You Have Done A Lot This Year - More Than You Realize

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart. Wishing you happiness.”
Helen Keller

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Tis' the season of lights, shopping, giving, charity, caring, connecting with family and old friends, and to jump on that one last chance before the year ends to get organized.  Well…maybe.  Perhaps this year has been a great year for you. Maybe you are ready for a fresh start. Perhaps it’s been a hard year, and you’re more than ready to tell it goodbye.

Either way, there’s one last thing to do before we step over the threshold into what’s next.  We need to celebrate. And sure, that can mean all the things you usually think of when you hear that word. It can mean celebrating the good things in our lives – our families and friends, our health, our ability to earn a living, the roof over our heads. For some of you it may mean celebrating that you’re still in the game, no matter how hard the road.

We’re always thinking about what’s next, where we can go with our lives and our businesses. And we criticize ourselves for all the goals we haven’t reached yet. Sound familiar?

And yet – you have done a lot. More than you realize. Think back over the past year, look over the questions below. Answer them all, or use them to guide you to write down wherever your thoughts take you.

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1. What’s one thing you tried this year that you’ve never tried before?

2. What’s one thing you’ve said this year that you couldn’t have said before?

3. What did you learn this year, that you never understood before?

4. If you’re a business owner, what new steps did you take this year that you couldn’t have taken before?

5. What blessing came your way this year that you might have missed before?

6. What did you learn about yourself that you didn’t know before?

7. Where have you gained clarity when you were confused before?

8. What hurdles did you overcome?

9. Where did you build confidence when you’d always struggled before?

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As you reflect on all you’ve accomplished, all that you’ve learned, and before you say good bye to this year, allow yourself to feel good. No matter what and in spite of everything, life is good.

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President | Capstone Search Group

The Key Component to a Successful Job Interview

For years I’ve counseled candidates who are preparing themselves for a face to face job interview.  There are several important topics for discussion and consideration. 

A key component to a successful job interview experience is “rapport.”

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WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF RAPPORT?

Rapport is often defined in these terms: relation, connection, especially harmonious or sympathetic relation.

Rapport is a good sense of understanding and trust. If you have rapport with someone, you two communicate with trust and sympathy. The word is often used to mean good interaction between people in different positions.

Building rapport is all about matching ourselves with another person.  For many, starting a conversation with a stranger is a stressful event; we can be lost for words, awkward with our body language and mannerisms.  Creating rapport at the beginning of a conversation with somebody new will often make the outcome of the conversation more positive. 

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HOW CAN YOU BUILD RAPPORT?

• Talk about established shared experiences, the weather, how you travelled to where you are.  Avoid talking too much about yourself and avoid asking direct questions about the other person.
• Listen to what the other person is saying and look for shared experiences or circumstances - this will give you more to talk about in the initial stages of communication.
• Try to inject an element of humor.  Laughing together creates harmony, make a joke about yourself or the situation/circumstances you are in but avoid making jokes about other people.
• Be conscious of your body language and other non-verbal signals you are sending.  Try to maintain eye contact for approximately 60% of the time.  Relax and lean slightly towards them to indicate listening, mirror their body-language if appropriate.

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WHAT ABOUT BODY LANGUAGE?

We create and maintain rapport subconsciously through matching non-verbal signals, including body positioning, body movements, eye contact, facial expressions and tone of voice with the other person.

It is important that appropriate body language is used; we read and instantly believe what body language tells us, whereas we may take more persuading with vocal communication.  If there is a mismatch between what we are saying verbally and what our body language is saying then the person we are communicating with will believe the body language. 

Building rapport, therefore, begins with displaying appropriate
body language - being welcoming, relaxed and open.

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Reflecting back and clarifying what has been said are useful tactics for repeating what has been communicated by the other person.  Not only will it confirm that you are listening but also give you opportunity to use the words and phases of the other person, further emphasizing similarity and common ground.

The way we use our voice is also important in developing rapport...When we are nervous or tense we tend to talk more quickly, this in turn can make you sound more tense and stressed. We can vary our voices, pitch, volume and pace in ways to make what we are saying more interesting but also to come across as more relaxed, open and friendly.  Try lowering your tone, talk more slowly and softly, this will help you develop rapport more easily.

