Two Tips for Effective Job Board Posts

Posted on March 4, 2012 by

An effective job posting must strike a balance between attraction and qualification. While these two objectives may seem to be in conflict, they needn’t be.

In recent years, I’ve been asked to expand my writing skills by authoring job postings for a variety of key positions. My recruitment writing skills have needed to evolve. I first honed them in the days when our only option was newspaper classifieds that charged by the line. With that billing structure, efficient help wanted ads communicated just enough about the job situation through abbreviations and acronyms to allow ad readers break the code. Then came internet solutions.

With internet job board board and all-you-can-write rates, the restrictions on quantity have disappeared. Still the objectives are the same: attract and qualify. How do work within the current rules work to achieve these two objectives?

Attraction: Are you conveying a job or an opportunity?

Inspired job seekers want to be part of a happening organization. And if you’re not attracting them, who’s left? It’s the less than inspired. So assuming you want to attract the former, I recommend that you open your ad with properly positioning your organization as a place they can proudly contribute. Positively describe your organization. Tell who you are now in your industry and market segments. What is your reputation? Your vision?  Describe where you’re going. The purpose of the opening is to pique the interest of talented prospects so they’ll want explore helping you get there.

Qualification: How do you thin out the herd?

Thinning Out the HerdWith easy one-click apply features for job board applicants, comes the aforementioned herd. That stampede of unqualified responses that can bury your inbox. What’s a screener to do? I recommend that you require your applicants to do more than that single click and provide some hoops for them to jump through. Consider stating in your post that no applicants will be considered without submitting a cover letter addressing how they fit the exacting attributes and qualifications you have listed. Then stick to that rule. If your applicant isn’t willing to both follow instructions and go the extra mile now, what makes you believe they will when they’re hired? Those who don’t will disqualify themselves.

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The Three Most Important Interview Questions

Posted on February 13, 2012 by

According to Forbes columnist George Bradt, there are only three true job interview questions.  They are:

  1. Can you do the job?
  2. Will you love the job?
  3. Can we tolerate working with you?

While these are critical categories, the interview is only one of three sources for insight for answering these questions. And the interview should account for only 1/3 of your insight on a candidate. The chart below illustrates all three sources of insight and their degree of importance.

Talent Decision Components

Performance Tea LeavesBeyond The Interview…

Who can dispute the value of those three questions?  Surely not me. That said, what if you could go beyond the interview process and assess qualified candidates to gain detailed understanding of a candidate’s…

  1. Skills and Capacities they are inclined to use when they do the job: Their “WHAT”
  2. Passions and Motivators: Their “WHY”
  3. Behavioral Style they will exhibit in doing the job: Their “HOW”

When interviewing finalists, assessment insight enables more specific interview questions around a candidate’s can, will and how.  And, with a deeper understanding of your candidates how, what and why, your decisions are significantly more informed and less biased.

Due Diligence

Interviewing should provide one third of your talent decision insight. Assessments another third. Since candidates have been known to embellish and or misrepresent their credentials, background and reference checks provide the other 33% of of the insight needed to make an informed decision.

For More…

For more on Talent Assessments and Job Benchmarking that go beyond the interview to gain insight into the how, what and why of both the job and the candidates, I invite you to:

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Talent Selection Autopsy

Posted on November 1, 2011 by

Our Job Benchmarking system for first capturing the DNA of the job and then assessing qualified candidates’ Talent DNA proves to be successful for making more informed decisions and for on-boarding the successful hire.  However this is not a fool proof system.  Whenever we have returned to the scene of an unsuccessful hire to examine what went wrong, we gain a common reminder.

The benchmarking and assessment process promises to provide 33% more insight. While this is significant for making informed decisions, expecting more is over-optimistic.  Faulty decisions are usually a result of placing too much faith in the assessment and not placing equal emphasis in the other 2/3 of the needed insight.

Three Sources of Talent Decision Insight

  1. The Resume and Background Check
  2. The Job Interview(s)
  3. Job Benchmark & Candidate Talent Assessment

Each of these three element should be weighted equally.  Any of these can be impressive to the point of seduction. Or in our eagerness to reach the finish line and put our new talent to work, we can cheat the process and overlook the importance all three components. We can be wowed by…

  • The interview
  • The talent assessment
  • The  impressive resume credentials and/or references

Between the seductive “wow” factor and our eagerness to fill the position, we take shortcuts. These shortcuts typically prove the axiom: haste make waste.

If you’ve done the math for your actual cost of a hiring miscue, you will be more inclined to avoid potentially costly shortcuts.

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How To Answer Talent Assessment Survey Questions

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

I noticed that some of the visitors to this site are searching for insight on answering talent assessment questions. Based on my experience with using the TriMetrix™ talent assessment system, for both talent decisions and executive coaching, I hereby offer my Dos and Don’ts.

Do…

  • Answer honestly
  • Read and follow the instructions carefully.  Haste makes waste.
  • Remember that when you’re asked to complete the survey, the potential employer believes you are qualified enough to make an investment in learning more about you.
  • Understand that this is an assessment and not a “test” like you would take in school where there is a passing or failing grade.

