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The Interview Doesn't Tell You Enough (Part 1 of 2)

I recently read this article in Fast Company, Why It May Be Wiser To Hire People Without Meeting Them, which suggests tossing out the interview – as it’s not an indicator of future work performance.

While I agree to some degree, it’s the entire process surrounding an interview that makes the whole candidate.  Here are things that I think about:

• How well do they interface with me, the recruiter?  Are they respectful, pushy, or condescending?
• How well does the candidate communicate, both verbally and in written form?  Are their emails coherent and orderly?  Are there frequent spelling errors? What email address are they using?  (Does it have a 69 in it?) How do they answer the phone? What is their voicemail message like? 
• What is their communication style like?  Are they too personal? Too formal for the situation?  What do they say about their old job/company/boss? How’s their follow up?  With me, the recruiter?  The hiring team?
• How flexible is the candidate in setting up an interview?  How rigid?  How well do they seem to balance their personal obligations with the interview process?
• In setting up travel to and from an interview…how do they deal with adversity (cancelled flight, interview schedule change)?  How do they treat the travel agent?  The admin?
• Does the candidate need to see a specific job description?  Or, can they work with an outline?

A strange/weird response to any of the above is worth discussing with the client/hiring manager, etc. (or pulling them from the interview process all together). As an executive recruiter – if the candidate doesn’t last in a job, the client isn’t happy and I will end up replacing them, so, it’s critical for me to collect data, be observant, and watch for red flags during the interview process. 

Stay tuned for more things I look for in Part 2.

6 Common Mistakes Companies Make in the Hiring Process

1.    The stakeholders don’t have a clear vision as to what the company needs in a new hire.  If everyone involved in the hiring decision is looking for something different in each candidate, it will be difficult to find the right person for the job – as each stakeholder will have a different “favorite candidate.”
2.    Insufficient pre-screening process.  Bringing candidates in for an interview without knowing if they fit the general specifications (compensation range, experience, personality fit, etc.) – and wasting everyone’s time.
3.    Not involving all stakeholders in the interview process.  Thus, the company has to bring candidates back multiple times to interview…wasting time, resources, and potentially losing the candidate.
4.    Inconsistent or undefined process. Who is involved in the interview process?  Do the candidates need to take an assessment test?  Create a presentation?  If so, all candidates need to be put through the same filter (same interview team, process, presentation specifications, etc.) otherwise, you won’t be comparing apples to apples.
5.    Dragging the process out until you lose the candidate or their interest.  Many times, a long process can’t be helped (due to travel schedules of interviewers, etc.).  If this is the case, be sure to manage the candidate’s expectations.  By doing so, you won’t lose them to another company.
6.    Dishonest (or no) communication with the candidate.  Not ready to make a decision?  Did the job change?  Is the job on hold?  Don’t leave them hanging!  Open communication can save you from losing a great candidate (for the current or future jobs).  Be honest and communicate.

Don’t let these happen at your company!

8 Things to Think About When Talking to a Recruiter for the First Time

1. Know what you want. Recruiters like to “put you in a box” – know in their mind what you are looking for – and who and what you are (marketing manager, VP of Brand, PR person, etc.). If you say, “I am open to anything” and leave it broad, it’s more difficult for a recruiter to remember you when the time comes.

2. Be open.  Being adamant about location, compensation, commute, etc., will close you off from opportunities.  By remaining open, you will hear about more opportunities – and can choose to pursue/not pursue at that time.  If you close the door to hearing about opportunities right away…you could miss out.

3. Be positive.  First contact with your recruiter is not the time to start badmouthing your past employer, or talking down about your last boss.  Like anything relationship, you want to put your best self forward at first contact.   Be positive!

4. Highlight your accomplishments – make sure your recruiter knows your accomplishments – so they can recall you when the time comes.  For instance,  you helped your company grow from $3M – 15M in the last 5 years – How did you do it? Tell me!

