Deep End Talent Strategies

This week marks the first anniversary of Deep End Talent Strategies (DETS), and what a year it’s been! The traditional first-anniversary gift is paper to symbolize writing a new chapter in life. I am proud to have written a new chapter in my personal and professional life and helped many others do the same. I set out to create a business that bridges the gap between employers and employees, providing HR consulting services to small and growing businesses AND career services to individuals in transition. People I know and trust gave well-meaning advice like, “If you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either” and “You need to choose-you can’t successfully service the B2B and B2C worlds.” Anyone who knows me for more than a minute will attest to the fact that all you must do is tell me I cannot do something, and it is game on! Despite some well-meaning but misplaced caution and a global pandemic, I also had unwavering love and support from my husband, family, friends, and colleagues. Reflecting on this first year has been a lot of fun.

We rely on technology and processes to fill critical positions. The use of both allows us to operate lean and, when set up well, can provide a better candidate experience. Humans being human can disrupt our flow. The science is continually refining the systems to reduce disruption. The art is looking up from the computer to face the disruption, see it as a human being, and ask what their behavior says about the person’s fit for that role. I'm sharing a recent experience which was truly a gut check moment for me as a recruiter. The line between between following directions and taking initiative is thin.

I have people ask from time to time why I work with companies and individuals. Perhaps they think I cannot make up my mind, but the real reason is that I am committed to bridging the gap between companies and employees. Improving the employer, employee, and candidate experience has been a driver of mine for over twenty years! Companies want the best employees, yet few have mastered the science behind using data and people analytics to find them and assemble a dream team. Most candidates are willing to participate in *reasonable assessment processes because they too want the fit to be just right. The Predictive Index estimates that a wrong hiring decision costs about 30% of that individual's first-year salary. Have you ever been on a team when someone was added who was less than optimal? If so, you know there are additional costs to team dynamics and productivity that cannot be quantified.

Don't let off the gas, survey the path, listen to the passengers, small corrections, and know there's help. After surviving a fall break water adventure (sounds dramatic and felt that way too), I reflected on the experience and the lessons learned that have guided my first year of business ownership and life, really.

DETS has released our second Ebook. Working Under Pressure dives into what happens to your mind and body under pressure, making better decisions under pressure, psychological solutions to pressure, and tips for being mindful in stressful situations.

When you really want to ask, "Do you know that was your out loud voice?" Dealing with bad/inappropriate/awkward interview questions.

The most challenging part of a job interview for many candidates is the question of salary. Being able to discuss money matters with confidence will help you get the compensation you want and may even improve your job satisfaction. These are some steps to take before you get a job offer, after you get a job offer and in specific circumstances.

Knowledge transfer is key to business continuity and developing others within your organization. How do you capture and transfer tacit and explicit organizational knowledge?

Entrepreneurs and small business owners constantly struggle to balance the working on the business vs. in the business. The secret is delegation-but what to delegate and to who is the pivotal question.

The efficacy of HR departments will be one of the essential factors in determining survival, post-pandemic. These are the crises that strong HR departments prepare for, and the importance of HR representation has become increasingly evident for businesses without them. Here are a few considerations as we start to come out of strict isolation orders and are faced with new challenges, new communication needs, and new ways of working.

After years of juggling everything from compliance to company culture, it is now evident that you may have focused less on company culture and more on company appearance. You’ve now realized there are two target audiences: the customer and the employee.

Near the end of World War II, Winston Churchill declared, "Never waste a good crisis." He had just formed an alliance with Stalin and Roosevelt that would eventually become the United Nations, and Churchill’s quip summed up the ability—perhaps the need—during crises to exploit unexpected opportunities. Although life is a bit unsettled for many, it's also an opportunity to reset, including how you invest in yourself and your professional development. Victoria Swisher, author of Becoming an Agile Leader (2012), put it succinctly: "Learning Agility is an insurance policy for an uncertain future."