Talent Tips - Talent Market

Talent Tip #153: The Secret to Landing a Job and Lifting 300 Pounds

April 18, 2023

Katelynn Barbosa

When I was 27, I started powerlifting for the first time (too lazy for cardio) and quickly became besotted with the idea of deadlifting 300 pounds. So, I eagerly approached my coach and asked, “What’s the secret to lifting 300 pounds?”

“The secret?”

“Yeah, I have seen women lift 300 pounds and it looks awesome! I would love to be able to do that. What do they do? Is it those gummy bears they eat in the middle of a training session?”

“What?”

“Oh, I know. I bet they visualize themselves successfully completing the lift… I have heard visualization really works!”

After recovering from laughing, my coach replied, “There is no secret to lifting 300 pounds.”

“So they’re just genetically gifted?”

“No. No one just comes in and lifts 300 pounds. Any woman who can do that has lifted consistently day in and day out every single week for years. It’s just about consistency, repetition, failure, and putting the work in. In fact, pretty much all of life works like that. There is no secret to anything.”

Oh man, I had really hoped it was the gummy bears.

So I took my coach’s advice and never missed a training session. And about four years later, I stood up holding 300 pounds in my hands.

It was a proud moment for this decidedly mediocre athlete but the bigger takeaway was my wise coach’s greater message, which I have found transcends well beyond lifting weights: “there is no secret to anything.”

As this is a Talent Market article, what is the getting a job equivalent to my coach’s amazing advice? Here are my four key takeaways.

1. Show up.
I showed up to the gym consistently three times a week for four years, even and especially when I didn’t feel like it, before I was able to reach my 300-pound goal.
For the job search, showing up means crafting a great application and officially applying.

The desire to find a shortcut instead of putting forth the effort to craft a strong application is real. I understand why. (Oh, if only the gummy bears did the trick!) Tailoring your resume and writing a strong cover letter takes time. It’s much easier to just reach out to someone you know at the organization to circumvent the application process and get an interview or submit the same generic application that you submitted to five other jobs in the last month. Resist the pull of those shortcuts and put all of that effort into crafting the best application materials you can.

2. If you know something is off, address it.
About 20% of the time, a lifting session feels terrible for no reason. The moment I pick up the barbell, it’s clear that I just have nothing in the tank. But, more often than not, there is a reason and I know exactly what it is. I slept five hours the night before, I have opted for pizza over healthy protein a little too frequently lately, or I slammed Old Fashioneds last night like I was single-handedly trying to keep the whiskey industry afloat.

I always feel embarrassed when I lift poorly because of my own bad decisions and a big part of me wants to hide it from my coach. But I never do because I know the only way she can help me train appropriately is if I am honest upfront.

This is also true in the job search! If you ever decline to mention something in your cover letter because you worry it will make you look bad or raise questions, that probably means you desperately need to address the elephant in the room head-on!

What are some examples of elephants in the room that need addressing?

· If you are applying for a job that is on the surface unrelated to your current line of work. For instance, if you have never fundraised a day in your life but you are applying for a fundraising job, you better say why! I once had a candidate apply for a fundraising job who didn’t have a lick of development experience. His cover letter didn’t even mention the large, gray pachyderm we all saw. The hiring manager was very confused, and even though she was open to hiring someone without direct experience, the lack of an explanation for such a transition left her uneasy. Well, it turns out the candidate had been extremely thoughtful about the transition, reading every fundraising book under the sun and talking to tons of fundraisers to get their advice and expertise. But for some reason he didn’t put any of this in his cover letter! The same goes for any big career transition. Address it up front!

· If you were only with your previous employer for a short period, the hiring manager is going to wonder why. If you address the reason in your cover letter, you are putting that question to rest immediately. There are tons of perfectly benign reasons why jobs don’t work out. Maybe you liked the work but it wasn’t a good culture fit. Or maybe the employer went through a round of layoffs. If you state the reason upfront, the hiring manager won’t be left to worry that you got canned for insubordination or binge-watching Netflix during working hours.

