Can money buy a loyal employee?

As the economy and general job market continues to progress upward we have seen another interesting trend - more money in an offer or counter offer is not always the most important component of a total package for candidates.  So what is impacting careers decisions if not the almighty dollar?

You might be surprised with the first answer to this question.  It is the ability to work from home.  Don't hear what I'm not saying.  This is NOT an employee requesting to work from home one or two days a week.  This is simply requesting the ability to have the resources available to do work from home when necessary.  Whether it be a sick day, an evening, a weekend, or simply a day where you can't be in the office until mid-day because of a doctor's appointment or children's activity after school.  With smartphones, wireless internet, laptops, and much more technology available this is a great way to allow your employees to get work done outside of the normal 8:00-5:00 work day.  It also shows great respect for someone that you trust they will get their work done if provided with the right resources.

The second answer is more predictable, but I will argue that it ties into the first in some ways.  It is asking for more vacation/PTO time in lieu of a raise or bonus.  Work/life balance is becoming increasingly more difficult in a world that demands it.  Speaking as a parent of three small children, it means a lot to be able to leave every Thursday in the summer at 3:30 to get to baseball practice in time to help coach.  Then if the employee has ability to connect at home as described above, I would argue that the individual will be motivated to log in from home later that evening to stay on top of work projects/deadlines.  While still needing the ability to have enough vacation days to set up a flex schedule like that.

The third answer is more abstract but could be the most powerful.  It is the sense of purpose or belonging.  I recently had a candidate interview with a client on multiple occasions.  After the first interview there was still interest, but a few questions and concerns as well, including the salary range for the role.  The candidate had the opportunity to meet one of the principals during the second interview and came out with a very different perspective.  Words like vision, strategy, long term, and passion were used to describe the energy of the interview.  I asked if the questions and concerns from the first interview remained, and the candidate said that even if they still existed it did not matter.  Purpose trumps money every time.

I could probably construct a list of 10-12 more items, but I really want to hear from you.  I read another article recently talking about how more money does not buy loyalty, but only rents it.  Would you agree?  What other items can trump money when trying to recruit or retain an employee?

Why an interview is a marathon and not a sprint

Recently I have had some situations where employers and candidates test each other's patience as the interview process has been more protracted than anyone expected.  But with the exception of one that did not work out, the extra time proved to be priceless in ensuring the right long term match for both parties.

There was also a marathon held in Des Moines over the weekend, so I got to thinking about the differences in training methodologies between a marathon runner and a sprinter.  And how those differences may relate to the interview process.  Quick caveat as we tackle this topic together - I am NOT a runner.  So the perspective will be mostly related to my profession.  Heck, I have a hard enough time keeping up with my eight-year old son in our backyard these days.

The first tip is to think about the long term.  A sprinter has to lay it all on the line in a short period of time.  If you have a bad start, you likely can't make up for it.  A marathon runner in contrast has many different opportunities throughout a race to make up for lost time.  When interviewing for the first time with a prospective employer it is important to realize they don't need to know your whole life story in sixty minutes.  I often challenge candidates to see if they can get the employer to talk more than they do during the course of a first interview.  That way they can avoid talking way too much about their background, especially the parts that are irrelevant to the job they are interviewing for.

The second tip is to use your mind to your advantage.  In a sprint a runner is only focused on running as hard as they can in a short burst.  A marathon runner may need to intentionally slow down occasionally to store energy for the final few miles.  At any point in an interview both parties need to carefully select when and why to share particular details about the opportunity.  This is why several meetings may need to occur before knowing the position is a match for everyone.  Recently I had a candidate who wanted badly to share letters of recommendation during a first interview.  I advised why it could be much more powerful later in the process as it could look too much like it was forced.  This person took the advice, the company fell in love with the background, and the letters were only presented at the end as icing on the cake to confirm how good of an employee they were getting.

The final tip is to always run your own race and not let anyone else dictate your pace.  In a sprint you want to be the first out of the gates and push hard until the end.  In a marathon you could start in the back or middle of the pack and still easily win the race.  One of the comments I dislike after a first interview with a candidate is the fact that they hope to meet with several more candidates and will only be back in touch after that occurs.  It is de-moralizing to hear that as it might give the impression that the company did not like the candidate.  It seldom matters, however, because the employer most times either liked the candidate or they didn't.  And over time it will either be further reinforced or shown that there is indeed someone else that will win the race.  Bottom line is that at that point you have already done what you can.  So stay focused on what your plan was going into the interview and don't sweat the small stuff.