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Here is a recent article from the Wall Street Journal very applicable to this topic:

HOW TO BUILD INSTANT RAPPORT IN AN INTERVIEW

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President | Capstone Search Group

Is Your Company Losing Top Talent Due to Outdated Policies?

The work place is a constantly evolving and changing space.  What was once generally accepted is no longer the norm today.  A quick, easy example is business suit and equivalent attire for women. Most companies have gone to business casual as the accepted norm or even more casual in some companies.

Companies that do not keep up with what is now considered the norm stand the risk of losing good employees. I realize in some cases it is tempting to hold on to what was once tradition, but the real importance of this must be carefully weighed against securing and keeping good talent. More so than ever with the market changing and it becoming increasingly difficult to source, attract and secure top talent.  Organizations must do a critical self-assessment of their policies to see if they are losing top talent because of outdated policies.

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What are some examples?

1. Internet use
2. Office attire
3. Flex time

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Let’s take the example of restricting Internet use.
There are certain sites that no one should be visiting at work... Once you block those obvious sites, it’s a difficult and arbitrary process deciding where to draw the line. Does your company draw it in the wrong place?

Right now is probably a good time to review your Internet policy. How does your company and human resources department feel about employees being able to kill time on the Internet during breaks? When companies unnecessarily restrict people’s Internet activity, it can more than demoralize those that can’t check Facebook; it limits people’s ability to do their jobs. Some companies restrict Internet activity so heavily that it makes it difficult for people to do online research. An obvious example is checking the Facebook profile of someone you just interviewed.

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President | Capstone Search Group

First Impressions are Critical During a Job Interview

First impressions are critical during a job interview.  Knowing exactly what is being evaluated can help you best present yourself.

Amy Cuddy, Harvard psychologist and author of Presence, shows how your body language influences others and even changes the way you see yourself. Social scientists have shown that we make sweeping inferences and judgements based on body language, judgements that can predict meaningful life outcomes like who we hire and who we trust. 

In Presence, Ms. Cuddy reveals that we have the power to affect how others see us simply by changing body positions. Cuddy says that people quickly answer two questions when they first meet you:

1. Can I trust this person?
2. Can I respect this person?

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Cuddy says that most people, especially in a professional context, believe that competence is the more important factor.  But in fact, warmth, or trustworthiness, is the most important factor in how people evaluate you. While competence is highly valued, Cuddy says that it is evaluated only after trust is established. And focusing too much on displaying your strength can backfire.

She says that some people are often so concerned about coming across as smart and competent that it they come off as unapproachable.

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As I prepare candidates for interviews I stress the importance of presentation. This not only includes dressing appropriately but also body language aka non-verbal communication.  So as you prepare for your next interview never underestimate the importance warmth and trustworthiness play in how the hiring manager or human resources person will evaluate you.

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President | Capstone Search Group
 

The Fundamentals of Hiring

Stop looking for reasons not to make a hire.

Overly narrow job descriptions and overly choosy managers are killing companies. It might be the economy that makes managers so risk-averse. Such aversion often clouds business thinking. Their companies are hurting while they hesitate to hire good people.  Their current employees are being overworked and morale is suffering while they find reasons not to make a hire. 

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What is it going to cost the company to leave this position un-filled and the job un-done for several more months?

What is it going to cost when one (or all three) of those “fit and qualified” candidates join the company’s competition — and work against this employer? 

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Hiring someone who actually hits on every bullet point in a job description is rare indeed. And what if you wait months and actually DO find that person?  Just because someone did amazingly well at a previous role doesn’t, unfortunately, ensure they’ll do the same with you...

1. Holding out could  impact you in numerous ways. You’ll never be satisfied with candidates until you find that star and they could cost you a lot, both in salary, and, if you are wrong, in undoing the mess they leave behind.
2. Instead, look for people who will add real value, supported by data driven hiring practices and tools.
3. Unless an amazing candidate lands in your inbox, and they are suitable following pre-screening, due diligence and an interview, then look for the best fit from the candidates in front of you.
4. Avoid analysis paralysis. Slow to hire and you lose. 

Being stuck on the bullet points and you spend months with an open job.  If the person has a proven track record, you like their energy and personality but they lack a license, so what?  Allow them to get the license.  Otherwise you could go months with an open position, when in reality the person could have gotten their license and have become a productive part of your team while you are still waiting.