3. Do exactly what is asked of you.
Sometimes a lifting session feels unnaturally great for no reason. On these days, there is a strong temptation to ignore what my coach told me to do and try to max out. Why lift 250 pounds when I know I can hit 275, baby? Because, odds are, the next day isn’t going to be a superman day and I will feel fatigued and ruin my training for the week.

My coach is an expert and she told me exactly what to lift. So I just stick to that.

With job searching, just do what the employer tells you to do. If they want a resume and cover letter, submit a resume and cover letter. Don’t send writing samples, letters of recommendation, the article you got published in the Wall Street Journal, a headshot, or a screenshot proving that you actually scored Taylor Swift tickets.

An employer knows what they want to see from candidates and they do not hide it. So just give them what they want!

4. Expect to fail.
In lifting and in job searching, failure happens frequently. In fact, if I go months without failing a lift, then it is a fact that I am simply not training hard enough. Failure is a prerequisite for success.

Most of the time, when you apply for a job, you will not get it. Even if you have every single qualification listed in the job description, are close friends with tons of people who work there, and love freedom so much that fireworks spontaneously burst forth from your fingertips every Fourth of July, there are a million reasons why you might not land the job. Don’t let it get you down.

Pick up that barbell…er job application…and keep trying.

(To reiterate, this article was written by Katelynn Barbosa and NOT Claire Dixon. Claire would only consider lifting this much weight if an oak tree fell on her dog.)

Talent Tip #152: You’re Not the Snoop to My Dogg: 4 Common Reasons for Rejection

February 21, 2023

Claire Dixon

“I just want to know why it didn’t work out between us.”

That’s how he started the phone call. No greeting. No small talk. Just straight for the jugular.

I knew I shouldn’t have picked up. After all, rule #1 of dating is never take a call from an ex unless you want to attempt to jump-start that ol’ jalopy. Because the moment you pick up, you’ll find yourself right in the middle of your very own rom-com post-break-up scene where the dumper is explaining to the dumpee why he’s not the Snoop to her Dogg.

And nobody wants that.

But do you know what everybody wants? They want to know why. If they aren’t “the one”, they long for an explanation. Was it something I said or something I did? Did the words not come out right? (5,000 bonus points for anyone now signing the rest of that stanza.)

Job applicants are no exception. They want to know why.

It turns out that the vast majority of candidates we see are declined for one of only four reasons.

