3. Employers and Prospective Employees Should Set Goals During the Interview Process

Russell likes to walk candidates through Manage to Win's goals together during the first interview to provide his company with an edge beyond paying the largest salary or making the first offer.

"I've got to get out of the first-date hiring script," Russell said. "I've got to get to know how they think, how they do things."

Then, in preparation for a second interview, Russell said prospective hires should write down their expectations for their supervisor and the employer as a whole.

The level of detail and candor, along with the amount of adherence to formatting, tells the employer something about how the candidate works, Russell said.