Tip #460: How To Hire The Right Employee

     
Recruiting top talent is one of the most challenging aspects of running a business.  Sure, finding someone who is interested in working for you may be easy, but finding the right employee for your company is easier said than done.  To help facilitate the hiring process, many companies employ a number of tactics such as administering personality and competence tests and employing a variety of interviewing techniques.  We would like to share some of these tactics with you.

Look At The Interview Process From Different Angles.

Approaching an interview from several different angles is the key to finding your ideal candidate. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked by the busy employer. Interviewing is a two-way street.  Just as you are exploring how well a potential candidate will fit into your company, they are exploring whether they truly wish to work for you. If you are looking to bring your A-game to the interview process, then prepare by following the five steps below:

5 Steps For Preparing To Hire The Right Employee:

1. Organize Yourself: You expect your candidates to prepare extensively for their interviews, right?  So why shouldn't you? If you truly want the best candidate to work for you, put aside time to create a checklist of the qualities and skills you hope to find in such an employee.

2. Speak With The Recruiting Firm: If you are using a recruiting firm to find someone, you need to ask the recruiter for a summary of why they are recommending a particular candidate.  The recruiter should be able to provide you with a list of the candidate's strengths and weaknesses.

3. Use Multiple People To Interview The Candidate:Interviewers bring with them unique perspectives shaped by personal experiences; this is why we recommended the use of a variety of people to interview candidates (preferably ones who would be affected if this candidate is hired). Plus, having someone else interview this person will give you several different perspectives, which are invaluable in the hiring process.

4. Do Not Give Your Answer Away To The Interviewee: One of the most common mistakes made by interviewers is giving away too much information about what they want and need in a person.  Providing a company overview is fine, but do not go into too much detail about what you need in an employee. Doing so provides the interviewee with clues as to how they should tailor their responses.  Instead, learn what you can about an interviewee and do not feed answers to the interview subject.

5. Consider The Interview A Conversation: As an interviewer, it may be easy for you to fall into a rhythm with the questions you ask.  But if you really want to get to know the candidate, you need the interview to be a mutually comfortable conversation. 

After The Interview Is Over . . .

Once the interview is over, you still have work to do.  Check references and conduct a background check and drug tests.  As we all know, a person giving a reference is going to speak positively about the candidate.  During that conversation, keep an ear-out for what a reference does not say or chooses to avoid answering. 

Executive Summary: Do not dominate the interview; engage your potential employee in a push-pull conversation.  Remember, you are looking to add a new player to your team.  Your new hire will need to play well with others and complement your operation in their own unique way.  Look beyond who a person is on paper, and see who they might be as your employee.  And remember, 35% to 50% of the résumés you receive will contain discrepancies about work experience or education history, so take advantage of references.

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #459: 7 Tips For Streamlining The Hiring Process

   

Most managers agree that hiring is one of the most important aspects of their job.  It also tends to be one of their least favorite responsibilities.  Ask any manager what their strategy for hiring is, and most will just shrug and tell you they really don't have one.  This is because the hiring process is an exhausting one.  There is paperwork to be filled-out, rules to adhere to and even time constraints to consider.

Learn How To Take The Pain Out Of The Hiring Process.

In order for your business' hiring process to be more effective, you need to streamline it.  It needs to be broken down to its essential steps so that hiring is quick and easy for everyone involved, from the manager down to the new employee.

7 Tips For Streamlining The Hiring Process:

Tip #1: Put An End To Long Delays - Just as you are considering more than one candidate, they are considering more than one potential employer.  Like many other aspects of business, recruitment is competitive.  That means there is no time for passing paperwork throughout an organization before taking any real action.  Top talent won't stay available for long, so managers need to address the hiring process sooner versus later. 

Tip #2: Don't Rummage Through Résumés - Sifting through stacks of résumés from unqualified applicants is a waste of time and energy.  Make sure that your recruiters understand the job requirements thoroughly so that every applicant they forward to you meets the minimum requirements.  This expedites the hiring process right from the get-go.

