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Who’s Responsible for Hiring Success?

By Leslie Rothman

Many organizations state that people are their greatest assets, and in the age of knowledge capital this is usually true. Organizations continually work to raise the caliber of their workforce. Large amounts of money and time are spent creating elaborate training and assessment programs. Attention is also paid to recruiting new talent, but rarely is appropriate attention paid to the results of recruitment campaigns. Typically performance metrics for recruitment efforts are limited to cycle time (time to fill open positions) and cost/hire. In these
cases the HR recruiter is typically the one being measured, not the manager. Rarely do measurements include quality of hire, or track new hires’ success rates over time.

The Cost of Hiring

When you consider the effort, time, money and opportunity costs, consequences of a poor or marginal hire can be huge. A $50K position can take 4 – 12+ weeks to fill, with co-workers and the manager picking up the work from the open position as they can, and letting the rest go undone. Money is spent on advertising, interviewing and possibly relocation. Once on board, it typically takes 6 months to get a new person oriented. Significant time is invested by the department to bring the new hire up to speed before knowing if the person will become a solid contributor, or not.

Expensive Mistakes

What about when it’s “or not”? When a less than excellent match has been made, more effort goes into additional training or mentoring. If the results are not positive, the lengthy process of removing that person from the position may begin. The managers’ time is then spent on the removal process, and finally refilling the position. It’s not unrealistic to see a year go by, with opportunity costs for the manager whose time has been used unproductively and the department whose goals have not been met on schedule or within budget.

Build in Accountability

Although quality hiring is a key area of responsibility for both Management and Human Resources, in my many years of HR experience, I have rarely seen positive or negative consequences attached to the results of this critical job responsibility.

A simple, low cost solution is to hold managers and HR representatives accountable for the quality of their hiring. A new hire’s progress in the organization can be tracked at 6 months, a year, three and then five years out. Progress can be grouped into three categories, very successful, successful and unsuccessful. Measurements of success can include performance ratings/reviews, promotions, demotions, and turnover – both voluntary and involuntary (internal job changes, terminations and job eliminations).

If you, as a manager or HR professional, are thinking, our people do a good job hiring, or this doesn’t apply to us, I encourage you to check out your assumption. Take a look at your new hires’ success rates, over the short and long term and you may find a range of results.

Reward Success

Armed with data, your organization can find and reward those in HR and management who hire in the “stars” or high potential talent. By identifying individuals who do this repeatedly, your company can learn the methods they use – find out what they do and don’t do that sets them apart from others. You can include them in your selection process when you have critical openings or you can get these people to be part of your interviewer training and let them share their expertise. Give them organization wide recognition, as well as rewards through individual performance methods.

Discourage Mistakes

These metrics can also be used to identify individuals who hire in marginally successful and unsuccessful employees. People who make less than optimal matches between position and individual may benefit from additional training or coaching. For those that repeatedly make unimpressive hiring selections, hold them accountable. The immediate and longer-term success of hires (or lack of it) needs to be part of each manager’s performance evaluation, and should also be taken into account when individuals are considered for other management positions.

People pay attention to what gets noticed and measured. By increasing your organization’s attention to it, with very little cost and minimal time expended, selection quality can be improved. The end result will be money saved, increased productivity, and a more successful workforce and organization.

 

“Who’s Responsible for Hiring Success” is reprinted with permission by JobsInME.com and is a copyrighted publication of Career & Workplace Directions,LLC and cannot be copied without express written permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC.

Uncover More with Reverse Interviewing

By Leslie Rothman

Are you looking for new hires that are curious, take initiative, are workplace savvy, and want to find a great match for themselves? If the answer is yes, consider making reverse interviewing a part of your hiring process.

Rather than spending 95% of the interview time posing questions to candidates and allowing a few minutes at the end for their questions, adjust the process time to include 20 minutes for candidates to ask you questions about the position, the team and the organization.

WHY TAKE THE TIME?

Five Compelling Reasons:

1. Realistic Job Preview – Allowing candidates to ask questions about what is important to them helps them make a more informed decision about whether the position and organization is a good fit for their abilities, job requirements and desired work environment.

