Talent Tips
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:
Let the assessments inform your decision; but don’t let them make the decision for you. From one reader: “While… Read More
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…
Read MoreTalent 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…
Read MoreTalent 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…
Read MoreTalent 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…
Read MoreTalent Tip #42: Recommendation Investigations, Your Reputation, Kiss Cams, and My Dream World
February 19, 2013
I know what you’re thinking. How in the Sam Hill is she going to tie all these things together? Well, stay with me.
In the last few weeks, I’ve seen some interesting things transpire related to recommendations, referrals, and references. It occurs to me that there are three issues we should discuss. Here goes.
1. Recommendation Investigation: Is a Referral Necessarily a Recommendation? Hiring managers often receive applications that start with lines like this, “My friend John Doe suggested I apply for this role.”…
Read MoreTalent Tip #41: Work-Life Balance Policies, Part II: A Key to Attracting and Retaining Talent
January 22, 2013
As the fog of Auld Lang Syne and bubbly lifts, you may remember that last month in this space we offered up valuable advice about work-life balance from the good folks at Illinois Policy Institute. The underlying idea was that work-life balance policies help organizations attract and retain their most valuable asset – people.
This month we’re sharing eight more policies an organization should consider if it wants to maximize staff happiness and performance.
Once again, special thanks to Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President of Illinois Policy…
Read MoreTalent Tip #40: Work-Life Balance Policies: A Key to Attracting and Retaining Talent
December 18, 2012
Great news – turns out you’re on Santa’s “Nice” list this year! That means instead of coal, you’re getting something very special: valuable advice about work-life balance from my good friends at Illinois Policy Institute.
At the Institute, they value work-life balance and are always experimenting with new approaches and policies to attract and retain their most important asset – people. Kristina Rasmussen, the organization’s Executive Vice President, recently polled staff about what matters to them when it comes to work-life balance. She distilled the…
Read MoreTalent Tip #39: 80% of Success is Just Showing Up: Landing a Job in Another City
November 13, 2012
I often work with candidates who want to move to a specific city, but they don’t want to relocate until they have landed a job.
And therein lies the rub.
In any market, and especially in a down market, securing a position in another location is very challenging.
Why? Several reasons spring to mind.
It’s all about the Benjamins. Organizations don’t necessarily have money lying around to pay for a flight/hotel for out-of-town candidates. If they do have the budget… Read MoreTalent Tip #38: Tips for Talking About Salary
October 16, 2012
If my candidates are any indication, talking about salary is one of the most dreaded conversations one can have — second only to perhaps “the birds and the bees” discussion with your child.
The question I get most frequently is, “How do I respond when an organization asks for my salary requirements?”
Fear not, my friends, I’ve put together some advice to make the process painless.
Be Prepared – If you’re applying for a job, you’re going to get asked about salary somewhere along… Read More