Recruiting

The recruitment process is interesting isn't it...?

As much as I would love to give everyone a job opportunity, it is not realistic. One would imagine that in this day and age of unemployment, potential employees would trawl through the Internet and read every piece of literature available on applying for a job and conducting interviews that make an impact; sadly not so. 

Our recruitment process whittles candidates down to those who are potentially a good fit even before laying eyes on each other. It is quite a process, but worth investing in. We continuously look for candidates so that there isn't a mad dash to hire someone just for the sake of it as the company grows. 

Below are my top five recruitment lessons | experiences | irks - 

1. In our industry, reading and being detailed orientated is important, we need to be very aware and zoomed in on a spectrum of things when looking after reputations. So, when we advertise and invite candidates to apply for a position, we always indicate that they need to do so online; the application form is on the home page of our website (www.reputationmatters.co.za).  You would be surprised how many people miss this and still send through their CVs. All I then say is ‘thank you for self-eliminating yourself from the process and saving us both time’. 

2. Then, when the online application form is found, there are quite a number of people that are put off by its length, it is not abnormally long, but people that are serious about applying will take the time to complete it. A half filled in application form is not going to get the candidate through to the next round.

3. I find it bizarre how many people apply for a position within the communication industry, and can't get the basics of grammar and spelling correct. If you refer to yourself as " i " (personally one of my absolute pet hates), and don't do a basic spell check – my thanks goes out to you for self-eliminating yourself.

4. Punctuality is important to me, so I must admit that I do watch the clock when meeting a recruit for the first time (mind you, any of the meetings set up throughout the process). Being slightly early makes a (positive) difference. In the past I've had fairly senior people apply for a position who forgot about the meeting! So, for starters - show up, and if you really want to make a good impression be slightly early. 

5. Finally, preparing for the meeting definitely helps. At minimum have a look at the company’s website. A while back I was interviewing for an assistant, and I asked one of the candidates why they wanted to join Reputation Matters? She looked a bit quizzical at me and said that she did not really know what the company does – ‘what is it that you do?’, she asked me. She did not get the position - thank you for your self-elimination.

What interesting recruitment scenarios have you experienced?

It's not inside it's...ooon top!

Lesson 5 - Work ON the business and not IN the business

This fifth and final lesson has been quite a mindset change of how to tackle the beast of being a business owner.

Just over a year ago, I invested in a business coach. Business had been ticking away fairly well, but there was a discrepancy between the number of hours I was spending working versus the monthly financial outputs. I was working incredible hours with nothing really to show for it at the end of the month, except being totally run down and a warped credit card to cover monthly expenses - things were just not adding up.

Kathi Clarke - dynamic business coach, owner of Building Best Business and an ActionCOACH coach; changed the way that I look at running the business. I will be the first to admit that I was very skeptical and wondered whether I really did need a coach? I think on some level I was thinking that I was failing myself if I had to ask for help - but... all professional sports people use coaches to continuously improve - and when I had that analogy, the penny dropped and I realised that this was something that I needed if I wanted to grow the business and take it to the next level.

One of the biggest lessons so far, was realising that as a business owner you need to be a lot less hands on, you need to be working ON the business opposed to IN the business. It it your responsibility to lead, motivate and steer the ship - you can't do that if you are on the ground entrenched in operations.

I have incredible support from those who are near and dear to me, however - running a business can be a lonely process. With Kathi's wealth of experience, she provides an objectivity, a soundboard and motivation to help me keep an eye on the bigger picture.

Something else that I am very appreciative of is the support structure created within the coaching environment, e.g. yesterday we had a Growth Club session where all the business owners who have invested in coaching with Kathi come together to plan and set goals for the next quarter. I always feel very invigorated after such a session, there is so much positive energy and ideas shared during the day- and it is a space shared with like-minded people who have taken that leap of faith of becoming a business owner and wanting to take their business to the next level. There is a camaraderie, a safe space of knowing that you are not alone in this - there are other people also on this journey, who without having to say anything just know and understand.

It is an exhilarating experience to see and experience the building and growing of a business; it provides inspiration for the next quarter - and who knows what other business opportunities lie around the corner to sink my teeth into.

Write things down

Lesson 4 - Always keep an audit trail

A big lesson learnt here is that you always need to document things.

Confirm everything in writing.

It is very difficult to try and prove a conversation, especially when it is only between two people. Whose version is correct and how do you prove that it was said?

Some time ago I went through an 'interesting' recruitment process - where an appointment was made based only on telephonic and Skype interviews (incidentally, steer clear from doing in this way - but more on that another time). On the first day of meeting the person they didn't take kindly to the fact when told that reputation matters and that it did not bode particularly well to be late. During a conversation that ensued, I was told that the person 'was not feeling the vibe'. Not a great first impression or way to start a career in reputation management. To cut a long story short we agreed that this was not going to work out and mutually decided to cut our losses and move on.

In good faith, I believe we had moved on as I had telephonically requested a letter indicating that they did not accept the job offer and this was confirmed. There is no such thing as good faith. Lesson learnt loud and clearly a couple of months down the line when the conversation had to be proved at a CCMA hearing for unfair dismissal.

Keep an audit trail of everything. Keep evidence of conversations, be it through an email,  minutes or scrap of paper if need be, but get it documented.

The Wheel Turns

The wheel does turn, sometimes not as quickly as we would have hoped it would, but inevitably it will. It's important to keep in mind how you interact with those around you and to ask yourself if that is how would like to be treated; how would you feel if you were on the receiving end? Inevitably, you get what you give.

In the words of Maya Angelou, and a thought for the week ~ "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Keep family and friends far from your business

Lesson 3 – Don’t do business with family and friends

Yep it’s another lesson I learnt the hard way through the school of real life of managing a business. It all sounds great – working with those in your life you have an extra special relationship with – a family member or a really good friend. You've got each other’s backs and best interest at heart – right? Initially yes.

But it does not work.

Due to this extra special relationship – things get ‘extra special’ to manage especially when business-specific matters need to be addressed and the family / friend / business line needs to be drawn.

The dynamics change when friendship and business mixes. I have personally found it particularly challenging  to raise performance issues when working with family / friends.  I wanted to be the compassionate understanding friend, and tended to ‘pussy-foot’ around issues; but realised that unfortunately it is not how the world of business operates. Friendship does not pay the bills; but those invoices and salaries still need to be paid at the end of the month. Tough decisions need to be made when friendships and business is on the line.

My advice - keep them very far apart, and may they never meet.

Interestingly I read the following on the plane back from Bloemfontein this morning – from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War –

(On soldiers) -  if you are so nice to them that you cannot employ them, so kind to them that you cannot command them, so casual with them that you cannot establish order, they are like spoiled children, useless. (Master Sun)