Treat Your Top Candidates Like Derby Horses

 After the amazing opportunity to go to Churchill Downs for a few days of horse racing including the Derby one thing became obvious fast, elite horses are not handled casually.

They are studied, prepared, protected, and surrounded by people who understand exactly what is at stake. No one waits until race day to figure out the strategy. No one treats a champion like a backup option. No one assumes talent alone is enough.

The same should be true for high-level executives and managers.

Exceptional people are rare. They are high-performing, heavily watched, and often already winning somewhere else. If they enter your hiring process, they are not just evaluating the role. They are evaluating the people, the pace, the communication, and the level of respect shown from the first conversation.

And like Derby horses, they can sense the environment.

If the process is chaotic, they notice.
If communication is slow, they notice.
If leadership is not aligned, they notice.
If they feel like one of many instead of one of few, they notice.

Top candidates do not need to be chased recklessly, but they do need to be handled with intention. That means clear expectations, thoughtful communication, a streamlined process, and a team that understands their value.

You would not bring a champion horse to the Derby and leave the gate unprepared.

So why bring a top candidate into a hiring process that is disorganized, delayed, or lukewarm? The best talent is not won by accident. It is won by preparation, respect, and timing.

At the Derby, the margin between winning and losing can be a nose.

In executive hiring, it can be one delayed call, one vague update, or one competitor who knows how to move faster.

Ideal Candidate vs. The Available One

 

Experience inflation is the gradual rise in job requirements — more years, more skills, more scope — without a meaningful change in the role/job itself.

What used to be a 3–5 year role is now posted as 8–10, often 

with an expanded list of “must-haves” that weren’t part of the job a year ago. It reads like higher standards. It functions like a smaller, slower pipeline.

The real issue? Hiring teams are writing job descriptions based on their ideal candidate — not the available one.

And in this market, that gap matters.

The best candidates aren’t unqualified — they’re being filtered out by inflated expectations that don’t match reality. Meanwhile, roles stay open longer, teams stay understaffed, and hiring managers double down instead of recalibrating. Smart recruiters are pushing back.  Not by lowering standards — but by redefining what “qualified” looks like in today’s market.

 

If the Role Doesn’t Tie to Revenue, It’s on the Chopping Block

There’s a quiet shift in hiring right now -  every role must prove its financial impact. Companies are asking one question - “How does this hire make or save us money?” If the answer isn’t obvious, the role stalls.

What’s we are seeing that’s getting approved - sales and revenue drivers, operations tied to output and roles that increase efficiency or protect margins. What’s getting cut or delayed - layered management, support functions without clear ROI and hires with vague impact.

What this means is experience isn’t enough anymore. You need to show how your work drives results — ideally in dollars.  Hiring right now is being run like a balance sheet. And the roles closest to revenue? They’re the ones moving.

Thankful!

 

TAG clients and friends! I’m so thankful for all the work we’ve done in the new year and it’s only February! My business partners, Michael and Lily are on fire and I’m proud of the work we do and very grateful for them. 

We continue to recruit, provide business coaching and resume writing.  Our reach is now National and our team is strong. 

Why Visionary Leaders Are a Harder Sell Right Now

 

Visionary leaders often come with higher compensation expectations, bigger organizational changes, longer timelines to see ROI, more tolerance for risk. Many companies simply don’t have the runway — financially or culturally — to absorb disruption. Even great ideas can feel threatening when teams are stretched thin and leaders are managing daily volatility. So, vision isn’t gone. It’s just being deferred.

Here’s the quiet truth - Some organizations are hiring operators now because they hope to hire visionaries later. The operator gets the business steady. The visionary comes in once the foundation is secure. That’s a smart strategy — but only if companies are honest about it. Problems happen when businesses say they want innovation, growth, and transformation… but hire for control, predictability, and risk reduction. That mismatch leads to frustration on both sides. If you’re a visionary leader struggling to land roles right now, it may not be you. The market is simply rewarding a different skill set in this moment.

On the flip side, operational leaders who once felt “less exciting” are suddenly highly sought after — especially those who can balance discipline with empathy and communicate stability without stagnation. The most future-proof leaders right now?
Operators who can think strategically, not just tactically. If you’re hiring leadership today, ask yourself:

• Do we truly want change — or do we want control?
• Are we hiring for the next 12 months or the next 5 years?
• Are we clear about the mandate we’re offering?

There’s nothing wrong with prioritizing operational strength. But clarity matters. Hiring the wrong leader for the wrong moment is expensive — and avoidable. This isn’t the end of visionary leadership. It’s a pause. Economic cycles shape leadership demand, and right now the pendulum has swung toward execution over experimentation. The companies that win will be the ones that understand why they’re hiring the leader they choose — and prepare for when the pendulum swings back. Because it always does.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year!!

 

As the year ends, I’d like to thank you for your continued partnership and trust. Dave, our retired founder, is doing very well and asked that I pass along his warmest wishes to you and your team for a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a joyful holiday season.

Looking ahead to 2026, AI will continue to be a powerful advantage for organizations that use it thoughtfully. A few simple ideas as you plan -

• Use AI to save time on routine work so your people can focus on what matters most
• Invest in data quality—good inputs drive good outcomes
• Encourage teams to learn how to work with AI, not around it

We’re excited about the year ahead and look forward to continuing our work together. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a successful New Year.  - H. 

 

Better Resume For AI

 

Use the Job Description Like a Cheat Sheet -  AI resume screeners (and even recruiters using AI) match your resume to the job description.  Copy true to you key skills, tools, and responsibilities from the posting. For example, if the job mentions “cross-functional collaboration” or “data-driven decision-making,” include those exact phrases where relevant.

Optimize for ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) - Most resumes are read by software before a human.  Use a simple format — no fancy tables, graphics, or columns.  Save as .docx or PDF (text-based).  Use standard section titles like “Experience,” “Education,” and “Skills.”  Spell out acronyms at least once (e.g., “Customer Relationship Management (CRM)”).

Ask AI to Tailor Your Resume for Each Role – For example “rewrite my resume summary to match this job description: [paste JD].” AI can help reword your bullet points to highlight the most relevant skills for each job — a huge time saver.

Quantify Everything You Can - AI and recruiters both love numbers.  Instead of “Improved team performance,” write “Improved team performance by 30% in six months.”  Instead of “Handled customer inquiries,” say “Resolved 40+ customer tickets daily with 95% satisfaction.”

Use Action Verbs That Sound Natural - AI tools rank resumes higher when they use active impactive, professional language. Examples: led, created, managed, implemented, streamlined, designed, launched, improved. Skip filler words like “responsible for”.

Add a Skills Section  - At the top of the resume in bullets that’s keyword rich - List your top hard skills and tools (Excel, Salesforce, SQL, etc.). AI and ATS systems scan for these keywords — the more matches, the better your ranking.

Use AI to Check Readability - Paste your resume into an AI tool and ask: “Make this resume easier to read and more impactful without changing the meaning.”
AI can fix clunky phrasing, grammar, and flow — especially if writing isn’t your strong suit.

Keep It Human-Friendly Too - Even if AI loves your resume, remember — humans read it next. Use clear spacing, no huge paragraphs, and some personality in your tone (especially for creative or leadership roles).

Test It With AI Before Sending - Ask: “Would this resume pass an ATS for [job title]?”or “How could I improve this resume for [industry] roles?”  AI will point out missing keywords or areas that feel weak — like a free resume coach.

If you are stumped with resume writing call me at the office and I'm happy to refer Lily, a great resume writer!