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Sticking to the fundamentals of hiring the right way, finding the right candidates, not hunting for a unicorn, is much more likely to lead to a successful fit, plus gets your positions filled quicker so you stop hurting your business.

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President | Capstone Search Group

Strategies for Securing Top Talent

While employers often feel that it should be easy to attract great candidates it is not always the case. Top candidates always have options, and they can generally afford to be picky about which jobs they explore, let alone which offers they accept. This means that employers who truly care about attracting top talent need to put special thought into how they recruit candidates.

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Since the best candidates have options, they’ll interview and evaluate employers right back. Employers who assume that the assessment process only goes one way and forget to care about how they’re coming across to candidates will generally turn off great candidates.

Over my years in recruiting within the insurance industry, I’ve found the below strategies particularly helpful in attracting and securing the best candidates:

1. The hiring company needs to understand the difference between an active job seeker and a truly “recruited” candidate.  It is up to the recruiter to make certain the client company knows who is who, too. Not that the process should necessarily be any different between the two types of candidates, but it can be helpful to know the difference in how each is considered within a hiring process.
2. I am presently working with a client that volunteered, during our initial discussion about the project, that the hiring manager would be very open to speaking with any prospective candidate prior to them officially allowing their credentials to be submitted as an actual candidate.  When recruiting on particularly difficult searches where the potential pool to draw from is very shallow, this can be a very effective strategy.
3. If you, as a hiring company, have a good story to tell, then you should tell it! A recruiter certainly serves as a valued resource during searches, but no one can tell the story like the hiring manager.  I’d even suggest that a talent acquisition professional or human resources recruiter, while very knowledgeable certainly, still is not as equipped to talk to a potential candidate about the department culture and why it is great to work for that company and that department.
4. Once you have identified a candidate you are truly interested in bringing on board, offer to bring them and their significant other (if they have one) out to your community for a couple days.  Set them up with a rental car, a non-aggressive real estate agent and someone on your team that can show them the highlights of the area.  I’ve seen this as a very effective way to seal the deal with the person you want to join your company.

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The competition for talent is tough.  Why not utilize whatever advantages you can to help separate you from your competition?

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President | Capstone Search Group

The Hiring Manager’s Guide To Job Interviewing

We work with insurance organizations of all shapes and sizes...

• Large nationally known organizations
• Regional medium sized organizations
• Very small organizations operating in just one to three states
• Well-established organizations to true start-ups
• Organizations with highly structured human resource, recruiting and/or talent acquisition departments
• Organizations with no structured recruiting function

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Our goal is to serve as a resource to all of these different organizations, to tailor our service to each client’s respective needs. We have had the opportunity to work with smaller insurance organizations that have sought out guidance in the actual interview process.  

Let’s face it, some of the industry's brightest and best readily admit that interviewing is simply not their forte. So with those industry professionals in mind, I’ve assembled some resources that you might find helpful as you prepare to interview candidates for your job opening. 

There are over 7,000 books about interviewing and recruiting. Here are a few top choices that I would recommend:

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Title: Successful Interviewing and Recruitment
Author: Rob Yeung

Teaches managers how to structure the interview, spot exceptional candidates, and hire only those who will add value to the business

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Title: Knock ‘em Dead, Hiring the Best
Author: Martin Yate

This book is directed towards hiring managers rather than recruiters. However, since recruiters must often coach hiring managers on how to make good decisions, this serves as a "train the trainer" manual.

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Title:  Hire with your Head
Author: Lou Adler
Adler approaches hiring from the perspective of a long-time recruiter who has seen recruiting undergo massive change. His approach is thorough and straightforward.

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Title: 96 Great Interview Questions
Author: Paul Falcone
What Falcone presents is an entire philosophy of interviewing that is the exact opposite of the canned question approach. It's full of examples and explains why these questions work and how to interpret the answers correctly.

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Title: How to Spot a Liar
Authors: Gregory Hartley & Maryann Karinch
Many people—including some in law enforcement—swear by these techniques, so they're worth learning and trying. 

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Title: Hiring for Attitude
Author: Mark Murphy
This book explains how the hiring and interview process must change so that companies can weed out candidates whose attitude will create failure.  

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Another recommendation by way of a quicker read would be this guide created by Careerbuilder:
The Hiring Manager’s Complete Interviewing Guide

Scot Dickerson, CPC | President | Capstone Search Group