Dr Flavius Akerele III's The E Team Education blog

  In today’s hiring landscape, we often talk about innovation, candidate experience, and organizational values. But there is one area that does not receive nearly enough attention: Process integrity. Recently, I participated in a multi-stage interview process for a role that included three clearly defined phases. Like many professionals, I approached each stage with intention, preparation, and respect for the organization’s time and expectations. The process began well. Communication was clear, expectations were outlined, and I was invited to complete the next phase: an assessment component designed to evaluate how I think, plan, and approach real-world scenarios. I completed the assessment thoroughly and submitted it as requested via Google Drive links. From there, the process changed. After some time, I received a final decision indicating that the organization had chosen to move forward with another candidate. The message referenced a “holistic review” of applicants ...

  Last week I wrote about the rise of what many professionals are calling “professional ghosting” in hiring, multiple interviews, presentations, executive panels… followed by silence. The conversation that followed surfaced another issue that deserves attention.  How does this trend affect experienced professionals later in their careers?  Many seasoned leaders quietly acknowledge a dynamic that rarely gets discussed openly. Not necessarily overt discrimination, but a series of assumptions that can subtly shape hiring decisions: • Concerns about salary expectations or benefit costs • Assumptions about adaptability to new technologies or systems • The perception that a highly experienced hire might disrupt existing leadership dynamics • The belief that someone with decades of experience may not stay long None of these assumptions are typically stated directly, b ut they often exist in the background of search committee discussions. Ironically, these same professionals...