Monday, August 27, 2012

Back to school and Interviewing 101.




Here in the Midwest we have had several weeks of record breaking temperatures and heat indexes. Now we have experienced a cooling and on a couple days it has gotten down right chilly. Kids are back in school, temperatures are changing and the sports section of the newspaper is pretty much dedicated to football. Must mean only one thing, we are headed to fall. With summer quickly becoming a speck in our rearview mirrors, hiring managers are becoming more available with summer vacations all but done. Searches delayed by schedules and thoughts returning to filling critical staff vacancies brings about a refocus on hiring decisions. This is a perfect time to refresh on interviewing 101.

You are never too experienced in your profession, never too high up the org chart to not take time to be prepared for an interview. Presentation in an interview is critical to securing an offer. Doesn’t matter if you are a File Clerk or a CEO. Why take chances? Taking a lax approach to an interview never ends well. The details count. Every last one of them. That’s why I felt coming across this article was perfect timing. It articulates very well things to avoid in an interview. What are some other suggestions you can think of?



Scot Dickerson, CPC | President
Capstone Search Group

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Technology has changed how we prioritize our time.




Managing your time given the demands technology has placed on us seems like a constant battle. Years ago when “email” was a new thing and I worked for a staffing firm we were instructed to block out our mornings and to not even view incoming emails. As time has passed email, and even texting, has become engrained into how we do business. Just returning from vacation I am reminded on how technology has changed our lives both positively and some may even say to a degree negatively. My vacations are working vacations. I’m okay with that. My family is okay with that. I enjoy what I do and want to not only be accessible to those I serve but also make certain things continue while I’m away. My most recent vacation became more challenging than past trips due to the time zone difference. The combination of the time zone difference and our activities made it very challenging to keep on top of things on a timely basis. So I found myself having to prioritize. I had to pick & choose who I got back to. I found this to be a
very uncomfortable situation. A situation created by technology and the demands it places on us. Relatively new in the grand scheme of things.

As we go about our daily lives both at work and away from work, it is wise to have a plan to manage technology so it does not control you. After all it is a tool that if used wisely and effectively should enhance how we do business and in other ways as well.

Harvard Business Review recently had an interesting piece that directly relates to this topic: Two Lists You Should Look At by Peter Bergman. It is definitely worth a read.


Scot Dickerson, CPC | President
Capstone Search Group