Michelle Zhibing Zhou, 15, writes about a Science article highlighting new research that “sent ripples throughout the leech research community and shivers down my spine.”
Ace your interviews with ChatGPT using this CEO-approved process
Last week, we took a quick break from our various skills series to spotlight digital marketing careers. Please remember you can always submit your requests for our next career spotlight in the comment section—we appreciate your input!
This week, we’re returning to our exploration of practical AI skills. You’ve already used GenAI tools to refine your goals and enhance your resume. Now, let’s move on to the next stage of the job search process: preparing for interviews.
By now, you’re likely pretty comfortable following the typical reflection and research advice when it comes to preparing for interviews. You may even have outlines for your responses to common interview questions. But now, with tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini at our fingertips, it’s easier than ever to tailor your interview prep to the exact role and company you’re interviewing with.
In the most recent episode of The Coursera Podcast, Jeff Maggioncalda shares insights on how he uses GenAI in his role as Coursera’s CEO. In one enlightening snippet, he revealed how he uses these tools when he’s interviewing job candidates for top leadership positions here at Coursera:
“If I’m going to interview somebody, I’m not going to say, ‘Should I hire the person?’ But what I will say is, ‘Here’s the job spec for a VP-level position that I’m interviewing for, here’s the person’s LinkedIn profile, here’s a description of Coursera, and these are the three things that I really want to investigate the most about this person. Generate five questions I should ask them in order to do that.’”
Let’s take Jeff’s process and flip it so that you, as the job candidate, can anticipate the types of questions you may encounter during your next interviews.
How to use ChatGPT to prepare for interviews
Jeff’s process for using ChatGPT as a thought partner has two key steps:
- Input your context into the GenAI tool.
- Prompt the GenAI tool to use your context in answering a specific question.
You can learn more about this process and get hands-on practice in Jeff’s one-hour course, Use Generative AI as Your Thought Partner. If you want to strengthen your GenAI capabilities, this is a great course for building practical, replicable skills.
To jump right into the process, you will need:
- The job description—including the job responsibilities, role requirements, and company description
- Your resume
Following the process, first you’ll input your context. Context is essentially any information that the GenAI tool needs in order to answer your question. In this case, that’s the complete job description and your resume.
To input the job description, try this prompt:
Read the following job description and reply “I understand the context,” but do not explain:
[Copy and paste the job description]
Follow the same process with your resume. In both instances, the GenAI tool should reply simply, “I understand the context.”
Next, prompt the tool to write job-relevant interview questions. Try this prompt:
Act as a hiring manager for the position described in the job description. Write five relevant interview questions for a candidate with the above resume.
You can also use the GenAI tool to explore other areas of your candidacy. For example, you can anticipate your perceived strengths and weaknesses by prompting:
What are some of the candidate’s potential strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to this role?
Consider the output ChatGPT or Gemini offer, then work through answering the practice questions and addressing potential weaknesses using the same interview prep skills you’ve built over time.
Keep practicing
To practice foundational prompting skills, Jeff’s one-hour course Use Generative AI as Your Thought Partner is a helpful starting point. If you enjoy hearing his perspective and want to learn more about how business leaders are thinking about GenAI, try his longer course, Navigating Generative AI: A CEO Playbook.
To deepen your understanding of GenAI, check out DeepLearning.AI’s Generative AI for Everyone. Here, you’ll learn more about how these tools work and the types of tasks they are best suited for.
To refresh your interviewing skills, try the University of Maryland, College Park’s Advanced Interviewing Techniques. In this course, you’ll learn strategies for framing your answers to common interview questions.
We’ll pause here for this week. Next time, we’ll explore another transferable technical skill.
LMS and a Shoestring L&D Budget: Making the Impossible, Possible
It is common knowledge that traditional training methods fail woefully in the fast-changing business world, leading to a widespread call for transformative learning in enterprises.
