RECCE ROOM

Durham’s Shame: A City Refuses to Pay for Its Mistake The city of Durham has found itself at the center of a troubling legal and moral scandal. After a wrongful conviction that cost an innocent man decades of his life, the city has now refused to honor a $6 million court-ordered verdict in his favor. Instead of owning up to its responsibility, Durham has doubled down on denial and legal maneuvering. The result is a stunning display of injustice, fiscal irresponsibility, and betrayal of public trust. The Wrongful Conviction of Darryl Howard The case centers on Darryl Howard, a man who was wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder after a Durham police officer, Darrell Dowdy, fabricated evidence to secure a conviction. Howard spent years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. On appeal, new evidence—including DNA—proved his innocence and revealed the misconduct that led to his imprisonment. This should have been a straightforward case of the system correcting itself. Instead, Du...

There is a popular meme of late: "if not friend, why friend shaped?" Well, this one is not even friend shaped.  More on the person known as Marc Victor, from Attorneys on Retainer.  This author has said some very pointed things about Victor  and AoR in the past. The video linked above confirms some of these things.  What say you? 

  Why You Don’t Owe a Two-Week Notice Anymore A reader writes: "I like your take on what you call 'Wacky Hiring Practices.' So, how about the employee? What’s your take on workers ghosting jobs or leaving without a two-week notice?" Great question. Let’s dig in. Two Weeks Was Built for a Different Era There was a time when people worked 35 or 40 years for one company, then retired with a pension and a gold watch. That era is over. Today, the smartest way to move up—financially or professionally—is to change jobs every 2–5 years. Loyalty doesn’t pay like it used to. And given how common toxic jobs and managers are, sticking around too long can actually hurt your career. The two-week notice tradition came from an age when companies viewed employees as people, not “resources.” Managers knew how to lead, not just bark orders. And when someone left, companies had the time and willingness to train a replacement. In that world, giving notice made sense. In this one? N...

When Companies Cancel Jobs After Interviews: What’s Really Going On? If you’ve ever spent weeks going through multiple interviews—only to be told the role you were chasing has been canceled—you’re not alone. It happens far more often than people think. Companies invest time, resources, and attention into the hiring process, only to abruptly pull the plug. Sometimes they say the position was eliminated. Other times it’s “on hold.” Whatever the phrasing, the end result is the same: you wasted your time. This frustrating pattern isn’t just poor communication—it reveals something deeper about how many organizations approach hiring. In most cases, it’s not that the candidates weren’t good enough. It’s that the company never figured out what they really needed. Below are three common—and costly—reasons why jobs get canceled after interviews. The Search for a Unicorn Many companies start the hiring process with an impossible wishlist. They want one person to do the job of three, with ten ye...

A friend sent this author this link . From the link: This job market is absolutely wild. I was introduced to the [ceo] of a startup through a mutual contact. He was enthusiastic. He chased after me. He asked me to complete an assessment. I did. Carefully. On time. Then I had two interviews. One of which made me feel like I was already being welcomed to the team. The other felt more like an interrogation. Still, I held out hope. And then… silence. No update. No rejection. Nothing. I didn’t apply cold. They came to me. And now, after all that effort, I feel like I just got used, like my time, my energy, and my hope were just absorbed into some vague maybe-pipeline with no intention of follow-through. I honestly don’t even want the job anymore. I just want to understand why. You dont like it when candidates ghost you so why would it be ok for you to do it? Why pull someone in, make them work, and then talk to multiple people, only to completely disappear? [Inbalance] of power in your fav...

From a reader: Just got the offer. It is a decent offer and came from a company I wasn't expecting.  Backstory - laid off unexpectedly on Feb 28. Over 740 resumes sent. Almost exclusively thru Indeed and Glassdoor. This was one from Glassdoor. To be fair, I just completed a few final round interviews and am waiting to hear back (will go with highest $$$ offer). Also, have a few more final round interviews scheduled, as well.  Lessons learned -  1. Tailor resumes. I use ChatGPT and specific filters and requests. My interview rate is about 15% on tailored resumes. It's about 2% on generic resumes. At the very least, use AI to sharpen your generic resume.  2. Sales sucks. 25 years in sales. Been laid off / fired 11 times, and left another 7 times when I got wind I was going to be let go. Now in IT Product Management. It is worlds better. Never have I ever been below quota for more than a week or two. All terminations / attempts were when I was 110% of quota or higher. ...