Don’t…

  • Try to guess what answers are expected.  You are more likely to portray yourself as a more conflicted person than who you really are.
  • Try to over-think your answers. Assuming you’ve carefully read the question, your first impression is likely the best choice
  • Believe that the system can not detect if you’re attempting to beat it.  You’re likely playing roulette with your job opportunity. The odds are stacked against you.
  • Attempt to complete the survey if you are especially stressed or anxious. Wait until you are in a normal or relaxed state of mind

I admit that as a talent evaluator, my desire is to the most accurate insight possible for talent decision making.  That said, I’ve found that people who try to beat the system by portraying themselves as someone else are setting themselves up for failure in several ways.

  • By attempting to be all things to all people, you will likely appear to be personally conflicted and thereby hinder your attractiveness.
  • The assessment results will likely used to identify your potential challenges.  If you’re somehow successful in landing the job despite skewed input, you will not benefit from the on-boarding benefits and coaching opportunities that your assessment will provide.
  • You are potentially setting yourself up for job failure. Do you really want to pursue a position where you are a poor fit?

Throughout your career you will continue to learn that honesty is the best policy.  And it applies to taking talent assessment surveys as much as anywhere else.

A Career Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

Whether you attempt to skew an assessment or over embellish your resume, you may gain short term term success. But what is the long term cost when the truth surfaces. It always does, eventually.

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Finding Your Hidden Talents

Posted on October 6, 2011 by

From AmEx OPEN Forums, here are 5 ways to find your hidden talents.

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Attributes of The Serial Entrepreneur

Posted on April 21, 2011 by

Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur?

Here are the results of a study on the most common behaviors, skills and drivers of serial entrepreneurs.

According to a a researched report by Target Training International,serial entrepreneurs are much more results driven than the rest of the US adult population.  The study reports that 62% of serial entrepreneurs see it as a top priority to get a practical return on time or money spent. It’s  a value that is viewed as primary by only 38% of U.S. adults, according to a study by TTI Performance Systems. Only 10% of repeat entrepreneurs rank the desire for personal power number 1, about the same proportion as the rest of the population, says the firm, a developer of assessment tools for job matching and other functions.

Serial Entrepreneurs US Adult Mean
1. Utilitarian 62% 38%
2. Theoretical 21% 15%
3. Individualistic 10% 9%

These serial entrepreneurs potentially have three to five times the economic impact of a person who would normally be classified as an entrepreneur or small business person for the following reasons:

1. They have already experienced success and usually failure, too.

2. They tend to learn from both, developing the professional skills vital for success.

3. They have personal funds from previous ventures or have the ability to raise
funds based on past successes.

4. Their track record makes them more likely to create gazelle companies, which
tend to grow bigger, faster and thus employ more people than a typical start up.

5. They have demonstrated the ability to sustain a business past the first year,
into the high growth job

89% of our serial entrepreneurs fall into one of five categories:

Serial Entrepreneurs US Adult Mean
1. Very competitive 33% 12%
2. High trust 18% 20%
3. Low trust 9% 8%
4. Quick to change 7% 1%
5. Rule breaker 22% 12%

Based on their behavior, these are words that describe a serial entrepreneur:

  • Entrepreneurial Risk TakerBottom-line organizer
  • Forward looking
  • Places high value on time
  • Challenge oriented
  • Competitive
  • Initiates activity
  • Challenges the status quo
  • Innovative
  • Tenacious
  • Creative problem solver
  • Motivates others toward goals
  • Positive sense of humor
  • Negotiates conflict
  • Verbalizes with articulateness
  • Independent
  • Change agent
  • Rule breaker
  • Optimistic and enthusiastic

Serial Entrepreneurs exhibit above average mastery of the following professional competencies:

  • Leadership – Achieving extraordinary business results through people.
  • Goal Orientation – Energetically focusing efforts on meeting a goal, mission or objective.
  • Presenting – Communicating effectively to groups.
  • Employee Development/ Coaching – Facilitating and supporting the professional growth of others.
  • Interpersonal Skills – Effectively communicating, building rapport and relating well to all kinds of people.
  • Persuasion – Convincing others to change the way they think, believe or behave.
  • Personal Effectiveness – Demonstrating initiative, self confidence, resiliency and a willingness to take responsibility for personal actions. Management – Achieving extraordinary results through effective management of resources, systems and processes.
  • Flexibility – Agility in adapting to change.
  • Creativity/Innovation – Adapting traditional or devising new approaches, concepts, methods, models, designs, processes, technologies and/or systems.
  • Decision Making – Utilizing effective processes to make decisions.
  • Negotiation – Facilitating agreements between two or more parties.
  • Conflict Management – Addressing and resolving conflict constructively. The ability to resolve different points of view constructively.
  • Futuristic Thinking – Imagining, envisioning, projecting and/or predicting what has not yet been realized.

View the full 11 page PDF report

 

Posted in DISC, Job Benchmark, job performance, talent selection | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Imagine… An Operating Manual for People!

