Employment Tips!

This week I have been working on recruiting for a couple of companies.  It amazes me that people interviewing for jobs are ridiculously unprepared to answer questions.  Resumes come in with typos and grammatical errors. First impressions do count and I tend to eliminate any resumes that have not been scrubbed.  If your resume passes a first review for a job to which you’ve applied, a phone screen will probably be the next hurdle.  I have another tip, if the phone screen is scheduled, don’t answer the phone and ask which job this is for?   Seriously, do I really have time for this?  It’s really very simple, if you agree to a phone screen SAVE YOUR APPLICATION, COVER LETTER, RESUME and Job Description.  Have it readily available and be prepared to explain how you meet the minimum requirements for the job.

Keep a copy of all the jobs that you have applied to in separate folders in your e-mail in box.  When a recruiter calls (ME) be sure to ask for my name, company and the job I am referencing.  You can then cross-check this with the job descriptions that you have in your Job Posting or Applied for Jobs.

Have the job description in front of you during the phone interview.  A critical step as descriptions are typically written with the primary job responsibilities in descending order of importance.  If you have the job description handy it will let you speak to each of those requirements in order of importance.  Don’t wing it…I can smell a con a mile away!

Having taught managers how to interview, the following technique seems to be an easy way for both the candidate and the interviewer to access the quality of the answer:

  1. S.T.A.R.s
    1. Situation: Analyze the activity you faced, in this case determining why sales have steadily decreased by 5 percent from the previous fiscal year.
    2. Task: Describe the tasks available to respond to the situation. In this case, identify why sales were decreasing and provide a solution.
    3. Action: Describe the steps you took to resolve the issue.
    4. Result: What was the result of your action? What did you take away from the resolution? What if anything would you have done differently?

Create an S.T.A.R. document. This is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Results, and it is the key to answering behavioral-based interview questions.

The HR representative will probably ask questions about how you handled specific types of situations in previous jobs. After all, it’s a common HR tool to test your professional experience and gauge your aptitude.

The HR representative is looking for you to respond to each in a clear and succinct manner.

One last bit of advice, if you don’t have a professional email address, please go to your on-line email provider and make sure you have one.  While it may have been fun to be CinderellaBaby@aol.com in high school…it is a very quick way for a recruiter to get rid of a candidates resume very quickly.

Leadership Training

Taking Action on Management Issues

Once a manager understands how to contribute at a high level, employees respond positively.   The key to success is consistency and communication.   Managers should seek out feedback on a regular basis.  Feedback can come in the form of formal reviews, management by wandering around or by internal surveys that are confidential in nature.   If the culture in your company is one of open communication which includes a healthy exchange of both positive attributes and attributes that can be improved, your employees will feel free to share feedback without fear of retribution.

It is very important that managers share team results about specific feedback on their management skills.  Ensure that you thank people for their candor and their help.  This is especially true if the vehicle is a confidential survey.  It is important to talk about your overall feedback instead of trying to determine the specifics.  Focus on overall results, including your identified strengths and areas for improvement.  I feel that this type of discussion should happen at least four times per year and and at the very least annually.

It is also important for a manager to identify 1-2 attributes where the scores were high.  Make sure that your employees know that you are going to keep doing the things that make them happy and provide value.   It is also important that a manager involve employees in these discussions.  Talk with your team to determine how to continue performing and emphasizing your strengths.

It is also important for managers to identify 1-2 attributes that employees would like to see improved.   Establish your goals, and working with your team, put action plans in place for improvement.  It is then important to find ways to make this discussion a part of conversations with your employees so that you are able to monitor your progress.  Too few managers ever ask how they are doing.  Make the exception and make this part of how you manage and coach your employees.  They will respond positively if you are sincere in your desire to get better.  This type of management also opens the door for two-way conversations with your employees.  It will provide you with an opportunity to freely discuss their performance attributes as well.

For more information on how Google employs these activities:  The Harvard Business Review has an article entitled “Google’s Project Oxygen:  Do Managers matter? ”   I am sure you will find very surprising results.

Business Coaching, Leadership Training

Poor Communication Can Be a Cause for Poor Morale

According to recent interviews with more than 300 HR managers across the country, poor communication is the greatest source of low workplace morale.  More than one-third of the respondents said, ” poor communication is to blame for morale problems, while 18 percent said micromanagement was the biggest contributor.  Other causes cited include failure to recognize employee achievements (15 percent), fear of job loss (10 percent) and excessive workloads for extended period (9 percent).”

The good news is that morale issues can be addressed fairly easily.  Make sure that workplace communication is a priority.  Plan for the communication aspects for every major roll out, organizational or strategic change even if you only know a bit of information.  Oftentimes, companies make the mistake of waiting for everything to  iron-out before a mass communication.  Procrastination can lead to increase anxiety and distract employees from focusing on getting work done.  Workplace communication is one of the most effective, and least costly ways, to combat the problem of a disengaged workforce.

In fact, “38 percent of the HR managers said improving communication is the best way to remedy low morale, while 15 percent listed recognition programs and monetary rewards for exceptional performance; another 13 percent reported unexpected rewards such as gift certificate or sporting events tickets, and 11 percent said team-building events.”

Source:  Accountemps survey, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

Business Coaching, Leadership Training