ResidentialBusiness

You’ve decided to start a solo business. Congratulations! I’ve been a solopreneur for years and love being my own boss. My decision to become a full-time freelance writer happened overnight. I lost my full-time job at a marketing agency. Looking around, the job market seemed bleak. Working for myself was a way to start earning money immediately to pay bills. However, I’d been thinking about a solo business for months. So while the timing wasn’t my decision, it was a direction I was headed anyway. I had been freelancing alongside my 9-5 job for a few years, so I had the “infrastructure” in place to turn my side hustle into a full-time business. What you need on Day 1 is a lot different than what you need on Day 1,001. Here are some of the minimum things you need to get started. 1. Pricing Before you even start talking to potential clients, you need to know what you’ll charge for your services. Will you charge by the hour? By project? On a retainer? Pricing is one of the hardest things to figure out when you start your own business. You often don’t have a good benchmark to know what you should charge compared to other solopreneurs doing similar work. You can start with your salary if you were working full-time at a company. Break it down into an hourly rate (even if you’re charging on a per-project basis). Keep in mind that you’ll also be paying taxes and covering your own business expenses. In addition to determining pricing, you’ll also need a way to present pricing to a potential client. You might want to consider software that lets you put together polished proposals for clients. Some can even collect e-signatures and payments as an all-in-one tool. But this isn’t necessary. You could also put together a proposal in a tool like Canva. You’ll also want to have clients sign a contract, agreeing to your pricing and terms. You could pay a lawyer to draw up a contract for you, but that’s often cost-prohibitive for new solopreneurs. Instead, you could look for a template that you can modify, or use this free one from the Freelancers Union. 2. A website I’m a big advocate for launching a website for your solo business. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Mine isn’t—it simply provides some information about my background and the services I offer. It includes a link to my portfolio of work and a “Contact Me” form. A website, even if it’s a one-pager, gives your business credibility. It also provides more information than you can showcase on a site like LinkedIn. Ideally, you would connect your website to your own domain. If you’ve never done this before, it sounds scarier than it actually is. Most website builders will provide step-by-step instructions to connect to a domain you buy from a company like GoDaddy or Cloudflare. If you want to take it a step further, you can connect your domain to Google Workspace so that your email address is @yourdomain.com. However, Google Workspace isn’t free. If you’re not ready to pay for it, you can always connect your domain to your email later. 3. An invoicing and payment tool My first invoices were created in Google Sheets. I was lucky that my clients paid me via check, because otherwise, I’m not sure how I would have collected payments. You’ll want to make it easy for clients to pay you, in the method of their choosing. Some may want to send you a bank transfer, while others want to use a credit card. I’ve even worked with companies outside of the U.S. and needed to collect international payments. Payment should never be a point of friction. Some tools provide invoicing, payment, and accounting all in one. Or, you can use a standalone product like Stripe to create invoices and collect payments. Platforms like Stripe will charge you a fee (a percentage of the invoice), but they will handle the payment processing for you. They collect money from the client— using whatever payment method the client chooses—and then send it to your bank account. 4. A plan to find clients Once you have the foundational things in place (pricing, a website, and invoicing/payment), you can start to think about how you’ll find clients—or how they’ll find you. This is not a single-day activity. Everything else I’ve mentioned can be pretty quick to set up. Marketing yourself is a long-term strategy. When I first started freelancing full-time, I was desperate for work (I’d just lost my job!). I spent a lot of time on LinkedIn. I joined several Slack communities and networked with potential clients. I was a guest on podcasts to get my name out into the world. Effective tactics will depend on the services you offer, but you’ll need to do some hustling to find your first few clients. Your approach will likely evolve as your business grows. What worked for me in my first few months looks very different now. Over time, I learned which clients and projects aligned best with my skills and services—and which ones didn’t. Starting a solo business can feel overwhelming at first, especially in the early days. However, you get to design and build something that’s fully your own. Start with the foundation you need on Day 1, and you’ll figure out the rest as you go. View the full article

Policy reviews of GSEs and Basel rules could reshape the MSR market, opening opportunities for banks and altering Fannie, Freddie MBS dynamics. View the full article

Ex-leader was tried in absentia after fleeing to India in wake of popular uprisingView the full article

