recruiting

Pam O’Connor–Hiring Hero of the Week

April 8, 2019 HEROES OF HIRING, HR, recruiting No comments

This week’s hero has impacted people across the globe, helping fill jobs that improve and save lives. She’s Pamela O’Connor, the Chief Human Resources Officer for Hoyos Integrity Corporation, a secure communications company headquartered in Fort Lauderdale Florida. As a global HR leader, Pam has led the hiring of top talent for emergency relief positions around the world, applying her skill at finding people with the perseverance to perform under pressure and extreme circumstances. She has improved time-to-fill, reducing this metric by more than 45% as a result of initiatives that have significantly increased employee referrals. Employment engagement has also grown under Pam’s watch as she’s overhauled global compensation systems to better align employee expectations with the value they bring to their roles.

When asked about her philosophy on recruiting and hiring, Pam said, “I believe in hiring people not just for the current opening, but with the next two jobs they’ll hold in mind as well.” This career minded approach to recruiting along with aligning company strategy with talent acquisition strategy has made lasting impacts. These impacts include making better hires who align well with company goals, reducing talent acquisition costs, and improving employee retention. Thank you Pam for the heroic work you do each day!

You can connect with Pam on LinkedIn.

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ABOUT THE HEROES OF HIRING

We’ve all heard it said that a company’s most important asset is its people. When we say we love a company, what we’re really saying is we love the work being done by the exceptional people in these organizations. Talented employees who do outstanding work are the secret ingredients that make their companies great. That’s why recruiting and hiring is so important. Each person involved in the hiring process is influencing the future of their company. These individuals are also impacting one of the most important aspects of people’s lives—their careers. The individuals who play a role in the hiring process are changing companies and lives, making hiring a heroic act.

The hiring heroism of a select group of people goes above and beyond. These unsung hiring heroes are making a lasting difference on a grand scale. That’s the reason for this distinction—the Hiring Hero of the Week. The hope in bestowing this honor is that people across the globe can celebrate and learn from these truly amazing human beings.

Interviews Are Rooted in Lies. Here’s How to Stop Participating in the Deception

April 2, 2019 accountability, HR, interviewing, leadership, recruiting, staffing, talent acquisition No comments

It has been said of some salespeople that you can easily spot when they’re lying–their lips are moving. Salespeople aren’t the only ones giving lip service to the truth. Job interviews are frequently built on one or more lies.

The lying is happening on both sides of the table. Candidates misrepresent their abilities. Companies overstate the facts. Both parties omit details.

The farcical dance that defines many interviews undermines effective selection. Candidates accept ill-fitting jobs based upon incomplete information. Companies end up having good interviews that turn into bad hires.

Are the lies told by candidates and companies intentional? Sometimes. Often the deception is unconscious. People are simply doing things the way they’ve always been done, unaware of the consequences.

Stopping the deception requires understanding and interrupting these lies. Let’s take a look at some of the different types of lying common in the hiring process.

Omission
Lies of omission are the most common as people leave out details they believe could become a deal breaker. Candidates choose not to share a past mistake they think could end their chances. Interviewers avoid talking about negative aspects of the job out of fear they’ll turn off a talented person. Both parties neglect sharing the full truth hoping it will bolster their chances of a positive hiring outcome.

Exaggeration
Rooted in the truth, lies of exaggeration bend the facts in an effort to make someone or something look better than it is. Employers amplify advancement opportunities; candidates magnify the depth of their experience; both sides distort details. Instead of painting an accurate picture, companies and candidates take liberties that misinform and mislead.

Deception
Lies of deception are a form of hiring magic. Like a magician who diverts your attention to create an illusion, deception in hiring is an attempt to divert attention away from negative details. Jobseekers change dates on resumes to cover up employment gaps. Companies misrepresent job details to make a role seem more attractive. Candidates and companies engage in a hiring version of fake news out of fear of the impact of the truth.

