Ask The Headhunter Home Page
Ask The Headhunter Home Page
More about Nick's book...
teeth.gif (2774 bytes)   There's news and commentary on the Web that
will grab you, and some stuff that just bites.
Check The Headhunter's reviews.

 


ARCHIVE
The It's Got Teeth page got unwieldy, so I had to cut it down. But readers seem to enjoy some of the "old stuff", so it's archived here. You may find some dead links, but you may also enjoy some of the tasty articles that are still available.


Better than phone sex?
Don’t you love being screened in a telephone interview? Ever wonder who is conducting that interview? In this age of outsourcing, you may be talking to a bartender – or better. Check out Outsourcing rejection in Salon.

More stupid online job hunting tricks
Did you fill out that form completely on Monster.com? Dot all your i's and cross your t's? Provide your social security number? Ha. You're no dummy, right? Step right up, folks. There's one born every minute, and ten monsters lined up to harvest him. From MSNBC News: Online job listing an ID theft scam.

Trust+Honesty+Decency=Capitalism
Regular readers know I'm a dyed-in-the-wool diehard capitalist. I believe in making investments for an unknown return at an unknown time in the future. Sometimes it's hard to articulate why capitalism is the only viable philosophy of business (and maybe life). In A Virtuous Cycle Jim Surowiecki has written a brief history of trust, honesty and decency in business -- and explains how these characteristics define capitalism. After you read Jim's article, get the entire December 23, 2002 issue of Forbes and be reminded of the great ideas and people that have changed our lives. It's a keeper!

Higher education=More $$$?
Good question. Better question than you thought. Funny how an old assumption grows legs and kicks us in the ass. The story they all got wrong, in Forbes. (You may have to register to view Forbes articles, but it’s still free.)

The value of happy staff.
Remember when companies couldn't find enough "talent" to fill open jobs, and workers could command a premium just to stay put? Those times are gone -- and some managers are taking revenge. In this nasty economic weather, Bob Lewis offers a warning. A manager for all seasons, in InfoWorld.

Managing with the brain: what a concept!
Cognitive scientists are looking at how the brain manages the manager. Is management listening? Sometimes I think managers make it up as they go along. Let's look inside and see how this baby works… The Management Secrets of the Brain in Business 2.0.

Age discrimination laws: A backfire?
Only 10% of age discrimination suits are about hiring. The rest are about termination. So, what do you think companies do to avoid getting sued? Look at how age discrimation laws can backfire on job seekers: Removing the scarlet A is in Forbes.

Which side are you on?
Jim Collins suggests that you're either an opportunist, a patsy, or a self-motivated "creator" who couldn't give a rat's ass how the rest of the world is wasting its time -- you're too busy creating a legacy. If you read only one magazine article this year, this should be it. Is the economy just built to flip? is possibly the best piece Fast Company has ever published.

Business at the speed of molasses?
The dot-com era wore us out with high-speed business. Joey Reiman earns a living teaching companies that “the power of slow is our secret weapon.” Take time to ponder; get rich. Don’t miss Innovative model in Entrepreneur.

Reconsider that MBA.
It seems MBA students are the only ones that believe in the value of an MBA. Business 2.0 reveals that MBA professors and employers discount this popular academic credential heavily. What's an MBA really worth?

Judging employers II.
An old sage from the SEC wars shares simple wisdom about how to judge a company before you take a job. Balance sheets and liquidity reveal how a company is Balancing Risk, in Forbes ASAP.

Judging employers I.
The metrics for corporate value aren't changing -- we're just adding new ones to help us understand where business is going. Can you say "USPTO"? No single measure is sufficient to predict a company's future, but this one is necessary. How to find true value in companies is in Forbes magazine's ASAP.

