by Beth | Dec 15, 2021 | Employee Hiring
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my daughter and I were listening to the radio. A song came on that we both love. I began belting out the tune at the top of my lungs and sang along to the chorus of the Zac Brown Band song. I sang “Long Gone” along in perfect pitch (to me at least). My kid laughed uproariously. “MOM”, she yelled, “Those aren’t the words!” I said, “Yes they are!” She giggled “No, really. It’s not ‘Long Gone’. It’s ‘Home Grown’!” She had to Google it for me to believe her.
This misunderstanding happens in interviews for new employees all the time. Someone on the interview team will recount what the candidate said and someone else will have heard the words from the person completely differently. The very first step in the analysis of an interview for the hiring team is to agree to what the candidate actually said. The actual choice of words that they used are very important. For example, “My boss is really great to work with”. Did they really say “with”? Are you sure they didn’t say “My boss is really great to work ‘for’”? That simple word changes the entire meaning of the sentence as well as the intent of the comment. The word “with” denotes that the candidate doesn’t acknowledge their bosses’ authority, and if they don’t acknowledge it in the interview, they really won’t when they have direct deposit.
I talk about listening to the exact words all the time to my clients to ensure they get to hire someone who will fit with the company culture, leadership style and even the position itself. If you are not paying attention, you can miss something really important in an interview which can lead to a bad hire. You can also really embarrass yourself in front of your beloved daughter.
POWER THOUGHT: Did you really hear what you thought you heard?
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 | Sep 29, 2021 | Employee Hiring
Last week, I was approached by some of my neighbors to sit on the HOA Board as the Secretary/Treasurer. Actually, to be more accurate, it was an ambush; I was supposed to have a beer with the President, and she brought the VP also for a “meeting” to “invite” me to join the Board.
She then proceeded to tell me all of the problems of being on the Board… namely that once you are on the Board it is hard to roll off. The neighbors complain, the irrigation system needs to be replaced, and the hail damage to the roofs was extensive. In addition, folks are on a fixed income, so raising rates isn’t really an option.
After all of this, I asked her “So, why do you do it?”
Her answer surprised me. “Because I love it.”
If you have read ANY of my blogs or ever heard me speak, you know that I preach loudly the mistake of over-selling the position for which you are hiring. But there is also turning people off by talking too much about all the issues. I left that conversation asking myself, “Why on earth would I do this job?” And the answer is, “Because I love it.”
When you are writing your ad for people to come on board, you must have the right mix of inspiration and practicality. You must address the issues, but not in a way that scares people off. You need to talk about the perks of the job, but not in a way that makes you seem desperate.
As for me and the HOA? I’m still thinking about it. Stay tuned!
Power Thought: Your job ad must have the right mix of inspiration and practicality. Every time.
by Beth | Sep 15, 2021 | Employee Hiring, Selecting Good Candidates
Several years ago, our family fostered a Boxer dog named Helen. She was blind in one eye and was considered aggressive. Therefore, she couldn’t be around other animals or children. Then, she blew out her knee and had to have it replaced. As we were rehabilitating that knee, the other knee blew out and it had to be replaced.
As a foster family, it was our job to come up with an Ideal List for Helen’s furever home. I really struggled with this one. How were we EVER going to find someone who was going to adopt a dog that had 2 replaced knees, who was blind in one eye, who didn’t get along with other animals, and who shouldn’t be around children? It seemed so daunting to even think about it.
Sound familiar?
Every client that I work with tells me that their position is going to be really hard, because they are looking for someone “really unique.” Their job is going to be so hard to fill, because they are looking for a unicorn. But really, the hardest part of a search is being patient. You have to wait for the right fit to come along, and in the world of “I must have it right now”, patience is in short supply.
Lo and behold, we found the perfect home for our beloved Helen, and she lived out her days with a family that thought she hung the moon.
You too can find your amazing new hire. It isn’t as ruff as you think.
Power Thought: It is a dog-eat-dog world out there. But with patience, you too can find your amazing hire!
by Beth | Aug 19, 2021 | Employee Hiring
Do you realize how many types of blue jeans there are in this world?!
Straight leg, vintage style, loose fit, skinny jeans, mom jeans, ultra- high rise, high rise, mid- rise, low rise, ultra-low rise, boyfriend jeans, boot cut, cropped, ankle, extra-long, extra short, curvy, petite, tall and I haven’t even started on colors: white wash, dark wash, light blue, dark blue, navy, etc.
You can literally have any type of jean that you want. The question is: What kind do you want?
I have this amazing client who sent me an email comparing employees to blue jeans, and I thought this was a great analogy.
The purpose of a pair of jeans is to cover your tush…that’s it. But most people I know have a pair of jeans that is their all-time favorite pair of jeans: they have been washed multiple times, so they are soft, they are the right length, not too tight, not too loose, and you feel like a million dollars in them!
Can you wear another pair of jeans? Sure, but they aren’t the same, are they?
My client asked this question: “Can’t I hire a pair of blue jeans, even though they aren’t my favorite?”
Of course you can! You can hire a substandard pair of blue jeans, and there are times that you need to do that. For example, you have so much business that you hire a sub-standard pair of jeans to just get you through the tough times. You know that those jeans won’t stay around forever, but they are good for now. You can hire a pair of jeans that don’t fit quite right, but you need them for a weekend trip.
Just know that those jeans are short-term. Don’t expect them to stay around forever
But at the end of the day, your favorite pair of jeans set the standard for all other jeans.
My thought? If they aren’t a perfect fit, put them back on the shelf and keep looking.
Power thought: There is nothing better than your favorite pair of jeans or your favorite employee. Hold out for more just like that.
by Beth | Aug 5, 2021 | Employee Hiring
Since the dawn of computers and the internet, workers have been wanting to work from home at least part of the time. And at the same time, employers wanted all employees in the office. Some employers would allow working from home on an occasional basis for total rockstar employees or those who were part of the C-suite, but mostly, employees were required to come to the office.
Enter COVID. And suddenly nearly everyone was forced to work from home.
Now, we are in this tug-of-war where employees who worked from home mostly liked their schedule or at least want a more flexible option, like a hybrid work schedule.
Most employers are adamantly opposed to this. Why? Because employers don’t trust their employees; or, from my perspective, they don’t trust their hiring process.
If you have a fantastic employee that you don’t have to manage, life is great. You know the ones: they communicate well, they meet deadlines, they solve problems, your customers LOVE them. Then, you don’t care if they work from home! They can do whatever they want, because you know at the end of the day, the work is getting done and clients are pleased.
But, if you hire a crappy employee who works from home, it is damn near impossible to micro-manage them if they aren’t in the office. Therein lies the rub.
In order to be able to offer work-from-home options and feel good about it, an employer must have a solid hiring process in place. The right employee is going to be effective no matter where they work, and the wrong employee will get nothing done no matter where they work. It really is that simple and straightforward.
Power thought: Solve the work-from-home dilemma by improving your hiring process. Then you can work-from-home too!
