Job Search, Networking

Running a Job Search in a Tough Market?

  • On June 14, 2025
How do you job search in this tough market? The top takeaway from Harvard researchers is networking skills. Here’s proof: It’s not the number of applications but the number of conversations that’s important. “After a decade of interviewing and studying more than 1,000 workers – from corporate executives to Chipotle kitchen managers – Harvard researchers […]
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Interview, Presentation

How to Answer Tough Interview Questions

  • On June 7, 2025
Everyone has holes in their resumes that interviewers might call out. You may think there’s nothing you can do about it, e.g., they want firm training and you went straight in-house, or they may prefer long tenure, and you’ve left a couple jobs in a row. However, you can prepare solid answers that put the […]
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Market, Offer

Can you actually negotiate a “best and final” offer in this market?

  • On June 1, 2025
WSJ recently addressed whether candidates can actually negotiate offers described as “best and final.” The answer is surprisingly yes, even in this market where the employer holds the power. What’s the state of the market? Fewer people are negotiating offers now. ZipRecruiter reported 31% of recent job changers negotiated their offers this past quarter, down […]
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Market

Job Numbers Up in April but Market is Still Down

  • On May 11, 2025
The US economy is up 177,000 jobs as of April, but employers are not bullish, the WSJ reports. In fact, “[m]ajor U.S. employers are slowing or pausing hiring to cut costs amid economic uncertainty… Companies are wary of layoffs, but are more cautious about bringing in new workers.” What’s giving companies concern? “Stop-start” trade wars […]
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Market, Uncategorized

Pendulum Swinging Back Towards In-Office

  • On May 5, 2025
While the pendulum is swinging away from remote work and back towards in-office, the Bay Area still “lags significantly behind” almost all other major metro regions. The national average is 32.2% fewer office visits in March 2025 compared to March 2019, pre-pandemic, but San Francisco is tied in last place with Chicago at 44.6%. On […]
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Interview, Presentation

Tips for Effective Communication

  • On April 27, 2025
I was honored to speak with Cisco DGC Sarita Venkat and top trial lawyer Bijal Vakil on effective presenting and interviewing skills. Key takeaways: Before any communication, consider your audience and what they care about. When communicating, be clear on your vision, the results you are conveying, and the impact on the audience. Sample answers […]
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Market

What’s Going on with the Market?

  • On April 13, 2025
As a recruiter I’m often asked what I’m seeing. What I am seeing is not good. I appreciated this Bay Area news summary of ongoing tech layoffs where “nobody is safe.”  While better than last year, times are still tough. Meta is closing three offices in Fremont, and Block (formerly Square) is laying off 240 […]
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Career Management, Career Tips

What to Do if You Didn’t Get the Promotion

  • On April 6, 2025
Getting passed over at work stings. A few years ago in-house lawyers could have their picks of other jobs because the market was so hot. Unfortunately that’s not the case now. WSJ reports job openings are down by 8.6% and the number of people quitting jobs is down 2.6% compared to last year, but gives […]
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Compensation, Market

What’s Going on with Startup Comp?

  • On March 30, 2025
Carta just reported on the state of startup compensation! The good news: Average salaries and equity grants rose slightly. Layoffs are at the lowest point in 3 years. These industries grew headcount: energy, hw, med device. Ready for the bad news? Startups “haven’t been this reluctant to hire in at least 5 years.” Net headcount […]
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