Heard a great question from a candidate interview this morning – “What reservations would you have putting me in this role.” Friends, that’s what we call stone-cold qualifying.
Continue ReadingExcuses NOT To Use When Late!
I have been catching up on some reading while on this business trip and enjoyed an article that gave some outlandish excuses for being tardy to work. The SHRM article, titled Sorry I€™m Late; a Raccoon Stole My Shoe, will prepare you for the next time one of your employees is running late: Someone was following me and I drove all around town trying to lose them. My dog dialed 911 and the police wanted to question me about what really happened. My girlfriend got mad and destroyed all of my undergarments. I woke up and thought I was temporarily deaf. I just wasn€™t €œfeelin€™ it€ this morning. I was… Read More
Continue ReadingBe Specific In Your Requirements
I just read an employment ad for a company looking for a top-level salesperson. The over-written ad lists “Required Qualifications:” A bachelor’s degree in business or marketing and a minimum of 5 yrs of related experience; or, in lieu of the degree, a minimum of 9 yrs of related experience with ____________ and/or consulting is required. Avoid this nonsense – successful selling has more to do with hardwired abilities than it will ever have to do with degrees and years of experience. There is no formula for experience equaling sales ability so a statement like the one above screams HR dept. instead of the sales dept. The last bullet point… Read More
Continue ReadingSummer Vacations
This week school will be out for our kids and I found this SHRM article (membership required) interesting and timely. The article discusses how we here in the US are opting to move our vacations from the 2 week long once a year vacations to more 3-4 day weekend stints. A study was conducted by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. that looked at vacation habits of U.S. workers. €œWe are becoming a nation of the long weekend vacation, with workers looking ahead to each Monday/Friday holiday for the opportunity to turn a three-day weekend into a four- or five-day weekend. The switch to mini-vacations will only be accelerated by soaring… Read More
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