Posted on February 23, 2011 by

I’m not certain if this is an American male trait, of if applies beyond us US guys. I’m referring to the mantra for using any complex new product:  “When all else fails, read the directions.”

When it comes to communication failures with other people, we don’t have the directions. But what if we did?

Think about the most challenging or frustrating people for to communicate with?  What if those people had an Operating Manual that  included a Troubleshooting Guide that provided Communication Dos and Don’ts? What if those people had the book on you?

Would any of you be inclined to read it?  Or would you wait for some kind of failure to occur?

A FREE Book about me?

There’s a reason that I’m asking.  I have a unique opportunity for you to acquire such a book for FREE, as in no charge.  For the month of March, 2011, we are offering, just such a book written about either you, or about someone else in your organization.

What is it really?

This is a 36 page assessment report trademarked Behavioral Intelligence.  It is a combination of two different assessments:

  • The DISC behavioral assessment report is designed to help you attain a greater knowledge of yourself as well as others. The ability to interact effectively with people may be the difference between success and failure in your work and personal life. Effective interaction starts with an accurate perception of oneself.
  • An Emotional Quotient (EQ) assessment that measures and describes provides information on your emotional intelligence, which with application and coaching, can impact the way you respond to emotionally charged situations. In turn you will increase your performance and decision making.

What’s the catch?

There are several.

  • This 36 page book is not designed to be a stand alone document. So to gain the full value, you’d need to spend some debriefing time with me.
  • You or your respondent of choice will need to invest 20 to 30 interrupted minutes to take an on-line survey
  • This introductory offer is limited to one book per organization
  • The offer expires March 31, 2011
  • You are NOT allowed to call this a test.  There is no passing or failing involved here.
  • Because it is an eBook, you’ll need to supply the paper and ink to have the recommended hard copy and thereby make use of it as a workbook.
  • My time is debriefing time limited and therefore reserve the right to close this offer prior to the end of the month.
  • We must be previously connected through some previous relationship.  I can’t be doing this or random residents of Bora Bora.

How do I get mine?

Sign up on this page.  After March 1, you will be contacted via email blast that will provide you with instructions and your unique password for taking the survey.  Once that is complete, we will arrange a time to connect for a debriefing.

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Ideal Hires Guaranteed?

Posted on February 23, 2011 by

While I believe that the title of this article and over promises, the content is valuable.  While there are no guarantees, Mr. Logan shares some useful perspectives.  So I share How to Guarantee You Won’t Make A Bad Hire.

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Seduced by Stardom?

Posted on January 5, 2011 by

Elway, the playerThe Denver Broncos football team recently announced the re-hiring of their former star Quarterback John Elway to a new position, Executive Vice President of Football Operations.  In announcing his new hire, the team’s owner Pat Bowlen optimistically proclaimed that Elway’s “leadership, competitiveness and passion for the Denver Broncos will position this team for long-term success through his work leading our football operations.”

A Trap?

Assuming that this new hire will actually be accountable for improving results, I wonder if the Broncos are falling into the same seductive trap as so other organizations of all kinds by attempting to turn a super producer into supervisor.  As a player, John Elway’s most valuable asset was his strong, accurate right throwing arm.  His athletic prowess offers little help to him in his current responsibility for rebuilding a struggling team and winning more games.

JordanMichael Jordan deja vu?

The Broncos are not the first team to be seduced in the hiring process by past athletic stardom.  The Washington Wizards basketball franchise appointed another Hall of Fame athlete to a similar position.  Michael Jordan’s performance as a General Manager demonstrated that Wizardry as a player does not provide all the skills required to succeed as an executive.

Is this a fit?

I would agree with Mr. Bowlen that leadership, competitiveness and passion can serve John Elway well in his new position.  But might the job require more than that? Is the owner so star struck that he has overlooked other elements that are critical to John Elway’s success as an executive?  To address the question of fit, we need to ask, can Mr. Elway the executive…

  • Objectively assess talent?
  • Effectively delegate responsibility?
  • Interact with superiors?
  • Communicate with those who have different styles and interests?
  • Make timely, rational decisions?
  • Manage his time without a running game clock?
  • Influence others when he is not the only voice in the huddle?

He will need to both possess and develop these skills to be more than just another figurehead.

Time will tell if John Elway becomes another Michael Jordan as an executive.  Or will he be the next Jerry West who succeeded both on the basketball court and in the executive suite?   It will depend on his ability to develop the necessary skills to support his existing passion and love for the Broncos.

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New Recruiting Media Attracts More Passionate Candidates

Posted on November 8, 2010 by

A local specialty retailer recently discovered an effective new media for recruiting new store sales associates.  Their initial results are fantastic as candidates attracted by this media come to them with an invaluable intangible.  They already have a passion for the store’s products.

New!What is this new media?

It’s FACEBOOK!  They had already built and nurtured a sizable, loyal fan base for their Facebook business site. Now they simply post their openings on their Facebook page.  It enables them to recruit from their base of bona fide fans of their stores.  The cost?  It’s free.

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