Monster bites, period.
How desperate is Monster.com to sign partnership deals with newspapers? It seems the premier online job-hawker is misusing quotes from Internet media consultant Gordon Borrell to seduce major newspapers to jump into bed -- er, job boards -- with it. Those suave Monster execs have been quoting Borrell out of context in their PowerPoint presentations. Does Borrell think newspapers need to cut deals with Monster in order to survive? "My own opinion of it is that newspapers will basically give Monster two black eyes and tear off their limbs and feed it to them." Ouch. Maybe they just oughta forget Borrell and quote Bill Clinton... we hear he's looking for the exposure. Read the rest of the story in Editor & Publisher.

Place your bet: HotJobs vs. Dog.
The rocket scientists at Internet measurement company Jupiter Media Metrix released a study on 5/7/02 which reveals that 76% of people who visit career sites visited one site exclusively. Jupiter attributes this to loyalty. And the most popular site? HotJobs. Here at ATH, we think we know why these job hunters really go no farther. It’s because they’re not stupid. Companies polled made only .39% (less than one-half of one percent) of their new hires through HotJobs. (Source: CareerXroads, Kendall Park, NJ, 2002.) Companies made 1.4%, .29% and .27% of their new hires through Monster, CareerBuilder, and Headhunter.net, respectively. Suggestion to Jupiter: next time, ask about job hunting/hiring success rates via these sites. Better idea: compare the effectiveness of career sites to a dog with a note in its mouth. Find this bone in Newsbytes.

Want a job? Follow the money.
Like they say, if you want the truth, follow the money. No one watches his nickels like today’s venture capitalist. Where are the VC’s putting their money? In good hires. Job hopes rise with VC funding spurt, in The Work Circuit. Right or wrong, VC's point the way to new hiring trends. (This article focuses on the electronics industry, but applies in many ways to our entire economy.)

Get the latest.
There’s a powerful new tool for researching companies, people, products and events that might impact your choice of employers to pursue and the way you perpare for interviews. Google’s new News Search quickly scans newspapers and periodicals from around the world. It’s a great way to get the latest information about a target company – or to look up specific people. Bookmark this one.

A headhunter with attitude.
I get sick of all the "Jobs R Us" promotions of the recruitment industry. Everyone is running a racket, and they want resumes -- any resumes -- and job listings -- any job listings. Is there one firm out there that has standards? Check out Mathys + Company, a firm that seems to tell it like it is and damn the torpedos. I can't vouch for Jackie Mathys and her operation, but I giggled when I saw how up-front she is on her web site. If this headhunter is anything like her site, then other headhunters ought to pay attention -- and you should, too. (The Mathys site links to asktheheadhunter.com, but our businesses are not related.)

Stepping out and down.
You got laid off; you got disgusted; you burned out. These are all reasons why you might need to step willingly into a lower-level (or very different) job that pays less than you were making. Employers hate that. They don’t know what to do with you, so they stamp you REJECT. Smart Money tells the stories of some people who pulled it off and are happier for the change. Over and out.

Hey, where's the PROFIT?
The top brains in American companies are coming up with clever alternatives to layoffs: cut pay, shorten the workweek, offer sabbaticals. Computerworld outlines this month’s Working Alternatives to Job Cuts and begs the question, “Why don’t companies fire unprofitable workers and keep the profitable ones.” (Duh, how would we figure out which is which? Gee, I dunno you’re the one with the MBA.)

Are you a moron spammer?
Here at Ask The Headhunter, resumes are known to be worthless. Maybe they’re worth something when you have enough to paper your wall. Maybe not. Résumé Spamming' Brings an Online Backlash in The Washington Post. Yet another way to make employers hate you. (Don't miss the link to the moron.)