5. Offer to be a resource – as you expect the recruiter to be yours.  A reciprocal relationship is what you want! 

6. Stay in touch.  Include your recruiter when sending out information about your new job, etc.  You want to be found for the next great opportunity.

7. Link up.  Send your recruiter an invitation to connect on LinkedIn and stay in touch!

8. Find your recruiter on Facebook, too. For example, plum has a fan page that offers career advice and other great nuggets of information.

LinkedIn: Betsy offers tips on Getting Fancy

This is Clue Wagon's final installment of tips on using LinkedIn to find job opportunities.  If you haven't read her blog already, Kerry Sandberg Scott has great career advice.  Check it out here.

Or, read it below:

LinkedIn 101: Getting Fancy by Kerry Sandberg Scott

This is the last installment in our series on using LinkedIn to find job opportunities. On Monday we talked about how to get started. Tuesday we focused on making connections.  Wednesday we explored how to participate in LinkedIn groups. Today we’ll wrap up with information on some of LinkedIn’s other features, like profile pictures, recommendations, and status updates. If you’re digging the series and want to make sure you don’t miss out on other stuff like this, you can subscribe to Clue Wagon via RSS and get posts delivered right to your desktop. If that’s too fancy, you can also subscribe via email.

A big round of applause for our special guest stars this week:

• Jennifer McClure, Vice President at Centennial, Inc. Jennifer blogs at CincyRecruiter and at Fistful of Talent. You can also follow her on Twitter at @cincyrecruiter.
• Betsy Curtin, Executive Recruiter for Outdoor, Sport and Lifestyle Brands at plum. Her You can follow Betsy on Twitter at @betsycurtin.

Let’s go!

Do I need a profile picture?

JENNIFER: I’d suggest adding a Profile picture. It’s 2009 and the internet/social networking is all about transparency, blah, blah, blah…. More and more, it likely makes you look like someone who is “not current” if you don’t include a professional headshot on your LinkedIn profile. (Note - I said professional headshot - not a picture of your dog, your family, a Second Life avatar, etc.). It’s helpful in appearing approachable and can be helpful in connecting with people out and about in the “real world”. In the answer above, I mentioned using your LinkedIn profile as your “on-line marketing brochure” and the most effective marketing brochures include pictures of the product instead of just words.

BETSY: This is a tough one!  I don’t think you need one, but I LOVE the pictures!  Last year, I was at a tradeshow, and someone came up to me and said, “Are you Betsy Curtin?” And I’m thinking, “uh oh, should I know you?”  And she could obviously see that I didn’t know her, and she said, “I’m Christina, we are friends on LinkedIn; and I wanted to introduce myself.” She recognized me from my profile picture! Crazy, right?

So, while I don’t think you need a picture, they help!

KERRY’S NOTE:  I’ve been resisting the entire picture movement in social media for a long time, because I HATE  having my picture taken.  I am definitely not America’s Next Top Model.  The thing is, Jennifer and Betsy are right…people feel more comfortable working with you online if they can see what you look like.  So now I’m adding photos (at least to a few places I frequent, like Twitter and the About page on this blog).  I’m still a little crabby about it, but resistance is futile in things like this, and as Jennifer points out, it can make you look out of touch.  That’s not good.

Do I need recommendations?  What’s the etiquette on asking for them?

JENNIFER: Recommendations are nice and the more you have, the higher you’ll show up in search results. When you do a search on LinkedIn, Profiles are indexed by level of completeness, number of connections and recommendations. It’s also a nice touch and adds some perceived credibility to your Profile. Good Recruiters will think that your Recommendations are nice, but they’ll still contact others who can speak about your professional history. It’s kind of a “check the box” thing. They’re a nice add, but I don’t think that people take points off if you don’t have any Recommendations. However, if you’re a Service Provider, then Recommendations are extra helpful because people can search LinkedIn for Service Providers. You’ll show up higher in the search results based upon the number of Recommendations you have—which could likely lead to business opportunities.