Tip #3: Improve Your Interviewing - Good interviewing is a lot like good conversation.  Both require a balance of push and pull, and, in the case of interviews, both formal and casual conversations are appropriate.  Also, keep in mind that candidates who make good interviewees do not necessarily make good employees.  We suggest crafting interviews to be multi-faceted, so you get to know the employee as a person as well as a worker.
  
Tip #4: Come To An Interview Prepared - Managers should never go into an interview blind, especially when dealing with top talent.  Smart candidates will come equipped with both market research and competitive benchmarking, hoping it gives them an edge, so managers should conduct their own research in order to go toe-to-toe with candidates.

Tip #5: Minimize Documentation - Part of what jams up the hiring process is excessive paperwork.  Sure, certain legalities need to be recorded, but a lot of this paperwork is just useless and never looked at again.  So why bother having it?  Slimming down employment paperwork so that it is less of a hassle for managers means less of a hassle for everyone.

Tip #6: Observe What Does And Doesn't Work - In larger businesses, several managers may have hiring responsibilities.  When this is the case, these managers need to be in communication with one another.  They ought to swap hiring success stories in order to put together a more effective hiring strategy based on experience, instead of just theory.

Tip #7: Give Managers More Control - Many managers feel disconnected from HR, which can sometimes cause them to lose a top candidate.  They claim that the offers approved by HR just aren't competitive enough.  At the end of the day, hiring a new employee should be about strengthening your team, not saving as much money as possible.  Hiring based on dollars and cents is never wise, so give managers better salary survey data, and afford them more control over how high their offers can be.

Executive Summary: Ultimately, hiring rests on more than just a manager's shoulders.  Managers, HR and recruiters need to work as a team to make the hiring process fluid and more likely to bring a new, ideal hire into the fold.  This requires the process to be streamlined - disassembled then reassembled so that all the fat has been trimmed off and the hiring process has been made quick, easy and painless.

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #458: 3 Steps For Conducting A Performance Review

    

Most businesses conduct their employee performance reviews annually.  Typically, many managers do not enjoy conducting them and, to make matters worse, do not know the proper techniques for getting a review done properly.

To help you get the most out of your employee reviews, we have listed below the three most crucial steps that need to be taken in order to ensure the execution of an effective employee performance review.

3 Steps For Conducting An Effective Employee Performance Review:

Step 1: Have The Employee Conduct A Self-Evaluation.

Before sitting down for the actual review, have employees fill out a self-evaluation form.  This gives employees an idea of what they are in store for during the actual review.  Furthermore, it gets employees actively thinking about the work they have done in the past year.  Additional benefits of self-evaluations include:

• Involving multiple perspectives in the eventual performance review.  Managers cannot remember everything, and even if they can, they only bring one perspective to the table.
• Alerting management of any disparities between what they think an employee's performance has been and what the employee thinks.
• Showing employees that the review process is one of give-and-take. That is, the employee has a say in the process, too.

The mark of a good employee self-evaluation form is the quality of its questions.  Here are some examples of general questions to include in a self-evaluation form:

• What work did you enjoy the most and why?
• What skills and talents helped you achieve success?
• What was the most difficult or challenging work you have done?
• What results make you the most proud?

Step 2: Prepare For The Review.

Rushing through employee reviews to get them over and done with is one of the biggest mistakes managers make.  If you want to make the review process move quickly and easily, take the time to prepare beforehand.  Not only will this help expedite the actual review process, it will also make it less laborious.

To prepare for an employee performance review:

• Review the employee's job description.
• Write an agenda for the meeting.
• Think about what you want an employee to take from the review.
• Schedule reviews in advance; never spring them on an employee without notice.
• Review the performance measures you will use for assessment.

Step 3: Implement A Fair And Consistent Rating System.

Quantifying performance review data can be a difficult process.  Arbitrary numbers and grades do not tell you a whole lot -- what a "7" means to one person might be entirely different to someone else.  The best approach to a rating system we have seen is the Unsatisfactory to Exceptional Scale:

• Unsatisfactory: The employee's work is well below the minimum level of performance.  The employee must make significant improvements to the employee's work.
• Below Average: The employee's work meets some of the minimum levels of performance but not all.  As a result, the employee must immediately improve in some aspect of their work.
• Satisfactory: The employee's work meets all minimum levels of performance, even excelling in some areas.
• Above Average: The employee's work is above minimum levels of performance.  The employee shows initiative for and investment in the business' success.
• Exceptional: The employee's work exhibits superior levels of performance, and the employee's work has had a direct impact on the overall success of the company.