Promises
It has been said that promises were made to be broken. That’s being lived out daily in interviews. Managers openly acknowledge an organizational problem, promising it will soon be rectified even though they have no authority to keep that promise. Candidates commit to improving weak skills if hired, knowing full well they lack the time and resources to keep the commitment. Promises in interviews are a common workaround for real issues that aren’t really going to be resolved.

Plagiarism
When in school, using ideas or work that is not your own will get you a failing grade. When hiring, plagiarism will get you a failed hire. Hiring-related plagiarism is being perpetrated by both parties. Jobseekers provide work samples that aren’t their own and have friends take online skills tests. Employers copy and use other companies’ well-written job descriptions knowing that these documents are a far cry from the job they’re offering.

White Lies
Believed to be harmless, white lies are relatively minor omissions, exaggerations, deceptions, promises, and plagiarism. Although minor, white lies still distort the facts thereby undermining sound decision-making.

Accuracy in hiring requires accurate information. Without that, companies and candidates end up making choices they later regret.

You can put a stop to these regrets by taking three steps.

Step #1
Commit to rigorous honesty
Teach everyone involved in hiring about the 6 types of lies, making it clear that these are often unintentional habits. Share how you’ve made these errors; your vulnerability can elicit the same from your colleagues. Support one another in a commitment to a hiring process that is grounded in rigorous honesty.

Step #2
Be appropriately transparent
Rigorous honesty doesn’t mean engaging in blind transparency. A productive hiring process should give candidates (and you) the details needed to make a prudent decision. Take time to determine the information that a candidate needs to know including job responsibilities, role expectations, company culture, compensation, and career development and advancement opportunities. Appropriate transparency that is rigorously honest will help them make an informed choice.

Step #3
Clean up mistakes
You’re human and you’ll make mistakes, including when you’ve been in the practice of unintentional deception. Breaking this habit may take time, which means you may make some missteps along the way. Seize this as an opportunity. When you tell one of the 6 lies acknowledge it and clean it up. Remember that mistakes are your chance to demonstrate your excellence at problem-solving.

In a world filled with fakery your organization’s commitment to stopping all forms of deception is an opportunity. An opportunity to strengthen your brand, improve the hiring experience, and deepen engagement from the very first interaction. Those benefits alone are worth letting go of the lies.

Susanne Mather–Hiring Hero of the Week

April 1, 2019 HEROES OF HIRING, HR, recruiting No comments

Attracting quality talent is vital to every organization’s success. But it’s also harder than ever given the talent drought. That’s why Susanne Mather is this week’s Hero of Hiring. Susanne is helping employers across the globe improve how they attract and retain people. She’s the Executive Director of Australian firm Employment Office, a company that helps employers improvement their recruitment process especially in the areas of attraction strategy, candidate screening, and talent management. Her work over the past 17 years has helped hundreds of organizations land and retain thousands of talented employees. Susanne is also the Editor of Recruitment Marketing Magazine, a digital publication focused on improving recruitment marketing and employer branding strategy. Thank you Susanne for the heroic work you do each day.

You can connect with Susanne on LinkedIn and Twitter. Be sure to also sign up for Recruitment Marketing Magazine.

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ABOUT THE HEROES OF HIRING

What Winnie the Pooh Can Teach Us About Improving Recruiting Performance

March 26, 2019 recruiting, staffing, talent acquisition No comments

Improvement ideas for recruiting and hiring can often come from surprising sources. One such source is Winnie the Pooh.

The staying power of Pooh and friends isn’t just because they’re adorable. They’re relatable. Each character is emblematic of the types of people drawn to recruiting and staffing.

So imagine if you will these characters as part of a recruiting team. How could each improve their performance? Which of these ideas applies to you?

Winnie the Pooh
Does he really lack smarts?

On several occasions, Pooh refers to himself as a “bear of little brain.” I can imagine Pooh as a recruiter saying things like, “Oh bother, I just don’t have the brains to learn all of this jargon” or “I was not made to make so many calls. I get started and end up all muddled and confused.”

