I’ve written endless stories about how tough hiring managers and HR folks have become when it comes to job applicants. They don’t want smokers, fatsos, people with bad credit, excons, and too old or too young workers. And forget about landing a job if you’re unemployed.

I know all this makes you grumpy, but you’ve got to get happy, and fast.

A job requirement that seems to be showing up in more help wanted ads lately is — NICE. Yes, employers are now looking for nice people to fill their ranks.

The TED conference company is seeking a production editor for its offices in New York and in addition to needing “Comfort with HTML” and “an ability to listen deeply and critically”, you better not be a jerk. (more…)