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Career Insight

A Remix To The Traditional Job Description

Career Insight, Human Resources, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

Conventional job descriptions don’t work, yet we keep branding them in the marketplace. Your positions go unfilled for months and the quality of candidates is far below your expectations. We’ve been marketing the wrong information. A Project Manager knows what they do. They do not need to be reminded with a list of responsibilities. We follow this up by telling them that they must have 5-10 years of experience, thereby excluding those who have 4 or 11 years of experience. We are creating a robotic marketplace of prospects who think in terms of requirements and tasks. We’re selling the position and this has not worked in an evolving marketplace that values more than what they will be doing from 8 to 4. You have failed to capture the intrinsic motivators that would compel a top performer to leave their current position and join yours. Instead of describing the perfect candidate, companies should be focused on clearly outlining what makes them an ideal destination for a top performer. It’s a shift from “what you can do for us” to “what we can do for you.” Let’s explore this deeper… The Career Brochure (Sample Profile Below) Building vehicles is what we do. Cultivating high performing professionals in a friendly environment is our passion and vision. Over the last 20 years, we’ve gone through a major organizational shift by making tangible investments in our greatest assets. We shut our doors the last Friday of every month to give our staff a well-deserved opportunity to rest and spend time with their families. Our last 17 hires have been promoted over the last 5 years which has allowed us to stay competitive and keep them motivated. We host our very own awards ceremony to honor our people with recent winners being awarded the following: “Comeback Employee Of the Year”, It’s Not My Job, But I did It Anyway”, & “Leader Of The Year.” One of the prizes was an all-inclusive trip to a resort of their choice for 5 days. We’ve established our own University to make sure our employees receive proper training and ongoing support. This is a fully paid for benefit and offered to everyone. Through this program, we’ve seen a 50% increase in productivity & retention, and a 70% reduction in product defects, representing a major increase in quality & turnaround time across our fleet. We offer “Mental Wellness Days” instead of “Sick Days”. Meaning, you are allotted (3) days a month for the entire year to take care of yourself. We want you to enjoy time away from the office while you’re healthy, not sick (this is in addition to your vacation time) Oh yeah, we also build cool vehicles! As part of that mandate, you’ll work individually and collectively with your team to accomplish the following goals over the next 2 years: Wrap Up Note that there is no mention of requirements or duties, and the goals were mentioned after conveying major company milestones & perks. Let’s stop promoting what the person will do and let’s create profiles that convey an understanding of the needs of the marketplace. This is the only way to create a winning organization that is a talent magnet. If you disagree or if you’re already doing something similar, please let me know below.

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Accountability

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

Good leaders hold themselves accountable. Sweeping things under the rug does not magically make issues go away, and moving dirt to another location is not real cleaning… Thankfully, I have a Wife who will call me out if I’m wrong, and I appreciate her for that… The problem can’t always be your followers… If they’re leaving, it could be that you failed to provide the direction and safety they needed… Rather than directly addressing their concerns, they were villainized for raising their concerns to begin with… This is hardly the foundation for sustainable growth that can foster future leadership… People should be taken care of at all times and your message should align to your behaviour… Any misalignment will jeopardize the integrity of your stance as a leader and create more confusion in the environment… This is precisely why recruitment cannot afford to operate transactionally… Its purpose is too important to the health of the corporation… Too many in the profession see turnover as an opportunity to backfill and cash a cheque, reducing themselves to scavengers who prey on dead corporations with terrible cultures… Recruiting for a good leader is far better than recruiting for a bad leader… I owe it to the people’s lives that I’m temporarily disrupting, and leading to what I’m selling as a “land flowing with milk & honey”, to make sure that the environment is one where they can see a progression of their career… This all starts with good leaders who create the policies, systems, and culture that facilitates career development… Anything less than this means that we’ve missed the mark and have done those in our care a disservice.

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Recruitment Was Not Designed To Help People

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

My understanding of the recruitment industry has evolved… There is a lot circulating in the marketplace about the state of recruitment… A common misconception being that recruiters help people – WRONG! Recruiters serve the corporate entity by finding talent for them. Recruiters have confused these two things, have sold this message to the marketplace, and are getting exposed when their actions don’t align with “helping people”… People are hurting and rightfully so… As noble as helping people is, and this is certainly a people driven business, there is more to this… It’s in every recruiter’s best interest to treat people well, but stop lying to yourself and misleading people in the process… Physicians help people. Recruiters help the corporation and drive economic growth… The disconnect started when recruiters thought they had a runway to success that absolved them of their humanity. We forgot that people respond favourably when they are treated with respect… Historical thought dictates that once you get the business, the candidates will come! No. Secure the business, treat people well, and you’ll enjoy success and longevity in this industry… Recruiters for years have built with one hand and torn down with the other… There is a trail of scarred job seekers and passive candidates along the way, yet we have the nerve to boast about advancements in technology and how that will improve our service… We’ve made the service offering more sophisticated without addressing the character flaws within our ranks… The key question that every recruiter must answer is, how do you want to be remembered? If your aim is to be successful in this industry, then you cannot build sustainability on the backs of the most vulnerable in the market… Recruitments value is far greater and has global impact… Matching talent to great companies is how you get paid; treating people well is how your legacy is created.