The World Economic Forum reports that technology-driven disruptions will cause a structural labour market churn by 2028. The total expected job movement, including the creation of new roles and the destruction of existing ones, represents 23% of the current workforce. The report predicts a net decrease of 14 million jobs, or 2% of current employment, by 2027.
In addition, employers estimate that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years. Big data analytics, climate change and environmental management technologies, encryption, and cybersecurity may be the biggest drivers of job growth. Cognitive skills, such as complex problem-solving, are reportedly growing more quickly in importance. However, there is a lack of upskilling and reskilling, signalling an urgent need for Learning and Development (L&D) to evolve into a strategic business function in partnership with an appropriate LMS (Learning Management System).
Why an LMS is L&D’s Perfect Partner
- Personalisation: An AI-powered LMS analyses employee data and curates personalised learning journeys that address skill gaps and boost engagement.
- Accessibility: Cloud-based LMS platforms allow learning anytime and anywhere, which enhances employee flexibility.
- Gamification: Interactive elements like gamified content make learning engaging and effective.
- Collaboration: Discussion forums foster collaborative learning.
Shoestring Budget? Consider Free LMS Options
While there are premium LMS solutions, a highly rated LMS platform, such as Alison’s Free LMS, best suits a shoestring budget; our platform allows your organisation to boost employee experience, retention, and productivity by offering all the essential features without breaking the bank.
Why Alison’s Free LMS
Our Free LMS is a powerful tool for organisations seeking to provide high-quality training and development programmes without breaking the bank. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, it makes it possible to create and deliver engaging courses, track learner progress, and measure the impact of your L&D initiatives, all while staying within a tight budget.
In addition, Alison’s Free LMS offers a range of tools to simplify the course creation process. Its intuitive course builder lets you easily upload and organise your training materials, including videos, documents, and interactive assessments. The platform’s built-in content authoring tools allow you to create engaging, multimedia-rich courses without needing specialised skills or expensive software.
The success of your L&D programme depends heavily on its ability to keep the learners engaged. Our Free LMS provides a range of features to help you create an immersive learning experience. From gamification elements like badges and leaderboards to social learning tools that encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing, the platform enables you to foster a sense of community and motivation among your learners.
Measuring the effectiveness of your L&D initiatives is essential for demonstrating the value of your programme and making data-driven decisions. Alison’s Free LMS offers comprehensive tracking and reporting features that allow you to monitor learner progress, completion rates, and performance on assessments. The data can help you identify areas for improvement, tailor your training to suit individual needs and show stakeholders the effect of your L&D efforts.
As your organisation grows and your training needs evolve, it’s essential to have an LMS that can scale with you. Alison’s Free LMS is designed to accommodate organisations of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. The platform’s cloud-based architecture ensures that your courses are accessible from anywhere, on any device, making it easy for learners to use your training programmes at their convenience.
Perhaps the most significant advantage Alison can offer your organisation is its cost-effectiveness. By providing a feature-rich platform for free, Alison enables organisations on a shoestring L&D budget to invest in their employees’ development without draining valuable resources from other business areas. Thus, even the smallest organisations with the tightest budgets can provide high-quality training and development opportunities for their teams.
Key Features That Make Alison’s Free LMS an Excellent Choice for Organisations on a Shoestring Budget
- Cost-Effective: As the name suggests, it’s completely free! Your organisation doesn’t need to deal with subscription fees or hidden costs. No implementation fees mean you can allocate your resources toward meaningful training initiatives rather than administrative overheads. In addition, you can onboard an unlimited number of employees onto the platform at no cost, ensuring equal access to training resources for everyone in your organisation.
- User-Friendly Interface: Alison’s LMS is intuitive and easy to navigate, making it accessible for all employees. The streamlined set-up process can get your L&D programme up and running within five minutes without requiring extensive technical expertise.
- Course Creation and Management: Your organisation can access Alison’s extensive library of over 5,000 free courses covering various topics, from business and technology to healthcare and soft skills development. You can also create classes tailored to suit your employees’ needs, upload content, and manage learning materials efficiently.
