by Beth | Jul 21, 2021 | Adventures in Interviewing
A few weeks ago, my interview team conducted a second interview with a gentleman who totally knocked the ball out of the park. He was prepared, asked great questions, and he had the demeanor and skill set that we were looking for.
My client wanted to hire him right then and there. I said no, because we had a third interview to go through to completely finish the interview process. He wasn’t very happy with me, but he conceded.
Then, we set up the third interview with this candidate, who showed up late. His demeanor was condescending, and it was very clear that this wasn’t the job that he ultimately wanted.
My client was stunned.
Later, over tacos, my client said “I think I got it now. You can’t Fan Boy over a candidate.”
Nailed it.
The third interview is such a make-it-or-break-it event. Why? Because the candidate has relaxed. They realize that they are close to getting a job offer, so they let down and show you their true selves, warts and all. It can be truly mind-boggling to watch, especially when the candidate turns out to be the wrong fit. As one of my clients so eloquently stated, “Thank GOD for the third interview!”
The lesson here, as it often is in business, is to finish the process and don’t Fan Boy. You can’t be obsessed with a candidate; you have to be obsessed with the process. Ultimately, this leads to hiring the right fit.
Power Thought: Fan Boy the process, not the candidate. You can Fan Boy over the candidate after they become a Rockstar employee.
by Beth | Jul 7, 2021 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring
A few weeks ago, I had a potential new client call me wanting to discuss my services. He asked me if I conducted confidential searches. He further explained that he needed to fire the person in a top-level role in his company, but he couldn’t NOT have a body in that seat. Can you help me, he asked.
My answer? No, I do not do confidential searches, and here is why: you can’t find Prince Charming while you are married to the frog.
When you begin a new search under the cloud of secrecy, lies and lack of transparency, that is the type of person you will attract. Keeping a secret is really, really hard, and it is especially hard when you are interacting with the person that you KNOW you are going to fire. You will most likely slip up. Or the candidate, who instinctively knows that their head is on the chopping block, is likely looking for a new job. What happens when they see your ad? And with all of the focus on getting fired/ finding someone new, you can be sure that this person isn’t doing their job well anyway.
In addition to the secrecy, think about the tone that this sets for all of your other employees: how will they feel when they find out that you treated someone on their team in such a shady way? Do you think they will stay with you? Think again.
Letting someone go from your team is horrible for all parties. But putting it off for any length of time only creates additional bad will, drama and disruption.
Bottom line? Cut ties with the frog as soon as possible. Re-group, bolster your existing team, and hold out for Mr./Ms. Right. There is nothing more satisfying than working with people who all want to be there.
POWER THOUGHT: Break up with the frog to make room for the Prince/Princess.
by Beth | Jun 23, 2021 | Company Culture
This year, as I am interviewing people for my clients, I am asking candidates about their vacation plans. I am super pleased to find out that people are taking time off this year! Thank the stars!
As the world is opening up and people are leaving their houses for the first time in over a year, there is this feeling of restlessness and “I have to get out of here for a while!”
Vacations have always been important: whether you go somewhere exotic or have a “stay-cation” and spend the week at the pool working on your tan lines. But especially this year, vacation is more important than EVER.
Not only are people burnt out, a huge amount of people are leaving their jobs. If you want to keep your best employees, my advice is always to let them go on vacation. And when they are gone, make sure that you are covering their work so that they can completely unplug.
We know that innovation comes from experiences outside the office. So, if you are worried that no work will get done, some of the BEST work happens when you and your team unplug.
They get a killer tan, and you get solutions to big problems.
Win/win.
by Beth | Jun 9, 2021 | Employee Hiring
No two people are alike, and we all have strengths and weaknesses. The reason this is important is because it takes all kinds of people to make the world go round. What you are good at doing is very different from what I am good at doing, and this is how innovation occurs. Our diversity is how we solve problems. Here are three hilarious examples of our differences:
1. Last week I interviewed a candidate for a Senior Financial Analyst position for one of my clients, and I happened to ask her how comfortable she was using Excel. She responded with a short laugh, and then she said, “Well if this tells you anything, I have an Excel spreadsheet on how to care for my plants.”
2. Conversation with a client:
Client: “How is your day going today?”
Me: “It’s great! I am interviewing 17 people today! I am SO in my happy place!”
Client: “That is because you are SICK!”
3. Conversation with Katy, my daughter:
Me: “How is school going?”
Katy: “Great! We are studying the plague, and it is riveting!”
In all three of these examples, someone has a strength that makes the other person want to throw up. And isn’t that just lovely??
Power thought: When hiring, make sure that you hire people with strengths that are different than yours. That is how to become more efficient and productive. After all, it takes all kinds of people to make the world go round, and, perhaps more importantly, move your company to the places you want it to go.
by Beth | May 26, 2021 | Employee Hiring
I hate to shop. I do mean that I HATE to shop! I hate everything about it: the time, the energy, having to try it on, having to take it back if it doesn’t fit. There is NOTHING that I like about shopping.
This past week I traveled to see one of my favorite clients out of state. She greeted me enthusiastically and said “You look so cute! Where do you get your clothes?!”
Funny story.
Last fall, Katy, my daughter, called me from a store and said “I found a really cute sweater that I think you might like. I am going to buy it and bring it home for you to try on. If you don’t like it, I will bring it back and return it.” I DID like it! A lot! So, I kept it. Then, Katy went back to that store and bought me some more clothes. I tried them on and kept most of them also. I had a new wardrobe, and I never had to shop.
BLISS!
My client turned to me after I told her this story and said, “Everybody needs a Katy.”
She is so right.
Katy has already gone shopping for me for summer clothes because she was worried that I “wouldn’t have anything to wear”.
Katy saw a project that needed to be done. She told me what she was going to do to solve the problem, and then she went out and did just that… solved the problem. We joke now that she is my personal shopper, and several of my friends have jokingly stated that they need her to shop for them too.
Can you imagine having an employee that sees a problem, then tells you how they are going to solve it for you?
When my client told me “Everybody needs a Katy,” she wasn’t joking!
And I do look really cute in my new clothes.
Win/Win.
POWER THOUGHT: A really great employee takes a project and runs with it. “Shop” for candidates like that.
