Welcome to the April edition of the Hire Score Newsletter. This month we are going to look at how you can take advantage of the current employment climate. All we read about in the press is layoffs, downsizing and generally bad news but, as I said last month, I think this is a great opportunity to bury your competition.
The most common feedback I have been hearing from my clients is that all of a sudden, they are starting to receive lots of responses to their open positions. Ads are starting to draw, internet postings are starting to generate volumes of responses. Compared to six months ago this is great, but it does shift your focus from finding people to choosing the best available person and there are more talented people available now than ever before.
This is the 4th or 5th economic slowdown I have lived through and in each case, this same set of circumstances presents itself. Selection, instead of recruiting, becomes the key focus. Now more than ever, you need to have a proven interview and selection system in place.
Let me review quickly the process you need to put in place to take advantage of this situation. First, as I have discussed in previous newsletters, clearly understand your business model and strategy. This is always the kickoff point for your recruiting strategy. Next, identify what needs to be done inside your organization to meet your business needs. Third, look at all non-hiring options first to satisfy the business need. If you conclude that the best solution is to hire someone, you need to answer the question, "What knowledge, skills, abilities and background does the person need to get the job done?"
The combination of your performance-based expectations and the requirements for the job act as a template for selecting the perfect person. This performance-based profile will drive all the rest of your activities including recruiting, interviewing and evaluation.
I know this is review for those of you that have been with me for a while, but it helps the new people and never hurts to hear it again. Also, I am convinced that if more companies used my performance-based Selecting Winners program we would not experience as many or as radical undulations in the employment markets.
So, back to the advice. How do you take advantage of the current conditions? Just having the performance-based profile will put you light years ahead of the average company. (If you aspire to be average, please unsubscribe now!) With the performance-based profile in hand, it is now time to develop your recruiting strategy. "WORK BACKWARDS" Determine where there are people today who face similar problems, have to deal with similar situations, use similar knowledge and skill to get their job done. This type of thinking allows you to get outside the box and not just look at direct competitors for new employees.
If you need to hire a purchasing manager for your manufacturing plant, figure out what other companies have a purchasing manager that negotiates with similar vendors. If you need to hire a sales rep to call on senior executives, figure out what other industries are selling to the same target market. Thinking like this opens completely new fields to recruit from. While your competitors are rehashing the same old talent, you are bringing in fresh new blood.
The good news is that this generates lots of new candidates. The bad news is that it is hard to choose someone from a different industry. But that folks, is why I am here. There are two things you can do to make this a much easier chore. First, interview for behaviors instead of experience.
In your performance-based profile you identified the behaviors necessary for success on your job. Now you need to interview for those behaviors. Instead of getting examples of selling your widget to a CEO, you will get examples of managing executive level sales campaigns, regardless of product. Instead of focusing on purchasing machinery, you will focus on research and negotiation skills. This allows you to separate experience from behavior.
And, of course, you will use the EAR questioning technique. Get an example (E) where the person has the opportunity to demonstrate the sought after behavior. Find out what they did, what action they took (A). And determine what the result was (R). By getting as many EARs as you can, you will be able to determine if the person behaves in a manner consistent with success in your environment.
The second technique you can use when you have lots of candidates from different industries is to use modern assessment tools. I have written briefly about these in the past but I think it is worth going into a bit more detail. There are now available a variety of effective assessment tools that provide valuable data to help make better hiring decisions.
First, you must view any assessment tool as an addition to your staffing process. You can't view them as stand alone tools. But, integrated as part of an overall process, they definitely help.
Assessment tools fall into a couple of categories. First, there are skills-based tests. These test for specific task-related abilities. These are generally straight-forward and there is usually good documentation as to validation. The other type of assessment is behavioral. You are looking to determine how a person reacts in certain situations, what their natural tendencies are and in what situations they have a better chance of success.
There are a variety of different tools available in the market. Many are very good but, unfortunately, many are not. There are a lot of vendors preying on peoples' fears and selling inappropriate tools. If you choose to take advantage of assessment tools as an option in your selection process, here are the things you should consider. First, make certain that the tool you consider is validated and meets all legal guidelines. Next, choose a tool that has a proven history in pre-employment selection. Use the tool consistently (this is one of the real keys to legality). And finally, choose to work with a vendor that is reputable.
The people I recommend to my clients are at Effective Selection Systems in Las Vegas. You can reach them at 702-804-9315 or www.effectiveselection.com. They are good people and if you tell them you were referred by me, they will take very good care of you.
The last strategy for this month is to NOT STOP RECRUITING! The best advice I ever received in my business career was to ZIG when everyone else was ZAGGING. That was never more true than in these economic conditions. You have the best choice of talent now because the competition is at its lowest. Think of the reputation you can build for your company when you are hiring while everyone else is not.
At the beginning of most of my speeches, I ask the audience the following question: "If I were to hand you a talented person right now, could you find a way to have them add value to your company?" The answer is always a resounding "YES!" Well, what's changed? I know times are tough, but you will still win the battle with the best people and you have an opportunity to get some of those now.
Question of the Month
"How do you handle the people that were hired under a different business model and no longer fit? Nicole Blanc
Great question and I wish there was a simple answer. As I have discussed previously, business models change, which cause you to need different skill sets to meet your business needs. The first solution is preventative. Start hiring to behaviors instead of experience. This will help because people with the right behaviors can adjust to new tasks. If you are a risk-taking organization, even if your strategy changes, you will probably just be taking different risks. The person who handles risk well has a higher probability of adapting.
The second option is to compare performance-based profiles. You have one for the position the person was hired into and you should have one for the new position. Armed with this data, you can make intelligent decisions about your ability to bridge the gap. Is it a training issue? If so, do you have the capability to acquire the training? If it is a truly behavioral gap, then you have to make some very hard decisions.
I received a number of inquiries from last month's newsletter about the Hot Jobs Forum that I will be presenting at next month. You can learn more at www.hotjobs.com/htdocs/forums.
Contest of the Month
Last month I asked you to share with me how you are using your UHP (that is - Unique Hiring Proposition, for you newbies). I was blown away by the creative stuff you all are doing. But, one entry stood out. It was submitted by Andrew Hendrickson from diCarta, a long-time client. Rather than tell what he said, I am going to reprint his response:
"We at diCarta use the UHP in several ways.
Way to go Andrew!! He wins a free registration (a $750 value) to one of my upcoming internet-based seminars. This month we are going to have fun with the contest. I have been asked to deliver a humorous keynote presentation at an upcoming staffing symposium. I would like to hear your funniest staffing story. It doesn't matter which side of the table you were sitting on either. Here are the rules, you must submit your entry to contest@selectingwinners.com. The deadline is 5/4/01. Good Luck all.
Opportunity of the Month
I just finished reading an article about how low morale is at companies right now. So, I am going to do my part to help. My humorous book, "Smartass Answers to Stupid Interview Questions," takes a look at the funny stuff that happens in an interview. It provides the answers candidates have always wanted to give to those silly interview questions. (Q: Where do you want to be 5 years from now? A: As far away from you as possible.) So here is the deal. The book normally sells for $10 on my website and at Amazon plus shipping. This month you can get it for $6.50 including shipping. To order, you must use this link. This book will definitely pick up your spirits. Don't delay, order yours now!
Have a great month recruiting!
Barry Shamis
PS. You may have noticed that there was no rant this month. I don't want you to think this is the kinder, gentler me. I will be back in form next month.
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