Furthermore, be sure to provide employees with a ratings key complete with short, 1-2 sentence descriptions of what each rating means, similar to our example above.  This helps ensure that everyone is on the same page as far as what a rating means exactly.

Executive Summary:After handing out employee self-evaluations, all that is left is to have the actual performance reviews.  When the time comes, make sure you come prepared.  What is the point of having an employee performance review if neither you nor your employees take anything away from it?  As for the review itself, make sure your rating system is known throughout the organization and is fair, easy to understand and consistently used by each manager.

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #457: 7 Traits of Strong Leaders

    
Whether in business or sports, many teams include stand-out superstars. However, as any sports fan knows, one or two amazing players is not enough to carry a team to a league victory.

Teamwork requires the effort and inclusion of everyone on the team - not just the top performers. A good coach must focus on the success of the overall team by mentoring each team member - not by focusing only on the star player.

7 Traits Of Strong Leaders.

Team leaders understand the balance of attention required to ensure all team efforts run smoothly. That said, team leaders proactively exhibit the following traits:

Traits Of A Strong Leader	Do You Have These Skills?
1. They Understand Value: A good team leader examines existing processes and best utilizes his or her team to maximize the value of the business.
2. They Remain Organized: Effective team leaders keep organized; this keeps everyone else on track. They prioritize tasks and make sure everyone has the resources they require to complete projects.
3. They Focus On Results: The best team leaders are goal-oriented. Good leaders can find a "win" in any situation.
4. They Demonstrate Accountability:Strong leaders exhibit a high amount of personal responsibility. They expect each team member to remain responsible for his or her own job and also take accountability for him or her self as well as the team being led.
5. They Value Diversity: Top leaders appreciate diversity. This means understanding and utilizing everyone's strength and recognizing that everyone has weaknesses. This allows a leader to create synergy in a team. Team leaders should recognize that some employees are particular "specialists" in certain areas. Good leaders utilize this particular talent.
6. They Communicate Effectively: The best leaders know that they need to ask the right questions to get the information they need. This will also reveal what others want or need from the team or the business in general. Knowing what motivates others is a powerful tool in sales and management.
7. They Enhance People Skills: Strong leaders understand that working with a variety of people and personality types is a necessity. They strive to remain assertive but diplomatic.

Executive Summary: Effective team leaders must work with a variety of skill sets and personalities. Strong leaders understand how to identify the strengths of each team member and assign tasks accordingly for the best results.

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #456: 6 Tips for Handling a Difficult Employee

    
Sooner or later, all managers must deal with a difficult employee. What you need to remember is that a difficult employee is not necessarily a bad employee.  All too often, people associate "difficult" with "bad."  This simply is not true.  There are a lot of circumstances that could lead to difficult behavior -- stress at home or work, for example.

If you find yourself tasked with handling a difficult employee, you may find the following six tips insightful.

Click here to watch a video on ways to handle a difficult employee

6 Tips For Handling Difficult Employees:

Tip #1: Evaluate The Issue -- In other words, think before you act.  One complaint is not reason enough to call an employee into your office for a verbal lashing.  A clear understanding of the issue is required before you take any action.  Consider all of the relevant factors, such as the people involved and the details surrounding the situation.

Tip #2: Gather The Facts -- Because the workplace is a social environment, there is bound to be rumors and hearsay -- neither of which is reason enough to take action.  As a manager and leader, your job is to be a mediator and assess the situation fairly by gathering the facts.  Hearsay is unreliable and easily refuted.  Evidence, on the other hand, is undeniable.

Tip #3: Develop A Plan -- The workplace is not the Wild West -- you cannot go into a situation "guns blazing."  This will only exacerbate things further.  Having a plan will give you more control over the situation and help maintain order and focus.  Carefully decide when and where you will speak with the employee, how you want the meeting to go, and whether others might need to be present.

