From Inside the Room Where Decisions About Your Career are Made.
From Inside the Room Where Decisions About Your Career are Made.
What nobody told you about managing underperformers — and what most managers never figure out on their own.
If you manage people, at some point, you’ve had a Johnny. Johnny isn’t delivering. Johnny doesn’t seem to get it. You’ve hinted to Johnny. You’ve talked to Johnny. You may have said something in a performance review that felt honest to you but, in retrospect, was softened enough that its real meaning slid right past him. And now you’re frustrated — because nothing is changing.
Your Career Isn’t Your Manager’s Career
Early in my career, managers were something close to mythical.
They were the smartest people in the room. The ones who had figured it out. When you had a problem you couldn’t solve, you brought it to them. They weren’t just technically sharp — they were role models. The better ones didn’t just tell me the answer, they asked me my opinion and worked the problem with me.
Dress Code in a Zoom Job Interview Matters
Zoom Job Interview Dress Code
Is there a dress code for Zoom job interviews? Is there a dress code for remote job interviews? I have had a lot to say about the office dress code over the years. I have had more to say about the dress code in job interviews. Not enough candidates take dress codes seriously, and this can have a significant impact on the final offer.
Job interview insight. Pulling back the curtain to see what really happens behind the scenes.
From the Other Side of the Table
I recently had drinks with a couple of long-time friends and colleagues. Mid-conversation, I had one of those moments where your brain trips over itself.
I remember thinking, “I should have recorded this.“ This is the stuff people never hear about job interviews.
So I pulled out my phone and started taking notes.
Is my Master’s degree hurting my job hunt?
Am I Overqualified?
I recently received a note from a reader worried that their Master’s degree might work against them in a job search.
It’s a fair fear — and a common one.
This question shows up most often when education outruns experience. And in the last decade, that gap has become more visible, not less.
Here’s the short answer upfront:
A Master’s degree rarely disqualifies you.