[Recruiting] How to Say “No Thanks” to Candidates – Facebook and Others

Organizations tell you lots of about themselves from how they deal and treat applicants. The task, for candidates, is to make sure you’ve got your radar up, and don’t bliss out and fall in love to the point were you stop tracking all the things that go on in front of you.

If a company treats candidates poorly, you shouldn’t be surprised if some of that behavior carries on after people come on board.… Read the rest

[Ways to Say Thanks] “Great Articles”

There are a number of benefits from working with individuals as an executive coach, and working with start-up and leadership teams as a team coach. Some of them are financial, and some of them are pride in accomplishment.  Some of the benefits are the unexpected thank you’s that make you smile from the inside. Here’s one of the latter:

“Dear Mike,

I was referred to your blog by another former BGIer [Barclays Global Investors – now part of BlackRock].Read the rest

[Dept. of Bad Advice] How You Can Interview Well. . .

. . . and Disregard Dan and Chip Heath’s How-to-Interview Recommendations


I think Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath is a really good book. Most of the Heath brother’s content is great, both in their book, as well as in their monthly column for Fast Company. But even Babe Ruth stuck out, and their interviewing advice in Fast Company  – Hold the Interview: Why it may be wiser to hire people without meeting them – is a real stinker.Read the rest

[Tips for Job Candidates] The Kindergarten Open House

Analogues from which job candidates can learn exist almost everywhere. While sometimes the lessons don’t fully translate, you can glean tremendous insight from some situations that you can use when you’re in the hunt for a new job.

Last night’s open house for parents sponsored by my son’s grade school was one such situation. In the crazy kindergarten application process that exists in San Francisco – where 30% of kids go to private schools and supply grossly outstrips demand – the ways that applicant families can do well or do badly have lots of lessons for job candidates.Read the rest