There is an old lawyer’s axiom – Never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to. I think this saying also applies to employers extending job offers to management level candidates. I’ve seen too many clients extend offers before they know if the candidate will accept, only to get a turn-down.

Once the offer is extended, the power shifts to the candidate, and often, that is when negotiation begins. The negotiation should be done before the offer is extended. An employer…

My last post was about the importance of keeping your best people, especially in a recession. Today I’ll focus on what motivates an “A” player. These factors need to be in place in order for you to keep your top people loyal. “A” players are motivated to stay with you when they are:

• Inspired by your vision and leadership – make sure you articulate this clearly and stay positive in your communication.
• Impressed by your business plan – You do have one, right? A roadmap to…

Many employers are mistakenly feeling secure about their current workforce, under the possibly erroneous assumption that no one would dare leave now. There is in fact a real danger of losing great people

within the next year.

Here’s my rationale. I’m assuming that any employer who has let people go has tried hard to keep the “A” players, and let go of only the poor performers. Now the “A”s are overworked, and possibly

under-utilized or under-challenged. If your…

Most of the answers I get revolve around new challenges, a company that is positioned better for growth, the usual. BUT, almost every…

A key hiring goal for most companies is to feel safe and secure that they’ve made a good choice – they’ve selected someone who will fit in, will perform well, and have a positive impact. In order to satisfy the need to feel “safe” about a hire, some employers load up a laundry list of skills and experiences and label them “must have” or “required”. In some cases, these are legitimate, such as an in-the-trenches, hands-on…

Most top executives admit that they have repeatedly hired people who are “B” or “C” players, who have had an adverse impact on the company, who needed to be replaced. Most will admit they have someone on their staff right now that fits this description. Many studies have shown…

Many of my business friends and clients have remarked to me that the recession must mean that there are great people available for jobs. That is a tricky issue.

If someone is…

Things not going very well at work? Maybe you just want to see what’s ‘out there’ in the jobs marketplace. Whatever your reason for looking for a new job, and however ideal or not your current employer may be, there is still a certain etiquette involved in the way you go about your search.…

Unless you are being recruited by a family member, friend, or close acquaintance, every single hiring manager will want to look at your resume before they call you in for an interview.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a cover letter accompany your resume EVERY SINGLE TIME you send it in and to make sure that it’s tailored specifically to the job you’re applying for.

Think about it from a hiring manager’s point of view. They can receive hundreds…

Do You Have “A” Players in Key Positions?

Achievement of aggressive company objectives depends on the solid performance of key leaders who are uniquely capable of producing essential results.

Recent studies have shown that employers are developing new executive profiles as they select people to lead their company into the millennium, especially in early stage and rapid growth organizations.

These critical factors will…

• Walk in their shoes. Understand who they are, where they are in life, in business, and what…