No, not Coors. I’m talking about interview questions. More specifically, is there any catch-all interview question that will reveal the essence of the candidate. No. I read many articles that discuss interview strategies and most of them are exercises in theory. Maybe my sales background taints my perspective, but interviews are qualifying events for both the candidate and interviewer. What I mean is that template questions tend to generate template answers. For example: Q – “Where do you want to be in 5 years?” A – “I hope to use my leadership skills to expand my responsibilities within the company and move into a leadership position.” That exchange was worthless… Read More
Continue ReadingCrackBerry Lawsuits
Unbelievable. This seems like it must be a joke, but I doubt it. Here is the gist of the article: But instead of increased efficiency, lawsuits against employers who supply workers with gadgets are “very possible,” she says. Addiction to technology blamed by critics on the seeming ubiquity of portable e-mail devices, smartphones, cellphones and laptops, coupled with long working hours is hardly a new phenomenon. But Porter argues litigation could be the next step, as employees seek redress for technology dependence.
Continue ReadingAnecdote – Why Ask?
Friday and time for another anecdote as the week winds down. A while back, I was working with one of our clients who has a fairly complex sale in which they offer a high-end solution. Budget is one of the first qualifying questions in their sales process so we mirror that process in our sourcing. We ask candidates, “At what point do you qualify a prospect’s budget in your current sale?” As I talked with each candidate, I asked them this question to see if they could discuss this topic and how they handled customers who were reluctant to share their budget. Most of the candidates did well with this… Read More
Continue ReadingBackground Verification
In an article on Salary.com titled – Can Your Credit Report Hurt You in An Interview? An interesting statistic popped out at me – only 1 out of 5 small to medium-sized businesses run any form of background verification. 20%! I was shocked that the number is so low. Soap box time: If you are not already completing some form of background verification, start with your next hire and all subsequent hires. A true story to illustrate my point. Roughly 2 years ago, we were working with a client that was impressed with a candidate’s ability to close the deal (ask for and start the job). They liked him so… Read More
Continue ReadingEntry-Level Pay
Good article here from CareerJournal written as a “How To” for young workers entering the workforce. A good tip for any candidate from the article: Try not to play hardball at this level,” warns Mr. Gordon. But you don’t have to be a pushover either. Once you’ve got a number, remain positive about the position. Ask, don’t demand. No one wants to hear you need more money to take vacations in Cancun, but you might have a case for a higher salary if you have to move to a new city. Ask for a day or so to think it over. Another topic to be aware of is the fact… Read More
Continue ReadingInterview Blunders
CareerJournal.com references a survey from Korn/Ferry that identifies the most common interview blunders: Talking too much Lack of knowledge about company or position Over-inflated ego Appearing overly confident Inquiring about compensation too early in the process Unkempt appearance When selecting salespeople, an overly strong ego combined with a Dominant selling style is a recipe for disaster. These salespeople, at their worst, turn into a walking flamethrower. Their approach will aggravate most who come in contact with them – coworkers, customers and prospects. In case you were wondering (I was): unkempt = 1: not combed 2: deficient in order or neatness
Continue ReadingJobseekers & Sites
I thought I would pass along some stats and information I found regarding job boards & recruiting. This information can be found in a recent newsletter from Weedle’s, which is a research, publishing, consulting and training firm. They surveyed 750 job seekers and asked them how much time they normally spend on a job board. Here are their findings: 29.1% spend more than 30 minutes on each job board they visit 24.5% spend 11-20 minutes 22.3% spend 21-30 minutes 18.9% spend 6-10 minutes 5.2% blow in-and-out in 5 minutes or less They also provided some suggestions when trying to determine which sites to use in recruiting active vs. passive job… Read More
Continue ReadingHow to achieve success
I came across this article that is almost a year old on EyesOnsSales website this morning. It is titled Why Success is a Science (membership required). It is a short read but the author makes some great points. First, your current thinking regarding your abilities, your product and your industry is habitual – and we call that programming. This programming is buried in your subconscious mind, and it drives your behavior on a daily basis. These programs, or paradigms, came from outside sources and we often accept them without question. Many times our paradigm contains lack and limitation because a parent, teacher, coach, or another person we respected wanted to… Read More
Continue ReadingFinally Some Interviewer Tips – Part Deux
A few months back we posted on an article from CareerBuilder.com titled Top 10 Interview No No’s. One of the top 10 “no-no’s” is a topic that we discuss with our clients regularly. It is: 2. No Opening Monologue – It is often tempting to have a monologue at the beginning of your time with a candidate. Giving too much information about the type of candidate you are seeking, or providing a substantial amount of information about the position and responsibilities can be detrimental. Giving too many details upfront leads a candidate to tell you what you want to hear, instead of what he/she actually thinks. Do simple introductions and… Read More
Continue ReadingTermination Tips
Firing an employee is usually a difficult task unless things have degraded to a point where you are eager to terminate them. Nonetheless, there are some tips available for doing it the “right” way. CareerBuilder has a solid, basic article that hits the high points of terminating an employee – What to Know About Letting an Employee Go. Here’s a good tip from the article: It’s About Time It used to be the general consensus that late Friday afternoon was considered the ideal time to drop the hammer on an employee. But experts in the Human Resources industry now believe that earlier in the day, or even the week, is… Read More
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