2. Underneath the Hood – Candidate questions provide great insight into what is important to them which helps you determine if their interests and motivations are aligned with the role, the organization’s culture and your managerial style.

3. Thinking Outside the Box – The quality of the candidates’ questions can illuminate their level of curiosity, confidence, and creativity. Do they ask basic questions like “What are the work hours?” “What tasks are most important?” Or do they demonstrate more in-depth thought and broader awareness; “How do your internal partners think the department is doing?” Are they focused on their needs or on how to contribute to the department’s success?

4. Prepare or Improvise? – If you let candidates know in advance there will be allotted time for their questions, you will gain insight on their level of preparation and effort. If you don’t give advance notice, you’ll get a sense of how well they think on their feet. Determine up front which attribute (advance preparation or quick thinking) is most important to the position and communicate the process accordingly.

5. Team Learning – Your interview team’s responses (during and post interview) will provide insight into their alignment with the open position and perspective on the department. Additionally, having questions asked of you and your team will help you think about interviewing from the candidate’s perspective, and you may discover ways to clarify the position or areas of focus for future interviews.

Compared with typical employer-oriented interviews, reverse interviewing will provide your candidates more valuable information and a sense that their needs are important. You’ll acquire a deeper level of understanding about each candidate and far more insight into who they really are.

Give it a try and take a turn sitting on the other side of the table!

HR and your Company Brand

by Leslie Rothman

With a focus on viewing all candidates and new hires like valued potential customers, HR can dramatically improve their talent acquisition process and positively affect their company’s brand.

Company Brand – Do your HR practices enhance or detract?

As HR professionals we know that a company’s brand impacts an organization’s ability to attract sought after job candidates. The flip side of that is also true, an organization’s recruitment process and track record with candidates impacts the company’s brand as well.

A 2014 survey conducted by Nielsen for Ceridian’s annual The Pulse of Talent revealed;

  • 44% of surveyed applicants indicate a negative recruiting experience made them less inclined to buy the company’s products and services 

  • 68% of respondents said that poor applicant communication has a negative impact on their overall impression of the company 


Job Candidates publicize their Experiences!

In the same way that consumers are quick to publicize their views about a company’s products and services, social networking sites like Facebook and Glassdoor provide a very public voice to candidates and employees who share recruiting and employment experiences, which can positively or negatively impact an organization’s brand.

What can HR DO?

So what can HR do to ensure they bring in desired candidates and positively contribute to their company’s brand?

Differentiate!

Differentiate your organization’s recruitment process by attending to critical candidate touch points. Take a hard look at how your organization handles the details of recruiting and on-boarding communication as it relates to;

  • job announcements / postings
  • candidate application / interview processes 

  • supervisor / new hire alignment 


With additional insights and techniques, you will be able to critique and approach your talent acquisition and on-boarding processes in new ways, and boost your ability to attract and retain the talented people you are seeking to make your workforce exceptional. And while you’re doing it, you’ll be making a positive contribution to your organization’s brand.

 

“HR and Your Company Brand, do your Practices Enhance or Detract?” is a copyrighted publication of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC and cannot be copied or printed without express permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC.

An Ending Era: Workforce Demographics

By Leslie Rothman

The era of the disposable employee is coming to a close. The mindset that has surrounded the workplace since baby boomers aplenty entered it in the 60’s and beyond has been “we can find ready, willing, and capable employees if the ones we have don’t work out.” This attitude mirrors our broader societal context of a world at our disposal, with vast resources available for our use. In Human Resources we’ve worked hard to influence this mindset – represented by our changing terminology from Personnel to Human Resources. By referencing employees as “valuable assets,” “associates,” and now “talent” we have championed the innate value of employees with varying degrees of success.

Changing Demographics

We now have both the opportunity and the necessity to lead a shift in thinking which is as far reaching and fundamental as moving the workplace from the industrial era to the information age. What’s driving this need to shift our thinking? The answer is demographics, in two distinct ways. The number of people departing and entering the workplace as well as the changing mix of generations in the workplace as this ebb and flow occurs.

