Today's HR Daily Advisor Tip:
2 Words that Mean Interview Success—'Drill Deeper'
Topic: Hiring and Recruiting
Yesterday's Advisor covered two deadly sins of interviewers. Today, we'll talk about a third sin—failing to drill down to the unvarnished truth—and a tip about a product specially designed for the small HR department.
Any job candidate with an ounce of sense has prepared answers for the obvious questions about job qualifications. You still have to ask those questions, but after you get the prepared answer, try to drill deeper to get at the truth.
Here's an example of a master driller (YOU) at work with a candidate for a project manager job:
YOU: Tell me about a recent successful program you managed.
CANDIDATE: My team installed a $5 million computerized management system for the organization. I was "Project Manager."
YOU: Wow.
(Sounds impressive, but should you accept that as evidence of project management ability? NO! Drill down deeper.)
YOU: How many people worked with you on this project?
CANDIDATE: 12 professionals and 6 support staff for 6 months.
(That's quite a staff. Stop questioning? NO. Drill deeper.)
YOU: How did you select the team?
CANDIDATE: Well, the consultant selected them.
(Hmmmmm. Better drill deeper.)
YOU: How did you go about planning the implementation?
CANDIDATE: Oh, the consultant handled that—she's the expert.
(Whoops!)
YOU: How much time did you spend on the project?
CANDIDATE: Well, let's see, it took about an hour a week to check in with the consultant, make sure she didn't need anything.
What did drilling deeper reveal? This candidate was just a "gofer" —a go-between with no management responsibilities and an inflated title—not an experienced project manager, for sure.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Managers of small HR departments have found the special help they need in a unique BLR product—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine it at no cost or risk for 30 days. Get more information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Drilling Techniques
Silence. Often if you simply sit silently after a candidate answers a question, the candidate will fill the silence with more information.
Reflecting. Another way to probe for more information is to simply repeat or reflect what the candidate says:
CANDIDATE: I ran big projects.
YOU: You say you ran big projects?
Inflating. Another technique is to take a position beyond or broader than the candidate's. For example:
CANDIDATE: I ran a big project.
YOU: Would you say that project was your biggest contribution? Would it be fair to say that you are an experienced project manager?
Dealing with recruiting and interviewing is never easy. In fact, let's face it—hardly anything in HR is easy. And it's especially difficult in a small department, where one or two people have to do it all, from recruiting to succession planning to investigations to training to recordkeeping to intermittent leave.
We asked our editors if there was any special help directed right at the smaller—or even one-person—HR office. They say Managing an HR Department of One is unique in addressing the special pressures small HR departments face. Here are some of the features included:
—Tutorial on how HR supports organizational goals. This section explains how to probe for what your top management really wants, and how to build credibility in your ability to deliver it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel like you're all alone in HR? Take on a partner—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine at no cost or risk for 30 days. Find out more.
Rabu, 24 Desember 2008
Selasa, 23 Desember 2008
3 Deadly Sins of Interviewers—and How to Avoid Them
Today's HR Daily Advisor Tip:
3 Deadly Sins of Interviewers—and How to Avoid Them
Topic: Hiring and Recruiting
Interviewing and hiring the best "talent" for your organization is probably your most important task. And yet, time after time, there's that sinking feeling after just one day—bad choice.
Want to avoid that? Avoid these three deadly interviewing sins. Fortunately, it's not that hard.
Deadly Sin #1—Failure to Prepare
Before you start recruiting you need to do two things: Clarify what you are looking for, and decide how you will determine whether a candidate has it.
"I want to start interviewing yesterday!"
Managers are always in a hurry to fill their empty spots, so there's always pressure to instantly start posting, advertising, and interviewing.
Not so fast. That's a recipe for disaster. As the old saw goes, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."
Similarly, if you jump into the hiring process without defining what you are looking for:
Good people won't be attracted to apply—they'll sense that if the announcement is only vaguely defined then the job's responsibilities might also be.
Unqualified people won't self-select out, so you'll have to deal with hordes of them.
Most important, you'll have no meaningful basis on which to judge the candidates.
Before launching a hiring campaign, take some time to determine exactly what you need. What abilities, skills, credentials, and knowledge are required? Talk to incumbents, talk to the people who work with the position, review the job description.
When you're clear on that, craft a concise statement of qualifications for posting and advertising, and to give it to agencies and other sources of candidates.
How Will You Know a Candidate Is Qualified?
Next, you need to figure out how you'll know if candidates have what you are looking for. What interview questions will help you find out?
