A Lesson in Hiring Lunatics

A Lesson in Hiring Lunatics My recent flight home from another dash around our Asia Pacific offices found me somewhat reflective. Sure, the business had been going through ups and downs â€" everyone is.  I mean, its hard to keep the value for investors coming in decade after decade and its downright tough enough just finding the right talent to fuel that constant growth. Instead, what really managed to clamber into the back of my mind and silently dig away at my sanity were the lunatics I encountered. The fringe operators, the back-stabbers, the corporate psychopaths and the downright incompetents that lurk in every office. How much can we really learn about a person in a job interview? I can’t help but feel that Talent Acquisition has let down the business world. Aren’t we meant to guard the gates from people like this? We pick apart interviews, drill down into work history, analyse psychometric results, view the background checks etc. Best practise tells us that if you follow these golden rules you should be okay because a mistake is not just costly, it’s a personal nightmare for everyone else. I interviewed candidate X personally over 12 months ago.  He was everything that you would have expected for the senior role at first interview. Well presented, polished, courteous, knowledgeable and witty. Sure, he spoke over me at times which I glossed over; after all, people are nervous in interviews and he wanted to answer and gosh was it a great answer. Textbook behavioural responses with closure and wrap-up at the end of it. And that smile! You just had to believe it. No one else had nailed it so succinctly.   My eyes met those of the hiring manager across the table from me and deep within my primal brain I knew with that glance that ‘’Yes!’’  This was our guy.  Of course, there was no way he was going to pass without being tested. We needed to step things up with the second round, so I left it a couple of days and called back to let him know that we had completed our first round of interviews. He had obviously been waiting for this news. In fact, he knew that we knew that he knew. He was really that good.   X was hired amid a flurry of hurriedly renegotiated contracts, online testing and a handshake. He was being pursued elsewhere apparently, we needed to move fast. It had taken a week. He was looking for work, we were looking for him and it was apparently a match perfectly made. Should I have been worried? No, why? Was it odd that it had happened so fast? Of course not. In fact, the time to hire looked incredible at 7 days flat. We had interviewed twice, we had completed the checks, the psychometrics were interesting but he was certainly far from an outlier. A perfect hire, right?   The (not so) perfect hire! Two days into the job, Mrs W noted the lingering look she received when talking to him. ‘’Oh its nothing!’’, she dismissively said and walked away. I was asked the same day to attend his first presentation to his team a week later. Personally, I love seeing hires in action so I immediately accepted the invite. To open the presentation X played a video from YouTube â€" It was the one about various dances throughout history performed by a gent on a stage. It took about 10 minutes. It was awkward â€" We’d all see it before. A few narrowed eyes looked back at me, some quizzical expressions. X laughed loudly and proclaimed at various stages ‘’check this one out!’’. People took out their phones. The presentation that followed was even more bizarre. He had used sounds for each slide (God I hate that) and had copied a couple of organisational charts and diagrams from his previous company that he had ‘’scored’’ when he had left. The discomfort was palpable. It gets worse, but you probably have a picture of the situation right now. We hadn’t necessarily hired a problem, but something was off. He could talk and people listened, but it felt plain wrong.   10 months later, cubicle natter confirmed that X was unofficially the village idiot. In one of his more memorable moments after losing a crucial bid, X felt that inspiration was needed.  He decided it was appropriate to email the whole of our Thailand operations a picture of a three legged dog with a brief story attached to it. Apparently this plucky creature had lost its leg at a young age but managed to survive by learning to dance for strangers who in turn fed it. The lesson for the team? Apparently, we can still be disadvantaged at times but can always learn new things to succeed. I remember putting my head on my desk for 20 minutes not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Again, the will was there, the reasons were spot on, but the execution was off.  Needless to say, staff enlarged the photo and it appeared everywhere in mockery. X wandered the office and looked on proudly at what he had done. Look! Behold my inspirational leadership.   What are you to do when youve made a bad hire? Confronted with overwhelming evidence that we had made a grave error in judgement, HR refused to budge. He was the most senior person in-country and he kind of did his job. He dressed correctly, he polished his shoes. We could not apparently just terminate people. ‘’Yes’’, they explained, ‘’Turnover has admittedly increased by 10% and admittedly the emails are odd and maybe the fact that the women in the office are finding him creepy should alarm us, but he is doing his job’’.   And this dear reader is the sad truth. X endured. Was it HR? Should they have moved faster to quell the rising concern and address the issue? Yes. Did they? No. Should senior regional leaders have done something about it? Yes. Did they? No. Should his direct reports have filed complaints about the creepy behaviour, the looks, the suggestive and sometimes ridiculous emails and statements? Yes. Did they? Again, no. And so individuals like this continue and in fact, often thrive at the cost of many hardworking relatively normal people around them who decide to tolerate and not confront it. The importance of culture fit The lesson for me is that culture fit trumps all. It begins and ends with how someone is going to fit in to the business. