by Beth | Dec 8, 2021 | Employee Hiring
“I have a problem” confessed one of my favorite clients on a conference call last week.
“Oh yeah? What is it?” I asked.
“I have too many employees,” she sighed.
Well, THAT’S one I haven’t heard before!
Meet Lindsay Shaw, from Lindsay’s Boulder Deli and Haagen Daas. She and I did some hiring and management consulting in 2018, and she has since gone on to hire and train successfully on her own. I called her randomly to find out how she was doing, especially during a labor shortage for restaurant staff. She has the opposite problem of most other restaurants. She has former employees coming back to her and begging for hours.
Which presents the question: Why is that?
Lindsay: “I think that when you are short on staff, it is tempting to lower your standards. But when you do that, the good people will leave to find a better place to work. The ‘great’ employees want to work in a place with high standards; a culture that values being the best and the brightest, and because they are so great, they can get hired wherever they go.”
While it seems counterintuitive, when there is a shortage of staff, do NOT lower your standards. Hold those great employees in high esteem and hold out for the best candidates. Then you can be like Lindsay with amazing staff, low drama, happy customers and a healthy and thriving work environment.
Happy hiring!
Power thought: Great staff thrive with high standards. Bad staff thrive with low standards.
by Beth | Nov 24, 2021 | Uncategorized
My daughter and I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to all of my clients, friends and family for supporting A-
list Interviews as we continue to grow and thrive. A giant thank you to my team for a great year as well.
I am grateful for every one of you!
Yours in success,
Beth Smith
by Beth | Nov 10, 2021 | Uncategorized
Over the past several months, every news outlet is publishing articles about labor shortages, no one to hire, and the Great Resignation. These articles are full of gloom and doom, and of course, there is panic on all levels about how to hire and how to retain employees. Instead of buying into that fear, I would like to pass on to you 3 pieces of really good news.
#1: When there are lots of people leaving companies, that means that there are lots of people to hire. If you are getting applications, then you don’t have a recruiting problem. You have a selection problem.
SOLUTION: Focus on your interview process and your application process. Are you making it too hard to apply? Are you following up with people quickly? Is your ad inspiring or is it yawn-worthy?
#2: Over the last year of new hires, 58% took a pay cut to go to their new position. https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2021/10/covid-19-career-change-pandemic-happier.html?utm_source=st&utm_medium=en&utm_campaign=nch&ana=e_n_bizwomen_tease
So, more money isn’t the answer to get people to stay.
SOLUTION: work on your culture. If you have crappy managers and a fear-based leadership style, you aren’t going to be successful in hiring.
#3: Of the folks who changed jobs, 78% of them are happier that they did. What this means to hiring managers is that if your interview process is solid, your culture is supportive, your new hires will be happier and more productive at work.
Bottom line: The workforce is changing and we as business owners have to change with it. If you enhance your culture, get rid of toxic people, you will hire better and retain more employees without spending more money.
Power thought: Best. News. EVER!
by Beth | Oct 27, 2021 | Company Culture
Halloween has been very hit-and-miss in the workplace, in my experience. Some companies really promote it by buying pounds and pounds of candy and giving out prizes for the best costumes. Some companies don’t celebrate it at all with the mindset of “Please don’t bring candy here! I am trying so hard to stick to my diet!”
But this year, there is something in the air. The fall is so beautiful, the air is calm, and winter is late to the party. Most of my clients are in the mood to do something different, like celebrate.
Here are some of the comments that I have heard from my clients:
“I started buying chocolate mid- September. I NEVER do that!”
“This year, by God, I am dressing up for Halloween. I haven’t done that in a decade.”
We have all been walking around in a Zombie fog since the beginning of the pandemic. In many countries, Halloween is the beginning of the New Year, and it definitely feels that way now. We are all tired of walking around half-dead in a zombie state and looking ghostly on a zoom call.
So, this year, I encourage you to step out of the norm. Make the effort to celebrate in a way that you haven’t done in a long time. Buy the candy and the costume and engage with your employees like you haven’t been able to in a while. After all, the zombie in all of us needs to wake up.
Boo!
Power Thought: Don’t ghost Halloween this year!
by Beth | Oct 13, 2021 | Adventures in Interviewing
After I conducted an interview the other day, I asked the candidate if they had any questions for me,
and I waited for the dreaded question:
“Do you have any reservations about hiring me?”
I hate this question.
I know why candidates ask it. Every article about interviewing tells candidates to “ask for feedback” in
the interview, so that the candidate can “address any issues” in the interview. So, why do I hate it so
much?
Because it puts the employer on the spot. The fact is we can’t give feedback to the candidate, because if
given poorly, it opens the door for potential lawsuits and complaints. There is zero benefit to the
company for giving feedback to a candidate, and the company must consider the employees already on
payroll. Also, the candidate typically isn’t truly open to feedback at this point because they are under so
much stress. From my perspective, pointing out someone’s flaws while in an interview is just cruel. How
do you say to someone “I can’t hire you because you come across as a complainer”? What the candidate
will say is “I’ll change” because they want or need the job. Bottom line: no one wins in that situation. It
is incredibly uncomfortable for all parties involved.
The way I avoid this question during an interview is by naming the elephant in the room: “We have to
talk about you behind your back before I can answer that question.” And usually, everyone laughs, and
we move on.
I don’t know who decided that this question was a must for candidates, but it does NOTHING to
promote a good working relationship with your potential employer. If you are a candidate looking for a
job, don’t ask this question. And if you are an employer who is asked this in an interview, name the
elephant and move on.
Being uncomfortable is not a good thing in an interview, so don’t promote it.
Power thought: Do you have any reservations about hiring me? None that I can discuss with you.
