Writer’s Tangle!

Polishing off the last 5 items on my 10 Ways to Improve the Hiring Process is proving difficult.  The first 5 zipped off easily and now I’m stuck with getting the last 5 out.   The problem is not so much what to talk about but rather getting them out in a logical order.

I’m also finding that what I’ve left for the last five are more amorphous than the first ones.  The themes tend to wind back on themselves and intertwine, leaving me with topics that don’t tie into neat packages. 

One common theme is what will happen to the employment picture in the future.   My view is that employment  swings from high to low constantly…sometimes the swings are large and usually they are more moderate.  My father, a teenager of a farm family during the depression years of the 20^th century, spent the rest of his life anticipating another market downfall.  I’m on the flip side and could foreseeably spend the rest of mine waiting for this bad cycle to end.   Who knows?

But with these caveats in mind, I’ll see what I can do about pulling a thread of logic out for the last five suggestions…or what is more likely…I will lay the last 5 out as best I can…

Are You Going to Steal My Identity?

Remember those invasive questions?   My auditor training was screaming “OMG this is gold mine for identity thieves.”  

Not your problem, you say.  You’ve employed a vendor to take care of keeping this safe.

Sooooo,  real quick…who was the vendor for the blowout preventer for the BP oil spill?

Don’t remember?  That was the part that failed, but who got tagged with the problem?   Yup…BP!

Ask an auditor and they will tell you the risk is yours.  You CAN go after the vendor, but in reality you will not only be responsible for any remediation for a stolen identity, you will also be the ‘BP’ as any identity theft is broadcast to the world.

Rumor has it that in today’s job climate there are hundreds of applicants for any given job.  You will hire ONE person and the other x99 will be filed for future reference.   They will sit there with minimal attention paid to them.   Do you REALLY want the responsibility for this?

The simple solution...Ask for and keep only the bare minimum that is needed.  No one wants to rob a bank that has no money.

You Know More About Me Than I Do

Story #1: 

I was with a group of unemployed friends talking about job applications on line.  Someone said “The site said it was ‘powered’ by ‘abcd’.”  Everyone around the table groaned.  No kidding – EVERYONE, and not quietly.   We had never discussed ‘abcd’, but we all had the common experience of filling out their endless required questions online.   Since then I actually had someone tell me “If the site is run by ‘abcd’, I don’t bother.”

Story #2: 

I asked an HR person about some of the questions on their job ap.  “We don’t ask that!  You must have gotten the application for recent grads.”   I caved and said “Well, maybe…I’ll check it out.”  I checked.   Nope, I had it right.  What does this imply?   Is your HR using what they ask for?

Do you REALLY want your candidates to close the application because of your vendor? Are you going to do a credit check before you have even spoken to me on the telephone?  I have to admit I almost stopped cold when asked for my social security number.   I’m pretty sure most candidates who are employed would think twice before providing a current manager’s telephone in spite of all the assurances they would not be contacted.

Corollary for #5:  If you don't need it NOW, don't ask.

#5 Too Much, Too Soon

A nightmare for the job hunter is the job application that asks for pages and pages and pages of personal information.  I filled out one recently that not only asked for my social security number and birthdate, my last manager, a full history of GPA & grad year, approval for a credit check and finished off by making me search for the street address of my high school!   Most of these fields were required!  

With each field I felt like my chances of ever passing their screening were circling the drain.  Leave a field blank and the computer whispers “delete”. 

I have two questions on this…

1. Do you REALLY need this?

2. Are you sure you want to do this?

Only you know the answer to question #1.  I can’t guess what or why your company requires certain information.   I DO have comments on the second question which I’ll continue with  …but for now…

Tip #5  On the initial application ask for what you need to start the process.   You can pump me for more information later.

Salary Range is 0?

Like an end date for applications, I don’t understand the reluctance of some job postings (mostly company sites) to post how much they plan to pay for the job.

Let me be truthful…it annoys me!   Companies play this figure like a bad hand in poker – they don’t seem to let the world know.  It sends bad vibes.  Is there something shady about the figure?  Why is it a secret?  Does this mean that they don’t want current employees to see it?

It’s doubly annoying that you won’t tell…and then ask for my salary when I fill out the application.  Level the playing field!  

In my mind this is a key screening tool before I apply.  I too have a range in mind.  Too high or too low and I’ll make your pile of applicants one less.  I might still go for it if the fit is perfect and I would be THE candidate at the high range or there are fantastic opportunities or perks if the salary is a little low.  There is always wiggle room on both sides if this needs to be negotiated.  

#4 Corollary:  Post a salary range for the job.   It will make you look good, I promise!

Be Careful What You Wish For…

This is, I’ll admit, a difficult topic.   You’re trying to find the right description to get just the right person. 

Example…you want a gardener to plant a border of yellow daffodils across your company’s property.  We need to get this right so the gardener can ‘hit the ground running’.

Must have 5 years experience planting yellow daffodils in company gardens.

That does it, doesn’t it?  It’s specific; it makes sure they have not just planted bulbs in a garden…at home…once.  It would tend to indicate that they know a daffodil bulb when they see one.

I think you can see the problem.  You’ve eliminated gardeners whose experience is in parks or ones who have only planted tulips, but would be perfectly capable of doing the job.

Are you asking for specific skills when broad based knowledge might be better?  Are you looking for time spent, when you want a skill level?  How specific does the skill actually have to be?  Would a candidate with a track record of learning beat out someone who has practiced the same thing for years on end?

#4 Corollary:  Be aware of what you REALLY need and put THAT in the job description.