John Hadley Associates

05/05/2025

What Would You Do? A Questionable Actuarial Recruiter

I recently presented a case study in The Stepping Stone, the Society of Actuaries' leadership & personal development journal, where an leader encountered a who acted in what he considered an fashion. In this month's issue, I presented a compilation of reader responses, ranging from "talk to him" to "never work with him again." I also presented what that leader actually did.

You can read the compilation and wrap-up here, and I welcome your feedback on it as well:

A compilation of reader responses is presented to a real life situation. This issue’s case study involved an actuary trying to add to staff, who encounters questionable behavior by a prominent actuarial recruiter. What the actuary actually did is shared after the compiled responses.

04/23/2025

Are You Aiming Too Low?

Particularly in a difficult job market such as now, there is a tendency for candidates to over-compromise in their search targets. Afraid they will not be able to land at the level they deserve, they often go after roles below that level.

I get it.

But this can be counterproductive. Think about it from the hiring manager's perspective:

https://jhacareers.com/aiming-too-low/

I'd love your thoughts on this - leave a comment!

04/11/2025

How to Kill Every Virtual Interview

Don’t you just hate wasting time on job interviews?

To save a lot of time and energy, here are some tried and true methods to ensure you kill off virtual interviews as quickly as possible.

https://jhacareers.com/how-to-kill-every-virtual-interview/

04/08/2025

How to Kill Every Interview

Don’t you just hate wasting time on job interviews?

Why would you want to put yourself in a position where you might end up forced to expend precious mental energy evaluating a lucrative offer for your dream job?

To save a lot of time and energy, here are some tried and true methods to ensure you kill off those interviews as quickly as possible.

https://jhacareers.com/how-to-kill-every-interview-blog/

02/25/2025

How To Excel In Panel Interviews

Some time back, I did a (totally unscientific) survey about . Key conclusions:

From the candidate’s point of view:

- Over 90% had experienced panel interviews as a candidate.

-Half expressed a strong preference for a 1-on-1 over a panel. Most of the rest expressed no strong preference, while only 3 strongly preferred a panel.

- Almost 70% found a panel more challenging than 1-on-1, and nearly a quarter agreed with the statement “Extremely challenging, much more so than one-on-one.”

Given that result, it’s not surprising that half expressed a strong preference for a 1-on-1, and only 8% strongly prefer a panel.

From the interviewer’s point of view:

- 55% had participated in a panel as an interviewer with quite varied results.

- Only 1/3rd felt that the panel gave a better sense of the candidate, 40% felt the 1-on-1 gave a better sense, and the rest felt there wasn’t much difference.

- Despite those balanced views, almost half strongly preferred a 1-on-1 as an interviewer, and only 15% strongly preferred a panel.

For additional helpful tips from survey participants, and a fellow coach's 14 point checklist for excelling in panel interviews, visit this link:

What do people think of panel interviews, and what can you do to make them work for you (as the candidate)?

02/10/2025

What should you do in a , when you’ve concluded that the job or the assignment isn’t what you want?

The standard advice is that there isn’t anything to turn down until you have an offer, so always go for the offer.

I believe there’s a powerful exception:

“If you don’t want to be that solution, then it’s better to admit it and save everyone time and effort.”

The strongest interviews come from the psychology that this is an exploration by BOTH parties, not just a chance for you to sell yourself no matter what.

If I’ve already gone through all of the time and effort to come up with an offer or assignment for you, and you turn it down, that’s a cost of business that I accept. But if when I make you the offer I conclude that you knew you weren’t interested early in the process, I’m likely to be just a little bit annoyed that you wasted my time - and I certainly won’t keep you in mind for some other opportunity or go out of my way to try to help you after that!

Admitting (in a very professional way) that you don’t want what that person has to offer is a far stronger position for maintaining them as a strong potential networking contact or referral source. In fact, it can earn you a degree of respect for your honesty and integrity. Admitting that you don’t want the job can also sometimes lead to a conversation about what you really want, or what they might need to do to make it a role that might attract you.

