I was meeting with a new client to discuss the possibility of hiring their “right hand” person. As I do with every client, I asked her to dream big. “If you could have any person that you wanted for this job, who would they be and what would they know?” Do you know what she said? “I want them to be punctual.”
When you make a bad hire, you say to yourself, “Well, I can work with this employee if only they do xyz.” Then, xyz doesn’t happen. Then, you say to yourself, “If only they will do abc, then I can work with that.” Of course, abc isn’t going to happen either. The next thing you know, you are just wishing for someone to be punctual.
So, what if you changed the word punctual to “Committed”? If someone is committed to the job and committed to the company, then they will be punctual.
I dare you to dream big around your next hiring decision. Think roses and rainbows, to infinity and beyond. Conduct effective interviews and you will find your dream employee!
Last fall, I recounted a story about “The Winker,” an inappropriate event that occurred during one of my interviewing sessions. A female candidate had winked at my client during the interview process, making him feel very uncomfortable. Although the candidate was very qualified, we did not hire her because of the discomfort experienced by all who were involved. Well, folks, you won’t believe this, but I had another instance of a winker at the interview table! Not only did she wink at my client, but the top button of her blouse popped open!
I cannot stress enough than an interview is not the time or the place for sexual overtures and “Janet Jackson” style uniform malfunctions. As an interviewer and coach, I certainly see inappropriateness from both men and women. Remember, if you are the employer and uncomfortable in any way about a candidate, listen to your discomfort, regardless of how qualified the candidate may appear. This type of behavior in an interview could be a sign of things to come, including a sexual harassment suit.
Last summer, I was knee deep in the interviewing process for one of my clients. We had been through several candidates looking for the perfect A-list player for their team. The last interview of the day looked incredibly promising! The woman who sat across form us was qualified, both technically and culturally. As the candidate began asking her questions, she leaned over and winked at my client!
In my line of work as an interviewer, I see way more sexual inappropriateness from women than I do from men. If you as the employer are uncomfortable in the interview, then you will really be uncomfortable when they are on your payroll, no matter how “qualified” they are.
Occasionally, my clients are faced with a decision to re-hire a former employee. People may leave your organization for any number of reasons: more money, different opportunities and loss of passion for a position are common. I was asked for my opinion by a client who wants to re-hire a former employee. My honest answer was “Well, it depends.” Re-hiring a former employee can have some advantages. Training and ramp up speed are often reduced. But there can also be some disadvantages, like wasting valuable resources on an employee who is not really engaged with you or your business. Following a few guidelines can help in your decision making process:
1. Did your re-hire “leave well” by giving you notice and wrapping up projects before their departure? Did they leave on good terms and help with creating a job description or training their replacement? Remember that the manner in which your employee left you the first time will be the way that they leave you the second time.
2. Will your re-hire add value to your current culture? Chances are your business has changed since your employee has left. Make sure that this person is still a fit for your business and the position.
3. Realize that it may be short term. If your re-hire left once, it is most likely because certain needs were not being met. Are those needs being met now? What has changed since their last period of employment with you? Make sure that you both address those un-met needs before bringing them back on board.
One of my former colleagues in the restaurant industry often had kitchen staff that would periodically leave for more money, less hours, etc. He always thanked them for their service and let them pursue the new opportunity. Invariably, they would realize that life was not always greener on the other side of the fence and would try to come back. The ones that left well with integrity and honesty were hired back immediately. Those who left ungracefully, were not hired back.
I have been asked recently by hiring managers and recruiters about my “active to passive ratio”. Active to passive ratio reflects the number of people interviewed who are currently unemployed versus employed. An active candidate is currently unemployed and actively looking for a position. A passive candidate is currently employed, relatively satisfied with their current position and may or may not be interested in a new position. My question to them was why is that important?
Some employers are specifically not hiring people because they are unemployed. They believe that all of the unemployed people out there are unqualified candidates. The thought process is that if this person lost their job, then they must have been underperforming. As a hiring specialist, I see an amazing amount of qualified applicants in both categories. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 2 million people quit their jobs in April 2010, the highest amount in over a year. Are they unqualified also?
Judging an entire group of people based on one qualification is called a bias or a prejudice, and not only is it wrong, but it simply misses the whole point. You can’t judge a book by its cover, and you can’t judge a person’s effectiveness by their employment status.
I was meeting with a new client to discuss the possibility of hiring their “right hand” person. As I do with every client, I asked her to dream big. “If you could have any person that you wanted for this job, who would they be and what would they know?” Do you know what she said? “I want them to be punctual.”