If I were to go back and make a list of ex-boyfriends (we’re talking way back here), there would be a few common threads. Some may say it was their penchant for marijuana. Others might note the lack of many personal items like, say, a car or any furniture other than a mattress on the floor. Those things are hard to come by when you don’t have a job.

I’d characterize the trend more towards the, say, passionate and creative type. I had a job in my 20s. I didn’t need a boy to buy me dinner. I just needed him to be devoted and interesting. Lucky for me, I managed to finally secure a man with a bed, a job, a savings account, and a moral compass.


Although all of my contacts out there are in the advertising/marketing world, you are all very different. Some of you work in HR and tend to be a bit more buttoned up than the agency you work with. Others of you are hiring managers who reflect, personally, the crazy and fun environment in which the candidate would be immersed.

In addition to knowing what a position requires in terms of experience, I also like to prepare my candidates for the type of interview they might have ahead of them. It helps them be better prepared and more comfortable when they know that you always ask everyone why it took so long to finish college. If you are going to ask a lot of dry, technical questions, I’d like the candidate to be ready for that. I don’t see it as cheating. I see it as being prepared in the same way you’d like that candidate to be prepared with your client.

When I was 22, if someone were to set me up on a blind date…well, I wouldn’t have gone on a blind date; but if I did, I’d like to know if he’s more into Thai food or fast food. I’d like to know if he gets drunk and mean or if he gets drunk and affectionate. Those are two very different dates.