I just caught up to this story from the Tennessean.com – Photo of boy’s grief, courage touches nation. This is a moving story with a tremendous picture of courage from a young boy at his father’s funeral. Please don’t miss this article or fail to remember our troops this Memorial Day. “All gave some and some gave all.”
Continue ReadingHappy Barbecue Day
We’re set to enjoy the unofficial start of summer here at The Hire Sense by doing what most Americans do this day – fire up the barby. Being the slaves to pop culture that we are, I have to share this article from foxnews.com with you – Coming Soon to a Barbecue Near You: Infrared Burners. I wasn’t aware of this technology but now my interest (and hopefully yours, too) is piqued. For a quarter century, chefs at pricey steakhouses have been searing meat on burners that cook with infrared energy. Now the high-temperature technology may be coming to a backyard barbecue near you. With the expiration of a key… Read More
Continue ReadingDealing With The High D
Much of the emotional writing around Bob Nardelli (former CEO of Home Depot) involves his pay package and the implication that he was incompetent. But what is the actual transgression he committed? You’ll notice that many of the articles attack his severance package without listing the reason why he was ousted by the board. Home Depot’s profits doubled in his 6 years as CEO. The new housing market was quite strong during this period, but he still deserves credit as being the leader during this time. Today I found a Pioneer Planet article titled Home Depot looks to move past missteps under ex-CEO that finally discusses Nardelli’s “missteps.” The new chief… Read More
Continue Reading"Looking For Clues" When You Should Assess
Some of these articles get frustrating in that many of these errors can be avoided with a proper hiring process. From Inc.com’s Employers Often Misread Job Applicants: Similarly, out of 400 human resource managers polled, 59 percent said they have misjudged an applicant as being a good fit for the company, while 85 percent said they had lost an employee that simply wasn’t suited to the firm’s work environment, the survey found. According to Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam, the interview is a prime opportunity for job seekers to assess the organization. “The interview is a two-way street,” Domeyer said in a statement. “Employers are looking for clues to… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Conceptual Thinking
Complex selling requires salespeople to have a long-term perspective that they incorporate into their short-term tactics. This trait can be measured in candidates and existing employees. Conceptual Thinking The ability to identify and evaluate resources while planning for their utilization throughout the execution of comprehensive, long-range plans. This trait is much more abstract than concrete organization; it deals with the ability to allocate resources in a mental scenario and accurately visualize outcomes. A salesperson with strength in this trait can mentally role-play the execution of the long-range projection and make accurate predictions concerning the possible outcomes. A salesperson with weakness in this trait may have difficulty clearly seeing such a mental scenario, thus tending to… Read More
Continue ReadingWhere The Tech Jobs Are
CNNMoney.com’s 10 great job markets for techies uses job listings from Dice.com to determine where the overall highest number of tech jobs (programmers, network administrators, etc.) are located. Their findings: 1. New York/New Jersey – 11,044 postings 2. Washington, D.C. – 7,971 postings 3. Silicon Valley – 6,755 postings 4. Los Angeles – 4,546 postings 5. Chicago – 4,241 postings 6. Boston – 4,167 postings 7. Philadelphia – 3,156 postings 8. Dallas – 3,084 postings 9. Atlanta – 2,987 postings 10. Seattle – 2,309 postings I wouldn’t call it scientific, but it is certainly indicative of the tech boom that is underway. We have done some work recently finding salespeople for… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Boomers Will Not Retire…Sort Of
The Baby Boomers are huge in numbers and quickly heading towards retirement. Generation X is a small generation in terms of numbers. This disparity is the basis for the impending worker shortage. Ah, but the market often has methods for correcting and adapting itself. The Herman Group’s latest newsletter (sorry, no link) offers a look at one adjustment that is underway: The good news is most Baby Boomers simply don€™t want to retire, at least not in the traditional sense. They are much more interested in re-careering. Here€™s why: *22 percent are bored with the mere thought of retirement. They don€™t want to sit on front porch in the rocking chair… Read More
Continue ReadingTruncating Gone Bad
From my monster.com job search agent this morning: Relocation Administrative Ass / XYZ Company / Minneapolis, MN I have a few candidates for that position.
Continue ReadingOvercoming Objections
Objections are the common hurdle to all sales in all markets. As a sales manager, you need to be able to coach your salespeople through the common objections they will encounter. ManageSmarter.com offers this article – Sales Objections Overruled – as a quick read for handling 5 different objections. I wouldn’t characterize the solutions in the article as groundbreaking, but there is one deserving of comment: 4. Timing: “We’re fine for now.”Some folks just want to sit pat and avoid change€”or at least delay it. They eschew opportunities to grow. Nicely ask: “How has that worked for you so far?” Ask them: “Are you aware of your competitor’s recent moves?” Emphasize… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Whole Truth In An Ad
This excerpt is from a sales ad for an entry-level salesperson (my redaction): In other words, this position is a perfect fit for an ‘up-and-comer’ who is looking to be a key contributor to a high-growth organization that is helping to define the ______ future. Beyond your ‘role,’ you will be an integral part of an overall pioneering team and can be called upon, along with everyone else, to shuttle out-of-town visitors to airports, take out trash, do dishes, whip up hot cocoa for guests, or chase down the FedEx truck to take just one last package. You name it, if it moves the enterprise forward, you’ll likely be called… Read More
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