by Beth | Jan 6, 2014 | Employee Hiring, Employee Retention, Firing Employees, Interview Process, Selecting Good Candidates, Uncategorized
Last week, I met with a new client who suffers from what I call “the Hiring Hangover”. He had just fired a long time employee and had to hire someone else quickly. The whole experience left a really bad taste in his mouth and he was having a hard time getting over it. He kept trying to change his policies and procedures to make sure that he did not get into the same position with a new employee that he had experienced in the past. In other words, he wanted to punish the new employee for the sins of the old employee. While it is completely understandable, it will not work. When you hire a person while “hungover”, you will make a bad hiring decision. You have to feel good about bringing a new person onboard. You have to be excited.
So, how do you recover from a bad hire?
- You take a deep breath. Do not hire too quickly. If you need immediate help, hire a temp. Jumping in to a situation with a new hire when you are not ready sets you both up for failure.
- Create your ideal candidate list. Put your head in the clouds and dream BIG. And I mean really big, like roses and rainbows and unicorns. You cannot have what you want unless you know what it is and how to identify it. So until you are ready to write a list of what you want, then you are not ready for a new hire.
- Be patient. Do not start the interview process until you feel excited again.
Every manager has had a bad hire. It feels awful and firing someone should never feel good. So give yourself time to recover and breathe. Things will look better tomorrow. And your next amazing employee is right around the corner. I promise.
by Beth | Mar 27, 2013 | Adventures in Interviewing, Employee Hiring, Interview Process
After an interview with a really great candidate, my clients usually want to hire that person on the spot. They do not want to wait. They feel very strongly that they have waited long enough, and they want to get this person on board ASAP. While I completely understand their desires, I ask them to think about the interview for at least 24-48 hours. The reason for the waiting period is that your thoughts are really different outside of the interview, especially if you give your thoughts a chance to simmer. Think about it like you think about soup in a crock pot.
Similar to making a soup where you initially collect and prep all of your ingredients, a company preps by putting together an ideal list for the best candidate, writing a job description, writing a job ad, and posting the job. The job then simmers on the job boards as applicants begin to submit resumes, compared to the soup simmering in the crockpot. Then, the employers get the resumes and begin interviewing, like adding spices to the soup, continuing to let it simmer.
Throw in some vision and dreaming, your crock pot will make some pretty great soup. Eat the soup too early and the spices may have not soaked in yet. If you wait too long, the vegetables turn to mush, and the soup is not as good.
by admin | Mar 21, 2012 | Employee Hiring
Peyton Manning is in and Tim Tebow is out.
First, when making a good hiring decision, a boss must ask this question: Can I work with this person? Both Tebow and Manning have solid reputations for being workable, and in this era of cranky celebrities, this is point for both of them.Was this a good hiring decision? Only time will tell.
Second, the next question is can they do the job? While Tebow has been somewhat inconsistent last year, so has Peyton Manning. While Manning has experience on his side, he is also injured and set in his ways. What happens if he gets injured again?
Third, is the candidate passionate about the job? Manning is a little crusty around the edges. He is older and he was a leader in the lockout with the NFL. Tebow loves the game of football. He is energetic, passionate and needs some coaching.
My vote? Hire Manning to train Tebow. Now you have experience coupled with passion and healthiness. That is a winning combination.
by Beth | Feb 28, 2012 | Interview Process
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!
by Beth | Feb 22, 2012 | Adventures in Interviewing
Last week, as I was interviewing, I kept smelling bacon. It smelled SO GOOD! I felt like that dog in the Beggin’ Strips commercial whose sole focus was to get some bacon! Anyway, I turned to my client and said “I must be going crazy because I think I smell bacon!” She laughed and said “You aren’t crazy. Our staff makes lunch together, and they usually cook breakfast foods.” As I rounded the hallway to see for myself what was taking place, there were 5 people with plates piled high with bacon, eggs, pancakes and French toast crammed into one little office around an even smaller desk sharing a meal together.
Company culture can be created in so many different ways, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot or take up much time. These staff members not only enjoyed their bacon, but they were able to talk about work in a casual way. They created friendships and deeper relationships over those amazing pancakes, all while they were passing the syrup. Ask any of the employees and they will tell you that those brunches are not only fun, but they are also productive.
If your company is lagging behind, or employee morale is low, it might be time to introduce some fun into the game.
Making bacon together really can help you bring home the bacon!
I would love to hear from you if you or your employees introduced a morale boosting activity that has become part of your company culture?
Last week, I met with a new client who suffers from what I call “the Hiring Hangover”. He had just fired a long time employee and had to hire someone else quickly. The whole experience left a really bad taste in his mouth and he was having a hard time getting over it. He kept trying to change his policies and procedures to make sure that he did not get into the same position with a new employee that he had experienced in the past. In other words, he wanted to punish the new employee for the sins of the old employee. While it is completely understandable, it will not work. When you hire a person while “hungover”, you will make a bad hiring decision. You have to feel good about bringing a new person onboard. You have to be excited. 