Interview
How to Spot Bad Culture During an Interview
Most senior candidates discover the bad culture six weeks after they start. The signs were almost always there in the interview process. They just weren’t reading for them. In 20+ years, here’s what I’ve learned to watch for and what I now tell every senior client to read for during interviews. None of these are…
Read MorePreparing Your References
Senior candidates prepare obsessively for their interviews. Almost none of them prepare their references the same way. In 20+ years on the hiring side, I’ve sat through hundreds of reference calls. Here’s what I’ve watched happen, repeatedly:The candidate sailed through the interview process. Got to the offer stage. Provided three references — usually old bosses,…
Read MoreTell Me About A Time You Failed
In 20+ years of interviewing senior candidates, I’ve watched one question consistently catch even the most polished people off guard: “Tell me about a time you failed.” Senior candidates prepare for the technical questions. They prepare for the leadership questions. They’ve rehearsed their “tell me about yourself.” They have their compensation answer ready. Then “tell…
Read MoreExecutive Coaching
There’s something I tell every executive in their first session with me. Almost word for word. I tell them: I’m not here to make you into someone different. I’m here to help you see yourself more accurately. Because here’s what I’ve learned in 20+ years of doing this work. Most of the executives who come…
Read MoreStaying Confident Through Rejection
A client asked me yesterday how he’s supposed to stay confident after the fifth “we went in another direction.” I don’t think he liked my answer. But here’s what I told him. And I told him. You’re not supposed to. Staying confident through five straight rejections in a senior job search isn’t resilience. That’s denial. What…
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