Does Pooh really have little or no brains? Let’s look at some of his assets. He is loving, loyal, a great friend, and ends up on top even through all of the bumbling because he always tries to do the right thing.

One of the biggest obstacles Pooh needs to overcome is his tendency to bury his head in a big pot of honey when things aren’t going well. If a hire starts falling apart, Pooh’s immediate reaction would be to immerse himself in finding a “smackeral” or two of the sweet stuff.

Here are some constructive alternatives to help Pooh (and you Pooh-like recruiters out there) deal with confusion, disorganization, and those times when things start going awry:

First and foremost, he needs to get organized. A great way to start is by writing out his plan for tomorrow the day before.
His confusion may indicate a need for additional training and practice. Just like the real world, the 100 Acre Woods offers many options including workshops, books, and articles.
Pooh needs to identify his destructive patterns, such as overeating or burying his head in a pot of honey. Then, he can replace them with a positive and constructive alternative. For instance, when something goes wrong, Pooh first needs to consider the options. Is there something he can do or is it best to let it go and move on to something else? Sometimes the best option is to let go of a situation, especially if you have done everything within your power to remedy the problem.
Like many of us in recruiting and staffing, Pooh has great colleagues and friends to turn to for advice and support. In addition to their suggestions and insights, role-plays and practice sessions can help him to improve his skills and discover ways to enhance his recruiting abilities.

Tigger
Focusing all of that bounciness and energy.

Tigger lacks focus. What he does have are bundles of energy and a positive nature that will carry him far. But his inability to harness that energy in a focused manner trips him up. Tigger also needs to be completely honest with himself. He tends to be so positive that he doesn’t recognize when he needs to regroup and isn’t aware that things may not going as well as he thinks.

Some tips for Tigger:

A daily action plan would be a great tool for Tigger, just as it is for Pooh (in fact, I have yet to meet anyone who would not benefit from a daily plan). To stay focused in the moment, the more detailed this plan, the better. If Tigger could focus completely on one task before moving to another, the quality of his work would improve almost immediately.
A strong dose of reality from time to time would do Tigger a lot of good. Bouncing ideas off colleagues, asking for honest feedback from co-workers, and occasionally taking a few moments to assess his own progress would give him clarity about where he is and the next step to take.

Eeyore
Could he be a lost cause?

Things just never seem to go Eeyore’s way. Whether it is falling into a briar patch or losing his tail (again), he seems to find himself in one unpleasant situation after another.

Eeyore reminds me of people I have met in my life that I call the “doom and gloomers.” They believe that bad things are going to happen and inevitably create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Most of us are not at this extreme, but ask yourself, “Am I, like Eeyore, sabotaging myself with negative thoughts?”

Ideas for Eeyore:

It’s hard to think your way into new behavior. But you can act your way into a new way of thinking. The key is action. Eeyore needs to have a pre-planned list of actions he can take the moment gloom starts to kick in. Immediately getting into action will him feel better about himself instead of spiraling further and further into self-defeating thoughts.
Negativity breeds negativity. Eeyore needs to look for and remove the negative people, situations, and possible stressors that are around him. By surrounding himself with positive things and people, it will become very natural for him to rise to the level of those around him.

Rabbit
All of those carrots gave him an eye for too many details.

Rabbit takes playing by the rules to an extreme. Can you see him ever coloring outside the lines? Rabbit’s organization skills and intelligence are fantastic, yet they sometimes cause problems because he can’t think outside the box. Rabbit could greatly benefit from lightening up and having more fun.

Here are some tips for Rabbit:

Rabbit needs to play (all work and no play make Rabbit a dull and stodgy furry critter). He overwhelms himself with responsibility. Rabbit needs to find something that brings out his playful nature such as swinging on playground equipment, playing in a sandbox, driving go-karts, or anything that is all about having fun.
Just say “no” to the need to be perfect. The best thing Rabbit can do for himself is to accept and be okay with the fact that he is not perfect and mistakes will happen. This is not only okay; it is a part of life!