The number of people departing and entering the workplace

This is a simple result of our changing demographics. It significantly alters the supply and demand curves for employees. “The U.S. birthrate continues to decline. By 2025, 1 in 5 workers will be over age 55. The slowing of the workforce translates to an estimated shortfall of 20 million workers over the next 20 years.”

  • “With retiring baby boomers and a 5.7% decrease in 25-39 year olds by 2010, there will be a shortfall of 7.4 million bachelor degree holders in the workforce by 2012″¹
  • The current recession will slow the exodus of retirement eligible baby boomers.²

However, as employees, this group will seek different organizational roles, many looking for an opportunity to “downshift” their careers, schedules, and work commitments; and eventually they will depart the workforce.

The changing mix of generations in the workplace

The baby boom generation currently makes up the largest percentage of U.S. political, cultural, industrial, and academic leadership. As the reigning leadership group, it will be critical for baby boomers to really understand and accept the very different values and needs of the generations behind them that are becoming a more critical part of the workforce.

Generational Values and Norms

Compare these generational values and norms regarding the workplace:

TRADITIONALS (Born prior to 1946)

Respect for time in a position
Adhere to rules and are loyal to organizations
Value education and sacrifice
Conform to, and respect authority

BABY BOOMERS (1946 -1964)

Focus on values – optimistic about contributions they can make
Team-oriented and expect to have a voice at the table
Value loyalty and “paid their dues”
“Give 110%” -self sacrificing and driven

GEN X ERS (1965 -1980)

Present fresh perspectives, are individualistic
Not intimidated by status, power, authority
Value a fun and stimulating work environment
Focus on family first -between work and home

GEN Y’S (1981-1999)

Value diversity and no gender role bias
Seek out social aspects of the workplace
Present confidence and optimism
Desire clear goals and on-going feedback

When these differing values and motivators mix and mingle in the workplace, there is plenty of opportunity for misunderstandings and un-met needs.

A clear difference with the earlier generations of Traditionals and Baby Boomers and the Gen Xers and Ys is that these newcomers to the workforce are less likely to stick around if work doesn’t provide plenty of ongoing stimulation, fun and learning, and reward them for what they bring to the workplace. They will demand ongoing opportunities for growth, building competence, and continual challenge. Motivating, rewarding, and coaching employees will take prominence in retaining them.

Paradigm Shift

What does this Paradigm Shift mean for us? The “easy come and easy go” mindset must change, or organizations will not be successful. Both the ability to hire and retain will be impacted if an organization can’t make this shift.

An organization’s growth will be limited as well its productivity. You may think, “I’ve heard this already. We have some new programs in place.” However to really change this mindset requires a paradigm shift. The context surrounding how we operate as organizations and leaders must be altered. Good employees will become increasingly harder to find and much quicker to leave. We must treat them with respect and care.

This shift parallels the way we have started to view our larger world and the planet’s resources.The increasingly familiar slogan of reuse, recycle, renew can be applied to our workforce. How about?:

Refresh, Retrain, Renew

If we refresh, retrain, and renew organizations remain strong, vibrant and sustainable.

How can we accomplish this?

This shift in mindset impacts all aspects of HR work. We will need to:

  • Develop policies that match the mantra, like flexible benefits and work schedules, time off, and career and family sabbaticals.
  • Fund solid financial investment that supports career stewardship, personal and professional development.

  • Most importantly, develop tangible incentives for the behaviors and attitudes we want to promote.

Leadership: Critical Area of Focus

Retraining leadership at all levels so they recognize and acknowledge this necessary shift and then adapt new behaviors is the most critical area of focus.

The role of the manager will now require the ability to teach, stimulate, communicate in new ways, and actively promote the growth and support the flexibility of each individual. The long held attitude of “we had to pay our dues, work our way up, put in long hours, sacrifice and stay loyal so they should too” goes the way of the dinosaurs.

Not unlike global warming, the first challenge is to get widespread acknowledgement of the impending landscape. The next step is to create a new vision for our workplaces, then develop policies and programs, shape and model new practices and behaviors, and provide explicit individual and organizational rewards to change the behaviors of past decades.

It takes time, and we have some.

Let’s use it wisely.

