Every week we gather HR and Talent news for you -- the best of what we've read. This week, we're turning the tables and sharing some of the best of what we've written both for exaqueo's blog and in other channels where we share our insights. The common theme? Rethinking what we often hold true: processes should stay static, we can't learn from areas of the business completely different from ours, constant achievements are the goal...this is the norm. And sometimes, the norm has to be flipped.So this week we bring our insights on how to rethink some of the common things you do from milestones to updates to hiring. And maybe you'll shift the tide come Monday.

1) Stop Asking Me What's Next from Forbes

"The constant milestone madness is everywhere. A good friend of mine is on the partner track at a well-known consulting firm. People can’t stop asking if she’s up for partner this year. For my fellow entrepreneurs, the what-next question is constant too. Everyone wants to know your growth plan, your exit plan, your plan to go public. Are you as exhausted as I am? I get it. When people ask these questions (personal or business-related) they’re trying to be nice, interested in your work, or are genuinely curious (if they want to promote you or invest in your company). But we’ve created a world where no one is happy where they are."

2) Recruiters, Why Don't We Scrum More? from Pete Radloff on the exaqueo blog

"Many of you who recruit for technical and/or engineering roles are familiar with the Scrum development methodology. Not familiar? NO PROBLEM. It’s not just for engineers! Scrum is a methodology that incorporates the idea of fast development cycles, frequent releases and quick stand-ups versus long, drawn out, “Death by Powerpoint” meetings. Hmm, maybe the developers are on to something here. If we start to think and work like the client teams we’re supporting, there’s a greater chance of success of us getting what we need."

3) Paying Employees to Take Unlimited Vacations from Upstart Business Journal

"It's a great model if you balance it with performance measures and guidelines. Employees have to be accountable to perform and should be rewarded when they work hard to get things done quickly. If it's all about performance, they'll hold each other accountable, both on taking too much vacation and on not taking enough."

4) The 3-5 Year Gap: Finding Talent With Actual Talent from Tech Cocktail

"There’s no shortage of college graduates searching for jobs–some have internship and project experience, but they’re still new, and entry-level talent has to be trained. Programs like Nashville’s Software School, App Academy, and Hackbright Academy are helping to fill the gap. But that doesn’t help when you have jobs that require experience now and you can’t find the talent. In these situations, it’s tempting to outsource the problem. After all, you’re busy running companies, bringing in new business and customers, running beta tests–you don’t have the time to devote to a recruiting strategy. Thing is–neither do most external recruiters. They’re going to focus on sourcing the position like you did and then charge you a sizable percentage when you choose one of their candidates. Not that you should avoid external recruiters completely, but what if there were a way to save that fee without exceptional effort?"

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Susan LaMotte is the founder of exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps startups and high-growth companies build their cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn more about how we can help you build a workforce strategy that’s aligned with your company culture and develop an employer brand that will allow your business to scale the right way.