Tip #4: Focus On The Problem -- All too often, we let one negative aspect of someone define them entirely.  This, of course, is a mistake.  Just because someone is difficult does not mean they aren't good at their job.  When handling a difficult employee, you need to focus on the problem, not the person.  Otherwise, the employee may feel like they are being personally attacked.

Tip #5: Hear Their Side -- When speaking with a difficult employee, it is only fair to hear their side.  Understanding the reasons behind difficult behaviors is crucial to remedying them.  Your job, as mediator, is to find the common ground and figure out where and how you can smooth the wrinkles over.  This requires having as much of an understanding about the factors surrounding difficult behavior as you can.

Tip #6: Come To A Solution -- Ultimately, your goal is to come to an agreement with the employee on how to solve the issue; otherwise, it will continue to persist.  The first step is for the employee to acknowledge the issue.  From there, draw out a plan of action as to how it will be solved, and make sure you follow-up with the employee to ensure that change is maintained.

Executive Summary: Remember, a difficult employee is not necessarily a bad employee, so focus more on the issue and less on them.  This helps prevent employees from feeling as though they are being personally criticized.  As a result, they will be less resistant to working out whatever is causing their difficult behavior.  Once you do agree upon a solution, be sure to periodically follow-up with the employee and praise them for their efforts.

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #455: 4 Fun and Inexpensive Ways to Re-Engage Your Staff

    
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to do someone else's job for a day? Some organizations take this question very seriously and employ it as a means of employee engagement. This is one of several low-cost tasks that management can do to increase employee engagement and discussion about job satisfaction in the workplace. Consider these creative, inexpensive employee engagement solutions.

4 Unconventional Employee Engagement Solutions.

#1. Change Your Company's Wardrobe - While your organization might allow the typical "dress down Friday," you might want to switch things up a bit. That said, you might want to consider establishing the following when appropriate:   

• Sports Jersey Day
• Hawaiian Shirt Day
• Company Color(s) Day

#2. Interview Employee Day - Have you ever looked at a job titles in your organization only to wonder exactly what it is that person does? Chances are, most of your employees have as well. Set aside some time for your employees to "interview" each other about their roles in the organization. This will inspire personnel to achieve new goals in the company and to make new contacts within the organization.

#3. Change Your Music - Most offices/warehouses allow employees to listen to music as long as it is low volume or in headphones. While this can boost productivity, it does create a level of isolation as well. For a change, allow employees to appreciate each other's musical tastes by asking everyone to contribute a song to an office playlist for the day. Alternatively, you might want to consider using a free web-based service such as turntable.fm, Pandora or Spotify.

#4. Have Your Staff Switch Jobs For A Week - Job swapping is a great way to enrich your staff as it allows your staff to explore other areas of interest and gain appreciation for what their coworkers do. Additionally, it inspires individuals to communicate beyond their own teams as they get to learn about new departments. This can also reveal a great deal about your employees' interests.

To best accomplish this, build in a 30 minute meeting between employees so they can learn about the essential job duties and what must be accomplished within the workday.

Executive Summary: Employee engagement does not have to be a large or expensive program or process. Most employees are curious about the jobs and interests of others, and you can learn a great deal about your employees' goals by allowing them to learn about each other's preferences and job duties.

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #454 - What is Employee Engagement?

    

Employee engagement does not simply mean "happy employees." Even if a worker is happy, it does not mean that he or she has an overabundant sense of loyalty resulting in higher productivity. While it can help to host parties and thank employees regularly, that does not mean employees are engaged.

Additionally, a "satisfied" employee is not necessarily engaged in their work. Those who describe themselves as satisfied are not likely to put in the extra effort.

Employee Engagement: It's More Than Happiness Or Security In A Job.

Click here to read Forbes' article on employee engagement: It's Time To Rethink Employee Engagement.

Employee engagement is more than happiness or security in a job. It is the indication that an employee is actively and emotionally committed to the progress of your business and its goals.

Employee Engagement Encourages Effort.

Because engaged employees understand their impact on the overall organization, they actually care about the quality of their work and effort. This means that the salaried employee will work more hours than required to make sure the job is done right. Engaged employees do more than what is specifically required.