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Come in…

Career Insight, Human Resources, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

Troy, another member of my team has resigned. What’s going on with the market? The market is fine. You’re the problem. When you hired all of these great people, you were the prize in their minds. They wanted to work for you and with you because of your passion and compassionate approach to leadership. You were promoted, and that’s great, but while you were evolving and moving up in the company, the people who were attracted to you are no longer exposed to you. That dotted line into you and your knowledge, no longer exists. If they hear from you, it’s the occasional staff meeting or company outing. Don’t feel guilty for your ascension, but you underestimated the positive impact you had on those who worked for you. The appeal of the company was strengthened by the prospect of working for you. How do I keep my best people, while still pursuing my own personal ambitions within the company? Well, make yourself accessible through your direct reports who directly manage those who once reported to you. Your mindset, character, passion, & spirit must be replicated and felt by your direct reports and conveyed to their reports. They must never lose sight of you. You will lose your best people if they continue to feel disconnected from you, the asset.

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The Haircutting Experience

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

I learned over the weekend that my Cousin who is a Barber by trade, has mobilized his business. He invested in a mini truck that he converted into a barbershop and drives around to various locations, parks, and cuts hair (see pictures below). Traditionally, you had to visit a salon and Barbershop to get a fresh cut. Now, the cut comes to you… The Pain Point Barbershop’s historically have always had retention issues. The path towards being a shop owner typically starts with finding a physical location (usually in a densely populated strip mall). From there, you’d recruit other barbers to work in your shop and rent out your chairs to them (typically 3-4 chairs in a standard barbershop). Each barber is essentially operating as a solopreneur under the banner. The Idea He was inspired by a tattoo company that is entirely mobile. His vision was to mimic the tattoo model by mobilizing the haircutting experience. With the proof of concept already in place, it was full steam ahead from there… Talk about addressing the needs within your market segment in a simple and elegant manner. Naturally, I thought about recruitment… Recruitment On Wheels? “Recruitment on wheels” sounds catchy, but doesn’t have the same degree of credibility… Firstly, we’re already a ubiquitous service…perhaps to a fault (maybe some scarcity would improve our public perception)… Secondly, the issue is not our mobility or availability. The elephant in the room when I talk to decision makers is entirely tied to trust… Can I trust you to do what you’re saying you can do? What makes you different from everyone else? Recruitment is not suffering from poor technology integration or lack thereof… Dressing a pig in a tuxedo does not change its nature. It’s still a pig… Similarly, technology won’t magically transform a poor recruiter into a good one… Decision makers don’t care about your tech stack. They care about their time not being wasted and you delivering the right people who can move the needle for the organization… How you get that talent over the finish line is a cherry on top. Some of the best recruiters I’ve witnessed were not tech savvy. In fact, their submissions to clients were anything but aesthetically pleasing… The resumes were not properly formatted, and emails were poorly written or lacked depth… Yet, what they did very well and what made them successful was their ability to address the needs of their clients… Their relationships were built on them keeping their word and delivery within hours (not days or months)… They did not waste time… That’s what recruitment must return back to, and automation should only facilitate what’s already working well. Summary My Cousin found a gap in the industry, met the need, and carved out a place for himself in a crowded marketplace… …he addressed some of the primary struggles that are prevalent in the barbering industry (owning a shop/renting out chairs/retention), and his future goal is to have a fleet of trucks that can be deployed to different locations. He’s definitely on his way.