I once interviewed someone who did just that in a job interview, and we went on to have a great conversation about the role he really wanted. I did my best to draw him a road map for how the job I was describing could lead to the product line manager role he really wanted, since the last person I hired was now one of our product line managers. And before he left that day, I came up
with the highest possible compensation package I could afford to offer to attract him to my operation.

Clearly walking away doesn’t apply if you are seriously considering the job or assignment, and think there’s at least some reasonable chance you might be interested, if the offer is the right one. In that case, you keep going for the offer. But if you KNOW it’s not what you want, have the confidence to walk away.

Make sure you do it very professionally, but do it.

Try out this goal for your next interview:

“To help the other party succeed by providing a solution that best meets the other party’s needs. And have the to walk away if you aren’t or don’t want to be that solution.”

02/04/2025

Do You Listen Deeply in Interviews?

We come into an prepared to speak. We come in armed with a pitch for why they should hire us instead of anyone else, talking points we want to be sure to get across, answers to questions likely to be asked, responses to difficult or uncomfortable queries about perceived flaws in our background, job history, or expertise, etc.

We then watch for the opportunities to bring those out.

This can easily lead to not listening as deeply to what the interviewer is saying, not observing closely enough how he or she is acting and reacting, not hearing the nuances and underlying messages that could really help to build influence.

We also then tend to jump into our own points too soon or too forcefully.

Holding back a bit and listening carefully might reveal that there's a better time for that point, or a more effective way to present it, or an entirely different point that might be even more relevant. Or even that a few questions of our own might open up the conversation in an entirely different and more productive direction.

For a concrete example of this in action, see this:

https://jhacareers.com/listening-in-interviews/

Much of the strength of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's oration and influence came from his ability to listen. How can you apply this?

01/28/2025

Are You A Career Search Role Model?

In "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," presents a simple, but powerful message:

"Don't work for money, make money work for you."

I think back to the messages I received early in life about money. The message was largely around being responsible, saving money regularly, and never risking money foolishly. And "To get a good job, get a good education," where 'good' job meant stability, growth potential, steady earnings. Not bad advice, but it seemed to be missing some of the depth of Kiyosaki's simple message.

How often do we hear young people selecting their career focus because "IBankers make a ton of money" or "Get that Law Degree and you're set for life." This is a recipe for disaster!

I often meet these people 5, 10 or 15 years later, finding them burnt out, hating what they do, and feeling trapped because they "can't afford" to make a move! This is the classic "work for money" scenario.

What legacy are we leaving our children when we encourage them to "work for money"? Or when we hold back on pursuing a career for ourselves that we can be truly passionate about? Even when we say all the right things, they learn so much more from the model we set for them by what we do every day.

https://jhacareers.com/role-model/

A career search can be a scary, frustrating process if you let it be. Or you can look at it as the next step in a great career.

01/16/2025

Leading Teams through Change (and How to make it Stick)

If a team is successful in implementing a change initiative, it is rewarding for both the leader and the team members. You all gain confidence that you can affect meaningful changes in an organization. It is something you all take with you and can apply for years into the future.

But through change is not easy. It does not always stick. Teams, companies, and individuals sometimes do not want to .

In the latest issue of the Society of Actuaries' & personal development journal The Stepping Stone, Mitch Stephenson shared actions you can take to help make change happen ... and last.

https://www.soa.org/sections/leadership-development/leadership-development-newsletter/2025/january/ss-2025-01-stephenson/

This article gives practical tips on leading teams through change and how to sustain the change

01/14/2025

Handling Workplace Conflict

How you handle workplace conflicts can make or break your work environment. Conflict doesn’t have to be negative. In fact, when approached thoughtfully, it can be a powerful tool for growth and collaboration.

