When I'm Not at Work....: Recent Episodes
Plume de Poison
I talk about work -- the tech trench, consulting, the gig economy, interviewing. I care about politics, social justice, leading the examined life. Occasionally hilarious.
Prefer to read? Visit www.plumedepoison.com
One of the questions I get asked most often from those considering contract work is whether to work as a W2 contractor or should they consider 1099, or incorporate so they can bill corp-to-corp (C2C).
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2017/09/15/w2-or-c2c/
Employer's are facing a long-overdue reckoning, and like all reckonings, many blame others for their predicament. The blame du jour: Lazy people, who don't want to work...
......for you. (Never has a prepositional phrase been more important!)
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2021/07/28/four-reasons-people-just-dont-want-to-work-for-you/
Historically, businesses never worried about competing against one another for talent. Now that they must complete, many simply do not know how.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2021/07/20/four-reasons-no-one-is-responding-to-your-job-posts/
The tight labor market isn't about lazy millennials or enhanced unemployment benefits, things have fundamentally changed. Employers need to accept reality, and level-up their hiring game or they will be outmaneuvered by those who will...
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2021/07/12/tight-labor-market-is-here-to-stay/
Labor has had lots of opportunity to and advice on how to interview. That cannot be said of employers. Most have zero interview training and little interest in being a good employer - which is why, now, they can't hire anyone....
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2021/06/26/why-you-cant-hire-anyone/
Contractor or employee? What would you do if you weren't afraid?
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2021/06/21/should-i-quit-my-full-time-job-for-a-contract-gig/
Consulting is not all Power Point presentations and conference rooms with killer views. To be one requires a certain amount of cold, capitalist, callousness. Are you ready to ditch your FTE and become a consultant? Here's a few things to think about....
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2019/05/26/so-you-want-to-be-a-consultant/
If your tasks involve bringing change to mature organizations, know that being a consultant is like being a personal trainer: I can't lose weight for you....
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2020/03/06/why-consultants-fail/
Consider that ghosting is really less about the employer, and more about lotto fever. Here's how to stop internalizing rejection....
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2021/01/18/ghosting-the-unrequited-love-of-todays-job-market/
The relationships and mindset essential for a strong, successful, progressive, and high-performing Agile organization are the the exact same qualities Drucker encourages in The Effective Executive.
The best way to support a meaningful value stream in a modern organization is to move from top-down boss-helper to bottom-up team-roles where the effective executive functions as a coach and advocate, not as a boss and commander.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2021/04/22/the-effective-agile-executive/
Now is the time. We MUST remove the revenue incentive that is insidiously intertwined with traffic “law” enforcement.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2020/06/10/no-more-traffic-stops-police-reform-that-could-change-everything/
Applicants aren't the only ones who screw up interviews; employers can blow it -- big time. Are you an employer who can't close on good help these days? Is it possible that you're blowing the interview?
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://plumedepoison.com/2019/02/15/four-ways-to-blow-your-interview-for-employers/