Talent Tips

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…

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…

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…

Talent Tip #148: Six Things The Movie Castaway Taught Me About Hiring

August 24, 2022

Katelynn Barbosa

I don’t know about you but for some reason, the dog days of summer make me nostalgic and I start re-watching old movie favorites. This past weekend, on the docket was the 2000 film Castaway starring Tom Hanks.

If you haven’t seen the film, let me give you a brief summary. Tom Hanks plays an extremely busy FedEx systems analyst executive (don’t ask me because I don’t understand either) who runs all around the world…

Talent Tip #147: Why is the Liberty Movement Liberty’s Best Kept Secret?

July 19, 2022

Claire Kittle Dixon

How in the $@&# does the government deserve this much of my income?

I still remember the seething anger I felt when my accountant told me how much I owed the government in quarterly taxes.

At 24, I had started my own little company and was a 1099 contract employee. Going from a W-2 employee to being self-employed meant no more income tax withholding. And that meant I acutely felt the pain of how much Uncle…

Talent Tip #146: 5 Reasons Candidates Decline Job Offers

June 27, 2022

I know a thing or two about rejection.

I once went on a blind date with a guy who, from the moment the date started, clearly did not want to be there. He had this disapproving look on his face the entire evening, almost like he was a member of the Royal Family or maybe had just gotten a whiff of woefully expired cottage cheese. Alas, this was just his natural reaction to me!  His eyes kept darting…

Talent Tip #145: 10 Tips for Recent College Grads on the Job Hunt

May 24, 2022

“My first bit of advice is to stop wearing purple lipstick.”

That’s what the slightly uptight, middle-aged woman across the table told me. I was a naive 22 year-old eager to find a job and this no-nonsense, tweed-wearing consultant said she could help.

Until that very moment, I had no idea that my choice of lip color was going to be an impediment to landing employment. Good to know!

I took her advice to heart, not only as it…

Talent Tip #144: The F Word

April 19, 2022

I love the F word.

I use it frequently, in fact. I say it in front of my clients and candidates…in front of mature audiences and young professionals….even kids. Heck, I say it in front of my mother-in-law. I’m shameless about it.

No matter when or where I use it, it never fails to raise eyebrows.

I don’t think people are offended by it; they just don’t think about it that often.  But they should.  Because it’s absolutely…

Talent Tip #143: Courting in a Candidate’s Market: 5 Ways to Stay Competitive

March 22, 2022

Many moons ago I was dating a gentleman we’ll call “Bob”. Things were getting pretty serious when, as fate would have it, I ran into my ex-boyfriend. We’ll call the ex “Josh”. Josh and I made small talk and caught up on life. Just as we were about to part ways, he hinted at maybe going out again sometime. I gently let him know I was dating someone else. I remember walking away feeling kinda bad for the guy.…

Talent Tip #142: 10 Questions to Ask on Your Next Date/Job Interview

January 19, 2022

My father once gave me some fantastic dating advice:

“On the first date, ask him what drugs he is taking, legal and illegal.”

Subtly isn’t my dad’s forte, and now you know I came by it honestly. But you can understand what pops was getting at. Before you get serious about someone, pop open the hood and poke around.

And so it goes with job hunting. So many of the things we really want to know,…