Health and Human Services Professional Development

Professor and Supervisor Fraud?! Yes, there are Stupid Questions. by   Jill Bowers   on   August 26, 2013   When teaching classes or leading groups, I often say, “there is no such thing as a stupid question.” I say this to make sure that everyone feels comfortable, and I very much appreciate questions that imply that students or members of the audience are critically thinking about what I have talked about, that they want to learn more, or that they want to ask one more burning question so they can take the information I have discussed, research some on their own, and go out and solve the problems of the world! Yet, please know that there are, in fact, many stupid questions. I walk into every new class with the utmost respect for students and enthusiasm for getting to teach and work with them. At the same time, there are questions that kill me and I want to say, “Of course, you did not miss anything because I don’t generally prepare for this class and we also ...

Impression Management and the Power of Your Handshake by   Constance Harriet, Guest Author   on   August 25, 2014   From previous experience, I have learned that the first impression can make a significant impact on the tone of the rest of a job interview. It has also been documented that handshakes influence first impressions; see our  Power of a Handshake  article. Indeed, handshakes can influence whether the people we meet trust, like, or want to work with us. Bernieri and Petty (2011) took this a step further and examined the links between impressions and perceived traits that convey something about one’s professional work ethic. These researchers found that a well-rehearsed handshake can convey traits such as conscientiousness and extroversion without using words.  Employers who are looking for employees that are detailed-oriented and thoughtful about their work may look for employees who reveal conscientiousness in their handshake, wherea...