As for asking for Recommendations, I’d only ask people that you know well and those that can provide real feedback on your actual work performance. Also, if you’re going to ask for Recommendations, then do it over time—so all of your Recommendations don’t show up on your Profile on the same day. If a person has 10 Recommendations all written within a few days of each other, then I can probably assume that they asked for them. Again, I won’t take points off for that, but it’s certainly nicer to think that your Recommendations were written as a result of someone’s high opinion of you, versus you asking for it.

A good way to get some Recommendations without asking for them is to write some. Typically, if you recommend someone, they will recommend you back. Makes you feel better that way.

BETSY: I don’t really like the recommendations feature.  When I’m recruiting, and check someone out on LinkedIn, I don’t read their recommendations.  Why? Well, for instance, I know of a few people who gave each other glowing recommendations and it was all BS.  I know not all recommendations on LinkedIn are written by people 2 feet away from each other saying, “Hey, if you write a recommendation for me, I’ll write one for you.” But I still don’t trust them as a reference.

KERRY’S NOTE: I’ve already talked about why I hate them.  That’s really the only thing about LinkedIn I don’t like.

How does the status update thing work?  Will I look like a teenybopper if I use it?

JENNIFER: In my opinion, the LinkedIn Status Update is one of the most powerful parts of LinkedIn (used wisely). LinkedIn isn’t Facebook or Twitter, so I’d recommend keeping it professional and posting only Status Updates that support your professional brand. Post about events that you’re attending so people in your network will know that you’re going/may meet up with you there. Share a link to something you found interesting in your industry or profession (establish credibility). Ask a question of your network. Promote your stuff—blog posts, events, products, etc.—but do it in a way that’s not irritating. (Practice the art of subtlety). Resist the temptation to post or comment on items not related to work. Take that stuff to Twitter and share it with the world.

BETSY: You’ll look like a teenybopper if you post something every 5 minutes that reads, “In line to get Jonas brothers tickets!!”  I like reading updates that are related to my networks’ careers, something they are reading, or if they are going to a conference, etc.  Since I’m a recruiter, in the outdoor/sport industries, I also love when people post updates on new adventures, such as, “Got away from my desk today and hiked 18 miles in Sonoma!”  When I see something like that, I email that connection and engage in a conversation.  I’ll say, “Where did you hike?” and that usually starts a great dialog!

Thanks to Kerry for letting us repost her blog this week!

This is part 3 of Clue Wagon's LinkedIn 101 series by Kerry Sandberg Scott, featuring plum recruiter Betsy Curtin's sage advice:

This blog focuses on how to use the Groups to help find a job and enhance your career.
To read this installment on Clue Wagon, click here.

Or, take it in below:

LinkedIn 101: Using Groups by Kerry Sandberg Scott
This is part three in our series on using LinkedIn to find job opportunities. On Monday we talked about how to get started. Yesterday we focused on making connections. Tomorrow we’ll wrap up with information on some of LinkedIn’s other features, like profile pictures, recommendations, and status updates.
If you want to make sure you don’t miss a post, you can subscribe to Clue Wagon via RSS and get posts delivered right to your desktop. If that’s too fancy, you can also subscribe via email.

Our resident experts and super-generous contributors are:
• Jennifer McClure, Vice President at Centennial, Inc. Jennifer blogs at CincyRecruiter and at Fistful of Talent. You can also follow her on Twitter at @cincyrecruiter.
• Betsy Curtin, Executive Recruiter for Outdoor, Sport and Lifestyle Brands at plum. Her You can follow Betsy on Twitter at @betsycurtin.

Here we go!

Okay, so I am a huge Minnesota Twins fan, but how will joining the Twins Fan LinkedIn group help my career?

