Yes, I am a diehard baseball fan. And the best day of the year, hands down is Opening Day. Last Thursday was Opening Day for most teams in Major League Baseball and I bet many of you tuned in to watch or listen if you weren’t at the ballpark. Talent and HR executives can learn some valuable lessons from Opening Day and …
Duck Season, Wabbit Season, Conference Season and March Madness
Unlike most of my posts, this one is a mixed bag with multiple topics. First, it’s conference season for the talent community as there is a smorgasbord of offerings and some cool places to travel to. Austin, Vegas, San Diego, and later this year Chicago. Let’s not forget some overseas offerings as well. Big, small, and everything in between. For …
Don’t Believe Everything You Read or Watch, Even on HR Websites
We have heard the saying a million times: “Don’t believe everything you read”. Or maybe it is “don’t believe everything you hear or see on TV”. In any event, written, verbal or visual, with the advent of social media and 24-hour cable news, we are bombarded with a smorgasbord of “news” on demand. And how do we know if we …
The Word of the Year for 2018 Is…?
I have given this some thought. No, it is not “Dilly-Dilly”. Although that may be the most used word I have heard since football season started in September. There are already a lot of words of the year out there. Tim Egan at the New York Times recently penned an article titled “Comeback Words for 2018” in which he noted …
Sexual Harassment: Coming to a Theater, I Mean Business, Near You
Do you remember the Movie “Disclosure” with Michael Douglas and Demi Moore? A perilous tale of sexual harassment and shady undertakings. It was 23 years ago that it hit the big screen. For those not familiar: A computer specialist, played by Douglas, is sued for sexual harassment by a former lover turned boss (Moore), who initiated the act forcefully. The …
Throwing HR Under the Bus
If you work in HR, at some point in your career you will get thrown under the proverbial bus. Some may experience these tires rolling over your body multiple times. This goes for every faction of HR, including Talent, Benefits, Comp, OD, and generalists of every flavor. As a consultant I am an easy target. One might say a hired …
There Is No Such Thing As “Overqualified”
I’m jaded and don’t subscribe to the overqualified candidate debate. To me it is binary—you’re qualified or you are not. I am not sure when the term overqualified entered the Talent parlance. It may, by all accounts, be the must overused term in HR. More than “Engagement” or “Rigor” or “Agility”, and certainly near the historic “Seat at the Table” …
Should HR Take a Knee or Sit on the Sidelines?
Taking a knee during the national anthem at National Football games is today’s discussion. If you work in HR can you take a knee or do you need to sit, or rather stand, on the sidelines? HR folks are all about political correctness, but what if you disagree about what you’re being asked to defend daily? In professional football, we …
Politically Incorrect, Burning Bridges and Telling “All”
This post will go against all conventional wisdom. Sometimes it’s the right thing to tell-all. Many of you will disagree, even a few of the writers on this site. Of course, there are pros and cons, as well as the long-term potential results of burning a few bridges. Big businesses have decided for all of us that it’s politically incorrect …
Don’t Blame Your Talent Failure on Your ATS
Today I will share the story of how my part-time employer, a major university, tried to pass the blame of a botched search on their ATS. As a result, I was an unlucky applicant who was passed over for a position I was qualified for. I don’t usually share personal insights of HR screw ups, however, as the recipient, instead …