When hiring managers or team leaders, look for people who participated in competitive team programs, such as sports or science competitions, for several years. People who participate in competitive teams over several years are likely to learn skills that transfer well to leadership roles, such as collaboration, inspiration, problem solving, and recognition and reward.
Archive for the ‘Hiring Decisions’ Category
Team Players Make Great Team Leaders
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Competitions, Employment, Hiring Decisions, Jobs, Leadership, Management, Office Politics, Science, Sports, Success, Team Sports, Teams on 2012/03/05 | 2 Comments »
Noteworthy Career Advice Site: Business Fitness
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Job Search, Manage Successfully, Noteworthy Sites, Resignation Tips, tagged Big Picture Consulting, Business, Business Fitness, Career, Dawn Lennon, Development, Employment, Leadership, Management, Success on 2012/02/19 | 2 Comments »
It’s been a while since we’ve been to a website that offers career guidance as comprehensively as Business Fitness, a blog by Dawn Lennon, a Career Strategist and founder of Big Picture Consulting. Ms. Lennon’s advice is succinct while addressing matters from all angles: managers, employees, colleagues, and HR. Her blog is honest, without being brutal or offensive. Ms. Lennon does not [...]
Top Of The Class Doesn’t Always Translate Into Top Performer
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Class, Education, Hiring Decisions, Jobs, Networking, Office Politics, Performance, Successful Management, University on 2011/11/02 | Leave a Comment »
If you’re considering hiring someone because he is the top of his class, look further. Just as entrance exams are not accurate measures of how a person will perform in university, how a person performs in university is not an accurate measure of how they will perform in the workplace. It’s a reasonable measure, but [...]
If Communication Is Bad In An Interview, It’ll Be Worse In The Office
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Communication, Employment, Grammar, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Jobs, Language, Successful Management on 2011/10/19 | Leave a Comment »
Poor communication can lead to serious errors. If a job candidate has trouble communicating in writing or during an interview, a situation in which they are striving to perform at their best in order to impress, his communication will be worse in the office. Miscommunication driven by misunderstandings regarding the meaning of words or grammar usage can lead to [...]
Noteworthy Site For Employment Guidance: Ask A Manager
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Manage Successfully, Noteworthy Sites, tagged Ask A Manager, Direct Report, Employment, Employment Advice, Getting Ahead, Happiness, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Satisfaction, Job Search, Jobs, Manager, Office Politics, Site of the Week, Successful Management, Tips, Unemployment, Workplace Bullies, Workplace Conflict on 2011/08/15 | Leave a Comment »
The site Ask A Manager is a great, interactive resource for credible and thoughtful employment guidance. In addition to authoring the site since 2007, Alison Green has written and co-authored books and articles dispensing management and work advice. An attribute of Ms. Green’s publications is that they aim to construct a collaborative and mutually rewarding relationship between managers and direct reports, which [...]
Pros & Cons Of Interviewer Examples
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Employment, Examples, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Search, Jobs on 2011/08/11 | Leave a Comment »
As an interviewer, providing examples of how you would respond to a question can be beneficial. When you’re short on time, examples provide the interviewee some insight into your management style and the department, potentially preempting some of the interviewee’s questions. Examples also provide opportunities to measure the candidate. If you advise the candidate that [...]
Be A Tour Guide In Short Interviews
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Direction, Employment, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Search, Jobs on 2011/08/10 | Leave a Comment »
If your interviews are short, give better directions in order to realize better results. In other words, guide the interviewee in what you seek in an answer to a question. Provide examples of how you would respond to a question, or describe what you’d like a response to touch upon.
Sample Interview Questions
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Hiring Decisions, Interview, Interview Questions, Interview Technique, Interviewer, Job Search, Successful Management on 2011/08/09 | Leave a Comment »
Following is a list of interview questions that can help assess a candidate’s compatibility with a position. Requests for examples refer to the candidate’s experiences. Seek specific, concrete responses. Don’t be satisfied with generalizations. What would you like to get out of the role? What contributions would you like the role to make to your short-term [...]