Call me up in dreamland.
Still relying on Monster.com, HotJobs, CareerBuilder and Headhunter.net to help you find a job (or hire a good worker)? You're in dreamland. Here's your wakeup call: Companies that post jobs on these sites make fewer than 1% of their new hires that way. The Wall Street Journal (which runs its own jobs site) says Job sites produce few actual hires. [This article, 1/2/02, is no longer available on the WSJ site.] My favorite quote: "At nine big public companies, which combined made more than 62,000 hires last year, 16% of total hires were initiated at the corporate Web site, according to the study, conducted by CareerXroads, a consulting company in Kendall Park, N.J., that publishes an annual guide to job boards and consults with companies on their Web sites. The percentage of hires made through the four biggest job boards, Monster.com, Hotjobs.com, CareerBuilder and HeadHunter.net, was far smaller -- 1.4%, 0.39%, 0.29% and 0.27%, respectively." The reaction from the CEOs of the aforementioned pillars of online job hunting: Uh, it's not our fault. Special note to other CEO's: how much did your HR department spend on those online job boards last year? Ah, this really bites.

Simon says, Stand on your head.
The only reality is contradiction. So, face it. Standing on your head is good, and it’s bad. Try it, then stop. Stanford Engineering School prof Robert Sutton discusses Weird Ideas That Work in Fast Company.

Your #1 job search tool is 10 years old.
The Web is a critical part of any job hunting or hiring effort. You use it like you use the phone. But, the Web has been in existence for only ten years. Did you ever take a look at where it came from? Dazzle your friends with wonderful trivia: A tech pioneer recalls how he brought the Web to America, courtesy of Stanford University.

Start-up gotcha's.
We’re all much smarter now about jobs at start-up companies. Right? We know to be cautious about stock options and IPO’s. Right? We never learn. And it keeps getting worse. Ever hear of “liquidation preferences”? This is where even the execs get burned. Start-up employees: Read the fine print on CNet News.com.

Got a budget? Throw it out!
Corporate budgeting encourages managers to lie and cheat, lowball targets and inflate results. There's a better way to pay people -- it's called linear pay-for-performance. Damn the budget; full speed ahead in Computerworld.

A real work-at-home job.
Work from home! Make millions! Use your pc to get rich! You’ve seen that blather in your email box every day junk mail, junk concepts, junk jobs. Well, I’ve finally found the one real online, work-at-home job. Trouble is, it’s not instant and it’s not easy -- but it's real. Check out Computerworld’s Creators of Online Community.

Still want Net?
The dot-crash eliminated many Internet-related job opportunities, but certainly not all of them. If you still want to work for an “Internet company”, don’t go for broke. Smart Business offers its list of Companies Making Money on the Net.

The terrorists you don't see.
Worried about terror strikes? This is a good time to look more carefully at the "other" terrorists, the Barbarians at the Gate. Steve Hanke of Forbes discusses how the attack on free trade could affect us all.

One of the emperors is buck-naked.
People are too easily impressed by headhunters with big names and expensive suits. Their dirty laundry reveals their shoddy management practices. Good headhunters listen to their mothers: "Always wear clean underwear. You never know when you'll get hit by a car." Read about this big-time headhunter's Headaches and Struggles, in Forbes.

Is it a diamond, or a lump of coal?
Once you've prepared to show why you're the only person for the job, get ready to make sure this is the company you want to keep. This one is for our "consultant" friends out there -- but Computerworld's advice about Comfy Cultures includes some gems for everyone.

Looking for new opportunities?
Strap on your thinking cap and hold on. Business 2.0 fesses up to getting the "New Economy" wrong, but in critiquing its 1998 proclamations (and the New Economy), the magazine reveals opportunities for those who will see them. Think anew about the 10 Principles of the New Economy, slightly revised.

Digging through the layoffs.
There but for the grace of God go I, huh? Executive management often hides behind the human pain of layoffs. This layee gives it to them between the eyes. Grace? Where’s the grace, or the depth of management’s responsibililty? Cogs in The Machine, in CIO.

Does your company's career development program suck rocks?
Everyone's tired of the old "there's no loyalty" explanation for why companies won't train or develop their people. It doesn't wash any more. Here are some companies that promote (and pay for) training because they have challenging jobs to keep people on board. Building careers, not just jobs is in Computerworld. If your company won't train you, find a better company.

I need job ideas...
Ask The Headhunter never suggests what kind of job you should pursue; only the best ways to land the job you want. But… Agenda Items in Fast Company offers a stimulating survey of "product stories" that might jumpstart your creative career brain. Check it out.

Control your stock options.
Today, lots of people hold stock options that are "under water". That is, their price is higher than the stock's price on the market. When your company offers to fix that by trading your old options for new ones, don't do it without Taking stock of option repricing. Lots of surprises in this InfoWorld article.

Do right if you want your employees to do the work.
Much has been written about how companies can get the most out of their new hires. Read Mimi Rosenheim’s Dispora of the digiterati, from WebTechniques, and you won’t have to read much else on this topic. Doesn’t matter whether you’re hiring ex-dotcom’ers or janitors: it’s all here. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Celebrate Assimilation.
America’s strength lies not in our differences, but in what we have in common. For years the PC movement has promoted diversity. The question today is, Can America Assimilate? Don’t miss Robert Samuelson’s provocative essay in The Washington Post.

Get a new life.
You’re unemployed. You’ve got all the advice about job hunting that you can swallow. How about some advice about anything but job hunting? Being jobless means time to get a life. Despair Not, Repurposed Human in Business 2.0.

Dot-bomb denouement.
There are lessons in the bombs that were dot.com’s, and they should be studied by employers and job hunters alike. Crash & Burn and learn from it, in Upside.

It's a duck.
There are more training programs, technical schools and certification mills out there than you can shake a stick at. That should tell you something. Education is an industry in America. Don’t forget that. And sometimes it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck. Admission commissions at IT “mill schools” dupe prospective students in InfoWorld.

Giving away the store.
Companies spend tons to hire great people, then let the competition steal them with nary a whimper. Re-recruitment: Keep your people from walking out the door in Infoworld tells us the obvious. Hello, is anybody in there awake??

Time Out: The future of technology.
Renaissance man Ray Kurzweil shows how “high technology” is still in its infancy and hints at the enormous opportunities that lie ahead. This won’t help you land a job, but it will remind you that there are no limits for smart, venturesome people. Immeasurable Intelligence for All in Electronic Engineering Times.

Restraining your employees is a fool's errand.
Companies are aggressive as hell when it comes to closing sales and “doing deals”. When it comes to letting their employees grow, companies are stupid as an ox. (With apologies to oxen.) To keep your workers, set them free should be required reading for any manager (before he quits his job). In Business 2.0.

How to negotiate the options agreement.
In our series about stock options, this article from Infoworld punches the hardest. It breaks down the legalese in stock options agreements and delivers specific negotiating tips. Whether you're an exec or a programmer, you can't afford to miss it. Opting for negotiation and understanding.

It’s the job boards, Stupid.
Forrester Research revealed the recruitment advertising industry’s dirty little secret earlier this year: only 4% of job hunters actually found jobs online. If you’re suffering from this statistical error yourself, you need to understand why Online Recruiters Fall Victim to a Downsizing Market, courtesy of The Washington Post.

Layoffs are bad for your health.
Corporate downsizings are stressful for those who've been fired, but they also produce pain and agony -- and often illness -- for those left behind. abcnews.com offers some simple suggestions for those Left In Limbo.

Education=Learning?
Whether you're investing in your own education or running a school, Fast Company raises issues you need to consider. This special feature includes comments from 16 leaders in the world of education. My favorite: Elliott Masie's suggestion that colleges stop firing their students after four years, and instead make them "members". Learning 101.

Old Guys Working with Young Guys
Yes, there’s age discrimination. That’s why it’s worth studying how some companies integrate age and youth to create powerful management teams. Something Old, Something New in The Industry Standard.

Clients bite Bernard Haldane.
Well, they just claim Bernard Haldane bites. The Kansas City Star exposes the lawsuits against the granddaddy of all career counseling firms and answers a question we tackle here all the time: Are career services a racket? All the news that’s fit to finally print: Expensive career marketing firm draws complaints. [Special thanks to headhunter Laura Hopeman for this submission.]

Are your recruiters earning their money?
Recruiters in most HR departments place ads, shuffle paper, and go home. In some companies, they bring in dough. If you don’t know what that means, you need to read Team IT: Recruiters to the rescue in Infoworld.

Who Owns Your Ideas?
Quit your job to start a business based on a great idea you've developed, and your employer may haul you into court because your employer -- not you -- owns your idea. There's more to Marketing Your Own Ideas than starting a new business, in Computerworld.

Peter Drucker: Is the "dot" just a comma?
He’s your grandfather on steriods and he’s got a message: the new economy ain’t here yet. There’s better fodder for interview discussions in this article than in the next ten career books. Make sure you know why Peter Drucker doesn’t buy it, in Business 2.0.

Stock Options: You may be able to take them with you
Netscape founder Marc Andreessen knows something about stock options that you don't: you can "take them with you". In our never-ending expose of stock options as a form of compensation, it's rare that we find information that gives you a break. The 3-year-old Section 1045 of the tax code may be the Insiders' Tax Break you've been looking for, in Forbes.

House of Cards Falls Into Black Hole
Someone has finally done it: asked job seekers whether online job boards really work. Results: respondents call the boards a "black hole". You'll start seeing more such surveys because the "online recruiting" house of cards is starting to fall. The best way to land a great job is through your personal contacts: 25% of hires come through employee referrals. Computerworld uncovers The Job Board Black Hole.

Take A Break... Get A Life
Even the workaholics of Silicon Valley are starting to recognize the value of vacations. Tech executives take a break to work smarter in Business 2.0's Riches of Recharge.

Spying For A Job
If you think the best way to go job hunting on the Net is to visit all those dopey job posting sites, think again. Now you can spy your way into your target companies. Computerworld tells employers, Your web site may be a spy magnet. And the spies might be smart job hunters.

There’s Venture Capital… Outside of Silicon Valley
Sure, Silicon Valley sucks up most of the venture capital in the US. But there’s activity in other parts of the country. Maybe you’d be better off getting your company funded with old money, or Down South. Upside scans the capital in Altered States.

The Easy Interview Question
Management guru Bob Lewis says there are three "best techniques" to use when evaluating a job candidate in an interview. One is from the Ask The Headhunter canon; one is old as the hills; and the third is… well, I wish I'd thought of it myself. To separate the losers from the winners, ask your job applicants an easy question, in InfoWorld.

Stock Option Basics
Don't ask, "How many should I ask for?" or, "When is the IPO?". It's a lot more complicated than that. Computerworld offers a beginner's guide to Employee Stock Options. (And you're more of a beginner than you think.)

Big Brother Is Hidden
Is your employer watching what you're doing on your pc? According to the AMA, 63% of employers do it, and 23% of them don't tell you. Computerworld's Worker Surveillance Gets Boost, Scrutiny will give you the willies.

Pay The Pipers
Salaries are inflated. Good people are impossible to find. Does it take a rocket scientist to figure out the connection between these statements? Welcome (again) our rocket scientist friend Bob Lewis as he explains How to keep your undercompensated workers, in Infoworld.

Does Profit Matter?
On Ask The Headhunter we harp on the importance of delivering profit in the interview and profit on the job. What is profit? When does it matter? Does it matter at all? Business 2.0 gathers some fine minds to tackle the profit question in Do Profits Matter?

Big Job Offers Can Sow Discontent
Once again, the information technology business is on the cutting edge of awareness about how to keep employees happily on the job. Computerworld: When the skills gap creates a pay gap. Good stuff for any employer.

The Job Fair Isn't
Thinking about going to that well-promoted job fair, hoping you'll make some good contacts? Put on your hip boots, bring your shovel and rub a little camphor under your nose -- it's going to get nasty. The Unchosen, in The Washington Post.

The Headhunter Factor
When you understand what headhunters do in the business world, you get a better picture of the world you work in. Beware: Things are changing in ways you know nothing about. The Skin Game, Updated in Forbes.

