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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

It's been a big year for me. Got engaged. Revamped my business plan. Pivoted the business. Got married. Took three weeks off for the first time in 10 years. It's this kind of year where you realize who people really are. Really.  I tried to ask for  help.  Sometimes it worked. More often, it didn't.

I'm pretty sick of the work-life balance argument. It's not one or the other. Or sublime balance all the time. It's flexibility how and when you want it, understanding that working less may mean earning less. But it's your choice. Read my latest Forbes post "Forget Work-Life Balance: Give Us Choices

A recruiter’s job description can be narrowed down pretty simply: find the very best talent.  And that’s what we all aim to do. We experiment with different search tools, search strings and partners day in and day out. And while technologies have changed, our methods really haven’t. We want that per

...Without Delivery. That's the proposition I make in my  latest Forbes blog.  Think the hurricane hit people hard? Try the brand promises that were made, and not delivered upon by brands like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase.  I'm passionate about the role employees play in brand delivery and tim

We know why we need an employer brand and what a good, solid brand does for our business. But what makes a great employer brand? You know, how do you get one? We all want the press Zappos gets. Or to be awarded like the Container Store or SAS has been. So we try to mimic them, but that's the wrong a

QUIPS = QUIck Problem Solving*. Quick ways to begin to address and solve common talent challenges when resources to tackle the challenge holistically or over time aren't an option. Here is QUIPS #3: What Your Employer Brand is Desperately Missing. You know your organization. You know the politics, t

When Jamey Jeff and Scott Rothrock first reached out to get my feedback on their start-up, RemarkableHire, I was intrigued. After all, as a recruiter, talent acquisition leader and now consultant, I've lived and managed the same woes that drove Jamey and Scott to found the company--measuring talent