Interview Skills – Hiring Tips (Listening)

Most people who are involved in hiring don’t take much time to review their own skills. I’d like to offer this brief, but important tip. “Listening is important too and that doesn’t mean just not talking.” We’ve all met the person who has so much going on that they are on autopilot. In the interview process, this person might be a “motor mouth” and good at explaining about why it is good to work for your company, and in the position a candidate can achieve this and that. But, this should not be the only person that meets a candidate. Active listening is an investment in the hiring process. If you are a wonderful presenter, but a rotten listener be sure that your hiring process includes people who are better listeners than you are!

Candidates need to have balance. They need a chance to talk about their accomplishments (and to be heard) and they need to have a chance to learn about the position and what is expected of the person who is hired. So strive for balance interview process participants who are good at presenting information about the company and the opening and those who are good at getting gritty information out of the people they meet. In that best of both worlds, your company learns what they need to about the candidate and the candidate learns what he and she need to know about your company.

"Good talkers tend not to be good listeners. Indeed, people who think of themselves as good talkers tend to rate themselves as extroverted, while good listeners rate themselves as introverted. Good listeners are 60 percent more likely to try to put themselves in the other person's place - trying to see things through their perspective." Pauk 1997 as quoted by David Niven PhD.

Happy and healthy hiring. Happy holidays too.

Success by design, one talented candidate hired at a time.

Lynden

Builders for an Eternity – Employees who really contribute at work

Builders for an Eternity – Employees who really contribute at work

I post this as food for thought. As a talent broker, someone who listens to people describe their work lives no matter how brilliant or mundane the career, there is the human element. Here is a poem by R. L. Sharpe that I’d like to share:

Isn’t it strange how princes and kings,
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And common people, like you and me,
Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a list of rules;
A shapeless mass; a bag of tools.
And each must fashion, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block, or a stepping stone.

As we look toward a time in the year when we reflect on things that we are thankful for; I am privileged to work with some of the best and brightest minds in the healthcare, biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical industries. For the contribution of those whose careers and talent search needs have touched my life in this last year; kudos on what you are building for eternity.

Happy and healthy hiring.

One common person at a time building eternity.
Success by design.

Lynden
www.nextiteration.net
www.nihealthjobs.com

Hiring and Job Search Stress Management

We’ve all been there – the hiring manager is screaming that a position needs to be filled pronto. The rest of the staff around the position can’t bear the burden. As a busy recruiter I’ve talked with hundreds of under the gun employers. They need talent NOW but struggle to find what they need. Unfortunately, especially in healthcare and the life sciences we find this challenge over and over. Because of the shortage of able talent the search goes on and on and on – in some cases.

On the flip side, as a diligent job seeker who is working a job search few things can be as frustrating as no feedback!

I don’t have answers to these challenges, but I can offer a perspective. Communicate often and communicate well. Keep it up and even if the listener doesn’t like the answer; the message is easier to deal with than the ambiguity of no answer.

That’s it. Simple and sweet.

Now here are some other thoughts about relieving stress:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* It's the second mouse that gets the cheese.

* When everything’s coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty, and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

If you have any other stress busters to share – I welcome them.

Success by design.

Happy and healthy hiring – one candidate at a time.

Lynden

Negotiating the Salary – Budget Busters are a NO NO

Every time we approach the negotiation stage of our process with a candidate, we walk boldly and carefully. There are usually three things that we abide by:

1) Candidate’s expectations will be high
2) Client’s expectations will be low
3) It is our job to facilitate getting both of them to an acceptable middle.

We never discuss “ranges” with candidates, but always we know them. What we strive to do right with all of our clients is assure the candidate agrees (preclosing over and over) to accept compensation within the range that we know the client has designated. Rarely will we present a candidate whose current comp package is at or beyond the range the client has stated. We all know, the compensation offer must be a win for the candidate in order for her/him to accept

Everyone fails when the recruiter presents candidates who are too high in current salary/compensation. The candidate experiences disappointment because s/he believes that the client should come up in salary to at least the level they are currently being paid; the client knows s/he can’t go beyond the stated range; and the recruiter fails because the equation is no win – or win-lose. Both the candidate and the client have to wonder about a recruiting professional who represents a candidate or a position that isn’t a good fit.

