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Why Do New Hires Fail?

Ingrid Baker — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:08:07 +0000

Both hiring executives and new employees have a fear of failing when adding staff to the company. As a result, recruiters have tried to come up with ways to screen for success. These range from holding extensive interviews to putting applicants through rigorous testing processes. Yet there are still mis-matches and thus frustration on both sides of the hiring equation.
At Technology Ventures Corporation one of our continuing education topics is on the subject of recruiting the right talent. We talk about things to watch out for, and things to ask a prospective hire, as well as what types of screening are available. However, we haven’t been able to find the magic bullet!
An article in a Canadian HR publication (hrreporter.com – Oct 211) interviewed Canadian CFOs on the top factors leading to a failed hire. They were asked what, aside from poor performance, was the most likely factor in a poor hiring match.
The list, from highest to lowest choices were; mismatched skill set, unclear performance expectations, personality conflicts, and failure to fit into the corporate culture. The CEO of Robert Half International stated (as we all know) that companies can’t afford hiring mistakes as they are costly and erode company morale. Finding the right hire for the company takes time, and even the busiest manager needs to make time for the process.
Therein lies the secret. The hiring process needs to be given the same importance as the monthly financial review. The biggest mistake a company can make (and the Robert Half Agency mentions this also) is to use a canned or cobbled together job description. Companies need to review the position each time they fill it, as needs always change over time, and the people doing the hiring need to be very clear about what is required to do the job.
As part of the position description, the company needs to take into account the candidates work style. Employers often neglect to take into account talents such as leadership and communications skills needed in the job. A mismatch here can make for disaster.
The art of the interview is SO important in the process. Anyone can look good on paper, but conversations with the applicants can allow you to assess not only their skill set, but also their personal skills, such as being able to clearly express ideas (and listen to yours!).
Finally – don’t let the good one get away. Even in these economic times highly skilled applicants will get more than one offer. Make sure you sell your organization and the opportunities involved, and offer a compensation package that is competitive in the market.
Use all the resources you can to help make the final evaluation – and as always, good luck!

Startups Need a Team

Ingrid Baker — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:59:47 +0000

Entrepreneurs are unique individuals with (usually) visionary ideas they are trying to develop into a real business or product. Many articles have been written about the personality that is the entrepreneur, including that they are loners and intensely focused, somewhat socially inept, stay up late…all not typical of the successful leader. In reality, the entrepreneur had to be able to bring people together and get them to buy into the vision. He/she has to be a great marketer, financially astute, and have well developed interpersonal communications skills. Being a great networker is vital to success.

One of the most difficult tasks, other than actually getting a product to market, or at least funded, is pulling together the individuals (with the skills needed) to move the vision forward. The team that comes together to work on the project needs to work collaboratively and yet the individual member needs to exert influence in their field of expertise. These team members also have to be flexible and not afraid of risk.

A major decision for the entrepreneur is whether to add a co-founder. An article on the blog site www.onstartups.com discusses why you want a co-founder and how to choose one. The article “Choosing a Minimally Viable Co-founder” by Dharmesh Shaw, first outlines the reason for one. It can be summed up in the African proverb: “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Having someone to share the ups and downs, to bounce ideas off of, and to help get things done, is valuable in the startup world. So, the author writes, while you are on your quest, keep a sharp eye out for the awesome candidate that can help you “go far”.

The article provides some key guidelines to help you in this search. They are ideas such as: you have to be able to trust them, they have to be brilliant at building or selling, they commit to the company and not just the current idea, they are likeable, and they do stuff (not just think about it). Also important as characteristics are whether they crank and grind (as hard as you do) and they are reasonable and rational.

The purpose of the list, and the caution of the article, is to not waste time looking for “perfect” but recognize someone with great skills that line up with your goals. One issue that comes up with co-founders is the same issue that comes up when entrepreneurs go looking for funding - that you have to give up some control. The end result is the key in both cases, having a successful startup that creates wealth, and that you get your share.

Interview Questions Guidelines – Some Things You Don’t Want to Ask

Ingrid Baker — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:53:48 +0000

Interviewing job applicants is the most important step in making hiring decisions, and the most difficult. In my past blogs I have discussed various aspects of job applicant screening. In this one we look at the main goals of interviewing: Find out what the candidate knows, learn how their work skills have been tested in past work situations and where their aptitudes lie for future planning.

