By Holly McCarthy

With the economy’s recent downturn, the job market is tighter than ever before.  The ability to stand out among your competitors is, therefore, all the more important because of this fact.  Taking a few extra steps through the process of finding the right job and the interview process is of the utmost importance to ensure that you have the highest possible chance of success.  What follows is a brief list of things you can do to stand out from the crowd of job seekers in the current job market. 

Do Your Homework

Before you even start the application process, certain things need to be in order.  Research the job(s) you are applying for and make sure that you are well-versed in what the position entails.  Learn everything you can about what you will need to do if you are hired.  Figure out your deficiencies and rectify them.  Once you have done all this, get specific in your cover letter and make sure your resume is up to date. 

Be a Potential Asset

What you want to do is create a sense of desire to have you as part of the staff within the person who will be interviewing you.  How do you do this?  It all comes down to your cover letter and resume once again, and how you have presented yourself.  You need to showcase who you are without boasting, which leads us to…

Highlight Your Successes and Achievements Without Boasting

This is practically an art form, so get professional help if necessary.  It would be preferable to show chronologically, if at all possible, your track record of achievements, successes, awards, etc., in a way that displays your growth over time without expressing conceit.

Constantly Improve Yourself

Continue learning industry-standard best practices and software to show that you are someone who stays ahead of the curve.  This proves in action, not words, that you are goal and career-oriented, and that you don’t need someone to tell you when it’s time to get acquainted with something new.  You are a proactive professional dedicated to your chosen field.

Take Control of the Interview

Be confident and commanding when you get in front of your future employer.  Show him or her that you can take charge.  Rather than simply answering their questions, have a conversation related to the questions they are asking you.  Don’t be obnoxious, but be engaging.  Ask pertinent questions about the job and the industry, which goes back to doing your homework.  Be sure to stand out above the rest and you’re sure to get the job you want.

Administration in institutions of higher education can be a challenging endeavor to say the least.  Everything, just as in a business, is based on results.  In this constantly fluctuating world, one of the few things that takes longer to change is education.  Public education is the perfect case-in-point example of this. 

In higher education, assessing the needs of everyone involved can seem like an insurmountable task, yet using data to make these tough decisions can be exactly what one needs to effect change.  What follows is a brief list of uses for data when it comes to evaluating these changes.

Evaluating Teacher Performance

Near the close of each semester, it is standard procedure at most colleges and universities for students to evaluate their professors.  Certainly, this can be a great tool for learning what the consensus is regarding certain teachers; however, these evaluations are very subjective and therefore not good tools for evaluating instructors.

On the other hand, these evaluations can help draw attention to professors and instructors whose track records with student need to be evaluated.  Taking a look at the pass/fail ration of certain classes can help bring useful information to light.  In the case of certain classes and teacher, various adjustments may need to be made.

Evaluating Student Performance

Another very important aspect of decision making in higher education is how well or poorly students are doing.   Graduation and retention rates are very important, and assessing the requirements of degree plans, the efficacy of required courses, and the grades in said courses can be just what’s necessary to take appropriate action.

Changes in Tuition and Fees

Each year, tuition and fees need to be adjusted based on many different factors.  From parking permits to paper used in computer labs, data must be collected and crunched to see where areas of surplus and lack are hiding in the final numbers.  Although raising prices isn’t always popular, it’s something that must be done in order to cover the rising costs of higher education.  Luckily, using data to back up these decisions helps keep the detractors at bay.