by Beth | Feb 14, 2024 | Interview Process
My interview team and I had an amazing first interview a few months back. We were all talking about how great it went, when my client, the CEO, says, “Let’s blow the doors off and just hire this person!” The whole team looked stunned, until I said…
“Cool your jets, dude. We have the second interview, the third interview and reference checks before we make an offer.”
The CEO was mollified.
The second interview was even better. The Candidate REALLY knew their stuff, and the whole team was impressed. Again, the CEO says to me, “I am telling you, just hire them! Make a job offer!”
“Dude! Cool your jets! We have a third interview and reference checks!”
He said, “I really don’t think all of that is necessary.”
I said, “I know you don’t. I also know that you need this position filled. However, taking your time does benefit you in the long run. You will see.”
The third interview with this candidate was a disaster. They were late, not engaged, and “annoyed by having to come back a third time”. Boy, did their annoyance show.
The CEO was dead silent. The whole team was quiet. I said nothing. The CEO said to me “Did you know this was going to happen?” “No, I didn’t”, I said. “I can’t predict behavior, but when I am worried about nothing going into a third interview, I might as well tell them to not come. They will blow it every time.”
“Well thank God for the third interview. We really dodged a bullet.”
We didn’t hire that candidate, and the amazing candidate that we were looking for was right around the corner. We DID hire that one, and wow is she awesome! When you are too fast in an interview process you can make mistakes.
POWER THOUGHT: Slow your roll and cool your jets. You will be so glad that you did!
by Beth | Sep 6, 2023 | Interview Process
In 2009, I started writing my first book. I knew that I had a lot to say on the subject of hiring, so I sent my family away on vacation, I scrubbed the grout with a toothbrush, I super-cleaned my bathrooms, and when I had done all that I could do in the cleansing department, I sat down to write.
The first draft was terrible. The second was even worse. I threw out the first, second, third and fourth drafts and I felt like a complete failure. One day, my editor said to me, “You have to quit writing someone else’s story, write your own.” Finally, I got it. It still took a few years after that, but the writing was so much easier after that. I published Why Can’t I Hire Good People? in 2017.
I didn’t REALLY want to write another book… I mean, the brain hemorrhage! But, alas, I couldn’t help it. Hire Power only took about 2 ½ years. I still have to spend all this time cleaning, and I still threw out a bunch of writing, but in general the process was much easier.
That leads me to book #3 Power Hire which comes out October 1st of this year, 2023.
I am getting better, and I am getting faster and more efficient, because it is getting easier for me to tap into the writing mindset.
Last week, I met with a potential client who needs to hire an executive for their team. Invariably, the question is asked: “How long does this process take?” And here is my answer: Hiring is a mindset. The faster you can tap into that mindset, the faster and more efficient your process is. You can’t be in a hurry, or you will make mistakes. You can’t shorten it, or you will make mistakes. You can’t skip parts, or you will make mistakes.
And the ultimate irony is the more you try to control it, the longer it takes.
Here is the good news: I just made a hire for a company that I have done a ton of work for, and it took 6 weeks from start to finish. I had another client that I worked a lot with, and we hired a Controller in 10 days over Christmas. Once you learn the mindset, it is faster and easier.
In efforts to help you with the mindset, my third book is designed to help you get into the Hiring Mindset faster and easier. I hope you enjoy “booking it” through the hiring process!
POWER THOUGHT: Getting your mind wrapped around the hiring process is easier with the books Hire Power and Power Hire.
by Beth | Jul 26, 2023 | Interview Process
Unless you have been living under a rock lately, you have heard of Taylor Swift and her Eras tour. Recently, she played 2 shows at Mile High stadium in Denver. My daughter, Katy, and her college friend Ash spent months getting ready for this concert, by carefully choosing their outfits, making friendship bracelets spelling out names of the songs, and planning logistics.
In addition, they stood in line the day before the concert for four plus hours to get merchandise, so that they didn’t have to carry sweatshirts around at the stadium. The girls created spreadsheets to figure out what surprise songs Taylor would play during the Denver concert. It was a production!
What you may not know is the economic impact of this tour.
According to this article in the Business Insider, Taylor may very well keep the US from going into a recession. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/taylor-swifts-economic-impact-catches-attention-federal-reserve-hotel-revenue-2023-7#:~:text=%22The%20totality%20of%20Taylor%20Swifts%27%20U.S.%20tour%20could,Swift%20and%20her%20deeply%20loyal%20fans%20to%20thank
“Swifites” have spent so much money on this concert that the FED is keeping an eye on it. They spent about $200 million in Denver alone! Even if you aren’t a fan of Taylor’s music, or even Taylor herself, you are reaping the benefits of her hard work. And it is all because one woman had the courage to relentlessly pursue her dream. Wow.
