NEWS

8 Red Flags to Look Out for in the Interview Process

Published

5 years ago

November 26, 2019

Everyone knows that interviews can be a very stressful experience. You have worked really hard to get to this stage and it can be easy to turn a blind eye to many of the red flags that the interviewer or company is displaying. It is very important to take this opportunity to interview your potential employer as well, not just allow them to ask all of the questions. The end goal of your career search should be getting hired by an employer in a role that fits you best. As you make your way through various interview processes, here are 8 red flags to watch out for that signal this may not be the best employer for you:

1. They don’t get you an answer to all of your questions or don’t let you ask any questions in the interview.

Interviewing is a two-way street and should be treated that way. You should always have the opportunity to interview your potential employer so that you can make sure whether it is the right fit for you. All interviewers should make time for questions at the end of each interview, and if time runs over, offer the opportunity to ask questions over email. You should never be left with questions throughout each step of the interview process and especially when you are facing that potential offer letter. If you haven’t gotten an answer to one of your questions, don’t sign the offer letter until you do. You should feel comfortable with the potential employer as you advance throughout the process. If you don’t feel comfortable, it may be time to walk away from the interview process.

2. They ask you about your salary history.

In some states, this is even illegal! Employers shouldn’t ask about your salary history as it shouldn’t have any relevance to the role that you are applying. Each employer should have a salary range in mind for each role to ensure that they are keeping to their own budget and also to make sure that they are paying employees equally relative to their different experience levels. I would make sure that you have your own acceptable salary range in mind, including all of the benefit variables as well, but don’t hesitate to redirect these questions towards what you are wanting from the new role.

3. The interviewer seems disengaged or not paying attention.

Have you ever been in an interview where it seems like the interviewer is only partially there? That is definitely a major red flag! Employers should take you and your time seriously and also the hiring process in general. Hiring is a major investment for all employers and not treating it as such can be a big mistake. Your interviewer should be present with you and treat you as one of the most important parts of their day (because you should be)! You are taking time away from your current role, job search time, or the many other things you could be doing

4. They don’t give you a timeline to hear back.

An employer should always give you a timeline to hear back especially after you have spent time on them by interviewing whether on the phone or in person. They should give you some idea of when you should hear back from them. They should then follow up with you in that time period, whether it is with no news or some news. Your potential employer should always be timely with their follow up responses. Employers should value your time and also try to ease any questions of when you will receive an answer of continuing the interview process.

5. They should always outline next steps and be transparent with you!

At the beginning of the process or after your first few steps, the potential employer should outline the interviewing steps to come as well as the timeline they are looking to hire in. All employers should have their interview process built out prior to candidates entering the picture. If they don’t, that should be a concerning sign as they haven’t thought through all of the pieces required to find the best person for their role. Most employers should have a rough idea of when they are looking to hire their open roles and they should be forthcoming with that information to you. You wouldn’t want to be waiting around for weeks or even months without any idea of when the final steps of the interview process will be. They should also let you know where you are at in the process, whether they are two more interviews to go through or a potential position assessment. The interview process should be communicated with you and you should have an idea of what is to come!

6. They don’t treat you like a human.

All employers are human and they should also treat you with the same respect. There are many different activities going on in everyone’s lives at once so employers should be flexible with how and when they are scheduled. If you are sick, please cancel your interview. You want to be able to bring your best self into the interview and it is very hard to do so when you are sick. If your potential employer isn’t okay with canceling the interview process, then that is a huge red flag. Please keep in mind that you should be as transparent and upfront as possible communicating your needs as soon as possible. If you are transparent and upfront, employers should be willing to make accommodations when they can.

7. Employers are not able to identify goals to accomplish for the new role.

Any employer should be able to tell you what goals that the role is working towards within their first 90 days and beyond. These goals help set the expectations for you once you would start in that role and it can be hard to start working somewhere without knowledge of these starting points. It should be a major red flag for you as the interviewee, because if you were to be hired, what are you going to be aiming at doing? These goals also help determine how your performance will be measured. How will you know how well you’re performing without something to measure it against? Without these goals, it is hard to imagine what an employer’s onboarding process would be like.

8. You are not interviewed by a variety of your potential team members.

This is your time to get to know your potential workplace and potential new team members. Employers should incorporate potential peers for this role into the interview to not only give you an idea of who works there, but it also gives them the opportunity to get to know you as well. As mentioned, interviewing is a two-way street. If employers don’t include your peers in the interview process, how are you supposed to get a good idea of the workplace culture and also a good idea of what your potential new team works on? I would include this as a flag because if they are not including their team into the hiring process, you have to wonder why they are avoiding introducing you to potential teammates.

Final Thoughts

You should be taking notes throughout the interview process and be on the lookout for warning signs that the company you are interviewing with may not be the best fit. Like I said before, interviewing is a two-way street and it allows you the opportunity to get a sneak peek of what it is like within the company that you are interviewing with and also what it would be like to work in the role. It can be difficult to switch roles, careers, or even just to start your career in a role that the company is not transparent with you throughout the interview process. These decisions are not made lightly. If you see any of these red flags, it may be time to end the interview process with that company. If you do end up turning a blind eye to these red flags, you may end up regretting your decision later, once you have spent a few months at your new employer.

Are you currently searching for a new job in digital marketing? Check out the PPC Hero Job Board for open positions around the country.

