Tag: talent tip

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…

Talent Tip #84: Culture Matters Part Deux: How Current and Prospective Employees Should Consider Culture

November 14, 2016

Talent Tip #84: Culture Matters Part Deux: How Current and Prospective Employees Should Consider Culture

Last month a friend in the liberty movement shared thoughts on how culture can attract (or repel) talent. We must have struck a nerve, as the response to the article was substantial.  Because of that, I’m continuing the culture discussion by sharing one of the responses I received from my friend Dan. I hope you enjoy it!  

“I really appreciated this month’s talent…

Talent Tip #76: Believe It or Not: Talent Market is a Nonprofit

March 1, 2016

Talent Tip #76: Believe It or Not: Talent Market is a  Nonprofit

Let’s face it, some things are too good to be true. For example:

But some things are oh-so-good and also true. For instance:

Yes, you read…

Talent Tip #75: Field of Dreams: Job Descriptions That Attract Talent

February 16, 2016

Talent Tip #75: Field of Dreams: Job Descriptions That Attract Talent

If you write it, they will come.

That’s the Kevin Costner-esque attitude many hiring managers employ when it comes to authoring job descriptions.  They believe a carefully crafted job description will result in talent appearing.

I know what you’re thinking.

Right….and Shoeless Joe Jackson is going to pop out of the corn field and play baseball with them, too.

Actually, I think these hiring managers are onto something.…

Talent Tip #74: Give The Gift That Keeps on Givng…er…Giving

December 17, 2015

Talent Tip #74: Give The Gift That Keeps on Givng Giving

Still struggling to find the perfect gift for that special someone this season? Debating between the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer and the Perfect Bacon Bowl?

Well, debate no more. I have the perfect holiday gift for all of your friends and loved ones — especially those on the job hunt.

This year, give the gift of Spell Check.

Not only is it…

Talent Tip #50: Your Advice on Pre-Employment Assessments

October 15, 2013

Last month I asked you, my gentle readers, for your thoughts and advice about pre-employment assessments. Well, y’all responded like apple addicts to an iphone release! And by that, I mean you responded in droves – not that you lost your cool for a little piece of plastic (see image above).

First, here are some nuggets of advice you offered about assessments in general:

Talent Tip #48: Hiring Advice – Three Hours in a Canoe and the Most Interesting Man in the World

August 15, 2013

Three hours in a canoe. Sounds like a bad first date, a sub-par reality show, or a game risqué teenagers play, right?  In fact, it’s none of the above. It is actually a bit of hiring advice a client recently shared with me.

Here’s the very simple counsel: don’t hire anyone you wouldn’t want to spend three hours alone with in a canoe.

It’s pretty solid advice if you think about it. Work is full of difficulties: deadlines, miscommunications, competing…

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 #43: Rejection (Im)Perfection: The Art of Second Chances

March 19, 2013

We’ve all been rejected at some point along the way. Perhaps you got cut from the football team or didn’t make the cheerleading squad.  Maybe you received a thin letter of rejection from your dream school. Or perhaps in college you were shunned by the hot and completely unattainable Dale Beaverman.

No matter what it was, you remember clearly that sting of rejection. It hurts. It’s embarrassing. It’s unsettling. And when it happens, we’re tempted to lash out.

But…