Hiring for Bench Strength vs. Opportunity Hires

We are entering that critical stretch that seems to happen every year before summer when it comes to staffing needs, strategic planning, back filling employees who leave, and addition by growth.  I have been recruiting for going on 11 years now, and it never fails that May and June are two of our busiest months. 

This year feels different for two main reasons – employers adding to bench strength and making opportunity hires that may not have been in the recruiting budget to start the year.  It is happening for a myriad of reasons, and the biggest reason is that revenues are strong and companies want to stay ahead of the employment curve to capture talent in the market. 

So what is the difference between hiring for bench strength and making opportunity hires?  Not much really, but there are some subtle variations that can help sharpen the definition and possibly influence the final decision.

Hiring for bench strength is usually in the budget.  Not always, but quite often we hear clients mention the fact that they were planning on adding a particular position.  They just weren’t sure when.  That is similar to saying you are going to re-model  your basement some day, but only when you have the money set aside.  Chances are you will never have the full amount in your checking account, so you might take out a HELOC or short-term loan to get it done earlier.  Same goes for opportunity hires.  You may know you have wanted to add another account manager to a team, but only at a certain revenue threshold.  You may look at hiring the right candidate if they come along before then.

Making an opportunity hire is usually NOT in the budget.  This happens when a candidate comes on your radar who is moving home or is in the right situation to move quickly.  You don’t have an opening or even a projected opening, but you know good talent doesn’t pop up overnight.  Making this hire can be a great long-term investment.  If you don’t hire these types of candidates, you need to at least be talking with them and follow their career projection.

Hiring for bench strength is usually planned.  As companies looked at 2014 hiring needs they probably expected to have some turnover.  Especially looking at historical trends over the past 2-3 years.  With that in mind a good plan is to make a hire or two in critical areas when you may need to plan on some turnover.  If you budget well enough you could maybe even make a number of hires so that your pipeline is always full.

Making an opportunity hire is NOT planned very often.  This happens more often in sales-related roles.  I hear from clients often that they plan on hiring two, three, or even more salespeople in a given year.  Once they make that investment they turn off the hiring faucet.  But if that perfect sales candidate comes along after making the last hire that was planned, you may need to consider spending some more money to make money.

Hiring for bench strength is a safe bet.  What I mean by this is the risk vs. reward is usually in your favor.  For whatever reason you know you may need to hire for a particular role within 6-12 months.  So if you do it ahead of time it is not an issue.

Making an opportunity hire can require additional resources.  Especially if you are hiring a sales-related candidate.  You may have to think on these types of hires a little more.  The issue is that the entire essence of making an opportunity hire involves risk.  I always encourage clients to at least have the conversation.  It never hurts to talk about an idea and perhaps you execute it later.

Have you added to bench strength this year?  Or made an opportunity hire?  I would love to hear your perspective on the market as well as we attempt to stay ahead of the always-moving proverbial curve when it comes to finding good talent.

How to adjust communication for a new generation

Whether we like it our not the world communicates in a much different manner than even ten years ago.  My daughter still stares at me in disbelief when I tell her that I didn't own a cell phone until I was 23 years old.  My very first phone came with a package that allowed for fifteen minutes per month of usage.  Can you imagine only have fifteen minutes of usage now with your cell phone?

My first cell phone wasn't too far off from this picture of Saved By The Bell.  It had terrible reception, was large and clunky, and was incredibly expensive for what little it provided with features.  Now I feel like I am behind the times if I own a smartphone for more than eighteen months.  Has it changed the way I communicate with clients and candidates alike?  Absolutely.  But not everyone feels that way.  Clients especially have a certain manner in which they communicate, and it is usually their way or the highway.  But I am here to tell you that if you don't adjust how you communicate, you will lose out on good talent.  Here are a few things to consider:

1)  Texting is an acceptable way to set interviews.  Many employers are gun shy to provide any of their personal information to a candidate.  I can certainly appreciate that, especially in the early stages of an interview as you get to know someone.  But if you have already met with someone or phone screened them and feel comfortable about their background, this is an incredibly effective way to communicate.  It is discreet as most candidates cannot speak freely at work.  It is also quick as studies have shown that people check their phones as often as once a minute during the day.

