Melissa’s Memos
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 More6 Conversations the Matter Most
After 20+ years watching senior careers play out, I’ve come to believe something that sounds dramatic but isn’t: Your career is shaped less by the roles you take than by six specific conversations you have along the way. Most senior leaders can’t tell you when they had these conversations, or with whom, because the conversations…
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 MoreCareer Advice for the In-Between
Most career advice is written for two seasons — the search and the role. Almost nothing is written for the in-between. The season where you’re still in the role but quietly outgrowing it. The months between resigning and starting somewhere new. The stretch where you took the leap and you’re not yet where you’re going.…
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…
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