Early this year, Mark Zuckerberg made headlines by saying corporate culture needs more “masculine energy.” This sentiment was echoed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s call for the military—an employer of 2.1 million Americans—to return to a “warrior ethos”, promoting traditional masculine standards like aggression and athleticism. And yet, according to recent news reports, recruits at ICE (another workplace) are struggling to pass basic fitness tests, and Hegseth allegedly installed a makeup room at the Pentagon. Such contradictions remind me of a former manager who once criticized a potential hire for being “kind of girly,” yet spent most of his free time online researching spa treatments and shopping for floral polos. Masculinity standards can be nebulous and conflicting. GQ’s 2025 State of Masculinity Survey asked 1,929 American men their thoughts and beliefs on masculinity, and men surveyed defined “masculine” as “strong,” “protective,” and “tough”—but when asked how they’d like to be described by a friend, they said “respectful,” “honest,” and “responsible.” It seems even men themselves are confused about what masculinity is. Meanwhile, the GQ survey also found that 68% of men think about how to be masculine every single day. “Men are navigating mixed messages,” says gender equality and masculinity researcher Dr. Sarah DiMuccio, Head of Research and Development at Above & Beyond, a DEI consultancy and leadership academy based in Copenhagen. “‘Be more open and empathetic.’ But also: ‘man up’ and ‘be decisive.’” In today’s world, workplace leaders are doubling down on a narrow, quasi-toxic version of masculinity, determining who gets heard, who gets promoted, what behaviors are rewarded and what the tone of the organization is. This impacts the way men behave, define success, and shapes business, as well as larger culture. The consequences are real: Economically, harmful behaviors associated with masculine stereotypes cost the United States over $15.7 billion each year. Masculine performance—and anxiety As a gay man, I’ve never been naive about how masculinity is used as currency. But because I was raised in what I now realize was a very progressive household, it wasn’t something I worried much about. I started rethinking how I performed it after being passed over for a work promotion. My then manager (the floral-polo-bedecked one) encouraged me to apply for this interview, telling me I was a natural fit. While I’d never mentioned being gay to him before, it somehow came up during an interview he’d sat in on. The unofficial, non-HR-sanctioned feedback I got from him when I didn’t advance? “I think they were just looking for, like, a sports-and-beer guy.” Can I absolutely prove it was being gay? No, but I’d bet money on it. A 2022 study published in Sex Roles: a Journal of Research found that both gay and straight men tend to prefer gay colleagues who are in leadership roles to present as masculine. And while I subjectively feel I present pretty masculine, masculinity and sexuality are routinely conflated. Even at more progressive companies, I now strategically choose when to acknowledge my sexuality. It’s hard to blame me, when work culture (and the wider culture) rewards a very narrow idea of “masculinity,” putting it on a pedestal for others to conform to. Dr. Travis Speice, a sociologist specializing in gender and sexuality studies, says, “Sometimes, it doesn’t actually matter how we perform our gender or our sexuality in the workplace—it’s other people who decide whether it’s acceptable or not.” This can lead to some absurd-seeming contradictions. One might think Pete Hegseth’s installation of a makeup studio in the Pentagon flies in the face of “warrior ethos,” but if others have already deemed him (or any man) the “right” kind of masculine, it might not matter. And yet: “I don’t know that any performance is absurd if the performer feels like there is a social advantage by following through with that performance,” Speice says. On top of the muddied definitions and public displays of masculinity, the pressure for men to perform as masculine at work worryingly has an adverse effect on everyone involved. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Social Issues, entitled “Work as a Masculinity Contest,” found that workplaces prevalent with men attempting masculine performance tend to be ones also filled with toxic leadership and bullying, as well as fewer opportunities, more burnout, and worse wellbeing for the women in the office. “Success comes to focus not on meeting performance goals,” the study says, “but on proving you are more of a man than the next guy. Thus, being a top performer is tantamount to being a man—or for the winners, ‘the man.’” The need to prove masculinity at work can cause men to behave aggressively, embrace risky behaviors, and sexually harass others. Half of men have taken time off from work to cope with mental health struggles, but less than one in ten would disclose said struggles. DiMuccio was a researcher on a 2021 study entitled Masculine Anxiety and Interrupting Sexism at Work, which found that 94% of men at work experience “masculine anxiety”: the stress men feel living up to masculine expectations. She points out how the way this anxiety manifests doesn’t always look like nervousness: “Sometimes it looks like bravado, competition, or withdrawal.” Speice adds that “In some work environments, straight men may feel even more pressure to perform traditional masculinity,” desperate to prove their ‘real man’ status. The tech bro: Our loudest archetype At the moment, few industries capture the celebrated absurdity of masculinity’s narrowest view more than Big Tech. “Silicon Valley is embracing a new era of masculinity,” Zoe Bernard wrote in her 2023 piece for Vox entitled “Silicon Valley’s very masculine year”. (An award that Silicon Valley is about to win for the third year in a row, and maybe then we can retire the trophy.) Tech’s “leaders are powerful, virile, and swole,” Bernard writes. Today’s tech bros—Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk—have become the unofficial poster boys for performative masculinity, trading in hoodies and office foosball tables for MMA and bow hunting. Nick Clegg, former Meta Vice President of Global Affairs, recently critiqued the tech bros (though it should be noted he spoke highly of Zuckerberg as a colleague), in an interview with The Guardian, hinting at the fragility of performative manliness. He called the trend “cloyingly conformist,” adding: “I couldn’t, and still can’t, understand this deeply unattractive combination of machismo and self-pity.” Dr. Peter Glick, a Professor of Psychology at Lawrence University (and co-author of the Work as a Masculinity Contest study) told me that traditional masculine roles provided men with a set of privileges that some feel are slipping away due to gender equality and DEI advances. “My own sense is that if anything, we have moved into a phase of highly reactive, defensive, aggrieved masculinity,” he says, especially “among many men who resent loss of status, power, purpose, and clarity with respect to how to fulfill masculine identity.” DiMuccio agrees, citing the influence of the manosphere: a loose, online network of blogs, forums, and social media promoting traditional masculinity and highly critical of anything it deems “feminist.” “Men are promised belonging and purpose, but in a way that is deeply problematic, misogynistic, and reinforces narrow versions of masculinity even more,” she says, noting that these spaces thrive on masculine anxiety. They turn the fear of losing status or identity in a changing world into resentment—and performance. “If you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression,” says Clegg. Rethinking masculinity Growing up, being perceived as masculine wasn’t something I worried about. I attribute that to my father, who, on paper, embodies traditional masculinity: He’s tall, not super emotive, and possesses the authoritative air befitting a retired Marine Colonel. But his is actually a more nuanced version of masculinity: While he certainly has protective and imposing traits, he’s neither aggressive nor bombastic, embodying a quiet confidence that seeks neither attention nor approval. He modeled being a decent guy, not arbitrarily proving he was “the man.” Perhaps those qualities—a steadying, grounded presence that doesn’t default to performing toxic traits or demanding others to comply with them—is what “masculinity” in the workplace could look like instead. DiMuccio thinks that deep down, “Most men do know, at some level, that these [toxic] behaviors —silencing others, overcompensating, refusing to ask for help—undermine teamwork and performance.” But she points out that, in many workplaces, the social rewards of being perceived as masculine still justify the performance. “It’s not that men don’t care about the greater goal. They do. But the cultural script of masculinity is so strong that it can override logic. Changing that requires shifting what we reward and recognize as leadership and success at work,” DiMuccio says. For better or worse, the concept of masculinity will continue to shape the ways we live and work. We can point out its hypocrisies and absurdities all we want, but the reality is that the ways men choose to telegraph masculinity shape who gets ahead, who gets heard, and how teams function—reflecting a broader cultural tendency to reward appearances, conformity, and social signaling over substance. Recognizing this dynamic might empower individuals to identify and call out the smoke and mirrors—and allow more men to stop playing pretend. View the full article

