The BEST Blog from Best Human Capital and Advisory Group

Salary History? Don’t Ask and Don’t Tell

October 31, 2019

Last July, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that prohibits employers from asking a candidate for their previous job salary history. Illinois is not alone. In the U.S., there are currently 17 statewide bans and 19 local ordinances that have acted against discussing salary history. With more states adopting these practices in the next 6-12 months, the question of “why?” comes to mind. Some municipalities, like Philadelphia, are choosing not to follow

Employee Engagement: “Did I Stutter?”

September 11, 2019

Poor Stanley. The lovable curmudgeon on the still popular TV Show “The Office” wants to be left alone so he can do his crossword puzzle in the middle of a company brainstorming meeting in peace. His boss, bumbling Michael Scott, tells him to put his game down and join the group. Stanley replies with a firm, “No.” Michael then says, “Stanley, we’re havin’ a little brainstorm session.” Stanley then proceeds to cut him off and says

Don’t Let Your Succession Plan be a Bad Sequel

July 24, 2019

When movies are made correctly and have appeal, there is no denying the impact. They win awards, inspire the audience, and fill the pockets of the movie studios. However, these blockbusters can also be the platforms for some of the biggest flops on record. After a successful movie the audience wonders what will come next, and the studio wonders how they can keep the franchise going? Good sequels can be important, expanding on worlds and

Debunking the Compensation Myth Surrounding Retention

May 21, 2019

A driving need for obtaining talent is retention. It is a huge issue when you take into account that, according to a September 2018 article from CNBC, “workers are quitting at the highest rate since 2001.” When retention rates are low due to high undesirable attrition, many business leaders look to recruitment to fill that gap and solve the problem. However, the reasons that candidates wield so much power in today’s market is because of

Expand Your Candidate Pool: Best Behaviors Lead to the Best Candidates

April 15, 2019

I don’t know about you, but it’s starting to get old hearing the “it’s a candidate’s market” comments from nearly everyone in social media, news articles and in far too many blogs to count (The BEST Blog included). It’s one thing to call it out, but it’s entirely different to address and solve the problem. While there are currently no silver bullets, there are some innovative and different ways of looking at the workforce that

Be an Investor When Recruiting and Hiring

March 12, 2019

Who you hire is one of the most important decisions and investments you can make in your business. However, recruiting and hiring today is more important than finding a person with the right skills and qualifications. Do the candidates fit our culture and strategic vision? Do they share our values and have the right behaviors to make them successful and provide your company a long-term return? Will they still be around in 5 years? Warren

All’s Fair in Love and Retention

January 31, 2019

Employee retention can seem like war in the current candidate market, but it doesn’t have to be. Often, when top-grade managers leave their organization, it is because of reasons that could be addressed by company leadership and have little to do with salary. In our own internal surveys that we use with candidates, “Company Culture” is the number one motivation for making a career move. As recruiters, we often see candidates willing to take up

Interview Preparation: It’s Pronounced “Du-Moss”

November 12, 2018

A hilarious A&W Root Beer commercial from the early 90s is also a cautionary tale. The commercial begins with a smiling, confident young man being interviewed for a job saying, “Mr. Dumbass, I can bring a lot to Dumbass and Dumbass. I’m a go-getter. Dumbass material all the way. So, am I your man Mr. Dumbass?” The look on his face is priceless as the interviewer states, “The name is Dumass [pronounced Du-Moss].” The commercial

Employer Strategies to Succeed in a Candidate’s Market: Lead, Match or Lag

September 11, 2018

Part 2 of a 2-Part Series on the Important and Timely Issue of Hiring in a Candidate’s Market When I turned 21 years old, I was in my Junior year at Bowling Green State University and had just changed majors from Music Education to Business. It was then that my dad gave me my first $500 to invest in the stock market. With it came a book by Louis Rukeyser titled, “How to Make Money