Melissa’s Memos
A Season of Intentional Hiring
There’s a lot of noise about the job market right now.Some say it’s terrible.Some say it’s thriving. The truth, as usual, sits somewhere in the middle. From what I’m seeing every day working with candidates and hiring teams, this is a measured market. Not frozen. Not booming. Measured. Companies are still hiring, but with more…
Read MoreDon’t Let Near-Misses Shake Your Confidence
One of the hardest parts of this job market? It’s not always rejection.It’s comparison. You can have the right background.The Interview well.You Built strong rapport.And you still did not get the offer. Not because you weren’t good enough.But because someone else was just slightly more aligned.That’s the part people don’t talk about. In tighter markets,…
Read MoreExecutive Presence
At the Director level and above, hiring teams already assume you can do the job. What they’re really deciding is whether they trust you to lead at scale. Executive presence is often misunderstood.It’s not about confidence tricks, polished phrases, or dominating the room. It’s about how you think out loud when the stakes are real.…
Read MoreCandidate Ghosting
Candidate ghosting has got to stop. The amount of candidate ghosting happening right now is unacceptable.I’m not talking about applications disappearing into the void (although that’s frustrating too).I’m talking about candidates who have already interviewed… sometimes multiple rounds… and then hear absolutely nothing. No update.No rejection.Just silence. In a job market that is already incredibly…
Read MoreExecutive Presence Shows Up When You’re Challenged
The moment that reveals executive presence isn’t when an interview or conversation is going well.It’s when you’re challenged. You give a thoughtful answer.And then the interviewer pushes back.“I’m not sure I agree.”“What would you do differently?” At senior levels, this isn’t a test of confidence.It’s a test of composure and judgment.Leaders with executive presence don’t…
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