Have you ever needed a reminder that an interview is a marathon and not sprint?  If so, how did you respond?

How to remember past professional experiences

There are two clear ways to incorrectly remember your past professional experiences - first by denying they ever happened and secondly by only remembering them in a negative light.  None of us are perfect and our past includes both positive and negative experiences.  So how can we use these experiences to shape our future?

We all know the saying that hindsight is 20/20.  So why not use that to our advantage?  Regardless of whether it is a client or a candidate, I hear all the time about a recent bad experience.  A client who hired the wrong person for a role and wants to avoid doing that again at all costs.  A candidate who felt was promised a lot in the interview process, only to have those promises unfulfilled once the job is taken.  An initial response for either party could be predicted as I outlined above - deny the experience was bad at all, or only focus on how bad it was.  Neither move you forward.

Don't hear what I am not saying - we can all learn from past mistakes.  But simply dwelling on them or trying to hide them will not propel you forward.  Let's first explore why it is a bad idea to go down the path of denial.  If you are a candidate or an employer that feels like a bad job or bad hire was a one-time experience, you could be sorely mistaken.  Without having it be a recurring theme of an interview, it is okay to explore why something did not work out.  The manner in which you approach this topic makes all the difference in the world.  I had a candidate recently take a new position, was happy for about three months, and then the bottom fell out.  She admitted that she saw some tendencies in a new boss during the interview process that reminded her of an old boss.  But she chose to ignore those tendencies in the new boss and really hoped things would be different.  Instead of admitting that it might be another bad career move.  Something that could have been easily avoided through a little introspection.

The second idea here is even more dangerous - only remembering a past experience in a negative light.  I had a client recently go through significant turnover in a department.  The common thread was that a few of the new employees were coming from the same type of employer.  Hence the idea surfaced that everyone from that employer must be considered a bad option for a new hire.  You can probably see where I am going with this.  I sourced a candidate from that employer that happened to be fantastic.  The client would not even consider an interview as the experience was so bad with the other employees from that company.

The bottom line here is that regret is not something I recommend when looking in the rearview mirror of your career or your hiring patterns.  Instead learn from negative experiences, acknowledge that they are okay, and instead look forward to build a better future.

Have you ever looked back with regret or thoughts of negativity?  If so, what did you gain from it?

When to say "I don't know" in an interview

Conventional wisdom may tell you to never admit not knowing something.  Especially during the course of a job interview.  But I am here to tell you of three instances where it is actually a good idea to do just that.

1)  The first time it is okay to say "I don't know" is pretty obvious - it is when you really don't know the answer to a question.  Sound like common sense?  Of course it does.  But I can't tell you how many times I have had candidates lie, embellish, concoct, and dance around the answer to a question that they don't really have.  If you don't have experience in a particular area, and the employer is asking about that area, don't be afraid to tell the truth.  Instead point to being a quick learner or ask a follow up question regarding how critical the knowledge is to the daily job duties.

2)  Another opportune time to say "I don't know" is actually before an interview even takes place.  It is when an employer or a recruiter or a networking contact asks you if you are interested in even considering another job.   It is okay to be uncertain of whether or not you would leave your current employer.  It is also okay to consider a conversation when the outcome could be to stay put.  I see candidates far too often shut down the idea of any discussion about another opportunity.  While it could be seen as ultimate loyalty to your current employer, you will never know what else is available without exploration.  Or perhaps you will need someone to help with your search down the road and you'll want people to remember you fondly.

3)  I suspect this point will foster some debate, but saying "I don't know" to this interview question is far better than making something up that you don't plan on executing.  The question is "Where do you see yourself in five years?"  Most people will tell you to have an answer prepared for this question.  But I see a healthier dialogue coming from providing "I don't know" as your answer.  Clearly you will want to follow up with some additional details or questions on your end.  But unless you have received all kinds of assurance from the prospective employer that they can provide a good foundation for these five-year goals, you have some work to do to understand their culture and how many employees they have that celebrate their five-year anniversary with the company.  Until you know that, I don't know how you could honestly paint a picture of hitting that milestone.

Have you ever experienced another time in an interview where "I don't know" was the best answer?