Entries Tagged 'Hiring trends' ↓

Which “A” player is best for you?

By Bill Marshall, Vice President of Executive Search

Wedged between a recession and a recovery, most organizations have reduced their workforces to save money and remain viable. Many corporate bosses are evaluating talent to identify and retain top performers, and recruit the “A” players who will position them to be competitive in the years ahead.

Employers will be faced with higher turnover as the economy recovers. Good talent always leaves for what it perceives to be better opportunities as the economy pulls out of recession.

The Fed is reporting that recovery is underway, yet the labor market remains stalled—with unemployment hovering around 10%. This suggests that there will be many more qualified candidates than there are jobs available for the three to six months.

Then we must still have a buyer’s market, right? Yes and No.

There is a problem that every “buyer” must consider. With an abundance of seemingly qualified candidates, how can you determine which “A” player is going to be the best for your job? The risks and costs of choosing the wrong person for your company can be expensive – in terms of lost money, lost time, and lost opportunities.

It is critical to get it right.

Skills, values, and chemistry

At Dise & Company, when we conduct an executive search for a client, we evaluate candidates primarily for job fit and cultural fit.

Job fit and cultural fit are critical—that a candidate’s skills and experience are relevant to the job—and that the candidate finds the position’s activities and responsibilities satisfying. It’s critical that the individual and the organization possess shared values. Without good job fit and good cultural fit, you don’t have a good candidate. But what is the deciding factor when you have several qualified candidates for the same position?

“Sometimes the best candidate for the job doesn’t look that way on paper”

In my two and a half decades in Executive Recruiting, I have learned never to underestimate the importance of going with my gut, especially when faced with multiple candidates vying for the same position.

This is the “It” factor of hiring in a crowded marketplace.

The right hire is a combination of skills, values, and the elusive “It” factor.

When Instincts should override the data

Your gut instinct is a deep, subconscious voice inside that tells you: “This individual does not have the best track record, but she brings a package that makes her uniquely qualified for the opportunity—this is the person you need to hire. Don’t let this person get away.”

While the old adage that “Past performance predicts future behavior” holds true, there are exceptions to the rule, and you need to be prepared to recognize and capitalize on them.

“A” Players come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.

Sometimes a big setback can be the motivation to succeed in the next position. Sometimes you can find a diamond in the rough—a person who is hungry—and anxious to prove himself after what appears to be a failure or a mediocre-looking performance—“an underdog.”

If a candidate fell down in a previous position, the questions should be: “Did she get back up and dust herself off?” “Is he passionate about the industry?” “Did she learn from her mistakes?” Did he maintain his sense of humor?” “Does she emphasize practice over theory?” These character traits illustrate resilience and determination in the face of adversity—essential traits for success—no matter what the industry.

It all boils down to the chemistry between the candidate and the need. Going with your gut can be the deciding factor that will help you choose the right people to lead your organization and strengthen your competitive position in the years ahead.

Bill Marshall is the Vice President of Executive Search for Dise & Company. You can contact Bill directly at the People Page on Diseco.com.

Giving Yourself the Competitive Edge in Today’s Challenging Job Market

Do you have an Emerging Professional (the term we prefer over Fresh Grad) in your family or network who is about to face the challenge of capturing a new job?

• Do they know exactly what they want to do next?
• Can they articulate their “value proposition” – the answer to the question “why hire me”?
• Do they understand who to talk with and what to say to connect with 80% of the jobs that are unpublished?

For the last five years Dise & Company has presented our Job Search Boot Camp (a $3,500 value) for college students as a FREE service to family members and friends of our friends and clients. The Boot Camp is open to students who have graduated or will be graduating as well as those who will be pursuing internship opportunities or just want to learn about the job search process.

The next Dise & Company Job Search Boot Camp is Tuesday December 29th at our offices in Shaker Heights.

Please feel free to forward this link, which provides details of the day, to any Emerging Professional you feel would benefit from knowing about The Job Search Boot Camp.