Stories about AI-generated fabrications in the professional world have become part of the background hum of life since generative AI hit the mainstream three years ago. Invented quotes, fake figures, and citations that lead to non-existent research have shown up in academic publications, legal briefs, government reports, and media articles. We can often understand these events as technical failures: the AI hallucinated, someone forgot to fact-check, and an embarrassing but honest mistake became a national news story. But in some cases, they represent the tip of a much bigger iceberg—the visible portion of a much more insidious phenomenon that predates AI but that will be supercharged by it. Because in some industries, the question of whether a statement is true or false doesn’t matter much at all—what counts is whether it is persuasive. While talking heads have tended to focus on the “post-truth moment” in politics, consultants and other “knowledge producers” have been happily treating the truth as a malleable construct for decades. If it is better for the bottom line for the data to point in one direction rather than another, someone out there will happily conduct research that has the sole goal of finding the “right” answer. Information is commonly packaged in decks and reports with the intention of supporting a client narrative or a firm’s own goals while inconvenient facts are either minimized or ignored entirely. Generative AI provides an incredibly powerful tool for supporting this kind of misdirection: even if it is not pulling data out of thin air and inventing claims from the ground up, it can provide a dozen ways to hide the truth or to make “alternative facts” sound convincing. Wherever the appearance of rigor matters more than rigor itself, AI becomes not a liability but a competitive advantage. Not to put too fine a point on it, many “knowledge workers” spend much of their time producing what the philosopher Harry Frankfurt calls “bullshit.” And what is “bullshit” according to Frankfurt? Its essence, he says, “is not that it is false but it is phony.” The liar, Frankfurt explains, cares about truth, even if only negatively, since he or she wants to conceal it. The bullshitter, however, does not care at all. They may even tell the truth by accident. What matters to bullshitters isn’t accuracy but effect: how their words work on an audience, what impression they create, what their words allow them to get away with. For many individuals and firms in these industries, words in reports and slide decks are not there to describe reality or to conduct honest argumentation; they are there to do the work of the persuasive bullshitter. Knowledge work is one of the leading providers of what the anthropologist David Graeber famously called “bullshit jobs”—jobs that involve work that even those doing it quietly suspect serves no real purpose. For decades, product vendors, analysts, and consultants have been rewarded for producing material that looks rigorous, authoritative, and data-driven—the thirty-page slide deck, the glossy report, snazzy frameworks, and slick 2x2s. The material did not need to be good. It simply needed to look good. And if that is the goal, if words are meant to perform rather than inform, if the aim is to produce effective bullshit rather than tell the truth, then it makes perfect sense to use AI. AI can produce bullshit better and more quickly and in greater volume than any human being. So, when consultants and analysts turn to generative AI to help them with their reports and presentations, they are obeying the underlying logic and fundamental goals of the system in which they operate. The problem here is not that AI produces bullshit—the problem is that many in this business are willing to say whatever needs to be said to pad the bottom line. Bullshit vs. quality The answer here is neither new policies nor training programs. These things have their places, but at best they address symptoms rather than underlying causes. If we want to address causes rather than apply band-aids, we have to understand what we have lost in the move to bullshit, because then we can begin figuring out how to recover it. In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig uses the term “quality” to name the property that makes a good thing good. This is an intangible characteristic: it cannot be defined, but everyone knows it when they see it. You know quality when you run your hand along a well-made table and feel the seamless join between two pieces of wood; you know quality when you see that every line and curve is just as it should be. There is a quiet rightness to something that has this character, and when you see it, you glimpse what it means for something to be genuinely good. If the institutions that are responsible for creating knowledge—not just consulting firms but universities, corporations, governments, and media platforms—were animated by a genuine sense of quality, it would be far harder for bullshit to take root. Institutions teach values through what they reward, and we have spent decades rewarding the production of bullshit. Consultants simply do in excelsis what we have all learned to do to some degree: produce something that looks good without caring whether it really is good. First you wear the mask, they say, and then the mask wears you. Initially, perhaps, we can produce bullshit while at least retaining our capacity to see it as bullshit. But over time, the longer we operate in the bullshit-industrial complex, the more bullshit we produce, the more we tend to lose even that capacity. We drink the Kool Aid and start thinking that bullshit is quality. AI does not cause that blindness. It simply reveals it. What leaders can do Make life hard. Bullshit flourishes because it is easy. If we want to produce quality work, we need to take the harder road. AI isn’t going away, and nor should we wish it away. It is an incredible tool for enhancing productivity and allowing us to do more with our time. But it often does so by encouraging us to produce bullshit, because that is the quickest and easiest path in a world that has given up on quality. The challenge is to harness AI without allowing ourselves to be beguiled into shortcuts that ultimately pull us down into the mire. To avoid that trap, leaders must take deliberate steps at both the individual and organizational levels. At the individual level. Never accept anything that AI outputs without making it your own first. For every sentence, every fact, every claim, every reference, ask yourself: Do I stand by that? If you don’t know, you need to check the claims and think through the arguments until they truly become your own. Often, this will mean rewriting, revising, reassessing, and even flat out rejecting. And this is hard when there is an easier path available. But the fact that it is hard is what makes it necessary. At the organizational level: Yes, we must trust our people to use AI responsibly. But—if we choose not to keep company with the bullshitters of the world—we must also commit and recommit our organizations to producing work of real quality. That means instituting real, rigorous quality checks. Leaders need to stand behind everything their team produces. They need to take responsibility and affirm that they are allowing it to pass out of the door not because it sounds good but because it really is good. Again, this is hard. It takes time and effort. It means not accepting a throwaway glance across the text but settling down to read and understand in detail. It means being prepared to challenge ourselves and to challenge our teams, not just periodically, but every day. The path forward is not to resist AI or to romanticize slowness and inefficiency. It is to be ruthlessly honest about what we are producing and why. Every time we are tempted to let AI-generated material slide because it looks good enough, we should ask: Are we creating something of quality, or are we just adding to the pile of bullshit? That question—and our willingness to answer it honestly—will determine whether AI becomes a tool for excellence or just another engine that trades insight for appearance. View the full article

If you work in an office, your next coworker might not be human at all. Workers are already well-acquainted with artificial intelligence in the office, using AI tools to take notes, automate tasks, and assist with workflow. Now, Microsoft is working on a new kind of AI agent that doesn’t just assist, but acts as an employee. These “Agentic Users” will soon have their own email, Teams account, and company ID, just like a regular coworker. “Each embodied agent has its own identity, dedicated access to organizational systems and applications, and the ability to collaborate with humans and other agents,” states a Microsoft product roadmap document. “These agents can attend meetings, edit documents, communicate via email and chat, and perform tasks autonomously. The rise of AI has already spelled death for middle management, and is having a “significant and disproportionate impact on entry-level workers in the American labor market,” according to economists at Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab. Gartner projects that by 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will incorporate agentic AI, and at least 15% of daily business decisions will be made autonomously by AI agents. If AI employees can soon take over the grunt work no one wants to do, like scheduling and reporting, leaving people to handle the big picture tasks, that’s a win, right? Yet it also raises questions like: whose job is it to supervise AI employees? How much can AI really be entrusted with? And what happens if, or when, something goes wrong? Last year Deloitte surveyed organizations on the cutting edge of AI, and found just 23% of these organizations reported feeling highly prepared to manage AI-related risks. According to one study, 40% of agentic AI projects could be canceled by the end of 2027 due to inadequate risk controls, unclear business value and escalating costs. As AI rapidly establishes itself as a workplace norm, 2025 will be remembered as the moment when companies pushed past simply experimenting with AI and started building around it, Microsoft said in a blog post accompanying its annual Work Trend Index report. The rollout of “Agentic users” could start later this November, according to internal documents first reported by The Register. With Microsoft Ignite this week, stay tuned. View the full article

Bond investors remain on alert after U-turn on plan to raise income taxView the full article

Exploring the buzzy but fuzzy new phenomenon in asset allocationView the full article