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting hiring the same type of person over and over again â€" You’ll end up with zero creativity and no real talent edge in your business. What I am suggesting though is that even if they don’t immediately ‘’fit’’, you make sure that your culture is made abundantly clear early on.  If they have the qualifications and they have the experience, immediately look at their fit.   I often tell my senior stakeholders that Talent Acquisition do not find products. If we could do that, I could arrange a JIT inventory system and we could regularly moan at our suppliers for not having produced high quality products. Instead, we are dealing with humans and there is no test on this planet that will tell you how they are going to be on the job.  You can interview of course. You can test and double test and have a highly priced psychologist chat to them as well. You can run background checks, criminal checks, credit checks and even talk to their previous employer.  Ultimately, you’re taking a calculated gamble and you pray that your leaders are up to the task of guiding, coaching and nurturing the person.   The part where I cannot offer an excuse is what to do when it all goes wrong. A business should act decisively. You need to understand your own culture well enough to be able to say ‘’we don’t do that around here’’ and back it up with actions to avoid your very own X lingering for years. Author: The ‘Acquirer’ â€"  No small dose of healthy HR skepticism. A career in Talent Acquisition leadership in global companies from the heat of the Asia Pacific to the crisp air of Europe.   Pragmatic, strategic, and every now and again… serious. Image: Shutterstock

15 Final Interview Questions to Use - Algrim.co

15 Final Interview Questions to Use - Algrim.co The final interview stage of the hiring process is when the team has decided this candidate should move almost all the way to a job offer. They’ve completed the pre-screen stage, phone interview stage, on-site interview stage, and you might be meeting with them as the last line of defense against a bad hire. In this article you are going to learn: Why it’s important to consider the final interview portion of the job application process the most important. Basic knowledge on conducting a final interview. What to look for when your candidate is answering your final interview questions. Final interview questions you can use as a template for your candidate. Ready? Let’s jump right in! Being Prepared as the Interviewer As the interviewer, you should be prepared to ask questions that shouldn’t have been asked in prior interviews. Before you step into the meeting and before you pick from the interview questions below, be sure that you coordinate with your team to ensure that you’re picking questions they haven’t been asked yet. The reason is simple, you don’t want the interviewee to feel as though you aren’t coordinating with the team, which can send them a red flag. And you don’t want to lose the opportunity to put the interviewee up to another challenge. Final interviews are the moments where you decide that this professional is going to receive the job offer. It may not mean they are going to take the offer. But it helps the HR team to understand that they should proceed with the work of drawing up an employment agreement and formal job offer. This process takes time for the HR team. The final interview can help to ensure that they don’t waste time, energy and resources on the wrong candidate. Conducting a Final Interview As someone who is conducting a final interview, it's important for you to be protective of the company. There's nothing worse than hiring someone and then having to terminate them within a few weeks. It's not only bad for the company but it's bad for the candidate, too. The ideal scenario is that your questions during this process ensure that both yourself, your team, and the candidate feel comfortable proceeding forward. You should see commitment, enthusiasm, and a hard desire to work at the company. If you see any indication that the candidate is feeling uncertain about this decision, either with their answers to your questions or in terms of their body language, then that's your signal. What to Look for In Your Candidate When asking these questions, either one or many of them, it’s important that you see some of the following qualities: The interviewee feels comfortable answering them. You want the interviewee to feel comfortable and confident in being able to answer these questions. If they don’t, they might not carry the right experience required for the job. The interviewee should answer briefly. If their answers are long and drawn out, it may mean that they lack the experience in being able to deliver communication of this kind. And may indicate a lack of verbal communication soft skills altogether. The interviewee should be engaged. Your candidate should be engaged in the questions. If they aren’t feeling or seeming enthusiastic about answering, it could mean that they don’t truly desire to get an employment offer from you. If after your questioning, the candidate isn’t asking you questions, you should take the time to ensure they know that they can ask. Say something like, “What questions can I answer for you?” 15 Final Interview Questions You Can Use These final interview questions should give you a sense of whether or not the candidate is worthy of an offer. Remember, be sure you coordinate with all previous interviewers to ensure that you aren’t repeating questions that may have already been asked and answered by the candidate. What do you think your first day would look like? What would you try to accomplish in your first week? What do you think success looks like for this role? How do you feel about the culture here? How do you feel you’ll fit in with the culture here? How would you describe this role to a family member? If you had to describe this role to me, how would you do it? What do you think some of the pillars for success are within this role? What are improvements to our product or service that you feel like we could be making? Who would you meet with first during your first week? What would make you happy in this role? What would make you unhappy in this role? What are some of the ways we plan to grow the company? What qualities can you bring to this role? What qualities can you bring to this company?