PPChero.com

NEWS

OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models

Published

2 months ago

August 21, 2024

Max

OpenAI Introduces Fine-Tuning for GPT-4 and Enabling Customized AI Models

OpenAI has today announced the release of fine-tuning capabilities for its flagship GPT-4 large language model, marking a significant milestone in the AI landscape. This new functionality empowers developers to create tailored versions of GPT-4 to suit specialized use cases, enhancing the model’s utility across various industries.

Fine-tuning has long been a desired feature for developers who require more control over AI behavior, and with this update, OpenAI delivers on that demand. The ability to fine-tune GPT-4 allows businesses and developers to refine the model’s responses to better align with specific requirements, whether for customer service, content generation, technical support, or other unique applications.

Why Fine-Tuning Matters

GPT-4 is a very flexible model that can handle many different tasks. However, some businesses and developers need more specialized AI that matches their specific language, style, and needs. Fine-tuning helps with this by letting them adjust GPT-4 using custom data. For example, companies can train a fine-tuned model to keep a consistent brand tone or focus on industry-specific language.

Fine-tuning also offers improvements in areas like response accuracy and context comprehension. For use cases where nuanced understanding or specialized knowledge is crucial, this can be a game-changer. Models can be taught to better grasp intricate details, improving their effectiveness in sectors such as legal analysis, medical advice, or technical writing.

Key Features of GPT-4 Fine-Tuning

The fine-tuning process leverages OpenAI’s established tools, but now it is optimized for GPT-4’s advanced architecture. Notable features include:

Enhanced Customization: Developers can precisely influence the model’s behavior and knowledge base.
Consistency in Output: Fine-tuned models can be made to maintain consistent formatting, tone, or responses, essential for professional applications.
Higher Efficiency: Compared to training models from scratch, fine-tuning GPT-4 allows organizations to deploy sophisticated AI with reduced time and computational cost.

Additionally, OpenAI has emphasized ease of use with this feature. The fine-tuning workflow is designed to be accessible even to teams with limited AI experience, reducing barriers to customization. For more advanced users, OpenAI provides granular control options to achieve highly specialized outputs.

Implications for the Future

The launch of fine-tuning capabilities for GPT-4 signals a broader shift toward more user-centric AI development. As businesses increasingly adopt AI, the demand for models that can cater to specific business needs, without compromising on performance, will continue to grow. OpenAI’s move positions GPT-4 as a flexible and adaptable tool that can be refined to deliver optimal value in any given scenario.

By offering fine-tuning, OpenAI not only enhances GPT-4’s appeal but also reinforces the model’s role as a leading AI solution across diverse sectors. From startups seeking to automate niche tasks to large enterprises looking to scale intelligent systems, GPT-4’s fine-tuning capability provides a powerful resource for driving innovation.

OpenAI announced that fine-tuning GPT-4o will cost $25 for every million tokens used during training. After the model is set up, it will cost $3.75 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens. To help developers get started, OpenAI is offering 1 million free training tokens per day for GPT-4o and 2 million free tokens per day for GPT-4o mini until September 23. This makes it easier for developers to try out the fine-tuning service.

As AI continues to evolve, OpenAI’s focus on customization and adaptability with GPT-4 represents a critical step in making advanced AI accessible, scalable, and more aligned with real-world applications. This new capability is expected to accelerate the adoption of AI across industries, creating a new wave of AI-driven solutions tailored to specific challenges and opportunities.

GOOGLE

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Published

4 months ago

June 30, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:

1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update

Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.

2. Changes to Google Search Interface

Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.

3. New Features and Tests

Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.

4. Search Rankings and Quality

Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.

5. Advice for Content Creators

Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.

6. New Search Features in Google Chrome

Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.

7. New Tests and Features in Google Search

Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.

8. Bing’s New Feature

Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.

9. Local Search Ranking Factors

Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.

10. Google Ads Updates

Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.

These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.

FACEBOOK

Facebook Faces Yet Another Outage: Platform Encounters Technical Issues Again

Published

7 months ago

March 20, 2024

Max

Uppdated: It seems that today’s issues with Facebook haven’t affected as many users as the last time. A smaller group of people appears to be impacted this time around, which is a relief compared to the larger incident before. Nevertheless, it’s still frustrating for those affected, and hopefully, the issues will be resolved soon by the Facebook team.

Facebook had another problem today (March 20, 2024). According to Downdetector, a website that shows when other websites are not working, many people had trouble using Facebook.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has had issues. Just a little while ago, there was another problem that stopped people from using the site. Today, when people tried to use Facebook, it didn’t work like it should. People couldn’t see their friends’ posts, and sometimes the website wouldn’t even load.

Downdetector, which watches out for problems on websites, showed that lots of people were having trouble with Facebook. People from all over the world said they couldn’t use the site, and they were not happy about it.

When websites like Facebook have problems, it affects a lot of people. It’s not just about not being able to see posts or chat with friends. It can also impact businesses that use Facebook to reach customers.

Since Facebook owns Messenger and Instagram, the problems with Facebook also meant that people had trouble using these apps. It made the situation even more frustrating for many users, who rely on these apps to stay connected with others.

During this recent problem, one thing is obvious: the internet is always changing, and even big websites like Facebook can have problems. While people wait for Facebook to fix the issue, it shows us how easily things online can go wrong. It’s a good reminder that we should have backup plans for staying connected online, just in case something like this happens again.