Talent Tips: Organizational Success
Talent Tip #120: 5 Tips to Ensure an Efficient Hiring Process
November 19, 2019
You know how I like to compare dating and hiring, right?
Well, let me share a story. Many moons ago I was dating a great guy. Smart, funny, handsome, gainfully employed, liberty-minded…the whole nine yards. But after a long spell of dating, he was clearly afraid of commitment. So, I dumped him.
If this gentleman were an employer, you could say that his interview process went on too long and he lost a good candidate. This,…
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Talent Tip #115: Maps and Mobility: Revisiting the Yellow State/Blue State Phenomenon
May 21, 2019
People often ask me, “How did you land in Charleston?”
The answer mystifies some and intrigues others: I picked it on a map.
I’m not kidding. I sat down with a map and asked myself where I wanted to live. When I factored in lifestyle, cost of living, proximity to family (and the ocean), and weather, I ended up with Charleston. I didn’t know a soul here, but I figured, how bad can it be?
My story is not uncommon. People are…
Read MoreTalent Tip #113: Workplace Change: Too Much of a Good Thing Isn’t a Good Thing
March 19, 2019
Change is a good thing, right? We’re constantly told how important it is to be able to adapt as individuals and as organizations. As Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
But what very few talk about is how taxing change can be. Just ask the child of divorced parents, an Army brat who has lived in six…
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Talent Tip #109: Toxic Personalities: Bad for the Holidays; Bad for Business
December 13, 2018
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. And while that means reflecting on our many reasons to be grateful, for some of us it also means dreaded interactions with difficult family members.
Maybe it’s good ol’ Uncle Bob, who never fails to have one too many glasses of Scotch and upset the whole family by trash-talking his ex-wife. Or perhaps it’s your mother-in-law, who, like clockwork, passive-aggressively reminds you and your spouse that she would like…
Read MoreTalent Tip #105: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: How To Effectively Show An Employee The Door
July 24, 2018
I’m terrible at break-ups. I once broke up with a long-term boyfriend by refusing to take his calls. No explanation. No note. No text. No smoke signals. I was just done.
For some people (apparently me), breaking up is hard to do.
The same can be said about letting employees go. Because it’s such a remarkably awkward thing to do, many of us go about it in all of the wrong ways.
Talent Tip #101: Follow the Golden Rule When Hiring
April 5, 2018
My Mom has given me some great advice over the years.
Follow the Golden Rule. Mom told me to treat others how I would want to be treated. It’s age-old advice that she… Read More
Talent Tip # 99: Want to Be Fashionable? Stop Wearing Fanny Packs (And Stop Asking Candidates for Salary History)
January 23, 2018
If you follow fashion, you know that off-the-shoulder necklines, fanny packs, and male rompers are going out of style in 2018.
If you are like me (fashionably clueless), you are surprised to learn that fanny packs had even staged a comeback (once in style was too much, amirite?). And you are even more surprised to learn that male rompers are even a thing. (Apparently they are nicknamed “RompHims.” Get it? Instead of “Romp-Hers.” I wish you could see the look…
Read MoreTalent Tip #97: For the Love of Lawsuits: What NOT to Ask Candidates During Interviews
November 14, 2017
As you know, I love to compare interviewing to dating. The similarities are plentiful. It’s all about getting to know someone well enough to determine whether you want to spend the foreseeable future with him.
When I was single, my father offered this sage dating advice:
“On your first date, make sure to ask if the guy is on any drugs — prescribed or illicit. The answer will provide insight about his health and his nefarious activities! Also,…
Read MoreTalent Tip #93: Looking Outside the Talent Box
July 26, 2017
By Claire Kittle Dixon and Lauren Skiver
Have you caught yourself with a staff vacancy asking, “Why doesn’t a candidate with the perfect background and experience apply?”
It certainly would make your job (and ours) easier to find candidates whose backgrounds perfectly match our job openings. But, as a number of organizations we’ve partnered with have found, thinking outside of the talent box can prove incredibly fruitful—especially for openings that are challenging to fill. Not only can it expand your…
Read MoreTalent Tip #92: The Yellow State/Blue State Phenomenon and the Benefit of Virtual Hiring
June 21, 2017
Forget the red state/blue state debate for a minute. If you’re in the market for talent, you really need to be thinking about the yellow state/blue state phenomenon.
The map above (courtesy of United Van Lines) illustrates whether states are experiencing inbound, outbound, or balanced migration. For those of you in the blue states, congrats! Finding talent is likely a bit easier for you than your friends in the yellow states. But all is not lost for you, my yellow-hued pals!…
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