 

An Ending Era was reprinted with permission from the Spring H.R. Convention, 2009 and is a copyright publication of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC and cannot be copied without the express written permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC. Copyright © 2009 by Leslie Rothman, Career & Workplace Directions.

¹K. Tyler (2002). Neckties to noserings: Earning the trust of a multigenerational workforce. From: www.businessleader.com/bl/aug02/necktiestonoserings.html

²Data from the report, “The Convergence of the Aging Workforce and Accessible Technology: The implications for commerce, business, and policy.” 2007 and the Employment Policy Foundation

Enticing Job Postings attract Great Employees

by Leslie Rothman

You can categorically differentiate your organization by attending to this first critical candidate touch point in your recruiting process. Take a look at how you handle the details of your job announcements — your advertisement designed to attract great applicants. Think of potential applicants as important customers who you want to “buy” your opportunity.

Your goal is to get high caliber applicants responding to the positions you spend time and money to post, so catch their attention and reel them in! You won’t do that by simply lifting your company’s dry and often lengthy job description to create a posting. This is especially true if you are trying to entice people who are satisfied with their current employment situation and are passively interested in other opportunities.

Make that Posting Pop!

Sell the opportunity in the first few lines

If you post on a job board, the first few sentences of your posting can appear right under the position title. Postings are picked up through a variety of social network forums and job boards, so make those first sentences count by talking about the opportunity or impact of the position. Start out by focusing on what potential applicants are looking for, not what your organization needs.

As an example — “If leading a claims management department from a functioning group to a great team interests you….”

Promote the company

Include a paragraph about the company’s mission or vision, or the kind of workplace you have or are striving to be. Here is a place to speak to your company’s employment “brand”, or best features.

Highlight just 5 – 8 most important responsibilities, and expected outcomes

Avoid using a 15+ bulleted list of “essential functions” or a task list straight from the job description. Change your perspective to thinking of your desired candidate and sell the job responsibilities to them.

As an example — “Identify process improvement opportunities, with a goal of decreasing handoffs and time to complete an order.”

State only key requirements for the position

Include necessary content expertise as well as abilities that relate to getting the job done in your organization’s culture. Again, stick to the most important things that an applicant must have, not an all-inclusive wish list. One of our job seeking clients so aptly described his frustration with the off putting typical posting, “The job postings with excessively long lists of requirements that no mere mortal could ever meet.”

And with your key requirements, be specific. Instead of “excellent communication skills”, identify the kind of communication that is required to be successful in this role.

As an example — “Ability to develop, communicate and present business cases to support project resource allocations.”

Visual Impressions Count

This doesn’t mean you need fancy graphics however most readers, especially those who are just casually looking, won’t eagerly plow through a paragraph that is 4 inches of dense text describing job duties. Similar to when you view an applicant’s resume; it matters if it is easy for the eye to read.

Your upfront time will pay off. You’ll receive more high quality responses and they’ll be from applicants that are already excited about what you have to offer and who, in turn, will take the time to make a strong impression. And while you’re at it, you’ll be making a positive contribution to your organization’s brand.

 

“Enticing Position Announcements attract Great Employees” is a copyrighted publication of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC and cannot be copied or printed without express permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC.

Differentiate your organization and acquire top talent!

by Leslie Rothman

HR and Company Brand

HR has a tremendous opportunity to contribute to their company’s success, both in finding top talent to support organizational growth, and maintaining a strong positive company brand. More challenging than ever, it all starts with the process of recruiting talented people.

The Landscape

At the January 2015 Mainebiz forum, Five on the Future, the predominant theme mentioned across industries statewide – there are more jobs than people to fill them. We heard loud and clear that attracting talent is the #1 concern of Maine employers. Talent shortages exist for many skilled positions.

Talent Shortage #1 Concern

Driving this talent shortage in Maine is demographics. We see an increasing number of people departing the workplace and smaller numbers entering it with a well acknowledged aging population, as many young people move out of state during their prime work years. These factors all combine to make finding top talent increasingly difficult.

Who Is Out There?