A Level One Spin on An Old Idea
The executives live high on stock options while the investors get sub-par returns on their investments. Is that how a good company gets more funding to keep growing? The guy who runs Level 3 Communications has another idea. Time to sign up for The Moving-Target Option in Forbes. A clever perspective on who's worth working for, says The Headhunter.

Stupid Employer Tricks
Want a Beemer? Get a job. Infoworld stimulates the ridiculous expectations of job hunters and employers with an article about companies (or is it just one?) that offer new cars to lure new hires. Gee: wonder what the old employees get to stick around? A 94 Chev? The keys to recruiting success make it a short drive to the career junkyard.

Get Sober About Retention
When a company loses a good worker, the cost to replace her is about 1.5 times the worker's salary. Suddenly, spending a few bucks to keep a good worker doesn't seem to be such a big decision, does it? Cost Per Hire: Finding Net (And Other) Savings is in Computerworld. Sobering reading for employers.

Busting The Monopoly
Colleges demand tribute in exchange for a sheepskin, and the price is rising faster than the costs of education. In the investment business there's something better than a sheepskin. It costs a lot less and it's recognized around the world. Will this Credentialer to The World lead other businesses to break the education monopoly? In Forbes.

Hatching A Start-Up Job?
Every successful person you read about nowadays has joined a start-up company. Before you even get near one of these newborns, learn how venture capitalists hatch them. And realize that VC's break a few eggs before they earn a buck on one of their (your?) investments. Upside's Startup Hatcheries is required reading.

To Employee Or Not To Employee?
Downsizings are leading some people to wonder whether they should spend their lives waiting for yet another axe to fall — or whether they should just bite the bullet and become independent contractors. The choice isn’t at all cut and dry. A nuts-and-bolts Computerworld article by headhunter Lina Fafard explores the pro’s and con’s about whether To Be A Contractor Or Not To Be? (Follow that up with the Consulting Jobs Primer in Industry Insider, and you'll really know what you're doing.)

Get Around The CyberScene
Courtney Pulitzer is an Internet-enabled butterfly who flutters among the movers and shakers of the online world, and she delivers the dish and the scoop in her newsletter and on her campy, information-rich site. And she names names. Tap this little-known resource before your competitors do. Check the site and sign up for the newsletter: The CyberScene.

Freelancers & E-Lancers Set Free
Freelancing becomes an option you may not know you had. The E-Lance Economy is detailed in Fast Company.

Techs Raise A Flag
There are good CIO resources on TechRepublic.com, but this site is oriented toward Information Technology staffers and middle management. It's like having an online mentor who helps you with your work and with your skill development, and it's a great place to meet others who face the problems and challenges you do.

Do-It-Yourself Human Resources
So your Human Resources Department isn't turning up enough of the best job candidates because (a) it's a tough market out there, (b) the sun got in HR's eyes, or (c) the ball took a bad bounce? The "toughest market" is in the field of Information Technology, and IT hiring managers have had it with the explanations and excuses: they're taking over the recruiting function. You may not be running an IT department, but as good talent gets harder to find, you'll wish you knew how IT managers are doing it. Find out now in Computerworld's Tech Skills Gap Forces HR Change.

Smart Way To Find Hot Companies
The problem with all those lists of "hot companies" is that there's almost always an agenda behind it. A sharp article in Infoworld suggests a new way to identify the real up-and-coming companies on the high-tech scene: follow the money. Money Loves The Internet in Infoworld.

Working Time
Is that new job going to improve your life or wreck it? Sometimes it's important to slow down and remember why we work. Terry Costlow at Electronic Engineering Times explains why there's No Time For Time Savers.

Women On The Fast Track
The WITI (Women In Technology International) special section in Infoworld offers a collection of great articles for professional success. Women in non-tech careers - and men, too - will glean some tasty tips from WITI Fast Track: Women advancing technology.