Why Stability Contributes to Agility Marla Gottschalk

Why Stability Contributes to Agility Marla Gottschalk Photo by Peter Y. Chuang on Unsplash My interest in the stability paradox â€" the need for a solid foundation to support organizational agility resilience â€" has deep roots within my career. (Read my other posts here and here. Read about ARA theory here). In the late 2000s, I had the unique opportunity to work with a number of small businesses. Many were successful, family-owned and displayed an extreme passion for the products or services they provided. These organizations were filled with remarkable people, who had nurtured deep ties with the community and intended on leaving a lasting, positive impact. After spending time with both leadership teams and contributors, I quickly realized that their challenges were a microcosm of what might occur in larger companies. There was far less noise bureaucratically, so to speak, and the challenges were much easier to identify. However, the consequences of inaction would be equally as devastating and would mover at a much faster pace. Most were already experiencing some level of distress. Some had survived the economic crisis â€" only to realize they were one of the last companies standing of their kind. They were relieved, yet stunned. Others were facing new and disruptive competition. But, they all sensed they were on shaky ground as to how to move forward effectively and continue to grow. But, regardless of the industry, there was a certain similarity in their predicament â€" and the thread that connected them was growth. Rather, how these organizations were unprepared to support further growth. To my astonishment, most had managed to grow rather ferociously with a sparse internal structure â€" until they reached an inflection point where the informal structure no longer supported the organization. Then all hell began to break loose. Communication channels began to fail. Cross-functional teaming was in disarray. Response times expanded. Customers were unhappy. Tempers would flare. I was challenged to help them, but soon realized that increased internal stability was required. Without a stable underlying foundation, nothing would work. (Read more about this here.) However, preserving what made them both innovative and unique, was also important. That became the goal: a set of best practices that reinforced the supportive skeleton of the organization â€" such as mission, values and communications channels â€" but still allowed for flexibility that helped these organizations survive and thrive. We would usually focus on a few elements: Discuss mission strategy. It was usually time to revisit the core principles of the organization. Did the mission still fit ? Was there and agreed strategy to support that mission? Without these elements, the moving parts that drove growth would become locked. Stabilize communication. By the time an organization reached 80 or 90 people, the informal communications network became stressed and or had fractured. Investing in intranet software, for example, to facilitate conversations and collaboration became critical critical. A technology investment was also needed â€" especially if a sizeable group of contributors were in the field. Examine software solutions. Software does need to match the demands within an industry. However, in many cases platforms were added as a particular need presented, with little consideration concerning how the addition impacted employees and customers. So, the house that Jack built became the plan. Solutions didnt work together, and in some cases they competed, adding needless steps and little added value. Review talent needs. Inevitably positions needed to be added that could serve a strategy function for key functions. These individuals could keep an eye on growth opportunities and what the organization would need to do to respond effectively. Moreover, role clarity for existing roles, was usually weak or absent. Look at development. Contributors need to believe that they have room to grow. Adopting practices that encourage feedback and coaching are also factors which affect internal stability. In small business, when an individual departs, a library of experiences goes with them. A completely new role may not always be possible â€" but a discussion of what a contributor may want to learn may be possible. I was awestruck by the risks that small business owners happily shoulder for the good of both their customers and employees. Helping them in some small way was incredibly rewarding. Pointing them in the direction of stability, with the goal of preserving flexibility â€" seemed the right move. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. She is a charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program. Her thoughts on work life have appeared in various outlets including Talent Zoo, Forbes, Quartz and The Huffington Post.

