Be Part of a Winning Team

So, my little brother’s high school boys’ basketball team has qualified for the Nebraska State Basketball Tournament this week in Lincoln! Go Pawnee City! I come from a long line of basketball enthusiasts. While most little kids watched cartoons as they enjoyed their bowl of cereal before heading off to school every morning, I grew up watching ESPN Sports Center. I didn’t mind — sports seem to run through my veins.

Why you Shouldn’t Cancel an Interview

Anyone who has been in a hiring manager position has most likely experienced a candidate cancelling their scheduled interview at the last minute. Even worse are those instances where someone “no shows” for a scheduled interview and you never hear back from the candidate with any type of reasonable explanation for why they failed to fulfill their commitment. Is it just me, or do those scenarios really strike a chord and irritate the heck out of you?

Time to Reflect, Look Forward

My husband and I went to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” this past weekend. I was dragging my feet when he suggested we go, as I felt like I had a million other things to complete on my “to do” list. When it was all said and done; however, I was so grateful for my husband’s idea! I’m embarrassed to admit that I’d never watched the entire movie until last Saturday night. I’ve seen so many of the other classics, but this particular movie had somehow escaped me.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Texting

I have a love/hate relationship with texting. I can’t deny the fact that it’s super convenient to quickly send or reply to a text without having to actually call someone. I mean, let’s be honest — sometimes we just don’t feel like talking on the phone!

Professionally, texting has totally changed the way we are partnering with our clients and candidates. And for me, this is where the love/hate relationship comes to play. As I mentioned, I love the convenience of being able to connect with a hiring manager or candidate via text when I know this is the only readily available avenue through which we can communicate during an otherwise hectic work day.

Tips for Dealing with Work Jerks

In my last blog spot, I examined the criteria Robert Sutton outlines in his book, The No Asshole Rule, which helps one identify certifiable a-holes in the workplace. We’ve all dealt with them before and there’s a strong likelihood we’ll cross paths with more of them in the future, as much as it pains me to admit. If only the workplace jerk was a species on the verge of extinction….

Work Jerks — Are You One?

I just started reading “The No Asshole Rule,” by Robert Sutton. The title immediately captured my attention. Even in my 30s, an unexpectedly placed swearword makes me laugh. As silly as the title might seem, the content of this book is incredible!

Let’s think about this for a moment. All of us have had experiences working with people who are, for lack of a better phrase, A-holes. Now, dig a little deeper with me? What did these A-holes have in common?

The Dating Game of Job Hunting

Searching for a new job opportunity can be a lot like dating. The candidate is “playing the field,” trying to determine what opportunity is going to be the best match. The hiring manager is trying to “woo” the candidate by showing all the perceived benefits of stepping into this position and joining their team. Both parties often conduct research on one another, trying to gather insights on what it would really be like to engage in a full-blown working relationship.

Finding Value in Tactical Mapping

There are those words, those phrases, that send chills up all of our spines. The phrase around the office that most recently made me shudder was when my supervisor announced that it was “Tactical Map planning time!”

For those of you who are not familiar with Tactical Mapping, let me enlighten you! Here at Aureus Group, we go through a strategic goal setting process on a quarterly and annual basis. This exercise, Tactical Mapping, really forces us to review our individual and team goals and develop a very specific strategy for how we plan to achieve them. While I (jokingly) mentioned that hearing this phrase made me shudder, the positive results I’ve seen have validated its worth.

Feedback is a Gift

In the spirit of continuous learning and improvement, our team has recently been participating in a weekly training session. Over the course of the past few weeks, we have been exploring our perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of our group collectively. Additionally, everyone has completed individual assessments ranking themselves in the same areas we previously assessed the team.

The Art of Negotiation

Negotiation. Does the word make you feel slightly uncomfortable, or does the thought of being involved in a negotiation stir up feelings of excitement and bring out that competitive streak you try to keep slightly under wraps? Negotiating is a part of everyone’s life, regardless of career path and position. So, in honor of Halloween, I’m going to share some negotiation “tricks” that will hopefully turn into “treats” for you as you go through the process.