It is Friday once again and time for another anecdote. In case you haven’t noticed, the phone screen is the source for most of these humorous encounters. I was recently conducting a phone screen for a high tech company with a complex sale. I asked the candidate what products and services he had sold and how this experience fit the requirements of the position listed in the ad. He replied with: That’s easy – my background fits very well. I’ve been a comic for over 10 years, an agent, sold cars at a dealership and car washes to gas stations. He never tied these experiences nor the skills he gained… Read More
Continue ReadingGenerational Differences
Let’s keep the generations topic rolling this Friday. The workplace generations are transitioning as the boomers exit and the X’ers assume leadership roles. This topic is one we have written about here and here. This week I came across an article by Kevin Wheeler titled Generational Differences Make All the Difference. The article is an interesting read as he dives deep into the 3 major generations in the workplace today. I’ll give you a sample from each generation as a preview to the well-written article. Baby Boomers Career advancement is of key importance as are promotional opportunities and the chance to make a real impact. This is a generation of… Read More
Continue ReadingHow to Manage a Staff of Young Employees – Part 2
As I was reading through SHRM’s recent survey on Job Satisfaction (subscription required), a couple of stats really jumped out at me that further indicate the gap in what satisfies and motivates the different generations of workers. Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction on 21 different aspects of their work environment. They used a standard 1 to 5 scale (1=very unimportant up to 5=very important). Here are some of the topical results broken out by employee age followed by avg. score: Career advancement: under 35 – 4.41 36 to 55-3.85 over 56-3.53 Career development opportunities: under 35 – 4.49 36 to 55 – 4.09 over 56 – 3.85 Job-specific… Read More
Continue ReadingWorking Close to Home
If you read The Hire Sense, you already know we love lists. This one is timely considering the current oil prices (they closed at a record high yesterday). Relocating for a Job That’s Closer to Home lists the shortest commutes based on time. No. 1: Wichita, KS = 21.1 minutes No. 2: Omaha, NE = 21.3 minutes No. 3: Toledo, OH = 22.2 minutes I know, tenths of a minute is a fine resolution for measurement. Nonetheless, I have recently driven to both Wichita and Omaha and you can certainly get around both towns quickly. Telecommuting will continue to be a hot hiring topic as there are few signs that… Read More
Continue ReadingTech Company CEO’s on Talent
From CareerJournal.com – Surveying the Field: Tapping IT Talent: In the survey, 66% of the CEOs said high-quality employees are the biggest contributors to growth, outranking strategy and leadership. Last year, 25% cited high-quality employees as the top growth factor. I emphasized the stats. 25% to 66% is a remarkable change and indicative of the tight (and tightening) labor market.
Continue ReadingAn Argument Against Assessing
Bob Rosner at the Working Wounded Blog pens a post – Professional Self-Deception – that argues against using assessments for existing employees. That caught my eye. Surprisingly, I agree with him in one regard. Self reported assessments are marginal at best. In Bob’s words: And that, in a nutshell, is why I think these tests are so bogus because they don’t pursue an objective view of your performance, but simply quantify our own self-deceptions. Exactly. I read that sentence and immediately think of the Myers-Briggs assessment. We have seen coworkers completely miss on the Myers-Briggs since they think they need to be a certain style. We only incorporate assessments that… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Compensation Plans
Sales&Marketing Management has a topical email newsletter that hits on some common issues. There is no link to their email so I’ll post the entire message here (emphasis mine): Sales force productivity remains a big problem for many executives. According to a one survey of executives at 67 companies across a wide range of industries, 60 percent are dissatisfied with sales force efficiency and effectiveness, with almost half saying that goals were not met. So what should managers do to boost productivity? Perhaps they should take another look at their compensation plans. Here are some tips to make sure your comp plan is up to speed: 1. Make It Simple… Read More
Continue ReadingCheerleaders as Salespeople
In all my years, I have never heard of this: Cheerleading to Sales: The Leap is More Common Than One Might Assume While the idea of recruiting current and former cheerleaders to work as professional salespersons may seem like a stretch, in reality it isn’t. If you want individuals who aren’t afraid of performing under pressure, are outgoing, dedicated, and are enthusiastic about getting others involved, cheerleaders are a perfect fit. Pharmaceutical firms and network communication equipment companies have both found cheerleaders to be phenomenal at sales. The leap from the football field to the sales profession is so common that it can support a placement agency known as Spirited… Read More
Continue ReadingHow Not To Stand Out – Part 3
More fun with the online resumes. See if you notice anything about this email cover statement: “If your a serious company, that knows how to compensate your consultants, and your looking for serious help, call.” Spelling error aside, it is not wise to challenge the seriousness of a company when you are job hunting. I’m not sure if there is ever a good time for that topic. Anyway, you notice that this self-proclaimed “serious” salesperson wants the company to call him. Not exactly a self-starting approach. I would be quite cautious regarding a sales candidate who is waiting for the phone to ring as opposed to aggressively contacting prospective employers… Read More
Continue ReadingDeep Thoughts in Email Signatures
It’s a holiday weekend so we’ll look for levity here at The Hire Sense. Remember “Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey” on Saturday Night Live? This article from CareerJournal.com is quite amusing in that same vein. The author comments on those pithy little sayings that many emailers attach to their signature. Read the article – it is quite amusing. My favorite: “There are 10 kinds of people in this world — Those who understand binary and those who don’t.”
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