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We always have been.
Corporate virtue signaling needs to stop. (Spoiler: It won’t.)
Pessimism is on the rise. (Google it and you’ll find plenty.) That’s not a good thing. But pessimism breeds skepticism. And people questioning what they see and hear is not a bad thing, unless you take it to the extreme where you think the Earth is flat. (I seriously can’t believe that’s a thing.)
Geopolitics and media aside, it hits on an everyday level: our jobs. The things we spend half of our waking hours doing.
People can only hear how amazing a company is (according to their employer branding) and find out it’s the opposite so many times before they assume everyone is full of sh*t. Based on the tone of LinkedIn comments these days, we’re all there.
The need to self-promote workplace greatness was a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ thing. Your competitors-in-hiring did it, so you do, too. Even when you’re not special at all.
Peer pressure to cut corners. At scale. That’s the current state of culture initiatives, employer brand, and Office Dork life.
As snarky as I can be at times, this may shock you: I’m an optimist. In my <number redacted> years on Earth, everything has gotten better: the economy, technology, entertainment, medicine, travel, education, etc. (Only exceptions being music – which peaked in the ‘90s – and feral childhoods. Team Latchkey.)
As for work culture, all is not lost if you remember two things:
1. Everyone’s just here to get paid.
And that’s ok! There are other great reasons to work and stay at a job. But they’re *other* reasons. Not everyone has to be a cheerleader. Nor should you want them to.
2. If you want people to know what it’s like to work at your firm, have them ask your team.
What’s it like to work at Hirewell?
Don’t ask me. Ask our team. They’ll tell you.
Tdlr – Yes, you should strive to make your work environment great. But shut up about it. The word will get out.
Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.
Executive search isn’t some mysterious dark art. You’re not paying for secret handshakes and a magic Rolodex.
But that’s exactly what legacy firms want you to think.
They sell prestige. They sell access. They sell fear. And some companies buy it—because no one wants to screw up a high-profile hire.
Here’s the truth: access is the easy part. Executives respond more than anyone. The real challenge? Fit. Immersion. Results after the hire. And most firms skip that part entirely.
Jeff Smith and James Hornick rip the curtain off the smoke-and-mirrors world of exec search—and explain why most firms are failing their clients (badly) in The 10 Minute Talent Rant, Episode 109, “What Everyone Gets Wrong About Executive Search.”
Episode 109