The Hire Sense
A business blog dedicated to all topics pertaining to successful sales recruiting, hiring, managing and retaining in today's evolving market.
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Job Progress
I’m beginning to think we are becoming immune to employment reporting. A sentence from the beginning and end of a CNNMoney.com article (emphasis mine): The good news: Overall employers announced fewer planned job cuts. … Economists are expecting the report to show there were 120,000 jobs lost in August, an improvement over July’s 131,000 job loss. In a prolonged recession, I guess these pieces of information are uplifting. |
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What Employees Want
I am usually a bit cynical regarding these types of articles. My reasoning is this – each individual is unique in their motivations and rewards. Attempting to place employees into set categories regarding global characterizations is a stretch. Nonetheless, this article from Inc.com presents some excellent points and advice for employee engagement. I do not believe you can overstate this one: 5. Employees want flexibility. In addition to deciding how they work, the experts say employees... |
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The Stalled Economic Engine
You know this entire GDP reporting process is an absolute joke. This AP article indicates that the Q2 GDP is going to be revised down…a LOT: The government is about to confirm what many people have felt for some time: The economy barely has a pulse. The Commerce Department on Friday will revise its estimate for economic growth in the April-to-June period and Wall Street economists forecast it will be cut almost in half, to a 1.4 percent annual rate from 2.4 percent Honestly, if a publicly-traded... |
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Pandora’s Box Known As Facebook
There has been much discussion about the use of social networking for candidate background checks. I have always been in favor of allowing companies to search through anything posted online – it is in the public domain. However, this German law does provide a bit more detail: For example, employers will still be allowed to run a search on the Web on their applicants, de Maiziere said. Anything out in public is fair game, as are postings on networks specifically created for business contacts,... |
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A Bad Marketing Day
I had a laugh regarding a web inquiry one of my customers received recently. The inquiry was the first one the company had received “in 8 months.” When the salesperson emailed the contact to set up a call, the contact said he was a victim of identity theft and had not submitted the inquiry. You know, some days just go that way. |
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New Phrase
I was reading this article from our local business magazine and came across this phrase which was new to me (emphasis mine): Twin Cities television viewers are most drawn to sports, comedies and dramas, and they’re increasingly using digital video recorders and other time-shifting technologies to watch their favorite programs, according to Comcast Corp.’s second annual “TV Pulse Survey.” I would argue that Taleo is a “time-shifting technology,” if you get my drift. ... |
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Spelling Does NOT Matter
Here is a new title from a sales employment ad: Accont Exceutive Honestly, if I could spike my coffee right now I would. Whatever price this medical company paid for the ad has been wasted before a single click. |
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Too Many Gerunds
From a sales ad I just read (my editing): Experience in building, hiring from scratching, coaching, training and developing the RAMs in the sale of _________ products. Perhaps this is some new interviewing technique – “If you could scratch one place on your body, what would that place be?” |
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Of Objectivity
I preach this point from the mountaintop as often as possible so I’ll continue here – sales is the single most difficult position to hire in any company. The reason is simple, accurately predicting sales success by discerning candidate capabilities is…well, often a crapshoot. This fact is why it is imperative to use assessments to gain an understanding of what the candidate has “under their hood.” A prime example is emotional control. Successful salespeople have this trait. It... |
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3 Years And A Cloud Of Dust
My apologies for co-opting Woody Hayes’ saying, but I am from Ann Arbor and couldn’t stand the guy anyway. I’m wondering what the Great Recession is going to do to resumes. What I mean is this – many people have shortened tenures nowadays (especially Gen Y). 3 years is turning into a fairly good tenure for a worker. This recession has cost millions of people their jobs. Some will have to start their work career over, essentially taking a “lesser” job and working their way up... |
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10 Commandments Of Successful Sales Selection
1. Always select talent and skills over experience. 2. Do not put the entire burden of the company on this hire. 3. Do not clone yourself. 4. Do not expect to hire perfection. 5. Do not start the process unless you can hire the right candidate today. 6. Do not run the process out of sequence. 7. Do not miss opportunities to see the candidate in action. 8. Do not change the compensation plan during the process. 9. Trust the instruments more than your gut. 10. Do not assume you are the candidates’... |
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Sinking Stock Syndrome
I made that up, Sinking Stock Syndrome, from some interactions I have had recently with a couple of small business owners. Both owners suffered from this syndrome which had disastrously negative effects on their company, both in revenue and morale. Here is how I define my newly-minted syndrome – an irrational hope that a grossly underperforming salesperson will miraculously turn things around and become a sales superstar. It rarely happens. The problem stems from the business owner who has... |
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The Unanswered Question
Take a look at this headline from Twin Cities Business: MN June Unemployment Rate Drops, Sheds 3,700 Jobs Jobs are lost and the unemployment rate decreases…how can this be? It is a question that begs an answer, yet you won’t find it in this article. The closest it comes: Minnesota’s unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted 6.8 percent even though employers cut 3,700 jobs during the month, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)... |
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Writing Gone Bad
A sentence I just read in a laptop battery warranty statement: We are happy to send a replacement when you receive a defective item from us. “when”!?! |
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Pink Slip Parties?
I received my share of pink slips in my career so this title frightened me when I first saw it in the Twin Cities Business Magazine. However, this strikes me as rather clever: The party, akin to speed dating for the unemployed… The idea is to provide an opportunity for job seekers to mingle with local recruiters in a more informal setting than a traditional board room. Job seekers should dress to impress, bring copies of their resume, and be ready to network, Virgin Mobile and JobsDirectUSA... |
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Job Location-North Dakota
Ok, I know it isn’t an exotic port of call, but North Dakota does have one very interesting fact – 3.3% unemployment. From our local Pioneer Planet newspaper: Ziesch says the state had the lowest unemployment rate in the nation in June at 3.3 percent. He says North Dakota has about 10,700 unfilled jobs. Yes, it is a sparsely populated state, but they definitely have demand. This time of year is the right time to visit, too. 6 months from now and you will be crying through blizzards the... |
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Happy Independence Day 2010
Ok, so I am a day late, but what a great day it was. Parades, cookout, fireworks all with friends and family. I think if you want to get a real slice of Americana, come celebrate the Fourth with us. I hope you are able to enjoy a day off on this Monday. Here is something I found interesting from the JustSell newsletter: Thomas Jefferson & John Adams — the only two signers of the Declaration of Independence who became president — both died on the same day… July 4th,... |
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Happy Canada Day
I almost forgot this, eh? I was recently in Winnipeg for a week and have only good things to say about our neighbors to the north. I ate some Tim Horton’s, drank Molson and watched a lot of hockey – a perfect week for a guy from Minnesota. We have many customers in Canada and I just wanted to give a shout out to them this fine day. |
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What Color Is The Sky In Your World?
Remember that great line from Frasier Crane on Cheers? It is getting close to a holiday weekend so my mind is starting to drift a bit – my apologies. I did come across this rather entertaining test from the msn.com/CareerBuilder website – Let Your Favorite Color Guide Your Career. Take the test by selecting your favorite color from the top row and your favorite from the bottom row. Scroll down and you will get your results. I was blue-purple (can you tell from the website colors?). All... |
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Impulse Drive
No, I’m not talking about Star Trek but rather a common drive amongst leaders that can get them in trouble. I’ve seen this drive recently in a couple of different business-owning customers. My definition of it is a fast-acting, emotionally-driven decision. I think there is some value to it especially in the early, entrepreneurial stages of a company. Start-ups certainly need to be nimble to compete against larger, established competitors with deeper pockets. However, the impulse drive... |