The Other Sector

I grew up in a household supported by my Dad’s GM paycheque. While there were lean times, particularly during labour strikes, we generally did pretty well, even in a family of seven with one wage earner. Thanks to GM, my Dad also has the benefit of a comfortable retirement and a generous health care plan.

This week GM made headlines as they announced negotiations had resulted in concessions that would save $22 per hour. The union was especially excited about having saved the pensions. One union negotiator said something to the effect that when someone from GM retired after 30… More Posted on 05-24-09

Do’s and Don’ts for Job Interviews

We recently had some interesting experiences with job interviews as the result of a new hire. 

One of the candidates for the communications coordinator position was a young man with extensive experience in online technology. He arrived on time and strode into the interview room dressed in a nifty suit and tie. He started off strong exuding confidence and calm as he shook hands with each of us. Unfortunately from there it was all downhill.

He proceeded to talk at us non-stop about totally unrelated experiences failing to engage anyone on the interview team. When asked his opinion… More Posted on 05-18-09

Stress on the Job

I work with an amazingly talented team who somehow manage to pull rabbits out of the hat every day. Even better, they do it with a smile on their face!

However during a quick update this week with Heather, a bright and very capable member of our team, she mentioned that she was juggling a lot of different balls and was afraid she was going to drop one of them.

Strangely enough, she also shared that she had spent time the previous evening designing her own rules for the stress-free Christmas day she wants to host at her… More Posted on 05-10-09

The Importance of Workplace Learning

I recently met with a young woman who had been referred as a potential candidate for a position within our organization.

Likely about 25 years of age, she had an undergraduate and a masters degree, an award winning thesis, and several years of relevant experience under her belt. She was also clearly looking for the kind of challenges, learning and growth our organization could provide. There was no doubt that as a bright, articulate, technology-literate hardworking young woman, she would be a perfect fit within our organization.

The only problem was we couldn’t afford to hire her.

More Posted on 05-03-09