In today’s job market, many job seekers are concerned about applying for a job without all the qualifications. The question is should they apply anyway, or wait until a role where they tick all the boxes comes along. In a recent search I ran 86% of the candidates were not on target. Another search for a…

 Bypassing the hiring process can work, but it is not always advisable There is a story in Greek mythology of Hydra, a monster with many heads and deadly poisonous breath. For every head chopped off, the Hydra would regrow two heads and the only way to deal with this was with swords and fire. We…

There is a lot of social media white noise around the value of references in the hiring process. As with everything today opinions are divided and polarised. I mean….. really? People actually feel strongly about references? Seemingly they do. Pros and cons Many people underestimate the value of references in the hiring process. But that…

I have tackled this topic three times before in 2009, 2013 and again in 2020 to manage expectations between job seekers and recruiters. There is a massive chasm in expectations which I believe is the source of miscommunication and frustration. In 2021 because the issue is as entrenched as ever. The result is a ping…

I’ve seen some hot discussions between recruiters around terminology and data used in the career coaching sector. The one that makes temperatures rise is the phrase “the hidden job market.”  As someone who sits on both sides of the table, I have sat back in reflection mode monitoring what has been going on. I’ve also…

“Facts tell stories sell” is a piece of marketing and personal branding advice I see almost daily on social media, especially targeting job seekers. Like a lot of bumper sticker homilies, it can work some of the time, but it doesn’t work all of the time. Why? Because it lacks nuance, a topic which is…

I regularly observe career coaches and recruiters encouraging candidates to send handwritten thank you letters to their interviewers. I have even seen hiring managers say that receipt of a thank you note is part of their decision making process and they judge candidates negatively for failing to comply. In some cases they even cut candidates…

How much attention do you pay to voice when you think of a leader or when you hear a speaker?  I cut my teeth on old school telephone interviewing so can confirm that voice  definitely plays a role in the assessment of someone. Voices are an integral part of our identity and we can all…

The hiring process for most organisations is flawed throughout and riddled with unconscious bias. Despite good intentions, there is no doubt that unconscious bias is the barrier to diversity. It’s important you understand how to make your interview process more inclusive as part of your hiring best practices. Inclusive hiring Inclusive hiring is an equitable…

I have been conducting a European wide search, a region in the throes of an economic depression.  In the middle of a global pandemic unemployment levels are at an all time high, so I anticipated being overwhelmed by significant numbers of on-target job seekers, with difficult selection decisions to make. I was wrong. Despite there being millions of career coaches…