Our culture equates busyness with importance, overcommitment with achievement, and exhaustion with value. For high-achieving professionals, this belief system isn’t just inconvenient, it’s quietly eroding energy, focus, and fulfillment. Meetings pile up, emails never end, and the pressure to “do it all” becomes a measure of worth. And yet, this version of productivity is deeply misleading. The truth is, sustainable success doesn’t come from cramming more into your day. It comes from aligning what you do with who you are, and giving yourself permission to prioritize energy, clarity, and presence over perpetual motion. Because motion for the sake of it is meaningless. The Cost of Outdated Beliefs Most of our thoughts are inherited patterns: echoes of beliefs we absorbed without realizing or having context. Many high achievers carry invisible scripts around their worth and value that may seem insignificant, yet aren’t harmless. They quietly shape decisions, drain energy, and fuel cycles of overcommitment. Left unchallenged, they keep us trapped in performance over presence, forcing a choice between professional success and personal fulfillment that shouldn’t exist. The data confirms the danger: Nearly 60% of professionals report negative stress impacts, including irritability, fatigue, and decreased motivation. Chronic stress is linked to over 120,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone. Leaders who push past their limits not only compromise their own well-being, but they also set a tone for teams that normalizes depletion. Rewriting Your Inner Story The first step to changing the way you work and live is identifying the beliefs running the show. Ask yourself: Which internal narratives drive my decisions? Which of them are inherited, unexamined, or outdated? Do they still serve me, or do they keep me misaligned? Once these scripts are visible, you can begin to rewrite them. ● Old belief: “I must prove my worth by doing more.” New truth: “My worth is inherent; I do not need to earn it through busyness.” ● Old belief: “Busyness is a sign of importance.” New truth: “Stillness is a strategy, not a liability. Reflection and focus expand my impact.” ● Old belief: “I can (and should) do it all.” New truth: “Freedom comes from focus, not volume. Saying no is wisdom, not weakness.” Even small shifts in thinking create space for bigger changes in behavior, energy, and presence. Story in Action Consider Laura, a senior leader at a fast-growing tech firm. On paper, she was thriving—leading teams, closing deals, and responding to emails at all hours. Yet she felt perpetually drained, anxious, and disconnected from both her work and her personal life. Every day felt like a treadmill she couldn’t step off. When she began questioning her internal narratives, she realized her default belief: If I’m not constantly available, I’m failing. With that recognition, she experimented with small rituals to reclaim her energy. She started each morning with a 10-to-20-minute walk, phone-free, allowing her to plan her day with clarity. Before meetings, she paused to breathe and set her intention. And in the evenings, she created simple rituals that increased her presence: journaling one win for the day as she stepped away from her laptop, a gratitude circle at dinner with family, and reading for pleasure. These small, deliberate actions transformed her experience of her own life. Laura wasn’t doing less; she was choosing differently. Her focus sharpened, her decisions felt clearer, and she felt more present in conversations with her team and family. By embedding rituals instead of relying on autopilot routines to just get through the day, she reclaimed control over her energy, rewrote the story she was living by, and discovered that sustainable success comes from alignment, not overextension. Rituals, Not Routines: A Practical Tool Changing beliefs is only the beginning. Without intentional action, old habits quietly reassert themselves. This is where rituals—intentional and meaningful rhythms unique to you—become transformative. Unlike routines, which can be automatic and draining over time, rituals are infused with purpose. They create moments of renewal, grounding, and clarity. For example: ● Starting your day with a five-minute reflection instead of jumping straight into email. ● Brewing coffee or tea while you set an intention for the day or the next meeting. ● Closing the workday with a transition ritual, signaling the shift from professional to personal time. ● Winding down with reading, candlelight, journaling, or a hot shower. These intentional pauses are strategic, not indulgent. They preserve energy, enhance focus, and allow you to operate from alignment rather than autopilot. Presence as a Leadership Advantage The most effective professionals aren’t necessarily those who work the longest hours—that’s the old way of working. They’re those who show up whole because they’re in alignment with who they are, inside and out. Presence is a competitive advantage. It fosters better decision-making, inspires teams, and creates ripple effects that extend far beyond individual performance. Leaders who model energy stewardship and intentionality shift culture without a single memo. By choosing rituals that anchor them in alignment, they normalize boundaries, reflection, and focused contribution. And in doing so, they give others permission to do the same. Practical Steps to Begin ● Identify your top stress-beliefs. Notice moments you feel compelled to say yes or overcommit. Ask what underlying belief is driving the behavior. ● Reframe them. Convert old stories of proving and performing into new narratives of presence, permission, and focus. ● Anchor with rituals. Introduce small, meaningful practices that support the beliefs you want to live by. Examples include morning reflection, mid-day resets, or transition rituals between work and personal life. ● Observe the ripple. Notice how these changes affect your energy, decision-making, relationships, and the culture around you. Even small, consistent choices shift patterns over time. They turn pressure into presence, busyness into clarity, and stress into sustainable energy. Redefining Work-Life Success Ultimately, high performance doesn’t require sacrifice, but it does require alignment. When you stop measuring worth by how much you do and start measuring it by how intentionally and fully you show up, everything changes. You don’t have to do it all. You have to do what matters, and do it in a way that preserves your energy, your joy, and your ability to be fully present. The rest will follow. The future of work starts now, and success is being redefined: Lead not from exhaustion, but from alignment. Lead not to impress, but to empower. Your rituals are the blueprint, not only for your own performance but for the culture you create. View the full article

It is not in the country’s interests for its biggest bank to be uncompetitive View the full article

Investment bank has secured its dominant position as megadeals reboundView the full article

Spanish fiscal position aided by political paralysisView the full article

The party classifies such events as ‘commercial partnerships’View the full article

A defence pact that is not mutual will do nothing to advance America’s global interestsView the full article

Home prices in America won’t come down without systemic reform View the full article

A surprise court ruling that the move lacked a legal basis could lead to years of appeals and proceedings View the full article

New technologies and regulatory reforms have boosted the offshore industry, 15 years after the Deepwater Horizon catastropheView the full article

About-turn by US president comes as Republicans looked set to defy him View the full article

Caution around the savings needed to stop work reflects an insecurity that is hard to shiftView the full article

Voters overwhelmingly back conservative candidates in first round amid concerns over crime and immigrationView the full article

