Tag: Job Search Tips

Talent Tip #51: Start Working Your Dream Job (Before You Get Hired)

November 15, 2013

Last week two executives in the free-market movement sent me an article that initially had me highly suspicious. It was the sort of skepticism I reserve for Instagram and guys who dress like 1920s drifters.

Anyway, here’s the article: Recruiting Advice No One Tells You

To cut to the chase, this is the author’s suggestion: if you can’t get your foot in the door at your dream job, start “working” for the organization and send…

Talent Tip #47: Avoid Alka Seltzer with Writing Samples, Tests

July 15, 2013

A while back, a client of mine developed a raging case of heartburn after learning a new hire didn’t have the writing skills the client thought he did.  The employee excelled in other areas, but no Billy Shakespeare was he.

Despite having requested writing samples during the interview process, the organization realized it misjudged the person’s ability to write – a core function of the position. For a while my client downed Alka Seltzer like Pez – until he…

Talent Tip #44: Liar Liar, Pantalones en Fuego!

April 18, 2013

I love a good story — especially if there is a good lesson we can draw from it. That’s why I wanted to share this tale I just heard from a friend.

A gentleman recently applied for a job with my friend’s organization. During the application process, the candidate was asked to provide his current and desired salaries.

He provided the following figures:

Current: 85k*

Desired: 97k*

Fair enough, right? Of course, we can debate the 14% desired increase, but…

Talent Tip #36: The Art of the Interview

August 14, 2012

I had the distinct pleasure of spending much of last week with 80 amazingly bright and talented Koch Summer Fellows. We bonded over the art of interviewing.

For most, interviewing conjures the same excitement as a root canal or watching a movie marathon on Lifetime. But the Koch Summer Fellows made interviewing an absolute delight. We went through dozens of mock interviews and lots of discussion about what makes for a good interview.

I wanted to share with you several…

Talent Tip #33: Lessons From My Parents’ Marriage: It Pays to Court Candidates

May 15, 2012

After 43 years of marriage, my father still opens the door for my mother and my mother still packs my father’s lunch before he heads to work. With all this time behind them, you’d think they might be tempted to knock off the niceties. After all, at 70+, is either really going to walk out? I mean, if I think dating’s bad at my age, can you imagine the dating market they would face?

Yeah, yeah, Claire. That’s nice about…

Talent Tip #32: Friends Don’t Offer Friends Questionable Job-Seeking Advice

April 17, 2012

There’s a troubling phenomenon afoot in the job-hunting universe: friends are giving friends some really questionable advice. Trying to land a new job is hard enough, but it’s just plain rough if your friends are working against you!

Here’s a recent example of the shenanigans. A candidate I was working with refused to provide information that my client requested. The information was standard: five years of tax returns, her personal diary, the results of a Rorschach inkblot test, a urinalysis,…

Talent Tip #31: Don’t Call Us – We’ll Call You (Or Maybe Not)

March 13, 2012

Are you wondering why there’s a photo of Spike Lee right here? No worries – I’ll get to that in a second.

Last month we covered the topic of nonprofits having difficulties with hiring due to reputational issues. Now we’re going to tackle the nonprofit’s point of view when considering a candidate with a questionable reputation.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sent a promising candidate to one of my clients, only to have my client say they…