Shortening The Hiring Process

Why does it take so long to hire a replacement employee?  Could it be you are not sure about what they did and so you are unable to complete a requisition form?  Could it be that the process has too many hoops to get through and no one person knows how it all works?

In a lot of companies, everyone runs around in a panic when someone resigns, and then the recruitment process drags on until most of the applicants have retired from another job by the time they are called to interview.  I hear all kinds of excuses like the hundreds of applications that have to be sorted through.  Really?  How long does it take to review an application?  Either they are a fit on paper or they are not.  Or the fact that managers want everything on their wish list before they will even meet with people, so the search takes months.

Let’s start with a short and sweet competency list.  When I see an organization list every single possible thing the role could ever be asked to do, I instantly pass on it.  This kind of recruitment process tells me that the organization and the hiring manager does not have a clue what they want.  They will interview for months to see what is available, waiting to find the perfect match.  This is not worth my time, so I don’t waste the company’s time either.

How about the layers of screening interviews to weed out the wrong people?  Too many of these and once again you have lost the interest of your best applicants.  If this is how the interview process works at this company, can you imagine how difficult ordering toilet paper will be?

Then there are the people interviewing.  They have prepared questions, and are not sure of the answers they should be seeking.  They appear to be disengaged, when in reality they simply don’t know how to react to the responses coming from the applicant.  I can’t tell you how many interviews I’ve had with a hiring manager that I have requested not to be included in further interviews.

Which brings me to the number one pet peeve I have with the interview process.  This is supposed to be a two-way street.  I am there so you can determine if I am a fit for the role and the company, and you my friend are being reviewed by me to see if I want to work for you.  Boy, does that realization tick off a lot of people.  I’ve watched true indignation from senior leaders that believe they are the only ones that choose the fit.  And when I have determined it is not a fit for me, they are almost offended.  As polite as I can be, I thank them for the opportunity to meet and discuss the opportunity, but I will not be pursuing the job further.  It doesn’t matter why, but I am not supposed to have any part of the decision and yet what I’ve done is helped to shorten the hiring process.

What else could be done to shorten the hiring process at your company?

 

 

Repercussions for Lying

Repercussions for lying these days are a quick apology and then back to work.  When did our society begin to think it was okay to mislead, lie and cheat people and basically get away with it?  And while Jonathan Gruber’s testimony to congress yesterday is what has my interest in this topic again, is he really unique?

Politics it would seem is a license to lie.  In the name of the campaign, or whatever it takes to get elected you can do or say anything.  Our founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves at the actions our government leaders are taking these days.  I’m sure they too played their word games at the time, but the public and the press were not as forgiving as they are today.

I fear that this tolerance of lying is hurting the ability to raise children because they are surrounded by adults that can get away with saying things that are not truthful.  We have religious leaders spreading messages to agitate the public and believe things that are not fact.  We have people testifying in front of juries making up stories to fit agendas.  We have people lying under oath.  I guess “so help me God” doesn’t mean as much to some as it does to me.

Business leaders get caught lying to employees, stock holders and the press to create a façade or keep the façade alive.  Oh well, business as usual.

Yet as bad as this sounds, there are still honest people.  There are still Servant Leaders.  There is still hope for those of us seeking God’s wisdom, guidance and help.

Merry Christmas from JK Hopkins Consulting