Piglet
Mustering the courage to be a great recruiter.

Wouldn’t it have been great if Piglet could have gone to Oz with Dorothy and gotten some courage? One of Piglet’s biggest stumbling blocks is his lack of confidence when communicating with others.

On the plus side, he is extremely honest. What a salesman of job opportunities or candidates he could be if he were to combine his honesty with a strong dose of self-confidence.

Here are some tips for Piglet to build a reserve of confidence in himself:

Practice the tried and true “act as if” principle. If he practices being confident he will eventually act his way into a confident way of thinking.
Journaling is a powerful tool for uncovering what is really going on. If Piglet spends time each day journaling in detail his thoughts and feelings, there is a good chance that he will uncover the source of his self-doubt.

Do you see yourself in Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, or Piglet? Just like the recruiters of Honey Pot recruiting team, you have a choice to stay where you are or grow into your potential. Looking beyond what you do to who you are will give you insight into the changes and improvements necessary to increase your success in recruiting.

Tony Beshara–Hiring Hero of the Week

March 25, 2019 HEROES OF HIRING, recruiting, staffing No comments

Personally finding jobs for more than 10,000 people; running a firm that’s helped 100,000 individuals find jobs; writing 4 bestselling job search books. These are just some of the results of the work of this week’s Hero of Hiring Tony Beshara. Tony has been a recruiter since 1973 and is the owner and president of Babich & Associates. Established in 1952, it’s the oldest placement and recruitment service in Texas. Tony’s reach in helping jobseekers also includes hosting a daily radio show on Dallas’ KVCE, “The Job Search Solution.” Thank you Tony for the heroic work you’ve done (and continue to do) throughout your impressive career.

BTW You can learn more Tony’s work and connect with him through his website.

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ABOUT THE HEROES OF HIRING

Get Jobseekers to Help You Speed Up Hiring

March 19, 2019 HR, interviewing, job hunting, leadership, recruiting, staffing, talent acquisition No comments

Quickening the pace of hiring remains a hot topic and rightly so. The time it takes to fill a job grows year after year.

Many ideas on faster hiring are focused on the employer. But what about jobseekers? Sustainable speed can only be achieved if both sides of the hiring equation are addressed.

Here are 4 things jobseekers can do (and you can suggest they do) that increase hiring speed and improve selection accuracy.

Eliminate misinformation
Recurring media reports from a variety of sources indicate that two-thirds or more of resumes contain misinformation. This frequent inaccuracy has elicited a knee-jerk response by companies—it’s assumed that resumes have exaggerations or flat-out lies and that these lies continue during interviews. To manage this, companies slow down the process and dive deep to find these erroneous details. Instead of hiring being built on trust, it’s a tedious process filled with suspicion and doubt.

Combat this misinformation head on. Inform jobseekers that you’re not seeking perfect people, but people who perfectly represent themselves on paper and in conversations. Share examples of how you’ve hired less than perfect people and helped them advance their careers. Make your company a place where potential hires can be safely transparent.

Avoid spraying and praying
Like a farmer spreading manure to fertilize plants, many job candidates are spraying their resumes far and wide, praying one will take root and land them an opportunity. Employers end up buried in a pile of resumes, many of which are a crappy fit (pun intended). Sorting through this takes time, and time kills making good hires. Especially when a talented person, who was at the bottom of the pile, is snapped up by a faster competitor.

Encourage jobseekers to take a more targeted approach to their search. Start by setting and communicating boundaries early. For example, in the content on your job opportunities landing page make it clear that you’ll only consider and respond to candidates who match required qualifications. Repeatedly reinforce and re-communicate this boundary. Popular places for doing so are on the page where candidates enter work history and just above the final “Submit” button for their application.

Offer proof instead of promises
Talk is cheap, especially when answering questions during interviews. Answering an interviewer’s questions may create a feel good moment, but these answers offer nothing in the way of proof of fit. That’s why so many good interviews turn into bad hires. Candidates talk themselves into the role, one that wasn’t a fit after all.