- Certification and Badges: Your employees can earn certificates and badges upon course completion, which will motivate them to learn continuously.
Mobile Compatibility: Alison’s Free LMS works seamlessly on mobile devices, allowing learning anytime, anywhere. - Valuable Analytics: You will have access to data and analytics that will allow you to track your learners’ progress and evaluate the programme’s effectiveness.
- Live Virtual Support: As part of the Free LMS, Alison provides your organisation with dedicated LMS Advisory Support teams around the clock for assistance and guidance. You can rest assured that your administrators and learners will have a seamless learning experience.
In today’s dynamic business environment, investing in employee development is more critical than ever. However, many organisations struggle to implement effective L&D programmes due to budget constraints.
Alison’s Free LMS offers an attractive solution to this universal challenge. Its powerful, cost-effective platform enables organisations to create and deliver engaging training programmes that drive employee growth and organisational success without incurring extreme costs for implementation, user licences, or course content.
L&D professionals can make the impossible possible by leveraging Alison’s free LMS features and benefits. Continuous learning is within reach, even on a shoestring budget!
New Food Blog Designs: Maya & Kendal
Drumroll, please! We’re thrilled to announce the launch of two brand-new food blog designs: Maya and Kendal. Crafted with the modern food blogger in mind, these themes are packed with features to help you showcase your culinary creations in style.
Whether you’re a seasoned recipe developer or just starting out, Maya and Kendal offer the perfect canvas for your food blog. Get ready to elevate your online presence with these fresh, minimalist designs.
Introducing Maya for WordPress users
Maya is a stunning WordPress theme designed specifically for food bloggers and creators. Its clean, minimalist aesthetic, featuring a vibrant pink and orange color palette against a crisp white and grey backdrop, creates a modern and inviting feel. Maya’s standout feature is its customizable homepage, offering various sections to beautifully showcase your delicious recipes.
Plus, a dedicated recipe index makes it easy for visitors to explore your culinary creations.
Styled homepage, blog, recipe index & more!
Curious how Maya can elevate your food blog? Dive into our live demo and discover a world of stunning design possibilities. From the homepage that grabs attention to the blog format that highlights your recipes, it’s the perfect fit for food lovers.
If you need help with WordPress or domain set up – I’m here for you! Send me an e-mail or contact via social media for free consultations.
Installation Included
Once you make a purchase, I’ll get to work creating a preview of your new design with all the changes you’ve requested.
Once you’ve given the preview the green light, I’ll install and set it up on your WordPress website – and don’t worry, this is already included in the design price, so no extra charges!
With Maya, you can create a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge and impress your visitors with its sleek and modern design.
Introducing Kendal: The Perfect Food Blog Template
Kendal is a sleek and minimalist blog template designed specifically for food bloggers on the Blogger platform. With a focus on clean lines and ample white space, Kendal provides a modern canvas to showcase your culinary creations. Its standout feature is a large search bar prominently displayed under the menu, making it easy for visitors to find their favorite recipes.
Fully editable & customizable
Don’t let the simplicity fool you! Kendal is fully editable and customizable, allowing you to tailor it to your unique brand voice. Play with fonts, colors, and layouts to make Kendal your own. Plus, it boasts a responsive design that adapts flawlessly to any device, ensuring your blog looks stunning on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Want to see it in action?
Head over to our live demo and experience the magic of Kendal for yourself!
‘The more you know about something the less scary it is’: The Week 7 Winner of Our Summer Reading Contest
Michelle Zhibing Zhou, 15, writes about a Science article highlighting new research that “sent ripples throughout the leech research community and shivers down my spine.”
Word of the Day: incinerate
This word has appeared in five articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
How 7 Codecademy Learners Stay Motivated & Reach New Goals
When it comes to learning a new skill like coding, finding the motivation to keep going (especially when you feel stuck or frustrated) is often the biggest hurdle. Scroll through posts on our community platform, and you’ll see that motivation is a hot topic. Learners at every stage of their journey — from seasoned devs who are upskilling to absolute newbies — want to know how to find and maintain motivation.
