by Beth | Jun 28, 2023 | Employee Hiring
A few weeks ago, I was flying home from New York. I had booked the plane ticket late, because it was a last-minute trip to interview a final candidate. Because of the timing, I ended up sitting in the next to last row of the plane.
If any of you are from Denver, you know that we have had substantial rain these past several weeks, so my flight home was full of turbulence. The pilot announced that descending would be a bit rough, and he instructed the flight attendants to get the plane ready to land and take their seats.
The turbulence was intense. As the plane was about to hit the runway, all of the sudden, the tail of the plane jerked to one side, violently tossing us around. I frantically gripped my arm rests! The pilot floored the gas and took off again! I have never in my life had an experience like that! The guy beside me looked at me with huge wide eyes full of fear, accurately mirroring my own.
After we circled the airport for about 20 minutes, the pilot came on to announce that we were going to land again. He told us that a tailwind had come out of nowhere, and since they weren’t prepared for it, they couldn’t land. He then reassured us that he was ready for it, and we would be on the ground in 15 minutes.
The landing was amazingly smooth, considering what had just occurred. And the entire plane erupted in applause.
Because I was in the back, I was the last passenger to get off. The pilot stood at the front of the plane and thanked each passenger for their patience and confidence in him. He was gracious and kind. When I approached, he said “Were you in the back of the plane?” I told him I was.
“Did you feel that tailwind?”
I said, “Yes! It was scary!”
He then excitedly began to tell me all about the tail wind, the direction of the wind, and how it affected the plane. His eyes lit up, and mine glazed over.
As he finished with his story, including hand gestures, I said to him, “Did you hear the applause?”
His face softened, and he said “No!… people really clapped for us?”
“They sure did. And you deserved it!”
“Wow. I’m honored.” We shook hands, and I left.
THIS is the pilot that I want flying every plane I get on. Nice job hiring, Delta!
POWER THOUGHT: Who do you want landing YOUR plane?
by Beth | Sep 21, 2022 | Employee Hiring
For the past several months I have spoken to 11 groups of CEOs, and every group has asked the same question: “Where are all the people?” “What secret island has all of the employees on it?” AND the unemployment rate isn’t zero, so where are all of the candidates?
In February, The New York Times published an article https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/briefing/labor-shortage-part-time-workers-us.html that talks about part-time workers in this market, and many of those want full-time.
Bottom line: there seems to be a disconnect between workers wanting full-time employment and the employers who want full-time workers. What is that disconnect???
What if it is artificial intelligence? As a certified recruiter for Indeed.com, we have noticed that several of the job boards are sending resumes that are titled “Most Compatible” (even though most applications AREN’T), which means that you aren’t receiving the “less compatible” applications. In other words, some computer program somewhere is deciding for you whose application you get to see, and whose application you don’t get to see.
To be fair to Indeed.com and ZipRecruiter, most job boards have some sort of artificial intelligence to help employers sort resumes. They are trying to solve the problem that employers have been complaining about for years; they are overwhelmed with applicants. In order to pare down the candidate pools, artificial intelligence has been incorporated by most job boards to pre-sort.
From a recruiting standpoint, I am giving my clients these 5 tips:
1) Don’t just rely on job boards for recruiting
2) Utilize your website for applications
3) Utilize job fairs (there are a number of them going on!)
4) Use Craig’s List, because it doesn’t utilize artificial intelligence
5) Use physical job boards outside the office of your child’s school or grocery stores
And finally, keep the faith. This will sort itself out. It always does.
POWER THOUGHT: Maybe the labor shortage is a computer glitch.
by Beth | Jan 15, 2020 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring, Firing Employees
Firing someone, even if it is the best thing for all parties is awful. It feels terrible. Even if you knew it was coming, and even if it wasn’t a surprise to your employee, it still feels totally horrendous. You have a pit in your stomach, and your overall feeling is enough to make you want to hire someone as fast as you possibly can to fill that hole.
Don’t.
Why not, you ask? “I need to fill this seat Beth!”, said a panicky client. Because that is when you make hiring mistakes, when you hire from a panic place rather than a place of reason and overall calm.
According to Robert Plotkin, who wrote buy accutane in mexico How to Prevent Internal Bar Theft, “Hiring the wrong bartender can be staggering. It’s better to operate short-handed for a period of time and rely on your existing staff to cover the bar than hiring someone unqualified or inappropriate for the establishment. It will be more advantageous in the long-run to delay hiring another bartender until the right candidate can be found.”
In addition to Robert’s thoughts on the topic, Warren Buffet says “Money flows from the impatient to the patient.” I believe this to be true in any area of life. In any situation where big decisions must be made, we all operate and make decisions better from a place of measured calm than from panicked overthinking.
So, when you have the unfortunate experience of firing someone, I want you to pause. Take a big deep breath. Let the emotions settle down. Call a team meeting and rally the troops. Let everyone know that it will be okay, and that you are committed to hiring the very best candidate you possibly can. And, then wait at least two weeks before you do anything.
Our instinct as humans is to replace a person in our lives as fast as we possibly can. In the end, learning why that person no longer serves you and your organization is the better path, and proceeding from a place of calm will serve you best in the end.
by Beth | Aug 28, 2019 | Employee Hiring, Selecting Good Candidates
Last week I had a client call me in a panic. He was about to lose a large government contract, because he hadn’t hired a much-needed engineer. We were in the process of filling the position, but we weren’t moving fast enough for the government. Now I have heard it all!
If you know me and my hiring philosophy at ALL, you know that I am not an advocate for fast hires. I believe very strongly that hiring fast means you will hire wrong. It is so easy to make mistakes when you move too quickly, and as Robert Plotkin states in his book buy Latuda tablets Preventing Internal Theft, “It’s better to operate short-staffed for a period of time and rely on your existing staff than hiring someone unqualified or inappropriate for the establishment.”
However, no rule is correct or applicable 100% of the time. When you are in the situation my client found himself in, and you are faced with losing a few million dollars in government contracts, you need to hire fast. My advice for this situation was hire someone quickly, get the position filled, AND continue to look for the right fit. If the quick-hire person works out, (and it does about 1/3 of the time) then wonderful. Everyone is happy. If they don’t work out, remember this was a short-term solution, and be grateful for that.
Hire fast when absolutely necessary. Hire right for long-term success.
by Beth | Jan 3, 2019 | Uncategorized
It has become an annual tradition to remind my community to let go of those on your team who are not performing.Happy New Year 2019!
As we begin each new year, many of us take the opportunity to re-group and redefine goals for our businesses. This time is often filled with renewed energy to get our lives and work in order. As a part of your new year’s goals, it might also be time to fire that one employee that is not contributing to your company’s vision.
The impact of an unengaged employee on your business can be catastrophic. Decreased productivity, lowered company morale, and miserable working environments have been common complaints by my clients as they come to the decision to relieve an employee. I say start the new year fresh!
For example, a past client had an employee who consistently gave the employer ultimatums. The threats were often“If you don’t do this, then I will quit.” Who wants to work with an individual who is constantly threatening you? The team was struggling to work with the individual, the employer was unhappy with the performance of the individual,yet the concept of firing and replacing this person seemed daunting and ill-timed. When my client finally became fed up, they did indeed fire the employee. I won’t sugar coat the transition. It was hard, uncomfortable and came at a terrible time, but my client knew that this was the right decision for the company.
In addition, the busiest day of the year for applicants looking for a job is the second Tuesday in January. Think about this: the people who are fed up with their work environments are also looking to make a change. So, if you want to start the New Year with someone who REALLY wants to work for you, now is the time.
Happy New Year!
