

Actions to help fill positions in the highly competitive candidate landscape
“We are having so much trouble filling positions – we just can’t get enough candidates.” “We can’t compete. People are getting drawn away...

Melissa Dobbins
Jun 19, 20246 min read


The trick to building healthy sourcing relationships
Have you ever met a person for the first time and all they do is talk about themselves? Perhaps you try to inject a little about yourself...

Melissa Dobbins
Jun 12, 20244 min read


Inclusion Tips for Candidate Interactions
Every interaction throughout the hiring process is watched, scrutinized, and evaluated. How was the first impression, were the answers to...

Melissa Dobbins
Jun 5, 20245 min read


Avoid mistakes by learning from the past
This may come as a shock, but this initiative is probably not the first in your organization. This may be the first D&I initiative or the...

Melissa Dobbins
May 29, 20242 min read


Building a DEI roadmap one piece at a time
Have you ever played a game of Tetris, assembled a jigsaw puzzle or Lego set, or played any type of game where the object is to turn a...

Melissa Dobbins
May 23, 20246 min read


Experience vs. Performance – how to interview for ‘problem solving’
“Problem Solving” It’s a common requirement for a variety of jobs. From the challenges of making a sale to the intricacies of designing,...

Melissa Dobbins
May 15, 20245 min read


The art of ‘ish’ – tricks for high-level DEI project scoping
Have you ever played the game ’21 questions’ or ‘guess the animal’ or similar? In these games, one person selects a thing or animal (or...

Melissa Dobbins
May 9, 20244 min read


Great hires starts with the right questions
The right job/task questions could set apart the candidate with generic talent from one who will thrive in your position, or help find that

Melissa Dobbins
May 1, 20247 min read


I say tomato, you say filet mignon? Three tips to avoid salary expectation mismatches
The next time you are gearing up to find that perfect candidate, taking weeks of pains-taking vetting, avoid the heartache of everything fal

Melissa Dobbins
Apr 24, 20243 min read


Creating job descriptions that excite, not bore
For many candidates, job descriptions are the first window into an organization – it is where they first taste what the organization is...

Melissa Dobbins
Apr 17, 20245 min read


Tips to increase candidate quantity and quality from sourcing partners
With competition for talent remaining high, optimizing sourcing partnerships such as those with educational institutions, industry and...

Melissa Dobbins
Apr 9, 20244 min read


Driving DEI support through ROI – how to measure success
Return on Investment, or ROI, is one of the most fundamental calculations behind business decisions. Often times, ROI dictates which...

Melissa Dobbins
Apr 4, 20247 min read


Influencing DEI beyond Talent Acquisition
DEI impact does not stop when a candidate is hired. I know what you’re thinking – of course that’s true, especially as most of the...

Melissa Dobbins
Mar 26, 20244 min read


Tour of the common resume biases
Resumes. One little document that serves to capture a professional lifetime of achievement and experience. With six seconds review time...

Melissa Dobbins
Mar 20, 20246 min read


The hard skill of Interviewing for hard skills – question types, tips, and techniques
Hard skills (or ‘teachable’ abilities) are at the core of so many jobs. Which means verifying that your candidates have those hard skills...

Melissa Dobbins
Mar 14, 20245 min read


Inclusion Tips for Candidates during Interviews (Part 2 of 2)
In addition to all the details leading up to and around the onsite and/or virtual interviews, there are plenty of opportunities to create...

Melissa Dobbins
Feb 29, 20245 min read


Inclusion Tips on Preparing Candidates for Interviews (Part 1 of 2)
The latter stages of the hiring process, which include steps like virtual and/or onsite interviews, assessments, meet and greets, etc.,...

Melissa Dobbins
Feb 21, 20245 min read


Solving the equity vs. humanity paradox in interviews
On the surface, the concept of equity in candidate interviews is straight forward – provide everyone with the same inclusive experience...

Melissa Dobbins
Feb 14, 20245 min read


Personas – Engaging candidates through wisdoms from advertising
Have you ever noticed how great advertisements seem to talk directly to you? They make you laugh or think or trigger some sense of...

Melissa Dobbins
Feb 8, 20244 min read


DEI wisdom from the art of Improv
“Yes, and …” This is one of the fundamental pillars of improv, the origin of so many of our greatest comedic personalities. Improv, short...

Melissa Dobbins
Jan 24, 20243 min read