Kelli Hrivnak’s Post

So long, noncompetes ✌️ I ran this poll over two years ago, and the consensus was: 🔹 65% voted noncompetes ARE NOT ethical (6,526) 🔹 35% voted noncompetes ARE ethical (3,547) 💃 I did the happy dance yesterday for all my fellow recruiters, medical professionals, and even hairstylists (along with many others), who have been limited in their career growth due to a non-compete agreement. While many professionals have the liberty to leverage their skills and industry experience, those who were bonded to noncompetes had tough choices to make when a job change was presented. Chance a cease and desist or pivot to a new area of expertise? Here’s my personal experience with a non-compete agreement: 👇 ▶ When I was with a staffing agency years ago, my non-compete agreement terms covered a 𝟭 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻 after my employment ended. ▶ It barred me from going to another staffing agency within a 60-mile radius, and specializing in technology. ▶ My decision to join another search firm was met with the threat of legal action. 😲 ▶ Maryland is an employment-at-will state, and non-competes are enforceable. ▶ I consulted an employment attorney, but I decided it wasn’t worth the legal cost and risk for the case. It appears there will be legal pushback from businesses, but this is a move in the right direction 👏👏

Imagine living in a world without the wrong answer to “Tell me what is motivating your job search?” 🔸My boss is an a$$hole. 🔸I lost a lot of money in crypto so I need a major salary increase to dig myself out of debt. 🔸I just need a job, I’ve been out of work for 4 months. 🔸I loathe wearing slacks every day to work–I just want to wear track pants.  That last one actually happened.  An engineering hiring manager recently shared a post 5 days ago where they rejected a candidate because the candidate “wanted to wear track pants” and it raised concern. It wasn’t just the answer of “track pants” itself, but how it reflected the candidate’s character and behavior, suggesting unreliability and poor stress management.  Suggesting and Assuming are the keywords here, and unfortunately, the interview process is designed to assess skills + abilities + “culture fit” + personality.  Hiring managers are in a position to make judgments. Some do this more objectively to minimize bias than others, but nearly all look to eliminate the risk of a bad hire. So back to the question 👉🏽is being brutally honest about your reasons to leave a job ever acceptable?  Based on the outcomes I’ve seen over the last decade+, negativity bias never bodes well for the job candidate.  This is why interview prep exists for this question, centered around reframing your reason to be positive and aligned with the job/company. Have you ever been involved in an interview process where the interviewee chose not to "play it safe" and their honesty ended positively (or unfavorably)?

What does your interview prep look like? 🔺Spend 10 minutes on company and job description research and then wing it? 🔺Prepare answers for the common, anticipated questions? 🔺Structure those answers into the flawlessly constructed STAR format? How many of you actually conduct a mock interview with a friend, trusted colleague, or mentor to try those answers out in real-time? Don't let the idea of a mock interview hold you back. While it may feel awkward, even embarrassing, practicing to speaking your answers out loud and refining them can be incredibly valuable. Here are a few common interview scenarios where they can help: 👉🏽 Have you ever written a STAR script to answer "Tell me about a time you made a mistake," only to fumble through it? 👉🏽 Or you encountered an interview question that you knew the answer to in theory, but the pressure of the moment made it difficult to articulate? Working with a mock interviewer can help you polish your verbal execution. How to start? 1️⃣ Find a peer or trusted advisor in your industry as your interviewer. If your interviewer has no idea of what questions to ask, provide that prep sheet of anticipated questions.  ⭐Bonus: This person can provide immediate feedback so you can iterate and refine it, from pace, volume, and body language. ⭐⭐Double Bonus: The person improvises and throws in questions you aren't expecting. 2️⃣ No human available? Capture evidence by videoing yourself with your mobile device or computer cam. 🎥 Pick up on verbal crutches (uh, um), irrelevant content, and gaps for improvement. If you don't have immediate access to a human to help? Try these: 🏫 Colleges may offer this service to graduating students. 📅 Filter through the events (use the search tab and events filter) on LinkedIn. I found 161 events using the keyword "interview prep" today. Platforms to facilitate Mock Interviews: 🔺Handshake 🔺interviewing.io (tech and behavioral with peers or upgrade to engineers from FAANG) 🔺Pramp and InterviewBit (programming interview) 🔺InterviewBuddy™ (paid service) 🔺Yoodli (AI speech coach) 🔺Mockmate (answer by typing, audio, or video and it provides immediate feedback) 🔺Grow.google Interview warmup 🔺Interviewschool (questions reported from candidates) What tools or processes have you identified that have helped you with mock interviewing?

Should recruitment marketers remove "family" when describing culture? On the Recruitment Flex podcast, Shelley Billinghurst hot tip discusses how companies can use other analogies to discuss company culture. Specifically, citing Netflix's descriptor on their culture page: ⚾ "We model ourselves on being a professional sports team, not a family. A family is about unconditional love. A dream team is about pushing yourself to be the best possible teammate, caring intensely about your team, and knowing that you may not be on the team forever. Dream teams are about performance, not seniority or tenure. It is up to the manager to ensure that every player is amazing at their position, plays effectively with others and is given new opportunities to develop. That’s how we keep winning the championship (entertaining the world)." I am in full agreement that "family" can be misleading, as it has different meanings for everyone. What's your take on Netflix's comparison?