And what better way to illustrate these reasons than to use four ghosts from my dating past? Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Passionless Pete – At first glance, Pete had it all. Smart. Funny. Good job. Mature. Solid family. Handsome. But I’m not gonna lie, he was kind of a snoozefest. On the enthusiasm scale, he never broke past a 2 or 3. He could be watching his favorite football team in a nail-biter ending OR uploading his 1099-DIVs on TurboTax and the expression on his face would be the exact same. Pete lacked passion.And this is the same reason we have to decline countless candidates each year: they lack passion for the job to which they have applied. Or, to be more precise, they fail to articulate their passion for the organization’s mission and the job at hand.Our clients care deeply about mission alignment, and they want to hire candidates who are just as excited about the work as they are. That’s why the application instructions for our searches ask candidates to articulate their interest in the nonprofit’s mission. Sadly, many candidates ignore this very simple request.And in doing so, they risk ending up in the trash heap of Coulda Beens, right next to Passionless Pete. Don’t let that be you.
Experience-Lacking Luke – Luke had a lot of things going for him…but being age-appropriate for me wasn’t one of them. He was only three years younger, but it felt like we had a 20-year fissure between us. I wanted to enjoy dinner out; Luke wanted to go to a bar where your feet stick to the floor. I lived alone; Luke had 5 roommates. My idea of savings was investing in a 401k; Luke’s idea of savings was enough beer money for the weekend. I knew Luke was going to be a great catch, but he just needed a few more trips around the sun.Likewise, candidates frequently get sidelined for lacking the requisite experience for the job. In fact, I’d say this is the number one reason candidates get rejected in our world.That said, I think applying for a role that is slightly above your experience level is still a good idea. Why? Sometimes hiring managers opt for less experienced candidates who have long-term potential and a lower price tag. So why not throw your hat in the ring?Experience-Lacking Luke was ultimately just too green for me, but you never know unless you try.
Expensive Ethan
On our first date, Ethan showed up in a high-end Beemer, dressed like he had just come from a bankers’ conference. He insisted we go to a swanky restaurant. It was one of those places where the waiter brings you the first course “compliments of the chef,” which is code for “we’re going to gouge your eyes out to the tune of $457 for the next 6 courses.” I swear the sprig of parsley on my main course plate was bigger than the actual food portion. At some point during the evening, I commented on his watch, which, it turns out, was roughly the cost of the downpayment on my first house. Don’t get me wrong, Ethan was a good guy. He was smart, successful, and kind. But he was just too rich for my blood.Ethan got rejected for the same reason many candidates do: their price tag is too high.Imagine this: you apply for a job and are just as qualified as three other top candidates…but your salary requirements are $30K higher. It’s quite possible you won’t even get an interview if the hiring manager feels she can find someone else with a similar skillset at a significantly lower cost.Now, I’m a capitalist pig and I want you to make as much money as possible. So, I’m NOT suggesting you lower your salary requirements! If the hiring manager likes your background and has budget flexibility, everything could work out. But if not, you might end up next to Expensive Ethan with overpriced parsley in between your teeth.
Distant Dax
Dax was a wonderful guy, but he lived three states away. And while I was absolutely open to a long-distance relationship, everything is relative. You see, it just so happens there was another gentleman caller (we’ll call him Local Lou) who was equally wonderful and lived just across town. I met both around the same time and the logical side of me just couldn’t justify taking a 747 to get to dinner with Distant Dax when I could bike to dinner with Local Lou! And so Distant Dax became a distant memory. Come to think of it, so did Local Lou, but that’s not the point of the story.The point is that most of our clients are open to hiring virtually, but again, everything is relative. And if you’re the best candidate and you live 853 miles away from the nonprofit’s office, you’ll probably get the job. But if there is an equally or more qualified candidate within a 20 miles radius of the office, you and Distant Dax could find yourself in the same place (metaphorically speaking).

If you’re wondering how my real-life rom-com post-break-up scene went, it was fine. I told him the truth. And while I’m sure he didn’t enjoy hearing it, I think he was relieved to understand why.

Likewise, the next time an organization says they are going in another direction but they don’t offer feedback about why, there’s a good chance that the reason relates to Pete, Luke, Ethan, or Dax.

1,000 Placements! Talent Market Celebrates a Milestone!

January 24, 2023

Talent Market is thrilled to announce our 1,000th placement!

You read that correctly. We’ve helped one thousand amazingly talented individuals land critical roles in the free-market movement.
We are both excited and humbled to hit this milestone. And to appreciate where we are now, you have to rewind 13 1/2 years.
In 2009, Tracie Sharp (President and CEO of State Policy Network) and the late Whitney Ball (then President and CEO of DonorsTrust) had an idea for an organization that would be dedicated to providing the free-market movement with the talent it needs. Whitney and Tracie understood that next to financial resources, human capital is the most critical component to advancing liberty. Even if free-market organizations are well-financed, they cannot succeed without talent. Later that year we launched Talent Market. In the years since, we have become a critical part of how the liberty movement finds talent.

Talent Market has assisted more than 230 nonprofits, including national organizations, state-based think tanks, and numerous start-ups. We’ve placed talent in 46 different states and placed hundreds of individuals in virtual roles. At any given time, Talent Market is managing dozens of critical searches for talent for free-market organizations.

From the five of us at Talent Market, thank you for everything you’ve done to help us get to this amazing milestone!

Talent Tip 151: Yipee Ki Yay: Four Interviewing Lessons from Die Hard Characters

December 23, 2022

Katelynn Barbosa

How can you tell it’s Christmas in your house? Is it the Christmas tree decked-out with treasured family ornaments from childhood? Snow on the ground? Competition with everyone you know to avoid Mariah Carey as much as possible?

I love Christmas lights and Santa as much as the next guy, but in my house, it isn’t Christmas until Hans Gruber plunges 30 floors from the top of Nakatomi Plaza.

When reflecting on why Die Hard has earned mandatory Christmas-watching status, I keep coming back to the rich, textured characters. And because I have been interviewing candidates non-stop lately, I got to thinking about what makes someone successful in an interview using Die Hard characters as my guide.