Interviewing Considerations (For The Interviewer)
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, tagged Hiring Decisions, Interview, Interview Questions, Interview Technique, Interviewer, Job Search, Successful Management on 2011/08/08 | Leave a Comment »
If you’re interviewing someone for a role, it’s always best to identify what are the role’s objectives, what attributes would be most compatible with the role, and then what questions could help you ascertain whether a candidate has those attributes. Also, it’s important to seek concrete responses to interview questions rather than generalizations. Generalizations can [...]
Don’t Sacrifice Yourself
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, tagged Communication, Employment, Err, Errors, Ethics, Getting Ahead, Jobs, Mistakes, Office Politics, Performance Evaluation, Perspective, Politics, Psychology, Successful Management on 2011/06/02 | Leave a Comment »
Movies, books, and even society at times make it seem noble to sacrifice yourself at work. It isn’t. There is no reward for accepting a failure, especially someone else’s. It’s seldom appreciated and rarely recognized, but, can be very damaging to your career and reputation. We all make mistakes. There’s no reason to publicly acknowledge the [...]
Maximizing Early Returns
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, tagged Business, Employment, Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Investments, Office Politics, Perspective, Problem Solving, Results, Returns, Successful Management on 2011/04/22 | Leave a Comment »
Many businesses and managers ignore that by making an investment upfront, future time and financial expenses may be lessened. For example, with a team, if you take the time to properly train your employees upfront – e.g. immediately upon hire – then they’ll spend less time on future projects and are less likely to make [...]
Want To Invest In Your Career? Invest In Your Employees.
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, tagged Apple, Career Advancement, Employee Satisfaction, Employees, Employment, Employment Reviews, Getting Ahead, Happiness, Health, Hiring Decisions, Investment, Jobs, Office Politics, Performance Evaluation, Pleasure, Promotion, Results, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Successful Management on 2011/03/28 | 1 Comment »
Investing in your employees is an investment in your career. Happier employees tend to be more loyal, more productive, and more innovative. They tend to put in longer hours and have fewer sick days. Employee satisfaction leads to less turnover, thereby reducing business costs. Some of the most successful companies, industry leaders, or fastest growing companies, [...]
Can Raising Taxes Improve The Economy?
Posted in Business, Finances, Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, Politics, Unemployment, tagged Business, Business Development, Debate, Depression, Economic Development, Economic Growth, Economic Stimulus, Economist, Economy, Ethics, Government Spending, Growth, Income, Investment, Life, Middle Class, Perspective, Political Arguments, Political Debate, Politics, Poor, President Obama, Propaganda, Raise Taxes, Recession, Rich, Spending, Stagflation, Stagnation, Stimulus, Tax Cut, Tax Cuts, Tax Rate Increases, Tax Rates, Taxes, The WSJ, Unemployment, Wages, Wealthy, WWII on 2011/03/20 | Leave a Comment »
In an earlier post, we considered whether tax rate increases can spur economic development from a historical vantage point. From a conceptual vantage point, it is also evident that tax rate increases can spur economic development. Currently, U.S. effective tax rates (the actual tax liability as a percentage of income)* are nearly the lowest since entering WWII and among [...]
You Might Not Get It In A “Gotcha”
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview, Manage Successfully, tagged Communication, Employment, Ethics, Etiquette, Gotcha Moment, Hiring Decisions, Hiring Managers, Interview, Interview Technique, Jobs, Office Politics, Successful Management, Workplace Bullies on 2011/02/13 | Leave a Comment »
Hiring Managers: Gotcha moments in interviews are counterproductive and give you a reputation. Often, the moments result from an interviewer’s misinterpretation or misunderstanding, and, can get the company in trouble if the interviewer communicates her conclusion as an accusation.
Maintain A List Of Those You Interview
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Employment, Etiquette, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Networking, Office Politics, Perspective, Successful Management on 2011/02/01 | Leave a Comment »
Often, interviews mean a lot to interviewees, often more than they do to interviewers. Maintain a list of the people you’ve interviewed and things that stood out about the interview. Some interviewees will be upset if you’ve forgotten them or if they realize that the interview didn’t mean as much to you as it did to them.
