In a private response to HR’s #1 job: Poisoning the well?, a reader sent me this question: Is there any point in attempting to negotiate with thug companies that agree on a rate, say they’re going to extend an offer, then the offer comes in at 66% of what you thought was a done deal? [...]
In the August 24, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter, a reader says: After being tested and interviewed by the senior vice president of a local company for a senior executive assistant position, they dropped off the planet and made no contact with me. I sent an e-mail to the VP enquiring why there had been no contact and the [...]
MediaBistro led me to the latest career advice in Fortune.com’s Ask Annie column: Employer’s Wacky Interview Questions. I don’t know what’s wackier: the questions, or that Annie Fisher really believes that the mission of career advisors is to come up with clever answers for them. Get this question from an Ask Annie reader: Yesterday an interviewer [...]
Reader Steve Amoia shared a Wall Street Journal article by Elizabeth Garone that might terrify you: Five Mistakes Online Job Hunters Make. (Does this mean that if you’re not an online job hunter, you’ve got nothing to worry about?) Steve writes: I’m curious about something: “Assume your future boss is reading everything you share online,” she [...]
Uh-uh, Bill Taylor. I just read Why We (Shouldn’t) Hate HR on FastCompany.com. I wish Bill (one of the brilliant founders of FastCompany magazine) hadn’t questioned the intent and meaning of Keith Hammond’s original 2005 article, Why We Hate HR. If anything, it’s more valid today than it was 5 years ago because today budgets are tighter [...]
A recent post, Congress to Employers: You’re not proctologists, drew a comment that reveals the dangerous new cracks in our employment system — and hints at the problem employers need to address if the quality of hiring is to improve. In a comment on that post, dated October 19, 2009 at 6:52 am, reader Nic says: This [...]
In the previous post, we’re discussing how to commandeer a job interview so you can actually help an employer see how you’ll do the job. If the employer has a brain, you’ll get the job. On that thread, readers Bonnie and Janet point out an interesting “policy” that many HR departments have. They don’t want [...]
I continue to enjoy Mike Urbonas‘s blog because the guy has an eye for bureaucracy masquerading as expertise. Got a problem landing the job you want? It’s probably because you’re listening to bad advice. Got a problem filling a key job in your organization? Make an executive decision, and start a war with the Human Resources [...]
While many companies take pride in how they interact with the professional community from which they recruit, others are clueless about the damage human resources (HR) departments inflict on their corporate image and reputation. Sometimes a reader’s question reveals what’s wrong with Amercia’s employment system. This is one such story. In the June 23, 2009 edition [...]
What really goes on in the room where job ads are written? I saw a listing for a security specialist the other day. It listed a bunch of high-level requirements and looked interesting, though I noticed they also said “heavy attention to detail.” Is that a realistic expectation for someone who has a more strategic thinking mind? Can you [...]