Fallibility Is An Asset; Not A Liability
My favorite thing about Die Hard is that John McClane talks out loud to himself throughout the movie. He tells himself he shouldn’t have said that to his wife. He yells at himself “What are you doing, John?!” when he is about to jump off the building. He bleeds and limps after he walks over glass and admits to his police friend that he might not make it. He tells himself “Now, I know what a TV dinner feels like,” as he sneaks around an air vent.In short, McClane is a fallible, relatable hero, and he’s not afraid to tell the viewer that.

I like this quality in my candidates, too. When I am interviewing someone for a job, I don’t want Rambo or Schwarzenegger vibes. I want to see confidence, but I want the candidate to have questions about the role, to admit they have made mistakes, and to acknowledge there are areas where they can grow and learn in their career. I want to talk to a real human being!

Which brings me to my next point…
Authenticity Is King.
Remember Harry Ellis? Harry Ellis is the smarmy, greasy, corny, cocaine-loving yuppie who “negotiates million dollar deals for breakfast” and gets shot when he tries to smooth talk Gruber. You can tell he is fake from a mile away.Don’t come across like Ellis in an interview. You don’t need to talk yourself up and use buzzwords and meaningless workplace jargon. Don’t try to oversell yourself or try too hard. Bring your genuine self to the conversation.
Don’t Be Afraid to Be Earnest
I was once moved to tears in an interview when a candidate told me how much freedom means to him because his immigrant parents gave up everything to make a life for his family in this country. The honesty and vulnerability this candidate displayed made it impossible not to root for him.This is the same feeling I get about Sgt. Al Powell, the cop who talks to John McClane on the walkie-talkie throughout Die Hard, when he opens up about being scared to ever pull his gun again because he shot a kid on accident early in his career. Without fail, when Powell shoots the final bad guy at the end of the movie, saving our main characters, I tear up.

Sometimes I think candidates shy away from earnestness, worried that it will come across as hokey. But I promise it doesn’t! It gives me insight into who you are and what motivates you. It makes me root for you!
A Sense of Humor Stands Out
I would argue that Hans Gruber is the most memorable villain in movie history. Why?Gruber is hilarious. His deadpan sarcasm is the distinctive trait that elevates him from strategic genius with a cool accent to worthy of his own advent calendar.

As it does with German terrorists, during a job interview, a sense of humor stands out. If you make me chuckle, I am not going to forget you and if the opportunity I just interviewed you for doesn’t work out, I am going to have you in my mind as someone I want to place in the future!

I hope you enjoyed this list and I wish you a Merry Christmas and at least one Die Hard watching this holiday season!

Talent Tip #150: Lessons from Peter Gibbons: Things to Consider Before You Leave Your Job

November 22, 2022

Claire Kittle Dixon

“I don’t like my job and I don’t think I’m gonna go anymore.”

“So, are you going to quit?”

“Nuh-uh. Not really. I’m just gonna stop going.”

That’s the Peter Gibbons way to quit your job. (If you haven’t seen Office Space, you should cancel this evening’s plan and watch it. It’s a classic…like The Godfather, except funny…and the only thing that meets an untimely death is a malfunctioning printer. It’s one of the finest scenes in cinematic history. But I digress.)

Peter Gibbons is a personal hero of mine, but there’s a better way to part company with your employer.