Typically in a one-hour interview the hiring manager will ask 10-12 questions, and these questions should be geared to learning as much as you can in regards to the above goals. However, there is a lot of prep time to hone these questions to produce the desired results.

Noah Apodaca, recruiter for UC Irvine, wrote an article for the Society for Human Resource Management newsletter (shrm.org) on what to ask and how to ask it to get the best response from your candidates. The questions need to give the candidate an opportunity to share their skills and experience

.
So here are a few examples of good/bad ways to ask the questions:
* Don’t ask: “Why do you want to work here/want this job?” This elicits a response on how great the company is and what a great opportunity they have. In fact the basic reason is that the candidate needs to make money!
* Ask instead – “What particular skills or experiences make you the best match for this position?”, or even more behavioral-based: What would your most recent supervisor say are the skills that make you the best-qualified candidate for this position?” This allows them to highlight the things they found to be important from researching the company and the position.
* Don’t ask: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” The obvious answer is with the company providing great contributions to the organization. This gives you no insight on the candidate’s vision concerning professional growth.
* Ask instead – “Where does this position fall in your career path?” This is more open ended, and also lets you see whether the candidate does have a vision or sees this job as a destination job.
* Don’t ask: “What was the worst thing about your last employer?” This encourages the candidate to whine, or in the least, break professional decorum.
* Ask instead – “What aspects of your previous position did you find most professionally challenging?” This allows candidates to reflect on how they felt their skills matched the challenges of their most recent workplace, and even to suggest how they would improve that situation.

This is just a short list of the types of interview questions that can be helpful to managers in trying to find the best person for the job. It is difficult, but a good outcome is rewarding both for the manager and the company. Good luck!

Hiring Predictions Looking Up

Ingrid Baker — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:43:20 +0000

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the Class of 2011, whose prospects were already better than those of the Class of 2010, will experience an even more positive hiring environment. Polls conducted with NACE member employers indicate a positive hiring index for January of 2011, with the February index showing an even higher response.
The scale used to scores responses ranges from 0-200, with 100 meaning no change. The January survey index was 120.9. In February the index jumped to 126.3. In addition, the percentage of employers that reported plans to hire more graduates has grown – to 53.3% based on a 39% response rate for the employer group.
On another note, a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey of employers in January of this year indicates that starting salaries may be slightly higher than last year. Their Leading Indicators of National Employment index also indicated that both manufacturing and service businesses expect to add employees. They also indicate that they expect recruiting to be more difficult than last year.
Finally, at the other end of the scale, it seems that some industries such as health care are concerned about replacing C-level people as the baby boomers start to retire. An AMA survey of 117 senior health care executives revealed that fewer than 7% of health care organizations are prepared to deal with a sudden loss of key leaders. Considering the huge changes coming down the pike for this industry, and considering also the predicted shortage of health care providers, the impact on business and individuals of this shortage could be major!
More surveys: global outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., June 9, 2010 found that turnover among top executives in the United States jumped 23.7 percent in May 2010, as 125 CEOs announced their departures,. Challenger found that in this group also, succession planning was lacking.
So – this could be a big opportunity for those middle management folks that were squeezed out in the last layoff to get their tools sharpened for the future! Someone has to fill these positions. Why not you?

Check Your Resume Against These Suggestions

Ingrid Baker — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:46:10 +0000

It is really difficult to write a good resume because you want to tell folks all the good things about you – but they just want to know if you can do the job! I’ve discussed resumes from the employer angle a number of times, and they are searching for truthfulness and a fit. They are also trying to get some sense of the person and their work style. Because they may receive PILES of resumes for a position, the more clearly and concisely you present your skills, the more likely your submittal will get noticed.
There is an art to focusing in on the skills a prospective employer will want while still presenting the breadth of talent that you offer. A number of websites offer general tips for presenting your best side.
One service, #1 Resume Writing Services, provides a simple list of 10 tips online. The list is as follows (for further discussion see the Resume site):
- Use titles or headings that match the job you want (assuming they are accurate!)
- Use design that grabs attention, so they’ll notice your resume in the pile
- Create content that sells – the art of descriptive phrases that attract attention
- Quantify, and use power words – numbers are powerful in themselves when describing achievements
- Analyze ads and job descriptions to identify key words – clues as to what the employer is asking for
- Identify and solve employer’s hidden needs – things like “plays well with others”
- Sell the benefit to employers of the skills you have – don’t just list the skills
- Create an image that matches the salary you want – such as the number of years of experience
- Prioritize the content in the resume – make sure the important stuff is at the top
- Most important – tweak and target your resume and cover letter for the job you seek. Highlight the skills you have relevant to the position.

