about growth and advancement opportunities. 

Whatever you do, endeavor to demonstrate a strong commitment to career development and counter the pervasive sense of career stagnation that can set in during economic tough times. Even as the economy remains shaky, those workers who don’t see a clear career path will be less likely to go above and beyond and give their all to the organization. 

As the recovery progresses and hiring picks up again, your best workers are more likely to jump ship if they don’t see opportunities to advance where they are currently. So take advantage of these findings and identify ways you can help your workers to advance within the organization. It won’t cost you much and it will go a lot further than raises in terms of engaging the workforce.