If An Interviewer, Be Considerate
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview, Manage Successfully, tagged Employment, Etiquette, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Search, Successful Management on 2011/01/30 | Leave a Comment »
If you’ve scheduled a phone interview with an employment candidate, call him at the time set. Calling at your convenience, either more than five minutes early or late, communicates that you prioritize your schedule over theirs.
It’s Time For Businesses To Make Long-Term Investments, And Recognize Their Short-Term Benefits
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, tagged Hiring Decisions, Office Politics, Problem Solving, Successful Management on 2011/01/27 | Leave a Comment »
The perspective of many decision makers has become excessively short-sighted. In order to maximize short-term gains, EPS, and management bonuses, these ‘deciders’ are perpetually delaying important investments in staffing and capital resources – investments that would improve efficiencies, boost employee morale and reduce costs in the long run. Oddly, these managers are eschewing inexpensive investments, such as [...]
#1 Question To Ask Interviewee
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Manage Successfully, tagged Communication, Employment, Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Interview Questions, Interviewee, Interviewer, Job Search, Jobs, Questions, Successful Management, Unemployment on 2011/01/19 | 1 Comment »
An important question to ask an interviewee is what he would like to get out of the job. The more broadly the question is asked, the more revealing the answer might be. In responding to this question, an interviewee may convey what are his long term interests, if he is collaborative or competitive, if he’s a socializer or mouse, the team and management style with which he [...]
General Professional Opinion On Excluding Job Experience From Resumes
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Recruiters, tagged Employment, Ethics, Hiring Decisions, Hiring Managers, HR, HR Manager, Human Resources, Job Search, Jobs, Opinion, Perspective, Polling, Recommendation, Recruiters, Resume, Seeking Employment, Survey, Unemployment on 2011/01/14 | 1 Comment »
We performed a very informal, unscientific survey of recruiters, HR managers and hiring managers in different US markets and industries, and have learned the following: while all but one recruiter warned against excluding career experience from a resume, most HR managers and all hiring managers said it was acceptable to exclude short-term career experience from a [...]
Follow-Up To Seal The Deal
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, tagged Communication, Employment, Etiquette, Feedback, Hiring Decisions, Job Candidates, Job Offer, Jobs, Manager, Networking, Office Politics, Successful Management on 2011/01/11 | Leave a Comment »
Managers: If someone’s considering your job offer, follow-up with the candidate personally, regardless of the strength of your interest. It generates additional goodwill and fortifies the footing on which the working relationship begins. If the person chooses not to accept the position, he may be motivated to refer potential candidates to your team.
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Lessons From Divorce, Manage Successfully, Psychology, tagged Breaking Patterns, Coincidence, Deliberate, Lessons Learned, Pattern, Perspective, Psychology, Relationship, Successful Management on 2010/12/28 | Leave a Comment »
The difference between coincidental and deliberate is a pattern.
Creating A Constructive Interview Process
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Communication, Employment, Ethics, Etiquette, Hiring, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Candidates, Job Requisition, Objectives, Questions, Results, Successful Management, Tips on 2010/12/11 | Leave a Comment »
If you have an open requisition, consider the following in order to maximize your interview process. To the extent the following is used in formulating an interview process, discuss the process with interview process participants to ensure consistency. Likewise, ask each participant to provide concrete examples and explanations supporting their conclusions on a candidate. What [...]
For Distant Prospects, Consider Web Chat Services
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Communication, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Jobs, Successful Management, Technology, Web Chat on 2010/12/08 | 2 Comments »
Employers: To save money, consider using web chat services for long distance interviews prior to flying in a candidate for additional interviews.
Poll: Has an employer exploited the current economic situation to take advantage of you?
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, Polls, Unemployment, tagged Bullies, Employment, Ethics, Etiquette, Hiring Decisions, Jobs, Office Politics, Overtime, Overworked, Politics, Poll, Polls, Stress, Successful Management, Unemployment, Wages, Worker Exploitation, Workplace Bullies, Workplace Conflict on 2010/11/07 | Leave a Comment »
Be Courageous – Hire Outside The Box
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Employment, Hiring Decisions, Jobs, Office Politics, Performance Evaluation, Successful Management on 2010/10/29 | Leave a Comment »
Don’t be afraid of hiring a person more qualified than you – it might actually make you look good. Plus, it provides an opportunity to develop your skills, improve efficiencies and propel your advancement.