9 Creative Ways to Get Your Job Application Noticed - Career Sidekick

9 Creative Ways to Get Your Job Application Noticed - Career Sidekick 9 Creative Ways to Get Your Job Application Noticed Applying for Jobs / https://www.edenscott.com/blog If youre wondering, how can I stand out from other job applicants online? then this is the article for you.In the next 10 minutes, youre going to learn how to get your job application noticed with 9 creative (and highly-effective) methods that will help you stand out any time you apply for a position online.The first method Im going to show you is one of the BEST ways to apply for a job, and Ive seen people get great results with it.So Ill cover that method first, and then Im also going to give you 8 more ways to differentiate yourself and get noticed when applying for jobs online.Lets get startedHow to Get Your Job Application Resume Noticed: Creative Ways to Apply for Jobs1. The Value Video MethodThis is a method that many people I know have gotten great results with, and it will definitely differentiate you from other job seekers.(Heres the feedback from someone on LinkedIn when I shared this tactic recently):With this method, youre going to do eve rything you do in a typical job application (like sending your resume, filling in the basic details they ask for, etc.) with one added stepThe extra step: When you apply to a business, create a 30-60 second video explaining:Why their job and/or company caught your interest (e.g. why you chose to apply)The value you bring to the role and how youd be able to help them (e.g. why they should hire you)Spend more time on the second part. You can mention skills, past experiences, accomplishments, what you did for your last employer thats similar, etc. That should be the main focus.Then, upload it as an unlisted video on YouTube. That way, nobody will find it unless you share the direct link with them.And when you apply for the job, send a brief message with your application (either in the email, in a space for comments or notes in the online application form, etc., and say: I created a one-minute video to briefly highlight what I can bring to this role and how I can help your team. Heres w here to watch it: LINKYou can record the video with your smartphone camera. This doesnt need to be Hollywood movie quality. The fact is, just putting in the effort to do this is going to help get your job application noticed immediately.Heres an example of what to say in your Value Video:Hi there!My name is Biron. I was on your website and saw youre looking for a Job Title, and I wanted to send a quick video to share a couple of unique things I can bring to this role. I took a look at your job description and it sounds like you need ___ and ___. I have a background in ___ and have been doing this for X years. Most recently, I helped XYZ Company do ___ and ___. I have a few ideas I could share based on your job description that I think would help you, too. If any of this sounds interesting, Id love to set up a time to talk on the phone! Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!Get creative, adjust this script for your situation, and use this to stand out any time you apply for a job online.PROOF that this works:My friend at Tesla confirming it worked there, too:And heres another great reason to use this Value Video Method:Now, this isnt going to work everywhere In my experience, the technique mentioned above will work best for start-ups, smaller businesses, etc. However, it may not work when applying to government jobs, large corporations, and very traditional businesses in industries like banking finance, etc.So if this method doesnt feel like itll work in your industry or job type, keep reading. Coming up, Im going to share 8 more ways to get your resume noticed without having to send a video.2. Use networking instead of applying coldThis is one of the best ways to not only get your job application seen, but maybe skip the whole job application process entirely.If youre not already using networking in your career, its a big mistake.If you build your network and get introduced to employers and hiring managers directly by people they know youre going to have their attention immediately.You may not even have to go through the painful process of applying online, depending on the size/structure of the company.So always be talking to your network AND trying to build new contacts. You can find some starting steps in this article.3. Always tailor your resumeMost people dont realize, but tailoring your resume properly only takes 5-10 minutes. And it makes a MASSIVE difference in helping you stand out when applying online.You see, recruiters and hiring managers glance very quickly at your resume to begin. Theyll read more if you catch their attention, but that first glance is only 8-10 seconds.So if you dont tailor your resume, theyre not going to see compelling, relevant info at first glance, and they may move on.Its okay if this doesnt make sense to you yet, or youve never tailored your resume before. Just read this article and youll know exactly how I recommend doing it.Overall, tailoring your resume is one of the best things you can do for your