After every article I write it is not uncommon to get several emails from readers looking for advice on the subject matter or with general employment questions. But that is the whole idea of sharing and mutual support. I send my share of “can you assist me?” emails myself, and hope I never stop. To... [full article »]

The unfairness and injustice of “the overqualified lie” is one of those issues that doesn’t seem all that important to you when you are less than 30. It starts to appear as a speck on the horizon when you when you are under 40. But by the time your 45th birthday hits you square in... [full article »]

As recently as ten years ago, you were considered to be a forward-thinking, “with it” company if you offered your employees a gift certificate to Wendy’s in exchange for an employee referral. Most organizations felt that referring a potentially good hire to the company was simply part and parcel of how a good and loyal... [full article »]

In World War II, the allies found themselves in a predicament. Everywhere they wanted to go required ships, and ships required harbors and docks to unload. The problem was that the enemy already occupied the ports where they wanted to go, and it was doubtful they would be allowed the needed dock space. So ships... [full article »]

Several years ago, an old friend of mine who is a leader in the New England recruiting marketplace asked me to attend an evening seminar he was organizing at a local college that offered an MBA/HR degree program. The intent was to bring in leaders from all areas of HR/staffing to speak formally in a... [full article »]

[Author's note: Last week, a reader informed me that my translation of "Carthage" into Latin in my article two week's ago was in error. I originally went to a knowledgeable friend to verify that my high-school-level Latin translation was correct. Next time I will get a smarter Jesuit. Take a hike, Father!] The issue in... [full article »]

In the early history of the Roman Empire (B.C. ó Before Russell Crowe) there was an outspoken member of the Roman Senate named Cato the Elder. While his peers discussed and debated public works projects, sports arenas, highways and the other infrastructure improvements, Cato had but one overriding concern, about a threat so severe he... [full article »]

This week a group of HR/staffing professionals ó consisting of in-house staff, consultants and contractors; third-party recruiters; and vendors of recruiting products ó will meet for three days in Atlanta for ERE’s recruiting conference, ER Expo 2002 East. This was not an unusual occurrence two years ago. You could find sold-out conferences on the use... [full article »]

When I left the military service years ago, my first civilian job was in operations management in the trucking industry. I went through an extensive six-month management training program that included office operations of a trucking terminal, accounting and billings practices, ranking and rating freight, loading dock operations, load planning, dispatching, payroll, IIC regulations, DOT... [full article »]

I recently saw a recruiting advertisement in a magazine that I thought was one of the cleverest and most insightful I have ever seen. The main character is a non-majority female with a small infant in the foreground. The caption read (not a direct quote), “Before you have arrived at work you have already managed... [full article »]

Despite your efforts to locate?? either internally or externally?? the best possible management candidates, at the hiring stage your work has only just begun. The interview process that follows is, at best, an effort to locate potential and promise. But rarely does the process conclude with absolute certainty that the best candidate has been located... [full article »]

We celebrate all kinds of anniversaries in our lives: our own birth or the birth of those close to us, wedding days, the day we proposed to that person with whom we wished to share our lives, christenings, and a whole list of other great and joyous events. These benchmarks are often the great “party”... [full article »]

“It’s my way or the highway.” If I were to develop a list of the ten dumbest things a manager can say to his or her direct reports?? in truth or in jest?? the above expression would be both #1 and #2. If you have ever used this expression with your team, go out of... [full article »]

HR is just overhead. Have you ever heard that before? If you haven’t, please tell me where you work. I’ll send my resume to you first thing in the morning. But the above sentiment seems to represent the thinking of a lot of companies. After all, HR/staffing costs money and it does not actually generate... [full article »]

A wise person once said, “Faith can move mountains.” An extension of that philosophy should be, “The absence of faith can stagnate an economy.” As we stumble along in an economic morass, everyone poses the same inevitable question, “When will the upswing begin?” But of course the other pertinent question is, “What happened?” Hopefully, this... [full article »]

We are in the influence-peddling business. God knows, with the limited authority granted HR/staffing, influencing is usually our only hope of affecting and impacting events and outcomes. Just because you consider yourself a full-time HR professional, you are still an influence peddler. Hopefully you use your influence to ensure that your hiring managers, clients, and... [full article »]

Now come on, tell the truth: you know there’s such a thing as a stupid question! We’ve all cringed at one time or another listening to one of them. There you are, sitting at a conference concurrent session, training session, or a team meeting, and the speaker, instructor, or team leader utters those immortal words:... [full article »]

If you are looking for the pro forma, here’s-a-neat-idea-to-improve-resume-processing article all packaged up with a bow ó sorry, not today. Not because that stuff is not important. Of course it is. But for today the question I pose is not one of day-to-day processing, improved response time (3.5 days vs. 4.5 days) or an opportunity... [full article »]

Some people say, “God is in the details.” Others say, “The devil is in the details.” But to me it’s, “Excellence is in the details.” You may have developed best practices in employment, recruiting, and interviewing, but at some point a living person has to pass through your process ó and that’s just where the... [full article »]

From: [full article »]