by Beth | Oct 16, 2024 | Employee Hiring
In case you aren’t familiar with the term “Ghosting”, let me educate you. “Ghosting” is when you cut off communication with someone for no apparent reason. You go on a date with someone, you have fun, and then you NEVER hear from them again. Or, in the hiring world, you have an interview with a company, it goes really well, and again, you NEVER hear from them again. EVER.
We are seeing record numbers of candidates who are ghosting us for interviews. We call them, talk to them on the phone, invite them to interview for a job they applied for, and they don’t show up for the interview. We are seeing this with all levels of hires, even the C-suite roles.
Spooky.
I stumbled upon this article talking about ghost jobs. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/the-role-you-re-applying-for-might-be-a-ghost-job-here-s-what-that-means-and-how-to-avoid-them/ar-AA1rEo1s?ocid=BingNewsSerp
A ghost job is an ad for a position that doesn’t exist. It has either already been filled, or the ad was posted to satisfy requirements of some sort. For example, a position was filled internally, but the company was required by law to post it externally. So, when applicants send in a resume, they are applying for a job that doesn’t exist or that has already been filled. And the numbers of these ghost ads are scary: 3 in 10 job ads are “ghost” jobs.
How do applicants know if your job ad is a trick or a treat? Here are some tips:
- List your company name, website and address
- Have a dedicated person to talk to candidates
- List the real salary range
- Give your candidates a deadline as to when they will hear back from you, no matter the outcome, and meet that deadline.
- Show some grace to candidates. They are navigating a job search in very uncertain times.
In summary, if you want the best of the best to apply for your positions, you must evaluate your recruiting strategy from start to finish. And if you need help, I am standing by…with chocolate.
POWER THOUGHT: Is your position a trick or a treat?
by Beth | Sep 4, 2024 | Selecting Good Candidates
I have been conducting this impromptu, unofficial survey of how people like their margaritas. The answers have been so vast and have sparked some interesting debates! For example: 1) alcohol or non-alcohol 2) salt or no salt 3) lime or no lime 4) lime or strawberry (Is strawberry even a margarita?? one purist questioned) 5) frozen, on -the-rocks 6) mix or coin style.
If that isn’t enough, what are your tequila choices? White, gold, reposado, or anejo. What are your mix choices? Pre-mix? Just lime juice? How about orange flavor? Triple sec? Gran Gala? Grand Marnier? Any other secret ingredients? Quite literally, the combinations are endless.
As the consumer, you CAN leave the choices to someone else, and just order the house margarita… you may like it, or you may not. Or you can spend time, energy and money trying to figure out what you like and create your own special recipe.
Just. Like. Hiring.
You can take any ole resume that comes along with very mixed results. Or, you can spend the time, energy and effort to figure out what you want before you hire someone. This exercise is called the Ideal List, and it is the first step in the A-list Interviews Hiring Process. What type of person are you searching for? What attributes do you want? What values must this person have in order to fit in with your company culture? What skill sets will make them successful?
If you are okay with taking big chances, pull a resume out of the pile and hire them. But if you are like most business-people I know, you need to find the right person the first time. That means, you have to do the work before you hire someone. You deserve an employee that is unique to you and your business.
And for your information, I am not a huge margarita fan. I like Anejo tequila with no lime, no salt, at room temperature. Ole!
POWER THOUGHT: Don’t take big risks with your hires. Or your margaritas.
by Beth | Jun 5, 2024 | Employee Hiring
When I bought my house three years ago, I decided that I wanted some new dishes to complement my regular white ones. I actually walked into Williams Sonoma and bought 8 blue dinner plates and 8 blue salad plates to go with my blue kitchen. I also bought 8 blue linen napkins to round out the place setting. I was in total bliss.
Every year at Christmas, I host my Vistage group for our Christmas meeting. I have one red and green table and one blue and silver table to accommodate about 16 people. I pulled out my trusty blue linen napkins and alas! I could only find 7.
I looked EVERYWHERE for that missing blue napkin. I thank my lucky stars that one person in our Vistage group couldn’t attend the meeting, so I only needed 7 blue napkins.
But still.
This spring, I cleaned every closet, every cabinet, every crevice, crook and cranny of my house, and I couldn’t find that damn thing anywhere. Finally, I started looking at the Williams Sonoma website to buy 8 more napkins, but my OCD kicked in when I realized I would still be short one napkin.
SIGH.
Then, one night, I was going to Boulder to have dinner with my good friends, Lisa and Michael. It was a hot night so I put on a sundress. I turned around to walk out of the bathroom, and there on the floor in the middle of the bathroom was the blue napkin.
WHAT??? My only guess is that thanks to good ole static cling, it was stuck to my dress.
This exact situation happens in hiring all the time. You search and search. You interview. You lament. You worry. You cling to hope. Until one day, your amazing employee drops in your lap. And then, you are so happy that you forget all the other horror.
You are so happy that you hired a great employee, and I am so happy that I have an even number of napkins. YAY!
POWER THOUGHT: Your napkin/employee isn’t lost. It just hasn’t dropped into your lap yet. Keep searching.
by Beth | Apr 24, 2024 | Good Management
Several years ago, I was in Boulder with a client, interviewing for a Salesperson. This was a software technology company that had been in business for a while. A man came in for an interview with us, and he had some really unique experience to bring to the table. I was excited to interview him!
Before we got started, he asked me if I needed references, and I said that yes I did. He had a FedEx envelope with him that was sealed and it had a pull tab on it. Instead of pulling the tab, this candidate pulled out a knife, pushed a button and the blade popped out. He sliced the envelope open, put the knife on the table, pulled out the reference sheet, and handed it to me. He picked up the knife, pushed the button again, the blade disappeared, and he put the knife back into his pocket.
You could have heard a pin drop.
The man starts describing the references on his sheet. No one moved. I guided him through a few questions and then informed him that he would have answers by Friday. He seemingly was never aware of how his actions affected everyone in the room. He thanked me profusely, saying that you never hear from companies when you apply for a job. I walked him to the door, shook his hand and he left. I locked the door behind him. After that, I eventually quit doing first interviews in person. It just felt like too much of a risk.
I am writing this on Saturday April 20th. It is the 25th anniversary of Columbine and I am reminded of how vulnerable we really are in our daily lives. We think that it can never happen to us, but it can.
Please don’t let another day go by that you don’t review your security policies for safety in your office. None of us want to think about the unthinkable, and yet, thinking about the unthinkable can save lives.
POWER THOUGHT: Think through the unthinkable and put a safety policy in place.
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!