At A-list Interviews, the third interview is solely dedicated to a candidate’s passion, because when you hire someone who LOVES their job, anything is possible. When you hire someone who is dedicated to their craft, they make better parents, better pet companions, better spouses and friends, and there is less road rage. And in Taylor’s case, even an economic boom is possible.
So, your job, dear hiring manager, is to hire someone whose dream job is the one you are offering. And your job, dear candidate, is to pursue your dream job- one that is “Taylor-made” just for you.
POWER THOUGHT: And do it “Swiftly.”
by Beth | May 17, 2023 | Interview Process
Several weeks ago, I wrote about my daughter’s frustrating job search (read about it here). Out of 37 jobs that she applied to, she heard from about half. She received a job offer from a hospital that she didn’t even interview with (a mistake), she was offered a job on the spot and was subsequently rejected by email 3 days later, she was offered 5 jobs in departments that she didn’t want, and she broke down crying that she was going to be living in my basement for the rest of her life.
Then, she received a call from a Nursing Manager at a hospital in Dallas. They had about a 6-minute conversation, and the woman said “We are having in person interviews in Dallas next week.” Katy said “Well, I am going to school in Miami.” The woman said that they could do a zoom call.
Katy decided to fly to Dallas for that interview, because it was a job that she really wanted. The woman promised to send Katy an email with all the details. Katy never received that email. She called the woman several times and didn’t hear back. Katy finally called the HR department to get the address of where to go. She got to the right hospital, on time, and had a FANTASTIC interview. Katy was SO excited!
The following Friday, Katy received an email at 8 pm from the Nursing Manager, saying how sorry she was. The Nursing Manager had been sending emails to the wrong email address, and realized that Katy had never received any of her communication. 6 days later, Katy received her job offer. She is completely ecstatic.
The lesson here is that you can’t mess up the right thing. It is mind-boggling to think about all the ways that this could have been a disaster, and it wasn’t.
When you are tired of interviewing, keep plugging away. Your right job/employee/opportunity will present itself in time, and you can’t mess it up. Go!
POWER THOUGHT: You can’t mess up the right thing, and the wrong thing will always be a struggle.
by Beth | May 3, 2023 | Interview Process
Every day for several days in a row, at 3:02 pm, always from different numbers, I get a call from someone named Stephanie. In her sing-songy voice, she would cheerily ask me about my day. She sounds happy and content, while pitching questions about how she might be able to help me with a business loan and/or my car warranty. I finally clued in that she was a robot, but to be fair to Artificial Intelligence, it took me a while.
Artificial Intelligence is alive and well and now, with Stephanie’s help, robots will be conducting interviews on behalf of both candidates and companies. According to this article in the Denver Business Journal, (https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2023/02/chatgpt-job-interview-best-practices.html?page=all) what will become even more important will be the ability to conduct effective interviews and reference checks.
Are you curious about how Stephanie is going to affect your business? I highly recommend attending this AI conference, hosted by Sam Reeve, founder of the Comp Team. (details here: https://aicompadvantage.com/register). AI experts can help you navigate how these rapid changes will affect your business, and then you too can put Stephanie in her place.
POWER THOUGHT: Best friends should be human, not robots.
by Beth | Apr 5, 2023 | Interview Process
My daughter, Katy, is about to graduate from college in May. She is in job search hell. 37 job applications in 9 different states. She heard back from 25, interviewed at 17, and has had 2 no’s. She has had 6 job offers, but 5 of them aren’t in the department that she wants and 1 is in a terrible part of town. Keep in mind that this is on top of full time school work, 2 clinicals and a part time job. When I talked to her last week, she said, “Mom, I am tired. And not the kind of tired where I need to go to bed early, but ‘life-tired’.”
My clients totally get the concept of ‘life-tired’. The numbers from the last search/hire that we completed in 8 weeks looked like this:
Total applicants: 260
First interviews: 36
Second interviews: 7
Third interviews: 2
It is easy to see why everyone on both sides of the table are ‘life-tired’.
And…
Last week, Katy flew to Texas for an in-person interview that knocked her socks off. The synergy from that interview completely changed her energy, her perspective, and her excitement about her future. She said “Mom, I am no longer worried about finding the right job for myself. I don’t even have a job offer yet, but I know that one is coming. I just feel it.”
“Are you still feeling life-tired?” I asked.
“Oh no. I am life-excited!”
One interview can change your whole life, regardless of the outcome. One candidate/employer can transform you from life- tired, to life- excited. Put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Your person/job is on its way.
POWER THOUGHT: The middle of your search is the hardest part, and it is so easy to settle! DON’T! Stay focused through life-tired in order to get to life-excited!
