Talent Leader

Recruiting active vs. passive candidates
When I started looking for a job last year, it was the first time I’d done so in more than five years, and I was overwhelmed. Thinking about new routines, new commute, new people, new coffee machine, new set of work passwords. It was daunting. I’m what we at PI call a Controller pattern, a key…

When to fire an employee: We hire for skills, but fire for something else
Think about this: When you interview a candidate for a position, a primary input in the decision-making process (the resume) is provided by the candidate. While the resume certainly gives you an overview of experience, education, and skills, it’s still information that’s curated by the candidate. This is equivalent to a used car salesperson handing…

Let’s get smart about hiring
For too long hiring managers have relied on gut feel to assess candidates for a job. They’ve relied on what they believe to be tried and true methods for predicting a candidate’s success only to be met with mixed results. A resume is great but it only tells part of the story. Relying on factors…

Why narcissists excel in job interviews
There’s an old consumer-protection saying that “if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.” For hiring managers I’d amend that adage slightly and say, “If a candidate seems too charming to be true, he probably is.” Don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing wrong with charm in business. But there’s also data suggesting…

How to build more compelling job descriptions
If you’ve ever searched for a job, you know that not all job descriptions are well written. And if you’ve ever had to build a job description—well, let’s just say many of us would prefer to watch paint dry. But crafting a job listing doesn’t have to be a horrible experience. Here are 14 tips to…

9 tools to help you build bulletproof job descriptions
You are staring at a cursor on a blank screen. Or, if you’re lucky, you have a template of some kind to work with. If you’re unlucky, you might be looking at a mess of a job description someone else tried to create—that you need to turn into a magic document that will not only…

Comparing Myers-Briggs vs. The Predictive Index
A lifelong MBTI practitioner’s take on PI. What’s a woman who’s built her career around Myers-Briggs (MBTI) to do when her husband buys The Predictive Index (PI)? I’m not talking about buying the PI assessment solution, mind you. I’m talking about him buying the whole darn company. PI is a tool that can be considered a competitive…

5 PI patterns that have potential to be sales rock stars
Before building an all-star sales team, these PI behavioral patterns will identify who your top-performing salespeople are. While nothing trumps a Job Assessment, or setting a Job Target, to determine the perfect fit for your sales organization, I am often asked by prospective and current clients which patterns we typically see in different sales positions. One…

How to find top talent using The Predictive Index
Companies using the PI Job Assessment craft job posts that speak to drives, needs, and behaviors unique to the position

The dangers of promoting management to their level of incompetence
Employers are only basing promotions on past performance, forgetting to consider the employee’s natural talent.

How to pass a personality test and common questions on faking assessments for employment
Thinking about gaming the system? What you need to know before faking a personality test. You just applied for a job and you’ve been asked to take a personality test or other pre-employment assessment. Questions immediately start rushing through your head. Is this going to be hard? What if the results are not truly me?…