JENNIFER: Joining a LinkedIn group (in general) could be helpful in a number of ways. Most important is the ability to network, find resources and share information with other like-minded individuals in the “Discussions” tab. Much like LinkedIn Answers, you can ask and answer questions in an effective way - typically focused around the purpose of the Group. There’s also a “News” tab where you can share or read links to articles or blog posts (again likely related to the Group’s purpose). Posting/answering Discussions and News items could help you in establishing some expertise or relationships with other Group members and those relationships could develop into business opportunities.

When you join a LinkedIn Group, you also get to display the Group badge on your Profile, so others can see your areas of interest or affiliations. You may be surprised to find that others noting that you’re a Twins fan becomes a connection point and opportunity to establish a potential relationship or conversation. For example, a Recruiter who has looked at your Profile and contacted you about a job opportunity may be able to build some rapport and start the conversation with you by connecting on your shared love of the Twins.

BETSY: Maybe.  But are you joining that group to help with your career? Or to commiserate with like-minded individuals? In my opinion, if you are a marketing maven in the outdoor industries, and you are looking for a job in outdoor or action sport, you should join groups where you can talk shop—Like Action & Sport Innovators.  You can join discussions around current topics, or start discussions in an area where you can give an opinion that is related to your skill sets and strengths and hopefully get noticed by colleagues.   If you are a die-hard Twins fan, and want to rally around Morneau getting to the All-Star game, then, join the Twins fan group!

KERRY’S NOTE: Twins fans are 27% cooler than regular people.  Go Twins!

What are the recommended guidelines for joining groups?  I don’t want to be a group whore but I want to join enough groups to help my exposure and networking.

JENNIFER: I’d recommend joining only groups that reflect well on your “personal brand”. For example, if you’re in HR, join HR-related groups—not only for the networking and resources you can tap into, but it helps to “brand” your LinkedIn Profile as an HR professional. As for other groups, adding a few related to your hobbies or interests won’t hurt (and could increase your opportunity to network with others), but make sure you’ve got a nice mix of professional Groups to your credit before adding those. You can join up to 50 Groups and there’s no real reason not to, but I’d recommend having a plan or purpose for joining each one.

If you don’t find the content shared or networking valuable in a Group, it’s easy to “un-join”. Also, if you’re in recruiting, it’s pretty common to join Groups where potential candidates may be members because you can communicate directly with others in shared Groups who are not a 1stdegree connection without having to have a paid account. Once a Recruiter has completed a search, they may drop out of a Group in order to be able to join another and stay under the 50 Group limit. Typically, you can re-join a Group at any time.

BETSY: I think you should join groups that are interesting to you, and have some correlation to your career.  And when you join a group, participate in the discussions because that is the only way you’ll get exposure.

How much should I participate in groups?  Is just joining them enough or do I need to respond to questions and other posts?

JENNIFER: Participating in Groups is a great way to connect with others and build relationships. If you’re regularly answering questions within the group and sharing your expertise, you’ll quickly be branded as a “go-to” person, which could turn into business or job opportunities. Similarly, asking great questions or sharing helpful resources can add to your professional reputation as well. Lurking within Groups is certainly okay, but just like an in-person networking function, the most value is going to be gained by participating and joining in the “conversation”!

KERRY’S NOTE: Betsy’s company blog, ripe, has a blog post that tells you more about growing your network in general, and another on growing it through LinkedIn Groups. Jennifer’s blog, CincyRecruiter, has a excellent post on just about everything you can think of related to using LinkedIn to find a job.

Betsy Offers Advice on "Making Connections" on LinkedIn

On Monday, we introduced you to Kerry Sandberg Scott and her blog Clue Wagon.  In Part 2 of the week long series, she addresses making connections on LinkedIn. 

See Part 2 here - or check out the content below!

LinkedIn 101: Making Connections by Kerry Sandberg Scott

This is part two in our series on using  LinkedIn effectively.  Yesterday we talked about how to get started.  Tomorrow we’ll focus on the effective use of LinkedIn Groups. On Thursday we’ll wrap up with information on some of LinkedIn’s other features, like profile pictures, recommendations, and status updates. 

