It used to be that a reference check was a ‘check box’ item after an offer was made, a CYA of sorts. But these days, you just have to read the headlines to see prominent leaders who have fibbed on their resumes—ok, blatantly made stuff up, committed crimes and who
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Author Archives Vikki Pachera
Jul 28, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on The Art of Reference Checks
The Art of Reference Checks
Jul 20, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on Open-Ended Vacation Policy…A good thing?
Open-Ended Vacation Policy…A good thing?
During the peak of the summer vacation season, interesting article in the Wall Street Journal by Sue Shellenbarger on the open-ended vacation policy. “Take as much vacation as you need”…sounds fantastic! The policy works well in many Silicon Valley companies like NetFlix. Could this be a blessing or a pressure-filled
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Jul 15, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on Google's Hiring Spree
Google's Hiring Spree
Wow! Google brought on 2,452 new people in 3 months. That’s 40 each and every business day. 5 per hour. Holy hiring engine! Morning Coffee Jul 15, 2011 Joseph Walker You’ve got to spend money to make money. The old saying could very easily be Google’s mantra after the company
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Jul 14, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on The Time Crunch
The Time Crunch
If you are working, you’ve probably noticed that you are running to barely keep up. That’s been the theme of the week. I spoke to a client yesterday who was literally multitasking, speaking to two others while we tried to set up some time to chat. Another, the same day,
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Jul 11, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on Perks growing as Silicon Valley heats up
Perks growing as Silicon Valley heats up
Perks are deeply bred into the Silicon Valley culture…free clothes, free food, take care of my laundry, taxes, backrubs—I remember one of my colleagues bursting into tears because he couldn’t attend the annual picnic because we had a production problem. I make my way around to company after company in
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Jun 30, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on Landing a Job: Resumes
Landing a Job: Resumes
Lately, we’ve been receiving 3-10 resumes a day from candidates—clearly using an outsourcing service. Via fax. To make matters worse, up until today, there was no way to opt out of these faxes. I’m shocked that candidates think that’s an effective way to deal with recruiters. These resumes are all
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Jun 17, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on Talent: The Road to Great
Talent: The Road to Great
You can find them at every company— the good guys, the hard workers, the eager beavers, the workhorses. Companies need these people, or at least most of them. But what is increasingly separating the great companies from the stragglers is outstanding talent— the number of exceptionally talented, not just average,
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Jun 14, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on Accelerating Your Career
Accelerating Your Career
I’m continuously invited to lunch by friends and acquaintances in search of sage career tips from ‘the headhunter.’ Many people are interested in advancing their career, getting to the next level, earning more money. My advice is almost the same – time to change companies. It’s not what most want
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Mar 07, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on I Botched the Interview, Now What?
I Botched the Interview, Now What?
You’re driving home from the interview, processing how you answered questions, and you realize that you didn’t ace it. Is there anything that you can do after the fact? Probably not. Which is why we suggest that you try, as hard as it is in our crazy work schedules, to
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Feb 23, 2011 | Post by: Vikki Pachera Comments Off on Landing Talent in Today's Market
Landing Talent in Today's Market
Top technical talent continues to be in high demand—in fact, there are shades of 1999 when companies fought hard for talent and those that couldn’t bring in “A players” fast enough faded into the distance. Speed is key to competing for talent but that often makes hiring executives uncomfortable. The top
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