Have you ever been oversold a job?  It can happen on the candidate side too. I’d like to share a tale of the challenge that arises when an employee’s skills don’t meet the hiring manager’s expectations. 🔸Candidate gives an impressive interview and has a track record to warrant a compensation at the upper limit of the pay band. 🔸References checked out. 🔸Candidate received an offer at the top of the pay band.  ⏩ Fast forward 3 months later, the hiring manager is questioning the new hire's abilities to hit deliverables. While strategy and ideation skills are strengths of the candidate, organization and basic project management are not. 😔 The hiring manager is disappointed because the candidate isn’t delivering their expected results, especially since their investment in this hire was at the top of their pay band. The frustration of being “oversold” now exists because the new hire isn’t performing at the level they anticipated to make an impact. 🔸Was the hiring managers' expectations unattainable to begin with?  Maybe.  Did the new hire exaggerate their abilities?  Maybe.   The answer to either question doesn’t change the outcome:  a “buyer’s remorse” exists from the employer around ROI and pressure is snowballing on the employee. ✅ Yes, steps can be taken to avoid this misalignment.  Outlining performance expectations during the interview process, a stronger evaluation, and open communication during onboarding (beyond just that first week) to address any challenges. But with hiring, there is always risk due to the unknown. Just as candidates take the same precautions of conducting research and asking the right questions during interviews, employers also take that leap of faith. How do you mitigate risk as an employer or job seeker?

Is "naturalness bias" working for (or against) you in your job search? A study dated back to 2010 from researcher Chia-Jung Tsay found that participants judged "natural" entrepreneurs (innate talent for biz) to be superior to "strive" entrepreneurs who achieved success through hard work. Even when the skill level is the same, the "naturals" are favored over the "strivers." Is this relevant in today's interview process? 🔸Whether this bias plays out today, I don't know. I find it hard to believe that every hiring manager or recruiter doesn't recognize the value of hard work and "hidden potential." 🔸Should you leverage your innate abilities in the interview process rather than being humble? Sure, if it's true. 👩🏽💻 Programmer: Have you been coding apps since you were a tween? 💰 Sales: Selling rocks to kids on the playgrounds? 👷🏽♂️ Engineer: Building elaborate Lego structures and creations? That's all good--people can appreciate a genuine interest in the work you do. But hard work is a skill too, an attribute that is key for career success. What do you think? https://lnkd.in/dNfMEGWm

If you are employed in a permanent full-time job, would you consider quitting for a contract position? A few days ago, a recent post explored the idea of people in full-time jobs considering contract work. Even if that sacrificed their job security in today's work environment. My second poll in a week, but I want to know: Would you be open to exploring a contract position even if you currently have a full-time job?

Who else has the AI prompts that appear on the bottom of posts in your feed? The feature rolled out to me last week and I've found it to be visually disruptive and useless. LinkedIn Help explains that "this feature helps you by providing personalized takeaways, content summaries, and suggestions related to the post you’re viewing." Are users so lazy that they can't read short-form content and need an AI tool to summarize it instead? The AI takeaway suggests two sparkly questions that prompt a chatbot to spit out generic output unrelated to the author's point. You have the option to ask the chatbot more questions. This example was the best: 🔸Jason Feifer posted a picture of a sign found in an all-you-can-eat restaurant: "Please vomit in the toilet or garbage. Thank You!" His post takeaway? Don't overindulge because you can. 🔸The AI prompt: "How can restaurants reduce food waste?" 😂 The chatbot suggested a How to Reduce Food Waste article for further learning. Am I misreading the purpose of this feature? Is anyone finding value in it? #howcaniturnitoff

Last week, I finished the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in DC. 🌸🏃🏽♀️This race wasn't about reaching a new PR for time or distance. It was a redemption race. Last year, I had to transfer my bib due to an IT band injury that took me out months before the 2023 race. I took the advice from a few fellow runners who suggested I add strength training into my repertoire to reduce the risk of another injury. I'd like to think that made the difference this time around, as I made it through the remainder of last year and this year without being sidelined with any major injuries. But this isn't a full-on humblebrag without disclosing my unforgettable finish. Five seconds after crossing the finish, another racer pummeled me from behind and I ate the pavement. And I have the finisher photo to show for it. 🤣 And a grounding reminder to "keep your feet to the ground." I'll drop the gem of a photo in the comment section for your Sunday scrolling pleasure. #humilityatitsfinest

“I need to understand the context.” To any job seekers who are dropping keywords related to the job “must haves” into their resume because you think that it triggers the recruiter (or an ATS) to automatically move you forward to an interview, please watch Amy’s video. It just doesn’t work that way, despite what those keyword resume scanners may tell you. Recruiters are not keeping a tally of how many times a keyword apppeared in your resume. Instead, consider elaborating on how and what you did pertaining to that keyword in your experience section for CONTEXT.