If you want to make sure you don’t miss a post, you can subscribe to Clue Wagon via RSS and get posts delivered right to your desktop.  If that’s too fancy, you can also subscribe via email. 

Our resident experts and super-generous contributors are:

•    Jennifer McClure, Vice President at Centennial, Inc. Jennifer blogs at CincyRecruiter and at Fistful of Talent.  You can also follow her on Twitter at @cincyrecruiter.
•    Betsy Curtin, Executive Recruiter for Outdoor, Sport and Lifestyle Brands at plum.  Her You can follow Betsy on Twitter at @betsycurtin.

So let’s talk about making connections!

Is there such thing as too many connections?  Should I only connect to people I knew well?  What if a potential employer is looking at my profile and doesn’t like one of the people I’m connected to?

JENNIFER: Your connection strategy will likely depend upon how you plan to use LinkedIn.  If you’re planning to use LinkedIn to find trusted connections to opportunities, your best bet is to connect only with those that you know personally.  That way, if you find a person that your connection knows whom you’d like to be introduced to, they should be able to do that for you without any problem.  Likewise, you’ll likely only receive Introduction Requests from your friends and personal contacts - which can be very helpful.

On the other hand, you may choose to have a larger network and connect with more people - many of whom you don’t know, or don’t know well.  LinkedIn wasn’t created with this in mind, but many people certainly have gravitated in that direction.  Some of the pros of a larger network include the ability to use your “Status Update” to communicate a message/promote yourself or your services to a wider audience.  Also, if you’re using LinkedIn to search for people (for example like a recruiter or business development person would do), then the information you’re able to access is more complete the larger your network is.  Some of the cons of a larger network include receiving Introduction Requests and requests in general from people that you don’t know well enough to recommend.  Plus, they’re using LinkedIn to promote themselves too and the noise on your Network Updates page can get overwhelming (although you can choose what information you want to see/not see on your Home Page in the Accounts & Settings section).

In general, LinkedIn suggests you need around 70 contacts to be able to effectively use LinkedIn search, etc. so a larger network isn’t necessary unless it’s helpful for you to be able to communicate what you’re doing to a larger group of people.

As for an employer looking at your profile and seeing that you’re connected to a person they don’t like?  Do you really want to work there?  Plus, they’ll only be able to see your connections if they are a 1st degree connection to you (one of you has invited the other and accepted).

BETSY: I think this depends on your purpose for being on LinkedIn.  As a recruiter that works with outdoor, sport and lifestyle brands, I connect with everyone/anyone who could be a potential candidate.  And most of the people who connect with me, are either looking for a job now, or understand the value of connecting with a recruiter for future opportunities.  Not every connection leads to something right away—building a network is a long term strategy.

And if you want to keep your connections private, so a potential employer can’t see who you are connected to, you can do that!  It’s in the privacy settings.  You can share your network or keep it private.

It’s awkward to try to connect to people I haven’t kept in touch with.  What’s the best way to do that?

JENNIFER: First - make sure there’s a reason to connect with them. If so, then ALWAYS write a personalized invitation and let them know how you know them/why you would like to connect with them. You may even want to send them an email outside of LinkedIn first to ask if they’d like to connect. Since you don’t know them well (or haven’t maintained your relationship well), you don’t know what their LinkedIn connection strategy is. They may only want to connect to people they know well (and have stayed in contact with) and you risk that they might click the dreaded “I Don’t Know This Person” button on your invitation. If you send invitations to 5 people who click IDK, then your LinkedIn account will be suspended, and you’ll have to beg forgiveness from the LinkedIn Gods to be reinstated.

