Archive for the 'Stuff I love' Category


This Employer Earns an A in Hiring

Monday, August 1st, 2011

In the August 2, 2011 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter, a manager explains hiring like it ought to be done and earns an A: I’m a hiring manager and I like to ask candidates to: Review our web site and provide written recommendations for improvement prior to the initial interview; Meet with a sales manager who [...]


Unemployment & Poverty: A choice American companies make

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Curt Landi was raised in New Jersey, near Thomas Edison’s old laboratories. Landi says he used to sneak into one of the abandonned buildings when he was a kid, and wander around, dreaming of becoming an inventor. In the 1980s, Curt and Susan Landi started their company, Supracor, in a tiny Silicon Valley office. Curt invented flexible [...]


Finesse: The secret sauce of recruiting

Monday, March 21st, 2011

In the March 21, 2011 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter, a manager complains about losing a candidate to another employer, and blames the headhunter. Was the manager in too much of a hurry? I used a headhunter to help me fill a position in my group, but it didn’t turn out well. The good news is [...]


Recruiting: Have employers put on their thinking caps?

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Joe Light (Recruiters Rethink Online Playbook) suggests employers may have put on their recruiting thinking caps. Light discusses whether employers and recruiters are shifting their focus away from job boards and towards more personal (and productive) recruiting methods. “About 24% of companies plan to decrease their usage of [...]


Readers’ Forum: How I got the job – Talking shop!

Monday, October 18th, 2010

The October 19, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter is a special edition. A reader shares his story, about how he talked shop to meet the people who led him to the manager who hired him: Nick, I got the job! Finally, I will be moving to [new city] for a great job. I still don’t believe what I was [...]


Now THIS is a job description

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

I still think the best way to find great people to hire is to go where they hang out and talk to them. But if you’re gonna post something online to tell people about your organization and to get them interested… Joey deVilla over at Microsoft Canada has a good idea. Just tell people about [...]


No jerks allowed

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Company mission statements usually remind me of public relations dogchow. I wanna gag. I don’t know anything about Connectria — but I love the company’s guiding principles. Especially the last item. If they really abide by it, it’s probably one of the most important career development tools any company can implement and offer to employees and new [...]


The down side of job hunting

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

About 15 years ago, when I first started publishing Ask The Headhunter online, I met a fellow that I’ve stayed in touch with on and off. Recently we renewed our acquaintance — and I encouraged him to start a blog. He prefers to remain anonymous. He calls his blog Unemployed and Clinically Depressed in the [...]


Colleges fail How

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

What do your kids learn in college? Lots of people ask the question only when they see the tab for higher education. It’s a good question. A better question is, do they learn How? I’m a big believer in education for its own sake. Anything you learn is something that might “grow you,” and it [...]


The Preemptive Reference

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Sometimes an idea gets a point on it when there’s a story to tell… Chris Walker is an “ATH Regular” from Ohio. He is a Training and Placement Specialist at the Senior Employment Center in Akron. That means Chris helps seniors find jobs. He just sent me this note, which made my day: Nick, One of [...]