Back in March, I posted an entry for hiring managers on how to develop a phone screen for candidates. Here’s a tip for candidates on how to prepare for a phone screen. (Hiring managers, most of this applies to you too 🙂 Make sure you suggest a few alternative times for a phone screen. Not […]
I received an intriguing email this week asking this question: ” [..]if we were to put a quantitative value against each best practice, summed them up, and compared the total against a possible maximum could we have a predictor of project success?” No is the short answer. Here’s why: People need to first select which
A hiring manager recently asked me “How do I assess the motivation of my candidates?” I asked him what he meant by motivation. He replied, “The ability to see what needs to be done and the willingness to see things through.” I’m not sure managers care why people are motivated to work; they care people
I’ve been thinking a lot about Dale’s post about managers needing to appreciate the work. Appreciation isn’t enough, unless I’ve misunderstood Dale’s post about John Levy‘s quote. To be an effective manager, you have to understand how the work is organized, how to prioritize the work, how to assign the work, how to give people
One of the most useful decisions a project manager can make at the beginning of the project is to choose a lifecycle for the project. Here’s the way I think about lifecycles: Not every lifecycle is appropriate for every project. In fact, many lifecycles are inappropriate for many projects. If you can’t determine the requirements
Normally I talk about a hiring manager making an offer. My advice to hiring managers is: Determine the candidate’s salary range during the phone screen. That way you know if the candidate is in the ballpark. Before making an offer ask the question, “What would make you say yes to an offer from us?” If
Esther’s here with me this week. We’re revamping our book based on early feedback from our reviewers. We’re focusing on the core skills of managers. Of course, prioritization is in the book. In addition, we’re addressing how to speak the language of the business (to get things done through others), how to give feedback, one-on-ones,
I’m supposed to be on the other coast right now. But since I start from Boston, and this Nor’easter has taken over, I’m going nowhere fast. When I planned the trip and the client work, I’d allowed about a half-day of slack in the travel. That’s normally enough. Not this time 🙂 When you
© 2003 Johanna Rothman. This article was originally published in Crosstalk, Dec 2003. This article is the outgrowth of my original talk/article, Successful Engineering Management: 7 Lessons Learned Successful managers realize that they need to balance the needs of the business, the employees, and the work environment to be effective. In this article, the author
Alan Weiss, of Summit Consulting, is a well-known speaker and consultant. When he talks to speakers (or consultants), he suggests people think about their fundamental value proposition. He says, “Ask yourself how people are better off when you leave?” You don’t have to be a consultant to take advantage of Alan’s tip. When you complete