BETSY: Just do it! Send then a connection request—”Hey Sally, I know we haven’t been in touch in a while, but I saw that you are on LinkedIn, and would love to reconnect with you!”
If it’s someone you don’t know really well, but you worked together 10 years ago, remind them why you know them.  Most of the time people will connect, because they want to grow their networks, too.

KERRY’S NOTE: In my experience, people are on LinkedIn because they want to connect with people, either to find a job or to get business (or some variation on those two things).  As long as you have some reasonable connection with the person and you remind them what it is, most people are going to want to connect with you too.  After all, you both benefit from having a larger network rather than a smaller one.  It’s easy to say, “I feel so bad, I haven’t kept in touch with this person I was friendly with years ago…” but the fact is that they’re probably feeling equally guilty about losing touch.  Somebody has to make the first move, and it might as well be you.  I’ve actually reconnected with some long-lost friends via LinkedIn, which is always cool.

plum Recruiter's Advice Featured on Clue Wagon This Week

Clue Wagon is a blog written by Kerry Sandberg Scott, a SPHR certified HR Executive. Betsy (and the plum team) started reading Clue Wagon in February of 2009, when someone forwarded us a link to “Can Women Wear Pants to a Job Interview?”

Her non-corporate tone “had us at hello.” So, when she asked if Betsy would be interested in helping her with a piece she was working on she jumped at the chance. 

Check out the first of a week-long series here (content below):

LinkedIn 101: Getting Started by Kerry Sandberg Scott
It’s LinkedIn Week on Clue Wagon.  I’ve received a lot of questions from readers and friends lately on how to effectively use LinkedIn to connect with people who can help in your job search.  It’s been over a year since I used LinkedIn from the recruiting side of the desk, so I wanted to talk to some experts who are currently using this tool to find candidates.  Two people very generously offered to spend time answering a bunch of questions from readers.  They are:
•    Jennifer McClure, Vice President at Centennial, Inc. Jennifer blogs at CincyRecruiter and at Fistful of Talent.  You can also follow her on Twitter at @cincyrecruiter.
•    Betsy Curtin, Executive Recruiter for Outdoor, Sport and Lifestyle Brands at plum.  Her You can follow Betsy on Twitter at @betsycurtin.

Today we’ll focus on the very basics.  On Tuesday, we’ll talk about managing your connections.  Wednesday we’ll focus on the effective use of LinkedIn Groups.  On Thursday we’ll wrap up with information on some of LinkedIn’s other features, like profile pictures, recommendations, and status updates.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss a post, you can subscribe to Clue Wagon via RSS and get posts delivered right to your desktop.  If that’s too fancy, you can also subscribe via email.  You just have to promise you’ll come back and comment, because otherwise I get lonely.

Let’s get started!

How much detail about my various positions should I include in my profile?  Should it be the same as my resume, or just the title and dates of employment?

JENNIFER: If you’re trying to be found, then you’ll want to include enough information to be of interest to those searching for you. Use keywords throughout your Profile and think about the words or terms someone searching for you within LinkedIn would be using. Including much of the same information from your resume is okay, but I’d suggest using a more narrative form to appear approachable and interesting. Your LinkedIn Profile is your “on-line marketing brochure”. If you were handing a brochure to someone describing your product (you), it hopefully wouldn’t be written like a resume. It would be written to engage the recipient and entice them to “buy”. Write your LinkedIn profile like a marketer would.

BETSY: Tell enough information to pique someone’s interest, but don’t give it all away!  I think you should include company name, your title and dates of employment (month/year) and then include 2-3 of your major responsibilities.  Keep it short enough that people will read it, but juicy enough that they want to read it.

KERRY’S NOTE: Keep in mind that people will compare the resume and your LinkedIn profile to make sure they sync up.  Kris Dunn at HR Capitalist had a great piece on why LinkedIn profiles are more accurate than resumes.

I’ve spent a whole week connecting to people, joining groups and setting up a rock star profile.  Now what?