The address that I use for this newsletter has long since been overrun by nonsense. Seemingly every PR and marketing firm in existence has gleefully added it to the various mailing lists that they use to convince their clients that they offer global reach. I recently received, for example, a message announcing a new uranium mining venture. Yesterday morning, someone helpfully sent me a note to alert me that “CPI Aerostructures Reports Third Quarter and Nine Month 2025 Results.” Here’s the problem: this is also the address where my readers send me interesting notes about my essays, or point me toward articles or books they think I might like. I want to read these messages, but they’re often hidden beneath unruly piles of digital garbage. So, I decided to see if AI could solve my problem. The tool I chose was called ​Cora​, as it was among the more aggressive options available. Its goal is to reduce your inbox to messages that actually require your response, summarizing everything else in a briefing that it delivers twice a day. Cora’s website notes that, on average, ninety percent of our emails don’t require a reply, “so then why do we have to read them one by one in the order they came in?” Elsewhere, it promises: “Give Cora your Inbox. Take back your life.” This all sounded good to me. I activated Cora and let it loose. ~~~ I detail the story of my experience with Cora in my latest article for The New Yorker, which is titled ​“Why Can’t A.I. Manage My E-Mail?”​, and was published last week. Ultimately, the tool did a good job. This inbox has indeed been reduced to a much smaller collection of messages that almost all actually interest me. The AI is sometimes overzealous and filters some messages that it should have left behind, but I can find those in the daily briefings, and nothing that arrives here is urgent business, so the stakes are low. The bigger question I ask in this article, however, is whether AI will soon be able to go beyond filtering messages to answering them on our behalf, automating the task of email altogether. This would be a big deal: I’ve come to believe that the seemingly humble task of checking e-mail—that unremarkable, quotidian backbeat to which digital office culture marches—is something more profound. In 1950, Alan Turing argued in a seminal paper that the question “Can machines think?” can be answered with a so-called imitation game, in which a computer tries to trick an interrogator into believing it’s human. If the machine succeeds, Turing argued, we can consider it to be truly intelligent. Seventy-five years later, the fluency of chatbots makes the original imitation game seem less formidable. Yet no machine has yet conquered the inbox game. When you look closer at what actually goes into this Sisyphean chore, an intriguing thought emerges: What if solving e-mail is the Turing test we need now? Cora, as it turns out, cannot solve the Inbox Game – it can organize your messages, but not handle them on your behalf. Neither can any other tool I surveyed, from SuperHuman to SaneBox. As I go on to explain in my article, this is not for lack of trying: there are key technical obstacles that make answering emails something AI tools aren’t yet close to solving. I encourage you to ​read my full article​ for the entire computer science argument. But I want to emphasize here the conclusion I reached: even with their current constraints, which limit AI-based tools mainly to filtering and summarizing messages, there’s still much room for them to evolve into increasingly interesting and useful configurations. In my article, for example, I watched a demo of an experimental AI tool that transforms the contents of your inbox into a narrative “intelligence briefing.” You then tell the tool in natural language what you want it to do – “tell Mary to send me a copy of that report and I’ll take a look” – and it writes and sends messages on your behalf. The possibilities here are intriguing! Here’s how I ended my piece: “Although A.I. e-mail tools will probably remain constrained…they can still have a profound impact on our relationship with a fundamental communication technology. …Recently, I returned from a four-day trip and opened my Cora-managed inbox. I found only twenty-four new e-mails waiting for my attention, every one of them relevant. I was still thrilled by this novel cleanliness. Soon, a new thought, tinged with some unease, crept in: This is great—but how could we make it better? I’m impatient for what comes next.” This is the type of AI that interests me. Not super-charged chatbot oracles, devouring gigawatts of energy to promise me wise answers to any conceivable query, or the long-promised agents that can automate my tasks completely. But instead, practical improvements to chores that have long been a source of anxiety and annoyance. I don’t need HAL 9000; an orderly inbox is enough for now. The post Why Can’t AI Empty My Inbox? appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article

Home Office to give more weight to ‘public interest’ of removing foreign criminals and those who entered illegallyView the full article

