Blog
Communication and leadership insights, published from the other side of the table.
October 3, 2026
How to Give Feedback to an Employee Without It Feeling Personal
How to give feedback to an employee without it feeling personal: describe the moment, not the person, say the high bar out loud, and end every conversation with a plan.
September 20, 2026
Do Hiring Managers Prefer Internal Referrals Over Outside Applicants?
Do hiring managers prefer internal referrals over outside applicants? Yes, and here is exactly what happens inside the company the moment a referral lands, plus how to build one when you do not know a soul there.
September 16, 2026
What Hiring Managers Actually Ask Your References
What hiring managers actually ask your references, the one question that carries more weight than all the others, and why your old boss may be allowed to say almost nothing.
September 5, 2026
What Hiring Managers Actually Look For on a Resume
What hiring managers actually look for on a resume, in the exact order they look for it, and why a genuinely qualified person still gets passed over in eleven seconds.
September 4, 2026
How Hiring Managers See Career Breaks and Employment Gaps
How hiring managers see career breaks and employment gaps, what the screening software actually does with them, and the four sentences that turn a gap into a non-issue.
August 25, 2026
What Hiring Managers Really Think About Job Hopping
What hiring managers really think about job hopping isn't what you've been told: it's the unexplained pattern, not the number of jobs, that gets you passed over.
August 14, 2026
How Promotion Decisions Are Really Made Inside Companies
How promotion decisions are really made inside companies: the nomination, the written case, and the room you are never invited into.
July 30, 2026
Why You Hear Nothing After a Great Interview
A former hiring manager explains what is really happening inside the company during post-interview silence, and the three things you can actually control.
July 29, 2026
What Really Happens in the Meeting That Decides Your Rating
Your performance rating is not decided in your review conversation. It is decided in a room you are not invited to.
July 24, 2026
The Questions You Ask at the End of the Interview Are Being Scored
The part of the interview most candidates treat as a formality is the part your interviewer remembers best, and writes down first.
July 21, 2026
Why Hiring Managers Check References You Never Gave Them
The reference call that decides your offer might not involve anyone you put on your list.
July 16, 2026
Why Internal Candidates Lose Promotions to Outside Hires (And What Gets You Chosen Instead)
You did everything right and they still hired someone from outside. Here's what was actually happening behind that closed door.
July 12, 2026
What Recruiters Check on LinkedIn Before They Call You
A former hiring manager on the two-minute scan your LinkedIn profile actually gets, and the five things that make a recruiter click away before you ever hear from them.
July 11, 2026
What Hiring Managers Say About You in the Post-Interview Debrief
A former hiring manager on the meeting you never see: how scorecards, panel bias, and "evidence vs. preference" arguments actually decide who gets the offer.
July 6, 2026
What Hiring Managers Actually Think When You Negotiate Your Offer
A former hiring manager on how much room is really built into an offer, the moves that make her quietly pull back, and what to ask for when the number won't budge.
July 5, 2026
Why Hiring Managers Reject Resumes in the First 30 Seconds
The real reason your resume gets a 'no' before anyone reads your bullet points, and what to fix first.