JENNIFER: Spend some time with LinkedIn each day or a few times a week. Check the Status Updates, Profile Updates and activities of those in your network on your Home Page. Respond to their Status Updates, congratulate them on their new job when they update their Profile, etc. You can also see who the people you know are connecting to and you may find some contacts that you’d also like to connect to or get an Introduction to them from your contact.
In general, don’t create your LinkedIn profile and neglect it. Use LinkedIn as a way to stay connected to those in your network, share what you’re doing, and to find contacts, resources and information.

BETSY: Now, it’s time for you to help your network.  You know the saying, “Give and you shall receive.”  Well, I find that is true for LinkedIn, too.  If someone in your network asks to be introduced to someone, introduce them.  If they ask you to forward a connection request, forward it.
Log in to LinkedIn daily, check your networks’ status updates - if you notice someone got a promotion, or took a new job, congratulate them.  Each time you initiate contact you increase your goodwill with your connections.

Be sure to subscribe to Clue Wagon...and check back all week for new content.

Who are YOU? New tools help employers/recruiters/interested parties find out!

As you probably  know, I have accounts on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and many more sites.  All designed to drive you back to me – when you are a) looking for a job (I love to meet cool, talented people) or b) need talent (I find talent and assess culture fit for sport, outdoor and lifestyle brand companies).  On all of these sites, you will find updates on what I am up to (related to work, career tips, personal life, weather, cool websites, etc.).  It gives insight into what I am thinking about…and, hopefully, insight into why you should make me your recruiter.

Last week, I happened upon a website called Tweet Psych.  It’s a website that psychoanalyzes your tweets to show “who you are.”  Check out mine:

Good to see the positive part.  Phew.

Oral fixation?  Narcissim?  Sexual Fixation??  Yikes!

 

See how it suggests other people that “think like me?”  Interesting!  I love twitter for the ways you can meet people (all over the globe) that you might never have connected with otherwise.

The only downside is you need 1000 tweets or so to be really accurate.  So, for me, it might be a while.  So, it’s rudimentary, at this point, but interesting, nonetheless. 

Read the blog on the science behind it here.

As it happens, last week I was recruiting for a Product Manger job for an HR Software company…and happened to interview candidates who make HR software.  Software that manages payroll, application process, background checking, etc., etc.  I learned that companies are working on developing background checking software that searches (quickly & efficiently) social media.  Certainly, this software (and it’s variations) will ultimately include a similar type of psychological analysis.   Perhaps even measure your rating against the “culture rating” of a company. 

This begs the question?  Who are YOU?  What do your statuses/updates/comments say about you?  Are you sending “Big Beers”/”slaps on the butt”/”Kinky kisses” to friends?  Are you a positive person? A negative one? Do you complain about your employer?  Your manager?  Badmouth your company?  Do you party a lot?  Are you a conservative/liberal?  Do you talk down your co-workers?  Have a positive/negative bias toward sex/religion/race, etc?  Do you believe in the right to choose?  Do you believe gay marriage should be legal?

Here’s news for you…whatever you put out there…”they” will find – and you will be judged by it.  And, they are working on new ways to analyze YOU.  So, think about it.

Manage your brand.  Brand YOU.  If you feel the need to be verbose, lock it down…as much as possible…but…know that it probably won’t do any good.

Ultimately, the truth is: you can't help but reveal yourself. (My favorite expression in recruiting!)

Think Strategically When Building your Network

Think about your network.  Who is in it?  Current and former colleagues, family, recruiters, volunteer organizations, gym friends, the person next to you in yoga, friends from college, your hairstylist, the person next to you on the soccer field sidelines, your tennis buddies.  You get the idea.  It’s everyone!

When thinking about your network (your circle of friends & acquaintances) – decide what you will use your network for.  If it’s a recommendation on a hair salon, restaurant, daycare, etc., it might be fantastic as is.  But, if it’s for your next career move, you need to think strategically – while you are still in your current job.  

