Tengrela by Beth | Mar 27, 2024 | Employee Hiring
Ah, the broken hiring heart…
A few weeks back, a client of mine professed their undying love for a candidate, and another person on the interview team suggested that they might be setting themselves up for a broken hiring heart.
You know the one… that candidate that you get so excited about! They use all the right terms. They say your name in the interview. They did their research and asked great questions. You can’t WAIT to send them an offer letter!
Then, they ghost you. They turn you down. They do something egregious in the process. You try to call them…to convince them to work for you, but it NEVER works out.
You have a broken hiring heart, and it really is disheartening when this happens.
Here is how to heal that tender heart of yours:
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Take the next day off from interviewing. You really do need a day to be sad that this fleeting relationship didn’t work out. Be disappointed and feel the feels.
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Remind yourself of why you do what you do. Get re-connected to your purpose.
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Do some self-care: work out, drink water, walk outside, and sleep. You really will feel better in the morning.
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Go back to your ad. Does it still say what you need it to say?
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Finally, have heart: If they didn’t want to work with you now, they really won’t later when the going gets tough. You dodged a bullet.
Now, get out there and find “the one” that makes your heart sing! You got this!
POWER THOUGHT: Your heart was broken by a heartless candidate. It happens. Take heart! The “One” is on their way to you!
***Shout out to Jodie Reed for the idea!
by Beth | Mar 13, 2024 | Employee Hiring
A few weeks ago, I was meeting with my Indeed team and my A-list Interviews team over an ad that I had posted. It wasn’t getting much traction. And if you know me at all, you know that I review traction on ads as closely as my financial advisor looks at stock reports.
It can make or break my whole day.
Anyhoo, this particular ad was giving me heartburn, until one of my people said, “We need to figure out the Lateral Wiggle.”
Huh?
“Lateral wiggle.” In other words, what are the surrounding skill sets that can substitute for the ones you want? For example, Google sheets and Excel. Not quite the same but close. For my lenders, I have a bank that just hired a lender with no banking experience, but she came from many years with Enterprise. Lateral wiggle. For my Customer Service Reps, any experience with Starbucks, Chipotle, or Chick fil-A. They have the best customer service training programs that I have ever seen.
Approximately 50% of information on a resume is either exaggerated or an outright lie, so resumes are already suspect at best. When you are struggling to find the right fit, broaden your scope with lateral wiggle and a solid interview process, and wiggle your way into an amazing new employee!
POWER THOUGHT: Can’t find your great fit? Maybe it is time to wiggle.
by Beth | Feb 28, 2024 | Selecting Good Candidates
I am working with a client who is seeking a high-level executive. We received an application from a woman who wasn’t qualified for this particular position, but she was highly qualified for another opportunity within the company. The problem was that the salary for the position she qualified for was about 30k less. I called her to discuss the new opportunity, and I very clearly pointed out the difference in annual salary. She was in!
She interviewed with us 4 different times: the phone, 2 via zoom, and 1 in-person. She completed 3 different assignments, and she nailed the interviews. My client was very excited and made her an offer at the TOP of the range that we posted for that lower position.
5 days later, she requested 35k more than the offer.
In other words, she requested the salary from the original job that she applied for but ultimately wasn’t qualified.
My client called me to discuss this, because he had to cut her loose. Paying her that much would have thrown off the comp structure for his whole organization. But did we miss something?
Yes, we did. She never applied for the position that we considered her for. However, I still believe the risk in redirecting her was worth the potential reward. Why?
Because my client did something that REALLY good CEO’s do: he tried to take the opportunity and turn it into a win. He saw a highly talented person and tried to put her in a place that she ultimately didn’t want to be. It took us a while to figure this out.
I am proud of my client for taking a chance. Who knows? It could have worked out. And, when an applicant applies for a position and you offer them another one, make sure that the salaries are comparable. You will have a much better chance of success.
POWER THOUGHT: Pay attention to the position for which the applicant is applying. Maybe your round peg ends up being square after all.
by Beth | Jan 31, 2024 | Employee Hiring
I had a client call me the other day and ask me this: “Beth, what do you do when you have a candidate that shows up late?”