We just launched a new skill progress feature that’s designed to help you stay motivated. Now you can earn skill XP by completing course content and use it to track progress, celebrate milestones, and reach new targets.
Learners have devised some creative ways to push themselves to set and achieve new goals. Ahead we’re sharing some of the standout advice we’ve heard from learners in our community about how to stay motivated when you’re learning to code. Be sure to read more stories about learners in our Codecademy community and get involved with the World Coding Games, kicking off today.
Learn something new for free
7 tips for staying motivated while learning to code
Tip #1: Start small
Consider adopting a “little and often” approach, says Codecademy learner Lizzie Gardiner. Start by setting clear, achievable goals and break them down into smaller, manageable tasks. Create a schedule that allows you to dedicate a consistent amount of time each day to working on these tasks; even if you only have 10 minutes a day, the time can add up.
Lizzie kept a detailed record of her personal progress and learning schedule in a spreadsheet. With the new skill progress feature, we’ll automatically log your skill XP across subjects. You’ll get an organized look at how far you’ve come right on your dashboard.
Tip #2: Apply it to your daily life
Focus on choosing skills that are directly applicable to your life or job. For starters, think about areas where technical skills could enhance your performance or make your tasks more efficient. Codecademy learner Mathijs Gaastra shifted from web development to data science programming languages, which helped him land a job at a startup. Now, he’s creating a patient database for researchers and gets to learn database technology on the job. “I’m super motivated because I can apply what I learn directly to my work,” he says.
By concentrating on relevant and useful skills, you’ll see the tangible benefits of your efforts in your day-to-day activities. Another bonus? You can integrate learning seamlessly into your routine, which makes your professional life more rewarding. If you’re not sure what to learn, read this blog about how professional devs are upskilling.
Tip #3: Meet other motivated people
Having a circle of supportive friends helped Codecademy learner Jenni Park commit to learning to code. “My friends are also very driven and career-oriented, so it helps to be surrounded by that,” she says. Her friends are all in different fields, but they would get together on days off to work simultaneously on upskilling, job applications, or learning something new.
Looking for other learners to connect with? Be sure to check out our community spaces where you can meet learners around the world, get feedback on projects or coursework, attend events, and build your network. Introduce yourself and see how other learners can inspire and support your own goals.
Tip #4: Get recognized at work
As a Research Scientist, Joshua Lange needed a way to quickly and efficiently complete computations. So, he learned Python for data science with Codecademy. “What used to take me an hour or two on a Friday now takes 15 seconds and is fully automated,” he says. “I love it, and my boss is really happy.”
Whether you want to be promoted or take on more responsibility, talk to your team leader about your individual goals and discuss how learning technical skills can help. Your company might pay for your Codecademy membership and allow you to dedicate work time to learning. “Even if you’re not seeking a career change, skilling up within your current job is such an asset,” Joshua says.
Tip #5: Set weekly milestones
Establishing weekly goals is a simple way to keep yourself on track, says Codecademy learner Franklin Méndez. For example, try to complete a particular lesson or chapter by the end of the week. Aim for comprehension, not just completion: “It wasn’t enough to only finish it, but I had to understand it,” he says. “Sometimes the milestones got pushed a week.” With our self-paced courses and paths, you’re totally in charge of your learning schedule, so be flexible. (Remember you can always adjust your Codecademy weekly learning target in the settings section.)
Tip #6: Don’t compare and despair
While it’s natural to look up to skilled individuals (like iconic programmers or Codecademy learners with uplifting stories) it’s important to remember that everyone progresses at their own pace. Focus on your own journey and set personal goals that are meaningful to you, rather than using others’ achievements as a benchmark for your own progress, says Abigail Matibag, a Codecademy learner and Administrative Assistant.
Our new skill progress feature is a great way for you to concentrate on your personal growth and celebrate your own milestones. Your skill XP are private, so only you can see your skill progress — even if you’re competing in the World Coding Games. Remind yourself that learning is a unique experience for everyone, and your biggest competition is you!