Examining the talent pool can help HR hone its recruiting approaches. The mix of generations in the workplace is changing. A clear difference with the earlier generations of Traditionals and Baby Boomers and the and Gen Xers and Ys is that these newcomers to the workforce are interested in different workplace environments and benefits and will be less interested in seeking employment in organizations that don’t match their needs.

As Maine’s supply of skilled talent decreases, employers are looking out of state. Attracting people to Maine is tricky, as Maine salaries have typically lagged behind other New England states. There are fewer employers to support potential applicants’ sense of security in making a move to Maine.

An often sought after group in the workforce is the “passive job seeker”, an individual defined as “gainfully employed but open to new opportunities” who typically isn’t conducting an aggressive job search. Individuals in this group may toss their hat in the ring if an enticing job opportunity presents itself.

This workforce landscape poses many unique challenges. Drawing in applicants from any of these groups calls for paying attention to the critical candidate and new hire touch points at every stage of the acquisition process.

Social Media and Recruitment

As HR professionals we know that a company’s brand impacts the organization’s ability to attract sought after job candidates. The flip side of that is also true, an organization’s recruitment process and track record with candidates also impacts the company’s brand.

In a 2014 survey conducted by Nielsen for Ceridian’s annual The Pulse of Talent, their findings revealed;

  • Recruitment policies and processes are critical to building and maintaining a strong company brand
  • 44% of surveyed applicants indicate a negative recruiting experience made them less inclined to buy the company’s products and services
  • 68% of respondents said that poor applicant communication has a negative impact on their overall impression of the company 
In many organizations HR is utilizing social media and networks as a vehicle to publicize, identify and solicit talent to their organization.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Glassdoor also wield tremendous power, giving current and potential employees a public voice to share recruiting and employment experiences that can immediately positively or negatively impact an organization’s brand.

So what can HR do to ensure they bring in desired candidates and positively contribute to their company’s brand? 


HR Opportunity to Differentiate



With a focus on viewing all candidates and new hires like valued potential customers, HR can dramatically improve their talent acquisition process and positively affect the company’s brand. 
There is also a significant unrealized opportunity to clearly differentiate an organization’s recruitment process and garner top talent by attending to candidate touch points, the details of recruiting and on-boarding communication in these 3 areas – job announcements/postings, candidate application/interview processes, and supervisor/new hire alignment. 


Postings that Pop


If you want strong, qualified applicants to respond to the positions you spend time and money to publicize, you need to catch their attention and reel them in. You won’t do that by simply lifting your company’s dry and often lengthy job description to create a posting. This is especially true if you are trying to entice people who are satisfied with their current employment situation and are passively interested in other opportunities.


“Customer-like” Communication


By better understanding job candidates critical touch points, and what makes positive and negative impressions you will be able to ensure that the potentially public nature of a candidate’s experience with your organization furthers your brand in positive way – and keeps 

talented applicants interested. Put yourself in the position of an applicant, and go through your own entire process. Solicit input from new hires anonymously to gain their recent applicant perspective.

Conduct your own “Focus Group” and randomly sample candidates who weren’t selected and listen to their feedback.

On-Boarding Alignment

A process to align new hires with their supervisors so they can “hit the ground” running with positive and focused energy will go a long way toward optimizing your recruiting investment and retaining your new hire.

Support your managers in developing a new employee and manager relationship as they would getting comfortable with a new dance or tennis partner. One approach is to just “wing” it and get out there, with the inevitable result of stepping on each other’s toes or bumping into each other because they’re both going after the same shot. Or you can support them in articulating up front how they’ll work together to maximize the talents and efforts of a new hire.

An initial conversation that starts the work relationship out on the right foot is frequently missed. There are two areas that once discussed, can result in significantly improved acclimation to the job and the manager, resulting in getting the new hire productive and up to speed faster.

  • WHAT needs to be done
  • HOW you’ll work together 


With additional insights and techniques, you will be able to critique and approach your talent acquisition and on-boarding processes in new ways, and boost your ability to attract and retain the talented people you are seeking to make your workforce exceptional.

 

“Differentiate Your Organization and Acquire Top Talent” is a copyrighted publication of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC and cannot be copied or printed without express permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC.