WOW, February 2012 is here; time definitely flies when you are having fun or way too busy with your life.
If you are part of the millions of Americans whose are struggling with this economy trying to make ends meet then listen. The opportunities are out there, whether for employment or self-employment and all you have to do is look for it. There’s a saying “mercaderia que no se muestra, mercaderia que no se vende”, if people doesn’t know what you are looking for then they won’t be able to help. The literal translation doesn’t quite say the same thing but the meaning is the same. Dealing with unemployment I
As some of you are aware, this year we have grown a whole lot in accounting tax services and other non-related companies and non-related services as well. Having just said that, we have incorporated a whole lot of multi talented people everywhere too.
The first challenge was to find the right people to do the assignments. There are many considerations to tackle that challenge, such as location, timing, skills, personality, schedules, just to mention a few.
So, posting an ad for the job seems like the logical step.
With this economy is not a surprise that people would write anything on paper to get a job, or maybe some people is just overqualified for a job posting. Now I understand why initial over the phone and face to face interviews are held. From my own experience I see everybody wants to give a great first impression on the phone, which is cool. And although I always try to make this very first call at the right time of the day, I have people answering this very first call in odd places like while grocery shopping, driving, eating, feeding a baby, riding the bus, etc. which I appreciate. I always start these calls with a, “is this a good time for you to talk for a few minutes…” Dealing with unemployment II
As a hiring manager I like the “attitude about life”, and someone who “prioritizes”.
I believe life is a great market where everybody is looking to exchange information of all kinds. People go to school to learn valuable information about their careers, people go to work to provide information in exchange for money, people spend hours reading or creating information in their laptops, cell phones, etc. or people sell services “providing information” about how to drive cars, how to build buildings, how to clean spaces, etc.
So, the information obtained/obtained at this very first call is crucial.
In the face to face interview recruiters are focus in the personality and try to discuss more in detail the background of the potential employee. Is easier to spot a lie or a great sense of achievement in person that over the phone. Is at this point when the right candidate starts to appear. I would say from my own experience that two out of five phone interviews were the right candidate to proceed to a face to face interview. Then one out of two meets my company’s criteria, but once in the field just one out of 3.5 met the expectations at the pace required.
If you think about it, if you want to be employed for a long time then you have to pass all of these three phases to become the right person for any job.
Do not get me wrong, I had been at the other side of the desk, and to my best knowledge I always believe that what makes you the best candidate for any job is the golden rule “you have to look, walk and smell” like the perfect candidate for any job. But the golden rule will take all the way to the phase 3, once there you have to be the “right worker” for the job, meaning you have to do what is required or “expected” for the job.
It is a two way street here.
And again from my own experience that comes from property management accounting (which is vast) ranging from the modest rents that come from section eight in the less privileged side of Los Angeles, all the way to the luxury super outrageous dozens of thousands dollar rents that come from stores and residences in Beverly Hills.
I remember the few times when I was “tricked” by the hiring manager who probably wanted really badly my experience to get a job at a no-so appealing company for a nice boast on the offered wages.
I warn you all this is a “bad sign”. The way to hell is paved with good intentions, and it is true.
This is how it goes. First they are impressed by your background, they want you badly, they offer you the job with a bonus at front, they are under the impression that you would magically resolved all the problems at their dysfunctional company (in which the main part of problem is the person who hired you). But there is no way for you to know that at this point, and that is why it is very important that you investigate the company you really want to work for. Then once at work they expect you to resolve problems that were there for years, they want you to put in place “new things”, “change”, “fresh ideas” that would help to resolve their problems, but when they realize that your experience and suggestions collide with their way of doing things (they will lose control), then this very “fresh ideas” are ignored by the very same people who hired you, then that is the end of it. At this point they just want you to do things the way they always did it, with not change. Well, a trained monkey could have done the same thing, do not you think? |
Consultants know very well what I’m talking about.
But many of us are more anxious just to get a job, any job. I would say this applies more if you have the time and resources (unemployment) in place and time to do your due diligence. I honestly just did it once, and it worked perfectly, I met my dream place to work and I met my best boss ever which I still respect and remain friends, and coming from me, it is a lot, trust me.