After you have done the work and have targets in mind, have someone familiar with the industry review your resume. They can help you with target words and presentation. Also our High Tech Job Forum will do a once-over for you free of charge. We work with a number of high tech employers to help them recruit and would be happy to give you a sense of whether you are on target.
Good luck!

Cause & Effect: Hiring/Interviewing Well

Ingrid Baker — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:57:08 +0000

I find it very interesting that articles on how to retain your employees and how to hire successfully are intimately intertwined. The overall assumption is that if you interview carefully, you and the candidate will have a long and happy life together.
As a job applicant, the same rules apply. For every “suggested question” the interviewer/recruiter asks, you need to ask others to find out what you need to know about the job.
Some suggested reasons for why employees might not stay, gathered from resource Profiles International, are as follows:
* Inadequate capability
* Poor job fit
* Fuzzy goals and accountabilities
* Poor relationship with manager
* Poor relationship with co-workers
* Health and wellness issues
* Physical and environmental factors
On the other hand, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has an article on its site listing the three main goals of a good interview:
* Find out as much as possible about what the candidate knows.
* Learn how their work skills have been applied and tested in work situations.
* Determine where their aptitudes lie, defining the path of future growth and development.

If you glance between the two, it appears that the interview list covers most of the “why they leave” list. Health and wellness and environmental factors may be harder to control for, but the rest seems to fit.
The SHRM article gives some great advice – check your interview questions (and expected answers) against the interview goals and make sure they mesh. Also ask the questions to get the best personal insight from the interviewee.
One sample question, asked two ways, illustrates the management part of the interview. The general question “where do you see yourself in five years” is fairly open-ended (they might have a terminal illness!) and won’t get the best response. Instead “Where does this position fall along your career path” provides the opportunity for a more specific response.
Again, as a job seeker, give real thought to these questions, as you want to make sure this opportunity is a fit for you. You need to give the prospective employer a chance to know you, to avoid the “misfit” thing.
Of course the one event no one can protect against is a major change in leadership, or even in business focus. Therefore the employer should always be looking for people who are flexible and willing to learn who can make the sudden leaps that sometime happen in the current business environment.
As usual, good luck!

Contractor Rules – Do You Qualify?

Ingrid Baker — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:26:34 +0000

First let me state that I’m not a lawyer, just a law-abiding citizen. I do pay attention when folks mention problems in the HR world and it seems complying with IRS rules for contractors is very important, and receives a lot of attention. So I’ve hunted around to get input from various groups on what to watch out for. Here goes.
First, the guiding principles of a contractor vs. employee:
The general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not what will be done and how it will be done. The earnings of a person who is working as an independent contractor are subject to Self-Employment Tax.
You are not an independent contractor if you perform services that can be controlled by an employer (what will be done and how it will be done). This applies even if you are given freedom of action. What matters is that the employer has the legal right to control the details of how the services are performed.
From another source, findlaw.com, I find a 20- factor checklist to determine whether you are an independent contractor. Lawyers can always give more detail. I’ve highlighted most of the list. Here is the quicksummary of when you’re NOT independent.
1. You receive specific instructions on how to do the work from the employer.
2. Training to perform the task in a specific manner, by an experienced employee.
3. Integration of the “contractor’s” services into the business operations.
4. Services must be rendered personally.
5. If the hiring supervisor is responsible for hiring and paying assistants but not contractors, the inference might be made that it’s an employment situation.
6. Continuing relationship – contracts should have a clear ending
7. Set hours of work.
8. Full time required.
9. Doing work on employer’s premises required.
10. Order or sequence of how to do task is set.
11. Regular oral or written reports – implies control.
12. Payment by hour, week or month rather than by task performed or contract term.
13. Payment of business or travel expenses.
14. Furnishing tools or materials
15. If worker has significant investment in the workspace not reimbursed by employer it indicates independence.
16. Working for only one entity implies control and thus employment.
Isn’t life interesting?

