Blog
Browse thoughtful views and opinions about staffing topics from KNF&T’s perspective.
3 Ways to Scrap the Boring Water-Cooler Talk for Something More Meaningful
Since you spend a significant amount of time at work, part of each day, most likely, is spent talking with coworkers around the water cooler. Having conversations promotes intellectual curiosity and encourages learning, feeling challenged and exploring the world....
End of Year Self Assessments
It’s the end of the calendar year and in addition to the self-assessment your organization may have asked you to do, it’s also a time when we take stock of our personal goals – what we’re proud of, what we’re glad we tried, what worked and what didn’t. The act of...
The Appropriate Way to Navigate Office Happy Hours
Deciding whether to join your team for office happy hours can be challenging. On the one hand, you may want to stay at the office for another hour and get more work done. On the other hand, you want to maintain credibility as the leader. Since you want to promote...
BANKW’s Alexander Provides Guidance on Recruiting in These Tough Times
New Hampshire Business Review's "Down to Business" podcast featuring our own Jason Alexander, Managing Partner, BANKW Staffing.About BANKW Staffing Through its portfolio companies, KBW Financial Staffing & Recruiting, Alexander Technology Group, The Nagler Group,...
Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Posting About the Holidays on Social Media
Like most people, you probably indulge in holiday celebrations and traditions with family and friends. You also might enjoy sharing your experiences with others on social media. Although those are meaningful things to do, keep in mind that oversharing about your...
Nailing the Interview: How to Not Over Prepare
Ever heard of those pesky little things called behavioral interview questions? You know, the questions that start out with, “Tell me about a time when…” or "Give me an example of…” These questions are meant for the interviewer to get to know how your experiences match...
Using the Rules of Improv at Work
The rules of improv aren’t just for comedy scenes on a stage. They’re a great guide for moving ideas forward and creating an environment that fosters listening, respect and innovation. As Robert Kulhane of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business said, “Improvisation isn't...
Fired? How to talk about it in an interview
Heading into a job interview knowing you’ll be asked a question that reminds you of a bad time in your work life can add an extra degree of difficulty to an already stressful process. There are ways you can prepare, though, that will help you frame the issue as a...
Goals Setting Obstacles
Once you’ve moved on from outside considerations, fear may kick in. That number is way too high...What if I fail? What if my co-workers resent me? What if… Sometimes, fear just is. And when you’re looking at a big, end-of-year numbers, it can be overwhelming. So...
To Tell or Not to Tell: Salary History
It turns out that one of the most stressful things for Americans to talk about isn’t politics or religion or even death – it’s personal finances. So when a prospective employer asks for a salary history, you may find your blood pressure rising. If you are comfortable...
Better Employees
One of the things managers often struggle with is how to get their employees to perform at a higher level. Not because their people aren’t doing good work, but because they can do better work. And getting better work is part of a manager’s job. It’s easy to chalk it...
Happiness at Work
We spend more of our waking hours at our jobs than doing any one other thing. So being happy at work matters - a lot. And what makes us happy at work is in our control. The results of a recent CareerBliss survey of ‘happiest’ jobs may surprise you. Database...
Helpless vs. Resourceful
Over the last several years of hiring people for our company we have tried to come up with some profile or some marker to look for how to determine who has a better chance of success. We have used traditional hiring methods, behavior analysis, evaluations and multiple...
Terrible Job, Great Career
One of the first things I ask candidates is, “Do you want a job, or do you want a career? Because this can be a terrible job, but a great career.” There’s no right or wrong answer to the question. But the paths are considerably different and it’s important to know...
The War for Talent…
If you're in a hiring position then you have likely realized that the war for talent has been fully waged. Whether you are the winner or loser of this war is probably yet to be seen but before gearing up for a full scale battle, it's critical to understand the value...