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Stop Promoting Yourself

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

Too many leaders advertise themselves. One lengthy bio after another… We’re more informed about the qualifications of these people then we know about what they & the organizations they represent stand for… (…truly stand for.) Everyone is a servant, thought, or compassionate leader these days, yet employee disengagement is at a record high… People are depressed & facing severe career malnutrition, yet leadership advice has littered every social media platform, and it’s only becoming more prevalent… If leadership quotes could help us, then we wouldn’t be experiencing widespread layoffs at all levels within an organization… We’re drowning under leadership best practices and Sunday night is still a source of anxiety for many professionals… The issue with advertising a leader is a matter of unpredictability. That individual could leave the company, be demoted, pass away, or change… Then what? If you’re attraction to an organization is solely based on the person leading it, then it’s possible that you could be disappointed in the near future… I love Texas! Every time I’m there, I feel like I’m at home. There’s something in the atmosphere that puts me in a safe zone. I love the food, the people, and the hospitality that I feel from the locals. I love the Lone Star State, yet I’ve never met nor had a conversation with Governor Greg Abbott. In fact, I know very little about the man… Despite my ignorance of who their leader is, I’m strongly attracted to the State of Texas; so much so that we’ve discussed owning a home out that way… My interest in Texas has nothing to do with its leadership. It has everything to do with the culture that has been created by those in charge… I fell in love with Texas before I ever knew who their leader was… We’re promoting the wrong message to people, and the connection to the environment and its values have become an afterthought… People want to grow… They want financial freedom. They want control of their time. They want flexibility to prioritize things outside of work when it’s necessary. They don’t want carrots dangled in front of them, and they definitely don’t want to feel like slaves to someone else’s ambitions. Stop advertising yourself and start promoting the values, ethics, and attributes of the environment you represent to people… People are attracted to culture & perks; they leave leaders who are defective and lack character… Create the right environment with an unshakeable set of core values, and you’ll never have to advertise your leadership… I wrestled with the idea of posting a Christmas picture of my family around the tree last night… It’s of course seasonally appropriate to do so, and I’ve been inspired by the many lovely photos I’ve seen posted… While tempting, I opted not to post a picture… Trying to ingratiate myself to you is a high that many leaders feel that fades away quickly. People and circumstances are changing every day, and I’d rather you fall in love with the thing that will remain long after I’ve passed on.

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Mutually Beneficial Persuasion

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment, Sales /

Real selling isn’t aggressive… It doesn’t manipulate and it’s not desperate… To be effective and to foster healthy relationships, stop selling the way you’ve been taught, immediately! In fact, let’s not call it selling anymore. There’s too much negative thought associated with that word… Instead of sales or selling, what if we coined it, “Mutually Beneficial Persuasion”… Let’s explore this… The primary grievance about traditional selling is its focus on being quantitative, and not qualitative… “Selling is a numbers game!” – how many have been fed this lie? Stop speed dating! Stop selling! You’re dialing to meet quotas, and there’s no life in what you’re saying… Those you speak to know that it’s not about them. Your interests are entirely self-serving… So, what is mutually beneficial persuasion? Simply, it’s about putting others first… Where does the “mutually” come into play? By putting others first, you’re making it mutual… You are a supply chain for others… When you make it about you, your pipe immediately clogs up, and you end up with nothing to give… Selling is a distributive act. Modern day thought has made it about receiving… I recently had a meeting with some company executives that I’m looking to work with… I did not leave with a signed agreement, but the meeting was a success… I concluded for them that they did not need me (i.e., a Search Partner) to fill their position… I sat across from decision makers whom I traveled to meet with at their office only to tell them that the best use of their time & money was not to use me… They are well governed with strong cashflow, but they’re at the infancy stage of their growth trajectory. They don’t need a Search Partner; they need an advisor; an ally. Someone to tell them the truth. Real selling is about becoming whatever they need you to be in the moment… The reaction from the President was interesting to say the least, but I left feeling like I did something good for the company. We ended up talking for close to 90 minutes about their business, their marketplace, and their steps towards future growth… We shook hands, exchanged holiday greetings, and I went back home to take my kids skating… No contract, no position to fill, just an exchange of value that had nothing to do with me and what was seemingly best for my business… A real “pipeline” is a distributor. It flows freely to others… The faucet in your sink is a producer; a one way channel of value to a thirsty person… A faucet is not installed for what you can do for it. It’s sole purpose is to serve… This is mutually beneficial persuasion. More to come on this…

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The Red Carpet Experience

Career Insight, Human Resources, Leadership, Recruitment /

Cue the traditional scenario: it’s Friday afternoon, and your best employee walks into your office before the weekend: EMPLOYEE: I’m here to resign from my position EMPLOYER: This is troubling and terrible timing. Is there anything I can do to change your mind? How much have they offered you? I’ll match it right now! I’ve kept it brief for the sake of LinkedIn… Accepting a counteroffer might seem attractive in the moment, especially if your reasons for leaving in the first place were not iron-clad. I’d like to caution anyone who is on the verge of handing in their resignation to remain firm on their stance. Don’t allow promises or more money to derail all of the work it took to get to that point… Accepting a counter offer can have an adverse effect on your career. Here’s why: The most obvious impact is that you’re now marked by your employer as that disloyal employee who tried to leave once. Don’t expect a red carpet to your next raise or promotion within the company. Hidden however, and more important is your ability to navigate the outside marketplace. By accepting a counteroffer that is $10,000 or 20,000 more than what you were prepared to accept from the other company, you’ve now misaligned yourself in your marketplace. If the median salary for a Project Manager in the Biomedical industry is $130,000, your offer from the other company was $145,000, and your current company has countered at $155,000, then you’re now $25,000 over the market value for your position. If you decide to leave or are laid off, it will be difficult to negotiate your way to the salary you left behind and what you’ve become accustomed to making. No one ever wants to accept a lower salary, even in a desperate market. We end up creating an artificial bubble in the marketplace that no longer relies on market data & research but is now predicated entirely on our feelings about what we think we’re worth. This is usually skewed based on scenarios like what I described above. THE SOLUTION FOR LEADERS: treat people well enough in the first place so another company won’t have a runway to steal them away from you THE SOLUTION FOR EMPLOYEES: stick to your original decision to leave as a way of protecting your career trajectory and its integrity