Examples include:

• Someone who takes out the trash before their shift ends.
• Someone who triple-checks their work.
• Someone who rearranges clothing racks before closing the store.

How Is Employee Engagement Profitable?

  The results are factual: According to Dale Carnegie Training's employee engagement survey, top companies whose employees are engaged boast 6% higher net profit margins.

Click here to download a FREE copy of our employee engagement white paper.

It works like this:

• Engaged employees provide better products and services to customers, which leads to a higher rate of customer satisfaction. And satisfied customers say good things about your company and buy from you again, again and again. This leads to increased sales and more profits. Greater profits results in greater shareholder returns.

Executive Summary: Employee engagement is marked specifically by an employee's emotional commitment to his or her job. Engaged employees produce higher quality work and put in discretionary effort that translates into higher productivity and greater profits.

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #453: How to Win a Sale When Dealing With a Decision Maker

    

As you go through the sales process, you will find that there are often multiple decision makers who analyze the information you or your salespeople provide to them. You and your sales team need to be aware of the verbal cues and body language of each decision maker - this indicates the decision maker's progress in making the buying decision.

How To Win A Sale When Dealing With A Decision Maker.

Have you ever observed a gifted salesperson in action? If so, then you know that effective salespeople know when to move a sale forward with a decision maker. While this is natural to some salespeople, it is also a learned art.

It's All About Buying Signals Based On Asking The Right Questions.

A buying signal is a key element of any sale. Buying signals indicate that it is permissible to move the sales process forward. Buying signals also demonstrate a level of trust between the salesperson and the decision maker, who now sees the salesperson as a trusted advisor with recommendations.

Good salespeople know how to:

1. Ask Key Business Questions, NOT 'Are You Ready To Buy' Questions: 

Asking a prospect a series of open-ended questions can provide you with a number of important answers. From identifying their needs to getting a prospect to talk about how they go about making a buying decision.  The key is asking good questions. 

2. Identify Buying Signals.

Buying signals can be verbal or nonverbal. Verbal buying signals include questions about specific products or the level of customization you offer. Examples of nonverbal indications include thoughtful perusal of your collateral material or leaning forward in the chair.

3. Interpret Buying Signals.

An expert salesperson can not only recognize buying signals, but understands how to interpret them. Buying signals demonstrate the decision maker's specific needs at this time. It is up to the salesperson to expertly guide the customer to make the best buying decision without overwhelming him or her. This requires a great deal of focus from the salesperson.

4. React To Buying Signals.

By the time a decision maker is done seriously evaluating a product, an effective salesperson will have specific recommendations. A good salesperson will know whether to explore another avenue or suggest add-ons as well. Additionally, efficient salespeople head back to the office with proposal notes and follow up with a proposal as soon as possible.

Executive Summary: Although this e-tip is specific to salespeople, what we have listed above can improve anyone's communication skills. The best way to truly motivate a decision maker is to focus on providing a solution to their problem - a solution that saves them time and/or money. Understanding buying signals will help you know when it's time to ask for a final commitment. 

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #452: How Much Will a Disengaged Employee Cost Your Business?

    

Whether you are looking at a sports team, business or political campaign, supporters who are not actively engaged by the charisma and content of their leader can quickly become dissatisfied dissenters who will abandon the current effort.

In the business world, losing a dissatisfied employee is more than an inconvenience. It will cost your business time and money and create a lot of aggravation. By the way, United States businesses lose $11 billion annually as a result of employee turnover according to the Bureau of National Affairs.  

5 Ways A Disengaged Employee Will Cost Your Business Money.

The primary difference between an engaged and disengaged employee is the following: The engaged employee believes that he or she can truly affect and positively change the growth of an organization. An employee lacking engagement feels insignificant, and this attitude negatively affects your business in several ways:

Click here to down our free white paper on employee engagement:Engaging Employees: What Drives Employee Engagement and Why It Matters.

1. Impact On Co-Workers: Negativity is contagious, and your disengaged employee has the potential to "infect" his or her coworkers. This has an overall negative impact on team morale and productivity.