Bungee Jumping Off The Ivory Tower
The Headhunter climbs the ivory tower, and shows academics how to parlay their skills into a job in the business world. Geronimo!! Breaking Ranks and Rules: A Headhunter Shows How To Land A Job in Business, in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Retaining Employees
As companies seek ways to hold on to their best workers, nowhere is the challenge greater than in the Information Technology business. If you're a manager, you'll find ideas, techniques and good lessons in Computerworld's Retention Getters. As usual, much of what you'll learn applies both in and out of the IT world.

Define Value
Where is the value in your company? "The most statistically significant factor differentiating IPO winners and losers three years after the offering is an intangible variable - the alignment of employee interests with corporate strategy." Capital Thinking, by Jon Low, Tony Seisfeld and David Larcker in Forbes ASAP.

Relocation Info Galore
You have to take some of the calculators (especially the salary calculator) with a dusting of salt, but if you're thinking about a job change that involves relocation, you'll love all the nifty tools provided on Homefair.com. (My favorite is the Relocation Wizard.)

The Art Of Laying Off
Business sage Bob Lewis provides the only sane perspective (and advice) on layoffs that I've ever read. This short article is a must for all employers and employees. Laying off employees may be necessary, but workers can still be treated well in Infoworld.

Used Resumes $25
First, personnel jockeys started churning more resumes with scanners, rendering the candidate selection and hiring process more impersonal and inaccurate. (It's a neat way to avoid actually doing any recruiting.) Unable to feed the scanners fast enough, they're now buying used resumes for $25 apiece -- and selling the resumes in their own file drawers. (Kind of adds new meaning to "human resources".) Learn how some companies are dumbing down the hiring process -- and creating new ways to make a buck off you -- in Computerworld's Resume Site Eases Hiring. (You'll need to scroll down in the linked CW article for the sidebar "Resume Trading Market".)

Can You Go Home Again?
Careers sometimes take you on a loop - back to an old employer. Is it worthwhile to return to an old stomping ground? What's the best way to do it? Want to get ahead? Get back. In Fast Company.

Click On Your Abilities
You use only about 10% of the features in your word processor. Does your boss use only about 10% of your features? Bob Lewis tackles the human side of productivity in Infoworld's You and your employees will both benefit if they are challenged by their work.

Let The Marines Run Your HR Dept
I talk myself blue in the face, telling companies to take the recruiting function away from their Human Resources departments. Now that the US Marines are backing me up, I’ll never shut my yap. Andy Brown Wants You! in Fast Company.

Stupid Resume Tricks
Want to see your resume run faster, jump higher and land on your boss's desk? Fortune exposes the truth about posting resumes on the Net… then stupidly offers a few suggestions about how to post and protect yourself. A little arsenic with that cyanide, M'am? Read This Before You Put a Resume Online. Indeed.

The Myths of Modern Management
Robert Samuelson speculates on what we really know about management in Why I am not a manager, in Newsweek. A good reminder that management is not a science.

Get The Inflection Right
Andy Grove, chairman of Intel, recently changed jobs. He's done a pretty good job of running Intel, and he hasn't had a bad career. In a Fortune magazine excerpt from his book, Only The Paranoid Survive, Grove explains Career Inflection Points.

Stupid Internet Career Tricks
Desperately trying to revitalize its franchise, Monster Board encourages you to turn tricks. I mean, it encourages you to auction yourself off to the highest bidder. I mean, to offer your services for money. Howzzzat?? Computerworld gives you the dope. Dope, alright. Site to Collect Bids For Workers.

Boss-O-Matic
Put your boss in. Turn on. Press MIX. Then WHIP. Then FRAPPÉ. Remove cover and pour. Fast Company calls it Boss Management.

How To Fire
There are right ways (and reasons) to do it, and wrong ones. An employee who performs poorly can take your entire team down. Learn how to fire fairly, and you'll keep your team "up". In Infoworld's Tackling terminations.

"Hidden Camera": Career Counselors
Some of them are legit. Many of them aren't. The Chronicle of Higher Education tells the story of a would-be sucker and the pain of job hunting in My Trip To Headhunter Hell. (The author also reveals that she doesn't know a headhunter from a counselor; did she deserve her experience?)

