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Recently in Orientation Category
I'll be presenting a workshop at Tech II in Saratoga Springs on Tuesday March 23rd. At this workshop, I'll be presenting some of the latest and greatest apps and programs for the Mac and iPhone to work with your business.
There are some amazing apps that help you stay in communication with your coworkers and employees, especially ones that work with programs such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. There are labor scheduling apps, project management apps, and a variety of tools to help you on the go and in the office.
One of the fears always shared with me about the iPhone is that its "not the Blackberry" - not so! Real-time email, messaging, and linking with Microsoft Exchange are just a few clicks away. Calendar sharing and contact sharing as well.
Hope to see you there on March 23rd. For more information, or to sign up, visit
Here is a submission from the writer of Monday's submission, WK, who also wanted to share his worst experience in the hiring process.
"My worst experience was for my first job (at a retail store). The interview was set up when I received a phone call asking if I could come in for an interview in 15 minutes. Me being a 16 year old kid at the time, anxious to get a job, and finally make some money of course, I agreed, got dressed appropriately and rushed over.
When I arrived to the store, I was led to an office where I was told to sit and wait for the manger. It took almost 20 minutes for someone to come to the office. The assistant manager conducted the interview, asking the necessary questions and giving me the information on the job. After the interview was completed, I was informed the general manager wanted to see me as well.
10 minutes or so later, the manager finally arrived, and at this point, I was quite disappointed and upset at the process, and I was sitting with my elbows on the desk and my chin on my hand. The manager pointed out my posture and added it wasn't very professional of me.
He then went on with his own interview process, asking me the same questions and telling me the same information the assistant manager had already gone over. I informed him that we just went through this already, and that I understood everything that had been explained to me. He replied that "that's how we conduct interviews."
By the end of the process, my view of the company became one that was of negative nature and I didn't care much about the job once I started it. The worst part of it all was the job only paid $6.15 an hour which was minimum wage at the time." WK
Something I claim to have invented was the left turn on red in a left turn only lane. There was a stretch of road near Sea World in Orlando where no traffic ever would be coming and I'd sit there waiting for the left turn lane to go green. After about 4 or 5 times waiting and waiting, I decided to make my own rules and turn left on red when there was no oncoming traffic.
Today, in fact, I also did the same thing in Saratoga!
What does this have to do with HR? Sometimes we face rules that are meant to be broken that won't hurt anyone else. For example, if there is a candidate we really feel should be considered for an opportunity but they don't necessarily meet the qualifications, we may want to sell the candidate to our superiors or to the hiring manager based on other qualities they possess.
Or, we may do a schedule change for someone who was late one time in 6 months who had a legitimate reason for being late, rather than punishing them with a late on their attendance card.
Another example of a "left turn on red" in the workplace can be doing something outside of your responsibilities that may require supervisor approval, but by waiting until a supervisor arrives would cause a customer more stress and the business possible loss in revenue.
In March, I explored a reader's question on Hiring Inexperienced vs Experienced Workers. Today, I'd like to talk with you about this a bit further. Many employers seek to bring new ideas and new perspective to their organizations. This sometimes means there are two experienced seasoned executives or professionals applying for the same job, but from different industries. Much like I explained with Southwest's hiring strategies, often the job will go to the candidate with experience outside the field to get new perspective; this doesn't mean that the experience someone has isn't relevant or is outdated, it just means that sometimes companies want to bring in a personality type, not the experience. For example, bringing in someone with a strong retail background into a hospitality business (or vice versa) may bring the leadership experience and perspective in a different background. Always consider the choice which is not the most convenient, and you may find a better fit.
I just finished reading Sway by Ori and Rom Brafman, which shared some excellent points on many Human Resources related issues. Here are a sample of quotes and passages from the book and some comments.
"As difficult as it can be to admit defeat, staying the course simply because of a past commitment hurts us in the long run" (Brafman) - sometimes we stick with a job or a role just because it is comfortable. It may take great courage to move on to something else.
The book talks about LBJ's leadership strategy - calling people in the middle of the night, or taking visitors off guard by calling a swimming break and jumping in the pool. (Brafman) - being an effective leader means not always following the same pattern all the time. Mixing up how you communicate and how you conduct yourself can keep people on their toes and keep you always on top of your business.
The book also discusses how a new professor was introduced to a class, and half the class was given one intro, and half another, with the only words changed in the passage being "very warm person" and "rather cold person". The perception of this teacher was totally different between the first group and the second group.
This book was a great read that took me a while to get through because there were so many amazing bits of information to absorb. I'll share a few more in a future post.
On Tuesday December 8th at 1pm, my students at SUNY Delhi at SCCC in Schenectady will be debating hot issues in human resources.
If you are interested in attending this free event, please contact me at braathrj@delhi.edu.
Five debates will take place, and each will be followed up by questions and answers from the audience and students.
A question I often get asked is "How do I show experience with (insert software here) without actually having a job using that software?" Often, candidates will disqualify themselves prior to applying for a job just because they don't feel they can compete with those who have the experience already.
However, in many cases, this is not a reason not to apply for a position with a company. There are so many tools out there in any field (whether it be HR, accounting, presentation tools) that allow you to download a free-trial or low-cost version to test out and try out for yourself. For example, Time Forge, which is a tool I use in my classes for HR, allows a multi-day trial with full-functionality to manage your labor schedule force, payroll and attendance. Zoho.com gives free versions of its products on everything from presentation software to HR systems and project management tools.
So, if next time you go into an interview you don't think you have the qualifications, or get asked "What experience do you have with (insert software here)", have a good back story like "while I don't have experience in an office setting, I have been using a trial version of (insert software here) for 6 months to prepare myself for entering a role using it, and have found it has several advantages and uses which are X, Y and Z." You'll be able to land a role by being creative in your ability to grow into new roles and opportunities.
Whether it is retail, hospitality, medicine, law, and really any other field, ongoing training is the most effective method of keeping your employees on the cutting edge of their field and on top of the best communications methods.
It doesn't matter whether the scope of your business is the size of the Walt Disney Company or Ma and Pa Kettle's Diner, having effective training that breathes life in to your business is a must.
Many organizations and HR departments feel putting together a one-off workshop will solve issues within organizations; rarely do these one-off ventures provide lasting impact.
Take a look at your initiatives in your organization, and see how you can breathe new life into them by incorporating them into daily activities, rather than yearly meetings.
The probation period (30/60/90) days at the start of employment or new opportunities can be an effective way to allow both the company and the employee to test the waters and see how well things match up between all parties.
Framing the probation period appropriately to not make it "do this or be fired" scenario can be a delicate exercise in diplomacy. Someone asked me recently what I felt about their policy of telling people "if you don't do well in 90 days, we aren't keeping you." I commented that their needs to be a more delicate approach, and that taking such a hardline stance might set people up with the expectation that they are being watched on every move.
The probation period should be a give and take exercise, where management can monitor, make recommendations, and adapt training if necessary. Likewise, it should be a time where the employee should feel comfortable to address concerns that may affect their continued employment.
Last week, I published an article on Welcoming Work Environments. Here are some comments from readers on ways they were welcomed to their job.
1. "I got welcomed by my boss, but then I was given three handbooks to read and told to go upstairs. Needless to say, I didn't stay very long."
2. "Each day for my first two weeks, I met with three new people in the company and spent a good amount of time with each one. It made me feel right at home."
3. "At XXXXXX, we had checkins with the boss every day for the first two weeks. At first I was real uncomfortable with all the attention, but after the first couple days, I realized it was to make me feel like I was part of the team."
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