by Beth | Sep 5, 2012 | Employee Hiring, Interview Process, Selecting Good Candidates
When a client calls me to help them screen and interview candidates, they are usually in a hurry. They need me to get started today, and frankly, they really needed me to start 3 weeks ago. The “hurry up” syndrome is a common issue at A-list Interviews.
However, hurrying through the interview process never works. Making a bad hiring decision just to put a “butt in the seat” is always more costly than having a little patience and truly screen and interview until you find your ideal new employee. Robert Plotkin, who wrote “Preventing Internal Theft” says “It is better to operate short-handed for a period of time and rely on your existing staff to cover… than hiring someone unqualified or inappropriate for the establishment.” I could not agree more.
As painful as it may seem to wait for the right person to come along in your interview process, it is always way more painful to bring a person onboard who is the wrong fit for your company. Consider the other factors that are included in hiring a misfit for your organization: reduce efficiency and down time for training, morale within the organization, the customer experience of a person who is not in alignment with the company just to name just a few. And in the end when you bring in a new employee just to fill a position, the likelihood that you will end up back in the interview process within the six months is incredibly high.
Stick to our A-list motto of “find the right employee the first time” and you will save yourself more time, money and headaches than you can imagine. The right employee is always worth the wait.
by Beth | Jul 25, 2012 | Employee Hiring, Interview Process, Selecting Good Candidates
While rocking my infant daughter years ago, I began instinctively doing what adults have done for centuries. I began singing lullabies to her.
“Rock a- bye baby, in the tree top, 
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby…”
And then I stopped.
I suddenly really listened to the words that I was about to sing! I thought to myself, “What kind of fool puts an infant in a cradle at the top of a tree and watches them fall?!” Horrified, I changed the words…
“…Right into Mama’s arms.'”
Ah…much better. My daughter was raised singing Rock-A-Bye Baby with a much better alternate ending. To this day, I am not sure that she even knows the original words to that song, which suits me just fine.
In the interview process, I teach people that the best skill to have is listening for word choice. I train them to stop, really listen to the words used by the candidate, and digest their meanings as they relate to the position for which we are hiring.
When you listen to the word choices of your candidate, they will tell you what you need to hear in order to make a great hiring decision. Word choices will expose blamers, know-it-alls, pass the buckers, and more.
When the interview is through, if you feel the candidate did not give you enough information, review your notes. The words you really need to listen for are in there. As an interviewer, your primary job is to pay attention to the word choices used by your potential employees. And be careful to not just hear what you want to hear. It truly means the difference between a decent employee and an A-list player. If any “boughs break” in your business, which would you rather have waiting at the bottom of the tree?
by Beth | Dec 29, 2011 | Employee Hiring
Did you know that the interview process is a great marketing tool? People who are genuinely interested in your company will apply for positions, not just those looking for a job. It’s possible to have an audience of up to 500 applicants who want to work for you. While you can’t possibly hire them all, you do have a powerful opportunity to make a long lasting impression.
If you respond to your applicants in a timely and courteous manner, they will remember. I have received hundreds of thank you notes for rejection letters. Because of the vulnerability of the candidates, you WILL make an impression on them. They may never want to frequent your business again because they felt they were treated poorly. They will also never forget how great you were because you kept them in the loop.
Somehow, we have gotten away from responding to our potential employees as potential customers. We have decided that we don’t have to respond to them, they don’t deserve a response or we don’t have the time or money to do it. The next wave of successful companies is those who invite people to apply and who respond to them along every step. Be Bold, Be Different and Respond!
by Beth | Dec 27, 2011 | Employee Retention
Like most consultants that I know, my office is in various coffee shops along the Front Range of Colorado. As a result, I hear lots of different conversations. Last week, I was sitting next to two women in one of my favorite office locations. They were having a heated discussion about Woman #1’s abrupt departure from Woman #2’s company. The conversation went something like this:
Boss: “I can’t believe that you left!”
Employee: “I told you why I was frustrated!”
Boss: “But I thought we fixed the scheduling problem. You didn’t tell me about the other issues. I can’t fix it if I don’t know about it!”
Employee: “How can you not know about it? You are the boss!”
The “boss” is ultimately responsible for everything that happens within her company. One important responsibility is to ensure a healthy work environment for her employees. In this scenario, or any scenario for that matter, blaming her employee for lack of communication does not resolve the issue. I find most often that employees attempt to discuss problems in a very subtle way. They often feel hesitant to make complaints because they are really unsure of how receptive said boss will be. To help you spark the conversation with your employees, look for the signs that an employee is thinking about leaving:
- Your top performer is now underperforming. If you begin to have performance problems with someone that you’ve never had an issue with, it is time to ask them what’s going on.
- Your employee asks about another opportunity in your company. This means they are not feeling challenged, grown bored with their current position and may be considering a change.
- Your employee mentions that another company is trying to recruiting them. This is a very subtle way of an employee letting you know that they are exploring options.
If you don’t want to be caught unaware, then listen and pay attention to your staff. They will tell you when they are becoming unsatisfied.
by Beth | Dec 9, 2011 | Selecting Good Candidates
Yesterday, I was screening applicants for a position that requires a high level of attention to detail. Not long into the search, I received a beautifully formatted resume. The candidate had all of the skills that we wanted in a new employee! I opened the cover letter to learn more about this bright prospect. The opening sentence said “I am responding to your add…”
The question then becomes do I overlook one small spelling error that spell check would not have caught or do I pass up this well qualified individual for a simple mistake. When screening for a position that will require analysis and detailed reporting, one small mistake could cost a company thousands. The error to proof read made by this candidate stands out so magnificently that I had to pass them up.
So much of pre-screening can be subjective. When making the final call, compare the resume to all required skills, not just the technical set listed on the resume. I would definitely not “add” this individual to the team.
