I’ve been reading Hidden Business Treasures blog of late and have found some…well, treasures. Their post today – Stupid Motivational Tricks – provides an excellent suggestion to managers in regards to motivating their employees. We measure motivators using our assessments, but I think they hit on a more fundamental, over-arching principle that applies to all employees. Employees have been cross-trained, sensitivity trained, multi-tasked and quality circled. They’ve been enhanced, advanced, mission driven and value positioned. They’ve even been downsized, right-sized, smart-sized and out-placed. Don’t you think its time for just plain informed? What motivates employees? The same thing that motivates you. Trusted members of any team must have access to… Read More
Continue ReadingEthics Beatdown
BusinessWeek offers this article – Should I ‘fess Up to Lying on My Résumé? This one is going to leave a mark and I couldn’t agree more with the author. Some excerpts: From your point of view, stating that you majored in philosophy when you didn’t wasn’t a “big lie,” but your employer almost certainly won’t share your view. Why should they? Your résumé reflects who you are, what you value, and how much you have achieved. If you lie about something as important as your résumé, what will come next? Lying to a potential client to get his or her business? Lying to your boss about how things are… Read More
Continue ReadingAnother Cover Letter
Destined for the circular file: I am currently seeking full time employment with a company that I have the possibility to expand my resume. The statement seems innocuous enough, but reread the last part. “Expand my resume” speaks volumes to their self-focus and little to what contribution they will make to the company.
Continue ReadingNew Job Resolutions
The recently sold StarTribune offers this article that states the top 3 resolutions are “losing weight, saving money and getting a new job.” Seems logical to me in talking with others. I have to admit, I am not a fan of resolutions, but a few paragraphs from the article caught my eye. Research by Dr. Robert Maurer, based on the principles of kaizen (the industrial science of continuous improvement), can help you take the right small steps toward you next job.Example: By asking yourself one small question every day, such as, “If finding a new job were my top priority, what would I be thinking and doing now?” you can… Read More
Continue ReadingTech Time
We are in the process of updated some of the technology side of The Hire Sense so our posting has been non-existent. We should be completely upgraded today and plan to be back on the beat on Thursday. In the meantime, I give you this story from foxnews.com – Personalized Bobbleheads Catching On Among Regular Folks. Seriously, you can order a bobblehead in your own likeness. Bobbleheads, those shaky-headed 3-D caricatures, have jiggled free of their mass-produced roots of an earlier generation. Once merely featureless figures decked out in team colors and handed out on game day, they now depict just about anyone who wants one.Even Trumbo, a Des Moines… Read More
Continue ReadingMerry Christmas
Merry Christmas from all of us at Select Metrix and The Hire Sense.
Continue ReadingOnline Ads
From Fortune/CNN Money.com: A market research firm called Borrell Associates is now claiming that in 2006, online ad spending for employee recruitment – a.k.a., help wanted – has for the first time surpassed comparable spending in newspapers. The actual amounts are $5.9 billion on the Web vs. $5.4 billion for newspapers.We haven’t seen the full report, but in a thorough post, Alan Mutter quotes this nugget: “When the history of Internet advertising is written, recruitment sites will undoubtedly dominate the first chapter,” says Borrell. “In 12 years, these sites have grown from a few job boards to hundreds of niche competitors. Online recruitment now accounts for 25% of Internet advertising.”… Read More
Continue ReadingAce Ventura – Vet Recruiter
From our local Pioneer Press: A specialist veterinarian in Eden Prairie, Goullaud regularly receives letters from faraway clinics imploring him to “join our team.” Glossy recruiting brochures breathlessly promise him the chance to practice veterinary medicine “the way it could be the way it should be” if he would just relocate.The age of high-tech, big-bucks veterinary care has arrived, and specialists like Goullaud are riding high. With pet owners willing to pay more than $3,000 for canine pacemaker surgery, $1,250 for a stent and $600 for a CT scan, clinics are clamoring to add upscale services. I’m stunned at the fact a canine pacemaker even exists let alone the cost.… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Consistency and Reliability
Sales success is often achieved by consistent actions over an extended period of time. Many people have experienced the salesperson who starts out strong but eventually flame out. It seems the best salespeople have the ability to maintain success over an extended period of time. Consistency & Reliability This is the salesperson’s capacity to feel an internal need to be conscientious, consistent and reliable in their personal and/or professional efforts (life roles). This is an internal motivation as opposed to being motivated by external forces such as job, peer or supervisory pressures. A salesperson with strength in this trait will be dependable and reliable – tending to perform in most… Read More
Continue ReadingWhat Will Your Raise Be In 2007?
Less than 4% just like the past few years according to Fortune. That is unless you have specialized skills in office administration, the law, IT, and accounting and finance. In the case of an office administrator, you can expect: Senior executive assistants’ pay range in 2007 is expected to rise 6.5 percent, while senior office managers’ salaries are projected to run 8.2 percent higher than in 2006, reaching $52,000 a year at the high end.The salary guide also suggests ways to boost your market value: Add 9 percent to the salaries listed in the guide if you are bilingual, up to 10 percent if you hold a Microsoft Office Specialist… Read More
Continue Reading