Attention: Geezers Over 40!
Is age discrimination a problem of epic proportions? Or, are we stumbling on our own fears and skipping over our own responsibility to keep our skills current? Is the government supporting low-paying jobs with the H1-B program? Hey, this is getting complicated. Old guy Richard Brandt says cut the crap and Hire Me! in Upside. (To see what The Headhunter has to say, check Too Old To Rock & Roll?)

Toxic Companies
Now we know what to call them. Stanford Biz School professor Jeffrey Pfeffer says companies that treat people right outperform companies that don't by 30-40%. Are your eyes burning? Is it getting stinky out in your hallway? Danger: Toxic Company is in Fast Company.

The Last Employee Manual
You hire new employees, then you hand them a manual that prohibits them from doing anything but sit at their desk. Employee manuals are big business. This little employee manual will give your company what it needs to stay in business. No Fooling. In Inc. magazine.

Profit vs. Growth
Want to work for a company that has lots of people, or lots of profit? There’s an upside to downsizing. Consider it when you pick your next employer. I won’t do dumb growth is the story of cutting and growing at Household International, in Forbes.

Managers: Don't Compromise!
Have you ever hired the wrong candidate because you were in too much of a hurry? In Inc. magazine, Dr. Pierre Mornell estimates that the cost of replacing that employee will cost you up to 2.5 times the new hire's salary. His advice: don't lower your standards because there's No Room For Compromise.

Necessary Intelligence
One of the most common questions I'm asked about The Headhunter's approach to job search (and hiring) is, "How can I possibly do all the research you recommend?". Gina Imperato reveals her sources in Fast Company's Competitive Intelligence -- Get Smart! . Miss this and you might as well go back to mailing out resumes to personnel jockeys.

Employment Contracts
They're not just for executives any more. InfoWorld offers a very useful discussion about Navigating legal issues when you're hiring a new employee, or when you're accepting a new job. While the media love to tout the "power" that job hunters have in today's "hot job market", IW takes a realistic view of employment agreements and gives you some tools to protect yourself -- whether you're a worker or an employer.

Performance Reviews 101
If your upcoming performance review fills you with dread, ask your manager how she felt preparing it. That's right - most managers don't love doing reviews, either. It can be a confusing, painful experience. Until now. Infoworld Online guest columnist Brian D. Jaffe provides the simplest, sanest, most profitable rules for reviews that I've seen. A must for managers. If your boss hasn't seen this, send her the link. She'll thank you.

New Grad Instructions
You new (and soon-to-be) college grads are frequent visitors to Ask The Headhunter. This one's for you. John Rutledge is an economist and chairman of Rutledge & Co., a merchant bank in Greenwich, CT. He's also a great pragmatist. His column in Forbes, Preparing for A Career in Business is required reading on The Headhunter's syllabus. Skip lunch, skip class, but don't skip this.


Note: The sites, information and opinions that It's Got Teeth will link you to are not part of Ask The Headhunter. Consequently, we cannot be responsible for them in any way. Likewise, we have no control over whether the sites are still active. We try to check these links regularly, but we can't always keep up. If you try to connect to a link and it doesn't work, please accept our apologies. If you can, take a minute to let us know, and make sure to include the title of the Teeth item you're writing about. Thanks!

The contents of this site are Copyright (c) 1995-2015 North Bridge Group LLC.
All rights reserved. This material is for personal use only. Republication and redissemination, including posting to news groups, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent. Ask The Headhunter, Fearless Job Hunting, the ATH logo and other ATH titles are trademarks or registered trademarks of North Bridge Group LLC and Nick A. Corcodilos.

User agreement, legal information and disclaimer.

Visit the Ask The Headhunter Blog and sign up for your free subscription to the weekly Ask The Headhunter Newsletter.

We welcome comments and
suggestions. Please email to
Ask The Headhunter.