Tag: Free-Market Careers

Talent Tip #175: The One That Got Away: What Dating Can Teach Us About Hiring

November 18, 2025

We’ve all had that “one that got away” moment in dating. You meet someone amazing but you hesitate. And next thing you know, they get swept away by someone else.

Hiring isn’t all that different.

One of our clients recently interviewed a development director who was a total catch. She’d led a multimillion-dollar campaign, understood donor cultivation inside and out, and clearly shared their passion for free-market principles. The hiring team was smitten.

Their response after…

Talent Tip #174: Hiring Horror Stories

October 21, 2025

The Shape-Shifting Applicant

Once upon a dark, stormy job search, a candidate submitted six applications to different roles within 24 hours. His resume was consistent, showing a solid career in marketing, but his cover letters were like something out of a twisted AI experiment. One cover letter painted him as an expert in Congressional rules and procedures, while another claimed significant experience with foundation relations. Then there was the expert in employment law letter, the seasoned major gifts…

Interviewing Tips

January 1, 2020

Ten Interviewing Tips for Job Seekers

1. Be Yourself

Not only is this good dating advice, it’s also great interview advice. No matter how badly you think you want the job, remember to just be you. If you try to force it, you may end up with a job you aren’t a fit for, or worse, you may miss out on a great job for which you would have been perfect.

2. It’s Not All About You

Too many candidates…

Talent Tip # 99: Want to Be Fashionable? Stop Wearing Fanny Packs (And Stop Asking Candidates for Salary History)

January 23, 2018

If you follow fashion, you know that off-the-shoulder necklines, fanny packs, and male rompers are going out of style in 2018.

If you are like me (fashionably clueless), you are surprised to learn that fanny packs had even staged a comeback (once in style was too much, amirite?). And you are even more surprised to learn that male rompers are even a thing. (Apparently they are nicknamed “RompHims.” Get it? Instead of “Romp-Hers.” I wish you could see the look…

Talent Tip #98: What NOT to Wear To an Interview

December 26, 2017

As you may recall, last month’s Talent Tip was about topics to avoid during your interviews with candidates. One astute reader suggested that it would be useful to flip the script and address about what candidates shouldn’t wear to interviews. Thanks for the idea, Meg!

Let’s face it: interviewing is tough.

You don’t know what challenging questions will be thrown at you. You aren’t sure how you’ll stack up against the competition. You’re worried about having sweaty palms. And you…

Talent Tip #97: For the Love of Lawsuits: What NOT to Ask Candidates During Interviews

November 14, 2017

As you know, I love to compare interviewing to dating. The similarities are plentiful. It’s all about getting to know someone well enough to determine whether you want to spend the foreseeable future with him.

When I was single, my father offered this sage dating advice:

“On your first date, make sure to ask if the guy is on any drugs — prescribed or illicit. The answer will provide insight about his health and his nefarious activities! Also,…

Talent Tip #96: How to Get Your Groove Back – Part Deux

October 17, 2017

Last month we talked about why employees lose their hustle. Specifically, we covered three of the six most common reasons people tell me they have fallen out of their groove – lack of challenge, not feeling financially rewarded, and geographic mobility. This month we are covering the other three reasons (which will make last month’s reasons seem like child’s play!) and the big-picture take-aways about how to regain your hustle.

1. Organization dysfunction
Every once in…

Talent Tip #95: How to Get Your Groove Back – Part One

October 2, 2017

At the State Policy Network Annual Meeting earlier this month, I had the privilege of being on a panel that discussed why we lose our hustle, including lessons on resilience, strength, and creating a career that lasts.  In case you missed it (which was a big mistake because we served Prosecco….and the panel started at 3!), I thought I would share some of the key take-aways with you here.

You start a new job bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, excited to wake…

Talent Tip #94: Burning Bridges and Lessons from Peter Gibbons 

August 22, 2017

Have you ever wanted to tell your boss to take a long walk off a short cliff or post something incendiary on social media about your former employer? Have you daydreamed of walking out of the office for a lunch break never to return? Did the movie Office Space strike a chord with you?

We’ve all been there. You’re so frustrated that you’re tempted to burn a bridge.

I’ve witnessed the destruction of many-a-bridge in my career, and they all…

Talent Tip #93: Looking Outside the Talent Box

July 26, 2017

By Claire Kittle Dixon and Lauren Skiver

Have you caught yourself with a staff vacancy asking, “Why doesn’t a candidate with the perfect background and experience apply?”

It certainly would make your job (and ours) easier to find candidates whose backgrounds perfectly match our job openings.  But, as a number of organizations we’ve partnered with have found, thinking outside of the talent box can prove incredibly fruitful—especially for openings that are challenging to fill. Not only can it expand your…