Our Favorite Blog Posts of 2016

While we already told you which posts you liked best (Our 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2016), all of the writers and editors here at Vault have our own personal favorites. Some of these were pretty popular, but a few flew under the radar. Here are the posts that weren't the most popular but that we think you might want to revisit none the less.

What Is a 'Superboss' and Why Is Donald Trump Not One?

Back in February, when I came across Dartmouth Professor Sydney Finkelstein's book Superbosses and posted this blog about it, if you would've told me that Donald Trump would soon become the GOP nominee for president, let alone the president-elect, I would have laughed hysterically in your face and thought you were losing your mind. Now, of course, I'm not laughing (quite the opposite), but I do think that this post about Finkelstein's book—a distillation of a decade worth of research about a type of boss who scouts, trains, and develops the next generation of leaders, as opposed to the opposite: the classic narcissistic who needs to be at the center of attention, who's not open to viewpoints other than his or her own, and who, when receiving a critique, doesn't attack the idea but the person delivering it—is even more relevant today than it was nearly one year ago. -Derek Loosvelt

What Makes Big 3 Consultants Different?

Looking back over the blogs I've written this year, it’s pretty easy to spot the things I'm interested in: there are posts on how automation is killing jobs (a far bigger threat to American workers than outsourcing—don't be surprised when Carrier announces layoffs a couple of years from now after they've spent their tax breaks automating their factory), and posts on long overdue wage growth. But, if I have to pick one post, I'm going to go with one from the industry I spend most time covering: consulting. This post, which breaks down exactly how different consultants at the Big 3 are from almost everyone else in the industry, is the perfect distillation of everything that we really do well here at Vault: it takes data that you can't get anywhere else, and mines it to get to the heart of what really makes the companies we cover tick. And, while it might seem like just another 3-minute read, it represents the culmination of an amazing team effort involving hundreds of hours of work—not just from our incredibly talented research, survey and firm outreach folks here at Vault, but also from the thousands of consultants who took the time to share their insights with us, and the hundreds of firms who give us unprecedented levels of access to those people. We literally couldn't do what we do without any of them, and I'm indebted to them all. -Phil Stott

Generation Gap - Work Advice from Boomers to Millennials: Calvin Alexander Ramsey

Having worked at the NYC Department for the Aging, I had worked extensively to eliminate the stigma around aging and promote the fact that the elderly still had much to contribute to our society. When I came to Vault, I wanted to continue that mission with an inter-generational twist, working with senior citizens to help millennials pick up valuable job search tips and career advice while shining a spotlight on the continued career success of the Baby Boomer generation. Calvin Alexander Ramsey was a true inspiration. He never gave up on his dream to be a writer, but had the wherewithal to hold off on that dream until he felt he was at the right level of maturity to pursue his goals. His journey was a real example of what it takes to be a successful businessman and how to take the lessons learned in one career to help advance a career change and successfully pursue your passion. The blog is one of my favorites, because it told a great story, allowing me to go back to my journalistic roots while still offering career advice to the Vault audience. -Jon Minners

3 LinkedIn Features You Don’t Know About 

With the job landscape having changed so much in the past few years, I find it important to understand how best to integrate new technologies and social media platforms into a job search. I’ve written several blogs about how LinkedIn in particular has become integral to a job search, with its ability to help individuals form professional connections and discover jobs catered to their interests. Yet many people who use LinkedIn—from undergraduates looking for their first internships to more senior employees looking to stay up-to-date on new technologies—are unaware of how to fully benefit from the platform. In my blog “3 Thinks You Don’t Know About LinkedIn,” I underline some of the most helpful features of the platform, for those looking to modernize their job search. -Isabel Sperry

Drew Shoals Is a Literal Rock Star Lawyer

While working on Shearman & Sterling's profile for the Law 100, I stumbled upon the fact that the drummer for the band Train was formerly a Shearman associate. Thinking it would make a good blog post, I looked up Drew Shoals and sent him a Facebook message, not really expacting anything to come of it. But Drew got back to me quickly and we soon met for coffee at the Ace Hotel in NYC. Drew was smart and engaging and gave some really great answers to my questions. Many BigLaw associates dream of giving up the law for some other passion, but I'd bet Drew is the only one who has done due diligence and played a show in front of 20,000 people in the same week. -Matt Moody

What Immigrants Can Teach Us About Success

While immigration was at the forefront of the 2016 presidential election, few touched upon the success immigrants have consistently had in the U.S. I'm a first-generation immigrant, so the political topic became a personal one, especially when I started researching how immigrants performed academically once they entered America. What I found was that a staggering number of first- and second-generation immigrants outperformed American citizens due to three key aspects: most harbored little insecurity, had a deep-rooted sense of superiority, and planned for the future. I also found that the traits that immigrants bring with them to a new country not only enrich themselves but also add to the success of their new home country. Perhaps if we all know this, then the popular opinion on immigration might switch from fear and hatred to one of understanding and admiration. -Kristina Rudic