Talent Insights

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

What Can Corporations Learn About Leadership Development from the Boy Scouts?

I am proud to say that my son recently achieved the rank of Eagle in the Boy Scouts. Referred to in an August Wall Street Journal article as the "Ph.D. of boyhood", only about 4% of all scouts attain this rank Those who do are rightly recognized for their accomplishment [...]

Steve Jobs on interviewing for “needles in the haystack”

Recruiting is hard. It's just finding the needles in the haystack. You can't know enough in a one-hour interview. So, in the end, it's ultimately based on your gut. How do I feel about this person? What are they like when they're challenged? I ask everybody that: 'Why are you [...]

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.