Why your story matters (as an employer)

Last week I blogged about the importance of your story from the candidate's perspective.  Today I thought I would tackle the same subject, but from the employer's point of view.  Does it matter as much?  If so, how do you tell the story?

For any of you watching the March Madness unfold you may have seen some of the snubs from the selection committee.  The one getting the most press this morning is SMU not getting in despite winning their conference tournament and being ranked in the AP Top 25 to end the season.  Why would this happen?  It is their story that mattered.  Their early season non-conference schedule was very weak compared to other teams, and that mattered at the end of the day to the committee.

While this selection process received much more national attention that a candidate choosing to work for any given employer, there are some similarities we can draw:

1)  It is important to think ahead.  The NCAA selection committee is nothing if not consistent.  They have told teams for a number of years that early season non-conference games are important.  If teams choose not to strengthen their schedule ahead of conference play, they only have themselves to blame.  Similarly employers know there are some things employees look for consistently - good working culture, long term tenure of current employees, employee benefits and vacation schedules, room for improvement, and much more.  What will help attract the next generation of employee?  Figure that out and start implementing little things as soon as possible.

2)  It is okay to change.  As much as SMU can be proud of the season they had, they now know without doubt that if they want a chance at the NCAA tournament next year they better put some marquee names on their schedule for early next year.  It may stretch them a little, and they could even lose a few of those games.  But they might win, and that could propel them to being selected next year.  Perhaps you have seen other employers add a week of vacation to new offer sheets, and you have not wanted to do that.  Or maybe you see other employers having more of a public presence on social media or in the community.  It could be time to do more of that and not be afraid to advertise that fact.

3)  It is good to make a market comparison.  I am confident that the coaches and administration at SMU will look back on this year and see how what they planned stacks up against other schools that got into the tournament.  Not just looking at RPI, strength of schedule, and conference opponents.  But a comprehensive look at recruiting, off-season workouts, film study, and much more that could prepare them for a different type of early season schedule next year.  Too often employers live in a bubble and don't know what their competition may or may not be offering to new employees.  And oftentimes that information is public knowledge on websites, social media, and much more.  Why not take advantage of this information to see how you stack up against your competition.  If your story is better, why not tell everyone you know.  If your story needs some tweaking, put a plan into place to make some changes.

There are many more examples I could give or stories told about some of my clients that do tell their story well.  On the other hand, there are some that could take lessons from the best employers to tell their story even better.  It does matter if you really want to recruit the best long term employees.

What examples do you have about what your employer does to tell their story?

Why your story matters (as a candidate)

After the Olympics came to a close a few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a friend.  It started with the question of why the Olympic stories of individual athletes are so compelling, especially when it involves sports you otherwise would never watch.

Some of them are incredibly gripping and motivating.  A meteoric and unexpected rise to the top of an individual sport with odds stacked against them.  Heck, I even heard one story of an athlete who couldn't compete for their country, found citizenship in another country, and won a gold medal for that country.  Talk about perseverance and commitment!

How does this relate to a job search as an active candidate?  I believe it is relevant because in the day and age of social media candidates have grown very fond of over-sharing, but not with important details.  There was once a day where "hobbies" or "interests" were listed prominently on a resume.  Sometimes even right after an executive summary or achievements/accomplishments.  Why was this?  Because candidates were seeking an edge over other candidates.  Hoping that if you listed quilting as an activity of interest that the hiring manager would share that interest and you would have the inside track during an interview.

So what is the appropriate manner to share your story?  I have a few old-fashioned ideas:

1)  Make it personal.  When Bob Costas shared a human interest story during the Olympics, you were drawn to something that you could relate to, have empathy toward, or be inspired.  Not what a fabulous curler or cross country skier the individual was.  Instead of blathering about what an awesome employee you have been, tell a story of what made you such a valuable member of a team.  Perhaps you grew up on a farm and your first job taught you what it really means to work hard.  Maybe you had a parent that worked 80 hours a week to provide a good home, and that inspired you.  You have a college prof who is still a mentor today and taught you "everything you know".  These examples exhibit what motivates you and why you could make a good addition to a team.

2)  Make it relate-able.  I know that is esoteric, so let me unpack the idea.  If you grew up on a farm and have a great work ethic, but the hiring manager interviewing you grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth, your story will not resonate with them.  Or if the hiring manager played basketball for a Division I college and you try to compare that to being in the chess club in high school, you have probably done more damage than good.  Try to ask some leading questions first, and then determine from there how your story can align somehow with the story of the hiring manager.