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LAYING PEOPLE OFF IS A COP OUT

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership /

Of all the expenses you could slash within an organization during financial instability, you chose the human! Firstly, if you think of your people as expenses, then you’re in the wrong business… When someone says that layoffs are a mandatory measure towards becoming leaner/stronger or represent a pivot into something new, what I really hear is someone who cannot be bothered to lead during a period of change… It’s more desirable to manage the integration of new technologies than it is to lead people, especially those who might be underperforming…(the true measure of leadership)… Similarly, tolerating a poor performer versus taking action to remedy the situation is just as bad… Have employees allowed themselves to become dispensable or are leaders responsible for creating widespread redundancy that they now condemn and are taking measures to get rid of? Have we consciously (or unconsciously) put people into positions that leverages a small fraction of their entire skill set, thereby leading to monotony, which leads to burnout, which leads to employer frustration, & ultimately mass layoffs… Cue the solution – robots… “We are simply embracing the future with hopes of competing” – says every modern day CEO… What we’re really fostering is a business world driven by fear and insecurity. Employees don’t trust their leadership to prioritize them during a downturn or change, and employers have strategically commoditized their people thereby making it easy to cut ties with them… Is the onus on employees to fight to remain relevant or is it on employers to lead with more compassion? Why can’t we have a balance? An equilibrium that promotes employee accountability and leaders who care!

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Retained Is The New Predictable

Career Insight, Employer Insight, Leadership, Recruitment /

There are a lot of trust issues in the current marketplace. Much of it is justified… There’s also A LOT of information from experts and people who are well-intentioned circulating… Poor experiences, coupled with advice from every angle have made the current marketplace stressful to navigate through. I’ve been privileged to work in a profession that I love for 15 years… As such, there are best practices that I try to disclose to anyone who will listen. Key word being “listen.” It’s ultimately your decision, but as someone once said, “knowing is half the battle.” Whether you’re a job seeker, employed, unemployed, or underemployed, there is a standard that you should expect from everyone in the Talent Acquisition business… Cue the typical email from a Recruiter: Hello – our client, a global entity and leader in the pharmaceutical sector, is looking to hire a new Director of People. We have an older resume of yours in our database, and I was wondering if you would be interested in hearing about this exciting opportunity. Please respond to this email with an updated resume. There are many things wrong with this email, but my primary concern is the lack of trust that it conveys to a top prospect. Who is your client, and why is that a secret? I’m amazed that this approach worked for as long as it did. Why would anyone take a call from a recruiter who they don’t know, listen to what they have to say, share personal things about their background & personal life, disclose what they are earning and would like to make, and agree to update a resume that they haven’t touched in 10 years, all without knowing who your customer is? Many recruiters do not have legitimate contracts or relationships with these companies and therefore can offer little to no direction or insight into the opportunity. Hence the reason why you often don’t hear from them after you’ve submitted your resume. These companies are not getting back to them, so how can they get back to you? Without a real relationship, expect to be ghosted. Your question to that recruiter before you agree to do anything should be: “Can you please describe the nature of your relationship with the company you are representing? Have you been contractually retained to handle this search?” Side bar – being retained doesn’t necessarily mean that a recruiter won’t operate transactionally, but if their customer is treating them seriously, then it’s predictable that they will treat you in the same manner… Qualify that recruiter before they qualify you. Call me crazy, but I’d only entertain an introduction that sounded similar to the following: Hello, Jane – under my current contract with XYZ Plastics, I’ve been asked by the President of the company to identify a new Director of People to help them bolster their HR division. You’ve been identified as a person of interest by the President, and he is interested in speaking with you. I’m here to mediate those discussions. Is this worth a closer look? Or Hello, Jane – you’ve been identified as a top prospect by our organization. Confidentially, we are handling XYZ Plastics’ search spearheaded by the CEO for a new HR executive. I’m here to mediate those discussions. Is this worth a closer look? I hope this tip helps you to weed through the noise in the marketplace and positions you closer to your next opportunity.

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