Give adequate notice. Two weeks is standard, but in some cases, it might not be enough. For instance, if you run your institute’s most important student program and there are three weeks left before it concludes, it would be ideal to give at least three weeks of notice. Or, if you’re in charge of your organization’s largest annual event in one month, it would be wise to stay through the event and avoid giving your boss heart palpitations. You want to avoid putting your organization (including your supervisor and co-workers) in a bind.
And whatever you do, don’t pull a Peter Gibbons and just stop showing up. It makes for a fantastic storyline, but it’s a terrible career move.
Work hard until the end; don’t be a quiet quitter. By the end of his tenure with Innotech, Peter Gibbons was gutting fish on his office desk. You might say he had checked out.
Speaking of checked out, I once worked with a woman who phoned it in during her last few months on the job. While she wasn’t bringing in the catch of the day to filet on her desk, she might as well have put a Gone Fishin’ sign on her door because she clearly wasn’t working. And even though she hadn’t given notice, it became clear to the entire staff she was on her way out.
By the end, her work product became an organization-wide joke and co-workers were forced to pick up the slack. Needless to say, she left everyone with a bad memory of her and left herself without a single positive reference from the organization. And, in the free-market nonprofit world, that can spell disaster for your career!
Don’t burn the bridge (or the office). Office Space ends with a disgruntled employee, Milton, burning the office building down. It worked out for Milton because he escaped to a tropical island shortly afterward. But unless you plan to skip town and never look for employment again, it’s best to keep all relationships intact. As tempting as it might be to tell your boss to go play in traffic, the upside will be fleeting! You never know when you might need her to serve as a reference. After all, it’s a very small liberty movement!
Exit as though you might return. Another reason not to take a match to the office is one day you might want to go back! Sound crazy? In the last year, I’ve worked with three individuals who ended up returning to a previous employer. In all three cases, the employee left the organization on a high note and was welcomed back after his/her absence.
Don’t trash talk after you leave. Picture this: you’re one month into your job with a think tank and just starting to feel comfortable with your new co-workers. You go out for happy hour with the team and after three Kentucky Mules, you start dishing on your old boss and how much you hated him. You talk about how he micromanaged you incessantly, unloaded endless TPS reports on you, and you add a little flourish by describing his dragon breath and three-legged cat named Sue. Everyone is rolling on the ground…except the girl next to you who turns out to be DragonBreath’s daughter. Oopsy. Again, it’s a small free-market world.
Best to keep your true feelings to yourself and maybe a trusted friend (a la Michael Bolton…but not that Michael Bolton).
Adjust your expectations: the new job won’t be perfect either. You’re leaving your old job for a reason. And hopefully you’re excited about the next chapter in your career. But remember no job is perfect. You’ll likely discover something you don’t like (a co-worker, the mandatory justify-your-job meetings, mandatory minimum pieces of flair, the commute), but give it time. Keep in mind that Peter Gibbons found happiness on a construction crew!

And remember, if you’re jonesing for another job, send Talent Market your information here. We’ll keep your information confidential and we’ll keep YOU informed of relevant opportunities!

Talent Tip #149: Hiring Horror Stories: (Just in Time for Halloween!)

October 25, 2022

Katelynn Barbosa, Stephanie Keaveney, Lydia Ocampo, Katy Gambella, Claire Kittle Dixon

In the spirit of Halloween, our team wanted to share our best hiring horror stories with you. Names and identities have been altered to protect the innocent (and the ghoulishly guilty!).

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When a Stranger Calls
Years ago I arranged a phone interview with a candidate for a search I was managing. I called at the time our interview was scheduled, but my call went directly to voicemail. I called back a minute later and when he answered, I started by introducing myself. He responded by telling me he was expecting an important call and was not interested in whatever I was selling and hung up.

On the third try, we finally got the confusion cleared up. I appreciate one’s vigilance in screening out spam, but if the telemarketer call comes at the precise time of your interview, you should think twice before hanging up!

—

Ghosted
On one search I managed, the hiring manager went on vacation or was otherwise out of pocket six times – totaling more than one month – of the two-and-a-half-month search. Like a ghost, he would appear and then vaporize without warning.

Candidates were starting to doubt if the client even existed because none of them actually got to see or interact with him. I thought about taking a picture of him, but everyone knows ghosts don’t appear in photographs.

Finally, the hiring manager resurfaced long enough for us to fill the role! But his internal nickname is now Casper.

—

Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble
Years ago we worked with a candidate who was philosophically aligned with the hiring organization, had experience relevant to the job opening…and was very, very laid back. The client decided to interview him, but shortly thereafter, they declined the candidate.

Surprised, I asked why. “Well, it was going pretty well until the middle of the interview when we started to hear bubbling. I couldn’t understand what was going on initially but then realized he was lighting up a bong.”

The client decided that doing bong rips in the middle of an interview – while a clear signal of an enviable level of confidence – probably isn’t a good sign.

