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!
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 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.
