Organizational Success - Talent Market

Talent Tip #176: The Annual Talent Market Naughty and Nice List

December 16, 2025

As the year winds down and Santa checks his list twice, we at Talent Market figured it was only fair to do the same. After all, no one behaves quite like a hiring manager in December. Some respond to emails faster than Rudolph on a sugar high… and others vanish into the winter fog like they’ve joined the Witness Protection Program.

So grab some cocoa, settle in, and enjoy our completely scientific, highly objective 2025 Talent Market Naughty…

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 #173: Romance and Remote Work: Dad Was Right

August 19, 2025

I was recently talking with a nonprofit CEO who was venting about one of the trickiest aspects of modern management: remote workers.

“I can’t see what they’re doing,” she said. “I don’t know if they’re actually working or just folding laundry between Slack messages and sending emails from the wine department at Costco.”

Her frustration isn’t unique. And oddly enough, it reminded me of a conversation I had with my dad years ago when I was struggling through a long-distance…

Talent Tip #172: The DOs and DON’Ts of RTO Mandates: Part 2

May 18, 2025

Last month, we provided our first installment of tips to help your Return to Office mandate go smoothly. This month, we’re back to give you the second and final installment.

Before we jump into Part 2, I have to share some terrific feedback we received after last month’s article.

One legendary leader in the liberty movement told me this:

I’ve found that employers have a couple of pain points with WFH staff:

It takes a lot…

Talent Tip #171: The DOs and DON’Ts of RTO Mandates: Part 1

April 22, 2025

Return to Office (RTO) mandates!

Is there a hotter topic right now? (Ok, maybe how crappy the new Snow White movie is.)

Now that we’re firmly past the peak of the Covid era, more organizations are pushing employees back into the office — whether by transitioning fully remote roles to hybrid, increasing the number of required in-office days, or mandating a full return to five days a week.

Most recently, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon made headlines by requiring…

Talent Tip #167: Rizz meets Righteous: Finding the “Just Right” with Gen Z in the Workplace

November 19, 2024

Stephanie Keaveney

As the “middle child” on a five-person team at Talent Market, I get the best of both worlds—I equally enjoy my more senior colleagues’ Office Space jokes and my Gen Z colleagues’ daily contributions of slang and memes in the team chat. Working between these two groups has shown me just how different perspectives can bring out the best in a team.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. I’m often reminded of the story of Goldilocks and how it took…

Talent Tip #164: Dating and Side Hustles: It’s Complicated – Part II

August 27, 2024

Last month’s newsletter article broached the hot topic of side hustles. Among other things, we talked about how not everyone is okay with sharing and that transparency is critical from the start. We also discussed how the substance and timing of the side hustle can make or break a situation.

But there is more to discuss! So here we are with Part II!

You can’t be two places at once. Picture this: you are single and…

Talent Tip #163: Dating and Side Hustles: It’s Complicated Part I

July 23, 2024

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but side hustles are having a moment.

An increasing number of jobseekers these days have or are considering side hustles in addition to full-time jobs. The proliferation of virtual work has provided fertile ground for budding entrepreneurs to take on more than one opportunity.

And we’re noticing that both job seekers and hiring managers aren’t entirely sure how to navigate these uncharted waters.

If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I think there…

Talent Tip #162: Dating Advice from My Parents…for Hiring Managers

May 21, 2024

Claire Kittle Dixon

Back in the day, my parents gave me a ton of dating advice.

And trust me when I tell you that I needed it. (Next time you see me at a social function, preferably one that serves copious amounts of alcohol, ask me to tell you about “Mean Dean” or “Mr. Insaneholtz”.)

We were just reminiscing the other day about all of the gems of relationship wisdom they shared. And as we talked…

Talent Tip #155: What Promposals Can Teach Us About Hiring

July 18, 2023

Picture the scene. It’s prom season at Brookdale High School. Emotions, hormones, Taylor Swift, and the faint scent of benzoyl peroxide permeate the air.

Brandy is a popular and pretty senior who is perceptively aware that she is both popular and pretty. She makes it clear to all of her friends, enemies, frenemies, and the entire social media universe that she is excited about prom…but does not yet have a date.

After sending out her social SOS, she…

Talent Tips: Organizational Success