If you start to interview before taking this step, you will:
Spend your interview time thinking up questions instead of listening to what the candidate is saying
Leave out critical questions (like salary expectations, willingness to relocate, possession of a required degree or certificate)
Fall into the conversation trap of discussing sports and the weather, or worse—family issues and other topics that could spell legal trouble
Lose consistency. When you go to compare candidates, you'll have nothing to go on because they'll have answered different questions. If you focused on technical issues with one, and management issues with the other, how will you compare the two?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Managers of small HR departments have found the special help they need in a unique BLR product—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine it at no cost or risk for 30 days. Get more information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deadly Sin #2—Falling Prey to Stealth Discrimination
The second thing that happens without a plan is that you can easily end up discriminating, even when you didn't intend to. For example:
Playing favorites ("I hire people I like."). With no good selection strategy, you tend to end up with someone you "feel good about"— probably someone who is just like you. This has the obvious effect of keeping out people who aren't like you—in other words, discriminating.
Stereotyping ("X's can't X."). When you don't have a good system for measuring candidates, it's easy to fall back on stereotypes. For example:
"Women aren't strong enough."
"Men aren't compassionate enough."
"X's aren't good at X."
Patronizing/paternalizing/maternalizing ("X's shouldn't X."). This is a special form of stereotyping that seems well-intentioned, but is, in general, discriminatory. For example:
"Terry is a city person, and won't want to relocate."
"Parents with young children shouldn't travel."
"Women shouldn't travel alone."
"Pregnant women can't be subjected to pressure."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel like you're all alone in HR? Take on a partner—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine at no cost or risk for 30 days. Find out more.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
De facto ("Gee, I just never seem to hire X's"). One of the more subtle forms of discrimination is called "de facto." In these situations, there is never an intention to not hire or promote certain types of people-it just never seems to happen.
For example, a hiring manager says he's eager to hire women in a certain job, but, although many qualified women have applied, of the last 50 hires, all 50 were men.
In the next issue of the Advisor, we'll cover the third deadly interviewing sin, talk about how to become a drillmaster interviewer, and deliver a tip about a powerful new tool for the small HR department.
3 Deadly Sins of Interviewers—and How to Avoid Them
Topic: Hiring and Recruiting
Interviewing and hiring the best "talent" for your organization is probably your most important task. And yet, time after time, there's that sinking feeling after just one day—bad choice.
Want to avoid that? Avoid these three deadly interviewing sins. Fortunately, it's not that hard.
Deadly Sin #1—Failure to Prepare
Before you start recruiting you need to do two things: Clarify what you are looking for, and decide how you will determine whether a candidate has it.
"I want to start interviewing yesterday!"
Managers are always in a hurry to fill their empty spots, so there's always pressure to instantly start posting, advertising, and interviewing.
Not so fast. That's a recipe for disaster. As the old saw goes, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."
Similarly, if you jump into the hiring process without defining what you are looking for:
Good people won't be attracted to apply—they'll sense that if the announcement is only vaguely defined then the job's responsibilities might also be.
Unqualified people won't self-select out, so you'll have to deal with hordes of them.
Most important, you'll have no meaningful basis on which to judge the candidates.
Before launching a hiring campaign, take some time to determine exactly what you need. What abilities, skills, credentials, and knowledge are required? Talk to incumbents, talk to the people who work with the position, review the job description.
When you're clear on that, craft a concise statement of qualifications for posting and advertising, and to give it to agencies and other sources of candidates.
How Will You Know a Candidate Is Qualified?
Next, you need to figure out how you'll know if candidates have what you are looking for. What interview questions will help you find out?
If you start to interview before taking this step, you will:
Spend your interview time thinking up questions instead of listening to what the candidate is saying
Leave out critical questions (like salary expectations, willingness to relocate, possession of a required degree or certificate)
Fall into the conversation trap of discussing sports and the weather, or worse—family issues and other topics that could spell legal trouble
Lose consistency. When you go to compare candidates, you'll have nothing to go on because they'll have answered different questions. If you focused on technical issues with one, and management issues with the other, how will you compare the two?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Managers of small HR departments have found the special help they need in a unique BLR product—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine it at no cost or risk for 30 days. Get more information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deadly Sin #2—Falling Prey to Stealth Discrimination
The second thing that happens without a plan is that you can easily end up discriminating, even when you didn't intend to. For example:
Playing favorites ("I hire people I like."). With no good selection strategy, you tend to end up with someone you "feel good about"— probably someone who is just like you. This has the obvious effect of keeping out people who aren't like you—in other words, discriminating.
Stereotyping ("X's can't X."). When you don't have a good system for measuring candidates, it's easy to fall back on stereotypes. For example:
"Women aren't strong enough."
"Men aren't compassionate enough."
"X's aren't good at X."
Patronizing/paternalizing/maternalizing ("X's shouldn't X."). This is a special form of stereotyping that seems well-intentioned, but is, in general, discriminatory. For example:
"Terry is a city person, and won't want to relocate."