career and job search.4. Introduce yourself to people and organizations before theyre hiringThe next way to avoid competition and get your job application seen is to email and contact companies even if they dont have a relevant job posted.Growth-stage companies in particular are always looking for great people. They may be willing to hire you if they like you enough even if they werent looking for someone with your skill set this year (because they know theyll need you in the near future).INC publishes an INC 5,000 list each year with the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the US. This is a great place to find companies to email and get in touch with.5. Let the hiring manager know youre interested and direct them to your applicationAfter applying, consider getting in touch with the hiring manager (via LinkedIn, email, etc.)You wont always be able to find the hiring managers name, but if you can, this can help your job application get noticed.Dont be pushy, and dont send a long message. Instead, send two or three very brief paragraphs letting them know you applied, sharing why youd be a great fit (very briefly), and then telling them that youre curious whether they agree with your assessment that this might be a great fit.This is what will make your application stand out from other applicants, so you can boost your chances of getting the interview.6. Follow up after applyingThis is similar to the step above, but you can also follow-up with someone else in the company (like an HR person) after applying for a job online. Just give the employer a reasonable amount of time to respond to your initial application first (5-7 days minimum).However, after that, following up to point their attention toward your application to make sure it gets seen cant hurt!Many recruiters will tell you dont contact anyone else in the company, but thats usually just them trying to protect their own position (and protect the commissions that they earn).While I dont feel that a company owes you a response if they werent interested in your application (whereas, after an interview, they do owe you a response and you should follow up more aggressively) I still think it cant hurt to try this.So if this is your dream company or your dream job, then why not follow up to draw more attention to your application and boost your odds of getting seen and noticed?7. Find a great recruiter to work withYou should never rely on recruiters for your entire job hunt. They dont find jobs for people, they find qualified people for jobs.Its fundamentally different, so read that again and make sure it makes sense.However, finding one or two solid recruiters who know your market well can help get your application noticed and seen by more hiring managers (and faster!)Heres a full article on how recruiters work and what to expect from them.8. Have a stand-out LinkedIn profileLinkedIn is a great tool for finding a job both by networking and applying for jobs directly with Easy Appl y.Having a strong LinkedIn profile is a great tool for marketing yourself and will help get any applications sent via this platform seen and noticed more often.Plus, more and more hiring managers are checking out your LinkedIn profile even if you applied somewhere else (like their website, a job board, etc.)So while your application might get noticed without a great LinkedIn, youre still going to be losing out on interviews if youve neglected your LinkedIn profile.To help you with this, here are 5 LinkedIn profile tips that I recommend as a Recruiter. And heres everything to put on your LinkedIn profile, section by section.9. Send a unique cover letterIts a myth that you need a cover letter for every online job application. If you dont know the hiring manager, werent referred by someone in your network, and the employer hasnt asked for it, then you can skip the cover letter.Yet, if you are particularly good at writing cover letters or have a unique story to tell that cant be communi cated via your resume, then a cover letter is another option you have to help your online application get noticed!I recommend keeping your cover letter relatively short, though. The online templates with 10 huge paragraphs that take up a full page dont work well in most industries in my experience.And never repeat your resume info on your cover letter. Thats a waste of their time and wont help you get the interview.Here are some additional cover letter resources to help you:Steps to write a stand-out cover letterWriting a cover letter with no work experienceIf You Want to Make Your Job Application Stand Out, Do Something DifferentThe bottom line: You arent going to stand out and get noticed when applying for jobs online if youre doing the same things as everyone else.While the above tips for applying for a job might create a bit more work, theyre worth it! Employers love someone who demonstrates theyre willing to go above and beyond the basic requirements because it shows them youll have this attitude after they hire you.So use the steps above (that most job seekers arent using) and you will get your online application noticed more often, so you can get more interviews and find a job much faster.

