Talent Tips: All Levels

Talent Tip # 110: This Holiday Give the Gift of Fulfillment

December 14, 2018

During the holidays, thoughts about meaning and purpose abound. As such, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share this story of fulfillment with you.

Many moons ago, I was a young pup running my own company in the private sector. By all accounts, I was living the dream — self-employed, making good money, working from home in the bustling city of Atlanta and calling the shots. 

It sounds great, right? It was.…

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 #104: Don’t Fall in the Homestretch: 5 Tips to Winning the Interview Process

June 20, 2018

When I ran distance races in high school track, I would often do a (very ungraceful) tour jeté as I neared the finish line. 

As you can imagine, my track coach was very displeased with such shenanigans. But I assured him that my goofiness would never cost me a race. After all, the end was so close.

And so it goes with candidates in the interview process. In a candidate’s mind, making it to the interview means…

Talent Tip # 103: Lessons from Professional Wrestling: 5 Tips to Bodyslam Your Competition During the Hiring Process

June 7, 2018

Have you ever watched professional wrestling?

Yeah, neither have I. 

But based on the three second clips I’ve seen over the years, it reminds me of the hiring process. (Without all of the scripted moves, fake tans, neon-colored lycra,  and exposed body parts, of course.)

One minute you are watching an organization deliver an atomic leg drop on a candidate for making a careless mistake, and the next you’re witnessing a candidate proffer…

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…

Talent Tip #101: Follow the Golden Rule When Hiring

April 5, 2018

My Mom has given me some great advice over the years.

Talent Tip #100: Your Resumé: A Chance to Tell a Clear, Logical Story About Your Career

February 20, 2018

 First of all, can you believe this is our 100th Talent Tip? I wanted to arrange a confetti drop for everyone, but logistics proved to be a challenge.  On the occasion of our 100th Talent Tip, I thought we would cover one of our favorite topics — resumés!

I look at dozens of resumés each day. What never ceases to amaze me is how daggum confusing many of them are. I usually think, “How hard is it to put together a…