Tales From the Hiring Hall

As a former manager, I can say without reservation that the least favorite part of my job description entailed the interviewing and hiring process. Too much paperwork, too many repetitive questions lobbed at each potential candidate and the normal amount of uncertainty that you made the right decision.

But I’m happy to say that despite all that, my hires worked out roughly 90 percent of the time, including several who went on to forge stellar careers with national consumer publications. But still, at this point in my career, I have no desire to revisit the process.

Whether a “Retreat” or “Summit” Plan Now!

Back in the 1980s before there were endless blogs and articles detailing the dos and don’ts of corporate holiday party behavior, I made one of the colossal blunders that probably ranks No. 1 or No. 2 on anyone’s list. Somewhere between my third and fifth glass of wine, I openly criticized a strategic decision to the owner of the company - in this case a B-to-B publishing house.

The Packer Sweep for CPA firms

More years ago than I want to remember, I was walking with my family near the famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral in in New York when my father pointed to a short, gray-haired man with horn-rimmed glasses in a black pea coat nervously puffing on a cigarette. His stride had a strange gait almost like his legs were not long enough to reach the ground and my father said admiringly, “Look, there’s Vince Lombardi.”

Rx for the Meeting Moth

Years ago, the great comic strip Dilbert introduced a character called “Meeting Moth.”

Meeting Moth was part-human, part moth, who would flap his wings incessantly each time he passed a meeting – large or small – in progress.

I’m sure many of us have worked for a company or firm at one time or another that included their own version of Meeting Moth.

How about a company or firm that held far too many meetings?

Thawing out Tax Season Myths

It’s been so cold over the past week in many parts of the country there’s a running GOP joke that for once, liberals kept their hands in their own pockets.

Putting the climate change debate into the deep freeze for a moment, now that we’re comfortably into 2014 (at least by the calendar if not the weather) in just a few more weeks, most of you will be regularly sacrificing your nights and weekends, pushing out 1040s like snowflakes in Canada.

Rage against the Machine

Despite my well-documented ineptitude for all things technology, far be it from me to resist any form of progression in today’s digital culture.

It’s inarguable that smart phones in particular and technology in general have become in inextricable part of our culture.  Yet, I see far too many families at restaurants or other public places, eschewing conversation and instead, speed texting on their PDAs. I often wonder what the first date is like for many of today’s teenagers. Do they even attempt to speak to one another?

Ringing in 2014 the Right Way!

Here’s hoping you all enjoyed  a wonderful and healthy holiday season.

Closer to home, my local health club must have been monitoring my caloric intake during December as I was greeted on January 2 with a notice that my membership fees would rise. I debated whether that was directed at me personally or simply the first of several cost of living adjustments I would be hit with over 2014.

Happy New Year!

But I digress.