The Shortcut We All Take I’ll be honest, hiring is tough. It eats up your time and energy. Most of the time, you’re juggling tight deadlines and budgets, and somehow, everyone expects you to nail it on the first try. So, naturally, we look for any shortcut we can find. Titles are usually the first…
Or: Why Titles Are Bad at Describing Actual Work I’ve been on the job hunt lately, which means I’ve read more job descriptions than any human should. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed, it’s that recruiters and hiring folks really, really love their neat little job titles. But real life? It’s way messier than any…
Good documentation, SOPs, and knowledge bases are a must. They make life easier for you and your team. But if documentation fixed everything, we wouldn’t even be talking about this right now. But here’s the thing: the hardest part of support work isn’t something you can write down. It’s all about soft skills. Even with…
You’ve built a structured interview process.You’ve balanced your gut with your scorecard.You’ve made the offer. Now what? Hiring the right person is huge, but it’s really just the beginning. What you do next decides if that great choice turns into a confident, successful teammate, or if everyone ends up stuck in a slow, painful ramp-up….
When the Scorecard Says “Yes” but Your Gut Hesitates You’ve finished up all your interviews, scored them, and even talked things over with your interview partner. But then you hit a wall. The numbers are pointing one way, but your gut is waving a big red flag. Welcome to the classic gut vs. scorecard moment…
Why Structure Beats Gut Feeling Hiring can take forever, and it can eat up a lot of your time—and your team’s time, too. Sure, you rely on your gut and experience, but having a structured interview process to back that up makes a huge difference. If you want to build a strong team without losing…
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want next in my career—not just the title, not just the salary band, but the actual work. The stuff that makes me light up. The stuff I can’t not do. The stuff people always end up coming to me for, whether it’s technically my job or not….
I’ve been lucky enough to work for and learn from some really great companies over the years. But out of all of them, iThemes stands out as my favorite. Cory Miller, our founder, is a big fan of mottos. My favorite one from my time at iThemes—and one I’ve tried to carry with me ever…
These days, it feels like everyone knows someone who’s been laid off. If you’ve ever worked with a great team, as I have, you probably want to help your teammates land on their feet when they’re let go. One of the best ways to help is by writing a Letter of Recommendation (LOR). But let’s…
Every support team has that one rockstar. You know the one. They can answer any question, fix any problem, and somehow have the whole playbook memorized. But what happens when they go on vacation? Or, even scarier, decide to quit? If all that know-how is stuck in just one or two people’s heads, you’re in…
When I interview candidates for my support teams, I always ask about their career goals. Support is often a launchpad into the tech world, and it can be tough to know that some team members will eventually move on. Still, I believe it’s best to help them grow and keep them within the company. …
Coaching is awesome for helping people one-on-one. But if everyone’s working off different info or just guessing what’s actually happening, it all falls apart. Here’s the thing about the Annual Review: it tells you what went wrong, but only after a whole year has passed. By then, it’s way too late to fix anything. If…
The annual review is a part of just about every company. But how useful are they really? Ultimately, the annual review is a post-mortem, not a roadmap. When you don’t frequently communicate with your employees, burnout and turnover increase. Feedback should be frequent, and every employee should have a clear idea of their role…
AI is transforming the future of support—especially in technical and customer-facing roles. Traditional support models are linear (more customers = more agents = higher cost) and hit a wall when complex issues pile up. Using AI can help mitigate the need to hire more agents. However, it’s important to remember that AI is a tool…
I was laid off a couple of months ago, which means I’ve been spending all my time focusing on finding a new job, including a lot of time writing, rewriting, and refining my resume. As part of this process, I utilize AI, such as grammar checkers and writing suggestions, to enhance clarity and provide a…
When putting together an excellent technical support team, it’s tempting to focus on candidates’ technical abilities. While those skills are crucial, there’s so much more to consider. Beyond technical expertise, you want team members who can truly connect with customers, simplify complex ideas into digestible chunks, and genuinely care about what clients need. Imagine having…