2)  Encourage candidates to like your company Facebook page.  In order to do this you obviously need to have a company Facebook page.  If you don't, step back and consider doing that first.  For those that do have a page, it should have enough valuable content to encourage absolutely everyone to take a peek.  Unlike Linked In this allows you to show more of a personal side to your working culture.  Maybe it will show where your employees volunteered recently.  Perhaps it shows where you had your company holiday party.  It may even help someone make a personal connection with someone they know at the company.  What a great advertisement for working at your company!

3)  Connect with candidates on Facebook.  I know it may seem daunting to make "friends" with potential colleagues, but we do it all the time and it is amazing what we learn about candidates.  Some good, some bad, but all valuable.  At the very least be viewing their profiles.  You would be shocked at how much most people allow to be viewed by the public on social media outlets like Facebook.

4)  Drive candidates to your website.  Whether it be in your email signature, your social media, your SEO, your job postings, or anything else, drive people to view your website.  Of course you will need to have an updated and interactive website, but it is something more and more savvy candidates are doing.  I can't tell you how many people reach out to me and say they were just on our website.  I always ask what drove them there, and the majority of the time they don't even remember.  They just know they liked the site, they found my contact info, and now we're talking.

There are many more ideas that are changing as time goes on, and you can either choose to stay ahead of the curve or remain entrenched in antiquated ideas that might even turn some people off.  What do you think - is the world changing around us on a daily basis?  What else might we employ to change our communication style in a new generation of candidates?

How to be the #Masters of your career choices

Have you ever felt like you were not in control of your career progression?  Perhaps like the ball does not bounce your way or someone else gets all of the breaks?  I bet there are a few players from yesterday afternoon at the Masters that can relate.  Although many of them find a way to persevere and move on from the bad rolls.  I thought I would share a few observations related to that idea.

Most of you will be able to recognize the individual with the white hat in this picture.  Especially if you watch any professional golf.  I am guessing the number of people that know the caddie beside Jordan Spieth will be much smaller.  Fortunately I am someone that knows him personally as he was on my college golf team.  The story of how he became Jordan's caddie is quite remarkable and much too long for a brief blog entry.  But what I can tell you is that he created his own luck and made sure to be in the right place at the right time.  And look at where he is today.  He was a school teacher a few years back, and now he is rubbing shoulders with the world's best professional golfers.  You too can control your own destiny.

First of all, pay attention to how the world might be changing around you.  A few years ago very few people could have predicted the meteoric rise of Jordan's golfing career.  He still has some critics that say he has not yet learned how to control his adrenaline on Sundays.  But finishing runner-up at the Masters before the age of 21 shows me he has the right stuff to be around for a long time.  Embrace the changes that occur around you, especially with the younger generations.  They may have a lot to learn, but they could also teach you a thing or two about being hungry and motivated.

Without speaking out of both sides of my mouth, also look to those with experience for sage advice.  Although Fred Couples had a tough back nine yesterday, he was within a few strokes of the lead for quite a while early in his round.  At 54 years of age, not many people would peg him as a possible winner of this prestigious tournament.  But those that know him well know that he absolutely loves this tournament and knows Augusta well.  He has experience with the twists and turns of each green, fairway, bunker, and tee box.  Listen and watch those around you that have been successful and ask them what has gotten them through the ups and downs of a long professional career.

Don't be bogged down by the critics.  Many reported yesterday was just not the same without Phil and Tiger playing on Sunday.  While that is true from a ratings perspective, it doesn't take away from the accomplishments of Bubba, Jordan, and the others that still battled a very tough golf course.  Bubba will take him his second green jacket in three years, and he very likely would be doing so even if Phil and Tiger had been there.  If you watched him on the practice green before his final round he was incredibly poised, calm, and jovial.  It almost appeared as though he was simply out for a Saturday morning round with his buddies at a local municipal course.  Let your accomplishments speak for themselves and control what you can.