3)  Make it real.  This one may seem obvious, but can be overlooked.  This time of year is big for March Madness in college basketball.  If the hiring manager starts talking bracketology and you don't know anything about basketball, don't dive into the concept that you love following the action on the hard court.  That is bound to end bad.  If you cannot find something in common in your story with the hiring manager, don't try too hard to make something up.

At the end of the day, your story does matter.  It may not always get you the job, but it could.  I have many examples from 10+ years of recruiting where the littlest things help push the candidate over the top to get the offer or eventually the job.

How not to choke under pressure during an interview

In the world of professional sports you often hear about someone "choking" down the stretch.  A missed shot in regulation in basketball, a missed field goal in football in OT, or a strikeout in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded.  What always drives me crazy in those situations is when the announcers focus only on the "choke" and not everything leading up to that moment at the end where things went terribly wrong.

Case in point is Rory McIlroy's meltdown yesterday afternoon at the Honda Classic.  He was poised to win if he could simply post even par on Sunday.  Which shouldn't be difficult considering his first three rounds were all under par.  He had a bad stretch in the middle of his round and it let to him being down one stroke on the final hole.  He had a great drive and hit a magical fairway wood from 245 yards out to give himself a chance to win the championship if only he could make the eagle putt.  As fate would have it, he missed that putt and it was quickly pointed out that he just lost the opportunity to win.  What they didn't spend a lot of time talking about right away was what went so terribly wrong for the twelve or thirteen previous holes.

Candidates do this oftentimes in the interview process.  They get down to final stages with an employer, maybe even to offer stage, and then something doesn't quite go their way.  Instead of looking at it from a broader perspective and see what might have gone wrong at step two or three, many choose to focus on how things unraveled at the end.  And as you can imagine, usually put the blame on someone else.

Instead of finding yourself in a similar unenviable position, here are some thoughts to better handle the period of time leading up to the possibly "choke":

1) Make a game plan and stick to it.  Rory likely just let nerves get the best of him yesterday at the Honda Classic.  I am certain he and his coach have spoken on multiple occasions how to handle the adrenaline of those situations.  He simply forgot his game plan and didn't execute.  On the same token, if you have been talking about a particular start date or salary range during an extended interview process, don't suddenly change at the 11th hour to see what leverage you can make.  It will fail more often than not.

2) Take a deep breath.  This may seem too simple, but it makes all kinds of sense.  If you see the finish line ahead during an interview and you get too nervous, the employer will sense that from a mile away.  Slow down, remind yourself why you're there in the first place, and finish strong.

3) Don't worry about what anyone else is doing.  I guarantee you that Rory was looking at the leaderboard during the last 3-5 holes, and it affected his play.  Sometimes when nearing the offer stage a candidate will speak with multiple decision makers.  Instead of over-thinking who might have more power or changing your story with each person, just focus on what makes you a good employee and possible match.  The rest will take care of itself.

The most ironic part about yesterday's "meltdown" for Rory was that when it was all said and done he was quoted as saying it wouldn't have been deserving had he won anyway on that final putt.  This loss will hurt for some time, but the best thing Rory could do is forget about it and move on.  Same goes if for some unfortunate reason you do lose in the final stages of an interview.  But with proper planning and execution of a game plan, hopefully you will find yourself hoisting the trophy (or offer) when the sun sets.

Have you ever heard of someone choking during the final phases of an interview to lose the opportunity?  Or have any good ideas to prevent it from happening in the first place?

How to get across the finish line of an interview

If you are anything like me, you are not a hard core NASCAR fan, but watch enough SportsCenter highlights to know enough to be dangerous.  An interesting thing happened yesterday with the Daytona 500.  There was a rain delay, so the network decided to show coverage from last year.  Which confused many casual sports fans, and they thought that Jimmie Johnson won.  Little did they know at the time that they were watching the 2013 Daytona 500.

This got me thinking about how many times I have seen searches and interviews get to the "final lap", only to crash and burn before crossing the finish line.  There are several reasons for this:

1)  The spotter fails to tell the driver what is coming ahead of them.  Like I said, I don't know much about NASCAR, but I do know the pit crew has a "spotter" that is always on the radio to tell the driver what is coming around the corner.  Whether it is a crash, a change in position for the leader, or an unexpected pit stop from another driver, they are always making their driver aware of those issues.  As a recruiter I feel like it is my job to do similar duties for the candidate and client alike.  If you think you can just put it on cruise control after a few good interviews, you are usually wrong.  Listen to what your gut is telling you, but also to those you trust that are trying to help you avoid pitfalls before finishing the race or in this case the interview.

