Archive for April, 2010

It’s About Time!

The big question in your business life is this – “What can you and only you do in your business that if done well will make a real difference?” This is a great question to ask yourself when you want to improve your overall effectiveness. The next question to ask is what are your highest value activities? Again, it’s about spending time on the things that matter most, not items that live on your ‘to do’ list. Rather than making a ‘to do’ list, consider making a ‘what matters most list’. Expect changes in how you look at what you think you have to do when evaluated this way. A final question to ask is what is the most valuable use of my time right now? This keeps your priorities in check and the low value activities off your list.

Answering these questions keeps you moving toward your goals and objectives because they help keep you in control of what you do.

The single most important driver in business success is finding, training and retaining the best people. Many businesses are wondering when the right time might be to start hiring again. News reports are peppered with stories of companies who intend to hire this year, and I’ve seen an increase in hiring activity in the local business community. Of course companies that stay focused know that the process for recruiting is an activity that never stops.

Many of the smartest business people I know tell me how difficult it is to ‘find good people’. I’m betting if you’ve been in business for any length of time, you’ve hired people who are great. I’ll also bet you’ve had the experience where the brilliant person you interviewed seems like a completely different person once they’re working for you. Does hiring success have to be this spotty?

Don’t get me wrong: there are no magic formulas for complete hiring success, but there are specific things that you can change or add to your process that will help you identify the ‘A’ Players.. Until you get this right more often, you’ll continue to suffer the consequences of employee turnover: low morale, interruptions in customer service and missed sales opportunities. And worst of all, you’ll continue to feel like you have to do everything in the business because you can’t find ‘the one’.

So how do you find these ‘A’ Players? First, look at your hiring process. You need to know who you’re looking for. Then, take a look at your organization, even if your organization is only you at the moment. See what needs to be done to improve your results. Notice that I’m asking you to start by looking at the big picture and job functions. What do you need to accomplish?

Next write a job description. Be exact. What are all the duties and responsibilities? The more specific you are now, the fewer misunderstandings you’ll have in the future. What characteristics, experience and skill set will the successful candidate possess? You also need to decide how to value this position. How much does it pay? There are many, many people who are looking for work. Get top talent for the dollars you intend to pay.

Many business owners find that as their businesses grow, jobs evolve based on what the person they’ve hired likes to do, not what the position description calls for. This can create a lot of confusion and dysfunction in an organization that’s in growth mode. A written job description can serve as the basis for future performance reviews and help keep the person doing the job they were hired for. I’m a big believer of writing something once and using it in multiple ways! In all cases, I believe you’re looking for someone who will have the work ethic, attitude and aptitude for the job that needs to be done, as set in the job description.

Where do you look for candidates? You can choose from sophisticated, integrated job websites, industry specific recruiters, newspapers, and networking. Many positions today are filled through networking. Once you decide to hire, your job is to set your ‘hiring filter’ in high gear and add this objective to your list when attending any networking event. What top talent is there in front of you?

So you’ve done all the prep work and now the resumes start coming in. This is where the real work begins. Break it down into phases:

· The resume review – You are looking for the applicable skills and experience you identified in the job description. Select those who meet your standards. Those who don’t should receive a polite note letting them know they were not selected. It’s polite business, and you’d be amazed at how many candidates will thank you for responding. Most companies don’t do this. You’ll stand out if you do.

· The phone screen – Write 5 or 6 specific questions you will ask each candidate. This is to start to get to know this person. This is also where you are eliminating people who do not meet your requirements. Be tough, fair and polite – you don’t want to waste your time or theirs. Listen more and talk less – you are looking for ‘A’ players. Ask questions that require specifics, not opinions.

· Behavioral assessments – There are a number to choose from. I use assessments with all of my clients hiring projects (the larger companies that I work with use a combination of them) and I wouldn’t want to conduct a search without them. They’ll help you to refine your search by helping you to identify behavior styles, traits and skills the successful candidate should possess.

· The first interview – Prepare in advance and write specific questions to be asked of all candidates. Again, seek experienced based answers, not opinions. If you google ‘common interview questions and answers’, you’ll get over 25 Million websites to choose from! Always ask some questions that are unexpected to help get a truer picture of the prospective employee

· The second interview and even third – These interviews are for your final candidates. Only two or maybe three get here. Here’s where you formulate individualized questions designed to learn more about the candidate.

This hiring process takes time and focus in any economy. But having a system like this will allow you to hire a person who has demonstrated an ability to do the job you want him or her to do. Is it perfect? No, but it moves you away from a subjective to an objective process that can be duplicated.

Once you implement a system like this, your company’s success comes from your ability to identify and hire real talent. You’ll pull ahead of your competition, and have the resources to deliver quality on all levels to your customers. Are you up to the challenge?