“Tell me more about that,” I said.
“Well, we had a candidate show up late for their third interview. They just walked in 7 minutes late, sat down and didn’t say anything about being late. They have all of the skills that we want, they were great in their interview, and they are very friendly. We really like them!”
I responded with this: “How important is it that they are on time? How important is it that they meet deadlines? And, how important is it that they own up when they are late or going to miss a deadline? Do you want to take that risk?”
There was a long, long heavy sigh… Then, my client said, “Well shit.”
Here is the short answer to any interviewing dilemma: Let them.
Let them be late. Don’t save them. Don’t ask them to explain it, just let them be late. And for goodness sake, don’t hire them!
Let your candidates not do their homework. Let them not turn in homework early. Let candidates not answer your question fully and completely.
Trying to change a candidate in the interview process is going to be disastrous. And frankly, it just won’t lead you to the results that you are looking for.
POWER THOUGHT: Struggling with a candidate? Let them be who they are going to be.
***Conceptual credit to Mel Robbins
by Beth | Jan 17, 2024 | Employee Hiring
I don’t poach. I fish. I LOVE fishing! But in my world, poaching is a no-no. Let me explain.
Several years ago, I had a client who was looking for an architect to hire in his firm. Architects were VERY hard to find during that time, and he couldn’t afford to lose any current staff. One day, his top performer approached my client and told him that a recruiter was calling him everyday asking him if he “was ready to make a change”. The employee was offered really obscene amounts of money and other perks. My client started checking in with other employees and found that several of his staff were being targeted by this recruiting firm.
My client called the recruiting firm and politely asked them to quit calling his people and was told in no uncertain terms that this was a free country, and they could call anyone that they wanted. He then asked them who the client was that they were working for and he was completely shocked when he discovered that his competition was behind the search. The worst part? He thought that the owner of his competition was a friend.
My client called the competition and said basically, “What the hell. Dude?” The competitive firm quit targeting my client’s firm and employees, but the damage was done. This is called poaching.
While poaching employees isn’t against the law, and yes, the sleazy recruiting firm has the right to call whoever they want, it is at the very least unethical and in my opinion, immoral.
I am all about getting the right people on your staff, so that you are kicking ass and taking names. And, I don’t poach. I fish. I put bait out in the water, by placing an ad on an online job board, and reaching out to people who have posted their resumes online. But I draw the line at reaching out to employees unsolicited. Frankly, it reeks of old fish.
Fishing? Absolutely.
Poaching? Absolutely not.
where to buy priligy online POWER THOUGHT: Poaching is just fishy.
by Beth | Nov 1, 2023 | Employee Hiring
A few years ago, I went on a blind date. He texted me first, then he called me. We had a great conversation, and we had so much in common. We both have children and a huge love for animals. As a matter of fact, he had a pet rabbit named Bugs.
I said, “You have a pet Rabbit named Bugs?”
He said, “It was either that or Peter.”
We laughed. A lot. He sent me a photo of himself, and I sent him some of mine. Then, we met in person.
He did not look like his photo. Nice guy, but definitely no second date. I had been catfished.
Welcome to hiring.
Catfishing is the act of deceiving someone else online, and it happens in hiring as well.
When you read a resume, you are reading a document that the candidate most likely didn’t write. In addition, according to Inc magazine, 85% of applicants report lying on their resumes. Read study here: https://www.inc.com/jt-odonnell/staggering-85-of-job-applicants-lying-on-resumes-.html
Which is why I recommend that you don’t read resumes.
You read that right. Don’t read resumes. You make assumptions about someone when you read a person’s resume, and when you interview them, you will err to those assumptions. It is just human nature. We all want to present our best foot forward when we are looking for a new job or mate, so we have the tendency to embellish. It doesn’t make that person bad. It’s just that their qualifications are a bit, well, fishy.
So here is my advice: Instead of spending time pouring over a resume, schedule a 15 minute interview. You get more accurate information, and it is easier to find that amazing candidate that you fall for hook, line and sinker.
POWER THOUGHT: Feel you have been catfished? Throw resumes back in the lake and have a quick 15 minute interview. You will end up with a better catch.