Fortunately, the organization did eventually find a good fit for the opening. No word on where the bong guy landed, but if we ever have a Chief Party Officer opening, he will be our first call.

—

Dorm Room of Doom
Early in my career, I had a Zoom interview with a college student. As soon as he joined the call, I realized I had been led into the horrifying sight of his college dorm room! In fact, you could call it a dorm room of doom: poorly lit, dirty laundry everywhere, beer pong table set up in the background…not to mention the saucy lady poster askew. The room screamed angsty college bro with no escape!

Perhaps not surprisingly, our Zoom interview turned out to be just like his dorm room: a horrifying mess! By the end, his chances of getting the job were dead as a doornail.

—

The Zodiac (Interview) Killer
As a student, I applied for a part-time job at my university and was thrilled when I was moved forward for an interview with the department’s director. That is, until her first question for me was, “So what’s your sign?” I initially laughed, thinking it was a joke, but she remained very serious and waited for an answer.

So I told her. She spent the next 15 minutes breaking down what my sign indicated about me. I guess I was lucky that she thought highly of my sign because I ended up being offered the position. But it remains one of the most bizarre interview experiences I can remember.

Because I’m a risk-taker and maybe a glutton for punishment, I ended up accepting the job. Working for her was just as perplexing and unpredictable as you imagine it would be.

And if you’re wondering, I’m a Gemini.

—

When The Power Goes Out and Phone Lines Go Dead…
In every scary movie, it seems the power goes out and the phone lines go dead…and then you know all the good murdering is coming. Well, something similar happened with a search I worked on years ago.

My first couple of search update calls and emails to the client went unanswered, but I chalked that up to him being busy. I reached out again. Still nothing. At this point, I was mildly annoyed because we had candidates waiting for news, but I also understood how life can be. So, I reached out again…and again. Crickets.

At about 30 days in with no response, my mild annoyance turned to general concern. What if something bad had befallen him? Was he kidnapped and now being held against his will in a remote forest? Maybe he slipped and had fallen down a well? Or perhaps a murderous lunatic broke into his house, cut the power, severed the phone lines, and well…you know. Eek!!!

I stepped up my communication. More emails, more calls. I even tried reaching out on social media. Silence.

Then, after all of the candidates had lost interest and moved on, I finally heard from the client. It was about 90 days into the search. He offered no apology, no excuse. Just said that he found a candidate (perhaps it was the murderous lunatic that he had talked out of killing him and talked into a new career?). I wished him all the best, and strangely, we haven’t heard from him since.

—

Bad Omens
Around Halloween, one should be on the lookout for bad omens.

Years ago right around All Hallow’s Eve, a candidate I’d never interacted with before emailed me six separate documents and asked me to combine them into one PDF so that she could apply for a position. Initially, I thought the email was sent to me by accident and that she intended to send it to her secretary, so I responded and told her very gently about the mistake. She quickly replied and confirmed that the email was not a mistake and could I please make haste on my administrative assignment because she wanted to get her application in early.

Then, before she actually applied for the position, she passed along a Calendly link to her schedule for the week and asked me to get her interview on the books ASAP, because, you know, she likes to plan ahead.

She finally applied correctly for the position (after a mere 9 incorrect attempts), but, perhaps not surprisingly, the client declined to pursue the candidate for “multiple egregious errors” in her application. Scary stuff.

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When the Grim Reaper Comes For Your Mission
Years ago we worked on a search for a new client, which, as you’d expect from our clients, seemed committed to hiring someone philosophically aligned with its liberty-advancing mission. But several weeks into the search, things took a creepy turn. The hiring manager shocked us by saying he was not really concerned about philosophical alignment after all, and that he was most interested in someone local and known to him personally.

So, in the swipe of a scythe, he declined more than a dozen liberty-minded candidates and that was the end of our search. We later learned he hired someone whose beliefs were quite antithetical to free-marketing thinking, but who ran in the same social circles.

When the Grim Reaper comes for your mission and you offer it up to him on a silver platter as this hiring manager did, things typically end poorly. We heard later that the surprisingly hired became the predictably fired. And word on the street is that the hiring manager has a new-found concern for mission alignment!