Have fun (seriously!)
We often hear from learners who start coding out of curiosity and then stick at it because they love the mental challenge — like completing a crossword puzzle or playing a game. That’s what happened for Stina Niemann, a Software Business Analyst who loves puzzles. “I really enjoyed the goofy and playful approach to learning,” she says. “I developed a habit of dedicating 30 minutes to an hour every morning before work to learning.”
Set aside specific times to focus on coding, perhaps after completing your daily tasks or in the evenings when you have some down time. When you treat coding like fun, you can transform it from a daunting task into an enjoyable activity that you look forward to.
Whether you’re looking to break into a new career, build your technical skills, or just code for fun, we’re here to help every step of the way. Check out our blog post about how to choose the best Codecademy plan for you to learn about our structured courses, professional certifications, interview prep resources, career services, and more.
Now You Can Earn Skill XP in Codecademy Courses & Paths — Here’s How
If you’re someone who thrives on seeing tangible progress and loves a little friendly competition, you’re in for a treat. We’re excited to introduce our skill progress feature, a dynamic way to track your learning milestones and stay motivated.
Now you can earn skill XP (short for “experience points”) by completing content items in courses and paths. With this feature integrated into your Codecademy learning routine, you’ll experience the thrill of leveling up just like in your favorite video games.
We know it can be tough to measure success when you’re learning something new. Skill XP is another tool that you can use to keep an eye on your learning progress, watch your growth unfold, celebrate milestones, and reach for new targets. Not to mention, we’re launching our first World Coding Games, a challenge where you can compete for exclusive prizes.
Enter the World Coding Games, and commit to learning and collecting skill XP from now until 11:59pm ET on August 12. Whoever gathers the most XP will earn the prestigious title of World Coding Games Champion and win awesome prizes including a professional resume review with a Senior Hiring Manager, three years of free Pro access, and more. The top 50 participants will also receive official placement certificates, a 65% discount on Pro, and other exciting rewards.
Here’s what you need to know about skill XP, how to earn XP, and what you’ll be able to do with your winnings.
Learn something new for free
What are skill XP?
If you’re a gamer, you’re probably familiar with the concept of XP in video games. XP are used to measure and reward a player’s advancement and expertise. You typically earn XP by completing various tasks in a game (like defeating enemies or finishing quests). As you accumulate XP, your character might level up and unlock new abilities within the game. Essentially, XP acts as a progress tracker and incentive.
We created skill XP for similar reasons — this feature is another way to measure your progress as you gain new skills. It’s also just plain fun to rack up XP and keep yourself motivated. See your transformation from novice to proficient in a skill with a clear, visual representation. As you watch your progress unfold in a tangible way, you might find yourself more motivated to keep learning and stay dedicated to mastering new skills.
How can you earn skill XP on Codecademy?
You can start earning skill XP just by working through courses and paths. Each content item within a course or path offers different skill XP depending on what it is, the time and effort it takes to complete, and how it measures up to the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, an educational framework that guides our curriculum development. For example, completing a lesson or project in a course or path earns you 25 XP, while knocking out a portfolio project is worth 50 XP.
To keep everything organized and clear, your skill XP will be categorized by specific “skill” areas, making it easy for you to track your growth and development in all the languages and domains you’re learning. This is also a cool way to identify your knowledge gaps and think about what to learn next. Depending on your individual goals, you might want to round out your technical skill set or double-down on an area of expertise.
What can I do with my skill XP?
Skill XP is available for all learners, and here’s the deal: there’s no maximum skill XP you can acquire for any specific skill. That’s because devs are never really “finished” learning a language. There’s always something new to pick up so you can keep improving throughout your career.
You can find an overview of your skill XP on your dashboard when you log in to Codecademy. You probably have skill XP from the get-go from all of the content items you’ve already completed, giving you a head start.
