Amazon’s secret hiring weapon, the best way to get promoted, and more top insights (2024)

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation.

You have better social skills than you think. In social situations, especially ones with new people, we have a tendency to turn inward. We become so fixated on ourselves that we end up not paying attention to the conversation we’re having. But it’s not that we lack social prowess —"it’s that our inhibitions get in the way,” author and psychologist Ellen Hendriksen tells The Verge. The solution? Make an effort to focus on the people you’re with, and you’ll come across as calmer and more likable. • Share your thoughts: #SocialSkillsRecipe

Meet Amazon’s talent whisperer

When Amazon wants an extra dose of hiring wisdom, it turns to Bettina Stix. The former journalist has been at the company since 2001, where she has interviewed more than 1,000 job candidates. In Amazon's lingo, she's a “bar raiser,” helping to ensure the company keeps improving its talent pool. Stix shared these tips about the best ways to make interviews — and careers — pay off.— George Anders, Editor at Large, LinkedIn • Join the conversation: #LinkedInTopCompanies

• On interviewing: “I am going in with a lot of curiosity. I really want to intrinsically learn about that person. It’s never good to have preconceived opinion. I want to give everybody the best chance at showing whatever they feel they can represent. If a candidate fears me, I have won nothing.”
• On thinking big: “In order to think big, you have to think small first. You have to invent and simplify first. You have to be right a lot first, you have to show ownership first, you have to deliver something first.”
• On launching new products: “Don't try to over-solve. If you try to build the product that you want to launch in five years, you will be wrong. In five years, the world is a different planet. Solve the problem you think you can reasonably solve in the timeframe of when you want to go to market with it."

In LinkedIn's latest analysis of the Top Companies to work for in the United States, Amazon ranks No. 1. To learn more about the company's unique culture, and the way it brings new recruits on board, see this in-depth report.

The latest wellness benefit? Cutting healthcare confusion. While on-site yoga classes and gym reimbursem*nt are nice, employers are realizing that workers are in dire need of help navigating the U.S. health care maze, especially when they’re dealing with medical emergencies, reports LinkedIn’s Jaimy Lee. A growing number of employers have hired healthcare coordinators to help employees make sense of their benefits, and their bills. • Share your thoughts: #HealthCareHelpers

You Asked: “I’m interviewing for a high-level position that’s currently being filled by an interim person. This person has been in this position for about eight months now but has no technical knowledge of the job. I, on the other hand, have been with the company for almost 10 years and know all the stakeholders, technical jargon, and have worked my way up from being an intern. How do I make myself stand out?” — Anonymous • Join the conversation: #LandThatPromotion

• “Ask yourself two questions: “Why did this person get put in the interim role instead of me?” And, “Why are they opening the position up for others to apply?” Your goal in the interview is to articulate your strengths to address those concerns. That way, without talking negatively about the current person in the role, you can sell your value.” —

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

The gender pay gap even extends to expense reports. A survey of 2,000 UK workers found that men reported an average of £199 in expenses per month, but women only claimed £76. It’s likely that women are opting to cover their costs, and they may be given fewer opportunities for business travel, Quartz reports. Women were also more likely to say that their expenses were too small to justify expensing or that they felt embarrassed asking for reimbursem*nt. • Share your thoughts: #ExpenseReportGap

One last idea: Even for experienced workers, rising up the corporate ladder can feel like playing a game of chance. But author and HR consultant Lou Adler tells LinkedIn that the best way to signal your desire to rise is to start raising your hand.

“The best way to get promoted is to volunteer for projects no one else wants. If you do this once or twice and are successful you’ll be recognized as someone who wants to get ahead.”

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

— Scott Olster / Share this using #DailyRundown