buy modafinil in mexico by Beth | Jan 17, 2024 | Employee Hiring
I don’t poach. I fish. I LOVE fishing! But in my world, poaching is a no-no. Let me explain.
Several years ago, I had a client who was looking for an architect to hire in his firm. Architects were VERY hard to find during that time, and he couldn’t afford to lose any current staff. One day, his top performer approached my client and told him that a recruiter was calling him everyday asking him if he “was ready to make a change”. The employee was offered really obscene amounts of money and other perks. My client started checking in with other employees and found that several of his staff were being targeted by this recruiting firm.
My client called the recruiting firm and politely asked them to quit calling his people and was told in no uncertain terms that this was a free country, and they could call anyone that they wanted. He then asked them who the client was that they were working for and he was completely shocked when he discovered that his competition was behind the search. The worst part? He thought that the owner of his competition was a friend.
My client called the competition and said basically, “What the hell. Dude?” The competitive firm quit targeting my client’s firm and employees, but the damage was done. This is called poaching.
While poaching employees isn’t against the law, and yes, the sleazy recruiting firm has the right to call whoever they want, it is at the very least unethical and in my opinion, immoral.
I am all about getting the right people on your staff, so that you are kicking ass and taking names. And, I don’t poach. I fish. I put bait out in the water, by placing an ad on an online job board, and reaching out to people who have posted their resumes online. But I draw the line at reaching out to employees unsolicited. Frankly, it reeks of old fish.
Fishing? Absolutely.
Poaching? Absolutely not.
http://smragan.com/category/print/press/ POWER THOUGHT: Poaching is just fishy.
by Beth | Jan 3, 2024 | Firing Employees
In my last blog “The Bar Napkin Summit” I gave you three examples of how great business ideas came about, and they didn’t come from being behind a desk! Coming up with THE great idea is just the first step: Then, you have to execute. And what better time to execute than the New Year?
Now that we are entering 2024, it is time to look around and figure out what needs to be done. Do you need to improve your diet? Your exercise plan? Or maybe it is time to fire someone?
A past client of mine had an employee who consistently gave her ultimatums. The threats were often “If you don’t do this, then I will quit.” Who wants to work with an individual who is constantly threatening you? The team was struggling to work with the individual, my client was unhappy with the performance of the individual, yet the concept of firing and replacing this person seemed daunting and ill-timed. When my client finally became fed up, they did indeed fire the employee. I won’t sugar coat the transition. It was hard, uncomfortable and came at a terrible time, but my client knew that this was the right decision for the company.
In addition, the busiest day of the year for applicants looking for a job is the second Tuesday in January. Think about this: the people who are fed up with their work environments are also looking to make a change. So, if you want to start the New Year with someone who REALLY wants to work for you and help with your Bar Napkin Summit, get going! Now is the time.
POWER THOUGHT: New Year, new you, new goals (thanks to the Bar Napkin Summit), new awesome employee and new culture!
by Beth | Nov 1, 2023 | Employee Hiring
A few years ago, I went on a blind date. He texted me first, then he called me. We had a great conversation, and we had so much in common. We both have children and a huge love for animals. As a matter of fact, he had a pet rabbit named Bugs.
I said, “You have a pet Rabbit named Bugs?”
He said, “It was either that or Peter.”
We laughed. A lot. He sent me a photo of himself, and I sent him some of mine. Then, we met in person.
He did not look like his photo. Nice guy, but definitely no second date. I had been catfished.
Welcome to hiring.
Catfishing is the act of deceiving someone else online, and it happens in hiring as well.
When you read a resume, you are reading a document that the candidate most likely didn’t write. In addition, according to Inc magazine, 85% of applicants report lying on their resumes. Read study here: https://www.inc.com/jt-odonnell/staggering-85-of-job-applicants-lying-on-resumes-.html
Which is why I recommend that you don’t read resumes.
You read that right. Don’t read resumes. You make assumptions about someone when you read a person’s resume, and when you interview them, you will err to those assumptions. It is just human nature. We all want to present our best foot forward when we are looking for a new job or mate, so we have the tendency to embellish. It doesn’t make that person bad. It’s just that their qualifications are a bit, well, fishy.
So here is my advice: Instead of spending time pouring over a resume, schedule a 15 minute interview. You get more accurate information, and it is easier to find that amazing candidate that you fall for hook, line and sinker.
POWER THOUGHT: Feel you have been catfished? Throw resumes back in the lake and have a quick 15 minute interview. You will end up with a better catch.
by Beth | Jul 12, 2023 | Employee Hiring, Selecting Good Candidates
A client of mine called last week. He needed help deciding between two candidates. We walked through the interviews and his notes, and there was a clear winner when we talked it through. He was very excited about offering the job to the top candidate. His next comment, however, totally baffled me.
“I will wait to let the other candidate know after this one has accepted the offer.”
“Why?” I asked, incredulously.
“In case, they don’t accept. You know the saying: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
I paused for a minute.
He is right from a conventional wisdom standpoint, but when it comes to hiring, what if the bird in the hand is the wrong bird? Are you really going to hire someone that is clearly your second choice?
Many of my clients think this way: that somehow hiring a second choice will still be a great hiring decision. It isn’t, though. The new hire will act like the second choice (because they were), you will treat them like the second choice (because they were), and you will ultimately fire them because they were your second choice.
If for some reason your top candidate doesn’t accept the position, your job is to figure out why, fix that issue, then start over with a brand new candidate pool.
As it turned out, the top candidate did accept the position, and all is well on the home front.
POWER THOUGHT: When it comes to hiring, a bird in the hand only counts if it is the right bird.
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.