How to save money on sandwiches (and afford a house)

How to save money on sandwiches (and afford a house) Do you find yourself staring at the drafty void of an empty bank account? Watching half your money disappear into the thin air also known as sky-high rent prices? Calculating that youll be approximately 253-years-old before youll be able to buy a house? Well I have some good news. It has been revealed that the secret to being able to afford your own home is as simple as cutting out expensive sandwiches.  (Terms and conditions apply: Only works in conjunction with cutting out nights out, takeaways, holidays, Lottery tickets, mobile phones and any other activities which bring mild joy to our debt-ridden lives, plus receiving monetary aid from parents). In all fairness though, grabbing a quick lunchtime snack can be completely extortionate ( £3.50 for a sandwich, packet of crisps and a bottle of water, no thank you). Finding a lunchtime option that both tastes good and doesnt break the bank can be tricky, but with these top tips youll fall in love with lunch all over again. Dont fall into the Meal Deal trap The most common rookie mistake for anyone new to the lunchtime sandwich game Meal Deals are a rip off. Yes, your entire life is a lie. Meal Deals play off our laziness. Shops know that we cant be bothered to trail around looking for the cheapest options, so they shove everything at the front, and stick a random price on it. A sandwich, snack and drink for £3 might seem like a great deal, but if you hunt around you can actually half that price. My best buy to date? Two sausage rolls, a banana and a packet of Munchies (and the bottle of water I filled up at home), for a solid £1.45. I mean, I cant vouch for the healthiness of this meal, but getting a pretty filling lunch for less than the price of your bus fare isnt too bad. Avoid packaged foods While were on the subject of shopping around, stop buying packaged fruit and veg! You might get charged £1.50 for a pre-packaged pot of melon and grapes, but a banana will only set you back a few pence, and you can get a big bunch of grapes for a quid that will last you all week. It might seem convenient at the time, but not only is it crazy bad for the environment, youre wasting your precious pennies on a piece of plastic youre just going to chuck in the bin. Oops, reduced! If youre not picky about use-by dates, then this is the one for you. At a certain magical moment every day, a shop assistant will come around with a sticker machine and start reducing the products about to hit their use-by date. First on their list? Sandwiches. Time it right and you can get there just in time to be greeted with an array of discount sandwiches that will definitely (use your own judgement here) still be fine to eat the following day if you keep them refrigerated. This is great for nabbing those healthier salads and can also be helpful at forcing a bit of variety into your diet. Do It Yourself If theres one thing I hate, its home made sandwiches. Memories of plastic ham and bland bread from school days make the thought of making my own dinners massively unappealing. But if you use fresh ingredients, find some fillings which work for you and switch it up every now and then, youll save a boat-load and make some pretty tasty food too. The only downside is the extra five minutes in bed youll have to sacrifice to make them each morning. Make HUGE dinners If sandwiches really arent for you then try making super big portions of your evening meal. This can actually often be way easier than making a meal for one since supermarkets tend to sell things in big sizes, and then you can use the leftovers for lunch the next day. Plus, a nice big bowl of spaghetti bolognese will help keep those munchies at bay for the rest of the afternoon way better than a sandwich would. Download these nifty apps If you want to grab some really cheap deals, then these apps are absolute lifesavers. Too Good to Go This amazing little app allows you to snap up food that would otherwise be thrown away, for super cheap prices. A whole range of your favourite local cafes and restaurants are on there, and you simply select your favourite store, pay a fraction of the price you would normally (typically around £2.50- £3.50), and then head there at your allocated time to collect your food. However, most often you dont get to choose what you get, so it isnt a great option for picky eaters, and collection times are after the lunchtime rush, in the late afternoon/early evening, so you might have to save your food for the following day, or take a snack to keep you going! Olio Going really back to basics, Olio allows you to collect your neighbours leftover food. For example, if Karen two doors down has a whole bunch of tomatoes left over from a dinner party, she can post them on the app and you can go pick them up. Cheap food for you, plus youll be combating food waste! Dont walk past Subway The aroma will draw you in. And before you know it, youll be paying a fiver for a foot-long with three different types of melted cheese. Resist. So there you have it. The key to being able to afford the house of your dreams is as simple as cutting back the cost of those pesky sandwiches (Apparently). Alternatively, you could use the spare cash to pay for that well earned holiday, and lobby the government to create more affordable houses and control rent prices instead just an idea. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.