Have each candidate offer proof in place of promises that he or she will fit in. Instead of letting a candidate tell you how she’d solve a problem, have her show you in a role play. Rather than asking about his top skills, have him demonstrate those skills by performing sample work. Require the candidate to go beyond sharing stories of how she works well with others and let her show you how she’ll collaborate with your current team. Showing, instead of telling, provides proof for making an informed decision.

Make better choices
Searching for a job is an emotional experience. Too often feelings trump facts, prompting the jobseeker to accept a role because if feels right versus doing so because it is truly the right fit.

Teach jobseekers how to make decisions rooted in facts instead of feelings. One approach is to ask the candidate to make a list of dealmakers (must-haves) and dealbreakers (must-not haves) and send it to you for discussion during a phone interview. Compare the list to the job and your company. Let people know where things match up and where they don’t. With eyes wide open, you both get to make an informed choice of whether to move forward or not.

Helping jobseekers should be a top priority for everyone involved in hiring. Putting people to work is one way. Guiding them in how they seek work is another. Seize every opportunity you can to inform and educate jobseekers about their role in increasing speed and improving accuracy during the hiring experience. Your role in hiring gives you a unique opportunity to exert your influence beyond just filling the next job. Use that influence to make jobseekers better at their part of the hiring process. You’ll be giving them a gift that serves them the remainder of their careers.

Why Social Media Has Failed Recruiting (and What You Can Do to Make it Work Better for You)

February 27, 2019 lean recruiting, PODCASTS, recruiting, talent flow, talent inventory, technology No comments

Companies spend lots of money and effort recruiting on social media but that investment isn’t paying off like it should. Why that’s the case and how you can get the most from social media is the subject of this episode. Joining me are two special guests from WorkScene, a social media platform designed for recruiting. Michael Webb is the company’s Founder and CEO. Cyndy Trivella serves as Vice President of Strategic Relations.

You won’t want to miss their insightful commentary, including…

The number one reason why recruiting on social media is failing to draw in enough quality talent.
Steps you can take to improve your social media recruiting results.
Why talent communities are an important part of your future (if you want to effectively compete for top talent).
The importance of showcasing your company culture and how doing so attracts quality people.

During the podcast, Michael announced a special offer for listeners–a WorkScene Pro account FREE for 12 months. Be sure to listen for the code to take advantage of this offer. Click here to sign up using that code.

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An Unexpected Way to Improve Your Recruiting and Hiring Process

February 13, 2019 HR, PODCASTS, recruiting, staffing, talent acquisition No comments

Process improvement is an important leadership responsibility. This episode features a method for improving your recruiting and hiring process…a method many leaders haven’t yet considered.

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What Recruiters Should Invest Their Time in This Year

February 6, 2019 PODCASTS, recruiting, staffing, talent acquisition No comments

Time is more precious than money, so how recruiters invest their time should be a top priority. In this episode, I share one of the most important ways to invest time this year.

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Want to Fill More Staffing Orders? Change This One Thing

January 30, 2019 PODCASTS, recruiting, staffing No comments

I’m frequently asked how staffing and recruitment providers can fill open job orders when there aren’t enough people to fill them. I answer that question in this episode and also provide specific details for firms of different sizes.

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recruiting

Pam O’Connor–Hiring Hero of the Week

Interviews Are Rooted in Lies. Here’s How to Stop Participating in the Deception

Susanne Mather–Hiring Hero of the Week

What Winnie the Pooh Can Teach Us About Improving Recruiting Performance

Tony Beshara–Hiring Hero of the Week

Get Jobseekers to Help You Speed Up Hiring

Why Social Media Has Failed Recruiting (and What You Can Do to Make it Work Better for You)

An Unexpected Way to Improve Your Recruiting and Hiring Process

What Recruiters Should Invest Their Time in This Year

Want to Fill More Staffing Orders? Change This One Thing

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