Poll: Do you think businesses are deferring significant employment expansion until after the midterm elections?
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Politics, Polls, Unemployment, tagged Business, Employment, Ethics, Hiring Decisions, Job Search, Jobs, Lay Off, Office Politics, Politics, Poll, Unemployment on 2010/10/17 | Leave a Comment »
Too Good To Be True?
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Job Search, Manage Successfully, tagged Employment, Job Search, Office Politics, Successful Management, Unemployment, Workplace Conflict on 2010/10/17 | Leave a Comment »
If it seems too good to be true, it usually is. If a company with a lot of turnover or dubious reputation makes an offer that is exceedingly above market or below market, consider the following. Companies with high turnover due to internal conflict may make employment offers well above market in order to attract and retain people, but [...]
Perform Backdoor Reference Checks First
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Backdoor References, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Search, Jobs, Networking, Reference, Successful Management on 2010/09/29 | Leave a Comment »
Hiring Managers: To conserve your team’s time, perform your backdoor reference checks before bringing in an employment candidate for interviews.
3 Month Rule When Considering A Temp For Perm
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Employment, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Hopping, Job Search, Jobs, Performance Evaluation, Successful Management on 2010/09/13 | Leave a Comment »
If a person has temped or contracted with the same company for more than three months, it’s usually a good sign. There are too many highly qualified people fighting for employment – even temporary employment – for a company to hold on to a temp who sucked for that long. Unless you’re concerned about that person’s technical skills, [...]
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Job Search, tagged Employment, Hiring Decisions, Job Search, Jobs, Recruiters, Unemployment on 2010/09/12 | 1 Comment »
As a great number of people are seeking jobs, we’ve decided to post a list of highly or frequently recommended job search sites, rather than posting a Site Of The Week or poll this weekend. Sites that charge mandatory fees to job seekers are excluded. Let us know if there are any we should add. Indeed Monster Career [...]
Manage Expectations: Recruiter Edition
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, Recruiters, tagged Ethics, Hiring Decisions, Job Search, Networking, Recruiters on 2010/09/01 | Leave a Comment »
Recruiters: to ensure success with your recruits and employers, manage everyone’s expectations and be realistic. If you’re dishonest or overly pushy, most likely the parties involved will perceive it. If you don’t accurately or adequately represent their interests, most likely they will recognize it. If misled, employers and candidates are likely to be very vocal about [...]
Calling On Short-Term Temp References
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Hiring Decisions, Job Search, Reference, Successful Management on 2010/08/30 | Leave a Comment »
References regarding temporary positions or contract roles that lasted no more than three months generally are not reliable measures of how a person will perform as a permanent employee. Expectations by both the employer and contractor are usually low on short-term temporary assignments. The employer simply wants the contractor to get the job done with little fuss. And, contractors [...]
Turning To Whom You Know
Posted in Hiring Decisions, tagged Employment, Jobs, Networking on 2010/08/24 | Leave a Comment »
Don’t hesitate to reach out to people you have worked with in the past, such as a third-party service provider or a government regulator or auditor, to fill open positions within your team. Often, exceptions are available to non-compete and similar restrictive employment agreements. For example, Legal firms often have exceptions requiring a settlement payment – usually a percentage of the employee’s annual wage or [...]
Site Of The Week: That Recruiter
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Search, Networking, Noteworthy Sites, Recruiters, References, Unemployment, tagged Employment, Interview, Job Search, Jobs, Lay Off, Networking, Office Politics, Site of the Week, Unemployment on 2010/08/20 | Leave a Comment »
That Recruiter shares insights from its author’s journey through unemployment to employment, with valuable guidance from both sides of the Recruitment field.
Poll: What Were Your Worst Interview Experiences?
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview, Job Search, Manage Successfully, Polls, Unemployment, tagged Employment, Interview, Job Search, Jobs, Office Politics, Poll, Unemployment on 2010/08/17 | 1 Comment »
Poll: Are you finding recent grads and interns to be less professional than those from earlier generations?