In terms of recruitment, implementing best practices can greatly improve your hiring process. Start by crafting clear and inclusive job descriptions that attract a diverse candidate pool. Next, assemble a search committee that reflects varied perspectives, which helps in evaluating candidates more fairly. Furthermore, using technology and outreach strategies can streamline applications. These foundational elements lay the groundwork for a successful recruitment strategy, but there’s more to reflect upon to refine your approach further. Key Takeaways Create clear and inclusive job descriptions that outline responsibilities, success metrics, and salary ranges to attract a diverse applicant pool. Assemble a diverse search committee with explicit evaluation criteria to ensure fair and comprehensive candidate assessments. Utilize social media and targeted outreach strategies to engage potential candidates and promote job openings effectively. Prioritize candidate experience by streamlining the application process and maintaining regular communication throughout the recruitment journey. Actively seek feedback from candidates post-interview to continuously improve recruitment practices and enhance overall satisfaction. Develop Clear and Inclusive Job Descriptions When you develop job descriptions, it’s crucial to focus on clarity and inclusivity, as these elements can significantly impact your recruitment success. Start by outlining daily responsibilities and success metrics, ensuring potential candidates understand what’s expected. Use inclusive language to avoid bias, which helps widen your applicant pool. Clearly state salary ranges and flexibility options to provide transparency, reducing misalignment with candidates’ expectations. Regularly update your job descriptions to reflect current needs, which improves searchability and attracts qualified applicants. Furthermore, highlight unique benefits and growth opportunities to differentiate your organization. These recruitment best practices represent some of the best ways to recruit employees effectively, ultimately supporting your hiring and recruiting strategies. Assemble a Diverse Search Committee Assembling a diverse search committee is a strategic move that can greatly improve your recruitment outcomes. Diverse committees bring varied perspectives, which enhance candidate evaluations and lead to better hiring decisions. Consider including faculty from outside your department; their fresh ideas can be invaluable, particularly in interdisciplinary fields. Engaging graduate students and postdocs as well provides insights into the current academic job market and helps attract diverse talent. Establish ground rules for confidentiality and educate committee members on legal interview questions to promote an equitable environment. Proactively addressing influence dynamics guarantees all voices are heard, especially those of underrepresented colleagues. Implement Robust Outreach Strategies To effectively implement robust outreach strategies, you should utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to engage with potential candidates. Regularly posting job openings and industry-related content can attract not just active job seekers but also passive candidates who might be interested in your company. Furthermore, maintaining consistent communication through these channels helps keep your organization top-of-mind for those exploring new opportunities. Utilize Social Media Outreach Utilizing social media outreach can greatly improve your recruitment efforts, especially if you implement robust strategies customized to your target audience. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram allow you to reach a broader demographic and engage candidates who mightn’t be actively seeking jobs. By crafting engaging content that highlights your company culture alongside job openings, you can attract candidates who align with your values. Furthermore, using targeted ads guarantees that your postings reach specific skill sets and demographics. Encourage current employees to share job opportunities and achievements, boosting your brand credibility through employee advocacy. Finally, monitor engagement metrics to refine your strategies continuously, making sure your outreach remains effective and relevant. Engage Passive Candidates Consistently Recruiting passive candidates consistently requires a strategic approach that goes beyond traditional methods. You should leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to share insights about your company culture and current job openings, reaching potential talent not actively seeking roles. Building a talent pipeline through regular outreach can greatly increase the chances of these candidates considering opportunities. Personalizing your communication, like sending industry insights or company updates, nurtures long-term relationships, ensuring they’re more receptive when roles arise. Hosting industry events or webinars showcases your organization’s expertise and culture, attracting interest. Moreover, utilizing recruitment technology, such as automated outreach tools, streamlines your engagement efforts, allowing for consistent communication without consuming excessive time or resources. Establish Explicit Evaluation Criteria Establishing explicit evaluation criteria is crucial for guaranteeing that all committee members share a common grasp of the qualifications and competencies needed for a position. By developing a standardized rating scale, like a five-point system, you can objectively assess candidates based on defined metrics rather than personal biases. Clearly defining broad yet specific qualifications—such as scholarly impact, research productivity, and relevant skills—guides the evaluation process during keeping focus on vital attributes. Confirm every committee member reviews each application to cultivate a thorough awareness of each candidate’s qualifications, mitigating the risk of overlooking strong contenders. Finally, regularly revisit and refine your evaluation criteria based on feedback and past hiring outcomes to adapt to your organization’s evolving needs. Prioritize Candidate Experience To improve candidate experience, organizations should prioritize clear communication and streamlined processes throughout the hiring process. Streamlining the application process is critical, as 60% of candidates abandon applications because of poor communication and lengthy procedures. Keeping candidates informed about their status is vital; timely feedback improves their overall experience. Personalized communication makes candidates feel valued, promoting a positive impression of your organization. Implementing an applicant tracking system (ATS) can automate updates, ensuring candidates receive quick and clear responses regarding their application status. Moreover, actively soliciting feedback from candidates post-interview can highlight areas for improvement, showing your commitment to improving the candidate experience. Prioritizing these aspects can lead to a more engaging and effective recruitment process. Foster a Supportive Environment for Candidates To cultivate a supportive environment for candidates, clear communication channels are vital; timely updates can greatly reduce application abandonment rates. Personalizing your interactions shows candidates they’re valued, which improves their overall experience. Furthermore, streamlining the application process makes it user-friendly and encourages more candidates to engage without unnecessary obstacles. Clear Communication Channels Clear communication channels are essential in nurturing a supportive environment for candidates during the recruitment process. Keeping candidates informed about their application status and next steps reduces uncertainty, greatly improving their experience. Regular updates and timely feedback can greatly boost satisfaction, as many candidates abandon applications because of poor communication. An applicant tracking system (ATS) can automate status updates, ensuring candidates receive consistent information. Here’s a look at the impact of effective communication: Communication Practice Candidate Impact Regular updates Reduces anxiety Timely feedback Improves satisfaction Personalized messages Makes candidates feel valued Application status alerts Increases transparency Clear next steps Encourages continued engagement Transparent communication not just improves candidate experience but strengthens your employer brand. Personalized Candidate Interactions Personalized candidate interactions play a vital role in promoting a supportive environment throughout the recruitment process. By tailoring your communication, you can greatly improve engagement; research shows that 60% of candidates appreciate personalized interactions. Timely feedback after interviews is important, as 49% of candidates may decline job offers because of poor communication. Implementing applicant tracking systems (ATS) allows you to automate updates, keeping candidates informed about their application status and reducing their anxiety. Creating a culture where candidates feel valued leads to higher acceptance rates, as they’re more likely to choose organizations where they feel personally connected. Finally, actively seeking and incorporating candidate feedback encourages transparency and respect, aligning your process with modern job seekers’ expectations. Streamlined Application Process Streamlining the application process is a vital step in nurturing a supportive environment for candidates. By reducing barriers, you can greatly increase completion rates, as 60% of applicants abandon applications because of poor communication or complicated systems. Implementing an applicant tracking system (ATS) automates updates and status notifications, keeping candidates informed throughout their expedition. Simplifying application forms to include only fundamental fields can prevent potential applicants from feeling overwhelmed. Regularly soliciting candidate feedback helps you identify pain points and areas for improvement, enhancing the overall experience. Additionally, providing clear timelines and expectations encourages transparency and trust, eventually leading to higher candidate satisfaction and engagement. Prioritizing these practices will create a more positive recruitment process for everyone involved. Utilize Technology to Streamline Recruitment Process As you navigate the recruitment environment, leveraging technology can greatly improve your hiring process. Implementing an applicant tracking system (ATS) automates resume screening and tracks applicants, allowing you to manage candidates more efficiently. AI-powered recruitment tools augment candidate matching by analyzing skills and experience, cutting down your time-to-hire by up to 80%. Utilizing data analytics informs your recruitment strategies by pinpointing trends in candidate sourcing and evaluating the effectiveness of various channels. Integrating recruiting software with existing HR systems guarantees seamless communication and data sharing, improving overall efficiency. Furthermore, leveraging social media recruiting tools increases visibility for job openings, attracting passive candidates and broadening your talent pool beyond traditional job boards. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 5 Fs of Recruiting? The five Fs of recruiting are Fit, Functionality, Focus, Fast, and Feedback. Fit emphasizes hiring candidates who align with your company’s culture. Functionality involves clearly defining job roles and required skills. Focus means targeting specific profiles rather than a broad search. Fast highlights the importance of efficient hiring processes to reduce time-to-hire. Finally, Feedback encourages regular input from candidates and hiring managers to improve the recruitment process and enhance hiring outcomes. What Are the 3 P’s of Recruitment? The 3 P’s of recruitment—People, Process, and Position—are vital for effective talent acquisition. You need to identify the ideal candidate persona and align with hiring managers to improve collaboration. Streamlining your recruitment process is necessary, including creating clear job descriptions and maintaining consistent communication with candidates. Finally, focus on crafting compelling job descriptions that accurately reflect the role’s responsibilities and required skills, helping you attract the right talent for your organization. What Are the Best Practices in Recruitment and Selection? To guarantee effective recruitment and selection, start by crafting clear job descriptions that showcase your company culture and desired skills. Implement structured interviews with standardized questions to maintain fairness and reduce bias. Use recruitment metrics like time-to-fill to assess effectiveness and improve strategies. Engage in proactive talent sourcing through employee referrals and social media. Finally, continuously gather feedback from candidates and hiring managers to adapt and augment your recruitment process. What Is the 70 Rule of Hiring? The 70 Rule of Hiring suggests that you should consider candidates who meet at least 70% of the required skills for a position. This approach allows for flexibility, encouraging you to evaluate candidates based on transferable skills and growth potential, rather than strictly adhering to a checklist. Conclusion Incorporating these seven best practices into your recruitment strategy can greatly improve your hiring process. By creating clear and inclusive job descriptions, assembling diverse committees, and utilizing technology, you’ll attract a wider range of candidates. Prioritizing candidate experience and establishing explicit evaluation criteria promotes a smoother process, as continuous feedback guarantees your practices remain effective. In the end, these steps lead to better hiring outcomes, benefiting both your organization and the individuals you bring on board. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Best Practices for Recruiting" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In terms of recruitment, implementing best practices can greatly improve your hiring process. Start by crafting clear and inclusive job descriptions that attract a diverse candidate pool. Next, assemble a search committee that reflects varied perspectives, which helps in evaluating candidates more fairly. Furthermore, using technology and outreach strategies can streamline applications. These foundational elements lay the groundwork for a successful recruitment strategy, but there’s more to reflect upon to refine your approach further. Key Takeaways Create clear and inclusive job descriptions that outline responsibilities, success metrics, and salary ranges to attract a diverse applicant pool. Assemble a diverse search committee with explicit evaluation criteria to ensure fair and comprehensive candidate assessments. Utilize social media and targeted outreach strategies to engage potential candidates and promote job openings effectively. Prioritize candidate experience by streamlining the application process and maintaining regular communication throughout the recruitment journey. Actively seek feedback from candidates post-interview to continuously improve recruitment practices and enhance overall satisfaction. Develop Clear and Inclusive Job Descriptions When you develop job descriptions, it’s crucial to focus on clarity and inclusivity, as these elements can significantly impact your recruitment success. Start by outlining daily responsibilities and success metrics, ensuring potential candidates understand what’s expected. Use inclusive language to avoid bias, which helps widen your applicant pool. Clearly state salary ranges and flexibility options to provide transparency, reducing misalignment with candidates’ expectations. Regularly update your job descriptions to reflect current needs, which improves searchability and attracts qualified applicants. Furthermore, highlight unique benefits and growth opportunities to differentiate your organization. These recruitment best practices represent some of the best ways to recruit employees effectively, ultimately supporting your hiring and recruiting strategies. Assemble a Diverse Search Committee Assembling a diverse search committee is a strategic move that can greatly improve your recruitment outcomes. Diverse committees bring varied perspectives, which enhance candidate evaluations and lead to better hiring decisions. Consider including faculty from outside your department; their fresh ideas can be invaluable, particularly in interdisciplinary fields. Engaging graduate students and postdocs as well provides insights into the current academic job market and helps attract diverse talent. Establish ground rules for confidentiality and educate committee members on legal interview questions to promote an equitable environment. Proactively addressing influence dynamics guarantees all voices are heard, especially those of underrepresented colleagues. Implement Robust Outreach Strategies To effectively implement robust outreach strategies, you should utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to engage with potential candidates. Regularly posting job openings and industry-related content can attract not just active job seekers but also passive candidates who might be interested in your company. Furthermore, maintaining consistent communication through these channels helps keep your organization top-of-mind for those exploring new opportunities. Utilize Social Media Outreach Utilizing social media outreach can greatly improve your recruitment efforts, especially if you implement robust strategies customized to your target audience. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram allow you to reach a broader demographic and engage candidates who mightn’t be actively seeking jobs. By crafting engaging content that highlights your company culture alongside job openings, you can attract candidates who align with your values. Furthermore, using targeted ads guarantees that your postings reach specific skill sets and demographics. Encourage current employees to share job opportunities and achievements, boosting your brand credibility through employee advocacy. Finally, monitor engagement metrics to refine your strategies continuously, making sure your outreach remains effective and relevant. Engage Passive Candidates Consistently Recruiting passive candidates consistently requires a strategic approach that goes beyond traditional methods. You should leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to share insights about your company culture and current job openings, reaching potential talent not actively seeking roles. Building a talent pipeline through regular outreach can greatly increase the chances of these candidates considering opportunities. Personalizing your communication, like sending industry insights or company updates, nurtures long-term relationships, ensuring they’re more receptive when roles arise. Hosting industry events or webinars showcases your organization’s expertise and culture, attracting interest. Moreover, utilizing recruitment technology, such as automated outreach tools, streamlines your engagement efforts, allowing for consistent communication without consuming excessive time or resources. Establish Explicit Evaluation Criteria Establishing explicit evaluation criteria is crucial for guaranteeing that all committee members share a common grasp of the qualifications and competencies needed for a position. By developing a standardized rating scale, like a five-point system, you can objectively assess candidates based on defined metrics rather than personal biases. Clearly defining broad yet specific qualifications—such as scholarly impact, research productivity, and relevant skills—guides the evaluation process during keeping focus on vital attributes. Confirm every committee member reviews each application to cultivate a thorough awareness of each candidate’s qualifications, mitigating the risk of overlooking strong contenders. Finally, regularly revisit and refine your evaluation criteria based on feedback and past hiring outcomes to adapt to your organization’s evolving needs. Prioritize Candidate Experience To improve candidate experience, organizations should prioritize clear communication and streamlined processes throughout the hiring process. Streamlining the application process is critical, as 60% of candidates abandon applications because of poor communication and lengthy procedures. Keeping candidates informed about their status is vital; timely feedback improves their overall experience. Personalized communication makes candidates feel valued, promoting a positive impression of your organization. Implementing an applicant tracking system (ATS) can automate updates, ensuring candidates receive quick and clear responses regarding their application status. Moreover, actively soliciting feedback from candidates post-interview can highlight areas for improvement, showing your commitment to improving the candidate experience. Prioritizing these aspects can lead to a more engaging and effective recruitment process. Foster a Supportive Environment for Candidates To cultivate a supportive environment for candidates, clear communication channels are vital; timely updates can greatly reduce application abandonment rates. Personalizing your interactions shows candidates they’re valued, which improves their overall experience. Furthermore, streamlining the application process makes it user-friendly and encourages more candidates to engage without unnecessary obstacles. Clear Communication Channels Clear