Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

I recently read two discussions about company policies on employees’ grooming standards and social media. I believe they both deserve our attention, especially if we are working in the service sector. The first one is about a company’s guidelines on employee dress codes and grooming standards. Today, there are more people wearing tattoos and piercings than before. It is found that 32% of those between 25 and 29 wear at least one tattoo . Does this mean more companies will allow employees to uncover their tattoos and piercings at work? I doubt it. Based on my own research on hospitality recruiters’ expectations of job candidates and my work experience in the industry, I believe the service industry is still very conservative in dress codes and very strict on employees’ grooming standards. The question is: What policy is deemed appropriate in the work place? According to a recent report in the HR Magazine, strict work place dress codes may raise legal issues, especially wh...

Can a job candidate with exceptional analytical skills set him/her apart from the sea of applicants? Furthermore, will good analytical skills be able to help people advance their career? According to Julie Martin, the Controller and Director of Operations at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center ¹:    Analytical skills are very important. Sometimes, it equals to “smart” even though there are smart people who might not have good analytical skills. … People with good analytical skills will be able to present their arguments with numbers and facts, which makes their statements more convincing. … Besides “numbers,” analytical skills can also be referred to a person’s ability of analyzing a complex issue and identifying the possible solutions to the problem(s). Julie’s words remind me a qualitative study of mine in 2011 , in which I asked a group of hospitality recruiters: “What intellectual skills are important in hiring a hospitality senior? ...