Questions: Call Greg Reynolds at (216) 224-7434.  Book your reservation right now, or email Greg at greynolds@diseco.com with Job Search Boot Camp in the subject line.

By Ralph A. Dise, Jr.

Why managing your company’s reputation is more important than ever

“Your reputation, good or bad, can make you or break you.”

Usually we think of managing a reputation in terms of individuals, but this axiom holds true for companies as much as it does for individuals.

Being known as “a great place to work” is highly desirable. Happy, contented workers are more productive, more considerate towards customers, co-workers, and suppliers—and are less likely to make mistakes.  

A company with a good reputation also finds it easier to attract and retain top people.  Attracting and retaining that one great person, the one that’s perfect for the job—who is able to create a workable plan and then marshal the troops to execute it—is the difference between merely surviving this recession or being positioned to take off during the coming recovery.

If your company has a poor reputation, the word gets around quickly, making it much harder to hire the best candidates. This leaves you with “B” players; and stuck in the self-perpetuating cycle of an unhappy workplace.

Companies with a poor reputation suffer because they:

• Have difficulty recruiting the people who could help them the most
• Experience high attrition rates and increased recruitment costs of both time and money, and
• Have low employee morale and decreased productivity

Companies with poor reputations suffer the most during a down economy because consumers and business buyers alike are more cautious about with whom they are spending their money. If you lose a few deals or important new customers because people are skeptical about your company, the consequences to your bottom line will be serious.

 “Don’t promise what you can’t deliver”

There is often a disconnect between what companies promise as an Employer Brand and what they deliver as an organization.  This happens when there is a temptation—to attract higher quality candidates—to overpromise when it comes to the opportunities available. 

In business, as in life, what you do is often more important than what you say.  And that is why it’s critical to deliver on your Employer Brand Promise.  If you can’t deliver the moon and the stars, don’t promise the moon and the stars. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.

As a general rule, it’s always better to under-promise and over-deliver.

It’s the duty of the HR Leader to assure that the company has the ability to deliver on its Employer Brand… or change the brand promise.

Mistakes in recruiting are costly. They lead to high attrition, lost time, and lost opportunities.  It’s a shame because mistakes due to failure to deliver on an Employer Brand Promise are completely avoidable.

Your HR practices should deliver a consistent experience that supports and affirms your promise, not only in recruiting, but as these practices pertain to: 

• Development of a compelling and concise Employer Brand
• Skill and competency assessments
• Training
• Compensation
• Performance Appraisals
• Career development
• Recognition
• Social events

But what if your current operations are not “sustainable”?

How you separate from the people you no longer need affects your reputation as much as how you attract and retain the people you do need.

This recession has made it difficult for everyone. By the looks of things, it’s not over yet. Difficult choices are being made every day. Sometimes layoffs are the only solution.

Used sparingly and with advanced planning, layoffs can be an organizational lifesaver, but when layoffs are used repeatedly without a thoughtful strategy, they can have a disastrous impact on your company’s effectiveness.

Remember the “golden rule”

If losing a job is frightening during normal times, today it is even worse.  A sudden lay off can destroy a family’s financial health and lead to the destruction of the family itself. How you separate your unneeded employees in this economic climate really matters. 

Employees, both current and past, will remember their treatment, their severance pay, and whether the employer helped with outplacement services. They’ll remember whether they were treated with dignity, respect, and compassion—or whether they were simply let go with little or no warning. 

If layoffs are necessary, you need to separate your employees from your organization with as little drama as possible, and give them a chance to get back on their feet again.

It really matters—to the people who leave, and to the people who remain.

The most important rule to remember is, “Treat others the way you’d want to be treated.”

The bottom line? Your reputation as an employer, good or bad, depends on it.

Ralph A. Dise, Jr. is the President of Dise & Company, the Director Emeritus of Lincolnshire International, and has worked in the field of Human Resources his entire career. You can contact Ralph directly at the Pro People Page on Diseco.com.