communication channels are essential in nurturing a supportive environment for candidates during the recruitment process. Keeping candidates informed about their application status and next steps reduces uncertainty, greatly improving their experience. Regular updates and timely feedback can greatly boost satisfaction, as many candidates abandon applications because of poor communication. An applicant tracking system (ATS) can automate status updates, ensuring candidates receive consistent information. Here’s a look at the impact of effective communication: Communication Practice Candidate Impact Regular updates Reduces anxiety Timely feedback Improves satisfaction Personalized messages Makes candidates feel valued Application status alerts Increases transparency Clear next steps Encourages continued engagement Transparent communication not just improves candidate experience but strengthens your employer brand. Personalized Candidate Interactions Personalized candidate interactions play a vital role in promoting a supportive environment throughout the recruitment process. By tailoring your communication, you can greatly improve engagement; research shows that 60% of candidates appreciate personalized interactions. Timely feedback after interviews is important, as 49% of candidates may decline job offers because of poor communication. Implementing applicant tracking systems (ATS) allows you to automate updates, keeping candidates informed about their application status and reducing their anxiety. Creating a culture where candidates feel valued leads to higher acceptance rates, as they’re more likely to choose organizations where they feel personally connected. Finally, actively seeking and incorporating candidate feedback encourages transparency and respect, aligning your process with modern job seekers’ expectations. Streamlined Application Process Streamlining the application process is a vital step in nurturing a supportive environment for candidates. By reducing barriers, you can greatly increase completion rates, as 60% of applicants abandon applications because of poor communication or complicated systems. Implementing an applicant tracking system (ATS) automates updates and status notifications, keeping candidates informed throughout their expedition. Simplifying application forms to include only fundamental fields can prevent potential applicants from feeling overwhelmed. Regularly soliciting candidate feedback helps you identify pain points and areas for improvement, enhancing the overall experience. Additionally, providing clear timelines and expectations encourages transparency and trust, eventually leading to higher candidate satisfaction and engagement. Prioritizing these practices will create a more positive recruitment process for everyone involved. Utilize Technology to Streamline Recruitment Process As you navigate the recruitment environment, leveraging technology can greatly improve your hiring process. Implementing an applicant tracking system (ATS) automates resume screening and tracks applicants, allowing you to manage candidates more efficiently. AI-powered recruitment tools augment candidate matching by analyzing skills and experience, cutting down your time-to-hire by up to 80%. Utilizing data analytics informs your recruitment strategies by pinpointing trends in candidate sourcing and evaluating the effectiveness of various channels. Integrating recruiting software with existing HR systems guarantees seamless communication and data sharing, improving overall efficiency. Furthermore, leveraging social media recruiting tools increases visibility for job openings, attracting passive candidates and broadening your talent pool beyond traditional job boards. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 5 Fs of Recruiting? The five Fs of recruiting are Fit, Functionality, Focus, Fast, and Feedback. Fit emphasizes hiring candidates who align with your company’s culture. Functionality involves clearly defining job roles and required skills. Focus means targeting specific profiles rather than a broad search. Fast highlights the importance of efficient hiring processes to reduce time-to-hire. Finally, Feedback encourages regular input from candidates and hiring managers to improve the recruitment process and enhance hiring outcomes. What Are the 3 P’s of Recruitment? The 3 P’s of recruitment—People, Process, and Position—are vital for effective talent acquisition. You need to identify the ideal candidate persona and align with hiring managers to improve collaboration. Streamlining your recruitment process is necessary, including creating clear job descriptions and maintaining consistent communication with candidates. Finally, focus on crafting compelling job descriptions that accurately reflect the role’s responsibilities and required skills, helping you attract the right talent for your organization. What Are the Best Practices in Recruitment and Selection? To guarantee effective recruitment and selection, start by crafting clear job descriptions that showcase your company culture and desired skills. Implement structured interviews with standardized questions to maintain fairness and reduce bias. Use recruitment metrics like time-to-fill to assess effectiveness and improve strategies. Engage in proactive talent sourcing through employee referrals and social media. Finally, continuously gather feedback from candidates and hiring managers to adapt and augment your recruitment process. What Is the 70 Rule of Hiring? The 70 Rule of Hiring suggests that you should consider candidates who meet at least 70% of the required skills for a position. This approach allows for flexibility, encouraging you to evaluate candidates based on transferable skills and growth potential, rather than strictly adhering to a checklist. Conclusion Incorporating these seven best practices into your recruitment strategy can greatly improve your hiring process. By creating clear and inclusive job descriptions, assembling diverse committees, and utilizing technology, you’ll attract a wider range of candidates. Prioritizing candidate experience and establishing explicit evaluation criteria promotes a smoother process, as continuous feedback guarantees your practices remain effective. In the end, these steps lead to better hiring outcomes, benefiting both your organization and the individuals you bring on board. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Best Practices for Recruiting" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Small businesses in the United States are navigating a complex labor market landscape, where job openings remain high but qualified applicants are increasingly hard to find. According to the latest NFIB Jobs Report for October 2025, 32% of small business owners reported having unfilled job positions, marking a stagnation that echoes labor market trends from the height of the pandemic. Economists have long warned about the challenges posed by labor shortages, and the data indicates that these issues persist, impacting small business owners significantly. Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB’s Chief Economist, states, “The post-Covid labor market appears to have mostly normalized on Main Street. Jobs are plentiful albeit declining, while qualified applicants are scarce but increasing for some industries.” This sentiment reflects the dual nature of the current job market—many roles are available, yet the talent pool remains shallow, especially in key sectors. The report highlights that 28% of small businesses have openings specifically for skilled workers. However, there has been a slight reduction in positions available for unskilled labor, dropping to 11%. This split illustrates a growing need for skill-specific training, which small business owners may want to consider investing in, either through internal training programs or partnerships with local educational institutions. Interestingly, the intention to hire shows signs of gradual decline. A net 15% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, down 1 point from September. This marks the first decrease in hiring plans since May, suggesting that while small businesses remain keen to expand, the challenges in filling current roles may hinder growth. Overall, 56% of small business owners reported actively hiring or trying to hire, down 2 points from the previous month. A staggering 49% of those hiring noted that they are facing a dearth of qualified candidates, yet the small business landscape is diverse. In construction, for instance, nearly half (49%) view labor quality as the foremost challenge, compared to only 13% in finance. This disparity encourages a targeted approach for small business owners operating in different sectors, urging them to develop tailored strategies for recruitment and workforce development. The increasing concern for labor quality is not the only pressing issue. The report indicates a decrease in the proportion of owners citing labor costs as their primary challenge, which fell 3 points down to 8%. Meanwhile, compensation is undergoing adjustments—26% of small business owners reported having raised wages in October, though this is a decline from September’s figures. Interestingly, a consistent 19% of owners plan to increase compensation in the upcoming months, indicating a commitment to attracting talent even amid rising wage pressures. For small business owners, it’s imperative to understand these labor dynamics. The ongoing labor shortage presents both challenges and opportunities. Investing in employee training and development, as well as creating a compelling workplace culture, could put businesses in a better position to attract skilled workers. Furthermore, businesses can explore flexible working conditions or improved benefits to make openings more attractive to potential hires. However, navigating these changes requires nimbleness. As business owners grapple with the shifting landscape of labor demand and supply, they must stay informed about industry trends and be ready to adapt their strategies. Engaging with local workforce development initiatives and tapping into community resources can further assist in bridging the gap between available jobs and qualified applicants. In this evolving environment, small business owners are facing a critical need to balance their hiring aspirations with the realities of employee availability and skills quality. Staying adaptive and proactive will be key in ensuring sustained growth and stability as they strive to fill the ranks of their workforce. For a deeper dive into the data and insights from the NFIB October 2025 Jobs Report, you can view the full report here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Small Businesses Struggle with Job Openings as Hiring Plans Decline" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article