Have you ever noticed that there are always a few dreadful workers that never get fired or laid off? Usually, their manager will get them “a better opportunity” in another department and from there, they get shuffled from manager to manager until someone has the guts to stop and say, “Whoa. NO more” and makes the difficult but real decision of terminating that employee.
Sometimes firing someone is clear cut.
I had to council a colleague today who owns a search firm to fire a person who had worked for her for ten years. This person had broken the terms of an employment agreement which directly involved the erosion of trust. Well, trust is a fragile thing in the best of circumstances, but when you have direct evidence that it has been lost in a business that is based on confidentiality such as ours, there is no time to waste.
The employee had to go. This situation is easier than the employee who just doesn’t really fit or never
Nobody enjoys firing people. Well, ok, maybe a few do, but we won’t talk about them. But as unpleasant a task termination can be, it is a necessary one. One of the few pieces of advice my father gave me that at a young age I took to heart was this: “The first time you think of firing someone is the time to do it.” Now that may seem a little cruel, but if you actually think back through the employees you have had to fire, you will usually remember you waited way too long to do it. And waiting to fire somebody does not do any favors to your other employees who are thinking “why the heck is that person still here” and “if they can do so little, so can I” -- Nor does it benefit your customers or your own ability to sleep at night.
I’m not suggesting you take an axe and wildly chop through your organizations, but the first step in “top-grading” any organization means admitting when you have someone who is not meeting expectations nor can they meet them with a little training. In fairness to that person, there is probably somewhere else that they can be –and will be—successful but it requires you to make that tough decision for them.
Done correctly, firing someone can be a good thing for everyone involved.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
IS THE END NEAR?
Sounds foreboding, but hopefully the end of this downturn is near. I’m no economist and don’t pretend to be—even on TV—but I think that the governmental aids over the past year are band aids we can do without. Sure, interest rates cuts are nice, but will they
really make any long term difference? I mean, if your bank invested badly in real estate, it is going to take its licks and if you got caught in an adjustable rate mortgage, you had best adjust or refinance—the $300 or $600 “economic stimulus package” the IRS has in store for you isn’t going to save the day.
If the economy goes on and hits rock bottom then we can all say, “Ok the worst is over”. Let us pull ourselves back up and get on with it.
As recruiters, many of our clients have been hit hard by the slowdown, particularly our consumer product clients, but they will survive. They have good business plans, great brands and taking a little credit, super employees. The upside to downturns is bad companies; shaky companies tend to go under, leaving a better playing field for the rest of us. As a search firm owner in 2001, I can assure you over half of my competitors silently went away and few have returned—most are now in Corporate staffing departments.
2008 is going to be a challenging year for most businesses, but in my mind, there is no such thing as “free money” or a government bailout that works—most of the time, working smart and working hard are the only fixes that stick.
really make any long term difference? I mean, if your bank invested badly in real estate, it is going to take its licks and if you got caught in an adjustable rate mortgage, you had best adjust or refinance—the $300 or $600 “economic stimulus package” the IRS has in store for you isn’t going to save the day.
If the economy goes on and hits rock bottom then we can all say, “Ok the worst is over”. Let us pull ourselves back up and get on with it.
As recruiters, many of our clients have been hit hard by the slowdown, particularly our consumer product clients, but they will survive. They have good business plans, great brands and taking a little credit, super employees. The upside to downturns is bad companies; shaky companies tend to go under, leaving a better playing field for the rest of us. As a search firm owner in 2001, I can assure you over half of my competitors silently went away and few have returned—most are now in Corporate staffing departments.
2008 is going to be a challenging year for most businesses, but in my mind, there is no such thing as “free money” or a government bailout that works—most of the time, working smart and working hard are the only fixes that stick.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
How To Nail The Phone Interview
“What can I do to improve my telephone interviewing skills?”
Excellent question. Today, usually all initial interviews are conducted over the phone. The reasons include costs to time pressures to the sheer number of applicants applying for positions. Unfortunately, for you, the potential candidate, phone interviews are largely used for screening OUT the wrong candidate vs. finding the right fit.
