Talent Tips: Hiring Managers/Organizations

Talent Tip #120: 5 Tips to Ensure an Efficient Hiring Process

November 19, 2019

You know how I like to compare dating and hiring, right?

Well, let me share a story. Many moons ago I was dating a great guy. Smart, funny, handsome, gainfully employed, liberty-minded…the whole nine yards. But after a long spell of dating, he was clearly afraid of commitment. So, I dumped him.

If this gentleman were an employer, you could say that his interview process went on too long and he lost a good candidate. This,…

Talent Market’s 10th Anniversary!

August 20, 2019

Can you believe it’s been a decade?

Yep.  Ten years ago this month Talent Market launched. 

In those 10 years, we’ve had a lot to celebrate. Here are some highlights:

Talent Tip #115: Maps and Mobility: Revisiting the Yellow State/Blue State Phenomenon

May 21, 2019

People often ask me, “How did you land in Charleston?”

The answer mystifies some and intrigues others: I picked it on a map.

I’m not kidding. I sat down with a map and asked myself where I wanted to live. When I factored in lifestyle, cost of living, proximity to family (and the ocean), and weather, I ended up with Charleston. I didn’t know a soul here, but I figured, how bad can it be? 

My story  is not uncommon. People are…

Talent Tip #114: A Lesson from Three’s Company: Eliminating Confusion About How Talent Market Can Help Your Nonprofit Find Talent

April 24, 2019

Did you ever watch the old sit-com Three’s Company?

At the risk of dating myself, I’ll confess that it was one of my favorite shows as a kid. (I watched it in syndication, of course.) By today’s standards, it would be considered insanely politically incorrect, but the shenanigans cracked me up.

If you ever tuned in, you know that the plot always revolved around some sort of misunderstanding. I distinctly remember being exasperated — and amused — as…

Talent Tip #113: Workplace Change: Too Much of a Good Thing Isn’t a Good Thing

March 19, 2019

Change is a good thing, right? We’re constantly told how important it is to be able to adapt as individuals and as organizations. As Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

But what very few talk about is how taxing change can be. Just ask the child of divorced parents, an Army brat who has lived in six…

Talent Tip #109: Toxic Personalities: Bad for the Holidays; Bad for Business

December 13, 2018

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. And while that means reflecting on our  many reasons to be grateful, for some of us it also means dreaded interactions with difficult family members. 

Maybe it’s good ol’ Uncle Bob, who never fails to have one too many glasses of Scotch and upset the whole family by trash-talking his ex-wife. Or perhaps it’s your mother-in-law, who, like clockwork, passive-aggressively reminds you and your spouse that she would like…

Talent Tip #108: A Quiz To Test Your Knowledge of Talent Market 

October 23, 2018

As Talent Market has recently expanded, I’m reminded that I’ve heard some amusing but wildly inaccurate things about Talent Market over the years. As such, I thought it might be fun to quiz readers about our work and set the record straight on some key items. 

Don’t worry. It’s an easy true/false quiz, and no one will stop you from looking at the bottom to cheat (except maybe your conscience).

Quiz

Talent Tip #107: Seven Tips for Effective Networking 

September 27, 2018

As many of you know, the State Policy Network Annual Meeting is just around the corner. Those who have attended understand that it’s one of the best free-market networking events of the year.  As such, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this month’s Talent Tip to networking. 

If you’re like many people, your palms are already sweating as you think about how to mingle with senior leaders, board members, VIPS,  and other movers and…

Talent Tip #105: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: How To Effectively Show An Employee The Door

July 24, 2018

I’m terrible at break-ups. I once broke up with a long-term boyfriend by refusing to take his calls. No explanation. No note. No text. No smoke signals. I was just done.

For some people (apparently me), breaking up is hard to do.

The same can be said about letting employees go. Because it’s such a remarkably awkward thing to do, many of us go about it in all of the wrong ways. 

Talent Tip #102: 5 Things You Should Know About Talent Market (That Will Help You Help Us Help You)

April 17, 2018

Talent Market is a nonprofit.
Yep. I know it’s a crazy concept, but it’s been working like a charm since 2009. Dont get me wrong — I’m a capitalist pig. But being a nonprofit helps Talent Market serve our clients better. Why? Because it allows us to focus on the long-term and not simply “filling a role and collecting the dough.” While there’s no “fee” at the end of the rainbow, there is something much more important on…