How to give yourself a competitive edge in today’s challenging job market

We talk to parents of college students every day who express concerns about their children’s prospects for finding employment when they graduate. “My son doesn’t know where to start.”  “My daughter won’t listen to anything I have to say about finding a job.”  Does this sound familiar? 

There is good news!  We have developed a powerful program, the Dise & Company Job Search Boot Camp to help Emerging Professionals attack the job search process with confidence.  Designed and facilitated by Mark Gonska, a nationally recognized job search expert, the Job Search Boot Camp is valued at $3,500.  However, we offer it FREE to children of friends in our immediate and extended network.

The Job Search Boot Camp helps Emerging Professionals (recent graduates or those who will be graduating in December) set themselves apart from their competition in the job market.  Students who will be seeking internships or co-op opportunities are also welcome.

Here are samples of comments from past Job Search Boot Camp participants:

• “I drove home from the seminar feeling really excited to continue an active job hunt (now that I’m armed with the necessary tools!)”
• “I’m sure others would agree that our session was extremely valuable, informative and insightful.”
• “I certainly walked away with a better understanding of what I need to focus on in my job search and what I can do to be more effective.”

Details for the next Boot Camp, which will be held at the Dise & Company offices on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, are attached.

Please feel free to forward them to those you believe might benefit from knowing about the program.  Interested students (or their parents!) should contact Greg Reynolds at greynolds@diseco.com or at 216-752-1700 ext 110 to reserve a place at the Boot Camp. Or you can book it online.

How Dise & Company helped an already qualified job-seeker see the benefits of outplacement services and find a better job faster

Candidate Profile: VP Sales & Marketing, Early-Stage Technology Company

Originally from the New York City area, I had worked in the medical device industry my whole career, which took me from New York to Chicago, to Boulder, and eventually to Toronto—where I was a General Manager with P&L responsibilities, and oversaw sales, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution for a $35 million division of a multinational corporation. That position then led me to an executive role at the Cleveland headquarters for this corporation.

It came as a shock when my position was eliminated.  Still somewhat bewildered, I met with Dise & Company to discuss the benefits of their outplacement services. I have to admit that I was reluctant, and I needed convincing about how they could help me, because I had been unemployed before, and I honestly thought I knew the drill about finding a new position.

Dise & Company offered me much more than a pat on the back and a resume service. They put me through a very rigorous process that helped me:

1. Define the job that was perfect for me
2. Create a target list of companies
3. Repackage myself
4. Make the most productive use of networking meetings
5. Use and expand my network
6. Stand out in interviews

In short, with Dise & Company’s guidance and assistance, which I never could have done on my own, I was able to re-package myself, and in relatively short order turn a meeting over a cup of coffee into a truly productive networking meeting, where I was receiving concrete suggestions, expanding my network, and making it easy for people to help me.

The end result, I found a position much faster than I ever could have found one on my own.

Several years later, after discovering that I was being laid off from another firm, through no fault of my own, I discovered that they had included outplacement as a benefit, but it was with another firm. So I asked if they would let me use Dise & Company instead—and they did.

So I went through the Dise & Company Outplacement process again, only this time focusing on finding a position with a smaller company, and I landed on my feet in a relatively short period of time. It is my honest opinion that every time I have had to go through this process, it has made me more effective at what I do.  I guess it depends a lot on your attitude, but I see that in retrospect they’ve helped me make a step up each time—turning the unpleasant experience of losing a position into an opportunity for personal and professional improvement.

Takeaways:

• If you’re offered outplacement service, take advantage of it—you’ll become better at what you do as a result.
• No matter how much you think you know—it’s always good to have a helping hand.
• Sometimes you can re-negotiate your severance package to include outplacement services—you don’t know if you don’t ask.

The Revolving Door of Work: What to Do If You’re Headed Out and How to Get Back In

The job market these days may best be described as a revolving door… and you know those revolving doors – you can get squished if you’re not careful.