2)  Someone else causes a crash in front of you.  This can manifest itself in many different ways.  Another candidate can jump into the race late and you go from the top candidate to one of three or four in the mix.  The client could have something change internally that makes an open position more of a "want" than a "need" when the candidate is ready to move right away.  The first three people on a team to interview a candidate could love that person, but the president has the final meeting and doesn't like the candidate at all.  Any way you look at it, this is something you have to anticipate and imagine happening, even though you are really hoping it is a clean race/interview from the first lap to the last.

3)  You take a calculated gamble that doesn't pay off.  In a NASCAR race this could be deciding to skip the pit stop for gas with only ten laps to go.  In an interview it is a candidate leveraging another interview too early to see if they can get the process to move more quickly.  Or perhaps countering just to counter to get more money and it leaves a bad taste in the employer's mouth.  Or a client likes a candidate, wants to interview three more people for comparison, and is then surprised when the first candidate they spoke with has already taken another job.

I could come up with several more analogies, but the bottom line here is that preparation and communication are keys to the interview process.  You can't always see what is around the next curve, but the more you anticipate it and communicate when it does happen, the better your chances of finishing the race or interview in first place.

Have you ever had an experience where you thought you were coming to the checkered flag of an interview process only to have something go wrong?

Ready for new life in your search?

For anyone living in the Midwest this winter, you know what a struggle it has been.  Heck, we have clients in places like Atlanta and Birmingham that have experienced some form of winter weather in the past few weeks.  I did see a robin last week, and hopefully spring is not too far away.  Like the weather, this time of year can have an affect on how you are feeling about a search.

So as the snow melts here in Iowa and the trees begin to bloom again with new life, how does this relate to what a search looks like during this time of year?  There are several ways:

1)  People are generally in a better mood.  That may seem like a quote from a psychologist treating seasonal affective disorder, but it is simply true.  I often get a bad rap from my colleagues as I talk about weather all the time.  But it is a great ice breaker, and everyone this year is looking forward to spring weather and activities.  You can bet big money that it seeps into conversations about hiring needs as well.  You might as well take advantage of that.  Rather than mulling over how things may not be going your way in a search right now, add some positive attitude to every call, email, and meeting you have to make the most of the situation!

2)  As the weather heats up, so do the job boards and hiring needs.  The first quarter is always a time for companies to take a hard look at new hires for the year.  It does, however, take some time to implement some of the changes.  Add in some winter weather for cancellations, postponements, and delays, and right now could really be a good time to be looking for a new role.  Be diligent in watching LinkedIn updates, company websites, posting boards, social media, and any other source of news for hiring.

3)  Hiring needs to happen before summer.  As much as we all look forward to summer, in my house at least it goes by in the blink of an eye.  My kids are home from school, involved in camps all the time, going on vacation, playing baseball, and keeping me out of the office quite a bit.  Hiring authorities at companies are exactly the same way and face the same problems.  If a hire needs to be made before summer, it really needs to happen in March or April to get someone fully transitioned before the craziness of summer hits.

4)  Bonuses are paid out in February and March.  Not every company does this, but there are a large number that do.  If someone is waiting on an annual bonus before making a job change, it is bound to happen soon.  Then the musical chairs begins in full force.  Candidate A leaves Company A, creating an opening.  Candidate B takes the role for Candidate A and creates an opening at Company B.  So on and so forth until all of the good jobs are taken.  If you can time your communication well with these sudden changes, it can certainly serve a great purpose for your long term search.  This has happened twice with clients of mine in the last two weeks, greatly benefiting candidates I had in my pipeline.

What else can you do to infuse new life into your search?  Have you hit a tipping point where something good needs to happen to keep you engaged?  I would love to hear what has worked for you in the past or maybe even something you are going through right now.

Three types of searches

I don’t know about you, but for me the month of February is almost more of a time of reflection than December and January.  Instead of being so caught up in the moment closing things out in December, or trying to get things off to a good start in January, I find it much easier to focus on goals/accomplishments in the middle part of the first quarter.  Did we accomplish what we set out in the fourth quarter and 2013 in total?  Are we off to a good start for 2014 and doing what we need to do to ensure success in the new year?