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully, Polls, tagged Employment, Grad, Intern, Jobs, Poll, Professional on 2010/08/15 | 1 Comment »
Avoid Making Rejection Permanent
Posted in Hiring Decisions on 2010/08/12 | Leave a Comment »
Hiring managers, take care in how your rejection of an employment candidate is communicated to that person – especially if you’d like to consider the candidate again. Don’t skimp on positive feedback. Encourage the candidate to apply for future roles. If the candidate is represented by a recruiter, control the message by providing effusive positive feedback to the recruiter and [...]
Poll: What Reasons Are Generally Attributed To Females Job Hopping?
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Job Search on 2010/08/08 | 4 Comments »
Related Polls: Is Job Hopping Generally More Acceptable For Males Or Females? What Reasons Are Generally Attributed To Males Job Hopping?
Poll: What Reasons Are Generally Attributed To Males Job Hopping?
Posted in Getting Ahead, Hiring Decisions, Job Search on 2010/08/08 | 1 Comment »
Related Polls: Is Job Hopping Generally More Acceptable For Males Or Females? What Reasons Are Generally Attributed to Females Job Hopping?
Inform Yourself!
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Job Search, Manage Successfully on 2010/08/07 | 1 Comment »
Be informed regarding potential employers. Visit websites such as Glassdoors to perform research on average wages at the company, common interview questions and techniques, and read reviews from current and former employees.
Interviewer Faux Pas: Dishing Dirt On Employees
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully on 2010/07/22 | Leave a Comment »
Interviewers: dishing on former employees is as much a faux pas as an inteviewee dishing on a former employer. It looks bad and communicates that you will do the same to future employees. You will lose good, ethical candidates by doing this.
Backdoor Reference Downsides
Posted in Hiring Decisions on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
Managers/Employers: do not rely solely on backdoor references to perform your due diligence. It reeks of desperation and the company comes across as an ethical slacker. Plus, as one company learned, the motivations of the people at the end of the chain may be unknown. Relying solely on backdoor references, the company hired an officer who knew how [...]
Referrals To Avoid (Like The Plague!)
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Manage Successfully on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
Do not accept referrals for a role that reports to the referer. The referer then has an invested interest in hiring and keeping the referred (e.g. referral bonus, not looking bad to upper Management), regardless of her affect on the team or its goals.
Failed Behavioral Exams
Posted in Hiring Decisions on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
Hiring managers, repeat after us: if a person does not pass a behavioral or psych exam, do NOT hire this person! There is a reason the applicant failed the exam.
The “Destroyer”
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
If an interviewer tells you that with a single phone call he can learn anything he wants to know about you, and likewise, with a single call can destroy you, ensuring you will never work in that town again, remain polite, act interested in the person – the more freakishly interested the better – and [...]
The “Ranter”
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
If an interviewer spends most of your interview ranting about how your previous employer didn’t hire her, do NOT accept an offer from her employer! It doesn’t matter if they insist she’s over it – she isn’t, and she’ll spend significant time and effort proving why your previous employer made the correct decision in not hiring her.
The “Anti-Family Planner”
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
If an interviewer asks you if you plan to or currently have children, or an interviewer tells you he’s not interested in hiring anyone with children, do yourself a favor: get up, turn around and let yourself out. They are not going to hire you.
The “Yeller”
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
If an interviewer begins yelling or screaming at you during the interview, end it immediately. There’s no way that interview is going to end well.
The “Talker”
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
If an interviewer talks through most of the interview, he hasn’t heard a thing you’ve had to say; this isn’t an opportunity, it’s a reflection of future dynamics with the employer.
The “Slacker”
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
If an employer makes an offer without having checked your references or contacting your past-supervisors, do not accept the opportunity. Not only does it stink of desperation, there’s a good chance the employer skimps on due diligence elsewhere.
Busted! The (False) “Accuser”
Posted in Hiring Decisions, Interview on 2010/07/10 | Leave a Comment »
If an interviewer suggests or accuses you of lying, call her on it and then call it quits. Anything more will be a waste of your time. The interviewer will never admit that she is wrong. Nor will she overcome the thrill she felt from the accusation and embarrassment from her error.