Job Seeker Strategies

Ingrid Baker — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:22:11 +0000

NPR presented a program Tuesday, February 8 on “All Things Considered” on how to search for jobs effectively. They interviewed folks in the recruiting field as well as hiring managers in large companies.
One contributor suggested that finding a job requires the same type of marketing as starting a new company. A recruiter with a large firm said that now 70% of jobs are not published. Even without publishing jobs, large companies receive almost 10 resumes for each position in the company, whether it is an open position or not.
So – what to do? Throughout the last few months there have been multiple articles on job seeking tips, and having watched this process I think we can boil them down to a consistent list.
First, just mailing out resumes blindly gets you nowhere. You have to have a contact to help you get a foot in the door – just to get them to read the resume! I remember getting a series of resumes, all from New York, all with cover letters in the same format. It was obvious that some recruiting firm was providing a template and probably charging for the service, but it didn’t get points with our hiring people! It was also fairly obvious the “applicant” knew nothing about our company
This brings up another point. Always do thorough research of the company you are targeting. Your cover letter (VERY IMPORTANT) should show that you know exactly what the company is about and should be able to address why you want to be a part of the team.
Your job search has to include visiting the employer somehow. If you can find a contact in your network, use it! If not – try a people search on Linked In to find contacts in companies you are targeting.
By the way, one recruiter estimated that you have to make at least 100 contacts a month in a successful search (and that doesn’t mean just dropping off a resume). Remember you are marketing yourself and so the effort compares to trying to sell an idea or product to customers. It’s tough right now, but perseverance pays off.
Here’s one idea, and a reason you NEVER burn bridges when you leave a company. One job seeker pulled up her employment history and contacted old employers asking if there was an opportunity for her. She got a job with a company she had worked for 10 years before, in a temp position! This is a good strategy for job seeker and employer – the employer has some knowledge of the applicant which helps in the vetting process.
Hard work, and sometimes depressing – but keep your head up and keep hunting!

The Winter Tech2 Online Job Fair

Ingrid Baker — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:01:13 +0000

Don’t miss it – this is a unique event. It’s easy and free to all. Our site, www.nmvirtualjobfair.com, will host a winter virtual job fair January 24-28 for tech companies in New Mexico.
This concept was developed to meet the needs of busy HR & recruiting personnel who spent a lot of time standing in booths at job fairs. It also helps out the job seekers, saving them from having to stand in line to meet with recruiters. The fair provides a way for companies to feature current jobs and draw attention to their opportunities, and for job seekers to get relevant feedback.
Hiring in our state has seen small increases recently in the private sector, and our hope is that this year will see more growth in the tech sector. People currently looking for new opportunities have their work cut out for them, though, as companies manage tight budgets and look for new ways to be more efficient. Candidates with broad experience and multiple talents can add value in small organizations needing to grow.
The 2011 Manpower Outlook Survey found mixed news for US job seekers according Jeffrey Joerres, CEO of Manpower Inc. He says:
“Seasonally adjusted data for the United States indicates the most optimistic first-quarter hiring sentiment in three years, yet 73 percent of employers indicate they will keep staff levels unchanged. So while we’re seeing positive signals in the data, only time will tell if we’ve reached the inflection point in the U.S. labor market recovery.”

Everyone keep at it and let’s make 2011 a good year for the tech industry.

Social Media Recruiting

Ingrid Baker — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:01:42 +0000

The movie “The Social Network” has stirred interest again in the many ways social networking can be used. One market that is expanding rapidly is online recruiting and hiring for corporations and even small companies.
An increasing number of recruiters and organizations are turning to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more obscure niche social networking sites to speed up the recruitment process and reduce costs. The process does, however, need to be managed appropriately.
As I browsed LinkedIn I saw company (group) memberships that allowed current and past employees to join, and there were job listings on the site. Some provided alternative links for non-employees to check out jobs. I also noticed that companies join professional organizations in their industry and through that link attract more-qualified candidates for their needs.
There are a number of ways to use the social media to recruit. Company blogs may include job opportunities with links to social media sites provided. For a specific set of skills a company may post a technical question on their network and use the responses to identify a potential recruit. The social networks also provide another way for a company to highlight their organization to attract a specific group of people. Organizations may encourage employees to create a LinkedIn account to enhance its employee referral program.
Cautions for companies diving in to the new social media – don’t stop using your other sources, but allocate efforts among the different recruiting tools. Also, make sure that your application process is sophisticated enough for the new group of tech-savvy applicants. Seamless processes help insure that the folks you are interested in will get through. Otherwise they may just get impatient and move on to another opportunity.
For job seekers, the trick is to get involved in these networks by searching for appropriate groups and individual links that further your career search. As mentioned above, getting involved in discussions related to your experience could get you noticed by a recruiter. Make sure that your own social network page is professional and targeted to the market you are interested in.
As always, good luck!