In HR and talent management discussions, I feel like I get asked two main questions: Which ATS do you recommend? How can we turn around our bad employment brand? Let’s save the first question for another blog. Now, addressing the second question—it’s not always easy, but it’s definitely doable with some effort. The first step is figuring out why your employer reputation is suffering. Sometimes, it’s a complex issue; other times, it’s more straightforward. For example, if your reputation took a hit due to how you treated employees in the past, rebuilding trust will take time. On the other han ..read more

The week of The Talent Fix, Volume 2! And SHRM Talent! Grab your copy today: https://www.amazon.com/Talent-Fix-Leaders-Guide-Recruiting/dp/158644638X ..read more

Should you know your manager’s salary? Should companies share this salary information internally? I get it – they’re common questions. In today’s push for transparency, this is a complex issue. Generally, higher-level employees (not in publicly traded companies) are less inclined to support sharing this information within the organization. On the flip side, lower-level employees often desire more transparency. Why is this? The desire to know colleagues’ salaries boils down to trust. Interestingly, the higher you climb within an organization, the less you tend to trust those below you. That suc ..read more

Welcome back to Re-Run Friday – this post originally ran in April 2022! The Big Regret! How’s that new job treating you? When 4-5 million people per month change jobs, mostly for more money, there are going to be some consequences! Turns out, the grass isn’t always greener when you get more green! A Muse survey, reported in the WSJ, recently found out that nearly 75% of workers who’ve changed jobs recently have regretted it, and 50% of those would try and get their old job back! That’s a lot! But it’s not surprising. The biggest stressors we have in life are having kids, buying a house, a ..read more

Has anyone thought about applying for a role like “Jr. Human Resource Manager”? Probably not, because let’s face it, job titles like that don’t exactly scream excitement or career advancement. Whoever decided to add “Jr.” to any job title ever – you’re killing me! Talk about taking the easy way out! I hate spending 3 seconds on job titles, because job titles just scream, “Personnel Department”, but I have to take a few minutes to help out some of my HR brothers and sisters. Recently, I came across a classic job title mistake when someone had posted an opening and then broadcasted it out to the ..read more

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes work truly meaningful. Many HR professionals believe that for employees to be truly engaged, they need to feel that their work is meaningful. I agree with this idea. However, some HR pros have misunderstood this concept. They’ve started pushing social causes onto employees, thinking that supporting these causes equals meaningful work. Tom’s shoes are the best example. Each pair costs around $45, but the materials and labor probably only amount to about $5. While Tom’s donates a pair to a child in need for each one sold, they’re essentially sacr ..read more

In our little world, being a “partner” carries weight, right? But, serious question. Does anyone really know what it means? I operate a staffing firm, where I end up working for free quite a bit. Staffing involves providing services up front, hoping to get paid when the right candidate is found. To succeed, you have to minimize the unpaid work as much as possible. I also speak and write in the TA and HR space, I do free work there too. A lot actually. Often, I’m asked for “favors” – which translates to free work. Despite being called a “partnership,” it’s usually one-sided—I give, they take. I ..read more

The saying “Stay true to the game” pops up all the time. It’s been around in sports and pop culture for ages. Basketball especially! (Side note: who do you have winning tonight?) Anyway, I feel like I keep hearing it more and more. “The game” stands for your thing, whether it’s sales, accounting, basketball, you name it. For me, it’s recruiting. Whether third-party, corporate, or RPO, we’re all in the same boat. Being true to recruiting is kind of subjective. What does it even mean? If you zoom out from recruiting and think about staying true to something you’re passionate about, how do you do ..read more

I work in contract technical staffing, and I’ve seen its drawbacks firsthand. Despite promoting its benefits daily, it’s rare for anyone to ask about its downsides in my 20+ years in this field. Surprisingly, most corporate HR and Recruiting Pros dislike contract staffing, yet few can say why, with only about 1% explaining their reasons (I made that number up, but it’s super low). Many think contract staffing threatens their job security. They worry that if they use our services, they’ll become expendable. But that’s not entirely true. Contract staffing fills temporary talent gaps and handles ..read more

Struggling to diversify your technical hires? You’re not alone if most of these hires are men, but by now you probably know the value of having diverse teams. So, how can you attract and keep more female and minority engineers? It’s tough, but doable! Many of our clients quietly express interest in hiring female or minority engineers. Some HR folks worry about appearing discriminatory, but actively seeking diversity is not only smart but legal too. Look at Etsy – they boosted female engineering hires by 500%. It’s not about the numbers alone; it’s about meaningful change. Etsy revamped their i ..read more