"Parents with young children shouldn't travel."
"Women shouldn't travel alone."
"Pregnant women can't be subjected to pressure."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel like you're all alone in HR? Take on a partner—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine at no cost or risk for 30 days. Find out more.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
De facto ("Gee, I just never seem to hire X's"). One of the more subtle forms of discrimination is called "de facto." In these situations, there is never an intention to not hire or promote certain types of people-it just never seems to happen.
For example, a hiring manager says he's eager to hire women in a certain job, but, although many qualified women have applied, of the last 50 hires, all 50 were men.
In the next issue of the Advisor, we'll cover the third deadly interviewing sin, talk about how to become a drillmaster interviewer, and deliver a tip about a powerful new tool for the small HR department.
Sabtu, 20 Desember 2008
Using Economic Down Time to Invest in Your Employee's Future
Using Economic Down Time to Invest in Your Employee's Future
Dear riza z,
Have you ever heard the saying, "You have to spend money to make money"? In today's tough times, spending money on training might not seem like a smart move. But, trust us, spending money on training is actually one of the smartest things you can do right now.
The main reason for this is simple: training gives employees confidence in themselves and in their employer. (After all, an employer must care about an employee to offer them training and invest in their future, and to anticipate that that employee will even have a future!) Employees who have job security and self-confidence can focus on their job, delivering better products and better customer service. Those two things can help you increase revenue and stay ahead of the pack.
Another good reason to train during the downturn is simple: your employees probably have some free time for training if business is slow. Although it might seem easier to lay off and re-hire staff, consider the cost, time, and difficulty in finding good, experienced people. (It typically costs at least $10,000 to hire and train a single person, and that number increases exponentially with the seniority level of the position.) It may be a better idea to keep those good people and make them great.
We understand that although purchasing training is a smart move, times are tough. That's why, for this week only, we are offering our training libraries for $2999, to help you make your smart move now.
About Velsoft International Inc.
At Velsoft Courseware, we care about how well you do in the classroom. This is why we have developed the complete training solution for delivering high quality classroom instruction. All of the prep work is done for you in a customizable, print-on-demand format.
For more information on Velsoft International Inc. please visit www.velsoft.com
Thank you,
Becky Timmons
Training Consultant
Velsoft Courseware
Phone: 1-902-755-1148
Toll Free: 1-877-755-1148
Email: becky@velsoft.com
Dear riza z,
Have you ever heard the saying, "You have to spend money to make money"? In today's tough times, spending money on training might not seem like a smart move. But, trust us, spending money on training is actually one of the smartest things you can do right now.
The main reason for this is simple: training gives employees confidence in themselves and in their employer. (After all, an employer must care about an employee to offer them training and invest in their future, and to anticipate that that employee will even have a future!) Employees who have job security and self-confidence can focus on their job, delivering better products and better customer service. Those two things can help you increase revenue and stay ahead of the pack.
Another good reason to train during the downturn is simple: your employees probably have some free time for training if business is slow. Although it might seem easier to lay off and re-hire staff, consider the cost, time, and difficulty in finding good, experienced people. (It typically costs at least $10,000 to hire and train a single person, and that number increases exponentially with the seniority level of the position.) It may be a better idea to keep those good people and make them great.
We understand that although purchasing training is a smart move, times are tough. That's why, for this week only, we are offering our training libraries for $2999, to help you make your smart move now.
About Velsoft International Inc.
At Velsoft Courseware, we care about how well you do in the classroom. This is why we have developed the complete training solution for delivering high quality classroom instruction. All of the prep work is done for you in a customizable, print-on-demand format.
For more information on Velsoft International Inc. please visit www.velsoft.com
Thank you,
Becky Timmons
Training Consultant
Velsoft Courseware
Phone: 1-902-755-1148
Toll Free: 1-877-755-1148
Email: becky@velsoft.com
Rabu, 10 Desember 2008
Ubah Cara Pikir Karyawan atas Pekerjaan Tingkatkan Engagement
Ubah Cara Pikir Karyawan atas Pekerjaan Tingkatkan Engagement
Selasa, 02 Desember 2008
Semua praktisi HR tentu paham benar bahwa para karyawan yang "engaged" dan "committed" merupakan sumber produktivitas perusahaan. Namun, pernahkan Anda berpikir, bagaimana membuat karyawan lebih "engaged" dan "committed" dengan cara yang tak biasa?
Sebuah studi baru yang dilakukan oleh kalangan akademisi Universitas Alberta, Kananda menemukan bahwa mengubah cara berpikir karyawan mengenai pekerjaan mereka bisa meningkatkan engagement dan commitment mereka.
