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Slides. Ping pong. Work from home. No offices. Free beer.  This is how we often describe startup company cultures. Descriptive nouns often hiding what they really are -- benefits or perks; cool stuff we get. THIS does not a company culture make. Founders are always asking me how to create culture. A

I started blogging in 2002. I designed a social talent network in 2007. I launched a social recruiting game in 2011. It's fair to say--I love to be social. But what I really love is thinking about new ways to connect people in the talent stream.  My personal brandline has always been: "where busines

So, what did you think of the Mad Men finale? Whether you loved or hated it, watching characters evolve on the show (or on any well-written show) is like watching your own kids grow up (or so I am assuming). But when I watched "Peggy Olson Grows Up," I had another thought too. What if we could watch

There's no shortage of complaints on workplaces over at Glassdoor. And I remember freaking out when I managed Marriott's employer brand and an employee at a branded hotel did this. We all have the things we love and hate about work, workplaces, bosses, co-workers etc.  So I'm never surprised when a

Every Thursday at exaqueo, we make sure to take a break and enjoy real life. Here's this Thursday's Lunch Break: This Thursday, I watched a video over lunch that resonated past and present. I didn't grow up in a true military family. One of my grandfathers served but my Dad was a teacher (ironically

Judging by the retweets, comments and direct messages, my post A Member of the Tribe--over at HRExaminer--resonated with folks. Seems we care about culture but we don't know how to define it, grasp it, understand it.  Several you wondered about the job seeker role in this. If companies are bad at de

One of the most important parts of the work we do at exaqueo is our work in culture. We help clients to create, build, dissect, understand, and re-build their cultures.  And it's not touchy-feel-y stuff. It drives business strategy. It explains how you get work done. And it helps employees self-sele

Earlier in my career, I tried to explain my fascination with work to people. I started working at 14 and had more jobs by 22 than most people have their entire lives. I blame my parents, partly.  They made the mistake of teaching me the value of hard work. What I started to understand--as I moved fr

Here at exaqueo, Thursdays often feel like the days we get the most s&#t done. They're packed days...one call after another with barely any breathing time in between. And while I actually love feeling amazingly productive, that pace, all day long, isn't healthy.  So when I do have five minutes to ta

Last week, my colleague Rajiv wrote about why start-ups need to care about HR.  Newsflash--that sentiment goes both ways. HR needs to care about entrepreneurs too. If you're in HR, you've heard of SHRM--the Society for Human Resource Management. You might even be a member. While I'm certified as a S

A whopping 80% of start-ups experience human capital issues, which either support their success or accelerate their demise.  Strong workforce and HR plans not only help to define a start-up’s culture, but also protect its most important assets: its people.  What every start-up (and small business) m

This post was written by exaqueo consultant Rajiv Bawa.Google and Facebook, two of the hottest employers today are not only popular for their technologies, which bring people together, but also for their unique business models. Candidates globally are vying for the opportunity to work at either fir

I sit on the Board of our local talent acquisition non-profit group, RecruitDC. And since the inception, we’ve been lucky enough to have exceptional keynote speakers at each of our sell-out conferences. This year, with so many economic and government factors affecting our local talent landscape, we’

As I head to InfluenceHR in two weeks to talk with HR vendors about how to sell into the space, I'm continually amazed by the tactics people use. I'm not a career salesperson, but I have spent quite a bit of time in the buyer's seat, and now that I run a consulting firm, new business is constantly o

When I think of "rockstar," I think of Mick Jagger, Slash, James Hetfield, Ozzy Osbourne, Adam Levine. I think of long hair, tattoos, decibels, backstage mayhem, and decibels. "It's Freedom Rock, turn it up."  When I search "rockstar," I get energy drinks, Rolling Stone, a gaming company and "rockst

We're marketers. That's what we are. Talent acquisition is about promoting opportunities. Driving brand loyalty. Evaluating customer sentiment. Participating in the conversation about our brand. Whether you like it or not, if your game is talent, your playing field is strangely similar to a marketer

There are a million voices in the debate on women in the workplace. And I was reticent to add another. But there's a perspective no one is talking about and that's the work. Until the work changes, the ratio of women in leadership positions won't change.  My latest post in Forbes addresses just that

At the end of 2012, exaqueo surveyed the U.S. workforce to see what role the economy plays in job seeking. Are more employees willing to jump ship as the economy gets better? Is the down economy the main reason they've been staying put?What we found may surprise you. On the heels of today's jobs n

As the economy continued to tank in 2011 and 2012, employee engagement dropped with it. Down economies often impact organizational loyalty in a negative way and Mercer’s 2012 report confirms that. According to the report, 24% of organizations are reporting lowered engagement up from 13% just two yea

If you could predict with a high degree of precision that investment in your employer brand strategy would deliver value wouldn’t you increase your investment? Employer Brand International’s (EBI) 2012/2013 Global Research study found that 39% of companies plan to increase their investment in employ

Here at exaqueo, we take on a few career coaching clients each month. And inevitably, some cringe when they realize how much hard work is required for a successful job search.  Every once in a while we have to really be clear---and sarcasm does the trick.  Check out my latest post on Forbes: How Not

The concept of social evidence is thrilling on many levels. For years, recruiters have been trying to visualize candidate performance and really understand just how good a candidate is. Sure, he says he’s a Ruby expert. But what does that really mean? Well now we know. RemarkableHire’stalent sourcin

Four years ago today, I was up early, on the Metro and headed to The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC at 22nd and M Streets. Suit, overcoat, heels, gold nametag. I was going to be a doorman for the day: Inauguration Day. At The Ritz-Carlton, it's something called lateral service. You help out others whe

It's that time of the year--THE busiest time for job searching. If you're a job seeker, this is your Super Bowl, your Miss America, your World Cup. And just in time for your big, mecca moment, NPR and Twitter have pulled together a team of experts (including me!) to help you with your search. In add