As the revolving door of employment turns, you’re either going out or coming in. Lots of people are rewriting their resumes and polishing their interview skills. What should you do as layoffs loom? And how do you jump back into the job market at 35, 55, or 75?

How to get through the revolving door of work…

If you don’t know who you’re looking for, you’ll easily find him (or her)

The unemployment rate rose from 6.5 to 6.7 percent for the Month of November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—the economy shed 533,000 jobs in one short month. That’s up 2% from the same time last year.

So, that must mean it’s an employer’s market. Or is it?

On first blush it seems like it is.

The law of supply and demand tells us “the more candidates you have to choose from, the greater the choice you’ll have among candidates, and it’ll be like shooting fish in a barrel.”

Unfortunately, recruiting is not so simple.

In a time of uncertainty, with lots of people on the job market, calculating what they’re going to do next, there are many people to choose from who are “almost-good enough” to take your company to the next level.

But “almost-good enough”–is that good enough?

After you factor in the expense of the search, their orientation and training, having to put up with sub-standard performance and results for a period of time, and if it doesn’t work out, the severance you have to pay the employee to leave, it all adds up.

Real costs plus opportunity/lost productivity costs.

For a six-figure salary executive, the average mis-hire runs in the millions of dollars.

When you’re in survival mode, can you really afford to make a mistake that costs millions of dollars?

Out of all the people out there looking for jobs, there is one out there that is perfect for you.

One who has all the skills you need. One who is a match for your corporate culture.

One who’s able to do more with less people and less money.

One who can do things better, faster, and cheaper.

The real “A” player.

The question is “How do you know how to find him or her?”

Are you going to wait for this person to knock on your door?

If you don’t know who you’re looking for, you’ll easily find him (or her).

There are many people out there who are almost good enough.

Getting the wrong one could be a costly mistake.

The original premise is correct. It is an employer’s market—the employer is in the driver’s seat.

But the job of finding the right person just got harder not easier.

Mark Gonska is Executive Vice President of Career Transition Services for Dise & Company. You can contact Mark directly at the People Page on Diseco.com

The Role of Culture in Recruiting

Having a well-defined corporate culture, i.e., having a good story to tell, is by far the best way to help  you recruit and retain the people who can help your company achieve the success you are seeking.

Whenever I initiate a new  executive search, the first thing I always do is talk to several of the executives and managers get them to tell me their story by  asking them questions about their company:

• Are you a learning organization? 
• Are your contributions valued? 
• Do you value teamwork? 
• What’s it like to work here? Do you like it?
• Are you proud to tell others who you work for? 
• What do your associates think about working here? Are they psyched, engaged, excited by the challenges?
• Do you have a system in place to evaluate new ideas from the people working “in the trenches”? 
• What is your company’s reputation is in the marketplace? For collaboration? For innovation? For being productive? 
• What “excites” you the most about coming to work?

And I get them to tell me the story of their company.

In my role as an executive recruiter, it’s very important to have a good story to tell. After all, the most sought-after candidates, the ones that every company is looking for, can afford to be choosy.

And if your company’s culture has room for improvement, or you don’t have a good story to tell, it makes it more of a challenge.

Unless the candidate we’re seeking is going to have a direct hand in improving the culture, they’re less likely to want to come work for you, or you’ll end up having to pay a premium to attract them.

So a less-than-desirable corporate culture is self-perpetuating.  You are unable to attract the people who can help you the most.

Fortunately, if you have a culture that’s broken, or needs help fixing, there are things you can do. And that’s an area where my company has some expertise.

I am glad to be working at Dise & Company where we are inspired by our leader, and encouraged to continually improve the way we do things, and the way we work together.

We have a learning organization, where I am treated with dignity and respect.

Even though we practice different disciplines of Human Resource Consulting (Corporate Outplacement, Executive Search, and Leadership Coaching), we work not in silos, but as a team.