Menurut hasil riset tersebut, mendorong karyawan untuk memikirkan kembali pekerjaan mereka dan mendapatkan kembali kepekaan atas tujuan dari pekerjaan tersebut (yang sering "hilang" karena kesibukan meeting, proyek dan dikejar deadline), bisa meningkatkan semangat kerja secara signifikan.
Ditemukan bahwa perusahaan yang berhasil mendorong karyawan untuk mengubah "mind set" mereka menuai hasil yang menggembirakan: 60% perusahaan meningkat dalam angka kehadiran karyawan, dan 75% meningkat dalam retensi.
Studi dilakukan dengan menguji coba dua kelompok karyawan, yang pertama terdiri 24 orang dan kedua berisi 34 orang, dengan diberi program dan perlakuan yang berbeda. Hasilnya, seperti dipublikasikan dalam Journal of Gerontological Nursing, cukup mengejutkan.
"Kami menemukan bahwa orang yang mampu menemukan makna dan tujuan dalam pekerjaan mereka, dan tahu bagaimana berbuat sesuatu yang berbeda melalui pekerjaan itu, lebih sehat, lebih puas dan lebih produktif," simpul penulis laporan hasil penelitian tersebut Val Kinjerski.
Pada grup yang diintervensi, ditemukan 23% meningkat (kinerja mereka) dalam teamwork, sementara kepuasan terhadap pekerjaan meningkat pada satu dari 10 karyawan. Ditemukan juga, 17% meningkat dalam semangat kerja.
Setelah masa percobaan itu, biaya yang dikeluarkan perusahaan terkait dengan absensi karyawan turun drastis dalam 5 bulan, dibandingkan dengan periode yang sama tahun sebelumnya. Karyawan juga tampak meningkat dalam "interest" dan fokus terhadap customer.
"Mereka benar-benar memiliki kepekaan, untuk apa berada di perusahaan, yakni untuk melayani klien. Kesadaran semacam itu sangat penting bagi semua jenis pekerjaan, namun dalam area-area tertentu yang memang berkaitan dengan jasa layanan publik, itu terasa semakin penting," ujar Kinjerski.
portalhr.com
Selasa, 02 Desember 2008
Semua praktisi HR tentu paham benar bahwa para karyawan yang "engaged" dan "committed" merupakan sumber produktivitas perusahaan. Namun, pernahkan Anda berpikir, bagaimana membuat karyawan lebih "engaged" dan "committed" dengan cara yang tak biasa?
Sebuah studi baru yang dilakukan oleh kalangan akademisi Universitas Alberta, Kananda menemukan bahwa mengubah cara berpikir karyawan mengenai pekerjaan mereka bisa meningkatkan engagement dan commitment mereka.
Menurut hasil riset tersebut, mendorong karyawan untuk memikirkan kembali pekerjaan mereka dan mendapatkan kembali kepekaan atas tujuan dari pekerjaan tersebut (yang sering "hilang" karena kesibukan meeting, proyek dan dikejar deadline), bisa meningkatkan semangat kerja secara signifikan.
Ditemukan bahwa perusahaan yang berhasil mendorong karyawan untuk mengubah "mind set" mereka menuai hasil yang menggembirakan: 60% perusahaan meningkat dalam angka kehadiran karyawan, dan 75% meningkat dalam retensi.
Studi dilakukan dengan menguji coba dua kelompok karyawan, yang pertama terdiri 24 orang dan kedua berisi 34 orang, dengan diberi program dan perlakuan yang berbeda. Hasilnya, seperti dipublikasikan dalam Journal of Gerontological Nursing, cukup mengejutkan.
"Kami menemukan bahwa orang yang mampu menemukan makna dan tujuan dalam pekerjaan mereka, dan tahu bagaimana berbuat sesuatu yang berbeda melalui pekerjaan itu, lebih sehat, lebih puas dan lebih produktif," simpul penulis laporan hasil penelitian tersebut Val Kinjerski.
Pada grup yang diintervensi, ditemukan 23% meningkat (kinerja mereka) dalam teamwork, sementara kepuasan terhadap pekerjaan meningkat pada satu dari 10 karyawan. Ditemukan juga, 17% meningkat dalam semangat kerja.
Setelah masa percobaan itu, biaya yang dikeluarkan perusahaan terkait dengan absensi karyawan turun drastis dalam 5 bulan, dibandingkan dengan periode yang sama tahun sebelumnya. Karyawan juga tampak meningkat dalam "interest" dan fokus terhadap customer.
"Mereka benar-benar memiliki kepekaan, untuk apa berada di perusahaan, yakni untuk melayani klien. Kesadaran semacam itu sangat penting bagi semua jenis pekerjaan, namun dalam area-area tertentu yang memang berkaitan dengan jasa layanan publik, itu terasa semakin penting," ujar Kinjerski.
portalhr.com
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)
Postingan
