It seems we come across this issue frequently so it merits some attention. The scenario is this – a company hires a strong salesperson and they fail within a short amount of time. The first question that is usually raised is why did we hire this person? Obviously, they were not the right fit, they weren’t talented, they were disingenuous in the interview, etc. But is this really the case? It could be, but there is one crucial piece of the equation that goes unexamined . . . management. This is a touchy subject with a company because you have to confront their perception. Most managers believe they are doing… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Importance of Your Boss
Sales & Marketing Management has a quick hitter of a story regarding an Adecco survey about the worker-boss relationship. I think most people are aware of this: “The relationship between a worker and his/her manager has very real implications for both employee satisfaction and performance,” says Ray Roe, president of Adecco North America. But here is a survey result that I found somewhat surprising: The younger the worker, the less impact the boss has on overall happiness. Among Generation Y workers, 53 percent said their relationship with their boss had no impact on their work-life happiness. However, 62 percent of baby boomers report their bosses have influence over their day-to-day… Read More
Continue ReadingFortune 500 Blogs
Business blogs seem to be the topic of the day here at The Hire Sense so I putzed around with Google and came across this interesting wiki site that is amassing the active public blogs concerning Fortune 500 companies. Their preliminary findings: According to our research, 40 (8%) of the Fortune 500 are blogging as of 10/05/06 Some of the blogs are written by employees while others are truly corporate-sponsored blogs.
Continue ReadingHiring Still Positive
CareerJournal.com has a quick hit story stating that hiring continues to increase though it shows signs of leveling off: The forecast for technical and professional jobs was strongest, at +23, down from +30 a year before; We have multiple technical positions that we are working on right now. This data seems accurate in our world. We have heard some discussions of manufacturing leveling off, but I’m not sure how severe that plateau will be.
Continue ReadingA Newspaper’s View of Blogs
Our local St. Paul Pioneer Press offers up a tantalizing headline with no meat to the story – To blog or not to blog? The alleged purpose of this 3 paragraph story is to discuss whether companies should blog or not (ed.-they should). However, take a look at this closing paragraph: One should always keep in mind that bloggers aren’t held to the same standards as, say, newspapers, governments or publicly traded companies when it comes to factual accuracy (or good spelling and grammar). But, once one applies that large grain of salt, this batch of blogs can be a tasty buffet. Right. Anyone who reads the New York Times… Read More
Continue ReadingA Latte In Every Cubical
Good news to start your Monday – Starbucks has a stated goal to reach 40,000 stores worldwide. Although I am much more of a Dunn Bros. fan, I am all for more coffee shops. We may have to consider moving Select Metrix headquarters to this building: The people who work in Seattle’s tallest building face a tough decision: should they get their caffeinated indulgence at the old Starbucks on the building’s first floor or the new Starbucks, 40 floors up? And, if those lines are too long, is it too far to walk across the street, where a third Starbucks awaits?
Continue ReadingPassionately Pink for the Cure
The Executive Restaurant Recruiter directs us to an excellent program called Passionately Pink for the Cure. From the M&M website: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to commemorate, we’ve created a special pack of M&M’S Chocolate Candies. Each time you buy one of the specially marked bags, we’ll make a donation* to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Help support breast cancer research and outreach programs while satisfying your sweet tooth! My wife was just 23 when she lost her mother to pancreatic cancer and I am certain many readers have had cancer affect their life in some manner. This is a worthy cause that can make… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Hooky Entitlement
The Pioneer Press posted this AP story – Playing hooky a popular pastime – Absence from work at 7-year high. I guess there are still companies that offer sick days as opposed to PTO. First, the breakout of sick day excuses: It found that personal illness accounts for only 35 percent of unscheduled absences, with the rest due to family issues (24 percent), personal needs (18 percent), stress (12 percent) and entitlement mentality (11 percent). I found the “entitlement” reason quite entertaining. I suspect some employees feel they have earned that time and choose to use it their own way. The piece of information I find most interesting is the… Read More
Continue ReadingLacking Basic Skills
The humorous look at cover emails and letters points to a growing problem amongst recent grads and younger employees. From Inc.com’s article Younger Employees Lack Basic Skills: Of 431 human resource managers polled, more than 70 percent said recently hired high school students proved to be deficient in academic skills, such as grammar, spelling, and written communications, according to a survey released on Oct. 4 by a coalition of business research and advocacy groups, including the Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.An overwhelming majority cited problems new hires had handling such routine tasks as writing memos, letters, and other reports, the survey… Read More
Continue ReadingAnecdote – Cover Emails/Letters
You knew we had to do it. These anecdotes come from Killian Advertising and their Cover Letters From Hell page. Absolutely classic content for your reading pleasure. First, I think their reasons for these poorly written communications are spot on. I believe point 1 is the primary explanation: A writer uses pseudo-legalese because he lacks confidence in his authentic voice. From undergraduates trying to ace our Creativity Test, to MBAs immersed in BizSpeak, applicants feel they must inflate their prose by imitating Dickens, or combing the thesaurus to select – sigh – precisely the wrong word. That misguided approach leads to this: “Who’s better to spew out incite, than a… Read More
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