Lastly, pay attention to the conditions.  This was one of the warmest and driest weeks in recent memory at the tournament.  Which led to lightning fast conditions on the greens.  If you saw any of yesterday's coverage you saw how that impacted balls as they landed on greens and rolled right back off.  In your career market conditions may be tougher to predict than the weekly weather forecast, but it is something to consider.  If your skill set or professional experience is in high demand it could be time to look at options even if you are not in active search mode.

How have you dealt with tough turns or bad bounces in your career?  Have you taken control and benefited from difficult decisions?

How to knock it out of the park during an interview

Everyone goes into an interview hoping to make a good first impression and most likely even get the job.  Or at least be offered the job.  But quite often people are not willing to put in the work ahead of time to know what it takes to truly hit it out of the park.  

I am helping to coach my son again this year in baseball, and I thought over the weekend about some eerie similarities between hitting a home run in baseball and hitting it "out of the park" during an interview.  Before you read any further please keep in mind that my son is playing on a 9U team, and I am NOT a professional coach by any stretch of the imagination.  So these are observations more than baseball fact (insert smiley face emoticon from your favorite mobile device here).

1)  Know what the pitcher is throwing.  Case in point, my son and I were at the fields on Saturday for some batting practice.  Early on I was throwing slowly down the middle of the plate so that he could simply make some contact.  By the end of practice we went to the outfield to play Home Run Derby to convince him to swing harder.  I also told him I would start throwing harder to increase his chances of getting it over the fence.  Granted that also meant he had to swing differently and more quickly.  In an interview a hiring authority may lob some easy questions for the interview as they're just trying to get to know you.  It is much more difficult to "knock it out of the park" in that instance.  But I'm here to tell you that some singles and doubles are okay.  On the other hand if they are asking some tough and direct questions, they are ready to play ball and you should be ready to swing for the fences with good answers.

2)  Be ready to strike out.  In baseball the notorious home run hitters also tend to strike out a lot.  That is because they are swinging for the fences on every pitch.  Once the pitcher figures that out they will adjust and throw pitches that are tougher to hit at all, let alone out of the park.  Similarly when you are in an interview and really trying to impress the hiring authority, it just may not happen.  You have to be able to shake it off, move forward in your search, and find another employer that will appreciate the hard-charging mentality.

3)  Be patient.  Every home run hitter knows they aren't likely to get a good pitch right down the middle on the first pitch.  The best hitters will battle through 10-12 pitches, fouling most of them off before they get "the one" that they know they can drive over the fence.  You may interview for 2-3 hours with a potential employer before they ask the one or two most important questions to really land the job.  And it could come at any time.  Bottom line is that you have to be ready to swing hard when that important question is thrown at you.

4)  Be sure to make contact.  As much as you need to swing hard to get a ball out of the park in baseball, you will have zero chance if you can't even get the barrel of the bat on the ball.  In an interview you can get nervous and start spitting out an answer before really thinking about it.  Take a deep breath, keep your eye on the ball, and make sure you actually make contact before dreaming about the home run.

5)  Be prepared.  This one seems obvious, but is often overlooked.  A good baseball player is going to not only go to all practices and games, but also take extra batting practice, will scrimmage with neighborhood friends at the park, will play catch with dad at home, and even watch some professional baseball to learn from the pros who are paid millions of dollars to do things well.  A prepared candidate will read some online tips from a major source, perhaps follow an author on social media, and will definitely try to learn a little something about the company before an interview.  There is an incredible amount of information available online, but it takes some effort before an interview to find those valuable tidbits.

More than anything you have to want it to happen.  I have told my son on numerous occasions that he will never hit a home run if he doesn't believe it could happen.  Go in with confidence and with some of these easy tips and you just might knock it out of the park.

Have you ever done this?  Any stories to share of how you knocked it out of the park during an interview that might help someone else about to "step to the plate" for an upcoming interview?