Knightsbridge - Robertson Surrette

So, you`ve thrown your hat in the ring and applied for a new job.  You`ve written a captivating cover letter and submitted your polished resume.  You have your references lined up and primed.  And then you have a screening interview which you nail.  And now, the recruiter has asked you to complete a psychometric assessment. Why?  What can an assessment possibly tell anyone about you that your cover letter, resume, interview, and references cannot?

So, you’re thinking about going back to school to get a Master’s degree.  You’ve done the research.  You’ve calculated the financial cost.  You’ve looked at how much time it will take (time away from work, family and other personal commitments…gulp).  Now it’s time to make a decision.  Before you take the plunge; you want to know – is it really worth it? 

What’s your motivation? 

Finding a job can be challenging. The best résumé and background do not necessarily guarantee you will be the successful candidate if you don’t nail the interview. Even extremely talented people with solid work experience and education can be unsuccessful in the interview process for a number of reasons, some reasons beyond their control.  In an interview, the one thing you CAN control is your outlook and attitude.

When dealing with severance for an employee leaving your organization there are a number of issues to consider.

The first and foremost is consulting with your legal counsel  to make certain you know what is fair and required by law. Once you have determined how much you are offering then you have to consider how to structure the severance package. I have seen a wide range of severance structures while working with individuals who are provided career transition services, however they tend to fall into one of two main categories, lump sum or salary continuance.

Steve Rennie’s Canadian Press article on the compensation levels of charity and not-for-profit sector leaders made the front page of The Halifax Chronicle Herald on Monday, July 11th – ‘Charity work you can bank on’. Now, I am as conservative as the next Nova Scotian about the ways in which the public’s money should and shouldn’t be used but this article got me thinking about how society views this sector and those that choose to work in it.

The difficulty of hiring for the right fit has come up often in my recent conversations with executives and HR leaders.  All have recounted instances in the past of compromised productivity, lost opportunities or costly settlements stemming from executives who did not meet expectations, or were unhappy in the organization.   These leaders know that the companies that prosper and grow as talent becomes scarce will be the ones that consistently identify, recruit and retain the right employees in the right positions.  Hiring the right fit is the key to these efforts.

Connections - Get connected. Stay connected.

It usually begins with an awkward pause. Others choose to offer up a quick joke like ‘more is always better right?’. The truly bold will tell us that money doesn’t really matter. The best candidates? They know that getting this question out of the way honestly and professionally is always a first step towards success.

Seems I have been repeating myself.  I hear myself say to my clients, “but if you don’t tell the potential employer about all the great things you accomplished in your last role – how will they know how amazing you are?  Should they guess? Or assume?”  They won’t.