We’re encouraged to engage in professional development, so I feel like I’m always learning something new, and continually improving.

The most exciting aspect of my work is to present opportunities to people –both employers and employees— that they never considered before, and to effect meaningful change that positively impacts the lives of so many.

And I find that personally and professionally rewarding—that’s what we do, that’s what I do—we make a difference.

That’s my story. What’s yours?

Susan Paley Zak is the Director of Executive Recruiting at Dise & Company. You can contact Susan directly at the People Page on Diseco.com.

How to build lasting results through proactive management of key positions

By Bill Marshall

Many companies are plagued by what I call the ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind syndrome.’

It is usually caused by, more than anything, having way too much on your plate. A very common condition in today’s business environment.

We see companies with operations that were at one time highly profitable slip slowly into marginal profitability.

Recently, one of our clients discovered that morale at one of their most important factories was at an all time low.

After investigating the reasons for the low morale, it became clear that the plant manager was treating employees unprofessionally, and that he operated the plant not as a leader should, by setting the standard of behavior, but by creating a culture of fear and intimidation. This plant manager’s abuse of power created palpable dissension, and virtually destroyed any semblance of team spirit. It became increasingly difficult to hire workers near the plant because this manager’s reputation was so bad.

After the plant manager’s termination, we conducted a dedicated, focused search to find a manager to replace him. However, not all the candidates who applied for the position, after learning of the situation there, wanted to work in an environment that was so hostile and emotionally charged. Many of the candidates eliminated themselves from the running. 

After a thorough search, we identified two exceptionally qualified candidates, either one of whom would have been great for the job. Eventually, the company chose the candidate who lived the closest to the plant, and who had a proven record of accomplishment of improving morale in several factories he had managed previously.

Several months have passed, and after just a short period of time, this new plant manager has had an important impact on his new employer. Morale has improved. Productivity has improved. Turnover has been greatly reduced. And profitability has returned.

To many, this sounds like a management nightmare. But these are precisely the types business needs that we seek out. It’s not easy. Terminating a key manager never is. But sometimes it’s best for everyone involved.

In this instance, each of the stakeholders wins: (1) the employees are treated professionally and with courtesy and respect, (2) the new plant manager found a new position of responsibility and trust, (3), and the client company is charting a course to higher profits. 

It makes me glad to know that we, as executive search professionals, by helping companies proactively manage key positions, can make an essential contribution to the success and profitability of our clients.

Bill Marshall is the Vice President of Executive Search for Dise & Company. You can contact Bill directly at the People Page on Diseco.com.

Older workers are viewed as more seasoned, more stable, and hit the ground running

By Bill Marshall

One of the trends we’re seeing in the executive recruiting business is that more organizations are hiring older workers. While it is true that many older workers are getting the pink slip at some companies, there are other companies that are looking to put them back to work.

Especially organizations that have mission critical operations, and for whatever reason, they are experiencing a talent “gap”, and they need to hire the right person the first time, for many of these companies 50+ year-old workers are looking more and more attractive.

The 50+ year-old workers are viewed as more seasoned and more stable. They hit the ground running. They can make a greater contribution is a shorter period of time. Although they’re that much closer to retirement themselves, and the amount of time they’ll stay with the company is potentially shorter, it doesn’t seem to matter as much to hiring managers as to getting the right skills sets in place. After all, most employees move on to new jobs in less than five years anyhow.

The greatest misperception about hiring older workers was that health problems that sometimes accompany aging would cost too much in terms of increased absenteeism and higher health insurance. However, today’s 50+ crowd is much healthier compared to 10 or 20 years ago.

Also, there was the misperception that older job seekers are not as up to date on computer skills as younger job candidates. Yet many of the baby boomers have been in the workforce throughout the entire evolution of the computer. They have learned how to quickly adapt to the newest advances.

Bill Marshall is the Vice President of Executive Search for Dise & Company. You can contact Bill directly at the People Page on Diseco.com.