It all would have been different if the hiring manager was honest from the get go. I had to deal with messy accounting situations, but that’s another blog article. Reasonable and Realistic expectations that is the key.
I usually tell the prospective candidate what is the nature of the job, what is expected from him/her, and if they would be willing to do it. That’s it, simple. I don’t see an employee as an employee but as a business partner who will make my life easier in the area, and try to be as reasonable as possible. The world has enough control freaks out there.
Trivia: Do you know how to spot if your boss is a control freak? Ask yourself if you boss would make a big deal out of nothing if you do something in a different way that leads to the same results at work. If the answer is yes, then that’s a hint.
Ok, you’re in phase three “in the job. What to do when somebody doesn’t perform as required, what about if somebody doesn’t meet your expectations? What about the time, resources and money invested in this employee? I would say everybody deserves other chances, maybe the solution is just something simple, maybe re-training, maybe this employee lacks on experience in certain area, it could be multiple different reasons that probably can be solved in minutes.
If after retraining the employee and having had multiple complete attempts to resolve the issue, then maybe and just maybe this is not the right fit after all. The New direction approach.
In this case probably the best way to resolve this issue would be to prioritize the company’s resources, time and money to the next best candidate.
It is unbelievable but some people still lie to the bones, and some of their friends who are willing to fool a hiring manager portraying as references, it is odd but still happens. I was shocked to learn there are companies that do that.
As odd as finding somebody with a long background in the entertainment business working in some kind of specialized office work. Nothing wrong with that if this individual is good at this work, good for you, but if you see certain warning signs from this employee such as struggle, stress, complaints, mood swings, etc, then maybe this is not the right individual for this job after all.
If you’re trying to just help a friend then good for you, but if your friend doesn’t help you…
Trivia: OREM Business Solutions can help you to find out if your workers are still the right candidate for the job, or the other way around.
Again this is a 2 way street. I have found some individuals last year whose lack on specialized training I was looking for but their attitude were the best! And so far these 5 individuals are just excelling far beyond my expectations.
I was like, “ok show me what you got” and they just punched me straight in the face. Metaphorically “of course” after I regained consciousness I just love it!
This is rare but still happens, and I’m glad I found these people, and I would love to decipher the formula on how to find more of these individuals.
Trivia: why there are more foreigners as excelling individuals than American ones? Because a foreigner is used to struggle, and against all odds the foreigner one would try in unconventional ways that would usually shock the American one. (This example comes from this company, where the 5 excelling individuals happened to be foreigners)
If you are part of the ones whose are working at an unhealthy work environment I would suggest planning your next move, your “exit move”, planning the new direction in your life. Maybe you already fulfilled your learning process at your current work place and you are ready to move to bigger and better things. It happens all the time. Another hint is when you ask yourself where else can you go further in that company, is there any place where you think you can be promoted? Then you know the answer is NO. Once I had a coworker who told me: “Olivia has to die in order for me to become the boss”.
You never know, these answers to these questions can be answer just by the very only one who never would lie or cheat to you, the one that will be with you until the day you die, and that is your hart.
Maybe is time to be in to business...
Maybe is time to be in to business...
If your hart tells you that working in a small company is better than working for a big corporation then that’s your answer. For some people working in big corporation make them feel better, or like people in Los Angeles when driving by them somewhere, some feel lonely, some may feel great.
Trivia: Have you ever been at an uncomfortable business situation? Consider how would you have handled, can it still be fixed? And always be honest to yourself and others. Be transparent to everybody, it is always the best policy, the troublemaker will always come to the surface. Misery enjoys company, so don’t be misery’s company.
And then there are the overqualified people. With this economy there are hundreds of thousands of over-quifilied professionals of all fields, this is a unique opportunity to hire really valuable individuals that would bring a unique enrichment experience to your organization. There are thousands of over-experienced and overqualified individuals that are looking for jobs from all kinds of areas. So ask yourself, why settle for someone who would just do ok? For someone who just lacks the background or experience? I want the best; I want someone who would just thrive at their work, someone who knows how to prioritize, not someone who just juggles, because juggling is a recepe for disaster. So think about it when choosing your candidates or when keeping the workers you already have.
There is a lot more to share, but that would be in the next issue…