So, you have applied for the job, gotten the phone call to set up a phone screen. Now, how do you clear this next hurdle?
Our suggestions are based on the assumptions that most people do not spend a great deal of time on the phone—like a recruiter does-- and therefore they are not comfortable interviewing without eye to eye contact. Also, most people are not trained to have honed listening skills and therefore need to employ simple techniques to help themselves in what can be a stressful experience. Here are our tips:
1. Stand up during the phone conversation to heighten your awareness level and prevent yourself from becoming too comfortable in your favorite chair. Walking around can also help as long as it doesn’t become your primary activity.
2. Have your resume handy and pen and paper to take notes. Writing down your interviewers key points can help you remember their primary objectives and will help you remember to touch on them with examples from your own experience.
3. Employ the communication techniques you commonly use in any face-to-face dialogue; restatement to clarify, the pause for emphasis, probes to invite the interviewer back- in (i.e. “have I answered your question or would you like to know more?”) and transitional phrases to create bridges.
When asked a specific question, answer with a specific answer and be prepared to elaborate with an example. Make sure you don’t ramble…remember you don’t have any body signals to let you know if you’ve lost your audience.
4. If you normally use hand gestures when you speak, use them while on the phone. Your goal is to sound as comfortable and self-assured as possible.
5. Remember you are also on a fact finding mission, so have questions prepared to assist yourself in this objective. Use questions that convey a willingness to work, an ability to analyze and connect. Don’t ask questions about hours, vacation, benefits and compensation. There will be a time and place for those questions, but the initial interview isn’t it.
6. Finally, relax take a deep breathe, smile (yes, it comes across on the phone) and be you. A positive impression is key to landing that face to face interview—where the real matches get made.
Good luck!
Excellent question. Today, usually all initial interviews are conducted over the phone. The reasons include costs to time pressures to the sheer number of applicants applying for positions. Unfortunately, for you, the potential candidate, phone interviews are largely used for screening OUT the wrong candidate vs. finding the right fit.
So, you have applied for the job, gotten the phone call to set up a phone screen. Now, how do you clear this next hurdle?
Our suggestions are based on the assumptions that most people do not spend a great deal of time on the phone—like a recruiter does-- and therefore they are not comfortable interviewing without eye to eye contact. Also, most people are not trained to have honed listening skills and therefore need to employ simple techniques to help themselves in what can be a stressful experience. Here are our tips:
1. Stand up during the phone conversation to heighten your awareness level and prevent yourself from becoming too comfortable in your favorite chair. Walking around can also help as long as it doesn’t become your primary activity.
2. Have your resume handy and pen and paper to take notes. Writing down your interviewers key points can help you remember their primary objectives and will help you remember to touch on them with examples from your own experience.
3. Employ the communication techniques you commonly use in any face-to-face dialogue; restatement to clarify, the pause for emphasis, probes to invite the interviewer back- in (i.e. “have I answered your question or would you like to know more?”) and transitional phrases to create bridges.
When asked a specific question, answer with a specific answer and be prepared to elaborate with an example. Make sure you don’t ramble…remember you don’t have any body signals to let you know if you’ve lost your audience.
4. If you normally use hand gestures when you speak, use them while on the phone. Your goal is to sound as comfortable and self-assured as possible.
5. Remember you are also on a fact finding mission, so have questions prepared to assist yourself in this objective. Use questions that convey a willingness to work, an ability to analyze and connect. Don’t ask questions about hours, vacation, benefits and compensation. There will be a time and place for those questions, but the initial interview isn’t it.
6. Finally, relax take a deep breathe, smile (yes, it comes across on the phone) and be you. A positive impression is key to landing that face to face interview—where the real matches get made.
Good luck!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Quote of the Day
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
- Mario Andretti
- Mario Andretti
Friday, March 7, 2008
Double Whamy Today
Today is not only Friday but it is also turning into a Snow Day for those of us in the MidSouth. Yep. Big Blizzard heading our way--1 to 3 inches. Thats right, folks. 3 inches.
Now those Midwestern friends of mine are probably shaking their heads and grumbling about the work ethic here in the South again.
