Talent Insights

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

Are You a Dishonest Leader? The February Test

Integrity. It seems that nearly every organizational competency model or values statement includes the word “integrity”. Commonly defined as a “firm adherence to a code of moral or ethical values or honesty”, it goes without saying that integrity or honesty is an important value for leaders at all levels of [...]

Drive Hard for Results? Ask These 3 Questions When Your Team Comes Up Short

You've been recognized for your drive for results, for your ability to set goals for yourself and your team, and for your consistent delivery on high expectations. Your management, your peers, and your team frequently cite this drive for results as a strength. But sometimes, when driving for results is [...]

The Key to Improving School Performance (and Business, Too!)

Election Day, 2012. Candidates for office at all levels of government have points of view on multitudes of issues and how they will address each issue if elected. Improving our schools is one such issue. In recent years, research has increasingly pointed to teacher quality as a primary driver of [...]

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.