As I have experienced these reflections I find myself thinking about the three main types of searches we conduct on a daily basis.  They are listed below with a brief description:

1)  Passive contingency - this is with an agency or carrier partner that agrees to look at a resume or two that we might come across and claim is a "must see".  No harm, no foul to take a peek.  Very little risk involved, and certainly no obligation to pay.

2)  Active contingency - this is with more of a valued partner that we have known for a long time and they trust us.  They seek us out to fill a critical position, a tough-to-fill position, or even sometimes a highly confidential role to re-fill someone who is going to be departing.

3)  Retained - this is when a client needs to brand a strong story in the market that they are serious about filling a position.  Or perhaps again need a high level of confidentiality and want us to source and screen candidates first for them.

In my opinion this is a linear progression as you look at these options.  Sometimes our clients think the only value comes with option #1.  But the depth of service and true value comes with the second and third options.  The clients that value us more are moving along that progression to move into a more active partnership where we can pro-actively tell their story, actually recruit candidates with something viable, and share those results in an open forum. 

The funny thing is that contractually there is no difference between option #1 and option #2.  Other than a higher level of trust and understanding with both parties.  We seek these relationships on a daily basis and find it is usually just a higher level of communication and sharing of information.  The more we know, the better we can represent our clients’ values, goals, and vision for growth.  Sometimes this happens naturally over time and more often than not it comes when our work is referred from someone who has worked with us in the past and knows the quality we seek to bring to every search.

Where do you fit into this list?  Are you seeking a valued partnership with a firm that will help tell your story to the broader market?  Or simply looking for a transaction to fill that spot that has been difficult to fill internally?  

We can help either way, but are always looking for ways to improve our process and infrastructure to become the preferred partner going forward.  Please let me know if there are ways we can be successful together in 2014 and beyond.  I am always happy to discuss trends in the market, where we are seeing our successes, and what candidates are looking for in a new employer in the new year.

Here’s to hoping your 2014 is off to a good start!

#ifyourehappy

As soon as I saw the Heinz Ketchup Super Bowl commercial last night, I knew I had to blog about happiness in a job search this morning.  One of my very first blogs was titled "Good things come to those who wait" and I referenced ketchup.  Hard to believe I am incorporating this condiment into another blog here in the new year.

Yet I thought it was entirely appropriate as I talk with candidates all the time that claim to be happy in their current job, and they are still searching for the next big thing in their career.  Today I would like to explore the idea of what NOT to do in a job search if you are indeed happy in your job.

1)  Do NOT enter into a job search with money as your main motivation.  If that is your goal, you could get exactly what you hoped for monetarily and absolutely hate your job.  You will look back at your former employer and wish you had never left.  It also creates a new threshold for the next job's salary range.  You will chase even more dollars to validate your decision to move yet again.  You will find yourself making even more money and possibly become even more unhappy with your daily existence.  Eventually you will fall back down to earth, take less money to re-gain some happiness, and wonder why you ever left the first job.

2)  Do NOT focus only on the negative aspects of your current job during an interview.  I hear feedback from my clients sometimes that blows my mind.  They ask the candidate what their motivation is for looking for a new job and they word vomit all kinds of issues at their current workplace.  Of which they have told me nothing about.  It is fear that a new employer would not understand why they would leave an employer where they are actually happy for the most part.  Instead they believe that it is better to disparage their current employer so that a new employer would have compassion and want to help "get them out" of their bad situation.  What really happens is that an employer hears that you are running away from a bad situation instead of running toward something better.  It is usually a huge turn-off.

3)  Do NOT be afraid to admit that the conclusion of a search could end with you staying put.  I tell candidates all the time that I am happy to assist in a job search, set up several interviews, and at the end of the day congratulate them that they found out their current job is the best one on the market for them.  The grass is NOT always greener on the other side of the fence.  You may need to jump the fence and take a peek sometimes to be convinced of it.  There is nothing wrong with recognizing this before you take another job and become miserable for a few months.

Bottom line is that if you are happy and you know it, don't just clap your hands.  Sit on them, don't go looking for another job for a while, and live in the moment.  If every candidate who had a bad day threw their resume on CareerBuilder and ran for the door, the employee retention rates at most major companies would be awful.

What have you done in the past when frustrated with an employer or boss, but you ended up feeling fine after a day or two to reflect?  How did you get through that situation?