Ok. I've heard it before. We do believe in our days off: Deer Season--manufacturing plants practically shut down; Christmas season (which starts the day after Thanksgiving) short work days--got shopping to do and Spring--well, we deserve a Spring Break too.
Oh and turkey season begins March 15th.
But today: Snow Day
We are all headed out early to go grocery shopping, pick up a movie, some wine, extra milk (FYI: Snow days require extra milk)
and headed home to stare out the window on occasion to see if the Weather Guy was right for a change.
For those of you living in areas of the country that have an array of snow plows and salt trucks, we wish you a safe day at work and the drive home tonight, white knuckled, prepared to shovel your driveway the moment you arrive at your door.
We will be toasting you as we put in another movie and stuff our face with popcorn.
Now those Midwestern friends of mine are probably shaking their heads and grumbling about the work ethic here in the South again.
Ok. I've heard it before. We do believe in our days off: Deer Season--manufacturing plants practically shut down; Christmas season (which starts the day after Thanksgiving) short work days--got shopping to do and Spring--well, we deserve a Spring Break too.
Oh and turkey season begins March 15th.
But today: Snow Day
We are all headed out early to go grocery shopping, pick up a movie, some wine, extra milk (FYI: Snow days require extra milk)
and headed home to stare out the window on occasion to see if the Weather Guy was right for a change.
For those of you living in areas of the country that have an array of snow plows and salt trucks, we wish you a safe day at work and the drive home tonight, white knuckled, prepared to shovel your driveway the moment you arrive at your door.
We will be toasting you as we put in another movie and stuff our face with popcorn.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
A Good Question in a Competitive Market
We have identified candidates from a competitor that we would like to make offers to, but they are passive candidates and we are concerned about them accepting. Any suggestions?
Identifying candidates that are not only currently employed but also possess the expertise you need for your particular business requires special handling. Offers are generally turned down because no one has thoroughly researched the candidate’s needs and what they really want before an offer is presented. As a matter a fact, you must know these things before you ever bring a candidate in to a formal interview process.
That is where the value of having a recruiter comes into play. It is not only our job to source passive candidates, but also to assist a prospective candidate define what is important to them, what might be missing in their current assignment as well as defining their next best career move. If an interviewing panel knows what drives a candidate before they sit down one on one, everyone stands a much better chance to pivot the conversation toward the right topics assuring a smoother transition to later conversations, such as the terms of a prospective offer.
In our twelve plus years in business there are some consistent themes that typically drive top performers to make a move. Those are, in order:
A greater challenge and/or more responsibility
A progressive, growing company, including exposure to new tools and/or technology
A company’s culture, employee and community values
Compensation
Other factors that can play a deciding factor can be of a more personal nature such as location and work/life balance.
Bottom line, to be successful hiring top performing candidates you must be prepared to provide them with something, usually more than just compensation, that is important to them that they do not already have.
For more information on this topic, give us a call at 901-367-0778
Identifying candidates that are not only currently employed but also possess the expertise you need for your particular business requires special handling. Offers are generally turned down because no one has thoroughly researched the candidate’s needs and what they really want before an offer is presented. As a matter a fact, you must know these things before you ever bring a candidate in to a formal interview process.
That is where the value of having a recruiter comes into play. It is not only our job to source passive candidates, but also to assist a prospective candidate define what is important to them, what might be missing in their current assignment as well as defining their next best career move. If an interviewing panel knows what drives a candidate before they sit down one on one, everyone stands a much better chance to pivot the conversation toward the right topics assuring a smoother transition to later conversations, such as the terms of a prospective offer.
In our twelve plus years in business there are some consistent themes that typically drive top performers to make a move. Those are, in order:
A greater challenge and/or more responsibility
A progressive, growing company, including exposure to new tools and/or technology
A company’s culture, employee and community values
Compensation
Other factors that can play a deciding factor can be of a more personal nature such as location and work/life balance.
Bottom line, to be successful hiring top performing candidates you must be prepared to provide them with something, usually more than just compensation, that is important to them that they do not already have.
For more information on this topic, give us a call at 901-367-0778
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