Like anything, you need to decide where you want to go, before you can get there.  So, where do you want to go?  Perhaps you want to move up in your job– so, once you hit the top (or as high as you can go at your org)…where will you go next?  This involves a little research.  

Consider the following:

1. Take a look at industries and companies you may be interested in working for – and build a list.  Glassdoor is a great tool for this (though a little light in the sport/outdoor area).  It offers information on salaries within organizations, reviews on the companies, questions the company asks during interviews, and assessments on how hard the interviews are!   You can search by city/state, too.  A quick search on the Portland, OR area, yields 627 results (Are there really 627 companies in PDX? Nutty!)

2. Diversify.  Look inside and outside your current industry.  Your next career move may not be within your current industry (if you want to stay in the same location, keep the kids in school, support your partner’s job, etc.).  So, consider looking at industries that are complimentary to your current one – and add companies to your list.

3. Think geographically.  Perhaps your goal is to move to Southern CA at some point (beach, sea, sun…ahhhh).  Start expanding your network in the area to which you would like to move - now.

Start with LinkedIn – and link to all your friends, colleagues, associates, etc.  Then, start reaching out to people to build your network for your next opportunity.  Ask for introductions – and start meeting people now!  Interact on the message boards, go to face-to-face events (a great way to strengthen an online relationship)…offer to help others – and they’ll be ready to help you when you need it in the future.

Ask yourself: Will my network perform the way I want it to – when I need it?  If not, start strategizing!

Don't Try to Fit a Square Peg in a Round Hole

I read this Harvard Business Review blog article the other day and it really resonated with me.  The Reason?  Well, this is how my dad approached my report card.  Ignore all the A’s…and ask me why I got a B.  I know he meant well – but it always rubbed me the wrong way.

During my early years of management, I was a guilty perpetrator of this review format.  (The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I guess).  But it was a stint as a GM for a company where I learned the value of focusing on strengths.  I took the reins of a 100+ person company from a domineering “Do as I say” type of owner.  I came into an operation that had significantly low morale, full of employees feeling brow beaten in their roles.  What an eye opener!

The one thing the owner did correctly (in hindsight) was refuse to give me any “preconceived notions” about how things should be run, how the company was running right now, who the “players” were,  etc.   So, I walked in on my first day without any idea about who were considered the strong performers and who the owner felt should be out the door.  I began by meeting with my team individually and finding out their stories.  Naturally, everyone was pretty wary of divulging too much to the “newcomer” but gradually I built trust within the team and began to see what was really going on.

After a few weeks, my boss said she’d like to get rid of the team members that weren’t performing. In particular, one person who was heading up a division that was critical to our success.  A person, who in my opinion was invaluable, he did a lot of things really well, but was responsible for a few things that didn’t match up with his strengths. 

So, instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole...I "changed the hole." I switched around the responsibilities to maximize his strengths and minimize his “weaknesses” (giving him more responsibilities in areas where he shined and less where he didn't - and moving some responsibilities to another team).  And voila!  Immediate improvement in the use of company resources and in his job satisfaction.

When an employee is in a role where they are “in over their head” or responsible for areas for which they are not competent or not able to use their strengths, they feel it as much or more than you do as a manager (hard to believe I know).  They feel fear, shame, embarrassment, anger and resentment.

When looking at your team’s performance – think about whom you are “using” to the company advantage (and by default their advantage) and who you aren’t.  It’s your responsibility as a manager to draw out these strengths and help your employees succeed.  If they aren’t successful – they’re in the wrong role … and the onus is on you to make things right, if at all possible.

This “strength analysis” is, quite obviously, particularly important when hiring.  Think about your team in terms of their strengths…and assess what strengths you are missing from your team and hire for those.  Work with your recruiter on your needs – and make sure your interview process draws out the answers you will need to make a successful hiring decision. 

Your new employee, current employees, and company will thank you for it!