All in all, advice to candidates and to clients is to be clear early in the process about the comp to be offered and the expectations of the candidate – clarity is what makes the negotiations a win with the right candidate.

Happy and healthy hiring.

Success by design – negotiating well for our clients one candidate at a time!

Lynden

www.NextIteration.net and www.NIHealthJobs.com

Recipe for a Cooking Up a Good Interview

As a fan of cooking, I enjoy the fun of trying new ingredients in old recipes. That gives me the fun of having a meal that I know we will enjoy, but also a way to possibly improve on the success of the meal compared to previous ones.

Ok, enough of the food analogy. However, improving the interview process is just like that. As you tweek and adjust various elements of the process, you'll discover that the outcome improves or declines. I think that in the interest of improvement, I would like to suggest the slightest tweek, one that reaps big rewards. Prepare your interview team in advance of the candidate arriving. Sounds simple? It is. The secret is really planning. As you go about the process of recruiting for a new position - whether you are doing it yourself or having the assistance of outside recruiters; take a step back and begin with the end in mind.

In this case a solid new hire is the goal; part of the process is how well the candidate does in the interview. Having an interview team that knows their role in the process; that knows how to provide feedback to the decisionmakers in the process is key. My suggestion is that each of the interview team knows what their job is. There may be standardized questions each team member asks plus there should be specific areas of expertise each interviewer represents. Overlap is ok as long as it is constructive and targeted toward validating experience, background and skills.

However, especially on a first round; keep the group small and efficient. Core decisionmakers who interivew effectively. Save the more detailed interview for the second round.

OK...more to come later. How to make 2nd round interviews sizzle is the next installment.

Success by Design – one client and candidate at a time.

Lynden

And the Candidate ALWAYS Says, "The Interview Was Great!"

We talk with candidates and clients all the time after the interview. In ten years of debriefing as a recruiter and another ten years as a hiring authority, I’ve only twice had a candidate say “I knew in an instant it wasn’t for me or the interview went badly.” Usually feedback from the candidate is always, “I really enjoyed it and thought it went well.” There might be some mild variation on that tune, but by and large we’ve determined that the candidate debrief is important; however the client debrief is most relevant. In fact in our firm in the interest of efficiency, we’ve flopped how we usually do post interview debrief. Now we talk with the client before the candidate. Then if the client has determined no go about the candidate – then we can efficiently dispatch the clients intention professionally without prolonging the “agony” for the candidate.


Success by Design – one client and candidate at a time.

What career is captivating you?

Lynden

Job Searching in a Tight Market – What’s a Candidate To Do?

If you read the headlines about the woes of the US economy, you could be very worried about making a job change at this time or about the likelihood of succeeding in a search. However, what you need to know is that the reality isn’t quite as it might seem. While there are segments that are in pain, the financial industry and the construction industries are top of mind examples now – others remain very tight.

While it is true that many of your personal costs are going up (gas and food) and that there has been a reported rise in unemployment; at least on the job market in healthcare we continue to see a shortage of skilled and talented workers. When we hear that the unemployment statistic is up what we don’t also hear is that many of the functions have been outsourced. The job may cease to be done in one spot, but the function is still being accomplished just it is done in a different manner or for a different employer. And, not all outsourcing means that jobs are being shipped out of the US. In many cases the “work” of that function is being done by temporary workers or by other companies that have added that “work” as a product of what they now do.

So, before you panic be sure you talk with someone knowledgeable in your industry who can help you take the pulse of what is really happening. There are industry pockets where opportunities abound – you could well be part of one. If you are scratching your head about who to talk with about what’s happening in your industry, know that my bias and recommendation is to talk with a good recruiting professional who is works in your industry vertical. As one, I know that my industry knowledge is as good as that of those who work in the industry – and we have geographic sophistication. In other words we know what is happening in various parts of the country because of our scope and breadth.

Think about it; it is up to you to choose thoughtful next steps with your career.

Success by Design. In this situation; one job at a time.

What career is captivating you?

Healthy and productive hiring and job hunting!

Lynden