#career

Recognize Failure and Avoid the Sunk Cost Fallacy:
There's no shame in shooting for the moon and missing

Failing fast is one of the most overworked business tropes. The underlying motivation is for companies to take big risks with immense potential payoffs. To fail fast, the company must put sensors in place to recognize early if the risky move is panning out and worth continuing.  In comparative mythology, the hero’s journey requires the protagonist to face and overcome adversity before they become worthy of winning. Biographers of business… Read More »Recognize Failure and Avoid the Sunk Cost Fallacy:
There's no shame in shooting for the moon and missing

Leonardo da Vinci’s Performance Review:
Choosing the right employee for a job

Sometimes only one employee is qualified for a job. Sometimes speed is more important than expertise. Savvy managers routinely gain enough understanding of new projects to target the work to the workers’ strengths.  Even in creative fields, managers determine which worker is best for a job based on their speed and skill. Take a profession as inherently immeasurable as art. Art benefactors are middle managers who know the go-to person… Read More »Leonardo da Vinci’s Performance Review:
Choosing the right employee for a job

6 Keys to a Killer Cover Letter:
Half-ass this important communication at your own peril

Call me anachronistic, but job seekers who neglect to include optional cover letters miss a huge opportunity to wedge a foot into the corporate door. Artful cover letters enable applicants to stand out, providing narrative color that enhances otherwise drab resumes. The term “cover letter” is itself anachronistic. In pre-digital days, this letter served as the “cover” of a printed, mailed resume. In the days of mailing resumes in an… Read More »6 Keys to a Killer Cover Letter:
Half-ass this important communication at your own peril

6 Recruiting Software Epiphanies:
Art versus science in hiring

Never has it been easier for job-seekers to apply for open positions. LinkedIn’s “Easy Apply” feature enables a candidate to verify a few auto-populated fields, attach a resume, and click “Apply.” Companies offering these easy applications are undoubtedly inundated with them and guaranteed to receive scads of resumes from unqualified and/or disinterested candidates. Q. What’s a poor Human Resources professional to do? A. Separate the wheat from the chaff. With… Read More »6 Recruiting Software Epiphanies:
Art versus science in hiring