Besides just marveling at your personal progress, you can join us for the World Coding Games and see how many skill XP you can rake in between now and 11:59pm ET on August 12. The first-place winner will get a professional resume review, 3 years of free Codecademy Pro, and more. The top 50 XP earners will get a World Coding Games placement badge, 65% off a year of Pro, and more. What are you waiting for? Start learning and earning skill XP now!
Word of the Day: labyrinthine
This word has appeared in 61 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
Best Possible Details Shared About F14 Gil
FF14 Gil is the game’s general currency and used for purchasing equipment, mounts, and houses. Earned through combating enemies or selling items; quest completion also rewards Gil with currency.
Treasure maps offer another method of making a profit for players by leading them on lucrative treasure hunts filled with gil-filled hunts. Furthermore, enemies drop some in battle while treasure chests may contain random amounts.
Farming
Based on your playstyle, there are various effective strategies for earning Gil in FF14. These methods include crafting, gathering, farming treasure spheres and exploring dungeons.
One effective method for farming gil is leveling up crafters and gatherers, since highly skilled crafters can sell gear, food, or potions that are in high demand for an impressive profit. Selling glamour gear also represents an effective means of making gil. Although this requires time and effort to succeed in making money this method has proved rewarding in the form of tangible earnings.
Other methods for earning ffxiv gil include completing the challenge log, selling event rewards and duplicate items on the market board, monster drops from Archylte Steppe enemies such as Oretoise enemies that drop Gold Dust that sells for a significant sum, and monster drops such as Oretoise enemies dropping it as monster drops that drop Gold Dust which sells well on the market board.
Players can make significant profits by leveraging the market bug and purchasing underpriced items for sale on the market board, then reselling those items at higher prices later on for a profit.
Trading
An effective weapon and armor are key to winning battles in Final Fantasy XIV, but purchasing quality gear requires a significant investment of Gil, the in-game currency. There are multiple methods of earning Gil in this RPG; selling items, hunting treasures and defeating enemies are just some ways of earning it – players can even trade gil with each other through Market Board!
Earning large amounts of Gil can take some time. This is especially true for newcomers who may need assistance learning how to farm for it efficiently. A reliable seller provides an easier and quicker solution: purchasing FFXIV Gil.
Gil is the primary in-game currency of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, used to purchase weapons, gear, and items from shops or the Market Board. You can earn it through quests, guildleves, dungeons, duty roulettes, Challenge Log entries and completion rewards; additional gil rewards may also be earned for completing Fields of Valor/Grounds of Valor completion or by renting out chocobos from Chocobo Rental NPCs.
Buying
Gil is Eorzea’s main currency, used to purchase items, equipment and food. Gil can be earned through defeating enemies or selling items and equipment to NPCs; quest completion; FATE events; Dungeon challenges and duty roulette completion are other sources; it can even be received using the Bribe command!
Treasure hunts can also be an excellent way of quickly amassing gil in FF14. Treasure hunts provide fast means of gathering it quickly while leveling crafters and gatherers quickly; additionally, level up retainers before sending them on ventures for extra profit!
You can purchase FF14 Gil from other players through either Market Board or mail. When buying, make sure to pick a reliable seller, then once the transaction has completed, mark “Received” as per usual and provide feedback (optional but appreciated) so as to help build their reputation; providing more feedback increases their willingness to sell to you again in the future.
Selling
Real-money trading may technically violate the Terms of Service, yet players engage in it to gain an edge in-game. Unfortunately, doing so is risky and could see your service account banned; therefore it is recommended that when purchasing FF14 Gil, always shop from reputable third-party vendors such as MMOGAH.
Earning Gil can also be accomplished through FATEs – quick quests which require you to kill multiple enemies quickly in an allotted period – found all across Eorzea. Completing these will bring in lots of gil rewards!
Finally, you can also make money through guildleves, dungeons, and duty roulettes – with higher ranks bringing more rewards – or selling equipment and accessories for large sums of cash.
Additionally, you can sell any unused items to either a merchant or Delivery Moogle – an NPC that can be found throughout settlements and is easy to spot.