2. Their Performance While On Company Time: As you know, time is valuable. The disengaged employee makes poor use of his or her time, costing the company money.  Often times you will find a disengaged person on their cell phone and/or surfing the Internet. 

3. Poor Customer Service: Your employees should be cheerleaders for your business and seek to make the same out of customers. However, a disengaged employee has no enthusiasm to pass on to customers.

4. Less Than Stellar Productivity: A disengaged employee is not motivated to meet goals or go the extra mile when it comes to getting work done. Additionally, an employee without sympathy may dodge phone calls, e-mails and other responsibilities.

5. Lack Of Quality In Their Work: A disengaged employee has little motivation to produce quality results. He or she may struggle with deadlines and will not seek out responsibilities or leadership roles. By contrast, an engaged workforce wants to do what is best for the company. They are generally more creative and innovative and feel loyal and emotionally connected to their work environment.

Executive Summary: The cost of a single disengaged employee may seem insignificant, but most organizations contain multiple examples of this attitude and behavior. Entire departments may feel apathetic, leading to a major productivity issue for the entire company. 

Additionally, our research has revealed that although there are many factors that affect employee engagement, it really only comes down to three key items:

1.     Relationship with someone's immediate supervisor.
2.     Senior leadership's ability to lead the company and communicate its goals.
3.     Organizational pride - vision of organization and corporate social responsibility.

For more information, visit our website!

Tip #451: 9 Great Customer Service Traits to Develop in Your Team Members

    
Having the right corporate culture within your customer service department is essential to the success of your business. Your customer service representatives (CSRs) are the face of your company - they need to be enthusiastic about the product and service you are selling as well as patient and professional. With an engaged customer service team, you will experience increased growth and customer loyalty.

One Bad Experience Can Cost You A Sale. 

When it comes to customer service, it only takes one bad experience to lose a client for life. In this e-tip, we will look at 9 elements to consider developing in your staff - skills that can project a positive image for your company.

9 Customer Service Skills.

Customer service reps who succeed demonstrate the following set of skills - skills that you should train your team on:

1. Positive Attitude When Someone Calls - A cheery outlook is a requirement for any CSR. CSRs who demonstrate a positive attitude are often described as friendly, helpful and likeable.

2. Remain Objective - The best CSR can see issues from all angles, understanding how a problem can affect the organization as well as the customer. They present an objective outlook to the customer.

3. Are Sympathetic To A Customer - A good CSR is always a cheerleader for your organization, but remains sympathetic to the customer. This perspective generates long-term customer loyalty and provides the CSR with a unique opportunity to suggest process improvements.

4. Have The Ability To Manage Stress - Even on a good day, most CSRs will handle serious complaints from customers. They understand the difference between overwhelming stress and the balanced stress of a heavy workload. Effective CSRs keep control of their emotions under duress.

5. Strong Interpersonal Skills - To get things done, a good CSR understands how to create and maintain business relationships in and out of the company. This enables them to get things done quickly and effectively without consuming resources or starting drama.

6. Strong Communication Skills - The bulk of a CSR's job involves interacting with customers. CSRs must be able to separate facts from emotion. They are able to communicate effectively in both spoken and written conversation. Additionally, an effective CSR can summarize a customer interaction to you.

7. Has The Ability To Influence Someone - A persuasive CSR can guide the customer towards the desired conclusion. Additionally, they motivate others to achieve the corporate culture you wish to foster in your organization.

8. Remains Flexible - A useful CSR is adaptable and will try different approaches within set rules or guidelines. Additionally, a flexible CSR is receptive to new ideas and procedure changes.

9. Uses Clear, Simple Language - An effective CSR can simplify information when talking to a customer, helping to minimize the customer's frustration. A good CSR understands that there is not usually a need for a customer to understand your company's internal process or the acronyms you use to identify things within your organization.

Executive Summary: Customer service is not simply a department - there is also an attitude that goes along with it. Whenever a customer interacts with your customer service team, it represents the potential to retain a customer, garner customer loyalty and sell additional products and services to them. CSRs demonstrating the key traits listed above will be assets to your organization.

For more information, visit our website!