Thanks to Harsh Mota for this article from our January issue of the leadership and personal development journal The Stepping Stone, that provides strategies and tools to manage workplace conflict effectively, putting you in control of creating a more harmonious work setting.

https://www.soa.org/sections/leadership-development/leadership-development-newsletter/2025/january/ss-2025-01-mota/

Workplace conflict is inevitable in diverse environments with differing perspectives, goals, and work styles. If mishandled, it can lead to costly disruptions—$359 billion annually in the U.S. However, when addressed thoughtfully, conflict can drive growth and collaboration.

01/06/2025

Who Has Time For Networking?

I was presenting on how to diagnose what's blocking your search. This led to a Q&A discussion about networking, and one attendee made this statement (paraphrased here):

"I'm sure we all agree that networking is absolutely the most effective way to land a job, and with all of your good advice on it. But that doesn't change the fact that no one has time to meet with me. Believe me, I get it. When I was at work, I didn't have time to meet with the 6 people a week calling me up. I was already working a stressful job, and had family and social engagements, so I didn't have any space in my calendar for one more person!"

This is not the first person I've encountered who feels this way. And many felt very strongly about it, letting that get in the way of their searches. But what I've found is that reframing how you look at and approach networking can turn this around.

I won't try to say that there aren't people who are so busy that they won't make the time to meet with you, even by phone, but my experience is that many times the reason is not 'busyness', but how you approach the 'ask'.

Imagine you are a very busy executive. A close friend tells you it would really mean a lot to him if you would meet him for coffee to review what's going on in his search and give him any advice. Would you make the time to meet? I'm guessing you would.

What if that same friend called to say he wanted to come to your office so you could introduce him to several hiring managers at your company. That would seem like a big 'ask', and you might very well say no.

Now, suppose:

- An important client asked if you'd sit down with her spouse?

- Someone whom you wish were a client asked if you could meet and give some advice to a friend?

- A senior officer at your company asked you to meet with his son?

- An influential business contact asked you to meet with a contact of hers?

- A business colleague who has been extremely helpful to you over the years asked you to meet with a former co-worker of his.

- Someone you don't know well, but who is highly respected in your industry, suggested you might gain some useful insights in meeting a colleague of his.

- Your indispensable administrative assistant asked if you could make time for brief meeting with someone she'd met who really impressed her?

I'm sure we can all think of many other scenarios where you would almost certainly take a meeting, no matter how busy you were. The key is that there is a relationship that is being drawn upon. How close a relationship is required depends on the person, and as was illustrated in the first example, the way you ask for the meeting.

There's a sweet spot that combines relationship / referral and an easy 'ask' that will get you meetings. If you're NOT getting the meetings, examine both spectrums to see what you can do to improve your results.

12/30/2024

Are You Guilty of Sloppy Networking?

Two colleagues and I ran a networking group in Basking Ridge for a number of years. There was one person in particular who was seeking an executive level role, yet persisted in showing up in shorts that were a bit ratty, and a T shirt or cheap polo shirt.

We were open to all, so that wasn't a problem for us. But to me it suggested sloppy networking. He either assumed that there would be no one at our meetings who would have influence with the people who might be able to hire him, or was clueless that to make a strong (positive) impression that could lead to good referrals, he would need to look the part. Both were bad assumptions.

Another person used to show up in a dumpy sweater with her hair barely combed. She continually complained about how unfair the entire job search process was, how biased employers and hiring managers were against her, etc.

She actually was a talented engineer, but was completely clueless about how much she turned others off. In fact, a friend who had high-level contacts throughout the technology industry remarked to me that within 5 minutes he realized that she was one of the smartest engineers he had met, AND that he would not dare introduce her to any of his contacts.

One of my mentors (Jack) joined in on one of my webinars. Afterwards, he shared observations about certain of the other attendees.

"The way people comported themselves on today's webinar is indicative to me of how they are likely to fare in their job search and probably how they might perform on the job."

(If you want to see Jack's observations, here's the rest of the article: https://jhacareers.com/sloppy-networking/ )