Talent Insights

Stay up-to-date on the latest talent trends, tips and best practices.

Where Are Firms Investing in Leader Development Now?

Organizations increased their investment in leadership development some 14% in 2012 over the previous year according to industry research. This marks the most significant increase in years. How are they allocating this investment? Leaders at All Levels More investment is being directed down the management chain. With limited investment at [...]

Upgrading Talent? Upgrading Interview and Asessment Skills as Well?

Although layoff announcements and jobless claims dominate the current headlines, some firms are making it a priority to upgrade talent in key roles. Savvy business leaders and HR officers recognize the importance of fielding a strong team to not only survive now but, thrive as the economy rebounds. Sales, finance [...]

When More Job Candidates Are Not the Answer

Let’s say a friend or colleague seeking to fill a key job has interviewed several strong candidates and narrowed their focus to one favored candidate. But they don’t feel ready to move forward with a job offer. So, they message the recruiter and other colleagues that they’d like to see a couple more candidates. Why? What will a couple more candidates do for him? Convince him the candidate in hand that meets the requirements is the best choice after all? Surface the “world-beater” candidate he hoped for all along? Simply postpone making a decision he seemed unsure of in the first place?

Interviewers: Talk less; build rapport more.

“I thought talking was building rapport”, you say. Sure, to the extent you are only talking about 15% of the interview time. While talking more may help you and the candidate feel like the interview is more conversational, it has one major drawback – you get less data for assessing the candidate.

Building rapport is about enabling greater openness and sharing. It is a critical element to enable learning about the “whole person” in the interview process. It is the “whole person” who ultimately shows up on the job and not just the polished interviewee persona.